The Dungeon of Eternal Embers' Point of View

Cole's flames danced as he watched Hazel sort through the new quest options and upgrades, a smile on her face so big that it made his flames feel even warmer. He was only trying to distract her from all that nonsense about becoming a monster therapist and never leaving the cafe, but seeing how much she enjoyed it made it hard to stay focused.

That was always his problem. When she was involved, it was like all reasonable thought disappeared and he did crazy things like give her every upgradeable option all at once.

Why did he keep doing things like that? She was just an adventurer, one of many who'd passed through the dungeon over the centuries. So why did everything she did make him want to help her? Whether it was a happy moment or a sad one, he kept paying far more attention to her than anyone else.

Like when he saw her toasting marshmallows without knowing what they tasted like himself, he'd given her a quest to make s'mores. Sure, it would help her level, especially since she'd need to make three different kinds of food for it, but he knew deep down that the only reason he'd done it was because he wanted to taste one. He wanted to be sitting by that fire with her, toasting marshmallows and playing with the fire slimes.

The urge was so powerful that it was overwhelming all other thoughts, which meant there was only one thing left to do: go talk to Dave.

He'd been gone for almost a week now, so surely he'd be ready to come back, right? There was nobody else who could talk reason to Cole like Dave could. Cole had checked in on him a few times during the week as he tried to be everything from an adventurer to a musician to losing a drinking contest at a tavern, but now he seemed to be sitting on top of a deserted mountain all by himself. Dave hated the outdoors, so why was he on a mountain?

Getting in touch with his inner goat, maybe?

Whatever the reason, Cole would need his human form to go talk to the satyr. He calmed his flames until they were just a flicker above the coal, letting himself switch over the avatar form. He kept a link to the core chamber, of course, and started the system on autopilot. It would have to do for now, as long as Hazel didn't ask it anything weird this time.

Cole blinked, adjusting to the new human vision. Glass surrounded him on all sides, the magical box he'd created to keep the avatar healthy. He moved his hand slowly, the muscles stiff, and opened it. He stretched his legs and arms, moving everything to get it back into proper working order. Human bodies required a lot more maintenance than fire, but he supposed it was worth it. With a sigh, he grabbed the dungeon keys and opened a door to floor 72 where Dave was.

This was the second time he'd experienced a slide and it was just as exhilarating as the first. Honestly, why anyone used stairs was a mystery when they could be flying through tunnels three times faster! When he shot out the other end, he landed softly on the rocky ground a few paces away from a pool of water. Steam curled through the air and lanterns rested on the surrounding rocks, lighting a hot spring in a warm glow.

Dave sat in the water, head tilted back and arms resting on the outer edge, not even noticing Cole had showed up. Usually, he was a lot more attentive than that, but today he seemed to be completely relaxed. He even had a drink floating on a wooden tray along with some snacks.

"You really took this vacation thing seriously," Cole said, dipping his hand in the water. "You're so relaxed a Solhorn could sneak up on you and you wouldn't even notice."

"My Lord??" Dave lurched forward, splashing water everywhere and almost tipping over his drink. "What are you doing here? Do you need something?"

Cole nudged the floating tray back toward Dave. Maybe now wasn't the best time to bring up his concerns about Hazel. He should let Dave rest and experience life outside of running the dungeon. But, what was he going to do about this on his own? Stop giving Hazel any cool quests? Give her more quests? Change her class entirely so she had to fight? He grimaced. That was the worst option he'd thought of yet.

Dave leaned back against the rocky mountainside again. "This is about Hazel, isn't it?"

"How'd you know?" Cole's eyes widened. "I mean, no, of course it's not. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"If that was true, you'd have joined me in the hot spring instead of standing there awkwardly."

Cole frowned, staring at the water. "When did we even build a hot spring here anyway? What purpose would it serve?"

Dave took a long drink from the glass next to him. "I added it for background scenery when you were building the boulder run. Figured it couldn't hurt to have random things for people to find. Plus, hot springs are nice." He slipped deeper into the warm water with a sigh. "Very nice. You should really add more of them. An entire floor maybe."

"So even more people can sit and be lazy instead of trying to get out of here?" Cole shook his head, but removed his layers of clothing anyway. If Dave liked a place like this, then there had to be something interesting about it and Cole might as well find out while he had the chance. He wouldn't get to explore in this form often.

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Steam rose from the water like fog, reaching out for him in wispy tendrils. The water was verging on hot as he stepped in, sinking beneath the water until it lapped against his shoulders. It reminded him of his flames, warm and comforting, seeping into every stiff muscle. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips. Maybe Dave's idea of an entire hot springs floor wasn't so crazy after all. Warriors needed a place to relax and ease their aching muscles, right?

"See? I knew you'd like it." Dave took a drink, frowning at the glass. "Honestly, you really should upgrade how things taste around here too. This alcohol might give a buzz, but it tastes terrible."

Cole nodded absently, still lost in the warmth of the hot springs. Hazel would probably love this, but it would take a while for her to make it to this floor. Especially when she was avoiding leaving the cafe entirely...

Dave sighed. "Okay, spill it already. What did she break this time? You keep giving these intense looks and she's the only one who brings out that kind of response in you."

"She wants to be a monster therapist," he mumbled.

Dave leaned forward. "A what?"

"Monster therapist!"

Dave choked on his drink, sputtering. "Oh yeah? That's interesting."

"I'm pretty sure it was a joke." Cole sank even further into the water. "But I honestly can't tell for sure at this point."

"Anything else?" Dave asked far too politely, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Um, she said the dungeon sucks." His voice was barely above a whisper and his face burned bright red. He tucked a strand of long black hair behind his ear, sitting up straighter. "She hates it here, okay? It's why she keeps breaking things."

"Are you sure? I thought you liked it when she breaks things?" Dave took another sip of his drink and poured one for Cole too. "You said it was entertaining, right?"

Cole drank the alcohol quickly, coughing as it burned down his throat. "Ugh, that really is awful. Why are you drinking this?"

"I needed a distraction." Dave gazed out at the valley below from their perch high up the mountain. "I'm sorry about what she said, but I can't help you right now. I need to figure some things out first."

"Of course." Cole nodded and they sat in silence as he fidgeted with the glass, the floating tray, and anything else in reach. Eventually he sighed. "But she thinks I suck!"

Dave's shoulders shook in silent laughter as he waved his hand back and forth. "Sorry, I don't mean to laugh. I just can't believe you're this worried about it. You're really head over heels for that woman, aren't you?"

"I'm what?" Cole lifted his foot up, staring at his heel. "My head is always above my heels."

Dave rubbed a damp hand over his face. "Just let her level up and get out of here. Once she's gone, she'll take all her weird ideas with her."

"That's the problem: her ideas are spreading." Cole shifted closer, as if this had to be whispered instead of spoken out loud. "Fiona hasn't level in weeks. First she was blacksmithing and now she's at the cafe just helping out. And then there's Marvin." He said his name with such disgust that Dave glanced over at him. "Marvin's that adventurer who's been too scared to leave the safe zone. Well, now he's stuck at Hazel's cafe, still not leveling there either. He's just training poorly and making her take pity on him and turn on me." Dave's mouth formed a silent O as Cole continued. "They're all just baking and gardening and having fun. None of them are focused! I'm worried that even after Hazel leaves, her relaxed vibe will remain."

Dave scratched his horns. "Um, are you sure you're not just, well, jealous of this Marvin fellow?"

"Jealous?" Cole scoffed. "I'm a dungeon. What's there to be jealous of?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing." Dave cleared his throat, taking another big drink. "Okay, so it sounds like you need a plan. To remove Marvin from the equation."

"Exactly! Hazel was perfectly fine before he came along." Cole rubbed his chin, thinking. "But what do we do? I can't exactly send him away, he's too afraid to fight. So what else is there?" He contemplated for a while, before the lightbulb went off. "Maybe I should give him a new class too! Something that will keep him motivated without needing to fight."

Dave groaned. "You can't be serious. You know Hazel's the one breaking the dungeon, right? Not Marvin?"

"Doesn't matter. This is a good plan." Cole stood up, water dripping off him as he reached for his clothes. "Once Marvin gets a class he enjoys, he'll work hard, stop moping, and be out of her cafe in a few days. It's perfect."

"Perfect. Right." Dave finished the bottle of alcohol. "I'm sure it won't backfire at all either."

Cole turned back to the satyr, shaking his head. "You worry too much for somebody who's on vacation. Stay here and rest up. I'll take care of everything."

"Somehow, that doesn't reassure me." Dave winced, but stayed where he was. "Fine. I'll let you handle things. But come find me if you need help. I really don't mind coming back if you need me."

"You've already helped more than enough." Cole opened a door back to the core chamber. "Until next time."

Dave sighed, muttering. "Better not give me credit for any of this."

Cole grinned. The satyr was always so worried about everything, but for once, he wasn't following along to make sure Cole handled things properly. He really was trying to relax and explore the dungeon as a normal guy, not an NPC. That made all the extra work Cole had been doing lately more than worth it.

Now, onto the bigger question: how should he go about changing Marvin's class? He'd done it for Hazel because she picked the wrong item off the weapons' table and it had only seemed fair, but Marvin was an entirely different story. He was already a warrior, so now he was just going to be a...what? A slime gardener? Hmmm...Cole would need to think on that for a while and make sure he could pull this off before trying it out. He didn't want another dungeon-breaking class like Hazel's after all.

No matter how much fun she was to watch, her class was too dangerous. If the dungeon got too unbalanced, the gods might stop by to check on it. And if that happened, they'd want to know what was causing the imbalance. He couldn't let them notice her. She just had to keep leveling up and leave the dungeon, safe and sound. That was the best outcome for everyone.

Plus, maybe if he did change Marvin's class, Hazel wouldn't think he sucked so much anymore. Maybe she'd think he was nice. Helpful even, like before. This would all work out, he could just feel it.

She just had to trust the system.

Trust him.