by Matthew Peed
“Yes, sir.” First gave me a salute, then turned to lead the construct away.
“Wait. Construct, what is your name?”
“Responding. Aires Zero One.”
“Then enjoy your stay, Aires.”
~~~
Regan grinned at Alara as he pulled her along the street. He found that he quite enjoyed spoiling the little dungeon core. With his more human-looking robotic form, they blended into the crowd without an issue. Another day of the festival was going on. It could run for several days, according to Louella.
Alara was having the time of her life. It’d been a century since she had been allowed to just enjoy life, previously being always forced to do one thing or another, which usually resulted in people dying. She took a deep breath of the night air, enjoying her freedom. A metallic tint made her focus on the person pulling her through the crowd of mortals.
A great cheer went out in the crowd ahead of them, and Regan angled toward the noise. They emerged to see a group of people who were performing. One man lit his sword of fire and proceeded to swallow it up to the hilt. With a sudden jerk, he pulled the sword out, and it flipped end over end in the air. A woman reached out with a finger and caught the sword point-first. The crowd cheered and clapped for the performance.
“Mortals never cease to amaze me,” Regan said with a chuckle. Alara frowned, as she would rather have stayed at least ten meters from every mortal. Regan’s friends weren’t so bad, she supposed. He laughed when he saw her expression and squeezed her hand. “Now, now. They’re not all bad.”
“If you . . . say so . . .” she mumbled, turning away.
“When are you going to smile for me?” Regan asked as he reached down to cup her cheek.
Alara pouted, not sure what to do. No one had ever treated her so gently . . . so warmly. Not for a very long time. She wanted to smile but wasn’t sure if she could even remember how. She’d done it all the time when she was younger. Lena and she would make their way through the forest above the dungeon. Those days were almost gray in her memory, it’d been so long.
“Well, I suppose you’re doing quite well, considering what you went through,” Regan said, then suddenly reached forward and threw me onto his shoulder. His form shifted and he grew nearly a meter. He jumped out of the crowd and landed on a nearby roof. While a few people pointed, most ignored it. Alara thought the wind felt good through her hair.
“Where are . . . we going?” she asked as they moved.
“Just away from the mortals. They tend to get jumpy if people start disappearing in their midst.”
They soon came to an empty alley, where they vanished as soon as they landed on the ground. Regan had moved them to the station. Alara looked out the window to see Lyrale and Krona were full, as seen from the station above the world. She loved the moons and never expected to be able to see them so close.
“Beautiful.”
“That they are. Though, I believe I’m supposed to say they’re nothing compared to you. Which, by the way, would be true,” Regan said with a grin. He knew people found it hard to tell if he was being honest or sarcastic, and he had no intention of stopping anytime soon. “Come. There is something I’ve wanted to try since I built this place.”
They made their way to a large door that looked like it been built to keep a lord-class monster out. Regan placed his hand on the door, and it opened without much sound. A door of similar size in a mortal castle would have been loud enough for the entire castle to hear. Alara walked next to Regan as they walked through.
About a dozen meters in, there was another door waiting for them. Alara jumped when the door they came through closed. She felt the air that mortals had to breathe to stay alive pulled from the room before the second door opened.
Regan urged Alara along. “Be careful. If you get knocked away, you might have to dismiss your avatar.”
Alara nodded and floated along with Regan. Not only were the moons full tonight but Murgin also appeared to glow. She was stunned by the unhindered, or rather, unforced beauty. “Thank you,” she said.
“I’m glad you like it, but we’re not done yet. You see, on my old world there was a thing called ‘skydiving.’ Being an indoors type of person, I never attempted it, as I really liked being alive. However, with this body I can literally suffer enough damage to crush a mountain and be perfectly fine.”
“You are . . . saying . . . from here?” she asked, looking at the planet below her. While she wasn’t afraid of heights, this was a bit much.
“It’ll be fun,” Regan said, using energy to move them farther from the station. “But I’m not going to make you do it if you don’t want to.”
Alara looked down and was able to make out Regan’s Steel Spire. Even from space a person could make out the structure. She pointed at it. “There.”
Regan turned to see what she’d pointed at, then nodded. “That will make a perfect target.”
He grabbed her again, and they moved under the force of energy that Regan was using. Being a dungeon avatar, Alara was able to sense the boundary of the planet atmosphere when they crossed it. The gravity grabbed hold of them, and they finally started to fall.
Regan pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. They started to gain speed, and she was buffeted by the increasing air. Regan waved his hand, and a bubble of energy formed around her. She was still able to feel the air on her, but it was reduced. She noted that Regan hadn’t put the bubble around himself.
“I want to feel it all,” he said in her ear. He used magic to make sure the sound reached her ear.
Alara felt a warmth in her chest at the closeness of his body. They continued to gain speed and were soon only a few thousand meters from the ground. She wondered if he was really going to have them collide with it.
Regan waved his hand again, and massive clouds formed between them and the planet. As they passed through each cloud, their speed dropped tremendously. After ten clouds they came to a stop on top of an individual cloud. Alara could feel his mana coursing through it to keep them aloft.
“I’ve also always wanted to ride a cloud,” Regan said, setting her down.
She sank a few centimeters but could walk without issue. She was reluctant to leave his arms, though. “Me too.”
“It is good to have a common interest,” Regan said with a smile. His smile became a full-blown grin as he fell back into the cloud. “This is wonderful.”
Alara looked at Regan as he lay down, then jumped down next to him. He was in his human robot form, so he was only about half a meter taller than her. Normally, she had to crane her neck to be able to look up at him.
Alara cuddled into his side, enjoying the warmth. They weren’t sure how long they laid there. Regan was running his fingers through Alara’s hair almost unconsciously. He found that he quite enjoyed spending time with the dungeon core. Even just watching the night sky was a pleasure. Is this not what everyone should seek out during their lives? He just shook his head with a chuckle.
Alara suddenly pulled herself onto Regan’s chest. “Payback!” she said with more energy than he’d seen since he’d rescued her. She shot forward and locked her lips with his.
Regan, of course, did not refuse. He gently placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her even closer. Being creatures who didn’t breathe, the kiss lasted longer than anything a mortal could hope to accomplish. The official time was an hour and five minutes before they broke apart.
“Thank you . . . for tonight. I enjoyed . . . all of it.”
“Mm . . . anytime.”
Alara leaned forward and gave Regan a peck on the cheek, then stood up with the first smile Regan had ever seen. She jumped backward off the cloud. Regan stood up and watched as she fell a few hundred meters before turning to dust. “She’s more of a show-off than I expected.” He placed his hands behind his back, then started whistling an old tune from Earth as his form broke into motes of mana.
~~~
I blinked, comin
g out of the memory. It had been the night of the festival after Louella’s little episode. We were waiting for data from the surroundings to come in and were forced to find ways to pass the time. I couldn’t help but play the memory every now and then to take my mind off the situation. Alara and I had talked about it a few times.
“Damn, I want to get back soon . . .”
Chapter 15
Louella
Glancing over to Alara, I saw she had her nose almost to the surface of the glass tablet. She’d become hooked on Dungeontube, which Regan had added before his disappearance. I’d watched it a few times just to check the progress of the dungeon divers. Other than the miners who gained special permission from the dungeon, everyone was still working through the first ten floors, with a few on the second level.
It was just like Regan to make it annoyingly difficult for people to proceed. At least the junk automata dropped enough money for the novice parties to get by. The Chaos Party and the Advent Lords were in the lead for the deepest party. It had to gotten to the point that I had tell my workers not to use the tablets while they were working.
“Mistress,” called a voice from the entrance.
“Enter!” Judging from the nervousness in the tone, it was likely a guard or scout who had information to report and they were worried I’d be upset by it. I couldn’t blame the guards for being worried about my reaction. Most lords who rose to power in the fashion I had usually had a temper.
One of the undercover agents that we’d sent into Ebony Falls walked into the room. I noticed Alara throw him a glare but otherwise didn’t react. He was dressed in common cloths that would help him blend into any crowd. Some of our magic crafters had managed to weave runes into the fabric to increase his lack of presence. They lacked Regan’s skills but would still be considered top of the line.
When he reached my desk, he saluted. “Owin reporting, my lady.”
“Go ahead, Owin.”
“Thonaca is gearing for war. It appears the king did not take too kindly to his agent’s reports. Every able-bodied man and even many women of at least tier two rank are being called on.”
“What do their numbers look like?”
“With the snows to the south being less than usual, that army has managed to muster almost five hundred thousand. The north is gathering slower, but it is only a small delay. We estimate their forces will reach nearly a million before spring. That’s not including magical beasts and monsters they might be able to bring to bear.”
“I see, that bad . . . How are the commoners reacting?”
Surely, if their loved ones were being called up for a war that had little or no reason for happening in the first place there would be blowback. War was not a tax levy, after all. People generally didn’t want to go to their deaths.
“That is the tricky part. The Church is endorsing the endeavor. A full hundred thousand of the southern force is composed of their knights and priests.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said with a groan. If the Church was involved, that would make this ten times more difficult than it needed to be, mainly because the Lecazar cities to the south were controlled by the Church. With Regan missing, there would be a lot more bloodshed than was necessary. “Thank you for the undertaking this dangerous task. Is there anything else to report?”
“Yes. The individual that was attacking nobles has vanished. He hasn’t been seen in the last two weeks. The others believe he is just short on targets. We are keeping an eye out, but . . .”
“I see. Thank you. Take a day to rest.”
“Thank you, my lady.” The guard turned and left. I leaned back, then cracked my neck.
“Sounds like the . . . mortals love . . . to kill . . . no matter . . . the age,” Alara said without looking up from the tablet.
“Not sure how I feel about that coming from a dungeon core,” I retorted. They were basically made to kill us, after all.
“A higher power . . . created me to . . . do what I do. You are given . . . free will and . . . still choose to slaughter . . . each other.”
I narrowed my eyes but knew I couldn’t argue with her. I should have been thankful that Regan didn’t go full dungeon core. This entire continent might have been a smoldering pile of ash already. I guess we should have been happy about the little things.
“Fair point. How’s the north right now? Is your dungeon still causing you problems?”
The images had died down a bit over the last day or so. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it was helping everyone keep their sanity. It wasn’t fun to sit down for the evening meal and have a monster rip apart a person right in front of you and the children.
“Better . . . Waiting more. Less undead . . . images here . . .” Alara replied, curling into her ball.
“Got it. Take your time. Regan has a soft spot for you, and I’d rather not deal with him if he thought I was mistreating you.” I rubbed my temple, watching as her cheeks turned slightly less pale. Was that a blush? I guess Regan’s affections weren’t totally unreturned. “I’m heading out for a bit. Do you want to come with me or stay here?”
“Stay.”
“Very well.”
I grabbed Helios and was about to open a portal when I changed my mind. I’d been in the office all morning. I could use a walk, even if that meant having a dozen guards walking with me. If I couldn’t move about my own city on foot, then what was the point?
“Are you sure about this, my lady?” asked one of the guards with a worried expression.
“Yes. I’d like to see my city.”
“Then please wait a moment.”
I tilted my head but decided to humor him. They were the ones with the toughest jobs, after all. A few minutes went by, and a new group of guards joined the rest. A quick count put the group at three dozen.
“Alright, my lady. We’re ready!” he said with a salute.
“Is this really necessary?” I asked, looking at the formation.
“We understand that you are plenty strong enough on your own, but you never know when something unexpected might happen. Even if we’re useless in battle, one of us might be able to go for help.” The guard looked like he wanted to bite his tongue when he said the last part. Not that I could blame him.
“Very well. You all can accompany me on my walk,” I said with a chuckle. I turned to the exit. With a solid thunk, the guards all turned with me.
Leaving the castle, I checked my tablet to locate Ezal. With that done, I chose a path that would let me see some of the city. While it was only a small fraction, it would still be an enjoyable walk. We passed the large line of people waiting to get into the castle. Most of them bowed to me, and I made sure to wave with a smile.
The path led through the central district’s shopping section. I wanted to see how the economy was doing with my own eyes rather than learn about it from just a report. I did make a note to avoid Skywood’s shop. I preferred to avoid that mental exercise today.
The shops were in full swing as people went in and left in a stream. I was about to turn the corner for the next street when I heard a voice I wished to avoid even more than Skywood. I silently prayed to Regan that the person didn’t see me. A few seconds later, I found my prayer had failed.
“Lady Louella! It is an honor to have you grace my presence. If I could, may I join you on your walk?” Nero called as he ran over to us.
Yuno was behind him, though I could see he was dragging his feet. My guards circled around me, a few resting their hands on their weapons. I had already sent Nero to jail once, after all.
“Nero, I’m afraid I am trying to enjoy the city in these trying times.” I said, doing my best to avoid the man. “I wouldn’t want to trouble you with my somber mood.”
“Nonsense! What so troubles the lady? I would eliminate it from this world!” Nero said, going from sad to extreme in a matter of seconds.
“I couldn’t drag an adventurer such as yourself into troubles of my country. Please, continue to
dive the dungeon to your heart’s content,” I said with a smile, though an awkward one.
Nero gave me a salute that would put any soldier to shame. “I shall endeavor to reach the bottom of the dungeon. I will admit that it is giving even my party a bit of trouble,” he said with a chuckle.
“So I’ve heard. He can be a bit . . . tough on the unprepared. He is a god, after all,” I said, tapping Helios on the ground as if to make my point.
“A god,” Nero said with a smirk. “I’ll take my leave, my lady.”
I watched as he walked back to Yuno and wondered what the smirk was for. What did he know about Celestials and what comes after?
Chapter 16
Regan
We had been in the temporal flux for a few days now. My main concern was the way the mana I was gaining kept fluctuating insanely. The longer we were in this place, the more concerned I grew about staying there much longer. My aura was expanding and contracting randomly, and anything that could control my aura like that was a dangerous place.
All that being said, I wasn’t getting anywhere with my research on how to actually leave this place. We were pulled in by some internal force. I just hoped it wasn’t a dimensional being that could devour a planet in a few bites. I had actually grown to like Murgin quite a bit during my stay there.
Thanks to the constructs, I now knew that while time was looping in here, it was progressing at a regular pace outside. I wasn’t sure how much I could trust their readings, but over a week had passed outside—a week during a situation where anything could go sideways. Louella might have been in the middle of a war right now, given her temper and all.
“First, any new information?”
“Negative. The gravity is fluctuating too much to send anything smaller than a scout ship. Everything else gets crushed after a few minutes.”
“We might have to start some more . . . extreme methods soon,” I said, leaning back in my chair. I had been avoiding using larger amounts of mana in case it resulted in less favorable things happening. Given the space we were in, the last thing I wanted was to use gravity magic and end up on the other side of the galaxy.