The humans were really annoying. Not the regular villagers, I could deal with those guys just fine. Just give them food and a place to sleep, and they stayed out of the way. My problem lay with my six enthralled humans. They just wouldn’t shut up.
Constantly asking questions. How could I be a better thrall? What do you want me to do? Am I supposed to sleep with everyone else still, or do thralls sleep somewhere else? All this without mentioning the frankly creepy 180 these guys took in regards to their outlook of me. It wasn’t entirely the dungeon thing where they like me just because they’re my thralls. These clingy little shits are actually starting to like like me. Something about being grateful that I’m not a tyrant, or that I’m not forcing their families to become enthralled to me, or some other such nonsense. It wasn’t even like I was trying to get them to like me! More than once I caught them trying to convince their own family members that being enthralled to me was a good thing, and I had to chastise them for doing so. As much as I would like to have more human thralls, I at least had enough of a moral compass to not force anybody to do anything against their will.
Well, not while they weren’t enthralled to me. My thralls were fair game, as far as I was concerned.
Owyn was escorting the latest batch of humans to the core room, talking to them about what they should expect. A number of the more experienced humans followed him, keeping an eye out for my thralls. In particular, they eyed up the one human thrall that was picking berries with the assistance of some mimic crabs. A show I had them put on deliberately, to show the new villagers that they could get along with my monsters.
I’m not sure it had the intended effect.
With the new batch of villagers, that made for fifty-four under my protection. Of course, six of those were my personal thralls, but the point still stood. And along with this fresh batch of humans came something I severely craved. Tools.
No weapons, unfortunately. Some tools the humans brought with them might be able to be used as weapons, but they were so small and insignificant they couldn’t possibly pose a larger threat than just plain old fists. The cardinal made a big show of it the first time it happened, at the fifth room. Saying stuff like ‘the humans have technology you couldn’t possibly understand’ and stuff like that.
Bitch, you gave me the ability to tan leather! If I knew how to make kevlar, I might not even be impressed!
I knew how to make a gun though… that might be interesting. What was the rules when it came down to introducing technology to a lesser civilization? Better yet, did I give a flying fuck?
Absolutely not. The instant I figured out how to make gunpowder, I was making a fucking gun. Call it my thank-you gift to Owyn for being such a good sport.
In other news, two good things happened during my expansion into the upper caves. For one, I found my old core room, which meant I was finally able to evolve my little guppies once more! Even more than that, the church seemed to have left the statues intact! Perfect! If I ever decided to animate them, at least I didn’t have to waste mana making new ones.
The second good thing brought news of its own. I was finally able to mentally talk to the Baroness once again. Felecia was doing well, for a captive at least. However, like I said, she brought news of the outside world.
The church had quarantined the whole village. While this wasn’t new, it had been taken to a new extreme since last I’d heard of it. The whole damn forest seemed to be cut down, and a fort had been erected around the cave’s opening. More members of the church had gathered, as well as a number of civilian workers. Setterton, now considered a ghost town, was converted into a war camp seemingly overnight. Inns and homes became barracks for the knights and priests, forges were built and tools were being created over time. While Felecia hadn’t seen any civilians herself, due to the nature of her enthrallment, she could guess the gist of what was happening.
Has anything like this happened before? I asked.
Yes. She responded solemnly. Several times. Normally, it's due to a dungeon surfacing for the first time. By the time it surfaces, it has outgrown any competition it might have had before, and grown to a dangerous size. The church would force it back into the hole it came out of and build a war camp like this one around it. Several weeks later, the dungeon will be destroyed, and the war camp is converted into a new settlement.
Is that how Setterton was founded?
Close. The village was formed, and then the dungeon was found. Due to Setterton being so close by, no war camp was needed. The church and some of the kingdom's forces took care of it years ago.
So the fact that a war camp was being formed now meant that supposedly the church was treating me as a significant threat. Well, to the outside world at least. In reality, they could easily steamroll through my dungeon, conquering it with only partial losses. Assuming that they didn’t go easy on me, like they have been.
Hm…
Tell me what the surface looks like right now.
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FELECIA
Felecia sat patiently in her wagon prison. As if she could sit any other way. Although she had a reputation to uphold, that meant nothing to the members of the church, so she’d long ago done away with keeping up decorum. Her eyes stared out of the wooden slats of her window from the other side of the wagon. Her posture was abhorred, slouched against the far wall with one leg up on the cushions, the other spread as wide as it would to stretch out in this cramped space.
She didn’t need to move to give Lucid the image of the camp's layout. A gate off to the one side, basically along the main road. Wooden spikes made up the wall encircling the cave, only going up the slope of the mountain behind it slightly. Felecia could see Lucid’s cave from her wagons position behind the food tables and between the various tents the high priests and cardinals were using for meetings and living spaces alike. The grass and other plants that had previously riddled the space had been trampled so thoroughly that only the hardiest of grasses grew where people didn’t walk often.
And there were a great many people, to be sure. The vast majority of them went without their armor, keeping only to more modest clothes. They each carried their respective weapons however, and their armors lined the edges of the camp, ready to be adorned at a moment's notice. Felecia had seen them go through a number of drills by now, so she knew exactly how long it would take all this relaxed atmosphere to transform into one of steel.
Lucid became curious about the knights training in an open area in the center. Felecia adjusted her position to press up against the bars, giving him a better view. She couldn’t share her vision directly, not at this distance from him, but she could at least send him snippets of images of the more impressive stances the knights took.
“You were right.” A voice nearby murmured to someone else.
Felecia kept her eyes on the training knights, like Lucid wanted. She felt a shiver of pleasure with every new image she sent him. She could even tell that he was interested in the movements of one specific knight, and focused on him.
“Has something caught Lucid’s interest?” Cardinal Garroway inquired.
Felecia heard him approach her wagon prison, along with the few priests behind him. Two more cardinals, as well as several high priests. They were rarely seen apart.
They stopped near her wagon. Cardinal Garroway stood at eye level with her, while the others were just below her window. He followed her concentrated gaze with a curious eye.
“Ah, swordplay. Does Lucid have need for weapons? Or is it the training he is interested in?”
If I wanted swords, I could just… Lucid’s voice trailed off. Fuck, really? I could just shape stone weapons. Goddamnit, hold on.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Felecia decided not to respond to Garroway.
He talked on anyway. “Has Lucid enjoyed our gifts? He seems to be very eager to acquire more. I confess, I cannot tell if that’s due to simple greed or if he’s possibly interested in bargaining for more?”
Lucid’s thoughts focused on the cardinal’s words, so Felecia turned her attention to him. In the daylight, he looked just like any other person, if a little larger. Yet she and Lucid both knew that if the lights were to dim, his pupils would reflect that golden light like a cat. A predator of the night.
Lucid gave Felecia the words to say. “We have no intention of dealing with bad people. Murderers.”
Garroway frowned and nodded. “I am ashamed to say, our previous actions may have seemed a little violent. Unfortunately, such is the world, that we need to protect ourselves and our interests before interacting with others peacefully.”
Lucid’s anger built, rising to a simmer. Felecia mirrored his feelings, but controlled her voice, like a proper Baroness. “What is your end goal?”
The cardinal seemed taken aback. “You have been opposed to hearing us out before. Is something wrong? Do you require more power?”
A tempting offer. Lucid muttered. But perhaps we misunderstood my words.
Felecia tried again. “Why are you leading Lucid to the surface? What advantage would that afford you?”
The cardinals behind Garroway seemed surprised. They muttered to each other under their breaths, while Garroway’s smile grew. His voice covered the others.
“Our end game and our intentions to lead you to the surface are two different things. Leading you to the surface is merely the beginning of our relationship. First, we must determine exactly what sort of creature you are.”
Lucid bristled at that. An unfamiliar feeling overcame Felecia.
Fear.
Lucid had never feared anything before. He’d hardly ever felt nervous before either, so for the cardinal’s words to make him experience fear…
Her eyes narrowed. What was it about Garroway’s words that made Lucid react in such a way? How could she maneuver the conversation to prevent this from happening again? What could she do to make this situation better?
Lucid calmed down, but his mental state was rising to a boil. No anger, just frenzied activity. He was thinking.
“Have I said something to upset Lucid?” Garroway pretended to be worried. “If so, I do apologize.”
One of the other cardinals spoke up from below. “We would like to encourage your growth to be even faster, so from now on, we shall provide extra rewards for you at every third group of humans, instead of every fifth.”
Garroway raised his eyebrows, stepping back so Felecia could face this new cardinal. Felecia studied Garroway’s reaction quickly. He seemed surprised, and just a bit curious. This decision wasn’t made with his knowing, but he wasn’t upset by it. Therefore, this must be spontaneous. Felecia told Lucid as much.
The other cardinal, a female, continued. “We will give you a choice for your next reward. Would you rather receive books, or working tools?”
Garroway reacted again. Felecia didn’t need to see his expression to understand what was happening.
This is a test.
Obviously. Lucid grumbled. He didn’t respond right away though. He took longer than was comfortable to finally begin speaking again. By working tools, I’m assuming they’re talking about metal non-weapons. Shovels, picks, possibly axes. They would be extremely useful, especially considering my new human population. On the other hand, books…
Felecia waited while he went back into thought. She tried to encourage him to speak to her again. Are you expecting a specific kind of book?
“Lady Bellamy?” The cardinal asked.
“Quiet!” She barked. “Lucid is thinking.”
All three cardinals seemed pleased with this response, and settled in to wait further.
What test is this? Lucid mused, his attention drawn to their reactions.
They are attempting to discover what you value. Felecia explained. Knowledge on one hand, and tools on the other.
Yes, but why? Lucid’s attention on her increased, much to Felecia’s pleasure. What is the answer they’re expecting from me, and which answer is the one they want from me? Are they one in the same? I don’t know enough common sense to understand their thinking.
He sounded frustrated by that. Felecia offered to fill in the gaps. The tools are the most obvious one. I suspect that’s the answer they expect a regular dungeon to take. Tools, no matter the shape or anything, can be used as weapons. Even if you use them for their intended purpose, they’re nothing more than blunt instruments to further your progress as a dungeon.
Which means the books are the answer they want me to take. But why? What knowledge would they gain from knowing that I value knowledge?
May I ask them?
Lucid gave her the equivalent of a nod.
“Why do you want Lucid to pick the books?” She asked.
All three of the cardinals beamed. More than just being happy, they seemed… excited?
Garroway stepped forward again. “We cannot answer that. Not yet. Reach the surface first, and then we’ll answer your questions.”
We’ll take the tools. Lucid said. Felecia spoke his words for him with great pleasure.
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The priests walked away from Felecia’s cage, and I praised her lightly for a job well done. Something bothered me about Garroway’s latest statement. Earlier, he’d been so eager to talk to me, and now that I’d opened up slightly, he held back his information. The fact that this came after I blatantly admitted I was interested in the books did not go unnoticed. He truly was baiting me to reach the surface as fast as possible. Why? Why!?
I nudged Damian. Owyn seemed more comfortable talking to him than the human thralls.
Damian walked into the crossroad cave, looking about. I wasn’t keeping track of Owyn, so I didn’t know where he had disappeared to. Damian seemed unperturbed, and walked down the nearest crevice.
I heard some screaming, as well as Damian screeching soon after.
Damian ran out of the room as other humans ran out of the other rooms. Owyn led the crowd of newbies out, knife at the ready. Damian perked up his ears when he noticed him.
“The master has a question for you.”
Owyn hesitantly looked down the hall where Damian had emerged from. “What did-”
Damian cut him off with a wave. “I am under orders to not harm humans, you know this. They’re just scared for no reason.”
Owyn made a face that read ‘They have plenty of reason to be scared’, but he said nothing.
Damian asked my question. “What happens when a dungeon reaches the surface?”
Owyn relaxed a little, and put away his knife. The other humans watched the interaction like children.
“Nothing. Well, from Lucid’s perspective anyway. Normal dungeons would send their monsters out to claim resources, including… mana.”
IE, they sent out raiding parties to kill things.
I told Damian to say my thoughts aloud. “The church has set up a war camp outside, with many knights and members of the clergy waiting just outside the caves. Such raids will not be possible. However, Lucid plans on expanding his dungeon to encompass the camp. Use the church’s occupation as mana generation. Could this possibly be what the church is aiming for? For what purpose?”
Owyn quirked his head, confused. “What? No, sorry, I think you misunderstood me. When I said nothing happens when a dungeon reaches the surface, I thought you-” Owyn sighed. “Dungeons cannot expand their territory outside caves and stuff.”
Now it was my turn to be confused. I can’t go to the surface?
“No- well…” Owyn tilted his hand back and forth. “You can. I- your core can. Your territory can’t. You know how you kept Mercy’s dungeon confined to just her core? But she could still move around when Grant was carrying her? Same deal. You can’t have territory on the surface.”
Interesting. So why was the church so adamant that I reach the surface? To come to that conclusion myself? That would explain why they didn’t explain it to me themselves, but not why they wanted me to do it. I had just too many damn questions to understand anything!
I had Damian than Owyn before letting him return to his brooding. He hadn’t said anything so far, but I suspected he missed Dweller for some reason. He was watching Mercy’s dungeon a lot recently.
Subsonar was constantly keeping me in the loop. Mercy had utterly conquered the open spaces of the dungeon. She and her horde of undead were wandering about, collecting newborn cores. Since her undead didn’t consume the cores, Mercy did that herself, touching her core to theirs to just kill them outright. Any and all creatures she came across were killed instantly and reborn as more undead. The other dungeons were growing agitated, but none of them wanted to take action. To fight Mercy would be to invite her entire wrath upon them, and that would weaken the dungeon that did the attack. Especially if they didn’t succeed in destroying her core themselves.
Since destroying her core would defeat all her undead at once, I debated sending Damian in for an assassination, but that was impossible. Mercy was constantly under the protection of dozens of boney meat shields. Maybe if I had more Damians I might try it, but no. Not like this. At this point, Mercy was just another one of the great dungeons.
She was going to pay for betraying me. I would make certain of that…