Tiny Dungeon

Calamvor looked out over the classroom filled to the brim with young students and smiled. “Alright ladies and gentlemen, fellow scholars,” Calamvor said, eliciting a few chuckles from the young audience. “Who would like to tell me the Fundamentals of Aether?” He looked around and found one hand shooting up before every other. He sighed good-naturedly and pointed. “Very well Natalia, let us hear it.”

His granddaughter gave him a cheeky smile, standing up before replying back, “The Fundamentals of Aether are as follows: Aether is not used up it just changes form. Aether has three forms, Pure, Condensed, and Crystalized. Once Aether Crystalizes it cannot change back except through Synchronization or as the ancient mages called it, Attunement.” Having finished she sat down and looked at him expectantly.

“Close!” He said, smiling as her face fell. “An A+ answer but slightly incomplete.” Her gaze flicked back up to his and he let his eyes communicate his pleasure at her answer. She read it easily and her face lit back up. “What Natalia has said is correct except for the last part which is slightly incomplete. It is incomplete because in the last century or so we have discovered that Dungeons are capable of reusing Crystalized Aether and can, in fact, manipulate Aether into any form they wish.”

At his words, he was gladdened to see not only his granddaughter but a majority of students begin furiously jotting notes. I should have given teaching a try much sooner, he thought with a wry smile. “Now, how Dungeons do this has been a series of much debate but my research into the subject has given me a new theory. That Dungeons, like all of us, have access to the System.” At his words murmuring swept the hall. It was generally held that Dungeons were just like any wild beast and lacked the sort of Sapience that was a necessity for the gods to grant the System.

“Now, I know what you all are thinking but rest assured that my dissertation, which will be published in the coming years, will not only prove the existence of a Dungeon System as a proper theory but prove it as a System Fact.” The murmuring exploded into full-blown chatter as his students began asking questions about his theory and his certainty.

After all, creating something that was acknowledged by the System itself was as close to being acknowledged by the gods as it would be to hear their voice, and that only happened rarely when the various high priests had a new commandment or message. If only they knew, he thought, the presence in the back of his mind proof enough of his acknowledgment.

“Now now, settle down.” He said, watching as the class quieted. “As you all know I am going away for a while to conduct the research I just told you about, the success of which will earn me my place among the greatest men and women of this academy.” His heart clenched at the thought that he might not see them again but resolved himself to keep to his path. “Remain faithful to the gods, their System, and your studies. Class dismissed.”

He watched as the chatter resumed and the class emptied of all of its students except one. Natalia ran up to him, smiling all the way, her joy as radiant as the first time he had seen her smile. He looked down at her fondly as she tried hugging him only to find her arms passing through his image. He chuckled as she pouted.

“There there, little sprout. I’m sorry I can’t be here in person.” She looked up at him and her pout turned into a sad smile.

“It’s okay grandpa, I just don’t know why you have to go away for so long.”

The question cut him deeper than she knew, his holy mission requiring his complete secrecy until it was all finished. “I know sprout. I’m sorry I won’t be here in person for your graduation but I do have something for you.” She looked up at him in confusion only for it to transform into wide-eyed wonder as the fabric of space warped slightly in front of her.

At her wondering gaze, he chuckled and motioned for her to reach out her hand. With not a small amount of mental exertion he teleported her gift to her. An Aether Crystal the size of a fist dropped from the rip in space to land in her outstretched hand. Her face lit up as she received a prompt from the System.

“A Monster Core!” She squealed in glee attempting to hug him again. She was so excited she didn’t even notice the lack of contact and just brought her hands back to stare into the gemstone's depths. She looked up at him with such joy that made all the struggles to get that Core worth it.

“Keep it safe Sprout until you graduate. Once you’re of age the Synchronization will go much smoother and you’ll get more out of it.”

“You mean I’ll actually get my own Crystal Core?!” She asked, her voice breaking with her excitement. “I can join the Delving Society?!”

He chuckled warmly at that. “Well, you may need to ask your parents about that but you’ll need someone to teach you how to use your Authority properly.” Unspoken was the thought, Because I won’t be around to help you. His granddaughter didn’t notice, too absorbed in the joy of a possible life of adventure.

He kneeled in front of her, his form smooth even in the midst of the projection. “Take care of yourself sprout. I’m proud of the way you’ve grown.” He smiled at her, his eyes level with hers and hopefully communicating his emotions. “I’m sorry to cut this short but this projection spell will end soon and I need to go start my research.” He watched as her joy was slowly replaced with sadness.

She nodded, looking down at the Core in her hands before looking back up. “You’re going to come back, right?”

He carefully controlled his face so that his internal wince would not show. He wanted to be able to say with complete certainty that he would make it back but all the signs pointed to his eventual demise for the sake of the mission. So instead he quirked a half-smile and opted for a joking tone. “I’m going to do my best.”

He could see that his tone didn’t quite convince her but she didn’t ask after his survival again. They simply exchanged “I love you’s,” and pseudo hugs through the projection. As he watched her scamper off to her next class he tried to emblazon the image of her in his mind and his high mental acuity made remembering it a certainty. With a sigh, he deactivated the projection and felt immediate relief as the drain on his Core was lifted.

As the last remnants of Aether rose in sunset wisps from the ritual circle carved into the ground, he turned to survey the place that would be his home for the foreseeable future. The clearing the home occupied was a rough half-circle with the back end of the house looking over a sharp, though short, drop to a river below. A deck made its way around the exterior of the house with the majority of the house elevated off the ground via stone columns in case of floods.

The vast expanse of the Sylcine Forest surrounded the clearing on all sides and the constant chatter of wildlife was calming and exhilarating in equal measure. Much would need to be done to the house and land to prepare and it all had to be done exactly with little to no errors. Calamvor The Architect smiled as he began his holy work.