Dominik took stock of everything, while his lovely wife sat down on a bench just outside of the adventurer’s guild. He was pretty sure he’d told one person in the village his name, maybe even the mayor. It didn’t matter if his disguise failed, at least, it probably didn’t. He doubted they would jump to the conclusion that he'd taken over the dungeon core, but he’d prefer not to lose this identity as an adventurer. It could give useful information, and it could be a valuable source of income, should he need it.
He’d taken over the dungeon core’s body, and even consumed its soul. The dungeon core was clearly trying to take control of him too. So maybe he could learn some magic to manipulate someone’s mind. Maybe he already could if he’d tried. If not, he could try and learn through some sort of spellbook, especially with Fran’s help. He should’ve been taught at least basic telepathy, as someone in a support role, but he hadn’t been allowed to do so. They didn’t want the slaves speaking to each other with their minds. Only the free men were allowed to learn, though few were capable of grasping it apparently.
His mind was racing a mile a minute. More importantly, he’d have to find some sort of creature to summon. The prospect of evolving animals, especially animals suited for fighting in the dungeon would take too long. Especially breeding and growing them. Perhaps there were other things to summon besides demons? Perhaps he could intuit the possibilities with enough time, if the eldritch dungeon core had done so. Assuming it had done so. But it was also likely much older than him. How long would that take? He’d never been able to study summoning spells, but surely they could find a book on summoning. Even just a book on monsters to refresh his memory, maybe there’s something he could summon if he just knew what he needed to summon, and from which plane.
“Dominus, could I talk to you somewhere privately?” Fran asked.
“Sure.” He said, and they walked down a few paths to a more empty area of the town. “What is it?”
“Well, I didn’t say anything in the adventurer’s guild, because I didn’t know if it was part of your plan. But…. The demons I saw were eldritch in nature. They had tentacles and extra mouths. I’m not sure about what the villagers saw, but there was a bounty on eldritch demons in the adventurer’s guild. So they might have gone there and asked for help.”
Dominik thought for a moment, and tried to recollect his memories of the conversation. The man, the compass, demons, and the dark elf. Had he just lied unnecessarily?
“I was more focused on you than the demons. But I do remember feeling vaguely responsible even though I didn’t summon them. Maybe that’s why. I thought about it not being something I did, and since I didn’t summon them, that means they weren’t from the dungeon. Even though they were probably from the other dungeon core.”
They stood there in silence for a moment, before Dominik said. “I guess we’re screwed now. There goes the new identities.”
Fran responded. “Maybe there’s still some way to salvage them. If we go back in and request to lead the investigation, we can just report something more in line with the story we’ve told. And I can cast minor illusions. They’re not very believable up close, and they’re worse if I try to cast them on a living target. But from far away I could convince the villagers that other demons are attacking.”
Dominik smiled and said. “Fran you’re a genius! If you weren’t my wife I’d kiss you right now.”
Fran’s face scrunched in confusion and she asked. “You mean if I were?”
“Yes.”
Dominik and Fran made their way back toward the adventurer’s guild. But before they entered, Dominik said. “They still haven’t come back, they’re at some big house down the street. I had the crows follow them, just to see who they’re reporting to. We should catch them before they make their report.”
Fran nodded and followed Dominik as he walked quickly to their location. They knocked on the door, and a man wearing a suit opened the door. “Are you here to see the lord as well?”
“Yes.” Said Dominik. “It’s about the demons and all that.”
“You can wait in the parlor with the other two. I see you’re from the guild as well.” He said as he led them to the parlor. “Would you like some tea while you wait?” Dominik looked toward his wife, and she answered. “Yes please.”
They met up with the guild manager and his assistant, and sat down at a couch in front of theirs, near a nice dark wooden coffee table. “Hello again.” said Fran, starting the conversation.
The guild manager looked surprised and asked. “Did you remember something important about the case?”
“No.” Said Dominik. Which was true, he hadn’t remembered. “After talking to my wife for a bit, we decided we’d like to monitor the village and manage this case, at least around the area in the forest. Though you can still send some guards if you want. My wife felt bad leaving things as they are, since the villagers clearly gave her a bunch of free supplies out of fear. She’d like to at least return the favor, even if it wasn’t intentional.”
The guild leader, who had feared hearing more bad news, let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear, we could use some strong adventurers willing to help the villagers, especially someone with healing magic. Would you be willing to stay and help us speak to the lord of this town?”
“Of course.” Said Dominik. “Though I’m not sure we’ll be of much help.”
The guild manager quickly responded. “Having the ones assigned to the village investigation should be beneficial, especially a druid and a mage so familiar with the forest. It should help us present the case for aid, if it doesn’t seem like much investment is required.”
“Then we’ll do whatever we can to try and help.” Said Dominik. Though he was beginning to think this lord wouldn’t be too generous, considering the way the guild manager seemed to be worried.
After waiting for nearly an hour, mostly sitting there in silence, occasionally idly chatting, the lord finally came, or called them in to be seen. They were led down the hallway by the butler, and led into a large study. A short frail looking man in fine clothes sat there, with his hands clasped on the desk. He unclasped his hands and gestured for them to sit in some nice chairs near the desk.
The guild manager and his assistant began explaining everything they’d been told, and introduced Dominus and Freya. They explained that there had been reports of eldritch demons a few weeks ago, but now the demon sightings seemed to be completely whole and non-eldritch in nature. This, along with Dominus’ claims that the dungeon seemed to be shifting away from using demons, at least on the first several floors, led them to believe their may be one or more people, possibly an entire group or cult, summoning demons, using the sightings of eldritch demons from the dungeon as cover for their activities.
Dominik was glad they’d tried to piece this all together, but he couldn’t help feeling this was all somehow his fault. Soon the lord they were speaking to gave his thoughts, after it had all been explained to him. “After your adventurers have investigated the village, if they still think a major threat is likely, we may post a few guards there, though I think the people of the village should have been able to defend their crops from a few minor arrows. Do they not use bows and slings?”
The guild manager tried defending the villagers, and saying he would make sure they were well trained in the matter, then requested supplies be brought to the villagers in order to help them do so.
“I suppose they can have some older equipment from the guard, maybe a bulk purchase of a few bows from a local merchant. That would ultimately be cheaper than stationing a small militia of guards. Don’t you agree Dominus?” He posed this question to the druid, perhaps thinking a man who enjoyed such self-reliance would agree with him. In this situation, he was more right than he possibly could have guessed.
“Yes.” Said Dominus. “I think spending the extra money that would’ve gone to the guard would be more wisely spent on supplies for the villagers to defend themselves. And for training. My wife and I can hopefully track down any lingering demons from the dungeon’s first batch, and any newly summoned demons from whomever’s responsible. I can even provide healing to the villagers if they’re injured in any attacks, at least when we go to check on them.”
The lord of this town, who’s name escaped Dominik, smiled and quickly said. “Great. We don’t need to send any guards then. Does your wife happen to be skilled at archery?”
Dominus looked at his wife, and she responded. “Yes, I have practiced archery, though mostly as a hobby for several decades. I’ve also practiced a bit of sword fighting.”
When she finished speaking Dominus answered for himself, guessing where this was most likely going. “I’ve mostly practiced melee combat myself, mainly blunt weaponry, but I’m proficient with anything from axes to spears myself as well.”
The lord’s smile broadened. He was glad they were on the same page. “Amazing, then while you’re there, could you perhaps help teach them how to defend themselves as well? I’m sure a few pointers and some practice would suffice. And I can pay you both for your time of course. I’d simply like to keep most guards and such protecting the town. For the greater good of course, I’m sure you understand.” He said this last part while looking at the guild manager.
“Of course.” Said the guild manager, with a forced smile.
“We’d be happy to spend a day or two near the village training them, and we’ll check in as needed.” Said Dominik. “Though hopefully we can take care of everything ourselves, and they won’t need to defend themselves from anymore demon attacks.”
“Then it’s all settled.” Said the lord. “I’ll send supplies along with you, and of course some workers to bring the supplies, I’ll pay the two of you for your work, and the guild manager can pay you for any demons slay. Would you be willing to go toward the village the day after tomorrow?””
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“That sounds fine.” Said Dominik. “We’ll just spend today and tomorrow getting some supplies. We can come back here when we’re ready to leave the town.”
“Excellent. I’ll have my servants bring your pay before you leave so you can be well equipped. And thank you again for bringing the tags. I’m sure the royal family will be most pleased to have them, or at least to know.”
Dominik and his wife agreed, and the guild manager along with his assistant said a few niceties as they left with them. They returned to the parlor and waited. “Are you sure this will be enough?” Asked the guild leader.
“I’m sure it will be, my wife and I were serious about taking care of this ourselves, or else we wouldn’t have come back to help at all.” Said Dominus.
He continued. “As long as the supplies are of good quality. They should only need some weapons to defend themselves from a few of the stragglers when we aren’t there. I’m sure the villagers being able to defend themselves will be more useful in the long term too.”
The guild manager relented. “I suppose you’re right. You were only suggesting the guard when you were going to leave it up to the town right? I’ll trust your judgment. But I’ll make sure to inspect everything bright and early before they send you to the village.”
“Do you distrust the lord of this town?” Freya asked, the question somewhat surprising the guild manager and his assistant.
After a pause, and a look around, he finally answered in a quiet voice. “It’s not necessarily that I don’t trust him, it’s just that I think he’ll prioritize protecting this town, and himself, more than protecting some small village. News of the permanent dungeon and a possible cult of demon summoners near the town might convince him to save everything for the town. But if he’s not going to spare any men, he could at least make sure the villagers are well supplied to defend themselves.”
“Alright.” Said Dominus. “We’ll let you deal with details here then, and we’ll deal with the village. We’ll only come back to report on everything if something major happens.”
The guild manager seemed a bit apprehensive and said. “I know it would take time to come report, but it would be nice to be updated at least weekly, at least for the first few weeks, so we know everything’s still good out there.”
Dominik seemed apprehensive, not wanting to have to make the trip to the town and back so often, or at all if he wasn’t interested. He looked around the parlor and then said, in a low voice. “Don’t tell anyone, but I have some crows in my employ. I could write a note every week or so, and report on anything interesting.”
“That’s great.” Said the guild manager. “After you’re paid I’ll show you my office on the second floor. Just have your crows come up and tap on the window. They can sit on the patio if I’m not in for a while, I’ll make sure to check over the next few weeks.”
After a few more minutes, a servant came with a small bag of coins. It seemed like a fair payment to Dominik, not that he fully knew the value of these things. He hadn’t managed any expenses before. They went to the guild manager’s office, and he brought a few crows in through the window, pretending he was letting them familiarize themselves with the area. He wasn’t sure how deep a druid’s connection with their familiars was meant to be, so he’d rather make a show of it, in case they were more like animals the druid had trained. He thought he should perhaps read a book about druids. Or speak to one sometime.
For now though, he’d have to find a place for himself and Fran to stay the night, and they’d have to find a cobbler and a tailor, probably tomorrow considering the time, before they’d be let into any reputable shops. There was also the matter of dignity, and while it may match the druid persona he’d made, he was now a fairly wealthy druid.
“Let’s go try to find some clothes Freya, and if all the shops are closed, we’ll find a cheap place to sleep.” Said Dominik as they left the adventurer’s guild.
“Why a cheap inn, don’t we have enough money to stay somewhere decent?” She asked, sounding disappointed. Clearly she wasn’t happy with only sleeping on a bedroll in the dirt, in a cave, or out in the forest.
“Well if we don’t find some better clothes, I don’t think any better inns will let us stay the night.”
She sighed and relented. “I guess you’re right. Let’s see if someone’s willing to at least take our measurements now and start first thing tomorrow.”
They walked through the town. Dominik Had brought a few crows with them, and he used them to scout out the city. After a while, they found a few small shops, that were also residences, that were willing to take their measurements and start first thing tomorrow morning. A few people had been hesitant when they saw a dark elf enter, but they were more concerned with making ends meet than being enslaved by one woman and her human husband. They made sure to use their fake names for this. The prominently displayed tags they wore around their necks also seemed to put them at ease.
After that, they made their way to a cheap inn that wasn’t very busy. They didn’t seem to mind their disheveled state. They rented out a room with one bed, so as not to seem suspicious. It’s not as if Dominik’s avatar really needed to sleep anyway, and he could keep watch over her better if they stayed in the same room too. They went to a cheap restaurant and got something to eat, then went back to their room at the inn.
“Are you sure you don’t need to sleep?” Fran asked.
“Yes, this avatar can use food for partial fuel, but it mostly runs on mana. My main body doesn’t feel tired. I don’t know when it’ll need to sleep again, or why it does and doesn’t need to sleep. Maybe it mostly gains sustenance from the mana in the dungeon too. But I’m not sure about that. But I’m sure leaving you unattended in this city would be a bad idea. Many people would probably like to kill you, and others would just like to rob us.”
Fran seemed unbothered, and just yawned as she moved back the covers and laid down. “Well, just tell me if you do need sleep at some point, and I’ll keep watch.”
The night passed uneventfully however, and he simply made improvements to the structure of the dungeon, and had the troglodytes work on digging out more of the sixth floor. He had plans for it. He couldn’t let anyone get past the sixth floor, or ideally even survive if they got to the sixth floor. It would ruin his story about the first battalion of the royal guard being wiped out there. He’d wait to begin fleshcrafting until he could give his full, undivided attention to it in his main body.
Soon the morning had come, and Fran turned to her side to avoid the light filtering through the side of the curtain. He let her sleep in for as long as possible. They needed to do whatever they could to pass the time for now.
Eventually after meandering around town, purchasing some sewing supplies, and of course some bedding for Fran, their clothes were done. Dominik finally had a pair of socks and a pair of leather boots that fit him, and Fran likewise had a pair to replace her worn leather sandals, which she chose to keep. They gathered their new clothes by mid day, and stored the extras in a bag they had purchased. The clothes were simple, but they fit well.
Then they finally made it to a bookstore, with various books and scrolls on magic. He’d been against summoning demons for some reason, a lingering hatred he couldn’t quite remember from his past life. But he realized he wouldn’t even know how to summon those either, even if he wanted to.
Obviously though, nothing on summoning demons was available to the public, at least not at a shop run legitimately and available to the public, and any sort of inspectors. The practice of things such as demonology and necromancy were forbidden in most human civilizations, at least in the north. Only books on countering these things were available. Though this could give enough knowledge to him, so as to be able to summon them. At least, he thought it possible. He felt as if he only needed to know what he was reaching for in order to take it.
Buying books on the subject would even make sense for his story, because he’d told the guild manager about the demons, and said he was looking for the source of the demons in the forest. It would all make sense even if they tracked his movements and investigated him.
He bought the books on countering demons, rather than summoning them, and added them to the bag. More importantly, he found a book on arachnids, and books on various other animals he may be able to use in or around his dungeon. There wasn’t much to do with summoning in this bookstore, in a small town, even in the magic section. He supposed this town was only big to the villagers, who nearly lived in squalor.
He filled his bag with books, and had to carry his clothes instead. They went and purchased another bag. They also bought writing supplies, and a few large blank scrolls. Then they went to a much nicer inn, probably the nicest one in this town, and rented a large room for the night, though it was still day.
Dominik was eager to start reading, and Fran had purchased a few books on magic herself. The books were fairly expensive, and ate into the money they’d gained quite a bit, but Dominik thought it was worth it. He’d have to make a nice dry room at a decent temperature to store them in. He could even carve the bookshelves into the walls.
However as he kept reading about spiders, he was disappointed. Apparently it could take weeks for a spider to lay eggs after mating, then weeks for them to hatch, weeks for them to grow. Though he was shocked that some could live for around twenty years, some rare species have apparently been recorded as living up to forty years. This was hardly the constant generations he had expected, but perhaps it was better this way.
The more he continued to read about various animals, the more he considered the food required to feed these creatures. Demons, at least most demons, could mostly or entirely live off of mana, similar to how his avatar could. Some powerful demons, especially those with an affinity for magic, or simply especially large ones, as well as some rare species of animals he couldn’t recall, had mana crystals.
Mana crystals were generally small, and actually soft squishy round things inside the creatures, though firm enough not to break apart. They could be repaired, if damaged, by mana, so it was self-sustaining. He recalled reading much about these things related to dungeons, as these could be rare commodities, used in alchemy and even in creating jewelry. As, after the crystal was left outside the living creature’s body for long enough, especially if treated properly, it would harden like a crystal or a gem, and could store mana. Very popular with mages, especially those with low mana capacity. Though very expensive, especially for one able to store much mana, as to be useful for casting any number of spells.
What would happen if the creatures in his dungeon couldn’t get enough food? What would happen if the dodos and grubs couldn’t get enough food to eat? What do they even eat?
Dominik didn’t want to summon demons, and more importantly, he didn’t think he even knew how to summon them, even if he needed to, but he still needed the creatures of his dungeon to be able to live mostly, or entirely off of mana.
As of now, he may be slightly supplementing their energy reserves with it, but they couldn’t live off of mana alone. That might have been why the eldritch dungeon core was summoning so many demons, aside from the spiders at the entrance which were self-sustaining, and a few other creatures like the troglodytes. Which seemed at least intelligent enough to secure their own food supply and cultivate it in the cave. Though he did wonder where they got the dodos.
The troglodytes and the spiders might’ve been residents of the cave, or at least from the local area considering the large mountain it was sitting beneath. That might explain why the eldritch dungeon core didn’t have any interest in altering them. It might’ve only offered them a contract because they were already there, and it could see some use for them. Clearly they didn’t align with its strange vision though.
Rather than summoning demons, he just needed to evolve the creatures of the dungeon to be able to live off of mana, and to create at least a small mana core for the creatures, in case they ever needed to leave the dungeon, so as not to starve.
His soul regenerated and stored a massive amount of mana, and from what he felt of his main body, the many eyes all over it seemed to act as a sort of mana crystal too, allowing him to store a massive amount of mana. The dungeon itself permeated mana, the mana flowed through the earth into the dungeon on the bottom floor, right where the dungeon core had entered through a rift in the planes, where it had set up its room. But it couldn’t absorb all of it, and the mana continued to flow up and around the dungeon.
As long as he didn’t fill the dungeon with too many creatures that needed too much mana, which should be impossible, either the dungeon itself, or he himself, could provide the mana for their sustenance. For whatever food they required in addition to that, he could simply make the food sources survive on mana too. Plants, animals, everything could be a being capable of being sustained on mana. If he could only evolve them enough. He’d done it with his avatar, so it was possible.
Soon he focused on the dungeon again, and began altering the body and souls of the dodos, in order to be capable of living entirely off of mana. They would be nutritious piles of meat walking around on two legs, soaking in the mana from the dungeon. And they’d even produce a small mana crystal as well. Eventually.