"You sure this will work?" Robert asked. Feeling their grip on the magic slip ever so slightly every second.

"Please, seventy-first and half times the charm."

"I have a strong feeling that no one says that."

"Oh stop wining and activate the damn thing already, they're getting bored," Vocal said with a sigh.

"Who?" Robert asked.

"No one cause they already stopped paying attention, get on with it Robert!" Vocal said, her voice rising up in annoyance.

"Fine."

With a thought that magic connecting Robert and the trap was severed with a thought. The laws of physics that once held the trigger from activating snapped back into focus. With a clink, the stone button activated, the tripwire connected to it being severed in an instant.

The spike that was held underneath the shallow earth was let go, with a thunderous roar. A flaming spear of stone shot out of the ground and smashed into the ceiling. Skewering the fake target Vocal had set up.

The set of plants acting like Robert's enemy torn asunder and set aflame. Robert smiled as the target collapsed and was 'killed'. A victory at last.

"Good, you got down all the things that needed to happen. You made sure the magic was balanced and didn't bleed into the trap component. You made sure to activate it quickly yet carefully. And the trap itself guaranteed a clean and quick kill that would've made sense in any setting when you were being explored."

Robert manipulated their magic to create a subtle glow of light around them, something they had learned in the previous days of work.

Robert and Vocal had first begun working on what Vocal called 'loot' a way to make sure that when all traps and plans and monsters failed. Robert wouldn't be destroyed.

It was the last plan that every Dungeon had to fall back on once, and it would always happen at least once in a Dungeon's life.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Robert had created almost a dozen different items. From creating a stone that was infused with as much magic related to being Drunk as they could fit in it. To a small twig that released ants for some reason.

Robert had no idea how they managed to make that, and Vocal was as equally clueless so they just moved on from there.

Robert and Vocal had spent the next two days working on their traps. Which had taken them a ridiculously long time to narrow down, mainly due to how hard it was to control magic. Robert grumbled about all the failed attempts and screaming that had happened.

Vocal couldn't be destroyed easily but she very much hated having her body destroyed, or 'dispersed' as she called it.

Still, with this trap now a success. Robert did the thing.

With a thought, Robert reformed the trap they had made earlier. And like all their monsters before it, bound it to them. Robert felt doozy for a second, images about the materials composition and backstory filling their mind as arcane power and the thoughts of it filtered through their mind.

Turned out everything had thoughts or feelings, and so much of the world hated the 'movers' as they called them. Though that was all Robert could patch from the blur of power and emotions when they bonded with an item.

This was now their second bonded item, the first having been a boulder dropping down on their enemy's head, which had been so much easier to do.

Dispell the magic and let gravity do the rest.

Robert took a look at their new monsters, through some more monsters summoning almost forty bugs laid around the area. Buzzing around the cavern and exploring the area of their creator. Which was guarded by a ferocious snake beast.

Snek had taken to cruising around Robert's Core. Now an emerald orange, Robert had sworn that was not how their core looked before and Vocal had responded that was natural. Core's always changed colors randomly.

Robert had felt relieved at that. But they couldn't help but feel a bit strange at their new color.

With a slight jolt, Robert felt Vocal leave their Dungeon. Probably off to scout the area and gather random supplies for the Dungeon.

----------------------------------------

"Are you sure about this?" Vocal asked in a hushed tone.

"Yes," A hooded figure said, silver hooves coming out of the shadow in the hood. With silver-bladed fins out their back. The rest of their body cloaked in shadow and rough wool.

The figure was about the same size as Vocal but held a slightly more squatter look even though they were taller. A small paradox that was normal to them.

"They are progressing faster and faster than before. Already emerald orange before the first settlement sprung up. I hate to see such talent go so fast. But when they reach blue-purple-red, then you must strike and kill."

"Yes..." Vocal responded.

Like that, Vocal headed back to the Dungeon, silver spade in hand. And eyes cold. As she made her way back, a voice cackled where she just was.

"Already here? Guess I need to adjust some time-tables."

With that, a loud popping sound emerged. And the screams of earth and life gave way.