Earl Rosewind paced throughout the room. Ever since his father had passed away, he had been the one overseeing the town, nudging it forward to what it had become today. Few of the people alive now remembered that two generations ago Rosewind was nothing more than a measly hamlet in the middle of nowhere. The only thing of significance was the noble’s castle, though even that had been dubbed Rosewind’s Folly. There was a single tavern, which doubled as an inn, a small temple, and blacksmith’s. Everything else was small houses and farmland. Even criminals running from the law skipped this place; for one thing they would stand out like a sore thumb, and for another, there was nothing they could do there. It was the Rosewind’s ability to see a good bargain that had slowly transformed the place from a hamlet to the town it was today.

The first visionary decision made by sir Elric Rosewind—a mere knight allowed to build his own keep. The man had sunk his entire fortune into making a castle fit for a duke, which he had the right to do, despite the envy and ridicule of other nobles. Even back then, he knew that a settlement had to be attractive in order to attract people. The castle had brought in masons and artisans. Many had been paid with land in the vicinity of the castle and promises of squirehood. Part had refused, preferring to take their wages and leave. However, an even greater part had remained and had put in every ounce of skill and effort into the building, and then in their own homes. That was the founding of Rosewind.

The knight had died a few years after seeing his dream fulfilled, leaving two sons and a village of several hundred people. His eldest son had inherited the Rosewind title and ambitions. Knowing that trade and belief were the main driving forces of man, he had used what was left of his treasury to build a sanctified temple of the goddess of journeys and five inns. The town’s first marketplace area was his invention, for he wanted to transform Rosewind into a trading center. Unfortunately, an untimely hunting accident prevented that. His brother, who took over, decided to focus more on the base essentials and pause the plans of expansion. With money being tight, he sent messengers to the kingdom’s cities, inviting guilds to create a branch in town for virtually free. Hearing where the town was, none of the large guilds agreed. However, a few adventure parties banded together to form their own. The only condition was that sir Rosewind acknowledge them as an official guild, which he promptly did.

The money spent by the adventurers—mostly on food and drink in the local inns—brought enough prosperity to the settlement that more people came seeking a new start. It was a trickle, but a steady one. Every decade a new row of houses would form, gradually increasing the size of the village to the point that it was acknowledged as a town. Respectively, the knight ruling it was elevated to a baron. However, it was Baroness Elly Rosewind that brought the greatest improvement to all.

In tune with her grandfather’s promise, the baroness elevated the local squires to knights and also shifted the focus and outlook of the city. While the town had become quite prosperous, it lacked the “glamor” of a real town. Her focus was on high quality crafted products. She bought out all the farmland around the castle and offered to give the lots for free to craftsmen provided they could prove their craft. Everyone laughed that it wouldn’t be enough to attract any exceptional talents, and as such, it was bound to fail. However, using the Rosewind skill to assess people, the baroness managed to find over a dozen diamonds in the rough. Thus, a new craftsman class was born, and in half a generation the town increased from a few thousand to fifteen, earning its ruler the title Viscount.

As time passed, each next generation of Rosewinds transformed the city, making it more and more prosperous. Some did so through money and ingenuity, others took part in the wars of the kingdom, earning favor and increasing their noble rank. And that continued to this very day… almost to this very day. Unfortunately, it was the grandfather of the present-day earl who had dropped the ball. Far too eager to become a duke he had stirred too many feathers and created too many enemies. It was little surprise that instead of his merited prize, he was betrayed, losing vast amounts of wealth, and a handful of villages of his domain. Sadly, the town’s foes didn’t end there. Seeing the direction things were going, close to a third of the local inhabitants left for more prosperous cities. For the first time since its existence, the town of Rosewind had stopped growing.

The father of the current earl had attempted to change that by building up his domain’s army. Walls were erected, a garrison formed, but that only marginally improved matters. And while he managed to attract quite a few experienced veterans, that had only slowed the decline.

The current earl had wanted to change this by improving relations with other nobles of the realm. Favors were earned, trust was slowly regained. Then the greatest thing for the city in generations occurred: a mysterious high-ranking mage had appeared in the town unannounced. Nothing was known about the person, other than him being a recluse with a lot of money and magical abilities. The earl had instantly grasped the opportunity, involving the mage into the town’s affairs. Within days the gamble seemed to have paid off. Not only was gold plentiful again, but local morale was on the rise, and the mage had used his magic to repair several decrepit buildings, including the entire town wall. It seemed that the good times were here to stay… until the Lord Mandrake had arrived with a fleet of airships, intent on flattening the city to the ground.

“Eleven generations,” the earl sighed, looking out of the window. “And now it has come to this…”

“Earl Rosewind!” a loud yell made its way through the closed door and into the noble’s study.

The door swung open, and a heavily bleeding lieutenant Ribbons rushed in.

“My lord,” the man said, breathing heavily. The man had sustained a number of wounds, although all of them minor.

“Yes, Ribbons?” The noble turned around, shifting to his usual calm self. “I take it that we are still fighting?”

“Err… yes, my lord?” The lieutenant wasn’t too sure how to respond. “The inner walls are holding.”

“Good, good.” The earl nodded a few times. “My father used to say that we were growing soft. If he were alive now, he’d probably charge at the goblin hordes ahead of everyone else. But I expect that isn’t why you wanted to see me so urgently.”

“Yes, no, my lord. Baron d’Argent wishes to speak to you, my lord.”

“The baron?” Earl Rosewind looked through the open door. There was no sign of the baron, just a handful of ceremonial guards gripping their halberds. “Where is he?”

“He’s holding off the goblin waves at the castle entrance.”

“Quite admirable. It was a splendid decision to make him Protector of Rosewind. Absolutely smashing idea.”

“Yes, my lord. The baron has asked to speak with you in confidence. He healed my wounds and requested that I obtain your approval for such a meeting.”

“In confidence, you say.” The earl scratched his chin. “That was all he said?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Well, in that case, I guess all I can do is agree.”

“Thank you, my lord. With your permission, I’ll go and tell—”

“That’s very much appreciated, lieutenant,” a very annoyed avatar said from outside the window. “When I happened to mention that I wanted to have a private chat with the earl, I meant that I wanted to have a private chat. Not for you to drop everything behind and rush here and ask for permission.”

The room was located at least fifty feet high, making it impossible for most people to climb that far up. Theo’s avatar, though, didn’t need to climb—he had the ability to fly. Standing on the edge of the window, he bowed slightly, sending a quick glare at sir Ribbons.

“Please excuse him. He tends to go a bit overboard when it comes to rules,” the earl said. “I understand you were engaged in combat?”

“I was. That particular group of goblins won’t bother you anymore.”

If it wasn’t for lieutenant Ribbons, the avatar would have managed to claim their cores as well. Instead, he was forced to freeze them in place.

“Since you have already agreed to my visit, my lord, maybe…” he glanced once more at the Ribbons, who didn’t seem to get the hint.

“Oh, yes, of course. Lieutenant, could you kindly leave and close the door behind you?”

The soldier instantly did so, marching out of the room and then carefully closing the door behind him. For several seconds, both the earl and Theo’s avatar stared at the door.

“He’s not coming back, is he?” the avatar asked.

“No, I believe he won’t. Unless here’s some new urgent news he has to bring to me. He’s quite a good boy. Very skilled, but a bit simplistic in nature, and very literal. His father was the same. He told me you healed his wounds.” He looked back at the avatar.

“I definitely tried to,” the baron grumbled. “Mid was he just jumped up and ran into the castle.”

“Yes, sounds about him. So, what is this private matter you wanted to discuss? Oh, and please come in. Having a conversation with someone floating outside the window might be considered a bit uncivilized.”

For a fraction of a second, Theo felt ashamed, as if he’d made a fool of himself at an important event. Then he remembered; there was nothing to be ashamed about. They were in the middle of a war for survival, and etiquette could crawl off and die somewhere.

“I need some of your heirlooms,” the avatar said as he stepped in through the window.

“My heirlooms?” the earl asked.

“Something with a powerful demon or monster core—the bigger, the better.”

“Hmm. Something with a powerful monster core,” Earl Rosewind repeated. “If I’m not mistaken, my son already sold you a vast number of trinkets. In fact, he sold virtually everything.”

“I know. Just as I know that he didn’t sell me everything, my lord.” Theo did his best not to have his avatar sigh. While he didn’t have any time for this, he also knew that if he didn’t play along, things would move twice as slow. “I’m certain… I mean, I’m hopeful that you’ll still have something that might help us win this war.”

Spok was so much better at this. If she were here, everything would have been agreed upon already. Alas, the dungeon restrictions prevented her from accompanying him, and the earl had some sort of magic interference spell in his room, stopping any spying and scrying.

“And what do you plan on doing with these heirlooms? Should I give them to you?” The earl tilted his head.

“I plan to destroy them for their magic.” It was a horrible thing to say, but honesty in this case was the best policy. This was if the earl refused, Theo would know immediately and proceed with the rest of his plan. Things were going to be a lot riskier, and the outcome a lot more doubtful, but it remained a possibility.”

“At least you’re honest, I give you that. Oh well, the heck with it. If the castle falls, it wouldn’t matter if the items exist or not. Follow me.”

Instinctively, the avatar made a few steps towards the door. As he did, the sound of stone scraping against stone made him stop and turn around. The earl was standing next to one of the stone gargoyles by the fireplace. The entire back section had slid away, revealing a passage into darkness.

“Yes, I know.” The earl sighed. “It used to be all the rage when the castle was built. It was needlessly expensive, but every proper castle had to come with its secret passages. A complete waste of space. I considered remodeling at several points, but it was never a good time. Now, I’m glad that I didn’t.”

“Err, do any of the secret passages lead to the outside?”

“Oh, dear me, of course not,” the noble chuckled. “That would be ludicrous. They only connect rooms of the castle to other rooms of the castle. Some used to lead to treasure rooms, but those have long been empty. Frankly, I’m not sure they were ever full to begin with. My ancestors clearly believed better times were in store for our fair town.”

Theo was tempted to say that half of the “fair town” was no more, but he decided to keep it civil. With a smile and a nod, he followed Earl Rosewind into the secret passage.

As far as secret passages went, one Theo had to admit that these were quite well built. Not only that, but judging by their current state, the earl—or someone on his command—had done a good job keeping them clean. The only thing missing was light, which Theo had provided by encasing a fireball in an aether shield bubble. The only thing he had to be mindful of was not to break it.

For several minutes, the two walked in silence, walking downstairs, along passageways, then back up again, on their way to what Theo assumed would turn out to be the treasury. Strangely enough, the silence was starting to get to him. Ever since his reincarnation as a dungeon, he had dreamed of calm and quiet, but there was something about walking in silence that bothered him.

“How is your son?” Theo asked. “He’s fine, I hope?”

“Oh, yes. Very much so. He and the other nobles are protecting the inside of a very fortified room surrounded by guards. Not that it would help much. If the rest of the defense forces fall, they won’t hold out for long. Then again, he is my son, so I decided to give him that much of a chance, at least. Do you have any children?”

“Err…”

“Oh, of course. You don’t like you want to discuss your past. I understand. Someone like you must have gone through a lot and not all of it pleasant. If you did, though, I’m sure they turned out splendidly. With someone like Spok as their governess, how could it be any different?”

“Yes…” Theo narrowed the eyes at his avatar. “With someone with Spok, how could it be different?”

It probably wasn’t wise to tell the earl that Theo was less than a year old, without any family, and—most important—a dungeon.

“You know. If we somehow survive this, I was thinking of making your man my official instructor. The boy seems to look up to him, as do most of the people in town. You’ve definitely surrounded yourself with extremely qualified people.”

“Yes,” the avatar grumbled, already regretting starting the conversation. “It seems I have.”

“Such a shame that no one will see you for who you are.”

Even with the fighting continuing through the town, Theo and his avatar froze for a full second.

“What do you mean?” he asked with a guilty smile. Was it possible that despite all his efforts, the earl knew exactly what he was? If so, things just became much more complicated.

“The man behind the curtain,” Earl Rosewind continued. “You’ve spent so much magic and resources on improving the town and its defenses, but since you aren’t here, all the glory goes to others.”

That was a huge relief. Or, at the very least, it was good enough for Theo to put it in the worry-later part of his mind.

“Oh, I prefer to remain incognito. Are we close to your vault, my lord?”

“Almost there, my friend. Almost there.”

The “almost there” turned out to be another ten minutes of walking about. The issue, as Theo found out, with secret passages, was that since they utilized spaces between the walls, they were notoriously inefficient in getting from one place to the next. It was just like walking along the end of a corkscrew. In the end, Theo’s avatar found himself in front of a large metal door. Pausing for a moment, the ear pulled it open, revealing a surprisingly small room. It was no larger than a supplies closet, with the exception that the “supplies” here were several valuable sets of regalia. Swords, rings, bracelets, orbs, and even a crownlet filled the area. Each was spotless and meticulously cleaned, but Theo could tell that none of them had been used in a very long time.

“Here we are,” the earl said. “The Rosewind heirlooms, as you put it. Most of them are from the time my ancestors were elevated to the rank of marquise. Some of the swords are older, but I doubt they’d interest you.”

The dungeon didn’t know what to say. All the pieces had gems and valuable metals on them, several had monster cores the size of marbles. One, however, had an item that he had only seen once before.

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing at a bracelet.

“Oh? That was a gift from King Keonard the second. Apparently, one of my ancestors saved his son in battle and was given a royal bracelet as a sign of gratitude. It was considered quite an honor at the time, but nowadays, its importance has faded. Now it’s nothing more than an expensive and somewhat curious trinket.”

A trinket with a mana gem, the dungeon thought. Those were supposed to be difficult to obtain, as he had seen, even with large sums of money. More importantly, it seemed to have some unknown attraction, as if part of Theo yearned to have it.

“So, which one will you be taking?” the earl looked at the avatar.

“Everything,” the avatar replied, eyes glued to the mana gem.

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

There was a long moment of uninterrupted silence.

“Well, I guess there’s no helping it.” The earl took a step back. “Everything it is. Will you need any help carrying them?”

“No, thanks.” The avatar reached out, activating his dimensional ring.

Everything that was touched by it instantly disappeared, transported in the inner dimension of the item. Piece by piece, every single treasure disappeared, leaving nothing but an empty room. Then, when everything was done, the earl closed the metal door, as if that would maintain the illusion that the heirlooms were still safely locked behind.

“Good thing I didn’t get to show this to my son. He might have been somewhat upset. It’s his birthright, after all. At least now he’ll have something to look forward to.”

“I’ll be sure to bay you back once things calm down.”

“Oh, no need for that, my dear baron.” The earl smiled, giving him a hearty tap on the back. “As long as you save the town, you’re welcome to consider them a gift. Naturally, there will be the small matter of rebuilding what was destroyed. A trifle for you, I’m sure.”

“Yes… A trifle.” Even in extreme circumstances, the earl had the annoying habit of making casual requests that complicated Theo’s life.

The way out was much faster than the way in. Familiar with the layout, the avatar flew through the passageways and stairs, dragging the earl along through telekinesis. Once back in the study, the avatar flew out of the window with as little as a goodbye. There, he finally tossed the fireball at the first group of goblins he saw. Unfortunately, that didn’t prove too difficult. The goblins had almost completely filled the town, with the few defended areas remaining like islands in a raging sea.

This had better work, Theo thought, then flew to the nearest standing segment of the town wall and dropped all regalia, with the exception of the bracelet with the mana gem, there. Within seconds, the cores were consumed, providing the dungeon with a healthy amount of core points.

“Spok,” he said in his main building. “How long do you think you can keep the house safe?”

“At the current rate, probably twenty minutes. Maybe half an hour.”

“If I’m not done in fifteen minutes, let me know. I’ll be moving out of Rosewind.”

“I understand, sir.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice. “If it comes to it, sir, you’re welcome to convert my avatar into energy first. It’s not much, but it might help you in battle.”

“Thanks, Spok. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Using part of the little energy he had left, the dungeon opened a tunnel directly to the underground section of himself. Preparing mentally, he jumped in with his avatar. Now that all the preparations were in place, nothing remained but the final battle against Lord Mandrake. The gnome had successfully managed to claw himself out of the acid pool that Theo had constructed. The golem construct remained intact, not even the slightest scratch on its surface. Hopefully, that was going to change soon.

The avatar flew through tunnels, and newly constructed rooms, heading towards what had become his first arch enemy, which happened to be a gnome. It was a good thing that Theo didn’t know any other dungeons or he would become a laughingstock.

When the distance between the two was less than twenty feet, the dungeon constructed a new chamber. This was much later than anything he had constructed before. A fifty-foot radius dome came into being, its walls reinforced with iron.

“Switches!” the avatar shouted, landing on the smooth floor. “Vlyan Switches, I’ve come to end this.”

On the other side of the chamber, still dripping with acid, stood the golem construct. Testing the floor carefully, to make sure that here was no new pool underneath, the massive entity took a step forward.

“No snarky comments?” the avatar asked, somewhat concerned.

“There’s no Switches,” the gnome said. “I’m Lord Mandrake, the future overlord of all that is!”

“You’re a gnome who’s fallen under the influence of the demon heart. If you surrender now, I’ll—”

“Ha! You think I’m under the influence of the heart? That’s why I want it to think! In fact, it’s the heart that’s influenced by me! Did you think about that? All the alloys I coated it with, the tools I used to convert its power into energy, even the shielding panels, all of them are affecting the heart, transforming it into something… that’s different from what it was before.”

“Be it your way.”

“You can never defeat me, so it’s better that you surrender!” Lord Mandrake took another step forward, this one a lot more confident. “If you do, I promise I won’t destroy or consume your core.”

“That doesn’t sound like you’ll be letting me go.”

“Of course not. You’re a dungeon. Dungeons are evil parasites whose only goal is to grow until they consume the entire world. If you’re not kept in check, all sorts of terrible things might happen.”

It was just as Theo suspected. The gnome had no intention of surrendering or letting him live. There was only one thing left to do.

“Now, goddess!” he shouted.

Golden light spread throughout the floor, running up the walls and ceiling, until the entire chamber seemed to be made of it. A side observer would almost believe that everyone had been transported to the domain of deities. The sad truth was that even with the help of Peris, the blessed area was no thicker than a layer of paint. Hopefully, that much was going to be enough to diminish the power of the demon heart and the golem construct itself. Soon enough, Theo was going to find out.