The next morning started off a bit differently than I had expected, as Mordred, Pavol and Surin, along with some Duergar, arrived as Indella and I were eating breakfast. “Mornin Melady, Lady Indella, sorry ta disturb ya this early, but we think we have figured out the portal conundrum, without da need for an Inkmaster.” One of the Duergar began before Pavol interrupted him. “We can instead etch the marking onto a piece of equipment, that way we can create a portal that will only work while we hold the item in question.” He seemed excited, and I can’t say I disliked the idea. With my curiosity piqued, I inquired further. “So we make an emblem that everyone uses, like a standard of the dungeon?” Pavol paused for a moment, taken aback by my question before he responded. “That, is actually a nifty idea. I doubt any invaders would enjoy wearing the emblem of your dungeon. So if we used it in that fashion, it’s likely they would not immediately suspect it.” The Duergar also seemed to like the idea, while Mordred and Surin seemed deep in thought.

“The question is, how would we disguise the arcane symbol in a fashion that would not immediately give it away?” Mordred asked at length. Indella came up with a suggestion almost immediately. *A maze, disguise the symbol as part of a maze or labyrinth, it fits either way.* Mordred facepalmed. “Why didn’t I think of that?” He, Pavol and Surin discussed with each other at a very rapid pace after that. I tried to pay attention, but most of it flew over my head, I did not understand what they were discussing meant at all.

I looked at Indella and the Duergar, but they seemed as lost as I was. The trio seemed to reach a consensus after just a few minutes before Mordred spoke up. “I think we can figure out such a symbol that will work, will take a bit of work, but we can get it done.” I nodded and looked at the Duergar. “What materials do you need?” The Duergar produced a piece of parchment and handed it to me. It showed a blueprint for a portal large enough to accommodate even me. We would construct it out of stone from the quarry in the deep Labyrinth. We would inscribe with Starsilver runes and diamonds to store the magic required to power it. It would be far from subtle, but it would also be nigh on impossible to destroy because of the sheer amount of stone and Starsilver required to build the thing.

I nodded slowly as I looked at it. “Good, that’s doable, let as many as you can set them up in different areas of the dungeon, best to secure the areas for it though, just in case.” The Duergar nodded and hurried back down the stairs, an eager glint in their eye. Mordred, Pavol and Surin also excused themselves as they would work on the emblem.

With that out of the way, I finished the breakfast in a rather good mood and set off towards the 4th floor Boss Room. The place already had some naturally spawning monsters, so that was nice, but I needed more than what I had. The waters were plenty defended. With my brothers in there, I seriously doubted I could do anything to improve that short of an advanced tier Epic Monster. That left the aerial part of the map. Flying intruders was a rarity in my dungeon. Not until the sudden surge of demons, but it clarified that having a way to deal with flying enemies was a must. With that in mind, I opened the stat screen to get a grip on what I could get.

Let’s see, Monstrous Gulls, nah, they were just huge seagulls with teeth. Hmm, little else in this area capable of flight that was worth it, maybe in the Mastery section? I opened it and started looking. On one hand, yes, this section had a bunch of flying monsters. On the other, they were all expensive. Really, expensive. So, I could pick either a Boss monster or a flying one. Wait, what boss monsters did I have access too for this floor, anyway? Hmm, sort by monster type, Boss Monsters… hmm, The Flying Tildorian? I guess that was this world’s answer to The Flying Dutchman? It looked interesting, but it was way too expensive. I could afford it, barely, but at a whooping 120 EP, 60TP and 50MP. That was way too much of an investment as I could not afford much else afterwards.

I kept scanning through the list, discarding one candidate after another. None of these bosses seemed that interesting or were way too expensive. Hmm, actually, this one could be an interesting addition, still horrendously expensive, but at least there was no TP cost.

Monster: Skyland Leviathan (Unique Environmental Boss)

Genus: Leviathan Horror Monstrosity Elemental Biome

Biome: Special

Unlock cost: 100EP, 50 MP

HP: 800, MP: 420

Attack: -, Defense: -

Magic Attack: -, Magic Defense: -

Strength: 60, Dexterity: 50, Endurance: 80

Intelligence: 57, Wisdom: 42, Charisma: 26

Upkeep: Special

Skills: Gargantuan(Racial), Innate Flight (Racial), Innate Levitation(Racial), Wanderer(Racial), Symbiotic Host(Racial), Symbiotic Defense(Racial), Living Island(Racial Unique), Biomeback(Racial Unique) Spatial Barrier(Racial Unique), Passive(Racial), Immortal(Special), Invulnerable(Special), Noncombatant(Special).

So, this thing was a living floating… biome? Archives, mind giving some info on this thing? There was a moment of silence. . That sounded promising. What biomes could it have? .

That made sense, I could also guess that the reason it had no attack and defense was because it did not take part in combat and was invulnerable. .

This thing seemed like a worthy investment. It was like buying an extra island to use as a Boss room. . Case and point. Hmm, well then, it seemed like the best option. It would create another “island” and add another biome to the floor due to it being specific to the Leviathan itself. There were other options, sure, but this was just a net positive so far. However, there was something that bothered me. What was up with the upkeep? . Ouch a percentage cost rather than flat. On one hand, that meant it would pay for whatever creatures were on it’s back for me, unless things were different here.

. Hmm, Archives had a point.

All right, sure that was a convincing argument. This thing was the boss for this floor. I paid for it and, with more than a wee bit of nervousness, summoned it. It was at that moment I realized just how small I truly was in the grand scheme of things. There was nearly a hurricane force wind as the Skyland Leviathan displaced the surrounding air. To call it Gargantuan had been a massive understatement. This thing was so big my Brothers wouldn’t even be the size of mice in comparison. While I would be even smaller. That’s how massive it was. I felt… tiny. Not a sensation I had expected, given my size.

It was a serpentine creature, like my Brothers, but that’s where the likeness ended. It had a scaly, almost dragon like head, with four glowing eyes the color of emeralds. Her valley sized mouth was filled with baleens the size of houses. Its scales were the color of old stone. The scales covered in moss, fungus and other plants. On its head was a stone structure that I guessed was the Core Room. On its back there was an almost perpetual mist clinging to it, refusing to let go even as the Skyland Leviathan slowly moved around. The scales took on a more wood like structure and coloration on its backside and upper half of the head. I could see some kind of manta like creatures fly in and out of the mist on its back, along with the occasional branch of an immense tree. In a few places, water poured down the Leviathan’s sides in huge waterfalls. The length of the Leviathan was what was the most mind-boggling. I could not for the life of me even imagine where the tail might be, because of the sheer size as it disappeared into the mist.

I looked at my income and sure enough, after the gain of the Cursed sea had added, I would have fallen from 253 E/D “pre-Sargasso” to 224E/D “post-Skyland Leviathan.” That was actually ridiculously cheap, all things considered. The only downside was that it would continue to take half of my income from now on. But maybe there was a way to ease that? . Good to know.

I reached out to the Skyland Leviathan telepathically, and the mind I contacted was, unexpected. She was ancient, old beyond counting. Wise beyond what mortal beings could perceive and so calm that I couldn’t help but relax just by contacting her. Her mind was so strong that had she wanted, she could have crushed mine like a bug. But despite this she was being careful. The Skyland Leviathan was a gentle creature that despised violence. She accepted that it was a necessity for survival for the “smaller” creatures, but it would not resort to it herself, ever. I also learned her name, Latra.

As I contacted her, the waters next to the small stone island churned and boiled as my Brothers rose from the depths. “GrEeTiNgS, eLdEr SiStEr” they said in unison, lowering their heads respectfully. Oh, that made sense. I could feel that Latra felt amusement at my realization. She was not something you could normally stuff into a dungeon. I had a feeling Mother might have had a hand in Latra being on my list. Latra looked at me with her four eyes, and that feeling became certainty. Latra was an extra safeguard in case of a renewed assault like the one before. With her around, a grounded assault would just fail. While her Spatial Barrier would prevent teleportation or other forms of unorthodox travel within its area of effect. Except for Teleportation made by the Dungeon itself. Even the portal I was building would not be able to function inside that Barrier. No shortcuts by teleportation anymore, at least not onto Latra’s back.

I flew up on top of Latra’s head and entered the extensive building on top. It was a large temple like structure akin to those found in the eastern parts of the world. Though the Core Room was the only room inside of it, for now. A wispy boss fog was blocking entrance for trespassers. Somewhere on her back was the boss. I transferred the Core Pillar to the room. It was the safest location in the entire dungeon right now as far as I knew. Heck, the Champion could be anywhere on her massive back. That alone would be like a needle in a haystack, essentially giving me a free floor, all things considered. The back was probably the size of the archipelago itself, if not larger. It was difficult to say seeing as most of her body was out of view.

With that in mind, I left the building and went into the forest itself, hoping to meet the creatures that lived there. This proved to be a mistake. The mist was so damn thick I got lost even with my Labyrinth Sense. My mini map just showed white mist with my dot in the center. There was literally no way for me to navigate this place. With no other option, I took to the skies and carefully maneuvered upwards until I got past the giant trees and into the far less obscuring mists above. Yeah, it was safe all right. If you got lost in there you’d probably never find your way out unless you could fly. I should probably warn the others about that if they should they decide to visit the Core Room for whatever reason.

Since I had to give up on that idea I found my way back down again and landed in the old boss room. Its mist had dissipated, and in its place was a glowing glyph. If I were to make a guess, I would say that it would lead to some point on Latra’s back, probably near the tail. As I pondered about the glyph, I felt Latra’s presence touch my mind. “That is correct, Sister” her mental voice was… loud, for lack of a better word. Deep and kind, I could feel the kindness and ancient wisdom from it. I nodded slowly in response.

Well, the core room here was now empty, so I could use that for something else. And I had the perfect idea for it, provided the tests with the portal worked out. I opened the menu again and looked through the creatures I had available. I now had way more space but hardly any points to spend on them, I would have to grab more normal monsters tomorrow, that was certain. With that in mind, I considered my remaining 30EP, should I unlock another creature with it, or save it for tomorrow. Choices, choices, choices. Hmm, it would probably be for the best if I waited. The remaining EP would hardly get me anything for the floor at this point.

I said goodbye to Latra and my Brothers and flew to the Duergar Fort. I could have just transferred there, but I had not spent that long to summon Latra, so I killed some time by stretching my wings. When I arrived the construction of the portal was already in full swing. Stonemasons were hard at work alongside the smiths to construct the intricate patterns and inlaying the masterfully cut diamonds from the Geode Cavern. The portal was a masterpiece, and while it wasn’t finished, it was a beautiful sight, a piece of art.

As I landed Mordred Looked up from the table where he and the other two were hunched over something. They were discussing with a Duergar craftsman about something, probably how to link the portal and the emblem. He waved before resuming whatever they were up to. They seemed to be having a good time. I was not the only one who was watching the portal, however. Indella was here too and seemed quite interested in the construction. *I noticed that the Duergar are constructing one of these inside the Umbral spiders room too.* I nodded, “Once they are finished we’ll be able to move about the dungeon easier. Although with the most recent development there might be a bit of an issue with reaching the core room with them.”

Indella looked at me with a curious expression as I explained what had transpired. *So, we can’t have a portal on her and the only way to get onto her is to use that magic circle.* She commented. “Unless you can fly, yes. The circle that the dungeon placed is the only form of teleportation that are unaffected by her barrier, and its destination is fixed.” I continued to explain my experience with the forest, how it had just been a mass of white mist and distant gigantic tree trunks. I could barely sense the minds of the manta like flying creatures I had seen as I walked in there as I flew out. Either they had been distant or they had avoided me on purpose. Indella shuddered *What kind of creature is Latra’s champion anyhow?* I shook my head. “No clue, it’s somewhere inside that misty forest, but I neither encountered nor sensed it. But one thing is certain. If the champion can navigate that mist, I pity anyone who has to fight it as it will probably make use of ambush tactics.”

As we spoke the Duergar was putting up the finishing touches on the portal. They had finished at quite a remarkable pace, all things considered. The portal itself was like the night sky, bound by a spiderweb of Starsilver and dotted with diamond stars that were glowing faintly from the magic they contained. Mordred was approaching, carrying a Starsilver necklace large enough to fit around my neck. On it was an ebony emblem with a maze like symbol etched in Starsilver about the size of Mordred’s fist. The key to the portal. I accepted the necklace and carefully put it around my neck while wondering if it would work. . Hidden in plain sight, not a horrible idea.

I opened the menu and looked up heraldry in the devices menu, 15TP, not exactly pocket change, but not horrible. I bought it and, following the instructions of the menu, envisioned the emblem from before as the heraldry. All around the fortress things started happening. Black and purple banners and standards with the white maze from my emblem embroidered on them appeared at intervals all over the walls. The building leading into the Duergar Kings audience hall also underwent a change as it now had a big window with the emblem in stained glass. It also had the banners as well. I had little to no doubt that other places all around the dungeon had undergone similar changes.

To my surprise, however, the armors of the Duergar and Indella’s robes also underwent a similar change. Their armor and robes prominently displaying the heraldry on the front. “Well, that helps with speeding up production, I suppose.” Pavol said out loud, probably more to himself than the rest of us. I couldn’t disagree with him there. As I looked around the Fort some more several, Duergar entered the fort. Judging by their appearance, they were the Duergar working on the portal on the second floor. “Da portal upstairs are done, Melady.” Declared the leader of the group, he looked quite proud of himself. “Good work, I am impressed that you managed it this quickly, I would have expected at least a few more hours.”

I responded, honestly surprised they had finished before the Duergar closest to the Quarry, given the time it would have taken them to walk back. “That would ‘ave been the case, Melady. If not fer that pointy eared new friend of yer’s, Eliandar. He’s da best Geomancer I have ever seen. With his help, it went by faster than expected. He couldn’t help us put da thing together, obviously. But he helped shape the stone blocks fer us, and also cut and set da gems in their sockets. Superb work on his end, if I may say so.” So one of the newest members of the Adventurers had decided to help, I would have to thank him later.

I looked over at Mordred. “We have a second portal done, why don’t we test to see if they work properly?” He and the others looked up. “Sure, just give me a moment to clean up here and I will get this thing going.” He and the others started to clean up the remains of their tinkering. Once they were done Pavol and Mordred walked over to the portal, each of them now carrying small emblems of their own. Surin joined them shortly after, though he did not have an emblem. The three started to chant in unison and diamonds dim glow grew stronger and stronger. The air in the middle of the portal started to twist, ripple and distort, before the entire thing burst into a kaleidoscope of color. The next moment the smeary colors disappeared, and the air returned to normal. The only indication that the portal was working was the stronger glow of the embedded diamonds. Surin looked over at me with a satisfied smile. “We will go and activate the portal on the second floor as well, it shouldn’t take long.”

As they left Indella walked over and looked at the portal with a thoughtful expression. *Hope it will work out because these could be invaluable in the future.* She gently touched the large stone arch as she spoke. I nodded. “So do I now, whe-” Before I could finish the portal suddenly started to surge with power. It was activating, but too soon, there was no way Mordred and the others had reached the portal on the second floor yet. “Indella get back!” Indella stumbled a few steps back as the portal activated. Duergar warriors immediately formed up, aiming their weapons at the activating portal. The air rippled once more, the kaleidoscope of color slowly twisting and turning before forming into a view of some place else. Wherever it was leading, it was decidedly not inside my dungeon. I had no place in my dungeon that lead to a place like what we saw on the other side.

That’s when a familiar face came into view on the other side of all the people. “We meet again, Core, as I knew we would.” Yrsha the Diviner smiled gently at me as she walked over to the edge of the portal. Then, to my surprise, calmly stepped through. An Illusion? . Interesting, so Cores could move freely within any dungeon. . I gave her a respectful nod. “The pleasure is mine, though I will admit I did not expect this visit.” Yrsha’s many tails waged gently behind her, betraying amusement.

“I will admit that when I foresaw this encounter, I did not immediately believe it either. Not until I had seen it three times was I certain it could actually happen.” she answered flippantly. I nodded slowly in response. “Why don’t we find someplace a bit more comfortable to chat, I doubt you are too eager to speak standing up as well?” I suggested. This entire encounter had me a bit on edge. Yrsha gave a polite nod and followed me as I led her into the Audience chamber. Yrsha took a seat on one of the benches along the side while I sat down beside her. “So, what is the cause for this unexpected visit?” I asked finally, still keeping it civil and polite. As I asked a trio of Duergar arrived with a cup containing wine for Yrsha and a barrel containing the same for me. I carefully took a sip. It was not mushroom wine, good. I did not want a repeat of last time. Yrsha took a polite sip as well before she looked up at me. “Well it just so happens that I am in need of materials that my dungeon simply cannot produce but yours can.” She began, then paused to take another sip of her drink before she continued. “And when scrying for alternatives I saw myself walking through a portal and ending up here, in your dungeon, where I would find what I needed. To be precise, I wish to trade for Starsilver to make better weapons for my servants.” I looked at her and pondered how to respond to this.

“I see, and what could I expect as payment for the Starsilver?” I already had a suspicion, given the view I had seen through the portal. Yrsha looked up at me “I have several types of wood readily available and in abundance. I also have several fields of berries and orchards that I kept around after returning home. Would this abundance suffice?” She looked at me with an unreadable expression. Normally, such an offer would be quite tempting as both wood and vegetables were something I would have a hard time ever producing. However, Yrsha was a Fox Spirit and that meant there was probably a test of some kind going on right now. “Normally I would happily agree to such a trade. However, Lady Yrsha, recent developments have seen my dungeon under the not so friendly gaze of Inlas, and she as secured at least some help from Selba as well. As such, accepting this trade would deplete my reserves of Starsilver, Starsilver I might need to defend myself in the event of a renewed assault. As such, I cannot accept these terms.”

Yrsha looked at me for a while longer, now smiling gently. “That is unfortunate, but understandable, is there anything else I might offer that could persuade you otherwise?” She had a knowing smile on her face, I had little to no doubt now, that she had already foreseen this entire damn conversation. Well then, this should be a formality, really. “I suggest that since we can connect our dungeons using the portal, that we not only make a trade agreement for these materials, but a defensive alliance as well. Inlas and her allies are already dead set on claiming dungeons, it would seem. And while you are protected now, it won’t last forever.” Much to my shock, she actually seemed surprised at this. “This is not what I foresaw.” She mumbled quietly to herself, so quietly that I was probably not meant to hear it. I decided to ignore that comment and just waited patiently for a reply.

Yrsha for her part remained quiet as she contemplated things back and forth. Then she closed her eyes and looked up at me. “I will not lie, I did not foresee this development, so I will need a few days to contemplate this offer. I beg your forgiveness but it is seldom I am surprised these days. Especially not when something goes completely against what I have foreseen, which should be impossible.” I smiled gently at her. “It’s fine, I don’t mind at all, Lady Yrsha. It’s an important matter and it should not be decided lightly and without proper care, even if you had foreseen it.” Yrsha finished her cup of wine and rose as I spoke. “Thank you for the extra time. I apologize that I have to be the one to think it over when I am also the one who first made an offer.” I stood up as well and put the barrel down, still containing half its contents, and walked with her towards the exit. “It’s fine, Lady Yrsha. Oh, that reminds me, I never really introduced myself, did I? You may call me Pearl.” I smiled at her as I pushed open the door. Yrsha looked at me with another unreadable expression, “A sign that I can trust you, I take it?” She finally concluded. “Among other things, maybe I will tell you about it one day, should we have the time?” I replied as we exited the building.

Yrsha now had an intrigued expression. “I will look forward to it, Lady Pearl.” We walked side by side to the portal and with a gesture from Yrsha it sprung to life once more. I noticed that she held a small spherical object in her hand with my emblem engraved on it. So, that’s how she opened the portal. “I take it that the portal to your dungeon is linked to those in my dungeon?” Yrsha nodded, “It’s part of your network, yes. I had to use what little Starsilver and gems I had to finish the construction.” Well, the portal was specifically designed to that it could only link up to portals made from the same materials and the same crest requirement. In this case, stone, gems, Starsilver and the heraldry of my dungeon. “I see, well, I look forward to hearing your reply to my counteroffer, until then, Lady Yrsha.” The Fox Spirit nodded gently, then stepped through the portal. “Until next time, Lady Pearl.” she replied. There was another flash and once more the portal was just an inert stone arch.

I took a deep breath. Well, that was unexpected, though given the circumstances I had handled it as well as I could have. . That made me feel better, Archives knew more of Fox spirits than I did, after all. As I was lost in thoughts about what had just transpired Mordred and the rest returned from setting up the other portal. “So, are we ready to test it?” he asked, clearly eager to see if he had succeeded. Then he paused as he saw the expression on Indella and the Duergar faces. “A test will not be necessary, I fear, someone did it for us” Mordred gave me a curious expression as I answered. I explained what had occurred the others. Mordred seemed rightfully crestfallen, while Pavol was furiously making notes in the book. Indella looked uneasy, which I could understand. Yrsha was a wildcard and could be a boon or a bane, depending on how this all went down and only time would tell which it was.