It was months later at the start of a late spring in southern Colorado, near the four corners national park. Snow was still on the ground in the shadows of the pines and under bushes. Mary sent Mace up here to work on her most recent Real Estate conquest. But Mace knew it was actually because she was having a house party for some of her high-end socialites and it just wouldn’t do to have the undesirables around where they could be seen.
Mace however did not mind being sent away like an ugly dog. In fact, he like these small excursions. They broke up the tedium of living in his house and being ignored by his wives or the kids. Or, worse not being ignored by them. Mace had been working all morning and drove back onto Main street of the small town looking for a diner for lunch when the little bar that he had been ignoring finally changed.
Over the last few months, it had changes slightly at times. Most of the time it had its small sliver and read 3%, but on occasion at random areas it would change to 2% or even 4%. The bar however never seemed to change much.
At the towns one stoplight the bar suddenly shifted. Startled, mace hit the gas and blew past the red light causing a slow-moving old Toyota pick-up with an even older man behind the wheel to honk and wave his wrinkled fist.
Focusing his attention Mace watched the bar return to the previously low number. Although even now it was sitting at a previously unseen 5%. Curiosity peeked Mace found a parking spot outside an old drug store with blue wooden shutters still clinging to the ancient adobe building.
The towns sidewalk was probably the attempt at one mayor or another to improve the “Downtown appeal”, but it had been years since that attempt was made. Cracks, missing chunks, and uneven slabs made the walking almost worse than if the pathway had never been made. Stopping at the intersection Mace watched for traffic and when he had an opening walked across the street. No one seemed to notice or care that he didn’t wait for or use a crosswalk. Probably because there wasn’t one.
Three buildings down the street Mace walked to an old three-story building. Its ancient wooden walls were cracking, its white paint peeling and the one un-boarded up window on the ground floor was broken in a dozen places. However, Mace barely noticed because his Mystical Magical Air Power bar was now showing two dashes and read 6%!
Focusing Mace took his first good look at the building in-front of him. Then he looked at the only slightly better maintained clothing store to the buildings right and the more modern Gas station to the buildings left.
Biting his lip Mace considered. Then with a nod he turned around and walked into the street away from the building. Tires squealed and a car horn blared. But Mace simply looked at the now stopped vehicle a couple hundred feet down the road still and snorted. Mace had more than enough room to walk across the road, but these old, retired senior citizen’s that composed the majority of these boondocks’ towns always over-reacted to anything different or new.
On the other side of the street mace continued to gnaw on his lip seeing as the second little bar was gone and the meter now read 5% again.
Turning back around mace looked both ways. Waited an unpractical couple minutes as a slowly puttering Ford pickup drove past. Old man staring at him like he didn’t dare walk into the road. Because you just knew if you did, he would charge up his engine to an ungodly 20 or even 25 MPH just to hit the J-walking Mace.
Returning to the three-story building Mace tried the front door and was amazed when it swung inward with a light twist of the knob and shove.
The front door opened into a large dimly lit and extremely dusty looking room. The room felt like one of those Victorian mansions parlors or greeting rooms. The type that B&B’s later used as a reception for guests. Including a long counter bar in the back and white tarp covered furniture.
A clearly homeless man sat up from where he was laying upon a once-white cloth covered couch in the middle of the room. Judging by the number of empty liquor bottles, cigarette packs, and general trash the guy had been using the place for awhile. However, upon seeing Mace the man just grunted took a swig from a bottle peeking out of a brown paper bag, took a drag from the cigarette in the same hand and continued to talk on his brand-new looking iPhone 14.
After looking at the rag covered dirty drunk, Mace dismissed him. It would after all be hypocritical to say something about the man being there illegally. Instead Mace followed his nose… No, it was something else a kind of 6th sense. A Mystical magical sense.
“Oh, I hope I get spidy senses, and wall crawling! Oh, I want to crawl on walls!” Mace muttered to himself as he began walking down a set of stairs, he located in the building’s kitchen. Halfway down mace had to pause and pull out his phone. Turning on his phones flashlight he continued.
Reaching the base mate mace noted the bar was now reading 7%. Still he felt more power further in. Almost like the air was thicker and more comforting. The basement was set up as a series or small offices. The hall went straight some 40 feet then turned left and went another 80 before coming to a right left tee. The left went down farther than his flashlight could pierce the murk, the right led to a second set of stairs down.
These stairs were older looking carved out of the sandstone ground itself, unlike the wooden ones he had traveled to get here.
Slowly walking down the crumbling stone steps, Mace ran his fingers over the slightly damp brickwork of the walls. In this part of the country it was uncommon to see a basement, and practically unheard of for a sub-basement. Yet here he was following magic into the dark.
Mace couldn’t help but laugh, “yeah, I’m going to become the dinner of some monster. Like a creepy spider clown thing will pop up, ask if I want a candy and then eat my brains…”
No, my magnificent mortal Master. I am dutifully detecting no mean monsters with-in my danger detection distance. Truly though there is however 4 running rats, 123 scary spiders, and thousands of wiggling worms, armed ants, and other innumerable insignificant insect life.”
The voice coming from his pocket startled mace so badly he jump, missed his landing. Slipped on the damp stone steps and slid down a dozen or so on his ass.
“Ouch!” Mace cried out as he came to a stop.
“Oh goodness golly gee! Is my glorious ignoramus of a Manly Master Heavily hurting his humanly posh posterior?”
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“What?” Mace muttered rubbing his ass, as he stood. Before the gemstone in his pocket could reply mace reached in with his hand not rubbing his butt and clenched the pink stone in his hand. Over the course of the last couple months Mace had discovered that anytime he put the stone down and went any distance away it would appear on his person. At first, he had been a little freaked out by this. However, he was never really one to sweat the small things and when the stone didn’t do anything except follow him and glow, he grew accustomed to it. More recently he had even developed a small nervous tick, where he would play with the stone when he was in thought or nervous about something. A habit a greedy Mary had noticed.
Mace didn’t realize that she had noticed the valuable looking glowing little stone months ago and attempted to steal, well have one of the servant’s steal, the stone a number of times. However, this had actually backfired on Mary. Due to the stone’s magical seeming ability to return to Mace, she had started to suspect that one or more of her previously trusted servants was working with Mace. Mace who she had assumed to be an innocent little plaything and was now apparently showing her, he knew how to play the game…
Subsequently there had been a previously unheard-of number of servants being replaced around the house. So much, so that many would refer to the summons to Mary’s private study the summons of Banshee Queen.
All that was beyond Mace’s or even the little stones purview though and mattered even less to them right now. Still clenching the suddenly talkative little stone in his fist Mace began to carefully move down the slick stairs. Some few hundred steps later Mace came out into an open room. His phone’s light could barely reach the walls in each direction, marking the room to be around 100ft per side. Damp molded crates, some splintered wooden kegs, spider webs, and mouse droppings littered the area.
Finally opening his hand, the little stone gasped, “Meanie Master! Silently strangling such a sweet stone as I?”
Mace just stared at the little stone. To his recollection he had never heard it speak before. Sure, he had used those pink windows to write, but this super chipper, sweat southern bell voice was new. Wasn’t it?
Deciding it didn’t matter if the little imaginary boxes went away and was replaced with an imaginary voice mace returned to looking around the room.
“Ah, my mighty master must surely strive to secure this terrific territory for his fanciful fabulous friend!”
Mace ignored the little stones odd banter, as he returned to looking around the room. To his amusement and slight amazement, the bar in his vision was set with 3 little lines and sat at 11%. Feeling almost drawn mace moved toward the back wall farthest away from the stairs. With each step the bar ticked up and by the time he reached the back wall it was at7 little dashes nearly a fifth full and read 21%. Unthinking Mace moved his right hand, the same hand as he was holding the gemstone with and laid it upon the wet uneven wall.
A chime sounded in his head and the box reappeared.
Would you like to claim this area for your Dungeon Core?”
“This will permanently set the Dungeons location to this site.”
“WARNING! This area is located in a low Mystical Power vicinity. A Dungeon here will suffer from extremely slow MP regeneration.”
““YES NO”
“huh? Low Air magic? This is highest I’ve ever seen it! But what does this mean?”
The sweet little voice screamed, “Ugh, “Ugh! Accept it you dolt! I have never felt this much power before! ACCEPT IT NOW!!!”
Sure, the imaginary little voice wouldn’t lie, it sounded like a cute southern girl after all, Mace tapped YES with one finger.
The box disappeared a split second before the world exploded in pink, it was like the cotton candy factory was attacked by the chocolate terrorists. An explosion ink went everywhere, covered everything, and glowed like only neon pink can.
Founding Dungeon…”
“Ambient Mystical Power Sufficient… Extremely Low”
“Depth Sufficient… Extremely Low”
“Starting area Sufficient… Extremely Low”
“Dungeon Companion located… Low”
Dungeon Heart Size… Extremely Low”
“Stored MP… Critically Low”
“Dungeon starting level… F9-01”
The box vanished and the pink glow dimmed until it was little more than ambient light. The room had changed. The od, wet, cracked sandstone was gone. The rubbish and pools of water was gone. The mold, dust, and darkness was gone.
The only thing the same was the room was roughly the same size and there was the stairs still leading upwards on the other side of the room from Mace. Now though, the room looked to be carved out of a single fine pink marble. The mostly white material glowed ever so softly a pink hue. Its perfect lines and smooth walls was only broken by a Roman style pillar a foot thick and four feet tall in the center of the room where the Pink Gemstone hovered.
Óh Master! Your so freaking wonderful! I had truly given up hope that I’d ever find a place I could call home! But who would have guess Master 21,742 would be the one! Sure, you’re not the smartest, the best looking, or even really good looking at all… But you did it! You did what no one else ever could!”
Did the voice just insult him? Eh, didn’t really matter. This most recent hallucination was just further sign he was finally losing his marbles. Shrugging Mace considered his path back to the stairs. Sure, right now the room looked empty. But that was the way of a hallucination, right? Mace nodded sure that if he were careful, he could avoid running into anything too hard.
Carefully kicking out his leg in a sweeping motion before each step mace began to move his way across the room, ready to leave. On his way past the column he swiped out to grab the Gemstone, but his hand hit something hard a scant inch from the floating stone.
“aww shucks mighty Master! It must make me all totally tingly to think you want to keep me with you.But bothersome bummer, now that I’ve securely set up the Dungeon, I can’t move so easy.”
Mace turned to look closer at the stone, “Huh?”
”Ah nike Master this won’t work. Such an awesome Master has to represent such a sweet and beautiful core as I! Let’s see what I can do here. You stay there and listen.”
The Gemstone pulsed bright Pink with each of the last words. At the end, a tangerine sized ball of pink energy flew from the orb to smack Mace in the face. Upon it impact if flashed and vanished, leaving Mace there standing still with softly glowing pink eyes...
…
The next thing Mace realized he was standing in Mary’s study. The dark hard-wood floors, elegant yet expensive artwork, and the dark mahogany wooden desk all projected power and wealth. Mary herself sat behind the expansive monolith of black metal and dark polished wood with an angry look on her face, “Did I studder! You win Mace. I’ll buy that damned building for you. Hell, I’ll do one better I’ll buy that whole damned block for you! But what you said here today better not ever be said again or next time I’ll bury you. Even if it costs me everything. I’ll give you this one pass. Now get out!”
Completely confused Mace turned and fled the room with his head down and shoulders hunched.
As the door slammed shut Mary sighed. Hitting a button on the desk, a soft beep was heard before a young sounding pretty voice spoke from a hidden speaker, “What can I do for you Mrs. Windu?”
“I need you to contact the law team. I want them to set up a non-profit and transfer some real estate to it, under the leadership of my Husband.”
There was a stunned silence before the voice coughed softly and asked in a confused tone, “Uh, your husband Mace?”
The roaring response could be heard even outside the thick wooden study door, “YES, MACE YOU DAMNED FOOL!”
“… Yes… yes of course Mrs. Windu, forgive me for being so stupid. I’ll get right on that Mrs. Windu. Do you need anything else?”
Mary’s face didn’t even shift as she screamed at her personal assistant, “yes, on second thought. I’m feeling a little… Flushed. Contact my pilot and have her pick up Chuck. When he gets here send him right in and do not disturb me for the rest of the night. I don’t care if the world is burning, understand?”
“y… yes! Of course, Mrs. Windu!”
Mary hit the button hanging up on the completely confused assistant. Sighing softly, she began to wave her hand in-front of her reddening face, “Maybe I should have her get Rico too…”
The whole time Mary’s eyes never moved from the closed door where Mace left through.