NOVEL NEXT 5. A talk under the pressure of the clock.
I was standing in front of a cute and angry elf girl who just slapped me in the face. Well, I'll take it as a man. I fully deserved that.
"I'm sorry Lady. I mean you no harm. Pardon my haste and intrusion, but I'm pressed by the time closing to an end. I have less than a day to finish my work and you are the only one who can help me."
She breathed heavily for a while and her face, red from embarrassment, slowly regained normal colours. She even paled from fear of what she had done and started apologising to me.
"I am sorry that I hit you, noble Lord! It was just instinct. I didn't mean to offend you!" She quickly replied with a trembling voice full of fear that I found upsetting.
"Listen, it's fine. I deserved that slap. Don't be afraid. Nothing can hurt you here. You are safe and protected as long as you are here." She looked at me, surprised, but timidly nodded. I quickly added. "I promise you we will talk about everything soon. But please. Reply to my questions, no matter how silly you find them. Ok?"
"But of course Lord. I see you are in a hurry." She bowed her head deeply.
"Are Castles… obsolete?"
She blinked a few times but... Well. Silly indeed.
"No, Lord. Castles are major strongholds that protect the chosen worthy of living there. Some rich cities have walls that protect anyone inside, but there are not many places with sturdy walls. And nothing can rival the walls of this Dungeon."
I nodded with relief. So my castle project was not a total bust.
"Is black powder known in these lands?"
"Black... What? I'm sorry, my Lord, but I have never heard of it." She looked confused.
"It's hmm… an alchemical mixture looking like its name. A black powder. But when lit with fire, it can explode with tremendous power."
I saw fear in her eyes and the fearful shake of her head. So I took that as a no.
'Ok. So that could be an option in case of an emergency.' Crossed my mind. I looked at her and shook my head.
She was terrified of me. That also told me volumes about Nobles in this world.
I wasn’t a noble, but if everything in my domain called me Lord or King then I'll take it, as clarifying things like that takes time that was running out. I calmly and softly asked.
"What's your name?"
"Hrrin'a, Lord."
I opened and closed my mouth a few times and sighed. That will not work in the long term. Ok slowly now.
"Hrrina, do you like this place?" I asked with a smile, feeling I butchered her name. I finally saw her cute smile. She looked genuinely happy.
"Yes, Lord! I could stay here forever. This Dungeon is incredible. Today, one of the Hunter Slimes helped me find a way around. Imagine that! It hasn't attacked me but helped. Then the Dungeon itself created incredible food nodes just before my eyes! The food it produced was delicious! I was allowed to gather food and the same Hunter Slime showed me the way back here. And then... Lord! This dungeon has a real bathroom with hot water! And soap and ... And... Everything! I could stay here forever."
I smiled at first. Repeating two times that you wanted to stay here with a smile was a good sign. Then I remembered about cucumbers and felt a second slap incoming. I nodded happily, however..
"It's good to hear that, Hyrrina." She looked at me strangely. Well. I guess it's time to drop a bomb on her.
"I'm sorry about startling you with those suddenly growing cucumbers when you were eating tomatoes."
I saw her jaw drop. She looked at me intensely but she surrendered before a while and simply asked.
"What...? How? What do you mean, Lord?"
"My name is Theon. I'm this Dungeon."
She started very politely laughing. I can't blame her though.
"You are joking, Lord, right? You are a Dungeon?"
"Yes. And what can I do to quickly convince you of that?"
She looked at me with a baffled gaze, but was still wary of my person.
"If you really are the Dungeon, you can change anything at your will here. Just change something, Lord."
Reasonable idea. I looked at the wall with a window looking at the main castle gardens. I waved my hand, erasing it. The entire wall with a small window disappeared, leaving the room open to the spacy balcony. Then I focused and installed a gigantic window and glass double doors. I even remembered to add drapes. I smiled to myself, as I always wanted to have a panoramic window in my bedroom.
"Yeh. Now it looks better." I told proudly, and I heard a thud when she knelt heavily and then sat on the floor, covering her mouth with both hands.
I gave her a few moments to recover while I spent 100000 mana on dill, onion, and some cookbooks from Earth. I also learned that salt is a local node, which was good because it was cheaper.. I had a bunch of spice nodes now since it's better to be safe than sorry.
When I look right now, this looks more like a restaurant than a dungeon. I mean... I need to eat, right? So I'd better have good food.
She finally accepted the fact that I'm really the Dungeon. She was now terrified. Great.
"I'm sorry but I... I..." she started once again with the fear of a person facing imminent death. I sighed.
"Listen Hrrrin'a. You don't have to be afraid of me. I am a friendly Dungeon. Hyrrrin... I..." No I can't. Maybe I should ask her if I can give her a friendly nickname? Her long, beautiful copper-red hair looks like flames. Flame? No. Ember? Closer. I know! "God damn it. Hrrin'a! Sorry, it's so hard to speak your name. Could I call you Amber?"
•••
So... Of all the things that happened in her life, standing before this man was the most terrifying experience. Man? Hmmm, Dungeon? She couldn't decide. For sure, he was deeply connected with the Dungeon Core, since with a simple wave of his hand, he made the nigh indestructible enchanted walls of the dungeon just disappear.
But he saved her before! He killed the Vampire Scion and if he truly is a Dungeon, then he really could have vanquished the Dungeon of Blood.
Her head was spinning. She tried to focus on one thought, but that was hard. She breathed deeply to calm herself.
She tried to relax, and it helped that he just asked some simple questions. If he was the Dungeon Core, then his questions made much more sense.
When he asked her for permission to call her Amber at first, she felt strange. This new name would replace the name given to her by her mother. It was a precious memento of her happy childhood.
But then she saw the World Words.
Amber
By taking this name, you become a chosen maiden of Dungeon Core Theon. In his domain, you can always find respite and protection. You will be revered as a *path choice* by his denizens and your fate will be forever tangled with his.
The True Name grants you the following class.
Class: Elemental Sorceress available upon accepting True Name.
Elemental Sorceress is an advanced class who is in command of mystic and arcane powers and can rule over every magic element. Thousands of mages strive to be granted the title of elemental sorcerer or mage, only to fail and never even grasp a glimpse of this arcane power. It will take one's entire life to thread paths of arcane to obtain this class, but once one advances to this class, such a mage is considered nigh unstoppable. All forces of nature and magic are yours to command. Light and darkness bow to your will.
Class effects:
You can learn any magic.
You can create magic.
You can tap into the natural mana around you to enhance passive skills.
Increased mana recovery.
Title:
Immunity to: confusion, mental domination, stun, freeze, and poison.
Path of Lady
You are a sworn ally and friend of Theon, the King of Avalon. During your stay in his domain, you will be granted +5 MP recovery to your basic MP recovery. You can learn new spells from his Magic Tower four times quicker than other adventurers, and you will be granted your own safe house within his domain.
Path of Queen.
The True Name alternation: Amber va’Theon. You are a wife, joy and Queen to Theon, King of Avalon. You will be granted a portion of Theon's MP as a permanent buff to your max MP (+100000). You can freely travel wherever you want in his domain in an instant. Denizens of Avalon will obey your commands as if given by the King himself. As long as he lives, you will be spared the hand of passing time, always being his joy and crown jewel. Your resistances are ultimate. You can never leave Avalon or King Theon's side for more than one week, as you are the Queen of Avalon.
She read the entire entry a few times. Her heart was pounding like crazy. At first, she was overwhelmed, and her mind wanted to deny everything that was happening. However, she breathed deeply to regain even just a fraction of her composure and calm herself.
This is it. The ultimate proof that the man sitting just before her is truly The Dungeon Core. The words of her mother sounded in her memory.
'Sometimes, it is good to be a little greedy, my sweetheart.'
No more sleeping in forests. No more struggles for scraps of food. No more fear, trying to just make it to the next day.
No more.
She happily made her decision with full conviction.
•••
She looked at me, surprised by my last sentence, but then she paled a bit. She was looking in front of herself with an empty gaze and was breathing heavily. I understood after a few moments she was reading a system message. After a few minutes, she stood up and bowed to me as elegantly as a woman wearing a bathrobe could, with a happy smile on her cute face.
"Yes! From now on I will be known as Amber va'Theon, the Queen of Avalon. Thank you, my King, for your gracious blessing!"
I felt 100000 of my mana pierce her. She was lifted in the air like a spinning leaf on the wind and I saw her change. I focused on her.
Amber va'Theon, the Queen of Avalon
Class:
Elemental Sorceress
Level
1
Health Points
25
Mana Points
5+100 000
Stamina Points
150
STR: 3
CON: 6
DEX: 10
INT: 12+58
WIS: 6+58
CHA: 9+58
Active Skill:
Level:
Magic Bolt
1
Magic Shield
1
Passive Skill:
Level:
Fast Mana Regeneration
1
Elemental Protection
1
Immunity
All negative abnormal statuses.
Amber va'Theon, the Queen of Avalon, is the chosen maiden of King Theon of Avalon. He saved her life in a valiant fight against the Forces of Darkness and prevailed. She dedicated her life to being with her Lord forever. Her fate is bound to Theon's and as long as he lives, Amber will stay with him, untouched by the hand of time. Amber can not leave Avalon or King Theon's side for longer than one week. After that time, she will be teleported back to Avalon. This effect can't be resisted or prevented.
Ummmm... The fuck? I know I made stupid jokes before but... And she is hot... Hmmm.
Also fucking MS Excel? Why?!
No. Later. No time for that now. The clock is ticking. I have 250000 mana right now and I need to use it. Amber, meanwhile, looked less embarrassed now and happier than ever before.
Good for her, I guess.
Looking at her stats alone, it looks like we have something like good ol’ D&D here. Her bonus to stats is a percentage of my own stats, except for mana, which is a flat buff. I suspect her mana pool is absolutely overkill for any person in this world, but what do I know? I'm new in the neighbourhood.
Huh... So I guess I should be King Arthur? I'm pretty sure the King of Avalon was not called Theon. However, I don't remember the myth of King Arthur that well, so I could have messed something up.
FUCK! Stop. There will be plenty of time for that later.
"Amber, tell me about adventurers."
"There are few independent guilds of Adventures, my Lord. It's a hard and short life to be one, but if you succeed, you can obtain many levels and become strong. Many adventurers also amass riches worthy of kings. They risk their lives in dungeons or fighting monsters near towns."
"Tell me what you know about dungeons. And please sit down."
She turned red from embarrassment once again. Then I connected the dots. I focused and spent 1 mana to summon the old-school clothes catalogues and gave them to her.
"Amber, while we are talking, you can pick whatever you want from these. I'm sorry I'm bothering you now, but I have..." I quickly checked the timer. "...15 and half hours until we lose my, I think, spawn bonus and protection."
She took one of the magazines with suspicion and nodded. When she opened it and very quickly turned a few pages, her face brightened. Before she replied, she pointed at some lingerie from a catalogue. I noticed that even her ears were red this time.
Well, to be honest, if some random dude would waltz into the room I'm in, while I was wearing only a short bathrobe, I would also feel discomfort and maybe even burning embarrassment.
Or what's more probable, I would politely punch him out.
But I really don't have much time, so I flipped my fingers and without a word summoned ten sets of random lingerie from the page she was pointing at. And a set of comfy pajamas with a teddy bear on it. She grabbed it and quickly disappeared into the bathroom. It cost me a whopping 29 mana. I decided to summon some clothes for myself as well and before she returned I was done, down 100 mana in total.
Amber felt much more comfortable now, and she finally allowed herself to sit down. She smiled at me with a breathtaking smile.
"Thank you, my Lord. The Dungeons? There is no other dungeon like you. First of all, none of the dungeons' cores are a person. At least I never heard of it. Cores usually take the form of gemstones, statues, or precious artefacts. They are all intelligent, though most very rarely talk with people. And my Lord... All dungeons are dangerous. Most of them kill people who enter them outright. The rest just don't care if anyone dies while exploring..." she hesitated. "You are the only Dungeon I know about that allows a half-elf, such as myself, to stay unbothered on your grounds. It's unheard of, my Lord!"
I nodded to myself and pointed at the catalogue. It looks like no matter what I summon or create or whatever, it's always in perfect size, which I must say is pretty impressive.
Or creepy. I don't know my own sizes, not to mention hers and everything matches just perfectly. But that just might be how equipment works in this world. Yeah, I will stay with that theory.
In meanwhile Amber pointed to at least seven different shoe types. I summoned her as bonus shower slippers and fur-lined night slippers, at which she reacted with a moan of joy that was a little too happy.
To think I can get that much info for just some clothes or shoes was mind blowing. I knew how my wife and daughters reacted when I was paying for their clothes while shopping. I guess women and the love of clothes was a universal thing wherever you land in the multiverse.
However, that thought brought me to the memory of my family. I lived a happy life. I had children and saw my grandson grow up. No regrets. Then I died. Or they killed me, which is the same thing.
"Until death, do us part" well... They made damn sure to kill me to the point they used Truck-kun. Then the Angel and Eriar told me that I had died. Even a few times. So I guess, a new beginning, right? I smiled to myself. My family is set. The angels will keep their side of the promise.
Also, it's their problem now to explain to my family where I am.
Amber was waiting for me to comment on her last statement. I sighed.
"I'm just partly surprised. You must know, Amber, that I was sent here with the mission of saving this world. But that's complicated..."
She cut me off for the first time ever.
"I know my Lord. I learned some things about you once you gave me a True Name. If I may..." She hesitated and I nodded. "Your castle, Avalon, is big. But you have just a few spawners. Use your mana to obtain a few more creatures to serve you."
Now we were talking. That's what I hoped to hear, but had no idea how to ask.
"Like what?"
"Pixies would serve you well, my Lord. Assign them to your Magic Tower and Library. Also, if I'm not wrong, you wish to help people in this world. Then you must obtain some common creatures. Like spiders, rats, wolves, scorpions, or goblins."
Shop dude?!
Magical creatures, very docile and calm, but when angered, they can use elemental magic to quickly defeat any foe.
Cost 25000
Less than my fruit trees? I guess that's because they are local. To the Magic Tower you go!
Like through fog, I saw a doll house standing on a shelf in the magic tower. And inside on the little doll bed, a small fairy-like creature spawned. She looked cute. Like Tinkerbell from Peter Pan.
Yup.
I wanted to give her name from the legend of King Arthur, but as I mentioned before, my knowledge about Arthurian myths sucked. Avalon was not even his castle. It was Camelot. Guinevere was out of the question. Sooo. She flew in the air and I saw yellow light surrounding her. She looked like a star in the dimmed light of late afternoon. It was almost night.
Stella. You will be Stella. A star in Latin.
And she went back into her little bed to become the pixie Scion. Nice. I blinked and saw Amber looking at me curiously. She pointed at a green dress with a mischievous smile, so I smiled back and spawned it right on the bed. "We have pixies now."
She nodded with a smile and returned to being consumed by the catalogue.
I have also spent my mana on cosmetics. Two types of shampoo that I liked and three different shower gels should last long enough until I find something good in this world. Shaving gear could be nice. I always wanted to have an old school shaving razor. Well, now or never, I guess.
I also spawned much more cosmetics for Amber. It's not the first time I bought cosmetics for a woman, so it wasn't that hard. That's an experience, I guess. I can give them to her at a later date as presents.
You may wonder why I bothered with such trivial things. The answer was simple. While some young dude would try to spawn a tank or aircraft carrier, he would very soon find himself in the position of being a smelly hobo. It was the little things in life that counted. That's why I have built my castle with almost insane precision. This will be the place I will spend the rest of my life. And as long as I will have MP and HP, I'll be immortal. I can grow and stretch my domain, but ultimately this castle, this place, is my whole world, my home, and... My prison. I can at least make it comfy.
"My Lord?" she looked at me, concerned.
"It's nothing." She must have noticed the sour face I unconsciously made while I understood that I'm basically an immortal prison for my soul. "I think I'll buy a wolf spawner and maybe goblins."
"Are you sure? I don't know much about dungeons and how they work, but my dad told me that dungeons don't grow too much because they have to pay upkeep for everything in their domain."
I stopped breathing. I might be fucked.