“No, I mean seriously, keep walking.”

Not particularly interested in doing what some gruff sounding, disembodied voice in a strange dungeon told her to do, Graverra hesitated a beat longer. Unfortunately, there seemed to be only one way to go if she wanted to find a way out.

A wolf whistle stopped Graverra to search for its source. Unconsciously, she tugged at the hems of her fluffed up petticoats. It wasn’t her fault the class appropriate armor looked like this. And it was cute.

“Over here, lady.” The voice didn’t echo so much anymore. “Down here.”

A small alcove opened up to Graverra’s right, with torches highlighting it on either side and one on its back wall. It might have been the sort of place an important item would be set, but all it really held was another pile of rubble. Hardly worth the stop to look.

Graverra squinted down into the pile, but when nothing specific popped out at her, she used the end of her scythe to poke around.

“Watch it!” The scythe loosened a clump of rocks, but it was a skull that came tumbling down to her feet. Further away from the torchlight, she could see the opalescent shimmer of mana around it.

“You are not the reason I can’t get out of here.”

The skull wobbled as its jaw moved. “I could be.”

Graverra raised the butt-end of her scythe, meaning to just crush the thing and be done with it. This was ridiculous. At least the rats had the potential to, maybe, if she was being lazy, do a bit of damage. What was the worst a disembodied skull was going to do? Cat call her to death?

“Whoa, whoa! Hang on! You still aren’t getting out of here after me!”

“Why not?”

“The boss won’t like it.”

Graverra put the fist not holding her scythe on her hip. “So, there is a boss in this dungeon?”

“Well…” The skull drew out the word until Graverra applied a little more pressure. She didn’t need some body-less skull to help her through a glitched dungeon. “Not the kind of boss you’d be after, but you still won’t get out your way.”

Graverra frowned. “What way do I get out then? How is there no boss in a dungeon?”

The skull chuckled, making her think again about crushing him, but then she wouldn’t get her answers. She mumbled a quiet ‘ugh’ at the fact that what was obviously his stupid plan and it had actually worked. For now.

“Well, how’d you get into the dungeon?” He asked like that wasn’t her first thought, too. Like it should have been obvious.

“I seem to have fallen in.” She answered through grit teeth.

“Oh, boy…”

“What?”

“Core’s not gonna like that. Probably his own fault to begin with, but between you and me, I don’t think he wants to hear that.”

“Core?” She removed the scythe from crushing position. The stupid skull really had her interested now.

“Yeah, core. The things that make the dungeons work.”

Graverra snorted, she knew what a core was. In theory. They weren’t exactly accessible, not if they wanted to keep being a dungeon core. “Well, this one sure doesn’t-“

“Shh! I know, I know. He’s new at this, alright? Cut him some slack.”

“No!” Graverra shot back automatically. Cut Valerae some slack, she’s a vampire. Cut Branimir some slack, he’s the only tank that will put up with you. And now she had to be patient and understanding of a dungeon she hadn’t even meant to fall into? “I want out. Or, I don’t know, actually make it worth my while to clear…”

“The dungeon isn’t finished yet, girlie, keep up. There’s no way in… And no way out. Unless the core makes it.”

“Well, why doesn’t it just make one?”

“Are you not listening? The dungeon isn’t done yet. What do you need a way out for if nobody’s supposed to be here?”

“Well, how long until it is?”

“Guess that’d be a question for the core, now wouldn’t it?”

Graverra’s other fist, still around the scythe, came to rest on her hip. “You don’t talk to dungeon cores. They just make mobs and stuff.”

She hadn’t even realized they were sentient. Not until this conversation. The skull sure made it sound that way, at least.

The skull chuckled again. “Well, not just everyone gets to, but I get the sense you’re a certain kind of special, aren’t you girlie?”

“Well… Yes.” When anyone had ever pointed it out to her before, it was usually a snide thing meant to make her feel bad, but being first in a dungeon that wasn’t even done yet had to prove otherwise. “And my name is Graverra.”

“Yeah, this’ll be good. Come on then, girlie, pick me up and I’ll take you there.”

Graverra frowned again, not particularly enthused at being ignored like that, but bent down to pick up the skull anyway.

Equip ’Basic Skull’ as companion?

[Y]/N

“Alright, Skully…” She adjusted so that he rode up on the brim of her hat.

“Whoa now, you aren’t gonna call me that. Have a little creativity, the boss’ll like that.”

Graverra rolled her eyes.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Rename ‘Basic Skull’ companion: Capo

“Oh yeah,” The skull jostled her hat as he settled in. “The boss’s gonna get a kick out of you.”

✨ 💀 ✨

“It’s just one long shaft…”

Graverra’s voice echoed ahead of her, a mixture of genuine bemusement and mind-numbing frustration. She’s certain she’s been walking for hours. Without a single change in surroundings, or another pitiful rat to whack. At least then she would have gotten some EXP out of all this…

Her shoulders began to droop as she let the butt-end of her scythe drag long across the floor of the tunnel. If she wasn’t going to need to defend herself any time soon...

Still perched atop the brim of her hat, the skull snorted as if impressed by something. “Didn’t think he had this much in him…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Graverra looked up, even if it made no difference to the conversation.

“You’ve got him sweating. I mean, how would you feel? Haven’t even had a chance to finish the place and some snippy little thing just comes waltzing down your corridors with her opinions and-”

Graverra couldn’t help but interject, “It’s not a corridor if there aren’t other doors.”

“I rest my case.”

“So, what? He’s just going to keep making me walk down this endless hallway… endlessly?” She swung her scythe ahead of them for emphasis. The faint glow on the blade only highlights so far.

“Until he catches up with his mana reserves, I’d guess. He can’t go making tunnels forever…”

“But why is he making them at all? What’s making me walk forever going to accomplish for anyone? I thought you were taking me to him.”

“He’s embarrassed! And you know, If I weren’t just stuck in one spot like before, I wouldn’t mind watching someone like you walk through my dungeons, you know what I’m saying?”

“Ugh.” Graverra pulled a face before shaking her head to clear the thought. She wasn’t about to argue about that with a skull. Still, it prompted her to take the moment to glance around herself as if noticing the crumbling, musty tunnel anew. “He’s the whole dungeon?”

“More or less.” The brim of Graverra’s hat shifted as the skull wobbled as if to mime shrugging. “I mean, he made me, but he’s not me. The rat too, though I have a hunch he’s gonna be kind of sore that was so easy for you…”

As much as Graverra would have loved to stay on this ‘which parts were dungeon core and which weren’t’ thing, another thought distracts her. “Why did he make you?”

“Dungeon’s gotta have mobs, girlie.”

“You’re not a mob though, you’re just a skull. I can make more than that, and I’m only a necromancer.” She should have stopped and summoned her Fiend by now. At least it would have kept her company. Less confusing company than the skull had been thus far.

“Ouch. You know, just cause they don’t tick down somebody’s health doesn’t mean words don’t hurt.” Somehow Capo’s voice trembled, like it might have actually hurt, but whatever emotion the skull did or didn’t feel cleared out as quickly as it came. “What can you summon, exactly?”

Well, since the skull had asked…

Graverra summoned her grimoire and kneeled down to lay it out flat. From there, she summoned the brass plated skull of a large cat. Someday was going to get it gilded, but by that point she also hoped maybe she could swap it out with something of the dire variety.

Just like Graverra had been trying to do earlier, she began to summon her Bone Fiend. And this time, after the smoke and mana had swirled, and the rest of the bones had been rolled, the reanimated skeleton of a panther pulled itself from the pages of Graverra’s grimoire. She heeled to Graverra immediately, rubbing her would-be cheek into the necromancer’s thigh.

“Hi, pretty girl.” Graverra pat the cat’s skull. It really wouldn’t have been such an issue to have her summoned before. Most summoned companions were bound to the wills of their summoner, but Graverra was positive Zaehlenne was one of the most well behaved fiends regardless.

“Oh, that’s good.” Capo spoke up. “Boss’ll like that.”

As much as Graverra wanted to accept the compliment, it struck her as a little odd. “Why do you keep saying that? What does it matter if some incompetent dungeon core likes me?”

“Again, with the words. You want him to talk to you or don’t you?”

“Obviously.” Graverra picked up her grimoire and began the seemingly endless walk again. But he doesn’t have to like me to- You can’t actually take me… wherever he is, can you?”

Of course. She should have thought of that. He was only a skull. What did she really expect him to be able to do here?

“Can I summon you some kind of door? No. But! It’s lonesome work, being a dungeon core, especially in the beginning. I’m sure now that he’s probably seen the cat and knows you have some… thoughts on how to fix up the place…”

“You just said he didn’t want anyone seeing the unfinished dungeon and that I’m being too mean.” Graverra’s steps slowed as she put some pieces together in her head. Ridiculous pieces as they were. “Are you trying to set me up with the dungeon core?”

“I just think he could use a little inspiration! A muse, if we will. And you’ve already got the dead raising experience!”

“Well…” That was certainly an idea. Graverra wasn’t so sure it was a good or even plausible one, but… “That’s very flattering, and you’re not wrong, I guess. I do have lots of ideas on how this whole thing could be improved, but that starts with a way out!” On the last three words, she raised her voice, so that maybe, if the dungeon core really had been watching her, he would listen.

Nothing.

She did stand there and wait, giving the supposed dungeon core plenty of time to muster whether stamina or mana it took to accomplish something so simple.

Even Zaehlenne let out a confused little ‘mrow’.

“Fine then.” Graverra sat down where she had been standing with a loud ‘hmph’. “Shows over.”

“Aw, come on now, girlie. He doesn’t mean anything by it. You gotta understand, this is a vulnerable moment for a dungeon core, especially if he has to go and let you see him.”

Graverra guessed she could understand that, all things considered. Which was a far bit of things considered when also considering the fact that up until this point she hadn’t given the inner workings of a dungeon - let alone their emotions - much thought at all.

“Well, if you can hear me…” Graverra started up again with a huff, but another thought struck her and turned her attention to Capo first. “Do dungeon cores have names? I know the dungeon doesn’t yet - Which is not a judgement, just a fact.”

“I just call him boss.”

“Well, I’m not calling him that.” Graverra wrinkled her nose at the idea, then sighed before trying again. “Listen, dungeon core, I’m sorry to have embarrassed you. Although I didn’t ask to fall in here… But I guess I can relate, a little, about the feeling under-leveled and I’m sure you’ll get there eventually, but I think we both know making me walk for - ever isn’t going to help either of us progress anything.”

At least, she didn’t think dungeon cores got anything for someone just walking… Now that she thought about it, Graverra didn’t actually know how dungeon cores worked at all. Clearing them didn’t require it.

Her pause for response was only answered by Capo in the end, “She’s one of those newfangled necromancer types! She gets it! He’s got a thing for the dead stuff too.”

As if to finally answer the question for himself, the wall across the hallway rippled and burst with worm-like tendrils that braid themselves together in the shape of an arched doorway, complete with a dark and heavy door. Its knob shouldn’t have glimmered in the distant torchlight, but it did; A palm-sized, polished skull.

“I do like that…” Graverra mumbled while she got back to her feet. Maybe she and this dungeon core did have some things in common after all.

Zaehlenne inspected the door first, chuffing and snuffling at the handle like a cat that still possessed olfactory senses, but when Graverra approached she slunk away to hide behind her necromancer.

Graverra’s hand hesitated over the doorknob, still. Her heart hammered in her chest. Was she nervous? Why was she so nervous? All she planned to do was march in there and ask to be spit back out. A perfectly reasonable request, especially if this dungeon core was so mortified by her very presence.

The marching part only lasted as long as her first step into the room. The impractical heel of her boot sunk into the floor beneath her with a startling squelch. Her only way forward to begin high-stepping across the fleshy floor as if it were made of hot coals.

“Hey! Hey, easy!” Capo tried to warn just the same moment as Graverra landed on her ass with a final squish followed by a deep cringe. She could feel the damp flesh through her fishnets… And a heartbeat that pulsed through what she guessed might be the entire room, if not the dungeon. She’d heard it before, at the beginning. Now, it almost matched her own.

When she opened her eyes again, Graverra was faced with the source. A ridiculously oversized heart, hung in the middle of the room, thump-thumping in time with the fleshy walls around her.