DD5 ~ Chapter 4!

<I feel like something bad is about to happen.> I was getting odd chills, and talking to Dani always helped.

“How many did you make, and are they loose in the dungeon?” She zipped around and tried to pretend she was panicking.

<Ugh, that joke’s getting old! It was one, wait, two times!> I tried to think. It was only twice, right? The Madness Mushrooms, and the original Distortion Cat. Yeah. Pretty sure just the twice. <No, I’m not sure what this is. But! Check this out: I upgraded the Elementals. I made what I’m calling ‘Rune-forged Cores’!>

We watched the Elemental war playing out, and the new abilities they now activated passively. It was fun! There was something about having an army of powerful beings between you and things that could hurt you that really made you feel secure.

“Dungeon, we need to talk.” I screamed a tiny amount as The Master came out of nowhere and started speaking. “Is your Wisp nearby to translate?”

Dani flew into the open, cautiously remaining near the exit for a moment before seeming to remember that The Master is way faster than us. Especially me. No legs. “Hello again. As always, so wonderful to see you in person.”

“Ah yes, the whole capturing you… unpleasantness.” The Master rubbed at his neck. “I’ll try to do something especially nice for you as an apology. For now, though, dungeon… that is, Cal, I have a request.”

<Nothing I can do but listen.> I stated, Dani speaking aloud for his benefit.

“You reached the A-ranks. I know you have, and I know that you have an extremely high tier of Mana. Your soul space. How large is it?” The Master didn’t bother to wait on getting to the point, it seemed.

<Why do you want to know?>

“There is a chance that we might be able to link the portal we had been designing to the soul of a being, but unfortunately the standard size of a soul-space would at best house one or two people. Not to mention that they’d likely suffocate before long.”

I looked into my soul, watching as my sketched-out world slowly became more and more solid. Right now, I had been working on air, so there was little chance of suffocation, but the amount of available ground would hold at best a thousand bodies. <I have other plans for my soul. To be frank, the idea of having a bunch of people walking around in there isn’t exactly appealing. Pass.>

“But!” The Master’s veins bulged on his forehead, and he needed to take a few deep breaths to calm himself. “But you do have the space that would be required? If we could make an offer that was enticing enough, you would at least consider it?”

<I’m not saying ‘no’, but I kinda am. I just don’t think that there would be enough benefit to me. I don’t know enough about the capabilities of my soul space. What if someone could directly impact my soul while in there? Someone, say with a whole slew of necromancers or a type of energy far more potent than what I am able to contain or control?> I hoped I was getting my point across.

The Master went silent, contemplating his options. “Will you help us, at least? We need to make this happen, and there are going to be things we need.”

<Supply a list of things that you need, and I will make them available as rewards in the dungeon. I think that you are all most likely going to die in the near future, so I need to conserve my energy and can’t just be giving away potent artifacts and giant chunks of Mithril.> I tried to keep the glee out of my voice, but then I remembered I didn’t need to. Dani was translating everything in a monotone already since she didn’t want to be here. I was just pleased to be working as a dungeon again instead of slave labor for Barry.

“That… it will be done.” The Master sighed in frustration and vanished once more.

<We really need to figure out how he is doing that, and come up with a way to counter it.> I informed Dani halfheartedly. She nodded, knowing just as well as I did that it was unlikely to happen.

~ Dale ~

“Hang on, you just left?” Dale groaned and rubbed his head. He didn’t think that headaches were a thing he could get anymore, but old habits die hard. “He was obviously being greedy and looking for a way to leverage the situation to get a better deal!”

“I really don’t think that’s the case in this situation, Dale. He was adamantly against it.” The Master was sitting in chair, obviously having given up. “I think this is the end for all of us.”

“Stop being such a prima donna!” Chandra stepped forward and lightly smacked The Master across the face. “I know that you have higher willpower than this! You organized the world three times that I know of! You have a mindset that never gave up in the past, and I don’t want to see you give up now!”

The Master looked up at her in shock. It had been generations since someone had acting thusly toward him. “You and I should find some time… to talk.”

“Abyss yes we should!” Chandra crossed her arms. “I want your full story from start to finish!”

“Maybe I’ll even get a chance to tell it to you.” He smiled faintly at her, and they both fell silent with their eyes locked.

*Ahem*. Dale cleared his throat and brought them out of their moment. “Right, so. Can we try again with Cal? I’m pretty certain we can get through to him. Oh! No one threaten him. It would end badly. Most likely it will just make him say no and mean it.”

“Do what you will, Dale.” Queen Brianna shrugged and waved her hand. “You have my blessing to do whatever you need to save my people, so long as we do not end as slaves. We are never going back to that life.”

“There aren’t enough of my people remaining to fight me on this, so you have the support of the Amazons.” The Amazonian delegation leader shrugged and flopped into her seat.

Henry and Marie both nodded as well, even though they were now only Royals by blood. Father Richard agreed as well, speaking for the Church. The Master nodded, the final leader of a large group in the area beyond Barry, who represented the Guild. He hadn’t been invited to this meeting.

“Here we go then. Cal!” Dale called into the open air.

<I. Have. Been. Summoned!> Dale rolled his eyes at the theatrics.

“Right. Listen, we think that you aren’t thinking through the benefits of working with us. Consider this for a moment: you be saving untold thousands of lives, and therefore becoming a hugely respected being.” Dale paused to take a breath.

<That sounds so fun, Dale, it really does, but ‘respect’ won’t->

Dale interrupted in a rush. “Then think about how everyone will owe you a huge favor, be generating Essence and Mana, and are trapped in your soul space until you let them out. Anyone tampering with things they shouldn’t would lead to their demise. You would be able to make the rules, for everyone. We would just need to make a deal.”

There was silence for a few long, long moments. <You have my attention.>