Asterios searched through his connection to see if anyone was near their shadowy dungeon. Unfortunately, pretty much everyone was somewhere in a different realm. He could technically step through darkness to return to Kraedorion now that Umbra wasn’t being limited anymore, but these trips were still quite hard to get used to.
Therefore, the best choice was to meet up with Miria and Selene once more, then return through the archway. It wasn’t because he knew the beastfolk pair would be thrilled to see him again. Obviously not.
Getting in touch with his feline mate, he waited for the gate to appear and stepped through the crimson surface. The girls waited for him in a different chamber, still somewhere inside the local guild. Since they seemed busy with whatever work had been given to them, he distracted them only briefly, sharing kisses and hugs with his lovers while listening to them talk about their tasks.
Informing them about his destination, Asterios affectionately fluffed their ears before departing. A few townsfolk chatted up to him as he walked towards the transfer point. Even Zoe’s mother showed up, making him pause for a moment to talk shortly about the excitable younger Wolfkin. She was just as happy as her daughter was about the adventuring and might even consider lending a hand to Oria.
Save for that lucky meeting, no more interruptions riddled Ast’s path, and he used the interdimensional teleporter to appear in Glimmervale. Standing atop the floating island, he admired the view for a minute, gazing upon other nearby platforms and the plaza beneath. With a few gates already constructed and functioning, the square was starting to look like a proper hub.
Taking the suspended stairs to the ground, Asterios headed straight out of the city, worried that he might get distracted more than once by lounging around. The life of a ruler wasn’t easy. Especially when the monarch’s domain was quite positively attuned to their overseer. Kind words and free gifts from vendors were aplenty.
Thankfully, he managed to pass the outer walls without an issue, and from there, the road was a simple one. After a relaxing stroll through the nearby forest, he reached the edge of the adventuring encampment. Though many already called it a village. The Dungeon Village. That was just how big the camp had become.
The buildings were still built mostly with wood, keeping the atmosphere fairly uniform. But their number grew each time he took a peek past the defensive palisade protecting the edges. Naturally, it wasn’t the only security measure, followed by a few runic surprises, but even so, he wondered if leaving things like this for the sake of style was a good idea.
Asterios had no doubt that literally everyone could find safety within the nearby dungeon in a blink if something happened. Kori would make sure his subjects and even the outsiders were unharmed, funneled into the furthest floor away from danger. Yet, was it fine to leave the camp to fate? It wasn’t hard to rebuild. Still, the thought of it ending up in ruin stung a little.
Not to mention the headache that would come from the complaints submitted by those operating their stalls and shops on site.
Nevertheless, it was something to think about. So, he continued on his way until the very entrance of the artificial domain. Its mistress had undoubtedly already sensed his approach, so he jumped in, offering the guards a respectful nod. Expecting to find himself at the very heart of the dungeon, he was surprised to see darkness around him, save for the floor, which was see-through and showed the interior of some specific level.
This particular floor was taken by a small unit of his militia, clearly going through their training routine. Under the sharp gaze of their instructor, the men practiced formations and strategies against various monsters and beasts that had the highest chances of appearing nearby for whatever reason.
Hopefully, they were receiving just as much guidance on how to handle more humanoid threats. Sometimes, people were worse than beasts and monsters.
Taking his eyes off the show, Asterios spotted a shimmering, door-shaped entrance at the far end of his viewing platform. Seeing enough, he passed through it, walking into another exhibition hall. This time, a party of adventurers was making their advances against traps and puzzles. And they were clearly having fun, even if danger was ever present.
A few more such scenes followed, and it became obvious that Kori was showing her commendable efforts in running the place properly. The variety was at an all-time high, and so was the experience the delvers received. From personal training to pure battle-junkie excitement. This was a truly advanced and incredible operation.
Finally, after one last transfer, Asterios landed in the Core Chamber. The most important room of the dungeon had expanded again, turning even more spacious and wide. Kori’s ring-like heart, filled by an ominous sphere, still took the center position, right atop the breathtaking pyramid. But what previously could be called a fortress spanning around it had become a whole militaristic city.
The spiritual forges that had previously been scattered all around the cavern were now lining the streets of this monster town. And while the settlement was still far from the size of Glimmervale, it was rather considerable. Laying a siege to it could be a very memorable experience. Perhaps that was what its creators had in mind for the final and the most difficult floor.
Another thing that was different was the ambience. Something traveled through the air, some kind of voice. Or voices.
Just as Asterios was going to investigate, two dark figures appeared in front of him. A butler and a maid. Umbra and Kori. Both individuals curtsied politely in their own way.
Before greeting them, Asterios tilted his head to glance back, and surely, Abyss’ face was waiting for him there, the chocolate-skinned ancient being ready to employ her usual sneaky tactics.
“Good day to you too, Abyss.” He smirked at the expressionless lady.
“Your intuition is becoming sharper.” She offered him a nod, then nonchalantly floated to join the duo’s side. “As always, you are surpassing all my predictions. I never deemed it possible, but there might come a time when I won’t be able to hide from your senses anymore.”
“You’ll still have plenty of other people to catch off-guard.” Asterios chuckled amusedly, then glanced at the dungeon’s avatar. “Do my eyes deceive me, or do you seem to have grown, Kori? Is that even possible for someone like you?”
“You are correct, Master.” She nodded softly. “I do not age the same way as mortal beings, but I wished to display the advancement of my evolution in an easily understandable manner. Therefore, this figure of mine that you can see shall grow similarly to the original template.”
“Becoming linked with the Nethernight Realm and then processing its spiritual energy has boosted Kori greatly,” Umbra chimed in with a proud tone. “It will take a lot of time to synchronize everything, but as she said, the major jumps will be visible.”
“But, since her lifespan is technically infinite, how does she… scale the progress with the average time humans have in this universe?” Asterios stroked his chin thoughtfully. “That sounds nearly impossible to capture correctly.”
“An astute observation, Master.” Kori showed a hint of a smile. “That is why I have selected the age of twenty-four as the peak of human physique and set it as the major milestone. It corresponds with the level of power at which I predict slight stagnation without more external aid. Therefore, I will assume the form of a twenty-four-year-old human female from that point on, without many more changes.”
Considering that she looked like a slightly older, shadowy version of Irelia, that meant there was still quite some progress ahead of her.
“Sounds smart.” Asterios hummed, then glanced past her. “Speaking of sound, what’s this that I’m hearing?”
“You must mean the chanting,” Umbra replied.
“Chanting?” Ast’s brows furrowed.
“It’s no news to you that we are experimenting with the folks living in the Nethernight Realm. We actually moved some of them here shortly after our return, to make it easier to rebuild the broken world. It has already been done, the planet is nearly whole again, so most chose to head back home now that it isn’t an unescapable trap. Yet, there are some beings who refuse to leave.” His familiar turned his gaze towards the top of the pyramid housing the Core.
Asterios enhanced his sight and squinted towards the plateau. Atop its dark surface, he spotted a big group of weird entities forming circles beneath the floating heart of the dungeon and bowing repeatedly. He instantly recognized them, recalling the religious crab-walking people from whom he had stolen one of the energy clusters back then.
“We might have accidentally alluded that the ring and sphere are the manifestation of your power, and they decided it’s holy enough to become the conduit for their worship. From The Destroyer, they turned to The Liberator. From light to darkness,” Umbra continued. “They switch places now and then, a number of their kin journeying through my world to spread the word about you and your divine deeds during The Reckoning. But the majority live here and dedicate their time to singing your praises. As you can hear, they lean heavily towards throaty chants.”
“Shouldn’t they be worshipping you?” Asterios shook his head. “I might have helped, but you are the god who saved the realm from destruction and is now taking care of its healing.”
“That’s how I became The Warden.” The Lord of Shadows snickered. “I’m your subordinate, in the end, so it’s only natural for them to believe that everything I do is an extension of your will. A hierarchy is necessary for order to exist. The new pantheon requires clear lines between its seat holders.”
“Are you making me into a deity now?” Asterios rubbed his eyes. “What about Abyss? She’s the creator of this whole thing.”
“I am. And the dimension’s inhabitants are now aware of my existence, their legends verified and clarified,” the goddess in question answered calmly. “That’s how I have been named The Watcher. An observer who sees all but wishes to remain impartial in their judgment, remaining on the sidelines until the fate of the world is at stake. You and I are deemed equal in the newfound faith. Some even call us The Mother and The Father.”
He snorted openly. “Great. Now they are pairing us up. I hope they don’t expect us to sire a new batch of gods and goddesses to fill up said pantheon?”
“No, that’s not a common belief,” she reassured him.
But he knew her games already. Saying that it wasn’t common didn’t mean that there were none. And if even an inkling of an idea existed, there was always a chance it might suddenly explode like a viral illness and consume the entire realm.
“Leaving those matters aside, I’m glad to hear that your home and people are recovering well.” Asterios tried to steer away from the awkward topic. “I’ve seen that the dungeon is developing fast too, so thank you, Kori. Do you have any troubles? How are the rewards for proper dungeon runs? Are the resources in your range enough to produce good artifacts?”
“I’m honored to hear your praise, Master.” Kori curtsied again. “There are no issues with the rewards. Your artificers aid me when necessary, which is mostly with gear for floor bosses and unique monsters. We are careful not to be discovered. Naturally, the more powerful I grow, the better my processing capabilities become, and as I mentioned in the past, the quickest method for me to evolve is to consume other Dungeon Cores. Magical cores from monsters work too, but I would need an insurmountable amount of them to feel the difference.”
“With the Adventurer’s Guilds we open in other realms, it shouldn’t take long to locate undiscovered dungeons. I’ll make sure we instruct people not to destroy them, instead selling the rights to harvest cores to us.” He placed a hand on her misty shoulder. “The stronger you are, the more durable the monster copies you can create, right? How is their current state of survival above the ground?”
“Slowly rising, but still relying mainly on my power, as you said, Master.” Her head turned towards a Terrackal replica wandering around below them. “Our research into a viable means of anchoring them outside is still without any considerable fruit borne. But my underlings can now last for about a full hour past the dungeon border. Two, if I spend resources to sustain them.”
“Unfortunately, the monster army project is still far away from being done.” Umbra chuckled deeply.
“Maybe, but I was thinking about the encampment on the surface.” Asterios scratched his head. “Its defenses are laughable compared to the safety of Glimmervale, yet so many people hang around it. Setting up massive walls would diminish the cozy charm. But, an hour or two of a controlled outbreak should be a fine way of launching a counterattack against whatever might be aiming for the settlement.”
“A clever little scheme,” Abyss complimented him. “As long as you manage to convince the people outside that the monsters flooding out of the dungeon are there to help them rather than create another front, invoking even more chaos onto the battlefield.”
“It might require some work, but it should be doable. We’ll hold practice releases so that everyone can get used to the sight. People are aware that we keep the dungeon in our grasp, so as long as it’s not an unannounced event, they shouldn’t panic too much. Still, it will be good for them to get some experie—wait…” His face snapped to Kori. “How quickly can your monsters reach Glimmervale?”
“We should be able to use Shadow Transfer and bring them as close as the outer walls allow in an instant, Master.” The dungeon’s avatar tilted its head. “Why?”
“I just got an idea.” Asterios grinned. “Our guards, peacekeepers, soldiers, and all the military personnel practice various situations in the dungeon thanks to your assistance. Their personal talents grow. But that’s just a collection of separate experiences, held in perfect control. While drills are great, Ted always reminds his students that a simulation is completely different from the real thing, and no matter how ready they feel for it, they are simply over their heads. And a true battlefield can’t be perfectly reproduced here. Some of our troops were lucky, or unlucky, to witness what I’m talking about in the disaster that preceded your genesis, Kori.”
“The Void-touched stampede…” Umbra recalled. “You wish to imitate a proper siege on your city…”
“Exactly right.” Asterios snapped his fingers at him. “It’s not something that happens often, and thus even more reason not to let our people get rusty. And that includes the civilians too. We had a fair heads-up last time, but who knows how it will go in the future? If we turn this into, let’s say, an annual practice, after a few times, everyone should be conditioned to correct responses at the first sound of warning bells.”
“And you mean to let the town defend itself on its own, without your input,” his dear familiar added. “Just like during the trip to my realm, there will be times when we are not around to respond immediately. This is a wise notion, Master.”
“Correct again.” Asterios smiled at him proudly. “What do you think, guys? Can you handle hosting something like this?”
Kori straightened up a bit. “If it’s a task from Master, we will never fail to fulfill it. An operation on this scale will require a lot of preparation, so I have to respectfully ask for an expected timeframe of such an occurrence, which shall let us prepare everything. And, if it might be allowed, a counsel with your mates and advisors. I would like to learn more about proper sieges and castle raids. This is supposed to be as authentic as possible, according to your commands.”
“There’s no rush. This is just a concept right now. Take your time to study and gather information. I need to get this plan approved by the Committee anyway. It’s going to shock them to the bone.” He laughed lightly, imagining their faces when he detailed the crazy exercise. “If my suggestion goes through, we will set a date with a considerable leeway for you to do what’s needed to make it all happen.”
“If I may offer a proposition.” Abyss slid closer, and they turned to face the goddess. “Settle on an estimate rather than a specific day. Perhaps announce a week during which the event might happen. If you tell everyone that the attack will take place on a certain day before midnight, they will be ready to tackle it, both mentally and physically, ruining the authenticity that you seek, turning it into just another drill. But, no matter how strong, barely anyone would be able to stay alert for a week without exhausting themselves, forced to just go on with their life and react truthfully to the attack.”
“Good catch. This is harder than I initially thought. A dedicated week or month might be necessary, just as you say. Otherwise, they can just cheat the system by anticipating the assault.” Asterios released a slow sigh. “Also, would you perhaps be willing to observe the proceedings and share your thoughts on the matter with us? I don’t think there’s anyone better suited and capable at surveillance.”
“Gladly.” The unfathomable lady bowed to him. “I do love a good show.”
“Really appreciate it. Your assistance assures me that it’s going to be worth it.” He perked up visibly. “As always, you have my gratitude for all your help.”
“I promised to aid you and stayed true to my word only partially.” Abyss’ swirly galaxy eyes peered deep into his crimson ones. “However, thanks to you, I finally understood that inaction can be as much of a poisonous variable as getting involved, directly or indirectly. I swore to help you tear down the seal in your mind, and while I’m afraid removing it by force might cause you harm, even if I’m capable of doing so, I wish to accompany you on your next journey to guarantee that this excursion concludes with your memories completely freed from their cage.”
“That’s…” Asterios blinked at her blankly, aware of just how involved Abyss had already gotten with him and his people for a while. “I won’t say no to your goodwill, then. It is an important matter to me.”
“And that makes it a very important matter to all of us.” Umbra backed her up, Kori nodding along. “It’s time to close this long-lasting chapter, Master. You are stepping out into the wide world. There are bigger worries ahead of you. Also connected to True Dragons.”
“Let’s hope it works out.” Asterios inhaled softly. “If it doesn’t, maybe I’ll ask Noir for help. Her mother should be more or less equal to my father. She might have a way to destroy this curse.”
And since his fierce draconic partner had already let it slip out that he might be able to treat the primordial True Dragon, there was a chance she would accept a trade of favors.
But that felt like a last resort kind of thing.
Asterios had no idea if he was ready to face someone of that caliber yet.
Especially in their own domain.
★━━━━━Author's Notes━━━━━★Ast x Sexy Cosmic Horror Shippers: So, you are telling me there's a chance...Me: No horny!Also, THIS is what I had in my head during the chanting :v