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In the Core room.

"Time!" He yelled. He focused on Belle, expectantly.

"A new record! You made it all the way to five minutes, Sol." She cheered. He didn't see how she was keeping such an accurate count, but she knew exactly how long it had been. She had an uncanny sense of the passage of time outside the Dungeon, so he figured this wasn't much of a stretch of her powers.

For the past few days after the Party of Adventurers had managed to defeat Grizzly, Sol had taken to training. All he was doing was turning into a tree, as he had when the Two-legs inspected Wil's Core. The near failure had hit the Treant harder than both of them thought, and he was now practicing with a vengeance.

Ever since that Party left the Dungeon, Sol would go on the top of Grizzly's hill and practice. No other Adventurers had managed to make it to the Boss since the Dwarf's group did a few days ago, so he had the entire Boss room to practice. Grizzly was relaxing nearby, sleeping. At least, he was pretending to. Wil could see the giant bear eyes peek open whenever he thought Sol wasn't looking.

His Boss and Mini-Boss were not as dejected as he had expected after their defeat. Instead, he could sense the excitement and anticipation radiating out from them. They wanted a rematch, and he knew they would get it.

Sadly, the groups of Adventurers cycled through his Dungeon for their dives. He figured it would be at least another day or two until he saw them again. That is if they were even strong enough to return again. His Monsters had nearly killed them ten different ways during their last dive.

Belle lay atop Grizzly, cheering the Treant on from the golden-brown fur on his back. "Don't push yourself, baby! You still have lots of growing to do before you need to fight. Take your time, and make us proud!"

Sol just huffed at this, apparently, he didn't like to be reminded of his weakness. Wil could empathize since he was virtually powerless without his Monsters. Belle consoled him when he had brought it up, or tried to anyways. She told him that a Dungeon that felt threatened was one of the strongest beings in Belia, but he had no intention of ever finding out what she meant by that.

Looking at his Guide, questions he had been avoiding resurfaced in his mind. He felt she was, without a doubt, his closest friend and Confidant. She knew nearly everything about him and was a wealth of knowledge for Dungeons. When she didn't forget, anyways. He, however, knew very little about her or her past. He had gathered pieces from conversations in the past, but that was the extent of his knowledge.

He knew she had a mother and some sort of childhood rival named Tay. He also heard her mention a Hall of Fame once, but he shuddered to think what that might entail. He had wanted to ask her about this for quite a while but was nervous about what her response would be.

What if I pry too far, and she takes it personally? What if she gets angry, and decides to leave?

These thoughts circled in his mind, and his Guide called out. "Sweetheart, why are you so quiet? You know it's important to praise your children when they do something good. Is something the matter?"

Huh? Children? Does she mean Sol?

This was his chance, though. Maybe he could just subtly slip his question into the conversation.

A foolproof plan.

"No, nothing's wrong Sweetie. I've just been thinking about... Sol, and what it must be like for him. It can't be easy being the only member of your race, and most likely never have the chance to meet another Treant in his life. I hope it doesn't affect his... upbringing?"

She looked down. A small frown on her face. "Yeah. Maybe when he's older we can help him look for other Treants."

He steeled himself. "That would be nice. What about you, Belle?" He added hastily.

"What about me?" She looked confused.

"Don't you miss the other Guides?"

Now she definitely looked sadder. "Sometimes, yeah. I know it may be a long time before I ever see another of my kind, but that's how it is for us Guides." She looked up at this. "Why do you ask, Wil?"

"I just... Um... Well, I just know so little about you, Belle. I was curious about your past."

Yep. Real subtle, Wil.

She sighed, and he saw her compose herself. For what, he didn't know. Maybe he should have waited a little longer? They had only known each other for a little over a month.

"I guess it is about time... I'll tell you whatever you want, Wil. Just know, I chose you. Okay?"

Now he was definitely worried. "Okay... Whose Tay?" He might as well start off with the lightest of his questions.

She cracked a small smile, and some of the anxiety in her eyes faded. "Tay was, or is, my brother. I haven't talked to him since we bonded, but he would visit me from time to time. He was the last Guide to get a Dungeon before me, and he bonded over 40 years ago. He would visit me and mom sometimes. That little brat always teased me for being unevolved." She said this with a face screwed up in anger.

All this did was give him a thousand more questions. "Unevolved?"

"When a Core and Guide bond, they both evolve. You were just a piece of mana when we met, and I was a spirit. After we accepted each other, you became the Core you are now and I became a Guide."

"You were a spirit? You just looked like a ball of light to me" He remembered seeing Spirits as an available Monster choice during the Torial. Did this mean he could have had an army of Belles!?

"I was. There are hundreds of different types of Spirits, though. I just happened to be the kind that was destined to become a Dungeon's Guide."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"So, Tay visited you when you were with your mother? Was she unevolved too? How do Spirits even have children?" She laughed at his barrage of questions, her previous worry gone.

"She was a Guide too, Wil. Just as Tay was. How do any creatures have children?" She was blushing at this, and he felt his Core brighten a few shades in embarrassment. "And yes, Tay visited us sometimes. He couldn't do it often, though."

"I thought Guides couldn't leave their Dungeons?" The idea of her leaving, for any reason, made him feel very anxious.

"For the most part, we can't. When we bond together, we do so literally. The Core cannot exist without the Guide and vice versa. That's why I would die if you were shattered."

This only worried him more. "So I would shatter if you were killed?" He asked in a panic.

She giggled again and played with the fur on Grizzly's back. "Probably? It's never happened before. Nothing in this world is able to kill a Guide so long as their Core is alive. Don't worry about me, Sweetie. Worry about keeping yourself alive, so I can too."

This eased his mind a great deal. He knew he wasn't invincible, but at least his Guide wouldn't drop dead out of thin air. He had gotten off track, though, and he tried to steer the questioning back to her brother. "How did Tay visit you then?"

"His Core created a pact with mom's Core. They had a mutually beneficial arrangement, and Mr. Blue made it so the Guides could be sent over as envoys. It's all very complicated, but the gist of it is this. One Core discovers the other, usually through a Bound Monster. They talk via the Monster and come to a decision for the future. Sometimes they choose to fight. Sometimes they just ignore each other. My mom's and Tay's chose to become allies." She said this with a big grin, and he felt his own mood rise at her happiness.

She continued before he could ask another question. "Before you ask, no, you cannot make one of these pacts. You need to have a few more floors before you are strong enough, and that's many years away. That's why we don't want Sol going out and accidentally encroaching on another Dungeon's territory."

Damn. Wait for me, Death Laser. I'll find you one day.

"You lived with your mother, what about your father?" He asked hesitantly.

She just shrugged. "Never met him. Mom said he was handsome and had a cute butt. She never talked much about the different Guides she had known. Not to mention his Dungeon only had a short term pact with hers. She wouldn't say much more than that, and I never asked."

He steeled himself. "What was it like, living with your mother in a different Dungeon?"

At this, her smile faltered. "It was strange. Mom taught me what it meant to be a Guide, but I only talked to her Core once. I felt like I was living in someone else's home. Which I guess I was." She let out a small shiver. "Mom said Mr. Blue made it so a Dungeon can only ever have one Guide per Core. My siblings and I could stay there because we weren't technically Guides yet, but it always felt off."

This was interesting to him. He couldn't imagine living in a place, never feeling like you really belonged. It must have been very uncomfortable for his Guide, and he felt his mood drop. "That sounds awful. Did you say siblings, though?"

She nodded. "Yeah, my mom had three children. Tay came first. Then it was me, and my younger sister Val. All three of us have different fathers, and as far as I know, Val is still unevolved. I only ever saw Tay when he visited, but he would always tease us. That little jerk thought he was so cool just because he had opposable thumbs." She was glaring at the neck of Grizzly, face scrunched in anger. It was adorable.

He had learned a lot more about her than he had anticipated, but he knew he shouldn't waste this opportunity to learn more about his Guide. "Sweetheart, why did you say you chose me earlier? What did you mean by that?"

Her visage of anger renewed itself, and if looks could kill, hers would. "Are you sure you want to know? It's not a very fun thing to talk about, and you might not like what you find out."

How did she not realize that only made him want to know even more? "We are going to be together for a very long time, I don't want to find out fifty years from now that you have a long lost cousin who is going to try to shatter me. Let's be open with each other. I can take it, Sweetie."

She cracked a smile, then replied. "Mom taught me this right before I left to find you. She said it was up to me to decide when or if I tell my Core." She took a deep breath. "After a Core and Guide bond, there is a sort of grace period. For one month after bonding, if the Guide decides to, they can shatter their Core."

If he could physically gulp, he would have. He stayed quiet and waited for her to continue.

"Not shatter literally, but it's all the same. The Guide can choose to reject the Core if they decide it was a poor match, and in doing so, the Core is destroyed. This was so Mr. Blue could create a new one for the Guide to bond with. As far as mom told me, this happens pretty often. Mom said she went through two different Cores before she found the one she wanted to bond with."

She looked over towards his Core room and smiled. "You were my first Core, Wil. As you can see, over a month has passed. I chose you because I thought we were a good match. I didn't know if I wanted to tell you all of these things, but you were right. It's important that we be honest with each other, and now I'm glad I told you."

The idea of being one rude comment away from being shattered terrified him. Then he felt a flood of emotions at the idea she had chosen him anyway. Despite his eccentricities, and his Deer obsession. She had chosen to stay with him, and guide him. "So, what your saying is... you love me?" He said with a small chuckle.

She giggled at him and idly played with the fur on Grizzly's back. "Only a little."

"Do you miss your mom and the other Dungeon?" He asked.

"Well, sometimes. I love having my own Dungeon to take care of. Having all these adorable little Monsters to look after, and having you by my side is all I ever wanted. I do miss talking to her, though. As for that Dungeon, if I never set foot in it again, it would be too soon." She said, kicking her feet in the air.

"Maybe I could make a pact with them and-"

"Don't you even start, Mister. I would push you off your pedestal before you ever sent them a message." She said, only slightly joking.

He felt he had gotten her into the right mood, so he took his shot. "Belle?"

"What is it, Rockhead?" She asked playfully.

"Hall of Fame?"

A loud gulping sound could be heard, and she averted her eyes. "Come on, Sweetie. A girl's got to have her secrets, you know?"

"You know, those moss bed sheets could become a permanent addition..."

Her eyes widened, and she put her hands up. "Don't be hasty, Wil! I was just... building up to telling you."

He stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

"Right. Well, if you must know. It was something mom created with a few of the other Guides who visited her Dungeon over the years. It was just to keep track of all the funny things that happened because of a Core being a dummy." She looked pointedly towards him at this, and he felt a twinge of nervousness.

This was about what he had expected, though. "So, what was the best one?" He had to know what idiot Dungeon topped the Hall of Fame.

"The dumbest thing a Core ever did?" She asked, smiling.

"Yeah! Think of it as a learning lesson, so I don't do the same thing." He said, trying to push her to reveal the story.

She just barked a laugh. "Ha! If you managed to do something this dumb, we never would have made it past the first Party of Adventurers." She flopped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. "The dumbest thing I ever heard of a Dungeon doing, was it tried to open an Antique shop. The moron thought it could build a stall on their first floor, and sell items to Adventurers. It failed horribly, and all the Two-legs just stole everything it put up for sale. The Core actually thought it would be a good idea! Can you imagine?" She was laughing hysterically, but Wil felt his blood run cold.

Dodged a fucking bullet.

He forced a laugh. "Ha-ha, yeah. What was the name of the Core that did that? So I can... avoid them."

She burst into even more laughter. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and her tiny face was beet red. "The Guide never got the chance to name them, so the Core picked their own name. Do you know what they picked? Death Laser!" She yelled that last part and was practically howling with laughter.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" He screamed.