Eric witnessed it all.
The pack.
The conversation.
But most importantly, he watched Katrina collapse and be dragged further inside by two women.
Turning on the spot, he ran as fast as he could. Not stopping. Not taking breaks. He just ran. It was what Eric was good at. His greatest acheivement was having stamina that outranked top-class adventurers.
Only an apprentice, like the woman he had followed, they were competing for the title of Catergorisation Expert. The title was bestowed by the Lord and each Lord only has one Expert. They obtain status, popularity and most of all, a generous monthly stipend that puts regular Catergorisers to shame.
Eric wasn't expecting it to be him, however, as studying was not his strong point. But now? His lips curled into a smile as he controlled each breath and ran.
Slipping on the wet soil before righting himself, Eric didn't see the vines. Preoccupied with the tale he was going to spin, he ended up face down in the dirt before crashing into a tree.
Not letting the little mishap dampen his spirit, Eric wiped the mud from his eyes and hurried on. He had a report to make. A report his father would definitely want to hear.
The Catergoriser was staying in Orad whilst rhe knights investigated claims of missing adventurers. His father was there just incase a Dungeon happened to be involved.
Jubilation was all Eric could feel. The obstacle in his road had been removed before his eyes and Eric laughed. He was laughing that much that he had to slow down, unable to control his pace.
"Oh shit. Today really is a lucky day?" Even though he had seen her dragged away, Eric still couldn't believe what had happened. Followed Katrina in the rain to a remote location, he had planned to end her life with his own hands. Not that it mattered anymore since the task had been completed.
Maniacally replaying it over and over is head, Eric wanted to be sure. He didn't want to follow the other apprentice to death, however. Instead, he was going to milk it to his father and have him deal with it.
He was the current Expert for the local Lord after all.
Katrina Kartova was almost guaranteed the title of Expert when Elric stepped down. Eric hated that she was already golden in the eyes of the Lord. He hated Katrina with a passion and jealousy was the only emotion he felt whenever he saw her.
He was the current Expert's son. The position and title should naturally fall to him by right. The problem was Eric's aptitude for the class was nowhere near as strong as Katrina's. It was evident for all to see aswell since public testing had become mandatory.
Katrina had shined ever since she was little. She was able to tell the difference between dungeon stones and regular rocks at a glance. Identifying the power of the dungeon was a little trickier, but she always came out in top.
Even when she misjudged the Dungeon stone's power, Katrina still managed to do a better job than Eric who was left holding a bag of rocks. Which only served to fuel his hatred.
When she had tested in front of the Lord and Expert, Katrina didn't just shine, she excelled. Noticing subtleties that even Elric had missed, the Lord took an immediate liking to the young lady and ordered his Expert to train her well.
That was a bitter blow for Elric. He wanted nothing to do with the smart-mouthed upstart and instead forced his son to study harder. The Expert, ordered to take the woman under his wing, began to despise her.
Not because she had stolen his son's opportunity. Nor was it to do with his Lord's command.
If Katrina inherited his position, she would inknowingly bring shame down upon Elric's household. An opportinity stolen from the son and the coveted position taken from the father would mean being unable to show his face again.
What would his family do then?
Eric's resentment was strong, but his son hated her even more. He was the entitled child of an expert. Menageries surrounded him and obstacles were removed from his path. All in the hopes that he would surpass Katrina.
Bitterness and jealousy served to murder the last of his dreams.
At least he could boast to his father about finding a Dungeon. A Dungeon that Katrina entered without approval. Apprentice or not, no one is allowed to enter unclassed Dungeons without some form of punishment. If she hadn't died already, the Eric would push for the death sentence with all his might.
He needed to get rid of her to make his father proud and to continue the family business.
-Eric Highgrove, son of Dungeon Categoriser, Elric Highgrove
----------------------------------------
Damages aside, there's no lingering pain like a human would have and I'm actually fine.
Pun intended.
What happened, Me?
You ignored my advice, but this time you almost killed us in the process.
I didn't mean to. I don't even know what I did.
I told you that you can not create or edit on the same floor as an adventurer.
Ahhh. That's what it was.
I'd try and look cuter to avoid an earbashing, but without a body the chances of that working are zero.
Crap.
That was bad, huh?
Bad? Abi, you could have died!
Yeah, I know. Who's a silly Dungeon Core?
It is not a joke this time, Abi. I don't think you realise how close you came to dying.
I do.
And I'm sorry.
You're right it's not a joke. I don't want to die again. I promise I'll try harder to remember the rules and think about my actions to avoid both of our deaths.
That would be appreciated. Now, how did you unlock that skill?
How am I supposed to know? You're my assistant, you tell me.
As is the norm in your Dungeon, I'm confused.
Ha...
Haha...
Hahahaha.
I can't help but laught at Me's all-too human-like response. I needed that brief-but welcome reprieve. Calming down, my list of skills shows what has Me so curious. I'm no wiser to where it came from, but if I had to point a finger... She would be on the recieving end.
Divinity's Presence:
Once a day you can create an object, feature or loot, on a floor that is occupied by adventurers.
That's definitely her doing.
I'm not going to worry too much about my new cheat-skill. It shouldn't be long until the expert wakes up and I need to give myself a good talking to. After what happened, I want to make sure I'm OK.
Obviously, I'm not.
But I still need to check.
It was like a head rush, but with some excruciating pain thrown in for free. Now I know it was brought on by my own foolishness and lack of attention, I'll certainly avoid making the same mistake in the future.
Probably.
Anyway, I need to see what happened to The Syndicate. Checking Trixie's room shows nothing and I can't find the feature anywhere after using my overview.
Fortunately, there's a notification waiting patiently for my attention. It appears that I was successful in placing the feature, even if it was by the tiniest of margins.
The Syndicate:
Level 1
All associates earn a 10% boost to all stats regardless of location
Contracts remaining until next level:
1
Contracts can be acquired from Taskmaster Talia
That's not what I was expecting.
It has a level.
When it mentioned an organisation, I was imaining... Something different. Not more contracts for the Rogue who just got her position a few hours ago. The Rogue boost, however, is great and should hopefully stack with the one from The Retreat.
Being the ever-curious Dungeon Core that I am, I can't help but check Talia's contracts.
Contracts:
Obtain a new type of ale: 100XP
Obtain snacks: 100XP
Kill the village chief of Tor: 300DP
Why is the last one different? The XP doesn't seem that great either, not that my Rogues need much to start leveling. That last contract is definitely something to do with me though. I mean, why else would it reward DP?
Examining the contract brings up more information and manages to aggravate me at the same time. I was finally calming down too, now I'm furious again. This feature has already caused me more worry and panic since reincarnating that anything else.
Even more than Noir.
Plus, where's the building at?
Kill the Village Chief of Tor:
The Village Chief relishes in the torture of children, preventing them from reaching their full potential in life
Rid Tironia of this plague to humanity and assist the human race by completing this contract
Rewards:
1 Contract point
300XP
300DP
Absorb the Chief's body to unlock additional rewards
So the Village Chief is an evil bastard? Who would have thought it?
I'm so glad it didn't say Orad. Although, I can't imagine Mayor Galdon taking part in that sort of practice. He isn't the most righteous of men, but at least he has morals
Semantics aside, look at those rewards.
Why didn't you tell me about this feature before?
Because it does not have a building and that was what you asked me to list.
Damn. Is that what I said? You could still give a girl some leeway, couldn't you?
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Syndicate aside, the room on the first floor is a more pressing matter.
The room?
Take a look.
Since I manifested in the Retreat, Me urges me to head outside the establishment. To find out what has him hung up, I spin around and float outside into what-can-only-be-described-as a glorious day.
Using the feature unlocked when I confirmed my last floor, the System has opened up the top floor of my Dungeon into one giantic room. Well almost. Inside the ridiculously-oversized room, the Shed of Salvation doesn't seem to have been moved like everything else and looks lonely standing on its own against the wall.
Not that how it looks is important. What is important is how The System has kept in line with my rules. Behind the priests is the tunnel that leads through the Wonderful Womb of Web and The Batcave. It continues on to the Boss Room where the entrance to the second floor is.
The only other room left untouched was the one full of traps.
Real talk, I love it. Even if it was created by The System. It's absolutely amazing and even stays true to my goals. Or at least what I've mentioned in passing conversation anyway. Maybe I should have said more random stuff that she could have changed for me?
Still, I'm glad nothing I put proper effort into has been removed. But why did she do it? To be honest, The System has done a much better job than I ever could. The fact that I'm staring up at a blue sky and what-appears-to-be the sun, melts my heart. It also raises her position several notches on the list of people I like.
What a babe!
Since the upgrade encompasses almost the entire floor, every building I had placed are now in one room. Even the Swindlers Den is in here and that's supposed to have restrictions on it. The description said that it wasnt allowed to be placed with another fearure, but The System has done as she pleased and edited the layout.
Even though it's not supposed to work that way.
The tunnel that comes from the trap room, now leads directly to the Guard House's front gate. That means any arrivals will be checked out by Hana and Mira before being allowed entry.
Through my overview, I can see that The System copied my idea of using tunnels and rooms to make the area bigger. Which is great because there's so much light now it's almost blinding.
I'm shocked.
I know that outrageous occurrences frequently take place in my Dungeon, but the warmth shining down as I manifest is something else. This room is absolutely wonderful and all I feel is joy. I can't actually feel the warmth, but I'm happy nonetheless. Even if it does look like my Core might be on the way out.
Offering my sincere appreciation, words I never thought I'd hear myself say are given freely to the usual source of my frustration.
"Thank you, System."
I love my Dungeon.
I'm informed that the sleeping Categoriser wakes up, but find it hard to peel myself away from the beauty of my new room. It’s not even a monster, just a stone constructed feature. Yet still I find myself captivated by the light and spacious surroindings.
Even after being told repeatedly by Me that it isn't a real sun, I just can't get over it. I've been a Dungeon Core for what-feels-like weeks now, but in reality is still only been a few days. Restricted by the size and shape of my creations, it's so nice having more space and proper light.
Super happy.
Successfully managing to escape my addiction to beauty, I float straight over to the Rogues' Retreat. Because I can do that now. Playing chicken with shadows, I swerve the dark spots and still manage to arrive in record time.
Upon entering the occupied suite, the first thing I notice is that Dropper doesn't look pleased. She's yet to give me an answer on the naming situation and is being tightly embraced by the fully awake Dungeon Categoriser.
Huh?
Let's be honest. That was the last thing I was expecting to see. I was expecting anxiety and nerves to pull a dick move that would need mediation. Although, I wasn't feeling very confident about being the mediator.
I'm not even ready to plead my case about wanting to live a long Dungeon life yet. I got distracted by a near-death incident and a floor overhaul. I haven't had time to think about it properly and what if she thinks I don't have any redeeming qualities? I certainly can't tell her that anyone who passes the Priests becomes Dungeon food. It's a GIVEN with what I am, but it doesn't make me sound like the human-appreciating Dungeon Core that I am.
Wink. Wink.
...
No response from Me means he's feeling the pressure too. Shame. I thought that was quite good. I was even ready with a comeback about not having eyes, but he didn't rise to it.
Spoilsport.
Regardless, the only person that looks truly uncomfortable about the situation is Dropper. Still wrapped in the arms of the Catergoriser, she has one hand on her weapon whilst the other tries to remove the sobbing mess.
Light, however, is rolling around on the floor in a fit of laughter. Unable to contain himself, he looks like a young child watching clowns at the carnival. Until he notices my arrival and composes himself.
"Master," he bows. Dropper looks shocked for a moment before her eyes plead at me to help. I don't really want to get in the middle of that, but I'm not one to deny requests. Plus, u don't really need to.
"Light. Ask her to release Dropper, please." He complies happily. Unlike Mira, however, he seems to have a script of his own.
"My master wants you to release her monster."
I just want to punch him sometimes. Nevermind confusing the room, the blue-haired idiot just confused the Dungeon. And yes, I mean me.
It takes her a minute before remembering where she is, when she does her grip on Dropper intensifies and fear flashes across her pretty face. I don't know why she's scared. I'm the one at risk here.
"Please. Save me again." She whispers into Droppers armour. Audible enough to hear, she completely ignored the part about Dropper being a Dungeon Monster.
And what does she mean by again?
"Have you met this woman before? Is she the person you left in the forest?" Confirmation from Light comes by a nod whereas Dropper just rolls her eyes.
What's that about?
Does she already hate the poor girl because how clingy she is? Or is it because she a Categoriser? There's always a chance it could be something to do my summons that I've yet to identify too.
"She seems to like you, Dropper. Ask her if she's ok." I make a simple request, or what I thought was a simple request. The Vagabond I asked, however, seems to think it's anything but and looks mortified.
"Hey." In a stern voice, Dropper shakes the woman wrapped around her waist vigorously, "are you ok?"
Is it just her personality?
"It's dangerous here," she whispers, eyes closed and her face buried in Dropper's chest.
Using the woman she won't let go of, we begin a conversation between a human and a human-dungeon.
Just a dungeon.
Yeah, yeah.
"... only if I say so and I don't intend on attacking everyone. I need my Rogues to protect me because, well… People are dangerous too, right?" Well, that's that. I exlained myself the best I could. Or at least I think I did.
"I suppose you're not wrong. I still don't understand why you didn't kill me though. It would have been a better strategy from your point of view. Not only would you have gotten rid of a witness, but you would have benefited from my death in some way or form."
Quite. That is exactly what I...
Shush.
The way she put it makes it sound like it's my duty to murder her and Me's not helping.
"I don't have to kill people to survive. That's just a fast way to grow into a big Dungeon. I can by just by having people come inside me." Both Rogues turn red and look at each other, before looking at me sheepishly.
"What are you doing? Tell her what I said." I need them to be my voice because I can't tell her myself. She can't hear or see me, which is stupid. Especially when I've got this awesome, wispy form to gaze upon.
"I don't want to say that." Both Light and Dropper seem against relaying my words for some reason. What was wrong with what I said?
"What did she say?" Curiosity killed the cat, is what people usually say. This time it almost kllled Catergoriser. Unconscious on the bed, she passed out after Dropper whispered my message in her ear.
she will still be famous in some way in the future.
Hehe. I knew what I said.
Nice work Dropper. Light also found it hilarious as he fails to contain his grin, receiving a harsh glaring at from his partner.
Eventually, the Catergoriser recovers from the vulgarity she was exposed to and out talk continues.
"Ask her if she's here to categorise us?" Composed, Light poses the question for me, but the Catergoriser looks at Dropper and shakes her head. I feel a spark of hope originate in my Core before I rein my emotions in.
I need to get myself under control more than Light does. I'm the one damaged enough to die at any moment. The Categoriser seems to be composed too. She's much less needy than before only feeling the need to hold Dropper's hand.
"Okay. Tell her that we're all really sorry for what's happened, but if she's not here to categorise us then... Why is she here? Oh and ask what her name is?" I finally ask since I've just been referring to her as the Categoriser.
"My name is Katrina and I'm not the Categorisation Expert. I'm an apprentice. I was out here searching for the Assassins that saved me. It started raining and I was close to the mountain so I was looking for shelter. Then... Well, I ended up here and actually found them. I can't believe it! But... They look different somehow?" Her eyes scan the Vagabonds and I suppose she's not wrong. They were still Rogues when they saved her.
Wait a minute. The mountain?
"Damn, right," Light proudly boasts, throwing his Dagger up before snatching it out of the air on its way back down in a show of... Something. "We ranked up our class."
Proud that someone else has noticed his growth, Light enjoys it as much as possible before Dropper shuts him down. "Be quiet you fool. The Master will decide what we should say to her!"
Drawing my attention from thinking about my location, the Vagabonds give me a glimpse into their true nature while making sound like a true Dictator at the same time.
Damn, I didn't realise she was so... Harsh? Light has it rough, huh?
I don't know what to say. Your human-type monsters are certainly on a different plane of existence to the regular ones. Feelings, emotions, wants and needs. It's all very... Un-Dungeon like.
I don't suppose I can disagree with you. It's been that way since Barry started drilling me out and I don't intend to stop now.
Which one?
Oh, Me. You're so bad.
Turning my attention back to Katrina, I have Dropper clean up her mistake and make me sound like an angel. It doesn't go as planned and I choose to forget the whole thing happened. With the threat of destruction a thing of the past, even though an apprentice Categoriser still poses some amount threat, I confirm the reason she sought out my Rogues.
Misery begins emitting from Katrina and she squeezes Dropper's hand tight. It catches me off guard as I wasn't expecting to become a feelings magnet. Then again, I haven't done anything in the last few minutes. It can't be me, can it? Is she doing that?
The painful experience caused by the Katrina's traumatic event sent directly into me through Katrina's will.
How is she able do that? It should be impossible.
Unable to process what Me says, the fear of death wraps me up and overwhelmings me. The emotion carried through Katrina's will is even stronger than the bond I share with me and I feel everything she does. How she feels now, how she felt yesterday and how she felt when it happened, all merge into one ball of sadness.
It haunts her waking hours aswell as the brief moments her eyes have closed since. I see what she went through and what went through her mind at the time, during such an ordeal.
Now I know why she's here.
She wants releasing from the horror that that has invaded her life and now dominates her thoughts. When she pulls her will back, I'm left speechless.
Well... What do I say to that?
She just unburdened her honest feelings on me. Without words or trickery, just unbridled emotion.
A sense of anguish hits me, what's left of my humanity emphasises with Katrina. If my core wasn't in the state it's in, I'd give myself over completely. As it stands, I'm too scared to fully embrace her pain. Not the way I did for Anya, nor the way I hold a candle for myself.
Still, I would shed tears for her if possible. Our situations are similar, only no heroic Rogues were there to sweep in and rescue me from a fate I didn't deserve.
The atmosphere in the room turns gloomy thanks to Katrina's contribution to the group. Still feeling the lingering effects of her over sharing, I try to remember what she did with her will. If she can send feelings to me, then I should be able to do the same thing.
I'm the Will Master, right?
Concentrating on Katrina's feelings, I notice a blue aura covering her body. That's the colour that I would attribute to sadness and focusing on it, I push my will towards it. A tentacle stretches out from my Manifestation, carrying compassion and reassurance towards the blue Catergoriser.
When it makes contact with her aura, Katrina bolts up in shock and finally releases her grip on Dropper. Who immediately takes three steps back to the wall and sighs. I keep reassuring her that everything will be fine and like she did before, my will carries emotions and feelings. Not empty or deceitful words.
When I feel like she's been given enough, I look up to find that Katrina no longer looks so blue. A small smile is even present as she looks for Dropper and I withdraw my tentacle.
My will reassured her that she isn't alone. There are others that suffer tragedy and sorrow that share similar burdens. It also carries acceptance. Welcoming her to stay for a while longer if she so chooses.
Provided she stays on her best behaviour, that is.
Feeling a little more positive about the future, I let Light and Dropper know their position as Catergoriser-sitters will last longer than I first anticipated. Telling them to go see Ali so that Katrina can get some food in her, I drop Manifestation before they can complain about it.
They're going to end up getting another meal made by our own gourmet chef, Ali anyway. I don't see why they're complaining. That should be me, since I'm the one who can't taste any of it.
Hopefully, Katrina will feel better after a good meal and a drink. I, however, find myself feeling frustrated in my overview.
I went through all that effort to speed up my first floor, almost dying in the process, because I thought it would help me convince the Catergoriser to let me live. As it turns out, she's not even the Expert that I was worried about. That 160DP The System spent could have been put to better use too. Not that the living arrangements of my summons isn't a good use.
But, what's done is done and it looks awesome. Much better than anything I could have done aswell, so I'm not complaining.
I keep an eye on Katrina as she down and orders a meal. Talia offers her a drink as she waits and I take the time to look over my features. Deciding what to do next needs consideration since there's more to do.
Katrina was dealt a rough hand by life, as a lot of people are, myself included. As I've said before though, you gotta stop wailing and just get on with it.
I'm still debating when their meals arrive and I watch them start eating. Light and Dropper eat in silence whereas Katrina is a little apprehensive. Her stomach wins the war against her mind and she daring tries the Rabbit stew Ali has served. Her eyes go wide and she tucks in wholeheartedly.
That's better. Good food is a sure fire way of improving someone's mood. As she spoons mouthful after mouthful, Katrina keeps taking curious peaks at her babysitters. It looks like she wants to say something, but she refrains and finishes her meal instead. Before I can suggest she might need more, Ali is already replacing her bowl with a full one. A quick wink and she's gone.
Katrina must have been starving because she immediately dives into her second portion. The cutesy chef was already two steps ahead of me and I can't help but feel proud.
Damn, she's good.
Katrina turns red as a small burp comes from nowhere after she puts the empty bowl down. She appears to be quite content now, holding her stomach and smiling slightly. Ali returns to take her bowl and Katrina compliments the food multiple times, even going so far as to bow a few times.
She must really have enjoyed that meal. I'm kinda jealous now. I really want to know what Ali's food tastes like too, I doubt that will ever happen though. Depressed, I need something to cheer me so I decide to skip work and hang with Katrina.
Will-O-Wispin' it to the Retreat, I arrive next to the trio at the bar.
"Who's ready for a tour?" I announce, before remembering that Katrina still can't hear me.
Damn. That would have been a cool entrance.