It had been almost a week since Maker started the construction of her castle. She had moved the lake-cave and Fanv’s cave into the planned positions and turned the tunnels connecting them smoother and straighter. The formerly uneven walls now looked like large bricks with hints of moss in between them. Pillars and alcoves adorned with carvings hid the many rodent tunnels. Holes which could be viewed as tasteful decorations. Holes that were hidden behind pillars and turns in the tunnels. It took a lot of concentration but as a result, the rodents would still be able to quickly appear ‘out of the walls’ as they had before. In some places, she had made the tunnels look more wore down, with cracks in the walls and tree branches and roots sprouting out of the walls, ground, and ceiling. The gray bark and black, glistening leaves moved peacefully as an invisible breeze rustled through them.

At first, she had tried to create torches to light up the tunnel, but keeping them lit was a problem. She could use her own mana as fuel to keep the fires burning but that seemed like a waste considering how many fires she would need to light up the dark corridors.

After much tinkering and experimenting, she'd instead managed to create a plant that looked very much like the Bloodclovers. These new plants that she had named Torchweed sported blue flowers that were constantly in bloom. They worked kind of like the Glowshells in how they gained nutrients. They were magical in nature and had an affinity for light while a certain ability let them absorb the opposite element to create their own element. The darker a cave, the brighter the Torchweeds would glow. The nearby Glowshells hadn't liked the new plants one bit since they had to compete with them for the darkness they craved. They had moved further into the cave system with angry grunts and hissing.

The tunnels lit up by the Torchweeds made one feel as if they were underwater. The soft blue light that moved every time the wind rustled through the flowers made the many shadows flicker like something alive. The creatures didn't mind at all though since their dark vision let them see through the shadows. They barely needed the light, to begin with. It was more of a friendly gesture towards future intrud- visitors to let them see in the dungeon.

Maker sighed, changing the dungeon layout like this was exhausting and required a lot of mana. Since her dungeon was so big she had no trouble generating mana and her reservoir was nowhere near empty but draining it too quickly made her feel tired and slowed down her thoughts. All living things produce a sort of energy that drifts into the air as they do their living thing. As a dungeon, she could absorb said energy and transform it into mana, the necessary fuel for most kinds of magic as well as nearly all a dungeon's abilities.

Maker viewed her work and nodded to no one in particular. It was time for a break. She could sense Fanv and her group hunting somewhere in the tunnels. A frightened Deear were running at top speed from them. To her amusement, she noticed that the human Mikvel was participating in the hunt as well. He was sneaking around Sam, repairing and reinforcing the many nets Fanv's noisy group were trying to chase their prey into. That boy seemed to attract mana, the invisible energy swirled around him wherever he walked without anyone but Maker noticing. Perhaps she could teach him to use it somehow? It was an interesting idea. Learning magic could affect his race to some degree depending on the type of magic he would use. If lucky he would change enough for her to claim him as a creature, he certainly seemed like he would like to stay in her dungeon after all.

She pondered the idea as she made her way through the newly decorated tunnels. The lake-cave was as stunning as ever when she entered. Small rings of vibrations appeared and grew as she leaped and landed on the water surface. The dungeon core skipped along the surface as if she were weightless. When she reached the middle of the lake she spun around elegantly and sat down cross-legged.

The Frightcrows were already descending as she bent her head upwards. They greeted her as they orbited around her, asking about the current state of the dungeon, what she had done today, and if they could help her somehow. She smiled at them and answered each one of them. To anyone else, keeping track of the flying birds and who were saying what would be close to impossible. A dungeon lord had no such problem though, as she had a bond to each one of them and could with ease observe every single creature within her territory.

There is one thing you all could help me with.

"Tell us!"

"We will help, Mother!"

"Tell us, Mother!"

"We shall help in any way we can!"

Maker giggled at their eagerness. They were such good creatures, so kind and helpful.

As you might know, we are establishing a kingdom to get on friendly terms with the Outsiders. If we are friendly with them then they will not invade us.

"How wise!"

"As expected of Mother!"

"How wise indeed! Such a good plan!"

And one thing all kingdoms have is a name. I have some ideas but I want to hear some opinions and suggestions from my beloved creatures.

"A name huh, a grand name we need."

"Yes, yes, names are proof of one's might!"

"I have chosen a name for myself! I am Red!"

"What a dull name!"

"How simple!"

"Silence! Red is the color of blood! It is the color of life!"

Now now, do not be mean to each other. Red is a wonderful name. Do you have a suggestion for a kingdom's name, Red?

"Indeed I do! Rema is a pretty name!"

"It is! It is! But I have a better one! Lycaea!"

"Does that not remind us of the Queen of rats?"

"But Mother likes the Queen of rats, so where is the problem?"

"Does she not like us as well?"

"This makes me sad..."

I love all my creatures! There is no need to be jealous!

"So she says!"

"How foolish of us to doubt our Mother!"

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"In that case, why not call our kingdom Ravenhome?"

"How simple..."

"Are we not crows? Fright crows we are! Though this is our home so I give you that."

The birds kept on chattering back and forth. They did indeed have many nice suggestions. After awhile Maker rose and said her goodbyes to the birds. They followed her to the edge of the lake and thanked her for paying them a visit. Such nice birds they were.

Maker didn't feel like starting to work just yet so she decided to go around and visit all her creatures. The ones who had been content with their simple life and lack of sentience required little more than a pat and a few friendly words. A Glowshell asked her to remove a thorn from between its toes and thanked her happily afterward before going back to sleep. A female Deear and her fawn snuggled a bit with her before continuing their search for edible moss and roots.

It was nice to spend time with the simpler creatures every now and then. A small group of rodents who weren't participating in the hunt was lazing around in a cave full of fungus and roots. They cheered and jumped as Maker entered and sat down in their midst.

They told her about the many things they'd eaten and who had gotten kids or who had died lately. When asked about the name of the kingdom they all spoke at once in their excitement. Unlike the crows, they praised any suggestion no matter how silly or strange it sounded.

Just like the crows some of them had chosen names for themselves and they introduced themselves to Maker with puffed out chests and proud smiles.

A vole calling itself Dumn suggested the kingdom be named Friendshipwood and was met with applause for coming up with such an easy to understand name. The way it clearly stated that they were friendly and not at all intended to eat the humans would surely be a good thing.

A squirrel named Mufra suggested the name Holy hole, after how the dungeon entrance looked like a hole in the ground. Holy, was just a word that humans respected for some unknown reason so it would surely be good to have in the name. The others nodded in agreement.

A newly evolved Imp named Ifrit wanted the kingdom to be called Hel, in case a friendly name would not work and they needed a frightening name that spoke of their power and spookiness. When asked why 'Hel' and not 'Hell' it claimed that Hell was already a claimed name although no one knew where it was. Stealing the name of a kingdom that had such a frightening name didn't sound like a good idea at all they agreed.

Maker pondered the many names and came to the conclusion that while they were cool there was still something missing. She thanked the rodents and went to visit the Bansheep. The discussion with the Bansheep went rather quickly since most of them were not present. The ones who were present had chosen to not help with the hunt since 'their glorious leader Dessi could handle it'. Their suggestions were not very creative. 'Maker's kingdom', 'Dessi's kingdom', 'Makertown', 'Dessitown', 'Maker's kingdom AND town'. The one who suggested 'Makerdessi' was met with outrage, mostly cause the others were jealous of the one who came up with that idea first. Maker nodded and thought about it. Then she left with the excuse that she needed to finish something before the goats could start an all out brawl over who was the most creative goat.

Her last stop was in the deepest part of the dungeon, where stone gave way to a gray waxy material. Creatures as big as a grown human climbed the walls and ceiling and watched her silently as she made her way through their tunnels into the innermost chamber.

The workers, as they called themselves, were a sort of combination of ants and bumblebees. The guards were bigger variants of the workers and sported scythelike appendages to handle intruders or unruly prey. The heartchamber were home to their leader, a massive creature the size of a small house.

Her bloated body was covered in a dark golden pelt of fur and 6 long antennae covered her forehead like a crown. Her humanlike face had an unnaturally wide mouth filled with tiny needle-like teeth and an absurd amount of eyes. Her head was framed by a thick mane of black fur and many thin limbs ended by black skeletal hands held her body steady as she rested, not that she would ever rise from her spot.

Maker had given her the name Una. Una smiled as she noticed the dungeon core walking into her chamber. She spoke with a deep, silky voice that seemed to echo in the large room.

"Greetings Mother. It has been awhile."

Indeed it has Una. How have you been?

"I am well, my children take great care of me and our hive grow every day. What brings you here?"

Just here to chat with an old friend.

"Things are getting noisy up there. The newcomer has brought us many nice things I hear. I remember when your mind was as simple as mine. When we desired nothing more than for our children to live well and for our home to grow and stay safe. Now you stand before me with a new form and new dreams. I am proud of what you have become."

Maker smiled at the Queen Bumbleant. It felt like forever since her mind expanded and she first learned words. To think that her oldest creature would have lived for long enough to experience being sentient. She was truly thankful to Fanv for appearing when she did.

It is as you say, Una. The wolf who stumbled into our home has brought us a boost in strength that would have taken us years to achieve. She has also brought us new ideas and methods of how to survive. We are going to make the dungeon into a kingdom to make it possible to gain an alliance with the humans who live near us.

"So that is what you have been up to. I was wondering why you would so suddenly change the look and layout of the dungeon. It is a good idea. The sentient races rule most of the world and just like us, they expand their territories every day. Meeting them is inevitable, so we might as well try to make the best of it. They rival us in strength and while we would have fought them out of instinct before, we now have the intelligence to strike a truce or even form a partnership. Just like the Bansheep and the Visvarg have allied themselves despite their differences."

Indeed. It surprised me when the Bansheep's leader Dessi proposed the partnership. Her kin doubted it at first but now they hunt and eat side by side.

Una's monstrous body moved as she nodded in agreement.

Back to the subject. We need a name for our kingdom and while the suggestions I have gotten so far are nice and fitting, there is something missing... 

Maker then gave Una a summary of what she had done during the day and what the others had said. The Bumbleant nodded and commented some things, laughing along with Maker at some of the sillier scenarios. When Maker finished her story the Queen moved slightly, making the walls rumble as she made herself more comfortable. She gave Maker a serious look and then said in a sage-like voice.

"How about Mageon? A word-play of Maker and dungeon?"

It would seem the eldest and most dignified creature in the dungeon shared Maker's love for puns. Maker stared at her for a second then jumped and clapped her hands in delight.

That is it! A name that sounds mysterious and real yet has a pun in it. I love it!

"I thought you would like it. Another thing I want to bring up though: maybe you should tone down the strange names for your creatures a bit?"

What do you mean? Why?

"From the reports, my children have given me regarding the human and Visvarg's behavior I have come to a conclusion. Humans feel safer around things the recognize. Take the Dryadess for example. Her kin is dangerous and frightening. A human that sees her for the first time will fear her not only because of her looks but also because her name tells it she's a creature it has never heard of before. If she had been called a Satyr or Faun then the human might have felt a less scared since it has heard of those creatures before. Humans fear the unknown so something as simple as a name can have a big impact on them."

I see... I did not think about that. We do not want to scare our future visitors so it might be a good idea to use already known names for their races.

"Some creatures you can keep the same since they are unique and new. The Visvarg for example. She is the first of her kind since werewolves rarely if ever evolve. They are too closely related to the sentient races, their bodies are not made to evolve like we do. The one you call Fanv is an exception, a mutation, a remnant from the past perhaps."

That would explain why she was in so much pain when I claimed her and altered her body the first time... Yes, naming everything was perhaps a bit much, since most creatures are just imitations of the ones I have been told about.

"Indeed."

You always give such good advice, Una. I am glad you are still alive.

"So am I, Mother. I have a feeling my expanded lifespan is a result of your own evolution. Although your kind does not evolve the same way we do, the changes are still notable enough for the alert to notice."

Hehe, so I have evolved huh. Ah, I should probably go back to work. Need to finish the changes to we are ready to send out our first group to greet the humans. First impressions are important after all, and we do not want them to think lightly of us.

"Good luck. Thank you for visiting me."

Same to you, Una.