soooooooooo.......... i stayed up and wrote this because there was nothing better to do and i didn't want to go to the endless abyss that is the recommend video section of youtube..........

before reading this keep one thing in mind, Hanna's emotional and mental state and who she has been around and what they have done for the last two weeks. you will understand more when you read the chapter.....

as is now tradition, i will not be editing this until i get my good nights 8-12 hour rest..... so it may or may not be readibles, but is probably better than engrish.... you've been warned...........

here you go: ENJOY!!!

“So, just how long is it going to take you to heal my brother anyway? I mean it has been like two weeks, and as much as I appreciate you making me food, a bedroom and bathroom, a bed, a bath with water, and new things to wear…….. And I DO appreciate that stuff….. It’s just I kinda only want my brother to be ok, you know? I can do without all the luxury if it’s taking away from Ulisus getting better sooner….” (Hanna)

I was currently in my core room with Hanna and Instinct waiting on the mite team and Ralt to bring back samples from the outside world, I was talking with Instinct and bonding with Hanna. Well, I was TRYING to bond with Hanna… I wasn’t sure if it was working though, Instinct said that bonding with those close to you was important especially for humans and probably for the other six races too. The problem was I didn’t really know how to “bond” really, and what Instinct told me seemed just strange. I didn’t even know what “try to bond and grow closer if that’s what you want, but don’t grow TOO close with the human ok? Remember, close but not TOO close……” was supposed to mean. Instinct was weird sometimes…

“Well human, the speed of your brother’s recover depends heavily on you…. If you would just be willing to go out and find a representative for each of the gods that watch over your brother and get them to renounce said gods claims, this would go much faster.” (Instinct)

Hanna made the face I came to know meant she was frustrated while throwing up her hands in the air.

“I’ve told you, that’s just not POSSIBLE! Do you have ANY idea how many gods there are and how many protect and govern humanity? Then there are the gods that protect families and the gods protecting individuals…… I probably couldn’t even FIND all the people I would need to even if I spent my entire life searching for them, and even if I did they wouldn’t excommunicate someone they didn’t know and who hadn’t committed heresy!” (Hanna)

“Then you could go out and find a powerful healer and soulmancer, together they should be able to save your brother. Also their deaths would probably bring Waynor incredible amounts of power…..” (Instinct)

Hanna started doing that hair pulling thing she did a lot when she talked to long with Instinct.

“First off, no sane healer would enter a dungeon without someone they trusted to protect them. Second off, even if I DID find a soulmancer that didn’t make me into some sort of soulless puppet bent to its whims, and even if that Soulmancer DID agree to help me it would most likely just kill you and Waynor and take the legendary soul stones your cores became afterwards!” (Hanna)

…….. Soulmancers are no longer going to be allowed within a floor of my core…….

“Then you could always just go out and kill countless numbers of your own kind, the gods seem to stop offering their protection to a person’s entire family for a generation or two after they have killed a few hundred of their own kind in cold blood…..” (Instinct)

Hanna’s mouth hung open and she just looked at the pedestal holding Instinct and I.

“I am NOT becoming some sort of serial murderer!!! What is wrong with you!?!?” (Hanna)

“What, they’re just humans….” (Instinct)

“I’M HUMAN TOO YOU STUPID PAPERWEIGHT!!!!!” (Hanna)

“Yes for now…. but you’re different, anyway. You DO want your brother there to be healed quickly right? Well those are about the only ways to do that……” (Instinct)

Hanna let out a sigh and just tilted her head back. I wonder what was on the ceiling that was so interesting she kept doing that, I have been working on those new light crystals I added to replace the metal light reflection method. Maybe I should make it more artistic? If Hanna was going to look at it so often then I wanted the ceiling to be a bit more decorative and beautiful, that seemed like something I could work on later though Hanna should be fine with the ceiling as it is now for a while….

“Yes I do, but I won’t kill so many for something you said you could fix on your own with time….. Wait, just how am I different from other humans anyway, Instinct?” (Hanna)

“Oh was that not obvious? You’re Waynor’s PET, oh great “lady” Hanna…….” (Instinct)

Hanna seemed to pause for a moment, then her face turned furious and she stomped her foot really hard making a loud clapping sound on the tiled floor and causing the heel to snap.

“I’m sorry, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?!?!?!?!?” (Hanna)

…………Awwww…… I worked hard on making that outfit…. It made Hanna so much more beautiful and emphasized all her best features so well……. I guess I’ll try a blue gown design next time, maybe it will make her eyes seem more beautiful than the yellow……

“Hanna, heel. Heel girl, heel and sit.” (Waynor)

Hanna started to point at Instinct while she yelled.

“Are YOU the reason that Waynor has been treating me like this for the entire day!?!?!?! Damnit Instinct that’s NOT funny!!! Waynor listen, you don’t always have to believe everything Instinct tells you. Sometimes she says and does stuff just to mess with me, what did she tell you talking to me like that was anyway?” (Hanna)

“The best way to bond with you.” (Waynor)

Hanna just stood still for a little while, her face seemed stuck on the shocked expression for some reason. Then she started shouting again.

“INSTINCT I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!!” (Hanna)

“Bad Hanna, no killing Instinct. Instinct is your friend, remember?” (Waynor)

“I…. What? No, Waynor that’s just an expression that humans use sometimes. I didn’t mean I was actually going to-…….” (Hanna)

“Pfffft……….. That’s right, we’re GREAT friends….. Right Hanna-Pup?” (Instinct)

“GRRRRRRRR……………. One day paperweight, one day……….” (Hanna)

“Oh, so it’s just an expression? Ok then….. Hanna be a good girl and sit, I have to fix your outfit. If you’re a good girl I’ll give you a treat….” (Waynor)

Hanna walked towards the small table I made for her to eat and rest at while she was in my core room, as she sat down she looked at me.

“You know Waynor, Instinct is playing a trick on you at my own expense again. This isn’t actually how you’re supposed to bond with humans, just with pets like a dog or a fennic. Oh by the way, I want my treat to be those strawberry and maple scones you made the other day, those were actually surprisingly really good….” (Hanna)

I opened my connection with Instinct.

Were you playing another trick, Instinct?

Yes, but don’t worry, I would’ve told you about it and the correct ways humans use to bond after a day or so. I don’t want you to have the wrong idea about something, I know how important learning new things is for you……. (Instinct)

Why do you keep doing these tricks to Hanna?

…………………..It’s a female thing, you wouldn’t understand Waynor……….. (Instinct)

Then leave me out of them from now on, I don’t like being wrong about what I think is right. It feels bad and I don’t want to feel that anymore.

Ok, I won’t involve you anymore Waynor. Sorry……… (Instinct)

I severed the connection with Instinct, the sadness and regret coming through the connection were making me feel a way I didn’t like. I repaired the heel of Hanna’s slipper, I was really getting good at directly manipulating and changing things myself now. Most little things like that didn’t even cost me any power anymore, Instinct said it was because I was growing and adapting to the method. Whatever the case, I liked how I could do as much as fully decorate a wall and still not use any power if I did it directly myself.

………………I wonder if I will still be able to do things directly myself when my dungeon gets bigger……… I probably won’t be able to handle doing things like that when I have more floors, am making more creations, watching and interacting with the ones who enter my dungeon, and just expanding on things in general…….. Maybe I should just delegate more to the mites? They already do a wonderful job building and maintaining the dungeon as it is now, it’s just their tastes and sense of beauty don’t seem to match much with my own. They’re fine if I SHOW them what I want, but that would mean I would still have to find time to do THAT…….. Maybe I should create something that shares my tastes and preferences perfectly and can beautify my dungeon when I’m too busy to? Yes that seems like a good idea, but for now I can manage on my own and doing this is still fun…….. Maybe after my first few levels I’ll seriously look into that new creation idea though………

“Hanna, it seems I was bonding incorrectly. I’m sorry, I’ll stop now. Please forgive Instinct for her trick, she is just doing female things…..” (Waynor)

“Yeah, sure, whatever. I forgive the paperweight…………. Hey wait, Waynor what about my scones? ………Waynor? ………..Come on Waynor! …….Please? ………..Hanna wants her treat now, ok!!!” (Hanna)

……………….How strange, I guess there are some things that instinct was right about even if she thought it was all just a trick? Oh well, it’s only a few points of animus anyway…………..

As I went to the entrance to meet with the group of mites who had just entered my dungeon, I made the food experiment I gave to Hanna the other day once again for her. Since having to create food for Hanna I had discovered I quite enjoy making them myself and trying out new combinations to make new things. Creating food like this didn’t take too much power as long as I did it directly by imagining carefully the ingredients and process to make whatever it was I wanted to create, I was apparently becoming very good at it according to Hanna, but Instinct said I still had a long way to go before I matched up with some of the memories of human cooks from her database.

Maybe this could become something for me to do in spare time as well as serving to fulfill a need of Hanna’s………. that could be fun, creating food does seem to bring me great joy after all……………..

This was it, I was going to make another floor. It didn’t cost all that much power really, just 1000 animus and mana, but Instinct said that cost would increase every floor. I had already saved up what I thought was more than enough power for at least a single level with 12,327 mana and 53,892 animus, all that was left was to make the new floor.

Alright, here goes…..

I began to imagine making an entirely new dimension like Instinct told me, it was hard at first as I didn’t really know what imagining such a thing entailed exactly. But eventually it just came to me. It was simple my new floor was going to be above my first one, which meant the other floor except for the entrance room would have to descend and be floor 2 now.

That part was easy, what was less easy though was when I got to the base designing of my new first floor. There was just nothing, a room of nothingness. I somehow knew that this nothingness could be filled by whatever I imagined and it would become the first room of my new floor, it could be anything and be as big or small as I wanted and could imagine. Unfortunately I didn’t really imagine much besides my own dungeon and the area I could see out from its entrance, that was about the size limit I could imagine as well. It seemed wrong somehow to imagine my entire old dungeon as the base for this floor as it was still just one room, since this was only on new room I could only make it like one of the rooms from my old layout. Conversely I could make the room the entire size of the plain and forest I could see from the entrance as the entirety of outside my dungeon was also just one room, it was a very strange feeling and I couldn’t resist or fight it.

I decided to just make it like one of the rooms from my old layout, I would investigate more into expanding what I could imagine before I tried this again though. The idea of making floors based on the outside was intriguing to me, but I would need to KNOW the outside more before I did anything else.

The new floor was made, moving my old first floor down to another dimension of space connected to this one only by my will. When I looked around, my new floor was just the entrance room to my dungeon and an exact replica of the room that used to connect to it with a large door at its far end I don’t remember being there before. I went through it and came out on the next floor of my dungeon in an exact copy of the last room. I was both impressed and rather proud, and I spent no time asking the mites to begin digging out and adding to my new first floor in the same style as the rest of my dungeon, just with less rooms. I felt that 11 including the entrance and the new room I just created would be fine for a first floor.

I think I will go with Hanna’s idea after all……… this can be a floor to greet and welcome those who would enter my dungeon. I’ll add tables, chairs, those bathroom things humans need, and I’ll even add that “A stand or something for me to at least talk to and try to warn those poor people with a death-wish away before they throw their lives away……. Probably something before the door to the next floor or in the entrance room, or better yet BOTH! Trust me Waynor, if you want ANY humans to peacefully talk with you, you should let me do this……..” If I want this to be an interaction and greeting floor that would probably be really good to have…….

I went back to my core room, there was something I wanted to ask Instinct about. The only ways I know involved creations I would need to purchase and cost far more power than I had or would likely get for quite some time….

“Instinct, how do I make something to allow me to use another’s memories to make a floor? Or can I make something to give me their memories like your parent could do?” (Waynor)

“…………Um what did Waynor just ask, because I feel like he just asked for something insane…..” (Hanna)

“It’s not insane human, just magic well above YOUR puny human comprehension. Now Waynor do we have to talk about this where the pet could overhear something dangerous? It would be easier if I could just send the process I know of to you through our connection anyway….” (Instinct)

“Ok, we’ll do that then.” (Waynor)

I opened my connection with Instinct, and felt the knowledge I wanted enter me through it. I would need a substance known as mesmerite and I would need to create it in a very special and very specific way otherwise it wouldn’t do what I wanted it for.

Thanks, I’ll start this now……

I severed my connection with Instinct, and began looking for mesmerite in my menu.

I soon found it, and after offering up 5,000 mana I began the process of creating it in the way I needed. It would have to have a reverse internal mana flow from an outside source and the stone itself needed to be formed from the outside in, I decided I would do this by creating an orb around my own mana that I moved in a flow reverse to what it would do naturally. It took a full hour of careful concentration to create my new memory-orb, but I took my time since I didn’t want to make any mistakes. When it was complete it suddenly flashed and then I felt something new added to me, it attached itself to my database but at the same time was separate.

“Ok, I’ve made it, Hanna could you please hold this for me.” (Waynor)

I placed my new memory-orb in Hanna’s hands, her hands were trembling slightly as they held the orb.

“Are you ok with me holding on to this for you? What if I drop it, or break it somehow? Do you really trust me so much Waynor? That’s actually a really nice feeling really, being trusted by you instead of the paperweight……. Wait why am I smiling? Are these tears?” (Hanna)

“Don’t worry about ever breaking the orb, as long as my core is still alive it will repair itself, and it would take quite a lot to damage it anyway……” (Waynor)

“Oh……Ok then, I fell a lot less special now, but that’s fine I guess…..………” (Hanna)

“Oh and Hanna?” (Waynor)

“YES!!!! ………..Um, I mean……. Yes, Waynor?” (Hanna)

Wow Hanna is changing expressions a lot today….. Maybe she’s sick….. I should really get her to accept a soul stone into herself soon, then she shouldn’t be sick anymore unless it’s from some poison or spell……….

“Could you please take of your gloves and touch the orb with your bare skin so that I can copy and absorb all of your memories?” (Waynor)

Hanna’s left eye started to twitch slightly and she started to make that smile that wasn’t quite a happy smile or even one that expressed any emotion i understood at all.

“……………………….I can’t even begin to express in words how disturbing it is to hear you say something like that so innocently, Waynor………. The worst part is you probably don’t even realize how creepy what you just asked really was……” (Hanna)

“So you won’t? That makes me kinda sad……” (Waynor)

……….I don’t want to force Hanna to do something she won’t on her own……… I just thought we we’re closer after talking and bonding so much for these two weeks…….. I guess I need to practice reading humans, and Hanna specifically, more to become better at understanding them, I thought Hanna was more willing to do what I asked of her than this………..

“No, I didn’t say that……….. It’s just…… Well, there are some things that are REALLY private in my memories so if you wouldn’t mind NOT looking at them……” (Hanna)

“This orb isn’t strong enough to take much more than what I created it to, memories of landscapes and scenery for my new floors. It can also take in things offered to it, so if you wish to it would really help me if you offered it any memories that could help me better understand humans and the outside world as well………..” (Waynor)

“Oh……… Well ok then, I’d be happy to help you Waynor!” (Hanna)

Hanna removed one of her gloves, and touched the orb briefly before yelping and dropping it.

“Oh, I guess I should’ve warned you about the sting. Sorry Hanna….” (Waynor)

Hanna picked up the memory-orb with her gloved hand, and gave me a shaky smile.

………..Wow, even just that moment of contact was enough to give me a greater understanding of humans as well as their many expressions and what they actually mean…………. Wow, Hanna was utterly terrified of me for most of last week……. That’s rather sad to think about, at least she likes me now though!!! If I keep up this progress she should have loyalty rivaling the mites soon, in less than fifty years at most……..

“I’ll just take this thing to my room, I think I might need to be lying down and curled in something soft, comfortable, and safe for this. How long did you say I should hold this for again?” (Hanna)

“Well five minutes should be enough, but I would appreciate it if you did so for an hour to be sure I get everything.” (Waynor)

“Oh, ok……….. Yeah…….. An hour with the orb of pain, no problem……….. And here I thought Waynor was the nice one out of the two of them, too………..” (Hanna)

Hanna walked off into her room attached to my core room on the left side.

……………………Ok, maybe not fifty years, but under a century for sure!!! Within a century I will have Hanna as loyal to me as the mites………… now I should inspect these memories for references for my next floors……..

“Poor girl, looks like she found out one of the things that makes you terrifying Waynor……” (Instinct)

I felt confused at what Instinct had just said.

“I’m terrifying?” (Waynor)

“Yes, and you don’t even realize when you are too, THAT’S what’ll make it all the scarier for people………” (Instinct)

…………Oh, Instinct is making one of these sarcasm jokes humans apparently like to make…….. Wow, Hanna’s memories are already starting to help me………. I should give her another treat later as a reward…….. Maybe something with cinnamon this time……..

far warning though, the first level is going to be fairly cake-walky.... basically anyone with some level of skill, and enough sense not to fall for illusions or minor bewitchments should be fine........ as long as they also aren't there to collect herbs and cant tell the difference between normal and corrupted plants, THAT'S when they'll start having a bad day.... and possible food poisoning... or even death in some cases.......... but other than that Cake-walk......

so imma go sleep now, do that whole comment, rate, review, follow, favorite, and share thing fans do..........

Author out........