I return to my creator, Prometheus. I am a shadow of my former self; I am no longer whole, my body gone. I am a failure, as I shimmer before him uncertain if he sees me. Within I recognise and accept my inferiority.

“You return to me, and I know not how unless this is your spirit due to your death?” His eyes open wider, straining to follow my shadow form. My failure is complete, with shame burning me, I answer.

“Yes, my creator. I am slain you converse with my shade. My martial skills primitive, my body unable to survive combat and my mind not able to comprehend the trial they placed me under, I am a child in their eyes.”

I stare into my creator’s eyes as it is my single deep and comforting connection, my shadow passes through his body, and I float. I cannot step or hear the crunch of my bare heels upon the mountain. I am present and I am not.

“Upon examining your soul, part of Zeus’ plan is revealed to me. Your soul is fragmented into three incomplete dominates, Dungeon, which represents your slavery to its owner, Monster, which represents you being forsaken and forever a child spawn of Echidna like Aetos and finally Sentient, which represents your true destiny, humanity, my true destiny for you.”

“Yes creator, when I examine my soul, I sense the conflict and the choices.”

“None dominate, although you are closer to being a slave it seems.”

“Yes creator,” if I could sob I would, “the servant of the Dungeon didn’t kill my body with one thrust, he needed many thrusts, his taunts and his minion with a weapon. Although angered I couldn’t strike him, I am inadequate and a failure, my shame is overwhelming, and I don’t know how to remove it. I am doomed to be this cruel thing’s slave.”

“You must wait, my creation, the Dungeon will recall you, it is part of Zeus’ plan. Within the Dungeon, rebirth will allow you to learn from your mistakes, although I would caution you, take care. Each act or event could influence each of the Dominates. Seeing you distraught now is torture for me and this is how his plan succeeds.”

My creator falls silent, and I find no more conversation to offer. His final creation, I encompassed his hope and I return humbled. If I still wandered his world, perhaps I could free him, and I now grasp Zeus has thwarted his plan, still, he tolerates his anguish, for me. I can’t comprehend why he excuses and forgives.

If called back to the Dungeon I will learn, I will improve; I promise this to my creator and myself. His suffering on my behalf will be rewarded.

“I will share one more gift with you. I can place it within the Monster Dominate of your soul, although to activate it you must consume the liver of a defeated foe. They must be your victories you understand?”

“Yes creator, will it feed that soul also?” I am concerned. While I don’t wish enslavement; I entertain no monstrous inclination either. I wish to claim my humanity, I wish to fulfil my creator’s vision for me, and maybe, possibly I will return to him to rescue him.

“I am uncertain as Zeus has declared the rules and not explained them. When I am finished your body will regenerate and heal for a time after you consume your defeated foe’s liver. We are fortunate the day has not ended, and my liver is whole if tomorrow this would be impossible. I am amused by your name and expect its owner to be … disturbed and possibly jealous.”

My shadow form bows clumsily before my creator thankful he still believes in me enough to grant another gift. I wait, although I sense no change when he seems satisfied, he has completed his gift-giving. He smiles at me, and I absorb the warmth and welcome he sends me in that simple action, I would hug him if I could, although I don’t grasp where the impulse originates from.

When he is finished, I try to ‘look’ at my ‘sheet’. It doesn’t materialise. I will need to wait until I return …

---

How dare she, return. The imposter, my look alike. I flutter tempestuously in my dove form to observe her and I consider slaying her. She is Zeus’ game, to slay her, I could suffer his wrath.

It is not long before I arrive and spy not her, her shade. Slain, she returns to her creator. I call to my fellow Goddesses, Hera, and Athena and don’t need to wait for long as they both join me in the clouds.

“She returns as a shade, defeat and death has been her lot,” laments Aphrodite, sympathy instead of vengeance.

“She is so pitiful is she not?” states Hera, studying the shade from the clouds.

“She doesn’t honour my face with her anguish,” adds Aphrodite.

“I don’t enjoy witnessing any Greek defeated in battle and she is alone in her new world and represents us all. If she fails, we fail. I question the wisdom of Zeus,” Athena declares.

Hera’s animosity towards her spouse bathes Aphrodite and Athena in her spite and malicious thirst.

“What my husband has played with I will correct, therefore while she is faithful to her husband or remains a virgin, she will enjoy my blessing of intrigue, none will find her in the shadows, none will overhear her when she spies! Faithless husband beware, forceful rapist, be frustrated.”

The dove heads of the other two Goddesses glance at her, deliberating upon their gifts, originally not intending to act against the will of Zeus. Hera’s intrigue and implied protection invite them.

“While she wears my face elsewhere, I grant her my blessing of procreation, her children plentiful, and their beauty favoured. I wish her children to cover the surface of her new world spreading the Greek culture to civilise the beasts who slew her.”

“For my part, I wish to ensure she is the first Greek Heroine in her new world. I bless her with skills at arms, the first three weapons she grasps she will master quickly to resist defeat and kill those who mock her. I bless her with wisdom to choose the best of any choices before her.”

“Now we must take our leave to attend the wedding of Peleus and Thetis and allow the gathered mortals to worship us,” Aphrodite quips. My namesake will return when summoned, her shade forever gone and never to challenge my beauty again.

The three Goddesses take to wing and fly, in a line behind an imagery straight line, neither flying further forward than their fellow Goddesses.

---

My thoughts freeze as my spirit draws away from my creator against my will, I descend to a black or blank space, and then I start to form, my body rebuilding inside to out, solidifying, and coalescing. I sense hatred and anger, the emotions overwhelmingly strong and they wash over me as my spirit joins to my finished body.

My body transformation completes, and multiple rows of information scroll past my eyes, I am dazed. In my mind, I “hear” my Slave Master, I am forced to heed Azizos, he is relentless, revealing his anger, and himself, he is a creature called a Dungeon Core. No, not a creature, an entity, he has a purpose, which he hides due to shame. I recognise shame well and identify it instantly in him and while I remember the feeling of my shame before my creator, the moment is lost to discover the reason for his shame. His omnipotence is broken for me at that moment, his flaw allows me to accept my flaw and while I accept Zeus sent me here to punish my creator, he also sent me here to learn and improve and I am determined to succeed.

“You utter cursed useless mana consuming bitch! Zero mana! You are worthless, the best you can manage is to stand still to block a hallway or doorway until cut down, as you demonstrate no skills and can avoid no strikes. Since your arrival, your presence stole every drop of my available mana. Leave my Core Room! I sense intruders for the first time in many cycles, and the upper zones are undefended. Run, you waste of mana and stop them! Block a doorway or hallway with your body at least until you can somehow achieve more. Now go!”

“I obey Master.” Moisture leaks from my eyes, I realise these are named tears and I suspect the first of many. He ‘talks’ directly into my mind and I must try to resist his denigrating opinion of me. I will improve, I will learn.

“Did you return with any skills? What did you consume the mana to gain? I would beg you to be skilled in the sword, the equal of Nehal. You must kill and not stand as a wall to be knocked down! You’re a frustration to me.”

“I cannot say, Master.” Secretly I swivel my head quickly to catch sight of the pulsating bright red glow before leaving his presence.

Once away from his company I process the many messages before me.

{Dungeon Master infuses Agility Enhancements. Mana now expended.}

{Dungeon Master infuses Quickness Enhancements. Mana now expended.}

{Dungeon Master infuses Wisdom Enhancements. Mana now expended.}

{Dungeon Master infuses Perception Enhancements. Mana now expended.}

{Dungeon Master infuses Mettle Enhancements. Mana now expended.}

{Dungeon Master infuses Intelligence Enhancements. Mana now expended.}

{Dungeon Master respawns your existence. +9% Dungeon Dominate.}

{Do you wish to Lockout Monster Dominate due to Soul being Dungeon Dominate? Y/N}

I quickly respond by willing N.

{Do you wish to Lockout Sentient Dominate due to Soul being Dungeon Dominate?}

I quickly respond by willing N.

I pause to call my sheet; I need to discover any changes.

Name: Aphrodite Culture: Greek Mythos Race: Human Superior Spirit: Human Body: Living Basalt Soul: Dungeon Dominate Sentient Dominate: 10% Monster Dominate: 11% Dungeon Dominate: 58% Hominine Essence: Level 10 Avine Essence: Level 10 Strength: 65 Grasp: 65 Toughness: 65 Constitution: 65 Vigour: 65 Endurance: 65 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 65 Quickness: 55 Wisdom: 75 Perception: 55 Mettle: 55 Intelligence: 50 Willpower: 20 Power: 20 Charisma: 20 Glamour: 50 Beauty: 100

His anger washes over me once again and I hasten to my task. My tears renew as I recognise Dungeon Dominate has eclipsed the other two possibilities. I will be this beast’s slave forever, calling him Master unless I can determine how to improve both or ideally one other Dominate before my Soul is lost.

I sprint down hallways, grab the wall around corners, hurtling along at uncommon speed, and I don’t fall once. I don’t slow for a narrow bridge heedless of the risk. My Master’s anger wills me to action, his mind bears down upon me directly and his scorn burns my being.

--- (Dungeon Azizos POV)

I drive her with my will; I don’t allow her to entertain any free action. She is like a valuable cup with a hole, she should be perfect for her purpose. She isn’t. When she reaches my first zone, I release her from my focused will. I still maintain a link to her presence wishing her destruction and then quickly un-wishing due to the mana she consumed. I admit to mixed feelings, her feminine form repulsive, and too valuable now not to respawn.

I realise now how my mana exhausted, my coaching of her interpreted by the system as granting enhancements. I am angered by the waste of mana. Enough mana to reconstruct one, possibly two zones, their mana glow attracting Questors instead of accidental invaders. I must return to my purpose, and I need mana to reach for it once again.

This ‘coaching’ is new, I frantically scan through my menus. I find new menus, my additional limb as it were.

{Patch Options Menu – enjoy your new possibilities from the system, we have set the most popular settings for you.}

I initially find the Coaching Ratio and change the setting from Very High to Very Low, although I am still not satisfied. I continue my search until I find Coaching Enabled, which I set to Coaching Disabled. I then quickly check my mana status and the two new mana listings are gone; I am relieved. I still sense my ‘extra’ limb.

I search for new menus and find one more.

{Living Construct Options}

{Lock Dungeon Dominate Automatically when 100%? Enabled.}

{Automatically Evolve Living Construct when conditions are met? Disabled.}

{Set Dungeon Roaming Range (Unrestricted/Proximity/Dungeon/Zone/Room): Unrestricted.}

{Harvest Living Construct Kills automatically, convert to Mana? Enabled.}

{Gift Living Construct Skills? Enabled.}

I evaluate the options; she calls me Master and yet the option for Dungeon Dominate exists. I wonder what it means; can she perform independent thought and action and with unrestricted range can she leave my Dungeon? She can evolve, well why is she special, the default is disabled? Harvesting her kills for mana; again, I wonder at the option, it is what I expect, as my denizens exist to collect mana for me, why would there exist an option for her? Can she collect mana for herself? Finally, to gift skills, what is there to gift and why?

I ask the System for Living Construct Evolutions as it scrolls past, speechless, erm thoughtless, I ask again to confirm the result.

{Hominine Essence L5+, Avine Essence L5+

Evolution Available: Harpy

Mana: 500

Other Evolutions Locked}

I ask the system to explain Harpy.

{Harpies are wicked avian beasts that prey upon nearly all creatures to consume their flesh. Harpies have the body of a vulture, the upper torso, and the head of a woman. Their human features are youthful.}

The System locks evolutions by species; Nehal is living proof of this truism. How does a Living Construct of Basalt transform into an avian beast? What is this ‘thing’, which now leaches off my existence?

I observe Nehal; he wields his sword as if he swings a club. Where has his grace and fluid fighting form gone?