Alistair looked at the red haired farmer boy and for a moment couldn’t really wrap his mind around what the boy was. After all the Spell Construct of Monster Summoning was a ball of flame. He wasn’t some red haired freckled boy that had dirt on his feet. “Spell Construct, what is going on here? And where is here exactly?”

The red haired boy’s faced wrinkled about the nose and brow as it/he thought on the question. It was becoming harder and harder for Alistair not to think of his construct as some type of person. The boy used his left toe nails to scratch his right foot and then spoke. “Well, you died from the fight. As such, when a normal soul loses its body it goes to the Gods and Goddesses for judgement. You, however, are a Dungeon Demon. Since you have a set lifetime requirement that must be fulfilled prior to judgement, the Gods and Goddesses created pocket dimensions in Summoning Circles. Ya’ see even Mana Monsters who occasionally have trapped souls in them have to have a place to go when they die, so they all come here!” The boy said as he moved his hands around the stone room.

Alistair had to admit that the boy… spell construct was remarkably smarter than previously. “Bo…. Spell Construct, you seemed smarter somehow… how is this possible?” Alistair moved closer to the Spell Construct feeling like something was amiss with all this talk about Gods and Goddesses.

The boy looked down at his feet, while his face became beet red. “Well Lord Alistair, you have been floating in the Aether for about 3 days now. Normally, I am supposed to tend Mana Monsters while waiting for you to come back, but since the dungeon only has the wild Mana Monster roaming around, there wasn’t anything to do. So…” the boy started rubbing his hands together looking guiltier every moment. “I went into those other rooms. Most of the items and tools I didn’t touch, but the one with the books held my interest a whole bunch. I know I am not supposed to go in other rooms and I am to keep to my farm or the main room here, but I was bored Lord Alistair!”

Even though Alistair was a little disturbed by the idea of being dead and nowhere for three days he couldn’t help but laughed at the thought of spell construct being bored and heading into the other rooms. Perhaps he just didn’t want to believe that he could now come back from the dead or that he was stuck with his bad decisions, but at least this place acted as a distraction. Actually, why were there any rooms at all? If this was a pocket dimension just for his soul to go to when he died, why any of this? “Spell Construct can you give me a tour and perhaps explain all of this to me?”

The boy’s face seemed to lighten up in glee as he realized he wasn’t going to be in trouble. “Of course Lord Alistair. Well, that bed over there is a line that tethers your soul to your dungeon; that way if you die again you can always find your way back. Yeah see this great big stone basin in the middle of the room! Well that is Summoning Circles Mana Storage. Come on over and let me show you.” Alistair was taken aback by what the boy was telling him. It seemed that everything in the pocket dimension represented something in the dungeon, or part of his original spells. He walked over to the basin and saw that it was a third of the way full. Then a small drip from the ceiling coming down and scattered the water in waves. From the way colors spread across the surface, Alistair thought it was almost like a drop of oil, and yet the water began to settle down and clear once more.

As Alistair was about to ask his spell construct a question about the colors, a flash of red caught his eye. It was almost like a three inch long glowing red hair floating on the water. Alistair slowly cupped his hands and scooped up the water. The water seemed to soak into Alistair making him feel like a wave of power had coursed through his soul. It was then that he realized that his soul had absorbed the mana in the basin, all except the small red glowing hair. “And what’s this boy?”

The boy giggled and spoke, “That is a defined thread of fire mana. It seems that every now and again the Summoning Circle gets one. As such I have been putting them in the Spell Construction Room. Would you like to go there?”

Alistair nodded and followed the boy to the first door on his left. When the boy opened the door Alistair was greeted by a sight that seemed familiar yet different. He was coming from a hand worked stone room into a wood hut that had branches lashed together and buried for walls. Light from the sun seemed to leak through the walls as the straw roof smelled slightly of mold. Eight hand baskets were arranged to the left. Bundles of red fibers where in the first basket, while brown was in the second, and the rest of the baskets were empty. The red fibers seemed to have been accumulating into several large handfuls waiting for something to be done. While the brown fibers were nothing more than half a fist worth of fibers. As Alistair walked over to the basket with the red fibers, he saw Carding Brushes, a Spinning Wheel, Needles and Pattern frames. Something in Alistair’s mind tugged at him as he set the red hair like fiber down in the basket. As soon as it hit the basket, the fiber transformed into a thick tangled bundle. The boy went up to him and smiled, “Yeap that happens to me all the time too. Anyway, this is the Spell Construction area. Don’t know a lot about these tools, but if you look over by the wall you came through you can see the two spells you know.”

Alistair was taken back as he turned around. Two large masterwork tapestries were hanging in the crude hut. The one to the left showed a golden circle with arcane writing in the center; from it sprung from mana monsters, a city, and even Demons. The one to the right showed an exotic and chaotic pattern in the center and around it were many people dressed in different jobs. He even saw the boy with a hay fork and bucket in his hands. Colored threads flashed and Alistair knew that it was made of mana. The boy simply shrugged and headed back out. Alistair followed him into the next room, which turned out to be a large field with a shed. The sky appeared to be gray and the field was surrounded by a dark and thick forest. The boys smile spread across his face as he turned around showing off his room. “This is my room Lord Alistair. It’s here that I capture mana monsters from the forest, grow foods to help with their evolutions, and with enough mana I can even give monsters different attacks and defenses by putting different harnesses and collars on them! Come on over to my shed!” Alistair headed over to the boy’s shed and listened as he picked up each tool and gave his Lord a brief description of what it did. When he was done, the boy dragged Alistair over to the animal paddock to see the mana monsters that he had captured, and sure enough the Fire Wisp, Fire Beetle, Fire Salamander, and Hell Animal were on display.

When asked about the Elemental, the boy simply said, “Well sense we lost the fight, we can’t get it unless we kill it with some of our monsters or until the surrounding Aether makes another one.” To Alistair, he was disappointed by the news. He had failed at killing the elemental and wanted another chance at fighting it. The fight had kept replaying in his mind about what he should have done or possible weapons or spells that he needed to research. As Alistair asked about researching weapons to help him out, the boy took him to the next door. Inside the door it looked like a side room to a great library as a small shelf of books; a scribe’s desk with paper, quills and ink; and a small chest were in the room. Inside of it was a single copper dungeon coin. Apparently, the chest represented the loot that Alistair could attach to his monsters. The boy explained that all Demons were given one copper dungeon coin for their loot table and that the General Help spell construct was supposed to research new loot and more coins. Smiling Alistair thought of the funny look on Adventurers faces as the only loot he could have attached to the Elementals was one Copper Dungeon Coin. Apparently there had be some kind of research into coins or trade before he could multiple numbers of coins to a monster.

Lastly the boy led him to a room that looked like a carpentry shop. Saws, chisels, vises, nails, lumber, and a thousand other tools were neatly in place on a rack. This was a Rune Research shop, and as Alistair walked around the room he wondered what carpentry had to do with Rune Research. Still, Alistair watched the boy go around the shop exploring. Part of him felt the stirrings of a memory, where at the age of six he sat at his mother’s feet using the carding tools; while she sang and worked the spinning wheel. Alistair smiled, his mother had been a weaver, and even though the memory of her face was lost to him forever, he did have her voice in his head, and for that moment it was enough. The boy had stopped talking for a moment as the look on Lord Alistair’s face surprised him. It was a type of smile that he had never seen on the demon or human’s face in the short time the Spell Construct knew him.

Alistair looked at the boy and spoke, “You know, I have been thinking. I seems so strange to keep calling you Spell Construct or Boy. You look like a Callum to me, what about it? Are you a Callum?” As the boy smiled as Prompt came into being.

Secret Quest UnlockedA Mind is a terrible thing to Waste! (I)When the first Dungeon Demons came into being they needed help to develop their magic and take control of the dungeon they were supposed to build. So the Goddess of Knowledge, Ailnee, and the God of Magic, Prothus, developed the Spell Companion spell. Most Demons brutally change Aspects faster than most people change clothes. You currently have had an active aspect for several days and have given it a name. Spend the next several hours with your aspect teaching or experimenting in a room that isn’t the aspect's main room.Rewards:Experience Points and bonus depending on room chosen and effort appliedAccept Quest?YesNo

As Alistair pressed Yes as Callum spoke, “Thank you, My Lord Alistair. I won’t forget this and I will work to the best of my ability for you.” Alistair remembered hundreds of pledges given to him by Adventurers after he paid for their services or pressed them into an Adventure as Thorian. However, this time Alistair felt something new, a sense of humbleness and perhaps a bit of unworthiness. As Thorian he had always assumed the right to command and to lead. However, after his first failure of capturing a Mana Monster and little or no actual knowledge of being a Dungeon Demon, Callum honestly chose to follow Alistair. Of course, this all could be part of the Quest or Spell, but a small spark of hope was in Alistair held the belief that maybe it was because he was starting to treat Callum as a real person.

Smiling, Alistair spoke, “Come Callum, there are some tools in the Spell Construction room I am familiar with.” Callum and Alistair went over to the Spell Construction Room and found a pair of wooden stools that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Grabbing them he placed them near the tangled baskets of fire mana threads and earth mana threads. He picked up two Carding Brushes, as Alistair looked at them they had the standard wooden handles and curved brush pads. Yet the seemed to have the tiniest nails that he had ever heard of placed in such thin rows that he knew no blacksmith made these. Still the purpose of the brushes were clear and Alistair reached into the fire mana tangle and pulled out a bunch of fibers the size of half his fist and placed it on the brush. Alistair spoke, “There isn’t a lot of my previous life I remember unless you count killing Mana Monsters. For some reason it feels like that was the only thing I put importance on.” Alistair started pulling the brushes against one another moving the tangle of Mana fiber further down into each brush. “I get this vague memory as I do this. Like I have done this hundreds of times sitting on the floor by a woman’s dress. I can’t really remember who she is or even her face. What I do remember is black hair so shiny that in the light it was almost blue and singing. There isn’t a particular song or even a memory of her voice, but I as I am sitting here carding these mana fibers I get the sense that with her singing I felt safe and loved.”

Callum’s eyes had been on the brushes the whole and with the long pause Alistair wondered if he even had heard him talk. As Alistair pulled against the brushes, he felt a small tangle give way and remembered a childhood laugh of glee. Something about this had brought him great joy before all the battling in his previous life. “Perhaps she was your mother?” Said Callum still watching the brushes. “I wish I knew what a mother and father were like. I just appeared with all my knowledge when you summoned me, and yet every day brings something new and exciting. What was it like having a mother and father?”

Alistair stopped for a moment and tried to recall. Callum looked up at his face, watching him as Alistair tried to form an answer. “Well, beside what I told you about the woman that could be my mother, I don’t remember much else. As far as my father goes, I get feelings like wanting to make him proud or intense pressure to pick up a sword and practice. It’s a bit of a jumble, and I can’t even remember their faces… but what I do remember is Carding. Now when you place a mana thread into basket we saw that it came out as a tangled mess of fibers. I remember that you want to put a little bit of the fibers on the Carding brushes and briefly pull them across each other in short bursts. This helps to push the fibers down into the brush and then once they are good and stuck in the brushes we start long strokes. These long strokes began to pull the fibers apart and arrange them in the rows of the brush. Why don’t you see if you can’t find a second pair of brushes and work with me?”

Callum went off in search of another pair of brushes. As he rummaged through the small hut, Alistair continued with the brushing motion as there were more tangles to break up. Once Callum found a second pair of brushes, he sat back down and began to work on Carding the Fire Mana just like Alistair had done. For the next thirty minutes, they worked with little conversation. Alistair watched young Callum and either nodded his approval of the boys technique or gave him a suggestion now and again. It felt strange to Alistair at first giving advice and as the boys frustration rose with each suggestion he decided to try a different tactic.

“Tell me Callum, when my body regenerates we will have a wild mana monster loose in the dungeon. What should we do about it?” Alistair watched as the boy struggled against a particular hard knot in the brush.

“Well my Lord Alistair, truthfully the Summoning Circle will protect us against all Mana Monsters, wild or not. I suppose that we should try and summon the Fire Wisp, but I am not sure how you are going to win against it. You see the Fire Wisp is made of pure flame. So swiping your claws back and forth won’t do any damage. If you had a spell, you could damage it. Heck even a high powered Fire spell would burn out the Fire Wisp, but you haven’t gotten anything like that.”

Callum pause of a moment as he finally pulled out the knot of fiber in the brushes and smiled looking up at Alistair. Alistair smiled back and nodded his approval. Callum returned to work and talking, “Anyway I am sure you can kill the Fire Beetle. Sure it has a breathe weapon, but with your speed and claws you can puncture its hide. The problem is the Fire Lichen, normally it grows in the plain of Fire and survives off refined Fire mana like the wisps can produce. If we had Wisps, I am sure that the Fire Lichen would spawn in the dungeon and then we could get the Fire Beetle. I suppose there is nothing to it but to battle the salamander and hope we win. It’s just… the salamander is very quick and its tail slap can be very dangerous if you are not ready. Not to mention, even if we are able to kill it, we will have to spend a great deal of mana to get a large enough swarm to kill the elemental and without the Wisps feeding us more mana we are stuck. Maybe you should dismiss me, I am just not very good right now.” Callum said in a depressed voice.

Looking at Callum, Alistair put his brushes down and spoke. “Callum, we are in the Spell construction room doing the work of that Aspect. Perhaps we can figure something out, but if we can’t then we can’t. What you suggested isn’t bad, if we can’t figure out a way or create a spell to kill the Wisp. Then you and me will go over what the salamander can do and I will fight him. After preparing for the fight if I still don’t win, then we come back here and figure out how to create a spell. Just because there is no immediate answer doesn’t mean we give up. It’s just this time around, we are going to have a plan ahead of time.” Alistair winked at Callum, and Callum laughed at the simple advice. Perhaps it was the laugh or doing a simple chore or maybe it was the first time that Alistair felt like there was a path forward, but he finally felt happiness in this lifetime.

Time rolled on, and Alistair and Callum both discussed possible experiments for creating a new spell to help Alistair in his fight with the wisp. It seemed that needle point switching was used to create spells and one had to have a pattern in mind prior to starting. Otherwise a random switch would undo the bound mana and make it dissolve into air. When the brushes shown straight glossy fibers, Alistair showed Callum how to roll it into a large straight bundle to be put on the spinning wheel. Sadly, Alistair had no idea how to thread the wheel or even how to operate it once threaded. But as the last bit of fiber was straighten a prompt came up notifying Alistair that he had completed his quest.

Quest Complete!A Mind is a terrible thing to Waste! (I)Talking with Callum and showing him the basics of refining mana has increased his knowledge of Spell Construction by 10%. As a reward for your dedication to your companion, another 30% has been given to him in the area of Spell Construction. He may now use the tools: Spinning Wheel and Skeinwinder. Additionally, you have been rewarded 100 experience points for dedication to the construct and the Spell: +1 Damage. Unlike mages, a Dungeon Demon can only learn spells that can be enchanted onto items of their loot table. If you would like the spell to become permanent please select a creature and add an enchanted weapon to their loot table.A Mind is a terrible thing to Waste! (II)Callum has gained knowledge in a second aspect, as such it would be a horrible thing to dismiss him and waste that hard won knowledge. Keep Callum around until he gains 100% knowledge in Spell Construction.Accept Quest?YesNo

As Alistair pressed Yes, and then felt his presence being tugged upon. Looking up Callum, the boy said something, but no sound came out as Alistair gained tunnel vision and felt his soul being pushed into his body. Alistair woke up feeling stiff and sore. Looking around he no longer saw the rough weaver’s hut that he had been in, but the Magma Pools of his dungeon. As Alistair scanned his domain out in the middle of the largest pool sat the Insignificant Magma Elemental drawing Magma up into itself.

No new chapter will be coming out tomorrow. As I will be spending the day to clean up the grammar of the prologue and chapter sections.