When constructing a new settlement around a newly discovered (or, as the case may be, constructed) dungeon, there are several details that should be taken into account as soon as possible. City planner in these cases have the unique opportunity of designing from the beginning a town which is all but guaranteed to be successful. Choices made early on a whim, such as where the hawkers are allowed to set up their carts, can easily decide such important details as the location of the towns commercial district. In order to avoid later headaches, I recommend following my "Five Ss" of labyrinth town construction.

First, Security. The very first priority when making camp should be creating a secure bulwark around the dungeon entrance. Once the economy is established and funds become available, find a skilled mason to fashion stone ramparts as a priority. Second, Straight Roads. Plan your roads from the start, and make sure new arrivals set up their tents in the correct location. Some merchants may get mad that they need to move their shop after setting up, but the advantages are worth it. Not only does it make the town easier to navigate, the long lines of sight make patrols and urban combat during waves much safer for your guardsmen. Third is Shelter. Make sure you have fallback positions for your entire population, including visitors, at any given time. Set these up as soon as you finish your bulwark! Fourth is Space. Make sure you reserve prime locations for the Church, Bank, Association, and government buildings. And finally, Sewage. I trust I don't need to explain why this is important.

-Excerpt from Making a Labyrinth Town: From Outpost to Metropolis

Mud slithered off the snoring youth and began deftly removing his armor. The monotone voice of a young boy was sent to the mind of the demon, the sound seeming to come from every direction, and no direction. "Will they be followed?"

Jabrax easily lifted the muscular youth that was twice her size over one shoulder. "I read that idiot's thoughts when I asked him. Nobody else knows they came here today. They even hid from the mayor. We won't be exposed." Smiling wickedly, she added "as long as they don't return to town, that is. It would be a problem if they got away, so it seems we have no choice but to keep them."

As he watched his contracted demon lick her lips and stare at her captives, Mud suspected she might have intentionally revealed more than she needed to so that they would be forced to keep them. It made no difference, though; these humans have already attacked twice. While once could be a fluke, twice indicated a pattern. If Mud let these humans leave again, it seemed likely there would be a third time. After removing the last piece of armor, Mud focused his mana towards Jabrax. "You may have them. Do what you want with these two, but make sure they don't cause any problems for me."

With an excited squeal, the demon grabbed the leg of the unconscious Bark and began dragging him towards the basement, still hefting Jericho. As she walked away humming merrily, Mud composed one more message. "Before tomorrow, make something to satisfy that Mayor Guy Fallow. You may not use any of The Master's possessions." Immediately, a perky reply of "yeah sure, I can handle it" returned.

Paying no mind to the terrifying fate that awaited the two erstwhile extorters, Mud slithered out the mansion and into the forest. After ascending the closest tree, the golem swung rapidly through the canopy like an acrobatic squid, in the direction of its favorite hunting ground.

Nearly halfway through its journey, Mud heard sounds of humans mixed with the growls of grey wolves to the side of its path. Curious about what was happening, Mud relied upon the wisdom of Stealth and swung silently in the direction of the noise.

In a small clearing, a group of four humans stood in defensive postures, surrounded by five adult Grey Wolves. The oldest human had a thick beard and well-fitting leather armor. In his hand he held a simple long sword, and in the other a light leather shield. Beside him was a fit male who appeared to fight with no weapon. This human seemed to be less interested in covering himself with plant fibers and animal skins than seemed to be the standard for their kind, leaving his toned chest fully exposed. He still covered his legs with a pair of wide yellow pants, though, so he was at least more clothed than the scarred human Mud had fought many days ago. Behind them was a demi-human with pointed ears and curved, sheep-like horns. She wore a loose and flowing robe that was covered in splotches of many vibrant colors. Clasped tightly in her hands she held a small metal figure, similar in appearance to a snake with the head of some furred beast. The last member of the group was the youngest, a raven-haired woman in a black robe holding a tall spear.

The two male humans tried to keep themselves between the females and the wolves, but it was impossible with the complete encirclement they faced. The Grey Wolves circled slowly around the humans, waiting for an opportunity to strike. A few moments after Mud began watching, the raven-haired human, who had been mumbling to herself, suddenly pointed her spear at one wolf. From her hands and traveling along the spear, a bolt of black-rimmed white light shot out of the tip of the spear and impacted the wolf directly. On impact, the bolt diffused across the surface of the wolf's body, before fading. The wolf began to rapidly wilt, as if moisture had been wrung from its body. Shortly after, the wolf was unable to support its own weight, and collapsed on the floor.

Satisfied with her successful attack, the woman looked at the fallen monster, as did the rest of her team. As a result, none of them noticed the Grey Wolf charging from their blind spot towards the rainbow-robed demi-human. Thinking quickly, Mud crafted his Paracusia spell, and caused the shirtless human to hear a loud bark and running paws from the direction of the attacking wolf. Spinning around rapidly, the human spotted the wolf and struck it powerfully on the back with a descending roundhouse kick, sending the wolf sprawling to the side.

Why had Mud chosen to save that demi-human at that moment, despite having no relation to the group? There were several reasons. First, Mud wanted to know if the spell would function against skilled warriors in a combat situation. Not only was there the possibility of being resisted, there was also the risk that the fake noise would not be realistic enough. As it turned out, the spell had functioned perfectly and the human didn't seem suspicious at all. Second, Mud wanted to check if he could gain experience from the deaths of the wolves if he assisted the group indirectly. And third, it wanted to see the fighting method of the shirtless human. Having no weapon, Mud suspected the human might be using the same "Unarmed Fighting" skill that the golem was using.

With two of the wolves incapacitated, the group of humans went on the offensive. The bearded human shifted his stance forward, and with a shout suddenly vanished and reappeared next to the wolf a short distance away, cutting it deep with his sword. Or at least that's how it appeared; noting the spray of dirt and some deep footprints, Mud suspected the man had instead traveled at an extremely fast speed for a short amount of time, so quickly that even the construct's quick mind couldn't perceive it. At the same time, the sheep horned demi-human held aloft her metal sculpture, and strange geometric shapes appeared around one of the wolves. The objects seemed difficult to look at, and as Mud examined them the angles didn't seem to add up right. Their very shape seemed to defy what Mud knew about geometry.

[Mathematics Skill increased to level 2]

[Mathematics Skill increased to level 3]

Unable to move, the wolf was quickly impaled by the spear of the raven-haired human.

The last Grey Wolf, flying into a rage at the spilt blood of its family, charged wildly towards the preoccupied spear-woman, but was struck down by the shirtless human's fist. With all the foes killed or disabled, the group set about finishing off the still-living wolves.

As the swordsman sliced the throat of a particular dazed wolf, Mud received a notification.

[Experience Gained: 4]

Likely only a tiny fraction of the actual value for a Grey Wolf, but a satisfying result for the experiment. Seeing no more value in lingering, Mud turning away from the group and continued on its way.