“WHAT!?" Emma’s chair toppled over as she jumped to her feet and slammed her hands on the table. Some of Joe’s stew spilled from his bowl as the table shook and he clicked his tongue, though Zoe hardly noticed while she dealt with the overwhelming emotions tearing through her mind.

“Watch it.” Joe scolded.

“Sorry. A DUNGEON?” Emma shouted.

Zoe nodded. She wasn’t sure how to feel. Proud? Fearful?

*Ding* A dungeon has formed from your mana. Would you like to claim your dungeon?

The system message flashed in front of her eyes again and she ignored it. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to claim it, what claiming it meant. Would she be trapped on the moon? Would she be forced to live in her dungeon, alone, away from the rest of everybody she loved?

Or would she just be given some control over it, and have fun? Would claiming the dungeon be the worst mistake of her life? Or would not claiming it be her biggest regret? Would she be trapped on the moon, or trapped with the knowledge of what could have been if she took it? Left with a question she’d never be able to answer, or left without friends to spend her life with?

Both options terrified her, and Zoe found herself almost freezing as the notification flashed in front of her over and over.

“What do you want to do?" Joe asked.

“I don’t know.” Zoe said. But that was a lie. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to cry.

Why she wanted to cry was a mystery to her. This was what she wanted — a dungeon, formed through her own efforts. She could claim it and maybe even uncover a little bit of the mystery behind how the system worked.

It was just such a difficult decision to make. Should she have agreed to the royal’s demands? Let them guide her through the process without forcing her into a situation she never prepared for?

*Ding* A dungeon has formed from your mana. Would you like to claim your dungeon?

“Are you gonna claim it?" Emma asked. ”You should totally claim it.“

Zoe nodded.

“YES! We’re gonna have a dungeon!” Emma shouted.

Zoe nodded.

“Are you alright, Zoe?” Joe asked.

Zoe nodded.

“Do you hate kittens?” Joe asked.

Zoe nodded.

“Zoe.” Joe stood up and grabbed her shoulder. It was a heavy hand, a strong hand. His fingers pressed into her shoulder, just enough to be a little uncomfortable but not so much that it hurt. A sturdy, comforting touch.

Zoe looked up to him and nodded. “Sorry. I’m not sure. I wasn’t expecting this. I don’t know what to do.”

“Claim it!" Emma shouted. ”You can have your own dungeon. That’s amazing.“

“And what if claiming it means I have to live in it, forever?” Zoe asked.

“Oh. Shoot. I didn’t even think of that. I take it back, don’t claim it.” Emma sat back down and sighed.

*Ding* A dungeon has formed from your mana. Would you like to claim your dungeon?

“It keeps pressing me for an answer. Do I say no? Yes? Both choices feel like I’ll regret it, honestly.” Zoe rested her head between her elbow on the table.

“You can find another rock someday, Zoe. You’ll be around a while, maybe you find a fire rock. Or a wind rock. This won’t be the last one you get, you can say no and try again later.” Joe said.

“Maybe? Probably. Eliza had heard of them before. But what if this one was special somehow? What if it wasn’t just the rock, but everything working together to make the dungeon? What if I don’t get another chance like this for thousands of years? Will I regret not taking it now?" Zoe asked.

Joe pursed his lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure, Zoe. Only you can answer that. What do you want to do? Take the risk of being trapped on the moon, or take the risk of never knowing what it could have been?”

*Ding* A dungeon has formed from your mana. Would you like to claim your dungeon?

“What would you two do?” Zoe asked.

“I wouldn’t do it, personally.” Emma leaned down to pet Fennel who was lying by her feet. “I couldn’t leave my boys behind.”

“It’s not about what we’d do, Zoe.” Joe said. “We’re not as interested as you are in the system. In all of the little intricacies and mechanisms that it works through. That’s not our passion, like it is for you. I wouldn’t do it either, but the draw isn’t the same for me. I’m not saying that you should do it, but this is your decision, Zoe. Do what you think feels right, for you. If worst comes to worst, Emma will learn how to take us to the moon and we’ll come visit you.”

Emma nodded. “Yeah. Yeah I will. But it’ll probably be a few years before I can get there. But I will. It’ll be number one priority for me.”

Zoe grimaced.

*Ding* A dungeon has formed from your mana. Would you like to claim your dungeon? 60… 59… 58…

“Oh god it’s got a countdown. I have a minute to decide. Do I do it? I should do it right? No. That would be stupid. I can’t do it.” Zoe took a few deep breaths, trying to fight off the panic that was steadily rising within her.

*Ding* A dungeon has formed from your mana. Would you like to claim your dungeon? 47… 46… 45…

“Whatever you want to do.” Joe said.

“That doesn’t help, dammit. I don’t know what I want to do.” Zoe responded.

“I don’t think you should do it.” Emma said.

“I shouldn’t?" Zoe asked.

*Ding* A dungeon has formed from your mana. Would you like to claim your dungeon? 35… 34… 33…

Emma shook her head. “I’d really miss you if you got stuck on the moon. You should turn it down and then we should just take a trip to the moon to explore the dungeon you made.”

“But what if it doesn’t trap me on the moon forever? What if I just get to be like, some dungeon overload who controls it from a distance?” Zoe asked.

“You can’t know that’s what will happen though, Zoe.” Emma said. “So I don’t think you should, but I won’t be upset with you if you do. That’s just my opinion.”

*Ding* A dungeon has formed from your mana. Would you like to claim your dungeon? 18… 17… 16…

Joe shrugged. “It’s dangerous, but that’s just a part of life. It’s up to you, Zoe.”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Dammit. Dammit. Why does it have to force me to make a choice now. Why can’t I just put it off to later, when I can do some research, try and learn something. Why did this have to happen right now, of all times.” Zoe looked at the wooden ceilings, tracing her vision along the small engravings carved into the planks. There were some cats, a few little rabbits and plenty of vines that crawled along the edges.

*Ding* A dungeon has formed from your mana. Would you like to claim your dungeon? 6… 5… 4…

“I’m sorry.” Zoe said. “I need to know.”

Joe and Emma both nodded as Zoe pushed her confirmation towards the system.

*Ding* You have claimed your dungeon. Please give your dungeon a name.

“Uh, it’s asking for a name now.” Zoe said.

“What happens if you don’t give it a name?" Emma asked. ”Does it just cancel it all?"

“I don’t know. Maybe?" Zoe shrugged.

*Ding* You have claimed your dungeon. Please give your dungeon a name.

“It’s still flashing like it was, so it’ll probably give a countdown at some point. I have no idea what will happen then, though.” Zoe said.

“What do you want to name it?" Joe asked.

“You’re really going to claim it?" Emma asked.

“I need to know. If I’m trapped on the moon then I’ll try and find a way to break the dungeon. Maybe I can undo all of the mana and destroy the dungeon, or something. But I need to know. How many people get to say they created a dungeon? How many people get to say they own a dungeon? Probably more than we expect, but if I didn’t take this opportunity I’d just be sulking for the next few decades, wondering about what would have happened.” Zoe said.

Emma nodded. “I know. You probably would have, too.” She laughed. “I never would have heard the end of it.”

“So? A name?” Joe asked.

“I dunno. Any suggestions?" Zoe asked.

“It’s on the moon and it’s cold. So Cosmic Frost?” Emma suggested.

Zoe shook her head. “I don’t really like it. I want something more homely. What if the name inspires what the dungeon becomes, to an extent? If I do end up trapped in it, I want something comfortable, at least.”

“Frozen Cask?" Joe suggested.

“Better, but it’s already going to be cold. I want something really comfortable, and happy.” Zoe said. “Like Traveler’s Rest or something like that, but a little cooler. Try and urge it towards a comfortable productive dungeon instead, if possible. Maybe we could even get it turned into a city that can sustain people, and make some kind of transport between Foizo and me.”

“That’s only if you’re going to be trapped there, Zoe.” Joe said.

“I’ve already resigned myself to it. I don’t want it to happen, but I want to know what a dungeon is more.” Zoe said.

“Why not keep it simple?” Emma suggested. “Foizo on the Moon.”

Zoe chuckled. “That’s dumb, but I kinda like it.”

“If you want something comfortable then why not just make it your home?" Joe laughed.

“So we’re really going to name a dungeon on the moon just ‘Foizo on the Moon?’” Zoe asked.

“Yeah sure. Why not?" Emma said. ”You said you wanted something homely. Well, Foizo is home so it doesn’t get more homely than that.“

Zoe shrugged and pushed the name to the system.

*Ding* You have named the dungeon ‘Foizo on the Moon’.

*Ding* Foizo on the Moon is being constructed.

“It says that ‘Foizo on the Moon’ is being constructed, now.” Zoe said.

“How long is it going to take?" Joe asked.

“Doesn’t say. Flester’s Might didn’t take long though, so maybe a minute or two?" Zoe suggested.

“Hopefully you aren’t trapped in the dungeon.” Emma said. Even without Vampyric Empathy, the sadness from her was almost palpable. The shoulders that sagged just a little, the drooping face. She tried to hide it, but the smile on her face didn’t reach her eyes, the laughter that escape her didn’t fix her posture.

Zoe felt a little bad, but she didn’t have a choice. Not really. And besides, now that she had a moment to think about it, her fears felt much less grounded than with her heightened emotions.

The system wasn’t asking her to lead the dungeon, to be the boss of the dungeon. The system was many things, but it wasn’t deceptive. At times it was hard to understand, and it was almost always a little confusing. The origins of it were lost to time, or perhaps never truly shared with anybody.

But it wasn’t deceptive. The system asked her if she would like to claim it, not if she would like to manage it. The boss of the Springs of Gir was chosen, too. Would she be the owner of the dungeon, and forced to find somebody to manage it? Would they be manipulated into feeling happy about that decision? Never wanting to leave the dungeon?

Would anybody she knew even be willing to take on such a role? Eliza, perhaps. Lila, maybe. Maybe she could put up a big signboard somewhere in Foizo, hiring a dungeon boss. Would the royals be upset with her if she publicized that? Would they try to silence her?

Could she ask them for somebody to run it? Did they have a list of people who would do such a thing? Criminals, perhaps. If the system was going to force them to behave a certain way, then Zoe imagined a ruler of a country would have little issue sending the worst of their citizens to manage their dungeons. A life sentence of enforced pride and happiness.

Was it even something Zoe could do to somebody? Force them into that life? Knowing what it would do to them? Would she be able to live with herself afterwards? Zoe pushed the thoughts aside, she could deal with it when it came. Maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe the dungeon would create a boss, or maybe it wouldn’t even need one.

“I don’t think I’ll be forced to stay at the dungeon.” Zoe said.

“Why not? Emma asked, biting her lower lip after Zoe explained her reasoning.

“That’s a good point. I’ve never seen anybody call the system deceptive. I’ve never heard of it tricking people into traps.” Joe agreed.

“But how would you know, if everybody who it tricked was trapped, and everybody who wasn’t tricked never found out it was a trick?” Emma asked.

“That’s also a good point.” Zoe agreed. “But I don’t think the system does that. It’s never done it to me, anyway. Or anybody I’ve ever met and talked to about it. Maybe it’s just really good at it, but if it is, then at least you two will be able to educate people on the dangers of the system after this.” Zoe chuckled.

*Ding* Foizo on the Moon construction completed. Would you like to be moved to Foizo on the Moon?

“It’s done. And it’s asking if I want to be moved, now.” Zoe said.

“Absolutely not.” Emma said. “Say no to that. The dungeon is already made and we can get there ourselves.”

“I agree. I doubt the system is going to trick you, but at least this time there’s no benefit to be had. Deny the teleport.” Joe said.

Zoe nodded and urged the system to not move her.

*Ding* You will not be moved to Foizo on the Moon. Dungeon ownership is being transferred to [Zoe Mara].

*Ding* For creating a dungeon, you have been awarded the Dungeonmaster feat.

*Ding* You have unlocked the Foizo on the Moon general skill.

[Dungeonmaster]

Dissatisfied with delving into the dungeons made by others, you seek to create your own chaos. A master of mana, a ruler of their domain.