“Oh! Strong One! You’re back? Not to worry, Strong One. Okay, I am.”

“Who?! Who’s dids this to Master?!”

I don’t think Strong One heard me.

Deep thunks hit the floor, rattling my belly as Strong One madly dashed through the rocky, arched entrance of my personal cavern. See, I did - I saw the worried yet rage-filled eyes of Strong One.

His small, black eyes narrowed sharply, swiftly darting around at the changes to my chamber.

The new additions to my walls did not impress my creation. Strong One glared at the foreign installations as if they invaded my belly as if they were dangerous intruders.

Happy, I was, that Strong One was protective of me.

However, he should have paid more attention to where he was going. My loyal creation, Strong One - was strong, but… not very proficient at multitasking. Strong One warily glanced around while sprinting- No, now tripping and nearly stumbling into a roll like a giant snowball towards the newly formed cage that encased around the desk in front of my heart.

“Wuh!? - Uh! - Uh! - UH OH!”

The pathway between the newly placed metallic tables was too narrow, and Strong One… Well, Strong One was a tad too flabby - too pudgy around the middle to fit in between the aisle. His thick, stubby legs rammed the table corners, and all went haywire from there.

Strong One fumbled forward, hopping on one foot as he tried to pull himself back and rebalance the weight of his body that shot forward. However, Strong One rushed in too fast. His round, drooping belly knocked aside the long, metal tables that Alexandria proudly stated were specially designed to handle the rough handling done by Ogres who were in ‘study.’

I had to admit, the tables somewhat lived up to Alexandria words.

Sturdy were the tables. They did not bend as Strong One collided and plowed through them. Yet, sturdy as they are, the tables were not strong enough to block my Strong One.

The dark, silver tables resisted but failed. Their metal legs scraped and scratched across the rocky floor of my belly as if trying to hold back Strong One, but Strong One dragged and knocked them all aside.

“Outs of the ways! Outs of Strong One’s ways, Hard Things! Me must protects- Oh!”

Strong One abruptly stopped, slamming his hands and gripping hard onto the edge of the second to last sets of tables. They screeched, crying out, scraping the ground as they supported and halted Strong One’s fall. My creation pushed himself up.

Forget about me, Strong One seemingly did.

Strong One jerked his head down, and with eyes gleaming with curiosity, focused on the fuzzy purple carpet at his feet. Deeply intrigued, Strong One was.

He lifted his foot and dipped his big toe into the fluffy carpet, one time, two times, three, before grinning widely from ear to ear. Hopped, Strong One then did, nearly bumping his head on the pointed stalactites on the ceiling. My belly violently shook as Strong One landed with booming thunder. Toppled over, the shiny metal tables did.

But the poor carpet…

Both ends yanked towards Strong One as the middle section was trapped under the heavy weight of Strong One’s feet. The midsection of the rug partially disappeared, sinking into the deep impression that caved into the dirt floor of my belly.

Strong One wiggled his large, stubby toes against the soft, matted purple carpet. He enjoyed the sensations brushing against his feet and revealing his sharp, protruding canines as he happily grinned.

But it wasn’t enough.

The carpet reflected in Strong One’s sparkling greedy eyes. My creation coveted the long, purple rug.

“Master! Whats this?! Whats this softs thing under me feets?! Can me haves it, Master!?” Strong One asked while playing like an overly energetic child, kicking and shuffling his feet on the long but now crumpled roll of carpet.

However, seeing Strong One’s actions, Alexandria’s beak dropped and her mouth opened wide. Yet, nothing came out. The crow froze and was momentarily speechless. But only briefly. Alexandria was very briefly speechless.

“DEAR GOD! What in the Realms are you doing, Ogre?! Stop that at once, you imbecile! Do you know who made that piece?! Do you know how priceless one of the first creations of the Great Eldor is?! That rug is more than it seems! It is a relic created by one of the great Master Craftsmans after the age of the Ancients and Dragons! Designed to be benign in appearance but deadly when activated, it’s supposed to be a rare defensive treasure! Eldor’s fine products are difficult to come by even with the authority of the likes of Nous! Such artifacts are not to be touched, let alone be given to the likes of you! You cannot have it, savage Ogre! It is mine!”

Suddenly, Alexandria’s beady red eyes darted down, noticing the thick mud on Strong One’s feet, oozing down onto the rug. Alexandria froze, but her eyes stretched and widened unnaturally. And then I witnessed what little left of Alexandria’s composure crumble. She completely lost it. She went ballistic.

The crow shot out of the metal brambles of the cage protecting the books and my heart, dive-bombing head first at Strong One.

“NO!!! Eldor’s rug! The Mirage Paths! Get your filthy feet off of it this instant, damn Ogre!” Alexandria shrieked, crashing into the side of Strong One’s head before bouncing off and falling onto his shoulder.

Strong One was unphased, scratching an itch where the crow bumped into. Alexandria seemed to take more damage as she weakly stood up with wobbling legs. Yet, the crow did not relent, jabbing her wings in Strong One’s neck, wanting to stab my creation.

“Y-You! You dirty, unhygienic Ogre!!! Look what you did! You’re messing up my library! Get off my treasure!”

“Flying Thing itchy’s. Go aways,” String One said and then smacked Alexandria off his shoulder and onto the table with a clunk. Squatting down, Strong One petted the carpet, caressing it with his hand. “Flying Thing say softs thing treasure? But cannot eats this treasure. No. Not looks yummys. But that okays. Softs thing softs and fuzzy. Master! Can Strong One have Fuzzy Thing?!”

“No! The Mirage Paths is mine, dimwitted Ogre! You cannot have it!”

“Master?! Cans me take it?!”

“No, dumb Ogre! Don’t make me use it on you! I will!”

I glanced at the seemingly typical fancy rug. Not very threatening, I must say. Looked closer, I did, closer and closer, moving beyond the seemingly harmless, fuzzy purple surface.

Treasure? The rug is? Strange. It feels alive, yet not. Foreign, the motes of mana that flow inside. Complex. Intricate. Organized. Like threads of mana but symmetrical. Geometrical. Woven but not like my creations. What does it do? Who is this Eldor, creator of such a marvel?

The mana structure within the rug was beyond anything I had seen before, beyond my comprehension. It was different from anything I created - elaborately formulated, precisely calculated, and beautifully executed. It was unlike my creations made from my raw emotions.

Greed, I felt, from my depths.

I wanted to understand it. I wanted to know how its insides worked. I wanted to eat it.

But the rug flinched, sensing my mana that unconsciously drew to it and wanted to dismember it. The rug suddenly moved on its own. Wiggled, the rug did. It squirmed like a worm underneath Strong One’s feet, attempting to escape.

“Oh! Fuzzy Thing! You’s awakes!? You can moves?!”

“Sorry, Strong One, I cannot give you the rug. It belongs to Alexandria. It appears I do not have authority over it.”

“Awww!” Strong One pouted. But he was not giving up so easily. Turning to Alexandria who dusted herself on the table, Strong One commanded, “Flying Thing, gives me Fuzzy Thing!”

I saw a glimmer in the sly eyes of the crow.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Why should I? What have you done for me except knock me down?” Grasping her wing, the crow limped while wobbling towards Strong One. “Look at what you did to me. Do you think you deserve anything from me?”

“Yes!” Strong One happily replied. “Me deserve it! Me takes Fuzzy Thing! Make Fuzzy Thing into bed!”

The crow’s plot had no effect on my dense creation, and she dropped her injured facade. Jabbing her wing at Strong One, Alexandria rejected his demands. “Dumb, Ogre! Never! You will never get anything from me, dimwit! Shoo! Get your filthy feet off my rug! There’s nothing to gain from you!”

“No! Gives me Fuzzy Thing!”

“No! Wait…” A sly grin crept onto the crow’s face. “You want it?” Turning to me, Alexandria said, “Master, this will actually be good for you. Let me show you one of the defensive treasures of the Library, the Mirage Paths. However, it will need mana to activate, Master. Three mana to be precise.”

Interested, I definitely was. Learn more, I must, regarding the deeper intricacies of Alexandria’s Library.

“Yellow Screen, how much mana do I have?”

[Notification]

Request acknowledged.

Displaying results…

Available mana:

2/40

“Only two?”

“Hmm… not enough, dear Dungeon Master? I know!” Alexandria glanced at Strong One with scheming eyes. “You! Dimwit Ogre. You wanted my treasured rug, right? Let me give you a little taste then. Give all of your share from your harvest to the Master. Master lacks mana to use for my rug.”

“Me cans takes Fuzzy Thing?!”

The crow grinned with bad intentions. “You can take whatever it gives you, Ogre.”

“Okays! Master! Takes me share of insides from outside! Strong One wills trades for Fuzzy Thing!”

“Uh, you sure, Strong One? I think you’re getting the short end of this deal.”

“No, me sure, Master! Me sure!”

“Alright…”

The floor of my belly rose, toppling the pile of goods by my entrance that were harvested from the outside world. I shifted and moved the dirt, splitting the pile of goods into four parts, giving me slightly less as I already consumed eight mana worth.

Double checking, I asked Strong One once more, “You certain, Strong One? I will consume some of your hard-earned labor.”

“Yes, Master! Me trades for Fuzzy Thing!”

“I- Alright… Just a bit then. Just enough to activate Alexandria’s rug.”

I drew in a corner of the mixed greens of Strong One’s pile into the depths of my belly. My mana increased from two to four, and I stopped consuming Strong One’s share.

“What do I do now, Alexandria?”

“Draw out three mana and infuse it into the Mirage Paths.”

I complied. One by one, my mana mote seeped past my walls, through the bookshelves, passing in between the spaces of the cage, and into the carpet. I stopped, seeing Yellow Screen display a loss of three mana.

Alexandria grinned nefariously. “Give the Ogre what he wants,” the crow commanded while pointing at the long carpet.

I saw a sharp strand of purple fur recede back into the carpet as Strong One yanked up his foot and cried out with one loud shriek, “YOW!” He immediately crouched down and sat on the rug, rubbing the soles of his feet. He groaned and moaned, complaining, “Me foots! Me foots!”

But then my creation started giggling.

“Oh! Likes me, Fuzzy Thing? Climb? Hehe! Fuzzy Thing mines! Mines!”

Strong One lifted his hands, which held nothing, and rubbed them against his cheek. It looked as if Strong One cuddled something that wasn’t there, hugging and fawning over nothing. His Fuzzy Thing actually still wiggled below him while trying to get away. Strong One hallucinated.

“That thing? What is it? Is it not just a rug? It appears to be alive.”

“No, it is not truly living, but the item is not just any old rug either, Master, but an enchanted one. And also not weaved and enchanted by just anyone but by the Great Eldor himself. Haha! I can see why you would think the rug is alive as it was modeled off the back of a peculiar species of caterpillars.”

“Caterpillars? Wait. Caterpillars? I think I know them. So the rug is alive? Or was it a caterpillar?”

“Eldor was a great craftsman, but not a Dungeon. He could not imbue spirit and ego to his work. He merely transfixed the specific qualities, or you can think of them as traits/abilities, into items. In this case, Eldor copied the caterpillars’ naturally developed mana circuits, altering and modifying the mana functions to artificially recreate those qualities into the rug. When given mana, it activates the engraved mana circuits, making the rug squirm exactly like how the Mirage Caterpillars would when attacked, injecting predators with a powerful hallucinogen.”

“So the rug has the defensive mechanisms of a unique caterpillar?”

“Yup, made to prick those who intrude and walk on it, drawing them into an illusion of their deepest desires. Quite handy for Dungeons, I say. Have you ever eaten a creature while still alive, Master? You should try it when they are caught under the spell. Most gratifying. I can attest as I have already eaten three myself.”

“Three? Of what?”

“Myself. Three other pieces of myself.”

I remained silent. I wasn’t sure about eating food that would wiggle about in the deep darkness of my belly. Alexandria grinned creepily at me, but I wasn’t sure what went through the crazed crow’s mind. She cleared her throat and also the manic look on her face.

“Ahem, well, let the buffoon Ogre dream and your other creatures eat. You must eat as well, Dungeon Master. You need mana, lots of mana, for what is to come next.”

I glanced at Strong One. My creation. He was off in his own world. Cuddling and rolling around holding his imaginary rug.

“Strong Defender, Strong Helper. Come in. Do not worry. Everything is okay. Come, sit. Use the tables to sit and eat. Let us feast!”

My other creations nodded. Still wary, they slowly entered my room, examining the changes while taking short, heavy stomps. They gave odd looks, seeing Strong One slobbering in his happy trance in the middle of the room.

My creations did as told, picking up their portions from the split pile of goodies and bringing them to the tops of the tables. Each sitting on one, they laid and spread out their spoils. Strong Helper’s eyes glued onto the soft, yellow fruits Strong One named Great Treasure. She immediately reached and stuffed her mouth full before chewing and crushing her mouthful, enjoying the sweetness with a delighted smile, and finally swallowing while grabbing some more.

However, Strong Defender did not yet eat. He rummaged through his and his siblings’ pile of food. Quickly searching and grabbing similar items, Strong Defender stood up and hauled over a bundle of something relatively small and white within his large hand.

Coming closer, I knew exactly what Strong Defender brought. Excited, I was!

“Master! I bring you Trap Snare and Red Rabbits, Master!” Strong Defender proudly stated, holding up the bundle of five dead rabbits by their ears and dangling them before the cage in front of my heart.

“Oh! Red Rabbits! Trap Snares! Goodness! I forgot! Thank you, Strong Defender! You did a great job!”

“Of course, Master!” Strong Defender stated, puffing out his chest before lowering his prized catches to the floor.

“Again, thank you, Strong Defender! Let us eat!”

My largest creations grinned, smirking at Strong One who was still in his happy daze as he walked back to his table and enjoyed his food.

I eyed the rabbits, feeling a deep hunger. Craved, I did, the tender rabbit flesh. But more so, I yearned with a strange hunger for Trap Snare. It called to me, triggering something from the depths of my nature as a Dungeon.

Immediately, my skills went to work. The ground opened wide, and I swallowed whole and consumed the Red Rabbits and the clamped-on Trap Snares, gulping them straight down. The darkness of my belly ravenously pulled apart and disintegrated my food, extracting and absorbing the slowly digesting goop of mana. I tasted it - every morsel of crunchy bone, chewy meat, soft fur, hard metal, and distant memories. Broken memories of the bloodied rabbits.

[Notification]

Five Moon Rabbits consumed!

Fragmented Trap Snares consumed!

Mana obtained!

Available mana:

29/40

Completed fragments have been obtained!

Trap Snare

Note: Using added materials can lower mana costs when forming items!

[Notification]

Memories are available for extraction! X5!

Choose three of the following options to extract:

The dietary consumption of various vegetation and their locations by Moon Rabbits.

Known predators that hunt herbivores.

Ways of the rabbit - memories of a unique ability passed through the lineage of Moon Rabbits.

[Notification]

Congratulations!

You have absorbed key knowledge and components that are critical to Dungeons!

Traps!

Dungeon level up!

The Dungeon is now LVL 5!

New skill obtained - Dungeon Quests LVL 1!

You may now issue quests to any being that is within the boundaries of your Dungeon!

Note: Please see the skill for specific requirements and restrictions that must be fulfilled.

[Notification]

New quest available!

Sweet Honey Lures Tasty Delights - Series 1

Use your skill: Create Items, to build traps and loot, which in turn will more easily entice and catch prey!

Objectives:

Catch and consume caught prey with traps.

Rewards:

A basic Dungeon attribute of your choosing!

Hmmm… Strong One said he saw Yellow Screen. If so, can I give my creations quests? Like how Mother gave me mine? Wait! Would that help give my creations rewards to grow?!

“Yellow Screen! Show me the Dungeon Quest skill!”