"Fine!" A defeated squeak comes from the hole. "Just stop already. You gods damned, great bloody lunkers. You caught me, I'm coming out. Just leave the stupid dungeon alone." A tiny woman, just centimeters tall, flies out from the hole.

Aside from a round mop of light orange hair, her features are too small to make out. She's wearing an almost sheer white dress that barely reached mid thigh, and has translucent green moth wings growing from her back.

She turns around and looks down the hole, like she's listening to something. "Ugh." She groans. "I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean to call you stupid. I'm just worried about this bloody idiot here." ... "Oh, come on, please. Look, it was my fault, you're young, and I should have told you to block any influences from the core room." ... "Fine, just sulk then." She snorts out an exasperated sigh before turning back to us, breaking us from our shock.

"A pixie!" I exclaim.

"A pixie?" - "What do you know about pixies?" Amelia and the tiny woman talk over each other.

"Uhhh." I rub the back of my head a bit embarrassed. "You know how I've told you that I read a lot before?"

"Yeah, and I'm okay with you keeping your secrets." Amelia furrows her brow. "But, I am getting kinda tired of the dodge."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I'd actually decided just earlier to tell you everything." I send her a nervous smile. "I was just waiting for the-"

"Look, you lunkers!" The rude little thing cuts me off. "You can deal with your "relationship" later." She does air-quotes when she says the word relationship.

"Are you sure you're not the one who needs to deal with their relationship first?" I quip back. Earning a snort from Amelia, a ding from System-chan, and what I'm sure is meant to be a death glare from the pixie.

"Shut it, you two" The flying woman warns. "And don't think I didn't hear that ding Temmie." She stomps in the air.

"Oh my gods! Temmie. That's so cute." Amelia gushes. "Can we call you that, please?"

An approving *Ding* answers her.

"Argh!!!" The pixie cries out in frustration. "Can we please get back on track? How do you know about pixies?"

"Well, as I was about to say before I was so rudely cut off." I send her a glare of my own. "I was once given the opportunity to read through a detailed list of all sentient species on the planet."

"How?" - "Where?" They ask in unison.

"I'll tell you everything, later" I say to Amelia. "You." I look back at the pixie. "Don't need to know, and aren't going to find out." She sends me another glare, which I ignore. "Anyways, I only skimmed the part on pixies. But, I remember that they're a magical species with one glaring weakness. They need to be tied to a strong magical force, or they will quickly fade away and die."

"Yeah, well... You humans are lunkers" The tiny woman says, somewhat lamely. "Still, that's not that bad of a leak. Somebody's gonna be in trouble if the rest of them find out, but-"

"Oh, there was much more." I say. Smirking at the chance to cut her off for once. "All sorts of details, like preferred diet and habitats, what your society is like, where the major populations are. You know? Stuff like that." I laugh at the look of panic that's she's giving off. "Oh, and didn't you just leak your existence a minute ago?"

"Uhhh. Nooo..? No pixies here." Her movements turn wooden "Just a dumb fairy. Yup, yup yup. I'm just a stupid fairy. So stupid that I forgot I was a fairy... Oh Wind and Water!" Her wings slow as she slumps in on herself.

"As amusing as this is." Amelia states. "We'd still like to know just what is going on here."

"Fine, whatever." The dejected creature says. "I'll tell you whatever you want. Can we go to your wagon, though? You were making dinner, right? I haven't had anything but grass seeds in weeks." A bit of pleading hope comes over her features.

"Alright, food for information. but, any funny business and you're getting squished."

"What is it with you lunkers and the squishing?" She grumbles under her breath.

"Oh, and let me do something first." I point my staff at her. "Been trying to figure out a far sight spell. Haven't got it working yet, but I think I can... Yes! Magnify!" A human sized copy of her head pops into existence just above the real thing.

"Oh, thank goodness." Amelia exclaims. "Was giving myself a headache squinting so hard."

"Ack! Rude!" The pixie squeaks out.

"You tried to kill us a couple days ago." I say flatly. "I'm entitled to be a little rude." I continue my rudeness by turning my back on her and walking off, back to the vardo.

"That wasn't me!" She pleads. Flying after me. "I tried to get him to stop when I sensed your magic, but he's just a newborn and you scared him."

"You still had an ambush set up for the next caravan to pass through." Amelia counters. "Or, do you want to tell me that a 'newborn' thought that up for itself?"

"Well, no... But, we weren't going to kill everyone.-"

"Like that makes it any better." Amelia's getting kinda mad now.

"I'm sorry. But, it's what dungeons do. And I was trying to get him discovered." She tries explaining. "He's out here in the middle of nowhere. There's nothing for him to eat but mice and some insects. If he wasn't right next to the road, it could take decades, or even longer, for him to mature."

"So, you had him try and eat some humans because you were bored? Tired of conversing with an infant?" Amelia snaps at her. The tension that's been building in her ever since the fight, finally finding an outlet.

"Oh gods! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry." The tiny woman curls in on herself, sobbing. "I'm sorry. It's been so hard, you don't know what it's like. Pixies aren't meant to be alone."

"Why don't you tell us what it has been like." I say gently. Trying to soothe both women. "Why aren't pixies meant to be alone? And, why are you? How did you end up out here?"

"We just aren't, we're never alone. From the day we're born we have others around us. All the babies are raised together by everyone in the colony. We're all family." Trying to get her sobs under control. She looks up at me with pleading eyes. "I.. I liked to play pranks. I never meant for anyone to..." She breaks out in tears again. "They weren't supposed to get hurt." It takes her a minute to recover enough to continue. "Afterwards... the ones that were left.. they exiled me. Just gave me a mana stone and made me leave." More sobs. "I just drifted on the winds for days, weeks, I don't know. Eventually, the mana stone had run dry. I didn't care. I was ready to just let go." She takes a deep breath. "Then I felt the dungeon's call. All dungeons put out a call that the wee folk are drawn to. Usually the nearest colony of pixies, wisps, or fairies will splinter and setup a new colony in the dungeon. But these lands have such low mana levels that I'm probably the only pure magic being in over a hundred miles."

The woman's crying seems to have cooled some of Amelia's fire. I can tell she's still angry but, at least, she isn't shouting at the pixie anymore.

"So, you were pulled in by the Dungeon's call?" I prompt her to finish the story.

"He took me in. I thought I was ready to d-die." she lets out a sniffle louder than such a tiny person should be able to make. "Even tried to leave again.. a few times. But, I d-don't want to die. So, I tried helping the little guy along. I didn't want to hurt anyone else. But, if we could get the humans to discover him they'd set up a dungeon town. And well, the idiots would climb over each other to dive into him, even knowing the risks."

"But Charlie's team didn't know those risks." Amelia barks out. "I didn't agree to any risks." She clings to me and starts crying.

I just hold her, rubbing the small of her back. This was her second brush with death in less than a month. Just when she was starting to come to terms with losing her brother. She's attacked again, her plans derailed, and she's forced to stay behind and watch over the thing that attacked her. Instead of rejoining her parent like she wanted and grieving with them properly, she had to put it all down in a letter for them.

"Well, you got your wish... What is your name anyways?" I ask the pixie. "A dungeon town will form here. And thanks to Amelia and myself, no one had to die for it to happen."

"A-Apricot." She sniffles.

"Well, Apricot. Thank you for explaining things. But, I think we'd like to be alone right now. Oh, yes, I promised you dinner." I say, more cruelly than I should. Before pulling a bag of fruit from my inventory and using my free hand to toss a large apricot to the ground beneath her.

I can understand, and even empathize with her. But, she is responsible for an attack on the woman I love. And it will take more than a sob story for me to forgive her.

We turn our backs on Apricot then, and return to the wagon. Amelia takes the rest of the fruit from me and tears into the remaining apricots with her teeth. I can only imagine what, or who, she's thinking of as she does so.

***

The next morning has us up with the sun like usual. The only disturbance in the alarm walls last night was Apricot somehow carrying the fruit I gave her back into the cave.

After a quick meal, I get started growing the surveillance grass. Amelia wanted to practice her attack spells and asked me for some targets. Which, I made them from apricot trees, both to replenish what was eaten. And, because I know she still has a fair bit of anger to still work through. The evil smile on her face tells me I chose correctly.

I'm using some grass I found at Riverton. It's much shorter than the local variety, and the spells I'm weaving into the roots will actually draw energy from the plant itself. Leaving it shorter still. Soon the inside of the walls is covered in what looks like a perfectly manicured lawn. Well, the area around Amelia is a bit torn up, but I can fix that later.

*Ding*Ding*Ding*

"Was that?" Amelia asks. At my sheepish nod she just grumbles. "More targets." And, I throw up a few more things for her to hit.

I can sense Apricot watching us from the walls, and even spot her taking a few blades of grass and dropping them into the dungeon opening. But choose to ignore her, at least, until the entire field is covered, road and all. It goes surprisingly quickly after leveling up again, and I finish up shortly after noon.

Amelia's targets have long since been reduced to splinters. And I find her in the wagon making a proper meal for lunch. She asks me to make some bread to go with and I happily agree, glad that I worked out to control yeast last week.

Sensing the pixie coming closer, I warn Amelia. "She's coming back. Do you want me to get rid of her again?"

"No, I think I got most of it out of my system. There's still more to learn about dungeons too." She takes a fortifying breath before calling out. "You might as well come in, we know you're there."

The tiny woman is subdued as she drifts onto the window sill. You always read about pixies making some sort of chiming, or magical noise as they fly. But, the real things are eerily silent.

"Hungry again?" I ask. "Sorry about last night. But we were, rather understandably, upset."

"Could I please have some bread? I'll answer any questions you still have." She begs.

"You don't mind if I use Magnify again do you?" She shakes her head and I tear a roll in half and place it next to her. "Magnify! ..That's better. Thank you."

Aside from her eyes, she looks just like any other human. An oval face with round lips, and a short, upturned nose. Her eyes though, they are just slightly larger than a human's. And hers are the same shade of orange as her hair, and namesake fruit.

"No. Thank you. This bread is delicious. I can taste the magic you used to make it." She's happily munching on handfuls of bread.

"Well, I suppose my first question is. What's your dress made of?"

"Of course that's your first question." Amelia rolls her eyes, causing me to laugh at her expression.

"Ah, it's actually spider silk.. May I ask why?" She says a bit unsure.

"This is why." Amelia dumps out a bag of clothing from her inventory with a sigh. "He's obsessed with fabrics and clothing."

"I'm not obsessed, it's just my hobby." I try to defend myself. "Besides I never heard you complaining about any of the starweave stuff I made for you."

"What's starweave?" Apricot asks.

"Oh, this is starweave." I lay my handkerchief next to her. "It's a very rare amongst humans. Now, do you collect cobwebs, or have your people managed to somehow farm spiders?"

"Nope!" Amelia erupts. "You are not farming spiders! Ever! Under any circumstances!"

"Uhh. Yes dear. No spiders. Ever!" I reply with a sheepish smile.

"Under any circumstances!" She stamps her foot.

"Under any circumstances." I repeat.

"Hehehehe" Apricot erupts into laughter. "We just collect the cobwebs. Spiders are too territorial to farm." A few more titters leak out. "I think she's right, you are obsessed."

"Okay, okay. Moving on." I say with my hands up in surrender. "I noticed a chunk missing from the wall yesterday, and saw you dropping some grass into the cave earlier. Please explain."

She looks a bit sheepish. "Uh, you noticed that? Well, dungeons can absorb things to learn their properties, and are then able to reproduce them later."

"I thought as much." I state. "But we're already in its influence. Why did it take samples?"

"Oh, that's because he's still immature, and can only absorb something that touches the core itself."

"Interesting. Just don't take anything from the wagon." I warn her. "If we seed him with examples will he reproduce them for us? Coin for example?" This gets Amelia's attention.

"I won't! I promise. And no, sorry." She shies down, afraid that we'll be upset with her answer. "The gods enforce certain rules about what loot dungeons can provide. The most he could do is create a miniscule copper vein at the moment."

"Shame." I say, but with no real sense of loss. "You keep calling it a he. Do dungeons have genders? Does he have a name?"

"Not really. Dungeons don't really have an ego, or sense of self, like normal people. Not unless they're very high level. I call it a he because, he feels like a boy. Sorta stubborn, and doesn't always listen." This gets a bark of laughter from Amelia. "He doesn't have a name, and most dungeons just go by whatever the humans call them."

"How do they grow? Is it just by killing things?"

"Mostly." She says with an apologetic expression. "They need life energy, and while they can gain some passively from living beings in their sphere of influence..." She trails off.

"Understood." I nod. "Okay last question... for now. How did it change those mice, and can I examine the process? Preferably without it trying to kill me."

"That's a special magic that only dungeons have." She explains. "They can alter and enhance certain aspects of the creatures they create. They can learn the patterns of any dead creature they absorb, and are also granted more patterns from the gods as the grow. The magic cannot be observed, unfortunately. Not even by us pixies." She looks a bit annoyed by this fact. "And we've tried. The dungeon won't, or more likely can't, create any monsters while a sentient is watching. Pixies have asked, and they just say it's instinctual. Speaking of instincts." She raises a finger. "They won't send any creatures above ground while people are living within their influence."

"Hah!" Amelia barks derisively.

And I agree, whole-heartedly with her sentiment, saying, "It's nice if that's true but I won't be taking down my alarms just yet."

"I understand. But, dungeons are placed here by the gods. They have certain rules they have to follow, like the loot I was talking about earlier. And how they have to attack anyone, aside from a few magical races, that enters. But, they have to provide a challenge, they can't just throw everything at you once you enter the cave."

"You mean like you guys did when the caravan came through?" I say flatly.

"I'm sorry." She cringes. "Sorry, that was sorta special circumstances. It only applies to un-occupied dungeons. The gods put them here to test people, and help them grow. But they can't do that if nobody knows they exist."

"Sounds more like the gods just like watching greedy people getting eaten by monsters." *Ding* "See, Temmie-chan agrees with me."

"Uhh.." She looks a bit flummoxed.

"Don't worry about it Apricot. It's not like there's anything us mortals can do about the gods." I say, but I don't think the look on my face re-assured her very much. "Did you want anything else?" I gesture to the crumbs that are all that's left of her roll. Unsure of just where she put it all.

"Could, I have some more fruit, please?" She asks meekly.

"Sure." I pull out a couple bags from my inventory. "Take your pick. I was planning to do a bit of gardening while we're stuck here. Might as well set up and orchard around the perimeter today. Since I finished the grass web quicker than I thought I would."

She dives straight for the grapes and starts making them disappear into her tiny frame.

"Care to join me?" I ask Amelia.

She does, and we walk around the circle planting trees. I alternate between fruit and nut trees. Having amassed quite the collection while in Riverton. I also add berry bushes and a few grape vines between the trees. I'm forced to drive all their roots quite deep in order to reach water. But, it's better than letting them die after we leave.