Dungeon Robotics Book 6 PT 1 (Patreon)

1. If Amazon sends me a breach in contract message, I will be pulling them back down (Sorry!)

2. These Chapters are unedited. Edited version is on Amazon

3. I am putting these up for people to enjoy the Dungeon Robotic universe from the beginning.

Chapter 1

Regan

Looking over the giant crater that was now my front door, I considered what I wanted to do with the wide, gaping space. Thanks to a certain shadow dragon, I would have to redo nearly half my dungeon. It would take some mana to fix this. But I wanted to have a decent idea on how I was going to build it before I invested the mana. I could have just reset it back to the square maze, but that seemed like a waste. I knew a lot more and could make it even more interesting than before.

I felt a tug on my arm and turned. Alara stood beside me, looking tired. I smiled and created a chair for her to sit in. After I’d defeated her dungeon and shattered her core, a certain type of magic had taken over. At least according to Ignea. It wasn’t quite a slave pact or even that weird dragon-mating magic that Nova used on Morka. Alara retained all her abilities in her dungeon, but I had control over it. The closest thing to it would be my sub-cores.

Still, I didn’t plan on ordering her to do anything, and she didn’t have to listen to me even if I did. I really didn’t understand the point of it until a few hours ago when a monster wandered into her aura, which was still considerably big even with her core still repairing itself. When the guards I’d left with her core killed it, I felt the flow of mana that was released, and part of it went to me. So, it just expanded my idea that it was basically a subordinate core now. It would be enlightening to see how long this binding lasted.

Plus, it gave me some interesting ideas to try out later, but I didn’t want to risk anything while I was still so low on mana. That was another reason to get my dungeon back up. The adventurers needed a reason to stay in town. If their source of income was gone, they would have to leave to find something else.

“Here you go,” I said as I helped her sit. I was still enthralled by her beauty. It was a sort of ethereal thing, her hair cascading down her back, the paleness of her skin, her eyes that appeared to see the truth of the world around her.

The black metal crown still rested on her head, and her sword still hung at her waist, markings from her time under the necromancer’s control. From what I understood they were seared into her mental image of herself, so it would take a long time before she would stop creating them when she formed her avatar. The sword had a level of magic that was almost on par with Ezal’s Feuer. They caused a contrast that I felt just made her all the more beautiful.

She nodded her thanks and leaned back in the chair. If someone were to pass by, they might mistake her for a doll by how still she went. I just shook my head at the . . . surrealness of the sight. I turned back to the area around me. Thinking about the necromancers gave me an interesting idea.

I reshaped the crater a bit but left it mostly the same. Now, the magic that governed the dungeons recognized that the space it occupied were my floors. I pulled up the automata that would normally be on these floors. Tweaking them a bit, I made them look damaged and in need of repair. This would make it easier for adventurers to penetrate the outer layer of the crater. The automata grew more dangerous the closer to the center you came.

After a few hours, I had the first layer completed. A bare crater would be boring, so I added a junkyard environment to the floor. The junk metal I added was worthless and would break into dust as soon as someone picked it up. I also used other things, like destroyed stone golems, to decorate the area. I felt it came out quite nice.

I wasn’t too worried about people flying over the junkyard straight to the entrance to the next set of floors. Mages and warriors high enough to do that could easily just battle their way through, after all, and I would just be suffering loses by forcing them to fight.

I had to think about rewards for these floors. A lot of the adventurers used to “farm” the Greed traps, and I couldn’t have that anymore. I was still trying to deal with the massive amount of gold I’d put into the market. Then again, part of the draw for the valley was the high payout. I tapped my chin, deciding to come back to it later.

Moving over to a pile of junk, I created a trap inside—a machine gun placement that would rise and target anything that came within thirty meters of it. I kept the caliber down, though, so as long as an adventurer had a decent quality shield, they would be able to survive a few hits. This was only the first floor. I gave it a set amount of ammunition as well. It would be random in order to stop people from figuring it out easily.

Once the turret was disabled, whether from waiting it out or by actual damage to the weapon, the party would find a chest with some coins in it. I made it so that the trap could judge how they achieved it. That way if someone charged the weapon and survived, they would get more coins than someone who sat it out. I didn’t want to flood the market again, so I kept it in the silver range.

The mine was also gone. That had been the largest draw for many people living in the town. I snapped my fingers as an idea hit me. Metal veins through the crater—this would allow people to mine. Though I kept to the lower tier of metals, I placed them where a person could get to relatively safety. A happy medium.

At the center of the crater, I re-created the entrance to the dungeon. Only this time I went for overkill. The mech I’d made in Alara’s dungeon now sat over the entrance, which was made of massive titanium double doors. The mech was mostly repaired, but I’d left its armor battle scarred for effect.

Runes of all kind were traced on its surface. I wanted it to be a testament to how far my magical knowledge had advanced since I’d come to this world. There were times that I felt I’d cheated since my dungeon senses helped a great deal. However, I knew that even a dungeon would have a challenging time matching my speed in learning magic.

Starfall, back in its spear form, went into the mech’s hands. He looked like a guardian deity. I just hoped that didn’t cause anyone to freak out and not dive into the dungeon. If it did, I would cross that bridge when I came to it. The saddest part about the dungeon floor being turned to rubble was that Colossus and the framework for his boss creation were completely destroyed by Morka pulverizing her way through.

I considered what to do about the boss. I needed something to fit the theme of the floor, but Colossus had always been too powerful, in my opinion. It was good while I was weaker, but now I didn’t mind people getting deeper. The strength of the people living here needed to be raised so they could defend themselves.

Thinking about what I wanted to create, I channeled mana into a Creation spell. I kept the flow low, however, as I didn’t need another Nova. A humanoid form quickly took shape in front of me, grasping a gun, cannon-like in both shape and size. It possessed a lot of rusted parts and wore overalls.

Its face was more like a mask with only one eye, which flickered on, and it looked at me. Wires made up its hair, reminding me of dreadlocks. I always made sure to give my creations the ability to talk. However, after Colossus’s change, this time I waited to see what I was dealing with.

“Creator! Thanks for givin’ me life, man!” it said with a fist bump. His tone was masculine.

“Ah, no problem. What should we call you?” I asked, not even surprised anymore.

“I be leavin’ it to you. You da boss!” he said as he pulled something off his belt. A slot opened on his face plate, and he inserted what looked like a pipe. A moment later he blew out a stream of steam. “AH! That be da stuff there!”

I looked around at the junkyard, trying to think up a name. I wish I had one of those websites like back on Earth where it would randomly generate a name for you. It gets hard to think up a name every time you create something. I tapped my chin for a moment as I looked at the piles of junk before I finally came up with something , though it wasn’t the least bit original.

“Collector. That will be your name,” I said.

“Sweet man!” Collector said, hefting his cannon.

He walked over to a pile of junk and placed his foot on it. It slowly morphed into a set of trees and a hammock. I just closed my eyes as he placed his cannon on the ground and jumped into the hammock.

“You know your job, right?” I asked.

“Kill some people,” Collector said with a poof of steam.

“Good enough for now,” I said with a sigh.

I rubbed my head, then made my way to where I felt Alara. I walked it to get a feel for what the adventurers might experience. It wasn’t too oppressive, and I figured they shouldn’t have too much trouble once they got used to it. I was a few hundred meters away from where I left Collector when I heard an explosion and spun around. A figure flew in the air, dodging flak from the blasts.

Moving my focus over, I realized that Louella was flying into the main dungeon. She wasn’t technically in it yet, so I hadn’t been paying attention to her. The problem was that she was almost directly above the entrance and, by extension, Collector. I teleported over to Collector and told him to stop firing.

“Da fly was annoyin’ me,” Collector said with a shrug.

“Louella is welcome in my dungeon. It’d be best if you remembered that,” I said tersely.

“You da boss.” Collector shouldered his cannon and went back to lounging.

I turned just as Louella was landing. Her clothes were covered in soot, but she looked unharmed. I was impressed at her expression, which merely said It’s no different from what I expected.

“Evening, Viscountess! What can I do for you?” I asked with a playful bow.

“I received reports that changes were happening to the outside of the dungeon. I wanted to check up on you—but was suddenly attacked. Not that it hurt.” She gave me a sly glance and began dusting herself off. “Next time I’ll message ahead.”

“Sorry. Just made him and he didn’t know better,” I said with a grin.

That was the interesting thing I’d come to learn about the dungeon. It was a living entity on its own. My consciousness made up the driving force that directed it, but the individuals inside, especially the intelligent ones, had what might be called a social life. The automata calling individuals Selected was an example of this.

“Whatever. As long as it doesn’t kill me, I don’t care anymore. Lecazar is in chaos, and I wanted to know how your mana reserves were coming?”

“Better. Had a massive expenditure two nights ago, however, that put me almost back to empty.” I looked inside my dungeon to Goblin City, taking note of the thousand-plus airships that were anchored around the city. I’d built the city for a population of nearly a million. There was plenty of space for them to live comfortably.

“I see. Refugees are flooding into the valley. I was hoping you could make shelter for them. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, but winter is only a stone’s throw away. We will have many people dying if they are forced to weather the cold,” Louella said, concern coloring her features.

“I understand. The massive influx of people is good for me. At this rate we’ll reach . . . four hundred thousand in a few days. Wow, I haven’t checked it in a while. How did the number get so high?” The figure surprised me. No wonder my mana levels hadn’t bottomed out. With that many people, I was getting somewhere near two to three million mana an hour. The wonderful thing about getting mana from people was that it was never cut when I went up a rank or level.

“A massive wave of terra decimated just about every village and town on the continent. The cities survived due to some ancient magic left behind. This event was almost worse than the necromancer attack,” Louella explained, then placed her hands on her hips. “You wouldn’t know anything about this?”

I turned around to look at the mountains as if thinking about it. “Whoops. What was the death toll?” I asked more seriously.

“Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad, all things considering. According to the reports, forests and dungeons in the path of the wave reduced its power. As it came in swells, most people were able to evacuate buildings before they collapsed. In fact, villages built in forested areas were almost unaffected.”

“That’s good.” I heaved a sigh of relief and turned back around. “Alright. Please empty the west fields tomorrow. I’ll make a new district for the refugees, though people might want to live there more once they see it. I’ll leave the distribution up to you.”

“What about the fields? Even if they have a place to live, it won’t matter without food,” Louella said, crossing her arms as she thought the problem over.

“No worries. You remember the ninth floor?” I asked and got a nod. “I plan on making a floor that will be passive and entirely for farming. I want to turn the valley into a sprawling city someday, but I don’t want you to rely on outside sources for food. Any farmer who wants to work a field will get a silver for working twelve hours on the farming floor.”

“Are you sure?! Your floors are meant to be a way to protect yourself, aren’t they?”

“Yes. And making everyone in a thousand kilometers fall in love with the foods and produce farmed in my dungeon is one way to do that. You’ve seen my restaurant. All that food was from things made or bred in the dungeon,” I explained with a chuckle.

“Thank you. Really, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” Louella said, bowing her head.

I chuckled again and waved her off. “Give and take, my dear, give and take.”

She smiled, then I sensed a magnetic field form around her as she shot into the air. She was quickly out of sight. Teleporting back to Alara, I found her right where I left her. In fact, it didn’t look like she had moved a centimeter. I kneeled in front of her chair and ran a hand down her cheek.

“Wake up, Alara. Time to head back inside,” I said gently. She still frightened easily, especially when awakened.

Her eyes shot open and locked on mine, and her rapid breathing slowly calmed. I smiled softly and held out my hand. She took it and I helped her to her feet. She looked up to my shoulders. My avatar was a bit over three meters tall and had wide shoulders. She pointed to them, and I tilted my head quizzically.

“Go ahead,” I said, not sure what she was going to do.

She suddenly jumped, the most movement I’d seen her do since our fight. She landed perfectly on my shoulder and sat there. I heard a sigh of relief, or happiness, I wasn’t quite sure. I laughed and started walking back into the dungeon, enjoying the company.

Chapter 2

Regan

I was walking through what would be considered the tenth floor. I had already moved the other floors down. The fort was the only thing that made an impact here, and the rest of the dungeon floor was rolling plains. When I had a little more mana, I was planning on expanding it to the ten-floor theme. I wanted to have homesteads here so people could claim a spot as theirs and work it on a rented basis.

My mana ocean was sitting at a few million, but I didn’t feel very comfortable about it and wanted to give it a few days to build up. There was never a safe number when it came to mana, in my opinion. You could never have too much. When you were a dungeon core, you needed mana like a mortal needed air to breathe.

Alara was tired again, so I brought her to the core room. While I was placing her in bed, I felt something in my tower at the center of town. It had been a while since I had even gone in it. The cultivation stones were still being sold but it was all automatic. I actually saw it as Gray and Anna’s home. Curious to see who was calling me, I teleported over.

“Dungeon Host! I wish to converse with you,” said a little girl that couldn’t have been more than ten. She was filthy, or at least her clothes were. Her hands and face looked like they had been recently washed. She possessed interesting silver eyes that almost appeared to be made of mana. In fact, when I looked at her with my dungeon senses, I saw that mana was behaving strangely around her. Almost like it was trying to get her attention.

“Hello, little girl,” I said, materializing a few meters in front of her. Hearing some steps on the stairs, I turned to see Anna being led by Gray. They must have heard the girl shouting for me.

“Anna, Gray, I’ll take care of this. Please return upstairs. She obviously wants to speak to me alone,” I said, motioning for the golem to take the blind elf with him.

The eyes of this girl were not a young child’s, I noted, as she glared at both of them with the intelligence of someone much older. She had seen something that had forced her to grow up. I idly wondered what she could have gone through to cause such a thing.

“Yes, Lord Regan,” Anna said, then patted Gray’s hand to have him lead her back.

“Now, what is your name?” I said, turning back to the girl.

“Sophia,” she said simply.

I had to stop myself from chuckling. She wasn’t giving me much to work on. Hundreds of refugees came into town every day. Was she an orphan, or did she run away from home? Either way, she appeared to know what she wanted or at least had a solid goal.

“Alright, Sophia,” I said, conjuring a pair of chairs for us. “What can I do for you?”

She sat down and stared at me. I wasn’t sure if she was scared or what, as I couldn’t get a read on her emotions. It reminded me a little of the first robots I’d built with learning AI. A few days on the internet always left them speechless. I waited patiently for her to decide what she wanted to say.

A few minutes later she finally spoke. “I want to bind myself to the dungeon.”

Well, that certainly surprised me. Not something a ten-year-old child should want, let alone know about.

I leaned forward and put my chin on my hands. From what I knew, binding her to the dungeon would be permanent. It was one of the paths I had not explored extensively due to it being easier for me to just create new children from magic.

Before the person suffered a personality change as was the case with Azra, I needed to understand a bit more of the situation. My understanding of magic was greater, and I knew I could more fully control the mental component of the spell. Still, to request something like this—I knew she wasn’t an average child. She spoke with too much sophistication for that.

“Why?”

Sophia looked at the ground before she replied. “I just spent a month traveling to get here while avoiding my own people. All while everyone around us was fleeing as refugees. All because of my sister. If I couldn’t trust my own flesh and blood, how can I trust anyone else?” Sophia looked up with tears in her eyes.

“Can you trust me?” I asked.

“I don’t have to. The magic behind the bond requires both parties to agree. I have only one requirement. Do not betray me. You can do whatever you want with me. Force me to kill people. Make me go to war. I don’t care as long as you do not betray me.”

I considered for a moment. “How do you know what I consider betrayal is the same as you? I could consider killing you to be an act of love,” I said, leaning back in my chair.

Sophia thought that over for a moment. Obviously, she was smart for her age and had a very good upbringing. I was debating whether changing her was even a good idea.

“Then how about this? Treat me like one of your daughters! I heard the cores treat the creatures they create like family. Do that for me rather than treating me like an outsider.”

I thought it over. Even if she was the daughter of some noble, I wasn’t too afraid of anything they could do. The entire continent was currently in upheaval. They had too much on their hands to deal with a single child. Plus, the girl obviously didn’t trust mortals anymore. If I left her alone, it might not be long before she descended on a path that might later be hard to return from. Then there was the fact that I was interested in why the mana was reacting the way it was to her.

“Very well! I will welcome you to my family!” I said, standing up and holding out my hand for her to shake.

She got up slowly, exhaustion showing on her face. I wondered how long it had been since she’d gotten some real sleep. She reached out and clasped my hand. I couldn’t help but notice how small her hand was and the obvious trials it had endured.

I was not expecting what happened next. Like gravity had been increased severalfold, the ground cracked in a circle around us. I grinned at her, even more intrigued. I was always most interested when magic was related. I certainly loved science, but magic was this world’s science. I loved to learn more about it.

A magical contract formed between us with my name already signed on it. Sophia read it over with what I could tell was quite a bit of understanding. She would have made a good lawyer on Earth, as she would read a section multiple times, making sure she understood it correctly. At points she even asked me to clarify a few items. She managed to read the entire thing even with the mana pressing down on us. Then upon being satisfied at what it said, she brought her finger up to the document and quickly signed.

There was a moment of tension as all sound died. Then, with a surge of mana all around us, my own mana rushed into her. And not only mine but the ambient mana as well. As the bond formed between us, I glimpsed the desire inside her. She wanted an entirely new form. She wanted to leave being mortal behind, leave being weak behind. Seeing that, I decided it was a good thing I’d gone through with this. That sort of desire could lead people down paths they would later come to regret.

I had little control over the magic by this point and could only watch as the mana flooded into her. Her pale skin changed to a silver metal. Her hair turned into strands of blond wire that looked so much like regular hair it was almost impossible to tell the difference until you touched it. There was a high chance that it would slice your finger. She grew a few centimeters and was only a little shorter than Alara now.

The tower shuddered as the pressure from the mana, or rather gravity, increased farther. Honestly worried the thing might collapse, I made sure to continue to channel the mana, but the spell called for more. I didn’t want to damage her new form by allowing the magic to fail. Arcs of energy raced over her skin, burning her filthy clothes with the intense heat being generated from the interacting magic.

Finally, the changes were complete. Sophia dropped into my arms as I reached out to catch her from falling, most likely completely spent mentally. I wondered if anyone would even be able to recognize her now. I examined the mana emanating from her and found it in the high-tier-two range, though she had so much of it she could contend with a tier three if she gained enough combat experience. Not that I ever planned to let a child take to the battlefield.

I would have to watch her. She might be mature for her age, but I didn’t want to take any chances by releasing her onto the world. It would be like giving a loaded weapon to a child. Not only did she have enough mana to level a city, she likely had the control to go along with it.

I threw a blanket over her naked form, then called for Anna.

She came down a few moments later. “Yes, Master?”

The worry in her eyes was apparent, but it went away when she saw the sleeping child in my arms.

“Same thing as with Ren. Take care of her until she is better. She probably won’t trust you since you’re not from the dungeon, but try to help her,” I said, lifting the girl to better support her weight. I carried her upstairs to one of the many empty rooms while Anna followed behind.

Thanks to her mana sight, she could follow me with ease given that my body was made from mana. As was the tower, now that I thought about it. She likely could see just fine in here.

“As you command. I have to ask. Do you think this was a good idea? Changing a child?”

I placed the girl on a bed, then looked off through a window as I thought about it. I didn’t think I could answer that question. A logical person would probably have gone to find someone who could help the girl, perhaps her parents or family, or anything really. I was a dungeon core though. I wanted things that would make me more powerful. That would help protect what I considered mine.

“From a moral standpoint, nope,” I said, putting my hands in the air. “From my standpoint, yes. She has access to a mana type that is very rare, from what I’ve seen.”

“A rare mana?” Anna asked, moving over to look at the girl straight on. She jerked back quickly with a gasp of pain. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to look at the girl from an angle. I could tell it didn’t help much.

“Gravity. Or the force that keeps us from flying off the planet. I can play with it, but I want to see how a mortal will interact with it. My curiosity got the better of me. That, and she has the potential to be one of the most powerful personages on the continent,” I said with a grin.

I started to leave the room, then remembered Sophia wouldn’t have anything to wear. I couldn’t have my adopted daughter going around naked. I thought about the clothes I’d seen girls around the town wear, then shook my head. Most were simple. This girl deserved better, plus I felt she was likely used to better. I pictured the dresses that princesses back on Earth wore and created a few of them while adjusting them to this world. I added gear and circuit designs so that people would know she was from the dungeon.

“Such beautiful clothing,” Anna said.

I blinked, surprised, then realized she would have been able to see them while they were forming out of mana. With a laugh, I said, “If you would like some, just let me know. I am pleased with how much of a personality Gray and his brother are showing since they started interacting with you.” I really was fascinated by the growth of the two. They were close to being, if not already, complete individuals. I knew that Gray’s brother worried about his safety. Gray clearly cared for Anna in a way a mortal might care for another.

“I couldn . . .” she started to say but must have felt something from me as I started to glare at her. Most of my dungeon children knew that when I offered something I didn’t like to be told no. “I shall let you know. Thank you.” She bowed her head, then moved around me to check on the child.

“I would like it known that I do take care of those I find interesting,” I said with a chuckle, then vanished from the room and went over to the core room.

That little event had cost me more mana than I had wanted to use. Since she was a little kid, I’d figured it would be a couple thousand tops. No, she’d used three million, AND pulled mana from the ambient aura as well. It would be interesting to see what the little monster . . . I mean child could do in the future.

“Regan,” I heard, the voice coming from town. Sighing, I wondered what it was this time. I teleported and arrived in one of the sitting rooms in Louella’s castle. She was sipping some type of hard alcohol and looking stressed. I knew it came from my dungeon, only I did not observe every detail of that section of the dungeon. The automata were constantly creating new brands.

“What do you need this late in the night?” I asked, forming my avatar already sitting on one of the couches.

Louella bowed her head. “Sorry. I know I bugged you a few hours ago. A few guests arrived here earlier, and the younger sister has vanished. Rather than scour the town for her, I thought it better to just ask you.” She put the glass to her lips and downed all the liquor in one go.

“Guests you say.” I cast my mind’s eye over to where a young woman, more a girl just about to leave her budding years, was searching the castle frantically. “Alright, what’s the girl’s name?” I tapped the armrest as I started focusing around the castle. This person was clearly important to Louella. Helping to find someone shouldn’t take me more than a few seconds.

“Sophia Lecazar.”

I paused midtap, which didn’t escape Louella’s notice even with some alcohol in her system. Damn higher-tier bodies,I thought with annoyance.

“Do you happen to know a Sophia?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.

I coughed, covering my mouth with my hand. “I . . . may have met said Sophia earlier this evening,” I said, tilting my head as if thinking it over.

“Oh fate, tell me she didn’t wander into the dungeon!” Louella said, rushing over to me and grabbing my shoulders. I didn’t fail to notice that she was able to put dents in my metal shoulders.

“Define what you mean by ‘into the dungeon’?” I asked, still playing dumb, as I wasn’t sure how she would take the real answer. The entire town was in my aura, after all.

“Is she alive, damn it?!” Louella asked, just short of screaming at me.

“Yes! I can confidently say she is indeed alive.” I lifted my finger up in the air as if making a point.

She calmed down considerably and stepped back. “Thank goodness! Well? Where is she?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

I decided to change the subject, in a way. “On another note, do you remember Azra?”

“Huh? The slave girl you changed . . . Regan! You didn’t?!” Louella shouted.

I forget she had a faster processing speed now since she’d become a partial elemental. I would have to think of higher-level stuff to tease her later. Just to help her get used to her new abilities.

“In my defense!” I said, holding my hands up as arcs of lightning popped off her skin. They wouldn’t hurt me, but it was the fact of the matter. “I didn’t know she was a princess, and she seemed to pretty much hate all other mortals. Given her type of mana, I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to take her under my wing, so to speak.”

The lightning died down. “Chloe is going to kill me,” Louella said, putting her face in her hands and dropping to the couch.

“As long as your head survives, I can make you a new body,” I reassured her, clapping my hands. It never hurt to be as encouraging as possible. I heard a groan from her and had to hold back a laugh. It always made my day to tease her.

Chapter 3

Louella

Explaining to an old friend why her sister had bound herself to the dungeon took more effort than I ever wanted to use. Between her being angry, sad, or just confused, the conversation lasted most of the night.

I could tell her guard wanted to comfort her, but given his station, and the very fact that I was in the room, he was forced to keep his distance. I wanted to leave them alone but felt that wouldn’t be right. Plus, whenever I tried to hint at leaving, Chloe would shut me down fast.

“I want to see her!” Chloe demanded, grabbing my shoulders. I could tell by her eyes she was getting close to the edge. I couldn’t imagine the time she must have had traveling here. That, coupled with her sister joining the dungeon—she must have been close to snapping. I needed to help ease her worry.

“I know. I will make sure you get to see her soon. Please. For now, just retire to a guestroom and clean up. I have it in good confidence that she will be fine,” I said, placing my hands over hers and pulling them in front of me.

At the sensation of dense terra mana start to form from her, I narrowed my eyes and sent a small surge of lightning mana through her hands. She yelped and yanked her hands back, then looked at me in surprise. I pointed toward the guard without even looking at him. I’d sensed him tensing when Chloe had started to channel mana.

“I will not have anyone using force around here to get their way. That includes you,” I said with arcs of lightning dancing on my skin. I loved Chloe. She was an old friend, but I had enough people who wanted to throw their weight around to get their way. I wasn’t the same fragile girl from a few months ago.

“I’m . . . I’m sorry. I . . . I will wait,” Chloe said, letting her arms drop to her sides.

“Good. Mister Guard, please go with the princess. There is an adjoining room that you can use,” I said, turning to Chloe’s guard, who had a white-knuckled grip on his sword. I wasn’t sure what was going through his head, but I’m glad it ended with him removing his hand from the weapon. His tier wasn’t completely clear to me, but I was sure I was higher than him. Plus, I was in my castle.

When I rang a bell, a few of my guards entered and escorted the two from the sitting room. This was truly turning out to be an interesting day. Never thought I would have the princess from the country I used to live in be escorted by my own guards. I found I didn’t mind it too much.

Opening the window, I looked out to find it was well into the night. The stars shone, with the moon Krona nearly full just above the horizon. Clouds that seemed to promise the first snow creeped along the night sky. It would have been beautiful if I didn’t have so much to worry about on my plate. I took a breath of the night air and left for my office. Sleep beckoned, but there was just too much to do.

~~~

I looked up from the document I was working on when the first light of the day shined through the east window. I’d reached a good stopping point with the plans for the refugees. I didn’t have an exact idea of what kind of setup Regan was going to use, but these guidelines were just the foundations for future plans. Though, knowing Regan, I’d likely have to redo most of them after today.

Leaning back and cracking my neck, I considered what I should do today. There were plenty of nobles in the city right now who all wanted a meeting with me. Almost every village and town west of the Lecazar capital was decimated, their occupants forced to flee, and their town leaders or mayors needing to see me. I felt like there wasn’t enough of me to go around. Due to the terrain, most went to the southern pass, but quite a few came here. That included nobles.

I pulled a report from the stack and rechecked the numbers listed. Regan was right, the town had a population of three hundred sixty-two thousand as of yesterday at gate close. If there wasn’t a dungeon in the valley, I doubted we would be able to last more than a day before riots and other crimes of need started to take place.

I really needed to tour the town. It’d been a while, and I wasn’t even sure what the second district looked like anymore. Even when I left, I usually flew to where I needed to go to save time. Basically, I knew my town had some really nice rooftops.

It had been nearly two weeks since Regan’s dungeon was attacked. With the number of refugees and other immigrants, I was sure there were a lot of changes to the town taking place on a smaller level. With the town growing, a lot of autonomy I had was gone, and I was forced to hire out people who could manage the work for me. Otherwise, I’d work myself to death.

There was a knock at the door, pulling my attention. “Yes?”

A guard opened the door. “I think it’s one of Lord Regan’s, my lady,” he said with a head bow.

“Alright, let them in.” I waved him forward.

The door opened all the way and a girl walked in. It actually took me a moment to realize it was Sophia. She’d changed considerably. Mainly her silver metal skin and eyes. There was a blue light coming from her eyes that appeared strange even to me, and I thought I was getting used to strange things from dealing with Regan.

“Sophia, is that you?” I asked after I recovered my thoughts, then rushed around the desk. I was about two meters from her when she held up her hand to stop me from approaching. There was a pressure around her that I didn’t want to test in the middle of my office. I complied, not wanting to push the girl. I could feel a tremendous power hidden in her.

“Where is my sister?” Sophia asked with a voice that was more like bells ringing.

“In one of the guestrooms. I can take you to her,” I said, kneeling in front of her so we were eye level.

She looked off into the distance for a moment, then back to me and nodded. I stood and walked around her. Out in the hall, I asked the guards to lead me to Chloe. The guestrooms were on the other side of the castle for security reasons, as Regan put it.

A good half an hour later and down many halls that I’d never seen before, we finally made it to Chloe’s room. A full squad of guards protected the hall. I couldn’t have anything happen to Lecazar’s princess, after all. They all saluted when they saw me, and I nodded to them. Walking over to Chloe’s door, I knocked on it, hoping I wasn’t disturbing her. I knew she needed a good rest. I think three seconds passed before the doors were flung open.

“Sophia!” Chloe shouted.

My eyes widened when I saw what she was wearing. “Chloe! Think of where you’re at!” I said harshly, then glared at the guards around us, but they had all been tactful enough to turn their heads. Chloe hadn’t dressed before throwing the doors open and only wore some rather sheer underclothing. I was sure they breathed well, but they weren’t something a princess should show to a group of guards.

Chloe looked down at herself and shrieked loudly enough to cause glass to vibrate. Her guard rushed from the connecting room with his weapon bared. Chloe ran back into the room while I pulled the doors closed and told him that everything was fine. I mentally made a note to give these guards a raise. A few minutes later the doors opened again at a more reasonable speed. Chloe stood dressed in a simple dress.

“My apologies, please forget that,” she said with a red tint to her cheeks. I knew she was directing the statement more to the guards than myself. Her guard stood at the ready, not wanting to be outdone by my own.

“It’s alright.” I moved to the side so she could see Sophia.

“Sophia!” Chloe cried again and tried to rush forward to pull the girl into a hug. Sophia jumped back and lifted, drifting backward a few meters in the air as if on the wind. Chloe looked devastated but held it in. “Do you hate me so?” Tears threatened to start flowing down her cheeks at any time.

Sophia shook her head. “I have a person I can trust, so don’t worry about me. Why don’t you trust Dylan?”

I tilted my head but noticed the guard who had come with the pair just barely jerked. I wondered what the story was there.

“Sophia, how can you trust something not even mortal! It doesn’t care about you!” Chloe cried, falling to her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I thought I could trust my own flesh and blood. I won’t make that mistake again,” Sophia said, then the pressure in the hallway doubled.

I was able to take it but most of the guards, who were all mid-tier two, collapsed or fell to one knee. When the pressure vanished, I found that Sophia had vanished as well.

As one of Regan’s bound minions, she would be able to move quite freely in his dungeon. And everything in a thousand-kilometer radius was his dungeon. Again, I was glad he was on our side. I couldn’t imagine what might be if Regan were a bloodthirsty monster at a core.

“Louella! What should I do?!” Chloe asked, grabbing hold of my hands.

I kneeled and patted her hands. “Let’s give her some space. I trust the dungeon host. He treats almost everything inside those walls as his children. She won’t be forced to do anything that she herself wouldn’t do.”

She stared into my eyes, and I met them without breaking away. Finally, she blinked and nodded. I helped her to her feet and took her back into the room. It looked like she hadn’t slept a wink last night. Once she lay down, she fell asleep almost instantly.

Closing the door quietly, I turned to the guards. “Don’t spread this around.” They all nodded quickly, one even saluting to me. I smiled, then left the guest hall. It was doubtful that Chloe would wake anytime today, so I would hold off and give her a tour another time.

Ezal

“Move it!” I shouted at the recruits, who were doing runs to build their stamina. While there were many strong volunteers in the militia, they all were usually lacking to my eyes. Only a few were able to keep up with my regimen. Most of those who could were former slaves that Louella had rescued with Regan’s device.

With the necromancer attack on the Lecazar Empire, the number of slaves streaming into town and the forest tower were almost a third of the refugees. Many even chose to brave the new undead hordes to the east to come here instead of Thonaca. They would just be forced back into slavery if they were caught, anyway.

The courtyard shook as Bruce and Dess went at it. They had been “practicing” for a few weeks now since the dungeon was off-limits. Fireballs of all shapes and sizes exploded as they impacted the two. While fire couldn’t harm them directly, the impact and collateral, blasted dirt and stones could. They also served to inspire each other’s control over fire.

A loud roar came from the other side of the courtyard as the bear beastkin ex-slave was fighting Chips. The two slammed into each other like wild animals. It was strangely captivating to watch. They weren’t even using weapons, and I felt they could take on ten each of the other recruits in the courtyard.

After several long minutes, the recruits finally finished running their rounds and dropped to the ground in front of me, breathing heavily. I could only shake my head at how disappointing they were.

“Is this really the best you can do?” I asked the assortment of sweating men and women.

“Fat cow,” I heard one of the recruits say under his breath.

I considered for a moment, then sent a ball of flame that streaked across the open courtyard almost faster than the eye could follow. There was a loud bang as the recruit was sent flying nearly ten meters.

I snapped my fingers. “Damn. Only ten that time,” I cursed.

“Must be due to the pregnancy. You’re getting pretty far along,” my second said from next to me. “Kid’s probably going to be one of the best Fire mages to be seen.”

I turned to her. “He is pulling more mana lately. The midwife assured me it was normal.”

My second, Orina Terst, was a fairly powerful warrior with the terra aspect. With green hair and darker skin, she reminded me of a tree sometimes. She was high-tier two and could hold her own in just about any fight, which was what earned her place.

Bruce had stepped down from the position when the inquisitors came looking for him.

“The more mana the mother has to give, the easier it is for a child to cultivate it. That is the most accepted belief right now. Not sure if it will change in the future, thanks to Lord Regan’s hospital. They are giving gold to anyone injured, pregnant, or otherwise to come in and get a checkup,” Orina said as she looked at a report.

“I’ve been a few times,” I said with a nod. I got paid quite well, but it never hurt to have a nest egg for the future. I turned back to the recruits. “Go get lunch. Be back in—”

A massive roar echoed throughout the air, interrupting me. There were a few gasps from the gathered recruits.

I looked toward the direction the roar came from, Lord Regan’s dungeon. From it two forms cast shadows over the ground. I focused and made out two dragons flying over the valley. One was white, while the other was black.

“What the hell now?!” Orina said next to me.

“Hey, at least they’re not attacking,” I said with my hands on my hips. I found that was always a plus if you lived in this valley.

Chapter 4

Izora

Gears of all sizes surrounded me, all working together in perfect harmony. A path that led off into the distance stretched out before me. I had been here before, only from a farther-out view. I was sure I was in Lord Regan’s mindscape. The questions now were, how had I gotten here, and what was I supposed to do?

I started walking to the sounds of gears turning. They seemed to be perfectly in sync, creating a calming ambience. As I walked, I tried to remember how I came here. I vaguely recalled waking to the sound of chanting as the people on the airships were rallied by the captains. I had been so moved that I . . . that was where I was coming up with a blank.

I didn’t know how long I walked before I came to a large tower that extended as far as I could see into the sky. There didn’t appear to be an end to it. It was built from an uncountable number of gears, and the farther up I looked, the more intricate the lines joining the gears were, turning at right angles. I looked around but couldn’t find another path to take. When I turned back, the path I was on was unpassable as gears moved and changed position, blocking the way I’d come.

“I guess I’m going in,” I muttered.

Turning back to the building, I walked to the entrance. I couldn’t help but stare as I walked inside. A spiraling staircase extended up. Strands of light ribboned around the staircase. I sensed a massive power from them that was similar to mana, but different at the same time. Moving closer to one, I felt another person’s thoughts from it.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve been here, girl,” said a voice.

I spun around and found Lord Regan standing next to one of the walls. Only, something about him felt off. I couldn’t quite place it though.

“Lord Regan?” I asked, not able to shake the feeling.

He nodded. “Though, not the one you’re used to. I am one layer of my subconsciousness. I’m what could be considered Image. How I see myself. Feel free to call me as such”

“So, there are others in this tower?” I asked, looking up. “And what are these?”

“Indeed. But it’s best if you don’t ascend too far. You might lose yourself in my mind. Wouldn’t want that, would we?” Image said with a chuckle. He turned to look at the ribbon of light. “Those strands form when people devote themselves to my cause. Main, the one you interact with outside, hasn’t touched them yet.”

“Interesting.” I looked around. “How do I get out, then?”

“Transporting your entire fleet at once took a lot out of you, but you’ve been in my dungeon for several weeks now. You just need to trace your link back to your body,” Image explained. “You’ve had plenty of practice.”

“My link, huh?”

I sat on the ground and turned my focus inward. Most people learn to cultivate mana at a young age. People with better resources usually have access to better cultivation techniques. As a royal family member, my cultivation method was pretty powerful, if I said so myself. Because I was a multi-aspect, cultivation took a bit more effort. I had to keep the elements balanced or I could end up hurting myself.

I sent my senses out but could only feel one type of mana. I could only assume that it was Lord Regan’s personal mana. There was so much of it, like an ocean. Even though the ocean was a bit low, it was quickly filling up. While cultivating, I had felt other people’s mana before, but Lord Regan’s felt strange. I couldn’t remember ever feeling a mana type like this.

I believe the word that Lord Regan used was “circuitry.” Lines of energy pulsed through the connecting mana nodes that were then connected to an ever-increasing number of nodes. It was fascinating and captivating. I looked around, then at myself and noticed there was a node in my body.

This embedded node was connected to several hundred more in the expanse of Lord Regan’s mindscape. I could tell those were connected to even more outside. After shifting through the various connecting lines, I finally found one that had a multihued tint. I could feel myself emanating from it.

“You have a lot of work ahead of you, and your people need you. Good luck,” Image said. I noticed it was from far away.

I had already started the process of following my line back and didn’t want to risk breaking my concentration, so I did my best just to nod. The world of gears faded around me, and the sensation of lying in a comfortable bed overcame me. That only lasted a second as pain from all over my body assaulted my senses.

“Princess! I mean, my queen! Are you alright?” I heard from next to where I lay.

I realized it was Hatsu, but that didn’t make any sense. I’d . . . I’d left her and all the guards when the compulsion to run came over me after Lord Regan ordered me to do so.

“My entire body feels like it’s been ripped apart. What happened?” I asked. As I struggled to open my eyes, a gentle light flooded in, and I got them open a slit. After the blurriness of unconsciousness washed away, I was able to see that I was in a small room made of wood. A window showed a large city with buildings taller than I could imagine.

Turning, I found Hatsu with a pained look on her face. I didn’t blame her. I had left her to die. Tears threatened to fall from the corners of my eyes. It must have been an illusion conjured by my pain-filled mind to torture me for my actions.

“After you teleported the entire fleet here, you collapsed. Lord Regan’s medics have been treating you, but it looks like the strain of using mana for such a complicated venture pushed your mind much further than your body. While you were unconscious, they were only able to fix the surface damage,” Hatsu explained after taking hold of my hand.

My eyes widened—an illusion wouldn’t have any sensation of touch. She was really here. The thought was almost too much to bear. I needed to thank whoever was responsible for such a miracle.

“I understand,” I said, gritting my teeth against the pain. I returned her grasp as best I could. “I’m . . . I’m sorry.” I was no longer able to hold the tears back but couldn’t turn my head away. I had done such a terrible thing. I had no right to be anyone’s ruler. I didn’t even deserve to be her friend.

“Please rest! I’ll call for the doctor!” Hatsu said, jumping to her feet and running out of the room before I got a chance to say anything. I stared after her, hating myself for what I’d done.

I could only turn my head after a long, slow process, but I managed to look out the window. There was a sky visible, but a ceiling of stone resided above it. I recalled what Image said and realized that I was in Lord Regan’s dungeon. Steam rolled off the buildings from pipes and gears that turned lazily. Metal appeared to be the main theme for the city. The first time I’d been here, I’d arrived from ground level on the Goblin City floor. I wasn’t able to get such a good view before.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed as I watched the cityscape, but I felt like it was only a few minutes before I heard a knock at the door. Hatsu entered, followed by a goblin dressed in a white coat. He had a few things on his person that I could see mana emitting from. That made me blink in surprise. Before, I had to actively focus mana into my eyes to see mana. I looked back to the city, causing myself more than a little pain in the process, and saw streams and auras of mana inside the steam that I’d just thought were lights before.

“Hello, Selected. My name is Turion, the head doctor for the Goblin City Hospital,” the goblin said with a bow. One of the taller goblins I’d seen so far, he had a rough beard and looked like he’d been busy for several days, judging by the black circles under his eyes. His white coat went almost to his feet, which seemed to envelop him.

“Call me Izora,” I said with a gasp as it felt like someone poked my lung. I took a few deep breaths until the pain eased.

“Very well. Izora. I will be examining you if that is alright,” Turion said as he pulled a device from his belt.

“Go ahead.”

Hatsu moved forward to pull the blanket back. I realized that I wasn’t wearing my normal armor. In fact, I wasn’t wearing anything at all. That’s not to say I wasn’t covered. Bandages wrapped most of my body. Turion moved a plate of glass over my figure. Mana filled it and I saw that it was able to see inside my body. My curiosity lost to the pain, however, and I couldn’t bring myself to ask any questions about it.

“Well, if it wasn’t for the boss, err, Lord Regan, you would be quite dead. Thankfully for you, your body has been reinforced by a variety of elements,” Turion said after he ran the glass plate over my entire body. “Quite a few of your people owe their lives to Lord Regan.”

“I don’t doubt it,” I said with a chuckle that quickly turned into a pain-filled cough. Hatsu panicked but didn’t have any way to help me. She was left standing there with her hands moving in the air without a goal.

“Let’s fix you up a bit before you cough up a lung,” Turion said, returning the glass plate in his belt pocket. He pulled another device out that had a metal point. The tip was so small it was almost hard to see. “This will allow me to direct my healing mana more accurately. Normally, I would have to work with your mana and aura, but this allows me to bypass that.”

I narrowed my eyes at that information. I could think of any number of ways that device could be put to use. Both good and bad. I couldn’t even imagine what would happen if a necromancer injected unholy mana into a person or creature using it. I nodded to him that he had my permission when he asked, and he moved the needle over my heart.

I wasn’t sure if it was due to the pain I was already feeling or if it just didn’t hurt, but I couldn’t feel when he inserted the needle. I did, however, feel the immediate relief when a cooling wave of mana hit my body, originating from the injection spot. I could literally feel my body repairing itself with the help of the light mana.

I moaned despite myself. My muscles twitched as they healed. Then mana suddenly hit my organs. I was not expecting the wave of pain that flooded through me. My mind blanked as my limbs flailed. Something grabbed my shoulders, and I unintentionally sent a surge of mana at it. I heard a grunt of pain, but the pressure didn’t disappear.

Finally, both the wave of mana and the pain subsided. My arched body dropped back to the bed. I was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. The good thing was that the pain was gone. I never wanted to go through that again. I think I’d rather heal the old-fashioned way.

“Hmm, that was quite intense. It appears you had more damage to your organs than the device showed. I’ll have to notify the labs about this,” Turion said, making a note on the glass plate. He wiped the needle device off before he stuck Hatsu. He only left it in for a second, and I noticed a large bruise on her arm fading before he pulled it back out. I groaned as I realized I’d struck Hatsu with my mana during the healing.

“That was quite . . . the experience, but thank you for healing me,” I said, sitting up in the bed. I moved my arms and torso around to make sure everything was working right. Other than some soreness, I felt decent.

“Just doing my job. Plus, I don’t think the boss would take too kindly to me allowing one of his Selected to die while under my care.” Turion grinned, his fangs on full show. I smiled in reply. “You should still rest for a day or two to make sure everything is in good and proper order.”

“Yes. I will,” I said, falling back into the bed. While I felt better, I also felt completely drained. Much like you did after working out most of the day. Even my mana felt tired, if that made any sense.

“Princess! I heard the princess is better!” The loud voice echoed from outside the door.

“Not again!” Hatsu said with an annoyed face.

Alphonso burst through the door, tripping on the frame as he did so. He went rolling and slammed into the opposite wall, then jumped to his feet like nothing happened and turned to me. His face was red from the impact, and after a second his nose started to bleed. I stared at him for only a moment before I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it, it just appeared hilarious to me.

“Is she ok?!” Alphonso asked, glancing back and forth between the doctor and Hatsu.

“Yes, she is! But she needs to rest! OUT!” Hatsu shouted at him.

He dropped his head and started to slink out of the room.

I watched him for a second. “Alphonso, thank you for worrying about me.”

He spun around with a childishly large grin on his face. Giving me a thumbs-up, he then ran out. A few seconds later I heard another crash. I rolled in the bed, trying to control my laughter, then turned to Hatsu. “He’s got a good heart,” I said, trying to breathe through the laughter.

“My queen, you need to rest,” Hatsu said seriously.

That sobered me up. Turning away from her, I said, “I don’t know if I deserve to be your queen. And I’m sorry for striking you just now.”

“Lord Regan explained what happened. We know it was a do-or-die situation. We hold no ill will toward you. You weren’t exactly in control just now. Even I can understand that,” Hatsu said, placing a hand on my shoulder. She gave me a warm smile that only made me feel worse.

“Maybe you should. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I feel like I’m falling down a hole that I might never be able to return from,” I said, curling into a ball.

“Your Highness, pardon my rudeness,” she said before she pulled me around and slapped me across the face.

I could only stare wide-eyed at her as she just as quickly embraced me in a hug.

“Change. Change is necessary for our race to survive. Lord Regan is bringing that to us through you. However, if you feel you are losing yourself in the process you can rely on us . . . on me.” She suddenly pulled away with her cheeks burning red.

“Hatsu. You . . .” I started to say when she put her hand over my mouth. I knew she loved me. I mean I was close with all my guards, we were like family, but I never thought she loved me like that. We were like sisters.

“No. It isn’t proper. I am glad to be alive, and I am glad even more so that you are alive, as are most of our people. Lord Regan managed to teleport most of the citizens who were still in the city—hell he teleported most of the city—before the explosion claimed it. We were forced to leave it, however, as the northern air is poisonous to us right now. But we will go back someday,” Hatsu said with conviction.

“Thank you, Hatsu. And . . . your feelings are not lost on me. Please remember that,” I said, grabbing her hand in a tight grip. She didn’t say anything but turned even brighter red before she bowed and rushed out of the room. “Father,” I said to the ether, “you are wrong. We must work together while exposing our true selves to each other to grow.”

Chapter 5

Regan

It was midmorning and the sun was just coming over the eastern mountains. The area I asked Louella to clear of people was already empty. I was proud of her working so fast, given the visitors she had. I still couldn’t believe I currently had a princess in my dungeon family. I wasn’t sure where this would take us down the line, but at least the country she came from was basically gone now.

Thinking about her, I looked down to see Sophia floating next to me with a book. A sphere of energy surrounded her. I could only shake my head at someone using gravity magic like this. Well, I didn’t intend for her to fight anyone, so if she used her mana like a kid, I didn’t think it would hurt anything.

“I could make you a room in the dungeon,” I said.

“It is fine.”

“I understand that but . . .” I said, then looked to my other side.

Alara was literally hanging from my arm. She wasn’t showing any emotion, but I wanted to think she was jealous, or at least worried that Sophia might steal me. They were about the same in size, though Alara was “growing.”

Her avatar had gained around two centimeters. The one part that I thought didn’t need to grow, her chest, had gone up by a bust size. I shouldn’t have let her watch the town when I wasn’t paying attention. As a man I liked all sizes as long as they were proportional, but I supposed I had a preference to the size that would just fit in your hand.

I shook my head to clear my wandering thoughts. “Alright,” I said in defeat.

Putting it out of mind, I turned to the field in front of me. I needed enough space to house nearly three hundred thousand people, plus whoever came to the valley in the coming months. If people had a decent place to live, they would be more willing to do their best to protect it. That really only left me one option: high-rises.

I had released a few blueprints of various Earth buildings to people who came to the fort. The tallest was around ten stories. The plan was to allow people to experiment with them and work toward greater things. A combination of this world and Earth.

The standard size for people’s living space here was only a few meters. A commoner was lucky to have a house with more than two rooms. Shared living spaces were the standard for adventurers, as well, and coming-of-age adults just setting out on their own. Hell, in some towns it was normal for people to live in stables if they weren’t making it as an adventurer.

That gave me a lot of room to work with. I could work my buildings to focus on shared living that would likely be better than anyplace a new adventurer had ever stayed. While magic made a lot of things easier in this world, other things did suffer due to it. Construction for one, as a Terra mage could raise a building in minutes, but it would be made from regular stone and couldn’t support too many floors.

Concentrating in front of me, I smoothed the ground for several hundred meters. While I was in the middle of it, I changed my plan when an interesting thought came to me. I made it an even square kilometer. With that done, I created the foundations for the buildings. There were many more factors than on Earth to consider, but just as many more ways to deal with them.

I placed four huge mana crystals in the corner of the foundations, making sure to bury them and place magic script around them so that they wouldn’t accidently be detected by some curious mage. They would be used in some magic scripts I intended to add to the building itself. From there, I finished the foundations so they would support the weight of the buildings I planned to build.

Making four squares in each of the corners of the kilometer-sized foundation, I created four high-rises that extended four hundred meters into the sky. I used concrete and glass to make a skyscraper that would be almost commonplace on Earth. They were truly a sight to behold. Next, I placed a few sky bridges at various heights connecting the four buildings.

With the outer frame done, I worked magic script into the building frames. I didn’t want random attacks from mages or enemies to damage them. The script would absorb the mana, which would then be channeled to the mana stones in the basement. From there I had the stone convert the mana back to ambient mana, which would be pumped back into the buildings. This would allow anyone staying there to cultivate mana at a much faster pace.

Moving inside, I designed the first hundred meters of the buildings for cohabitation. This would be where most people would stay, basically large dorms. I went ahead and separated the genders between the four buildings in these sections. That would reduce how often people got any funny ideas. There would be security measures in the halls and common places, but I wanted to give people privacy in their rooms.

Moving up, I created private rooms for families or people who managed to pay the rent. A stone on the door would allow people to pay without having to bother Louella or one of her staff, whereas I added a tablet that would inform Louella about whose rent was due. I would let Louella decide on how lenient she wanted to be on the people. The cost of rent increased the farther up you lived, but so did the amount of mana concentrated in those rooms.

The rooms themselves were set up much like an apartment on Earth. There was a kitchen, a living room, though small, and a bedroom with an attached bathroom. The number of rooms increased as you moved up the building, too, but the most plans offered at least three rooms. People of this world were more comfortable sharing with siblings and family, so that wouldn’t be a large issue for a while.

I moved back and observed the finished product. They would have been all the rage back on Earth. The ground level was a little boring for my tastes. Throwing a fountain in the center, a few gardens, and some other decorations, I improved the courtyard and surroundings. A few statues of the different races helped bridge the gap between the races. I made sure they were all equal distance from the center, so no one race felt they were better than or less than the others. Of course, I only did the races I knew about. It would have to be adjusted if I found any new ones.

Satisfied, I turned to my two observers. Alara stared at the building with amazing intensity. She was a dungeon core, after all. I wondered if she might try to build a world tree that could be inhabited. It would probably do wonders for the mana up in the north. As I watched her, I noticed that her eyes were literally taking in every detail.

Turning to the other one, I could see that Sophia was also enthralled. The way she was looking at it, I felt she was less into the way it was built and more into the why. She was moving in circles in her gravity bubble, clearly interested.

“What do you think?” I asked, curious if I would actually get a reply from either of them.

Alara jumped and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Help . . . me . . . build one,” she said with actual excitement in her voice. If building stuff helped her get over her trauma, that would be a boon. I added that to my long list of things that needed to be done in the future.

“Sure, once the north becomes stable,” I said, patting her on the head.

“Why? Why build this for people who just want things from you?” Sophia asked. She was currently upside down while facing me. Her dress had become enchanted soon after hanging around me so that there would be no lucky perverts in the area. Plus, while it was funny the first two times, having her skirt drop over her face was quite tiresome while trying to talk to her.

“Hmm. Other than the fact that Louella asked me, there is plenty in it for me. I’ve found if people are in rooms, the mana that leaks in from their aura gets concentrated. As a dungeon core, this means more mana for me to absorb. It may not seem like it, but mana moves in rather . . . unpredictable ways. With it in a room, nicely wrapped in a box, it helps me out,” I explained honestly. I didn’t have anything to hide about why I was trying to get people in rooms.

“I see. Is that all?”

“Nope. It also keeps people here. Yes, these people are trying to take from me, but I also take from them. If they have a reason to stay, then they’ll stay. It’s not that easy to uproot a life and move to a new city. Especially given recent events,” I explained further. With Lecazar basically in ruin, people would want a new place to call home. If we presented a strong front, then all the more reason they would want to stay here instead leaving for the unknown.

“I understand. I remember reading that dungeons grow stronger when more people are in them,” Sophia said, flipping back over. “I’ll see you later.” She vanished the next moment.

“What a spritely little girl,” I muttered.

“Regan’s newest . . . daughter?” Alara asked.

“Yeah. A stray I picked up, I guess,” I said with a shrug.

“Hmm. She can . . . be my . . . daughter too,” Alara said with a puff of air.

“Oh, that’ll be a big help. She needs all the attention she can get right now,” I said, patting her head again. She puffed up more, and I laughed, finding it cute.

I turned back to the structure and made a few final adjustments, mainly just making some simple furniture for the rooms. I wanted to promote business in the town, so I didn’t make too many of anything. Primarily just beds for the dorms.

With so many people in one spot, I needed to take into account security. There were obelisks built into the buildings, but I wanted a special automata force for this area. I went ahead and created a wall surrounding the structure. Didn’t hurt to make it into a type of gated community.

There would be a lot of refugees in this area who weren’t used to the automata. I didn’t want to cause anyone to react in a panic. Thinking it over, I decided to go with a knight. I gave it light and bright colors and made sure the voice was as human as possible. There would always be a few of these on each street. You would have to be a complete idiot to try anything here.

Looking over everything one last time, I found the buildings lacked something. Thinking about it, I came to the conclusion. Staff. I quickly created some automata that looked as close to human as I could get them. They didn’t have to be powerful, so I could compromise on a few things in favor of looks and feel.

Sensing some people walking down the road toward us, upon turning, I saw Louella along with a contingent of her guards and a few extras. One was a woman who looked similar to Sophia before she’d changed, but a bit older. She appeared to have just woken up, with some sleep still in her eyes. The sleepiness instantly vanished when she saw the massive structure in front of her.

“Viscountess! Prefect timing,” I said.

“Regan. I figured you were almost done. People have been talking all day of the huge building that appeared in the morning. It looks amazing!” Louella said when she came up next to me.

I could tell she was being honest, and I grinned at her, earning a small smile in reply. “Thank you for the compliment. I believe this should keep your refugee problems down for a while. You should be able to house four hundred thousand here,” I explained. I held my hand out and created several tablets and put them in a bag. They were quite durable, so there was no worry about them breaking by accident.

“I’ll get to work moving the people. I was wondering if you could lend me Wrakras?” Louella asked, taking the bag.

“Sure,” I said, then mentally searched the dungeons. He was hanging out at the restaurant. I snapped my fingers and teleported him midbite. He appeared in front of me with a sour look on his face. Randomly teleporting people was starting to become a favorite pastime of mine.

“Master! I don’t mind you snatching me, but at least wait until I’m done . . .” Wrakras said when a blur suddenly slammed into him. Whatever impacted him managed to bury him several meters into the ground. The ground shook as more impacts sounded out.

“Alara!” I shouted and jumped into the crater, grabbing hold of her. She was using all her avatar’s strength to fight me. “Alara! Calm down!” I dragged her back several meters before she finally relented. She was breathing heavily, with mana leaking from her fists.

“Necromancer!” she growled.

“I know. I know. Calm down. He is under a slave collar,” I said, trying to calm her down.

“Slave collar . . . doesn’t matter. Necromancer bad . . .” Alara growled.

“Alright. I’ll take care of it. How about you go back to your core for a while. You’ve been in your avatar for several days. We don’t want it to become a habit again, do we?” I said, kneeling to be eye level with her. She pouted but nodded. Her form started to crack, and it quickly turned to dust. Sighing, I stood back up and walked over to Wrakras. “You still alive?”

“What did I do?” Wrakras whined.

I whistled as I took in the damage to his body. It was crushed in several places. If he weren’t a lich, he would have been quite dead. Alara had missed or he’d somehow managed to avoid getting his head crushed.

“Sorry about that, mate.” I turned to the gathered people. “My apologies for my companions. I will take my leave. Viscountess, I will speak to you at a later date.” I jumped into the crater and grabbed Wrakras before teleporting to the forest tower.

The sound of “Master!” accompanied something impacting me from the side. I grabbed Julie by the neck and pulled her off me, tossed her aside, and told her to sit. Placing Wrakras on a table, I quickly fixed most of the damage to his body.

“Alright you two. We need to have a talk.”

“Of course, Master!” Julie nodded her head like a maniac.

Soundlessly, Wrakras just nodded.

“As you know, you two were my prisoners. That was to achieve my goal of rescuing Alara. It was nice since you two gave me mana comparable to twenty people each. That is all in the past now. Alara doesn’t like necromancers. To stop any more . . . incidents from happening, I’m offering you two a choice. Keep your unholy mana and die. Or let me try an experiment on you where you will gain a new form of power.”

“Abandon unholy mana?” Wrakras asked with a hint of surprise.

“Indeed. The labs and I have worked out a way to pull the unholy taint from a creature. When used on a zombie, they return to just being a corpse. If I did it with you two, who are liches, while rebuilding your bodies, I could keep you alive. I feel like you both have served me well enough and have earned this. The event with Alara just pushed up the date,” I explained.

The labs had a lot of undead material to work with while in the north. It was almost every day that they came up with something new that worked on the undead and against the unholy mana.

“A . . . bbbooodddyyyy ccreaaatteeddd bbbbyyyyyy MASTER!” Julie cried, collapsing to her knees. A puddle formed under her, but I ignored it. It was not the first time Julie had . . . leaked. If we weren’t in a dungeon that automatically absorbed everything, I would have a headache every time she did so.

“Well . . . the Celestial never did deliver. As long as I can still eat, I don’t mind,” Wrakras answered with a smirk. Compared to his normal lazy expression, I felt he was trying too hard.

“Then I will do it in a few days when I have a bit more mana to spare,” I said.

Julie shot forward and grabbed my leg. “Please! Change me now! Don’t tease me!” she screamed, with tears running down her cheeks and a stream of liquid staining her thighs.

I kneeled and grabbed her chin, my clawed fingers digging into her skin. “I want you to be useful after the change. So, I need plenty of mana. Wait.”

“Yes,” Julie said simply, then collapsed, twitching.

Chapter 6

Louella

“I guess I’ll introduce you next time. That was Regan,” I said, turning to Chloe. She was looking a lot better after sleeping all day. I’d given her a tour of the town while heading to check out the new district Regan was building. It turned out better than I anticipated, though I honestly didn’t know what to expect.

I was glad I had full control of this town. Otherwise the nobles would be waging a war to try to claim this building alone. Just the feeling of untapped mana coming from it would attract people from all around. I would have to check out the glass tablets when I returned home.

“It looks like he was busy. I don’t mind,” Chloe said with a lack of energy.

“You’ve seen most of the town. How about we head inside one of these new buildings for a little adventure?” I asked, worried that Chloe was still a bit pale.

“That does sound interesting. I’ve never seen construction like this before,” she said as she looked over the four massive buildings.

We made our way to the nearest one. When we were right in front of it, I looked up but was unable to see the roof. I felt like I would get a crick in my neck from trying to see more. The bottom floor of the building was in set a few meters, so you would be outside but out of the weather. There were several sets of doors that led into the structure at the center of the wall.

The doors automatically opened when we got near them. Everyone was pretty awed, from what I could tell. Once inside, I felt like I’d walked into a palace. Gold and crystal were present everywhere, and everything seemed to shine and glitter. The floors appeared to be made of marble and were so smooth I could see my reflection in them. Hanging chandeliers cast a magical light over the area.

People walked around, cleaning or looking ready to assist. One, dressed in a maid outfit that was probably worth more than some nobles’ clothing, walked over toward us. I could just barely make out the lines separating their various parts. These were automata that were clearly modeled to be as close to human-looking as possible.

“Welcome! How may I assist you this evening?” asked the automaton maid with a regal bow. While she did sound a little stiff, most people might just write that off as her being nervous. I was impressed, to say the least.

I stepped forward. “I just wanted to take a tour before I brought people here.” I pulled the glass tablet from my bag to show her.

She glanced at it and nodded. “Viscountess, of course. Feel free to take your time.” After another bow, she walked away.

I didn’t even have to worry about anyone getting funny ideas about Regan’s people here. What looked like knights were posted in just about every corner of the building. You would have to be incredibly powerful, or incredibly stupid, to try anything. Sadly, I knew some of both kinds.

Dozens of areas were set up for people who wanted to relax while they waited for others in their party or who just wanted to enjoy some time before heading out to do whatever they needed to get done. There were even different styles, with settings next to fireplaces, windows, large groups with tables, small groups with a more personal-size table, and spots with a single chair and table for reading or maybe studying something or other.

“This place looks nicer than the palace back home,” Chloe said, then her face dropped. The thought of home likely reminded her about everything that had transpired over the last month for her.

“Let’s go higher! If this floor is so nice, then surely the higher we go, the nicer!” I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. We came to a set of stairs that was guarded by four of the knights and started to head toward them. The knights drew their swords and crossed them, blocking the way.

“Only men permitted to use these stairs. Women have access to the two buildings on the right. This is to prevent any problems from arising. If you seek the apartments farther up, please use the staircase located on the other side of the lobby floor,” one of the knights said before we even took in most of the stairs.

“There is no one currently in the building. Would it be alright if just my friends and I go in?” I asked, making sure to show the glass tablet.

The knight stepped back, and I saw some lights in the eye slots of the helmet flicker. It was a few moments before it responded. “Very well. Please note that if men are in the dorms, we will not let you pass unless it is an emergency.”

“Seems fair to me. Wouldn’t want me taking advantage of my position,” I said with a laugh.

They made way for us and we headed up the staircase. It appeared to be made from marble like the floors but looked like a waterfall. It made me think the stone was moving, and it was hard to keep my eyes off the steps. We made it to the next floor, then to another set of double doors. Words with Regan’s runes circling them were posted along the wall next to the door.

Rent: one mana a day. Lights out at nine. Light above candle level will result in action being taken. Attempted tampering of the sealed chests will result in penalizing actions. Disruptions between ten and five will result in disciplinary actions. Children will be sent to the children section if they are unattended between ten and five.

“I have a feeling more rules will be added as people actually start using them,” Chloe said as she studied them.

“Probably. People always find a way around the rules,” I said, pushing the doors open.

A large cavern of a room met my gaze. Canopy beds lined the floor from wall to wall. At least ten thousand people could have a bed in this room, with each bed being just over two meters long. Underneath each, there was a slide-out drawer the length of the bed in which a person could store their belongings. Just about a half meter lay between each bed, though, so it might be tight for some people. The only thing that broke up the room were the pillars every couple dozen meters that obviously had mini obelisks in them.

We continued deeper into the room and found a smaller room that took up the center of the floor. Pulling the door open revealed a large washroom. A bath that could hold a hundred people easy made up the center of the room with showers surrounding it. Steam rose lazily off the surface of the water. There was another set of doors, inside which were enough toilets for three dozen people to use at once.

“Other than food, this place offers everything a person could want,” I muttered.

“The bathwater appears to be constantly filtered. The baths at the palace had a similar feature,” Chloe said, her fingers wet from dipping them in the water.

“Well if a hundred thousand people end up in here for a month, it would need to be changed in less than a day,” I said, shuddering at the thought.

“You forget we are in a dungeon. All the filth and waste will just vanish, absorbed by the dungeon. Even with two or three hundred thousand people, this bathroom would be able to sustain its cleanliness,” Chloe said with a shake of her head.

“That is true. I guess you forget things when you live with them all the time.”

Chloe laughed, then started to head back to the staircase. I joined her since I had seen everything this floor had to offer. With the dorms being this nice, I was excited to see the private rooms. The thought of having to climb over a hundred meters of stairs was a bit depressing, but I shouldn’t have worried. When we went to the other side of the lobby where the stairs for the private rooms were, there were several sets of doors that had elevators.

They were large enough for all of us, guards included, to pile into and still have plenty of personal space. Some music I had never heard before was playing in the background. It was a soft tone that threatened to lull me to sleep. I could detect a few instruments I’d never heard before, and I had been to several balls back when I’d lived in Lecazar.

It took a minute to reach the upper floors. A number in the center of the top board of the elevator told us which floor we were on. When we reached the fortieth floor, which the glass tablet said was the first private floor, we got off. A long hallway extended in front of us with a door every dozen meters or so.

I moved to the first door and tried to open it. A large red X flashed over the door’s surface. I placed the tablet next to the door, and it turned to a green version of Regan’s dungeon symbol along with a symbol I could only assume was for me: a lightning bolt weaving around a few mountain peaks.

I tried the handle and it slid open easily. Inside, there was a nice room with a wide window. A set of counters ran along one wall with a sink and stove built into it. I thought it looked like a cozy place for a single person or a couple to live. Maybe a bit small if they started having children.

A small washroom was attached, and that made up the entire room. Simple and effective. Just the few magical gadgets around the room would make most commoners want to fight for it. You could turn some lights on without having to deal with smoke or the low light of a candle. The sink provided water cold and hot enough to hurt.

“My lady, are these rooms available to us?” asked one of my guards.

“Huh? Why would you need to move here? Don’t you have housing already?” I asked, confused.

“Well yes, but . . . I live with my parents at the moment and have been thinking of moving out, but given the state of the valley, there was nowhere to go,” the guard explained, rubbing his head.

I looked him over and did remember seeing him among the locals when I’d first taken over. Quite a few of the men who were originally from the valley when I became baroness had reached out to the Golden Dawn. While some were killed when they were betrayed, many survived. Quite a few ended up joining my militia.

“Let’s check out the higher floors. I’m sure as one of my personal guards you deserve it, so I don’t want you to settle for something on the first floor,” I said with a smile, patting his arm as we headed for the exit.

The door of the room automatically closed and locked when we left. Making our way down the hall, we came to another room, this one large and empty. It looked like a mini version of the lobby downstairs, with areas for all kinds of activities. In one corner was a cleared area with markings for people who wanted to train. Each corner contained something similar.

One had a restaurant, another looked like a mini smithy, and the last one had a small library. I was starting to worry people might not want to leave this place. At least until we actually checked the areas out. The smithy wanted a mana amount that you had to be at least tier two to afford, and then you would be drained for the rest of the day. The restaurant was charging gold. Not silver or copper, but gold. The training area was free to use, but there was a time limit. I was sure Regan had included ways to enforce that as well.

While the others were busy checking over the various things being offered at the restaurant, Chloe moved over to me. “Louella, maybe my guard and I should take one of these rooms as well,” she said, looking at her hands.

“Your Highness, I have the guestrooms in the castle. I hope you don’t feel like a burden, if that is why you’re suggesting such a thing,” I said, quickly grabbing her hand.

“No . . . no. Of course not. I know you mean well, Louella.” Chloe suddenly unloaded all at once. “I’ve . . . I’ve been doing some thinking. These events have just been too much for me. I don’t even know where to start. Sophia abandoned me for this dungeon. Everyone else in my family is dead. The way I see it, Lecazar is finished. Even if I could rally what people remained, we have no way to fight the undeath that is spreading like a plague.” She dropped into a sitting chair with her head in her hands.

“We will get through this! I have friends that can deal with the undeath. There are other things that we can do to help,” I said, trying to reassure her.

“Why help a dying empire? To be honest, I don’t even want to rule. I was never going to in the first place. My brother was the heir to the throne. I was going to be married off to the highest bidder. No matter how much Papa loved me, there was no avoiding that,” she said with a bitter smile.

“I know it looked bleak, but if we work together . . .”

Chloe suddenly sat forward, interrupting me. “I know! How about you establish a queendom? As you already stated, you have the means to deal with the death and undeath spreading throughout the empire. I would even abdicate the throne to you if anyone were to say anything about blood or whatnot. This is perfect! I can finally be free. Sophia found her path, and I will make my own.”

It was my turn to collapse into a chair. What the hell had just happened? A few seconds ago, I was trying to support a friend. The next thing I know, I’m creating my own queendom? This time I put my head in my hands. That’s when I found that I was smiling. I hoped Regan wasn’t watching right now.

Chapter 7

Puppet

There was a boom as several large undead the size of trees hammered against the city wall. The adventurers and city guards wouldn’t be able to hold out long enough for the regular soldiers to get there to help. I quickly looked to Z2.

“Z2! We have undead on the north wall! Please make your way over to assist,” I said, gesturing to the spot that was in danger of falling at any moment.

“On it!” she replied before she shot into the air. Ice trailed behind her just from her passing. Ever since she’d gone through another change, her control of ice had reached an almost unconscious level.

“Natsuo, there is some damaged equipment near the gate. Please head over there and repair it,” I ordered, trying to keep every part of the battlefield in my sight.

A nod was all I got from him before he jumped from the wall and made his way through the crowded streets on the city side. He moved like a ghost and didn’t have to slow for anyone.

He left, avoiding the soldiers and adventurers manning the wall. The city was Tearfalls, named such due to the beautiful waterfalls that cascaded down the three cliffs of the plateau the city resided on. Only the west side facing inland and part of the north gave invaders access to the walls through normal means.

The wall shook as a fireball collided somewhere lower on the structure. Magical runes sputtered to life as they tried to deal with the influx of harmful mana. A few weeks ago, a surge of terra mana the likes of which none in the city had ever seen before slammed into the city. The ancient barrier created in another time managed to protect it from any great harm.

When everyone thought the danger had passed, a horde of undead were reported making their way toward the city. A few scouts risked their lives to bring back information that a scar of blackened and corrupted earth stretched from the north to the capital. The fact that the city was unable to bring anyone up from the capital on their crystal communication tools only served to confirm that the capital was most likely gone.

“I am glad the Gears of Night were in Tearfalls when this happened, as mean as that is to say,” said the man next to me. Prince Charles, who was in the city during the terra wave incident, had recruited every available adventurer in the city to help with aiding the citizens. It was a good thing too, as a week later the first wave of undead showed up and the already coordinated adventurers and soldiers were able to repel the horde with relative ease.

The wall shook as a massive surge of ice ripped through the undead on it. Even the air was motionless for a moment before it shattered. The undead caught in the debris were reduced to pieces of frozen flesh. Ever since Z2 had fused with Lean during the monster horde, she’d reached a whole new level of power.

I turned back to the battle waging in front of me. Soldiers protected mages as they sent their spells into the horde below. From just my glance over, I could see at least ten thousand undead. A roar rang out from the other side of the horde as a giant undead formed from the conglomeration of hundreds of skeletons and zombies.

The ground shook with each step the monster took. I was about to call for Z2 to come back to this section when a roar of another kind sounded out. A beam of energy sliced through the air and collided with the giant undead that was at least a kilometer away still. Its whole upper section was blasted clean off.

Turning, I threw a thumbs-up to Natsuko, who was set up on one of the keep’s towers. She had fired so many times, each causing enough recoil to put a crater in the ground, that the top of the tower was just about gone. I could barely see the cables that held her in place with all the steam coming from her.

“Just doing our duty. You did pay up front, after all,” I said, turning back to the prince.

“My royal guards are worried that I will ask you to replace them. Or train them. I actually think they are more afraid of that,” the prince said, moving to looking over the wall.

After working with him for a few weeks, I knew he was a decent mortal. One that Father would like to meet in the future—if the city lasted long enough, that was.

I don’t know if he was just unlucky or if it was fate, but either way, just as he looked over the wall a shard of bone came streaking directly for him. His eyes widened and he started to move back but was too slow. A part of the wall suddenly jutted out in front of him, defending him from the attack.

“Your Highness, how many times do I have to tell you not to go near the edge of the wall?” Azra said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the safe part.

“Thank you, Miss Azra,” the prince said with a blush.

I wouldn’t call the prince a pushover. Far from it actually. He was quite powerful in his own right. The problem was that it was the kind of powerful you get by studying every day for years, without actually putting it to the test. He lacked real experience. That and he had a terrible weakness for women.

“What am I going to do with you?” Azra asked with a sigh. She was the main person who was having to deal with the prince.

“I don’t mind if you want to protect me for the rest of my life. In fact, I would find it quite the honor,” Prince Charles said with a gentleman’s bow.

“Is that something a man says to a woman?” Azra asked with a shake of her head.

“Then let me protect you,” Prince Charles said, then turned an open palm toward the battlefield. Mana arced toward his hand. A black line barely thicker than a strand of hair shot toward the outer section of the battlefield. Nothing happened for a moment, then everything in a hundred meters was crushed flat as a crater formed. “Behold the royal family’s magic!”

“Very nice, Your Highness, but that is the tenth time you’ve shown us. You don’t have to call it out anymore,” Azra said, throwing the prince’s arm over her shoulder since he’d managed to drain all the energy from his body. It was powerful magic, similar to the kind Father used in various projects around his dungeon. He just needed more mana capacity to be useful.

As she carefully carried him away, I noticed a small smile on his face. Surely, he wouldn’t use all his mana just to touch Azra for a bit. When they were a few more meters away and the prince must have thought I wasn’t watching, he barely turned his head and pulled in a large breath of air. I shook my head at the display. These flesh bags have such weird ways of showing their attraction.

The battle raged for another hour before the undead horde fell back. The sun breaking over the city was like a cleansing towel wiping away the filth. After that we spent an hour launching Fire spells into the ground in front of the wave to make sure the undeath didn’t spread. The last thing we could afford was for the undead to start spawning from the soil right in front of the city.

Once the battle was over and everyone but the bare minimum to maintain security started to head back to rest for the coming night, the captain of the guard came up to me. “Sir Puppet, thank you for your party’s assistance. Has there been a decision on who will try to break through to seek reinforcements?” he asked after shaking my hand. It was something that had been attempted several times over the last week. Unfortunately, we had no way of knowing if the messenger had succeeded or failed.

“As you can guess, most think it is a suicide mission. I plan on volunteering, but the prince . . .” I said. I liked the guard captain. He didn’t ask too many questions as long as you got the job done. Plus, he was strong for his position. I was actually surprised he was just a guard captain, but I’d learned while out among the mortals that people sometimes have things they want to hide.

“You might be our best bet. However, I’m not sure the city will last long without you here,” the captain said, rubbing his head awkwardly.

“You don’t know how many hidden masters might come out if their lives depended on it,” I said as I turned to walk away. All I got in response was a hearty laugh.

I made my way to the house we’d purchased in the first few days after we saw what was happening outside the city. It was a simple two-story building, but it was out of the way and private. When I was inside, I stopped channeling the measly amount of mana to the ring that Father gave us that cast an illusion over us. It was barely noticeable, but after a full day on the wall fighting, it was like a small needle pressed against your forehead.

“Puppet, you’re back. I’ve tried already. Still no link to Father,” Z2 said, holding the crystal ball in her hands. She had a clearly depressed frown on her face.

I nodded, not expecting more. “Then it’s as we feared. Whatever is pumping out undead is disrupting the link to Father,” I said, dropping into one of the couches that made up the front room of the house. “That also makes it dangerous to try to set a sub-core. It’s a more powerful magic, but if something managed to block the connection, at best the core would just sit there inert. At worst the core might develop a new consciousness separate from Father.”

“I don’t know how Father would react if we allowed that to happen,” Z2 said before she took a sip from a cup. Ever since her change, she had been hooked on trying different drinks and foods. In particular so far she liked tea and alcohol.

“I don’t want to go that route unless it is absolutely necessary. The people gathered here should be able to hold the city for a few more weeks at the very least. Even longer with us helping. We just need to find a way to get a message to Father,” I said, rubbing my face slowly as I tried to think of a solution.

Silence stretched for several minutes before the key in the lock turned, the door clicked open, and Azra burst in. She stomped to the kitchen where Z2 was sitting and grabbed a bottle of something. My eyes widened when she downed the whole thing in one go.

“That stuff cost me two hundred gold!” Z2 cried as she hugged the empty bottle to her chest.

“You spent two hundred gold on that?!” I demanded, glaring at her. We were trying to stay off any mage’s radar, so I wasn’t creating gold coins with my abilities. Here in the city, coins were checked far more often than in some side-of-the-path village or town. That meant we had to work for our money just like everyone else. Before the undead threat, it was quite easy for us to make money, but now with supplies around the city running low, everything was skyrocketing in price.

“It was before! I swear!” Z2 argued.

“That prince is going to be the death of me! I’m amazed he’s lived as long as he has. Five times! Five! That is how many times I had to save his head from being blasted off. It’s your turn tomorrow, Puppet!” Azra growled, pounding her fists on the counter.

“But he likes you,” I said with a tilt of my head.

“I . . . don’t . . . care,” Azra said, punching the counter again with each word.

I just nodded and returned to my thoughts. We told Father we would check in every two weeks when we left Steel Spire. Our first check-in should have been just over two weeks ago, as we were coming up on a month since we’d left. With Father’s level of power, he might be able to force his way through whatever was causing the communication trouble.

The real question was whether he would be able to help us. I knew he was moving in the north toward the undead dungeon, but I was without any way of knowing if he’d succeeded, was still in the middle of it, or was just getting started. From what I’d learned from the library in the city, dungeon wars were long and costly events that pulled everything within a thousand kilometers into them.

“Natsuko, do you need a new perch for tonight?” I asked, wanting to distract myself from the problem. She was sitting at the table with Natsuo, who was working on her rifle.

“Natsuo reinforced it. It’s already missing the roof, so we didn’t have to worry about that.” She waved a hand in the air as if it didn’t matter.

“Good. Just a while longer and hopefully we’ll have a change. If we still don’t hear anything, I will make the trip,” I said, falling into a chair next to the window.

Few people other than soldiers were passing by on the street. When dealing with the undead, there was always a chance of a pandemic. Anyone injured was required to stay at the church or barracks until they were sure there was no corpse poison.

Pulling one of my blades out, I started maintenance on it. It would see plenty of work tonight. I needed it to be in tip-top shape. I paused when I heard raindrops on the window. It looked like it would be cold and wet tonight.

Chapter 8

Regan

I was told Izora was recovering but decided to leave her alone for now. The last thing she needed was to be grilled about what happened, though I knew most of the details from the many gnomes now residing in my city. I had been observing them for the last few days to see if they would be able to adapt to Goblin City.

They were a resilient race. Even with the loss of over a third of their people, they were working to overcome it. It might have helped when the members of the fleet arrived at Goblin City and found nearly two hundred thousand of their people alive and well. I couldn’t keep them in the pulverized remains of Jade Wind in the north. They would have suffered due to the unholy mana concentrated up there.

Needless to say, I was receiving much more faith mana. Just about all the gnomes I teleported with the doomed city were now followers of my name. They all knew Lord Regan was the one who’d saved them from death. I still had no clues as to what the faith mana was for yet, but it allowed me to have a link to everyone who believed in me. I just needed to get a few answers.

“I really need a Celestial to ask some questions of,” I muttered. Alara, who was sitting next to me on the arm of the throne in my core room, pointed up. I guessed what she meant. “Yeah, one of the beings treated like gods by mortals.”

She shook her head. “Metal house . . . in the . . . sky.” Then she pointed at more of an angle. “Black dragon.”

I clapped my hands. “You’re right! I was treating Morka as Nova’s prize and completely forgot about her. Metal house in the sky? Ah, my space station. OH! That’s right I have a Celestial boxed away up there, don’t I?” I said with some mirth. To be honest, I’d completely forgotten about Duilin with all the things going on recently. Poor guy, I hoped he wasn’t insane.

I turned to Alara and asked, “Lightning or darkness?”

“Lightning,” she said, yawning.

I nodded, then moved us to the space station. It was much the same as the last time I was here when I’d created Starfall. The automata here didn’t receive much stimuli, so they were less individualistic than my other automata around the dungeons. I did have an idea about that though, but it would have to wait until Izora was feeling better.

Making our way to the room Duilin was in, I kept pace with Alara as she explored the station. When we came to a window that showcased the planet, she stopped and stared out for several minutes. I just stood next to her, letting her experience this without rushing.

“So . . . big,” she said, placing a hand on the window. “Core . . . so far away.”

“Yes. We are several thousand kilometers from the surface. So, with your core being as deep as it is, it might be a bit uncomfortable. I can take you back if you want me to.” I grabbed her hand gently to make sure she was alright.

“No . . . Interesting. Here.” She shook her head and gripped my hand.

“Very well.”

We continued on our way, reaching Duilin’s room after a while. Just as we walked in, the box I’d caught him in fell off the table with a loud thunk sound. A moment later I heard a shout of victory from inside it.

“Finally! Finally, I can see something other than that blasted wall. Curse that metal man! Curse him to the deepest pits of the abyss! Ah! The stars are such a wonder to behold.” Duilin’s voice in the box changed from delight to rage, then bliss in the span of a few seconds. As we watched, an automaton responsible for keeping the station clean, mainly if mortals ever started living here, moved into the room and toward the box.

“No! NO! Please, dear! I beg of you, don’t put me back on the table. Any longer looking at the wall and I will go insane!” Duilin screamed but the automaton ignored him. It picked his box up without hesitation and placed it back on the table. It even went so far as turning the slot in the box toward the wall. I almost pitied the Celestial for being in that kind of situation.

We walked in as the maid left. I heard weeping from the box. I turned it quickly toward me as I sat on the chair next to the table. Alara walked over to a different table and started messing with some of the items on it.

“Duilin, how’ve you been?” I asked cheerfully.

“How’ve I been . . . HOW’VE I BEEN?! Do you have any idea what it is like to stare at a wall for weeks on end?! Trapped in this prison. Unable to truly move! Release me!” Duilin cried, the little ball of light that made his body slamming against the clear section of the box. I was impressed that it managed to move the box a millimeter. To make it fall off the table, he must have been working hard for a long time.

“Why would I do that? Didn’t you just say you would curse me?” I asked, leaning back and tossing the cube into the air.

“Wait! Wait. Master Regan, surely we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement.” The image of a man rubbing his hands together with a creepy grin came to mind. “I want a new body. That is how this mess started. So, if you made a new body for me, then problem solved. I’ll have my desire and freedom, and you won’t have to worry about me ever again.”

“Seems like I lose in that deal. How about you serve me for . . . a thousand years. Then you’re free to go do whatever your heart desires.”

“A thousand years! A millennium! Empires have come and gone several times over in that span of time. No! One hundred years!”

“You’re right, a thousand years might be a bit too steep. Fine, fine. Eight hundred years.”

“You wound me! Why not just kill me and end my suffering?! Two hundred years, and that is already pushing the limits of decency.”

“A measly two hundred years. I wonder how you would feel after fifty years locked in that cube tucked away in a dark corner. Five hundred years, and that is the lowest I’m willing to go,” I said, tapping the cube.

Duilin remained quiet for a long time before he finally answered. “As you wish, Master. Five hundred years starting now. But I want the best body you can create for me!”

“Of course. It serves me little if my subordinates are ants before the elephant. Besides, Alara needs a good toy-slash-bodyguard.”

“You . . . you want me to babysit the nature girl?” Duilin said, the light inside the cube bobbing.

“Indeed. There is still a war going on, and I don’t want her to fight anymore. I need a competent guard for her. Along with some information you would need to provide me.”

“Hanging around such a beautiful girl would be better than being bossed around by you, I suppose,” Duilin said.

“Never mind. I’ll put you in charge of the garbage area I will create just for you,” I said, tightening my grip on the box and causing sparks from my metal claws.

“I jest! I shall not lay a hand on the girl unless absolutely necessary!”

“Good. I can’t make your body right this moment. I need about a week. For now, I’ll ask those questions.”

“You better not swindle me! I want a magical contract first!”

“Fine, fine.”

I placed the cube on my hand, then started forming the script around us in the air. When I finished laying out all the details of our bargain, it was sucked into the cube. Duilin made several noises as he considered the contract, but I remained quiet as I tapped my finger on the arm of the chair. I doubted he would need to change anything, but that wasn’t the point of his show. He wanted me to wait.

An hour later he finally finished. “I’ve looked it over and can find nothing wrong with it. I am willing to commit to this contract.”

“Excellent. Welcome aboard.” I pointed my finger at the cube and inserted a small amount of mana. It was basically the magical way of signing in blood. The script glowed for a moment, then waited for Duilin to insert some of his own mana. The ball of light pulsed a few times, and a small strand of mana shot into the script. A second later, I felt a new link to my soul form, much like with the contract from the valley peace agreement a few months ago.

“And the deal is done,” Duilin said with a deflated tone.

“And I can ask my question now. What is the purpose of faith mana?”

“Faith mana?” Duilin asked. I could tell he had never heard of it.

“The mana I gain from people who have belief in me.”

“AH! Adherent mana. Nothing too special about it. When you reach the end of tier four, you’ll be able to use it to break the barrier to Celestia. Sort of like a key.”

“Surely kings and other people of high position would gather this mana, then,” I said, still confused why no one had reached past tier four in so long.

“Probably. Just because they are king does not mean people worship them. I think you are slightly confused. These people have to be willing to die for you yes, but even more so, they have to be willing to devote their souls to you. When the old gods were still well known, it was a ladder type of situation. Tier one through three would worship a tier four. When they ascended to Celestia, they would name a new head. The adherent mana then would be funneled up to the next tier, tier seven of demigod. That’s where it got tricky, and I know little more. Only that there are two more tiers after that. Elliptical god, then pure god.”

“Aren’t Celestials immortal? Why reach for more?”

“Gods . . . create . . . their own . . . world,” Alara said suddenly.

“Hmm, the tree girl is correct. Once you reach god tier, you are able to go out and create your own world. Not sure how many have reached that level since the old gods, and most decided to work on improving this world,” Duilin said. “You know, if they didn’t kill each for one reason or another.”

“Interesting. What about the demon world?”

“A few of the old gods that struck out on their own, from what I understand,” Duilin replied. “Though that is mainly a theory that our experts came up with. There was another theory that the demons were created by invading gods from another universe.”

I thought that over. I knew firsthand that either could be possible. When Creation sent me here, I’d seen countless universes. Any one of them could have a being of great power that didn’t want to play nice. It would be interesting to find out the truth of the matter.

“So, adherent mana . . . how much did you need to ascend?” I asked, curious how anyone could have followed this guy.

“I received mine back in the good old days when I inherited the position. My mana ocean was wide and deep, and it took many decades of over two million people following me before it was filled.”

I mentally checked my own pool and had to admit that compared to my normal mana, the adherent mana was only a drop in the bucket. I estimated there were somewhere between two and three hundred thousand people worshipping me from the gnome race. There was another two or three dozen from the beastkin races that were saved in the north. Ren was going out of her way to establish a type of religion for them to follow, with me as the centerpiece.

“Thank you, Duilin. I shall be back in a few days to construct your body. For now . . .” I said, then made a gesture. The maid that kept placing his box back on the table walked in. “You can have her take you anywhere in the station. Of course, there will be areas that are off-limits, but better that than being stuck in a room staring at a wall.”

“Oh! Thank the fates!” Duilin said and I was sure he would have been crying if he could.

Chapter 9

Louella

The new buildings were nothing short of amazing. Even I wanted to live in one of the upper-floor apartments. The castle Regan made for me was very nice, probably even higher level than either of the capitals. Regan, however, seemed to have a tendency to one-up himself. The top floor was just one big house, and it was fit for royalty.

“We can almost see beyond the valley from here,” I said to Chloe as we stared outside.

“It is quite breathtaking,” she replied with a hand to her chest. “What are those?”

I looked where she pointed and saw two beings that I’d hoped I would only see down in the dungeon. Nova and Morka were flying around the valley at a lazy pace. They appeared to be enjoying themselves, but I didn’t know anything about dragons. I rubbed my temple as I turned back to Chloe.

“I guess it is time for me to get back to work,” I said, sighing.

“A ruler is never at rest for long,” Chloe said and chuckled.

I gave her a glare before just sighing again. While I was thinking about what she’d offered me a few hours ago, I wasn’t sure I was going to go through with it. It was a lot of responsibility, and now might not be the best time for it to take place.

After rounding up the others, we headed back downstairs, then outside. The knight that allowed us access to the upper floors nodded as we passed the lobby. At least I assumed it was him. It was almost impossible to tell them apart. I nodded back to be polite.

Outside, the buildings had enticed quite a crowd, who were checking them out. No one was entering the gated community yet, as several of the town guards were keeping them from doing so. One of Regan’s automata must have informed them about the addition. I left Chloe to the guards to take her back to the castle, then shot into the sky.

I made sure to come around in front of the dragons. I really didn’t want them to think I was attacking them. I noticed Ezal flying a few hundred meters away, keeping her distance. I waved to her but didn’t call for her. Nova must have seen me coming, and they came to a stop midair. I flew up to his head, glad that he wasn’t hostile.

“Mighty Nova! Going for an evening stroll?” I called to him as calmly as I could.

“Selected! Indeed. My mate told me about the scene here, and I felt I should see it for myself once,” Nova said with a boom that I was sure everyone in the valley could probably hear.

“It is beautiful, if I say so myself. The sunset here in a few moments will be a sight to behold if you would like to partake of it,” I said, gesturing toward the western sky.

“This one has heard about the sunset but has not seen it. Yes! I shall partake of it.”

“In that case, the view from the top of the mountain would be even better. If we hurry, we’ll make it just in time.” It was my way of trying to move him out of the valley so I didn’t have a full-blown panic to deal with.

“This one agrees! Come, you will stay with this one while he enjoys the sunset,” Nova said with a roaring laugh.

Before I could argue he shot forward and grabbed me around the waist. He was well controlled though, as I barely even felt his grip. He placed me on his back, then with a roar that shook the valley, shot toward the top of the mountains with a flap of his wings. The spikes on his back protected me from the wind shear, but I still felt like I was about to be ripped off at any second.

Suddenly the forward motion stopped completely, and there was a loud boom as he collided with the mountaintop. To be exact, we were just below the cloud coverage, so more like two-thirds of the way to the top. Another boom soon followed as Morka slammed into the mountainside next to us.

I jumped down from Nova’s back, as it felt odd standing on him, and took a moment to observe Morka. She was in her dragon form, so I couldn’t make out any finer facial details. As I watched, she moved next to Nova. He wrapped his tail around her, and they stared off to the west as the last rays of sunlight painted the mountain orangish pink.

“You are correct. This is a sight to behold.”

“Pardon my bluntness. But is it ok for her to be out here? Aren’t you worried she might make a run for it?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

Morka turned her head, which was roughly twice my size, toward me and issued a low growl. I held my hands up in an “I don’t mean to offend” gesture. Nova slammed his claw down on the ground and she stopped.

“Dragons do not flee from their losses like mortals. She lost to me, so she is mine. If the day should come that she can defeat me, then our positions would swap in an instant. The loser can be seen as a trophy. However, I am honor-bound to protect and provide for her. Should I fail either of these duties, then she is free to leave.”

“Sounds complicated. How do you feel about this, Morka?” I asked the black dragon.

She looked to Nova and he nodded. “For over two hundred years, I have been stuck in what could be called little more than a prison. To embrace my true nature is a very freeing sensation. How you can stay in that puny shell all your lives is beyond me.”

“I like my puny shell, thank you,” I said, crossing my arms.

“And I like my shell. If I ever see my father again, I shall rip out his throat,” Morka said with sudden anger.

“Your father forced you into a human shell? Why?”

“What was the word you tiny ones use . . . Ah! He was bribed. He plateaued long ago and was promised help by someone.”

“He is the one behind the necromancers, right?” I asked, wondering how much information I might gain thanks to this little encounter.

“He didn’t do anything, just told some people how to alter their dark mana enough to change it. Having been around them for over two centuries, I found it quite tiresome how often these high priests and priestesses would come ‘demanding’ things from me,” Morka said, her snout twisting in a mixture of humor and anger as she did so.

“Well . . . I’m glad you’ve gotten out of there, then,” I said.

“The outside world is . . . quite nice.” Her lightness among the breeze as it picked up around us demonstrated her enjoyment. “Husband, would you like to return to the lair now?”

“This one does like that idea!” Nova said with more eagerness than I felt was necessary. “If you will excuse us, Selected.”

He wrapped his wing around Morka, then they faded from sight. I wasn’t sure if it was her dark magic or his light magic, or just the dungeon magic that let them teleport back.

I looked back toward the valley, which was almost a hundred kilometers from here. “No . . . it is ok. I can walk back,” I said, throwing my hands up into the air before lifting the rest of my body up too.

~~~

It was two hours later before I made it back to the valley, even after pushing my flight ability hard. I could only go about fifty kilometers per hour, and that pushed my mana to maintain. I sighed as I landed on the balcony of my office. The glass window turned transparent for a moment and I stepped inside.

“Welcome back,” Ezal’s voice called from the sitting area.

“Make sure you tell your dragon kidnapper that you would like a ride back at the beginning,” I said as I walked over and dropped into the opposite couch.

“Well . . . I have some news for you. Not sure if it’s good or bad. I’ll let you decide that,” Ezal said, smirking as she leaned toward me.

I snickered. “I’m suddenly scared to hear it.”

“Quite a few people saw you ‘riding’ a dragon out of the valley. The awe and fear are getting to a crazy level.” She burst out laughing. “Louella the Dragon Tamer! That’s what they’re calling you.”

“Lovely!” I said, throwing my hands up for the second time tonight.

“Want me to put the rumors to rest?”

“No, it would probably just cause it to morph into something even more out there,” I said with a shake of my head.

“That’s probably true . . .”

There was a knock at the door. “Enter,” I called.

“Yo! Louella the Dragon Tamer!” a familiar voice said.

I just put my head in my hands and mumbled, “Hello, Regan.”

“Yeah, there was such a wave that even as busy as I am, I heard just about everyone in town talking about it,” Regan said, dropping down next to me on the couch.

I glanced at him. “Where’s Alara?”

“She has a long road of recovery ahead of her. Using her avatar is fine for short periods, but she needs to rest and restore her dungeon back to life. Even now undead still spawn in it,” he said as he folded his hands on his lap.

“Just thought you looked a little lonely,” I said.

“I suppose a little. As you know I am an old soul. The . . . pull I feel toward her is obviously magical in nature. Part of me wonders if I should resist it, but I’ve come to know her and feel there might be more behind the scenes to being drawn to her.”

“Considering my love life, maybe something working behind the scenes would make it easier. Putting aside the fact you had to cut through most of the north to get to her,” I said, waving my hand in the air.

“Enough about us. I wanted to check up on Ezal since she was here. Make sure the kid is developing and all,” Regan said, turning toward her.

“I haven’t felt anything that would worry me. The nausea has mostly passed as well. Of course, I do worry about using too much mana,” Ezal said.

“Better safe than sorry.” Regan chuckled, then stood up and walked next to her. He placed his palm on her stomach, which had a nice bulge now. A screen made of blue energy formed over his hand, and an image of inside her stomach appeared. The baby looked more like a blob that was starting to develop limbs.

“It looks like everything is coming along nicely. If your abs weren’t rock hard, you’d probably be able to feel it move,” Regan said, smirking at Ezal.

“As long as I can protect my child, I am willing to train until my entire body is steel,” she said, hardening her eyes and clenching her fists.

Regan tapped her right arm. “You’re halfway there.”

“So how long exactly?” I asked. I was finding myself more curious than I thought I would be about the thought of childbirth. I guess as a woman I wanted to have children eventually, but not while the world was in the state it was. It was a nice dream though, and it didn’t hurt to know more about the process.

“Another five or six months, give or take,” Regan replied. “I’m sure you already know, but be careful of stress. Wouldn’t want to lose this miracle of life, after all.” He suddenly looked up and to the north. “I have to go.” He burst into an explosion of mana, showing that he was in a hurry, as his avatar usually broke up like smoke.

“I wonder what that was about?” Ezal asked, looking toward me.

I shrugged. “For all we know, there could be a meteor falling toward the planet. It is one thing after another with him.” Dropping next to her, I placed my hand on her stomach. Even with it bulging a little, it was still like touching a smooth stone. “Regan’s right. It is rock hard.”

Chapter 10

Regan

While with Ezal and Louella, I felt something enter the area of influence of the space-station core. This actually wasn’t that odd an occurrence, as space debris was often entering and leaving my aura. This time, however, the object was much larger than anything previously to have been in my aura.

I excused myself and went to the space station. While passing through the link between the cores, the object reached farther into my aura, and I was able to make out what it was. The Eta, the ship I’d sent Klumabus on to check out the solar system, was drifting back to the station. I couldn’t sense any power coming from her, but I did find life signs. Considering the automata don’t give off life signs, I could only assume the ship had been taken in some way.

Thanks to the life on the ship, I wasn’t able to get a look inside. They were all higher than tier two and were casting enough of an aura to hinder my sight. Looking over the hull, I did find evidence of battle. Scorch marks and holes made decks of the ship completely uninhabitable. I couldn’t help but wonder what could do this to one of my ships. A small bud of anger swelled in my currently nonexistent chest.

“Has there been any attempt to communicate?” I asked after I formed my avatar on the control center of the space station. Alarms were going off, while the map in the center display was showing the approaching ship. Cameras soon zoomed in on it, giving us an image of the damaged vessel.

“Negative, Creator. There appears to be no power to their systems. Whether this is a ruse to allow them access deeper into our defense is currently unknown. Current trajectory puts it in the atmosphere in two hours. They are not aimed at the station directly,” an automaton that would be considered the radar operator answered.

“Bring automated laser turrets up but hold fire. Send over a boarding unit to assess the situation,” I ordered. If they were at full speed, then I might have ordered the ship destroyed, but the evidence was showing they’d limped here. From the mana I was barely able to get from inside the ship, it felt like the reactor had died a few days if not weeks ago. I didn’t want to destroy any potentially useful sources of information.

“Yes, sir!”

All around the station, turrets swirled to point at the drifting ship. The muzzles turned blue as they charged to fire. In one of the various docks on the station, a small cruiser only a couple dozen meters long and wide prepared to launch. Automata outfitted for space movement and combat were boarding the vessel.

You would think that robots wouldn’t need space suits, but it turns out that’s not the case. They certainly don’t need air, but they had to have a type of containment suit for their bodies, otherwise the mana that animates them bleeds off into the nothingness. That really threw me for a loop. At least the suits were still minimalist and caused no hindrance to their overall movement.

The cruiser was prepared and ready to go with a platoon of units. For the fifty soldiers plus two pilots, this was their first actual run since I’d created them. Not many space battles happening over a medieval world. I was able to follow them with my mental eye while they were away from the ship, but once they got closer, I would lose that.

“Pull up cameras one through four,” I said, sitting back in my throne.

The main display of the ship shrank until it was only a small cube about a meter squared, and four more joined it. Right now, they only displayed the cruiser’s inside where the automata were strapped in. A red flashing light over them indicated they were in a dangerous situation and proper actions should be taken.

“Two hundred meters until contact.”

“Focus on main view,” I ordered.

The screens changed positions again with some shrinking, though the main one grew to almost fill the screen. We watched as the cruiser came alongside the ship and matched its velocity. With some careful maneuvers the pilots were able to get close enough to the undamaged entrance hatch to activate the docking clamps.

After they did so, there was a burst of light from the front of the cruiser as it used its thrusters to arrest the drifting of the Eta, and a few tense moments as parts from the large ship that were drifting along with it were flung forward. Thankfully, no new damage was added to the list.

“Docking maneuver complete. Awaiting orders to proceed onto the ship,” the commander of the platoon sent over the comms.

“Proceed with caution, Lieutenant. The nearest life sign is two decks down,” I said, checking the sensors from the cruiser. I might not have been able to look with my magical eye, but my technological eyes worked.

The platoon entered the airlock in squads, encountering some atmosphere on the airlock’s other side. We could have linked the cruiser’s power systems to the carrier’s, but if there was a hostile force on board, I didn’t want to give them an advantage like that. There was no mana, so there were no lights. Thousands of movies from Earth ran through my head at the sight in front of me. I could only chuckle at the idle thoughts.

“Let’s see if there are any stomach-bursting aliens,” I muttered.

The squads headed onto the top deck. Obvious signs of battle were present. The only good thing I saw in the signs was that it did not look one-sided. The squads spread out to check the deck, which was roughly four hundred meters long. We couldn’t get to about half of it due to the damage making it inaccessible.

“Movement!” the point of the deepest squad said as it held its hand up for the others to come to a stop.

I leaned forward, putting my chin in my hand as I focused on that screen. The squad was using a mixture of laser rifles and projectile rifles. Lasers were easier to control in space, but sometimes you needed the penetrating power of a solid round. They turned their lights on and pointed down the passage.

A . . . thing that appeared to be made from stone came around the corner. Whatever it was, it was old. Cracks lined the stone along with what looked like runes that blazed with blue energy. It had a humanoid shape, but it was more bulk than finesse, making it hard to tell.

A glowing blue “eye” moved around the top of the construct. As it came around the corner, it focused on the squad near the middle of the passage. The sensors picked up a mana surge as it seemed to scan the squad.

“C Squad, prepare for combat, but first put me on speaker,” I ordered. There was a confirmation and I stood from my throne with a nod. “Unidentified construct, you are on one of my ships. Identify yourself or be destroyed.”

The glowing eye moved around as if trying to detect the source of the sound before it enlarged and a language that even I couldn’t understand emerged from it. I quickly created my Language Translation spell and added a few components so that it might be able to get a read on this language. It was structured differently than the demon world’s language, of which I’d gotten a few examples over the months.

The eye stopped emitting the sound, then turned a darker color. Blades extended from its arms, and it started to move toward the squad. There also appeared to be an aura that might have been a barrier of some type, though it was severely degraded. It moved slowly as if each step took a lot of mana.

“It is unfortunate but there is no other choice. Destroy it.”

Beams of energy sliced down the passage, slamming into the construct. The barrier might have looked weak, but it held up against the beams. It wavered a moment but soon returned to normal. I could only be impressed and was glad this thing wasn’t brand new. The construct was knocked into the wall, which was nearly sliced to ribbons when the blade cut into it.

“Concentrate fire on one spot. Sniper, aim for that spot and try to break through while they drain the mana,” I said. I couldn’t allow the fight to turn into close-range combat. From that display, it looked like my soldiers were on the weaker side.

Soon another wave of beams sliced down the passageway. They all hit the same spot, which turned the barrier from its blue to an almost crimson red. A moment later, a round was fired from the squad’s sniper. There was a second of tension before the round blasted a hole into the construct. The blue runes around it flickered for a few seconds before they went black.

“Input that mana pattern into our sensors. I want to know how many of those damn things are on my ship!” I ordered.

The bridge crew went to work and entered the data into the equipment. There were thousands of lines of magic code that had to be entered. If they’d been mortal, it might have taken them several days, but as they were literally built for this type of work, it took a total of ten minutes. In that time, the squads encountered another two of the constructs.

One looked the same as the last one but was in better shape and its barrier more defined. It took the squad two tries to break through it. The third they encountered was reminiscent of a spider. It possessed eight spike-tipped legs that allowed it to maneuver with some complex 3D movements. It managed to get up close to the squad that encountered it and killed one of its members. If its barrier hadn’t been weaker at close range, it might have wiped out the squad.

“Sir, data has been inputted. We picked up an additional five units after taking out the residual readings from the three that have already been defeated.”

“Good. Feed the information to the squads,” I said, leaning back.

With the sensors guiding them, they were able to locate the remaining constructs with little difficulty. Avoiding areas of the ship that vented into space became the real challenge. I didn’t want to risk combat with the void right next to them. Not on their first exercise, at least. Plus, I hadn’t tested magic meant for combat in space much yet.

The next two targets were easy pickings for my squads. With us being able to detect them and not stumble onto them, we were able to launch more coordinated attacks. The construct’s barrier didn’t deploy until it detected enemies, so the snipers were able to knock them out before they even realized the enemy was near. It was the last three that were going to give us trouble. They were grouped together in an area that offered no feasible access without coming into direct contact with them.

Unfortunately, we found some of the original crew members as well. Four automata that had seen some serious combat lay sliced to pieces next to the door to one of the targets. I couldn’t even hope to recover their data, which contained their memories, as their heads had been shredded.

“Any sightings of the life-forms being detected?” I asked.

“Negative. They seem to have isolated themselves in a single sector of the ship. The nearest squad still has two more decks to go before they reach them.”

“Either they are attempting to survive while their constructs do all the work, or something else is at work here,” I said, tapping my chin. “How close are they to the section with the constructs?”

“Almost on opposite ends, sir.”

I tapped into the system with my mind. “Cruiser, I want you to turn to these coordinates, then undock for a few minutes. Lieutenant, I want you to move your people back to the nearest bulkhead.”

“Yes, sir!”

The cruiser’s thrusters fired, turning the massive ship along with it. It was a slow process, as they didn’t want to risk breaking their docking clamps. When the ship was finally where I wanted it and the cruiser detached, I brought up the weapons control for one of the railguns dotting the station.

“Lieutenant, are your people away from the area?”

“Yes, sir!”

I mentally pulled the trigger for the turret. A streak of light cut through the darkness. The projectile carved through the ship like butter. Unpowered, its reactive armor and shields were down. The section where the constructs were located was reduced to space debris, and everything in that section was flung into space. One of the constructs managed to survive, but we could see it drifting farther away from the station by the second. I had the main controller put a trace on it so that we could go retrieve it if necessary.

The squads went back to work, trying to reach the section with the life-forms. I was still feeling hesitant about turning the power back on, then it came back on its own. The damaged sections of the ship threw sparks, and parts that were supposed to be able to move caused a bit more damage as they came to their final resting place.

“Sir! Receiving a transmission.”

“Put it on,” I said, standing up.

Klumabus appeared on the screen with a few battle scars and missing an arm. Behind him were a handful of humanoid creatures. Only instead of each having a normal chin, the lower half of their face was composed of tentacles that were currently moving in obviously nervous patterns.

“Creator, apologies for the late report. We ran into some . . . unexpected problems.”

“I can see that. When I gave you that ship, it was in tip-top shape, but I am excited to hear what you learned. Are there any more surprises that we should know about?”

“No, sir. Seventy-nine of the original hundred complement returning to port. A . . . passenger count of one hundred sixty-four also on board.”

“Get to dock seven. We’ll talk about this once you’ve gotten all the way home,” I said, then turned to his guests. “Welcome to my station.”

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