Beware the Dungeon Master Chapter 2 (original chapter Chapter 56)

Titania clapped her hands happily. "Excellent! Now we had better get down to discussing your terms of employment and your pay."

I blinked. "You're actually going to pay me?"

"Of course. You are echo of the slayer of Zion." The Fairy Queen said matter-of-factly, "Even if it wasn't good business sense to treat our Dungeon Cores, the deeds that your original carried out would demand a lot of respect from us. Your original kept moving forward, never apologising for what she felt she had to do. Through pain and suffering, through hardship and sorrow, she kept moving forward and adapting to what life on your world threw at her. If there is one thing that is respected by all races on this world it is possessing determination and the will to follow through on it."

I was blushing at the praise that Titania was giving me. I mean, yeah, some of that was true, but…it wasn't as noble as she made it out to be. The original me adapted because there was no other choice but to adapt. She moved forwards because there was no other choice than to move forwards. It just…worked that way. Taylor Hebert wasn't weak of mind by any means.

"So then, to begin with…you will be in the personal employ of me, Titania the Fairy Queen of the Seelie Court, until Thomas Calvert is removed from his Dungeon and the being behind him is cast down. Also until the balance of Light and Darkness is more or less back to normal." The small woman started.

"That last one sounds a bit…vague." I noted.

"Can't be helped." Titania shrugged helplessly, "It depends on how long it takes to accomplish the first two and how much more damage is done in the meantime. That kind of throws any kind of set timetable out the window."

"Fair point." I conceded, "I agree to those terms. Next?"

"There isn't much point in paying you in gold." Titania informed me, "Although you will need some as reward money for your Dungeon, as well as some coppers and silvers. The majority of what I will pay you will be in weapons, armour and raw magic."

"Raw magic?" She was losing me again.

"I am not just a Queen, dear. I am a nigh-Goddess." Titania said with a soft smile, "I created the Seelie, just as Mab created the Unseelie and Oberon the forest people. Pure, unaligned magic is my might and right, although mine is slightly bent towards Light and Illusion, just as Mab's is bent towards Shadow and Air and Oberon's is directed towards Nature. You can generate magic in your Dungeon once you are set up, but you need some to start with to 'prime the pump' so to speak. Plus, having extra magic reserves can come in handy in a pinch and for experimentation."

I nodded uncertainly. "I still have no real idea what someone does as a Dungeon Core or why I'd need to experiment."

"Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, dear." The Fairy Queen informed me, "Even the insect monsters. Additionally, infusing a monster with magic allows you to alter their appearance, abilities and the like. What you get with the various combinations of magic can be rather diverse, so the best way to get what you want is to experiment with various monsters and magical combinations, which can be very taxing on your reserves."

"Animal experimentation?" I said uneasily, images of Nilbog's town of monstrosities flashing through my mind.

"Dear, while wild monsters can have varying levels of sapience and sentience, monsters created in a Dungeon have as much or as little of either as the creator wishes." Titania reassured me, "If all you want to create is a simple flesh puppet devoid of anything resembling the mind of a tick, you can do that. Then, once you have what you want, you can ramp up their intelligence and whatnot to whatever you want. Not that insect brains are exactly on the same level as Michelangelo to begin with, but…"

"I get it." I sighed, "OK, so I get the magic, but why the weapons and armour?"

"Loot." Titania explained, "We Fae, Elementals and Divine entities have a duty to maintain the balance of Light and Dark, and the best way to do that is via the Dungeons. The dungeons need the other races, humans, dwarves and the like to enter them in order for the system to work, so the best way to do that -to make them enter and risk their lives- is to lure them in with things we see as useless and they see as valuable; gold, silver, copper, enchanted items, weapons, armour, spell scrolls, that sort of thing. It's…ah, what's the phrase from your world? Quid Pro Quo? This for that? Something along those lines, anyway."

"Makes sense." I nodded. If anything, I knew how greedy my fellow humans could be for cash. Seriously, the slightest shine of gold or cash and the intelligence of most men and women went out the window.

With a wave of her hand, Titania summoned a long length of what she told me was vellum and every detail of the contract was written down in both English and an odd flowing script that Titania told me was the Fae language. She also made a quill appear from nowhere and signed it herself before handing me the quill. Honestly, I was reasonably certain she was on the level with me, but that didn't stop me for hesitating for a moment before signing my name.

"Welcome aboard." The Fairy Queen smiled, "Now, the process of crystallisation will take about five minutes and you have to be…well, 'unconscious' is the best descriptor for it. Or perhaps 'asleep' would work. The Fae, Divine and Elemental words for the state don't translate into English very well."

"Actually, that's something of a concern." I said with a frown, "I only speak English."

"As a Dungeon Core, you will be able to understand and speak any mortal language." Titania assured me, "And, with a bit of effort, you can learn Fae and Elemental as well. Divine is a bit beyond your ability to speak it, but you can learn to understand it."

"Oh. That's good." I remember being a bit envious of Alec being able to speak French, even if it was Quebecois French. From what I understood of it, it was very different to regular French.

"Good. Now, you'll sleep and then wake up in your new body. You won't be able to see or hear initially, but it shouldn't take me more than a couple of minutes to reach in and teach you how to use magic to see and hear." She informed me, "Nighty-night."

Everything went black.

When I came to, everything was black. I couldn't see, I couldn't hear…but I could feel. Just as Titania said, I was now an orb about the size of a largish grapefruit. No idea what colour I was though. I was sitting on something soft…like a cushion, perhaps? And there were a pair of small hands resting on my surface. Titania?

{Can you hear me?} a 'voice' 'said' into my mind.

Titania?

{Ah, good. Your mind's got quite the flair for connecting to another's mind. Not a surprise given you used to be a part of the Queen Administrator.} Titania said, {I'm going to transfer some basic knowledge on how to use magic to see, hear and speak to you. It will hurt like an ice cream headache, just so you know.}

Never had one of those before.

{It will hurt. A lot.}

OK then.

A second later…

Ow! Owowowowowowowowowowow! Shit, this fucking hurts!

{Sorry.} Titania apologised, {Bear with it for a moment…done.}

The pain receded and I mentally blinked it away. {Huh…that wasn't as bad as losing my arm.}

I paused. Had I just…?

{Yes, you did. Now try and see and hear.}

Trawling through the info dump that Titania gave me, I quickly pieced together how to see. How to hear was a bit more complicated, given that I had to parse soundwaves hitting the surface of my new body, but I managed it quickly enough.

{I think I have it.} I said after a moment, {Try speaking aloud.}

"Taylor?"

{I can hear you!} I exclaimed gleefully, {Now for sight…whoa!}

A picture of where I was snapped into sight immediately. I was in a round room about twice the size of a walk-in pantry, resting on a fluffy red cushion atop a plinth, with Titania hovering next to me. I…I was a rainbow-coloured crystal the size of a large grapefruit. And I looked gorgeous.

{Is…is that really me?} I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Taylor. The colour of a jewel indicates the strength of your will in your previous incarnation." Titania said with a beatific smile, "Only a handful of Rainbow-coloured Dungeon crystals have ever existed, with none in the past two centuries. This is highly auspicious. Even Coil is only a light red according to the rumours."

Making a mental note to discover exactly what the colour of a crystal indicated, I moved on, "So…where are we?"

"You are in the topmost tower of my castle on the Isle of Avalon." Titania informed me, "I was speaking to you via astral projection before, but the contract was real enough. The Royal Scribe is finishing copying it out as we speak."

{Oh. Good. Just keep Puck away from me and I'll be fine.} I answered dryly. I didn't want that mischief-maker using my as a baseball or something. I didn't know a jot of magic to protect me, so I was all but helpless at the moment.

"I'll try, but he's rather like the Scarlet Pimpernel; 'They Seek him here, they seek him there, they seek him every-bloody-where.'" The Fairy queen sighed in irritation, "Were it not for the fact he knows not to permanently harm any of my subjects or employees, he would have permanent residence in the gaol. Such a troublesome person…anyway, let us get you moving."

With a gesture, she levitated me off my pedestal, making me yelp in surprise. She led me down a spiral staircase and into a series of corridors and rooms that were partly made from granite and partly from trees. No, not wood, actual living trees. They were growing all over the place.

The throne room, when we reached it, was cool and leafy, despite being bigger than my original's childhood home. The tiny throne with a plinth next to it was obviously hers, with a larger throne one step down on the dais that was obviously Oberon's.

Lining the walls were fairies decked out in armour and wielding swords, spears and bows. A few had staves in their hands instead. These last ones were, I presumed, magic users…or at least fairies that specialise in using magic offensively and defensively.

Setting me down gently, Titania then set herself down on her throne. After arranging her robe, she clapped her hands and a crystal ball appeared in front of her throne.

"Now then…where is it…" she muttered, "Aha!"

After waving her hands over it for a moment, the image of a ragged gap in a cliff appeared in the ball.

"This is the entrance to your dungeon." She informed me, "Well…once we clear it of the soldiers of the enemy."

{Exactly who is this enemy insane enough to want to destroy the world?} I asked.

"The king of one of the human nations." Titania answered with a scowl, "He became an immortal demi-god after drinking an elixir made from droplets of the blood of several gods he collected. Pathetic, stupid fool. He was driven mad from all the conflicting Divine Magic and Essence."

{I'm not following.}

"Divine Magic is far more volatile than almost any other magic known to us." The Fairy Queen explained, "Having more than one kind together that isn't compatible in one container is similar to filling a football with nitro-glycerine and kicking it like a linebacker. Divine Essence is what the gods are made up of, our…well, essence. That which makes us gods. That idiot king gathered blood, ichor, from gods of war, travel, fertility…a good dozen conflicting Essences within the blood, all told. This combination is like detonating the Fat Man and the Little Boy in the same location after being jacked up in power by Jennifer lee, whom you would know as Bakuda. Those two instances taken into consideration, it's a wonder he didn't blow up and level his entire kingdom. He got off lightly just being driven around the bend."

{Immortal? He can't die?}

"Well he can, you just have to kill him. He's just eternally young, eternally living and immune to most forms of magic." Titania pouted.

{And the old fashioned route of sticking a sword in him doesn't work?} I prodded.

"It would, but he's using some sort of bizarre mind control magic, a Slave Collar, to command his people now." The Fairy Queen explained, "Diehard fanatics they are with them on, the lot of them. The entire kingdom's become a fortress AND he somehow sneaks raiding parties out to carry out missions, such as destroying Dungeon Cores."

Yikes. Sounds like this guy made Jack Slash and Burnscar look shy and retiring by comparison.

{OK, so what kind of dungeon are you giving me?} I changed the subject.

"Not a great one, I am afraid." She said apologetically, "It has eight floors that are almost identical, no traps and all the monsters have been killed. The previous Dungeon Core…well, sometimes people volunteer to be one and the man who was the Dungeon Core there was a professor who was fascinated by the anatomy of insects. He was an obsessive recluse who spent all 500 years of his second life experimenting to create the perfect insect. He was close, I believe, to completing it when he was killed."

{…I am having a hard time believing that someone could be so lax to defend themselves.}

"He was over a hundred when he was converted and he was very absent minded." Titania shrugged, "Quite a lot of the time, he forgot to stock monsters with loot. You have quite an attention to detail, so I highly imagine that won't be a problem for you."

{Um…thanks?}

"No problem, dear. Unfortunately, the dungeon is still occupied by a squad of enemy troops to prevent us from doing exactly what we want to do." Titania waved her hands some more to reveal the inner passages, which had ten men in dull grey plate armour clanking around like clockwork soldiers. They were armed with both large two-handed swords and regular swords and shields.

{Ten men for eight floors?}

"It was not a productive dungeon, and only insects and constructs can be created here." Titania pointed out, "The Mad King doubtlessly didn't think it was worth stationing a large garrison here."

{I think I'm a bit insulted.} I said dryly, {So how am I going to take control of my Dungeon? I can't exactly do anything as a crystal. Even if I had my old body back, I doubt I could take care of them with no power.}

"So responsible. No, my dear. I am your sponsor and it is the duty of a sponsor to secure the dungeon before the Core can occupy it." The Fairy Queen tittered. She then beckoned forth one of her soldiers. "Captain, go to the Grim Cliff Dungeon with two squads. Kill the soldiers you find there with extreme prejudice, but leave the bodies where they fall."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the fairy saluted her smartly before speeding out on his wings.

{Very efficient.} I commented.

"My soldiers dislike those who try to destroy the world, so they are eager to get people in place to counter the Mad King and Coil." Titania shrugged.

A messenger sped into the room. "Majesty, Lord Oberon and Queen Mab are here!"

"Without as much as a by-your-leave? How typical of my consort and sister-queen." The Fairy Queen sighed irritably, "Escort them in."

"Yes, your Majesty!"

As the fairy sped off again, I asked, {Why would they be here?}

"To speak with you, dear." Titania stated with certainty, "It isn't often you speak to someone who has slain a god-like being, and Zion certainly counts. They also probably want to know about Coil."

That made sense, but there were only so many ways I could say 'evil manipulative bastard with no morals' without repeating myself.

That made Titania laugh.

"Announcing her Royal Majesty Mab, the Queen of Air and Shadows of the Unseelie Court and her Consort, Lord Oberon of the Wild!" a fairy herald announced.

Two beings entered the room then. One was a fairy the same as Titania, but markedly different. She had long black hair reaching down to her ankles; her robes seemed to be forged of woven shadows and a crown of air rested upon her head. She wore a smirk similar to Titania that was ever-so-slightly more evil that her Seelie counterpart and she had an air that was vaguely reminiscent of Jack Slash in that she was perfectly willing to hurt people to get what she wanted and feel absolutely no shame or sorrow about it. A fairy-sized dagger was thrust into her toga's belt.

The being that almost had to be Oberon was taller than Armsmaster by about two feet and his skin was a light shade of green. Dressed in clothes made of what looked like leaves, he was thin, but muscled and carried himself as if he knew his way around a fight. He had aquiline features and eyes that burned with green fire.

Hoo boy.

"Ah, Titania!" Mab said softly, her voice silken and deadly like a stiletto, "So this is the Slayer of the World Destroyer? A Rainbow Crystal…how utterly fascinating."

"Mab. I see that barging into someone else's castle still hasn't gotten boring for you, even after two millennia." Titania shot back waspishly, "And indeed, this is the one known as Taylor Hebert, Skitter the Warlord, Weaver of the Wards and Khepri the Mad Godslayer. She has agreed to aid us as we discussed. She rather dislikes Coil, you see."

{That's putting it mildly.} I snorted, {My original was almost killed by him and had she been any less paranoid and prepared, he would have succeeded. Greetings Queen Mab, Lord Oberon. As soon as the dungeon is clear for me to take over, I'll get to work.}

"An admirable sentiment." Oberon said. He voice was powerful and deep, bringing to mind unrestricted growth and savage strength "What can you tell us of this…Coil?"

{He is a megalomaniac who has no sense of morality.} I answered immediately, {He will honour no promises, he will keep no oaths, he will break any treaty or law to achieve his goal. No taboo will stop him, no depravity will hold him back and any chain he is bound with will only hold him as long as it takes for him to work his way around it. He was the worst of humanity in concentrated in one person and my original was glad to kill him. It looks as if I will have to aid in destroying this remaining fragment of him in my original's place.}

"Well, I believe that is as plain a description of Coil as has ever been made." Titania smirked, "I believe this partnership of ours will be most advantageous for us. Oh, look! My troops have arrived at the dungeon. Let us watch them conquer it."

So here's chapter two of this unusual ficlet of mine. Oddly enough, it's flowing fairly easily, so I might get a third chapter out at some point.