Chapter 22: Speaking Truth

Wednesday, March 29th, 1:31 PM

Dungeon Ciara

Joe stood by until Nicolas finally woke up after having his roof knocked in. Without a word, Joe left the quiet, sullen man to brood and led a training session on the beach for all four of my residents.

When I looked back at Nicolas, he sat glaring up at the others with half of his face—the other half was so swollen after he’d been struck by Joe, it could hardly move.

I approved.

“What’s the matter, son? You mad ‘cause you got Schimpfed?” Old Jeffrey Stapp cackled as he smacked Nicolas on the back.

Mike stood nearby. His face tightened as his body shook from a poorly-restrained snicker.

Sunny and Sandy sat right in front of Nicolas, staring him down.

[Yes, girls. Show the bad man that he’s been naughty. Give him the look Mommy used to give you when you made a mess in the kitchen.]

My dogs managed it instantly, and Nicolas scowled back at them.

[Bad human want fight?] [Bad human’s face shows fight-want.] [Smells like hate.] [Bad human. No treat!]

Mike chuckled for a moment, and then his expression turned to ice.

“You mess with these pups or anyone else, and next time I won’t stop Schimpf from tearing your arms off, boy,” Mike said matter-of-factly.

Nicolas sneered. “You don’t scare me, old man.”

Showing a toothy grin, Mike chuckled again.

Jeffrey Stapp interjected, “That mouth is gonna get you killed, kid.”

“Yeah, apparently, Schimpf can’t heal stupid,” said Mike.

Mr. Stapp had started taking a drink from his canteen, and sprayed water as he burst out laughing. “Kyahaha! No, he damn sure can’t! This lad lacks basic survival instinct.”

Down in the fruit orchard, two young women whose names I hadn’t learned were fawning over the convenience of the toilets I’d installed.

I found that I also cleaned filth automatically from the bodies of people inside my Dungeon. The women were concerned after doing their business and having nothing to wipe with, but apparently, being inside the orchard caused whatever they hadn’t wiped to disappear over the course of several minutes.

Gross, but okay. I don’t have to taste or smell it, and it’s doing people a favor. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about toilet paper for my residents.

Ryebean and Michael remained close to one another throughout Joe’s rigorous combat training, as did Siobhán and Joy.

To my surprise, my shy Joybean took to the training like a natural, and she easily outmatched the other three. Joe nodded at her, seeming proud. So was I.

I wonder if that cleansing effect also works for the monthly cycle. That was always such a pain in the vag. Something to ask my beans about.

A while later, Mike and Joe led most of the humans back to their camp at UCSC Genomics, while my four residents opted to stay the night with me. It made me happy, even if Michael’s cautious behavior made him seem wary of me.

All things take time, and I have plenty of that.

I had one of my Sentinel gulls trail Joe and the others from high above, with orders to report back if anything happened—mostly because that bastard Nicolas and his friends were with them.

Joe and Mike obviously know those four are still a threat, so why did they listen to the others? It makes no sense. Cutting them loose after everything they did just seems stupid.

Siobhán sat on the beach after their training, hugging her knees and muttering to herself, “Joe’s not available.” She sniffled as a tear rolled down her left cheek.

I should do something for my Soybean. Despite her beauty, Joe doesn’t seem likely to change his mind.

One of my Dire Widows approached Siobhán across the sand and it made me smile when her eyes lit up after she noticed it.

“Ohh. Hi there, little one! Are you one of ProfCon’s minions, too?” she squealed, wiping her tears away to kneel in front of the Widow with her hand held on the ground.

[Yes, Soybean. She’s a Dire Widow. A mix of Argiope aurantia and Latrodectus hesperus, along with Phidippus audax eyes—all supersized.]

“I love those species! A black-and-yellow orb weaver and Black Widow mix with jumping spider eyes? That’s crazy! She’s like a super spider… Ooh. She’s so big and pretty—can I hold her?” As usual, my Soybean showed no fear around arthropods—even if they were highly venomous.

[Of course, Soybean! If you like, you can keep that one with you. She’ll defend you in case anything happens.]

I’d been enamored with my adorable Soybean since the first day we met. Her love for crawly things reminded me of myself. But I also admired her courage, even if she could be a bit impulsive and foolhardy.

Even late in my career, I didn’t dare to freely handle Black Widows and Brown Recluses as Siobhán would. Somehow, she was never bitten—like some kind of spider whisperer.

Also, unlike me, Siobhán was highly social, very pretty, and had zero trouble attracting men. Among the students I’d had over the years, my Soybean was only surpassed in looks by the absurd beauty that was my Ryebean.

Of course, I’d never compare the two aloud, but Rihelah had always been in a class of her own. Even actual supermodels couldn’t compare to her, in my opinion. Then again, I was probably biased because I adored her.

And I’d rather die a second time than broach that subject around my Joybean, who was average at best. In that regard, she was like a stretched version of me before I became a Dungeon. We were unremarkable in looks, even less impressive in the bra area, and insecure about our respective heights.

But their differences in looks and personality had become part of what made all three beans special to me. Mostly, it was the friendship we shared—but their quirks were lovely in my eyes.

The Dire Widow stepped onto Siobhán’s hand, and she stood, squeaking with bright-eyed glee. She brought the Widow up near her face to ogle it from every angle she could.

“Can I name her?” Siobhán bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet, and the tip of her ponytail swept to and fro with each movement.

[If you like, sure.]

“Nita!” Siobhán gently stroked the Widow’s back. Then her face showed surprise.

[Are you okay, ‘bean?]

“Uhh… ProfCon—that voice from before just told me I’ve earned the honor of becoming an Enkelyn Ally—whatever that is. Uhm… Is it okay if I steal Nita away? I have the option to make her mine.”

[You’re my Soybean! Of course, you can have a minion of your own.] I smiled inside.

Auronox, you sly Dragon! Thank you so much for blessing my sweet ‘bean.

<<You are both welcome, My child. Continue, steadfast along your paths, as you seek balance in My name.>>

A voice that wasn’t The Voice, but much more powerful, crashed into my mind, and I nearly blacked out from its soft-spoken words.

[Th-that was—]

“Our Lord! He allowed me the honor of listening. Congratulations on earning His acquaintance at last, Ciara. Heed His words, turn them into action, and you may yet save your world.” Sven appeared beside Siobhán on the beach and smiled at her while Nita glowed with soft blue light and grew rapidly until she was large enough that her long, slender legs spanned half a meter.

<You allowed a Dire Widow minion to leave the service of your Dungeon.>

“It is time, Dungeon. You must create your first boss.” Sven teleported his image to hover beside my core.

[A-ah. Yeah. I already had one in mind. My Flametail centipede.]

“Then gird yourself, select a name for your boss, and will it to be so.” Sven smiled.

I focused on my Flametail centipede as it lurked silently upon the wall of my core room.

<Flametail centipede female -F->

Oh! I didn’t realize you were a girl!

I’d focused primarily on reptiles, arachnids, and insects during my career, and, though I probably should have learned how, I didn’t know how to sex one of these.

Thank you, Voice!

After a moment’s thought, I had it.

I’ll name you after my colleague, Vijaya Sekhon, who loved working with terrestrial crustaceans like centipedes!

Alright, you sleek, pretty girl! Your name is Vijaya!

I willed her to become the boss of my Dungeon’s first floor, and everything swam red. Hunger surpassing anything I’d known overwhelmed my conscious mind and I blacked out.

The next thing I knew, I beheld Sven, doubled over in the air like he was laughing himself half to death beside the harbor, while my Nemesis crabs slaughtered everything they could lay their claws on.

I heard nothing, and despite trying, I couldn’t affect anything that was happening, but my minions and residents were all very busy.

Sunny and Sandy swam like canine torpedoes through the sea beside the beach, chomping at everything they could find beneath the waves. From my tide pools, I witnessed a pair of sea lions fleeing from my dogs as they rampaged.

Michael and Rihelah stood back to back on the beach, gaping at the sky in horror while my Devilflies attacked a large flock of seagulls. Despite the enormous size differential, my Devilflies appeared to be winning.

Joy followed after Siobhán like a lost puppy, while Siobhán trailed my Twilight crickets toward Schwan Lagoon, keeping her eyes close to the ground as she ogled them with Nita clinging to her shoulder.

Turd was railing Mocha more vigorously than ever, inside their love nest.

Nino and Hanzo…

The cats were seated at the spike pit’s edge in my room, glaring up toward my core’s perch as the tips of their tails flicked about.

And, there was Vijaya, my Flametail centipede Boss, curled protectively around my core. Her slate-gray body had grown enormous—to more than a full meter in length. My floor Boss’ dark-red legs almost seemed to glow, and her clawed feet tinkled against the stone as she repositioned to face my core. At four centimeters in width, Vijaya’s armored, jet-black head was a daunting sight, matching the width of her entire body. But her many legs, held out to either side, increased her stance to fourteen centimeters across.

She’s gorgeous…

Vijaya held her strong, sharp forcipules firmly beneath her head, as she reared half her body up to bow politely before my core.

And smart… I love her!

Afterward, Vijaya coiled her muscular body to hide inside the bowl-like stone shield I’d fashioned below my core.

Sound returned, calling my attention to the various pockets of unrest around my Dungeon. I commanded my minions to calm down and return to their prior orders, and a flood of yelling reached my “ears.”

[Mommy says bite all fish!] [Every fish dies for Mommy!] My pups were still going.

[Stupid Dungeon.] [Stop yelling, idiot.] The cats continued to glare.

“ProfCon, I know you can’t hear me ‘cause you’re freaking out… But these crickets are so cool—aww! They turned around! Why? I wanted to see what they were gonna hunt! ProfCon? Are you okay?” Siobhán asked.

“Please, Professor! Don’t kill any more seagulls! I know they poop on people, but I like them! Oh, thank goodness! Finally…” Rihelah was crying.

Joy was silent as she trailed Siobhán, but she looked very uncomfortable.

Michael frowned as he held Rihelah’s hand without a word.

[I’m back, everyone! Sorry! I created my first Boss creature, and it turns out that really messed with me. My consciousness switched off, and my instincts took over for a bit.]

“That was pretty fucked up, Ciara,” Michael said flatly.

“You kept shouting, “KILL! KILL…” over and over. Why?” Joy frowned and shook her head.

Damn… I’d hoped this wouldn’t become an issue.

I sighed.

Nothing to do now, but explain.

[So, I’ve been keeping it under control for the most part, but there’s this… hunger inside me. It tries to take over whenever my mana gets low. Turns out—creating a Boss consumed almost all my mana, so I lost control until I got enough mana back.]

Michael locked eyes with Rihelah. “So, we’re tied to this wonderful Professor of yours, who’s some kind of tunneling time bomb. And when that bomb goes off, everything around and inside the Dungeon dies. Got it.” Michael looked around at the air, then said, “Ciara… what would’ve happened if all the people who aren’t residents of your Dungeon had been here?”

[That’s something I’d rather not find out, and I think we both know the answer. It’s why I didn’t dare create my Boss while they were here. I was ready, just as you all arrived this morning, but I held off for that reason.]

His eyebrows climbed, wrinkling his forehead as Michael replied, “Well, thanks for that, at least. But we should see if we can find some way to help you keep control during those times. If there’s one important lesson my father taught me, it’s that if something can go wrong—eventually, it will go wrong.”

[Your father’s correct, Michael. I’ll be frank with all of you—I didn’t choose to become a Dungeon. I was chosen. I have no idea why. My students all know that I was terminally ill toward the end of my life, so maybe it was some kind of mercy? I’m not sure.]

How do I say this?

[The end result is—though I still retain my memories and personality, I’m no longer human. I am a Dungeon. An apex predator that feeds on the mana of anything that dies inside my caverns. I can also feed in other ways, like when people harvest my fruit or the iron that I put there for them. That’s how I’d prefer to live. I don’t want to hurt anyone, ever, but—]

“But eventually, you will,” Michael finished for me.

[Yes. It’s not a question of if, but when. Like those idiots who came here, today. I was just barely able to restrain myself from killing them after they attacked my baby girls. One day, someone will get stupid and attack a person I care about. Depending on the severity of their offense and how low my mana dips, I can’t say that I won’t kill.]

“At least you acknowledge it, Professor.” Rihelah shook her head. Her tight lips relaxed a little as Michael continued holding her hand.

[I have to face it, or else I’ll become a monster. If I can keep myself on the right path—so long as I have friends and loved ones to help me along, then I think I can use my powers to do wonderful things. But I’ll need help from you all. Now that I know creating a boss is such a harrowing experience, I’ll warn you next time and we can make sure there’s nobody nearby who could be killed.]

“Well, we all have our challenges.” Michael looked down, chewing at his bottom lip.

[Indeed, we do. With that in mind, I’ve been wondering, Rihelah—when are you and Michael going to stop beating around the bush and just admit to each other that you’re in love? It’s tiring to watch, you know?]

“PROFESSOR O’CONNOR!” Rihelah shrieked as she pulled away from Michael with an open-mouthed scowl.

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Minions: 100/100

Residents: 10/10

Denizens: 13525

Traps: 1/5