Today is the big day. Gremlin Grotto is finally ready, and it's time for my son to see his new home. I've already set up a door connecting the grotto to the core chambers of my dungeon. Now I just need to reveal the surprise.

  My legs feel a bit heavy as I walk into Gu's playroom. I'm far more nervous than I should be, but how can I feel relaxed when I'm giving my son so much freedom? What if he gets hurt? What if the other gremlins are mean to him?

  Shaking my head, I push those thoughts aside.

  "Gu, I've got a surprise for you!"

  I enter Gu's playroom. The silly little gremlin is throwing a wadded up piece of paper against the far wall. He stops when he hears my mention of a surprise. His pointy grey ears perk up slightly. His eager look reminds me of a puppy hearing the word 'treat' or 'outside.'

  "Gu?"

  "Yes. I've got something fun to show you!"

  "Gu gu!"

  Gu practically tackles me in his excitement. I manage to not fall over, and I hold his hand in mine. I can tell Gu is eager to see his surprise by how he shifts his weight from foot to foot.

  "It's just this way..."

  My lips are already forming a smile as we walk out of his play room. He doesn't often go in this area of the dungeon, as it's less comfortable and more foreboding than his living space. We walk a short way down the hall before coming to the temporary door I've got set up.

  Gu's grip on my hand tightens a bit as we approach the door. His nose twitches as the scent of the humid cavernous space ahead hits his nose. His eyes widen as we turn the corner. Spread out before us is a mess of intersecting tunnels bathed in the golden glow of false sunlight.

  "Gu guah gu!?"

  Gu is looking up at me and then back through the door like he can't believe what he's seeing. I guess that makes sense, as he's lived underground in the dungeon his entire life. This must be world shattering for the little guy. I feel a bit bad for keeping him in those little rooms for so long.

  "Yes, it's real! And it's yours."

  "Guu!"

  The little guy starts to pull me forward, and I follow him inside. Our feet squish against a mixture of moss and loamy soil. The sound of rushing water mixes with the squeaking calls of bats. Gu drops my hand now that we're inside the grotto. His nose and ears twitch as he takes in all the new stimuli. He runs from thing to thing, poking, sniffing, and biting. I let him get it out of his system before interrupting.

  "Gu? Do you want to have some new friends?"

  "Gu gu?!" Gu whirls around to look at me with a hopeful grin.

  "I'll make you some new friends, but I have to leave to do it. Okay?"

  "Gu... gu."

  "Yes, you can still come visit me."

  With his worries assuaged, Gu begins to jump up and down eagerly. His little feet stomp into the mossy earth as he excitedly urges me to bring him some friends. I oblige, walking back through the temporary door and into the dungeon's core chambers.

  Upon reaching my core I touch it--leaving my body behind.

  Gu is still excitedly shuffling his feet when I find him back in Gremlin Grotto. He's so happy, and I imagine it's because his world is expanding. He'll get to meet others of the same species. Together they'll get to explore their new cavernous home.

  My focus is tugged away from Gu by an influx of mana. The source of which is a young man who just perished in Green Valley. His body is being eaten by a group of agitated swarmers. I can see some newcomers inside the dungeon as well. There's a group of four culling the great hawk population--so much so I'm worried they may drive them to extinction. I also see the two remaining soldiers are separated in different parts of Swarm Forest.

  I doubt it would be any consolation to the dead boy, but his death will fuel new life.

  Moving back to Gu, I get to work. Mana solidifies into bones, blood, and flesh. Gu flinches back as I mold more gremlins from seemingly nothing in front of him. It's a rather grisly sight, so the reaction is understandable. Once the bodies are finished I give them each a little zap of mana.

  Gu screeches in fright as the gremlins contort and howl. Their bodies spasm as they adjust to being alive, their muscles twitching and eyes rolling for several uncomfortable moments.

  Then, they adjust. Much like Gu they are afraid and wary at first.

  Five new gremlins stand before Gu in a cluster like confused pups. Three girls and two boys. The ratio is meant to be even to promote happy lives for the pack, though I can't say whether I'll need to boost their population at all.

  "Gu?" Gu attempts to greet them.

  The new gremlins flinch back, as if they fear they're about to be attacked. Gu's more upright posture and the clothing he wears intimidate the others. I worry I may need to step in and help, but Gu quickly proves such a worry unnecessary. He calmly crouches lower to the ground and reaches out his palm to the others. He speaks softly, his voice quieter than usual.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Gu gu."

  I'm both shocked and embarrassed when I realize he's mimicking exactly how I first approached him! I suppose Gu is much more observant than I first thought, considering he learned from me mere moments after being brought to life.

  One of the female gremlins coos with interest. She actually pokes his hand, and Gu smiles. While a human might be afraid of all the pointy teeth being bared, the gremlins all perk up immediately. Cautious noises of greeting are exchanged. The little group of gremlins start to touch and poke Gu's outstretched hand, as if testing it for danger. When no danger arises they start to warm up to Gu's presence.

  If I was in my body right now, I'd probably be crying tears of joy.

  They like him! He's making friends, my son has friends!

  ~

  The guild hall is coming along nicely. Construction is nearly finished, and the building is mostly functional at this point. I admire the simple yet practical structure as I step inside for the first time today. Over the course of a few days it has gone from a collection of sturdy beams to a building I'd be unashamed to call my contracted work.

  "Miss Hawthorne!"

  I turn to regard the girl who's accosting me. She's one of the newly hired officials I've been training to run the guild. She already knew how to read and write, so all I had to do was get her up to speed on what the dungeon is and what we're going to be doing with it. She was confused for much of the early training--she was more understanding once I showed her our captive bullhead gecko and a lantern stone.

  "Yes? What is it?"

  "Well, I had some questions about tomorrow's opening..."

  "Certainly, Lily. What do you need to know?"

  Lily proceeds to list out several potential encounters she could have with the adventurer applicants. What if someone looks too young to apply, but they insist they're of age? What should she do if someone of higher status is giving her trouble? How does she handle adventurers bring in new captured monsters?

  All of these questions are good ones.

  "If anyone won't accept being told they're too young, issue them a probationary license."

  "Probationary license?"

  "It means they can't enter the dungeon without someone with an official license accompanying them. That way we can reduce the risk of losing them, and curb any public outrage."

  Lily nods in understanding. She's a smart girl, quick to soak up information she's given. I continue to answer her barrage of questions.

  "Prince Theobald is backing us."

  "Oh? Oh! If royalty is involved then nobody will lord their station over us!"

  "Exactly. As for your last question, we have a holding area--follow me."

  Before the guild hall's construction was underway I had a holding area built for the monsters. As of right now it's more of a stable than anything, a roofed area with fencing and cages prepared for the monsters to be confined in. We only have a single bullhead gecko locked up right now, but in the future all of our cages should be filled with valuable beasts.

  "This is the holding area. The guards can help you wrangle the monsters inside a cage."

  Lily furrows her brow as she looks at the holding area. Is she feeling pity for the monsters, perhaps? I wonder if she would feel the same if she saw the dungeon break first hand. Those beasts felt far too large and dangerous to pity.

  "Where is the gecko?" Lily asks.

  "It's right here, it can be hard to see because-"

  I gesture to one of the lowest cages in the arrangement. It previously held a sizable bullhead gecko, but now it is empty. The door is slightly ajar, and unlatched. My eyes widen as I whip my head back and forth in search of the oversized lizard. These things are the color of stone, so it should be around here somewhere looking like a pile of loose rocks.

  There's no sign of it.

  "Damn it!" I gnash my teeth, knowing this was a person's doing.

  Footsteps behind me are followed by shouted words.

  "Miss Hawthorne!-"

  "What?!" I snap, turning to see a guard.

  "W-We've caught a little girl..."

  My eyes roll as I laugh bitterly. He came to report this to me? That he caught some child trying to sneak into the dungeon or guild hall? This is beneath my attention when we have a monster on the loose! It could be anywhere by now!

  "...She was carrying a monster."

  My frustrations simmer down as I process his words.

  "Wait, she was what? Show me."

  The guard looks a bit nervous due to my earlier anger, but he leads us to a pair of guards who are doing their best to convince a little girl to let go of the bullhead gecko she's clutching. She can't outrun them since she's holding a huge lizard, and they don't want to hurt or attack a little girl. So they are at an impasse.

  "Come on, lass, let go of the thing and we can send you right home-"

  "No! I don't want to! He's my friend!"

  My eyebrow raises as I watch the guards helplessly flounder their negotiations with the child. I walk up beside them and bend down to get on the girl's level. She glares at me much the same way she does at the guards, clearly distrusting me.

  "Sweetie, why do you think that's your friend? That's a dangerous animal."

  "Rocky is not dangerous! He's just a baby lizard."

  Now that is ridiculous. We have been observing plenty of bullhead geckos and none of them have been any bigger than the one she's holding. These are the adults--not juveniles. Children sure do have active imaginations.

  "Really? And how do you know Rocky is your friend?"

  "Because he licks my hand when I feed him."

  The little girl looks quite proud of herself now. She's got a smug smile on her little face. The bullhead gecko in her arms wriggles, as if wanting to break free.

  "You fed him?"

  "Yeah! I feed him apples."

  "Hm, I see. Well, sweetie, why don't you let Rocky walk on his own? He looks like he wants to."

  She shakes her head so fast it looks like it'll hurt her neck. I sigh, tilting my head at her with a forced smile on my face. Children can be so irritating!

  "Look at him, he's squirming. You don't want him to be sad, do you?"

  "No! You'll hurt him and put him in that tiny box again!"

  "If we promise not to, will you let him go?"

  There's a long pause where she considers my offer. Finally, after some more fake smiles she puts the gecko down on the grass. I'm about to order the guards to nab it when I notice something very strange going on.

  The bullhead gecko isn't running away. It's just sitting there at the girl's feet, looking around at everyone as if nervous. She squats down beside it and starts to pet its bulbous blunt head like one might show affection to a dog.

  "Don't worry Rocky, the lady promised not to hurt you."

  Swallowing my astonishment, I nod slowly.

  "Right, we won't... Do you mind showing me how you fed Rocky?"