Harris helps Shadowkiss change her bandages. The dark elf, just like the previous times, remains perfectly still and silent throughout the process. Her expression is blank, making it impossible to know what she is thinking. In comparison, Harris is an open book to Shadowkiss; she can easily read the thinly veiled frustration in the boy's bowed head.
"What's wrong?" Shadowkiss asks.
"Huh...?" Harris snaps out of his thoughts. Shadowkiss repeats the question, causing the young soldier to avoid her gaze. "It's nothing..."
"Oh, come on." The elf rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. "Spit out what's bothering you. It's not like I'm in any condition to go blabbing your secrets to anyone, plus I'm bored."
Harris sighs. A part of him doesn't want to talk about it, but another part is itching to get the burden off his chest. The soldier makes eye contact with the elf and decides that, after everything they've been through together, he can trust her a little.
"Remember that secret training in the castle basement...? Our squad was picked for a special trial."
Harris hadn't wanted to participate; the risks promised to be too high, and he was afraid of dying. But when Marcus volunteered, the boy couldn't back down. Harris recounts the story without going into detail about how the training actually works, leaving Shadowkiss to simply assume that some sort of mage is organizing everything.
Shadowkiss has a theory that this mage is the same one who altered the walls at the last minute, thwarting the invasion. But she prefers to keep her thoughts to herself and let the boy continue his tale of the training.
"I froze in fear," he confesses, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his fists. "Marcus... He's a great leader. I try to push myself, but... I doubt I'll ever be half as brave as him."
Harris falls silent and still, his hands trembling. Shadowkiss finishes bandaging her own leg, casting sporadic glances at Harris. The girl recognizes the shame and respect the soldier feels toward Marcus, but also a deep envy and a pinch of hatred.
"So why don't you just kill him?"
Harris jumps at Shadowkiss's advice and looks at her, eyes wide with horror.
"What? No! He's my comrade. He always has my back; I can't betray him."
Harris's soft reaction disgusts Shadowkiss, but she fights back her gag reflex and keeps talking.
"It's obvious you resent him more than you like him. Where I come from, when something bothers you, you destroy it. I bet deep down that's what you want."
A dangerous glint crosses Harris's eyes. The boy stands up, and Shadowkiss shrinks back at the sudden hostility. Harris points a finger at the girl.
"Don't you ever say that again, do you hear me?!"
Shadowkiss recoils toward the bed and slips a hand under the sheets. Seeing the panic in the elf, Harris immediately regrets it and calms down. Ashamed, the soldier turns around and hurries out of the house. As he crosses the threshold, he whispers an apology that Shadowkiss manages to catch.
...
When the ether bar fills up, a wave of light pulses through the dungeon core. Jimbo feels an electric current surge through him, filling him up. The chain tethering him to the crystal suddenly feels looser. He moves downward, through the dirt, gravel, and rock, unable to see anything. More importantly: he moves upward, surpassing the height of the ceiling. He rises above the trials and the cells, reaching the ground floor of the castle.
«I don't think... I don't think I should be here.»
He sees maids walking the halls, chatting among themselves, attacking the dust. Jimbo tries moving a door to experiment, and it opens on its own, just like any other object within his domain.
A maid jumps at the sudden movement and turns her head, peering into the room leading to the stairs, and without thinking too much of it, closes the door.
Even though he knows it's impossible for them to see him, Jimbo feels a spike of fear at the possibility of being discovered. In a hurry, he returns to the core room, seeking the wisdom of the system.
Note: Congratulations! You are now Level 2. The domain radius expands, increasing by one floor up and one floor down.
---Jimbo the Dungeon Core LV 2
-Ether: 0/200
-Active Connections:
--Dowmy the imp LV 7
--Hilda the fourth captain LV 31
Jimbo had taken for granted that his development would only go downwards, as all dungeons are supposed to work. But it is true that when Arrax and the mages pumped him full of ether, he managed to rise so high he touched the clouds.
Note: It is highly recommended to keep a low profile during the early stages of the dungeon's development. Building above ground level can attract overly powerful enemies.
Jimbo isn't worried about that either. His plan was to act discreetly while gathering power and information, thus avoiding dying again. It's true he has a big ego, but that doesn't mean he suffers from an uncontrollable urge to shout to the world: Hey, here I am! Come get me, my face is wide open!
«Dowmy won't care that I can go up. But I don't know if it's a good idea to tell Hilda; it took a lot of work just to get her to trust me, or at least to not want to strangle me.»
He lets out a long sigh. He decides not to tell Hilda, at least for now.
Note: Congratulations! Two potential Great Persons have been marked by the dungeon's domain.
A new system notification grabs Jimbo's attention.
Note: The birth of a Great Person can bring milestones that evolve the dungeon's Age.
Jimbo nods, remembering the system mentioning the topic of Ages earlier.
Note: For the Great Person to remain marked by the dungeon's domain, it is important to be involved in their strengthening and development. If the Great Person strays too far or goes too long without stimuli from the dungeon, they will be unmarked.
Jimbo asks for details about the benefits these Great Persons can provide him.
Note: Aside from milestones, if a Great Person dies outside the dungeon's radius, half of the ether they contain will be transmitted to the core, including part of their Essence.
Note 2: Essence can be used to create minions, special items, and special skills. For example, the Essence of a hero accustomed to hunting dragons can be used to forge a sword that deals special damage to dragons.
«Essence is kind of like a soul, isn't it?»
Note: That is one way to look at it.
Note 2: High-level Dungeon Cores attain enough consciousness to produce Essence themselves.
A chime suddenly rings out.
Skill Unlocked!
-Skill: Evoke Essence.
-Requirement: Consciousness.
-Cost: 200 Ether. Consciousness.
-Description: Sacrifices a portion of consciousness to produce essence. Essence can be imbued into summons, items, and environments to achieve highly powerful special effects.
Jimbo raises an eyebrow. Unlocking that skill despite being at a low level makes sense. He assumes Dungeon Cores are born lacking personality, but he used to be human; he has a fully formed consciousness inhabiting the crystal. Even so, there's something that leaves a bad taste in his mouth, a subconscious unease that keeps him from celebrating the unlock of new options.
«System, tell me, what do you mean by sacrifice...? Are you talking about losing pieces of my soul?»
Note: That is one way to look at it.
The answer is vague. Perhaps it's because the knowledge etched into his subconscious regarding this topic is also fuzzy. Jimbo swallows hard and shakes his ethereal head. He gets the exact same feeling he did when unlocking the nuclear weapons tech tree in Kard10k.
«Sure, wiping out the enemy with nukes is fun. But then comes the toxic wasteland, the mutants, the nuclear winter, and before you know it, your hundreds-of-hours playthrough ends abruptly with no winner.»
There are costs that are simply too high, which Jimbo prefers to avoid unless absolutely necessary. Wanting to forget the possibility of selling off pieces of his soul in exchange for power, Jimbo goes back to scanning the information on the Great Persons.
Two names appear.
Marcus and Harris.