As Gwen slept, John let his thoughts shift to worry for a little while. He knew that his brother wouldn’t come around to John’s apartment for a little while after stealing his T.V., possibly weeks. So John wouldn’t show up as missing until he didn’t show back up for work after his scheduled vacation. He had just gotten back from a week-long camping trip with a couple of friends and took an extra week off work to progress on his hobby projects. His parents had passed away in a car crash a couple of years ago, and his extended family lived on the other side of the country. Still, John knew once his apartment is discovered to be empty, it would likely begin a missing person report. However, by the time that happened, who knew what changes would be going on in the world, so he would burn that bridge when he crossed it. John would talk to Gwen about it when they had some downtime, and see if she had any ideas about handling it.

John had fooled around with Creation and Absorb Abilities to make adjustments to his Entrance and first room while he had waited for Gwen to return. Still, he didn’t want to finalize anything until he got more materials and had Gwen have a look over his plans. So, John figured now would be an excellent time to test his Soul Space Ability. As he activated it, it seemed like his view shrank until it was the size of a window, and he was now standing in a white void that was oddly similar to the intradimensional space he had been in very recently. John was able to adjust what the window was looking at and so would be able to keep an eye on his Dungeon while in his Soul Space. As John looked around the first room, he paused on Gwen, who had a smile on her face as he slept. As John did so, another window popped up, showing Gwen in an outfit similar to Wonder Woman’s from the Earth One series. John figured she must have taken a glimpse at some of his books as she put them into her bag, so he smiled at the image. At the same time, John didn’t want to intrude on her privacy, so he reached out to see if he could close the window.

However, instead of closing the window, as he touched it, Gwen popped into his Soul Space. She was still wearing the Wonder Woman outfit, and an “Eeep” came out of her mouth even though it was that much more revealing than the green dress she was wearing back in the Dungeon. “S-sorry, John,” Gwen said with a bit of a stammer, “she just looked so cool! She must have been on my mind as I went to sleep.”

“I’m guessing you had a quick look through my books as you packed them? It’s not a big deal, they aren’t private or anything like that.”

“Yeah, what were those ones with the painting in them?” Gwen said, her stance opening up as she began to look more excited.

“Depending on which ones you are talking about, those would be cartoons, comics, or graphic novels. They are a kind of book that has been around for about a hundred years and recently increased in popularity. I’m guessing that because your world didn’t have the printing press, it would have been hard to find someone who had the combination of Artist and Scribe abilities to make that kind of thing possible,” John said with a pensive look on his face.

“What’s the difference between those three things?”

“While the terms are mostly interchangeable, cartoons are generally less realistic and are typically focused on funny things. Comics tend to be more realistic or consistent with motion, general physics, and anatomy, though there are exceptions, and many comics take place in a Fantasy or Science Fiction world. While cartoons and comics are generally shorter in length and have a serial story that comes out on a periodical basis, graphic novels are instead a more self-contained story, though sometimes they become a sort of serial story themselves. These things may contain some of the same characters, though they may exist in a different canon.” As John finished saying that, he returned from his thoughtful gaze upwards, and he looked over at Gwen, half expecting to see a bored look. Instead, she appeared to have a thoughtful look on her face, considering what he had just said.

“When we get some time, can you show me some examples of each?” Gwen asked, a look of restrained excitement in her eyes.

“Sure thing. I think I’ll start you with one of my favourite comics strips, Calvin & Hobbes. They are lightly based on some famous philosophers, and discuss some things that may be a good entryway into our culture.”

“Cool.”

“As we figure out some stuff, I’ll have a bunch of media to show you. I’m sure your world has some live performance options, but probably no recorded media like we have. Anyways, how are you in here? Is it because we technically have a soul bond?”

“Yeah. I have been in my parent’s Dugneon’s Soul Space a couple of times, so it wasn’t wholly unexpected. I kind of forgot to mention this to you because I was so tired. We should probably get some kind of system set up, so we don’t accidentally invade each other’s privacy, though.”

“Sounds good, I’m not messing with your sleep or anything right now, am I?” John saw a quick smile flit across Gwen’s face as he asked this question.

“No, this isn’t messing with my rest. Essentially this is just happening instead of my dreams right now. Depending on how much I want to stay awake, I will even be able to draw some mana as I do for air to stay awake.”

“Good, so while you are here, do you mind if we go over some of our plans? I just got another Research Point a bit ago, so it looks like they come in at midnight, and I wouldn’t mind spending the point we just got.”

“So, you have one point available?” Gwen asked. “What do you have available for one point?”

“Currently, there are Blueprints or Trap Creation under the Creation Dungeon Ability,” John said. “I don’t see anything else available, do you?” Gwen shook her head. “Is there any reason to take Trap Creation right now over Blueprints? I seemed to be able to set up some basic traps just using Creation?”

“From what I know, Trap Creation will give you some schematics to traps and will make resetting them automatic after any invaders leave the Dungeon. Blueprints will allow you to make and adjust Blueprints for items and buildings. Normally you would get these by building enough traps or absorbing a blueprint, respectively, so your Research must allow you to unlock these subskills early if you have a bit of an idea of what you can do with the skill.”

“Since I am about to absorb a bunch of items in a short amount of time, should I grab blueprints then?”

“Might as well, I don’t see getting Trap Creation tomorrow getting in the way of anything.”

“Okay, then I’ll grab it and see what happens. Any advice on what to Absorb first, and do you want to stay here when I go back to the Dungeon to Absorb things?”

“Nah, it doesn’t matter what you absorb first. Maybe absorb the less complicated things first to level up Absorb, so the whole thing goes faster. I can just check the changes to your status tomorrow morning, so don’t worry about doing anything without me. If you’re leaving the Soul Space, I’m going to go back to my dream, though once you get a pattern, maybe change the window to a door, so we get a bit of privacy.”

“I’ll see what I can do, see you tomorrow Gwen.”

“Bye.”

With that said, John and Gwen reached their hands towards their respective windows. John found himself back in the perspective of his Dungeon overall. He first checked the notifications waiting for him that he had previously ignored while fooling around with Creation and Absorb.

Absorb Level Up, Current Level 5

Creation Level Up, Current Level 5

Domain Level Up, Current Level 2

Soul Space Level Up, Current Level 3

John could feel that Creation and Absorb had once again become slightly more efficient. The level up to Domain had increased the size of John’s Domain a slight amount, where the Domain now expanded to the sidewalks around Sorensen Station and a small amount of the street past them. The level up to Soul Space had given John the feeling that he had a bot more control over the Soul Space, and that it would be both easier and quicker to create and move objects in it. Those changes out of the way, John decided to spend his research point on Blueprints. As he did so, he got another notification.

Research Level Up, Current Level 2, +1 R.P./Day

Blueprints Subskill Unlocked.

Similar items will be consolidated into a set of Blueprints. Blueprints can be adjusted and saved, creating new Blueprints and allowing for more customization of items created through Creation. Blueprints unlocked as loot drop. Crafting ability unlocked.

As John read the notification, he could feel a shift in his Creation tab. When he checked it, he found that there was now instead of Item Patterns he had Blueprints, under which there was a single listing for pens. As John opened up the pen Blueprint and found the three previously absorbed pens, it seemed that bits and pieces could be swapped in and out of each Blueprint. Now, rather than just recreating the pen, he could fool around with their design and materials. Though why anyone would want a pen with a case made out of concrete and was two feet long, John wasn’t sure. When he tried to make the casing out of an invalid material such as sand or ink, he got an error message that this was an invalid object. There was also an option just to swap what colour of ink the pen used. As he dismissed his design without saving, he quickly looked around his Domain and found an orange gel pen. As he absorbed and recreated it, he checked the notification that popped up.

Pen Blueprint Updated

New Material: Ink - Gel

New Dyes: Ink Colour - Orange, Ink Type - Gel

After a quick check through his Blueprint, John found the design for the gel pen, and that he now had an option to put standard ink or gel ink in each pen. Before he closed the Creation menu, he also noticed that he could now use the Blueprints to design rooms and the objects in them, making his life more comfortable in the future. After he finished looking through the Creation tab, he brought up the description for his new skill.

Crafting, Level 1, Beginner

Description: While Creation is a strong ability for Dungeons, it is mostly just filling known patterns and creating them with mana. Crafting allows you to develop materials, use tools on them, and combine them in new ways, creating original Blueprints, objects, and materials.

Prerequisites: Blueprints researched

Subskills: ???

Research Points Needed: 0

As John read the description, he could feel a sense of excitement building. He could start to imagine the possibilities of some of the things he would be able to make. However, it made him wonder why the crafting was so general, rather than broken down into specific crafts like Leatherwork or Smithing. As he thought this, John felt another notification.

Dungeon Research Unlocked

Dungeon Ability Crafting Subskills: Leatherworking (5 R.P.), Smithing (5 R.P.)

Select an initial Subskill

LEATHERWORKING/SMITHING

As John looked at those notifications, he knew on an instinctual level that to get the most out of these subskills crafting stations and tools would have to be built. From what he knew, Leatherworking, in general, required much less in terms of devices and stations, just requiring a couple of fixtures rather than the variety of anvils, casts, dies, drills, hammers, and forges needed to work different metals. Also, theorizing that leather materials and hides would be more natural to come across than different metals in the short term, John decided to take Leatherworking first. As he did so, John looked at the new notification.

Leatherworking Subskill Unlocked

Basic Leather or equivalent Material unlocked, to unlock leather variants create them using crafting. Basic Leather or equivalent Materials available as loot drops. Known Dyes may be applied to hides, including on Creatures. Coloured Creatures will drop that colour of Leather or Equivalent material. Known Leather Armors or Equivalents may be equipped to applicable creatures.

Materials Unlocked

Leather - Mouse Hide, Mole Hide, Shrew Hide, Worm Hide; Chitin - Ant, Ground Beetle, Spider, Centipede, Millipede, Termite

Dye Unlocked: Iridescent Type

Again, John was excited by the possibilities he had just been shown. It appeared that unlocking new subskills in crafting would give him even more customization options for both objects and his creatures. He thought about all the crafts he had heard of both on Earth and in Fantasy and watched a notification pop up.

Dungeon Research Unlocked

Dungeon Ability Crafting Subskills: Chemistry (5 R.P.), Woodworking (5 R.P.), Mineral Working (5 R.P.), Clothemaking (5 R.P.), Papercrafts (5 R.P.), Glass Crafts (5 R.P.), Clayworking (5 R.P.), Cooking (5 R.P.), Alchemy (10 R.P.), Enchanting (10 R.P.)

After that, John pulled up his Crafting ability, just to double-check that nothing else had changed.

Crafting, Level 1, Beginner

Description: While Creation is a strong ability for Dungeons, it is mostly just filling known patterns and creating them with mana. Crafting allows you to develop materials, use tools on them, and combine them in new ways, creating original Blueprints, objects, and materials.

Subskills: Leatherworking, Smithing (5 R.P.), Chemistry (5 R.P.), Woodworking (5 R.P.), Mineral Working (5 R.P.), Clothemaking (5 R.P.), Papercrafts (5 R.P.), Glass Crafts (5 R.P.), Clayworking (5 R.P.), Cooking (5 R.P.), Alchemy (10 R.P.), Enchanting (10 R.P.)

John had been surprised that Chemistry and Alchemy were different crafts. However, though they shared some techniques, Chemistry was what he was familiar with when he looked into it. On the other hand, Alchemy was a more mystical craft that used the harvesting and processing of essences to create potions, pills, draughts, and elixirs, the strongest of which could apply permanent effects to their imbibers. For example, both crafts could create a Poison, and while a Chemical Poison might only be physically dangerous, and Alchemical Poison might do damage to someone’s skills and abilities.

John figured that before he could get into this ability, he should get the rest of the Materials and Blueprints he could from the items Gwen had grabbed from his apartment. At this moment, John realized Gwen’s bag of holding was still next to the bed she had pulled out, and where her softly snoring body was sleeping nearby. Not wanting to wake Gwen, John decided that it was time to create his first Creature. As he began Creating a Creature, he selected a Mouse, being one of the larger and smarter Creatures he currently had available. He was given the option just to create a Mouse similar to the one John had absorbed, or some adjustments to the Mouse based on skills that had been unlocked could be made. John decided to make this first Creature a bit unique, so he opted to give the Mouse an orange and iridescent colour scheme. John finished up his changes to the colour scheme, and a popup declaring that a “Unique Creature being created was detected” and if he would like to give the Creature a name or a Name. Upon concentrating, John found that while a name would just provide the Creature with a unique signifier that it would keep upon revival, a Name would bestow some extra abilities and powers upon the Creature, at the expense of a significantly increased cost of mana. Upon seeing this, John decided to test out the Name system and gave the Mouse the Name Lenny, and upon doing so, a notification popped up, as John felt 50 Mana leave him to create this Creature.

Unique Creature Lenny Named

Unsuitable For Boss or Mini-boss Type, Mascot Type selected.

Mascots are Dungeon Creatures that are Non-Hostile to outside forces in the Dungeon unless provoked. Special situations, interactions, and quests may occur when interacting with a Mascot.

Changes to Mouse form for Lenny:

Size Increased

Intelligence Increased

Ability Added: Cuteness Aura

John watched as an orange Mouse the size of a German Shepherd materialized, who appeared to be even fluffier and had fatter cheeks than a standard mouse. Lenny shook himself and stretched out in a manner very similar German Shepherd would, and the iridescence of his fur made the sight beautiful. As he finished up this movement, Lenny sat on his haunches and looked up, seemingly aware of John’s attention to him. So John sent his thoughts out towards Lenny in a similar manner he would talk to Gwen, “Hey buddy, I have a job for you. Do you mind grabbing Gwen’s bag, bringing it to the corner over there, and emptying it? I don’t want to wake Gwen up.”

Lenny gave a quick nod upon hearing this, then the best salute his short arms could manage. He grabbed the bag in his mouth, brought it over to the corner, and reached his paws into the container. Each time his paw came out, another item from John’s apartment materialized. John knew on an instinctual level that this was only possible because Lenny was bonded to him, and John was bonded to Gwen. As Lenny finished pulling everything out of the bags, John sent him another message. “Great Job, I’ve got another quick mission for you. Do you think you can take out a couple of those sleeping crows and pigeons for me and bring them back? They would be useful samples.”

Lenny tilted his head while sitting on his haunches as if thinking about what that would entail. After a short moment, he gave a mousy thumbs up and began heading up the spiral to the Entrance. John opened up the Entrance for Lenny as Lenny got to the top, and he climbed up one of the columns around the base floor and into the parkade. Lenny then made his way up another column on the parkade’s interior, to where a couple of pigeons were sleeping. He crawled along the rafter until he was behind a still sleeping pigeon and leaned over it while opening his mouth. A split second later, there was a headless pigeon and spurt of blood shot out, hitting Lenny in the face. Luckily, none of the blood hit the other pigeon as John sent another message to Lenny. “Maybe try just snapping their necks. We’ll have a little less cleanup to do after.” Lenny gave a sheepish shrug of his shoulders and grabbed the other pigeon by the head before violently shaking it. As the second pigeon’s body went limp, Lenny jumped down to the ground and picked up both corpses, before carrying them over to the ledge above John’s Entrance. He then dropped the bodies and spat the head out of his mouth onto the sidewalk just outside of the Entrance. Finally, turning around and making his way up the ramp that would lead to the parkade’s top floor and the roof.

Two crows were sleeping right next to each other on one of the ledges on the parkade’s top floor, and Lenny stealthily made his way up behind them. When he got into range, both of Lenny’s hands snaked out, and each grabbed a crow by the head, which caused them to release a muffled squawk. With a look of glee on his face, Lenny began to swing the crows’ bodies around his body, almost like they were Nunchucks. John had to suppress a mental giggle before adopting an admonishing tone, “Not cool, Lenny. All things deserve a bit of dignity, even in death. Bring the corpses back into the Dungeon.” Looking chastened, Lenny made his way over to the ledge above the Entrance and dropped the roughly 30 feet to the sidewalk below. John was worried for half a second, before Lenny, pulled himself up and shook himself off. John figured that something between mouse biology and System magic must have kept Lenny from too seriously injuring himself. As Lenny entered the Dungeon with two pigeons in one hand, two crows in another, and a pigeon head clenched in his teeth. John was able to clean the blood off him using absorb. He then Absorbed the rest of Lenny’s mess around the Station before sending Lenny another message. “Good job, Lenny. Drop the bodies off with the materials, and you can go take a break.” Lenny tossed the bodies towards the corner and then trundled over to curl up at the base of Gwen’s bed and began to sleep with a smile across his mousy face. John looked at the corner, stuffed with materials and began to activate his Absorb Ability.