Mari took several deep breaths to calm herself. Her core pulsed in time to her breathing, and she realized that it had been doing that the entire time. Her crystal body was actually breathing. She trembled, mental body unable to accurately select a viewport to look through. The cold eyes of the man in the pinstripe suit, Delaney, apparently, pierced her soul even now. She needed something to distract her.

And just on time, Mari heard the noises of the Ratmen moving around in their small dwelling. She opened the viewport, and peeked in on them. The citizens were digging into the walls using their long thick claws, while Miradeen watch over them. The two warriors were nowhere to be seen, and Mari assumed they were out patrolling or whatever it was warriors did.

[Miradeen!] She called to the supervising queen. The humanoid Rat leaning on her staff jumped up in surprise, nearly dropping the long gnarled stick.

“My lady?” The queen called up into the darkness. “I was not expecting you. Did you need something?”

Mari giggled at the queen’s reaction to her sudden appearance, and then asked, [What are you doing?] The Ratman queen looked at the citizens, inferring her meaning.

“Well,” she began. “While we humbly accept and graciously appreciate the space you have provided to us, we would like to expand, permitting me to have a chamber to plan the best actions for our populace, both in security and in comfort. And while the latter is less important, my people have always been rather stubborn about their leader’s living conditions.” She sighed. Then, leaning her full weight onto her staff, she finished. “So, they’ve asked that I guide them in creating my chambers. But we are not an advanced construction race, you see, so it is a bit difficult.”

Mari wasn’t surprised to hear that the Ratmen wanted extra housing. It made sense when she thought about it. The room they were living in was large enough for a bedroom or two from Mari’s old world, but only so many people could live inside five meters.

[Where do you want it?] She asked, watching the civilians pause to take a water break. [Just a few meters in through where they’re digging?]

Miradeen walked over to the small break in the wall, and tapped her staff against it. “This is where we were aiming to go through. We’ll probably not dig too far in, because it saves labor, but they wish for my room to be at least half this size.” Well, that was easy. Mari could make a room like that with little effort at all. And with her new energy cap, she figured it wouldn’t be too much of an issue for her to do so. So she quickly created another five-meter cube, only making the hallway two meters long this time. The shape she designed was more of a side chamber, which she supposed fit the queen’s obvious desire to remain near her people.

Well, this is fun! Mari thought, as she spent the 67 energy without a second thought. Maybe I should’ve been an architect? As the room formed, Mari quickly pulled up a list of furniture she could create. However, when it appeared, she was disappointed by the results.

Furniture Creation

You may obtain blueprints for furniture by designing a piece, desconstructing a previously existing furniture in your territory, or finding them. You must have the proper materials in order to create them.

That was a hurdle. Mari didn’t have any resources. Well, aside from the stuff littering her core room, and she didn’t think it could be used to make anything useful. Then again, she realized, she also had all the dirt that she’d collected from hollowing out the two hallways and rooms, which she’d discovered was still available to her. That was a lot of dirt sitting in whatever invisible space it went to when she didn’t need it.

Remembering that dirt could be packed into bricks, Mari quickly thought of some designs for a dirt bed, dirt chairs, and a dirt table. It wasn’t much, but as long as it was functional, the queen would be happy, right? While the room finished forming, she placed the bed, chairs, and table inside it.

The hallway opened while the queen stood staring blankly at it, probably planning how the Ratmen would dig it out. Her mouth dropped open, probably in amazement, as the dirt disappeared in a slow burst of light.

“My lady…” Miradeen was at a loss for words. She simply gestured towards the hallway with her staff, as though showing it to Mari.

[Well, what are you waiting for?] She thought. [Go check it out! And let me know if you like it!]

The queen hesitantly walked through the hallway, the Overseer flying behind, her eyes wide at the pre-carved bricks in the wall. Then she stepped into the room, taking in the queen-sized bed (apt, Marianna thought), and the table with chairs.

Then she started to weep.

Marianna, shocked, attempted to console the woman, but then remembered she couldn’t actually reach through the viewport to touch her. [D-do you not like it?]

The queen quickly recovered her composure, and wiped her tears away into her furry arm. In a trembling voice, she replied, “My lady, I’ve never been given such kindness by someone outside of my race. Most beastmen disregard our existence, but the ones that don’t make it clear that we are no more than trash to them. And that other dungeon didn’t treat us any better. He nearly tortured the remaining members of my people to death. You’ve been so kind to us, to go out of your way to create me such a room.” She placed her clawed hand against the wall, with what must have been a smile on her face.

“I just miss my family…” She said, softly.

Marianna shed a tear at Miradeen’s story, and then felt a cold fury pump itself through her immaterial veins.

[Who treated you like this?]

Wales walked briskly through the cobbled city streets, his worn leather boots doing little to cushion his feet against the hard stone. A simple grey wool cloak trailed in the breeze behind him, and his long bronze hand-and-a-half sword bounced against his leg, hanging in its loose scabbard.

He was on his way to the temple, and it was apparently very important. Appreciating the variety in the vendors’ stalls, Wales quickly purchased himself a seared fish from Darion, his favorite food stall owner.

“A single Fakar for you, Wales.” Darion said, charging a discounted, and yet hefty, price for the delicious piece of aquatic goodness. But Wales continued, as did many, to purchase Darion’s food at the high rates, because it was known to be the best food this side of the city and, Wales wagered, the kingdom.

“Thank you, Darion! Always a pleasure!” Wales easily flicked the golden coin, emblazoned with a pair of wings on one side, and a torium on the other. The torium, being the king’s favorite summon, was proudly displayed in various locations of importance to the kingdom. With the body of a white lion, and claws thicker than a butcher knife, the torium was a fearsome sight. Being particularly strong in melee combat, with the formidable ability to cut through magic, and the six-fingered hand at the end of its tail able to wield magical weapons, it was considered a blessed creature. While the covering over the face of the torium was rather disturbing, in Wales’ opinion, it was apparently beautiful when revealed. The giant cat demon wore a shroud of red mist, covering its entire face. Only the eyes could be seen through the shroud, and they were jagged and silver.

But much unlike a cat, the torium howled. And that howl sent all those who’d experienced it running the other way, if they could even stand. It was certainly a powerful creature. Wales didn’t look forward to encountering one.

He bid Darion farewell, appreciating the discount for a frequent customer, and continued to make his way further into the grand city. Shops on his left and right broadcasted their wares, but he couldn’t afford another delay. Wales had only stopped because he hadn’t eaten since embarking on his previous hunt. One of the nobles had contracted him to bring them a wraithhunter squid’s tentacles, and he’d been paid handsomely for them. So he could afford to splurge a little, and probably would’ve, if he wasn’t already late for his meeting with the temple official.

Finishing his delicious fish, seasoned with just the right amount of spices, Wales tossed the wooden stick it was skewerd by to the ground, chunks of white, glistening meat still attached. Somebody would pick it up, he was sure. He wiped his dripping hands on his cotton pants, and ran them through his spikey golden hair. With his emerald green eyes, and perfect smile, Wales liked to consider himself a ladykiller.

He started to run down the streets, rushing to his appointment with the temple’s priest. It was a big catch for Wales, and he wasn’t about to miss it for a piece of fish. He smiled regretfully at having wasted the time to buy it, but the stomach wants what the stomach wants, right? But he was a professional, he couldn’t be too late, otherwise he’d soil his reputation.

Maybe he’d just tell the priest he got held up slaughtering another hydra… He’d already become famous for the first one… It couldn’t hurt to get a bit of a boost to his slight fame.

Yeah, that sounded good. He’d go with that.