I grind my teeth as the Dungeon Core shrieks into my mind.

It hates it! It hates the water! It’s everywhere! It can taste it! It’s drowning! Ahhhhhhh!

“You’re not drowning!” I wince, sticking a finger in my ear as if that could stop the mental tinnitus. “You are a rock! You can’t drown.”

“Outsider!” Mirzayael appears above me, her voice tinged with alarm. “Are you alright?”

“It’s fine!” I say, treading water. My feet don’t reach the bottom, but the water is actually rather pleasant—aside from the noxious smell. “I’m just teaching the Dungeon Core to eat its vegetables.”

“You’re what?” she asks, baffled.

Nek and Ollie poke their heads curiously over the edge, too.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOWN THERE?” Ollie asks.

“Just give me a minute,” I call back up to them. “You’ll see.”

The Core is busy making an impressive impersonation of retching sounds. It’s going to be sick! The water is terrible. Terrible!

“Well, there’s one way to get rid of it,” I say. “You can always absorb it.”

The Dungeon Core is appalled. That would mean consuming it! Then it would taste even WORSE!

“Maybe, but it’ll only be temporary,” I say. “Plus, afterward you’ll have all that mana to get the taste out of your mouth. Have to eat your veggies before you can have dessert.”

The Dungeon Core is wounded. Tricked. Betrayed! This is betrayal.

Complain all you like. But while I enjoy my first bath I’ve had in over a week, you have a decision to make.

The Dungeon Core wails. It begs and pleads and throws a tantrum. I float on my back, finding my wings act as excellent flotation devices, and let out a pleasant sigh. This would actually be really nice if I didn’t have an infant rock screaming in my head.

Eventually, the Dungeon Core seems to catch a whiff of my resolve. It simmers back down into wounded resignation. Hesitantly, reluctantly, it reaches its will out into the waters.

An ounce of thermal spring water vanishes from my surroundings and appears in the Dungeon Core’s catalog. Numbers start populating the field: density, temperature, mass, mineral composition. And of course, 5 mana.

I smile.

The Dungeon Core shudders at the hydrogen sulfide, but perks up a little when it notices the new mana it has access to.

See? I think. Not so bad, huh? Now, how about we get some real mana in our stores. I open my eyes and flip back over so I’m facing into the current. Time to get serious.

The Dungeon Core doesn’t quite share my enthusiasm, but now that it’s gotten a taste of the mana in the water, there’s a curiosity rising in it once more. It dissolves a little bit more water into its catalog. Then, some more.

I stretch my hand out before me, and I can feel pockets of the water vanishing and then collapsing back down around my fingers almost as quickly.

[Mana: 42/200]

[Mana: 68/200]

[Mana: 79/200]

The numbers keep ticking up until I hit 200/200. Then, a new stat appears.

[Bonus Mana: 31]

“Fascinating,” I say, watching that metric start to rapidly increase as well. I wonder how high we can push it? “Come on, Core, we can do better than that. You’ve been begging me for absurd amounts of mana. Now’s your chance to seize it!”

I’m not sure if my pep talk actually got through, or if my enthusiasm is mentally infectious, but the Core’s uncertainty flares into eagerness, and its area of influence blooms around me.

With a loud clap, a cubic meter of water vanishes. I hardly have a moment to register it, surprised, as the water collapses back in to fill the void. But the Core doesn’t pause. It continues to suck up all the water in a sphere around me, until abruptly the water beneath me vanishes, and I fall to the smooth, spring-weathered floor. Despite my initial shock, I keep my hand—and the Dungeon Core—raised against the river flooding my way.

The Dungeon Core has dropped all reservations now, and it mindlessly gulps up all the water that enters our range. The river seems to hit an invisible funnel, spiraling down toward my hand and the stone at my wrist, before simply blinking out of existence. Meanwhile, in the Core’s inventory, the number next to “Cubic meters of spring water” is skyrocketing. Not to mention, our bonus mana.

“Great job!” I shout over the splashing and churning of the water. However I’m beginning to feel the first hints of trepidation. Glancing up, I’m now very much out of reach of the hole I bored through the ice. If the Core were to stop absorbing the water, the underground river would immediately crash into me, sweep me away from the only known exit, and very likely drown me in a matter of seconds. I try to keep these worrying thoughts away from the Dungeon Core, in case I cause it to falter. Instead, while it’s still doing its thing, I catch Mirzayael’s eye.

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“So about getting back up…”

She snorts. “I don’t think you thought this strategy all the way through.”

“I admit I underestimated the Core’s capabilities,” I say. “So, have you got any ideas?”

Mirzayael tosses down a line of spider silk. There’s a small slipknot at the bottom. “Step your foot through, hold on tight, and we’ll haul you up.”

I beam up at her. “I knew I could count on you.”

“Don’t get used to it, Outsider,” she says. “I won’t always be around to save your ass.”

Ollie gasps. “SHE SAID A BAD WORD!”

“Sorry, Ollie,” I reply aloud. “Mirzayael will work on keeping her language appropriate for small children. Won’t she?” It takes a lot of willpower to deliver that with a straight face.

“I’M NOT SMALL,” Ollie objects.

Mirzayael wrinkles her nose. “I do not censor myself.”

I can’t help but chuckle.

“You’re right, Ollie, you’re absolutely not small,” I think to him. “My apologies.”

With my free hand I grab the silk and steady the line, slipping my clawed foot through the loop as instructed. “You know, I don’t think you’re half as callous as you pretend to be.”

Mirzayael scowls. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Careful.” Nek laughs. “She has an image to uphold.”

I hold the rope tight, focusing on the mana and the Dungeon Core’s state of mind as the numbers continue to skyrocket. The smallest hint that it needs a break, that it’s grown bored, that it’s “full,” and I’ll shout for the others to pull me up. Not that I think the Core would intentionally kill me—it’s an unintentional death I find much more probable.

The Bonus Mana stat hits fifty thousand and keeps rising. Running some quick calculations based on how much stone the Core had been able to bore through before, I estimate a hole big enough for the dragon to be able to fit through, leading all the way to the surface, would need around half a million mana. Dungeon Core willing, I intend to gather twice that much to establish a comfortable factor of safety. I don’t know that I’ll be able to get the Core to fall for this trick twice.

Miraculously, the Core continues to cooperate. We hit a hundred thousand mana. Then two hundred thousand. Then three. The amount of magic I could do with these numbers is mind boggling. I should figure out if there’s a way I can transfer some of it to others—individuals who might have abilities more practical than my fire or telepathy. What’s the most efficient way this energy can be distributed to enact the most progress?

The Dungeon Core’s attention begins to waver. It’s antsy. Like a kid hyped up with sugar.

“Up!” I call, not taking any chances. “Pull me u—”

I lurch and nearly lose my balance as the line goes taut and I’m jerked into the air. As I’m lifted up, the Core curiously wonders what’s going on, and its focus on the water shifts. A wave crashes into the stone beneath me, water splashing up to spray my feathers as I’m hastily pulled from the hole.

[Bonus Mana: 745,238]

Nek whistles. “Close one.”

“Thank you,” I say, shakily falling back onto the floor of the cave.

“Too close,” Mirzayael adds, winding up the line of silk.

I undo the loop around my foot as I check my mana. “But ultimately a success. It appears I’ve multiplied my mana stores by a factor of over three thousand, all told.”

Nek and Mirzayael stare at me, stunned.

I chuckle. “Quite a bit, isn’t it?”

“Stars above,” Mirzayael murmurs.

“I’d say ‘a bit’ is an understatement,” Nek agrees.

“Well.” I push myself to my feet and shake out my damp wings. Now that I’m now longer in the heated water, the cold of the cave is starting to creep back in. “Time to put some of it to use, don’t you think?”

“Right now?” Nek asks.

“Might as well.”

Ollie tips his head at me. “WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?”

“Making you a way out of here,” I say, speaking both mentally and aloud, for the benefit of all parties. “About time you got to stretch your wings on the surface, don’t you think?” Not to mention, make sure he has access to fresh air and, hopefully, a food supply.

Ollie rumbles, his tail swishing excitedly from side to side. “REALLY? YOU MEAN IT? DO YOU THINK I CAN FLY?”

I glance critically at his wings. They look proportionally bigger than mine, but even then he’s incredibly massive. I’m not even sure those wings are behind his center of gravity. From an aerodynamic standpoint, I am skeptical.

Then again, there’s always magic.

“Can’t hurt to try,” I say.

“THEN WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?” Ollie cries. “LET’S GO!”

“Alright, alright,” I say with a chuckle. “Just keep behind me. I don’t want anyone too close in case part of the cave collapses while the excavation is taking place.” Times like these I wish I had more background in civil engineering.

“Hold on,” Mirzayael says. “If it collapses, we should be sticking close to you to make sure you don’t get squished.”

“I’m not sure what you would be able to do against falling boulders,” I say. “I’d prefer if everyone stayed back in this cave until I’ve finished, actually.”

“Not a chance,” Nek says. “If you’re putting yourself in danger, we’ll go too.”

“Besides, I still don’t entirely trust that dragon,” Mirzayael says.

“IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ME?” Ollie asks. “THAT’S MEAN!”

I’m not sure she trusts anyone. But I also see the futility in trying to argue with these two. “Sorry, Ollie,” I think. “She’s just saying that because she’s worried about me. Sometimes adults say things they don’t mean when they’re worried.”

“Alright then,” I relent. “Just keep an eye out for any possible cave-ins. Everyone, please be careful.”

“Speak for yourself,” Mirzayael grumbles.

I’m rather touched.

“Okay.” I rub my hands together. “Let’s see what we’re working with.”

I close my eyes as I switch over to the Map Interface, calling on the Dungeon Core for its attention. It can already sense I’m planning to start feeding it some of that bonus mana it’s collected, and I can feel it vibrating with excitement.

Ready? I ask the Core. This first bit is just to expand your range, so we can see what we’re dealing with. I’m thinking… five meter radius. That should create a passage wide enough for a dragon to squeeze through.

The Dungeon Core doesn’t particularly care about Ollie, but it’s very excited for the increased range—and of course, the mana that comes with it.

I let some of the mana begin to trickle through the pact, like water pouring from cupped hands. The Core happily gobbles it up, and the mental map of our surroundings increases.

Let’s focus this way first, I say, walking toward a wall, my eyes still closed. I can sense the ground through the Map Interface so perfectly, I don’t even need to see it. I place my hand on the wall, sensing nothing but solid stone ahead of me.

The Dungeon Core surges forward. Can it eat it? Can it start eating all the rocks?

Not yet, I think. Let’s plot a route first. Feel out the surroundings. I don’t want to destabilize the cave system. First we need to sense a safe path to the surface.

The Core pouts. Sounds boring.

We’ll be doing that by extending our range for at least half a mile.

Oooh! Yes, it wants to do that right now!

I smile. You got it.

I pour the mana across our bridge, more mana than I’ve ever accessed before, and even then it hardly makes a dent in the pool of Bonus Mana we’ve accumulated. The Core’s range balloons tenfold, encompassing the entire chamber before I direct it to focus in only one direction, crawling into the rock wall like an ever-growing snake. I let the Dungeon Core take the reins as we reach for the surface.