Robert screamed for who knows how long. It was very hard to keep track of time when you're a Diamond. A year could be a second, a second, a year. But all Robert knew was that they had been screaming for ages before a voice interrupted them.

"Shi-calm down Robert, can't you see I have a hangover?" Vocal said. Though Robert still couldn't see where she was.

"Sorry," Robert said sheepishly. They asked, "What's a hangover?"

"Oh right, still basically a kid and all. Think of it as a headache induced by being drunk, which is induced by drinking alcohol."

"Why would anyone drink something that gave them a headache afterward?" Robert asked, confused.

"Lifes biggest question, and something I can't answer due to my limited drinking experience."

Robert nodded along as best they could at the answer. Vocal wasn't lying to them, Robert had felt a connection between them slowly form while they had been busy screaming, they hadn't known it was there till Vocal had woken up. But it was feeding them a certain thing.

Robert didn't know what it was, but they were pretty sure this was the bond Vocal had talked about. In a few days, they would probably be able to answer questions the other thought about.

But first, Robert had an important question. "Vocal? Where are you?" They asked.

"What? I'm right in front of you! Can you not see me?!" Vocal shouted.

"Yes"

Vocal groaned before she went silent for several minutes. Robert waited patiently, they were just about to ask if Vocal was done yet when she spoke. "Is your magic pool empty?" Vocal asked.

Robert told her yes. It had dried out when the theme was chosen. Vocal sighed.

"That's the problem, fill the pool up and you should be good to go."

Robert quickly reimagined their pool, now a dark brown liquid with faint amounts of bubbles coming out. Robert ignored the color change and began to absorb magical energy. Pulling array's of power into the pool before it was reasonably full.

Robert quickly looked around the area they were in, finding Vocal near the edge of their territory.

"Why are you out here?" Robert asked. "Cause we're gonna need to expand this," she said as she gestured to the front of herself. The very edge of Robert's domain.

"Why do we need to?" Robert asked.

"We need space if you want to become a Dungeon that's truly worthy of time. And while plenty of Dungeons create spatial barriers and turn their Dungeons into miniature Bags of Holding. We aren't at that level or have the appropriate theme to do so."

Robert nodded, ignoring the strange words that came out of Vocal's mouth.

"So what do we do?" Robert asked.

"Easy, just imagine this barrier expanding and imagine a link connecting it to your magic pool," Vocal ordered.

Robert followed. They imagined a line twisting from the barrier to them, connecting to them and quickly entering the pool like a pipe. Robert imagined the wall expanding, almost immediately the energy inside the pool drained. Being transported to Roberts barrier. Quickly the barrier grew, with Vocal closely following it.

After what Vocal said was several minutes, Robert suddenly lost sight of the barrier and Vocal. They almost screamed again but quickly calmed themselves after Vocal's voice reached them.

Robert had just run out of energy. Within a minute the barrier was expanding again.

It took Robert two recharges before the barrier passed something.

That was when Robert's mind exploded. Thousands of colorful grasses appeared right outside. Dozens of trees marking themselves deep in the soil just several seconds away from being subsumed by Robert's barrier. Scores of miniature flying crimson arrows darted from tree to tree. While white fluffy beasts stalked the grass.

Robert would have quickly absorbed the entire area had Vocal not told him to stop.

Okay, she yelled.

"Robert! Robert stop!" Vocal yelled with all her might. Her warning coming seconds before Robert's barrier would've passed into the grass.

Reluctantly, Robert stopped. They then looked at Vocal, "why did you tell me to stop?" They asked.

"Cause, I can't have you absorbing grass and getting both of us killed!" Vocal replied.

"What?" Robert asked.

"Listen, adventurers and soldiers get antsy when Dungeons start claiming land on the surface. They usually only allow so under strict contracts. But if a Dungeon starts absorbing things on the surface. They cut their losses and kill us."

"Why! Also, what does kill mean?" Robert asked.

Vocal sighed. "Not now, I'll tell you later. Just don't absorb anything outside, okay?"

"Fine," Robert said with a huff, the outside had lost a little bit of its beauty when Robert had first seen it, but it was still extremely beautiful.

"Good. I'll be gone for an hour, don't do anything stupid!" Vocal said before flying out of Robert's barrier.

"Wait, what! Why!?" But when Vocal had left, soaring out of Roberts domain. Their connection with each other stopped. It hadn't been destroyed, just deactivated.

Robert was now alone.

Man, it was quiet.

It had been who knows how long since Vocal had left.

It had felt like several hours. But Robert knew that they wouldn't be sure unless Vocal came back and told them.

The Outside as Robert had called it had grown brighter since Vocal left. And it had made Robert all the madder(A lesser but more common form of rage that Robert had learned when Vocal had face-planted into the floor somehow) at how they couldn't absorb it into their domain.

It was like it was taunting Robert with how beautiful it was.

Robert would've almost certainly been screaming in their mind by now when they noticed something.

A large scaley long thing had entered their domain. It had seven crimson red eyes, each one with a yellow dot in the middle.

The creature slowly shifted its entire being into Robert. That's when a message came in.

You have acquired your first Intruder! End this fierce enemy and claim the rewards for your first conflict!

Robert stared for several seconds before asking. "Was this what Vocal called an adventurer?" They asked excitedly.

Nearly several miles away. Vocal was hiding behind a tree, she had been trapped for three hours. She had seen some juicy little eggs that would've been valuable for Robert and made their Dungeon greater in the Rankings. But the layer of said eggs.

A massive crimson hawk soared around the nest. Having killed several beasts that had tried to steal the eggs. Including one Elf.

Vocal was just about ready to leave and head back to Robert when she suddenly sneezed. With a snap, the hawk soared to her location, beak screeching and claws outstretched.

Vocal let out a scream and bolted.