Chapter 31

Faltrar had just finished delegating responsibilities to his most trusted subordinates and was on his way to finish the final task. With the sun almost reaching its zenith on the first day of the new magocracy, he sent out the messages. There was a mass network of powerful enchantments called the mage relay which allowed one mage to communicate with another across vast distances instantly.

Through this device, which he had brought with him from his old guild headquarters, he reached out to the mages working at a so-called hub. From there, the message would spread. The battle was a victory, and mages now had land to call their own once more. His entire guild had relocated, but many of the other guilds had left low-level apprentices and noncombat focused personal behind. Now, that word had been sent, the remaining mages would pack up and migrate to the new kingdom before the neighboring countries even knew there was a new kingdom.

He figured he had about a week before news of his takeover reached civilization, carried by refugees leaving their home. The morning had been spent rounding up any leaving the dungeon who were considered non-threatening, such as people who had immigrated to Borrander to practice a trade. They were allowed to keep their land unless it was in the inner city. Those who had their prime real estate revoked were compensated quite fairly; given good plots of land in the lower city, and a lump sum of gold to cover the difference. There was one way to keep their land, and that was to prove that they had magical talent in a test proctored by the mages. Most took the test, hoping to find some talent buried in their souls. The few that had talent were inducted into the guild as apprentices and signed up for the mandatory training. The guild would prosper if the business owners in prime locations were affiliated with them.

More people trickled in from the forest outside where they had camped out to avoid the destructive battle, and the same vetting process was applied to them. Any known members of the local guild or their family members were rounded up and sent to the prison camp for processing. Most were evicted from the city after having their land seized with a very minor monetary compensation. Others were kept as political prisoners, to be used as bargaining chips or held for ransom if the opportunity ever arose.

All told, the population dropped to around five thousand residents, excluding the mages and their hired help. The rest either fled, died, or were captured. A few still trickled in here or there, and Faltrar expected that to continue. Over the next week or two, however, he expected nearly one thousand mages and apprentices to come. Either called by their guild, or chased by the angered king, he didn't care. But they would come.

His guild, now the richest and most powerful by far, had been ordered by him to administer the magical aptitude test, given by placing an enchanted stone against someone’s skin, to everyone remaining in the city. Anyone found with magical potential, even if very minor, was conscripted into the guild, something few argued with as a mage was nearly guaranteed an above average life. Power had its privileges, and now that he had the resources, he would scoop up every potential mage he could, putting the squeeze on the other mages. He wanted to immediately reform the guild structure, but he knew that he would have to take some time to stack the deck in his favor.

The next week would be spent organizing the city. Faltrar assigned the low ranking people to fix up the city and maintain order, while the high-level people had meetings and hashed out the finer details of how their new government would run. After that week, Faltrar knew that they would need to find out how their enemies were responding, and hopefully resolve the conflict diplomatically. If Rivan decided to contest their claim to Borrander, he would have no choice but to defend their conquest. But hopefully, the matter would be resolved by pen and paper, rather than by fire and sword. He would have to send a diplomatic envoy soon, and hopefully, they would be accepted by the king, and allowed to negotiate in his court. But the mages would forevermore be independent, ensured by any means necessary.

Now all he had left to deal with was that damn dungeon. Hopefully, he could convince some guilds across the border to the north to join him, bolstering the number of combat-capable mages. Maybe even guilds from farther afield than Geran would join the new magocracy. In time, he knew, mages from across the continent would flock to the city. All he needed to do was survive. Time, with regards to the dungeon, was on his side, however, and the longer he waited, the more men he would gain as they lost more in that hostile place. In a few weeks, they could stamp out the last of them, especially if the king decided Borrander wasn’t worth the lives it would take to take the city from well-entrenched mages.

Peter was starting to think that this dungeon had created a paradise. The safe zone was an oasis in the center of an ocean of deadly monsters, sheltering the thousands of trapped people. The facilities were advanced, and it was actually more sanitary than the city, which impressed him as he had spared no expense on having a proper sewage system created. Food cost nothing but mana, time, and a little effort. There were already businesses cropping up that would charge a copper and a unit of flour for a loaf of bread. They spent mana to rent a specialized baking room, furnished with high quality enchanted ovens and tools. Even the bowls were enchanted.

The bakeries, however, couldn’t compare to the smithing, enchanting, or alchemy rooms. All the tools were of higher quality than they had back in the city. The anvils were perfect, the forges adjustable, no bellows were needed, and the tools were reported to be a pleasure to use. Smiths walked around grinning, unable to contain their joy when given the chance to work in an enchanted forge in exchange for mana. Even the grinding wheels were enchanted, spinning when a rune was powered. The wheels could even be swapped out for one of a different grit, allowing for amazing detail work and polishing.

The few alchemists were similarly impressed, having access to flawless glassware and sources of perfectly adjustable, invariable heat. The only issue, and it was a small one, was the need to venture into the dungeon for resources. The miners needed to find veins to collect ore for the smiths, requiring guards to keep the tortoises at bay. Alchemists needed to collect ingredients, again requiring a few guards to keep them safe. But Peter considered it a blessing. It kept the whole safe zone economy running. Everyone had a job, and everyone bought stuff, preventing certain professions from being able to hoard all the money.

As he walked down the stairs inside the central tree so he could reach the small field surrounded by rain at its base for a meeting with other leaders, he considered how suspicious it all was. It was all almost too perfect. The dungeon had it all set up in such a way that everything ran smoothly. But it all seemed too complicated for a dungeon, which everyone knew was unintelligent, to plan out. At least until he realized how the dungeon set up even more complicated systems in the form of its floor spanning ecosystems every day. For now, he would keep these suspicions to himself, or maybe between him and Jack, at least until he could gather enough evidence to confirm them. It would be best if people didn’t think their leader was a lunatic.

Reaching the bottom, he strode out onto the field that seemed to be a normal patch of sunny grass, at least until you looked up. There were others sitting on the grass, having a picnic in the only area that bore any resemblance to the outside world. He smiled, happy that some people were adapting to the new hardships so well. Motion caught his attention, and he saw Jack waving at him from a table that had been set up nearby.

He waved back, and grabbed a loaf of bread and a few fruits and vegetables from the table on his way over. The table had been set up for everyone, as a way to boost the morale of the remaining people. “What’s the news Jack?” he called right before taking a bite out of the crisp apple he had snagged. Jack rolled his eyes at Peter, but seemed to find some mirth in his unconcerned actions.

“Well for one we’re all trapped in this dungeon. Show a little concern.”

“Oh lighten up, my concern has nothing to do with how trapped we are.”

“Well yes, but it has everything to do with how long we stay trapped.”

At this, Peter sighed, finally showing what was buried beneath his nonchalant facade. He looked down, shaking his head. “Jack,” he said, his voice wavering, “we’re stuck. Probably for good. You know it. I know it. But nobody else seems to. Those mages are well dug in, and at this point they probably outnumber us. There is no escape, only survival.”

Jack’s mood fell, his body language showing that he seemed to agree with Peter’s assessment. “I know boy. But we can’t give up hope. It’s up to us to keep the people going. The king will respond. His majesty will take it back.”

“Do you really believe that? Do you think a kingdom could uproot mages in a defensive position? No. He may try, but we both know he’ll fail. We should not be hoping for the king to miraculously swoop in and save our sorry asses. We should be preparing for the long time we will undoubtedly spend trapped in this dungeon. Otherwise, we all will die.”

Jack nodded solemnly, he hadn’t wanted to say it, but Peter had come out and done it for him. He didn’t want to accept it, but in his heart, he knew Peter spoke the truth. He seemed to deflate, and he sat on the bench beside the table.

“Look,” Peter said, sitting down across from Jack, but staring into his eyes with an intensity he had never displayed before, “we need to make the best of this. We can survive, perhaps indefinitely. But we need to be ready. The mages won’t tolerate our existence, and we need to be ready for that. Soon, the people will grow worried. We need to be ready for that as well. When the other leaders arrive, we need to begin preparing for the long term. Not a few weeks, nor months, nor even years. We need to assume that this is all we have left. We need to grab this chance by the balls to succeed. Only then will we have hope.”

Jack nodded, and for the first time since the defeat, he truly smiled. Peter painted a bleak picture, but he couldn’t help but feel inspired. Maybe, just maybe, this boy would find himself, and lead them all to a better future. He might just be the leader they needed, and that Jack knew he could be.

“Now,” Peter said, reverting to a calm demeanor as if nothing had happened, “let me tell you why I think this dungeon is special.”

The rush of mana Pan received from his customers was staggering. He was practically reeling from the moment they had started paying into his system, and it only grew more powerful with time as more and more people bought things. Overnight, he had gone from having almost no mana, to having close to the maximum amount. He watched his status screen as the number grew ever closer to the one hundred thousand mana max, and the level up he so desperately wanted. It had been awhile, and he was more than ready to increase his power once more. Soon enough, he had it, purchasing level 13 without any hesitation.

Level 13

Need 250,000 mana for level 14

+50 Dungeon Points

His capacity more than doubled, and he watched as the zero on his screen instantly climbed back up as his economy continued to strengthen. He mentally shivered in delight, watching as he gained more mana in an hour, then he could have gotten in days. With this, no mage would ever be able to stop him.

Checking back with Golding, he confirmed that the mages weren’t planning anything in the short term, but he did learn that they expected their numbers to swell over the coming week. He couldn’t help but laugh. He could make over one hundred thousand mana each day. Every day they left him alone was another day he grew stronger. He felt drunk on power, the energy he had at his command was staggering. But as long as they didn’t threaten him, the mages could stay. He could learn so much more from observing them than the boring mundane adventurers.

He decided to use the insane amounts of mana to continue to level up, then claim as much volume as was feasible, further boosting his regeneration. He would reach level fifteen or sixteen, and then change to working on other projects. He felt secure in his position, and although it would be easy to use all that mana to summon an unstoppable horde and overwhelm the mages, he felt inclined to let them stay. Level ups seemed like a poor choice to invest his mana on, but aside from floors, he had nothing that he would be able to spend the massive amounts of mana on, and he didn’t feel ready to make another floor. His fourth wasn’t even complete, and nobody had reached it anyway.

Another day passed, and he watched as both sides prepared for the future. It had now been two days since the attack, and he was surprised by how quickly the mages had fixed the city. There were already a few groups coming in, those that had been able to afford horses or carriages, and they slipped right in, adding their labor to those already in place. They had done in two days what would have taken weeks for a similar number of regular people. Pan chuckled to himself, knowing that he too would feel superior if he was in their shoes. He almost was, but now he was something that was so much more.

The city looked better than it had before, the earth mages revealing their full abilities with shaping stone. The walls had been grown as if they were a giant stone plant, and the smooth, slightly overhanging walls seemed so much more imposing than the brick ones the city had had before. Hell, they had even enchanted the massive thing, building magical formations, which Pan quickly memorized, into the walls directly. Mana stones were embedded along the walls, powering the structure, and allowing it to be recharged.

From what he gathered, the wall had both passive and active defenses. Arrows wouldn’t be able to strike over it, and it would take one mighty siege engine to damage its magically reinforced stone. But if any attacker was foolish enough to hide by its base, seemingly out of danger from the defenders on top, they would find themselves roasted by magic similar to Pan’s own defensive enchantments.

They didn’t just limit their magic to rebuilding the walls. Every building in the city was fixed and reinforced with earth magic over the few days, making the city look like it had been built without mortar or bricks. The biggest changes were to the inner city, and the fortress and upper levels had undergone a massive change. For as much good as the mages did, their elitism was firmly entrenched, and only magically talented people were allowed access to the inner city.

They spared no expense in rebuilding the inner city to their liking, and many earth mages exhausted themselves, collapsing on the spot. But it was beautiful. The walls of the plateau had been turned into a sheer cliff face, perfectly smooth, and enchanted to be strong and resistant to weathering. Large scale enhancements like the mages were using interested Pan, and he was learning much from watching the mages rebuild and fortify their prize.

These large scale enhancements were much more intricate and costly than a normal enchantment. The process reminded Pan of how his walls and stone were reinforced. He didn’t know, but observing dungeons was how mages learned the technique centuries ago. They would force large amounts of mana, sometimes taking dozens of mages, into the object they wanted to enchant. This was how they designated the area they wanted to be affected by the enchantment. Then, depending on the power needed, they would use soul power or mana to bind the area to a formation carved into it. Once complete, the magic would be set, and they would only need to return to maintain it.

What they did next really got Pan thinking. They had an insane amount of small mana stones and gems. They were using earth magic to place these in safe locations all across the city, and add a few enhancements to make sure that they were secure. From there, they used an enchantment Pan had never seen before, linking two mana stones to a gem. Higher quality gems would be linked to bigger mana stones. Using this, they created a network of magical power lines connecting to places all across the city. The range was only a few hundred feet for each, so the wealth being sunk into this was insane, but Pan saw what they were attempting, and was suitably impressed.

Once the network was in place, they connected all the enchantments in the city into it, allowing them to draw power and maintain themselves without needing constant check ups. Back in the center of the now circular plateau, they were refitting the town hall into the governing place for mages. In the center, they hooked up a truly massive mana stone into the network, acting as a central mana battery. Pan had thought that his mana stones had been huge, but this one blew him away. It could hold a little over fifty thousand mana, enough to power the enchantments in the city for months at a time, unless an attack forced them to use their active defenses.

They created a large enchantment taking up the whole room the gem was defended in. Once they activated the impressive formation, Pan was shocked. It was slowly drawing mana into the gem, recharging it just enough to counter the passive power draw of the city’s magical defenses. Pan thought the whole system was ingenious, but aside from the mana gathering formation, it was all relatively useless to him. He could easily and directly channel power to any place in his domain, so the network idea may never be useful to him. But it was nice to know it was available, and if he ever needed one he could do it.

He watched the sun set and rise once more, observing the hordes of people go about their day, unaware of his presence. He was finally close to another level up, and decided to go for it as soon as he could. It only took a few more hours to reach the two hundred and fifty thousand mana needed to buy level fourteen.

Level 14

Need 500,000 mana for level 15

+50 Dungeon Points

It was another filler level, but the extra mana capacity and dungeon points were welcome. He had been hoping for new skills, but maybe level fifteen would have some. It seemed like a logical time to get a new one. Well, he had plenty of time and mana for now, and in his opinion, was relatively secure from the mages for the time being. He would take advantage of this opportunity to grow and expand as much as he could, as that was the most expensive part of being a dungeon.

Dungeon Menu

Level: 14

Type: Sentient Dungeon

Name: N/A

Titles: N/A

Mana: 34/500,000 (+1000)

Soul Energy: 2.0/500

Rooms: 180

Floors: 4

Animals: 100,000+

Plants: 100,000+

Monsters: 35,152

Skills: [Dungeon Menu], [Dungeon Manipulation], [Dungeon Absorption], [Dungeon Creation: Level 12], [Dungeon Expansion], [Dungeon Summon], [Targeted Evolution], [Monster Imbuement], [Dungeon Map], [Name Bestowal], [Drop Assignment], [Floor Creation], [Environmental Manipulation], [Dungeon Soul Trap], [Alchemy: Lvl 45], [Enchanting: Lvl 41], [Dungeon Ore Vein], [Mental Communication]

Dungeon Points: 472

Achievements: Evolver, Legend Slayer, Boundless