Chapter 12

The music I was creating spoke to my soul. Part of me told me the door to the room containing my heart had opened and closed. Another portion rejoiced when song joined my music. Yet, another portion created a skeleton when I was directed enough mana to do so. Yet none of those parts of me mattered. It took a large amount of attention to feel the air in the tunnel, then adjust the solid rock into the correct pipes in the correct order. They had to be properly sized, the holes had to be the perfect shape with the correct fipple. All of which had to be adjusted as soon as the sound was made. I was completely lost in the music. At least until…

Every thought stopped, every action ceased, every consideration vanished. Someone had entered into my territory and they were close to my heart! Instinct took over with an overriding rush. I had to destroy the intruder. I had to protect my heart. I had no friends, I had no allies. That meant anyone close was a foe.

I directed the created skeletons to attack the intruder. Nothing happened since I was bound and still forced to listen to the Master. She had told me that I could not have the skeletons attack anyone. With red rage filling my mind I realized they were not my only option. I had others. With a command my zombies awoke and reach through the ground as I turned it into soft dirt. Their hunger was great and I urged them to feed, to devour, and to consume.

Dead hands reached forth and grabbed onto warm flesh! I cheered as they began to pull themselves from the ground mouths gnashing searching for the flesh of the living. I briefly noted that my zombie’s dinner did not scream. She did struggle but her attempts were weak and ineffective.

“Stop!”

The voice was not my master’s and I did not have to listen!

“Alex stop!”

My name… Yes I am Alex, I am not a mindless dungeon with no reaction but instinct!

“Good. Now Alex you must stop them. I have marked her. She is mine!”

“Ellinoria?” I asked confused.

I got the impression of a sigh, “yes it is me, whom else speaks to you via a divine connection?”

I did not answer, instead I commanded my zombies to stop. They froze for a second then their hunger surged. Zombies must feed to stay alive. They were capable to forming personalities and retaining memories. They had their own wills as my minion they would listen to me but they could resist. Since I created them they had never been allowed to feed. I had kept them asleep to extend the time before thy had to feed, but now I had awoken them. They were awake and they had fresh meat literally in their hands!

They fought me! They fought my will! Their urge to consume and stay alive gave them strength. There was also five of them and only one of me. Slowly the continued to climb out of the ground moving ever closer to sinking their rotting teeth into the girl.

I fought back! I commanded them over and over to cease. I had never had one of my creations resist me before, so I did not know the best way to impose my will upon them. I knew they were mine I could feel the connection, but they were clamping closed on that connection like a tunicate over an arm or leg. With a grunt I broke into the psyche of one and it let go. The others just fought me harder. The panicked fighting of the girl adding the natural instinct of the hunter into their strengths.

As I fought I searched for another option. I knew even if I got them to let go then they would still have to feed. They could not just go back to sleep now. If I made them do so they would never awaken again. I could sacrifice one of them to feed the others, but my human mind recoiled at that. Oddly it did not bother me letting them eat a living Human, but the idea of a zombie eating another zombie seemed…. Wrong. I also knew the flesh of the dead would not help sate their hunger very much. They consumed the life-force of that flesh as much as the flesh itself and the life force of a newborn zombie was weak as could be.

As my will shattered another zombie psyche forcing the second to let go I found a hope. High above in the ground I sensed life. It was outside my current territory, but I might be able to fix that!

I could sense multiple lifeforms there, it was still underground so it had to be some kind of burrowing animal. An animal meant that I could surprise it! I destroyed a meter high segment of dirt and stone at the very edge of my territory. The sudden vacuum of matter caused a shift in the soil on both sides and in the ground above the new hole. That shift resulted in the ground collapsing to fill in the area. As it collapsed the critters were suddenly falling with the floor of its den!

If it had been something with more than a basic animal level of intelligence it could have understood and probably avoided being buried. As it was the creatures were trapped. And it was creatures.

Quickly using mana to create soil again I filled in the holes before more collapses occurred. Then more slowly I moved the ground around the creatures buried forms.

There was 7 of the creatures and from what I could sense it was some kind of fox. A vixen and six kits. They were larger than foxes on earth probably some 20 pounds and their teeth and claws were longer, better weapons in a more hostile world. I could not tell their fur coloration or anything similar but that really did not matter to me right now.

My attention was split four ways; I was working on moving the foxes deeper into he ground closer toward my heart room. I was striving to break the will of my rebellious zombies; I was still listening to the noises the air made in my pipes; lastly I was watching the intruder into my territory, the one whom Ellinoria said she claimed.

It took me less than 30 seconds to drop the foxes into my heart room. Just a little off center so they would not easily fall onto my heart. By that time I had imposed my will upon another of the zombies and had at least restrained the remaining two from biting the girl. As the foxes fell I commanded the zombies to attack and devour the hapless creatures. I knew that two of the kits had died during the brief burial and the remaining did not survive the 3m fall from the ceiling, but the zombies would not care. As my minions began to feed I absorbed the life energy from the fox’s deaths and turned back toward the girl.

She had frozen, after the zombies let her go she had stopped fighting and did not flee. She currently had her head tilted at an odd angle as if listening to a voice only she could hear.

“Ellinoria are you speaking with her?” I asked the goddess.

“Yes.”

I waited for some kind of explanation or something, when one was not forthcoming I snorted. “Typical woman. Giving orders, but never explaining anything.” A feminine snort was my only response, so I focused onto prompts that had been trying to gain my attention for a while.

Skill gained: Air Affinity: Beginner: 1 0%

This skill measures the caster’s ability to manipulate magic of the Air type.

Note from Ellinoria: Alex this is one of the four basic elements. One of my Favorites too. It will be hard to use this skill so deep underground but never forget that air is everywhere.

As the Foxes had died in my territory I gained more than just mana, I gained new abilities.

Skill gained: Summoning (Dungeon): Beginner: 1 0%

Dungeon Racial Skill allows the dungeon to summon and control creatures with-in its territory. Greater skill allows the summoning of stronger creatures.

Note from Ellinoria: Alex you will use this to populate your dungeon. Practice your new spell as often as you can. It is more advanced than your summoning skill. So you will level this skill up quickly using it.

Learned New Spell: Summon Sly Fox

Duration: Instant.

Cast Time: Instant

Cost: 25 Mana

Range: 10 meters +0.5 meter per level of caster

Description: Summons a Sly fox minion. This creature is a permanent summon. Once brought into being the creature will need to eat, drink and breathe as all life forms do. The minion will be completely under the control of the summoner.

Note from Ellinoria: Alex they are SOOOO cute! Don’t you just want to bury your face in their fur!

Skill gained: Life Affinity: Beginner: 1 0%

This skill measures the caster’s ability to manipulate magic of the Life type.

Note from Ellinoria: Alex this is my favorite type of magic. When you reach level 15 I’ll grant you the ability to Summon a Wisp using life magic.

Dungeon Statistics Sheet

Name: Alex

Species: Dungeon

Variant: Slave

Level: 10 63%

Common Statistics

Health: 10 / 10

Health Regen: None

Mana: 637 / 1,000

Mana Regeneration: 1 / Day

Core: Diamond / 10cm Heart

Strength: Locked Dexterity: Locked

Constitution: Locked Intelligence: 10

Will: 10 Charisma: 10

Stat Points: 10

Dungeon Statistics

Type: Undecided

Territory: 1m

Rooms: 3 Floors: 1

Dungeon Species: Undead

Dungeon Points : 100

Population Statistics

Family: None

Slaves: None

Minions: Brownie Skeleton: 99, Human Zombie 5

Inhabitants: None

Pets: None

Titles / Achievements

List: Yes / No

Skills

List: Yes / No

Skills

Creation (Dungeon): Beginner: 96 41%

Summoning (Dungeon) Beginner: 1 0%

Mana Control Novice: 6 74%

Show Affinities: Yes / No

Earth Affinity: Beginner: 16 41%

Air Affinity: 0 Beginner: 1 0%

Death Affinity: Beginner: 95 50%

Life Affinity: Beginner: 1 0%

Show Languages: Yes / No