** ** ** Corrupt Dungeon Core ** ** **

Bastill lay plopped on the ground in thought with a scowl on his face. It was just driving him crazy. He could not handle it any more.

Just what were the words to that tune…. I can’t for the life of me figure it out. I’ve just been chasing it around and around like a…

He sat up! He had it! He knew he had it! He remembered the lyrics of the song! With the happy tune he started to yap the lyrics.

‘The core left the dungeon to go on a fucking quest,

he rode by spider and followed the sun far while he rest,

and by each and every damn goddess he was not blest,

with his Zombies and spiders all around he was super stressed,

not a man in town, but by all men I am oppressed,

he left the fight with the adventurers, he left his only nest,

he doesn’t like his company, and hates unwelcomed guests,

now he’s bit in half, bleeded out, and now will lie in rest.

He was pretty sure those were the right words to the tune... They felt right to him. He was fifty percent right… He looked around the village that he was staying in. In fact, it was the same one he had invaded in the beginning. He sighed with a pleasant smile.

Just as I planned! I captured the village! Time to rename it! The boneyard! NO… That’s dumb… I am sure they are all calling it liche village by now anyways. All due to my genius.

He gazed around the town which composed of him and Thanatos, Nyx, and Hades, and his elite zombies, plus the sculptor who he resurrected. Mumbling between praising his genius of securing the village and cursing the sculptor’s body for failing him. He had been inside of it until it had been destroyed. Luckily, he got a new body just before he truly was destroyed. Then he had spread rumors of the liche in the town. The spiders in the surrounding spires had been destroyed and the only remaining spiders were his bosses.

The town was coated in blood, but the walls were great. He often would go with his advisor for walks around the wall. The spider leg indents could be seen along parts of the wall they had infiltrated. He could also see his marvelous spires in the distance. He would one day reclaim those. Yes, he would.

His new body came with a great innate perk of being able to tell a person was honest or not. It was truly a heavenly dying ability! That lead him to his success in spreading the rumor! That along with the fact that if they didn’t believe him, he would just kill them.

He had the one of the zombies talk to those that had come to his village since he wasn’t quite in the state to do it. If he felt that they believed him they would let them go. If he thought, they didn’t believe him he would deal with them. He truly had a magical ability

I am truly a good…wait. I meant I am a divine being! There is no one greater thing then I! Now how does this work again? I always have trouble starting, but I get the hang of it after the first few steps. Oh yes. Left front foot, right front foot. Oh. no... don’t… NUUU. Fuckles…

The little puppy spread his front feet just a bit too far in front. He slipped and flopped onto his belly. All previous pride vanished from his eyes. Bastill gave up on walking and proceeded to roll around the wall.

I shall name this the boneyard after all. I deserve it. I am a good boy…

He had lost the ownership over most of all of the dungeon land he had corrupted. He was afraid to start over again. It was kind of frightening to be chased be such powerful entities. The experienced humbled him in a way. It also scared him to death in every other way.

He wanted to take back his land and his spires but didn’t want to risk the chance of being destroyed. He didn’t know how long he could continue being a ‘liche.’

He got back up as he attempted to walk again. He was more successful this time as he took some tentative steps before moving in to a little trot. He may have lost his dungeon, but he did have a town now!

With the town in his control he was allowed a slow income of mana, which would slowly build up allowing him to summon new zombies. They were currently practicing their skills. The more creature in his town the more mana he would get. He stuck to the zombies for a couple reasons. First, besides his bosses, he was down with spiders for a while. They took up room. Also, if he made too many and got caught he would be doomed. Second, the spiders didn’t really grow stronger besides level. The zombies meanwhile could level and increase their skills. Although their levels couldn’t rise currently, because he couldn’t afford to lose any citizens. He still could increase their skill level.

He currently trotted around the town. He was the mayor of the little town. He could see the spires and forest if he looked away from the town, but if he looked at it he could see his people practicing. It almost gave him a happy feeling inside.

** ** ** ** Claire Estrand** ** ** **

The frozen chilly blue eyes that were framed in by the brown hair looked at the report on her desk within her office. Her face was slightly tweaking out as she read it. She had sent the S ranked team that she had been apart for. But even looking at the report she wrote up it still didn’t make any logical sense.

Spiders? Liche? New cavern? What the hell is happening?

Everything appeared to be fine. The dungeon was still active from her reports form the dungeon town, but it was in a different location then she had originally place in the first place. She felt she was getting too old for things like this. She never realized the amount of responsibilities this would come with this mission.

The core appeared to be fine though and that’s what truly mattered. However, it was concerning that all these incidents were happening around the dungeon. She couldn’t think of any other dungeon discoveries having this kind of events accompanying them. She really couldn’t let this plan fail. She had others depending on her. For now, she would keep her eye on the dungeon and dungeon town to watch out for anything suspicious.

She would have to avoid this lich for now. Perhaps the liche also new of the importance of the dungeon and moved in to support it. A liche really wasn’t an existence to mess around with carelessly. Unless one had a death wish they would give a liche a wide berth.

Her immediate plans would be supporting companies that wished to start up in the dungeon town. After all it would help strengthen a dungeon to have adventures die in them. She thought with a smile as she turned over the next report.