--- Azizos POV

I calculate my servant must die five more times to be mine. I will need to be cautious as the System hints at her potential, in theory growing until becoming a being of exceptional assistance to a Dungeon. Yet there is a risk, she will diminish the more she reverts and becomes a typical minion. The Invaders provide a healthy source of mana without the risk of the Quest being fulfilled. Am I missing an opportunity?

The rock room is packed full of creatures, busy removing the rocks handing them off to a creature beside them in two lines leading to the cavern. I recognise the kobolds and I am familiar with the orcs. I am aware of the ogre warrior; one is standing to either side of a more powerful … I need to brush his mind. He senses me, swiping with his hand, swatting an imaginary bug and grunting. Ogre warrior elite! For Nehal I chose Ogre Shaman instead, a decision I don’t regret, although interested in exploring the other possibilities, except the monster isn’t of my creation, which denies me.

Instead, I focus on the mana from such a being, a feast, he must die within me. How to trap him?

I examine the construct at the rock room’s doorway to the cavern. The wooden roof blocks further rocks. The supports in the doorway consist of a bundle of spear shafts lashed together with leather bindings. Out from each of these two supports another bundle of spears, the far end of each resting on what seems to be a pile of rocks. This is difficult for me to confirm as I can’t sense far beyond my dungeon entrance. The wooden roof consists of bundles of three or four spears lined up and tied against each other.

I test the spear supports, I target a splinter and I successfully absorb a minute portion of mana for my efforts. I picture myself doubled up in a raucous belly laugh as a plan develops within me. I absorb the spear support in contact with my doorway, the roof falls and redirects the rocks upon it inside the rock room. Immediate deaths I absorb to keep the way clear. To encourage this rockfall I grow the outside roof of the rock room, thicker at one end to funnel the mountain of rock and dirt above to feed the avalanche I started.

The wooden roof redirects the rocks and dirt into the rock room as planned and then stops. I cannot determine what has gone wrong as I can’t sense outside the rock room at all, my control and ownership slipping as more rocks fill the room. I am relieved to discover I still own the room enough to claim the dead within it. For now, the dead are kobolds and orcs with no immediate escape for others. I urge my living construct to attack before they can.

--- Aphrodite POV

I retreat to the hallway and spear the onrush of kobolds as they leap from the rocks. My master absorbs the dead I gift him leaving their weapons.

{Dragon Essence absorbed. + 5.0%}

I automatically swipe away the messages and will them not to display again. I kill another of the pesky creatures mid-leap and am satisfied when the message doesn’t display. The momentary distraction allows them to swarm me. Two of them grasp onto a leg each with one hand while the other hand grips a dagger slashing my leg. Two face me slashing with spears. One clings onto my left arm while slashing my breast with a dagger. One is climbing up my back, the scales on his tail rasping against the flesh of my inner thigh, searching.

Enraged I flatten my body against the wall of the hallway, fling the one on my arm at the procession of kobolds leaping from the rock pile, to try to trip and disrupt them. In turn, I shake off the kobolds around my legs sending them into the pile of scrambling kobold bodies at the entrance to the hallway. Their shouts and squeals of pain are a welcome chorus. Throughout this my body is scratched and pierced, with no bleeding wounds, although annoying and delivering irritating pricks of pain.

I step back down the hallway reaching for my halberd, the hallway will allow me to swing its blade from one side to the other in a satisfying cleaving motion, my strength allowing a figure eight of steel to greet my attackers. The kobolds untangle themselves and present a line of spear points, three wide and a second rank with more reserves joining them.

Advancing I cleave through the first rank, starting at the head of the first kobold the downward slash continues through the neck and shoulder of the second and ends by slicing the arm and chest of the third. I step back to clear the halberd blade from the chest of the third kobold. My master absorbs their bodies as their blood paints the cold stone floor of the hallway.

The former second rank now promoted to the first rank of the kobolds glances at each other and retreat a step and immediately falls into the crowd of reinforcements behind them. I read the fear in their eyes and celebrate their decision.

Mid celebration a rumble echoes from the rock room, which causes the kobolds present to stop struggling to their feet. Several rocks from the rock room are pushed into the hallway causing the kobolds to shout and scream in pain. They scramble with urgency to escape. Then I realise the dust cloud enveloping them is slowly expanding down the hallway toward me. I retreat before it until my back is up against the master’s new stone door. I reach for the handle, and it doesn’t budge. My body below my neck is covered in dust as are the kobolds.

I march forward, halberd at the ready, accepting I will need to breathe in some settling dust.

Their eyes open wide, their scales now covered in dust providing me with a perfect target. I thrust the halberd rapidly at each set of eyes before most can recover and those who manage to, feebly try to stab me. Panic-stricken they invariably miss.

I tread cautiously over the tumble of rocks in the hallway. As I approach the rock room doorway the rock pile is higher, and I decide to continue to step upon them instead of crawling or climbing. My progress is slow, yet my weapon is ready. I manage to finish off four kobolds trapped by the rocks, delivering them an undeserved quick death.

The rocks in the rock room reach to the ceiling, although not naturally as I hear, and witness rocks being thrown in my direction crashing in place. I climb forward carefully and manage to glimpse over the rocky barricade. Another avalanche has occurred, and rocks tumbled back into the rock room their leader grunting orders to the survivors.

“Attack them, destroy them while they are trapped!”

“Master I cannot reach them they pile rocks in my way.” I will in response.

“Clear the rocks before they escape, now!”

“Can’t you absorb them? Or some of them?”

“No, otherwise I would've by now, you foolish minion!”

He absorbs everything else within his dungeon what stops him from absorbing the rocks? What is special about these rocks? I commence doing my master’s bidding and clear the rocks, throwing them in the hallway, trying to throw them to one side leaving a path in case I must retreat. I don’t clear the rocks to the floor, I clear enough to allow me to waddle over them on my haunches.

Staring into its pitiful eyes I hesitate. The kobold is trapped, not badly injured and trying to hide, paying more attention to the hailstorm of rocks being thrown instead of me. As I clear the rocks away, I realise the kobold is 'a she', not armed, carrying food and water, which she immediately offers to me when one of her arms are freed. I slump back on my bottom, unwrap the food carefully and sniff it. It is a paste of insects and mushrooms, how I identify this food is a mystery. I taste it and immediately I am aware I am hungry. Then snatching at the water, I gulp it down. A whimpering sound causes me to pause, and I stop handing the water skin back to the kobold who drinks the rest.

I then hand her back some paste and observe her eat, the lower half of her body still trapped by rocks, her will to live still strong enough to want to eat. I forgive her, her entire tribe but slaves to a larger being. While considering ownership I conclude the rocks don’t belong to my master, indeed they invaded my master. So, the kills I claim are mine and I need food and water to sustain me.

{Experience Human Emotions Love/Hate, Joy/Sadness, Happiness/Sorrow, Trust/Betrayal and Revenge/Forgiveness +5% Sentient Dominate.

Penalty -1% Sentient Dominate for using Monster Dominate Ability.}

Sentient Dominate! I celebrate the acquisition, although more importantly the discovery of how. Exploring feelings and emotions, following my passion. Wondering about and conversing with creatures I encounter to explore their feelings and emotions and then pontificate upon them, to comprehend them.

Monster Dominate Ability? Oh, I did gobble down the liver of the orc I suppose. I guess that is bad monstrous behaviour! What was that thought? Humour? Callousness? Have I changed, perhaps slightly or perhaps by four percent?

Before I free my new acquaintance, I need to earn another penalty. I search back through the rocks and dig out the kobold bodies, thankfully the four are male and I can at least assume warriors. I am not sure why that fact is important perhaps four percent has an unknown, humanitarian influence. I throw them one after another into the hallway, where my master can absorb them and before the last is thrown, I consume its liver and immediately the pain in my head returns, worse than the first time. Before I am unconscious, I suspect four percent worse and manage a grimace.

--- Azizos POV

What happened? Can’t a servant accomplish what is required? Frustrated and disappointed the mana stopped from the kobolds as it started to accumulate usefully, perhaps she is battling the ogres I conjecture? The rocks are masking my view of the rock room and I would need to expend mana to force my presence into it to discover the facts. My mana is mine and I am sure she will either win and I will acquire an ogre warrior worth of mana to absorb, or she will lose, and I will decide if an insubordinate and incompetent servant is to be respawned.

Instead, I examine one of the rocks in the hallway. Regardless of the large number my ownership of the hallway is clear and complete. Are they too far away from their owner or are they too scattered to claim ownership or both reasons? I expend a drop of mana to force my possession and ownership over one of the rocks and discover it radiates unfamiliar energy, not a lifeforce, which explains why I cannot absorb them and explains why their presence in numbers when packed together would contest my ownership.

I withdraw my presence. The rock ‘rocks’ slightly. I send my presence back, requiring no expenditure of mana.

My experiment is interrupted as four more kobolds hit the stone hallway floor; I greedily absorb three. The fourth lands on my rock and I sense its energy grow, siphoning mana from the kobold utilising the mana I supplied to claim it as a conduit to do so. The process is slow. I add more of my mana to the rock. The kobold vanishes as it would if I absorbed it.

The rock’s energy is revealed. Elemental, to be exact Earth Elemental. I withdraw my presence and consider my options. I decide to ‘kill’ the rock now it is mine gaining a tiny portion of mana overall.

{Affinity for Earth Elemental gained. UNLOCK Rare Monster Minor Xorn added to Monster menu due to Earth Elemental Pattern absorbed.}

I check the mana cost of this rare monster and I conclude the system doesn’t recognise the rock room as part of my domain as the cost is ‘normal’. I create one in the hallway. I impart no instructions as I wait for the Xorn to reveal its natural habits.

While I wait, I infect another rock with my mana and then kill it and absorb it, gaining a tiny portion of mana overall. As I am about to choose another rock my creature comprehends my need, slavishly and meticulously devouring the rocks, including absorption of the dust. Now I consider it a perfect servant.

My joy is interrupted when my connection with her is returned.

Character Sheet: Aphrodite Name: Aphrodite Culture: Greek Mythos Race: Human Superior Spirit: Human Body: Living Basalt Soul: Dungeon Dominate Sentient Dominate: 14% Monster Dominate: 11% Dungeon Dominate: 58% Hominine Essence: Level 10 Avine Essence: Level 10 Dragon Essence: Level 0 Strength: 65 Grasp: 65 Toughness: 65 Constitution: 65 Vigour: 65 Endurance: 65 Dexterity: 65 Agility: 65 Quickness: 55 Wisdom: 75 Perception: 55 Mettle: 55 Intelligence: 50 Willpower: 20 Power: 20 Charisma: 20 Glamour: 50 Beauty: 100 Languages: Greek Kobold Orc Gifts: Regeneration Prolific Fertility Shadow Hide Silent Step Spear: Level 1 Halberd: Level 1 Bow: Level 1