Chapter 5

Time passed by as I considered my options. Finally I decided I did not know enough yet. I had to wait and learn while growing stronger. To the latter’s end I came up with a plan.

First I was going to use my extra mana in three ways. I had an extra 50 mana per casting that the master necromancer did not know of. So I would save some of it to level up. I figured increasing my overall level was never bad. Second I would save mana to try to summon a minion that no one would know of. This idea still had many flaws; like how would I hide my minion; or what would I do with it. Regardless though I figured I would have time. Lastly I would expand my area. I could only go up and down, but expansion was expansion.

For the former, I would spend my time learning how to control mana better. In addition I decided it would be good to learn the patterns of the black robed figures. With my new ability to multitask like a crazy housewife hyped up on speed, I could keep a mental count going while focusing on five other things all at once. Sadly I didn’t have five things to focus on, but I was sure if I had then I could manage the task easily.

With plans set I had to wait, and wait and wait. I was pretty sure they had forgotten about me, so eventually I began to count out time. “1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi…”

I was 8 hours, 26 minutes, and 41 Mississippi… erm seconds when I finally felt the vibrations in the air that signaled some kind of movement in the room with me.

I felt speech and from the direction the sound waves came from I was thinking it was two different speakers. Another 501 seconds passed before I felt more movement and I finally got the command.

“Dungeon, this Light period you will accept my apprentice’s magic and use it to create skeletons. You will not attack with them. You will perform no action at all with them until I return. When I do return you will give complete command of them to me. After that they will follow my and only my orders.”

Automatically I tried to respond with, “yes Master!” but gratefully I had no mouth to speak the words. 157 seconds later I began to feel mana rushing into my territory. Absorbing it I smiled as the warm energy entered into my heart. As soon as I had 50 mana to create a skeleton I automatically began to. With a great effort of will I suppressed the urge. I had to keep telling the dungeon half of myself to wait, quickly I picked up a mantra.

“1 skeleton for 100 mana. That is what the spell costs.”

Repeating it over and over helped me resist the commanded urge. My will cracked at 98 mana and I began to create the skeleton. Straining I drew out the casting until after I received the 100 mana goal. The mana rushed out of my heart and into the creation. With a sigh I felt the monster form.

Unable to resist I looked through the skeleton’s eyes right into the face of a startled man. He wore a black rob that had been pulled back to reveal a scarred pock marked face. His left hand was outstretched a few centimeters from my circular cage.

I was unable to do anything with the skeleton but I really wanted to have it jump forward and shout “Boo!” Slowly the man lowered his hand and a sneer spread across his face. I watched as his demeanor changed from a frightened rabbit to one of superiority. He spoke but I did not understand the words. Finally he spit at the skeleton and turned to leave the room. Opening the door he glanced back and walked out. Another black robed figure walked in a minute later.

It walked forward lowered its hood and raised her hand. The woman was as ugly and scarred as the man had been. Unlike the man though her scars looked like burns. At one point in her life she had lived through a terrible fire. However, the scarring did nothing to hide the absolute cruelty I saw in her dark eyes.

Mana began to leave her hand into my circle and I began to have to recite my mantra once again.

This time as we neared the 100 mana mark I realized something. My heart was almost full of mana. I would not be able to hold another cycle like this one. That called for a slight alteration to my plan. With a mental shrug I decided I would start my plan after I leveled up once more. But first I had to hide my heart from easy view. Summoning the skeleton this time I made sure to place it between my heart and the line of sight of the woman, thusly giving me a little privacy.

Once again as soon as the skeleton was formed the shift changed. This time the figure did not lower its hood. I greedily drank in the mana the robed figure began to push toward me. The flow was not nearly as fast nor as smooth. The flow of mana would completely stop every now and then as the figure struggled to perform the task.

As my heart neared full I smiled in glee. A level meant more power and more power meant a greater chance of escape…

Congratulations!! Level Up!

You have reached Level 3

Reward 1: 1 Stat Point

Reward 2; 10 Dungeon Points

Effect 1: Maximum Mana increased by 100

I examined my larger heart as it cooled after the level up. It made me proud to see its size and how clear it was. Then a thought completely smashed my after level glow. It too 90 mana from this apprentice for me to reach 200 stored mana. That only left 10 more to go and they would be expecting a skeleton…

“Uh oh,” I thought. “I really wish I would have spent less time watch anime, manga, and porn. Or maybe I shouldn’t have played as many shooters and more strategy games? Then maybe I would have seen this coming and planned accordingly.”

Panicking I did the only thing I could think of doing. I created the skeleton using the remaining 10 mana I had. I watched in fascination as the bones appeared, grew, twisted, and connected in air to form the things body. Beside the two full sized skeletons who stood 1.75m tall a miniature stood. It was roughly a fifth of the size of the others at only 0.35m. “Ah so cute!” I thought before a scream rang out through the room.

The robed figure had screamed an ear piercing noise as she saw the miniature figure. Looking through three pairs of eyes I saw the doors fly open and 6 black robed figures storm into the room. A lot of shouting and pointing ensued. I took it that none of them expected this event and the others were somehow blaming the designer breed of skeleton to be the latest apprentice’s fault.

I sat there feeling terrible, but unable to keep from smiling at the cuteness every time I looked at the little guy. Eventually the shouting drew others and two more robed figures entered the room followed by the master.

How did I know it was her? Well the moment she entered the room I was giving directions to the newborns to follow her. I was barely able to add on my additional instructions about where to get their mana from.

The master necromancer rushed forward pushing through the scattering apprentices to look at the skeletons. Seeing the little one she turned back to the apprentice and pointed a long boney figure at her. With a command the others surged forward grabbing the apprentice as she began to struggle and shout. Four of them grabbed her arms and began to pull her out of the chamber. I watched in horror as it happened.

Then it struck me. How was I watching this? I had already given command to the master necromancer. I shouldn’t be able to see or hear through the skeletons anymore. But I wasn’t I was seeing through the miniature skeleton’s eyes! Somehow this little version did not classify as a full-fledged skeleton and thus I had not given it the commands to follow like the others.

As the master necromancer turned back to me I quickly ordered “Listen to the master necromancer. Do as she says. But you will listen to me above all others!” The master Necromancer issued a command to the skeletons and they stepped out of my prison. When they did I lost the ability to look or hear through the little one.

“Dungeon, if you did this give me a sigh.”

My instinct to obey made me try. But I had no mana left. I could not speak, I had no minions in my territory. So I had no way to obey.

“Dungeon, you will obey me! I am your master and creator, my word is your gospel. I will be the one to survive this little challenge. The others will beg me before I rip their souls out and devour them. I will present their dungeon cores to the dark gods. Then they will reward me with enough power to destroy this small world. mwahahahaha”

I kept waiting for an actual command but nothing came. “Huh evil monologue?” I thought.

Dungeon Statistics Sheet

Name: Alex

Species: Dungeon

Variant: Slave

Level: 3 0%

Common Statistics

Health: 10 / 10

Health Regen: None

Mana: 0 / 300

Mana Regeneration: 1 / Day

Core: Diamond / 3cm sphere

Strength: Locked

Dexterity: Locked

Constitution: Locked

Intelligence: 10

Will: 10

Charisma: 10

Stat Points: 3

Dungeon Statistics

Type: Undecided

Territory: 1m

Rooms: 1

Floors: 1

Dungeon Species: Undead

Dungeon Points : 20

Population Statistics

Family: None

Slaves: None

Minions: Brownie Skeleton: 1

Inhabitants: None

Pets: None

Titles / Achievements

List: Yes / No

Titles / Achievements

Title: Touched by Divinity

Your soul has been touched by a God or Goddess forever altering you.

Effect 1: Astral Projection

You can project your soul into the Astral Plane between worlds.

Effect 2: Unknown

Effect 3: Unknown

Effect 4: Unknown

Effect5: Unknown

Show: Yes / No

Achievement: Touched Ellinoria

You have touched the Maiden Goddess Ellinoria in an intimate way.

Effect 1: Mindspeak with Ellinoria

Effect 2: Connected to Woodlands and Fae

Effect 3: Skill Sylvan

Effect 4: Locked

Effect 5: Locked

Skills

List: Yes / No

Skills

Creation (Dungeon): Beginner: 5 20%

Mana Control Beginner: 14 92%

Show Affinities: Yes / No

Death Affinity: Beginner: 1 20%

Show Languages: Yes / No

Language – English Advanced: 97 85%

Language – Spanish Beginner: 51 3%

Language – Japanese Novice: 3 92%

Language – Sylvan God-Like: 100 100%