The long term studies show, how dungeons have a personality, and are capable of conversing with other races as they grow older. Most of this is attributed to the mostly spiritual creatures that accompany the dungeon cores, most common of them being the Dungeon Fairy. It is believed that having a someone to talk to, much like human infants, helps dungeons to form their own personality faster. These beings contract themselves to the dungeons in return for protection and mana to sustain themselves. Records show of them appearing again within dungeons upon being killed, much like unique creatures within dungeons.
Conversing with the dungeon happens through these helpers, as the dungeon cores don’t have their ability to speak to minds of the races under divine protection, due to the soul fields we project within the dungeon. Thus the helpers are known mouthpieces for the dungeons, and are used with communicating with them. Other option is to contract such a creature to yourself, in order to bypass this mouthpiece, and talk to the dungeon itself through the avatar that some of the older dungeons are capable of projecting.
Making a deal with dungeon should be done with utmost care, as dungeons only make advanced soul contracts. As such, they can only be bound by such for as long as the contractee lives, making it important that young, still naive, dungeon isn’t cheated. It is highly recommended to create contracts with only the dungeons with an advanced personalities, for dungeons are known to grow enraged upon discovering how they previously made a multitude of disadvantageous contracts when they grow in intelligence.
Worst events include dungeons turning outright inhospitable to life for a century, spouting magma out of the entrance like a volcanoes, or causing outbreaks of plague with a swarm of disease ridden monsters swarming out of the dungeons. Some dungeons even turn necromantic in nature, spreading their death element infused mana in the surroundings, causing the undead rise up spontaneously outside the dungeon. Most of these events required the destruction of the dungeon core, as they devastated the surrounding regions.
Recommended course of action when discovering a young dungeon, is to provide it with desired materials, and if available, contact the contracted helper. If the helper is a fairy or a wisp, there is a high chance of co-operation of mutual benefit without a soul contract. However, if a demonic being, such an imp, is to be discovered being the helper, it is best to destroy the dungeon if an alternative helper can’t be provided for. For dungeons with a demonic helper, often turn hostile as they mature to a wicked personality.
Excerpt from the book “Working with the Dungeons”, by a Scribe Elijah Doller
***
Faran’s Dungeon, Faran’s POV
I noticed a strong disturbance to my domain at the entrance of the dungeon as I was recovering my mana from my slight upgrades to the first floor. Focusing on the first cave, I saw a cloaked individual wielding two long daggers stepping within, looking around the cave with vigilance. Curiously, I tried to focus upon him, only to have my senses being blocked near his skin. I could only sense that he had some darkness element mana within him, more than my rank one monsters. Even his cloak excluded some of the same mana, while his daggers were made from some metal giving off a slight sense of coldness to the surrounding air. Out of curiosity, I tried to gather my mana within the soul field of his, not being impeded by it. Trying to form the mana in shape of a copper coin, the mana turned chaotic, dispersing into the air.
So no transforming the mana to the matter within the field. I thought to myself, as I started testing the mana cost according to the different distances. While the cloaked man was busy checking the side tunnel entrances, I created a different sized pebbles within the other caves, testing if the amount of stone infused with my mana had some different effects.
The man had now started slowly inspecting the plants within the cave, while I managed to ascertain the effects to the mana cost by the distance. In short, creating a pebble within a hundred meters was as costly as creating a cubic meter of iron, while the cost returned to normal after two hundred meters if there was enough of mana infused stone in between the man and the created pebble. The presence of the man didn’t affect the mana of plants or creatures, or my ability to gather raw mana, only creating something out of it.
As the man was starting to leave, I did my last test, as it would tell if I would be able to communicate with them directly. Within the next cave still under the soul field, I condensed my mana to a visible ball, in accordance to my previous attempts of creating an avatar from it. I wasn’t prevented from condensing it, yet as I tried to make it explode, mana dispersed immediately.
The cloaked man stepped out of the entrance, while sheathing his daggers on his lower back, as I thought upon the revelations.
Yet another thing I should ask about from Trendal. For now it looks like I can somehow interact with adventurers, yet can’t try to directly act against them within their soul fields. A sonic boom made from mana seems to go over the limit, while condensing a solid ball of mana doesn’t. Damn, where do these limitations come from? Bah, not important for now. Soon I can see how the adventurers handle my dungeon! Stopping my pondering, I looked for Elan.
Focusing upon Elan as he was petting a squirrel in his personal cave, I informed him of the events with an excited tone. “Elan! The adventurers are here! One of them scouted the first cave already.”.
Startled, Elan suddenly straightened his back, scaring the squirrel as it jumped out of his lap. Looking after the now escaping critter for a moment with a forlorn look, Elan stood up and cleared his throat as he turned towards me. “I see you are getting excited. Did you sense how strong he was?”
“Stronger than Renzi or Izael. I think I keep them away from the adventurers, as even that guy alone could kill them, not to mention other adventurers.”, I said thoughtfully.
Elan flew up from the cave floor, heading towards one of the small tunnels connecting to the other caves. Clasping his hands behind his back, Elan then said over his shoulder, “I would assume he might have been a Steel ranked adventurer, as Renzi of Izael can fight against a Silver ranker. It looks like they might have sent a fairly strong group for you, certainly not a silver ranked one like I thought. It will be hard to kill any of them in here, if the rest of the group are at Steel rank as well.”.
“Not interested in killing them. Yet. If I kill a Steel ranked ones in my dungeon right away, they won’t send any weaker ones. That would mean that strong adventurers would keep coming without me being able to kill any of them.”, I explained to him.
“When those of silver ranks or above use mana within your dungeon, some of it will leak out and you can absorb that. It is not much, but if they keep visiting, they will eventually give as much mana as you would gain from killing them. Especially because you have self-sustaining economy with your creations, instead of summoning your monsters and plants.”, Elan said thoughtfully and he stroked his short goatee.
“Most of all I’d like to see how they react to my creations and traps. I need to see how professionals handle them, so I create even better ones later on. Too bad I can’t understand details of what they’re going to say, as my proficiency with Empyrean language at the moment is negligible.”, I complained to Elan, who only deemed to roll his eyes at me.
“Wasn’t Lord Trendal interested in seeing when adventurers arrive here? Shouldn’t we inform him?”, Elan suddenly asked as he was flying through the pathways above the caves.
I immediately dismissed Elan’s suggestion with a disdainful snort. “As if he needs more excuses to run from his work, whatever that is. Only reason he hasn’t visited more often, is because he isn’t interested of the process, only if the result are amusing. Just ignore him, he either comes on his own, or misses the fun.”.
Growing somewhat nervous from dismissing the God of Darkness, Elan replied, “As you wish, Faran. There is still some time before they arrive if the scout just left after all. I just hope that Lord Trendal doesn’t take it personally that we didn’t inform him.”.
I hope he will be able to handle himself like he was when we contracted soon. After the first meeting of Trendal, he hasn’t been the same. I sighed to myself.
***
Some time later, outside Faran’s Dungeon, Adventurer Rand Kellia’s POV
Our group was currently examining the entrance to the dungeon Erand scouted out. Vernon was impressed by the level of detail the snakes were made, as they seemed to move as shadows shifted around them.
“Look at this!”, yelled Trent, as started banging the fang of the giant snake head with back of his throwing axe. “Cold Iron doesn’t make a dent in this obsidian! I think the dungeon has some surprises for us, as this ain’t normal for a baby dungeon.”
“Stop aggravating it before we even got in! It is obvious that the dungeon spent some time on making this, and repairing the entrance takes time for them!”, said Vernon as he was still observing the carvings of a smaller snakes.
“Alright, prepare your weapons and let’s head in!”, I said to the group, turning to the Erand.
“The first cave didn’t have any creatures within it last time, besides normal bugs?”, I questioned our scout, gaining a nod as he drew the twin daggers, twirling the one in his left hand to a reverse grip.
Everyone being ready, I gave the order to move out, “Let’s move with Pete spearheading the formation, Trent after him and Erand holding the rear. I take the middle and Vernon moves after me.”.
With a chorus of affirmative grunts, the group fell in line as we moved through the archway of snakes. Upon arriving within the cave, we were surprised from the amount of light, even though Erand already told us about it. The vines on the ceiling and stalactites glowed with enough intensity to turn the atmosphere to a late evening, casting shadows all over. There was also small sounds of insects throughout the foliage. While everyone took in the sights, Vernon was mostly interested in the vines casting the dim lighting.
“Ingenious! These vines seem to glow through the atmospheric mana only! I doubt they would survive outside high mana density!”, the now distracted Life mage exclaimed with admiration. I had to admit, this is a now one, as usually dungeons grow certain plant species or light crystals that adventurers usually provide them with.
“Which way we go from here Rand?”, asked Pete, pointing towards the tunnels on either side.
“We’re supposed to map the dungeon either way, so go with your gut feeling.”, I replied as I looked around.
Without another word, Pete headed towards the left side while the rest followed. At least after Erand pushed Vernon along, before he would start to take samples from the vines. Moving through the tunnel, we arrived at the next, larger cave.
Pointing above with his short sword, Pete warned us, “Small animals size of a cat moving on the ceiling and stalactites. There seems to be small tunnels around us. Watch out for sudden attacks.”
“Wasn’t there supposed to be some killer rabbits at the beginning? We could use some fresh meat for the stew.”, quipped Trent as he looked around.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Let’s get a move on. I’m sure we’re going to get more rabbits than you can eat.”, I told Trent.
As we reached the middle of the cave, there was a small chittering sounds above us, and three creatures jumped at me and Vernon from nearby stalactite. Quickly thrusting my spear is rapid succession at the creatures, I pierced all three straight through. As the blood splattered on my arm, two of them died instantly, while the last trashed on the tip of the spear for a moment, giving a last screech.
“Now we have killer squirrels size of a cat, with a claws as large as my fingers. The hell is this? House of critters gone mad?”, asked Trent as he looked the squirrels lined up on my spear.
Throwing the speared animals to the side with a wave of my spear, I said with a tone of amusement as we continued deeper, “At least not rats. Remember the last time we saw a dungeon with them? Swarm of rank one rats, size of a dog running at us?”.
Frowning, Trent looked around as he said, “Rats, I hate rats in a dungeon. If I see some I’ll burn the cave with a lot of ‘em.”.
“Trent, you got your rabbits for a stew.”, said Pete as he pointed towards a group of five brown rabbits, double the size of previous squirrels, staring at us from near a tunnel entrance they come out. Rabbits gave a screech, showcasing their maw full of sharp teeths, before bounding at us with a single leap.
Pete slammed two of them away with his shield, along with a sickening crunch as their bodies broke, before bisecting a third one with his sword, sending both halves of the rabbit splattering against a nearby stalagmite. Trent slapped a rabbit flying back where it jumped from, with a side of his axe, as well as slapping the remaining rabbit to the floor with his palm, stunning it momentarily. Crouching down, he picked up the still stunned rabbit, dangling it from the neck.
“Here ya go! Inspect this fella before it goes to the pot!”, Trent chuckled with a grin on his face, as he lifted the rabbit towards me.
Looking at the rabbit, I noticed the claws being as large as the squirrel had, yet more sturdier and shaped for slashing, not grabbing like they had. Recovering from the stunned state, rabbit started thrashing around violently, hissing at us with bared teeth. Teeth were sharp like needles, meant for puncturing flesh.
“Nah, this guy is too ugly for my pot. If you want to eat it, be my guest.”, I commented as soon as I was done with my inspection.
Shrugging, Trent broke the neck of the rabbit, throwing the body to the side as he answered, “Bah! Who knows what this little bugger eats around here.”. As his arm went wide, there was a quick movement towards it. With a curse, Trent swung his axe, decapitating the snake aiming for it.
“By the Mazzak’s hairy crag of damnation! I hate this kind of snakes!”, Trend exclaimed as he picked up the still trashing corpse of a viper as Pete chuckled at him from the side.
“Don’t go growing careless in middle of foliage reaching your thigh because you grabbed a bunny. You saw the entrance.”, Pete said, earning himself a scowl from Trent.
“Three meters long, poisonous viper going for ambushes. Enough to warrant carrying antidotes with you in here. Can you show me the head? I want to inspect the poison.”, Vernon commented from behind.
Dropping the corpse, Trent grabbed the head while grumbling, and threw it to the waiting half-elf.
After a moment of sensing the head, Vernon then sucked some of the poison in his mouth, tasting it for a moment before spitting it out.
“Certainly strong enough to kill a beginner adventurer within a minute or two. We could handle a few bites before getting sick for a day or two.”, Vernon commented with a slightly numb tone to his voice.
“Alright, fun time is over. Let’s keep scouting out this dungeon, and keep an eye for the critters. The one getting bitten first is doing the dishes for a week”, I said with a grin.
***
Faran’s Dungeon, Faran’s POV
“This is boring! They get through too easily! I can’t get good enough examples with them acting like having a walk in my dungeon, instead of actually fighting.”, I said to Elan with a huff as we followed adventurers moving through the dungeon.
“While the creatures don’t pose any threat to them, and they found both types of the pitfall traps, they will soon arrive to the section of caves with bladed traps. Those should cause some surprises for them. At least Lord Trendal hasn’t missed anything of interest.”, Elan sent me mentally, as we were on the ceiling above the adventurer group.
Suddenly, I was feeling the familiar feeling of Trendal asking permission to manifest his avatar. Speak of the devil… I thought as I granted it.
“You sneaky ball of crap! You didn’t call me on the fun!”, exclaimed the God of Darkness, as soon as he appeared from the shadows, startling Elan in giving a yelp. Adventurers below stopped from the sudden sound, looking around suspiciously as the mage started chanting a now familiar spell for detecting life.
Trendal frowned at the chanting mage, taking a quick look at Elan who was still frozen from the shock of suddenly appearing divinity, slipping away from his shade-form he used to follow the adventurers. Clicking his tongue, Trendal waved his hand, creating a bubble of somehow perfectly transparent darkness around us.
“I thought you couldn’t intervene with dungeon domains?”, I questioned Trendal from his use of powers within my domain.
“It’s not that I can’t. Normally I am not allowed to use my powers within. Shielding us from detection is fine, as it was my fault Elan turned to wooden statue and would be found otherwise. That, my spherical friend, would be bad. Someone tying you to a ball with your limbs, before rolling you down a mountain level bad.”, Trendal explained as he bent towards Elan, and started poking his forehead with dissatisfied expression on his face, turning his back at me.
“Bad for me or you?”, I asked with a wry tone.
Trendal looked over his shoulder at me, with a mock face full of shock as he exclaimed, “Is there any difference of troubles between brothers?! I can’t believe you would throw me away just like that!”.
At this point Elan started shaking as he asked with a quivering voice from me, “F-faran, you’re b-brothers with L-lord Trendal?! A-are you joking?”
Trendal turned to Elan with his shit-eating-grin on his face, answering with a jovial, yet dramatic tone, “Indeed we are! Long lost brothers, which fate brought together in a place most unlikely! Separated before birth, Faran here is my younger brother! As he reached godhood on his own, an Evil Prune intervened, stealing the power that was rightfully his! As he cast Faran to die alone in the void, Fate intervened, bringing the long lost siblings together, and I managed to save him from certain doom! Aiding him with his revenge and helping him to regain his powers, I brought him to this planet, Peltas!”
As Trendal explained with dramatic flourishes and tone, Elan started shaking even more, and his eyes started bulging out as Trendal continued, “On Peltas, Faran gained a possibility to reach godhood again as a dungeon, with me watching over him! If this is not brotherly love between…”
“...Brothers with different mother and father.”, I interrupted his story.
“...Brothers with different mother and fath- HEY! I was weaving a grand backstory for you! I almost had him!”, quipped now offended looking Trendal.
“You almost managed to induce a seizure to poor Elan. He was shaking more than some of my experiments when I practiced creating monster cores.”, I said as I looked towards Elan who was almost foaming from his mouth.
As the eyes of Elan stopped bulging out, and he calmed down a little, he then turned his questioning eyes towards Trendal, who now wore an indignant expression. “Fine! We’re not really brothers! Happy?”, Trendal exclaimed before turning towards me.
“Maybe you should go rest for awhile, you’ve had enough of excitement for one day.”, I said to still shaky and haggard looking Elan, as he gave a stiff nod before starting to turn around, only suddenly stopping when in middle of it.
“NO! I’ve had enough of this! My common sense has been repeatedly broken, shattered, grounded to a dust, and now finally blown away! Nothing is normal with you! Not the advancements, methods, creatures or how this joke of a god keeps literally popping in to visit you! Even the way you keep pissing off every single divinity! I even gained more grey hair because of your actions!”, Elan suddenly bursted out in a rant at me and Trendal, who was looking at Elan with a mixture of shock and curiosity.
Elan straightened out his posture, combing out his hair with his hands, straightened his outfit, and clasped his hands behind his back as he stared at me. “Now let’s us slightly modify the original contract. The contract hold true as per previous agreement, yet you are forbidden intentionally acting in a manner that I consider suicidal. Do you agree to this?”
“So I can’t keep screwing with Ilessa during my rank ups?”, I asked from the serious looking Elan as Trendal watched our exchange like a cat finding a new toy.
“Absolutely not! Intentionally angering a divinity is called being suicidal!”, Elan replied sternly as his eyelid started twitching.
“But if she starts it during my next rank up?”, I tried to plead with Elan, as poking fun at divinities is one of my newer sources of enjoyment after becoming a dungeon core.
“Forbidden! Trying to smoothen out relationship with a divinity in charge of the knowledge you gain is must! Angering her is suicidal for dungeon cores!”, he replied with a faster twitch.
“Contacting the adventurers to strike a deal with them for more resources and knowledge?”. Changing tactics, I tried to ask another thing I was planning.
“Denied! You’re too young for that! Actions that can be explained by me advising you are allowed! Purposely showing your specialties as a special existence while too weak is suicidal!”, Now frowning with a furious twitching eyelid, Elan stared at me.
“Then I can’t keep insulting Trendal either?”, I asked with a mortified sounding voice, as the topic of the latest question started slowly growing out his familiar shit-eating-grin.
Suddenly Elan turned thoughtful, stroking his goatee as he replied, “That can’t be considered suicidal. Trendal seems to weirdly enjoy you insulting him. Allowed.”. At this point, Trendal’s face froze comically between a half formed grin and a shocked expression directed at Elan.
Looking at the now stoic helper, I gave a crestfallen sigh, as I replied, “Fine. I, Faran, agree to the changes in our contract.”. As I did, I felt how the contract within my soul shifted to accommodate the new addition in it.
“Hey! What happened to Lord Trendal?”, the now recovered God of Darkness asked Elan with a stern face.
Sniffing at Trendal, he replied snidely, “The “Lord” went to look for dignity of the “Divine” and the “God”, you seem to have left it somewhere”.
Staring at Elan incredulously for a moment, Trendal suddenly started chuckling, before breaking down in a fit of laughter. After he recovered, Trendal wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and said to me with an amused tone, “I swear, even your helper has taken after you? You sure you’re not corrupting others with just your company?”
“I think you broke him down three times so far with your actions. You sure you don’t gather grudges from him?”, I asked back.
“That isn’t part of my domains so why would I do that for nothing?”, Trendal asked with puzzled look.
“If I remember correctly, your domains were shadows, deception, freedom, learning and temptation. I’m seriously starting to think that you chose them from being tempted to slack off, learning how to deceive and hide within the shadows to free yourself from work.”, I quipped to the now awkward Trendal. Even Elan started staring him at this point.
“Nope. Definitely not! I’m certainly doing my job as a divinity properly, it is just that I occasionally get free time as a god when things are working properly! Or don’t you trust the word of the God of Darkness, major divinity?”, Trendal asked with a righteous tone.
““No.””, Elan answered the same time as I. As we looked to each other, Elan started chuckling as I laughed.
“Fine have it your way then. I’ll get back to my divine duties.”, Trendal answered with a sulking tone as he faded away.
After he left, I told Elan, “That was first time I got the last laugh against Trendal. It was more satisfying experience than with me tricking Goddess of Air.”.
Elan grimaced at my last comment, before stroking his goatee with a chuckle. “Indeed it was Faran, indeed it was. As soon as I decided to throw my preconceptions away, it was oddly… freeing experience. Especially when I finally faced Trendal, who gave me so many shocks.”
Glancing at me, Elan continued to my dismay, “Yet you have shocked me more times than Trendal with your utter lack of self-constraint and common sense! I wonder how you even survived to live over two hundred years as a human acting like you have!”
“I wasn’t that bad as a human, after all, I survived and was a highly respected among other mages. After turning to a dungeon core, I seem to follow my desires more freely along with my heightened curiosity.”, I defended myself.
“Fine, didn’t you want to see how the adventurers are doing? They must’ve passed the first blade trap already.”, Elan said as he turned back to his shade-form, having a more self-confident posture with him as he flew towards the group of adventurers.
Finally the original, self-confident Elan is back. Luckily I don’t have to worry about his mental well-being anymore. I thought with satisfaction as I moved my focus upon the adventurers closing on the first blade trap hidden in the floor.
***
Rand Kellia’s POV
“The hell is with dungeon? These caves are full of creatures, yet only a small groups attack us, if at all! Not to mention those wicked traps! There was absolutely no mana from them like usual, and instead of a normal pitfall, we got a friggin’ trapdoor to a pitfall designed to prevent suckers from getting back up! Then there were those obsidian blades designed to maim you, not kill! Worst of all was that creepy yelp from the few caves back, with a damn laughing from the shadows later on!”, Trent grumbled constantly as we kept advancing through the dungeon.
I had to agree with him, this dungeon was weird. Creatures were not yet monsters, and were ones meant for causing bleeding wounds. Sophisticated traps seen in older dungeons, yet without mana triggers for them. Just purely mechanical ones. Those obsidian blades hidden in the dark cracks in the walls, slashing at ankles or knees. Not to mention the thick foliage with small pathways meandering around the stalagmites. We found some herbs within the underbrush, yet there are nests of smaller snakes with weak paralyzing poison, as well as vipers ready to ambush you with deadlier venom. This place would be dangerous to those under silver rank if they slack off even a little bit.
“Less grumbling, Trent. Keep your eyes peeled out and test for traps. Even if the creatures are weak, some of those traps can cause injuries to even us.”, I reminded him as we got closer to the next tunnel. As soon as I said so, I felt the moss under my feet sink down and something snapping underneath it.
“TRAP!” I instantly yelled as a warning for others, when an obsidian blade shot out of the floor, cutting towards me. Instead of dodging so we could examine the trap, I predicted the trajectory of the blade, getting involuntary shivers down my spine, and blocked it with the shaft of my spear. Grunting slightly from the hit as I only slightly reinforced myself with mana, I stopped the blade aiming at my groin.
Vernon game a long whistle behind me while Pete exclaimed “Trap with a blade slashing at your groin from below? Which sick bastard thinks of these ideas for this dungeon?!”
Looking at the length of the blade before releasing it, I shivered once more as I said, “This trap was directly aimed for the groin. The length and the shape of the blade is designed to hit the groin, not armored chest or stomach.”.
“I swear the one feeding these ideas to the young dungeon is a devious bastard! Ye all have seen these traps. I haven’t seen such a wicked contraptions within early levels in any dungeon we’ve been into!”, cursed Trent as he carefully poked the floor in front of him with a shaft of his battle axe.
“I think I should go first to test the floor against the traps with my spear. These might not be the only traps of this kind in here.”, I voiced out as I moved to the front. Vernon’s Sense Mana or Sense Life weren’t useful with this kind of traps, so we couldn’t count on him. Erand was watching out against anything trying to sneak upon Vernon.
Pete and Trent didn’t object at all with my decision. Even though we all had the skills and reflexes to avoid these traps, no man wanted to risk getting his groin slashed open. This dungeon was not a normal young one.