> Dungeon Status:

>

> Tier 1

> Level 2/10

>

> Heart 6400/6400

> Experience 100/1600

> Workers 5/15

> Monsters 0/16+1

> Traps 26/25+4

> Rooms 43

> Food 400

> Timber 1403

> Iron 1014

> Steel 0

> Charcoal 0

> Mana 50

> Rock 1647

> Gold 2000

> Leather 455

> Leather Sludge 300

> Lava 51

> Glass 800

> Explosive Runes 10

> Triggered Explosive Runes 8

>

> Quest: Have 10 minions in your dungeon

> Quest: Get 10,000 gold

Travis liked this way better. Robert and Blake were discussing science and dungeon life, and it seemed like the young man was interested in joining them. The only thing that worried him, as always, was that last little reveal. Oh, by the way, staying here means you become a kobold too. Which could lead to: Yeah, no thanks. I'll be fine heading out with your greatest secret, though, right?

Pondering it more, he wondered if there needed to be some kind of apprenticeship. A way for potential recruits to ease into dungeon life without getting all the details dropped on them. "Pen, do you think it would be a good idea to offer non-prisoner recruits an apprenticeship in the dungeon? So lodgings and wages to work here, then once we trust them we could tell them about the kobolding process and—Oh, you're still busy."

Penelope was still giving the guided tour, using hand signals to position Fife, Brayden, and Jack in front of any doors they didn't want the inspectors looking in. "Now, there's one place you're going to want to inspect, but I warn you not to get too close or use any magic on the heart when we enter the room."

Even Travis stopped what he was planning and waited as Penelope unlocked the hidden door in the rock wall and opened it into his heart room. He felt every single kobold's attention shift as Fife stepped into the room. It was a new instinct he had no idea how to control. "It's okay, everyone. Sorry, I'm a bit nervous about having so many in the room with me."

Fife marched right over to Travis' heart and drew her sword—then about-faced right as he was about to go full panic attack. "Just a reminder, we've been hired to make sure things go smoothly—but we were hired by the kobolds." She then used her sword to strike some sparks on the floor of the heart room, two feet from the heart. "And see how far this is away from this here heart? That's as close as you get."

"That goes for the mana manipulator there," Penelope was quick to add, pointing at the glowing blue crystal that sat on its own pedestal beside the heart.

"As my fellow employee said, this is all to make sure your inspection is both safe and goes expediently. We don't want misunderstandings." Brayden gestured around the room. "As you can see, no monsters rushing to attack us, no traps. The dungeon is far more interested in financial and physical growth than luring people to their doom."

It was hard to break his focus from what was going on in his heart room. It was literally his most vulnerable place and any non-dungeon creatures in there made his tunnels itch. But, he had to let Robert know his idea. "Robert, if he wants to work here, offer him a week trial. He can live in some quarters down here. Maybe I'll convert the old donkey room."

Robert coughed halfway through speaking and quickly recovered. "If you'd like to help plan this place, we do have a position vacant. The dungeon likes designing, but has a lot of work to do and some specific requirements. There'd have to be a week trial period—you understand we can't just let anyone see the whole place, but we have the upper floor we need designed."

"Really? I—I'd have to let everyone know. They would be worried if I just disappear in here." Blake paused and laughed. "Like I am right now. I wonder if they even noticed I was gone?"

Figuring it was a good time to reunite the group, Travis said, "They haven't. You could probably wander in, though, they're arguing with Fife about getting to see the sleeping quarters."

"Let's head back to the group. We can let everyone know the plan from there. They're in the heart room at the moment." Robert walked to the door of his lab and opened it into the tunnels of the dungeon. Producing a light stick, he gave the end a twist and activated the chemicals within.

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Showing the group of inspectors out, Penelope couldn't hold back her smug grin. They'd argued so much about the sleeping quarters, that when she'd eventually shown them—they hadn't so much as looked for the library or alchemy lab. It was a small victory, but it was a victory. "So," she said as they neared the entrance, "as you could see from our dungeon, we're not planning anything that would breach the conditions of the protection."

"Yes, yes. Everything looks in order. If you are willing to follow the terms, I'm sure you, Northridge, and the kingdom will all benefit. Strange as it's been, I approve of this business relationship. It's a shame more dungeons aren't willing to align themselves with good, honest capitalism." About to step outside, Fey Drexler, the accountant in charge of the investigation, paused. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted their map maker talking to one of the kobolds. "Mr. Blake?"

"With my job complete here, I've been offered a position working for the dungeon. They have a floor here they need to build-out, and more human-scale facilities they want to install. I think—No, I know this is something I would prefer to do. Here are the maps I've made of this dungeon." It had been a struggle to say. Blake had been nervous about their reaction to his choice, but as he held out the papers he'd drawn up Fey gave him a thin-lipped smile.

It was odd to hear of a dungeon hiring people to work in it, but Fey could feel nothing but pride that a dungeon had found the correct way to do business. "Of course, Mr. Blake. The remainder of your pay will be left with the local bank or money-changer. I'll deal with the paperwork myself."

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His heart beating fast, Blake watched the group of inspectors leave the dungeon without another glance backwards.

"Hey, so they have a new ko—" Fife froze as Penelope put an arm around her shoulder and tapped out a pattern she knew. Adventurers had more than just verbal communication—when things needed quiet, they could use gestures and a series of tapping motions to pass messages. What she got from the sharpened talons of Penelope was quiet.

"Blake, you can either stay up here behind the hidden doors or you can live in the lower section." Penelope drew her arm back from Fife, glad she stopped her before the secret was blurted out. "The only problem with the lower section would be you'd have to wait for one of us to open a tunnel any time you want to leave or enter."

"What's the going rate for a cartographer?" Penelope asked.

It was a stiff reminder to Blake that he wasn't going to be doing the job just because he enjoyed it. "Uh, it's about—"

"A gold a day," Robert said. "Right?"

Penelope was going to argue, but then she remembered that at worst, he'd be working for seven days and that was it. She nodded. "Sounds agreeable. Okay, I want you working with Ludmiller. She helped design the maze we have already, and picked out where to add the explosives to it."

"A maze is good, but I think there's something you're missing. People like mazes. What you want is something utterly boring and annoyingly mind-numbing." Blake was already imagining what he could do. "How far can you dig in here? How long in each direction have you managed?"

Poking her head around the corner that led to the bar, Ludmiller focused in on the conversation, listening to Blake's questions. "I don't think we've tried doing that yet. The problem is that we need to store all the stone we dig out. Uh, right?"

Looking at Robert, Blake got a nod. "Okay, so how much stone do you have stored?"

"Almost 2000. And don't ask how big or small one stone is." Penelope pointed back toward the bar and started walking. "One stone is what you get when you dig out around ten cubic feet of rock. It's also what Katelyn uses to make one explosive rune." She sighed. "Dungeons are weird."

"So if you have so much trouble storing it, why don't you get her to make the rune stone, not scribe it, and then just drop a thousand of them in a tunnel you don't use?" Blake asked. When all the kobolds around him were silent, Blake gave a nervous laugh. "A drink sounds good right now."

Putting her arm around Blake's shoulders, Fife let out a laugh. "Come on in. I am not sure where the drinks come from, but they're free for employees."

----------------------------------------

Travis had let his employees enjoy themselves. That was part of what he was trying to do, and them wiping out after a tense day was just perfect for it in his book. But, as most of them were all fall-down-drunk, the big feline-kin stepped into the dungeon.

It had taken Wild some time to travel back to the dungeon and to locate it. He hadn't asked around town, of course, because he didn't like speaking. He fought several roving monsters to reach the kobold dungeon, and when he stepped inside it looked different. The huge, long tunnel was there, but so was a side tunnel.

"Pen? Robert? Ludmiller? Agghh! Anyone?!" Travis shouted.

Katelyn, deep asleep, didn't wake to the shouting, nor did Stephan who was sleeping just one room over from her. It was maddening to Travis, but then Fife roused and turned to the doorway just as the huge guy walked in. "Who're you?"

Narrowing his eyes, Wild glared around at the kobolds in the room. Reaching to his sides, he drew the big, dark axes. "Where Luddy?"

Fife was having a moment where adrenaline was sobering her rapidly. She had regrets, like having taken off her armor to arm-wrestle Penelope, or leaving her shield propped against the wall ten feet away—working for Travis and getting drunk, though, were not among them. "Hey, big guy, why don't we just calm down?" She recognized his stance and type, he was all offense and only agility for defense. If she had her shield, she could wear someone like this down. If she had her armor, she could do it with style.

Drawing her sword, Fife put herself between the slowly-rousing kobolds and the monster of an adventurer, turning slightly to the side to fence. "Normally I'd wipe the floor with—Whoa, are those dark adamantine?" She cursed both aloud and in her head.

Wild rushed at Fife, one big axe out to deflect her blade while he brought the other around at head height. Silent, he had nothing to say to one celebrating the death of his friend.

Drawing her blade back from the strike meant to knock it aside, Fife managed to angle her weapon and knock the second axe high—while ducking a little for good measure. There was too much around her, though, for fencing to work. She needed room to dance around the huge guy, and he already proved he knew how to use his weapons.

"Wild?" Ludmiller reached a clawed hand up to rub at her face. "Hey, Wild, what are you doing?"

Grunting, Wild swung with both axes at the same time—one from each side—aiming them to cross over where Fife's arm was and where she'd have to move it if she wanted to strike him. Sure enough, as he swung, she drew back and gave ground. He repeated the move, eyes spotting weakness and body instantly acting to exploit it.

"You know this guy, Ludmiller?" Fife asked, using her sword defensively to try to deflect one axe into the path of the other. It would have worked if Wild was in any way capable of having his heavy weapons deflected.

"Wild! Stop fighting! It's me, Luddy!"

The words jolted Wild. Both arms were drawn aside and ready to give another swing that would force Fife over the back of a chair. "Luddy?" He turned and looked at Ludmiller, but didn't see the beautiful half-elf he'd always known. "Trick?"

Looking down at herself, Ludmiller sighed. "It's not a trick. What—" She smiled and let out a slow breath. "You taught me that more than sight or sound were useful in a dungeon. Smell was so much more than I ever thought it would be. That's what defeated me in here. The smell of that damn solvent in the sludge traps ruined my sense of smell. I didn't notice the metallic twang of the pit trap mechanism."

Wild's arms lowered as Ludmiller walked toward him. A kobold without weapons was not a threat to him at all. "Luddy lived?"

"Yeah. Kinda. My hearing was shot. They dragged me to town—Oh! You can't fight this dungeon, Wild. It's protected by the crown."

Fife walked over to the bar and around it. She'd spent only a little time behind bars, and it was mostly to spend some time with a barmaid or barkeep. She pulled out two mugs and set them under the keg of ale. "I am too sober for this shit. If someone finds my shield—Who am I kidding. That big guy will tear me apart even with my shield."

Walking to the bar, but sitting sideways so she can keep an eye on Wild and Ludmiller talking, Penelope reached out and took the second mug Fife had poured. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"So now you ask?" Travis' voice was at a pitch that even he could tell was approaching unhinged. "That was one of the adventurers in Ludmiller's party!"

"Oh shit." Penelope drank half the mug while looking over it at Wild, who had by now slipped his axes back into their homes at his sides. "One of her party members. Seems to have come alone, I think. Maybe they were something?"

"Never get with a party member, Pen. It doesn't work out. Things are fun for a while, but sooner or later they'll do something to make you regret it and you still have to be in a party with 'em." Fife matched Penelope.

[https://excessive.space/images/dungeon/Chapter%200034-floor1.jpg]

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