Together Nola and I printed some more bits and bobbles to complete the 'look' of the processing plant. There was still plenty of space outside the dungeon that was still inside the fence. Right now the whole area looked far to empty.

I printed a few moving machines like forklifts and hand carts for processing for moving the totes around. I don't know if it would be needed, but they make the place look like it should. I parked a few of the machines around the edges for some set dressing. The hand carts I put near the entrance. Maybe those could help with moving things for my future customers.

Thinking of them, I printed out a huge collection of cardboard totes to hold the metal pieces.

I wanted to have a large material shredder onsite, but given the fact that those were some of the machines that went missing from our little heist I didn't want to risk it

Next I started to focus on signage. I set out some parking signs, direction arrows and a round about sign showing where cars can turn around to leave. But what would we call the place?

"Nola, do you have any suggestions for a name?"

'The Empty Forest'. Maybe 'The Lonely Flower'

"I promise you can have more plants, we just need to grow a little" I paused a beat, the industrial feel was not helping my nature dungeons mood. Every item that went down seemed to make it worse. The little flower pot on my desk was not gonna cut it.

"I know they aren't the best plants in the world, but what if you grew some dandelions and grass in and around the gravel driveway? It can also serve as a nice guide to track your territory growth for me"

All plants are good plants. Weed is just a classification your kind came up with.

Fair enough. "Will it make you feel better?"

Yes. For now.

The grass and weeds started popping up through the dry dirt. The whole yard started to fill up with the exception of the gravel driveway. I guess Nola didn't want cars killing her plants. She also didn't go as overboard as I expected. She kept it minimal, except in front of my desk. There it looked like someone had put out fresh sod. Instead of looking like a freshly scraped plot, the ground now looked like it had been established for a while, and that the groundskeeper quit.

"I know it doesn't look like it, but we are helping nature by doing this"

I understand, but the whole process conflicts with MY nature. I don't think I belong in a city.

"I am sorry about that. Lets focus on getting you stronger then. We can protect ourselves from whatever was hunting buddy and get you the space to be the dungeon you were always meant to be"

...

"Speaking of, now that you can speak, can you tell me more about this whole dungeon master thing"

The heavy feeling of embarrassment came before Nola responded. That's not a good sign.

I... am not sure if I know too much more than you. You were the first person that ever bonded with my core, and I had only been around a short time at the fort with Buddy and the others.

I don't even know his real name.

I was counting on that tutorial as much as you were. I didn't even know I was a 'dungeon' before your mind linked the term.

Curses. I don't regret saving Buddy, but it was way more costly than I expected. OK. We were able to figure out some big things mime-ing back and forth to each other the other night, we can do it again working together. Lets figure out how to do this.

"Alright, at least we know one thing. If my mind picked it, it has to mean something. We can work with that." I thought for a second on what to do. "Nola, can you read?"

Yes. Just as well as you can.

Perfect. "Well, I am gonna bring back a bunch of books for you tomorrow morning. You can read them and absorb them. Dinner and a show"

You aren't nearly as funny as you think you are. Especially when I can feel you practicing the joke before you say it

Dick

I can feel that too. I can feel everything you think while you are inside the zone of control.

She felt smug about that one. I guess the connection was weaker back to me, I wasn't getting every emotion she felt (Or she wasn't feeling as many). That seems like its worth a question.

I feel plenty, but I believe that my emotions are less important to you than yours are to me... As a dungeon master to his charge. I think you care a lot

"Well I am glad you don't consider me a total ass" Nola doesn't seem to know, but I wonder what sort of relationship other dungeons have with their masters. Might be a good question for Buddy later. I'll add that to the long list.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"In the stories I remember most dungeons could earn mana by fighting and killing delvers, having their guardians fought by delvers and delvers successfully looting something or completing an obstacle." Among other things. Some of the stories got a little bit out there. I know 'killing' popped up on the tutorial screen before I cut it off, I didn't even get to see what sort of killing. Not that it really mattered. It wasn't a route I wanted to pursue.

"What sort of dungeon guardians can you make? Anything small and mostly harmless? Can you make flies?"

I am not sure. I haven't tried to make a guardian yet..

Personally, I disagree, that vine thing that helped eat the shack was terrifying.

That wasn't a guardian. That was ... a .. tool? I am actually not sure what it was. It was not autonomous at least, I had full control the whole time

"Can you stop reading all my thoughts, its creepy. I am not used to that."

....no.

"Can you pretend for me?" I got a mental sigh back, I'll take that as a yes.

I will try to make a fly guardian for my yard. I won't make it too strong, as you have requested. But I don't think it will be a normal fly

We sat in silence in the fading light together as she focused. I felt useless sitting there. I wanted to help, but what could I do? Glue the wings on a non existent animal being made out of transmuted garbage energy? I'll focus on the other things missing from the place.

We still need a front entrance sign, a name. Something with our hours of operation. A place to add fees if I am going to pretend to be a legitimate business. Lights too. Its starting to get darker as winter approaches. Soon enough morning will arrive later and night will arrive earlier and I will need flood lights to make the place safe. And those lights would need power. All of the machines will. Nola can re charge a battery basically for free by converting some matter, but that doesn't sell the 'not magic' bit very well. Some fake solar panels and a 'battery bank' would do it. I can place them near the back and mark it off limits so no one gets to close. I could also make a (fake) bio gas digestor inside the zone of control. That would give me an excuse to keep the organic matter. Its my "power". Which I guess wouldn't be a lie lie.

Can I have a solar panel?

I could feel a little strain as she spoke to me this time. She was still working on her first guardian, but listening to me brainstorm. Better multitasker than me.

"Of course, I'd bet we will probably get at least one broken one tomorrow if we have enough people come by. But I can buy you a fresh one too. Best on the market. But why? It's not like you need a little extra electricity. You can turn matter to energy!"

I like the idea of using the sun for power. Its very plant like.

Yeah, that tracks.

"I am guessing you were listening to the rest of my list?"

Always.

Stop it. "Alright, if you can do it without hurting yourself can you make the fake panel I just sent you an image of so I can stop sitting here uselessly."

By the time I had moved the 10 fake arrays into position and connected the fake wires to each Nola had created an input hole for the Biogas plant, along with a wire hook up and set up a half dozen flood lights. For the signage we agreed to disagree and landed on the "TBD Recycling Plant". If I didn't have something great by the time Nola expanded to the gate she was absolutely going to change that to something she wants, with or without my permission.

When I stepped back into the zone of control for the last sign Nola messaged me to hold on a moment. She was nearly done.

I think I have it.

"Great news, can I see?" I was excited to see what sort of dungeon guardian we would get. I know I asked for simple, but this was magic. It would probably look different from normal.

Sorry to disappoint, but it will look like a normal black fly. It took a lot of work to make it Not magic looking. Same for the other bugs too. I used all the dead ones I found in the illegal junkyard. Nothing that will look out of place in the local ecosystem. Unless someone stored something exotic in their garbage. And now that I have the template down, I can make them quickly.

All around me centipedes, millipedes, ants, beetles, flies, moths, spiders and worms popped up in rows. They all looked normal to me. We could scatter these everywhere and no one would be the wiser. Its weird how they're all just sitting there though. I will assume that after inspection they will move more... bug like... around the place.

Yes, they will. But we might have a problem with them.

Uh oh. "What's wrong with the bugs? Short expiration time?" Some flies only live like a day, so that would make some amount of sense

I wish. The bugs cost a lot of matter to make. More than 50 lbs worth for the small ones.

I reached for one of the little ants. It willingly walked into my hand. It was so small it could barely be felt on the tips of my finger. It definitely wasn't carrying the extra 50 lbs on it anywhere. Magic is weird.

I know in my stories the dungeon guardians being slain always resulted in more mana than their creation, but is that true when converting for matter? I didn't know. And it felt wrong for me to test. The ant was being nice and cooperative. I didn't want to hurt my ant. I am sure someone would be around tomorrow to do that.

I put the ant back down and it began to crawl away. As one the nicely arranged bug army also started to disperse and depart to hidey holes around the dungeon.

"I don't know if that will be an effective way to get more resources. So lets start our testing slow. If it turns out that each guardian costs us more than it makes, we will have to stop using them"

Immediate emotions flooded back at me. Sadness, reluctance, disappointment

NooOooo! I like my bugs. Don't take them away! Please.

"Relax, relax. We aren't there yet. And, even if they aren't profitable we can still keep a couple. OK. Don't think the worst of me, we're both new at this." Don't touch the bugs, got it. I hope they end up working out.

"You me and the bugs, we're in this together." I smiled mentally and physically. That seemed like a pretty good team so far.

I think we have done all the preparing we are going to do today. Lets get some rest for the big day