Zack watched Ember eagerly as she took a few ginger steps, looking around the lab as though she had fresh new eyes. Every few steps she would stop and explore something with her hands, be it the wall or one of the strange devices Zack used in his experiments. She was in the middle of studying a dagger when she finally spoke again.

"Shoddy craftsmanship," she scoffed, shaking her head in disapproval.

"I beg your pardon?" Zack asked, a little offended at her words.

Ember held up the dagger—little more than a kitchen knife, really. It was one of the weapons that Zack used to test how mobs behaved. "The design of this weapon is poor. It will not hold up in a real fight."

"I… Didn't make it to serve in a real fight," Zack started. "I use that to see how mobs act when given weapons."

"A tool with a purpose is a tool that should be well made," Ember criticised. She turned the tool over in her hands and shook her head, then held a palm out for Archie. The rabbit frowned at her curiously, but at an insistent gesture he passed her one of his own daggers. "Take for instance this knife," Ember continued, comparing the two tools. "This is a knife made with purpose. It knows what it is, and is balanced for that use. This other tool, however, is lacking in balance."

In demonstration, she balanced each knife on the tip of her finger, holding them out for Archie and Zack to see. Archie's knife perched perfectly on the finger, not even swaying from side to side. Zack's dagger, however, tumbled off almost immediately. Rather than let Ember catch and return it, Zack instead absorbed the knife in midair.

Ember narrowed her eyes at the space where the knife had vanished, before returning Archie's weapon back to him. She blinked silently, before returning to exploring the room with her hands.

"I wasn't like this when I first woke up, was I?" Archie asked, keeping his words telepathic so that only Zack could hear them.

"Maybe not exactly like this, but you had your own fair share of criticisms. I can't help but wonder if maybe you were right, and the Akashic System really did intend for me to have talking mobs to help guide me." The idea had some merit, as Ember found another tool to analyze. This time, she lifted a shield and tested its weight, before nodding in approval and declaring it a passable work.

As fun as it would be to watch Ember wander around and learn things, Zack didn't really have the time to devote towards aimless experimentation. He had to prepare for the monsters the adventurer's guild was surely going to bring their way. Then there was the matter of getting a mob more adept at diplomacy so he could send them to communicate with other cores. He wasn't entirely sure that Ember was the right fit for the job, but now that he had a better understanding talking mobs it shouldn't prove too difficult to make another.

"Zack, I wish to have a space with which to practice my craft." Ember's sudden words brought Zack back down from his thoughts.

"Oh, we have the forge set up in the lobby—"

"No, no. That is where I must serve, that is where my duty lies. I wish to practice on my own time."

Somewhere in the dungeon, Zack could sense Jean-Claude rapidly blinking in confusion. "Is the lobby forge not good enough for you?"

"Not hardly, however I wish to have my own space to work in comfort and privacy. A home of my own, if you will," Ember explained.

Archie waved a hand to catch Zack's attention, and sent a telepathic prod for good measure. "I think this is something that all sapient mobs require. I'm much the same, requiring my own space suited to my needs beyond what you would normally offer. It's why I was so insistent on designing the burrow myself."

Zack managed to hold back his frustration at this development. Another mob that wanted control of their own space within the dungeon. It was growing increasingly crowned now, between all the mobs and cores that wanted space outside of Zack's control. Despite this, he could see the merit in letting Ember design her own space. Archie had, after all, given him the burrow.

"I'll start hollowing out the space under the forest," Zack started. "It'll be a while before it's a large enough space for you to work with, but if you want it, you can design it to suit your needs."

Ember nodded stoically, then turned towards the door. "Then for now, I shall assume my duties as head smith. I eagerly look forward to crafting my home when it is ready."

Without another word, Ember marched out the door and headed back towards the lobby. Archie and Zack watched her go with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

"She seems a lot less… Strong willed than I did," Archie noted, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"I wonder how much of that is her being a younger mob than you, and how much of that is how much I put into her," Zack explained. "Unlike you, Ember I made with only one role in mind: blacksmith. When I first created you, I did so with the intention of you serving as my right hand bunny."

"Yes, I remember. That makes sense for why my personality is that much stronger than Ember's."

"As for will, I don't think she's weak in that regard. She didn't beat around the bush when it came to requesting things, or showing me up. She was direct and to the point. I'm just also ready to cave to her demands, since I already did the same for you," Zack continued. "It's a mixture of factors that determined how hard a personality she has."

"That makes as much sense as anything else we've encountered so far," Archie chuckled. "What does this mean for our plan to rescue Matt?"

Zack mentally shrugged. "It's still on the to do list, but I'm not sure Ember is the right mob for the job. She strikes me more as a silent craftsperson than a hearty orator."

"I had much the same opinion. Will you attempt to make another, then?"

Zack considered the question for a quiet moment. "No, I think I want to hold off on trying to make more sapient mobs. As fun as you are, I can't help but feel having too many of you jeapordizes my agency. I'm not comfortable with that right now."

Archie nodded in understanding. "Then does that mean you've changed your mind in regard to sending me alone to speak with Matt?"

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"No, not quite. I don't know." Zack let out a long mental sigh. "I don't want to put you in danger, Archie. At the same time, I recognize that the more cores I have in my corner, the more likely we are to succeed when we reveal to the public our sapience."

Archie nodded. "You were against sending Chandra and the others with me, on account of their clashing personalities possibly putting the mission in jeapordy. You are against sending Ember because she is too… How did you word it?"

"Silent craftsperson," Zack mumbled.

Archie flourished at the term. "Zack, you cannot keep avoiding the tasks before you because you are scared of taking risks. You have a limited pool of resources at your disposal. You need to use what you have to get the job done."

Zack let out a frustrated groan, and he could feel Jean-Claude throwing his hands up in defeat somewhere in the dungeon. "I hate it when you make logical sense," Zack grumbled.

"Perhaps the best course of action is a compromise? We already know that I can leave your influence without negative side-effects. It may be time to test the limits of what the non-sapient mobs can handle when outside your mana, too."

Zack considered that for a long moment, conjuring a wisp as he did. He made the mana sphere bob in place—his equivalent of a nod—before speaking again. "Okay. I think I can see where you're going with this. A party of four to delve into Matt's dungeon. Take one of the higher level Medibolds and one of your badgers to Ember and have her outfit them with some gear."

Archie frowned. "Zack, I can't help but notice that, with those mobs included, we are only a group of three."

"Yes. Badger for your tank, and Medibold for your healer. I want Alex to serve as your party mage," Zack sighed.

Archie's frowned depeened for moment before he nodded slowly. "As far as ideas go, this one has merit. Are you sure you're comfortable sending him?"

"Of course I'm not comfortable sending him!" Zack blurted. He sputtered quietly as he regained his composure. "Alex is my best friend. He's like a brother to me. But I don't want to come off as overprotective of him. I'm worried if I shelter him from everything we do in the dungeon… Well, he might not appreciate it."

Archie nodded. "I think including him is an excellent idea, although you may want to discuss it with him first. His duties as an adventurer might take him away from dungeon affairs."

Zack sighed again. "Yeah. I'll do that. Thanks, Archie."

Archie nodded graciously, then turned and strode out of the lab. Zack waited until he could sense the rabbit heading for the burrow before shifting his perspective as far out of the dungeon as he could manage.

As a being mostly composed of pure thought and magical awareness, Zack wasn't technically limited to something as mundane as sight. If he wanted to observe his entire dungeon, he could. Right now, he wanted to view the layout from a bird's eye view, so he adjusted his senses of the world until he was peering down at the first level. He didn't bother trying to focus on details, instead focusing only on the layout and creatures present. Dungeon created mobs, like Archie and others, appeared as blue-green to his vision. They were created from his mana, and therefore were a reflection of that.

Other creatures had different tints to them. Greg had a deep maroon colour to him, while Chandra had a shining silver. Alex, meanwhile, had the strangest tint of them all. He seemed to be a mixture of Zack's blues and greens, with a fiery orange all his own. This trifecta of colours made him shine brighter than any other creature in the dugeon, brighter even than Zack's own core hidden in the depths.

Zack focused his awareness and rushed towards Alex, stopping only when he realized his friend was currently in his private quarters. Originally Alex's room was in the burrow alongside Archie's, but the underground environment just didn't suit him the way it did the rabbit. As such, Zack had moved his friend's room above the lobby. Alex now had a private loft complete with all the amenities he could ever want.

Including privacy.

Zack conjured another wisp and formed a tendril of mana with which to knock on the door. While technically he could peer into the room whenever he wanted, Zack went out of the way to respect his friend's wishes for solitude and privacy. If Alex wanted to talk or hang out, he could call on the dungeon.

The door swung open to reveal a shirtless orange kobold dressed in form fitting shorts. Alex was panting hard, his slim chest rising and falling with his breathing. "Hey Zack," Alex panted, gesturing for the wisp to follow him in.

Alex's room, although modern in its design, was scaled down so that the kobold felt marginally normal sized in comparison to everything. It was part of Zack's apology for turning his friend from a normal human to a short reptile, although Alex had never held it against him. The act had, after all, saved Alex's life and brought him back from the dead.

Everything, from the fridge and stove, to the couch and television, was scaled appropriate for a three foot tall lizard person. As Zack watched, Alex climbed aboard a scaled down stationary bike and started pedalling, unpausing the anime he was watching on the TV. It was a show that Zack wasn't familiar with, but granted he had five years of anime to catch up on anyway.

"So, Alex, there's something I wanted to ask you about," Zack started, keeping his wisp off to the side while Alex pedalled.

The kobold frowned and paused his anime again, but he didn't stop pedalling. "Important enough to interrupt my workout?"

Zack stared as Alex didn't slow down. "I think you've got it covered. I'll cut to the chase, though. Archie is planning another incursion of Waterloo. We want—"

Before Zack could finish, Alex fumbled on his bike and fell off the side. He sprawled on the ground, his tail lifted into the air. After a second to catch his bearing, he rolled back upright and stared at the wisp in horror. "You can't be serious! Did you forget what happened last time Archie went there? In case you so quickly forgot, it was part of a series of events that ended in me dying."

Zack mentally cringed. He hadn't forgotten, but he hoped that maybe Alex wouldn't hold that over their heads. Clearly he'd been wrong. "I know it's not the best idea, but we left a core behind. One of the biggest cores we know exists, too. If we want any hope of revealing core sapience to the public, we need as many cores on our side as possible. And yes, that includes fellow dungeon cores like Matt."

Alex used his bike for balance and pushed back up to his feet. He glowered at the wisp, but it was less out of anger and more out of… disappointment. "What about what I want, Zack?"

Zack paused. "What… What do you want, Alex?"

"I want to be human again, for starters."

"Alex, we've been over this. I'm sorry I panicked and shoved your soul node into the kobold body. We don't know if I'll be able to repeat that feat even if I could properly recreate your human body. Even if I can pull that off, I'm not comfortable risking your life."

Alex sighed and nodded. "Sorry. I know. I just…" Alex closed his yellow eyes and took several deep breaths. When he opened them again, he was peering down at his slender fingers, opening and closing his fists in thought. "I'm not ungrateful for what you've done, Zack. I'm just not fully accustomed to it yet, either."

Zack let his wisp hover there in silence for a few moments, the awkwardness growing with every passing second. When it grew to be too much, he decided to break the silence. "Look, I wish I could have done things better. The reality is that I didn't, and I don't yet have the power to go back in time and fix my mistakes. Maybe when I find a time travel core we can revisit this conversation, but until then we both need to focus on the things we can actually affect."

Alex nodded, tightening his fists again. "Alright. Sorry again, man."

"Water under the bridge. Does that mean you'll help with the Waterloo core?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I think maybe facing my fears about this could be good for me. If nothing else, it'll give me the chance to see what a dungeon core beyond you is capable of."

"Don't get too excited. Last I heard, Matt wasn't even capable of creating a wisp. He could create electronics and not much else."

Alex frowned and looked at Zack.

"Yeah, I realized the moment I said it. He probably made robots," Zack sighed. "Okay. Archie is getting your healer and tank outfitted right now. I'm almost done with the arena out front, and we're pretty much ready to open for customers. I better check with Chandra to see how booked we are for the next couple days."

"And I will finish my episode, then hop in the shower," Alex smirked. He climbed back aboard his stationary bike and fumbled for the remote, once more filling the apartment with the sound of angry Japanese swordsmen.