In a tiny cave trapped under a gigantic slab of stone a soul gem slowly stirs, finishing its transformation into a dungeon core. Mana starts to be pulled into the gem from the surrounding kilometres. Now dungeon core will later be known to generally have to same characteristics or elements as their environment. This is because they become attuned to the mana that fed the gem during its mutation and also for the great amount it needs to pull in to complete the process. Creating dungeons that are almost always unique. In this case the main element is the time mana from its birth place but finishing the transformation in this cave pulled in mana mostly from the hills and plains around the mountain. The reason for this lesson is that unless there's enough of a mix a single element soul gem will turn into a elemental mana core not a dungeon core.
After approximately half a day the phenomenon gradually stops and the gem now looks completely different. It's a clear dungeon core about 10cm across with small hexagonal faces along its surface. The gem starts to slowly glow as if it has a faint heart beat. Light fills the core with each pulse making it become brighter and brighter.
Calabrating...
Dungeon core process finished searching for reverent soul.
Searching...
Searching...
Error soul not found.
Alternative needed...
Looking for soul from another plane...
Soul found.
Integrating...
Process finished.
Loading dungeon knowledge pack from the world's database...
Error dungeon knowledge pack not found...
Alternative needed...
Creating assistant to access knowledge from the world's database...
Process finished.
Good Day!
The newly created fairy suddenly wakes up. At just 20cm tall from the tip of her transparent wings to her tiny blue toes the small creature is quite beautiful discounting her size which shifts her to cute. Her emerald eyes slowly open on a heart shaped face as she takes in the surrounding. Seeing the roomy in comparison cave around her a frown starts on her face until her gaze lands on the dungeon core. With a quick flit of her wings she fits up sits behind the core and falls forward to her elbows. Putting her head on her hands she looks at the thing in front of her face with great anticipation for the amazing show to come.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Zane feels a headache of mammoth proportions as he wakes up. A feeling of weirdness follows as its like his body is still asleep since he can't sense it. He can't see anything either and for a moment he thinks it's because his eyes are closed. Suddenly he remembers everything that happened that day. He was on his way home from the museum when he stopped at the crosswalk before his apartment. A shout makes him look up and see a giant billboard advertising the newest truck falling onto him. There's only time to push the teenage girl beside him out of the way before he is crushed under the heavy frame of the picture.
After that he thinks there's was a bright light slowly pulling him up to a wheel that seemed to encompass the whole universe when a small hole opens up above him. After he went through it there was a grinding, soul numbing pain as he felt squeezed and compressed from all directions. Realizing he is dead or at least was dead Zane slowly thinks about what the he'll happened to him.
At this point seeing the dungeon core finally finish lighting up the fairy happily starts to fulfill her newly created purpose.
"Hi I'm sure you have a ton of questions but first let me say CONGRATULATIONS you are now the first dungeon core to be born on Korklar. Your dungeon core awakened about 90 000 years too early so there was no soul or knowledge repository for you created yet. So the the world's will pulled your soul from another plane and created me as an intermediary between you and the knowledge repository so I can give guidance. Now you might be starting to freak out but since we have been linked at birth if you think a thought at me I can hear it and i'll respond."
Taking in this crazy information slowly calms Zane down from the panic attack that was about to start. Not able to really feel anything was a scary experience until he heard a female voice beside him.
'Um is this right? I'm trying to send this thought to you like you told me to. When you said dungeon core does this mean I'm a small gem now? If so what am I supposed to do and how can I see I'm blind!'
"Yup I heard you loud and clear. Well first things first to see you need to focus on pulling in mana in the area and replacing it with your own from within your core. Once you do that it will claim the area it is in letting you perceive everything there it touches."
Wondering why he was not completely freaking out Zane realized there was nothing to lose from following the advice before getting more answers. With a slight mental grunt he tries to pull in something into his gem. Slowly he begins to feel what seems like particles with different flavors are pulled into him. This continues for about 10 minutes roughly before he feels somewhat full then he pushed those particles out of him in a wave filing the entire 1x3m chamber they were in.
Zane can suddenly know exactly what is around him as if he has a 360° view that gives him intimate knowledge about his surroundings. Right beside him he sees the source of the voice that calmed him down. It's a small female relative to the cave he was in that had blue skin, bright green eyes, long purple hair the went to the middle of her back, 4 transparent wings each about 5cm long with 2 on each side of her shoulder blades, and a purple dress that covered her from her shoulders to ankles.
For a shy man like Zane it was a little much to have such a gorgeous woman so close not to mention twice his current size. Although after a second of thought he realizes that is not really a bid deal compared to everything else and now that he could see this large to him cave that he appeared to to trapped in it was time for some answers starting with...
'So what's your name? Mine is Zane Hawthorne nice to meet you I guess.'