Chapter 3
Introduction
That damned infernal voice was back again, but a little less menacing this time. Its tone almost sounded alluring, like it was trying to be friendly. But you can’t be too friendly with something that’s talking inside your head, even if you don’t technically have a head. My considerations were broken by its next words, sounding a little more human.
“Of course, you don’t trust me,“ the voice spat inside my thoughts.
Yeah, no shit, weird creepy voice.
“I only wish to guide one with such potential. Why must you resist me?”
“OK then, creepy thing, why don’t you show me something useful, rather than being mysterious?”
Their tone had changed, shifted to something a little less sinister, but still very threatening. Like a predator coiled and waiting to strike, even I could feel they weren’t telling me everything.
A mocking chuckle echoed its way through my thoughts, burrowing like a worm. “Oh, little friend, I want to help, and my help is something you will soon require.“
As if to punctuate their statements, a notification pinged in front of me, denoting something I hadn’t expected.
Dungeon Attack Imminent
Invaders are on the way! Create a wave of minions to fight off the incoming threat!
Crap! My lone little worm is way too small to fight anything, as it’s still just lazily flopping about in the dirt—but, before I could come up with a plan, I was interrupted.
“If I may, I have something that should help with this little trifle. Just follow my directions.“
The eerie voice continued, "Focus on yourself, peer into your inner thoughts and being. Envision your core as you wish to see it, push all other distractions away."
Not having any choice, I followed their directions. As I envisioned the tiny fragment of rough-cut mineral the glowing green edges thrummed with even more magical energy. Though I wasn't any larger, my core did seem to shine a bit more. As I focused on the form, my attention was dragged towards the burgundy center, with my vision and awareness almost being swallowed in the crimson swirl.
A new notification popped into existence, explaining some basic details about my dungeon.
Dungeon Name
Nameless Den
Tier
Tier 1 (Unproven Trial)
Magical Abilities Offense Abilities Defense Abilities Special Actions
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Magic Affinities Mana Tiers
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Water Mana Tier 1
Earth Mana Tier 1
Minion Spawners Resource Spawners None
None
Passive Perks
Active Perks
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Lamenting the lack of useful information, I notice something through the transparent window—that newly created focus. My worm minion had slithered their way over to the focus, coiling itself around the jagged sapphire. The seconds ticked by, and I saw tiny slivers of mana flowing into the gem, before being sucked into the worm as well.
“You have all you need to create your necessary defenses. Just combine the parts,“ the spooky voice intones in my proverbial ears.
So that’s what I did. Using the experience from the previous experiment, I spent a few seconds stitching together another sapphire focus from the original. Layers of glittering stone phase into existence as my work progresses, with glimmers of light stitching together. Like a tiny star, a bright white light bathes my cave in the fires of magical forging—and it’s beautiful.
With a frantic feeling building up, I rushed to the next step. I began to copy my tiny little worm, taking the cue from the instructions I had, I layered the newly minted focus into the center of the tiny worm.
Each bit of light snaps together as I force them into the desired shape. I push in a variety of mana flows as I find them, creating a whirlwind of colors that fuse into a mess of browns, blues and greens. Crystalized bits of emerald and sapphire form into a window-like visage that reminds me of the frosted, stained glass in a church.
At that moment, another memory slams into place over my outward awareness. Even with the looming deadline of some unknown attack, it seems the vestiges of my old life have some fresh to spring on me.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
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A heavy wooden door creaked as a shady figure snuck his way into a tiny, candlelit room. The room itself was a simple affair with dust-ridden stone floors and a few adorning items. A squat blonde man stalked through the space, casting nothing more than a dismissive side eye to the silver statues of Eliphas that dominated the space. Shadows spread around the simple holy site, brought on by the moonlight bouncing off the walls. A few light sources sat burning from candelabras in the corners, but the room was almost entirely dark.
Though it once again felt like watching a memory, a well of emotion sprung up, tainting my experience with bile. Though the memory should have been something pleasant—another job well done—this wasn’t the case, and the sinking pit of despair clued me in as to why. Before the next bit of the memory played, I already knew what was coming.
As the thief searched for his target, a series of slow, soft footprints gave away that he wasn’t alone. The steps drew closer, a slow, casual shuffle. The thief melted into the shadows, hoping his stealth would disguise him in the darker corners of the room.
As frantic brown eyes watched, an elderly man knelt before the silver effigies. Muttered prayers filled the room as the chirps and clicks of the nighttime creatures added their song to the chorus of noise. The old man opened his simple robe, removing a gilded book from within, and set it open on the floor before him.
Anxiety and desire thrummed in the man’s mind, tinging his features with blushing rage. This old man wasn’t going to get in the way of his goal.
A singular drive burned within him, and seeing red, he lunged for the old man. In a flash of steel, the floor had been splattered with red drips—the quiet of the room shattered by the thud of a body hitting the stone. In a mad dash, the blonde man snapped up the gilded book and fled into the night.
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As I’m flung from the memory and back into my current environs, I can’t help but feel confused.
Why? Why now?
Yet more questions about my past life burn in the back of my thoughts, but I can’t help but push them to the background, especially as that damned voice returns.
“I see you’ve returned from your little dream, tiny dungeon. Now, you must hurry.”
Give me a moment to get my bearings, you mystery-obsessed fuck.
Without breath to catch, refocusing on my efforts of making a new minion is much harder than before. I haven’t had a moment to even consider why things are happening the way they are, so I resolve to smash whatever challenge is ahead of me, even if just to earn a moment of peace.
One thing I noticed is that the minion I had been building continued to accrue mana while I was not actively paying attention to it. That gives me an idea. First, I need more mana, the tiny wisps I’ve used thus far are helpful, but not enough.
I throw my gaze around, hunting for larger concentrations of fuel for my efforts. I focus my hunting for more mineral veins since they seem to bear the greatest concentration of latent power.
In a few moments, I spot a green flow of energy lazily weaving into the rock walls of the cave around me. I follow the threads of concentrated mana towards their destination. Something buried deep, a haphazard vein of extremely tiny fragments of gems within the rock. Or at least that’s what I think is happening, as the haze in my vision doesn’t allow me to peer deeply into the walls.
Not wasting time, I don’t even bother to surgically cut my way through the rock, instead, I form a large blob of mana and blast away chunks without any consideration for form or cohesion. Like a hungry snake slithering after a meal underground, I forcefully push my way through the soil and stone, seeking a fresh meal.
Once I find the gems I’m after, there’s no plan, only hunger. Ravenously, I consume the mana, crystals, and all. It feels like an explosive surge in my core, obliterating any confusion that's holding me back. Only the tiniest fragments of dark rock remain after I’m done.
The explosion of energy forces my focus back to my lingering minion, which is still sitting there and getting bigger as it forms.
The layering of mana; crystal; flesh is a tedious process, but one I’m getting better at. It’s much easier to focus and create my desired outcome this time round. I’m not left with a mutated lump of flesh this time, so that’s good. With a newfound confidence, I manage to rapidly recreate another copy of the same minion with a frenzy of mana focusing and shaping.
Having created my first two true minions, I set them up to seek out any enemies. Knowing that they are coming doesn’t help much, as I have no idea where they’re coming from. Both minions are Level 2 Lesser Mana Worms. My minions have steadily gorged themselves on mana, swelling to the size of large snakes by this point. Though I can’t see any sort of stats, and they don’t have a mana specialization, their level being higher is a comforting thought.
Before I can begin work on a third worm, things change a bit too fast for my liking. The haze at the edge of my vision warbles, like it’s being pushed against by some unseen force. Then I hear it, a rapid clacking sound. Something new and alien is encroaching on my nascent territory. The first intruders have come, and they’re mutated in a way I don’t expect.
Quest Started
Invaders Spotted! Defend your core!
Level 3 Undead Moles
The collection of rotten husks is marked as moles, but these rodents aren’t even close to normal. Each of these freaky things carries with it an ichor of mana, they’re dark and sickly things. Each strand of mana swirls around them like an odor. The poisonous black hues tinge the entire cave with haphazard tendrils, not unlike ropes made of ash.
What was a single husk has multiplied into three in short order, and it looks like a battle is about to begin. I send both my wormy minions charging across the cave, recklessly seeking their new prey.
Despite them being little more than big worms, they’re able to throw themselves at their targets with gusto. The first of the undead moles punches through the wall and is immediately set upon with a whipping attack from my elder minion. On a larger scale, it’s a fairly small conflict, but my attention remains glued to the ordeal.
“Come on, little buddies,“ I pray to no one as I watch my worms struggle against the superior foes.
That whip attack lashes at the face of the enemy, ripping away ashen flesh that falls to the dirt in a heap of dust. The mole has no outward reaction to the attack, charging toward the worm that just smacked it. The pair tumbles into a mess of claws and whipping bodies as the duo of worms is joined by more moles. I find myself lucky, as the worms seem a bit more robust than I had expected. The worms even manage to constrict around one of the moles, squeezing it as it explodes into a puff of dusty air.
After the first of my invaders fall, a charge of magic explodes into the cave. The bolt of deathly essence surges towards my core, almost like it’s seeking somewhere to hide. With no way to stop it, the lance finds my crimson core and pushes its way in. The taste of this mana is completely new and horrid. I truly hate it. Tasting it isn’t like the other morsels of magic. This is acrid and impossible to tolerate.
I want to be rid of this new influence, to throw it away. The problem is, I don’t have any method of storing it. Instead, I decided to immediately put it to use.
“You’re not winning this, you rotten little bastards,” I shout to no one, as I will my energy out against the foes before me. A sharp lance of blue energy shoots across the cave, piercing the body of one of the moles and blowing a hole right through it. Before the enemy could even make it through the puncture in my stonework, it fell into a heap of dust.
And there’s that horrid taste again. Strangely, it doesn’t exactly have the same feeling of vomitus bile that it did the first time. It’s still like ash on a tongue, but I can at least tolerate it. Maybe I’m getting used to it? Without time to linger on the thought, I proceed to gather mana for another spear to throw against my foes.
But before I can do that, I watch in abject horror as one of my worms is ripped to shreds by mole claws. Anger flashes through my emotional center as I lash out. This attack isn’t focused at all. It’s more like a boulder of magic. And the impact is immediate and noticeable, a mole gets smashed into a tiny pile of ashes.
A wave of relief washes over me as I note that the final invading beast has been felled. In my excitement, I barely notice the tide of mana surging around the cave. The swirls of blue and black energy dance around and diffuse throughout the space. But before I can chase it down, a new notification swallows up my awareness.
Quest Completed
Invaders Repelled
You have been granted a new Blueprint!
“What the hell is a blueprint?” I scream internally.
“It’s time I explained myself, my little friend,” came that same voice once more. “Let me be plain. You have one goal: survive.“
“So let me get this straight. I consume then I survive? That’s all you’ve said to me so far.”
While it was hard to let my displeasure show to a disembodied voice, I tried to put some venom in my voice. After a lull, the unknown voice returned, just as stoic and mysterious as before.
“You did quite well, little dungeon. You only must continue to do so.“
“So I’m going to keep being attacked? How do you know so much?“
The next response was preceded by a gentle chuckle, hinting at a playful tone. "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out," they said. "I'm also a dungeon. “And I just like to help smaller dungeons grow, I hate to see them being overwhelmed.“
"But why?" I question to myself, hoping that this thing can't hear me.
"I will tell you why, after you examine that blueprint."
Damn.