by Aleron Kong
He told her about the Dungeon and also about the Well of Offering. Richter spoke of his hope that the celestial nature of the Quickening might mix with the Dungeon and perhaps temper the Blood and Chaotic magic. There was a small nagging part of him that remembered Hisako’s first warning to him: mixing magics was dangerous. He ignored it though. The Land was a dangerous world. The only way to be truly safe was to have the strength to meet whatever came. That meant taking chances. He ended with, “I don’t know if placing celestial components from the Quickening would do anything, but I want to try. I know your bonded tree is precious, however, and would not do anything to jeopardize it or our Companionship.”
She listened to him, with a grave expression on her youthful and tiny face. It might have been comical, but Richter knew what she had been through. He was speaking to a queen that had watched every member of her race perish and then had been the vessel of rebirth of every pixie now alive. After he was done speaking, she simply hovered there for a moment before calling up into the tree in pixiespeak. A moment later, two of her children flew down with a single white leaf.
“I can give you this leaf freely, my lord,” Elora told him. “I must speak with the Quickening to ascertain if any more is possible, however. Please return tomorrow.”
“Speak to the tree?” Richter asked. The other two pixies handed him the leaf, reverent, their heads bowed. Seeing the solemnity in the normally mischievous children’s faces really drove home what a gift he was being given.
“Yes,” Elora responded with no further elaboration. “I will need to meditate first. I wish you well and I will see you on the morrow, my lord.” She flew up into the boughs and disappeared.
Well, Richter thought, it wasn’t a “no.” He would just come back tomorrow. Richter examined the leaf in his hand. It had a velvety texture on top that was as white as cream. The bottom was silver and reflective. It was smooth like actual metal, but was slightly warm in his hand. When he tried to learn more though, he got a surprise.
Your Herb Lore skill is insufficient to discover information about this celestial object.
That was the first time he had been shown that particular prompt. It was especially surprising because he was skill level forty in Herb Lore, almost a journeyman. Five more skill levels and he’d be eligible to become a Professed Herbalist. Just how much stronger and more powerful were celestial objects than those native to his plane? Another thought occurred to him that wasn’t nearly as warm and cuddly. How balefully powerful would demonic creatures be in comparison to what he had already fought against? Taking the thought even further, what did it mean that an imp was the first creature he’d met in The Land?
Richter shook his head. Those thoughts were just one more rabbit hole he refused to get sucked down into. He decided to stretch his legs a bit to warm up. He didn’t want his muscles to be tight from the cold rain that was still falling. His fingers twisted into the spellform Weak Haste and he took off. His stats already made him fleet of foot, but the extra +10% speed boost made even his easy jog more like the lope of a deer. Alma jumped off his shoulders and glided above him, though she complained about being wet the whole time. In scant minutes, he was back at the Dragon’s Cauldron. After picking up a few supplies, Richter headed back down the hill from the meadow.
The villagers that he passed nodded to him, and a few smiled, but many were still reeling from the trial. He nodded back, but didn’t stop. Richter’s destination was the vault. The customary guards posted in the catacombs snapped to attention and saluted as he passed. He crossed over the Great Seal and went down the tunnel to the treasury.
The door to the vault was solid titan steel. It would take a ridiculous amount of force to enter without the key. Luckily, he was the key. There was a clear circle built into the door. The first time he had approached, holding his Mark of the Mist Village had been all that was required for it to recognize his Mastery of this Place of Power. The thick bolts that kept others out had drawn back and it had opened on its own power. Even that was no longer necessary. They retracted as he approached simply in response to his will.
When the thick door swung open, he was greeted with the sight of an octagonal room filled with shelves. They were still more than half empty, but there was much more in the chamber than when he had initially claimed the Mist Village. Large sacks of crystal rested on the shelves. The Tefonim jewelry and other items he had collected also resided on stone panels. Richter put several items into his Bag of Holding while removing a few in turn.
When he was done, he started jogging back up the tunnel. The treasury door clanged shut behind him, and the bolts secured themselves once more. Richter left the catacombs and made his way to the main gate. Sion, Terrod and Randolphus were waiting for him as expected. Sapir flitted about in the air near his meitu’meidon. There were others there though that Richter had not expected to see. Hisako, Yoshi and Beyan were waiting with his Companions.
“Hello,” Richter greeted them.
“Well met, Lord Richter,” Hisako replied. “I have been told you intend to enter the Dungeon again. Yoshi and I would like to join you.”
“And you?” the chaos seed asked his Death mage.
“When I saw such august personages gathering at the gate, I assumed there would be something of importance occurring. I did not know you were planning a Dungeon dive, but I am excited to enter! I thought you might need the help of my pet,” the gnome replied with a smile, “and I would not mind some more experience and raw materials for my work.”
Richter knew exactly what Beyan meant. The Death mage liked to experiment with dead bodies using his magic. That particular practice was an extremely sore topic between Sumiko and the gnome, seeing as how she was a Life master. He looked at Hisako to see if she had similar objections.
The wise sprite leader understood the unspoken question. She had known Sumiko for nearly a century. Hisako just smiled wryly, “I have seen many things in my long life. While I once had an aversion to Death magic like Sumiko, I grew out of it long ago. It is only because of her youth that she has not already done the same.”
Youth, Richter asked himself. Sumiko wasn’t bed bound with arthritis, but she had used a cane before bonding with her pixie. The meidon ritual had given her renewed youth and vitality, and by his estimations she was now somewhere between a MILF and a GILF, but she still had nowhere near the youthful appearance of the red-headed Hearth Mother. Just how old was Hisako if she was calling Sumiko young?
The sprite leader guessed his thoughts again. This time with a feral smile, she told him, “Ask at your own risk.”
Richter decided not to ask. He still had no idea what that “unknown spell” was that she had cast on him the other day. There was a problem though. “This is going to put us over the five-man strike squad. Randolphus said that there could be some serious consequences for that once we are in the Dungeon.”
“I have already thought of this,” Hisako answered. “Your Companionship with my son has many benefits. It is possible that increasing the party size in a Dungeon is among them. One of the older texts I have read speaks of this. Better to test this theory now than when you finally enter the Labyrinth.”
If she was right, then Terrod, Sion, Randolphus and himself would all count as only one party member. That meant there would be more than enough room. He didn’t see any downside to trying and she was right. Better to test things out while the Dungeon was weak and low level, than to wait for later. He wondered if the decaemur knight would count as a party member or just as Beyan’s pet. He hated running an experiment with two unknowns, but he hated sitting around with his thumb up his ass more. They would just see what happens.
Richter clapped his hands together with a smile and rubbed them vigorously, “Well, here we go killing again!”
CHAPTER 45 – Day 143 – Kuborn 33, 0 AoC
Richter had everyone cluster close about him and he cast Dungeon Transport. Tendrils of mist rose into being, creating a grey sphere ten feet in
diameter with him in the center. The cast time was long, eight seconds to be exact, but by the ninth, they all stood before the snake’s head entrance of the Dungeon. As soon as they materialized, the chaos seed felt that strange tingling sensation again. It faded away in a few seconds, but it reminded him of how he’d felt the same during the trial. He was left wondering if the Dungeon was already tunneling under the village.
The spell could have taken them right to the Entrance Chamber, but Richter wanted everyone to get the full experience. Put another way, he wanted to see them freaked out a bit.
He started forward, but Hisako touched his arm. She glanced at the faces of Yoshi and Beyan. The evidence was easier to read on the gnome, but even Yoshi was clearly discomforted. That was going just as planned, but he had forgotten about the strike team Randolphus had assigned to guard the place. They all clapped their fists to their hearts in salute when they saw their lord, but every one of the men and women looked seriously stressed! Doing a mental forehead slap, he accessed the Dungeon interface and en masse gave every guard in the village immunity to the Doubt debuff. While he was at it, he gave Yoshi and Beyan immunity and access to the Dungeon as well. With that done, the party walked through the snake’s mouth.
Before long, they were standing in the Entrance Chamber. Randolphus told Hisako, Yoshi and Beyan about what they had seen before on the other side of the energy field. He also started giving an abridged answer to the necromancer’s pointed and overly-direct questions about why the proper chamberlain was now kitted out as a rogue.
While they did that, Richter dropped the items he had collected down the Well of Offering. He tried to ignore the part of his mind that screamed “Noooo” as he literally threw items worth thousands of gold down a hole in a ground.
Item Accepted. Dungeon Resource now includes: Xanthite.
The xanthite was a relatively cheap resource, but in their remote location, the supplies of the powdery rock were limited. It was what allowed steel to be changed into high steel. As long as the iron mine didn’t run out of ore and they had enough xanthite, the lowest metal the village would have to work with would be high steel.
Richter added more items. From the earlier prompts, two things had become clear. One, the potential of his baby Dungeon was limitless. Two, he had to grow his boy up if he wanted to really get the best stuff. The encouragement he’d been getting from Hisako and Randolphus to make it stronger was finally starting to make sense to him. Stronger meant more dangerous, but it also meant more growth, more Rooms, and better loot. He added more items.
A silvery potion came out of his bag, and he sighed deeply before dropping it into the well.
Item Accepted! Dungeon Loot and Resources now includes: Potion of Selak’s Luck.
That one was especially hard to let go of. Richter had been through hell and high water to get the components for the potion. He only had six left. There were enough shiverleaf fronds, the main ingredient of the potion, to make more, but it was an extremely difficult solution to create. Even if everything went great, it took Tabia at least four solid days to produce it. There just hadn’t been enough time to make more of the silvery potion considering the fact that battles were continuously consuming health, mana and stamina potions at an insane rate. Tabia could only do so much in a day, and supplying his people with what they needed to level and stay safe took precedence. The luck potions were an extravagance until the village stockpiles of red, blue and green potions were replenished.
He dropped more items inside.
Item Accepted! Dungeon Loot now includes: Tefonim Silver Ring (masterwork).
Know This! Silver rings are now included in Dungeon Loot, but the specific qualities of Tefonim jewelry cannot be replicated without the appropriate Room and a Jeweler of requisite skill and knowledge. The imprint of Tefonim Silver Ring (masterwork) will be recorded in case the prerequisites are ever met.
Richter blinked. He had to read it again. It looked like not only did Tefonim jewelry require an unidentified Room, but it also needed a Professional Jeweler to work in the Dungeon. Did that mean this could be a safe place for someone to live? Maybe even a population of people that could work to make it stronger? Now that was an interesting idea.
He dropped in more herbs and seeds, some of which were scarce or rare in quality. Many of the sprites that had bonded with the pixies had brought powerful plants as tribute and gifts. Sprites viewed plants the way others viewed family heirlooms. The plant clippings and saplings they had gifted to the village represented wealth in their culture. Richter hoped they thrived in the Dungeon. Some of the herbs had truly remarkable properties.
The last plant he dropped in was the Quickening leaf. When it disappeared down the well, there was a faint rumbling that vibrated the ground under everyone’s feet.
Item Accepted! This item can be used as both Resource and Catalyst: Leaf of the Quickening.
HISSSSS!
Congratulations, Dungeon Master! You have uncovered a Motivation of your Dungeon: Limitless Power. Your Mastery of this Dungeon will open doors of great power for you, but never forget, doors swing both ways. The Dungeon of Bloody Chaos may consume objects of refined magic. The Quickening leaf just provided is a pure example of celestial power, though only a modicum of heavenly spark existed within it. Continue to add more items of pure magic to your Dungeon to give it access to these Powers.
Progress to awakening Celestial Magic in your Dungeon: 0.3/10,000,000
He’d found another Motivation! His Mark of the Adventurer didn’t seem to have evolved this time, but he supposed he hadn’t exactly fulfilled the conditions yet. Richter was about to open his mouth to share the information, but another prompt appeared.
You have been offered a Quest: Limitless Power I
You have discovered that your Dungeon is capable of manifesting every type of Power. The cost for this is extremely high, but has unlimited potential. Will you unlock another Power in the Dungeon of Bloody Chaos?
Reward: Unknown
Penalty for Failure or Rejection of Quest: None
Do you accept? Yes or No?
Richter greedily accepted the quest. The Dungeon would be pursuing this end anyway, and as its Master, wouldn’t it behoove him to fulfill its Motivations? He prepared himself to share the information he’d gained, but then he hesitated. Richter had always been one to believe in signs. Maybe the quest prompt had come up, interrupting him last time, for a reason. The first advice he’d been given upon arriving in The Land was to be careful who he told about his Limitless ability. Xuetrix had warned him that many people would destroy him utterly for fear of what he could one day become. If they felt that way about a mere human with his ability, how would they feel about a whole Dungeon?
Hisako had been ready to destroy the Dungeon when she found out about the Bloodstone being used as the Item of Power. Randolphus still had a secret that he wasn’t willing to share. Even Beyan had been gripped by a near-obsession recently to master more Death magic. What would the gnome do if he knew the Dungeon could become a factory for Death creatures?
The chaos seed examined the prompt again, and didn’t see anything that would affect anyone in the attack squad directly. He decided to keep the information to himself. The real question was, what was a “catalyst?" Unfortunately, asking that would mean revealing the new Motivation. The other question was, if a leaf was only worth 0.0000003% of the total celestial power needed, just what would he need to sacrifice to awaken the power fully?
Richter thought about it a moment, and then something else occurred to him. He might have one more item of “refined” magic. He looked at his Bag of Holding, considering. He hadn’t been planning to drop the next item in. It was literally worth someone’s life, but now that he knew about the new Limitless Power Motivation, it seemed like it might be worth the cost. So that Hisako wouldn’t see, he surreptitiously removed a rebirth root. The glowing gold strand had been harvested from beneath the Hearth Tree, and though small was a vital spell com
ponent in a resurrection spell.
The spell could only be cast by a Life master, someone who had reached skill level one hundred in Life magic, and it had to be cast quickly after death. His own Life Mastery from his Place of Power didn’t make him eligible. A “master” was someone who had reached skill level one hundred in a skill. A “Master” had claimed a Place of Power and fulfilled the requirements to utilize those Powers. Needing such a rare herb and requiring one of the few people who had mastered Life magic made resurrection something to which almost no one would have access.
Richter did have the roots though, and both Hisako and Sumiko were Life masters, which meant he could bring five people back to life so long as he revived them in time. Dropping the root down the hole was almost like throwing away the life of a loved one. He had previously weighed the risks and benefits of the Dungeon being able to recreate the magical root, but had still decided against it. Now, things were different. If Richter could make the Dungeon embody Life magic in the same way it embodied Blood and Chaos magic… that might be worth losing 20% of the village’s resurrection potential. That might be worth a single life.
The glowing root quickly disappeared down the black hole of the well.
Item Accepted! This item can be used as both Resource and Catalyst: Rebirth Root of the Hearth Tree.
The root is a pure expression of Life Magic.
Know This! Being on a Life ley line reduces the requirements to awaken Life magic in your Dungeon by 100x.
Progress to awakening Life Magic in your Dungeon: 50/1,000.