Chief Nerok walked into the Dungeon all alone. His morale scheme had backfired. Nerok had tried to convince the Tribe to evacuate while leaving the Communication Orb behind. The Tribe instead decided to ask the Dungeon for help. And as the Chief, Nerok was roped into doing the actual asking. As a System-approved Chief, Nerok also had to actually do what his Tribe agreed on or he would lose his Chief Achievement. Luckily for Nerok, the Tribe rarely could get everyone to agree on anything.

This time though, they had…

Zoorrar had gotten a scolding from several people - children and adults - and had gotten extra chores and constant supervision. But due to her young age that was all the punishment she got.

I'll just walk through the Dungeon while describing the situation, gather the most useful pieces of the loot and when I exit, I'll inform the Tribe that the Dungeon is too young to help us. And so Chief Nerok walked through the Dungeon while seemingly talking to himself.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

I was feeling conflicting emotions listening to Chief Nerok. On one hand I felt bad for them and wanted to help. On the other hand I was excited as these elves sounded like bad guys and killing them would likely let me tier up.

As the Chief walked and talked, I pondered on how I could help them. Changing the number of people allowed in my Dungeon wouldn't work. The elves would just keep watch outside and without everyone leaving my Floors wouldn't reset. They would be trapped in me not daring to leave. The Tribe would end up starving to death or having to go back to the Surface World and risk the elves. They wouldn't even be able to harvest food from my 1st or 2nd Floors as trying to go up any stairs not connected to my Core Room would just teleport them out.

Is there any way I can hide that they are in me? Maybe with a Rule? But I can't just make them all invisible, so where would I hide them? I had tried to make all my creatures invisible shortly after getting access to Dungeon Rules, but it was way out of my price range.

Could they hide in my unfinished 3rd Floor? Is it possible for people to enter it while unfinished? I would imagine so. They likely just can't get loot or EXP down there.

So that's an option. Otherwise…

Why can't they just evacuate, let me deal with it and come back afterwards?

Sometime later Nerok's monologue came to the part of the story where he had convinced his Tribe that I was… Well essentially a local god. Which my Achievement says I am so he's not exactly wrong. Now the Tribe refused to move without the approval of their god.

"Oh! You've made a second Floor!" Nerok looked pleased for a short moment before worry came back and he gave a sad sigh. He didn't seem to notice that I had changed the ex-Core Room from a barren room into another little berry forest with a flat long rock on each side for one to sit and rest on. Like the System said I wouldn't be able to, when it had described Safezones, I couldn't place traps or puzzles inside. However, my creatures could walk through the room now that my Core wasn't there anymore. They just couldn't stay there for more than a couple of minutes. Something to remember for surprise ambushes.

Back to the situation at hand: I'll talk to him and let him make the final decision. Though maybe we can test my theory out while he's here.

The old bearman looked around as he went through the large 1st room of the 2nd Floor. As the main creature species of this Floor were the forest wyvern and the bā zú lung dragon the room needed to be big. The dimensions of 20×20×10 meters meant this one room counted as 8 rooms.

The Chief simply looked for the exit and as such he missed two keys on his way through the 1st room - The Forest of Territories - and another in the 2nd room - The Wood of Rebirth. I really like the key puzzle. I'm gonna make it a theme! For now I ordered three dragonets from the 3rd room - The Griffins' Treasure Room - to go collect the keys from the previous rooms.

The Chief looked amazed each time he saw a new creature of mine. The two griffins guarding a big treasure chest got the biggest reaction from him. Not a single sound. Instead he froze completely and stared. Then he blinked rapidly for a while. With it being a dragon Dungeon and griffins being clearly not dragons it must have surprised him to see them in here.

And then… I decided to have fun!

Disguised as business of course!

Greet him. I ordered.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

“Hiiiiiii!”

Nerok jumped in shock. “Who’s there?” You have to be an adult to enter a Dungeon? So why do I hear a child’s voice?

Is it a new trick from the Dungeon?

The two half-lion, half-eagle karmic griffins stepped aside giving the Chief a better view of the treasure chest. When he first entered the room it looked like a normal treasure chest. Dungeons often had chests like this, though normally they didn’t appear before the 2nd tier. And they wouldn’t be this big before the 3rd tier or at least late in the 2nd tier.

The treasure chest now had 4 eyes, 2 arms, 4 legs, sharp teeth, and a tongue. Over its head it now said:

Karmic small dumb mimic Level 4

“I am here!” The living treasure chest said. Nerok simply stared at the unnatural sight. “Core want to help.” Nerok blinked. “Core found two… two… ob… op… ti… on… sshhh…”

The Chief had finally come back to his senses, but it took him a bit to decipher the mimic’s words. “The Dungeon Core wants to help us defend against the elves? And we have two options on how to do so?”

The living treasure chest started jumping. “Yes! Yes!” It stopped jumping. “You are so smart!”

Nerok quickly realized why its species had ’dumb’ in it. It was smart enough to talk but just as dumb as a 1-year-old beastkin. And with the speech pattern and behavior of one too. But if this one is considered ‘small’ how big do they get? Can they turn into other things than chests too? “What options does your Core propose?”

“Op… ti… on… 1. Just… eva… co… cu…-” The mimic had a hard time with the words.

“Evacuate?”

“Yes! Yes!”

“But then you’ll end up enslaved!” Now knowing that the Dungeon was actually smart Nerok felt a lot worse about leaving it to its fate. “They have a device that can-”

“Core know.” The mimic interrupted.

“You think you can defeat them, don’t you? You can’t! They will be sending 2nd and 3rd tiers! You’re too young to-”

“Core have plan. Core not defeat but not ensle… sla… ved.”

Nerok took a deep breath. He could try to interrogate the mimic on how the Dungeon was intending to do that. But with its difficulty with words he was unlikely to get much out of it. And the Core is unlikely to want to tell me its secrets. “What is the second option then?”

“Stay on 3rd Floor. Need test.”

“Stay here? What needs to be tested?”

Three dragonets came flying from the previous room each carrying a key in their front claws. Stretching his hands out, the dragonets dropped their keys into the Chief’s hands before flying back. “I thought all Dungeon creatures had to stay in their room…?” Nerok wondered out loud.

The mimic started moving past the griffins towards the stream separating them. “Not for my Core.” It said as it stepped onto the water, somehow standing on it. Nerok looked closer.

Fledgling karmic lighting sea serpent Level 4 Fledgling karmic lighting sea serpent Level 4

The mimic is walking on a couple of sea serpents!

Now standing next to the Chief the mimic spoke again. “Ask for key.”

“What?”

The mimic pointed at the door to the next room. “Door locked. Need 4 keys. Ask for key.”

Nerok looked at the door. It had 4 locks. The dragonets had only given him 3 keys. “You want me to ask for the 4th key?” The mimic nodded his whole body. “Why can’t you just give it to me. You did with the other keys?”

“Puzzle.” The mimic simply said.

“Right! Of course!” For this Dungeon to have a ‘politeness’ puzzle made perfect sense. It fits the theme. “Please give me the 4th key.”

A dragonet - suspiciously only on level 1 - flew out of its tree and dove into the small pond across from where the mimic had been. When it surfaced it had the last key in its front claws.

Nerok unlocked the door and stepped into the Core Room. Loot appeared and EXP was granted. The Chief looked the loot over, took the two unfertilized griffin eggs - the eggs were big enough that he could only have one in each hand at a time and had a light yellow coloration - and left the rest, not having room for it all.

"This way!" The mimic tried to skitter into the Core Room but instead disappeared and reappeared on the stairs behind the Core that went to the unfinished 3rd Floor.

"And why are we going that way?" Nerok asked as he followed the mimic down the stairs.

"Test!" Came the answer.

The first room of the 3rd Floor was a rectangular room with a couple of wooden watchtowers at the other end. Each one was manned by a kobold with a crossbow.

Watchtower? Dungeons don't build buildings! And the kobolds take a long time before they figure out how to or why to build something like a watchtower.

"Sorry about the mimic." A voice said. Nerok jumped a bit, having let his guard down and gotten distracted by the watchtowers.

Karmic kobold Commoner Level 5

They can get classes?! Gulping, Nerok responded. "It's alright."

The kobold nodded sharply. The kobold looked like an anthropomorphic wingless dragon. It was roughly 120 cm tall and wearing armor made from the green dragon leather. Its dark red scales emphasized the bright green scale leather. Its back was straight, and it had its hands behind its back. This was a soldier. "Mother Core wished to test if… you people… were able to enter an unfinished Floor."

The ursakin nodded. "I could have told you that, but no harm done."

The kobold soldier nodded back. "Mother suggests your Tribe stays in an unfinished Floor while your enemy attacks. Where this is exactly depends on when the enemy attacks and the number needing housing." The soldier paused, looking expectedly at Nerok.

Taking the hint the Chief informed the soldier - and thus its Dungeon too - that their population consisted of 95 beastkin where 6 were pregnant and 12 were children. "The idea is good, but children can't enter Dungeons and we can't leave them behind." The Chief then informed the Dungeon and kobold.

"Children can enter if Mother says they can." The kobold replied nonchalantly. "The expected time of attack?" Nerok answered that it was likely to happen at some point in between 7 to 9 days. "Good." The soldier said. "That will give us plenty of time to prepare."

Seeing the kobold's relaxed attitude gave Nerok hope. "Can the Dungeon get to the second tier in that time?"

The kobold shook his head. "You need certain Orbs to tier up. Dungeon Cores need to kill a certain number of evil people."

"Uh…" Something clicked for the Chief. "That's why you killed Khaogthoc and his two friends."

The soldier tilted its head but stayed silent for a bit. Then the kobold looked up at Nerok again. "The wolf and cat were only bad people. Bad people have a large chance to die but Mother gives them a chance to survive. To redeem themselves. The bear was so evil he broke the thresh point into true evil in The Swamp Room. Mother pulls no stop for those truly evil. They can no longer be redeemed."

Nerok nodded, letting it sink in. "I don't doubt you. I suspected they were worse than they appeared. Anything else I should know?"

The soldier tilted its head again. The Dungeon must be talking to it. "Yes. The mimic is too high level to enter the 1st Floor and we kobolds cannot enter the 2nd either. Should you need to talk you'll have to come to us. Mother always listens but she can only answer through us. On that note, Mother Core asks you to inform her on what you end up deciding. Should you choose to evacuate to Mother, we ask you to wait till shortly before the enemy is to arrive to allow for us to make you proper housing."

Nerok agreed and the meeting was concluded.

The mimic had simply observed the conversation between the 2 and looked confused whenever a harder word was used. Now it followed the old ursakin up the stairs but stayed on the top steps.

Touching the Core the old ursakin got his personalized reward: a cape made of golden feathers. Being curious Nerok looked first to the Core then the mimic. "You wouldn't happen to know if this does anything special?"

The mimic jumped a couple of times not finding it at all difficult to do so while standing on the steps of the stairs. "Griffin cape! Give more Char… Charis… isma!"

"How much more?" The chief pried further. No one in the Tribe could use an identifying skill.

The mimic jumped some more before stopping. "I want favor!"

"And what would that be?"

"Don't tell about me! I hide and jump and scare people! They no fun if know!"

Nerok had to laugh at the mimic's attempt at a pout. As it lacked lips it had ended up looking like a wide-eyed frown. "Well…" the ursakin forced himself to stop laughing. "I have to tell my Tribe you talked to me on behalf of your Dungeon. Instead I promise to not reveal your species or other abilities beside speech. Is that a deal?"

"Deal?" The mimic didn't understand the word.

Shaking his head with a smile, the Chief explained. "A deal is when one gives something to another while getting something from them. This something can both be an actual item, promises or information. I will give you a promise not to reveal your nature to my Tribe, so you can still jump scare them. In return you'll tell me how much Charisma my new cape gives me. When I ask you if it's a deal I'm really asking if you think it's fair."

The living treasure chest had its tongue hanging out as it thought. "I think it fair." It decided.

"Then you say 'it's a deal' and shake my hand." The Chief stated as he walked towards the mimic with his hand out.

The mimic did so before jumping up and down again. "2 more Charisma!" It said while jumping. Clearly the many times the word 'Charisma' had been repeated helped the mimic learn the word.

Nerok knew the 2+ in Charisma was only the enchantment laid on the cape. In actuality the cape itself would also give some extra points in Charisma based on whether each person seeing him wear it found it stylish, awe inspiring or the likes. Or it might take Charisma from him if the watcher found it ugly. "Thank you, little one."

The mimic stopped jumping and began its not-really-pouting again. "I not little! Just small!"

Nerok gave a little laugh. "Sorry my friend! I will make sure to call you 'small one' instead!" The mimic nodded satisfied.

Nerok touched the golden feathered cape and disappeared from the Dungeon.