Location: The Inner Sea of the Archipelago Kingdom of Waponikash

Prince Japonilkash was awaken from his slumber by his second in command Lieutenant Keililposh. “Captain, the on watch mage has pinpointed the disturbance in the mana aether. You need to hear his report, Sir.” Japon’s vision of Keil blurred for a moment, as he swung his legs out of the hammock. Japon rubbed his eyes getting out the grit that seemed too accumulated around them.

Getting out of his bed, Japon stumbled for a moment due to an unexpected roll of the ship. It had taken him about a week to get his sea legs, but every now and again the sea still gave them an unexpected swell. “Keil, what time is it?”

Keil grabbed a clean shirt from the Prince’s foot locker and threw it to him. A marine Veteran of pirate attacks, dozens of Mana Monster hunts, and one navy battle he grabbed the prince’s sword belt with scarred and callused hands. The thought came across his mind that if he had done his job with a little less fervor, then he might have been spared from being a Prince’s nurse maid. “An hour before you are supposed to get up. However, you need to hear the report from the night watch mage himself before he ends his shift. Besides you might want to consider that instead of making the man wait on his sleep because you wanted more for yourself, it would show him respect if you got up early instead.”

Japon grumbled as he started getting dress. His clothes weren’t as formal when they were out at sea, then when in port. He had a pair of canvas pants, a softer linen undershirt and a dyed overcoat that he was given for his normal uniform at sea. Attaching the cutlass sword belt to his waist, he made his way up to the deck to hear the mages report.

Out on the deck stood a small wooden table with a compass, scrying device, and an attuned array of mana stones. As the Prince stepped out a crew member saw him immediate screamed out “Officer on deck!” The Prince waved them to carry on, and continued to the small table, where a young man, perhaps the age of fourteen stood.

It was a strange fate that magic talent didn’t really show until puberty in Humans. This boy must have had a strong talent and a quick mind to have been given an apprenticeship to the marines. The adolescent boy stood up as the Prince came over. The boy wore the rank of a warrant officer, showing that he was more than just a boy to be put on latrine duty but was also only in command if everyone else died. “Report Warrant Officer… Jeralal.” It had taken a moment for the Prince to remember the boy’s name, but in the end he gotten it.

“My Prince… aaa… Captain. I was on watch last night when the mana stone array lit up. Several of the crystals focused light and I recorded the readings down on the log. Using the array, as well as, my own scrying spell I was able to determine a heading on where the disturbance came from.” The boy turned around gather up the map and string he was using to plot its location.

The Prince looked over at his second in command and wonder why he had gotten him out of bed for this. Keil knew what the prince was thinking and decided to help the young Warrant Officer along. “Boy, the numbers will have to be verified by your master, tell him the other part.”

The teenager placed the items back down and turned around to the Prince. Jeralal stood there biting his lip in concern for a moment before deciding to continue. “As I said Captain, my readings from the array are in the log. However, after reviewing the spellwork tome on the array and its use; the readings I received last night were that of a dungeon level being created.”

The Princes eyebrow twitched just for a second at the idea of a dungeon in the kingdom. The last dungeon that the kingdom had was the Ocean Dungeon of Karin and that was twenty years ago. His father had told him that the dungeon had provided a great deal of wealth to the kingdom for many years. The problem was that the mana field around the Dungeon had begun expanding outward to capture more islands. His father told him about how the mana monsters had started killing villages and destroying the land. If what Jeralal was saying was true, then this dungeon could be a source of wealth or a great danger.

“Thank you for your report, Jeralal. Make sure that your master has everything to confirm your work. Lieutenant a word in private please.” The prince walked away from prying ears as he and Kiel walked to the ships rail. “Keil, is this real? Are we really going to listen to a boy that hasn’t even laid with his first woman yet?”

Keil took a moment and looked out at the clear waters. “Japon, I don’t say this lightly. Jeralal might not be old enough to shave, but when it comes to magic he’s better than his master, Farin. The boy’s on the day watch go to him for their remedies from foot rot to the unpleasant itching that comes from paying for an hour of someone’s time. After his apprenticeship is done, I am hoping to get him married to some island lass and tap him for a promotion. Otherwise, he’s going to go the Adventuring Guild, and will we be stuck with some half talented fool like Farin. At this point, Farin will take a day, maybe two, to confirm the readings and will probably bless Jeralal’s work.”

Japon took a moment to think about what Keil was saying. If another dungeon had been created then a great deal of questions needed answers. “Keil, we will work on the idea that Jeralal’s numbers are accurate. Move the three vessels towards the heading that Jeralal worked out. It’s the first solid lead we have involving the mana disturbance, and if what the rest of what Jeralal is saying is true. Then we have a great deal of work ahead of us.” Japon and Keil nodded to each other at the last sentence, before each of them set out to begin their day.

Location: Alistair’s Pocket Dimension

Alistair had gone back to his pocket dimension and slowly grew Herma’s house to include two new rooms. Callum was excited at the new monster in the dungeon and had even interrupted Alistair to talk to him about it. Alistair had Callum summon as many as he thought he could to help clear out the air in the dungeon, before he went back to shaping Herma’s house.

The mana in the fountain had changed quite a bit. With the absorption of Herma’s dungeon he was receiving more Life and Air mana then before, but now looking down at the fountain Alistair saw bits of Water Mana and Death Mana in it. With the greater increase in types of mana, Alistair was able to create wooden beams inside the house; along with a polish wood floor.

Feeling as if Herma and the children needed something special, Alistair created windows and shutters in the side of the house and even changed their thatched roof to wooden shingles. Herma came over to Alistair and smiled, “Thank you for the upgrade to the house. How was the great working?”

Alistair stayed quiet in thought. Something told him that he shouldn’t tell Herma everything. “Well, I was able to set up a spell that removed the poisons from the air and create ore deposits. I still need to remove the heat in the air and then finally Adventurers can explore the first floor.”

Herma laughed, “Seems counterproductive doesn’t it? You making the dungeon safer for Adventurers!”

Alistair laughed as well, “Your right Herma! However, I am not too worried about it. My second floor is filled with dangerous pools of acid, harsh pressure and if a wall breaks the whole floor can be underwater in a heartbeat. It almost seems that the Gods and Goddess want me to make the floor safer for Adventurers to get the next one. Even now the first summoning circle is surrounded by lethal levels of heat.”

Herma and Alistair looked at the house as Callum popped back into dimension. “My Lord Alistair! Something incredible has happened to the dungeon! Look with your Dungeon Vision and I will show you.”

Alistair opened up a blue mana window into his dungeon and had Callum direct him where to go with the window. Finally it came to a large room that Alistair had never seen before. Small pathways seemed to be in the walls leading to holes that were shaped into rooms. Rock tools and scrapes of hides were placed about in a half hazard manner. At the center of the room was several rune symbols, that once viewed by Alistair a prompt came up.

Event!You have created a Kobold Warren!By upgrading a house to have multiple rooms, you have created your first Worker Room in the dungeon. As your dungeon is allied with Dragonkin this room is a Kobold Warren. You must defeat the elemental worker prior to summoning Kobolds to your dungeon. As your Kobolds breed they will began to become sentient beings on their own, building deeper into your dungeon and evolving. Currently their society will be poor and salvage. Develop mana monsters, spells, and tools to help them grow.

As Alistair dismissed the prompt, he saw the elemental came into the room and stop on the runes in the floor. It seemed like it knew this was supposed to be a worker room, but it wasn’t made for the elemental. Letting out a roar, the elemental started throwing fireballs about the walls and tools setting the place ablaze. Alistair screamed at the elemental through the dungeon window to stop. When Herma put a hand on Alistair’s arm and he looked up at her in a cold furious gaze.

“You need to think clearly. If you are going to after that elemental, you will need to cast your spells and that will take time. Additionally, you don’t have a monster yet to kill it, so you will be battling it, are you ready for such a thing?” Herma said as she stared into Alistair’s eyes.

Alistair nodded, he felt his blood in his temples and his face flush with anger. Alistair looked her back in the eye with murder in his heart for the Elemental. In the corner of his vision he saw the new wood shingle roof of Herma’s house catch on fire. The elemental was destroying the upgrades that he had done for Herma and the children. The children ran up to the house and cried out in terror. It was then that Alistair knew in his heart that even if he died fighting the elemental he was going to take it down.

Author’s note: Short chapter today. I have to confess that after the new review yesterday, I tried writing “shorter” paragraphs for smartphones. Yet it feels like it is sucking out my creativity. However, I understand that some people look at this website through their smartphones and read each chapter that way. If that is the case then I should allow them a more ascetic read. Anyway, I posted a poll up top to see if I should try and post it in shorter paragraphs, and what is the best “paragraph” length.

In order to try and keep my inspiration at doing this. I might make a long rough draft paragraph and then chop it up in the end… Just feels like I am violating grammar rules that way.