CHAPTER 11
[Several days had now passed with Vyn sitting at the top of the tower, still in his humanoid form, waiting while the download stayed at 99%.]
Vyn - Please Computer You’ve been at this percentage for two days now.
[Right then he heard voices off in the distance and ran over to the edge to check it out.]
Down below were all of the kobolds entering the compound around the tower. [Vyn could see the elders walking together down below but couldn’t leave the computer all alone.]
[Vyn took a seat back at the terminal, not able to take himself away from the place where his children disappeared.]
[A bit later, Paw appeared alone.]
Paw'd: My lord, you did it; you cleared the entire fort! Thank you so much!
[Vyn looked at him with extra flames around his eyes that resembled tears running down his humanoid face.]
[Paw'd began to worry.]
Paw'd: Did something happen, my lord?
[Before Vyn could respond, he heard a voice.]
Female Voice: Dungeon Activated, the Dungeon Master will now be resummoned.
Gaia and Alistair both reappeared in their new forms. Gaia are both wearing emerald robes. With a golden symbol matching Vyn’s natural appearance on the back.
[Vyn's eyes widened as he rushed towards the two, grabbing them in close.]
Vyn, you both had me so worried!
Gaia, Father, your flame is so close to going out!
Vyn, don't worry about me; please just tell me what happened to you!
[The two lit up with wide smiles.]
Alistair: We got to see my grandmother and see Mom and Dad!
Gaia (internally):Farkas, brother, we have returned.
[The elder, who had been standing previously, immediately began to bow before the trio standing in front of him.]
Paw'd: My lord, have you not noticed their new forms?
[Vyn, who had been too focused on their safe return, hadn’t even noticed.]
Vyn, what do you mean they are the same as they were when they left?
Guris: Mother informed me the moment they arrived that they became dungeon masters.
[Vyn jumped at the news.]
Vyn: Dungeon masters, what does that mean?!
Gaia: We have become the demigods of this domain, father. I am the Holy Wolf, and my brother is the Demon Wolf. We have now been tasked with maintaining the balance of this dungeon as well as protecting its inhabitants from tyranny.
Alistair: As such, we will now be reactivating the dungeon defense sentinels.
Before they could begin, several of their party members rushed up the stairs to see them.
Oakley, Larz, Kosuh, Raven, Shadow, Hope, and Aikirius all appeared along with the elders. Just in time to see the two dungeon masters perform their magical act.
[The two dungeon masters in unison]
DMs: We, the dungeon masters of this dungeon owned by Vyn Fyrekin, order you sentinels. Rise and protect this dungeon and its people. We, who stand at the center of balance, command you to keep our people safe.
[With a large roar, the many statues that sat around the tower all changed from their ruined forms to massive wolf statues made of silver with little green fires for eyes.]
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The group on top of the tower rushed to the side to see what had been going on below. To their amazement, the tower’s statues looked incredible. Before they could even walk back, the entire dungeon began to rumble.
Copies of the statues began to rise from the ground, each walking their way through the dungeon. There were about 30 of them.
Vyn: Wow, they are incredible!
Gaia: Thank you, father, They will now patrol the dungeon, and if for some reason one is taken down, it'll not only be replaced but will also notify the others to assist in whatever battle it was in.
Vyn: Does this mean they are currently hunting the humans that are still in the dungeon?
Alistair: Yes, Father, so you all can rest easy. We will always be here in case our people need us.
Farkas: Does this mean you won’t be able to play with me anymore?
Gaia: Of course not, brother; we will always be here to play with you.
[Farkas jumped up in excitement.]
Paw’d - Thank the mother for this wonderful blessing!
Vyn: Listen up, everyone! I want to call a meeting! Please, Elder, Adventures, Kobold Warriors, Princess, and my dear children, could you please set up a table and meet on the second floor?
The three Kobold Warriors
Kobold Warriors: Yes, sir!
[The three wolves began to play as well with the princess as the others began to head back down the stairs.]
An hour or so had now passed. All of the requested members stood around a table on the second floor.
Vyn, let us begin our first-ever official meeting!
Shadow: Are you sure we should be present in this, my lord?
Vyn: Of course! I do recall that your village was attacked by the humanoids back when you saved the princess. So if you’re interested, let me be the first to welcome you to our home.
[Vyn followed this with a bow.]
Raven: Does that mean me too?
Vyn: Yes, Princess Raven, we welcome you, and you have my oath that I will assist in helping you see your family again.
[The princess quickly jumped in joy.]
Aikirius: What of me? I was extremely rude to you back when we first met, my Lord.
Vyn: Actually, your willingness to treat me as a fellow monster was something I repeatedly told the kobold. I do have a special request for you adventurers, if I'm being honest.
Aikirius: How may we serve you, my lord?
Vyn - I would like you to create three corps. The first is a mage corps led by Aikirius; the second is a scout corps formed by Shadow and Hope; and lastly, I would like the two brothers Brinehorn and Germclaw to form a knight's corps. Each corps shall take Oakley, Larz, or Kosuh as your second in command, seeing as how I trust them with my life.
[The mentioned parties all shook their heads.]
Paw'd: Does this mean you intend to become our leader, my lord?
Vyn: Actually, I had hoped to create a fairer system for all those involved.
Paw'd: What do you mean, my lord?
Vyn - I am willing to take responsibility for this dungeon and its many inhabitants. However, I don’t feel a creature as young as me should be in charge just because of my mother. Therefore, I would like to establish a council under me that can manage everyday affairs.
Paw'd: How would that work, my lord? Wouldn’t we just fight?
Aikirius: Actually, that is very similar to how our government back home was. It allowed various members of society to come to a mutual agreement on rulings. This allowed our people to feel like they mattered.
Vyn, Exactly! Under myself, I would like Paw’d to be the head of the Kobold elders, each corps present, and of course Gaia and Alistair.
Everyone shook their heads in agreement.
Vyn: We are only missing a few more things that are essential for our new government to thrive.
Paw'd: What would that be, my lord?
Vyn: We need to work out food, clothing, and housing. I don’t want to come off as rude, but your huts will not do for our future. We need something that can withstand an assault while also providing comfort for our people.
Hope: My lord, if you don’t mind, I have experience with hunting, so I would be more than willing to train the scout corps for such a task, but I strongly suggest we find another means of food to avoid harming the wildlife the way the humanoids did.
Vyn: Excellent. Does anyone else have any suggestions?
BrineHorn: We could gather ore and stone from the mine and build structures out of them using the knight’s corps. This will allow us to train our warriors while building up our people’s homes.
Vyn, this is exactly why having such experienced leaders is essential to our people.
Grace: My lord, my village used to be very good at creating clothing. I am sure, if allowed, I can focus on prioritizing training some of our citizens in this field.
Vyn - Does this mean you’re stepping down?
Grace: Now that we have been saved, I feel making our people’s lives better should be prioritized, whether I am in authority or not.
Vyn - I understand. Feel free to focus on your goal and speak with Paw’d if you need assistance with anything. For Gaia and Alistair, I will not presume to give either of you commands. If you have any need for any of us or even just wish to see your father, I am here.
[All of the attendees bowed and proceeded to leave the room.]
Vyn - I will do my best to support you all, and thank you!
Several months later
A sprawling city had begun to emerge outward from the tower, filled with various stone and wooden buildings. There was even a road made from stone with little lanes on either side meant to catch and lead water out of the town.
[Along the little road walked Vyn, waving at everyone he passed by.]
Vyn: Thank you, mother, for this wonderful new life.