“Explain.” Keenan pressed, allowing the black ki to condense around his body. The fact that it had been referred to as ‘Chaos Ki’ naturally meant something to the young boy. After all, he was the Demigod of Chaos. However, he had never told anyone about that title, even Jace. His mother likely knew, but he didn’t think she would even remember him at this point.
The faceless creature let out a deep breath, slowly bringing itself to its feet. “We dungeon cores decided long ago that we would each study different aspects of the world. Some of us chose to study beasts, others researched magic. Some chose varying elements of nature. As for myself, I had heard of a dark energy that existed opposite to the divine. I felt that such a thing was a topic worthy of choosing as my field of study.”
“When I established my territory, I asked Mother… you would know her as Aurivy. I asked Mother to help me establish a specific rule at my entrance. Those whose bodies contained no source of void-related power would experience an empty, bland room which I maintained to protect the illusion of the mundane.”
“However, those whose body contained a source of power from the void, a source of chaos, would be sent here. This was how I would find my partner, as only someone trained in the powers of the void would be able to assist me in my studies.”
Keenan furrowed his brow, struggling to understand everything. “So I am here… because you want to study me?”
“Oh, nothing like that.” The figure shook its head quickly. “Nothing so insidious. I wish to grant you my AC, or Artifact Core. As long as you keep it with you in your travels, I will be able to observe the effects of your energy. In exchange, you may do with the core what you wish. Use it to create an ideal home for you in your travels, confuse your enemies, or simply produce convenient items to help you along the way.”
Keenan frowned, thinking about what he was being told. It turned out that this dungeon really was something that Jace had found for him. However, what use did he have for a dungeon? “I need somewhere to hunt, my level. Monsters I can eat and live off of. Can you do that?”
The avatar of the dungeon considered Keenan’s request, before smiling. “I cannot. However, do not underestimate the knowledge of a dungeon. While the monsters I can create are not suitable for your consumption, I can guide you to another dungeon that meets all of your requirements. I believe the people on the outside know it as the Great Forest Sanctuary?”
Keenan tilted his head, having never heard of that place before. Maybe Jace would know, but Keenan was certainly clueless. “Is it a good place to hunt?”
The mouth of the creature before Keenan drew a straight line, apparently perplexed by Keenan’s lack of knowledge. With a sigh, it began explaining. “The Great Forest Sanctuary is a hunting ground prepared by one of my brothers. Within it, there are individual zones divided by level, each forming their own ecosystem. The deeper in you go, the higher level the creatures contained there. That is, until you reach the center. At the very center of the sanctuary is a large city designed by the dungeon core itself.”
“The city follows a simple set of rules. First, teleportation magic in and out is forbidden. Similar to my rule that transported you here, this is a rule enforced with Mother’s power. If one wants to enter or exit the city, they must do so on foot, traversing through the hunting zones until they reach the exit point. After that, they may travel as they wish.”
“Secondly, people are free to hunt the creatures within the sanctuary, so long as they do not target the nests. The creatures within reproduce at a high rate to replenish their population until they reach a saturation point, at which time they stop. As long as the nests are left intact, this can continue. However, if someone targets the nests, my brother will immediately transport them to a far more dangerous dungeon.”
Keenan nodded his head as he listened to these rules, not having a problem with either one so far. However, he did speak up before the faceless being could continue. “Is it okay for someone to live in the hunting zone, instead of the city?”
That question appeared to catch the creature off guard, as if it did not know how to react. “I… believe so? As long as you don’t try to destroy the forest, it should not pose a problem.”
Keenan felt relieved when he heard that. “And… how many people are in this city?” He wanted to avoid larger settlements if at all possible. While he was beginning to open up to Jace, the same could hardly be said for total strangers.
“That… as I have explained, in order to enter the city, one must traverse on foot through the dangerous hunting grounds. This makes it a rather unfavorable city to live in, and many merchants can’t make the journey themselves without hired guards. At present, there are less than a thousand people residing in the city, most of them fighters aiming to hone their skills.”
Keenan’s expression lit up when he heard that. A city with only a thousand inhabitants could be considered very small. Even if those inhabitants were capable of venturing into the forest, it would be easy for him to figure out how to avoid them. Simply locating a hunting ground away from the normal path in and out of the city would be enough to avoid the majority.
“Agreed. I take your core thing, and you lead me to this forest.” Keenan nodded his head readily at that deal.
The faceless being let out a relieved sigh, as if it were unable to hold up the conversation any longer. It lifted its hand, and an object appeared in its palm. The object was a blue sphere, looking like an incredibly well-polished jewel. Within this jewel, he could see intricate lines of light flashing about occasionally.
The Artifact Core floated up from the being’s hand, moving over to rest in Keenan’s own. “My core is of a newer model. If the size is too cumbersome for you, you can shrink it by applying pressure. This will cause it to compress the space in which it occupies, and can do so as small as a grain of sand. To expand it, merely hold it in the palm of an open hand, and it will return to its normal size.”
“Of course, if it is removed from your person, such as by falling off if you make it too small, it will return to normal size on its own.” There were other details as well, such as how the area it could control would shrink in proportion to its own size, or how the command to revert was really given by the dungeon itself when the conditions were met. However, it felt as if these details might confuse the somewhat wild child standing before it.
Keenan simply nodded, pressing the core together between his hands and making it shrink down to the size of a marble. At that point, he reached down and dropped it into the bag which he normally carried herbs in. “Is that fine?”
The faceless being nodded its head. “Perfectly so. Our senses would not be trapped by such a thin bag, so we can still perform our studies.”
Keenan gave another nod, before looking left and right. “Can I leave, then?” He asked, still anxious about wanting to meet back up with Jace. Although the faceless being had said that his friend was perfectly fine, Keenan couldn’t help but worry.
Once the creature nodded, he spun around and ran out of the cave. Once outside, he saw the same lush forest that he had witnessed on the way in. Moreover, Jace appeared to be sitting on a nearby root, his staff leaning against his shoulder. When Keenan exited, Jace’s head lifted up, eyes still closed. “You’re back?”
“Are you okay?” Keenan countered, looking Jace over to check for any sign of injury. Thankfully, there did not seem to be anything wrong with him.
“I’m fine. What about you?” Jace pressed curiously. “As soon as we entered, I couldn’t hear you behind me anymore. I knew that you wouldn’t have just run off or anything, so I decided to wait here.”
Letting out a long breath, Keenan began to explain what had happened, as well as his conversation with the faceless being. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the symbol at the mouth of the cave had changed, the open hand now holding an orb similar to what Keenan had been given.
“So you’ve become a Dungeon Master now?” Jace asked with a wide smile. “That’s great! I guess we didn’t come here for a place to stay, after all?”
Keenan shook his head. “Thing said that it would show us the way to ‘Great Forest Sanctuary’. Have you heard of it?”
Jace thought it over for a moment before nodding his head. “I have. It’s one of the more well-known dungeons of the world. I suppose that you would be able to live comfortably if we moved there, but…” His words trailed off, immediately causing Keenan to worry.
“Why ‘but’? What ‘but’?” He pressed, feeling as if he may have been tricked.
“It’s just… the path to the Sanctuary is quite far. According to my memory, it should be several months of walking away, if we go in a straight line. Maybe even a year or two.”
Keenan’s body tensed up when he heard that, and he reached into his pouch to retrieve the blue marble. It was shrinking further by the moment, the pressure from his fingers forcing its function to activate. “You said you would take us there. Why so long?”
“I-It’s not like that!” The voice from before emerged from the core. “I can open a portal to take you closer to my brother. The journey will take two days, three at most!” Although the destruction of the Artifact Core would deal no damage to the main dungeon, losing Keenan’s trust would make it so that he would have to wait an unknown number of years before a second void-wielder appeared.
That fact alone made the dungeon core nervous. While it would always be connected with the others of its kind, it hadn’t had the chance to experience the outside world itself yet. It hadn’t even taken the chance to join Towers’ city as one of the servant race, due to the simple fact that its research was still ongoing.
Keenan let out a satisfied nod, placing the tiny bead back into his herb pouch. “He says he can take care of it.”
Jace simply let out a low chuckle. “So I heard. That will definitely save us a good deal of time. Well then, shall we do the same arrangement as before? I stay in the forest with you, and return to restock when my supplies run low?”
Before Keenan could agree, the voice emerged from his pouch, seeming somewhat muffled. “I would advise against the blind felyn living in the hunting ground. He does not appear to be strong enough to survive a prolonged fight at the level of my new master. You may be able to avoid those battles during the day, but anti-monster wards won’t work as well within a dungeon. Our natural aura interferes with those simple enchantments.”
Keenan’s eyes went wide, his hand trembling slightly as Jace fell into thought. “Well… then I can live in the inner city, and visit you on a regular basis? I could even bring you interesting items from the city itself, if I find anything.”
Keenan’s body relaxed when he heard that, having been afraid that this would mean that they would have to part ways. If Jace was truly capable of living within the city, then that would be just fine. So long as they were still able to meet and talk. Keenan knew that Jace was his first and only friend that he had made since leaving his home, and was terrified at the idea of losing him.
“Sounds good.” Keenan said with a smile as the air tore open next to them, a blue portal appearing to start them on their journey.
