---Jimbo the Dungeon Core LV 4
-Ether: 200/400
Shortly before the jousts, Jimbo does a quick review of the dungeon. He made sure the underground garden remained cool; that all the summons were in their proper places, ready to attack anyone who dared to brave the three trial paths; that the hot springs of the saunas flowed clean.
«Fluid mechanics is my newest obsession»
Running a dungeon isn't as simple as placing monsters, setting traps, and going to sleep.
«Maybe it's like that for normal dungeons, they're like spiders waiting for prey. But I'm different! The great J is a thinking man.»
It is necessary to maintain control over even the most trivial things: For example: Jimbo learned that the vines in charge of swinging the stone pendulums wear out quickly. Preserving them costs Ether, the same goes for keeping the torches lit or the correct temperature in each zone. The dungeon's general climate is temperate.
«Everything adds up, everything subtracts, everything counts.»
When The System warns that a summon is hungry or sick, Jimbo vanishes said minion to replace it with another of the same class. But upon doing the math, Jimbo discovered that doing so is expensive. It turns out to be much cheaper to keep the environments clean and the summons satisfied with three meals a day.
«If only it were as simple as asking the cooks to work for my summons too.»
Dowmy's existence in the castle remains strange; they treat her as if she were the fourth mage of the laboratory. When the kitchen assistants bring food to the mages, they bring an extra tray which they place at the dungeon's entrance.
«Still, depending on the castle isn't ideal. I vote for my independence.»
Besides mangoes in the garden, he managed to summon from the earth: strawberries, cilantro, potatoes. He wanted to add more fruits and vegetables he knew, but the system started demanding Ether to unlock more options. Since the potatoes carried a risk, Jim ordered Dowmy to write on a parchment: "If they have sprouts, or if they are green, do not eat." The message was accompanied by a drawing reflecting the text, aimed at the illiterate.
«It's still a good collection of ingredients.»
Jimbo expanded the underground garden. He created a small cave in the right wing, a dome with a circular indentation in the middle of the floor, and holes in the ceiling to allow smoke to escape. Located in a corner, mounds of wooden branches and lumps of coal are used for cooking. Dowmy, at Jim's request, stole a metal pot and ladle. It was difficult to teach the summons how to cook, but after much trial and error, he ingrained in the goblin women and cavemen the ability to prepare very simple dishes.
«The pen experiment was far less successful…»
He flattened a plot of land, surrounded it with a fence of long, spiky bones, and summoned multiple dodos, an equal number of males and females. Aside from being docile, they were fat, slow, and fleshy, ideal as avian livestock. However, although you can force goblins and cavemen to repeat simple tasks, feeding and raising the birds was too complex for them, causing The System to send warnings that the summons were confused and frustrated. Since they identified the dodos as food, having them so close and so easy to catch meant that the moment Jimbo looked away, an alert would pop up: the dodos inside the dungeon have just gone extinct.
«Dowmy sets a bad example for them too. Every time she goes in and out of the garden, there's one less dodo.»
The imp always swears she has nothing to do with it, with feathers on her chin and a belly that almost tears her dress. The irony is that Dowmy admits the dodos taste bad. The meat is tough, rubbery, and very greasy; only the breast and belly are passable. Basically, the summons eat the dodos out of sheer gluttony and convenience. Jimbo shuddered visualizing all his summons in a few months: The goblins round and incapable of reaching the vines in a single jump; Cavemen panting with their hands on their knees after running ten steps; He even imagined the undead skeletons with ribcages the size of a barrel.
«Okay, that's ridiculous. I admit my old body was the epitome of practicality during my time, I didn't need more, I was one with my gaming chair. But in this world it's different! They have to run, jump, wave their arms.»
As a temporary solution, Jimbo created a small jungle of bushes and dwarf trees where the dodos can live, aided by small tunnels where they build burrows and escape predators. Jimbo had to add an innate fear of anything that moves and doesn't look like a fat bird, otherwise they would just stand there dumbfounded doing nothing while being hunted. The temporary solution soon showed its benefits. Now, with the dodos being more difficult prey, the rest of his summons stopped eating out of gluttony, and hunt when there is a real need. Also, to Jim's surprise, the cavemen and goblins started to coordinate and work together, with the goblins entering the tunnels and the cavemen waiting for the dodos at the exit.
«And I didn't even have to teach them. What is this pressure I feel in my non-existent chest? Pride?»
With the dungeon review finished, Jimbo ascends to spy on the surface. He feels bad about not being able to feel the sun's rays, but seeing the jousting lists takes away his nostalgic sorrow. He gives a shark-like smile and rubs his ethereal hands.
«If I had drool, it would be dripping just thinking about hundreds of people inside my area of influence. It will be a glorious Ether boost for me.»
The royal box, and the covered stands of the nobles, were set up to the west of the lists. The seats for the wealthy commoners are located to the north. Simple wooden stands without a roof are to the east, made for people of modest origins who managed to pay the competition's entrance fee. Next to the simple stands is a watchtower whose function Jimbo doesn't know, but by the way the mages occupying it look at the sky, Jim suspects it has to do with the crystal balls hovering over the arena. To the south of the arena is a wide pavilion, intended for the participants and their mounts. Posters of the participants occupy the wide wooden panels that serve as a fence surrounding the lists. Jimbo only recognizes two of the drawings: Axiel, the second captain, and Marcus, the soldier to whom Jim granted his goodwill and also a dinosaur.
«Hilda said the boy will have a hard time, but she doesn't know the miracles a man can summon when playing competitively!»
More than once he was cornered in Kardax 10,000, and more than once KingJim, the self-proclaimed king of the blue diamond, emerged victorious. Jimbo looks for the young soldier and finds him in the troop's barracks. Marcus is not alone; between the row of bunk beds, he is accompanied by two of the three friends with whom he usually runs the dungeon's trials. But a stranger joins them, a dark-skinned, handsome, and muscular young man, wearing a leather shirt that exposes his pectorals, and a fur coat over his shoulders. Just looking at him irritates Jim.
«Who does he think he is wearing leather and a fur coat in this weather? He looks like an NTR doujinshi antagonist.»
The dark-skinned guy is Marcus's sister's boyfriend and they plan to fight so that… They break up? That's what Jim deduces from the little he catches of the conversation. There is also talk of a slave.
«Could she be the mistress? According to several videos I saw, there are women who enjoy being called in degrading ways.»
Although the times Jimbo tried doing that, it went very wrong. In the end, it turns out the dark-skinned guy came with a plea for peace; he wants to distance himself from Marcus and also from his sister.
«Guess he wasn't so bad after all. You really can't judge a book by its cover.»
Jimbo looks at Marcus expecting a mature response, but the young soldier reveals his short fuse by pointing his sword at the dark-skinned man.
"We shall meet in the arena and put an end to this matter! I swear it upon my honor, and upon the honor of my sister!" Marcus exclaims with a fierce voice.
The dark-skinned man laughs, shakes his head, and leaves the barracks. Jimbo knows the inhabitants of this world are very intense about honor, which is why Marcus's attitude doesn't surprise him. What does confuse him is why his protégé is wearing armor that makes him look like a bush.
Note: Dowmy is sad.
The warning appears to Jimbo out of the corner of his eye. He phases through the floor and arrives at the dungeon's starting room. Dowmy is with her head down, fists and teeth clenched, visibly trying to hold back tears. Hilda towers over her with crossed arms, her expression serene.
"Why can't I go?! I wanna see the fights, see the little horses crash!"
"The folk of the castle may be accustomed to you, but to the rest, your mere presence would be cause for scandal. Nothing is ever achieved by weeping, Dowmy," Hilda says.
"It ain't fair! It ain't!"
They barely perceive Jim's presence before they both turn toward him. The imp with her fists near her small chest, the inquisitor with an arched eyebrow.
"Master Jimbo, please! Let me go up with ye! I swear no one will see me, I'm stealthy, quiet as a cat! Meow!" Dowmy begs.
Hilda says nothing, only contemplating Jimbo as if attentive to know whether he will contradict her. Jimbo would like Dowmy to watch the jousts with him... He mulls over the option for half a minute, and when he decides, he shakes his head. The last thing he wants is to cause an uproar that puts at risk the delicate balance they've built.
«I'm sorry, Dowmy, but for safety's sake, it is better that you stay in the dungeon.»
Dowmy takes a step back as if slapped, unable to believe Jimbo isn't on her side. She shakes her head and runs away with an arm covering her eyes. Since she isn't looking, she crashes into the cave wall and falls on her bottom. She gets up, looks at them again with tearful eyes, and this time makes sure to aim well before escaping down the tunnel. Jimbo sighs and looks at Hilda out of the corner of his eye.
«Forgive her, kids are idiots.»
"She is no child, she is a demon of low stock," Hilda says without a hint of hostility or disdain, as if speaking of the color of the sky.
Jimbo furrows his non-existent brow.
«Do you really believe that? What is a monster without a heart?»
Hilda closes her single eye and takes a deep breath.
"I do not know, Jimbo the Dungeon. Your existence makes me question my prejudices."
Jimbo chokes on his own Ether and coughs. He didn't expect a compliment. Because it was a compliment, right? He starts feeling uncomfortable, and quickly looks for something to change the subject of the conversation. His attention falls on the pendant standing out on Hilda's black surcoat.
«Nice necklace. Who gave it to you?»
The platinum chain holds a heart-shaped medallion, with rubies that look like tears in its center.
"A secret admirer," Hilda says, again with a monotonous voice as if talking about the gray of the walls.
Almost instantly, Jimbo regrets asking. He didn't come to a fantasy world to compliment another man's gifts. But then again: What did he expect? It's the Saint Valentine's festivities, jewelry and desserts are gifted. Hilda might have a pirate eyepatch, armor with zero sex appeal, and an attitude that sometimes erupts like a volcano, but he can't deny she is a quite beautiful woman. The inquisitor takes the medallion between her fingers and looks at it.
"Scarcely anyone knows the details of my curse, yet many among the nobility are aware of my barrenness. This gift is costly; it must come from a young and naive heir, or an old and desperate man," having said that, she lets go of the pendant and it bounces on her chest. "I remain a woman. I shall honor the kind gesture of the stranger by wearing his gift. At least until I discover his identity, and can return it to him."
Such words give way to a heavy silence that Jimbo does not dare break. Hilda is the first to speak.
"I thank you for not contradicting me before Dowmy. It would have been a poor example for her to see us quarrel."
«Uh... You don't have to thank me. We simply made her understand what is right, right? She has flesh and bones, she's not like me, who can go up and down without raising suspicion. Obviously, always in moderation!»
"Even you must guard yourself. The eyes of Laikara are everywhere… Are you aware that she can read minds?"
«What? Seriously?»
"Yes, but with limitations. I can tell you no more, for I know no more; it is a matter of sorcery. Laikara, like any witch, is malicious, yet she is also loyal to the realm. As long as you are aligned with our cause, all shall remain in order. Only… attempt to be more discreet, more fruit, fewer giant birds."
«You're the boss!»
The captain's lips, for barely a fraction of a second, sketch what looks like a gentle smile. Jimbo is left speechless. Hilda leaves to continue with her duties. Jim is left alone in the place and brings his hands to his ethereal head.
«What was that smile? It gets on my nerves! It's annoying, I'd rather she go back to yelling at me and wishing for my end.»
Jim is glad that Hilda trusts him more and more. It's just hard for him to process the good treatment, especially knowing there's someone interested in the inquisitor out there.
«Surely it's someone playing a prank on her… Ugh… I feel like a jerk for hoping that's the case.»
Watching the jousts will help him clear his mind of those unwanted thoughts. But first, he summons three dodos and orders them to march toward Dowmy's bedroom. The naive feathered creatures advance without suspecting the terrible fate that awaits them. Above, the stands are already full. The jousting master raises his trumpet and blows, marking the start of the competition.