The Tower in the Shadows

"Well, that was short and bloody."

I closed the door and looked around the entrance room. There was blood, abandoned packs and used bandages scattered around.

"Right then. Larry, go get the lantern on the first floor and take it to my Core."

I sent him mental images to help get him moving. I noted he was soon scampering away. I could not use Puck to do this as he was physically weak to do most things.

"Housekeeping, check status and then we will absorb the lantern."

That is the plan. I started in the entrance room and began absorbing what was left. The packs contained mining gear such as pickaxes, shovels and a hatchet, which I added to my inventory. The blood stains were removed from the table and floor. Everything else was absorbed.

"Seriously! Why do they always bring donkeys into my entrance room? It is not a fucking stable!"

I worked back, following the trail of blood to the first floor, removing it as I went. The pitfall trap had already reset and the wasps were calm again on to the third.

Larry was moving down the last stairs as I arrived.

"Good job, Larry."

I went to the first room and inspected the bodies. The boar had savaged them to the point that the parts were no longer all together. Their intestines were ripped out and blood was spattered all over the ground and walls.

"Someone went a little overboard here."

The boar was strutting about after its victory. Puck was flying around the room as well. Shaking my head mentally, I absorbed the remains.

Check my notifications. I condensed the information to the essential things.

Alert!

A level 8 Human had died in your dungeon.

A level 9 Human had died in your dungeon.

Materials Absorbed:

Nascan Short Sword (Quality-Good, Durability-20/20 Notes- +2 Damage, Iron)

"The Nascan Sword is not bad. Not as good as the Cythian, but close."

I got several more Nascan copper coins, another capture net and a Pixie Lure. Their clothes were shredded past the point of use, but oh well. The last thing I did was replace the torches on the ground floor.

"Dungeon back to standard, ready to accept visitors."

Returning to my Core, I thought about what I had just said. There was now a good chance my location would be investigated or even recognised as a dungeon. My life might be becoming a lot more interesting soon.

Larry was sitting next to the pillar where my Core was hidden. Puck had also wandered along to see what was happening. Opening the hiding spot, I was ready to absorb the lantern.

"Here we go."

Absorbing the Core was easy. I felt myself grasping a new type of Mana. Not waiting for the notifications, I placed it into one of the empty bubbles I had created in my Core and then looked.

Alert!

Light Mana discovered!

Mana Absorption is possible!

Do you wish to absorb Light Mana and have it become your….

++ ERROR! ++

++ ERROR! ++

Absorption is impossible!

++ ERROR! ++

++ ERROR! ++

Light Mana is absorbed and stored within Mana stone.

"Light Mana. Makes sense."

Going through the lantern materials, I got an exciting message.

Alert!

Congratulations Dungeon Core.

You can now create Mana Stones.

Quartz (Crystal) combined with one unit of Mana will create the stone.

……….

This led to a bout of swearing and cursing of a particular God. This was more proof that the fucker had been trying to screw me over.

Eventually, I calmed down and looked at my character sheet.

Mana Stored

Illusion – 21.08(60) / 0.01 phr.

Shadow – 50(60) / 1.1 phr.

Light – 5(60)/0.1 phr.

This made me feel a little better—a little. Mana Sight improved a bit as well.

"Fifteen percent of the way to my next level. Progress, at least."

Looking over my dungeon, I still had yet to answer an important question.

"Puck, how are you going to get around?"

## ## ## ## ##

The Realm of the Gods was quiet at the moment.

Oda stood on a balcony overlooking the domain entrances of the other members of the Pantheon. Each one was a building shaped according to God's nature and mantle. Pearl-coloured clouds separated them. The sun was setting, giving everything an additional spread of colour. Here and there were flashes of light and movement as celestial beings went about their tasks for their masters. Many mortals who witnessed this place often wept at the beauty.

His own was a building of white marble with black veins running through it. The furniture was a mix of ivory or ebony styles. The room, as well as the rest of the building, was in balance. He was standing at the top with the gods below, descending in order of importance.

"All is well."

He spoke to himself, knowing the lie that was. The Void Corruption was still slowly spreading. He had seen the danger in time and began the plan he devised to remove it.

The first unique Dungeon Core he had created was on the world below and hidden in a location he had picked out. He was fortunate to find a suitable soul as quickly as he had. The Core was designed to limit the soul within and neuter its ability to grow. He needed it to survive and process the void energy that was corrupting the world. This meant he needed it to stay hidden and survive.

He was committed to his Path.

If the courts discovered what he had done, there would be chaos, which would only add to the growing threat. The domains of too many had been trespassed upon. He had not broken but bent too many rules for him to explain it away. He knew Astraus would lead the charge against him as all Dungeons fell into her Domain.

He sensed the arrival of the two he was expecting.

They approached his location and manifested within seconds of each other. Neither wanting to be outdone by the other. Oda had never approved of this, but it was the way it was always. He turned to face them.

"Xandus, Goddess of light, life and destiny. I greet thee."

She was as always. Each mortal who looked upon her saw the best version of their race. To him, she was a female humanoid figure bathed in light and echoes of possible futures.

"Nictor, God of death, darkness and endings. I greet thee."

He was always old and frail to mortals, which hid his terrible strength. In his sight, he, too, was a humanoid male figure. He was covered in darkness with the cold air of the grave around him.

"Oda, God of balance and guardian of time. I greet thee."

They both intoned the ancient greeting of God greeting God.

"Why have the heads of the courts requested this meeting?"

They looked at each other and then at him. That was odd. It spoke to co-ordination and agreement. Usually, they were opposed in terms of word and action. But not today, it seemed.

"We are concerned at your recent lack of action."

Xandus started.

"You seem distracted. How is the world balance."

Nictor added.

They were testing the waters and seeing how he would react. They sensed something was wrong but lacked the context to name it. It would be hard to lie to them, so he obfuscated the whole truth.

"The world is not in balance and I am acting to correct it."

Again, they traded a look. They knew he was not lying but were still looking for more.

"If the issue was caused by one or both courts, would it not be beneficial for us to know so we can help correct it?"

Xandus could see the destinies created by mortal decisions. Oda knew she or Ilara would be the first to see the signs of Void Corruption. Ilara was called the weaver of fate, a Goddess linked to Xandus's court. They touched upon his mantle and he had been able to hide the far future from them.

"It is a small thing I have already started to remedy."

Again, this was not the whole truth. Void Corruption was a lesser influence at the moment and the Core he had created was what he hoped was the short-term remedy.

"We ask again, can we not aid you?"

Nictor rarely aided anyone without a means to profit. Oda knew he had to give them something, or they would stand there and prod until they got what they wanted.

"Adrills Folly. This has caused some unexpected effects, which I am balancing out."

Both of them reacted to the mention of Adrill. They tensed at the events that foolish man had unleashed over three hundred years ago. To most mortals, it was history. To the Gods, it was like yesterday.

"Adrill! Casting that evil, insane man into the abyss was too kind!"

The venom Xandus said that with was not surprising.

"The abyss almost threw him back."

Even to Nictor's court, Adrill's actions were despised at best.

Prince Adrill, heir to the Cythian Empire, was not content with his lot in life. It was believed that he had, by accident, found a way to increase his power by forcing himself along the Path of Ascension. He did this by destroying Dungeon Cores. Before even the Gods understood what he was doing, he had shattered fourteen, causing a vast magical backlash that mortally wounded the Empire.

Losing two-thirds of the Dungeons in the Empire was bad enough, but the natural disasters and monster hordes were devastating. Add the fact that it cost the Empire most of their highest ranking and most powerful subjects, even with divine assistance, their lives to stop him. The Empire never recovered, and the continent was suffering openly from it. The rest of the world now had void Corruption on top of the effects of the Folly that reached them. Shattering so many cores had cracked reality. Oda had plugged the breach, but some corruption was still leaking into the world.

"Indeed. His actions had a longer-lasting effect than any of us knew."

Oda was looking to end this conversation and hoped this would do it. Both Gods were silent for a few seconds.

"Very well, we will leave this issue to you."

Nictor spoke first.

"But call on us if you need."

Xandus added.

"I shall. I bid thee farewell."

Oda intoned the words to end the meeting and conversation. Both returned the words and left his space. When they had gone, he breathed a sigh of relief as the mortals understood it.

Things were still under control for the moment. His plan could still work if the test core he had created performed as he hoped. Another two years and then he will make more and hide them away. The souls within would not hold up, but he would fulfil his promise to them if any did.

The system he created and supplied to them was adaptable but would limit them every step of the way. He needed them to survive, not grow and prosper.

Oda turned and walked to the wall opposite his balcony. It dissolved as he approached to show a large set of scales. On each side was a giant orb, one white, the other black. Each represents the court's influence upon the world. The scales were tipped slightly in the white court's favour but not to the point where he would need to take action. Something else concerned him.

"The World Scales are twisted."

It was slight and even most Gods would miss it, but to him, it was impossible to ignore. Void Corruption was the cause and he had to restore the world to what it was.

But a question had remained when it came to Adrill.

Why?

Why had he done what he had?

In the aftermath, Oda and both courts had investigated what had happened. Even with their divine powers and knowledge, the answer eluded them. They knew every aspect of his life until he began his rampage and then everything was hidden in fog. Each choice and action was studied. He was to be Emperor, but all the signs pointed to a short and bad reign. Like all his peers, he used dungeons as training grounds to walk the Path. Then, something happened when he reached the first dungeon core. Something that was obscured to all.

They had tried to interrogate his soul and mind, but the energies he had been exposed to had twisted them so severely that getting any answer was impossible.

"What happened?"

This question was the one that drove him to distraction. The world in the aftermath was in chaos and he was focused on restoring balance. The courts were at each other's throats and caused him to be even more distracted. In this time, he missed the crack and the void Corruption.

He was unsure what or who, but something had interfered and set Adrill on his Path. He had to act secretly until he understood his opponent's motivations.

He realised he had not checked on his experiment since it was sent to the world. It had just been over a year and a half, not long. As he walked away from the scales, the wall reformed, hiding them. He had a grand desk in the room and he sat at it. There were several items in ordered positions on the table. The thing that interested him was a simple evergreen oak box. Picking it up, he leaned back into his chair.

"Well, young core, let's see what you have been doing."

The box opened using a little divine essence, and he looked at a replica of the Core of the Shadow Falls mountains. What he saw caused him to sit upright.

"What the…. How…. This not possible!"

He picked up the black gem and inspected it closer, not believing his own eyes. The gem had doubled in size, meaning it was now three steps or "levels" long in development. Surprising but not unexpected, his plan envisioned them reaching the fifth step at best.

What was different was the three specks of light visible in the Core's structure.

"What have you done, little Core?"

Needing more information, he called up the Core's "status screen" and read it. Then he went through the system's "event logs". After reading them all, he thought about the Core and its actions.

"It seems I chose too well when I selected the Core's soul."

This "Bhaldor" proved to be more adaptable and creative than he had thought possible. True, his Core was processing more void essence than ever, but he would soon be noticed from the looks of things. He had found a way to get around the restrictions Oda had placed on him.

Oda thought about a soul's greatest and most terrible power—the ability to make choices. Even with all his Divine power, that was the one thing he could not take from a soul.

"He has not violated the terms of our agreement or stepped outside of a dungeon remit. So, I cannot move against him. I must factor what he did into the next cores I will create."

Looking over the gem between his fingers again, he thought out loud.

"Well done, Bhaldor. You are proving an excellent test subject for my plan. Let's see what future your choices are creating for you. Soon, you will be exposed and I will know how the other powers will react to your presence."