Where do monsters come from?
And no, I’m not asking about the finer points of evolution or how a sewer slime manages to evolve into one made of nether… The question is how do monsters literally appear the day after they were purged?
Why is it all, but impossible to drive a species to extinction, and truly remove anything that’s terrorizing a society?
An outlandish question to some, even in the same realm as asking why gravity exists or even wondering why there are God’s.
These of course, just being inherent truths of reality, physics is a thing, as are the “all powerful” beings floating about, and no one will ever give a satisfying answer as to why, but what if I told you, that the unending tide of monsters is nothing like the others.
That in fact, there are countless worlds, millions, billions of worlds, which have documented histories, and even physical evidence showing species regularly being wiped out.
Can you imagine it?
A world where one doesn’t have to worry about beasts prowling forests, pests stealing food, sewers filled with monsters, or changelings killing children… maybe, it even sounds too good to be true.
A dream some charlatan would use to rob you of everything you own, and to be fair you would be absolutely right to be skeptical, to run the other way if you ever run into anyone pedaling such nonsense, unless they mention one important detail.
These worlds, these galaxies, lack even an ounce of magic, they’re places where it’s impossible to call the wind, one where the millions of things we take for granted every single day, are all, but impossible, yet they can also achieve something we can’t truly imagine, safety.
At the low cost of what some would say is everything that gives wonder to this reality, they having nothing to fear from the night, expect for the monsters they allow to exist, which brings us to a rather troubling question, and no, it’s not the question of if safety is worth giving up magic for, no matter how interesting that question may be, it pales in comparison to a much more important one.
If it’s not natural for monsters, for entire environments to just respawn after a period of time, what exactly is causing it?
What exactly is responsible for the monsters that murder our children?
The answer to which, brings us down a rabbit hole that alters our very understanding of magical worlds, but first let’s take a step back, and look at the raw facts.
Creatures are magically appearing, mana density increases the further one goes towards the center, with powerful monsters, and materials reappearing after a period of time, does this remind you of anything?
Perhaps, one of the countless stories being told in your local tavern, of adventures pitting themselves against a construct, that artificially creates monsters, and even fully blown environmental hazards, like blizzards or hurricanes… Dungeon cores, things which could explain why it’s impossible to drive a species to extinction, at least if creatures were only appearing, within their domains, and didn’t appear in abandoned buildings in the middle of cities or the completely sealed locations that have been used in a number of studies, yet everything else fits perfectly, too perfectly to be completely unrelated, which makes it all rather obvious in a way, particularly when we know dungeon cores form from concentrations of mana.
Mana, which has a habit of bringing to life anything, after enough exposure, with not even light being able to escape its influence, so why wouldn’t something bigger, something exposed to the highest concentration of mana on any planet be affected?
The only logical answer is that the core of every single last mana infused world is a dungeon core, and we are all under the influence of a dungeon every single moment we are on a mana infused world.
This is why planets have a shroud of mana surrounding them that grows over time, the reason we have never even come remotely close to mapping the depths on our own world, after all how could we, when with every moment it’s feeding off of everything on the planet, growing more powerful, and reaching tiers we can only dream of.
The only question is if we are like cattle set out to graze, ants whose existence the core doesn’t even register or maybe an example of a symbiotic relationship… I don’t know, and could potentially depend on the core itself, after all some dungeon cores seem downright reasonable, seeming to function under rules, with even some semblance of fairness, yet others try to kill everything in their path much like how there are many mana infused worlds filled with functioning societies, but also ones that have been ravaged by monsters, and are nothing more than war zones… “mother nature” may no longer just be a consequence of physics, but rather a being that can, and might even respond to our actions or even punish us; example an exemplary harvest beyond all expectations or a bizarre hurricane wiping an entire city off of the map.
If we truly exist under the confines of a dungeon no localized event is truly random or simply a part of physics, but instead a result of systems dictated by a single being… we might all be watched, and judged for our actions or not even exist in the eyes of the core, until we do something significant or in the eyes of core, something that needs to be trimmed, regardless of the reason.
We need to understand our core, before we end up being consumed.
Thales of the Dungeon association
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Alert!
Galactic Market Special Sale
Galactic Market: Tier Ten Dungeon Cores 25% OFF SALE
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Five results!
50,000,000 credits 55,000,000 credits 56,000,000 credits 80,000,000 credits 82,000,000 credits
“Fifty million credits?”
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Update!
Whomp, whomp, whomp, you snooze you lose!
That item has already sold, updating results two tier ten cores in stock.
80,000,000 credits 82,000,000 credits
“But of course” I mutter, before focusing on the second one
Tier Ten Dungeon Core – Against all odds this dungeon core has reached the point where it has actually become useful or at least has grown enough of a brain where a symbiotic relationship can be built with it.
(Seller note) It’s a newly formed tier ten personality unknown, type of spawning creatures unknown, core administrator not guaranteed, and was found in the mountains of Floz on Jovers.
That’s a lot of credits for a core I wonder…
Galactic Market: Search Tier One Dungeon Cores
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🙁 out of stock try again later, or for the low cost of 20 credits set up an alert for whenever a new item is posted (note average sale price is 250,000 credits)
Mana Manipulation, Tier One Dungeon Core ECC: 120,000
“That is a lot of mana, but”
Galactic Market Search: Teleportation to an undead controlled region
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Restricted search!
Account flagged by local authorities!
⁰_⁰
“It seems like some things remain the same, someone is always watching.”
Galactic Market Search: Teleportation to the nearest neutral world
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Altos is currently offering teleportation at the low cost of 1,000 credits from any major city, 10,000 in any lower population centers of at least village status, and is willing to even offer a remote 500,000 credit teleportation from any point within the sector.
Such as a location on Katar, Helsto, Algos, or any of the unoccupied planets or asteroids in this galaxy.
(Warning prices are per entity, local taxes may apply, and YOU WILL be scanned for contraband! Ensure you’re aware of local laws/restrictions, before you teleport, smuggling will not be tolerated, and you will be charged to the fullest extent of the law! Upload of Altos laws, and restrictions available for the low cost of 1,000 credits)
Ps, Teleportation IS NOT INSTANTANEOUS, and will at minimum take ten minutes depending on the que.
Two cores would be enough to get me to Altos, without even having to leave my cave, which might be the closest place that won’t try to murder me.
Worst case, I will probably need like six to twelve of them if I want to bring Lin, and anyone else who awakens along the way, but best case if there’s a village nearby, a single core should be more than enough.
Lin pops back in “Hard at work I see” she then dumps a backpack full of crystals, and gems on the platform.
Ignoring her sarcasm, I turn towards her “Yeah, just trying to figure out something to sell, and dungeon cores seem to go for a lot, but it would also take a lot of mana in order to make one.” Lin freezes for a second, looking at her screen “How much mana?”
“Around a hundred and twenty thousand, but with enough minions, I could probably have one done in a couple of days.” Lin shakes her head “You’re probably forgetting about the three times cost multiplier, but if we sell enough mana cores, and gems we can probably buy enough mana batteries to cut down that by a lot, and if we can sneak into a village…”
She turns to me “From now on make three miners for every arcane mage, and stop wasting your mana!” She points at the cultivating ghost as if asking why it even exists
“Wouldn’t it be better just to make a bunch of Arcane mage?” Lin gives me that tired look, someone gives, when they’re so over dumb questions.
“Areas have a finite amount of ambient mana, now get to the mediating, and then the raising.”
“Fine, fine, such a slave driver, getting bossed around by my own minions, what is the world coming to?” Lin just sighs, and disappears back into the walls.
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Hours pass, filled with dirt, and rocks falling onto the platform as Lin tears her way through the local wealth.
With the only notable things occurring being, the platform being completed, which really just means secured to the walls, and a pillar for dungeon core supplies being secured.
Oh, and the cultivator started to spar with the blood elemental for some reason, but other than that not much occurs.
Days begin to blur past, I level about every other day now, perhaps the lack of danger slowing it down, and occasionally find myself browsing entertainment on the system store which is truly endless.
My minions on the other hand are always hard at work, a circle of more than a dozen robed ghosts are surrounding a pulsing glowing orb that’s the size of a small boulder, and is hovering in the air.
The mages however are firmly on the ground with their legs crossed, and eyes shut.
Like clockwork though, every couple of minutes one of the ghosts opens their eyes, thrusts one of their hands forward, and unleashes a glowing beam of mana that quickly disappears into the orb.
With every blast, and every purchased mana battery, the almost endless flow of miners dump into the circle, after hawking their goods on the market place.
The core slowly shrinks, and condenses into what will be the dungeon core.
“This really should be enough to take care of the core, and really any long term projects that I want done any time soon, but… now what to do?”
“Something useful” Lin shouts
“Life is more than just doing something useful” I shout back
She then blurs through the floor and pokes a finger into my chest “THEN WHY AM I SPENDING ALL OF MY TIME MINING ROCKS!”
“I don’t know, maybe you enjoy it, there has to be a reason, you’re a miner, right?!” She glares at me “Just because you’re good at something, that doesn’t mean you enjoy it, but no just keep relaxing while I actually do what it takes to stay alive!”
She then blurs away going through about a hundred feet of stone, before stopping in a carved out hole filled to the brim with cores, and gems.
She picks up a glowing ruby and starts tossing it between her hands “How much more do I need to be free?”
(Sigh)
“I swear she’s getting worse by the day, and it’s not like anything has even tried to kill us.” Well me, who really knows what she has run into in those tunnels… and some of my ghosts definitely have died out there.
I then grab the latest mana stone my ghost dropped off, and pause in thought, until I notice that the ghost is still standing in front of me.
A cold wave touches my mind, a push on my mind as if someone is dripping freezing cold water onto the top of my head, and jolt as an emptiness, a feeling of completion washes over me.
I squint my eyes at the ghost “Who doesn’t love more weird feelings”
Notifications
Experience Earned
Class: Building a horde, sending them out to pillage, evolving minions, and creating minions for the express purpose of doing things that you don’t want to?
Damn, you have come so far, you haven’t even almost died in a couple of days!
Gold star!
Combat: The caves used to be such an ordered place, an established ecosystem that stood for years, but suddenly a new player entered the field, and all the old rules flew straight out the window, turning safety into an illusion, which can be shattered at any moment.
Level up +5
5 Attributes assigned to Wisdom
Intelligence +3
Wisdom +2
Spells Leveled Up
Mana Manipulation +4
Skills Leveled Up
Meditation +5
Commander +9
Milestones
Class
Commander – Leadership
Mana Manipulation – Creation
Milestone Reached
Congratulations!
You somehow managed to make it to level ten, the moment you truly begin to shape your class, and turn it into something which truly reflects who you are.
The question just being, what will you choose as the first step?
Domination – Your will becomes a weapon, a tool that the typical necromancer uses to carrel the mindless undead or to even crush the will of higher forms of undead, and make them bend the knee by crushing their little uppity minds leaving them as clean blank slates, but… why would this power be limited to just the undead?
A word of warning, those who have truly lived are much harder to break.
Anatomy of The Risen – Bringing life to the undead is all well, and good, the thing is… Any fool can throw a handful of mana at a mound of flesh, and something certainly will rise from it, maybe even something nice looking, but how effective will that flesh blob utilize its mass?
There’s a reason evolution typically takes thousands of years to raise an effective organism, but with this skill, you will surely manage to do it in at least half the time.
Over time a pattern will slowly be ingrained within your mind teaching you how to make undead whose bodies are more than just held together by mana.
Death Explosion – If something is under your control or influence, you can now ignite the death mana residing within, resulting in a wondrous explosion, which can even chain together with any other nearby pockets of death mana.
Milestone Reached
Commander has unlocked the level ten leadership pathway choice (Warning! Pathways impact all branches of their related abilities, and this choice will be the first step in determining how all leadership pathway abilities grow, after all, pathways are a lifestyle, and not an arbitrary choice!)
Presence – Some believe that leadership is all about ability or knowledge, but you know better.
The very first step of course being people feeling your presence washing over them, and putting them into their place.
(Class Exclusive)
Understanding The Brainless – Your minions having the ability to understand the typically poor instructions you give them is nothing short of miraculous, but now!
Even the brainless will have the limited ability to communicate back.
Creating an understanding between you, and your minions that will only become deeper as your ability to command them grows.
(Class Exclusive)
Domain – Claim the land around you, shaping it to fulfill your image, and transform the land itself into something new.
Only one choice can be made, what shall it be?
(Note the only way you can currently change this decision is by resetting or changing your class)
Milestone Reached
Mana manipulation, has unlocked the level ten Creation Pathway specialization choice (Warning! Pathways impact all branches of their related skills, this creation pathway will impact every materialized resource, regardless of magical branch, and impact every skill or magic that impacts them, after all, pathways are a lifestyle, and not an arbitrary choice!)
Efficiency – Materializing materials doesn’t come cheap, and there’s always something more to make, and this handy dandy little pathway starts you on the path to ensure that you can always create more materials.
Who knows maybe one day you will be able to create entire worlds with, but a wave of your hand.
Costs 2% less mana to produce any material, meaning any massive projects will be done all the more quickly or like someone who actually likes living…
YOU COULD, maintain a reserve of mana!
(Class Exclusive)
Master of The Arcane – You know what truly gives your creations power, their hearts, the mana flowing through their very being, and this pathway announces your commitment to the Arcane.
To pushing mana to the very brink, and who knows if you stay on it, maybe one day you will even be able to discover something new.
All completed materializations have a 1% chance of upgrading grade or if you made one hundred individual pounds of crystal one of them would be a higher grade.
(Class Exclusive)
What I Create Is Mine!
– Anything you create is imbued with a bit of your very essence, making the materials uniquely compatible towards anything you seek to create, but also tied to you.
An energy which could even be used to track you down, but does that risk really matter, after all who cares if one can easily discern you’re the one who created a death knight, if they’re not going to survive the encounter in the first place?
Only one choice can be made, what shall it be?
(Note the only way you can currently change this decision is by resetting or changing your class)
Numbers grow bigger, but more importantly, milestones!
“But what to choose?” It’s such a difficult choice, well, surprisingly enough, even though there are a lot of options, it’s really not… Like sure, there are nine choices, nine possibilities, but how many of them truly reflect what I want?
Take domination for example, it just sounds like a whole can of worms, that could end up bringing me down a pretty dark path, and turning my minions into bombs is at best questionable.
Then there are things like efficiency, or what I Create is mine, which could be fine, but why on earth would I choose them over auto upgrades or potential long term opportunities?
Even the commander ones are my minions always being better vs ego? or claiming land I’ll probably end up needing to abandon… Anatomy of The Risen, Master of The Arcane, and Understanding The Brainless are quickly chosen.
With little fanfare, but a sense of becoming more fills my body, a feeling similar to the one gets after they have regularly worked out for a while.
Just a feeling that makes me feel larger, more capable, before I hop to my feet, and walk around as my crystal mages work.
They’re connecting a thin multi-colored crystal beam to the ceiling, each of them creating a layer of crystal thickening it with every pass, and leaving a different colored crystal with every wave, before sinking into meditation.
There’s something peaceful about the routine that has been established around here, a simplicity that speaks to me, but… My new ability can’t help, but makes me wonder how much better I could have made my undead, or what other abilities are available to my class.
Galactic System Store
Buying
Selling
Galactic System Store/Buying/Necromancer Abilities
Error Invalid Search
Galactic System Store/Buying/Spells
Creation
Environmental
Touch
Target
Self
Summoning
Ehh, so many tabs there has to be an easier way
Galactic System Store/Buying/Water Magic
Create water 100 credits
Rain 500 credits
Water Blast 300 credits
Water Bolt 200 credits
Etc 5,000 more items listed
Galactic System Store/Buying/Death Magic
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Disperse Death Magic 15,000 credits
Galactic System Store/Buying/Soul Magic
Error Invalid Search
Galactic System Store/Buying/Ghost Magic
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Detect The Undead 10,000 credits
Galactic System Store/Buying/Fire Magic
Create Fire 250 credits
Inferno 1,000 credits
Fire Blast 600 credits
Fire Bolt 400 credits
Etc 5,000 more items listed
I slowly blink at the marketplace, which is clearly discriminating against my class, and abilities!
Mostly likely those darn local authorities, who for whatever reason don’t want anyone to just be able to buy death spells, but that also means if or rather when I make it to undead controlled lands, I’ll have the opportunity to push my class in some interesting directions.
I look back at the water spell, hmm then again picking up some unrelated abilities wouldn’t be the worst thing at least when I can afford them.
“Bah”
Galactic System Store/Buying/Media
Music
Movies
Games
VR
News
Adult
Galactic System Store/Buying/Media/Music
The Galaxy’s greatest hits!
Inspirational sounds that will move your soul!
The latest sounds blasting at you from the milky way!
Top charted songs of the universe!
999999999…
Inspirational sounds that will move your soul!
For a moment music surrounds me, it sinks into my bones, my body, my mind, and makes me feel as if I am floating, but then it cuts off dragging me back to cold reality.
The free sample has ended, please add a subscription to your account to continue listening.
(Sigh)
“I wonder how one accesses the market place equivalent to torrents?”
…
Search: how to get paid content for free?
Result!
YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN BANNED FOR TRYING TO ACCESS RESTRICTED CONTENT!!!
As this is your first ban, only a 24 hour hold will be placed against your account, but be warned!
That the consequences of YOUR actions get more severe with every infraction, and can even result in a bounty being placed against YOU if you keep on trying to access restricted content!
“Oh no, not a bounty, whatever would I do if bounty hunters came after me… but wait! My hot food! Bah, it’s probably for the best, no more distractions! I need to find a way to make credits! I need to grow! I need-”
The air starts to shake, to vibrate, and it feels as if my entire body is covered in static as dark blue light begins to pulse out of the dungeon core.
The ghosts surrounding it scatter, some practically diving into the stone walls while the rest sink through the floor, moments before dark blue lighting begins to fizzle, and blast out of the core.
Mana surrounds me, and I sink into the crystal floors as my mana shifts the crystal, until it covers my body.
For minutes, the lighting blasts, mostly striking the crystal pillars with each strike making all of the crystal glow, until it ends with one final blast that shatters the newly built pillar, and in its remains, a blue haze starts to form.
The ghosts then float back to the core watching in silence as the blood elemental, and the cultivator surround the haze.
As I shift the crystal covering me away, and walk over to the remains of the pillar.
The haze condenses, right on the tip of what’s left of the pillar where a being forms.
A creature that has fluttering navy wings that shimmer, shoulder length jumbled curly blue hair, violet eyes, a sharp narrow face, a form fitting black dress made of a glossy material, a belt with a couple of little bags attached to it, and boots?
Solid black ones that possibly make up an entire inch of the five inches that make up what could only be a fairy.
Dungeon fairy – Dryads are beings formed by the pure concentration of life, who have their very life force tied to a single tree that they protect, and nurture to the best of their ability.
Dungeon fairies are similar creatures, the only difference being that instead of their life force being tied to a tree, it’s tied to something a bit rarer, a dungeon core.
They are typically a dungeons fiercest defenders, and it’s believed that they can’t ever truly be killed as long as their connection remains with their core (much like dryads or liches) as for the rest, I mean they’re literally connected to a dungeon, are magical beings, sentient, and potentially immortal, but more importantly FAIRIES… engage with at your own risk.
Her eyes are wide, and her body is frozen in place, not moving at all, almost as if she is a little figurine instead of an actual being.
Her staring contest with the blood elemental goes on for about a minute, until I finally break the silence.
“You know that we can see you right?” She jumps into the air a curved cerulean sword forming in her hand
“Blood mage!” She turns to the ghost that shifts into the air behind her
“Necromancer!” Her sword arm starts to shake, but only for a moment, before it relaxes, her face taking on a resigned expression as she turns, and stares down at me with her sword pointed in my direction… if I didn’t know any better, I would even say that it’s pointed directly at my eye.
I smile “Well you certainly are an unexpected surprise”
Her eyes narrow at me “Is that so?… in that case, I will just take MY core, and be on MY way, after all I would hate to be a bother.”
A laugh escapes me as she flutters about “Oh, don’t worry you’re hardly a bother.” She just keeps staring, as the mana core slowly begins to float towards her.
“I truly didn’t expect to need to bargain for the core that I cre-” I glance at the cluster of ghosts “Had commissioned, and while you could certainly just take it, after all it’s only the combined effort of thirty? fifty ghosts for a bit more than a week. Definitely not nothing, but also isn’t something irreplaceable… How about a bargain?”
“How about?
NO.” Her wings start to rapidly flutter as I take a step towards her “Oh come now, where is your sense of adventure?
Just stay for a week, and if you’re unhappy with the way things are here I will go so far as paying to have you teleported to a new location.”
She glares down at me “Is that code for having me bottled, and shipped to whoever is willing to spend the most credits?”
I tilt my head “No actually, I would say that you have my word, but for some odd reason I don’t think that’s worth a whole lot to you, so let me level with you. There are two outcomes here, one we let you go, and make a new core, Lin will be pissed, but it’s doable. Two we work together, to send me, and company to some place new, after all I’m sure that a dungeon fairy comes with some pretty cool skills, and this could even be to your benefit, unless of course you like a bunch of ghosts floating around while you try to build your dungeon. Well, I guess there’s actually three outcomes here, we try to kill each risking life, and limb for what? A core that for me just costs a bit of mana to produce, why would that be worth the risk of death or being blinded?”
The core floats behind the fairy, and quickly begins shrinking down into the size of a pebble, before sliding into one of her pockets.
“So what sounds like the best option to you?” She hesitates a moment before saying “I will take my chances, and my core from here thank you very much.”
I shrug “Disappointing, Lin will not be pleased, but what can you do? Well, mind the crystal elemental on the way out, it’s not under my control, oh, and be on the lookout for bounty hunters.”
“You’re just going to let me go?”
“Sure, one rogue core is hardly the end of the world, but if cores always come with sentient beings attached to them, I will probably have to change what my minions produce, maybe just raw dungeon core crystal?”
She seems confused “But you spent a significant amount of mana making this core.”
“Yes, and a bit of time, but I got some levels out of it, and the next one will be faster, especially if just making raw dungeon core lets me skip the construction penalty.”
“Okaaaaaay.” The dungeon core shoots into one of her pouches, while she keeps pointing her sword at me.
“I’m going to go now”
I shrug “Best of luck, as for you lot start making raw dungeon core, and you two get back to training.” I then plop down next to the mana core pits, and start shuffling the cores around, while the fairy hovers in the air completely ignored.
“I’m leaving” In response she simply gets a wave, and it causes her to hesitate, before becoming a blue blur that charges towards the tunnel, dodging past the crystal elemental that makes a grab for her, and disappears down the tunnel leaving behind a severed crystal finger.
The crystal elemental stares at it for a moment, before picking it up, throwing it in its mouth, and then resumes its imitation of a statue as its finger pretty much instantly reforms.
I wonder how commonly cores come with things attached to them, something that’s probably possible to check with the system store, but alas… Lin will probably know, but maybe I should make a ghost focused on convincing people, because that did not go well.
An image of a ghost in a suit, and tie with gleaming teeth fills my mind, then again do I want a politician here?
My face takes on the appearance of dread, speak of the devil, and they shall appear, Lin pops back in “And what exactly happened after I left?” Lin gestures at the shattered crystals
“Disappointment I guess, the core finished forming, which was a tad explosive, and then the dungeon fairy decided that they rather take their chances off on their own.”
Lin puts her fingers over the bridge of her nose “You’re telling me that your dungeon core came with a dungeon fairy, and you just let them go?”
I hesitate, looking at Lin’s face, which looks too calm “Yes?”
Lin smiles, it’s creepy, her teeth are shining, and they even seem to be growing “Are you aware that dungeon fairies only form one out of every ten million dungeon cores and” Her voice takes on an extremely pitch less tone “Are worth even at tier one” She pauses “You know what, it would be better for you to see for yourself, go ahead, and search the market for a dungeon core with a fairy.”
“Umm… I would, but my access to the market place may have temporarily been restricted” A smile covers my face, but for some reason it seems to have little impact on Vie, well except maybe somehow making her glare even more intense, until one of her eyes even momentarily begins to twitch.
“Millions! of credits! That’s how much a dungeon fairy is worth, and YOU! Just let it fly away!” She then throws a glowing red gem against the wall, where it smashes into little shards.
“Everything that I have gathered isn’t even worth a fraction of that fairy, this entire mountain is probably worth less than that single dungeon fairy.”
“Huh, they sound pretty valuable, I wonder why, she didn’t seem like anything too amazing to me.”
“Does it matter?!?!? That one little fairy could be the difference between all of us living or dying.”
My eyes narrow at Lin “So that would justify killing or selling someone who is completely innocent to the highest bidder?” Lin stares at me, like she’s trying to dissect my brain with her mind.
“Are you just stupid or something? Messing with souls, that’s fine, killing countless creatures that’s cool, but one little fairy, and suddenly you turn into what, a pacifist?”
“What, are you even talking about right now, there’s a world of difference between killing some monster, and a being that I had a full-blown conversation with.” Her eyes fill with what can only be described as pity, as waves of what feels like disgust washes over me.
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…
“You really wouldn’t kill a single innocent, to save your own life? Really, then what about all of these innocent ghosts you’re sending off into these monster infested tunnels? Do their lives not matter, does my life not matter?”
“You’re different you-”
“I am what, slightly more evolved, and why does that matter?
I thought you cared about innocent lives, but suddenly being innocent isn’t enough, so who cares about all of the ghosts you have sent off to die?
People, who died, before they ever have the chance to truly experience anything, but labor, of being used, and let’s not forget all the innocent creatures being killed in our search for wealth…
“We are fighting to survive, we-” A cold dark wave washes over me as Lin tilts her head.
“One, you’re not really the one fighting to survive are you? And two, it looks like you’re not above using others, what you don’t like is getting your hands dirty.” I scoff, and run my hand through my grimy hair.
“This is getting ridiculous, we are talking about things that can’t even speak.”
“Oh, the ability to talk, I guess that changes everything then… who cares about thinking, feeling beings if they lack the ability to directly communicate it in a way you understand.” she shrugs, causing frustration to bubble underneath my skin.
“We are just doing what we need to in order to survive!”
“Then what’s the issue?”
“What’s the issue with selling beings into slavery? What’s the issue with murdering feeling thinking beings when we don’t have to? What’s the issue in becoming a monster?”
“You are already a monster, necromancer, and the sooner you face that, the better off we will all be, but in the meantime… I’m going to see if I can bag a dungeon fairy” She then phases through the floor, and I sit on the floor left with my thoughts.
If this was just a game, I wouldn’t have a problem with creating a sea of bodies, or burning entire cities to the ground, just for the experience, or hell if I was just bored or if a single person annoyed me, but it’s not a game.
“Yet, I have been treating my minions like it is.” Every single one of them could have become just as capable as Lin, and right now, I have no idea how many of them have even died or what they’ve been killing out there in the tunnels.
I lay on the ground with one of my hands covering my eyes, and stare into the void, actively ignoring a golden little tab hovering on the edge of my vision.
Where is the line, how many lives can one put, before their own, until they become nothing, but a self centered monster?
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The tunnels are a blur, the very air seems to shake, to vibrate, almost as if something is calling to her.
Tunnel after tunnel is passed as she follows some siren’s song, until like a beacon, a crack in a wall appears.
A splinter smaller than the pupil of one of her eyes glows, and she is drawn to it as if it’s the most significant thing in the world.
Her hand covers it, and with a pop she appears on the other side of it.
In a cave at most five by five feet, with a couple of faint crystals growing, but more importantly, it feels like home, and a sense of peace washes over her.
With a wave of her hand a stone pillar rises, and she places down her dungeon core.
Quest Completed!
Escape from the Bloodmage Necromancer, and make a home for yourself!
Reward – Two levels, and one Beginners Guide To Necromancy
New Quest!
Claim dominion over the surrounding area, and eliminate any threats standing in your way!
(Grow core influence area by 2,000 feet)
Reward dependent on actions… Like if you just dig straight down 2,000 feet, avoiding any connecting tunnels, don’t expect anything special, but if on the other hand you wipe out an entire village or get your hands on some rare resources.
Risk, and reward baby!
“My first quest reward, soiled by that filthy necromancer!” She slams the spell book onto the pedestal, before fluttering back over it… “Then again” she starts to flip the pages “Being able to create my own minions one’s capable of operating outside of the influence of my dungeon could be rather interesting.” She kicks her core, and it flutters with faint dark blue light “Wakey wakey, dungeon core! Get to growing, grow until you fill this room, and don’t eat my crystals!” The crystal gives out what, almost seems like a grumble as faint wisps of mana start wafting around the room digging into the floor, the walls, and even the air itself.
“Now, let’s see how one goes about creating the undead.”
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“FAIRY!!! come out, come out wherever you are! I only want to talk, I swear! Come on! Don’t you want to be friends! Fairy?” Lin phases through another wall, directly into the path of another wandering elemental she then starts to scream, and swing her pickaxe.
With every strike her bellowing gains an octave, until she collapses onto the pile of rubble.
“Millions, of credits, with that kind of wealth I could have done anything, become anyone, but that fool just let it fly away…” she then stumbles to her feet “That fool, that spineless coward, he’s going to get me killed, but it’s not too late, that fairy has to be around here somewhere. Fairy, where are you?”
Due to formating issues this story doesn’t quite look the way it’s supposed to 0_o and you can read an updated version on Kobo, or other platforms. https://litrpgandpolitics.wordpress.com The story is also at around chapter 60 with around 400,000 words, and will posted once per day, until it’s caught up.
Then it will either be weekly, or twice a week, with that being said, I still welcome any feedback, after all I’m still editing everything 0_0 and different perspectives can so often help one see the things we take for granted.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that you have a great day!