I have discovered something, I can make my orb body’s colors shift and move. I’m not actually sure what that could mean for me, but it is something. At the very least it gave me something to do besides meditating or thinking to myself.

I shifted color from black with silver motes to black and grey with green and silver specks. Then I went to mostly grey, green, and silver with black lines crisscrossing the surface. Grey and green with hints of white and black. Entirely white with a black, grey, green, and silver center. Black with dots of silver and lines of white.

I let myself relax and my color returned to its black with silver motes coloring, this was the coloring I had begun to consider my normal state since it took no effort or thought to maintain it. When I was relaxed and unfocused this is the color my orb body took on.

I wonder how much time has passed…

It was hard to tell the passage of time in the cavern since nothing changed and the light level, or lack thereof, was the same all the time. The only real way I had to gauge time was by counting to try and keep it myself, unfortunately I had lost count somewhere around three thousand after my last meditation.

I would’ve sighed if I had lungs, this sort of existence was beyond tiring. I couldn’t do anything, I had no interactions with anything, and there were next to no distractions to occupy my time. I knew what I was meant to do and what was expected of me but I had no way of accomplishing those things, it was a unique sort of suffering. I was bored, lonely, and I felt like I was failing at the one thing I was meant for.

There isn’t even a hint of what I’m supposed to do… I don’t have any natural instincts, or at least they haven’t kicked in yet, and all the knowledge the black dragon left me doesn’t tell me how dungeon’s work. I’m flailing blindly in the dark here… Well, metaphorically flailing with metaphorical blindness in metaphorical darkness. It’s hard to flail with no limbs and it’s hard to claim blindness when I have this weird sort of third person super vision that sees in darkness without effort. I guess it’s redundant either way, what’s the point of analyzing a metaphor so deeply anyway? Hmm… I wonder what the origin of metaphors are… Or better yet, how do I know so many? Oh, wait, that’s right it could be part of all the information the true dragon left for me. I wonder if that means I am less myself, I mean how can I be a unique individual when I filter everything through the experiences and knowledge of another. But then again I do FEEL like an individual, I have my own hopes, dreams, and thoughts… Hmm… I guess the only answer to that sort of question is the one that I always come to, I am myself and through being myself I am an individual. I am me, regardless of any past or strange dragon knowledge I may have. Still need to come up with a name for myself though… I’m thinking Stone is my best bet, but I wonder if Melinda would be willing to give me an opinion. No, wait, I have to find some way to communicate with people before I can even ask her… Haaah… So much to do, so little ability to do any of it…

I shook my nonexistent head. There was probably something very telling about the fact my monologues to myself are getting longer and less focused. I closed my eyes, or I guess more accurately I shut off my sight, and began to meditate again.

As my attention turned inward and faded into nothingness as I rode waves of peaceful nonthought I felt myself relax. Everything was fine, my problems would resolve themselves in time.

And if they didn’t, then that was as it was meant to be…

***

POV: Mich

I looked over at the kid, he looked to be a bit too young to be doing something like this. I let out a hard breath, it seemed like every year some farm boy or baker’s son comes to enter Lady Melinda’s service while dreaming of greatness.

Damn fools, the lot of them… None of them have any idea what being in service to a mage really means, hell most of them can’t even tell the difference between a black mage and a grey mage. I bet the lad is expecting the lady to take a liking to him and “magic” him up…

I let out another hard breath. It was just my luck to get roped into something with a greenhorn, Lady Melinda thought that by pairing someone with my experience alongside someone with no experience was the best way to train and cultivate her newest servants.

“Sir?”

I looked back over at the kid.

“What is it Yowl?”

The kid brushed his messy straw blonde mop out of his mud brown eyes.

“Is it true that the lady…”

I cut the kid of with a look.

“Look Yowl, if you ever want to last in Lady Melinda’s service you’re gonna need to learn not to go asking the wrong questions. Don’t go spreading rumors either…”

I felt a chill go up my spine. The last time Lady Melinda caught word of some rumor about her and her children floating around she gathered everyone serving under her for a “demonstration”. I can still remember the screams of that maid, and the moment when they cut out suddenly as Lady Melinda ripped her soul out of her body…

I shuddered slightly.

“Trust me kid, you really don’t want to talk about Lady Melinda behind her back. Don’t go talking about Lord Joshua or Lady Cassandra either, not if you want to live a long happy life…”

The kid’s eyes went wide for a moment before he shook himself and scoffed. It didn’t matter, if the kid lasted long enough then he’d learn. Lady Melinda was a good lord to serve, she was fair, kind, and generous to those who served her loyally. She was also merciless to those who betrayed her or her family.

I adjusted the pack on my back and checked the cage the kid was carrying, lifting the cover on the birdcage I saw the fairy was still just sitting staring into nothing. Letting the cover drop back into place I shook my head, I still didn’t understand how the thing had survived for so long. Then again I didn’t understand most of Lady Melinda’s business, magical works were all but a mystery to me.

“Alright kid, let’s get moving. The cave were supposed to get to is about two days out… If we hustle we might be able to get there by sun up tomorrow.”

I checked my blades to make sure they were snug in there sheathes, my trusty hook blade hung securely at my back. I had more than a passing familiarity with the blades but I still felt anxious whenever the lady sent me out, even after the decade I had worked under her.

I still miss the days she thought I was just a powerless thief in need of constant protection and sent me out with a hunter, it’s always good to have a hunter watching your back out in the wild…

I finished my checks and patted the kid’s back.

“Let’s go Yowl. Try to keep the cage steady on the road.”

*

I looked at the large, jagged opening in the cliff face. It was a ways off the road, but it wasn’t all that far from a farming village.

I still can’t believe that another dungeon appeared in Lady Melinda’s territory. I mean, it was only a few years ago that Cal had to be put down. Now there’s this new one, and it’s even closer than Cal’s was…

It was great luck for the Lady. Dungeon’s were a great source of materials for mages and alchemists, and the monsters and challenges they created made for great training for warriors and hunters. I think Lady Melinda will be able to better manage a relationship with a dungeon this time as well, we all learned a lot from dealing with Cal.

I felt my eye’s turn to the covered birdcage. I couldn’t begin to understand what her relationship to Cal had been, but I knew they were close. Every time I made it to the end of the dungeon I always saw them together.

I shook my head, I couldn’t let some passing moment of sentiment cloud my judgment. Hell for all I knew the fairy would be happy to be with another dungeon, our offering her up could be a great boon for the fairy.

“So… Sir? Are we just supposed to leave it here, or…”

I sighed as I pulled my hook blade free, the kid probably couldn’t help it but the last two days with him were beginning to wear on me.

“Listen kid, it’ll be just like with that pack of felwolves. You stay behind, stick close, and try not to do anything stupid or threatening that would draw attention to yourself.”

I took a step into the cave, and the sound of stumbling behind me assured me that the kid was following behind. Moving forward and stepping carefully I kept my eyes open as they adjusted to the darkness of the cave. I didn’t want to light a torch because it could attract attention and would definitely limit my field of view.

Though judging from the lack of glowing stones and moss, that choice may be taken out of my hands…

I didn’t like this, I was saddled with a greenhorn while exploring a largely unknown and possibly dangerous dungeon all while escorting precious live cargo. I really missed the days when all Lady Melinda asked of me was to steal some magical knickknack from some noble or mage, at least then the dangers were well known and avoidable.

Stepping cautiously through a tunnel leading deeper into the cave I came to a new turn and let out a small sigh. Total darkness, it was pitch black after the fourth turn the tunnel took. Keeping my eyes forward and my hook blade up and ready I whispered back to the kid.

“Yowl, light the torch. And be careful not to drop the cage!”

I could hear the kid fumbling noisily behind me, I couldn’t help but wince.

Well if anything didn’t hear him tripping through before, the noise he’s making now will broadcast our presence loud and clear…

As light filled the tunnel and the crackle of flame came alive behind me I suppressed a sigh. The kid didn’t know better but that wouldn’t be much of a comfort if he ended up getting us both dead.

“Mich, Sir… Why not just magic up a light?”

Wincing again at what must be the loudest whisper in Eden I turned to give the kid a quick glare before facing forward again. I hissed an answer at the kid before heading deeper in.

“Kid, how do you think magic works? Do you think just because someone works under a mage they can go slinging spells and such? Think just being around a mage lets magic rub off on you? No, magic is in the blood. You’re born with it or you ain’t, it’s that simple…”

I heard a short gasp behind me, but I ignored it. It was better for the kid to find out early on, before he can get his hopes up to high. I could still recall when I had similar hopes myself, they had lasted for the whole first year I had worked under Lady Melinda.

We made our way through the dark tunnel only to find another empty cave, this one darker and with more stone cones hanging from the ceiling and sticking up from the floor. I scoped the corners of the room as best I could and still found nothing.

I don’t like this… I know Lady Melinda said that it was empty, but… Maybe the dungeon was just born and hasn’t had time to create any monsters yet? I mean, that could be it, but I’ve never heard of a dungeon that can’t make any monsters no matter how young it is…

I shook my head, thinking about this would just distract me from what I was doing and split my focus. Besides I didn’t need to think about this sort of stuff, that was Lady Melinda’s privilege. I didn’t have nearly enough learning or experience in magic to try understanding dungeons, I just had to keep myself, the fairy, and the kid alive. In that order.

Well, that is until the delivery is made. Then the fairy is no longer my problem…

POV End

***

I opened my metaphorical eyes as I heard a clattering.

“Damn it kid! I told you to be careful with where you stepped!”

I heard a man’s angry voice hiss from the passage into my cavern, it was quiet but I still somehow heard it. I turned my full focus towards the passage and saw something strange. There was a light, or maybe brightness would be a better term, in the passage that was just out of view. It looked like it might be around a corner, but then again I didn’t know the shape of the passage so I couldn’t be sure.

“Sorry Sir, I didn’t see the rock…”

“Fine, is the cage alright? You didn’t bang it on anything did you?”

“I, Uh… No?”

I heard a deep sigh.

“Hah, hand me the birdcage kid.”

“But Sir, how will you be able to…”

“Hand me the damn cage now kid.”

“Yes Sir…”

I almost laughed at that, the two voices were the best entertainment I’d had in… Well I really didn’t know how long.

Six meditations? Maybe seven? Huh… I really should find a way to track the passage of time if I’m going to interact with people…

As I stared at the passage I saw a head duck out before quickly ducking out of view. I only had time to make out dark brown hair and swarthy skin before the man’s face had disappeared.

“Alright kid, I found the core. Now I’m just going to place the cage, and we’re going to calmly make our way back out to the surface…”

“Sir should we really open the cage like this, wont the lady’s fairy escape?”

“No longer our problem. Besides she’s a dungeon fairy, this is a dungeon, and the core is right there in clear view. I’m sure her instincts or whatever will take over and she’ll go do whatever it is dungeon fairies actually do with dungeons…”

A birdcage was placed in the passage where I could see it, and inside was a small human with glossy clear butterfly wings.

A Fairy? Yeah, that’s right. That’s a fairy. Wait why would they just leave a fairy here?

“Oh Great Dungeon, Lady Melinda hopes that you are pleased by her gift. We’ll now leave you in peace…”

I heard the gruff older voice call out before scrambling noises caught my attention.

“Damnit kid, what is wrong with you? It’s like you have the grace and coordination of a drunken ogre…”

The quite mutter was the last thing I heard from the two before something else grabbed my attention. Looking at the fairy that was sitting and staring at me with a strong gaze and a small smile I felt a strange tug from inside of me. It was like my instincts finally decided to kick in, and right now those newly found instincts were screaming at me that the fairy was important.

The fairy picked itself up and took a tentative step out of the cage. As its wings fluttered it wobbled forward on unsteady legs. Looking down with a frown the fairy shook its head before hopping into the air, as its wings fluttered furiously it began to hover closer until it was fully in the room. The fairy looked back at me with a sad looking smile.

“Hello young one. I imagine that right now you’re fairly scared and confused…”