Adil took a moment to rest and gather his thoughts; he had finally finished constructing the last of the mana-shields.

Notification

Mana shield proficiency I

you have created enough mana shields that they are no longer unrefined quality.

Magic artificer II

Tinkering and experimentation with the mana shields has given you a greater understanding of creations around mana. You are not able to create more complicated designs.

Increased stability of constructs.

Suddenly, Adil felt a spike of pain in his head as more information seemed to rush in. He could visualise formula and complex mana formations within his mind. The overload of information forced his mind to go numb. He gagged as found out he was holding his breath the whole time. In the numbness, his thoughts felt stilted. As a refreshing clarity began to come back, it was as though his mind was booting up, restarting from the overload of knowledge. Adil only had the single thought of complex mana formations lingering as he suddenly remembered where he was. Coming back to his senses, Adil started breathing heavily. Changes like this being something he had now gotten used to, he only rested for a moment.

Adil looked around and saw he had finished off all the Opal and Pink quartz in store. The dark skyless room hid what time had passed. He looked back at the mass of unrefined shield tokens he had just made realising that he could now improve them to the refined stage. 

Adil decided another half an hour of adjustments wouldn't go amiss. He worked with unrelenting focus bringing each shield outside of the "unrefined" state and into an unassuming "standard" quality.

Finished now, Adil had a large sack of the mana-shields, enough to fit out all the members of what he liked to think of as his guild. He stepped onto the portal and chose the outward location to the war-room. As the pad activated, his vision seemed to blur. The difference in lighting between the two rooms blinding him.

A man and goblin were peering through the war table.

"Great leader," the goblin said, getting Adil's attention. The goblin had ears pointing outward, a slim frame and a shiny bald head. He spoke in a low, gritty, uninterested voice.

"We've been trying to gather resources but came across something strange."

"What do you mean?"

"Routine patrols have come across increasingly dangerous mobs; it appears that the dungeon is expanding and increasing in strength at an exponential rate."

Adil raised an eyebrow,

The goblin carried on,

"The um" *coughs*

"The last patrol went hunting a group of enhanced moles, colloquially reffered to as *razor claws* and came across a large dugout cavern. This cavern was housing a large lizard-bat. Multiple times the size of the aforementioned razor claws. None of the group survived."

"How did such a thing get inside the cavern?"

"The creature was much larger than any entrance to the cavern, it is assumed that the beast was always there."

Adil's jaw grew slack. He knew it must have been Swift; why would he do such a thing. What could have come over him to try and surround them by legions of death?

"Other groups have come across similar situations. The consensus is that they now hold territories, each large creature given its own area of influence." The two at the war table looked at each other before the goblin looked towards Adil.

"We were wondering if you had anything to do with this."

"I'll get Swift." He said hurriedly and quickly walked out of the room. The two at the table then got back to inspecting the war-table.

Walking around the camp Adil moved past large masses of busy people, hauling weapons and new items across. A few goblins gave the nod as Adil saw them carrying the carcasses of slain runic elk. A few in the distance appeared to be praising a worn-out man who held what seemed to be a dead silver meerkat up high.

Finally, after a few asked directions Adil came across Swift meditating in a room on his own, his coat was on fire and illuminated against the darkness of the cave around him. He also appeared to be levitating. 

As Adil approached, Swift reached out a hand and pinched a piece of dry mushroom, raising it to place in his mouth. He gagged a bit as he seemed not to like that specific taste and then saw Adil approaching him.

"Oh hay man," he said.

"Have, you been making more monsters in the dungeon?" Adil asked.

"Yeah, have you noticed my work? I thought we needed some better food," he replied with a smile.

"You've made the place some sort of deathtrap, why would you want this?!" 

"What do you mean?"

"The boss monsters, man. Seriously what's the point. Surely it would be better if we just got resources, food. Or if you made some sort of cow that shits gold."

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 "I didn't make a boss monster," Swift replied in a sort of insulted shock.

"I was trying to make resources, easy things. What about my mana berries? Did anyone say anything about that? My giant pigs... The damn golden bunnies?"

"Let's see; we can go back to the war table." He motioned for Swift to follow as he walked away.

They moved quickly through the cave arriving back at the war table; the goblin looked up nonchalant.

"Welcome back, leader." The goblin said.

"Let me see the dungeon for a second."

"As you wish great leader." Then whispering into a drone to his side, the goblin said: "Going dark for 10."  

The image in the war table of a unit patrol showed alarm suddenly raise on one of their faces. Adil moved to the drone and said through it.

"Chill for a moment guys; we just need to check out something."

Adil scrolled through the images before him and pointed briefly around specific sections of the cave. Using his mana vision to enhance a scan of what was shown to them, he managed to see in greater detail. Then finally, he found one of the pigs Swift spoke off. A large pig at the far-end hidden away in the system of caves.

They saw the large pig walking ideally by, its feet almost struggling to hold its own weight. There was a glow around the pig even to the naked eye, the war table actually highlighting a large amount of mana within the creature. It was, however seemingly unable to access it.

"See," SSwift said.

The creature stumbled a bit further until it seemed to stop and freeze. A gentle mist resonated from the area and then orange eyes peered through the darkness. A snake appeared out of a subtle mist; it's left eye scarred. Soon more snakes emerged, a strange fog around them as they moved.

"I don't remember making these things. " Swift said.

The snakes stared into the pig after easily surrounding it, the pig almost whimpering as it was unable to move. Then one of the snakes dove, biting hard at the pig's skin and making it screech in pain. The snake had pierced the flesh, draining the beast of all its essence and vitality. Other snakes soon began joining in, the first snake suddenly sticking its head into the pig's flesh and soon disappeared, likely writhing around inside the great beast.

As the snake seemed to move around the beast, the pig's last gasps of breath were spent. The energy was pouring out of the creature into the surrounding land. The snakes seemed to change as they carried on eating, each of them growing in size and resonating with new-found power.

"I was not expecting this," the goblin said.

When the visible mana finally left the creature's carcass, the snake broke out of the pig and appeared before the group. The snake now seemed almost entirely different from its previous form, now multiple times the size and with scales that seemed to now slightly point out from it's armoured its body. Only the scar around its left eye showed it was still the same creature.

"Well shit," Swift said.

"Looks like your pigs did make it," Adil replied.

A voice shouted through the drone.

"WE NEED EYES ON DARELL!"

Without a moments notice the goblin took back control from Adil and shot the image to a group searching around bushes. They were in the bat cave, the giant bat seemingly resting upside down whilst a lone soldier was trying to grab herbs from just under its head.

The goblin spoke through the drone.

"Darell, can you please move back from the bat,"

"Team b, Darell is currently under the bat-lizard. Attempting to grab some herbs."

"who is this man, Darell," Adil asked.

The goblin said without looking towards him. "He is one of the officers you promoted."

"Oh," Adil said, almost ashamed to ask more questions.

"So," he added.

"Is he a good officer?"

 "He is an unconventional officer. Though not the best fighter or tactician, he is brave, knowledgable and has niche talents... I commend your choice."

"Good," Adil said, heartily patting the goblin on the back. The goblin didn't enjoy it but badly tried to put on a smile in reply.

"And, sorry. I dont think I got your name yet."

"Urakle, I'm an officer chosen by elder Morganna" he replied.

Adil pointed to the other man silently sitting across the table "And what's your name s-"

"no don-"

"HELLO LEADER I AM HAROLD," he said loudly.

"Please, he is so loud."

"dont be a dick," Adil said tot he goblin. He went over and took the human's hand, giving it a shake.

"Pleased to meet you, Harold. I hope you like the cave."

Harold looked to Gordon and after a stink eye back to Adil.

"YES, THE CAVE IS GREAT. IT HAS ALL THESE PICTURES AND MUSHROOMS TOO.." He then pointed to the images around the war table.

"Glad to hear it."

"Why did they leave him with me." the goblin said facepalming when he finished.

 Then Adil nodded to Swift and departed. 

As they left they heard back from the table an unusually high-pitched shout from the goblin.

"Darell, what are you doing?!?!"

 They walked through the exit from the war room and headed down, walking towards the central cavern. They came across an officer who shouted for their attention.

"Adil" Griffon announced.

"Where have you been?"

 Griffon walked into the room again.

"Working on something. Something useful. Can I ask you something."

"If you have a question I can answer. I'm all ears."

"Who's Darell?" Adil asked.

"He.. he's the officer you chose."

"What?"

"The one that's not all there maybe, has a bit of a drinking habit?"

Adil thought for a moment and realised he had promoted a man unconscious, the one with Steve that helped kill the priest. The man did seem to radiate some sort of alcoholic smell.

"Oh.. right?"

Griffon gave out a laugh. He had clearly gone through a lot of turmoil from this person.

"You're telling me you just chose him at random?"

"He killed the priest," Adil stated plainly.

"Uh, sure. Well, he ain't that bad, a bit unpredictable is all."

"You're telling me." Said another coming into the room. The man had a 

"He just got his whole party killed for a couple of herbs, which he ate." 

"I mean, we wouldn't have found the herb, and we were trapped so probably would have died anyway."

"Fuck it; I'll just go get him. He's probably still in the room with the giant bat.. lizard, bat-lizard. Blizard, lizzat? There has to be a name for it."

"ill come along," Griffon said

"Hay, Griffon," Adil called before he left.

"What's up."

"I have these tokens, try one on. I think they will greatly improve everyone's battle ability."

Adil threw a token towards him, and he caught it in a quick swipe of the air.

"So, how would I go about using it?"

"If you just feel it with your mana it should be self-explanatory."

"My mana? How did you know?"

Griffon connected with the token and just when he did Adil threw a bolt of lightning towards him. The electricity fizzled off his shield but also bounced to the wall behind him.

He had flinched a bit but saw that the lightning never reached him. Around him he noticed how the sparks charred the stone, even creating slightly shattered holes in the ground. He stared at the token in his hand.

"This is. Well, I couldn't expect anything less." He replied, smiling towards Adil.

"Get everyone together. I'll give them out and unlock everyone's mana."

Griffon's eyes grew wide as he heard the announcement; he even bowed slightly before coming to his senses. 

"I'll sort it out for you. We will be at the front in half an hour."

 Adil gave him a nod before he walked away, then got everything ready for the next step.

Adil wondered about the shields, and if they would cause the same type of sickness he saw with Morganna. Blue veins that spread along their arms and appeared to damage their very essence. He needed to test something before he gave them away. He started walking to Morganna.