Chapter 14: The Still Pond Dungeon needs your help

A single goblin walked into the clearing. The forest's denizens gave him strange looks, but he made his way to the stand. Stopping before Orion, the goblin bowed.

"The Still Pond Dungeon needs your help," the goblin said, and Orion nodded.

"Is the dungeon raided?" Orion had not gotten any reports about any of the villagers coming into the forest. Still, he could never be too careful.

"The dungeon core wishes for some enchantments," the goblin spoke, and Orion beckoned a witch over.

"Would you like a gig for the day?" He asked her.

"Would I get some free clothes for it?" She asked him, and looked at the silk bushels with longing. Money was not the problem here. She had plenty. It was the waiting that was the problem.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Orion turned to stare at Ossilo, who had been listening in.

"Sure, I will make sure you have everything you need, let me just take your measurements," Ossilo said, and then took out the measuring meter.

Orion waited until the measurements were taken, and then lead the witch to the Still Pond Dungeon. They passed all the traps, led by the goblin, and then went inside the core room.

"Mistress says she wants some fire runes on the walls, to make sure the cave is nice and warm. She...worries about my health," the goblin said, blushing at that.

"I can see what I can do," the witch said, and she began to paint the runes on the walls.

"Anything else?" Orion asked.

"Well, if you leave some more gems, the mistress will give you more silk," the goblin offered, and Orion took out a couple of diamonds from his bottomless bag. He handed them to the goblin, who ran off to get the silk.

Orion looked around the cave. It was a far cry from the cave it had been, once. Now that it had traps, it looked like a true dungeon. Orion saw some of the silk spiders, that weaved the silk, and noted that the dungeon core kept them in the core room.

He wondered what they ate in this cave. When the goblin came back, he thought to ask.

"What do the spider eat?" The vampire asked, and the goblin pointed at the crystal in the middle of the room.

"Mistress feeds them with mana," the goblin said, and Orion nodded. Then, he got an idea.

"Can your mistress make some chickens, for eggs, I mean?" Orion asked, and the goblin scratched his bald head.

"I think so, but I don't know if she has the schema," the goblin said, and then stared at the crystal intently. There was a silent conversation between them, and then the goblin turned to stare at Orion.

"The mistress says she can give you chickens, but won't raise them for you. You will need to feed them yourself, take care of them yourself, make sure they are healthy yourself," and a couple of small chicks appeared on the ground. Orion bent, and picked one up. It began to chirp at him, and he took out a crate from his bottomless bag, and collected all the chicks in it.

"If I may ask, why do you need chickens for, sir?" The goblin asked, and Orion turned to stare at him.

"For eggs, and baked goods. The forest's creatures seem to like cake, but the villagers leave a bad taste in my mouth. I don't want to deal with them more than usual," Orion told the goblin, as he kept placing the fluffy chicks inside the crate.

"Yes, the villagers are bad," the goblin agreed. "They used to come in here to steal the silk of the mistress."

"They did? And you tell me now?" The vampire's blood was ready to boil. The nerve of these people! To take someone else's hard work for their own, without even paying.

"There is nothing to be done. Now that there are traps, no one has been coming by," the goblin said, with a grateful smile on his face. "That is all thanks to you."

"I did my part," Orion agreed. The book buzzed, and Orion opened it.

<Warning: Anger levels too high!

Orion, your anger is justified, but you need to let the matter drop. If you bury yourself in anger, how are you going to be peaceful? Learn to forgive, and you will get an achievement!>

"Easy for you to say! They come in here, and rob my people," Orion snapped at the book, and he got more words below the text.

<Yes, what they do is not fair. But you have to understand that life is just as hard for them, as it is for your subjects. If you don't give them a chance to live peacefully with your subjects, there will be pitchforks in the future. They outnumber you, remember that.>

"I suppose you are right," the vampire let out a sigh, and looked at the goblin.

"If villagers come in here, and ask for silk in exchange for money, would you sell it to them?" Orion asked. The goblin shook his head.

"The Still Pond Dungeon is under contract with you, master Orion," the goblin then scratched his head. "Unless you want us to sell to them?"

"Don't sell them even a scrap," silk was the main revenue of Orion. He couldn't afford to lose it. "If they come to bother you, you come and tell me."

"I am done," the witch spoke, and the two noticed that the cave was now warmer.

"We are leaving, then," Orion picked up the crate with the chicks, and made his way out of the dungeon.

"Master Orion, sir," the goblin called out to him, as Orion was turning the corner.

"Yes?" Orion turned to the goblin, only to see him bowing.

"Thank you for giving the mistress a chance at a better life," the goblin said, and Orion's eyes softened.

"You are welcome," the vampire said, and then turned and led the witch out of the dungeon. They had a short walk to the waterfall, and then separated their ways. With Orion going a bit to the side, to make a coop for the chicks, and the witch going to get her clothes.