--------------- Dungeon Storage Room ---------------

He breathed out, but breathing in, he didn't feel like his lungs were as full as they were before. Not by a longshot. 'Alright, well I'm still gonna try.' He imagined a copy of the Shitty Wooden Wall in front of him, so he could have the zombie smash it and he could research a piece, then make some copies, then build something. Then research it then place it in this room where it should be anyway.

But instead, nothing happened. No new wall appeared of any type or quality. 'Okay, well then... what? Turn something into... you know, that would actually probably be fine. Right? I think it's fine. Come with me though', he said to the zombie.

In the cave mouth, he looked at the undead. 'I already know what you should be picking up. But let's see if you're dumb or just ugly! Find the things around here I haven't stored yet, and put it in the Storage room.' It started walking.

'A monster with a task! Do I get a reward?' There weren't any messages or anything else. He rolled his eyes and looked for a broken pew. 'Convert this, just this, not all of them, only this one, right? Get it? This one into mana.'

The moldy church pew disappeared, and he felt he could breathe easier. Instead of going back to work, he went outside the cave mouth's entrance and looked around. It was daytime, probably somewhere around noon. Two men he hadn't seen before were standing out there, looking tired. Did they know where the dungeon's territory was or something? They weren't bothering him and he didn't feel that "someone behind you" feeling. There was mud around, but there always was out here, right? If some gelflings wanted to stand around in the mud all day, then that was fine. People are weird.

[Ding!]

'What? Oh, right. Duuuude. You gotta tell me what research is done when you're done. Can you do that?', he asked the empty air, or possibly himself. He went back inside, and took a look around. The first thing that caught his eye was the frog he found earlier, in stasis, partially buried in dirt.

'Yeah, you! Get enough frogs, and that'll annoy at least someone. All this stress is not going to calm me down with the horseshit I'm gonna pull!' He started laughing to himself. 'Research!' he shouted pointlessly, as he touched the frog, causing it to disappear.

[Estimated time to research Frog: 2 hours.]

'That's it? Whatever, cool.' He started going towards the Storage room wall opposite the cave room's mouth, but then stopped. 'Oh yeah! Come on out, Shitty Wooden Wall!' A wall just as poorly crafted and falling apart as he requested appeared in the middle of the room. 'Zombie, use your sword and smash this. Make sure-', he was cut off from the zombie obeying.

'Make sure you leave at least one of the boards in perfect condition! I'm going to need it!', he shouted at the mindlessly obedient animated armed corpse. After yelling at his monster, he noticed what was on the ground near it. There was a ceramic pot, a set of clothing piled haphazardly, and a spherical flower that looked soggy and not-that-yellow-anymore.

'Uh, thanks.' He touched each of the items, storing them. None of them moved, none of them disappeared in a wind. 'Why- oh yeah they're already in the Storage room. That's easy. Wait, did that mean these things can do stuff for me? I've been waiting for that! Just wait until I get Mr. Handy.'

He went back to where he was going, and started scratching at the wall. 'If zombies weren't morons then I'd have him do this for me. Ah well.' He didn't know how long he was at it, but eventually a room, or more like a wide hallway, was dug out. He took a look at it, unsatisfied. 'No, its gotta be annoying anyway but not to the frogs. I know what I need... but oh man this will be obnoxious. But everyone will hate it, so that makes it okay!'

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

[Reminder]

[Ding!]

[Research completed: Frog]

He sighed, and slumped a little. 'Okay well I appreciate you not interrupting me while I was in The Zone. If I'm in The Zone, don't interrupt me. With research completions! Or... look if there are monsters... I mean gelflings, if that's what they're called. Whatever they're called. People. If people come in here, then grab my attention. And if... you know what, just read my fuckin' mind, okay?'

He didn't know if anything was listening at all, or if his vocabulary failing him mattered in regards to issuing commands or not. But since he realized he could only find out with time, he went looking for his next research item. After a few moments he found it. The dented metal mug with stinky water. 'You're going to annoy me, aren't you? Yeah, you are. So... man, come on now. Okay this first, then.'

Instead of the mug, he tagged one of the boulders he had found earlier. Luckily he still had two, and hopefully the fact that they looked different meant something. 'Research!'

[Estimated time to research Boulder: 4 hours.]

The boulder disappeared, but he knew where it went. Likewise, he went elsewhere. To the new room he was going to put frogs in. It didn't take anywhere near as long, but he dug out a shin-high hole the length of the room, just long enough to fit the room... mostly. He left a small ledge just after the doorway, and one at the far end where he planned on putting another door.

[Ding!]

[Research completed: Boulder]

'Oh! Nice timing!' He ran into the Research room, passing by a pile of broken wood and a motionless zombie on the way. Imagining a drinking fountain, he held his hands in a position that implied he was holding something, but with nothing there. He walked around in a circle, imagining a square shape leading down to the ground.

To complete the idea, he made a fist and rubbed it in midair, where he imagined the top of the short pillar, and stood back. He breathed out, and the shape he mimed solidified into existence, made out of the same type of stone the boulder was made of. 'Research!', he said, touching the thing.

[Construction discovered: Water Fountain]

[Estimated time to research: 5 minutes]

'That's it? Nice! Seems like I can actually do what I want now. Well, soon. Kinda.' He remembered he saw a bunch of broken wood in the Storage room, and headed back to it. The zombie didn't look pleased, but it didn't look like it could have emotions.

Just as he asked, there was one board that wasn't damaged, but it didn't look reusable anyway. Though, it wasn't like the dungeon cared about that. It did care about something else though, that he didn't think he could access if he did too much work. He went back into the cave mouth room.

The core did look safe between the three stalagmite spikes, but this was very much the wrong room for it. 'This is probably the last time. Let's go home.', he said to the Core. To himself. Just as he had done so many times before, he got a ghostly image of the lightly glowing gray orb and made his way to the Secret Research room, and placed it down.

[Core Relocation in progress. Time to relocate: 18 hours.]

Hopefully no one would find it in there. Hopefully no one would find the room at all.

But what's the point of admiring a natural feature if nothing is done with it? He started to go back towards it, having moved the shelf back into place, blocking the tunnel, which made him feel strange. He looked at the aisle, and the wall, thinking of the tunnel. 'Why do I feel so cramped? Maybe the room's too small? I'll deal with it later. Later! I need to finish the dirt thingy first!'

[Ding!]

[Research completed: Water Fountain]

'It didn't even feel like it took that long. Eh well, no complaints.' He looked around, finding the dented mug full of gross water. 'If this is two things, then can I even research it right? How do I make copies of things if its... okay this is the dead guy's job. Hey! Zombie!'

The gelfling zombie swordsman came out from the doorway as the thwomp raised itself. 'Pick this up. Do not spill it. Bring it into the Research room-' then he realized something obvious. The zombie was already moving, with a wooden sword in one hand and a dented mug sloshing in the other.

In the Research room, the two of them stood next to the "Water Fountain". 'Okay, now pour the water from inside the mug into this, um, bowl shape.' The dungeon's command was obeyed by the undead. 'Great! Now go put the mug in the Storage room, but not against a wall.'

The magically enchanted corpse did as it was told. As it left the room, the intangible man stuck his finger in the water. 'Research this.' His usual emphasis gone due to trepidation, not knowing if he could do it this way.

[Estimated research time to research Stinky Water: 6 hours]