Isaac Simmons missed the old Brooksdam. A quite little town where everyone got by but no one was well off enough to cause trouble. A place he could relax but still find fulfillment in his work. In comparison the constant headaches parading around his stressed mind were driving him insane. So it was with a heavily burdened mind that Simmon’s reentered his home, a previously peaceful place of solitude, and began his meetings with every kind of advisor you could imagine.

Residential advisors asking about building permits, Economic advisors inquiring about some kind of parade to celebrate local growth, Relationship advisors cautioning him to take a bride and father an heir to keep his position in the family. By the time he dismissed the last of them Simmon’s hand was about to fall off from all the paperwork he was signing.

And it was just as he began reclining in his chair, hoping to catch a few extra minutes of rest, his old friend Eli burst into the room.

“Welcome back. I’ve got bad news!”

Rubbing his eyes awake Simmons answered “Wish I could say I wanted to be back... Tell me yours first. I was going to speak with you tomorrow about some of my own.”

With a simple nod Eli started his report in earnest, “It appears someone declared war on our “Unnamed Dungeon” this evening.”

Swearing loudly Simmons, with a newly awakened vitality, said “Damnit! To think those brats would already be moving through with it! I thought for sure we’d have more time...”

Momentarily caught off guard Eli asked, “You knew?”

Waving his hand in dismission Simmons said “Crabro warned me during a party. The names he threw around were Leol Osin and Megun Yui. Two new legacy owners with some lofty aspirations. Can you confirm that it is indeed a dungeon war?”

“All the signs point to it. Floor access has been locked and a mass teleportation kicked every adventurers either outside or to the safe zones. Only thing missing is a grand speech from the dungeon master.”

Rubbing his temple as another headache started Simmons said, “Zones, plural?”

With a grin that could only laugh at their increasingly troublesome luck Eli sat down “Raid on the second floor boss happened shortly after Everest left. Took out 8 of the 11 B class who fought it at once, and the other 4 had to drag them back. Can’t confirm but my moneys that it gave Everest that new scar.”

Simmons groaned in a very unprofessional manner before Eli laughed and said, “That’s not even the worst part.”

“There’s more...?”

“It talks! Goes by Mulan.”

Groaning again Simmons began with “We’ll need to contact King Rylen immediately. We can’t do anything about a dungeon war so we’ll need to protect the citizenry first.”

“Already done. I’ve got another 200 royal knights on the way but it’s too short a notice for much more. What with the peace talks up north Rylen doesn’t have many men on standby. In regard to the talking bird I’ve ordered a hush order on the surviving raid members. After what happened I doubt they want to talk about it, but just to be safe.”

“Would you happen to have any personal spies Eli? I’d like to put some surveillance on the two I mentioned. It was Crabro’s best guess and he tends to be right about this kind of thing.”

“I won’t be able to get anyone till morning, but they’ll be the country’s best.”

Sighing loudly Simmons reached under his desk and for the second time in recent months offered to share his last bottle of wine with Eli. Both men were exhausted from overwork and could use some alcohol to destress.

But just as the two old friends were about to begin pouring, Valentia came bursting into the room just like her boss had only minutes prior. Behind her in the hallway stood two figures but Simmon’s couldn’t see past the doorway.

“Yes, Valentia?” said the captain.

With a look of shock, horror, and absolute confusion Valentia motioned behind herself to the 2 individuals and said “Both of you clear your schedules for the night. You need to speak with this... man?” on the last word she looked over her shoulder at the caped figure who shook his hand vertically in response.

Both men had gotten to know Valentia well enough that they knew she meant business. Without asking any pointless questions Eli stood and brought some more chairs out of the side cabinet. As he did so Simmons got a good look at his seemingly important guests.

The “man” was around 6 foot 2 with no discernable features due to his choice of clothing. Around his head he wore a dark hood that Simmons knew to be enchanted with a facial obstruction spell. It was a rather unique effect as it only worked on the person viewing what hid underneath. Meaning the enchantment targeted any observers rather than the wearer. Usually such cloaks were used by rogues, spies, and the odd nobleman roaming the busy streets.

He didn’t know why but this man seemed to give off a strange “glow” for lack of a better term. If most of them weren’t dead Simmons may have thought the man a druid, as his entire aura seemed to exude raw mana and life itself.

To the man’s left stood a black haired woman dressed in a strange white and red dress. Unlike the dresses of noble society he had become used to seeing as of late, hers was tight around the waist and tied with a large ribbon. Her face was pleasant on the eyes but her red eyed gaze had even Simmon’s looking for escape. Certainly beautiful, but Simmons instincts were warning him not to underestimate this woman’s strength. Meaning she was likely not the wife but a retainer. This seemed confirmed when she opted not to sit but rather stand behind her charge.

Once the cloaked man sat down and made himself comfortable Simmons attempted to look him in the eyes best he could and asked “So, who are you exactly?”

Before he could even speak Valentia accidentally clanged the wine bottle against a glass as she took a deep swig and gave a nervous chuckle. Whoever this guy was Valentia was acting like she needed to escape reality for a moment.

Answering with a surprisingly young voice, perhaps early 20’s, the man in a jovial but calculated tone answered “Before that I must confirm. You are mayor Isaac Simmons, correct? If you are not I will not speak any further while you remain in this room. Instead I feel comfortable revealing myself to Captain Eli as I already have to Ms. Valentia.”

Slightly intrigued as to why this mysterious man would trust him Simmons answered “Yes, I am Isaac Simmons. If you’d like I could get someone in here to verify my identity but that would seem excessive would it not?”

Shrugging the man replied “Not with the gravity of my identity on the line. But as a show of good faith I’ll take you at your word.”

Placing his hands on the inside of his hood the man spoke again “Please do not be frightened when I remove this garb. I assure you I can explain to you as I’ve done for Ms. Valentia.”

His piece said the man slowly dropped his hood and revealed... nothing. He had no features, no eyes, ears, or even a mouth. If it wasn’t for his voice he wouldn’t even appear male. Strangest of all his body glowed with the same raw “life” Simmons felt emanating earlier.

Eli took in a sharp intake of breath.

Looking up again at Simmons the man said “I do not have a name in this world, although Everest chose to call me Mr. Core. Call me what you will but regardless, I am the Unnamed Dungeon.”

Following such a bombshell of an announcement Simmon’s brain seemed to stop functioning. Valentia let out a nervous laugh as she continued drinking, and Eli froze in place. Even stranger was that they all believed him. The strange feeling he gave off that was both the peace and wrath of nature was explained in his answer.

Allowing them a moment to wrap their heads around the gravity of what he’d said the dungeon core spoke again while motioning to the woman.

“And this is my faithful attendant Mulan. I brought her along today for security given that I’ve never left the dungeon personally before.”

Eli lifted a finger at the woman “The reports said you were a bird?”

Staring right back at the man Mulan answered “Indeed I do usually take that form. Due to recent events however we’ve decided this form would work best for diplomacy.”

Gulping loudly Simmons asked “Diplomacy? May I ask what for?”

Answering in a still calm voice the core said “Straight to the point! That’s good. We are working with a time limit after all.”

Folding his hands together in front of his chest the core said “I believe you have been made aware that a dungeon war has been declared. I would like to request information on my opponents as I have no idea who they are, details on what dungeon wars are as I don’t fully understand them, and permission to raise a strike force against these other dungeons near your borders.”

Mulling over his words Simmons countered, “What would I be getting in return?”

Shrugging the core responded “Not much really. The more help you give me the better chance I have at winning this thing.”

“And why is that in our best interest?” said Eli hand floating across his hilt.

Turning over his palm the core answered “I believe the amenities I offer those who try to kill me are good enough. Safe zones, teleporters, and Withdraw Orbs are my best efforts to save lives. If I were to be defeated those commodities would be lost. I don’t make much off them and I have a feeling human dungeon masters are rather practical.”

“Any reason I shouldn’t just subjugate you right now and end this war?” said Eli releasing some of his [Intimidation] skill.

In a single motion Mulan’s ribbon unraveled to reveal 4 long bladed streamers that all converged on the humans. One wrapped around his hand causing him to drop his sword, two poked against his neck, and the fourth poked at Valentia’s. Even Simmons was not spared as the core’s shadow seemed to come alive and suddenly a full grown woman with obsidian black skin and red hair had her claws against his throat.

At once the two monsters answered, “Because we’ll subjugate you first.”

Not entirely sure the monsters could take both him and Valentia at once but not looking for a fight the captain responded with a simple “Got it.”

Presence revealed the shadow woman took the right side behind her master while he spoke “I’d really rather things don’t come to that. You are all good people from what my spies tell me, and nothing would be worse than if we squabbled amongst neighbors while a war looms over us all. Plus this house looks better without a giant eel crushing it.”

Motioning to the woman he said “This is Mary by the way. Almar is the man on the roof above us, and Irwin is my boss guarding the entrance to the dungeon right now.”

With a little smile and wave Mary looked at Valentia and said, “Good to see you again Vice-Captain!”

Confused Valentia began to ask “When-?”

The shadow woman’s body seemed to morph in front of their eyes and suddenly a young blonde woman with a healer’s garb was standing in her place, still waving.

“At the party...” said Valentia as her eyes went wide.

Waving his hand to get the attention back on himself Simmons said “Alright, you’ve made your point. I was going to agree anyway Eli. The only thing I want clarified is what you mean by strike force.”

Gesturing with his hand and leaning in the core said “We can determine the size once we have more information on our opponents, but I’d like to begin summoning creatures outside the dungeon for the duration of the war. Following a shared victory I have no qualms in removing them.”

Prodding for some more information about the dungeon’s nature Simmons asked “Assuming the worst how many creatures could we see coming from your side? I’d like a metric before requesting more aid.”

Even without a mouth the man grinned and simply said “Enough. Without anyone raiding me for the duration of the war my mana supply will be lowered but, a few hundred of my hawks should prove useful.”

‘A Hundred? Those things fight B rank parties solo... By the gods...’

With an incredible poker face hiding his shock Simmon’s began “As you said let’s determine that later. Unfortunately we have also been taken aback by this declaration. The only reason I know anything at all is because an old schoolmate brought it to my attention. We’ll have spies heading to investigate Megun Yui and Leol Osin tomorrow morning. They are the owners of the Dungeon of Fireworks and Fairies.”

“That’s them. In the short blurb I got announcing the war those were the dungeon names.”

Turning aside to look at the shadow woman known as Mary he asked “Could we send some of the Reapers as well? If we have some to spare I’d like them to scout out these other dungeon’s layouts.”

“Sure thing Master. I’ll send two squads of three to both dungeons. Should I go as well?”

Turning back to the human side of the room he answered “No, I’ll need you and the other [Named] available under my direct command at all times.”

Putting down her glass Valentia said “While I’ve never born witness to one myself dungeon wars are typically fought between legacy owners for control over the other’s core. Usually the monsters will be summoned to go hunt down the opposing master, who tends to hide in their core room for the duration of the war, while fighting in the space between the two dungeons of course.”

Murmuring while she spoke the core said under his breath, “Capture the flag...?”

“Once the other side is captured, killed, or surrenders ownership, whatever is being fought over goes to the winner. When fought between humans the loser tends to lose everything from the aftermath of paying for the damage caused.”

“So we’ll be both defending and attacking... We should be fine on the defending front as long as some of my [Named] are at home base. Almar alone should be capable of fighting back against most normal monsters.” Perking up he asked, “Would there be anything on the level of Everest in the opposing forces?”

Looking to the others who shrugged Eli answered “Unlikely but not impossible. In wars past outsiders have fought for dungeon masters and invaded other dungeons but unless they had a vested interest an S class is unlikely. You probably know but people like Everest are one in millions. Just like dragons they exist but largely keep to themselves since we’re all like ants to them. Piss one off enough though and they’ll interfere without issue.”

Mary asked a question of her own “Could we hire one to fight for us? That way they could take on a dungeon by themselves while we took care of the other one.”

“Probably not. The S class live in an entirely separate world from us. Our currencies are just a formality to them. If you want one on your side I’d try offering up artifacts or gear.”

Seemingly a bit annoyed and relieved at the same time the core said “One last question for now. Do we have a rough estimate of how far away these guys are? Far as I knew I could have been the only dungeon in the country.”

Nervously laughing Simmons said “No, you are not at all. You’ve received “special” attention due to your nature and commodities. You are indeed somewhat remote compared to other dungeons, but you are far from the only one. Most countries tend to be founded near dungeons and then grow their territories to enrapture more. I believe Illia currently owns 8 dungeons not including you. The dungeons of Arthropods, Fireworks, Fairies, Oak, Nimbus. Minerals, Crustaceans, and Poison respectively. Each of those is owned by a family that passes them down and have reached noble status. Several non-enslaved and wild dungeons may exist within our borders, but none have been discovered.”

“Is it likely those other families will interfere?”

“Not at all. They are likely waiting to see who wins and offer support to them. Noble society is all about connections, and pledging support at the very end of a war is a strong way to form those. You are actually quite unlucky that two legacy masters are working together against you. Most of the time those brats are rash but independent.”

The invisible grin appearing in his voice again the core asked “So, if I win and take their cores what can I do with them?”

“No clue. The secrets of how dungeon’s function and grow is kept strictly secret by the masters. It involves mana and making monsters but that’s about all I know. You might gain some of their earnings or access to their monsters. We can assume you will at least gain something even if you won’t be reaping the human benefits of ownership. To answer your question though those dungeons should be around 4 and 7 days by carriage respectively. Although closer the Dungeon of Fairies is on an island a short distance off shore so it may prove difficult to attack given your more terrestrial creatures.”

Mulan arched her back, closed her eyes, and nodded in pride as the core chuckled and said “Actually that might be the easier target. I only mentioned him briefly but Almar on the roof is actually a giant eel. Him and his citizens should prove capable of reaching that place.”

‘Oh gods... what else has this thing made...?” Simmons thought dreading the implications.

Turning again to his bodyguard the core said “Mulan send some of the hawks and rays into the skies above the dungeon and Brooksdam. Keep them above the clouds so people don’t get scared but survey the area for the other dungeon’s troops. Since they instigated the war they most likely have units moving nearby to take us by surprise.”

Bowing before asking her question Mulan said “Milord why would they alert us at all? Surely it would be more tactically viable to raid us without warning. I think we would still manage but that would give them a great advantage.”

“Probably a requirement of some sort for a war to be enacted.” Turning back to explain for the humans the core said “When managing the dungeon there are certain rules and ceremonies that need to be followed. For example when [Naming] a creature they need to bow in front of my core before the process begins. We can assume this is something similar.”

Propping his hands on the arm rests of his chair to lift himself up the core said “Anything else before we head back and get started on our preparations? We’ve got a little under 40 hours before this war begins so we need to get moving. I was tempted to just let nature take its course, but I thought it a good show of faith to make contact with you all beforehand.”

Standing in turn Simmons said “I’d love to talk more but time is sadly of the essence. Is there any way we could contact you from town? Entry to the dungeon will be blocked for all sapients except the opposing dungeon masters and their allies for the duration of the war.”

Snapping her fingers Mary called another moving shadow from underneath the door to the office.

‘How many of these monsters are in town already...” Simmons thought horrified.

In her cold yet entertained voice Mary said “Please use this young one to contact us. He’ll be stationed at the port for the foreseeable future. I’d attach him to your own shadow, but I feel that would make you uncomfortable.”

Shivering at her grin Simmons answered, “That will work fine.”

Reaching out a hand to the core he said “We’ll be in contact. Since going after your core is still an offense against the king he is likely to send reinforcements in the coming days. We already have 200 knights coming and the adventurers may fight for you if you offer extra incentive.”

Taking his hand, which was actually solid despite being pure mana, the core said “Likewise. Good to finally meet you Mayor. I would have liked to meet you earlier, but I only gained the ability to leave and speak after Everest left. Let’s win this together.”

Final words said the man put on his cloak, Mary went into his shadow, and Mulan escorted him outside, presumably back to the dungeon where he’d begin making an army. From outside Simmon’s heard a loud thud as something fell off the roof and began swearing about ankles while running off.

All 3 humans fell back in their chairs in exhaustion. They’d just talked formally with a dungeon core and agreed to ally with it in a war moments later.

Strange as the existence of such beings were Simmons had no problem allying with them. The core had shown great efforts in eliminating casualties despite how strong his dungeon had proved to be. He also appreciated the warning about summoning an army beforehand. It was a simple gesture but one that hinted towards a future relationship Simmons would be more than happy to nurture. People would always delve the dungeon in search of treasure and adventure so why not work with the dungeon itself to quell the risks?

But this encounter finally confirmed that the dungeon was alive. Somehow Ford Phalen had succeeded in attaching a soul to a core. Simmons had subscribed to the theory that Ford himself was inside the core but that was obviously not the case. The core was certainly sapient like but something else was off. He was young, calculating, and seemed to be making the most of his new form. The way he treated his subordinates was proof of that. Simmons knew several humans who would beat their servants if they ever voiced differing opinions. But the dungeon core, who should by all rights be a monster without remorse, took each of their opinions and weighed them against his own. He didn’t even possess a high ego like so many dungeon masters who’d just been lucky to get where they were. The core came across as calculating during their talk but was likely very open with his subordinate behind closed doors. All around he was strangely... human.

Eli, after a quick discussion with Valentia, said “We’ll be going into town to issue a curfew while we begin preparing for evacuation. It’s unlikely things will go that way but it’s best to be safe. Plus if those hawks are spotted above town the people will panic.”

“Please do so. The coming days will be incredibly restless but at least we have some more fire power.”

“As long as we survive that being could prove an incredible opportunity. Just thinking of the possibilities- “

“Captain, we have about 40 hours until we have literal demons raining fire above the town, we need to get moving. We can think about the ramifications of a diplomatic dungeon core once hundreds of citizens aren’t about to die.”

Stopping for a moment before gaining a burst of energy Eli said as he ran out the door “Tomorrow we should follow up at the port for any signs of the enemy. At that point we’ll get some figures on that army of his.”

“Sure.”

With that perhaps the two strongest people currently in Brooksdam ran down the stairs and into the night. Brooksdam had no policies in case of invasion since it was so remote, so they’d need to improvise. Even with a dungeon of monsters defending the town with the knights people could still be killed.

While trying to rest his eyes, the thought of jamming everyone into the safe zones inside the dungeon floated across his mind. Laughing to himself at the ridiculousness of the situation Simmons asked aloud.

“Gods may I ask for some sleep...?”