The Tower in the Shadows

Elian's day had not ended with her return from mapping the new fifth floor in the Dungeon.

She had returned weary from her exploration and had just managed to freshen up when the messenger arrived. The news of the resource node change hit her like a blow. She had been so engrossed in her work, compiling notes on the new floor, that she hadn't anticipated this. The resource node on the first floor had been changed from copper to tin.

The miners were… unhappy, which was not even a close description of their mood. She replied, informing them there was a new, more significant seam on the fifth floor, but it was now guarded. That means they would be unable to reach it without an escort. A few could, but they would dominate the industry by controlling supply and most were not happy with this.

That led to a two-hour meeting/complaining session with the local copper workers and miners, which she ended by throwing them out of her Guild. She had just sat down again at her desk when Ranus and Comus arrived.

Both men were now sitting with her in the cluttered office. She had told them what she had found on the new floor.

"Worms?" Ranus asked. Comus looked thoughtful. This was not what anyone had expected; with this Dungeon, that was something.

"Yes, big ones that can rip through armour." She confirmed.

"Your description reminds me of Rock Worms." Comus said. Elian knew that if the creatures existed elsewhere, he would be the person who would know.

"Rock Worms?" Ranus asked, turning in his seat to look at the other man.

"Earth mana-infused creature. Naturally found in the Underlands. Tough and slow, relies on ambush."

"Sounds right. Valuable?" Elian asked.

"The parts have some uses, but they are not very expensive. The floor boss, however, is where the money will likely be."

Elian sighed, expecting that answer.

"You said that iron was part of the loot drop." Ranus inquired.

"Yes. Enough ore for a small ingot, at least."

Again, not very valuable, but most adventurers would not turn it away. The recent discovery of an iron vein in a local mountain supplied the town with all its needs.

"I am interested in the escalation in the traps. From your descriptions, I am surprised you have not increased the Dungeons rating to High Copper." Comus mused.

"When I considered the floor, everything pointed to it being as dangerous as the floor above. The environment on the fourth was more suited to the spiders and one room had large numbers. The fifth had the worms spread more and was the most traditional Dungeon floor I have seen."

She paused, thinking about the day's events.

"The worms are tough and can hit back harder, but the spiders have more tricks to use. I stand by my decision."

"I have heard the copper vein has moved—from the first floor." Ranus said, changing the direction of the conversation a bit.

"Gods!" Elian groaned as she slumped down into her chair, which creaked a bit at her abuse. "The local miners and copper workers have been filling my ears with complaints for the last few hours."

The two men smiled at her reaction, both knowing how it was for anyone in a position of authority.

"How did you placate them?" Comus enquired.

"I told them to be quiet and address any complaints to the Dungeon Core. Then I threw them out of my office." This time, the men did laugh, picturing the scene she described.

"How do you think this will change in the Dungeon and new floor will affect the town?" Ranus asked Elian, getting serious again.

"In the Short term, the change in the copper vein is the biggest thing. The larger yield from the vein on the fifth will offset this. The tin? I did not know. In the long term, the new floor will attract more adventurers. I will be posting the contract to acquire the fifth-floor boss for you tomorrow, Comus!" She cut off the alchemist who had opened his mouth. "Be warned, it's big, so you will be getting it in several parts."

Comus said nothing but looked unhappy, hoping to study as undamaged a corpse as possible.

"Anything interesting happen while I was in the Dungeon?" Elian asked.

"During your time in there? No. But after, I had an unusual visitor." Ranus spoke. Elian leaned back in her chair to listen to the young Lord's words.

"The head priest from the temple dedicated to Hylonia paid me a visit."

This elicited a reaction of surprise from the two Guild leaders.

"What did they want?" Elian asked, leaning forward onto her desk.

"The priest's name is Hexus. They came and thanked me for allowing the open worship of their divine patron." Ranus spoke, thinking back to the conversation. "I found it hard trying to address the priest. Terms I am so used to do not apply. Was it a He, She or even It?"

"That's a common issue. The temple keeps its practices hidden and members often do not announce that they are followers. Most do not tolerate the presence of the temple and that's why they are mostly hidden. From what I have learned, they actually enjoy having people confused and unsure." Elain said.

"Well, that was the main part of the conversation." Ranus sought to refocus their discussion.

"What! That was it?" Comus asked.

"No. There were a few more things. It turns out that my family have been trying to stir up trouble for me with Ostrul. Hylonia has instructed its temple in Ostrul to counter my family's lies and claims."

"Hylonia? Why is the God of Selfishness helping you?" Elian asked, confused. "Does that not go against the God's very nature?"

"I was as surprised as well. The information about my family's antics was strangely unsurprising, but where they were stirring the trouble was."

"Another thing to add to the list of strange things going on around here." Elian rubbed her eyes with her hand. "It's become quite the list."

"Well, my decree on the temples and churches is holding and honestly, I have no idea why. I have been waking up each morning wondering if I am going to find a destroyed town or a pitched battle. Every time I find nothing has happened in the temple district overnight, I breathe easier for the day."

"There is still tension in the district. You cannot have so many Gods and Goddesses in one place without it," Comus reminded them. "Ranus is right. The fact that they are not killing each other is telling."

"All."

"All?" Comus asked, confused.

"All the pantheon is now represented here, Comus." Ranus told the other man.

That brought silence to the room. They all knew that it was rare to have most of the Pantheon within a community, but having all of them openly worshipped could be counted on a few fingers.

"Why would anyone follow Hylonia." Elian thought out loud. "That path of worship is always self-destructive."

"Hylonia, let's you be your true self." Comus mused.

Elian and Ranus looked at the other man questioningly.

"Think about it. For all the excess, drugs and sexual deviancy, Hylonia never judges you. To follow them, you need only be true to yourself and who you are; that is all they ask."

"Yet they lead you down a path that gets you executed in most nations." Ranus reminded him.

"Not all of their followers end up taking that route. It was rumoured that the heretical text Thoughts on Divinity and Mortals touched on the subject that the worshippers of Hylonia took the God to the extremes, not the other way around. It was because of them that it gained the Mantels of Selfishness and Excess."

Mentioning that book had shocked her and Ranus. The book was written by an unknown scholar who had written about the concept that mortals had more power over the Gods than anyone had realised. The book was ancient before the Old Empire, and fragments of it could still be found. Followers of said Gods declared it heresy against the Gods and had burnings involving copied fragments and anyone who had read it.

"Best not mention that book around anyone else, Comus; I do not want to stop a mob from burning you alive."

Comus looked shocked that he had revealed such a dangerous piece of information even to them. Elian knew that, for all his intelligence, Comus could sometimes be incredibly naive.

"Since the twisted ogre attack, we have been sharing information, but I know there is more they are holding back." Ranus grumbled.

"What can you do?" She had thought about it and had no answers.

"What I did was I asked Hexus directly why they were all here."

Elian was stunned at Ranus's words. He had just said he had directly asked a representative of a divine power why he was in his town.

"Wh-What was the answer." Comus stammered out, equally surprised.

"I expected some esoterical answer that would boil down to mind your own business, but the question seemed to scare Hexus." He said as he thought over the meeting.

Elian considered the question that no one was asking but that everyone was thinking about: What could scare a God?

## ## ## ## ##

Oda was watching the whole Pantheon arguing intensely—so intense that it was bordering on violence in some areas.

The cause of this commotion was him and a Dungeon Core he was overseeing.

He and the other two court leaders had come to the conclusion that the other Gods should be told. Not because they could be trusted to handle the information but because they were asking too many questions and mounting dozens of independent investigations that were tripping over too many things, mainly each other. That had led to all the Gods setting up a temple in Shadow Vale, as all identified this as the reason for the strange goings-on in the Divine realm.

They had gathered everyone together and Oda had explained everything to them.

First, there was silence, then yelling.

This had been going on for three months in mortal terms. For them, a long argument.

Groups were forming and splitting at a remarkable speed. Everyone was voicing their opinions loudly, mainly at him at first but more at each other as time went on.

He was not watching the loud ones but the quiet group off to the side, who had been in intense conversation since he finished talking.

He knew that the gods and Goddesses who made up this group would bring the others into line.

Nictor, the God of Death; Xandus, the Goddess of Light; Hackyon, the Goddess of Magic; Astraus, the Goddess of Dungeons; and Lawdrun, the God of Laws. They had been talking in a huddle, not stopping, even dismissing those who tried to interject themselves.

The rest were arguing, but most were also watching this group.

Oda would have typically been involved, but as he was the cause of the issue, he felt he did not have the right to intervene. Being on the outside was a feeling he did not enjoy.

During this time, he checked on his usual duties and the Core. It had grown again, now having a Dungeon with five floors. His initial plan was progressing too fast and he doubted that there would be any more.

The mood was angry and grim. Since the folly three centuries ago, the Gods had been afraid. Something they did not know or understand was affecting the world, and they did not know what to do. They finally had an idea of what it was and could name it now.

A few voices had called on them to use void corruption to their advantage. The rest of the Pantheon made it clear that those who did try would not face censure but death for it. That silenced them, but Oda knew that many were thinking about it.

This is why he hoped to keep it secret, but that was a dead hope now.

The group he was watching had reached a conclusion. He and many others noticed the body language shifting and nodded amongst them.

The two court heads stood forth and most turned their attention to them.

"Fellow members of the divine, hear our words." Nictor took the lead, drawing all attention to them and silencing the arguments.

"Oda saw a problem and took action to redress the balance that has been disturbed." Xandus added.

"We shall continue to watch this new Dungeon and the Town established above it."

"All will remain silent on this to the mortals."

"Instructions will be given to our followers to stay alert for these "twisted" as they are being called."

"The Soul Contract with the Core will be honoured and thanks to the local lord, we have a means of maintaining peace amongst the churches and temples."

"To the issue of this Void energy corrupting our world, we will seek to purge it as it is destructive to all we are."

"Any with our number who seek to harness or spread it will find not punishment but death as it is too dangerous for any to use." Oda understood why Xandus delivered this final statement. She was usually the last to seek such a violent punishment, which would not be lost on the divine beings gathered. "We have spoken. Now, be about your business."

This was a dismissal that they all understood. Within seconds, they were gone, but for Oda and the group led by the head of the two courts.

"That you have remained tells me there is more." Oda noted.

"Yes." This came from Hackyon. The divine representation of Magic and learning was difficult for even other Gods to look on, and she took great pains to control her image.

"I told you your contract was flawed, Oda." Lawdrun spoke.

"Yes, you told me at the time."

"Well, now I have had more time to examine it. I have discovered it is worse than I originally thought and I have found your hidden failsafe."

"In what way is the contract flawed?" Oda asked, frowning, ignoring the talk of the failsafe. The others indicated that he should continue.

"The Core has the ability to take on Mantels and remain on the mortal plain. That is bad enough. I have also discovered that its ability to create new monsters can be even more dangerous."

"How so. None of them can survive outside of the Dungeon."

"That is not correct. After consulting with others, I have discovered that if the monsters reach a certain "level", they could exist outside the Dungeon and even a Core death."

This shocked Oda. He believed he had ensured the monsters would die with the Dungeon if this happened.

"How is this possible?"

"The system you gave to the Dungeon was similar to the Paths of Ascension. The problem is that it was also assigned to its creations. Once they get strong enough, they can leave the Dungeon and when they enter the world, they become part of the Paths and they can multiply."

The others were grim-faced while Oda was shocked. He thought to himself.

"What have I done?"

"We need to talk about the failsafe, Oda." Nictor spoke for them all.

"What of it?"

"You never informed the soul of it." Lawdrun snapped. He likes things to be stated in contracts, even if they're hidden in terms and other sections.

"I did. I told him if his Core corruption reached a critical point, he would suffer the destruction of his soul as the Core shatters."

"The problem is that you never told him that the Core will be destroyed by the mechanisms you put in place!" Lawdrun was yelling again.

"Is the failsafe a breach of the contract?" Oda asked.

The Gods fell silent as he knew it was not. He had made mistakes, he now knew, but he had foreseen and addressed some problems before they arose.

He knew he would have to work hard to save the world and restore balance, but it was worth the cost.