The Dungeon Priests can be found all over Varona, but every seventh day they all gather at what used to be the Townhouse of Tribulation for weekly mass. After undergoing another upgrade to be able to fit all the Cardinal's flock inside, the dungeon residents now know it as the Cathedral of Confession.

Only the dungeon residents know it as that, however. Everybody else calls it the cathedral, or the church as some may say. Even though it's much, much larger than a church.

Zen, Ang, Avos and the rest of the Acolytes, Disciplines and Tironian alike, gather to listen to Cardinal Carn's sermons at least once a week. The congregation have subtly named it Dungeon Days.

"You may have seen her in the street, or even eating lunch at Ali's. She may have purchased food from your stall, or helped unnoticed somehow with your delivery. You may have greeted her and in turn she you without the knowledge of it ever transpiring. Such is the will of the dungeon."

"Such is the will of the dungeon," repeat the masses.

"She may be blessing the fruit of your labor, or even strengthening your seed. Even the gain to your experience is not beyond the touch of her reach. She walks among the masses as one of us and never asks for more. Giving her all for the betterment of Tironia and its children alike. Such is the will of the dungeon."

"Such is the will of the dungeon," again the masses repeat the line. They hang on his words, waiting for more as Cardinal Carn talks a small sip of water.

Placing the glass back on the podium he continues.

"The dungeon we worship is vastly different from all others that have come before it. She is unique in every aspect of the word. One of a kind. She truly cares for everyone and in turn that reflects on all those gathered here today. She loves and again, it shows on the faces of her believers as they too offer such emotion to others. She provides, protects and prevails. Such is the will of the dungeon."

"Such is the will of the dungeon."

Cardinal Carn's congregation hung on every word the holy man dictated. That was until a shrill shriek tore their attention away and stopped the Cardinal in turn. They all rush to crowd the door to find out what caused the unholy noise. Panic sets into the majority as a Dragon flies overhead, roaring as it goes.

Before the masses have a chance to turn into an unruly, uncoordinated mob, the Cardinal pushes his way to the front of the crowd laughing all the way.

"Fret not children. For now you will see the true power of the dungeon. Her majestic glory in all its worth will protect you no matter what so have no fear. The holy mother Abi sees all from her tower on high and will deliver justice to any that threaten the sanctity of her streets."

While the fear of a Dragon attack is not something that can be so easily alleviated, Cardinal Carn manages to calm everyone down and they watch on from entrance of the Cathedral. Wondering all the while whether their Goddess truly will save them.

Goddess Abi.

Green hair.

Green eyes.

About 5'5 with an adorable smile and a warmth that radiates from her soul.

Something like that.

Cardinal Carn's Mass

Dungeon Stories Volume 3

For some strange reason, the Dragon didn't attack my city and instead decided to make a den on my mountain.

I've never actually seen a Dragon with my own eyes before today. Not first hand anyway. I've seen pictures inside books, but they didn't do the creature I saw justice.

Black scales and beautiful features were all I saw. Sure there was a hint of terror somewhere underneath the surface. For some reason though, I was enraptured by her beauty.

Is it a she?

I'm definitely not an expert on Dragon anatomy or anything, but for some reason I'm pretty sure she was radiating feminine charm.

Or is that just me?

Either way Varona is in uproar as the citizens are in full-on panic mode. Dashing around and screaming like headless chickens, it's taking the combined effort of all my family just to stop them from arguing with each other. The Dragon hasn't gone either and instead has decided to take up residence in the black forest about three quarters of the way up my mountain. The monster ripped a few trees out to make space for herself and then dug slightly into the mountain before going to sleep.

Seriously, what the hell?

It could be the fact that everything has been sunshine and rainbows recently and all the minor problems accumulated into one big shit show occurring at once? That's not how it should be though, right? I thought I was just enjoying the fruits of my labor. Living the good life, you know?

Never did I expect that the next problem to fly my way would be one on this scale. I mean, who could possibly fight a Dragon and win? They're meant to be like next-level monsters and only the strongest dare to challenge them. Not that I've ever heard any story regarding them winning that is.

OK. My best option is go with the two people who always surpass expectations, right? It has to be! I'm definitely not sending Noir up there. He would more than likely piss the Dragon off at which point it could lay waste to my city from the sky.

The buildings aren't so much a concern but the citizens themselves are and my family is priority number one. Under no circumstances can I let any harm come to them.

I suppose I could just ignore the Dragon. Pretend it's not even there and tell everyone it left? No, that won't do. Honesty is the best policy after all. Plus, I can't fall back into ignoring problems that I don't know how to deal with.

"Abi! Was that a Dragon?" Anya shouts, running up the street toward me.

"Yeah. I suppose it was. Don't you think she looked kind of beautiful?" I asked before realising what I said.

"What? No... Well maybe, but she definitely did look kind of fucking dangerous. You know, the kind that eats you and sets fire to everything type of dangerous?" Anya's serious and isn't playing around.

"I know. I'm going to get Light and Dropper to see if they can communicate with it." I let the Rainbow Mage know my intentions, simple as they may be.

"What!? Abi, no! You've got to kill it. It's a Dragon. It's not going to talk to you, you know?" Anya's basically screaming at me now. Seriously, what did I say that time?

"Don't be like that. What if it's an intelligent creature? There isn't much information on Dragons so it's worth a shot, right?"

"What did Me say?" I hadn't even thought to ask what he knows about the creature in question, but a quick telepathic question confirms my suspicions.

Dragons are generally intelligent creatures. Especially if summoned through the dungeon menu.

That settles it. I have to see if they can talk it into leaving before anything bad happens. I don't really want my efforts to go to waste or for my city to become a black spot after all.

Light and Dropper arrive in the shadow of the closest alleyway and rush over to me and Anya.

"Master, we are here." Dropper announces their arrival while Light questions me about our latest threat. "Is this about the Dragon?"

"Thanks for coming so quickly and yes, I've summoned you because of the Dragon." Light struggles to contain his joy whereas Dropper's composure is something to be praised. Have they always been like that? It only feels like recently that Light has been acting out a little more than usual. For now I'll put it down to him spending too much time with Noir and leave it at that.

"I want you to see if you can talk the Dragon into leaving. Me says they're intelligent creatures so there's a good chance you will be able to communicate with them."

"What if it doesn't want to leave?" Light has a mischievous look in his eye as he asks the biggest question on his mind.

"As long as it doesn't pose a threat to anyone then it will probably move on at some point." It's rare you get to see a Dragon these days, or at least it used to be. Not that we've seen any others in the last year except this one. "The most important thing is that you come back alive and the city stays safe. Do not under any circumstances engage the Dragon in combat. Am I clear?"

Both Light and Dropper acknowledge my order. The blue-haired Assassin grumbled something about "not being fair," under his breath before they disappeared, which didn't escape my hearing But I decided to ignore it. As long as they don't die it will be a win in my book.

Twenty minutes later and I remember why I stopped sending Light and Dropper on scouting missions.

First Time Absorption Bonus:

19,060DP 19,060 XP

New loot has been unlocked unlocked:

Dragon Fang: 500DP

Dragon Scale: 500DP

Dragon Absorption Bonus:

19060DP 19060 XP

Bella The Black:

Level 62 Black Dragon 190600XP

Dungeon Core Abi has reached Level 38:

DP has been increased by 160

A new monster has been unlocked:

Black Dragon: 5000DP

New features have been unlocked:

All rooms and tunnels can now be customized with the Dragon effect for no additional cost

Any Dragon summoned by you will create peace instead of chaos into the hearts of those who witness them

Passive Skill Regeneration has reached Level 28

I sigh in relief as neither of them are injured. A massive smile is plastered across Light's face.

"What did I say?" I ask weakly, but Light just laughs as though he doesn't remember me telling him not to engage the Dragon.

"Well. I only hit it once when we were retreating as you ordered, but it just sort of... went down."

I don't know what to say. I honestly thought a Dragon might actually pose some sort of risk or threat to my city and dungeon's security. Was I foolish for being cautious? Surely not, right?