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New Reality: 31 August 1525, inside the Dungeon
All Ardent wanted was to lie down and relax, yet he knew there was work to be done, and of the kind not to be postponed, or else. First, he sent Meantongue's two halves to the storage. The minion wasn't marked dead, only wounded, and he supposed he could be patched back together.
"Hm… I feel I'm missing something," Ardent frowned. He looked around, inspecting things. Martinko, Meanwood, and Dragon checked all right. "No, all good," he shrugged.
"Thank you for being so high on your priority list," Donnie sneered, materializing on the deck.
"Oh… Err… Happy to see you alive. So, the System was wrong about the countdown…"
"It wasn't, but it counted in outside time. I watched the fight in my Mana Body form... How did you know how to kill him?"
"Just a hunch… I've read a lot of dungeon descriptions on Voodoo philia—"
"Wiki… never mind."
"—but anyway, it was the head that controlled the body, so it was a safe bet to deprive the latter of sensors. But in the end, the parts were still connected somehow—guess by magic—and he had to breathe… We're a little squeezed here. Dragon, get back to storage!"
After dismissing the Dragonling, Ardent descended to the lower deck, to check on Martinko. About fifty pirates were cramped in the cage, with Meanwood guarding the door, and waving his tongue in the air in a menacing manner.
"Please, sir, we surrender!" a sailor cried.
"We didn't even like the boss, we were forced to serve him," another pleaded.
"There is another stair, in the back, they ran down here and closed themselves there," the Mimic said.
"Wise choice. Stay there for now and don't make problems. I'll exchange your sour lot against some of our enslaved countrymen. Are you alright, kid? Why are you shaking?" Ardent asked the Saint.
"I s-sense a p-presence… a h-huge… o-one," the youngster said, his teeth chattering.
[THE SYSTEM]: Good work, Champion. I took the liberty of accessing your logs. You have beaten a double dungeon in under a day? That's an amazing feat. True, not many floors, but let me tell you something, the previous one was among the largest in the records. You did well.
"Relax, it's the System," Ardent said.
"I'm s-seeing t-the text too…" Martinko continued shaking, hiding behind the mast.
"I'm also hearing the voice."
[THE SYSTEM]: And now, the bad news. The dungeon is starting to unravel.
"You mean there's no exit portal?" Ardent asked.
[THE SYSTEM]: There is, the same one you came through. Regardless, when the Dungeon ceases to be separated by time and space from the real world, the jungle floor will materialize over Southern Italy. Its real size is sixty thousand miles and some. It will crush everything underneath and send a giant wave across the Mediterranean, obliterating all but a few coastal cities. Yet…
"Let me guess. There's a way out?" Ardent rolled his eyes at the dramatic pause.
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[THE SYSTEM]: There is. Because of your acts, my strength has reached a critical threshold. However, to save the day, we need the young Saint's help. Martinko, will you lend us your power?
"M-me?" the youngster stuttered.
[THE SYSTEM]: No other. Ardent does not have the required ability to use dungeon cores. With my help, he has a fifty-fifty chance. But if you give us your Blessing, the chances grow over eighty percent. Excuse me for the pun, but the force is strong in you. You overcome your grief to make a new path for yourself, an enlightened one. Know that if you do this, I will be able to gain a foothold in your Realm, leading to even greater changes in magic. Make your mind, and fast. The longer we—
"I'm in," Martinko nodded. "We'll save millions of lives, right? And I trust Ardent, he's a good man… and loves my sister."
"I dooo…" the youngster wailed, because it was true, yet his undeniable sentiments for Elisa made him feel guilty and tearful.
Oblivious to his brother-in-law's inner pain, Martinko started to recite:
"With mastery forged in System's might,
He claims the cores, his power alight.
With rolls of dice and words of lore,
Ardent, Dungeon Master, evermore."
The System and Martinko the Saint have unlocked the Core Disposal (grade S, starting tier F) ability for you. You are now able to: a) consume Dungeon Cores for XP or Fate Points, b) expand the Dungeons into the real world, or c) stabilize the Dungeons for future commercial utilization. Warning: You cannot act as a Boss or control the Dungeons you stabilize. Please choose the latter option only in the presence of an accredited Dungeon Master.
Feeling the moment, Meanwood forwarded his tongue, with a shiny orb on its tip, as big as a fist.
"I choose to expand the Dungeon." As soon he spoke, Ardent fell on his knees, his eyes showing their whites. Nevertheless, he could see other things, some near, some in the faraway. First, the ship appeared on the lawn near the pyramid. A wave of energy spread and continued forever, a wave of light, engulfing the jungle. The remaining crocodiles and the mutated bats disintegrated, the Jaguars were spared and ran deeper into the Jungle. Somehow, Ardent knew they were tamable by people with the right class.
A good couple of hundred people in the village had already received the System through Donnie, and thousands more were offered choices. One of them was Ana, and Ardent released her bonds to let her choose freely.
The shiny energy spread until it met the two seas and the borders of the Jungle floor. The land stretched, taking a new shape, rotating. A new island appeared between Sicily, Italy, Sardinia, and Corsica. Walls of force stopped the sea from revolting against the intrusion, keeping up, so the waters could calm down. There were still branches of seawater between the old and the new land, but then pillars of granite erupted from the depths and the new island, connecting all the land masses with giant bridges, hundreds of yards wide and tall. Travel was now possible both by land and seafaring.
And then, the aerial view disappeared, and his mind was back on the ship.
Worldwide Message: Good news, dear Earthlings. Realm Alternate Earth 22 February 1525 has been properly integrated into the Multiverse. The System has been implemented in Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Provence, Avignon (Papal domain), Paris, and the surrounding region, The North-Western Balkan Federation, Bavaria, Tyrol, The German Commonwealth, The Polish Commonwealth, Te Waipounamu, and the new territory formerly known as Jungle Dungeon floor (name TBD).
Connection with the Central System has been established. An armistice has been declared between the Central System and several factions within the Border Realms and locally.
A truce is acknowledged between the System and the Ottoman Empire as long no corrupted Wild Magic is detected or direct attacks against the System's zones.
A conflict between a corrupted sentient Wild Magic entity and the System is in progress in Rome.
Cultivation areas detected in Asia, trying to open a channel of communication for further negotiations.
The rest of this Realm is under observation.
Warning: To all polities and magic users of Earth. The Central System reserves the right to implement local Hard or Soft Apocalypses in areas of interest, if Dark Draconic or other corrupted magic and nefarious practices are detected, including but not restricted to Necromancy, Mass Cloning, Mass Mind Control, Human or Sentient Sacrifice, Cruelty to Magical Animals (familiars aligned at least Chaotic Good), and mass violence (wars) if it produces an imbalance in Mana or Karma.
The System is wishing you a good day.
[THE SYSTEM]: This is as good as it gets. I'd stay to chat, but I suppose you want to head to Rome as fast as possible.