It was on the drive back that Mari decided she really couldn’t stand Yeshi’s bouncing and bumping anymore. Now that she knew he’d been traveling like that, she’d occasionally turned an Overseer inwards to observe him. Eventually, it became too much for her to watch.

She pulled the car over in the woods, noting the now cracked and broken ruby wheels, and looked around the area.

Yeshi got out and stretched, nodding after Mari told him that she wanted to fix the wheels.

Guess ruby isn’t as strong as I thought it was… She thought as she absorbed the wheels and replaced them with perfect copies. As she wondered how she could stop the constant bouncing, a leaf fell from a nearby tree, landing on Yeshi’s nose. He swiped it away, grumbling.

Lightning struck inside Mari’s brain.

Leaves! Of course!

The dungeon core spun and pulsed happily inside the red cage as she reached out with her mind.

I wonder if I can… Yes! Mari cheered as she absorbed a tree that sat just inside her current “territory”, leaving only a flat patch of dirt in its place. Now she had wood, and “organic material”, which probably just meant the leaves on the tree.

Focusing, Mari shaped the wood, bending it into thin, warped boards that she stacked on top of each other. Connecting it to the car was easy, and she attached it to the axle, a makeshift suspension rig.

Yeshi watched as the wood suddenly formed near the wheels, attaching to the chassis.

“What is that?” he asked with interest. Mari felt the warmth of pride flood her chest.

[A leaf spring suspension!]

He squinted at the new installment, tilting his head.

“And what does it do?”

[Well,] she responded. [It uh, it absorbs shock, sorta. Makes it so the car won’t be so bumpy.]

Yeshi fell to his knees, tilting back his head, and throwing his hands to the sky.

“By the gods!” he screamed into the open air. “Mercy! At last!”

Mari just turned away, embarrassed. She glanced around at the trees nearby and decided to finish her job. The rest of the wheels soon had matching suspensions, and Mari had to attach an anti-roll bar to both sets. She absorbed several more trees, for later usage, and eventually mentally prodded the warrior to hop back into the car.

The ride back was far more comfortable after that, with Mari frequently patching the wheels now that she’d noticed they would break. She also absorbed as many trees as she could, leaving a flat road behind and clearing a way for her car to drive in a straight line back.

The car still rolled back into the dungeon with a couple chipped wheels, and the tortured Ratman was finally released back onto the sandy floor, falling onto his hands and knees, and kissing the ground beneath him.

A heavy thumping announced the arrival of the Dreadnought, and Mari rolled the car back into the main room as he followed. She glanced around with her Overseers, and nodded mentally. This place was like her garage now. But she needed better materials.

Core Marianna Alert!

Warning! You are hungry! Constant energy consumption has reduced your sated period, and you will soon starve. Find sustenance soon!

Always one problem after another… Mari thought, as she felt her stomach pang. I guess at least there’s still the other half of the red core in that room...

“Mistress,” the gurgling Dreadnought spoke, having stood by for a moment, dripping blood, while the returned core collected her thoughts. “I have found something.”

She glanced up, and watched as the bloody creature, disgusting as he was, shuffled back and forth on his two feet, rubbing two thick hands over each other. She looked away.

[What is it?]

The titanic creature bounced, answering with an enthusiastic glee.

“There is a creature trapped in a room!”

She frowned. [A creature? What creature? And what room is it trapped in?] She’d barely had a chance to see the dungeon’s changes since she’d left. Had the Ratmen built a prison or something?

“I do not know! I can only hear it!” He bounced gleefully. “It’s in the walls!”

In the walls? Mari had no idea what kind of creature would be trapped inside a stone wall. Rats couldn’t dig through walls. So it had to be something otherworldly.

[Alright, get Terash and show me where it is.] The monster jumped, shaking the ground as he landed.

“Yes, mistress!”

He trampled away, and she shook her head.

Now, she thought, pulling up a list of materials in her core’s storage. While he fetches Terash, I need to figure out how I can improve this car…

Stored Materials

Dirt(x93200)

Wood(x1080)

Organic Material(x3624)

Stone(x944)

Ruby Stockpile(x392)

Small Bones(x117)

Mari idly wondered what units those were in, to have so much dirt and wood... Of course! It was so obvious! Why hadn’t she thought of it before?

Wooden wheels… She facepalmed. I’ve been so stupid! I was so caught up in being able to make the suspension I never even considered making the wheels out of wood!

Mari began crafting the new wheels, wondering if they’d hold the weight of the rest of the ruby machine, the loud thumping of the Dreadnought’s feet returned. Terash must’ve arrived.

[Now!] Mari said as she spun one of the Overseers to the arrivals. [Let’s go check out that trapped creature!]

The Ratman nodded, and the Dreadnought jumped back and forth on his feet happily.

“Oh, creature! Oh, creature!” he sung. “What fate awaits you at the Mistress’ hands?”

Mari shook her mental head and followed the dancing blood-monster down the hall...towards the room containing the Research Root.