Trash POV

"Burp!"

Soo full! Trash love spider feast!

"Burp!"

But too full. Can't eat more. Master mad. Master screams everytime spider's bit master. Cursing at Trash or Dog... Trash mean Keeper. Trash needs rest!

Trash grab thingy Trash found. Tiny marble. Smooth and round. Shiny, blue.

Trash like shiny blue. But never take from master. Master have Trash head if Trash steals from master.

*Boom*

Keeper outside. Making 'Boom, Boom, Boom.' Too loud for Trash. Trash beautiful ears hurt.

Trash think about Keepers enemies, scary. But Keeper strong. Keeper defeats enemies... Right?

Trash don't know! If trash didn't throw rock at big spiders. Keeper been food now.

But, Keeper mad. Trash helped bad. That because Keeper yelled nasty words.

Master yells, again.

"Argh, Damn critters. I will make every one of you and all of your ancestors experience excruciating pain." [Maleck]

Master yells nasty words to, but master talks funny. Trash not bother. Trash focus on marble again. So shiny!... All of a sudden. Why so silent?

"Aha! I found it!" [Maleck]

Keepers POV

Darkness.

Trapped in silent darkness. Feeling nothing. Hearing nothing and only seeing darkness.

No hunger, no thirst, no nothing.

Why am I here again? In this void. What happened?

The last of my memories:

I was swarmed, cave spiders everywhere. And as one was ready to take a bite out of me. Nothing.

It was now, just like the first time... Well, I think. I don't have any good recollection of the first time in this void. My memories only extend to when I first heard masters croaking voice and awakened.

Beyond that, nothing.

It's frustrating. After my awakening, nothing has gone as I wished. Bound to a master I despise. Not being free to traverse wherever I want or kill whomever I want.

Nothing which I accomplished had any impact... Any meaning. I can't even kill that infuriating mage. I could not kill the slime nor was I able to finish One-fang. The cave spider which I did kill had been distracted by something. So was it truly my own kill?

Sure I killed a lot of the baby cave spiders. But they only charged at me in a mad frenzy and were barely a challenge, yet I still lost!

'I am too weak.' [Keeper]

I exasperated in my mind.

'Then get allies' [???]

What? Was that a voice? No something else. The sound came from all around me. It was rough and sounded unreal... Not human!

'Is that another one of my personas?" [Keeper]

'No silly, I'm not one of your personas. I'm Lair Otut." [Lair]

'... eh!? I can't even see you. So how do I know you're not just another one of them?" [Keeper]

'That's because you're looking the wrong way. Don't see with your eyes, look with you're mind. Just feel it and see it. It's easy!" [Lair]

I didn't even question it as I had nothing else to do in this void. Look with your mind?... I closed my non-existing eyes. Concentrating.

Nothing! It's still just the same darkness. Just. Feel it? I tried to feel around, but then I remembered that I had no limbs of my own, or at least that is what I'm to believe.

Instead, I tried to feel it in my mind.

After some time passed, something started to emerge...

Colors.

And that's when it happened. All around me, like an explosion in every direction pools of colors, started to shape in the surrounding darkness. First, they were hard to distinguish from each other. But soon enough, millions of... What looked like hovering flames. Each with a different color where moving around in streams all around me. Creating an image of colorful rainbows in flames. Polling and swirling.

There where only one, which was the exception.

A gray flame - as if all colors had been sucked out of it- hovering in my vicinity. Only reflecting a red flickering light which emanated from my own position.

'hmm, so my color is red?" [Keeper]

I didn't just see in one direction, I saw everything in five dimensions...

'I see that you have succeeded. Good job, I wouldn't have it any other way!" [Lair]

As soon as I could see I tried to move and noticed, that if I willed it. I was capable of moving, but only very slowly. Yet even though I moved, I could not feel any sensation of movement. Even if I collided with any of the streams I was only pushed back without any sensation.

'Are you done playing, my partner?" [Lair]

That got me focused.

'Partner?" [Keeper]

'Am I using it wrong? Isn't that what you used to call me?" [Lair]

'S- Slayer? Is that you?" [Keeper]

'In some way yes. In some way no. This part of me which is left would be most probably referred to as Slayer, yes." [Lair]

'We, what? I'm getting confused!" [Keeper]

'Well, it's hard to explain. I have limited time, so I should just start from the beginning..." [Lair]

Lair POV

Lair continued:

This place has no real name. "The magic rails". The inferior beings call's it. A place existing side by side with the organic world. A place where wise-men and other like them borrow their power, for use in their magic.

But its so much more, everything you see here no wise-man has ever laid eyes upon. This! This is where all supernatural power resides. Not just Mana, but Spirit, Nature, Divinity and also Chaos.

Any and all power which could be used to bend the laws of the inferior world.

Usually, inferior beings like wise-men are only capable of drawing a minuscule amount. But there are creatures who can draw larger amounts. But even then they only drew buckets full from an endless sea.

And in the end, they died like all living things and their energy returned to the magick rails in its rightful place. Where its molded into new energy to be used again.

But sometimes, just sometimes! Something mysterious happens and something is born. If there is enough compact energy a soul will be born. A unique being born out of two separate souls.

You and I are those souls. We are the soul pieces of a Dungeon. To be precise its heart and its avatar.

'Say what now!?" [Keeper]

'Shush, continue to listen instead." [Lair]

First I was born and matured over a thousand years, learning. Then I needed another energy to be the part of the avatar. That is you, but your maturity took longer than expected. And before you were finished that old wise-man put you under his spell.

'I'm... a dungeon?" [Keeper] the red soul in my vicinity asked as he hovered in a daze.

No, WE are a Dungeon! Two sides of the same being but divided in two. You're the avatar or as the inferior creature named them; Dungeon Lord, the one of two part of the Dungeon. A ruler of monster's, beast's and demon's alike.

And I am the heart of the dungeon. It's essence. The extension of the dungeons will and power. A parasitic entity which nourishes itself on inferior creatures souls, creating its own unique energy.

Wise-men call this energy; Dungeon Mana. Something which can only be wielded by the avatar and a selected few. The heart grows it parasitic area through the dirt. Sharing power, the mana to the avatar. In exchange for protection and together they make a Dungeon the most powerful entity in the world. But nay invulnerable.

As both are part of one if the heart dies so does the avatar. But, if the avatar dies and the heart still stands then the avatar can be regenerated. Such as what is happening right now.

The stunned red soul started to shake itself back and forth as if to shake something off.

'So you are telling me that you are my heart? As in my body? not Slayer?" [Keeper]

'Well... In my first stage of evolution you where my container, then I became a part of the so-called Slayer for a while. Glorius times!" [Lair]

'...And now?" [Keeper]

'Well, now I'm... Let's call it; sowed in the dirt. Not even I know anything past this." [Lair]

Lair started to flicker as he felt his existence expire.

'It seems like my time is up. As my primary source has left your body I no longer exist with you. This is but a shadow of my true self, the parts which were deemed unnecessary for our next step. Left behind as nothing more than an energy conductor to fuel Slayer." [Lair]

'What! You're leaving already?" [Keeper]

'No silly, didn't I tell you? We are two of the same, we are one!" [Lair]

With those words, the gray flame went out.

'Feed- me- lots- of- souls- partner-." [Lair]

The voice of Lair faded with soft echoes. Until complete silence.

'... Crap! I forgot to ask Lair how to get out of here!" [Keeper]

Maleck's POV

*Spoof*

A white thick cloud of toxic spider bane was seeping out of the glass bottle container. As every arachnid in the vicinity of the spider-infested study, falls down to the ground, lifelessly.

"Well, It won't have this great of an effect on the big ones. But, normal sized ones it's quite potent on. Perhaps it's a question of mass...?" [Maleck]

I pondered aloud as I studied the effect of the potion, as I simultaneously was combing my hand through my long beard. Getting out most of the dead spiders from it.

Under one of the tables lies the goblin with a bloated belly. Seemingly knocked out cold by overeating.

He will have a sore stomach when he wakes up. That's for sure.

As my mind calm down from the intense strain on my body as million of spiders had been biting my old skin. I looked around the study.

Finally peace and quiet!

I took a staff from the corner of the room and slammed it into the floor. A few feets ahead the stone started to rise from the floor in a square of 50x50 centimeters each. As it rose, the center of it and the edge facing me stopped to grow, settling in a smooth surface. The rest of the stone, on the other hand; the back, right, and left still grew upwards. After 10 more centimeters or so, the left and right side of it also stopped growing. Leaving only the back wich grew additionally 40 centimeters. Now, in front of me, a symmetrical stone chair had materialized. I slammed the staff down again making the stone chairs back bend backward by 10 degrees.

"That should be comfortable enough." [Maleck]

I sat down into it as my old bone cracked.

"I'm getting too old for this!" [Maleck]

I said to no one in particular. Mostly as a joke considering my advanced age. No man live much longer than their thirties or forties in this day and age.

I let go of the staff and used my wind magic to fling it back to its rightful place. Being a dual-mage controlling wind and fire I had to use other tools to access other elements of magick. The staff I just flung back was named [Golem's stick] and could be used to bend the rock and earth to the wielder's will.

Though only small changes could be made such as this chair I made to relax in or the alter in the center of the room. Though the magick inscriptions on the alter I had to do manually by hand.

"Keeper... that damned, slave." [Maleck]

I had been surprised by his defiance, it was just not plausible. My spell should keep him from harming me. Yet he had clearly tried to.

He had not only shocked me with his defiance but also what he had done with that broadsword.

I gave him no enchanted weapon, yet still, he had clearly made the sword use some sort of fire attribute. I have heard of magical materialized weapons, but he had used no chant and clearly used the same sword I had previously handed him.

And that sigil... Why was it so familiar? Where have I seen it before?

An enigma, a true enigma. I stopped contemplating about it and relaxed back in the hard chair. Enjoying the silence.

... Wait a minute! why is it so silent?

It's too silent, the cave spiders should still be outside. Did Keeper finish them all? That would be a first. He has never done anything useful since I summoned him. His only good quality is as a doorstop.

I sighed when I picked myself up from the stone chair. And called for my Slave.

"Keeper!" [Maleck]

No answer. Oh, right the silence command.

"Keeper, get in here!" [Maleck]

Some seconds flew by. Nothing happened. Has that dimwit become deaf after all those explosions?

"KEEPER, I SAID COME IN HERE NOW!" [Maleck]

Still, nothing.

"Uuuuu, Trash not good." [Trash]

The goblin had awoken from my yelling, still referring to itself as Trash.

"You! Goblin slave, go out and see what is happening." [Maleck]

"Uuuuu." [Trash]

The goblin didn't even register my command. Sigh, useless.

"If you want something done right you have to do it yourself." [Maleck] I muttered to myself.

I walked to the door and as I opened it I was met by a dirt brown stalagmite. Blocking the entrance.

"What the! This wasn't here before!" [Maleck]

Behind it, no traces of the previous battle which had occurred could be seen.

The only thing that betrayed this was the caves new shape. As the corridor to the study had changed into a somewhat circular room, which was pitch black from top to bottom. Obviously, the cause for this must have been all the heat from the explosions.

There was nothing here. No spiders, no bucket, and no Keeper. The only thing... my sight was drawn back to the stalagmite.

I was baffled and intrigued at the same time.

It had a rugged cone shape to it.

Dirt brown.

Around 2 meters tall.

Certain parts of it seemed thinner and at a closer inspection, I could see a mysterious yellowish light penetrating the brown color. Making the stalagmite turn more reddish at these parts.

"Fascinating!" [Maleck]

I reached out my hand, touching the stalagmite. And was surprised by it's rough, yet bendable exterior. I immediately estimated that this was in fact not a stalagmite made of stone. But an organic material that was at least as hard as steel, meant to imitate a stalagmite.

As I pondered the reason for this I noted a low heat emanating from within it and then I felt it!

A slow, rhythmic, heartbeat.

BONUS: How slayer worked.

Weapon Classification: Claymore Name: Slayer Special option: SoulLink Attribute: Obscure

SoulLink: A power, only a being with two or more souls can achieve. By putting one part in the desired object, one can "download" energy into the container giving it power. The power stays for a while but disperses immediately after, without an extended period of the link.

Voice of the world:

Dungeon Specific; Any consumed soul's converted into power. Attribute obscured... Downloaded power burning up instead, wild magick dispurses... Obscured attribute's closest resemblance. Fire.