by TJ Reynolds
To this end, Ban had crafted him a rather humble, yet elegant, abode.
But Kai needed more, much more, and Ban determined to make it so, as quickly as possible.
Ban ate away at the loam and shale of the hillside, savoring the simple flavors as a peasant might enjoy a bowl of rice or fried greens. He did not seek to enlarge his core room; rather, he wished to make this new chamber distinct and separate from the rest of the dungeon. Ban slowly carved out a short and serviceable tunnel, just a few dozen feet, at the end of which the room would take shape.
Soon, Ban reached his BM reserve limit. Three hundred BM units sounded like more than it was. Converting the material into ether was easy enough, but took time and concentration. Ban mentally compressed the material, extracting the ether it was composed of. Every ten BM units yielded one unit of ether. It took Ban over an hour to convert all the material in his BM reserve, then without wasting a second, he shifted back to digging out the room.
His progress was slow but steady. Far from boring him, however, several enthralling discovering prompted Ban to stop and study them.
The first of which was when the stone changed from simple shale to delicious quartz. The transition in flavors was startling. The quartz was hard and crisp, and Ban found he rather enjoyed it. It still counted as BM, but it filled up his pool faster than either the shale or loam had.
Shortly after beginning work again, he encountered another new substance that caused him to stop once more. Though a small thing, this discovery was more vital than the last. A tiny fleck of metal, reddish in color and softer than iron, caught his attention. A memory triggered in Ban’s mind, and he recalled a key for a small chest with the same sheen and coloration.
It was copper!
By the scrawling magnificence of paisley! he exulted. This was Ban’s first source of naturally occurring Intermediate Material. Though the minute fleck didn’t count as even a single unit, it urged him on, and as he greedily dug deeper, he found a vein!
Though Ban wanted nothing more than to chase the metal as it wove through the bedrock of the hill, he kept his priorities in line. No sense in building a misshapen room. Guests would think me simply daft! He forced himself to put it off, saving the delicious task for a later date, when he would have time to pursue the copper to its source.
Ban wanted the chamber to be massive, eventually becoming a proper training room, filled with equipment, monsters, and challenges for Kai. He’d have the dragonling ascended to Crimson and then Amber in no time! For now, though, Ban limited himself to carving out a small room, just twenty feet long and ten wide.
Twice more, Ban stopped to convert his filled reserve of material to ether, and each time, the loss of time irked him. After he’d converted yet another mass of BM into ether, he remembered he could also increase the density of his Base Material reserves, compressing it into Intermediate Material.
He began alternating between the two conversions, the change in pace relieving the sense of repetition.
The final surprise that Ban happened upon during his excavation was by far the most significant. Quartz was tasty, and the copper useful, but when he found a pocket of compressed bones, so old they had become one with the stone of the mountain, he practically screamed his excitement.
Suppressing his glee, Ban busied himself first with consuming the mass of remains, then with attempting to organize their original composition within his mind. Ban sifted out the small form of a rabbit first, the design already one that he could access. Yorick loved the taste of rabbit stew, he remembered, and had asked Ban to summon them often. Looking at the residual bones, Ban noted that at least two other creatures remained tangled together.
The skeletons rested at the bottom of a patch of dark loam, and Ban thought it might have been a sinkhole long ago. Else, why would the animals have died together in one small area, and how had they been so well preserved?
Just before Ban gave up on the task, he noticed a repeating pattern. He began linking all the similar bones together, and when the pattern was complete, he had a long and thin-bodied skeleton. It was a creature he had never seen and certainly had no name for. He figured he could summon it later, when Kai was stronger perhaps, and ask the young man what it was.
The other skeleton was larger and in a more advanced state of disarray. He left it for another time, wanting to finish the goals he had set for himself before daybreak.
When Ban finished the new room, he had filled more than half of his reserve with over a hundred points of ether.
He began rebuilding his dungeon with one of the first miracles he’d made for Yorick, the fountain that had trickled so contentedly in the corner of his core room. Shaping a basic stone basin was too simple for one with Ban’s flair for novelty. He etched a hundred scampering figures around the lip of the bowl.
When he was done, he marveled at the detail and craftmanship of his own work, knowing Kai would be pleased.
Finding the spring that had once fed the fountain came next. Ban had to search within the walls themselves, which was very much like working blind. He could not quite see through the stone, but could travel through it with his node of awareness, revealing its composition inch by inch. He succeeded in locating water soon enough, the branching spring still bubbling a few feet away within the bedrock.
Ban cleared away the blockages and suppressed the urge to sing. He was no longer alone, and Kai needed his sleep.
The basin filled quickly, so Ban ate away the rubble that clogged the old drain he had made so many years ago. It had filled with broken stone and dust, but that was easy enough to fix.
Ban assessed his work and felt he had done well. The drain allowed the water to pour away fast enough so that the fountain never overflowed. Now Kai would not have to leave the dungeon to slake his thirst.
The next thing Ban wanted to do was to rebuild the furniture that had once occupied his core chamber. He fretted about the amount of ether this would take. No, I have to think of Kai’s needs. He is a corporeal thing. What does he need? Ban asked himself, then remembered the last thing the young adventurer had done.
Yorick had never enjoyed the tedium of lighting a fire, so Ban had kept one burning at all hours. Kai was a different creature entirely; he would need to ask him about it when he awoke. Ban’s mind was unable to recall what Yorick had him use to fuel the flames, so after failing to find the correct design, he summoned a few more table legs within the hearth to keep the fire burning and another pile next to the hearth.
The dagger Ban had devoured had been quite tasty, and though he loathed relinquishing any of his precious IM, he could always make more. Besides, he didn’t want Kai to fight another rat with only a chunk of wood.
Ban brought the image of the dagger up in his Item Interface, a glowing blue room in his mind’s eye, a sort of imagined workshop that enabled Ban to customize any item.
The dagger was made of good steel, though not quite castle-forged quality. It had a touch less carbon than it needed to withstand the true rigors of combat, but it would bend before it broke, which was not a terrible quality in a beginner’s weapon. Ban knew it would be good enough for Kai’s training.
He first straightened the blade, removing every divot, bend and scratch that marred its surface. Then he used a substantial amount of material to extend the blade and the handle.
He only wanted something large enough to serve as a temporary improvement. It would be no broadsword, no great sword of legend. But for the time being, that would not be necessary. Besides, perhaps Kai will go for a different sort of weapon. Nothing less original than a sword on the hip of a valiant defender.
So despite the dramatic shifting of its form, when Ban was done, the blade had become little more than a common short sword. It was one that Kai could grip with confidence though.
To this end, Ban had thickened the small amount of wood around the grip. When he was done, he’d etched the blade with the same twisting vines Kai had appreciated so much. Finally, the d
ungeon sharpened the weapon as best he could.
He set it down near the still-sleeping Kai, just far enough to ensure he would not accidentally cut himself.
Ban continued to work.
He next fashioned a wooden door, a design he barely remembered, but that was so simple he managed it on his first try.
Placing the slab of oak at the end of the corridor, Ban realized that he could not recall the precise nature of the locking mechanism that his master had brought for him to absorb and study. Besides, those hinges were originally made of brass, and Ban had no more IM to build it with. He would need to ask Kai to bring him something similar, to jog his memory. For now, Ban wedged a large stone against the door, ensuring it would remain closed until Kai was ready.
On the other side of the door, he formed another rat. Just a plain Crimson 1 rat, nothing fancy. Ban was upset that Kai had nearly lost a fight with such a beast, but he knew of nothing less ferocious that would facilitate the young dragon’s ascension with any sense of urgency. Yorick had brought him only a few beasts, enough to protect himself when the dragon was away, but each of those had come from the Mirin Swamp—even mice were not to be trifled with there. If there were other creatures that might be more appropriate at this point, Ban could not think of any.
Ban next formed a stool that came to mind easily enough. It was just a simple thing, with three legs and a round seat. It would be nice to give Kai a place to sit when a rest was called for.
Remembering another obvious need, Ban formed a small pile of straw in the corner of his core room. No doubt he would wake Kai, should he try to form the material underneath him while he slept. Yet, the act eased Ban’s mind, knowing the next time his dragon lay down to sleep, he would do so more comfortably.
As the dungeon continued to toil away, forming the crude foundations of a home, his stores of ether and BM slowly dwindled. With morning fast approaching, he chose one last task that would surprise Kai and bring him a bit of joy. With all the care and diligence he could muster, Ban summoned one of the first and most coveted of Yorick’s treasures and he set it down gently on the ledge above the fireplace.
As the sky outside the dungeon lightened, Ban kept busy with as many minor chores he could think of: increasing the size of his new room, adding further decorative embellishments, and improving upon the creations he’d already made.
Occasionally, he would stop consuming the quartz and loam and convert his BM reserves into either IM or ether. And in this fashion, not only did he make his dungeon as clean and tidy a place as Kai deserved, but he gradually began to restore his resources.
A man or a dragon might find the slow methodical pace of his labor maddening, but it lulled Ban into a deep and mindless trance the Earth Core could only describe as infinitely pleasurable.
8
Stuck in the Middling with You
Kai
It was thanks to the persistent yet indecipherable quality of being watched that Kai woke at last. He sat up, still warm, the fire crackling merrily before him. Have I only slept a little while? he wondered, not sure how the fire could still be lit after a full night’s sleep.
Not at all, Ban replied, I simply kept adding more fuel as it was called for. Yorick always appreciated that, and it’s no stress on me. Would you like me to continue in this fashion?
Kai thought about it a moment, realizing how nice it was to be constantly warm. Yet the dungeon isn’t exactly cold, he mused.
Ah, so you’ve noticed. Not only is the ambient temperature of underground dwellings higher than most imagine, but my increased ether stores warm the air as well. It’s almost cozy, isn’t it? Ban said, and Kai could tell that the dungeon must have been waiting all night to speak with him.
He coughed, feeling a rib or two click back in place. The stone floor had been absolutely unyielding, and he felt it, now. To be honest, Ban. I suppose I’d rather light the fire myself when it’s called for. It isn’t very difficult to do so, and besides, what else do I have to do?
Well, such industry is welcome, Kai. I shall let you be master of the hearth from now on.
What time is it? Kai asked, stretching out his aching back. Have I slept long?
It is almost noon, the sun has nearly risen to the pinnacle of its aspirations, and the animals in the forest bask in the relentless gift of its saffron glory.
Kai laughed. Wow, been waiting that long to talk again, huh? Sorry, I was tired. His uncle had always chided him for being a layabout. It wasn’t that Kai didn’t enjoy the work on the farm, but that sleep was always so enticing. He’d always had trouble waking himself at a proper hour. The intrepid roosters of Mindonne pulled him out of sleep’s warm embrace each morning, their songs like belligerent battle-cries.
No need to apologize, Kai, Ban said, dismissing his anxieties. Only yesterday, you restored a shattered Earth Core, laid waste to an enormous rat, and discovered you are a dragon. Sleep was just the thing you needed. But now, I feel you might enjoy a quick look about.
Kai rubbed his face and did as his dungeon asked. Glancing around, the glimmer of new steel caught his eye. “What’s this? My goodness, where did this sword come from? It’s magnificent!”
Really? Oh, you flatter me. I just improved upon that dagger a bit. Do you like it?
Picking up the short sword, Kai marveled at how much Ban’s improvements transformed the blade. The handle fit his hand perfectly, as if tailored to his grip. He noticed the engraved wood. The pattern was simple but elegantly executed. And when he tested the blade, rubbing his thumb along the edge, it cut him instantly.
Licking the tiny drop of blood that formed, Kai grinned savagely. “Ban, this is incredible. I used to think Roarke’s sword was as fine a weapon as there was in the world. But this… it’s beautiful.”
That’s only because you haven’t seen much of the world, Kai. Now please, do continue exploring.
Kai took in the room with new eyes, noticing the polished gleam to the floors and the stool in the corner. There was a pile of fresh hay and a ridiculously tall stack of table legs near the hearth. The sound of running water tugged at his hearing and he realized how thirsty he was. When he spotted the fountain, he gasped.
He walked over and dipped a finger in it. The water was cold as ice and clear as the sky after a heavy rain. Kai drank until his head ached, then laughed and sat down, running his fingers across the writhing mass of rats carved along the edge of the basin.
“This is funny. A bit rude, Ban, but I’ll admit, still in good taste. How do you manage to carve things so perfectly?” Kai asked, unable to help himself.
Ban sputtered a bit, for once tongue-tied. But he managed at last, It isn’t so hard when you summon the items. I can shape them how I wish in my head or eat away at them once they are in the world and form whatever pattern I wish. I wouldn’t describe what I do as carving, exactly … Sculpting sounds a bit better, but still falls short. That is what I did to the walls as well.
Kai looked up at the vines in the stone above and shook his head. You could make a killing as a stonemason, he said to Ban in his head. Then he added, Did you make breakfast too?
Ban announced proudly, I did. You had one apple left before you fell asleep. I helped myself to it, a tasty morsel if I say so myself, but also easily replicated. Check upstairs. I made a separate space for you to eat. I figured you would have need of a proper cellar.
Kai strode up the stairs, marveling as he went at the restored glory of the dungeon. Ban had cleaned every surface, and it practically sparkled.
In the first room he came to, Kai saw an impractically large pile of apples. It sprawled across part of the floor, standing at its highest peak at least two and a half feet tall. He stooped down and picked up six of the small treats and teased his invisible friend. Do you plan to feed an army?
The Earth Core defended himself immediately. It has been years since I’ve cared for a mortal. How am I to know how much or how little you eat?
It’s great, Ban, thank you, K
ai said, trying to mollify the dungeon. He trotted back down the stairs and walked over to the core sitting on its pedestal. He placed his hand gently on the stone and thought again, sincerely, Thank you. Only yesterday I was so poor I didn’t know how I’d get my dinner. And now I have thirty pounds of apples and the sharpest sword in Brintosh.
Kai felt a surge of emotion rush into him, gratitude and contentment, and behind it all, a deep and boundless fear.
He removed his hand and rubbed it. The dungeon was quiet, perhaps as shocked as he was, until at last Ban mentioned, I have a few more surprises for you, Kai. Please, check the mantel above the fireplace.
Kai turned and looked. Resting atop the smooth stone of the mantel sat a book. It too had the unnatural perfection of something summoned. When he crossed over to the hearth and picked it up off the mantel, he saw a dragon red and gold detail on the cover, hand painted if he had to guess.
I know it is only a trifle, but soon I will replace all of my former master’s treasures. This was one of his favorites. I am not sure I can remember all the books he had, but those I remember, I’ll replace.
The dungeon’s perspective differed so much from Kai’s. Having the idea that dragons only prized jewels and riches, Kai was caught off guard to find they held books in such lofty esteem.
Reading the title, Kai’s belly fluttered in anticipation. Descended from a Star: a Brief History and Classification of the Various Descendants of Kevir the Mighty. The volume was not particularly thick, but when he opened it, Kai realized that each page was scrawled in an elegant hand, each with an accompanying painting.
Kai began eating his apples and reading from the treasure. Before the book’s first chapter was a preface titled, A Summary of the Deities and Their Associated Elements. He skimmed through Andag, Briga, and Yugos, as he was already familiar with those.