General Maintenance

Dungeon

I was only expanding my territory down now, worried about people noticing what was happening above ground too soon. I'd realized that somehow, my territory was making the area above ground grow much, much wilder. Trees were starting to sprout, mist was much more common and glowed, mushroom circles were forming, and the area was starting to attract wild animals not native to the area.

That was the least of my worries though. I had discovered that my demon was growing demonic plants, and seemed to practically worship me now. I didn't realize how big a deal clothing was to demons until I learned how they were usually used by other dungeons- which only needed me to focus on certain words in the description of my summoning spell, and then willing myself to know more about them. 

Demons were typically used in dark celestial dungeons to seduce and consume the souls of the adventurers who entered their dungeons. so by giving him clothes, I'd basically outright said that I had other uses in my mind. That meant more to a demon than almost anything. Angels were different. They craved light, and being able to help others. So, I'd given my angel a simple job- she was to heal anyone who put an item into the lake. If they asked for a crystal, she would give them a riddle- the reward for solving the riddle would be the gem that would be the most use to them.

She'd been very happy about this, and even more-so once I'd given her some fairy helpers. I could make multiple kinds now, and I'd created two fairies of light to help her, along with a water fairy and a crystal fairy. That had been enough to earn her loyalty, and I'd applied both titles once I'd gotten the 'Angelic Dungeon' title. That had barely said anything- just that my Dungeon had a healing aura now, so anything in my territory gained a boosted recovery rate. Also, anything that drank water in my territory had all illnesses removed from it, and I had access to the Angelic lists. 

I'd used those plants to help light up my dungeon, and used the demonic ones to help make the place more old-looking, valuable, and ominous. I was feeling pretty excited. Until my 'eat' ability had been lost. Apparently, I only was allowed to have that spell until I reached level 5. I had done so shortly after applying my titles, which was frustrating. 

I had to find a way to expand my actual dungeon now, which was going to be difficult... I'd have to expand outside of my cave until ANGEL showed up to help me... It had only been eight days, so I had a long time left to go. Luckily, I had figured out what brownies were- and what they could do- on the second day. I had only created one at first, but it had immediately given me three options. Dungeon Expansion(DE), Dungeon Maintenance(DM), and Brownie Projects(BP).

I hadn't gone for expansion, not just yet, and had clicked on BP. I could guess what maintenance was. I found that Brownies could create almost anything as a project, and the first one available- the only one not grayed out- was the 'Brownie hive'. I'd clicked that, then watched as my brownie started digging into a wall. I'd immediately eaten a hole near the ceiling and made a natural way up to it that would be almost effortless to the small, four inch tall creature. It was like a wingless fairy that had brown, wrinkled skin. 

Brownies had the ability to create a goblin spawner later, so I guessed these were young goblins or something. I directed the Brownie up there, then created lots of small tools and another hundred brownies to use them, all of the creatures beginning to work on the project. That was a fascinating thing, really, and took up most of that day. I started expanding into the ocean while I did this, curious about what I'd find there. 

All the while, I was expanding and watching my mana very, very slowly creep up. It was frustrating how slowly it filled, despite how large my territory was. Clearly I was missing something, and it was slowly driving me insane. ANGEL would probably mock me for missing something that will likely be obvious once she points it out. 

I had discovered something though- something I could manipulate, but couldn't actually touch yet. It was like the grayed out options- I knew they were there, but I had no idea how to access them- and these didn't have an obvious progression to them. 

The main problem now, was just how unsettling my aura felt, even to myself. I felt like I was on the verge of falling apart all the time, and my mana and territory was unstable. I just couldn't figure out why- though I assumed it was my opposing titles. Which was frustrating, but at least it let me have more control over whether I summoned a demon or an angel. I summoned more demons- though lesser ones that were made of far less mana than my first demon- and used them to populate my sword path. 

I made two more angels to help the first with her duties, and gave them each an identical set of fairies. Something I noticed was that all water demons were male, and all water angels were female. I'd created clothing for all of them, and even created some nature fairies whose main job was to craft armor and clothes out of the plants throughout the dungeon. 

Then the next party of adventurers came, and I got very distracted, very quickly. 

---

It was the eighth day since I'd gotten here and I was waking up from a good nights' sleep, getting a surprise level up from the experience I'd gained overnight- I didn't need to sleep, I'd discovered, but it helped pass the time; and it was lucky that I'd done so last night. I got level six, and didn't hesitate to accept it causing my territory to stabilize and my charisma to increase yet again. I'd also unlocked the ability to tie a creatures soul to my dungeon, making them a 'boss' monster, and making them both more powerful, and able to respawn. 

I could only have one boss monster right now, but I knew exactly which one I wanted to choose. I'd learned recently that I could see my monsters' stats, so I knew that my first Demon was named Trital. I'd also learned a lot about what he'd done and why, and I knew how loyal and powerful he was. I gladly focused on him, and then began to condense mana into him. The process was fascinating. 

First, he started to glow, then he froze and seemed to lock up. He started gasping for air, as if he was being suffocated, and curled up on the ground as if to escape something. His screams started shortly after, and I saw his health-bar depleting. I then started to manipulate my mana, combining it with his and fusing them, widening and purifying his territory- which he was still using the items to create and use- and then imbuing him with the skills the items held as innate skills before pulling sharply on the essence of what made him who he was. 

His soul popped free with an intense effort, and I wrapped him in mana, binding him to every atom of my territory, and then going even further and binding him to the very stone and earth and metal and magic that made up my dungeon. Then I dissolved his old body- keeping his clothes and enchanting them- before creating a new body for him, using his old body as a base and choosing various parts to enhance and remove until he had a much stronger, faster, and more magically absorbent body. I could do this every time he died- and afterwards, like now, I'd slide his soul into the new vessel. 

I placed his clothes back on him, replacing the enchanted items in the chest and smiling as he slowly sat up, now a few inches taller and a great deal more muscular than before. He'd also unintentionally become far more attractive as a demon- less unsettling. I'd have kept watching and inspected him more, but I suddenly felt uneasy again, and knew outsiders were approaching me. From the same direction as before, too... I shivered, feeling four of them. 

I quickly started preparing, starting with the most obvious task of giving Trital his job and the ability to sense enemies. He'd know when they were close and in general where they were. He immediately stood up and began commanding the lesser demons, ordering them around and setting them up to be as efficient as possible. Part of me felt weird about this, but the main part of me was glad for it. 

These adventurers were not going to have an easy time of my dungeon, and I was excited to see them try their hand at it. I was so bored I didn't know what to do- and this was finally going to be some real entertainment. I was hidden again, algae and such having grown naturally over me- and I'd repaired the vines so the area looked like no one had ever been here before. 

I watched them excitedly, Following their progress and trying to guess exactly what and who they were.

___

Stephan

The rogue walked through the young forest, warily looking around himself and peering through the mist. His friends- Alcor the ranger, Valentine the Wizard, and Auriel the sorceress- all walked with him- Alcor in front and scanning carefully for any dangers that might be in front of them. As the ranger, it made sense- even if he was an orc.

The big, brutish man had canines that stuck slightly out of his mouth, and was easily eight feet tall when he wasn't crouching. Even when crouching, like he was, the gray skinned man was over five feet tall. Despite that, his footfalls were surprisingly soft and quiet, and his startlingly green eyes were scanning the area more perfectly than Stephan himself when he scanned for hiding spots. 

Alcor also had the orc build that no male orc could escape- broad-chested and well muscled- with long black hair that he hadn't bothered to cut in years. Normally an orc cut it short, but he had tried to distance himself from his races' stereotype. 

Valentine was a short, spunky little human with blonde hair that she kept just below her shoulders. Her intelligent red eyes kept a watch for magic, though she seemed nearly blind now that they'd entered the forest itself. Or as if what she was seeing was very faint. Her skin was a golden tan, and with her practical dress, robes, and weapons, she looked like a scholar-warrior. 

Auriel was an elf. She had long, red hair, porcelain white skin, and bottle-green eyes that almost glowed with magic, even in the daylight. If not for the knives at her belt and the glaive attached to her back. She wasn't wearing a dress, preferring to wear a practical pair of leggings and a loose shirt; and that was a good thing- this vegetation was hampering Valentine's movement already. 

Valentine muttered something under her breath, and I turned my attention to her. I Was worried, as she only muttered if something was very, very wrong or out of place. "What did you say?" She sighed, looking around warily as the others listened closely. They knew how dangerous these places could be, and that Val muttering was never a good thing.

"I can barely see anything useful. It's like a newborn dungeon! The magic in the air is so thin... I can barely see it. It's really unsettling, because I know this isn't near the entrance. There's no way it is... How did it expand so far with such weak magical energy...?" She was unsettled, and I could tell from her tone that this was freaking her out. 

Honestly, it made all of us worry. Dungeons that didn't follow normal dungeon rules tended to make all of us uncomfortable- because they always did weird things and made weird, unpredictable dungeons. That wasn't ever a good thing- who knew what this dungeon would be or do?

I forced a smile. "Well... even if it isn't normal, this is good, right? Maybe since it has so little magic, it won't be too hard to subjugate... right?" He smiled, hopeful. That would be a miracle. Of course, he doubted it- a scout had already been killed. Those guys had one simple job- get in, explore the first level, get the treasure if possible, then return to base so the treasure could be examined and what kind of Dungeon it was could be written down. 

Either the scout had been careless, or this was a dungeon that was incredibly dangerous- possibly even a demonic one- those were terrifying, since they only needed to reach their hundredth floor and they'd open a portal to hell. Almost as bad was an angelica one- they built upwards, but also only needed one hundred floors before opening a portal- to heaven though. Both places released so much magical energy it threw off the worlds natural energy, and then it released magical creatures and became almost unstoppable Such dungeons often had to be entirely destroyed- though this looked more like a Fae dungeon. Those were annoying, but not nearly as dangerous. 

At least it probably wouldn't be a water dungeon- those left your armor rusting and your feet wrinkled and constantly wet. It was so uncomfortable... Everyone hated those dungeons, and they usually got entirely destroyed, just on principle. Their lower floors were entirely submerged too- not fun at all, for anyone except some breeds of elf and beastkin. 

Val sighed, shaking her head. "Maybe... Hey... how about a wager?" She smiled, and I grew nervous. She had a habit of winning, and I always got forced to do something embarrassing. Last time I'd had to rub everyone's feet every night before bed until we'd gotten back to the adventurers guild- Alcor was the hardest to manage- he had bigger feet than the rest of us, almost by three times, and while he normally kept himself as clean as possible, he wasn't exactly a mage; he couldn't use the Cleanse spell on himself, nor could he create water from nothing. 

That meant that during their long road back, if they ever went more than a day without seeing a river, his feet had been awful. The one good thing about it, was that my dexterity and strength stats had risen by several points each from the exertion. I'd also learned the massage skill, so that had been nice- especially since it acted as a buff. I used it on the group before we entered a dungeon most times, just so we had an edge. 

I sighed, nodding. I wouldn't like it, but these bets I lost always helped me and the group in the long-run. It was part of why She was the leader of the group- and a large part of why I had a crush on her. She grinned. 

"If this place really is harmless, I'll give you anything you want that I can give you- one thing only, but it can be anything you know I can give. If I'm right though, and its much more dangerous than it seems, you'll have to cook our meals for us until we start our next job." She looked so innocent and kind... I gave in, knowing I'd lose before she had even said a word.

"Sure... be prepared to blush a lot little missy- you look adorable in cute skirts." I grinned, and she glared at me- I was being honest- she'd work a maids outfit once, and because we were in a desert, she'd wound up hemming it to be much shorter than normal. It helped keep her from over-heating, and I hadn't been able to help but fawn over how cute she was. My nose was still a few millimeters off center from that. 

We walked in relative silence for a few more minutes until we found a small lake that was filled by a spring- fairies were floating around the place, confirming that this dungeon had at least some natural affinity. That made it much less likely to be a demonic dungeon, which was a relief.  Still, the lake was glowing slightly, as if shimmering with magic. Val cautiously examined it, gathering some of the liquid to study later. Dungeons did weird things to their surroundings. We continued walking after that, following the river that looked just a bit too perfect. It led to a cliff and some weather-worn steps that led down to a platform and... 

"A water dungeon???For the love of my sanity, why???" I looked over at Auriel, but she shook her head and so did Val. I looked around and realized that Alcor wasn't nearby. Turning around, I saw him storming off back the way we'd come. He hated water dungeons- even more than most people did, they were always boring and full of small slippery creatures that were hard to hit with a bow and arrow, and even harder to grab with your body. He was basically useless in most of them. 

"Hey! Get back here!!!" I dashed after him, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him back- that did nothing except have me get dragged along with him. Until we both got hit with a binding spell. Val had an aura of anger about her, and I knew that Auriel wouldn't be all that different. Which scared me. 

"You two get back here now- we are all going in and you don't get to complain. We'll need your night vision, Alcor." He muttered, groaning but finally agreeing. She let us go and we all went down to the entrance, seeing a crack in the floor that stretched down a few steps. I was about to step over it when Val cleared her throat, glaring at me. I sighed, bending down and inspecting the crack- searching for traps. 

I didn't see anything except for some algae at the bottom. I almost touched it, but then felt some intense magic once I did so, pulling my hand back and backing away. "Val, you're up. Something magic is in that hole, and it isn't alive- sorry Auriel." Auriel huffed, having gotten excited for a moment. She used the souls of dead monsters to fuel her magic- the more she had, the more magic she had to use. It would've been a huge bonus for her, since she actually had a prepared soul gem on her this time- those things weren't easy to get.

Val shook her head, smiling at her. She hummed to herself, leaning over the hole and casting a spell. When that failed, she thought for a moment, then got down on her hands and knees, murmuring words I didn't understand as she reached into the water. After a moment, she finished her chant and her hand shot into the water, and pulled out the algae. For a moment, she was silent, then she whooped in excitement. "I found a magic orb!!!" The rest of us froze. 

Those were insanely rare... they were made of the bodies of dead dungeon cores that hadn't been shattered. They were usually imbued with powerful magic of some kind, and they always enhanced a persons magical abilities- the greater a mages power, the more of a boost they got. That meant that Val had suddenly become a much bigger asset to our team. We started to get excited, and were on the verge of celebrating until she grabbed it and gasped, making us hesitate. 

I walked over, about to ask what was wrong when I saw it. A quest. This orb had a quest on it. That meant a greater power or subjugated core had given it a quest. Quests were huge, because they gave people either an insane amount of experience, or a normally unattainable magical item. This was even bigger than just finding an orb, but also meant we likely wouldn't be able to accomplish this on our own. I looked at her. 

"What does the quest say?" The others tensed, their minds reaching the same conclusion mine had. Val looked up at me, nervous. That wasn't good. 

"It says... 'If you choose to place this orb on my pedestal, and agree not to harm him, you will be granted safety in his dungeon...' " She shivered, looking back at them. "Guys, this orb has a soul inside of it. Whoever made this, most likely also made this dungeon. Being granted safety inside of it... I don't know if we can pass that up." She looked around at them, waiting to hear their input. 

Auriel looked at them. "I'm tempted to steal this orbs soul, but... I won't if we accept the quest..." She wasn't happy but she knew we helped her just as often as she helped us, and we were all friends. She wouldn't break her word.

Alcor looked into the Dungeon. "Without being attacked by the dungeon, we could map out the entire thing for others. The amount of experience and gold we'd get for something like that... I'm all for accepting the quest."

I nodded, looking at Val. "Who knows what treasures are in there? Maybe another magic orb that you can have for yourself. I saw it's worth a look around. Let's do the quest. Besides, if it's that important, maybe the traps won't trigger when we go through there? I'm certain we can count on that at least." I grinned, and she nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief. 

"Alright... let's do this then." She let each of us touch it, and watched as the reward shifted slightly, changing. It now included bonus experience and even... an enchanted ring for each of us. That kind of magic, that kind of treasure and impressive reward... I suddenly knew even more certainly than before that I'd lost our bet. Wonderful...

She accepted, almost gleefully. The orb in her hand- looking like a sunset that had been captured in glass, glowed faintly before settling down. I shivered, looking around at everyone. "Alright, let's get going. I can't wait to see a ring that can fit on Alcor's fingers." I laughed, and the girls chuckled as Alcor stared at me, unamused. He had pretty large hands after all, and fingers to match.

We all started the descent into the dungeon, Alcor taking the front as he had the greatest defense of any of us. The most unsettling thing about the descent though, was that it didn't get dark... It actually grew a bit brighter. The plants were very unsettling.