Reality shifted and warped as I left the internal Core view, returning to the outside world.

I dismissed the alert notifications straight away and opened my status screen.

Name

Bhaldor

Essence

77%

Race

Dungeon Core

CP

0(575) 6.3 phr

Level

5

Corruption

0%

Floors

5

Health

100%

"Looking better."

I have been waiting for my next level for the last few weeks, so I have taken more time from experimenting to concentrate on Core Refinement. Over the night, I used up all my CP to get the count to 10%, bumping my regeneration to 6.3 points per hour.

My essence level had been improving due to an influx of new adventurers who were both better levelled, and some were dumb enough not to listen to warnings. I found that odd, as they should have been smarter after reaching their level due to the attrition rate.

The fourth floor was attracting much more traffic. Webbing was now a sought-after resource and the town had new crafters who could convert it into cloth. This led to an increase in casualties, from which I was benefiting.

I checked the Dungeon and outside. All was well and dawn was near.

"Well, I timed that right."

Autumn had ended and winter was now here, as the ground, along with my surface structure, was covered in a thick layer of snow. I had not seen any adventurers in two days as a blizzard had blown through the valley, not allowing anyone sane to reach the Dungeon. I think that a few of the less sane had tried.

Larry had retreated deeper into the Dungeon as the temperature dropped. Across the surface buildings, I found frost and ice formed on surfaces. In some areas, icicles formed mainly near the windows even as they were shuttered. I was being forced to do much more repair work to the surface builds than usual. The walls and tiles were more robust as they were part of the Dungeon, but the weather conditions were wearing on them.

"Damn! I never seen it this cold before."

The air was heavy. I could see a few flakes of snow blowing through the shutters, floating through the air. It was still dark, but my Core sight made everything as clear as day and as I watched….

"What is that?"

I got a strangely familiar sense of something happening.

"Could it be? Activate Mana Sight."

My vision changed again as I looked around at the essence floating through the air. A mana node formed near one of the windows with the greatest ice concentration. It was a pale blue that bordered on white.

"Ice mana."

Several adventurers used ice magic and I knew the colour matched the items and spells. This left me with a choice that I had to make fast. Leave it to disperse naturally, or try to absorb it? I had one free bubble in my Core and if I filled it with Ice Mana, I would need to create more, which, in turn, would come with costs.

"Leave or take. Leave or take…. Who am I kidding!"

I opened my Core's hiding place just in case I needed to absorb it physically and reached out for the mana as it finally formed.

Alert!

Ice Mana discovered!

Mana Absorption is possible!

Do you wish to absorb Ice Mana and have it become your….

++ ERROR! ++

++ ERROR! ++

Absorption is impossible!

++ ERROR! ++

++ ERROR! ++

Ice Mana is absorbed and stored within Mana stone.

The feeling of cold briefly swept through my Core, which was quite a surprise.

"Open status screen. Bhaldor"

Only one section interested me.

Mana Stored

Illusion – 80(80) / 0.01 phr.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Shadow – 80(80) / 1.1 phr.

Light – 80(80)/ 0.1 phr.

Earth – 80(80)/ 0.5 phr.

Ice – 2(80)/ 0.012 phr.

"Well… that's almost as bad as Illusion for regeneration."

I was a bit disappointed at first, but I soon realised that while it was nice to have a new mana type, it would have no effect on my plans for the next floor. That regeneration was a killer.

"What to do?"

I thought it over and knew that I would have to create a mana stone to build up my reserve of this type of mana. I would wait a little longer for my CP to recover before doing this.

"The question is, do I create more storage places within me now so I can create mana stones?"

No, this was a question that demanded, I think, on it. I could just create new mana stones to store any new types in, but any adventurer who discovers my location might help themselves to those stones. I had four already made, which were storing additional mana. I would need to create a fifth to hold the ice mana just gained.

If I create more bubbles within my Core, I have a safe way to store mana and stable regeneration rates above those of mana stones. However, this comes with its own problems and possibly others I am not aware of in the future. The biggest would be the further loss of the ability to refine my Core.

I now have both in use, but I could be more discerning with my choices. I ignored the adventurers as I moved through the Dungeon. I mulled over all my options and what I needed to do.

The day wore on and night arrived. The adventurers and miners were all gone; I was procrastinating again. The night brought another blizzard, swirling around the surface buildings, rattling the shutters and doors. I was downstairs in my Core room looking at my Core. The black gem sat in its alcove with the sparkling lights of the five mana types within my Core. I knew what I was going to do.

I had regenerated some CP, and it was time to start. A new mana stone was added to the wall with the others; ice mana was placed within it. I would need to wait longer to do the next stage and create more bubbles to store additional mana types. I planned to make five more.

With this decision, I made the final choices for the sixth floor and what I planned for them. I knew I needed to be flexible as I could run into something unexpected while gaining control of the area. Experience has taught me that having a solid plan for a floor is a waste of time, but I found a general plan was better when creating the floor.

The basic layout, environment and minion type were ready to be implemented. I felt better that these were now in place, as they would make creating the floor a bit easier.

"Well, not much to do now but to wait…. I hate waiting."

## ## ## ## ##

Ranus was bundled up next to a fire in his private rooms. Outside, another blizzard had fallen on the town, shutting everything down for the night earlier than usual. This winter was far harsher than the last.

"I hope Strumass is not mad at us." He said to himself as he looked around the room, listening to the blizzard outside. "It might be a good idea to drop in on his temple and see what his mood is."

The thoughts on the weather had pulled his attention from the stack of vellum that seemed to be following him around these days. He was holding on and had been reading its words when he was briefly distracted.

Danrum had compiled an extensive report about the fallout of the adventurer raid on the hunter encampment. The Guild and Danrum interviewed Gran and his team. Little was gathered from the site as the missing third high Pathed woman disappeared with what documentation was present. A description was given and passed out to the surrounding communities. Ranus held little hope of successfully identifying her.

Hexus visited Ranus and publicly stated that his temple had no knowledge or connection to the hunters and that he would assist wherever he could. Ranus had thanked him for his support and words, Danrum was silent. Privately Danrum had expressed his views about that "God's damned lair and pervert" and that was the mildest of what he had said. In the end, through gritted teeth, Danrum admitted that there were no links to the Hylonia temple, as of yet.

One of the hunters who had fled the attack had been caught half-starved and mad from his trip back to the town. The watch had captured him trying to steal food and get to the docks. The rest were most likely dead, killed by the inhabitants of the mountains. He knew nothing but what they were hunting and a hefty payday at the end.

He was executed two days later.

This was the first execution Ranus had ordered with the full blessings of the temples of Lawdrn and Apharon. Still, he was haunted by it. He had sentenced many already but for petty crimes or fighting, nothing that warranted death. The laws on this drug he had adopted with the founding of the town and knew they were harsh for a reason.

Still….

Ranus shook his head, focusing on the words on the vellum. He already knew the rest: several crime Guilds were establishing themselves within the town, and the watch was trying to prevent this—business as usual for any large community. The promise of wealth attracted the crime guilds, just as everyone else was.

The next sheet was the town's finances, which discussed wealth or, in his case, the lack of it. He leaned over and picked it up, wincing at the numbers displayed. They were bad. He was not in debt, but an emergency could ruin him. Money coming in was growing just ahead of his outgoings.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. Spring would see an uptick in revenue due to the return of the merchant ships. Few but the bravest or most desperate sailed these waterways this time of year. Until then, he had to be careful and prayed to Rickle to stay away with either good or bad luck.

He had made two choices that would lead to some gain and probably problems. He had approved the Elves' request for a trade mission after consulting with Albrot and Elian. They had paid handsomely for a plot of land and would be sending their people to build the mission—or, in their case, grow it, as its centre and foundation was always a tree.

The Dwarven had been greeted and were looking at trade opportunities. When they learned of the deal, they, too, requested a trade mission. The speed of the request and earnestness with which it was delivered surprised many in Ranus's council, including himself. When he enquired why, they responded, "There are some lovely small mountains here that we would like to explore."

He was not fooled. There were other reasons, mainly the Dungeon, he suspected, but I had approved the request. Then word seemed to get around the diplomatic channels, and he now had six more requests. He had been able to hold them at bay by requesting a face-to-face diplomatic meeting. He had hoped that this would put many off, but alas, they all had sent word that the emissaries were en route and most would be arriving in the spring.

"Me and my clever ideas." He complained to himself. Placing the vellum to the side, he picked up another wood log. With a casual flick of his wrist, he threw the log onto the fire. The impact of the log on the top of the fire caused a cloud of sparks to travel up into the chimney.

Ranus watched the flames dance, thinking about the next year and beyond. Questions and problems swirled around his head with no resolution. He knew the source for nearly all of it: the Dungeon.

It defied the rules and expectations that came with all Dungeons. Why was the Core hidden? Why was there no companion that could be identified? Why were the floors increasing in danger so fast? These and so many more needed to be answered. Ranus knew that the Adventurers Guild had a few. He had not pressed them on any but now realised he had to. He was sailing into uncharted waters with no clue as to the dangers.

When the blizzard blew through, he resolved to get the answers he could. Sometimes, they lasted for days; until then, he waited.

## ## ## ## ##

Comus was sitting in his laboratory in the newly rebuilt Alchemist Guild building. Elain and Ranus thought he was doing better. He was not, but he had become more focused. He had lost much of his body mass but was eating more, which allowed him to hold on to what was left. He needed to know what corruption was creating the "twisted" and how to counter it. The deaths of his Guild mates still sat heavily on him and showed no signs of lightening. He needed to understand why the wards had proven so ineffective.

He had overseen the new wards established within this building, which were sitting on top of the old foundations. His Guild had spared no expense to get his chapter back up and running. They had sent designs for new and improved wards commonly found in higher-rated communities. He had reviewed them but privately thought they were still lacking.

He had been sending out messages to select individuals within the Guild, trying to discover what he could. The replies he received were nearly all the same: "We don't know; stop looking until we get a clear picture", but a few had come through for him. He had started building a better picture of what was happening not just locally or across the continent but worldwide.

Something was happening, but he was not sure of what. He had his suspicions but no hard evidence of what. The Gods were aware of it, but they were keeping quiet, so it was something even they could not control. The Dungeon was also involved. He was sure for so many reasons, mainly that the Gods were here all together with no open clashing.

He had so many questions.

He had been compiling his notes covering everything that had happened. He had talked to all those present and survived, gathering a timeline of what had happened. He had checked his work against the official investigation, noting the similarities and differences.

He had vellum scattered across his new desk notes and ideas, mixed with new ward designs and experiments. He had been warned to leave it alone until the Guild completed its investigation, but he could not.

He knew they were watching him for now, so he would wait.