Light walks over to the awestruck newcomer as instructed by his master. Sudden appearances through teleportation, or shadowport, could instantly spark a shit show, hence why she sent him on foot.
Noticing the finely-dressed young man making his way over to him, the Categoriser stiffens up and makes no sudden moves. Nor does any mana form around him, none that's noticeable anyway. He just waits for the grumbling man to arrive while taking in the city and its residents.
The potentially-threatening newcomer is not as high level as Elric was. He could also be considered to be less knowledgable due to his age, but that would be just a guess. What it doesn't mean, is that he's stupid. Far from it. He wouldn't be a Categoriser if that were the case.
Light stops a few-feet away and waits. After Elric paralysed the dungeon residents on his visit, the Assassin seems dubious to go near another and he swore to get stronger so that the incident would not repeat itself. He will to never be in a powerless position again is what drives him forward.
"Hi." Whilst waiting, his master is silent for some reason, the awkwardness gets to him and Light greets the man who looks similar to Me only without the freckles.
"Hello." Neither are his eyes green, instead they're a piercing blue. Both men stare at each other, the awkwardness growing. Neither say a word until Light's belly speaks for them. He voices his inner thoughts and the Catergoriser agrees.
"Er... Yes, actually." His stomach growls in response at the mention of food and Light leads him through the city. His eyes are everywhere, on everything and everyone. Neither men say a word as they make their way down the street. Everyone of the dungeon born watch cautiously as they pass by their respective businesses. Light feels a great comfort in this, knowing everyone has ranked up and are a lot stronger than they used to be.
To the curious Categoriser, he's in a state of disbelief. Everything he's read about dungeons, and even the things he's personally seen himself, could never describe the city he's found himself in. Lost in the allure of eye service and wondrous scents, he doesn't even register the ill-intentioned scowls aimed at his back. Gone in his own paradise, he follows his arguably good-looking guide.
He only stops when the sweetest scent yet stimulates his senses. He walks right into the back of Light in the process. "Oh. I-I'm sorry. I was a little... Lost. What is that delightful aroma?"
Having arrived at their destination, and being questioned on the subject whilst now being grilled by his master, Light answers politely. "This is Ali's. Best meals in town. You said you were hungry, right?" Or as politely as he can. To his master, he thinks, It's not my fault you were quiet. Plus, we're both hungry. What's the harm in feeding him?
"Absolutely." With his agreement, and before he breaks his own neck nodding so vigorously, Light treats the man to a three-course meal at the best spot in town. During which, both men become a little more chatty as good meals always lead to good thoughts. It also gives his master some time to come up with a plan, which she actually thanked him for. Even though it was never his intention in the first place. Once they're finished, the Assassin takes the talkative Categoriser, whose name turns out to be Simon, on a tour around town and shows the newcomer various sights he's been instructed to.
"Are you aware that there's actually a dungeon here?" Simon eventually poses the question he'd been beating around. Light isn't flustered, however, as he's been waiting for that exact moment.
"Yeah, we know. Or at least some people do. What would you say if I told you that I was created by the dungeon? As well as the last few shopkeepers we've visited?" Light responds with his own question and completely catches Simon off guard.
"Preposterous. How would..." He gather a small amount of mana. Nothing dangerous otherwise Light was on order to turn him into dungeon food immediately.
"No. It can't be. I thought it was below the surface or something. How is it out here?" Knowing the truth, but stuck in disbelief, he looks Light over once again. It's not often you come across someone with a sky-blue facial hair, but Simon would have pegged him as more of a noble than a dungeon monster.
"It just is and I'm as human as you are, buddy. I eat, sleep, shit and get black-out drunk as well as the best of them." The Assassin laughs as his master face palms next to him. Muttering something about stupidity.
"But... But that's... But... Dungeons don't create people. They make monsters! Fact." Simon's ginger hair shines under the sun as he shakes his head in disagreement. Even though the truth is telling it to his face.
"That's what the last guy said, but my master can summon monsters too. Although, sometimes they come out looking human too. It's weird.Anyway, she wants me to tell you a story, if that's OK?"
"Your master? The Dungeon Core? Wants you to tell me a story?" Rephrasing Light's question into his own, Simon can't produce any other words.
"Yes. The Dungeon Core. What would you say if I told you that dungeons have strayed from their path?"
"Their path? What role could they possibly possess other than to benefit the territory they're in?" Simon only knows what he learned from books and tutors, and he has never heard anything about a dungeon having a path. Paths inside dungeons are common, but a dungeon possessing an objective, other than killing humans, is not.
"My master knows the truth about dungeons and the world. The System and cycle. Life and death. She knows how, why and where humanity is supposed to go next... Really? You do?" Breaking character, Light talks to air beside him. Or at least that's what it looks like to Simon. It takes the Catergoriser a moment before he realises that he's already under the gaze of the Dungeon Core and probably has been since the blue-haired man greeted him.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"A dungeon's main purpose is the betterment of Tironia," Light continues. "The way they're meant to do that is by helping them grow, learn and advance. These are all part of what it's meant to be a dungeon. A long time ago, a lazy God started a task he couldn't be bothered to finish. It's because of that asshole that I'm..." With his master not speaking, neither does Light and his eyes fall to the ground. If Simon could see the small ghost berating the much-taller man he might feel slightly sorry for him. Especially when it was said ghost who told the Assassin to 'Repeat after me.'
After a couple of nods and a few huffs, Light turns to Simon and apologises before saying, "My master would like to offer a very good deal."
"A deal? What type of deal?" Still lost in the moment, Simon can't even begin to fathom the man/monster's intention and certainly not that of his master.
"A... Mutually beneficial one she says." Light nods furiously as though the deal is too good to miss. He even goes so far as to give him a nudge, nudge, wink, wink. It doesn't do him any favors however as the Catergoriser looks more confused than before. Although, it turns out it was nothing that Light did directly, only what he had repeated.
"Why does the Dungeon Core identify as a she?" The only thing that managed to catch Simon's attention, however, is the gender-identifying Core buried deep in the ground. Little does he know that questions are this dungeon's forte and her Royal Questionableness is forever pondering life's mysteries.
"Are you discriminating against my master because she's female? Especially when she's willing to offer you lots of gold." Light frowns and mana begins to gather around him as his presence seeps out until he is scolded once again.
"What? No! Wait. Lots of gold?" The universal currency of 'Do what I want you to' grabs Simon's attention with no problems at all. "How much gold?"
"First, she needs to know what you get paid by whatever Lord sent you. As well as any other benefits you receive. That way she can offer you something better... Sorry, Master." At Light's last mistake, Simon begins chuckling slowly before breaking out into a full-blown laugh.
"W-What's your name?" He asks the blundersome Assassin who keeps putting his foot in it, the cause of his humorous outburst.
"My name, or my master's name? Wait. How do you know she has a name? What's that, Master... Aww shit!" At this point, Abi is already wishing she'd called upon Ali instead. Having only went with Light because he did such a good job last time with Wheeler, Sophie and Aaron. All whilst half-cut. This time though...
"The Dungeon has a name? That's huge! But honestly, it's not what I meant. I was asking you. The person in front of me. The one claiming not to be a person, talking to the thin air, exactly like a crazy person would do." Even though the presence of the dungeon clings to the man in front of him, Simon's mind is still trying to rationalize an unrational situation.
"Oh. I'm Light. Didn't I say so at dinner? That's what my master named me and I am a person. I was just... Born differently to you. Is it that hard to understand?" Light puts both thumbs up and smiles, thinking his explanation was perfect.
"Hard to understand? You have no idea. I still can't work out if you're trying to trick me or not, but... I remember. You did tell me your name, I was just... Distracted. Again, it's a pleasure to meet you, Light. My name is Simon and I am the Categoriser of Gorn. Or I was at least, until my Lord declared war on the King for some reason. He relieved me of my position and sent me away the minute I arrived back from the cliffs of Tol." Simon the Catergoriser is not having a good time and seems more confused than a good-looking Dungeon Core could cause.
Maybe?
Either way, there is clearly more on his mind than his young shoulders are meant to carry.
"That sounds harsh for you man. Good for us though, right? You need a job and we need a Categoriser for some reason? We should work together." Light sticks his hand out, but Simon only looks at it dubiously.
"With a self-proclaimed dungeon monster? Even for one as funny as yourself, it's still a hard sell. To save ourselves an argument, let's say that what you're saying is true. We're supposed to be enemies if the texts are anything to go by. How could I possibly trust you?" Going off what he knows, what he's read, Simon possess the impossible question.
"Simple. You see all these people walking through the main street?" Light gestures to the masses, all making their way towards the Colliseum and Simon nods. "They all came from Gorn too."
"Wait, what? When? Is that why the Capital's streets were empty?" Putting two and two together, the young Categoriser connects the people living here to those from Gorn by their clothes and breathes a sigh of relief. He had believed a much worse befell the people he grew up around.
"They must have fled the war you were talking about cause they've been here for a while now. They arrived with one of our merchants. Thousands of them. It was tough at first, housing so many people isn't an easy task but my master handled it magnificently." With a bit of kiss-assing, Light is certainly trying to get back into the good books.
Simon still casts a doubtful frown Light's way. He can't, however, deny the people he's finally been made aware of. Especially if what the dungeon man's saying turns out to be true. He had already seen many people dressed like those from Gorn, but in his search for the dungeon he barely even registered them.
A dungeon helping people? It just doesn't happen. How can what he's saying be true? "Why does your dungeon help people instead of devouring them?" That question is enough to fault Light's whole speech, or so he thought.
"So that they can move on to the next plane? I already told you that," Light answers casually, as if to say 'Give me a better one.'
"The next plane? What's that?" Unknowing thst Light only knows as much as he's told, Simon's next question isn't for the assassin's benefit, but his own. He's never heard, or read, anything related to another plane. Curiosity has sunk its claws in as new information doesn't come around so often.
"The next state of existence. You go through it after avoiding the cycle of Reincarnation." Picking his ear as he answers, Light flicks his wax away as the Catergoriser almost gets in his face.
"What? No one avoids reincarnation," Simon can't hide his shock. More new information. That not found in any text anywhere and everything he's ever read is being dismantled with ease by the blue-haired dungeon man .
"Oh yeah? Tell me. How do you know that? Did you read about it in a book, or did a teacher tell you? If you're going to answer yes, then don't bother. Think about it. Who wrote that book? Probably that same teacher trying to make a quick silver by imparting what he knows." You may think that Light has gone off script, but he's still following his master's words perfectly. " And if so, how the fuck do they know what happens? Are they a god? Are they omniscient, or whatever that word is? Either way, Simon. You need to live in the now. Do you want a free house, an easy job and a fuck load of gold?" Nothing catches a man's eye faster than the mention of money.
"Y-Yes? Y-Yeah, I do." Having to think for a moment, Simon responds and nods in agreement.
"I don't think my master heard you, Simon." Light smiles and raises his voice a little. Encouraging him to do the same.
The ginger-haired Categoriser opens his mouth and shouts at the top of his lungs. "I do. I want a free house, an easy job and a fuck load of gold!"
Light chuckles lightly and puts an arm around Simon's shoulder. "Well then. Let's go to City Hall. It's always best to sign contracts and stamp out details under the vigilant eyes of the mayor... And her Deputy."
After a visit to City Hall and some extensive talks on what the Categoriser can and can't say in public, Simon decides to relocate to Varona to live an easy life. With a salary three-times larger than what Categorisers earn in the Royal Capital and a rent expenditure of zero, his days will be pleasantly spent in the generous employment of the dungeon.