Rhen booked it at full speed, triggering swift twitch and surging his legs with anima. The yeti monster roared in defiance, clawing after them. Aki lifted a bubble of water from the river and tossed it over Rhen’s shoulder. It landed with a wet splat against the monster, but it’s thundering strides never stopped.

“Just go!” Rhen yelled, his heart pounding. He did not want to die hours before the party.

They hightailed it back into the water, barely escaping the clutches of the ugly, bloodthirsty yeti creature who didn’t seem particularly keen on getting in with them.

Rhen suddenly had a wonderous idea.

He triggered cephaloshifter, exploding into a ginormous octopus. It was the yeti’s turn to run, but Rhen was faster. He triggered swift twitch and propelled his limbs out onto the beach, snatching the now-tiny creature up in his grip.

The yeti clawed at his suckered tentacles, roaring in anger, but the scratches didn’t feel like much to Rhen. He pulled the beast under the water, constricting harder, harder, harder, until… pop! The yeti’s ribs collapsed, and all the air rushed from its horrific face.

“Let’s get this back to the inn. I want to inspect it more closely, loot it down to the bone in detail.”

“Good quick thinking.” Aki praised, glowing brightly.

Rhen was an octopus, so didn’t have a mouth to smile with, but felt pride swell in him.

He tugged their quarry back through the lake, avoiding conflict along the way. He didn’t want to be stuck as his man-shape trying to drag the twelve-foot yeti onto the beachhead. But it was unavoidable. The beach was too far. Aki used his cephaloshifter next, transforming into a massive version of himself. Rhen hitched a ride on one of the shorter forelimb tentacles and they managed to make it back before his shift expired.

Aki flung the beast up onto the beach with a wet flrthop that must’ve alerted those at the inn just up the tunnel to something going on. Jakira emerged first, bone club raised up to her shoulder, war-scowl on her face, but she quickly slowed when she saw the creature was dead.

Rhen pulled his crescent blades and got to work cutting the smelly thing open. It was much more horrific now that he had the time to take in all its details. The maw wasn’t just long, it was comically oversized, and the head was four times that of Rhen’s. It could likely bite his whole body in half if it wanted.

It had horrible eyes the color of stale piss, and smelled about that good too. Some of its teeth were missing, and the stench of rot wafted up out of its mouth. There were only small ears on each side of its head, just below the horns, which were curled over—likely to protect them from snow getting inside.

“That… is the ugliest monster I’ve ever seen,” Jakira remarked. “Where did you find it?”

Rhen was busy cutting into its crushed chest, so Aki relayed the information. “We were exploring a new tunnel when—

“Without me?” she interrupted, appalled.

Aki faltered. “We… wanted to make sure… it was safe.”

Rhen could feel her glaring daggers down at him. She’d get over it. Maybe.

“We only explored the tunnel leading to the new chamber. It is very large, themed for snow and ice. We were turning back when a monster attacked us, and pursued us down the connecting tunnel to the lake.”

Wyland stroked his chin. “Very strange behavior indeed. Monsters rarely leave their ecosystem. They know it’s dangerous.”

Rhen pried back the shattered ribs to find a sparkling blue core the size of his head right beneath a huge pair of lungs that were thick and rubbery. He plucked out the prize and walked to the edge of the water to wash the stink off.

When it was clean, he held it up to the others, smiling. “Let’s go see what it’s got in store for us.”

Jakira’s face lit up. She’d never had abilities before coming to work with him at the dungeon, and she’d yelped so loud at her first syntial, Rhen thought she’d never want another one. But after experiencing their strength, and the absolutely badass things they could do, she was giddy for more and new syntials.

The group hurried up the passage way, collecting more interested parties as they went until everyone—even Arannet—was skipping along with them. Rhen cradled the core in the crook of his elbow and rested his other hand on the mastery node.

“I want to thrive in cold weather conditions,” he said to it clearly. He knew first order of business would be solving that problem. They couldn’t all go in there wearing seventy layers of clothing and having their movement restricted. As for Aki, maybe they could find a good solution in here for him, too.

[Syntial Additions and Expansion]

Available Options: 21 {Expand? Y | N}

Recommended Options: 3

{Blubberific}

Prima I | Active:Persistent | Kinse | Life | Cost: 1% anima/minute

Grow a layer of blubber between your dermis—or the equivalent—and your muscle tissue to protect yourself from sub-zero temperatures and bludgeoning damage. Add additional layers to increase the effects.

Blubberific is fully effective in environments up to -20 degrees, moderately effective up to -40. Not a recommended solution for temperatures sub -40. Caster will have decreased stamina and strength, as well as overheat more easily, in environments that are greater than 40 degrees.

Blubberific protects vital organs from bludgeoning damage by a rate of 20% damage reduction per layer.

*Warning: Frostbite is a serious risk for smaller extremities like fingers, toes, tails, and tentacles, even with Blubberific active.

**Warning: First layer of Blubberific does not negatively impact caster movement or agility, but additional layers will make it more difficult to move and react swiftly by a rate of 30% per layer.

{Radiative Heat}

Ancilla I | Passive | Mana | Light | Cost: None

Append this syntial to Aurora Wave to generate constant heat from any light spells activated from that Prima. Moderately enhances the regeneration speeds of light-based healing spells, and adds a bacterial reduction to the effect.

*Error: Required Prima Syntial | Aurora Wave

{Sense Movement}

Prima I | Passive w/Activate | Cebrum | Dark | Activate Cost: 20% anima and Sight

Passive Ability: Detect small changes in the wind, unnatural sounds, and vibrations from creatures movement.

Activate Ability: Sacrifice your normal sight and 20% of your anima to enter “Sense Sight” where you may track all the sounds and vibrations you detect with the passive ability. Objects generating the sounds and vibrations will give off a different colored glow dependent to the sound you are tracking. Track up to {6} individual sounds at once at level I. Spell duration, {4} minutes.

-----

It seemed as though the mastery node had even felt Rhen’s concern for Aki’s survivability, even though he hadn’t said anything out loud. He idly wondered how much of himself was visible to the dungeon, and what, if anything, it thought about him. He recalled the whisper on the wind and the glowing strings connecting him to the dungeon when he’d consumed the goddess fruit. Was Ghwan right, and he was more connected to the dungeon than just by way of a piece of paper?

“Ew! I don’t want to get fat!” Eli blurted, pulling Rhen from thought.

Murmurs rippled over the group of delvers.

While Blubberific fit the bill, he was now certain that some dungeoneers weren’t going to be interested in making themselves little chonkers. How bad could it really be? Plus, it would save in heavy clothing materials, and help protect their organs, it really was exactly what they needed to succeed in the new alpine chamber.

Rhen asked for quiet. “I want to put an end to this emotion here. Blubberific—” wow that felt weird to say out loud—“is essential for our success in the new chamber Aki and I discovered. It’s freezing cold and protection from getting smashed into the dirt by one of those smelly yeti monsters will be helpful. Whether you’re averse to being chunkier because of personal reasons does not matter. This is a temporary and essential ability.”

Eli crossed his arms. Valine smacked the back of his head, then approached the mastery node. She put her hand down on it. “May I, Deo?”

Rhen dipped his head and stepped back.

“I would like to add Blubberific,” she said to the node.

Blue anima rushed up her arm and glowed to life under her clothes at her right hip. She winced at the syntial inscribed, and then the glow faded. She stepped back, a withering glare aimed at her mouthy son.

Everyone formed up into a circle around her, eager to see what it looked like. Valine was of slight frame—as most delvers were. She was shorter than Rhen by about a hand, but so was Jakira. Rhen managed to grow decently tall even living a delver’s life, which wasn’t always helpful for spelunking.

The new syntial on Valine’s side flared to life and with a little thpop she grew outward from every body part by a half-inch in most places, up to an inch in others. Her face was cutely rounded in the cheeks, her shoulders a little wider, arms less wiry and more full, Rhen skipped past the middle stuff purposefully and found that her hips were quite a bit wider than they’d been before, so much that her cloth pants were tight around her thighs.

Rhen looked to Jakira to gauge her reaction. He knew how much her appearance had been controlled for years, and wondered if that’d left any lasting effects on her. She was smiling with something that looked like admiration.

“See,” Valine said, exasperated. “It’s fine.”

Rhen went next. He couldn’t seem like it bothered him—which it didn’t in the slightest—or it would reinforce the delvers hesitance. Rhen had put on a good few pounds from how well he’d been eating the last month and a half, and a few more to give him immunity to cold and reduction to bludgeoning was a no-brainer tradeoff.

His syntial decided to take up residence over his bellybutton, which made Rhen wonder if the difference in species, or perhaps gender, made a difference as to where the syntial bloomed. Rhen activated his ability with a thought and instantly felt way too hot. Boy, he was uncomfortable.

“You’re adorable,” Jakira said with a sly smile.

“Oh yeah? I want to see how adorable you get.”

“It appears I am not eligible for Blubberific, so no one will get to see how adorable I can become.” Aki reported.

“But Aki, you are already adorable,” Olliat said affectionalty.

Aki pulsed yellow. “Thank you.”

Rhen snorted. “Sorry you can’t get chonky with the rest of us, buddy. I think Radiative Heat is right up your alley, though.”

“The only alley here in the delve party. It seems to have been designed for me.”

One by one, everyone came to the node—save Arannet—and if they had the capacity, got blubberific.

Jakira went from menacing bruiser to cute little chonker at the activation of her syntial. She was disarming. Her cheeks looked so squishable, and everything good she had going on in the middle was made at least three times better. He had to imagine this was exactly what she saw in him—perhaps not the middle bits…

“See what I mean?” she asked, her chubby little cheeks sparkling with gold.

“I do very much,” he said with a smirk that felt a little strained with the new layer of chub under his skin.

Jakira’s nose wrinkled and she grinned, looking far too cute as she did. “Oh, this is just the best.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s going to save our hides in the alpine chamber.”

She linked arms with Rhen and started back towards the inn. “So, what are you calling that smelly yeti monster?”

“Hmm. Smeti.”

“Rhen, no,” she said, deadpan.

Rhen laughed. “All right. How about…”

“What the hell d’ya think you’re doin’ here?” Joseph declared loudly from the mastery chamber behind them.

Rhen whirled around to see Joseph, chubby fists clenched, ready to pummel someone or something to death. The haughty laughter that followed set Rhen’s teeth on edge.

Welsh.

“My Joseph, you are eating well now, aren’t you?” the orange-haired fluffer patted Joseph’s shoulder demeaningly.

“I asked ya what you’re doin here. You’re not welcome!” Joseph deactivated his syntial and returned to his thinner-muscled appearance, his fist half raised to strike. Welsh’s goons appeared beside him in a flash, ready to go toe to toe with the bruiser. This was getting out of hand.

Rhen unlinked his arm from Jakira’s and sped back up the passageway.

“Oh ho, but I am. I was invited to survey my dungeon-to-be by the Dungeon Owner’s Guild themselves.” Welsh pulled a sheet of paper from his interior breast pocket and flipped it open. He pushed it far to close to Joseph’s face for him to actually read it.

Rhen snatched the document from Welsh’s hand with a glare.

“Oh, here you are. The soon-to-be former owner.” Welsh leered predatorially.

Rhen scanned the document. An allowance of operations review.

Arannet pointed a finger over Rhen’s shoulder at the middle section. “This here states you must give the current owner three days’ notice of inspection, and since you received this document today, you are currently in violation of the Operations Privacy Protection which states that dungeon owners are entitled to keeping their methods of mining and other—”

“Who is this,” Welsh growled, interrupting her.

Rhen straightened, then pulled Arannet up beside him. “This is our ruthlessly efficient, by the books guild expert who will be ensuring this dungeon stays firmly under my care.”

Arannet started to shrink in on herself, but then straightened up instead. “That’s right. And, well, and you’re not welcome here yet, Mr. Welsh.” She stammered the last bit, but his like-o-meter went up a little bit anyway. She was at least trying to stand up to him.

Welsh’s lip curled back in a snarl. “Consider this your three days’ notice.” He turned away. “Let’s go!”

One of the goons hocked up a massive wad of snot and spat it at the dungeon floor. Aki caught it with a flourish of yellow and splashed it back in the fluffer’s face. The goon flinched, his mouth a deep contorted grimace of anger and embarrassment. He glared at Aki, then turned away and jogged after his master.

“Nice one,” Rhen motioned to give Aki a high-five.

He obliged, slapping a wet tentacle against Rhen’s palm.

“This isn’t good,” Arannet mumbled to herself.

Rhen looked to her. “What was that paperwork about?”

“When a dungeon is being prepared for auction, or transfer of power, the guild will sign rights waivers to any other prospective owner who wants to come in to evaluate the delving procedures, make sure it’s not a complete mess.”

Rhen scowled. Why would they send Arannet to help him with all the proper procedures for it to remain under his ownership, only to turn around and start sending out these waivers to the surrounding dungeon owners? Did they really have so little faith in her, or him?

One thing was for certain, Rhen wasn’t going to give whoever it was pulling the strings the satisfaction. He was going to put his nose to the grind. He was going to live inside the paperwork if he had to. It was all getting done perfectly, no issues whatsoever, and on time.

Gods, he hated this bureaucratic bullshit.

Rhen watched Welsh and the goons as they disappeared over the edge of the dungeon exit. “Arannet, I think we have some paperwork to get to.”