Gone were the days of bare stone or simple moss, now was the time of coppery green grass, cast iron trees, and silvery flowers that held buds of what looked like oil, it was like a strange, yet beautiful dream had come to life. On the first floor, my canid was having a blast rolling in the needle-like grass, on the floor below, a group of ratkin was huddled around a small pile of roots, whispering and poking them, and on the third floor, my fortress was in full activity gathering bundles of various plants that had popped up. And while my monsters seemed to agree with me, those on the outside were less enthused with my recent addition.

"Fuck, the damned things changed again, oi Gregor, take a look at them would ya! The lords want us to give it all a look around, maybe we can find something for a nice payday!."

The camp sent a rather crass soldier to investigate the increase in mana they had felt, a swordsman named Stephenson, and some of his underlings. Currently, the rut of the group who I suppose is Gregor, was combing through a laid-out selection of my new plants, with different specimens being looked over, turned around, poked and prodded, smelled, thumbed, and much more. I wasn't actually certain what some of these did, the system decided that it wasn't important enough or that not knowing was some hidden price I had to pay, so these guys experimenting for me was at least useful.

And useful it was, for after accidentally stabbing himself on one of the metal thorns, a tar substance could be seen leaking from the entry point. Gregor began to seize around on the floor, I guess I make poison now, yoohoo?

"Shit it got him, lads, get Gregor out of here, I'll see if I can work something out here."

Oh, well, I sort of expected him to continue being an ass, maybe...

"Now that they're gone, it's just you an me you beast, time to do holy work!"

Aaaand nevermind, sigh, look if Arthur or Edward raise shit over this guy being dead then I'll deal with it then, right now I'm starting to feel the irritation of second-hand stupidity. Very well, my clockworkers should be able to cut him a few feet down, preferably six in the ground, I've got better things to worry about.

First of all, I needed to look over my level 4 monster options then start working on my fourth level and anything I needed for my fifth. I was thinking maybe I could-

Pain shot through my skull, a dull pain, like being cut by a dull knife.

Looking back, the idiot had an eerie glow around him, my canid missing its head on the floor, what the hell happened?

"Yeah, you like that beastie. That there is the power of a real god, not some two-shit hole in the ground that shits out more freaks and toys. You'll be perfect for my first mission."

And with that, he descended to the next level, positively radiating a cruel sort of joy at his work, showing off his missing teeth and probably putrid breath, thankfully my guys couldn't smell, most anyway. But as I nursed the growing pain, I was at least able to catch that bit about 'real gods', was this because Kantor or whatever the fuck his name was pissed I didn't choose slavery! Despite lacking an actual body I kneeled in the rancher's room, watching as they assembled along with the bulls they had managed to tame. While I wasn't watching him, I could feel him walking through the heat and cold mines, striking out at the wandering rats and bugs, I could feel his glee growing by the second along with the pain. Whatever he had done was making him grow more powerful every second he was here, and all I could muster the brain power to think was that he needed to die now, damned the consequences.

He wandered into the ranch, lazily swinging and swaying around, the glow having grown to rays of light blowing from his head, like some mock saint image but in person.

"Oh, some rats, seems the beastie know its own kind, I hear ya kind is good with your hands and the like, maybe I'll use more of you to make a coppa or thwo on the market."

He charged wildly at my ranchers, glowing brightly as he cut a cow in half, the exposed innards seared from whatever power he was waving around like some crazed crusader. Another bull managed to get him with his horns but after it gored him, I could see the blood and viscera disappear as the hole in his stomach healed.

WARNING

Divine power detected, take necessary actions to ensure survival!

You don't fucking say?!

I get that I pissed the god off but that was basically yesterday, why and how the hell was he able to get people here so fast? Unless they were already here, Arthur did give me a divine collar he got from his betrayers, I should have considered that they could have already been among the crowd, dammit!

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The pain was a bit more tolerable for now, growing less as he took more damage from other bulls and the rock slings of the rancher ratkin, but it soon proved insufficient as the intruder cut them down with his chipped sword. He seemed in pain for a split second before adopting his smile once again, pushing himself up as he made his way across the room and towards the barracks, the first time anything had gotten this far by itself.

"Well well well, a rat's hole for a rat family, but what do you know of good sense beastie, for my lordth I will kill you all!"

He ran like a child with scissors, but he struck the wooden shields like lightning, nicking the throat of one ratkin and caving in the chest of another with a devastating punch. Luckily he was tackled into the side pit trap by a ratkin who bit into his neck, but the brave warrior died of a crushed windpipe before they hit the muddy ground.

"Ya fucken shites, once I've got the core I'm gonna kill you over and over, then I'm gonna sell-"

He was thankfully shut up by the archers filling his stomach and legs with arrows, and to top it off I could see that cooking rat carrying a pot of bubbling, was that lard?

"Fuuuuuck, it burns!"

I guess it was lard, but with the constant damage from my rats I could see the toll taking place on his body, it was still regenerating, but now I could see scars forming instead of normal skin, and that almost drunken smile was quickly replaced with an agonizing cry. It looked like I had finally won over this douchebag, but in another burst of light my rats were shot backward, the guy scrambled out of the pit and stole one of the ratkin spears, and broke through the barracks to the next floor.

Officially I was nervous, if this guy was pulling random powers out of some magical hat, then what would it take to finally put him down? Regardless, there was no next floor to count on, I hadn't made it yet and his being so close was throttling my power.

"Fuckin, huff, finally, I've found your shitty home beastie."

He staggered forward, his radiance getting to blinding heights. Quickly the ratkin within the fort took action, launching arrows and rocks as he shambled forward, halfway between running and shuffling forwards, almost manic in how he was switching from shit-eating grin to harrowed pain. It seems though, that fate continues to bless this fool as he managed to break open a wide enough hole in an arrow window to climb through, worming his way into my greatest defense so far. As he stood up I saw that he heard the drawing of arrows as the courtyard was full of my rats, each pointing the business side of a sword or spear at his head or heart.

He seemed like he wanted to give up but his face split into a grin once again.

"More blood, more slaves for my mast-"

"Shut up for all that is sacred to the maker, I am already tired of your disrespectful prattling in my home, human!"

Shit, I didn't know she sounded cool, why didn't anyone tell me?

Oh right, nevermind.

But what was she thinking exactly, the guy could rip out heavy stones, why didn't she just skewer the bastard?

"I am the commander of this fort, and a member of this great home, I will not see you desecrate it with your worthless faith and vile promises, fight me and be made into a sacrifice for MY master!"

The fort formed a small arena, the shield bearers kept watch on him as he walked forward and took his position.

"Alright, it seems like the dungeon needs more lessons, like how women-"

My commander blitzed forward with several great strides and was upon him, cutting off his hand with an arc of her sword followed by a roundhouse kick to his chest. He was flung into the crowd as they pushed him back forward, one of them getting a lucky bash with the pommel of his sword before the commander was upon him like a wrathful hurricane, but her advantage ended as he started to push back her back with wild but dangerous strikes, destroying the stonework whenever it hit the ground, the commander started playing a more evasive game rather than her intense attacks.

"I can smell the core form here, my master whispers to me about how good it'll feel when I break your 'maker's' spirit, maybe I'll let the dogs take a turn or two."

From her mind I could feel hatred seething from her, she wanted nothing more than to hurt and kill this man, this vile insect who was mocking real warriors with his false strength. She began to trade blows with him again, cutting more of his arm off while it reformed his hand as her eye was crushed by a claw-like swipe, his heart being run through as she lost her left arm. She fell to a knee a ways away from him and his body began to heal once again, standing up and opening his mouth he started to gloat, actually gloat, as my precious commander bled out.

Fear filled my soul, but anger burned it away, anger that reached the commander as she lunged at him, cutting his disgusting head from his worthless body, his face contorted somewhere between glee and confusion. It seems that his head is the one thing he couldn't fix.

Congratulations

You have killed a paladin of Kannor.

You may choose to bless the slayer with a recycled portion of the paladin's power or consume it for a level 1 perk.

I swiped it away and floated over to my commander, tears I didn't know I could shed dropped, and it began to rain in the dungeon. She lay there, a satisfied look on her face, her body was broken and beaten, but she had done it. She could feel my confusion and anger that she didn't use her forces but all she felt was satisfied that she had done it without more loss of her fellow monsters.

But she lay there satisfied with her duty, and closed her eyes, waiting to die. That is what probably would have happened if I wasn't the fucking dungeon core, and since he was the only one in the dungeon that means everything gets fixed, including you my dear girl. She snapped her eyes open as her body was fixed by my power and the rain let go, she felt fear for the first time in her life as her connection to me told her of the pain should be feeling with that little hero stunt back there. Oh, once I've got things secured, I'm going to introduce a nice little concept called the pacer exercise and hard labor, maybe then you'll consider using the literal (really small) army you have as commander. But I am not without mercy, you did kill him with little waste of life and for that, you shall have a name, Bellona the commander.

A certain [War Flower] is appreciative of your actions.

Gods dammit!