"Remember students, skills and the [System] can only do so much. Conceptual ability, personal drive, pure willpower, imagination... these are all pieces of being a [Mage]. You give a man [Fire Manipulation], and he's cautious, knowing the devastation that fire can bring. You give a child [Fire Manipulation], and they're enraptured, twisting fire serpents to touch the sky.

And thus, at the highest reaches of spell craft, it is these facets which inform the outcome of a Mage duel. Consider the words of [Archmage] and [Grand-Engineer] Savage; who, upon receiving an attack that previously flattened a mountain range, famously countered the spell with a single phrase...

"I reject your reality and substitute my own."

That, my dear students... is true power."

--Grant Byron, Master Mage. Recorded Lesson from: "MAG201: Intro to Visualization." AC 1622

"So..." I start to say, then trail off into silence.

"Yes?"

"Are all... are all animals who become naturally [sapient] like... like that octopus?"

Luna emphatically waves her leg. "Oh no! Now, there's a fair share that turn out like Octo, but there's an equal number who end up pretty close to you and me."

"Pretty close?"

"Yep! I'll introduce you to one once we get to home base. Todd usually hangs out there."

We trail into silence as I continue to follow her through the coral. I take the sights in, beautiful light shining amidst the rocky splendor surrounding me. All the animals and creatures I see are small or barely hatched and I begin to wonder.

"Are all these little guys just mundane creatures?"

The starfish pauses, seeming to be confused for a moment before I notice and wave a claw at the little crabs and fishes that flit about.

"Oh! Oh yes, the [dungeon] uses this area as a kind of incubation space. It lets them grow naturally then releases them to fight and grow stronger. At least, that's what the carvings say."

"Carvings?"

"You'll see in a minute, we're almost there."

As we turn a corner, the coral begins to thin out, replaced by the kelp forest I had seen earlier. It was shadier here, the vegetation soaking up the light from above. Just before we leave the coral entirely, Luna moves just off the beaten path, tapping in a specific rhythm on a series of rocks.

As she does, the ground starts to open, revealing steps leading down below. The pathway was kept lit by a series of luminescent plants, embedded carefully into small divots in the stone wall. Their leaves glowed gently with a blue light, providing a gradual transition down into the dark.

We pause at the entrance.

"Welcome to the Hollow." Luna says.

She begins to head down the steps, and I follow her, walking into the [dungeon] creature's base camp.

As I enter, I'm immediately greeted by the same grey nondescript surroundings as the first floor of the dungeon. I dismiss it however, as I see what's on the walls. The room is probably a hundred by a hundred Crabby lengths, and the walls are positively covered in carvings. I step immediately to the nearest wall closest to the entrance and make out the oldest one, faint etchings worn bare by time. It says,

"Always have someone [sapient] here. If someone is here, the dungeon can't change this place."

I read the next line down,

"The only way out is through. Touch the core and gain your freedom."

The next line,

"If you're afraid, do not worry. You may live in peace, here at the hollow. But beware the Cave."

I turn back to look at Luna. She seems to be staring wistfully at the walls. She speaks quietly, almost with a reverent tone and waves to the room filled with engravings.

"Generations of [dungeon] creatures have left their knowledge here, for the rest of us. But the two most important ones remain..."

She taps the first two lines.

"Always have someone here, and the only way out is through."

I take a moment to consider the carvings, the weight of predecessors who came before me. One thing was sticking in my claw though, and I didn't know how to put it delicately. I just decided to come out and say it.

"How uhm... well I don't know much about dungeons and all that. But... if the [dungeon] made you... then why aren't you guys under its control?"

Luna takes one of my claws in her arm, then leads me further down the wall. A quarter of the way in, a carving read.

"The gods and [system] have given you a chance. Though artificially created, you have come to know yourself. By touching the core, you may gain freedom from bondage and leave the dungeon. Until then, the [system] keeps you free from [dungeon] control."

That makes sense. I remember reaching out to the [Dungeness Crab] with [Eyes of Intent] at the beginning of the first level and the sheer anger it gave off. If Luna or the others were still under its control, I wouldn't have made it out of that boss room alive. I turn to look at the empty square room, then back to Luna.

"So... is this it? Just a square room?"

She playfully slaps my chitin. "No silly, I said I'd bring you to meet some others. Most everyone is either off training somewhere or doing something else. Like I said though, Todd should be on shift to stay here. He's actually one of our strongest fighters and he enjoys solitary meditation."

She walks across the room and touches an engraving. The wall recedes into another passageway, and she walks in.

I follow her into a much smaller area. There's some sort of kelp matting on the floor with gentle blue lights flickering from the lighted plants. Various white stone tables and benches are laid out on the floor, hewn from the coral above. I enter the room, preparing my greeting when I fail to notice anyone. I turn to Luna, and she points up towards the ceiling.

There, perched above the entrance is some sort of black spiky ball. It's about half the size I am, and its spines ripple independently of the still water. I wave cautiously at the thing, then murmur to Luna.

"Umm... what is it?"

To my relief, Luna takes over introductions.

"Todd, the sea urchin. Meet Sir Crabby the..." she bends a bit closer to me and whispers, "I never got your race."

"Elemental Crab."

She straightens back up, "Elemental Crab."

I nervously wave. I have no idea how to interact with a black spike ball.

"Uhm, hi! Nice to meet you!"

"TODD."

It's voice booms into the small room, the volume and low bass drumming deep into my shell.

"He says it's nice to meet you as well and welcome to the Hollow. Ensure you read the wisdom of those who came before and make sure you keep the peace with everyone in the [Safe Zone]."

I slowly turn to look at Luna. I look at the urchin. I look back at Luna. I raise and point a claw at the urchin and say,

"He definitely just said TODD and not any of that other stuff."

She nods an arm, "yeah, Todd's real subtle like that. There's a ton of subtext in everything he says. It's the spines you know? You have to pay attention to them otherwise you miss a lot of stuff."

I shake my body incredulously and turn back to the urchin. Before I can respond, he says,

"TODD."

This time, when I stagger a little, I pay attention to the urchin. When he speaks, he moves his spikes at the same time, and I can detect a ripple throughout his form. I can't really decipher urchin ripples though as I concentrate on keeping my mind clear from the volume and bass he's producing. Heck, I think his words actually created a small wave in the water.

"Oh! And he wanted me to remind you to be wary of the cave."

I shake my head, trying to clear it from listening to Todd. I turn to Luna,

"What cave? This is the second time I've heard about a cave."

"She points an arm across the room, where a black hole rests in the wall. I walk closer to it and read the carvings around it.

"Warning: Enter the Rave Cave at your own risk. Risks include: Temporary Memory loss, Permanent Memory loss. Unknown side effects."

I look at Luna, "What's this about then?"

"Well... whoever goes in there only comes out about a day later. All they have to say about it is they had a great time and all glory to the hypnofrog."

I shake my head, "That doesn't seem too bad."

"No, you don't get it. That's all they have to say about it period. No matter what you ask them, they quote, "I had a good time. Oh, and All Glory to the Hypnofrog." end quote."

I take a step back, "Ah... that seems a bit more... sinister."

"Yeah... on the other hand, we've never seen this Hypnofrog, so I guess he's okay with staying in there? The oldest carvings warn everyone away from the cave so it's not like it's a surprise... Also, it's great if you want to lose a couple days’ worth of memories. Seen something traumatic? One day in the rave cave and you're right as rain, no memory of what happened."

I step further away from the hole in the wall.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to stay away from that."

Luna joins me in backing up.

"I think that's a good choice."