The three stepped out of the conference room sometime later with continued meaningful glances. Duke immediately went to his room to work on the new Dungeon Core. He had numerous recordings to compare against and was doing his best to make it as accurate as he could. He knew that he could make changes afterward with his DUNGEON MANIPULATION Ability, but he also knew that was really only useful for fine work and not the larger aspects, at least not with it still only at Initiate rank.
He spent hours working on the core in his room, getting up and walking around the ship from time to time. More than once, he found himself in front of Aurelia’s door but did not knock. Instead, he wound up walking away, emotions roiling. And then the Notification came.
*** Attention! The Dungeon designated as “Emergency Shelter” has been destroyed. As you continue to maintain a total higher than 1,000 dungeons, no penalty will be assessed at this time. ***
Duke immediately made for the bridge. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do but he felt that he had to do something. Mira was the only one on the bridge when he arrived and he just opened up, “Remember the heavy cruiser?”
“Yeah. We should go pick that up at some point.”
“I think the Syndicate already has.”
“What do you mean?”
“The dungeon where I stashed the crew has been destroyed. Someone has to have gotten in there and gotten to the core. Who else could it have been?”
“Damn. So, no heavy cruiser for us then.”
“We didn’t exactly have a crew for it, did we?”
“I’m sure we could have scared up someone. The Syndicate has put a lot of private ships out of business. Not sure what their crews are doing right now. Maybe hauling freight and trying to smuggle mechs? Probably what I would have done.”
“Instead, you are on the run just waiting to fight a battle against stupid odds against an oppressive corporation.”
“Good summary. We’ve been sitting in this one place for a while now. Do we have a destination? I have a few suggestions if you can’t come up with one.”
“I have two actually, but I only know where one of them is.”
“Do tell.”
“One is a return to Teldin. I have to check in there and drop Aurelia off. The other is the Clan’s home but we’re not ready for that just yet.”
“You have to drop your girlfriend off at home? Did her daddy call and say she is out past curfew?”
Duke’s hurt puppy expression stopped Mira cold, and her intuition kicked in, “Oh shit, Duke. I had no idea that you broke up. From the sounds of last night, I wouldn’t have guessed that. What happened? Did you have a fight this morning?”
“No, nothing like that. Her place is on Teldin and mine doesn’t seem to be anymore. I am growing in a different direction than she is and it’s putting a wedge in our relationship. Nobody’s done anything wrong. It’s just how it is.”
“That sounds mature and reasoned. Where the hell is the real Duke?”
“Looking for something to kill, so let’s go pick up the Clan and head for Teldin. I have a bit of a surprise for the Clan.”
“A good surprise, I hope?” Gro’nok asked as he entered the bridge. “Sorry, didn’t mean to overhear your conversation but I was headed here, and walked in on Duke mentioning wanting to kill something. You sure you’re not an orc?”
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“Maybe at heart, my friend. Are you ready to head for the Clan home?”
“The question really is, are you ready, Duke?”
“The core is as ready as I can make it for the initial reveal. Once it is planted, you six can help me refine things.”
“You can change it after it’s made?”
“Of course. It’s kind of my thing, even if I don’t do it nearly enough. I should be putting these things out by the thousand, really.”
“By the thousand?” Who would want a thousand of the same place?”
“Oh, no. they would all be different. What I’ve made for the Clan is a very specific aspect of my Ability. Most are just random.”
Mira’s face grew sterner, “Duke. What are you planning?”
“Oh, right. I probably should talk to you about this. I want to plant a dungeon on the ship.”
“Oh, fuck no. Not a chance. No, no, no!”
“Just hear me out.”
She glared at him, “You had better be real fucking convincing…”
“I am creating, well, have created a copy of the Clan’s home in a dungeon. If we plant the dungeon here on the ship, it will take up a single room but will have room for the whole Clan and even have room for the Clan to expand.”
“What happens to a dungeon when it’s dragged into Exospace?”
Duke stopped at Mira’s question. “I actually don’t know. I don’t know if it’s ever been tried. Excuse me for a few minutes.” Duke TELEPORTED to the planet he had taken the Orcs to and stepped into the dungeon.
The Overmind’s avatar was waiting for him in the Captain’s chair. “Hello Duke. Predictable much?”
“Hopefully not that much. At least for everyone else.”
“OK, I’ll give you that for now but if you aren’t smart, you will become predictable which means you would become manipulable.”
“And that would be a problem.”
“Yes, I do believe it would. But that’s not why you came here to summon me, is it, Duke?”
“No, not at all. There are two things.”
“The Exospace question and the destroyed dungeon?”
Duke hung his head. “Predictable, huh?”
“Don’t feel too bad. They are good questions. I’ll start with the dungeon one. Yes, the core of the dungeon was located and destroyed. I can’t say who did it, but I’d wager you could guess. The question I have for you is this: What does that mean for any other dungeons you have on that planet and how might that affect you?”
“They might be able to locate the other dungeons and destroy them too. That is a problem. I need to plant more, and make them stronger.”
“I agree with both those things and maybe hide them a bit better. If you are simply planting them for quantity which is fine for now, maybe hide them underground?”
“Yeah, good idea.”
“I thought so,” the Overmind chuckled. “Now, about the Exospace question. It will have no effect on a core or on a grown dungeon. The dungeon portal is merely an anchor to its dimension. If Exospace disrupted such anchors every magical storage device on the ship would fail.”
“If the portal is just a dimensional anchor, is that why the exterior structure of the dungeons seems to be immune to damage?”
“That is a good leap to take, Duke. Yes, the external structure is outside the dimensions of normal space so nothing in normal space can affect it. Be wary of dimension-breaching weapons though. Those can be real bad news.”
“Had no idea that such things existed. Thanks for that new nightmare fuel.”
“Happy to help. Now that that’s all taken care of, have you put any more thought into the Contest?”
“I still want to arrive on the late side. There’s still too much of an opportunity to build up my power out here with the brimming conflict with the Syndicate and the ongoing bounty.”
“Very well. I will let you know when the time is close. For now, lean into your little war. Stop holding back and take it to your enemy. I don’t want you to walk into the Contest as my hidden trump card; I want you to walk in as the most feared force on the field.”
“Right. You want me to go full-on-murderhobo?”
“I want you to kill your enemies. I am the Overmind of all dungeons. As a whole, dungeons one drive is to kill those that enter and feed upon their energies. Even despite your few recent unique versions, the purpose hasn’t changed. You are my Contestant. Call yourself my Chosen or Champion if it fits your mindset better, but as such, you need to up your aggression. Stop running from your enemies and make them fear you like your primitive ancestors feared stepping away from the campfire at night.”
“That’s one hell of a bloodthirsty commission you just handed me.”
“They just killed one of your creations. One of our dungeons. Make them PAY for that transgression. Make them fear your very name!”
Duke found himself outside the dungeon. He did not recall leaving but he for sure recalled the Overmind’s words. The passionate anger still flowed through his veins. It felt like he finally had permission to cut loose. I know I’ve said that I’m going to cut loose before, but now I know that I can. That it’s OK to leave my hesitation behind. To leave the weakness of humanity behind for I am no longer human. I am no longer limited, and I must grow stronger.