The Gate Traveler

The three of us were lounging on the porch, feet propped up on the railing, sipping our coffee. The warm breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers and mushrooms—they had a distinct scent here. Out of nowhere, Mahya blurted, “Too bad we threw away all the sex paraphernalia from Vegas,” while twirling her cup absentmindedly.

I nearly choked on my coffee. “Why?” I gasped, hearing Al sputter next to me.

She shrugged, leaning back in her chair, the sunlight glinting off her hair. “We could have fed the house with it.”

Setting my cup down, I shook my head, exasperated. “I’m not feeding my house with bondage clothes or blow-up sex dolls.”

Mahya raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “Why not? The core isn’t sentient. It’s not as though you can defile its virtue.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, crossing my arms and giving her a pointed look. “I won’t feed my house that kind of stuff. I might wake up one day with a blow-up doll in my bed. No thanks.”

Mahya laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Don’t be a prude. It can actually be very amusing.”

Rolling my eyes, I leaned back in my chair. “For you, maybe, hearing me scream in fright.”

She grinned wickedly, taking another sip of her coffee. “That too.”

“I think you should start working on your boat,” I suggested. “It will keep you occupied and prevent you from making stupid suggestions.”

“I concur,” Al chimed in with a nod, still recovering from his earlier choking fit.

Mahya stuck out her tongue at me playfully. I lunged forward, trying to grab it, but she quickly dodged. Her laughter rang out, filling the air with a sense of mischief.

“And besides,” I continued, narrowing my eyes in mock suspicion, “why did you want the inflatable dolls for the house? What did you plan to do with them?”

“They are made of rubber,” she replied, her expression turning serious.

“Oh,” I said, realizing the practicality behind her idea.

“Yes,” she affirmed, tilting her head slightly. “We need to start a policy. We don’t throw anything away, no matter how weird, unusable, broken, crazy, or whatever. What we don’t need, we give to the house.”

“I’m not sure I want to feed my house with garbage,” I admitted, my brow furrowing in concern.

“That’s exactly the point – it’s not garbage,” she insisted, her eyes locking onto mine with a determined gaze. “Lis didn’t know much to tell me about dungeon cores; that information is too secret. He just said that the cores can process anything and turn it into usable things, based on what their master thinks is usable. They don’t create things because they feel like it. If the core has a master, the creation will be something the master knows, wants, and thinks is usable. Why do you think we got a stereo system, a TV, and game consoles? We fed it with a lot of different electronics, but got those things specifically because you think they are good, and you’re its master. If I were the master, we’d probably get an advanced weapon system or something.”

That made Al and me laugh, our eyes meeting with shared mirth.

“Maybe I should write to Lis and ask him everything he knows about dungeon cores,” I mused aloud, tapping my fingers on the table thoughtfully.

Mahya shook her head vigorously. “Not a good idea.”

“I strongly advise against taking that action,” Al echoed, crossing his arms simultaneously with Mahya.

“Why not?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in genuine curiosity.

“Because the Archive is not secret. Do you want to advertise to all the Travelers that you have a core?” Mahya’s eyes widened, her tone serious.

“Oh,” I muttered, realizing the implications.

“Yeah, oh,” she repeated, folding her arms with finality.

“Then tell us everything he told you,” I prompted her, eager to learn more.

Mahya pulled out a notebook, flipping it open to a page filled with bullet points in a language I didn’t recognize. She started reviewing them individually, finger-tracing each line as she read.

“He told me that dungeons have levels,” Mahya began, glancing up from her notes. “As you know, we collected the first core from a baby dungeon. The next level is a mature dungeon, which means a dungeon with two floors and a pretty powerful final guardian. The core should be about the size of my fist. That’s the point at which to feed the core with materials. But he told me to wait until our little core reaches that size before we even try to feed it with anything, and only mana-rich materials from dungeons or worlds with a mana level of forty-five or higher, not normal materials.”

She paused, tapping her finger against the notebook rhythmically. “The next level is an established dungeon with three floors and a strong final guardian. He recommended that we not attempt more established dungeons than this. The core should be the size of a large orange. At this point, it can process materials with less mana, but still not normal materials.”

She looked up, her expression serious. “He told me that he had fought a few dungeons with a final sentient guardian, but they were always controlled by guilds or royal houses, not wild dungeons. He recommended that we run away immediately if we encountered something like this. If I had known that was the situation in the dungeon you found here, I would have recommended that we run away. He was sure these cores would be larger with much greater capabilities, but he didn’t know which. He had a theory that they could probably process materials without mana, but he wasn’t sure.”

She sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. “I’m trying to think of a way to tell him what we discovered without posting in the Archive that we have a core.”

“I think I have an idea how you can do it,” I said, leaning forward with sudden inspiration.

Mahya’s eyes widened with interest. “How?”

“Write to him that you read a book you liked called Master Hunter K,” I suggested. “Tell him that this book describes our entire dungeon run, the size of the core, and everything we did with it and discovered. Then ask him what he would do in such a situation and if he thinks it’s possible that there is anything like that or if it’s all an invention of the writer.”

Mahya frowned, tapping her pen against her lips thoughtfully. “How will that help? He’ll tell me it’s a story.”

Shaking my head, I leaned back in my chair, the wood creaking beneath me. “No, he won’t. I recommended this book to him, and he read all of it. He would know immediately that the name came from me and that there’s nothing like that in the story. He will understand that you are telling him something through the Archive. Lis is not stupid.”

“Huh.”

“That is a good idea,” Al said, agreeing.

“Yeah, I think so, too,” Mahya said, her expression thoughtful.

“Now, what else did he tell you?” I asked.

She looked at her notebook again. “The next points are what I already told you. The creation of the core depends on what its master wants, not random creations,” she said, tracing the notes with her finger. “Besides, he said that if we find a mana vent, we should take the core out of the house and put it on the vent so it would draw more mana. But he warned that monsters would be created that we would have to kill. He was sure the monsters created would be the same big-toothed cats Rue killed in the dungeon.”

Mahya paused, tapping the notebook pensively. “He did not recommend parking the house on the vent because it would burden the filters that prevent monsters from forming. He was sure the vent would speed up the growth of the core by at least fifty percent, but he said he had no proof.”

“Then let’s put the little core in the vent,” I suggested, leaning forward with determination.

“Do you know where there is one?” Mahya asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

“Yes, where the dungeon we destroyed was. That’s how I found it; I followed the rich mana,” I explained, gesturing toward the direction of the dungeon.

“That’s right,” Mahya exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with realization. “Now I remember. That’s how we found the snake in Tuonela. Lis led you to where you felt richer mana.”

“Before we go place the core, is there anything else he told you?” Al asked, leaning closer.

“A few last points. He said the only way to feed the core with materials is through the magic circle he drew on the floor. I’m sure it would be relevant to the small core, but we already discovered that’s not the case with the big one. The last thing he said is that if we don’t have materials, or the core hasn’t reached the point where it can create things, the master can still ask for what he wants. The core will register that, and when it reaches the size it can create the thing, it will just suddenly create it.”

She turned the page and added, “Oh, there’s something else here. He also said that if you want to sail with the house in the future, the core should be at least the size of a large orange. Then, you can ask the house to add a ship’s rudder or something and feed it fabrics so that it creates sails, or we can build a magic engine. He left it to me as a task. But I think with our boat, we don’t need to do that anymore, right?”

“Yes, there is no reason. On a long voyage, we can park the house on the sea and pull it with the boat,” I agreed, nodding.

“That’s more or less it. There are other points here, but he also explained this to you. For example, you can unite the cores if you find another baby dungeon. He said he explained how and that you have enough mana to unite the cores. I don’t have enough. Maybe Al does; Lis wasn’t sure. He’s never merged cores, just heard how to do it and that it takes a lot of mana,” she finished, closing her notebook with a thoughtful expression.

After a minute, Mahya added, “I think we should return to Earth for another day.”

“No, not again,” I protested, shaking my head and crossing my arms.

“Listen to me,” she insisted, leaning forward with a determined look in her eyes. “We should put the core on the vent and let it absorb mana. Empty the Storage of the three of us and leave Rue to guard the stuff. He would love that. Remember the third place of the tires we didn’t empty and the big junkyard near our rented house?”

I nodded, recalling the piles of discarded items and their potential resources.

“I think we should empty it in the same way, leave a payment, and then feed the house with all these materials,” she continued, her voice filled with enthusiasm. “There is a lot of metal, plastic, rubber, and who knows what else. I am sure the core can create amazing things with this material wealth. If we also cut down trees here and collect stones to feed the house, we will have a stock of materials we can play with according to our needs for years to come.”

“I need more Valerian,” Al added, his tone firm.

“More?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “But you bought a lot.”

“It’s a very effective plant,” Al explained, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve used a lot of it. If I’d known how effective it was, I’d have bought ten times as much.”

Mahya nodded thoughtfully, her fingers tapping rhythmically on her cup. “Alright, we can add that to the list. We must ensure we stock up on everything we might need.”

“Can the core even store that much material? It has to go somewhere, so what is the limit? I don’t want to be stuck with huge amounts of junk in my Storage. Recently, I’ve had to repeatedly enlarge it, and it was expensive. I want my ability points to last me for years, not months.”

“I’m pretty sure it can store ten times the amount we harvested from it in the dungeon. We have a huge core. I haven’t heard of cores this size before, not even once.”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “I just hope we don’t run into any issues. The last thing we need is trouble on Earth.”

“We’ll be careful,” Mahya assured me, her eyes gleaming with determination. “We’ll get what we need, pay for what we take, and make sure we’re not leaving a mess behind.”

Al nodded in agreement, his expression serious. “And we’ll make sure we have enough Valerian this time.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of their plans settling on my shoulders. “Alright. Let’s do it. But let’s be quick and efficient. No lingering.”

Mahya grinned, her excitement palpable. “Great. We’ll make this work, you’ll see.”

As we stood up to prepare, I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of apprehension and anticipation. The idea of going back to Earth was daunting, but the potential benefits for our home were undeniable. We just had to make sure everything went smoothly.

From the house, we walked to a spacious open area and unloaded our Storage. We had a lot of stuff! I thought my storage would be the most cluttered, but Al and Mahya pulled out just as much as I did.

We stood and looked at the field, now several hundred meters in size, filled with an eclectic mix of items. The sheer volume of stuff left us shaking our heads in disbelief.

“Wow,” I said, the only word that came to mind as I surveyed the sprawling collection.

“That accurately portrays the situation,” Al agreed, scratching his head.

Mahya, on the other hand, was beaming. “Why do you guys look so depressed? We’re rich! It’s amazing!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I think the most accurate description would be that we are hoarders,” I said, shaking my head and chuckling.

Mahya laughed, her voice ringing out. “That’s a trait of all Travelers. Our storage demands it, don’t you think?” She grinned at us, her enthusiasm infectious.

Al and I exchanged glances, then nodded. Despite the chaos, our accumulated treasures had a certain charm.

The only things left in my Storage were the food that needed refrigeration or freezing and the gold, gems, and jewelry. When I looked at my Storage now, I got dizzy. It was enormous. I knew it was big—I paid for it after all, again and again—but only when it was empty did I see how big it was.

I called Rue over, needing to use our mental bond. He was somewhere far in the valley, playing with the wind. I called him over, and he came bounding over, his tail wagging.

“John call Rue?”

“Yes, buddy. The three of us must return to Earth for a while to stock up on some things. We emptied our Storage, so we need you to stay here and guard it in case some Traveler crosses the Gate or somebody finds a way to cross the mountains into the valley.”

“Rue guard. Rue on the prowl.”

I laughed and scratched his chin. “Thanks, buddy. The thing is, the time skip is on this side, and it’s bad. So we’ll be on Earth for a day, or even less, but at least two weeks will pass here. I will give you enough food for a month and more kites so you can play with the wind. I’ll leave the house so you can use it.”

He put his paws on my shoulders and licked my face. “John not worry. Rue excellent guard dog. Rue take care things.”

“Thanks. You are an amazing guard dog.”

His tail was wagging so fast I was afraid it might fall off. I spent three more ability points to enlarge his storage and gave him all his favorite things to eat in large quantities. He stored them and walked with us to the Gate.

When we crossed over, it was about noon, judging by the sun’s position.

“No one around,” Mahya said. “Let’s drop the invisibility.”

I felt the familiar sensation as the spell dissipated, revealing us to the world again. Mahya pulled out her phone, her brow furrowing in concentration as she navigated through her apps.

“Alright,” she said, showing us the screen. “These are the places we can buy herbs. Let’s divide them up.”

Al leaned in, his eyes darting over the list. “I’ll take these three,” he said, pointing at the screen. “They’re all close to each other.”

I nodded and took a closer look, making a mental note of my own tasks. “I’ll handle these,” I said, jotting down the addresses in my notebook. “And I’ve got the addresses of two pawn shops.”

Mahya looked at both of us, her lips pressing into a determined line. “We’ll meet near the third place that sells tires at eleven tonight. Don’t be late.” She gave a small smile, her eyes flickering with a hint of mischief. “Remember to cast invisibility before you run into the city.”

“I need the address,” Al said.

I gave him the address and verified that he still had his phone to find it. With a last nod from Mahya, we cast the invisibility spell again. I felt the magic wash over me, and then we were off, sprinting towards the city, each of us focused on our tasks.

When I reached the city, I found a secluded corner near the pawnshop to cancel the invisibility and cast Clean on myself. I sold two jewelry pieces and flagged a taxi to the first herb shop. It took me till the evening to empty all the valerian stocks of the shops I took from the list, and I had to visit the second pawnshop.

I arrived early at the tires’ place and had to wait for them. Al came next, and we talked until Mahya arrived. He bought not only Valerian but some other things and lamented that we didn’t visit some drug dealers first to stock up on cash. I just shook my head in resignation. I created a monster.

Mahya arrived, and we quickly walked around the area to verify that it was deserted. It was in the industrial area, where wide streets lined with warehouses and manufacturing plants sprawled out in a grid-like pattern. The distant hum of machinery was the only sound breaking the eerie silence, and the occasional truck rumbled by, its presence a stark reminder of the relentless activity that usually filled these parts. The smell of metal and oil lingered in the air, mixing with the faint scent of greenery from the small parks scattered amidst the concrete expanse.

We waited a couple of minutes to verify that no other truck was coming and jumped over the fence. I envied Mahya. Al and I needed the trampoline; she jumped over the three-meter-high fence like I jump over a small stream.

We stored all the tires. It took us longer than the previous places—this place was huge, with tires stacked up high. I used my mana sense range, but they needed to touch the tires.

Ok, maybe I’m not jealous of Mahya anymore.

After we emptied the place, I left another note. This time, I left them ten big gold coins and five gems—we took a lot of tires.

After jumping over the fence, we cast invisibility again and ran to the junkyard. It was also massive. There were mostly cars, big heaps of assorted metal and wood junk, like old appliances and broken furniture, and a big heap of mattresses.

I stored the mattresses, two big heaps of general junk, thinking that my core might learn something from the old appliances. Then, I moved on to cars. After less than ten minutes, I couldn’t store another car. When I checked my Storage, I discovered it was completely full. I couldn’t even fit a spoon in there.

I waited for them to finish for another half an hour, feeling the time stretch endlessly. Finally, we were ready to go. Despite our efforts, the place still seemed full of junk, hardly touched. I left another note with the payment, including two gold coins each from Mahya and Al.

“No, really, it’s my house,” I insisted, pushing their hands away as they tried to contribute. Mahya’s eyes narrowed, a stubborn set to her jaw as she crossed her arms.

“We’re traveling and handling things together,” she said firmly, not budging an inch.

Al nodded in agreement, his expression equally resolute. “John, it’s important to recognize that we work together as a team.”

Their insistence warmed my heart, making me feel both loved and appreciated. Maybe I was strange, but having grown up without friends or anybody, those slight gestures of care meant the world to me.

After we jumped over the fence, Mahya brushed a braid from her face and said, “I found a place that reclaims wood. We should visit it.”

I shook my head. “My Storage is full. I can’t fit anything more into it.”

Mahya tilted her head, a determined look in her eyes. “Mine too, but we can enlarge it.”

“I already spent three ability points today,” I replied, rubbing my temples at the thought. “Besides, I don’t want a headache.”

Her expression softened slightly, but her tone remained insistent. “I don’t think you’ll get a headache. You got levels from the dungeon. And you’ll enlarge it eventually, as all Travelers do. So just do it earlier.”

Al and I exchanged a weary glance, both of us sighing in resignation. It was challenging to argue with Mahya. She crossed her arms, a triumphant smile playing on her lips, knowing she had won another argument.

We ran to the wood reclamation center. I enlarged my storage by another two ability points and didn’t look at it. I didn’t want to get scared or dizzy. And we fit as much wood as we could, left a note and payment, and ran back to the Gate.

On the way, Al said, “I stumbled upon a news story chronicling your escapades during your last visit. The story revolved around the thefts at two tire reclamation centers. No mention was made of the payment you left.”

“Assholes,” I said.

“Big assholes,” Mahya added, and we laughed.

When we crossed the gate, Rue was all over us with face licks, his body shaking from excitement, and his tail wagging furiously. My boy missed us.

I tried to find out how much time passed, but his only answer was “long.”

In order to speed up the process of feeding the house with everything we brought, I tried something new. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it was worth a try. I took out a large part of the wood I had collected, put it on the porch, and told the house to suck it in.

The house seemed to come alive, a soft hum resonating through its structure. I didn’t think Mahya or Al heard it. I didn’t hear it either; it was more of a feeling. The wood on the porch disappeared, piece by piece, as if being swallowed by an invisible mouth.

After it sucked in all the wood, I instructed it to get as low to the ground as possible, lower the porch railing, and extend the porch forward. The house complied and reshaped itself. The balcony railing descended slowly, almost like a drawbridge, while the porch extended forward, creating more space. It was a remarkable sight, the house shifting and morphing as if it had a mind of its own.

I ordered it to extend the porch more, with a mental picture of an enormous deck—at least thirty meters long and wide. The house rolled the deck out as instructed. I ordered it to retract the deck, and it rolled back to the house and got absorbed.

YES!!

I ordered it to extend the deck again to its maximum capacity, and I got a deck that was more than a hundred meters long and thirty meters wide.

Mahya and Al watched in awe, their expressions mirroring my astonishment. For a moment, we stood there in silence, marveling at the house’s transformation. It was clear that the possibilities of this house were far greater than any of us had imagined.

Mahya said in an awed voice, “I really like your house.”

All just nodded enthusiastically.

That summed it up. I had an amazing house.