Deep within the core of the elven grove palace, beneath the roots of the world tree that anchored it, the dungeon chuckled to itself. Bending the will of the elves to his own was laughably easy, and he’d puppeted that weak meat sack they’d called a king into doing what he’d needed for centuries without detection or care.
Was honestly too easy. Take those wandering tribes of knife-eared fruit eaters, load one of his parasite mobs into a promising young warrior, have him turn into the perfect candidate to expand his influence over the entire planet. All without anyone being the wiser.
“Oh, wow. Howdy neighbor. Geez, you are a piece of work, aren’t you?”
Noise. Intrusion. What?
“Let’s see… polished jadeite, buried about 100 meters directly beneath the elven throne… snrk. Really? Your name is Evan?”
How dare!
“Yes yes, evil ranting. Pretty much completely subsumed by greed and hunger. So… yeah. Fair warning. My name is Rhys, and you’ve just come into contact with my dungeon. Even if you hadn’t been sending people out to exterminate ‘monsters’ in my land, I would’ve come after you when seeing the mess in your head, so have fun this summer. I certainly intend to.”
Evan (and how the hell had that “Rhys” learned that name?) went from a deep and vibrant green to a pale near-white. He’d known there were other dungeons. He’d eaten a few. But this one… this one was different.
A dungeon so small shouldn’t be anywhere near that smart.
--
“So, let me sum up. The elves are controlled by a dungeon.”
“Always have been.”
“Right. And this dungeon is basically evil incarnate, dedicated to consuming this entire planet and everything on it.”
“Basically.”
“And you gave it a cheerful hello and a warning that we’d be coming to take it out?!”
“It’s a pity we don’t have faces or excrement, because I’m pretty sure he would’ve completely voided the latter when I pulled that on him. And I would’ve loved to see the look on his face.”
Zuk just went red, and started cursing in every tongue he knew. Rhys was rather impressed by the vocabulary and variety.
“It would’ve made no difference, trust me. The moment this ‘Evan’ detected me, it would’ve-”
“No. No, it makes a difference, Rhys. Because now the elves will be ready for a counter-attack.”
“… Oh.”
“Oh! Yes! And even if they’d known you existed, they would’ve underestimated you! Now you’ve demonstrated that you’re dangerously intelligent, unusually powerful for your size, and have openly declared war against the entire elven kingdom! And that’s before we talk about the threat coming from the human lands, even as they continue to flood us with refugees!”
“Ah. Well, if it’s any consolation, that’s why I’ve been expanding so aggressively.”
Rhys turned, murder still in his young eyes as he glared at the ruby now the size of his fist.
“Simply put, we needed more resources. Food, minerals, energy. And knowing we were going to war, I wanted to work on upgrading myself. Which, I’ll note, I now have.”
Rhys still glared, but snatched at the cup of black tea that magically appeared before him.
“Now, I’ve got a few things set up as part of the process. First, you’re all registered to my core as dungeon mobs. I can recreate you from a designated save point, provided your soul is intact and willing and I have enough organic matter and energy. Second, I’ve managed to tap into the lower lithosphere. Not deep enough to start drawing on magma, but enough for a real source of geothermal heat and energy. Combining this with a few special mineral panels I’ve been constructing in isolated areas outside and improved storage batteries, we have a lot more power coming in. I’m trying to work on ways to harness wind energy as well, but the moving parts will take a few more technologic advances on your part.”
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“Okay. So we’ve got basic logistics handled, and anyone fighting on the front lines can be preserved in case of death.”
“Essentially. I’ve also got molds completed for aluminum armor and shields, plus a special alloy I think you’ll like for weapons.”
A bar appeared in front of Rhys, and his smithing skill automatically broke down its composition.
“95% cobalt by weight, with traces of carbon, iron, and nickel… wait, isn’t this-”
“I still don’t have a steady supply of iron or nickel, but we’ve got plenty of cobalt in the area for some reason. So, I improvised. Not sure how it’ll hold up to the dwarven equivalent, but this ‘Kobold Steel’ should behave similarly enough to function. I could’ve just used aluminum for your weaponry, but I figured the extra weight and hardness would be more useful on the attacking end.”
Rhys nodded, holding the ingot carefully.
“It won’t be easy to work with. We’ve barely figured out bronze.”
“Fortunately for you, most of what we’ll be facing is just that. Humans have iron and a touch of steel, elves have their jade, but we have flint, aluminum, and now this.”
Rhys nodded again.
“Alright, I’ll have the molds set up so we can get armor and shields going. Our bowyers and fletchers are already working overtime, to say nothing of the tannery. Thank the gods you know how to camofluage ventilation, so much of this dungeon needs fresh air. As for our weapons…” Rhys hefted the kobold steel ingot again. “I’ll forge the prototypes personally. I want the first blades to be my own.”
--
Onze feasted. It was still light food, the healers said her digestion needed time to build itself up, but she’d never been so well-fed in her life. Meanwhile, the healers said they were removing parasites, clearing scar tissue, and fixing her bones up. Already her skin was clearer than she could ever remember it being, she didn’t feel nearly as lethargic, and… alright, re-breaking some of those old fractures hurt. But her joints moved better and a lot of the old aches were disappearing. She even seemed… cute, when she looked in the mirror.
Well, still very gaunt and disturbingly grey. But she was starting to notice tinges of healthy green in her pallor, and maybe her bones didn’t show through her skin quite as badly? She couldn’t tell if that was her imagination or not. But her health bar was above an eighth for the first time she could remember, and her stamina and mind bars were slowly building from the low ebb they’d always seemed to be at.
Meanwhile, a friend of hers had dropped by. Slimes didn’t communicate through sound, so their names were incomprehensible that way. This one always smelled faintly of lilacs, so Onze had called her that, and it was apparently a close equivalent. It had lost a fair deal of slime mass, but the core fungus was thankfully intact, and Lilac had been one of the lucky half-dozen of her kind not to freeze to death. To a fungal species that grew a protoplasmic mold layer around its core to protect itself and feed on its surroundings, freezing temperatures were a particular danger.
Onze tried to stand, but Lilac raised a pseudopod and shook it, indicating no. “The healers say our conditions are both too fragile to be allowed too close to one another. I’m just glad you’re alright, Onze.”
She blinked. Lilac could speak?
“Oh, you’re confused about my ability to communicate audibly. Rhys is translating everything we say to each other using his influence. I’ve always appreciated that you were so sensitive to our pheromone signals, and so willing to meet us halfway with signs and gestures. Even the past grudge-holders weren’t always so good at communicating with us.”
Onze sighed. “I’m not a grudge-holder anymore. Another has lifted the burden, and I won’t be well enough to join them in the fight.” A bit of wetness on her face. Tears? Goblins who didn’t learn not to cry or weep died young, though. Why?
Lilac edged forward, then back as she remembered she couldn’t approach her friend. “Don’t feel sad, Onze. You’re healthier than you’ve ever been before, you’ll give birth safely, and your child will have a chance at true freedom. Also, I was told to leave this on the tray. Something the dragon-man and bunny girl said would make you feel better.”
And with that, Lilac moved away with the surprising speed of her kind. Onze stood, still weak and extremely awkward, and stepped to the tray they usually used to bring her meals and take away her bed pan.
On it, lay a gleaming rod of some strange metal, wrapped at the base in leather and tipped with a deep-blue sapphire some five centimeters in diameter. As she held it, the metal felt almost alive through the leather, and the sapphire glowed with her power. Her mind was instantly flooded with a full understanding of what it was:
Sapphire Rod – Aluminum
While lacking in conductivity compared to copper or silver, aluminum is far more durable than either, and resonates with the sapphire focus gem.
And a new class:
Potential unlocked – You are now a War Mage.
She could feel the power, and the beginnings of her path. Yes, she’d probably miss this war, but there would be others. And as the flames began to dance around her, she swore to herself that she’d never let others suffer as she had for as long as she drew breath.