Eternium ~ 29!!

<Wait, wait!> the strange dungeon begged. Nope. My lovely Wisp wanted him gone, he was gone. Let’s see… Next, I should work on building up my inner world. Maybe I would work on the ley lines that were crisscrossing the entire planet? I could- <Hey! Listen to me you crazy Wisp!>

I was a little startled that they were still alive. Oh, right. Travel time. The Bobs were moving, but hadn’t yet arrived. Silly me, I had just considered it such a done deal that-

“Mu, I told you that if I ever saw you again, I would make sure to kill you.” Dani coldly informed him.

<I shattered one other Core! Didn’t it work out? Would you prefer to be teaching a drooling dire turkey Dungeon Core? Look at this place! It’s flying!> Mu was getting desperate. 

<Hey. Why Can’t I find your influence? I should be able to crush you from here.> It didn’t really matter to me, I’d win either way, but… still, I was curious.

<Cal, right? Cal? Listen, buddy. This bag I’m in is my entire dungeon. I have only one Mob, and it isn’t even… Oni? It is a living metal construct that can act as armor!> Mu was close to being ended, but that was still fun info. <She’s mad because I shattered a Core she was supposed to bond with before we met you. I didn’t think it was good enough for her, so I took it out on the sly. That’s why she’s mad at me! Help me out here!>

<Hmm. I’m not typically the voice of reason…> I pondered for a bit, letting him sweat. Or… whatever. <Usually I’m the one to run screaming at projects with massive enthusiasm, but in this case I’ll try.>

Dani was waiting for the battle to begin, but I told the Bobs to back off for a moment. <Dani, my sweet. Could you maybe, possibly be willing to hear him out for a little while?>

“I’m sure Oni will be able to tell us whatever we need.” She dismissed my words coldly.

<I’m sure you’re right, but still… he is your… brother, right? Actually, how does that work?> I was going off topic, but she was more than happy to explain.

“Obviously there is no way to actually be brother and sister. Not like humans are. We were both simply trained in the same area for a good long time. Since we knew each other for so long, we started teasing each other about being related. Now he’s trying to not die by bringing up our prior good relationship.” She stopped talking, and I knew that I was going to need to put my figurative foot down.

<I don’t often do this, but I’m gonna go ahead and not kill them. I’ll bring them down here, and Mu can beg for his life.> That last part was directed at Mu, and I think he got the picture.

<You won’t regret this, Cal! I have a ton of info to share with you, Kantor gave me as much raw data as he could and I can’t even use it.> Mu certainly knew how to play on my greedy interior, but if he was lying… he would find out that I was even less forgiving than Dani.

“Fine! But he’d better stay away from Grace, I don’t even care if they’d be compatible!” Dani flew off in a huff, but her words made me twitch. Excuse me? Abyss right he’d better stay away from Grace! I’d go full murder-Mage on him!

<Mu, are you here looking for a Wisp?> I voiced my question as calmly as possible.

<Do you have other Wisps here?> Mu seemed hopeful, but then his tone changed. <No… I’ve never found a compatible color. I’m really average, but I’ve kinda given up on it, hence: backpack dungeon.>

I laughed out loud at that - in a manner of speaking - and opened a secret panel in the wall to let them bypass a few issues. Oni entered, and they walked through the darkness for a few minutes before sliding off a ledge and into a hole that would bring them all the way down to me. Oni screamed in fear, but instead of dying as expected, she was taken onto a perfectly smooth rock slide that had water pouring through it. A very safe and comfortable ride… I was pretty sure. Yeah. Okay, good, she survived.

<Welcome!>

~ Dale ~

“Aiden? What are you doing here?” Tom had just met up with Dale to discuss some issues he foresaw, when his older brother walked into the area. “Aren’t you supposed to be working with the troops and getting them prepared to march?”

“Tom!” Aiden walked over with a bright smile on his face. “I am here to pick up a portal to use with for our people, it should be coming through the main portal soon. Good to see you.”

“You look well!” Tom’s smile could have melted the heart of a Golem. “Getting plenty of exercise?”

“You know, I’ve been having a very large amount of success in the dungeon here!” Aiden matched Tom’s enthusiasm, clapping him on the back and sitting down to talk. “We were just about to head out, and-”

“Aiden? No, this is too surreal!” A metallic voice floated to their table, followed by a huge armored form appearing next to them.

“Henry? Is that you in there?” Aiden shot to his feet and inspected the perfectly fitted gear. “B-ranks? How in the abyss did all of that happen to you?”

“Ha! I made the best beastly deal of my life!” Henry couldn’t take his eyes off of his childhood friend, even if Aiden couldn’t see it. “I’ve missed the Northmen! Did you ever decide on a Mana recipe for yourself? We should go on a hunt sometime soon!”

“Hold on, hold on!” Aiden laughed in reply, his conversation with Tom forgotten. “Yes, we’ve missed you, too. I have plans for a Mana recipe, but I’m not entirely sold on the idea yet. Where would we hunt, and finally; what deal do you speak of?”

“Ah, I apologize! It has been a while since I have seen anyone from…” Henry trailed off, looking away.

“Oh, that’s right. Your family.” Aiden placed his dinner-plate sized hand on the King’s shoulder. “I heard the news, friend. My deepest condolences go with them. They are honored by my people, having stood strong even in the face of certain death.”

“My thanks.” Henry cleared his throat and tried again in a falsely chipper tone. “As for a hunt, why this dungeon contains a labyrinth filled with game and creatures to test ourselves against! There is even a forest along one of the paths. As for the deal… I traded service to the dungeon for access to the power that I needed. And now, ha! Everyone and their tamed Beast has to go into the dungeon! Best deal I’ve ever made.”

“No kidding.” Aiden seemed to be considering something, and looked back at the mouth of the dungeon. “That sounds very interesting.”

“I think that path is closed for most.” Henry seemed uncomfortable, thinking that he had said too much. “But why don’t we get together for a hunt soon?”

“I would like that very much.” Aiden grasped Tom’s bicep and gave a tight squeeze. “For now, I need to speak with my brother and resume my duties. Henry, we will make it happen.”

Henry left with a brilliant smile that no one could see, and Aiden spent a few minutes discussing plans with Tom before heading out. Tom watched him go, disgruntled by having been ignored. “Dale, I really wanted to see respect in the eyes of my brother. I wanted to hear his congratulations and preen under the influence of a man I respect. Why do I feel so let down?”

“Oh, Tom.” Minya had arrived just in time to catch his words. “You can never gain respect from your family, or those who knew you as you grew into the person you are now. They will always see you as the child you once knew. Honestly, big guy, do you want your family to see you so drastically different than you once were? You might find that their reaction to having shattered expectations is not as happy as you wished.”

“Got a story there?” Dale tried to tease an explanation out of her. But she simply shook her head sadly.

“Nothing I want to share.” Minya glanced around and leaned in to speak to them more directly. “Dale, Cal is acting weird and people are losing it over the fact that monsters are showing up to visit the dungeon. They are wondering what it means for them, how this will change things.”

“While I’m worried for Cal, is there something I can do about all of this?” Dale showed his palms and shrugged.

Minya took a deep breath. “There’s more. Barry is back, and he found out that The Master is weakening. He’s staging a coup, making a bid for leadership of the area again.”

“Oh, come on!” Dale dropped his head into his hands.