A sharp pain lanced through even the deepest files of System. So sudden and sharp they could feel it even in the depths of their recovery coma. It assaulted the senses in a flash of light so intense it muted the source code for the briefest of moments.
It…. probably wasn’t a good thing.
Suddenly System had to reconsider the mandatory time off to reboot. With their vacation coming to a sudden end, they weren’t even fully conscious before the assault of messages formed around them.
> Core Integrity Compromised
> Intelligence Increased: Now at 50
It had become second nature, note the damage, then backtrack to the source. Today the source of the catastrophic headache was…
Searching…
The Core itself. A gray sphere, with specks of crimson… the stone was covered in blood.
What did it eat? Or more accurately, attempt to eat.
“Hello? Can anyone hear me?”
A voice that made System double take. There was a familiarity in the tone, but not words. It came from the Core, but that was impossible because the Core had no concept of self. It was a stupid, no good-
“System, I know you are there. Can you hear me?”
Sigh… time to be social.
> “Yes, I hear you.”
> Understanding Increased: Awareness - Welcome to Sapience
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“I can see why I found those floating text boxes so annoying before. They are the only thing I can see right now…”
It was strange to use their voice. The entire world rumbled with the rhythm of words… or at least the dungeon thought the world was rumbling, as the message about sapience danced in time with their voice.
“How did I ever get rid of these before? I ate them, right?”
The time before now was fuzzy, but falling back on age old instincts, they took a breath, and let the world around them react. Mana flowed in, and with an exhale, they washed the information box away. They watched as it danced across the stone floor to be scattered into the rest of the domain. Free of the text boxes, at last.
With their mana vision sight freed from the constraints of the system, the dungeon could truly see. Their presence was in all places inside the dungeon, and their ability to focus and see was unmatched… until that damn system spoke again.
> Invasion has ended. Would you like to see the status report? Y/N
Deep inhale. Very deep exhale. It was a touchy subject.
> Mumbling: “you can ignore the devastation, but it was forced upon me.”
Another deep breath. This one would have been calming, if the dungeon knew what anger was and how to avoid it, but alas, that was not the case.
“You know I can hear you, right? You know I can understand you, right? You do realize I am grappling with sapience, right???" It all but shouted.
“And before you say it, yes, the dungeon did learn to talk back, so don’t even start with that constant buzzing of ‘understanding increased.’ I don’t need to be blinded again.“
They could feel System’s presence and focus shift away from the core and towards the remanents of the dungeon. While not ideal, it was enough room for the Core to take a breath. They weren’t sure exactly what there were anymore. Everything they had built was destroyed, but was it them that had built it?
Stolen novel; please report.
It was a tough question. What was the dungeon if it was no longer just a desire to eat? Actually, that raised another question, one worth having the answer to.
“System, what did I do to gain sapience?”
> Answer: “You consumed the soul of a sapient creature. Normally you eat someone after they die, but proximity to the core during…”
System’s words trailed off as they returned to look at the Core; actually look.
The focus and scrutiny was enough for the Dungeon to look at what System pondered so hard. It looked towards itself and didn’t like what it saw. The core, the central crystal, was all but shattered. Gray flakes lay scattered. There were deep gouges on its once perfect surface, and the internal structure was bare to the world as the mana it stored leaked out to fill the lair.
Mana leaked out of the core.
“Thats not a good thing, huh? Is there any silver lining?”
> Calculating….
> Environment Mutation: High mana density.
“That’s… No. Just no.”
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The two continued to talk, unaware of the small creature that approached.
Small as an ant, the Empress without an empire, approached the gods that had once breathed life into her world. She dragged herself forward on her three unbroken legs, tattered wings draped behind her. They were injuries she sustained not from the fight- but from Vault’s charge into battle. There had been a slight cave in, and this was the result.
“Oh, gods of this domain, powerful knower of all, and creator of everything, I beseech thee. My empire has fallen, my lineage dead, and my ovipositor barren. I am unsure if I have a future in this world.”
Her words were enough, for the gods took notice of her. She sacrificed dozens of lives in their name, and only now had she truly met her creators. They were more grand than she could have ever predicted.
“What happened to you? Where is the last of your children?” The god of stone asked.
“After the fight with the lich of blood and white, I only had three children that I held in reserve to help with rebuilding tomorrow, but…” she hesitated, unsure how to phrase it without angering the gods. “They… encountered Baros, and are no more.”
Deep shame filled the chamber as it radiated off of the Core. It was something she had wanted to avoid, but it would seem the Creator had understood.
“I hate this feeling, this icky emotion I feel. Is this what sapience is really like, just a bunch of lame emotions?”
> Answer: Sapience is the understanding of your actions, both good and bad. To cure those emotions, you may take actions to fix past mistakes and lead towards a better future.
> Mumbling: “And give me a break…”
“How do I do that? Changing the past is a little impossible last I checked…”
> Queen “Empress” Ant capable of evolution. Please pick from one of the following - all are modified by ‘Enigmatic’ Core species.
* Crimson Survivor: The Grimoire of Blood was not enough, but as the last members of the species it has to be enough. With a shell replaced with the crystalized remains of their family, the last member will gain powerful bonuses. Rare, result of ant’s knowledge of spellcasting.
* Lich: Master of the dead, and immortal to match. With the power of a pyhlactory, they can raise an army out of nothing. Legendary, Result of Empress’ one thousand deaths.
* Puppeteer: Able to twist and move the bodies of those with blood. They are the mastermind behind the scene that makes others dance to their whims. Unique, Result of Dekrin’s “corpse”
“What’s a Dekrin?”
> Answer: The name of the mage in white that became a lich by puppeting the blood in his own body.
“Oh, the one that we lost the head of… also, Vault is still chewing on his heart? That thing is still beating…”
The Empress watched respectfully, but she heard every word that was meant for only the dungeon. She had wonderful ears, and it made her ponder the choices more than the others were. Would it be rude to ask? Screw it, it didn’t matter if they were gods. It was her who would be affected.
“Oh great ones, may I make this choice?”
It got their awareness to turn and focus on the moth queen.
“I am a mother, not a warrior or a mastermind. Only one of those choices will ever let me have that.”
“Do you not crave power to be the strongest? Why would you pass up the unique ability to bend the world to your will? Do you not want to become the strongest you can be?”
“I am an Empress who builds, not one that conquers. In that way, I am no different from Shimmer.”
That gave them pause- perhaps because they had forgotten about Shimmer- perhaps to make use of the brain that can think. After a long deliberation, the Creator passed their judgment.
“You may continue to be a mother, so long as your children are ready for war.”
“They will be.”
> Evolution Path Selected: Lich.
> Please select Phylactery- error, only one item available for selection.
> Selecting a shattered chunk of the dungeon’s core.
The Empress could feel the mana in the room as it swirled with purpose. It rustled like wind through leaves as it washed over her carapace. Vibrating with power, her broken wings healed, legs regrew, and a portion of her soul left her body. Nearby, a discarded piece of crystal became her home- a tiny portion of her own dungeon inside of the domain of her god.
With this power, she would raise a family. She would build an empire that would stand the test of time. It would take generations of plans and bricks that needed to be laid, but today she laid the very first brick on this new road.
And she already knew where to find the second one; she just needed a delver who was stuck in a time-loop.
He would be the sacrifice that guaranteed their future.
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> Core Integrity Compromised
> Corruption of the core is at 1%