Darion brought down the pickaxe on the coal deposit and heaved. His fellow gremlins were giving him annoyed looks but he was not going to give up on his quest for vengeance. This Yule everyone would be getting coal.

When the bell chimed for the lunch break, a new addition to the workday, Darion rushed to put his first plan in motion. The continent of Alerion was like a well-oiled machine. The building blocks were the different factories and breeding pens. This coal deposit just so happens was the only one on the whole continent. If something happened to it and the workers got blamed, then the supreme overlord would see that they were not to be trusted.

Darion still had the key for the supervisor cubicle. He had made a copy before he gave the keys back. He grabbed a box of cookies on the way to the cubicle and pretended to carry them for the new gremlin overseer.

He dropped the box in the trash as soon as he entered the cubicle. Let his replacement eat them now! Then he went over to the ledger and doctored the numbers, making it seems like the quota for this year was already mined.

There were stores of coal on the continent so the people on the bad list were still going to get punished. But the overlord’s trust in the new overseer would crumble. Maybe he would even ask Darion to come back to his old position. And make him the only representative of the gremlins, as it was only right.

Then something caught Darion’s eye. It was his cup, Yule hats painted on it and all, sitting next to the control panel for the machines that brought the coal up to the storeroom.

His cup was stolen! It had been a personal gift from the overlord and now there was mint tea in it. The new overseer has even drunk from it! Well, even if this hurts the dungeon, Darion had to retaliate.

He began to play with the bottoms as the cranes began to smash into each other. Then he picked up the cup and emptied its contents over the machine. Nothing happened, as the machine was not powered with a lightning enchantment, but the fingers would all point at a careless overseer.

Then Darion got out of the cubicle and got back to his position. Ready to do his duty until he was sent to the next factory he could wreck for the slight dealt with him.

Meanwhile, back in the forest of fireflies, the silk spiders managed to expand into the Colorful Egg specter tunnel. An army of ants cut off the silk from the walls and did their best to make sure that none of the chickens would get caught in it.

The idea that builder ants could be sold was accepted and now Tania was looking into dungeons that could be approved as potential homes for the worker ants.

And this particular dungeon is in the desert of desserts. The core has barred its entrance for adventurers for the unforeseen future.

“And what is it doing now?” Asked Theanore, suspicious.

A bright new torture chamber, but…

“Next! What if the crazy core decides to torture the ants? They are loyal creatures!”

Theanore, this is the tenth dungeon core you have told off. At least let me tell you why the core needs a new torture chamber.

“Because she is evil?”

For party killers. By torture read starvation for a week if they were caught attacking and starvation until death if they have killed.

“That is horrible, Tania!”

Are the ants' party killers? No. Just sell this dungeon 1000 male ants. That is the order. You will get 10 gold coins per ant. That is a killing, Thea.

“And the ants won’t be made to attack. They will be too big of an investment to waste.” Said Marinus and Theanore looked down.

“The ants have to decide.” She said, thinking herself clever. The ants could move in any way and she would interpret their movement as if they have decided to stay.

Oh, wonderful idea. They can write, you know…

“They can? Oh, no…” Said Theanore and Marinus snickered, having figured out the girl was going to cheat just now.

“Ants, line up.” He said and a single ant came. It had a silk bag bundle on its back and looked at the entrance of the cave.

“Do you want to leave me for the torture dungeon?” Asked Theanore and the ant made a happy dance. Then it tried to write but Theanore waved it away.

“Don’t bother, heartbreaker. I get your message.” 999 ants with silk bundles on their backs followed the spokesman out towards the new dungeon. They disappeared in white light as they got through the entrance.

“They want to serve something evil, Thea. They are mobs. They were born to be the bane of any adventurer.” Said Marinus as he patted her back to calm her down.

“Sell them to whoever wants them then! But I won’t accept them if they come crawling back. Leave only the ants who want to stay!” Shouted Theanore.

None want to stay. Leave 10000 for daily use regardless? Yes/No?

“Sigh, yes. I’ll go look after the Colorful Egg specters. They appreciate me.”

Said Theanore, dragging her feet. Then a new message flashed.

The Colorful Egg specters would like you to know their beaks are perfect for taking out an adventurer’s eyeball. No pressure. Also, the murder muffins would like to be placed in a hunting party. The goats have run over adventurers before and would like you to make a false entrance on their cliff so they can do so again, but this time for you. And Chrysanthemum and Petunia…

“What? Do they want blood with their wheat? Brains with their cabbage?” Snapped Theanore at the system.

Want you to know that you are a very good girl and they would like for you to name their children something nice. They are being born now.

“Really? Oh, I’m going to become a godmother! Mari, quick! We are going to see our godchildren!” And the two children rushed off, not seeing the steady flow of ants disappearing through the entrance.