Chapter Prologue.

In the lands, there were Dungeons. There are a great many varieties, from mountains of fire and brimstone, to caverns of shambling dead, to even crystalline tunnels that shine with baleful light.

In the lands, there were Dragons. Immense creatures of wrath and power. Few, yet never in danger of disappearing.

In the seas, there were Trenches. Horrifying places of hunger and madness that consume without end.

In the lands and the seas, there are People. The most incredible and terrifying thing of them all. They form into groups for good or ill, and turn the very world to their will, if they are strong enough.

But, this story is one that will acknowledge each of these in time. One thing at a time.

Let’s join our little hero, on his awakening, now.

***

Nothing, darkness, a crushing feeling, pervasive, intense.

Then, something. A lightness.

And, from nothing, something.

He woke up, frantically looking around. He took in the glow of luminescent crystals, reflecting in gold, all around him. Where was he? What is happening?

What?

During this stage of fear, confusion, and growing discomfort, a phrase rang out through every atom in his body.

Hello, little dungeon core, and welcome to the world!

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Chapter 1: Emergent Awareness

Our hero paused. Dungeon core? What is that? And from that thought, ideas started forming. Dig, grow, birth, eat. Doctrines to live by. Rules to obey. Laws to follow. It must dig, first.

And so, he did. He followed an instinctual desire to dig. He dug millimeters, first, then centimeters, then inches. A foot or two later, he rests in his hole. Yes, his. This is mine. I rest now. And so, he rested. His mana slowly climbed back to a higher level. Yes. This is good.

Then a menu of sorts appeared in front of him.

Spawn creatures

Creature available: none.

Would you like to select your starting creature?

Slime

The most simple organic creature, slimes are formless and not particularly adept at anything by default. Given time, luck, and circumstance, slimes can adapt to anything.

Beast

A catch-all term for any mundane animal, beasts might start without too much inherent magic but the possibilities for it to develop are as myriad as the animal kingdom itself.

Fungus

Fungus is not known for its speed, strength, smarts, or skill, but it takes them very little to flourish and they can adapt to a great many things, meaning that they might not always become what is expected of them.

Plant

Plants are straightforward and not necessarily variable as so many other options are, but they cannot be discounted just for that. Hardy and resilient, plants can be found nearly anywhere on Vol, and it takes much to change that.

Kobold

A more intelligent option, Kobolds still aren’t necessarily smart. What they are is a race of fast breeding, diminutive humanoids with more bodies than brains, but that numbers game means that sometimes they awaken to a legacy of their forebears, or forge a new one.

Goblin

Redundant on the surface, goblins are also rumored to descend from a much greater lineage, though this isn’t necessarily proven. All the same, goblins are a persistent pest that many have tried to eradicate; none have succeeded.

Huh…

Selection “huh…” not recognized. Would you like a selection to be randomly assigned to you?

“Randomly Assigned…?”

Random selection has been chosen…

Beasts have been randomly selected!

Congratulations! You have earned the common Feat “Randomizer” All future evolutions now have a random chance to become variant creatures.

Beast type: Anaconda Snake.

What’s an Anaconda Snake? And so our hero gains his first template. He takes the brief pause in activity to look more closely at his surroundings. Firstly, he’s a diamond. Secondly, he’s some shade of blue. The stone around him is roughly hewn, from his digging. A warm feeling comes over him thinking about it.

Now, there is that bit about growing… How does he do that? Maybe… this?

He uses the mana he has gathered and shaves off some stone to smooth out the side. He feels satisfaction flowing over him. Yes, grow. That is what he shall do. He reaches out to further carve out another portion, when something rumbles, and shakes his being once more.

“Hello, little dungeon core, and welcome to the world! I do hope you weren’t thinking of hiding from me.”

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Chapter 2: Odd Guardian

He looked for the source of the voice, when it spoke again.

“You are a cute one. Look up.”

How did he not think to look at the entrance, the only place anything would reasonably be? Glancing up, an immense pupil fills the entrance.

“That’s better. Do you know who I am?”

He stills, unsure on how to respond.

“Yes, I am Jormungandr. King of this sea, ruler of all you survey. You may call me Jorm, little one.”

Our hero slowly starts moving his core closer to a wall.

“You’ll need a name, now won’t you? One befitting a jewel of my hoard. One so special too. Hmmm. I know! My cousin, frice removed, has died. I shall grant you his name. So, you have been named, Phorcys.”

The newly named core, Phorcys, rests against his wall. This being is… large.

The pupil flies up, the disturbance in the water large enough to move the core, flinging it around, but not enough to hurt it. Of course, Phorcys, is still in the most danger in their, albeit short, life. Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop. Eventually, the water calms down, mostly due to its own weight.

“Little dungeon? Did I startle you?”

Phorcys settled against the same all he flew from, terror still holding him in it’s grips. I don’t want to feel that ever again. Observing its entrance, it sees the form of Jorm.

The pupil that covered its home was merely a small portion of it’s actual pupil. Its eyes alone were meters across each. The snout, or mouth, whatever it was, was dozens of meters wide. It’s body, well, Phorcys could barely even see it’s head.

Jorm smiled. Teeth like spears unveiling themselves, one by one, as Jorm’s titanic lips parted, like a lead laden curtain.

“Phorcys? I will call you Pho. It takes less space in my grand mind. Now, you’re a dungeon, yes? Make a spear for me. I have Trencher in my teeth.”

Confused, Pho re-examines Jorm’s teeth. In the corner of it, is some being that looked like someone took five snakes, tied them to each other, then they fused. Horribly. Pho processes Jorm’s request, then tries to form a spear, something it somehow knew, only for the mana used in the task to dissipate harmlessly.

“What’s taking so long? Do you need an example?”

Jorm moves back from the entrance, and sounds of metal clashing against metal fills the water. After a moment, Jorm returns, and what looks like his tail lowers a steel spear, handle first, into Pho’s hole, only for it to stop short. Pho looks over the spear, and starts to disassemble it, foot by foot.

Slowly, but surely, the spear shrunk, until the tip was all that was left, and even that disappeared. Knowledge flowed into Pho’s mind, and he pushed out the mana to make it, and failed again.

Jorm loomed over his hole.

“What now? Do you need mana? I remember hearing dungeons need mana from somewhere. Maybe Sobek, the know it all. Here, have my leftovers.”

And quickly, Pho’s hole was filled with meat. As it evaporates into lights, Pho felt increasingly satisfied, bordering on ecstasy. So much mana! And after a bit, the meat was gone, and Pho felt the information flood his mind. These were called fivefold vipers. And they were delicious.

After the hole was emptied, Pho set about digging again, the process much faster, and he quickly made his hole two meters deep. Then, he set about forming the spear, and it appeared before it’s vision, the tip poking out of the hole.

Jorm’s tail flickered, and the spear disappeared, only to be seen digging out the remains of a fivefold viper Jorm had stuck in his mouth.

The speartip scraped against Jorm’s teeth, but there wasn’t a scratch on them.

“It took a while, but it is nice to have a toothpick supply and a trash bin. I think you and I will get along fine.”

What would have happened if they didn’t? Would he be removed from his hole? No, no, no. I will stay here. I will have to work with Jorm. As terrifying as he is, he is too strong to do away with.

Pho felt happy, though. It still had enough mana to make its first creature. The one gifted to it by the System. So, he set forth the mana to bring forth this being of his.

The mana churned briefly, when a creature all too similar to Jorm spawned. It wiggled back and forth, then more frantically, slithering around the meter wide hole Pho rests in. Then, it stopped, and faded into lights.

Congratulations, for having and using dungeon spawns far from their native habitat, you have earned the Feat “Invasive”, and a large bonus to the adaptability of all future dungeon spawns, and increased chances of rare evolutions and variant races.

That’s it? It birthed it’s creation, only for it to vanish? Ridiculous. Pho was a little peeved, when the voice of Jorm carried over to the core.

“Little dungeon, have you seen my spear?”

Pho paused. He gave Jorm his spear, or did he already lose it? Just in case, he made another spear, as the mana from that fivefold snake was quite abundant.

Jorms tail whipped by and picked it up, quickly vanishing. A little bit later, another batch of slain fivefold snake was deposited into Phorcys’s entrance.

“Thank you. Maybe after you develop for a decade or two, I won’t have to eat those from the Trenches. They may taste good, but it’s a pain to get them in any good number.”

Pho quickly ate the meaty snake, and set to work growing. He carved around himself, leaving the entrance a meter wide hole, while the room our hero is in is five meters on each side, with the hole in the middle of the room. The only reason he stopped was because his mana is low again.

What even is mana, and why does he keep running out of it? Phorcys took a bit of mana from his reserves, and moved it in front of him, only to find it dissipated the moment it left his core. Maybe, a bit more is needed. He moved ten times as much, but it was still only ten bits and pieces. He moved a substantial amount, and nothing came to be from it.

Frustrated, He tossed out the needed mana to summon another anaconda. He watched it wriggle in the water for a moment, before it began to writhe. It twisted this way and that, then he had an idea. He pushed a bit of mana into it, and watched it…. Compress, for lack of a better word. After another moment, the compression dissipated and the snake… exploded. A blast of gore and light filled the chamber, until it faded away.

Huh.

“Phorcys? What was that noise?”

Jorm loomed over again.

“Oh, are you playing with mana? I should have figured as much. What else would you use mana for?”

A small thud could be heard far off.

“Challengers? At this hour? I may have another snack for you, Pho.”

Jorm vanishes from the core’s sight, and a loud crack reaches Pho. Jorm returns holding a strange being with a tale.

“Eat up, little dungeon. You would probably be better served than I with this snack. Heh, as if I would serve anyone.”

With that said, the body was tossed into Pho’s entrance, where it dissolved into lights, and all it’s gear. As the bag dissolved, a seaweed-bound book tumbled out and faded as well.

Pho felt the information flow into itself, and was struck with an idea. The book contained what the, apparently merman, called, language. It was… interesting. A form that describes meaning, simply by existing. Not unlike those messages. Words carry weight. And weight begets words.

Pho felt something overcome it, and created a small slab of the same stone he was carving, and wrote one word in the language of that merman. One word. One letter. I.

And that’s all he needed. He went off, anyway, to make variations on that. I am. I was. I see. I hear. I move. I act. I think. And more complex sentences. I moved it. I was moved. I am moved. It moved me. It saw me. It smiled. Words carry weight.

Phorcys was rudely interrupted from it’s scrawling and carving by Jorm.

“Little dungeon, did you like the challenger? Annoying, yes, but tasty.”

Pho thought for a moment, then made the ceiling thicker, with a pillar here and there. In the space between the pillars, it opened several entrances. Each moved, each a foot tall, and each formed a letter. Together, it wrote, “hi jorm.”

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Chapter 3: Sudden Sentience.

Jorm glanced down at his little dungeon. The cute thing wasn’t even five meters deep. His teeth were longer than that. He might be pampering it a bit, but he's never heard of someone raising a dungeon themselves. Well, those pesky Fae do, and what right do they have to his possessions. They are barely worth the time to eat, anyways. Although, their soul does have a unique tang. Bah, Phorcys is probably done with his meal. I should check on him.

Jorm refocused on the newly awakened Phorcys, and found small holes in his surface. Thankfully, he had moved the rest of his hoard away. Never know, with a dungeon. Though, a golden dungeon doesn’t sound too bad. Nonetheless, I should see to these holes. Can’t have my little dungeon growing up with such tomfoolery.

Jorm leans down, a gentle smile on his humongous face, and sees the holes form into tiny letters. They spelt out, “hi jorm.” Jorm would have blinked, if eyelids weren’t such a useless feature, and any self respecting individual would be rid of them. He thought about the fact his Phorcys is talking to him. Firstly, the H and J are not properly capitalized. He’ll have to scold him about it later. Secondly, he knew dungeons were sentient, but this… he just thought they were like animals. Or well behaved parrots.

“Phorcys? What are you doing?”

***

Pho listened to Jorm, and focused. Writing is more difficult on this scale. He shifted the letters here and there, forming a new meaning. “writing.” Writing, what an interesting thing to do. It can form a shape, and any who see it know the meaning. Pho is thankful for that merman visiting, even if he was apparently here to check out a disturbance.

“You use the language of the challengers?”

Pho starts to shift the entrances again, and feel it fail after it set merely the first two letters, “ye”

“You chew through mana like a pig and it’s trough. Stay there.”

Where would he even go? Except maybe deeper. That sounds nice. He could also write some more. That also sounds good, but both need mana, which will take a while to gather.

A chunk of more meat is shoved into it, which dissolves into lights quickly.

“That should hold you. Now, where did you learn that writing?”

“challenger.”

“For the love of Vol, capitalize properly.”

“Challenger.”

“Better. How did you learn to write?”

“Book.”

“Then you ate a book, did you?”

“Yes.”

“... And you are carving words into yourself?”

“No. Walls.”

“Could you make a book?”

“Yes.”

“Give me a moment.”

Jorm drifts back for a moment, out of view.

***

Jormungandr taps the edge of his home with his tail, sending shudders through the stonework. Should he give it more material? Develop it’s consciousness? Maybe even not do anything all together. It is a dungeon. Those tend to be rather adept at dealing with the passage of time. He huffed a laugh. It better be, given the century it took to grow the thing. He sighed. Has it been a century since he decided to try out letting the dungeon develop? I suppose it has been. Unfortunately, it isn’t a high dungeon, but one can’t be too picky when any spirits making their way down here is an insane thought to begin with. There simply isn’t much mana. Sure, he gets his from the Trench, which has been quite annoying from time to time. Not to mention when it started spitting out twisted versions of his lesser species. Maybe he should ask Sobek. He might know. No, if he asked, Sobek would never let him live it down. Blasted scholar. Speaking of, why was that challenger carrying a book? What would it need it for?

Jorm paused in his thinking, as his tapping has led to a small underwater island nearby destabilizing. Well, there goes those boring crabs. They will not be missed. He probably should just get Sobek’s help. Even if it grates him to do so. He’s entitled to something for taking care of something for a century, dangit.

Jorm reaches into his hoard, shifting the tons of gold and magical materials. His tail wraps around a large chest, about four meters tall. He pulled it out and opened it, to reveal the metallic sheen it hid. Jorm deftly plucks out one of the communication boxes, and lifts it near his head. Why Sobek had insisted on these, he will never know.

Jorm took a bit of his, admitably, small amount of mana, and channeled it into the device. Hopefully Sobek would be close enough to connect to. When he felt the connection form, Jorm scowled. He couldn’t even hear his voice yet, but the smug sensation radiating from the device made it clear what Sobek thought of his call.

“Sobek, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Oh, in addition to the others you owe me?”

“That doesn’t change how much satisfaction you are drawing from this. Will you help?”

“Of course. It never hurts to have you even further into my figurative pockets.”

“I have a dungeon core that finally grew to fruition. I… I need advice.”

“I can’t tell you how much joy that brings me… Wait, did you say dungeon core?”

“I did. What of it?”

“I don’t know whether to steal it from you, or aid you in aiding it. Congratulations, you have left me at a strange conundrum.”

“Given that it is already awake, and has made its hole, that would be rather difficult.”

“No matter. I will do this favor for free. I must see it.”

“Its name is Phorcys.”

“...what?”

“Its name is Phorcys.”

“It has a NAME?!”

“I should hope so. I named it.”

“You did… WHAT?!”

“I named it. Frankly, with how many questions you seem to ask of me, maybe I should have called Thalassa and gotten her opinion.”

“Don’t even THINK of calling that barbarian. She couldn’t tell a Trenchy from a machine. I’m coming over as soon as I can. Do NOT take it out of its hole.”

“Its name is Phorcys.”

“It could be named Bill for all I care. Just… stay there!”

And with that, Sobek cut the connection. Jorm carefully placed the device back into the chest, and pushed it back to where it was.

So, Jorm thought, he’ll be around in a bit, by what it sounds like. Not to mention he seems to know something about dungeons too. Hopefully he doesn’t rub it into his snout too much. He hates how he calls me “little brother.” Sure, he is older, but he should be past all that nonsense. Jorm smiles. I sure am. Call each other by our names. That is the way things should be done. Less confusion, then. Less titles. Jorm shivers. Titles. Don’t even get me started on Titled. Thinking they’re entitled to anything even somewhat related to their Title.

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Chapter 4: Necessary Air.

Pho played with these words, a bit longer. Frankly, he’s fascinated by the idea. A little carving here, a twist there, a break, then a shape with no purpose, suddenly has meaning. Even a slight change makes the meaning more diluted, but still recognizable. Amazing. Pho wrote a short phrase on it’s wall, “Hello world.”

A rumbling brought his attention from his crowded walls. Jorm lumbered back over his main entrance, grinding his teeth. One of which even fell out, landing in the pile of gold. Pho felt the reverberation run through his small room, but thankfully, nothing got ruined.

“Phorcys, I have invited Sobek to come down and discuss your situation. It may take a few days.”

Pho molds the entrances into proper words, “How will they help?”

“He is scholarly, and older than I care to admit. He is likely the most qualified for helping you, little dungeon.”

Pho stews in Jorm’s words, then adjusts the entrances more, “May I have more Fivefold Viper?”

Jorm grimaces.

“In due time.”

Pho molds the entrances closed, leaving the main one, and goes back to writing. He pauses, as he feels his mana getting low, but not too much so. Maybe… maybe he should try creating another anaconda. He looses the mana into its form, and the snake wiggles into existence. He then applies some mana to it, and watches it compress again. Then, he decides to try to add more mana. As the mystical energy flows into the snake, it further compresses, until a snap can be heard. Watching as it fades into light, Pho let’s the man disappear. What little remains, explodes, like last time, yet even louder, if that can happen.

“Pho? What are you doing? That’s twice now.”

Doesn’t he have anything better to do? Nonetheless, Jorm peers into Pho, seeing the swiftly fading lights.

“Ah. I did not think of that. Give me a second.”

And Jorm vanished, before reappearing.

“Here, little dungeon. Give your creation this.”

And from the entrance dropped a small contraption.

“Should your creatures need to draw breath, that will give it to them. But only one. I can’t simply toss all my treasures to you. Until you can pay me back, of course. Then we might have a proper discussion.”

Pho watched as it faded into lights, like the snakes it was trying to summon.

“...Oh. Hmm… Yes, I can see that was a misstep on my part.”

Pho considered the information he now has. Theoretically, he could reproduce it. Yet, there are bits of it that feel… foggy. Like, he can make it, but it would be missing a crucial piece. Odd.

Pho felt his mana middling about. There wasn’t too much, but it certainly can be used to do something. He considered his scribbled walls. Maybe, he should make something like that book. The book itself was much too flimsy, in Pho’s opinion. A stone tablet would work, but leaves a lot less space to cover.

Pho also considers his, admittedly, rather shallow depth. That, could be rectified, if nothing else. He starts carving down, increasing his size from two meters deep, to four, before his mana starts warning of low amounts. The feeling of satisfaction washes over him, only to vanish a moment later. There is more he should do, but he simply does not have the mana to do it.

Jorm rumbles again,

“Little dungeon, I’m going to take a nap. Do try not to vanish while I rest.”

Then, the cave grew still. Apparently, Jormungandr's mere wakefulness caused a mild shaking. Pho thought for a moment. Most beings do require sleep, even if rarely. He supposes that it would have happened sooner or later. Though, it would be nice if he could get his spawns to last long enough to need it.

A few hours pass as Pho concentrates on gathering mana, when something new edges into his entrance. Pho pauses in his thoughts, and looks at this strange being. It seemed… flimsy. It is a tube covered in what seems like small tendrils. Bewildered, Pho watched it crawl into one of the letters he had carved, and it simply, rested there.

That’s it? It, this, intrusive worm has invaded him too, too, take a nap! That’s not, no! Pho remembers the scene of Jorm gnashing his teeth and felt it appropriate. He has been gathering mana for a bit now, and it is going to teach this being a lesson. Quickly, Pho spawns forth an anaconda, and commands it to rip apart the offending tube. Swiftly, it descended on it, when the tube did the strangest thing. It… tossed out it’s very organs at the anaconda. The snake, however. It ripped by the fading organs, and ripped a chunk out of the tube. Then the tube spat out a white substance that the snake couldn’t dodge.

Writhing, both from the low oxygen and the searing feeling the white substance created, the snake died before it could finish the attack. Pho, seeing the deflated tube, made another snake, which took nearly a couple of minutes, but he did it. The snake swam to the invader, which didn’t even put up a fight anymore. The snake ripped it in half, and it finally faded into light.

You can now spawn “Challenger Deep Sea Cucumber”

So, the creature was called a Challenger? It did not look like one. Last he can recall, challengers have two arms, not none at all. Curious, Pho spent the mana, leaving him close to empty, and created it. The tube wasn’t nearly as offensive as before. Maybe because this time he wanted it in here. He watched it wiggle, like his snakes, but, it didn’t go into whatever frenzy his other spawns fell into after a while. It simply wiggled its way up one of the walls, and sat there. It was barely a dozen centimeters in length. Pho watched it for a bit longer, but ultimately, grew bored of nothing happening beyond it sitting there.

Pho went back to attracting mana, when a noise caught his attention.

“Little brother? Are you home. You better be, or else I’ll usurp this place from you.”

The familiar rumbling of Jormungandr fills the cave.

“I am here. I was simply taking a nap.”

“A nap? Knowing you, you laid down the moment you stopped using the caller. It has been four days since then.”

“So? A being of my majesty requires it’s beauty sleep.”

“I will not get into this argument with you again. You spoke of a dungeon?”

“Yes. Its name is Phorcys.”

“You can’t go anthropomorphizing it. It is a force of nature, a being which can bend mana to it’s will in quantities we can only dream of. It’s mere soul is enough to put even Great Grandfather's to shame.”

“It is mine. I will do with it as I desire. I called you for advice, not admonishment.”

“Very well, little brother. Have you at least considered taking up my other offer?”

“I will ascend on my own terms. I don’t need your help in the matter.”

A deep sigh can be heard.

“Understood, little brother. I won’t push you on this. Now, the dungeon core?”

“Right this way.”

The sounds of Jorm’s movement carry close to Pho, and end quickly.

“That hole there. That is Phorcys.”

“I still can’t believe he died on his ascension. Wait, it’s entrance is only a third of a meter wide?”

An eye fills Pho’s entrance, where it glances around at the walls and his core.

“It’s a diamond. Interesting. And those scrawls are not typical dungeon behaviour. Well, at least most of them. I can’t speak of the older ones, but they can hardly be classed with dungeons this young. Little brother, what have you been feeding it?”

“The beings who seek me out.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Mostly those cursed Trenchies, and a Challenger that I dispatched.”

The eye froze in it’s ministrations.

“You fed it Trencher? Then a sapient?”

“Of course. What else would I feed it? I wouldn’t eat much else than Trenchie and sapients. Not worth the time. Why would I give it subpar food?”

The eye slowly flows back, revealing a serpent much like Jorm, but more… reptilian. They also have arms and hands.

“You have seen the madness and power of the Trenchers, yes? How couldn’t you, you chose to live on their doorstep. And now you have allowed a dungeon to form in your home? Do you not understand the power both wield?”

“What would I have to fear? I will defeat them as I do already. In addition, they are tasty.”

Sobek grinds his teeth, “So you say. Well, I can only hope you don’t fall asleep if it goes rogue.”

“Regardless, I did not call you here to admonish me.”

Sobek takes a deep breath, though it seems like he doesn’t need it.

“Very well. With my, admittedly, small amount of knowledge regarding dungeons, and even less about underwater dungeons, I will try to help you.”

“Finally. And here I thought you were going to float around all week like a jellyfish.”

“I have more power in each of my scales than even a hundred jellyfish.”

“Then use it.”

“I just might,” Sobek pauses, “Nevermind that. I came to help you, and that is what I’ll do.”

“Fine. What can you tell me about dungeons?”

“A fair bit, but don’t expect too much. Most of the information regarding dungeons is hard to come by, due to the Fae. But, that doesn’t mean I have nothing.”

“Well?”

“Firstly, they take a great time to do much. Mana is attracted to any sentient being, and dungeons are, well, it is debated, but I would say it’s safe to say they are sentient, bordering on sapient.”

“Then it is good that I have treated it so well.”

“I’m not going to comment on that. Secondly, most dungeons have an affinity to a certain element. Sometimes, the affinity is obvious. A fire dungeon likes fire. An air dungeon likes air. That much is obvious. Now, most dungeons aren’t so lucky as to have a ‘pure’ affinity, and usually ends up with a secondary element. I can’t even begin to guess as to what yours has, but I can guess it relates to water in some way.”

“Naturally.”

“Very much so. Thirdly, they have guidelines. I’m not sure why, or how, but they do. And if they break these rules, they go rogue. A rogue dungeon is a force of nature, only this time actively malicious, versus passively. The difference is one in scale. A normal non-rogue dungeon is constrained to it’s domain, or dungeon. A rogue dungeon can, in a matter of a few nights, render a country dead.”

“As can I. That is not that impressive.”

“Yes, but you will tire after a while. A rogue dungeon never does. What’s more, is that they don’t stop. They can increase exponentially. Thankfully, that rarely happens anymore, due to Adventurers monitoring for any and all rogues. However, now that dungeons can apparently be created underwater, I feel that there might be a resurgence of rogues. That is not a pleasant thought.”

“So don’t break the rules. Very well.”

“There is some evidence that points to dungeons being able to reproduce things it has, well, consumed is the best word, but not wholly applicable. Regardless, be careful what you give it. And, since you have given it a Trencher, well, I don’t know what will happen from blending Dungeons and Trenches, but I doubt anything good. At the very least, it can’t create sapients, as far as I can tell.”

“So you are simply listing the ways I can fail in looking after a dungeon?”

“Yes, but also no. I don’t want you dead, as surprising as I’m sure that is, and since you have already gone ahead and let a dungeon develop, I can only tell you what you need to know, or convince you to leave. Since I know just how adverse you are of the latter, I am helping with the former.”

“Don’t pretend you aren’t getting anything from this.”

“Oh, I thank you for the opportunity to see an underwater dungeon develop, but that doesn’t mean I’m not cross with you for letting such a thing occur in the first place.”

“Let us agree to disagree. Be glad I allow you to see it.”

“I am. Regardless, I would like to remain here to observe it’s development, and if I can, give it a nudge in the right direction.”

“You know an unfortunately larger amount about dungeons than I. Thankfully, I have never needed to. You may stay.”

“Thank you, little brother. First, I would like to test it for various things. Namely, element. Determining that would aid in figuring out what sort of path it will take. Fire dungeons like fire, but abhor water, typically. Water dungeons, well, fire doesn’t do so well in them. Generally, however, an element does a lot for a dungeon. Let me set up my tools.”

A rustling filled the room. Pho is getting tired of how much these beings can afflict him, despite not even entering the dungeon proper. He garners more mana, as he does when he has little else to do. There simply isn’t much he can do without it. He can’t create things without mana, but he can’t remove things without it either. If he had more mana, he could do more. It’s that simple.

The rustling ends, and it sounds like Sobek started talking again.

“Well, I got it ready, and I doubt you care for the precise names of my tools, despite you being the one to bring forth this dungeon. Anyways, it will only take a few moments for it to work properly.”

A small rod descended into Pho’s entrance, and when he tried to eat away at it, found it unchanged. Confused and steadily growing frustrated, Pho actively mobilized his mana against the offending metal. Still, nothing happened, then it retracted.

“The test is complete. Let’s see. Ah, well, it seems we have a Pressure dungeon in our midsts. Peculiar. Now, Pressure dungeons are notorious for being particularly difficult for physically based individuals, but so long as they have some form of pressure nullifier, they would be fine. As for your purposes to create as much treasure as you want, they do fine in that category, but don’t expect much. They specialize in quality over quantity, typically. I do remember one dungeon I visited that was Pressure based. Nasty thing, really. They took the art of poison and made it a brute force endeavour. Improper, if you ask me. Poison should be subtle and graceful, not compacted into as dense a liquid can get before it turns solid. But I digress. Your pet should do well, if it is raised right.”

“I’m sure you will tell me all about the finer points of raising a dungeon core. What, with all the knowledge you have on the subject.”

“Little brother, I am trying to help, am I not?”

“You could at least seem like you’re putting effort in.”

“For what? Do you want me to cast a spell over it to ensure it’s growth is perfect in every way, shape, and form?”

“Of course not.”

“Then let me do what I must. Now, would you mind if I tried to give it a suggestion? If it follows it, that should help me and it both. Me, to prove that dungeons are sapient and should be treated with as much danger as any small nation, and it, for letting it’s seemingly air needing spawn to get what they need.”

“Very well.

Pho watches as Sobek leans back over his entrance.

“This should be good.”

“Quiet you. Ehem, dungeon? Er, Phorcys? I noticed that you seem to only have one creature. I doubt it’s from a lack of mana, but, do you need air for your other creatures? Simply move that slug thing around a bit, if yes.”

Pho would scowl, if he could. That sapient definitely helped provide him with interesting descriptions. He will do him one better, he can write.

Pho shifted the entrances, much to the surprise of Sobek, until they spelt, “Creature needs air. How will you help?”

Sobek drifts back, “I noticed it’s carvings, but I guess I simply didn’t pay them enough mind. To think, a dungeon that can talk. Incredible.” He floats back down, “Uh, Phorcys. You could create an air pocket for your creature.”

Pho moved around his entrances more, “Air pocket?”

“Right, well, an air pocket is an area underwater that holds air, due to a process I don’t think you would understand, at the moment. Simply dig a tunnel down, then curve up, and build an open cave. You should be able to create enough air within it to allow your creature to breathe.”

Pho considers that. An air pocket? He’d definitely need more mana than he’s had. Even these words are draining him a bit. Well, he might as well ask for mana then. “Need mana.”

Sobek nods, and floats away, out of view.

“I told you it was sapient.”

“Probably sapient.”

“No matter. It needs mana. I’ll go get some from that cursed Trench you treat like a buffet. It’s already been fed some, so what harm is there to give it more?”

A rush of water, and a loud pop bounces all around the area.

“What do I tell him about not teleporting in here?”

Pho turns his attention to his room, and his roommate. The sea cucumber seemed so… peaceful. It simply sat around all day, not doing anything. It doesn’t even really contribute to gathering mana, simply gathering what little it needs. Feeling a bit vindictive after that rod poked about his entrance, Pho started laying some Pressure around that sea cucumber. It worked for the snake.

As the mana pressed into the offending cucumber, the subject in question did… nothing. Pho felt his frustration coming back. He started putting more Pressure into the cucumber, to no apparent effect. It’s not even dying. Nor trying! Now, truly getting worked up, Phorcys let the full force of his Pressure surround the layabout tube. Finally, he provoked a reaction from the dumb thing. It wriggled. That was all it did. Pho could see how Pressure was stacking into the thing, many times the weight of the nearby waters. And all it did was wriggle. Pho has had it with this, this, poor excuse for a vegetable. It wasn’t even a vegetable, despite its efforts!

Pho decides to end this, creating a snake and sending after the tube, like he had when he killed the first one. The snake approached it, when suddenly, it popped and condensed. The surrounding pressure killed it. The fading lights even seem swayed by such force. Yet that sea cucumber barely even noticed! At least it’s not too much mana to keep the effect in place, but he is looking forward to when Sobek comes back with meat. Trenchers, he called them. Were the fivefold vipers Trenchers?

There was another pop as Sobek’s voice filled the room again.

“Sorry for the wait. There was a particularly angry specimen that didn’t like the look of me. Thankfully, it would seem to be chock full of mana, which makes it even better for our purposes.”

“Can you please stop teleporting in here? It’s disturbing the room.”

“What? Oh, right. Sorry. I’ll make sure to do it outside. In any case, with this much mana, this dungeon pet of yours should be able to do a few things. Let me just give this, and let’s see what it does. Oh, It has been ages since I’ve last seen a developing dungeon. And this one is attuned to water mana, which is fairly rare.”

Pho widened the entrance for the incoming meat, and watched it get positively filled with said meat. The infuriating sea cucumber had wandered off to the side and didn’t get crushed, though the meat near it got compressed down into a paste. Pho then saw the cucumber crawl over and start to eat his meat. Thankfully, the rest of the feast placated him for the moment. He felt and saw the various creatures and Trenchers become little more than light and mana to gorge upon. And there was quite a bit of gorging.

Pho stewed in the after effects of the many beings he just consumed, sorting through their information. This one was a fivefold viper with three heads, this one a jelly goreper, and this one is a Mawfish. So many different creatures and so much mana. It all tasted good.

He looked over at the tube of annoyance. It seemed rather happy with itself, taking his food. Pho grumbled at how much mana that probably cost him. Then a notification appeared before him.

Congratulations! Your creature “Challenger Deep Sea Cucumber” has reached the threshold for evolution! Options available:

Greater Sea Cucumber

Improves upon the Sea Cucumbers already existing resistance to pressure, and further increases the effectiveness of holothurin as well, but this creature is not likely to climb the food chain too much higher.

Giant Sea Cucumber

Normally quite small, a Giant Sea Cucumber can grow up to a meter further, and increase diameter by 35 centimeters. While still slow and weak, at least now it will take much longer to kill and increase the holothurin available to use.

Congratulations! Due to your titles “Randomizer” and “Invasive”, along with the hidden conditions “Intense exposure to Pressure mana” hidden evolution has been unlocked!

Crusher Cucumber

This species of sea cucumber has seen large amounts of pressure come to bear upon it, and finds it rather nice. It creates a Pressure field around it that slowly increases over time until it reaches the most it can go without injuring itself. It also has an innate resistance to Pressure mana, to better handle the field it creates.

Pho considered this. It seems that sea cucumbers have a rather extreme resistance to pressure and Pressure. The Greater Sea Cucumber seems… alright, but rather weak. The Giant Sea Cucumber definitely seems bland over all, but would be a step in the right direction. The Crusher, however, seems quite good. Pho selects the Crusher, and watches the Sea Cucumber become a tube of light instead, which brightened, then shrunk over it, until the Sea Cucumber seemed largely unchanged, except going from light pink in color, to a deep blue. Pho can sense the converging Pressure gathering around it, however, and watches it build to about half what his Pressure is, affecting the Sea Cucumber. Pho deactivated the Pressure, and the Sea Cucumber barely changed again, now supported by its own Pressure.