“Not freedom yet, although close,” states Dawn, an edge of frustration to her voice.

The Ogre Cavern entrance opens into the huge cavern, where I first encountered the Ogre Army, although this section is littered with many sharp peaks, stalagmites on the stone cavern floor. The entrance to the Huge Cavern is within sight, sunlight streaming in, illuminating the interior, reflecting and bouncing beams of light off the stalactites.

“You need to look up also,” she says, as she points her furry arm towards the roof of the cavern.

The light fractures and reflects into multiple colours, minerals or gems in the stalactites responsible for the effect and the sight is amazing and captivating. Again, my bottom is assaulted. I spin to accuse, knitting my eyebrows and mouthing ‘why’.

“You can’t be so easily distracted. This world is harsh, and I thank you for rescuing me from this particular part of it.”

“You are welcome. This where we part ways?”

“Yes, I should reach the cavern entrance and then escape into the wilds. While an abandoned town is nearby, I will circle behind to avoid it and find the old road, which leaves from it. I am hopeful your continued efforts will distract the Ogre Lord to ensure my escape.” She shows her teeth again, a smile?

I grab for her paw or hand, and she initially withdraws it until I keep my hand out, waiting. We shake hands.

“It is a custom from my world. You are the first I’ve ever shaken hands with from any world and it means thank you, sometimes friendship and if we are particularly close trust.” Lowering my height by bending my knees I join my left hand to my right to shake her paw with both.

“Yes, at least friendship, I agree.” She releases the handshake and shuffles away in haste, the diminishing sight unusual as her lower body lumbers along. She leaves my view as multiple stalagmites conspire to block my line of sight.

Time for me to return to my Master. A soil hardened path leads away from the Ogre Cavern entrance and the Huge Cavern entrance; it is my path. I clear the stalagmites field, which reveals the open battleground field where I initially encountered the Ogre Lord’s army. Sensing the familiar I sprint across this open cavern floor and halfway across I am gripped by a loss of belonging, which is being quenched with each step forward. I am drawn to the entrance of the Dungeon, the place I belong, the place where I am owned. I acknowledge the oneness and the urge to return.

The rock field surrounding the Dungeon Door is cleared in a semi-circle radiating out from the doorway. As I cross the ‘line’ of the semi-circle I sense him, a moment later I am aware he senses me, although he doesn’t acknowledge me. What does this mean? Regardless I must march forward, I must return and enter the Dungeon. I am commanded by an invisible impulse, this sole purpose dominates my thoughts, motivates me ever forward.

The Dungeon Door is solidly constructed, hardwood, with metal straps across it in several places.

“Master permit my entry. I return to you with the Ogre Lord in pursuit.” I slap the door with an open hand, my frustration showing. As my hand touches the door a shiver of home and belonging travels to my heart. My body is drawn, and I am rewarded with bliss as more of my body contacts this door, the door to my home.

“Master?”

I sense our link stirring, he knows I am here, how can he not.

“Master, I completed your mission the Ogre Lord will arrive shortly.” Wetness gathers around my eyes, while my heart, aches. The ache isn’t a wound, it is different, a deeper hurt, betrayal?

A fist-sized stone lobs from above and rolls down my back. I need to step back from the door to investigate. The door is my comfort, my familiar contact with home and my Master. The single place I can find the warmth I crave. Another fist-sized stone grazes my back.

With effort, I push away from the door, a sharp snap using the muscles in my arms. I stumble backwards and dead drop onto my buttocks as nothing physical restrained me to the door, simply feelings and a need to belong.

“Oh, Great One, please don’t eat me I only try to gain your attention.”

My kobold acquaintance! As I scan upwards, I observe her leathery features peaking over the edge of the ‘roof’ above the Dungeon Door. My lack of response emboldens her to continue.

“I waited for your return Great One. You spared my life, my tribe is lost, and I am alone,” she whimpered, her head bobbing, eyes downcast.

“The Ogre Lord will arrive shortly. I would advise you to hide elsewhere and find another to seek protection from.”

“I prepare cave here oh Great One, I will wait for you here,” she sniffed.

“My Master refuses entry and I can’t slay the Ogre Lord and his minions as my Master wishes them to be slain inside the Dungeon. I am confused now. I will be destroyed if I can’t defend myself.”

“Join me oh Great One.” She lowers her head past the edge of the stone Dungeon lip. “If you wish Great One.”

I continue to stare at her, undecided, in a state of disbelief.

“I enlarged the cave to allow you hide, erm no … see what happens when Ogre Lord arrives no danger. Yes, no danger, Great One.”

I climb hand over hand, positioning my feet, crawling over the rocks adjacent to the carved stone outline of the Dungeon proper, the feeling of separation upon me I fight. Relieved as my kobold friend has cleared the floor of her improvised cave of any rocks, which allows me to lay on my back and the full bodily contact on the stone roof of his Rock Room satisfies my urge to belong and resist the desperation to enter.

The cave is constructed away from the avalanche and behind a curtain of larger rocks. Anyone investigating would need to be on the roof of the Dungeon to locate her makeshift kobold cave. Beneath me I imagine is either the back half of the Rock Room or the hallway leading away from the Rock Room.

As I settle and calm, I question, is this my existence now?

“Great One, a visitor.”

With effort, the separation from the Dungeon tests me, I raise my head slightly and recognise the female kobold from the Captive Cave.

“Great One, we thank you for our freedom. Since we can’t return to our cavern, we would ask you to lead us to a new cavern as the wrath of the Ogre Lord will be cruel and bloody.”

How did I inherit responsibility for a tribe of kobolds? I am lost myself and my Master refuses to acknowledge me, yet I am close to doing his bidding.

“Great One?” My delay in replying worries her and I don’t blame her as I can’t form an answer while considering my latest burden.

Hushed whispers and urgent footsteps call me back. Scurrying feet, their noise fading away a sign my guests fear new arrivals.

“Great One the Ogre Lord approaches, we must hide.”

“Can you reach your escape tunnel?”

“Yes, yes we will await your will there, Jut will find us.”

She flashes from my view, shortly replaced by Jut?

“Your name is Jut?”

“Yes, Great One, I am honoured you call me by name,” she grinds her teeth nervously, “we must quiet now as Ogre Lord comes.”

I nod my head and lower it to the comforting stone of the Dungeon. I attempt to roll my body on its side and my will is ignored. I stare at the message being displayed, reading it twice and not comprehending.

--- Azizos POV

I stare at her status and the timer, thirty-two minutes. I wait of course and her contact with my Dungeon stops the timer. My attempt to force her to respawn is thwarted. She gave me false hope when she pushed off from the door until her pet Kobold called to her. Busy for a short weak female creature, I could discern her lifeforce although unable to stop her. The Xorn could reach her, although my control of him outside of the Dungeon required my total concentration and I preferred to devour rocks and gather mana.

I sense more Kobolds pace about her location and then leave in a hurry. What spooked them, possibly an Ogre Lord is arriving! I relent.

“Why are you laying there?”

“Master! Master! I am glad, you speak!” I sense her joy and relief.

I cannot resolve the devotion with the strangeness of my new minion, at times she displays boundless loyalty and other times excessive defiance. A male would make more sense I lament.

“What are you doing?”

“Master? Did you not sense me at your door?”

“Stupid female, you needed to stay to pass the test, not hide like a coward!”

“I will go now … if the Ogre Lord appears, will I kill him outside your Dungeon?”

“You believe you can, don’t you?”

“Yes Master, I possess Nehal’s skill with a scimitar and my skin has hardened once again and although he is strong, he is flesh and blood and they will not surprise me with rocks this time.”

Perhaps I can order her to fight the Ogre Lord outside and therefore delay her until respawn. This would mean a huge loss of mana. She could stand in front of my Dungeon Door, and they could follow her in? Would they?

“Master, would you accept a kobold tribe to inhabit within you? They require a new cave as I won them freedom from the Ogre Lord.”

“No, they would drain mana,” I reply with disgust due to the suggestion and the interruption to my thoughts.

“No Master they wouldn’t. When away from you I ate and drank as you couldn’t feed my life force outside your Dungeon. They were the food providers for the Ogres and Orcs, they could sustain themselves and they would protect you I am sure, at no mana cost.”

I am silent. I am awoken from my stupor when the Ogre Lord and his minions bash upon my Dungeon Door. To my surprise the wood splinters under their blows! Since they are keen to enter, I open my Dungeon Door. They are Invaders, not Questors, I must always be aware of the difference.

The Ogre Lord, his ogre bodyguards, ogre minions and orc minions charge through. I continue to open doors until the Invaders are deep inside Zone two. Success! Then I slam the Dungeon Door shut. Pain, I vividly remember this pain and stop my will.

“Enter and slay the Ogre Lord, now!” I try to hide my panic, the Ogre Lord and his minions are being held back by a room door, although they attack the stone door with hammers. Beyond the door they assault, one more door stands before they can run rampant! When she kills them, I will collect their mana and I will make repairs. I will survive.

“Master I cannot sit up, I can’t move. I’ve failed you.” I check her status and the timer reads thirty minutes.

{Warning: Living Construct Status malfunction, timer countdown suspended due to Dungeon Contact, timer expiry suspended due to Dungeon Contact. Logic condition loop, Living Construct incapacitated until resolved.}

My link is severed. Is she a block of stone now? I race through my menus while checking the condition of the room door the Ogres are destroying.

Greyed out, every menu item greyed out, my control is lost. I recollect one more option.

I ask the System for Living Construct Evolutions.

{Hominine Essence L5+, Avine Essence L5+

Evolution Available: Harpy

Mana: 500

The mana cost is minor considering my recent mana accumulation from the rocks. I will the System, evolve her.

{Due to Evolution Request Please set Parameters:}

At each question I set the preferred parameter, I am in haste, I can’t determine how long the evolution will take.

{Lock Dungeon Dominate Automatically when 100%? Enabled.}

{Automatically Evolve Living Construct when conditions are met? Disabled.}

{Set Dungeon Roaming Range (Unrestricted/Proximity/Dungeon/Zone/Room): Proximity.}

{Harvest Living Construct Kills automatically. Convert to Mana? Enabled.}

{Gift Living Construct Skills? Disabled.}

{Evolution commencing ...}

It isn’t instant! I am doomed! I wish I could strangle her!

{Dungeon Dominate Living Construct threshold 60% met, Dungeon Core Feature unlocked: Contract Offer – Intruders.}

The system explains Contract Offer – Intruders I will quickly, excitement overtaking desperation.

{Contract Offer – Intruders: Dungeon Core can offer to recruit Intruders as minions of the Dungeon, they will be loyal to the Dungeon Core, mana cost dependant on capability of Intruder, Dungeon can sustain at mana cost or they can sustain themselves.}

I ask the System for Locked Dungeon Core Features …

Character Sheet: Aphrodite Name: Aphrodite Culture: Greek Mythos Race: Harpy Superior Spirit: Human Body: Living Basalt Soul: Dungeon Dominate Sentient Dominate: 17% Monster Dominate: 26% Dungeon Dominate: 62% 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 Ogre Gifts: Regeneration Prolific Fertility Shadow Hide Silent Step Spear: Level 2 Halberd: Level 1 Bow: Level 2 Sword: Level 15