And there was nothing.
Hello, and welcome to the ALS Well. Alternate Life System Well. Here you will be able to spend points you've accrued in your previous incarnations.
Points?
Points are based on actions you've made and how strongly they've affected people in your previous lives. Not all "negative" actions have negative consequences and not all "positive" actions positively affect others. Please note that "negative" and "positive" are subjective, not objective.
What does "previous incarnations" mean?
Previous incarnations are the times before this life. Incarnations can be stopped through items that allow for reincarnation, strong abilities wherein a person or persons can will themselves into a new life or through natural causes such as anything that results in death.
Did... Did I die?
Your current incarnation was created after the death of your previous incarnation.
But... How? How did I die?
You died from a combination of blunt force trauma, hemorrhaging, and poison.
Why don't I remember?
Please hold.
There's... Something... There's a light! But... It looks... Off. Somehow. It's blue. There's a blue light coming from something, somewhere, slowly filling my vision. My vision. I can see! Wait... I couldn't see before. This... What is this?
System busy. Please try again later.
I... I can see a light. But I couldn't see anything before. Why can I see now?
System busy. Please try again later.
Wait... I remember... I remember! I. Died. I died... It was... Henla... And Metir! Henla and Metir. They took turns beating me. They beat me! With branches and stones and a fire iron! I died! Those monsters murdered me! It was that horrible woman Henla! Wait... Did... Did Metir...?
System busy. Please try again later.
Metir... Did Metir beat me?
System busy. Please try again later.
Oh... Oh, Metir... You said you loved me?
System busy. Please try again later.
How could you betray me for that vile woman?
System busy. Please try again later.
But she was already married! To Gerld! Was Gerld not enough?
System busy. Please try again later.
That vile woman! That venomous snake! Unfaithful and yet you'd chose her over me! Did you chose her over me?
System busy. Please try again later.
Why did you chose her over me?
System busy. Please try again later.
Fine... You've made your choice.
Data restoration complete.
The Gods will see justice done! I've done nothing to deserve this! ... Have I?
Unknown inquiry. Inquiry appears unfinished. Please restate the question.
Did I deserve my fate?
Unknown inquiry. Which "fate"? Please restate the question.
Did I live a life so firmly against the blessings of the Gods that I deserved to be beaten, poisoned, butchered while my fiancé and the bane of my existence laughed in raucous delight at my passing?
Unknown inquiry. Which "Blessings" or which "Gods"? Please restate the question.
Did I deserve to die the way I did?
No.
What?
Unknown inquiry. Inquiry appears unfinished. Please restate the question.
Did I earn my death through actions my own?
No.
Then why?
Unknown inquiry. Inquiry appears unfinished. Please restate the question.
Why did I have to die so horribly?
You were not supposed to die yet. The thread of your fate was broken by hatred.
What did I do to deserve such unbridled hatred?
Unknown inquiry. Which instance of "hatred"? Please restate the question.
Why did Metir hate me so?
Metir did not hate you. Metir was fond of you.
If Metir had any fondness for me then why did he help make my death so horrible?
Metir was swayed by promises of wealth, power, and a chance to be with Henla.
Does Metir understand what a vile, detestable creature she -- Henla. Does Metir understand what a vile and detestable creature Henla must be to sway him to such actions and revel in them?
Unknown inquiry. Which "them"? Please restate the question.
Does Metir know what an awful person Henla must be to sway him towards such violence and monstrous actions to gain her affections?
Metir's will was subsumed by Henla with the assistance of a drug called "Harlot's Fever".
Did Henla poison Metir?
Yes.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Did Henla poison me?
No.
Did Metir poison me intentionally?
No.
You mock me. Did Metir poison me?
Yes.
You said that there was something. An All's Well. An All's Well that I could put points into.
Unknown inquiry. There is an Alternate Life System Well that contains unassigned points. Regarding your previous and present incarnation I am unfamilar with an "All's Well" that accepts points.
Alternate Life System... A. L. S. Alright. How do I access the ALS Well and to what do I assign my "points"?
Please hold.
Not this again. What am I meant to do while I wait?
System busy. Please try again later.
I can't even curse you... You're trying your best to help me... Whoever you are... Who are you?
System busy. Please try again later.
How cruel. I know not time, nor flesh, nor feeling in this place. I still have feelings, but they do not touch my heart.
Access to ALS Well granted. Access to Situational Log granted. Access to Situational Database granted. Access to Core Haven granted.
Do I have a heart?
Yes. You are the heart of the dungeon.
Oh. You're back. Wait. What dungeon?
Unknown inquiry. Inquiry appears unfinished. Please restate the question.
I am the heart of what dungeon?
Information unknown. Dungeon is not yet established.
Why am I the heart of a dungeon that is not yet established?
You have not assigned points nor have you chosen your Reason.
My... No. What is a reason that I can choose?
There are many Reasons. Examples are:
Desire to make the strongest fighter.
Desire to help humanity.
Desire to fight humanity.
Desire to punish humanity.
To be the biggest dungeon.
To be the best dungeon.
To break time.
To alter time.
To get back at that prick Arthur.
Because Melinda didn't love me.
and more.
How do I access the things I've been granted permission to access?
Please hold.
Gods bless! Or, they don't. Maybe they do?
System busy. Please try again later.
Maybe this. This "becoming a dungeon heart", is how the Gods intend to bless me...
Core updated.
I remember. I remember the ALS Well. I remember how to draw points from it. I remember how to check how many points I have and how to assign them to growth, or generating creatures, minerals, new environments. I know how to make my body and what I need to sustain it. I remember that I'm not alone. I'm not supposed to be alone. There's supposed to be something, someone here to guide me. Someone to talk to and interact with. Solitude is detrimental to the soul and the mind, and no one wants a mad dungeon. I am the dungeon. I am the heart and the dungeon is my flesh.
Where is my companion?
Kimlxik is not available at this moment.
Is Kimlxik my dungeon companion?
Yes.
Where is Kimlxik?
Kimlxik is not available at this moment.
Why is Kimlxik not available at this moment?
Kimlxik is not available at this moment.
If my companion is not available at this moment and is not bound to me enough to be there at my conception --
I reach into the ALS system. My actions are not hindered and I regret what I must do. First I find out how to file a report. There is so much red tape to go through. Red tape... What a concept. Sycophants and hangers on are no longer the only defense the Higher Powers possess to separate them from the rabble. Now they have forms! And woe upon those who would dare inquire as to the status of forms filled and filed! Ha! Madness and chaos are rarely bested by bureaucracy. There are times when they go hand in hand. When you cannot ask to ask and you are forbidden to know because you obeyed the rules. Sorrow and lamentation...
A complaint. A complaint against my dungeon companion for somehow bypassing the companion clauses to leave some kind of simulacrum to tend to me indefinitely while they go about being unavailable. A complaint with a request that either this Kimlxik is removed from the system as a companion or is monitored frequently to ensure it does not just abandon its duties and leave a dungeon core to go mad. Frequent monitoring because it is quite likely that someone like Kimlxik will, rather than actually attempting to stay with a core, instead attempt to restrict its abilities and capabilities to report Kimlxik or defend themselves against the absent companion's neglect. That is done.
Let this be my Reason. To reward those who do good and wish to be good, and punish those who do harm and revel in the causing of that harm.
"Okay, what's going on? This one got a notification that this dungeon core is actually up and giving feedback."
I come out from the nexus of what is, has been, and could be to find a small blue imp in the small space around me. I'm not sure if they're blue from my glow or if the color is their own and I realize my mistake. I cannot defend myself. If this creature, this imp, this Kimlxik, has as much apathy towards my being as they have disregard for my welfare they may well smash me to bits. But I've already filed the report. Hopefully in this there will be justice.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Says the core has two Reasons. Is this thing broken?" The imp glowers at a crystal it holds in its hand, occasionally running the fingers of its free hand along its surface. "It reported me?! Okay, no. Full reset. My simulacrum must be buggy. What the hell information did it give to this thing..."
While they're talking I can feel a strange clenching at the back of my mind. I maintain my silence as I watch my points go up. One thousand for the brutal murder. One hundred for the betrayal. Fifty for the poison administrated by my fiancé in his drug induced drunken stupor. Forty for the kicks which ruptured my organs. Fifty each for the branch, stones and metal poker that broke my bones. And 100 points when Kimlxik tries to reset me the first time. A token apology from the beings watching over dungeon cores. There are many beings who watch over many creatures and I appear to have gotten the attention of the ones that protect dungeons. Then I receive 150 points more for the second attempt to remove my consciousness which would essentially kill me. Two hundred and twenty-five points for the third. The fourth is rounded down to 337. And by the fifth I have a total of 2657 points. From a previous total of 1340 points from my brutal end. By now I receive a notification that all unauthorized and unapproved attempts to finish me are hereby thwarted. If some other creature makes it through my dungeon to my core than they'll have to prove themselves worthy. Another 1000 points for the inconvenience. I can live with this.
I swiftly go to Core Haven, a virtual shop for dungeon cores. I care not for the lore and the history. At this time I cannot. There is much to be done and much to do to begin. There are many ways to acquire new data to add to the database. One of these methods is by having creatures die in your dungeon. Depending on their Ranking and Rating, things the Gods have come up with and passed down to all things, you could learn enough to make them your own. Dungeon cores collect information from everything within the scope of their knowledge. I know, thanks to the simulacrum, that I can learn more from consuming a creature than from mere observation. But the observation helps me understand the why of it.
I unlock and purchase three Alfain kits, 200 points each, and gain 100 points for making my first purchase, another 50 points for unlocking my first creature, and 200 points for gaining my first Rank B creature all in one fell swoop. I unlock and purchase 5 Biter cubs, 150 points each, and gain another 50 more points for having at least 5 creatures.
Alfain are creatures with a powerful connection to their environment. Their abilities are Camouflage, which allows them to blend in to their environment, Adaptable, allowing them to learn from and overcome challenges, Intelligent so that they can learn quickly and improve, and Wise so they know to share their knowledge.
The Biters are a submission, a suggestion, from another dungeon. Large furred beasts with elongated crushing jaws, thick and powerful bodies and lean surprisingly sturdy legs. The have multi-digit clawed forelimbs and hooved hind limbs allowing them to claw, scratch and deliver powerful kicks. Their hides are thick, and their fur, as they become older, is strong and sharp, some hairs becoming hidden spikes and quills.
But for now I have children that must be taught and raised. Not entirely helpless but not much of a threat. The Alfain kits still have a subtle beauty and unnatural grace that will remain with them as they grow and the Biters will lose their soft, downy coats, pearl-like teeth, and their thin, stretchy skins as they mature.
While the imp is cursing and swearing, tapping and swiping aggressively at its crystal, I check my Situational Log to find out my location. I'm only 50 meters down. Now I have to decide whether I want to be a vertical dungeon or a horizontal dungeon. Vertical. If I spread out and people find my more valuable resources they'll have an easier time bypassing the rest of the dungeon by just tunneling straight down. People are cruel, lazy, and dangerously creative. No. I will go down.
I pay 500 points to relocate my core room 30 meters down. A steep price, but the better option. I could attempt to move my core, but I'm not trying to just move my core. And I doubt the lights going out would go unnoticed. I hollow out a cylindrical area 10 meters high with a 35 meter diameter, compressing and consuming the dirt and the ceiling. Gaining 3 points for every 20 meters I net another 453 points.
I create a curving tunnel that circles around half of the cylinder, moving upwards, and stopping at what I begin to shape into another cavern of similar shape to my first. Another 453 points and another tunnel starting opposite the last, 10 more meters between above the last cylinder and another cylinder gets dug, excess dirt being packed so densely it forms a rock like material. A notification. A reminder. I'm not just compacting dirt. When I compress large volumes of dirt too far my abilities, my magic, what I am really, does turn it into rock. I stop storing the dirt and begin to reinforce the chambers I've made. I forgot I could do that! Wait.
How do I know that?
System busy. Please try again later.
"What in the Hells?!"
Oops.