Chapter 13

If I had a mouth I’m sure I would have been smiling like a fool after reading the prompts. Two new affinities and a new summon. “I wonder if this means that if something dies in my territory I can either create or summon them after that.” I mused to myself. The Human girl was still standing in my territory and I was tempted…

“Don’t you even dare?” Ellinoria said in my head.

“Not fair! No mind reading!”

“You do not even have a mouth you’re all just a big mind.”

Well shit she had me there. With a mental shrug I noticed my zombies had eaten the small meal of fox. Judging by their energy I guess that would keep them nourished for a couple days or a month if I put them back to sleep.

With a glance at the girl I made a decision; with a sigh, I commanded the zombies back into their holes. As They lay back down I closed the stone floor, once again concealing them.

“Oh, you’re a naughty dungeon!” The girl said.

She tilted her head again and then nodded, “I’m either insane or …” she trailed off then laughed a soft little chuckle.

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m just insane. Anyway the voice in my head tells me you hear her too.”

I did not pay her much attention as she rambled. I cleaned up the loose dirt and bits of blood and gore. Then I repaired the markings that had shaped the star inside the binding circle. Once completed I looked over everything once more to make sure there was nothing out of place. As I worked I considered how easily I was dealing with things. I went from wanting to kill this intruder to simply adjusting plans and insuring no one else noticed things. I didn’t know if it had something to do with being a Dungeon or if somehow I trusted the goddess. She was kind of my only ally after all…

Deciding it really didn’t matter I considered the girl. She was still rambling, something about if her brother was here… I began to examine her closely. I went passed the basic ‘glance’ and looked deeper. First thing I noticed was that other than the black robe and a copper collar she was nude. With my supernatural awareness of my territory I could feel her skin under her robes. I mentally slapped myself after a few heartbeats of ogling. I could tell the girl was young at least judging by my culture. It was just so odd to feel someone the way I could now. I consoled myself saying, “I do not have eyes, hands, or the family jewels. How else am I supposed to do this… It felt kind of shallow even to me so I focused on the collar instead.

“This collar looks simple enough. Rough smithed copper, but ah… Yes underneath next to her skin there are some kind of runic markings. I am not sure what it is supposed to do, but it can’t be good.” I thought to myself in an internal monologue.

Continuing the monologue I kept examining the collar, “No can’t be good, she has sores and blisters all over her throat where the collar has rubbed and chaffed. Let’s see… No way to open the collar either. It looks to be one solid piece of copper. No signs of a latch or lock… Hmm… How was it placed on her if there is no opening? Magic? Yeah it has to be.”

When I sent a little mana into the collar the girl stopped rambling and screamed.  To my surprise the runic markings absorbed the mana and began to burn the girl’s throat. Apparently there was some kind of enchantment to prevent someone from removing the collar. As I watched the collar continued to rapidly heat up burning the girl.

“What did you do?” Ellinoria demanded.

I was studying the runic markings as they worked to kill the girl and was rather annoyed by the interruption but replied off handedly, “I was curious to see what the collar was for. I only sent a little mana into it.”

Ellinoria screamed at me, “It’s a slave collar! What else could it be!?!”

I mentally shrugged. The girl was starting to rasp. The outer layer of her throat had melted and I could sense the bare muscles, and bones underneath.

“Do something!” Ellinoria shouted.

“Hmm okay…” I had sent a single point of mana into the collar to test it. From watching the runes I understood that was why it was killing her slowly. Anyone who actually tried to tamper with the collar would never do so with such a minor amount.  Normally the collar would have exploded completely removing the girl from her head. As it was I could trace the markings and follow the magic coursing through them.

I carefully watched the flow of the mana. I spent a moment considering how easy it was for me to understand once I actually saw the runic markings work.  Seeing them work made all the difference apparently. I could see the reason for each rune, its purpose, and function. I could tell how each rune either set a rule for the mana or set up a slight alteration that was then further adjusted by the next rune. Moreover I understood how the runes were meant to be shaped and how each of these was flawed in some small way.

The girl’s heart was beginning to slow as blood pooled around her. She had not taken a breath for close to a minute now.

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“She is about to die Alex! I chose her and you will do something Alex!”

Miffed now I stubbornly snarled, “Will I? Why should I?” I was annoyed at the goddess for everything. I had so much built up anger and resentment for what was going on to me. I had been locked in a gem for months unable to talk to anyone. Unable to do anything. Worse yet the only one who I could talk to only talked to me when she chose to. I knew it was childish and misplaced but Ellinoria was here right now. She could be the target of my rage.

As part of me began to berate the goddess for every slight, real or perceived another part of me studied the collar. I knew my emotions were getting better of me. I also knew that yelling at a literal goddess was damn stupid. Also this girl was a slave that maybe I could use to help myself.

I found one of the flaws that looked promising. Using a single point of Mana I pushed at the imperfection. I made sure the energy went into the rune entirely into the poorly carved portion of the rune. I also pushed the mana reverse of the intended flow. To my satisfaction the magic gurgled and popped then the building cascade stopped.

Ellinoria was yelling back at me now, but she stopped suddenly when the buildup of magic stopped. “What did you do?”

“Shh,” I muttered.

With another press of mana another set of runic commands broke. I mentally nodded understanding what I had just broke. Another point of Mana into another weak point and the collar popped open falling to the ground.

I winced as chunks of the girls neck sloughed off along with the collar. Her heart was struggling to beat. Unable to find enough blood left to push through her veins.  Briefly I considered letting the girl die. I could use another zombie, but before the mind reading goddess could say anything I began to fix the girl.

First I used Earth magic to create ripples in the cave flor. The ripples pushed the blood back underneath the girl’s body. Then using air magic I began to pick the blood back up and shove it back into the veins. I had to use a little air mana to keep the veins open and not collapse anything. I’m sure to anyone who could have watched this it would have looked like her body was somehow sucking the blood back into her damaged neck.

As I worked the pool beneath her began to shrink. Her heart also began to beat again. Cursing I remembered that many compounds in basic air are toxic to the human body. Before the heart pumped the blood to far in I pulled out all traces of the air except oxygen. I knew leaving too much of that could be bad too but her body was oxygen deprived so I hoped it would balance out.

Pulling the blood from her robes I pushed the last of it back into her. Next I drew minerals from the ground. I could feel what each cell was made from and how they worked together to form working parts. I did not have any water, but earth I had.

Slowly I stitched her throat back together. I broke down damaged flesh for its base parts and then rebuilt it.  I even collected bio matter from a few insects higher up in my pillar of territory. After what felt like ages, but was only three beats of the girls heart I closed the last cells of her neck. With the completion of my task I looked at her neck. Her neck was fully healed and looked better now than it had when the collar was on it.

“Good, you fixed her. She is mine and you will not hurt her.” Ellinoria said in a happy contrite tone that dug under my skin. With a sadistic smile I pulled more Mana together before drawing trace bits of silver from the ground.

Weaving the silver into an atom thick fiber I began to sew it into the girls flesh at a rapid pace.

“What are you doing to her? Stop it Alex!”

I ignored the annoying goddess. Four more heartbeats later a prompt flashed in front of me.

New Slave Contract

Are you sure you wish to make Andrea Bloomquist you slave?

Yes         /              No

I mentally said “yes.” A rush of mana flowed from me and Ellinoria groaned.

“Now she is mine too.” I thought in a childish manner.

Andrea’s eyes blinked open.  Looking her over I did a double take. Her childish body had aged. Instead of looking 14 the girl now resembled a woman at the prime of her life. Additionally her slate grey eyes shifted and flowed into a glowing silver hue. 

As Andrea lay there she slowly reached up to feel her neck. With a surprised gasp she sat upright looking around wildly. Her gaze landed on the copper slave collar laying on the ground and froze.

Watching her I considered the change. I must have been drawing from her life force to make up the portions of material I didn’t have on hand. Maybe later when I was more experienced I could heal without aging my target but this was useful information too.

“I’m older?” Andrea asked confused. Her gaze never left the collar on the ground. “I’m not a slave anymore?”

I mentally shrugged actually feeling a little bad now. Slavery was illegal in my world after all. If it wasn’t for my temper and Ellinoria I would never have considered making her my slave.

“Oh I see. I’m not free… I’m just your slave now.” Andrea’s eyes began to tear up as her brief flash of hope died.

I heard her words and it took me a second to connect the dots. “Wait can you hear me?” I asked.

The girl nodded tears and silent sobs shaking her frame. I was struck dumb for two whole heartbeats then I went through a mental shutdown. With the reboot my attention split into various points again.

I was annoyingly entranced by the extreme tightness of Andrea’s now to small robes on her much larger frame. I was trying to figure out a way to console her. I was running through ways this could be used to free me. Lastly I noticed the vibrations of footsteps approaching the door into my heart room.

“Andrea,” I gently thought catching her attention. “Someone is coming. They cannot find out about this. If they do they will not be pleased. I am not sure what they will do exactly, but I’m sure it will not be good for us. Also please come back when you can, we have much to discuss.” 

Andrea nodded and stood pulling her hood over her head. I grimaced noting how much smaller her robe was now. Between heartbeats I made a decision. Using my knowledge of the fox fur I created threads. Weaving the threads I began at Andrea’s head and dissolved the old robe as I wove her a new one. Once the new robe was complete I dyed the robed black. I also created a thin layer of fur inside the copper collar.

Andrea shivered as the new robe seemed to materialize upon her. The fabric was much thicker keeping the cold cave air off her. It was also much softer and flowed like it was made for her.

“Pick up the collar and put it on. There is now a latch on the inside.”

Andrea frowned at the collar but quickly bent over as the door swung open.  She slipped the hidden latch holding the collar shut around her neck as the next apprentice walked in.

With one last look toward me she turned and rushed from the room. I smiled thinking what I saw in her eyes. She was not excited to have a new master but there was curiosity in her eyes…

That I could work with.