Like a good amount of the former slaves, Dave is waiting in front of the bathhouse. He heard the news just like everyone else that Laura is now a Citizen of the Dungeon. And, not unlike almost all of them, he’s impatient to see her and to hear what she has to say.

He believes she will have more things to say than Franziska. The young Human woman may be shy and discreet, but she’s not as asocial as that Dwarf.

Dave wants to ask Laura about the opportunity of having his own workshop in which he could perfect his art and become an even better cabinetmaker. The fact that Franziska got her own smithy is proof that he could have his own place to work, too.

As he’s lost in thought, on what he could do if he had the help of the Dungeon, the building’s door finally opens and Laura walks out and blinks when she sees the crowd waiting for her.

Part of the people gasps when they see the girl exit the bathhouse. She’s dressed in a strange outfit, of a kind he has never seen before. He has already seen jackets, pants and the rest, obviously, but never things cut quite like that. It is also obvious to everyone that the quality of the outfit is much higher than everything else around. They can also see from their positions that it is something that even nobles wouldn’t frown upon.

The only problem with the outfit is the fact that a woman is wearing such high-quality trousers. Usually, when a woman can wear such fine clothing in society, she is either rich and wears dresses, gowns or at least skirts or she is a strong adventurer that doesn’t fear rumors about her lack of femininity. Other women who wear pants are the ones who may need them for work, but in such cases, they wouldn’t have the money to buy such nice ones.

But the rumors say that in some far away countries, women wear pants just like men. Hey, he even heard that in some places wearing a skirt is a sign of great masculinity! So if the Dungeon - as it is obvious that it is it that has provided Laura with her new outfit - wants to dress her like that, it is its choice. Dave cannot go against it, he will just need a bit of time to get used to the sight of it.

Unfortunately, some people in the crowd are not as open-minded as the woodworker and Dave can already hear some disapproving voices. He ignores them for now and focuses on what’s happening at the front of the crowd.

Laura is standing on top of the few stairs in front of the bathhouse entrance. Her eyes are focused on the crowd and her head is tilted a bit to the side as if she is listening to something. After a few seconds of staring, she raises her head and starts to address the crowd in a strong voice that no one here has heard from her before.

“People! I am pleased to tell you that I am now the Dungeon’s Voice. It is a title he has given me. It means I will talk for him whenever he has an announcement to make.” She makes a pause letting the crowd take in what she just said, but resumes talking after a moment. “Know that the Dungeon is always with us in his Domain. But he has some other things to do and cannot always listen to us. Therefore I will act as his representative, that is the purpose of the Voice. If you want to talk to him about something, please come to me.” She takes another deliberate breath, looking at the people listening to her.

“I know there are a lot of craftsmen among you. Those of you, who want a private workshop like Franziska’s smithy, will be offered a deal. The first craftsman of a trade to become a Citizen will have his or her own workshop built by the Dungeon according to their likings and will be considered the official representative of their trade in the Domain. The Dungeon will help them improve by allowing them to use parts of his mana in their works and will also provide them with a fair amount of raw materials to start working, he will also occasionally pass orders to them. Orders that will be well priced.” Once again, Laura waits for the crowd to take in what she’s saying. Dave is particularly interested, being the official woodworker of the Dungeon? Damn, that would be great! The Dungeon itself - or himself, Laura is referring to it as a him - probably doesn’t need anything, but Laura and the other people here will probably want some wooden furniture.

“Of course the position of official craftsman can be lost if the Dungeon is not pleased by the results.” This declaration stops David thoughts. The position can be lost? He doesn’t fear for the quality of his own work, he is good with wood. But what if someone else is better? Could he lose the position to someone else?

David already sees himself as a world-renowned crafter. An artist that nobility and royalty would beg to own his work. Thinking of what he could do with the help of the Dungeon, his old dreams of grandeur, the ones he had discarded when he was enslaved, are coming back stronger than ever before. He does not think about the fact that the Dungeon’s own existence is at risk, so focused is he on his old dreams.

“The same can be done for any profession a new Citizen wants to choose. Be it a gardener, a seamstress, a stonemason or even a prostitute.” David hears a few gasps in the crowd. “That’s right. The Dungeon does not care what profession people choose to follow, as long they do not go against his Laws. You could become a murderer and he would not stop you as long as you do not attempt to take the life of a Citizen or any normal people he took a special liking in.” This time the gasps are more numerous. “That’s what happened to Bertrand. If you remember him, he was a stupid man and tried to kill me. I’ve been told he is not dead but is suffering a fate worse than death itself.” She said that with such a big smile on her face and pleased tone in her voice that the crowd grows completely silent, David is even feeling cold shivers run down his back.

“On a much brighter note, the work of the Citizens should bring better living conditions for everyone living inside the Domain. As well as the next things the Dungeon will build for all of us. I know that he is ready to bring in some small farm animals for the first Citizen that wants to work on a farm. As much as I like to eat the Dungeon’s fruits and the occasional fish, I would also love to eat some eggs and chicken. Or, if we could have a baker, we could eat hot bread and other freshly baked goods…” She lets her voice trail off to let the other people picture the food she’s talking about. “The Dungeon shared his vision of the future with me. He sees this place becoming an economic and cultural hub for the known world. Of course, all the people helping him in this task would greatly benefit from this as well.” At those words, David once again starts to dream about his future celebrity status.

“Unfortunately.” She resumes, sadness in her voice. “All of that will never happen if the Dungeon falls when the pirates come back.” And once again, she brings fear to the hearts of the people gathered here. “The Dungeon struck a deal with them as a way to free us. But he does not want to work with them in the future, as they will be a liability for his plans. For the moment he cannot repel them and if they were to return in the next few days they would probably crush his core and enslave all of us anew.” A feeling of hopelessness surrounds the crowd of former slaves at the thought of the pirates coming back to reclaim them.

“But do not worry.” Laura cheerfully says. “The Dungeon has a plan to save us all. And we all have a place in it. Everyone willing to participate in the defence of our lives will be granted weapons, armor and training. The Citizens will be guided on the path of Evolution, the Dungeon believes that a fair amount of us could become Second in a few months of training under his guidance.” The mutters David is hearing this time are a mix of excitement at the prospect of being Seconds and fear of the pirates. “It will take our enemies several months to come back, they are travelling by sea and won’t come back before having spent a fair amount of the gold the Dungeon gave them in exchange of our freedom. And during this time he will prepare a lot of defences. We will not fight alone. The animals from the maze and all of his Domain will be there too. And this way we will be able to repeal the pirates and pay back our debt to the Dungeon.”

“Now, if you have questions, it will be a pleasure for me to answer them.” Laura finishes her long speech with a nice smile on her face, her hands crossed in front of her in a distinguished manner.

In the following hours David and the other former slaves ask Laura a lot of questions about the Dungeon, while she explains as best as she could. With some occasional breaks as to listen to an explanation from the Dungeon itself, always tilting her head to the side on those moments.

She explains that once the Citizens are numerous enough, they should form some sort of council and establish the laws that the people in the Dungeon’s Domain would have to follow and enforce by themselves. At the apparent pleasure of Clara, the Dungeon does not care if the law enforcers’ chief is male or female. In its opinion males and females are equal at least in mind if not in bodies, and even there Evolution tends to erase those differences. Pleasing more women than just Clara it is declared that it does not care if women get any positions which would be reserved for men in most societies. Or the other way around.

During this exchange, lots of people talk about their old jobs, allowing David to learn he is the only real craftsman specialized in wood. Other crafters may work with wood sometimes, but he is the most suited for the position of woodworkers’ representative.

Other things, Laura explains, concern the Dungeon’s defence system. How there will be an enormous amount of traps and how the animals will fight to defend the Citizens and the core. She adds, that the Dungeon has not yet established its final defence strategy, but she at least knows some things about it. For example, the fact that the Citizens lives are more important than those of non-Citizens and that the Dungeon will not try as hard to save the last ones.

The last thing Laura is asked is what the Dungeon can be doing all day that it needs a representative. She explains that for the moment it can take care of everything by itself but that in time, when its tasks will be more numerous and the town will have grown, it will not be bothered with it anymore. Laura explains that, for now, the Dungeon is conducting experiments with the goal of improving its defences, before the pirates return.

After the long talk, David comes back to his house and thinks back on all the revelations of the day. He has finally made his decision. He will become a Citizen.

---

Laura walks into her home. She’s so exhausted from the long talk and all the energy she had to use to look good and in control. She now understands why Franziska is so rude to the people when they bother her with questions. It’s tiring for the body and the mind. Half asleep already, she stumbles to her bed, not noticing the new furniture in the room, and throws herself on her bed.

Half across her fall, she remembers that her bed is far from comfortable with its rocky base and that there are only a few itchy blankets thrown on top of it to make it bearable. Knowing that she’s in for a painful landing, she is surprised to find that her bed is much more comfy than usual. She sits back up and looks at it in more detail. She finds that there is a comfortable mattress made of grass and flowers underneath new and soft blankets and that the bed base is now wound instead of stone.

“I see that you have found another one of my gifts.” She hears the Dungeon voice in her head. He seems pleased.

“Yes, thanks. I will sleep much better with this new bed.” Laura says, laying down on the bed and rolling herself in the blankets. “It smells so good and it’s so soft. I love it! Thank you very much.” She buries her head in the new pillows and instantly starts to fall asleep.

“Hold on a bit, I have a special reward for you.” At those words, Laura rolls on her side, curious about the mischievous tone of the Dungeon.

“A special reward? Why?”

“Because you performed admirably on your first task. Even better than I had anticipated, I’m extremely proud of you.”

“Thanks, but it is my duty. I don't need any rewards.” Laura says, her face red in embarrassment.

“But I want to reward you. Won’t you let me do it?”

“Yes? What is it?” She asks a bit excited.

“This.”

Laura feels a warm sensation coursing through her body. The warmth slowly flows into her muscles, helping them relax and feeling like a warm hug.

“That’s good, thanks.” She says gratefully.

“I’m only warming up, wait for it to really start.”

The warm feeling slowly starts to concentrate on certain particular areas and Laura throws her eyes wide open.

“What are you doing!?” Laura asks, starting to worry a bit.

“Do not worry. You can trust me, I will never harm you.” The Dungeon does not stop focusing his energy on Laura’s special parts.

“It’s not that. It’s just the memories this is bringing back.” The woman says, covering herself with the blankets remembering part of the abuses of her previous life.

“The memories will never fully go away, but I do hope that you and I can make new ones. New memories that are stronger and better than your old ones. Memories for us to share. For just you and me, together.” Laura can hear something in the Dungeon’s voice, something she feels sounds like love or at least what she thinks it should sound like.

“New memories? You and me. Together…” She feels her heart bumping louder in her chest, not knowing if it is just her body reacting to the Dungeon’s mana flowing through her or if it is the effect of his words. Probably both.

“Yes. I know you're afraid. Just focus on us. There is only you and me. But if you want me to stop, I’ll stop. I don’t want to force you. I just want to help you build new and better memories. With me.”

“With you? I… I don’t know.” Her hearts keep on beating faster and louder with the Dungeon’s words and actions.

“Don’t you trust me?” He asks her, pain in his voice.

“Yes, I trust you.” She says, giving in to the growing sensations in her body.

Slowly and continuously the Dungeon focuses his mana inside of her body, making higher concentrations of it in all of her erogenous zones. She lets out some low moaning sounds.

As the night goes one, the Dungeon perfects his technique, making the mana flow in different patterns, even managing to make it vibrate. On her side, Laura gives in more and more to the sensations, allowing herself to feel a pleasure the strength she had never been able to feel before. Her voice goes higher and higher as she climaxes several times, clenching the bedsheets in her hands and screaming in sexual delight.

At the end, she lays on her back, heavily panting and staring at the ceiling. The bed is drenched in sweat and cyprine. Traces of saliva and tears of pleasure can be seen on her cheeks and pillows, one of them even has some rips showing the markings of tightly clenched teeth. Her throat is still warmed by the Dungeon as he’s healing her broken vocal cords. There is also a big puddle of cyprine in the middle of the bed.

“Th… thanks. Thank you so much…” Laura says after a few moments, still panting. “That was… amazing. I didn’t know you could feel something like this.” She wipes her face with the torn pillow. “I… I love you.”

“I love you too, darling.”

And with these sweet words from her lover, Laura falls asleep without knowing what the Dungeon really thinks of her.