Belinda, Rory and I arrive at Ceres's dungeon to check on the training groups, and it ended up turning into a bit of a party. Everyone enjoyed themselves so I guess that is all that matters, or at least most everyone.
Bandy’s group continued their training late into the evening and everything had already begun to settle down before they arrived. I have to say what she lacks in etiquette, she more than makes up for in sheer drive. While her group joins in on what remains of the party I pull Ceres to the side to speak with her.
“I want to thank you again for allowing them to train here. It really helps out a lot.”
Ceres: “Of course, and it isn’t like I don’t benefit as well.”
“I told you earlier we might have gotten the civil war in Merretta straightened out, but my rank in my [Archjusticar] skill also increased, and I don’t know if you have noticed or not but it should have left a new option under your [Justicar Menu].
After checking out the new teleportation option she says. “It would be nice to be able to teleport again, but at the price of a justicar point, I don’t think it is really going to be much use.”
“Don’t you see though, we may be able to use it to teleport out from an area that the traitors have used one of their items on.”
Ceres: “They are both godly effects, so that is a pretty big gamble. It all depends on which god is responsible for the creation of those items.”
“But there is a chance, and if we take on more justicars that would only increase our chance of survival. Ranking my skill up also allowed me to make two more justicars, so in addition to you and me, that is six other dungeon cores we could potentially save from those items the traitors use.”
Ceres: “That is all if it works, and who would you trust enough to make them justicars?”
“That is what I wanted to discuss with you…”
Ceres: “If you are just looking for people you can trust than, any or all of your daughters would make a decent choice, but if your dungeon is being attacked while under the effect of one of the traitor’s items, then you are going to need more help than a dungeon core like any of your daughters could provide.”
“I think Ithros is a good choice, but I don’t think he would leave Teku behind to get help, or help someone else if he had to leave Teku behind.”
Ceres: “What about Madam Erin or Dyson? They are strong enough that they wouldn’t be tempted in using the justicar points unless they had to, and even though you have had plenty of disagreements, when it comes to a life or death situation they have always pulled through for you.”
“Is that enough I wonder…? There is always the option to remove a justicar as well, so I guess it is at least worth sitting down with them to have a conversation about it, and we can tell the girls that appointing them as justicars is only a temporary measure.”
Ceres: “Having more justicars will be good, but what we really need is Akil’s help. I know he already refused, but maybe if we try speaking to him together.”
“It is worth a shot, but even if he still refuses to help us with the traitors, the civil war in Merretta is coming to an end, and we should have the assistance of Lucille, Laura, and the army of Merretta soon as well.”
Ceres: “We’ll see I guess…”
We then return to the party, and to help the groups a bit, we stick around till just after midnight to give Ceres a little more xp to work with to add to her dungeon for the xp gatherer’s training. But afterwards we go home and go to bed ourselves.
The next morning, I lay out the plans for the day with Belinda, while she and Rory enjoy breakfast. I am sure Inari will accept becoming one of my justicars, and she is probably the one I can trust the most, but even though the sun has begun to rise here it is still really early at her dungeon so I decide to start off with the other three.
Dawn and Twilight have been putting all their effort into their secondary dungeons at Maeve’s dungeon, so I am a little worried about them since adventurers are entering their primary dungeons now, but it makes talking to the girls much easier, because I only have to message Maeve and ask her to ask the other two to join us.
Maeve doesn’t reply right away, but by the time breakfast is over she sends a message back telling me that it’s ok to visit. After saying bye to Belinda and Rory I get the current location of Maeve’s dungeon. She moved her dungeon to the desert last winter, so it isn’t a surprise that her dungeon is in Sarnova.
I use [Gate] to reach Maeve’s dungeon, and the signs of winter are nowhere to be seen. Winter isn’t completely avoidable in Sarnova, it still gets much cooler here during the winter, but as early as it is in the morning, the temperature has already reached a point that is higher than we get in Gowen during the winter. Even on the years we have mild winters.
It has only been a few days since we returned from being stuck in that dungeon, but Maeve’s dungeon has gone through quite a few changes yet again. For one, the place in which I usually arrive at is now inside of a pavilion with large decorative pillars and a dome for a roof.
I arrived a few feet off of the center, but behind me there is large archway that seems to be the mainstay of the pavilion. It is quite larger than the doorways Madam Erin makes portals out of but it is still smaller than the one in Uthaira.
She has spoken about wanting me to set up a portal for a long time, but it seems she has gone on her own and started at least making plans of it. Leading out from the pavilion towards the village there is now a brick pathway leading all the way up to it.
Between the elves and swan beastkin I have summoned for Maeve and the sky elves she has summoned on her own, her village is really starting to take shape. It is at the point now that is it almost looks like a normal village, the only difference is most of the residents here have wings.
When I approach the small café-like building we have been meeting at lately I see that all three of the girls are already there waiting, while sitting at one of the tables outside of the building.
“It seems things are starting to come around quite nicely around here.”
Dawn’s appearance is of that when she wears her ring, which by now I believe is pretty much all the time. Twilight on the other hand much prefers her true form and as such she is sitting in a chair that is much more accommodating to her appearance. They sit directly across from each other with Maeve sitting in between them leaving a few empty chairs on this side of the table.
Maeve: “Yes, I have been hard at work preparing for the time in which you hold up your end of your promise.”
“Forgive me if I have been a bit busy… But I also feel that giving humans access to this place is not something you should take lightly.”
Maeve: “I have thought about it, and I think all three of us agree that the monsters you have sent here for us to acquire xp from are great and all, but it isn’t a substitute for actual adventurers roaming your dungeon.”
Dawn: “No matter how much we work on our dungeons here, it seems pointless if it is only for us. At least Twilight and I have a chance with the adventurers in our primary dungeons, but Maeve doesn’t have that chance.”
“You are starting to get quite a few residents here, have you discussed how you are going to explain it all when adventurers make their way here?”
Maeve: “Most of them have wings, so that is not really a problem, but we have spoken about the story we are going to spin for the humans.”
“Oh yea?”
Maeve: “The elves are going to say they are the last of the original habitats of the island. They are going to claim that after the dungeon appeared outside the village the ground broke up and carried part of the village to the sky. After that they had no choice but to just try to do their best to survive.”
“I can understand the swan beastkin, but what about the sky elves. No one has ever seen one of them before how you going to explain that one?”
Maeve: “That’s where the elves come in, we are going to say that after the village left the ground the children born in the village after that were all born with wings. As for Dawn, Twilight, and the swan beastkin they came here after hearing about the floating island and were welcomed, which is something that can’t be said for the reaction most humans have of them on the ground, so since the villagers here welcomed them here they just stuck around.”
“That sounds like you are just over complicating the matter. Wouldn’t it be easier to say that the sky elves are just born between the elves and swan beastkin?”
Maeve: “But hybridization doesn’t happen between the humanoid races.”
“Then what do you call a half-elf? I am just saying it would make more sense that they are a new race created from swan beastkin and elf, then it would be just elves changed by a dungeon’s magical influence, safer as well. Not to mention the fact that elves are very long lived, so that means you are going to have to insinuate that your dungeon is hundreds of years old, but the island has only been seen the last few years, and that doesn’t even mention the fact, that if the villagers started to be born with wings why didn’t they leave?”
Maeve: “Have a little faith in us, Papa… We are going to say the village was out over the sea for a long time, and has only recently headed over land. As to why they didn’t make contact with the humans after arriving over land, you have the beastkin, being persecuted just for having wings, so don’t you think that is enough to make the sky elves wary of contacting humans as well?”
“Well if we survive our ordeal with the traitors, I will see what I can do about getting humans up here, but I can’t guarantee it will be a portal.”
Maeve: “As long as we start getting visitors that is all that matters. Now, I am sure you must have had a reason for wanting to come speak to us or you would have brought Mama along, so what is it you want.”
“You know about me being able to appoint jusctiars, like I did for Ceres, and well I just thought it was time to fill those roles. After all if I can’t trust my daughters, who can I trust, right?”
Dawn: “You want to make us your justicars?!”
“I can’t guarantee it will be permanent, but yes. I received a new ability that allows me to teleport to my justicars or vice versa, and it may even work when we are trapped like when we were in that dungeon, so I want to give myself more options.”
Dawn: “We would love to!”
Twilight: “Hold on… Let us think about this for a second.”
Dawn: “What’s to think about, we are helping Papa, and think of all the perks we would get for being Papa’s justicars!”
Maeve: “I am actually inclined to agree with Dawn this time… Even if it is temporary the only drawback I can see is it may put a target on our backs, but we don’t know how the traitors choose their targets anyway, so I don’t know if that means much.”
Twilight: “If we accept, we will really get access to all the justicar abilities?”
“Some of them are point based, and I would ask you not to use a single point without permission, unless it is a life or death situation, because the points are shared between us all, but the other [Menu] items yes. Remember though, I do have the ability to remove justicars as well, just in case you decide to abuse it.”
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Twilight: “Then I don’t see a reason not to accept, but I am still not sure…”
“Well I won’t force any of you, and you can always ask out of it at any time. I have just been leaving the slots empty all this time, and with this new teleport ability I thought assigning you three as justicars could possibly save our lives in a pinch.”
Maeve: “Who else are you going to make your justicars? After all if they gain the ability to teleport to us, we should know about it.”
“After I asked the three of you, I was going to ask Inari next, and that will fill the original five slots, but when I got the teleport ability I also gained two more slots so I was going to ask Madam Erin and Dyson. That way if we do get in trouble we could have backup from someone of their strength.”
Maeve: “What do you plan to do to convince them? It isn’t like there is much you can offer the Elders.”
“Well with Faron gone, they don’t have the Dungeon Core Information book anymore, and if this teleport can be used while under the effects of the traitor’s items then that might be enough to convince them on its own.”
Maeve: “Well I guess I am on board, but if the Elders don’t accept, I want to know before you go to someone else.”
“I think that’s fair.”
Dawn: “Of course I will help you Papa!”
Twilight: “I’m still not sold on the idea that you are not planning to use us for something, but I guess I am in as well.”
Dawn: “Papa wouldn’t do that!”
“I am planning on asking the Elders for a few favors, but for you girls I just wanted to give you a chance in the event a traitor shows up.”
I then open up the [Archjusticar Menu] and add each of them as justicars, and after they each accept I receive messages much like the ones when I made Ceres a justicar, and even receive five more justicar points for adding each of them, which I didn’t expect. I thought I got the five points for Ceres because she was the first.
That leaves me at forty one justicar points, and that is even before adding Inari, Madam Erin, or Dyson. I now have no reason to think they won’t give me five more additional points each when I add them, so maybe I can convince Madam Erin and Dyson to join if I allow them to choose someone in which to make into a dungeon core. That would still leave me at thirty six points, which is more than enough for an emergency.
But why stop there if you get five points each time you add a new justicar, can you just add and remove them over and over? No harm in finding out, so I select the option to remove a justicar.
Removing a justicar from service that is not posing a threat to the integrity of [Menu] will cost five justicar points. Removing a justicar in this fashion when zero justicar points remain is possible, but not only will this result in a negative justicar point balance, but also reduce the [Archjusticar] skill rank by one.
However if the justicar being removed poses a threat to the integrity of [Menu] the removal of the justicar is without cost.
“Now remember, don’t use anything that takes any justicar points unless you specifically ask, or if it is a matter of life or death, and that includes the teleport.” –I tell them while they appear to be checking out their new options in [Menu].-
Maeve: “I didn’t realize it was this detailed… Do you really acquire that much xp every day? And you spend just as much!”
“If you look, it tells you want it is spent on… But I can’t say it is very promising that the first thing you do with your new [Menu] is to look up information on me.”
Maeve: “I was curious how it worked, and you were sitting right there, so your number was the first one to come to mind, but after seeing how much xp you acquire every day it seems odd that you don’t want to help me get humans here, when you get that much from them every day…”
“Notice the amount going out is just as high, because that’s what it takes to make sure they don’t kill me. Yes you make far less xp here without humans around, but you are far safer as well. Besides half of the xp I acquire each day comes from a single source, and it isn’t from the humans.”
Maeve: “Well then what the hell is an Akil, and where to I get one?”
I laugh and say. “He is an ancient being, even older then Ceres, and I didn’t really choose him, he kind of chose me. I guess it would be the equivalent of one of the ancient dragons deciding to use your dungeon as his lair.”
Maeve: “All that and you got bent out of shape over the xp from the elves…”
“It’s the principle of it, Maeve…”
Maeve: “If you make that much xp every day, I can only imagine what Dyson makes… Maybe I will find out real quick!” –She says messing with her [Menu].- “What the hell?! He doesn’t bring in any more xp then you do!”
“Dyson’s dungeon only covers about a quarter of Mar, and even though it is the part that has the highest level people in it. They are bandits and thieves, not adventurers, so their levels aren’t that high.”
Maeve: “Madam Erin’s is even worse! Wait… How can her both her xp consumption and income be zero?”
“What do you mean zero? That can’t be possible” –I say opening up my own [Menu] navigating to display Madam Erin’s information.-
“What is going on here, last time I looked at her information it was normal, how can her consumption be zero when she has 347 floors… Wait this says she has 350 floors, the number of rooms and monsters doesn’t seem right either. Any way you look at it though, it is impossible to have zero consumption.”
Maeve: “How can she sustain her dungeon?”
“I don’t know, but I think I may need to speak to Dyson alone, before I talk with Madam Erin… Something isn’t right here.”
Maeve: “You don’t think she turned on us do you?”
“I wouldn’t think so, but something isn’t right… “ – I say while I send Dyson a message saying it’s urgent and that we need to talk immediately.- “Thank you three for your help, but I really need to take care of this.”
Maeve: “We are your justicars now, so keep us informed on what you find out. I think that should at leave give us the right to know.”
“I guess you are right, as soon as I hear something I will let you all know, and I am sorry to rush out of here but...”
Dawn: “Just be careful, Papa.”
I nod and then quickly use [Gate] to reach the inner courtyard of Dyson’s dungeon, but when I step through the portal I am tossed outside the gate of his castle, and none to gently…
The castle guards laugh and one of them says. “You didn’t think some teleport spell would get you inside the castle did you? You don’t even have a weapon on you, what did you hope to accomplish?”
Now that I think about it I have always arrived here… I have teleported out of Dyson’s castle but never into it. He has a skill that he can use to block teleportation, but is he able to prevent teleportation inside his dungeon as well? I wonder if he will teach me how to do that, but for now we have more important matters to deal with.
“It is an emergency, I tried sending a message ahead but I didn’t have time to wait for a reply. If you can’t get me inside of the castle then get me someone that can.”
Guard: “You are unarmed, and quite puny at that, so what makes you think you can order us around?”
“Well I know that Dyson doesn’t train the men near as much as the women, so even without a weapon I am still pretty confident I can take you, but I don’t have time for this, so either get someone that can grant me entry or I will go through you if I have to.”
I send Dyson another message while the guards argue what to do, but this time I actually receive a response.
Dyson: (What is so important to be bothering me this early in the morning?)
(You are usually an early riser, and I would be surprised to hear you were still asleep, but that isn’t important right now, I need to talk to you immediately.)
Dyson: (Give me an hour or so, and I will meet you…)
(I am standing outside of your gate arguing with your guards, this can’t wait an hour.)
Dyson: (Somebody better be dying or dead… At least give me a few minutes to get dressed.)
(Just hurry, I think the guards have just decided they want to fight.)
Dyson: (It will be good practice for them. Just don’t kill them if you can help it.)
Guard: “Alright, this is your last warning. It is time for you to go!”
“I just spoke to Dyson, he will be here in a few minutes, and I don’t really want to fight you.”
Guard: “Oh yea? You haven’t moved from that spot.”
“You already know I can teleport, so how much harder can talking to someone with magic really be?”
I don’t deliberately train my hand-to-hand ability, but quite a few skills I have taken to boost my endurance or agility come with a side effect of boosting my hand-to-hand. I have also taken the hand-to-hand training skill, just because of its low cost, and well, for times like this.
The guards are apparently done talking, because one of them charges forward while drawing his sword from his waist. Their levels appear to be actually somewhat higher than I expected, but not enough that I couldn’t deal with both of them at once, much less the one that is charging me while the other continues to watch the gate.
As the guard swings his sword I side-step out of the way just in time to grab the guard’s wrist and twist it till I hear a unnerving cracking sound and he drops his sword. This of course causes him to cry out in pain as he tries to punch me with his other arm.
The pain has made him sluggish however and his other wrist was easier to grab then the last. Instead of twisting it however I hold it firmly while I bring my other arm around punching his elbow, and after another bone crunching sound the guard’s elbow bends in the opposite direction then intended.
I push the guard backwards and he drops to his knees while wailing in pain. The other guard starts to step in front of the gate, but seems unsure if he wants to be between it and me, however before anything else happens the gate begins to open, and Dyson emerges from it.
Dyson looks at the main wailing on his knees and the other uninjured guard before looking to me and saying. “Only one of them?”
“I didn’t come here to pick a fight with your guards. He was the only one to try to attack me. Now, we should step inside, because we have something important to talk about…”
Dyson: “Alright, fine.” –He then looks to the two guards and says.- “I will deal with you two later.” –He then leads me in past the gate.-
We follow the familiar path through his castle leading to the overly gaudy door, before stepping inside, and having a seat. I look around the room questionably when I notice it is only the two of us.
Dyson: “What is it?”
“Nothing, I just expected to see Desiree and Angela.”
Dyson: “They are my entourage, not my body guards.”
“I know that, but they have sort of become a permanent fixture attached to your hips, so I thought it strange was all.”
Dyson: “If you must know, after you so rudely woke us up this morning, they decided to have a bath. Now, I am sure you are not here about them, so what is it that was so important?”
“It’s about Madam Erin. Has she seemed to be acting strange to you in any way?”
Dyson: “The last time you spoke to her, was the last time I did as well, which was a few days ago when we hashed things out between Lucille and Laura.”
“Well I finally decided to appoint the rest of my justicars, but in the process we looked at Madam Erin’s information with the justicar abilities, and something is clearly off.”
Dyson: “What do you mean off?”
“With the death of all the dungeon cores I can understand a bit of growth as it says she has added a few floors and strengthened up a bit, but it says the xp she is bringing in and her consumption is zero.”
Dyson: “That can’t be right, she hasn’t added a new floor the entire time I have been alive, and how can her consumption be zero?”
“Well that’s what my [Menu] says, and unless the traitors have found a way to even mess with my [Archjusticar Menu] that is what I would like to know.”
Dyson looks troubled as he seems too lost in thought for a moment, but he snaps out of it to say. “We lost over a hundred dungeon cores in a single day, and haven’t seen a sight or sound out of the traitors since, so I can understand why she may want to batten down the hatches, but this?”
“I am worried that either she is under attack and might need help, which of course is something I’m woefully incapable of providing help with, or the traitors got to her, rather it be using her, taken her place, or that she joined them. Any way you look at it we need to find out what is going on.”
Dyson: “I agree… Madam Erin would be a tough one though if we were to fight, do you have enough of those justicar points of yours to bind a crystal if you had too?”
“I can, but I have to be within a few feet of the crystal or the actual dungeon core to be able to use it.”
Dyson then appears to be messing with his [Menu] for a few seconds before his is suddenly covered from head to toe in his armor.
Dyson: “It would be quite hard to navigate through all the new rooms with [Observation] to find out what is going on, can you use your [Menu] to see what she is up to?”
When I bring Madam Erin back up on my screen I look in on what should be her location, but I don’t see her anywhere, and the entire room I am looking in on looks empty. With the [Archjusticar Menu] I can only see the immediate vicinity of a dungeon core, so to no be able to see her is something I haven’t had happen before.
“I can’t see her… That shouldn’t be possible. The screen is displaying a image, but it just isn’t showing Madam Erin.”
Dyson: “It wouldn’t be wise for you to come along, but we have to go check out what is going on, and I may need your crystal-binding ability, so I will do my best, but if she has started working with the traitors I don’t know if I can protect you while dealing with her.”
I was planning on asking Dyson to become one of my justicar anyway, so if I did he could use the ability himself and it would be much safer for all of us, but I want to find out what is going on with Madam Erin myself, and I am afraid if I gave him the ability he would cut me out of the loop.
I know it is stupid, and I should just make Dyson a justicar, but I find myself keeping my mouth shut and just telling Dyson. “I understand.”
The door quickly opens to Desiree and Angela strutting into the room with their hair straight and heavy with water still, but already wearing their combat gear.
Dyson: “What do you two think you are doing bursting in here like this?!” –He says a bit forcefully.-
Angela: “We saw your armor off of the armor rack, and knew something had to have happened. We came as fast as we could.”
Dyson: “You two are going to have to stay behind this time. It is much too dangerous.”
Desiree: “Is Two-Twelve going along?”
Dyson: “Not that it matters, but yes he is.”
Angela: “Then we are coming too!”
Dyson: “No!” –He says forcefully enough to startle not only both girls but me as well.- “I said this will be much too dangerous, and I can’t afford the distraction this time.”
Angela: “Is that all we are to you is a distraction!?” –She says as her eyes start tearing up.-
Dyson: “I can’t be put into a position of having to choose between saving Two-Twelve or one of you. If things do go wrong, Two-Twelve may be the only one that can make sure we get through it alive, so can’t afford to let him die because I had to protect one of you instead.”
Dyson then shakes his head and hits it with the palm of his head. “That’s enough!”
Desiree: “I’m sorry… He is right Angela. We have to stay behind this time.”
Angela: “But…!”
Desiree: “We will be awaiting your return.” –She says then grabs Angela’s arm dragging her from the room while Angela tries to argue.-
“Let me die instead of them? –I say with a smirk after the girls are gone.- “You really care for them, don’t you? I’m glad.”
Dyson: “I told you I would treat them as queens. Now we don’t have time to waste, we should make our way to your dungeon for you to acquire your equipment in case something goes wrong.”
After I agree Dyson grabs my arm and teleports us.