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The Guild Hall, Medea Island, Kalenic Sea

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"So," Layla stated. With her elbows on the desk and her raised palms flat against each other, she touched the tips of her index fingers to her lips. "It was much delayed, but you have given your report. You are once again allowed access to the dungeon. You should even be able to delve tomorrow. With the silvers leaving, we have breathing room before the next wave of guilders arrives." She stared across the table at the Gorge twins, Litan and Matha, who stood without a word and took their leave of her.

When they had left the guild building, she let out a breath, leaning back in her chair.

"The third-floor guardian... Felin, once you've finished transcribing, please send it off to the copiers." Layla asked her friend, who was still writing, "Make sure they pass on one to my aunt. They'll need it on their next delve." Felin grunted and nodded.

They sat in comfortable silence, broken only by Felin's quill scratching on the parchment. It was nice. Peaceful. How she wished for the peace of their first week on the island.

With a second grunt, Felin gathered his scribing tools. "See you for dinner?" He inquired. Layla nodded absently. Layla let her attention drift to her office window as he left the room. Not that she needed a window.

Beyond the useless portal, mana wound through the sky. It gathered in pools and eddies before eventually rejoining the river that poured into the cave on the beach. Compared to when she had first laid her eyes on it... The river was three times as thick and five times as fast as it had once been. No longer a mere stream. The free mana currents in the dungeon's air had been irrevocably changed.

Layla remembered the documentation she'd had delivered on dungeon mana-streams. Combined with her own experiences... At least 18 floors. However, depending on the number of enchantments and monster upkeep, that could vary. It might even be as low as 10. Layla shook her head. Even if that was the case, they weren't even a full third through the dungeon.

Worst case, this dungeon was dozens and dozens of floors deep but only activated defenses slowly. The warning at the entrance was indicative of a highly intelligent dungeon. She wasn't surprised it knew their language, though its mercy to those not out for the bounty was surprising.

Places described as highly hazardous and requiring a high level of finesse and awareness didn't react when others passed through. In particular, the third floor was so full of traps that it was responsible for more than half of the daily casualty numbers. It had been a few days, and trap locations became more well-known, but people still died or got caught out. The dungeon was becoming too dangerous for the silvers. The Golds were taking more casualties than ever. And the Platinums...

She'd received a letter earlier that morning from her grandfather, warning that at least half a dozen Platinum parties from all over the kingdom were on their way. And those were just the ones that advertised their destination. Another four had just left their accommodation in the early morning without a word to anyone.

There's no doubt about it. Layla was confident she would have one hell of a mess on her hands soon enough.

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The Dungeon, Medea Island, Kalenic Sea

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I watched my dungeon with diffuse attention, not particularly focusing on one point.

Guilders continued to be cut down by my traps, even if the number had decreased. Either they were getting better at identifying them beyond just location and placement, or there were a few parties now who have given up on the bounty. The traps no longer triggered for them. They're the smart ones, in my opinion.

Isid and Jerrad were currently on my third floor. They'd been one of the first parties in today and managed to kill four of the mini-bosses by midday. Not that it was only one miniboss these days. Invading parties faced an equal number of Kobold Hunters or Shaman plus 15%. So, less single combat and more party-vs-party. The fights were tough, especially for Golds, but Isid's party was too strong for mere kobolds to handle, just like the twins.

They killed the last minibosses and made their way directly to the boss room with purpose, obviously being informed of the entrance's location.

Well. It's now or never.

I focused on Mushu, preparing in the room off the arena. He was sitting before a symbol the Kobolds had decided represented me, praying. I still felt awkward about that. I wasn't a god, just a mana entity that had absolute control of them and their environment.

...Shit. I'm not even doing a good job convincing myself I'm not a god.

It's nearly time, Mushu. Are you prepared for the procedure?

The lizard bowed deeper, kowtowing before the altar and symbol. I am prepared, Creator.

Without hesitation, I began. I pulled mana from the drake-kin and infused it with my own. I focused on the intent I needed, and then with that now fat tendril still connected to the boss, I plugged the unattached end to the giant monster core set into the altar beneath the symbol. This was the product of very rapid prototyping and experimentation. I had never been attached to the first and second floor bosses, but Mushu was different. He was intelligent, thoughtful, and had his own mind. He was a reasoning creature. In my mind, he was as sapient as any human.

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The boss shuddered as the mana he had gathered flooded the new connection, filling the slightly glowing crystal. That glow grew brighter and brighter.

Soon the light was blinding. There was a great flash, and the glow settled down to a softer level. The Core was another experiment of mine. I'd take the core of a fallen Kobold and use mana to build upon the crystal, growing it far beyond its previous size.

I observed the now dormant connection, the thin line of mana now anchored securely to the manacore on one end and the other spreading out around Mushu like a net. I'll never have to worry about losing him again if it works right.

Mushu stood, collected his weapon, and strode to the exit. Soon he stood, resolute, before the door leading to the fourth floor. Spread around either side of him were his subordinates. Three lesser drake-kin warriors were outfitted in heavy armor forged by Tear. Another three lesser drake-kin shamans stood in robes reinforced with Moonsilver for better mana conductivity. A further Two were clad in leather plated in orichalcum. These two were Beast Tamers, each bonded to a duo of Chromatic Tigers. I'd buffed the Tigers a fair amount to make sure they could keep up with the other fighters. Their hide was now extremely tough, their teeth and claws plated with Mithril.

I had also boosted the Tiger's shadow magic. More than just blending in, as long as they were in a shadow, they were invisible to the naked eye, though Isid and others who can see mana won't be fooled. I made sure that there was only one light source in the room, an exceptionally bright mana-flame kept within a steadily rotating cage that kept the shadows moving and warping.

Where before the Third Floor Boss Arena had been a dirt-covered, brightly lit cavern, the change in the lighting made it something entirely different. I covered the dirt floor with extremely sharp obsidian shards and pointed upwards to stab anyone who fell. My Drake-kin could see perfectly, but a human would find the arena treacherous without assistance.

Now, I don't want to kill Isid or Jerrad. They're good people just trying to look out for their niece. Vena, however... She's still triggering traps. I want to make doubly sure she dies in this fight.

Perhaps... I'll have them target her, specifically. When she dies, I'll have the fighters back off. Have Mushu make a statement to them or something... Idly, I modify Mushu's vocal cords even to speak Phenocian.

The first down the slide was Jerrad, prepared for the drop and shield held high. He was surprised when he wasn't immediately attacked. He squinted through the barely-lit arena, staring at the glinting armor of the Drake-kin arrayed around the exit. They stood there glaring back, at the ready but not engaging. The four Chromatic Tigers were invisible and flanked the entrance. They were stood behind pillars flooded with mana to disguise themselves from Isid's sight. The rest of Jerrad's party followed. None of my monsters moved an inch. The last to enter was Vena. With coordinated precision, the four tigers leaped, their claws and teeth shredding the woman's relatively light armor.

The other guilders reacted quickly, driving off the tigers and shoving a potion down the bleeding woman's throat. When her wounds closed, I cursed.

Damn. I had hoped to get her with that initial attack.

The nine Drake-kin and four tigers spread out, surrounding the party of six. They were outnumbered and on the back foot, but this fight wouldn't be easy. The guilders were experienced and canny. I gave the order.

And the battle was joined.

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Outside the Dungeon, The Obsidian Beach, Medea Island

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With a flash, Isid appeared on the teleportation pad. She was joined in moments by her husband, her friend Lione and their other two remaining members. Isid was... conflicted. And concerned. They were rushed through the medical tent, their remaining injuries promptly healed. It was a gentle shake of her shoulder by her husband that brought her back from her contemplation.

They were now in her niece's office. Her niece was behind the desk, looking at her concerned, and the boy Felin was on a table off to the side, ready to take notes.

"Aunt Isid, if you would?" Layla asked gently. Isid took a deep breath and began her retelling.

"The Third Floor Guardian is as described by the Gorge twins, a large lizard monster with a heavily spiked mace. His attendants were lesser versions of the same, smaller and weaker. Less tough, but not by much. Three were mages. Another three were warriors. There were also four 'Tiger' monsters, seemingly directed by another two lizards. Initially, they didn't engage, waiting on the other side of the arena."

"That's another thing different." Jerrad interjected, "The room was dark, lit only by a single flame in a moving cage. It made the area ideal for the tigers. The floor was littered with extremely sharp rocks, which we learned very... painfully."

"The fight began when Vena entered." Isid continued smoothly, "She was the last one down the chute, and all the tigers attacked mid-drop, at once. They mauled her pretty badly, but she was put to rights after a high-potion. The fight was... brutal."

"The monsters were well-equipped, in armor of a design I've never seen," Harald added; Isid nodded.

"Everything they bore was made of very mana-heavy metals, at least one of which was Mirthil. Though there were another two metals. Their make-up was unique, and I'm confident I've never seen their like before." The room was quiet, as everyone took that in. After about ten seconds, Isid continued her rendition.

"The monsters outnumbered us and surrounded us. They kept us off-balance, never letting us have a moment to think or do more than defend against the next strike. I fought one clad in full armor. His sword was covered in a sheath of mana which reacted with my mana-blades. I believe the dungeon developed this as a direct response to the presence of people like us." She concluded, waving between her niece and herself.

"When Vena fell, a sword having struck her skull, the monsters backed off. It was off-putting to go from such an intense fight to a stand-off so suddenly. Lione checked on Vena, confirming her death. No healing potion could heal a woman with her skull split down the middle like that. Then... the Guardian stood forward and spoke to us."

" 'The Dungeon wished the one named Vena dead, and the deed is done. Leave. Now. Or face us in battle once again. If you return, we will not show mercy.' " Lione recited, gravely. Isid shuddered, remembering the hissing tone and inhuman aspect of the voice. Just the memory gave her chills.

"We left." She finished, "They outnumbered us and had already killed one of our own. One the dungeon was explicitly targeting. Thinking back, she did seem to trigger more traps than the rest of us. With the dungeon's warning... She must have held some wish to kill the dungeon, for the bounty or otherwise." She finished.

After her retelling, Layla asked them to expand on some details and then dismissed them. She called out as Isid approached the door.

"Be careful, Isid. I don't want to lose my favorite aunt." Isid turned back and flashed an amused smile at her niece.

"You've only got the one. Of course I'm your favorite."

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© Max Porteous, 2022