Could the Plague be attracted to the dwarven technology? Large concentrations of Plague appear present in numerous pockets throughout the tower, hidden away as they might be from the common crowd. Is this to mean that the dwarven technology is an invader and the rot, in part, is the tower's attempt to expel the foreign matter? I do not believe this is the case. I think it is the opposite... --75.1 Seconds Post-Integration.

  Clark sat with his back to the node. Soothing chills which interchanged with a pleasing warmth pulsed from the now cleansed node.

  "Glad to hear it!" Clark panted and struggled to catch his breath.

  "As when I cleansed the dwarven pod of corruption, it will take some time for my essence to work through this part of the dungeon interior. This node's virtuality, I can already see is a cornerstone of this wider local sub-network. I am sure there are many files within its memory banks which could be pertinent to our cause. Maybe even lead us to the dungeon core?" SIMP explained then conjectured.

  "Here's hoping! Gods know I would love that. To have a clear and set path for once." Clark removed his water bottle, now filled with green iced tea, and took a generous swig. "Also, SIMP? That's it for tonight. If I do anymore 'dungeoneering,' I am going to faint."

  "Understandable! You've had a hard day not made any easier by me dragging you on this excursion. I will escort you back to your dorm. Our mission in this part of plague central is done for now."

  Clark returned to his dorm and instantly fell asleep.

  Sleep was not ought to be his, he knew, when SIMP-as-an-alarm clock woke him from his peaceful slumber. "Your shift begins soon, lad. Up and at 'em!"

  He looked at the time. He only got four hours of sleep. He moaned but moved himself all the same.

  Having flopped toward his mirror, he looked a mess and felt worse. Gunk partially crusted at one side of his eyes; his hair was wild; and drool absconded down over his chin. Only with actual willpower could he keep his junked-up eyes open.

  Though he managed to shower then de-gunkify his eyes, he still felt half-a-zombie. Dressed in a clean set of work clothes, Clark grabbed from his satchel one of each dandy. He would need to make it a habit of keeping on his person at all times at least one of each dandy to ensure he could get himself out of a jam. He eyed the stamina dandy, feeling an irresistible urge to down one and regain his footing. He knew he shouldn't as the dandies were expensive. And yet, he was making good money now. He could easily buy more... "Screw it!" And Clark drank down a stamina dandy. "I can afford it. Why else am I working?"

  From the first swallow, the stamina dandy restored him to workable shape. By the final swallow, he felt (almost) like he had gotten a good night's sleep.

  Clark hurried down the dorm corridors, taking whatever corner or elevator SIMP laid out for them. They arrived on their current floor within the tower, level one-hundred-and-forty-eight. His last several months of Climbing were fruitful, to say the least.

  "There you are," Theo quipped. "I was starting to get worried about you. You were almost officially late."

  "I apologize. My dungeoneering work last night kept me late. I had to use a stamina dandy this morning just to feel alive."

  "Careful not to have too many of those, Clark. Remember what happened to me?" Hera cautioned.

  "I remember. I need to build my immunity, though."

  "A real rock and hard-place situation, isn't it?" Theo grinned.

  "You don't seem to mind," by now, Clark remembered to clock into work.

  "Oh, I have a naturally high tolerance. Plus, I've used dandies in the past, so my body is well adjusted to their funk."

  "Jealous." Clark pouted but in good spirits. "But let's get to our jobs, shall we?"

  Their shift that day was eight hours. During the course of the labor, he had to down another stamina dandy to keep pace and ensure his Core Metrics did not slip. Their labors went peacefully. Like most shifts, their work did not involve monster slaying -- unless one counted the terrible roars of grouchy customers and remedying their issue as 'slaying.' Which Clark did not.

  When his shift ended, Clark was too tired to do their typical schedule. So, he had to skip out on their evening responsibilities.

  "We'll keep reading in our library books. We should set another meeting sometime next week, though," Hera said.

  "I agree. It's frustrating not being able to do everything." That was the truth, too. He did feel annoyed at not being able to stick to the schedule that he had made for his Work Detail. A leader should be able to lead by example, not decree.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "You're only human, bro." Theo patted him on the back. "So why sweat when your body demands rest?"

  Clark went to bed early that night. He caught a whole eleven hours of sleep before he awoke.

  Waking, he saw notification of his paycheck's deposit. [+180 Standard Credits Now Available]

  "Whoa. Is that real?" Clark had to ask SIMP.

  "Your paycheck? Of course it is real." SIMP sounded more confused than anything. "Why wouldn't it be real?"

  "Seems like too much, is all..."

  "Clark. You need to learn to have faith in Augustford's networks. Their Artificial Intelligence System doesn't make mistakes. Not with pay, anyway."

  Shrugging, he planted his feet on the ground and got to his morning routine.

  As he did so, SIMP had an update for him regarding the node they had purified in the heavily corrupted interior they had taken to calling 'plague central.'

  "It hints at a much wider network. A highly dense network," SIMP told him.

  "What does that mean?" he asked, brushing his teeth.

  "I think it means we've found it, Clark. We've found the missing dungeon core."

  Clark spat out his toothpaste and rinsed his brush before dropping it back into its tiny holder. "Rockin'! Does that mean we can expect to locate this core within the week or day?"

  SIMP laughed.

  "I take it that's a 'no...'" he whispered.

  "I apologize, Clark. The information I discovered while cleansing rot from its virtuality compartments suggests a wider, corrupted network. Considering the size of the plague rot in that part of the Interior, and the fact we do not know how far the rot goes, other than 'very deep,' that is, it is safe to assume that although it is likely the dungeon core is at the center of this rot, we do not know the extent of plague central itself. We could be looking at months of cleansing before we find a reliable indication of the core's location."

  Months...

  Between cleansing and work and studying dwarves, those months might multiple to a year or more.

  "I don't like the notion of cleansing this plague for so long. But it is more than we had before. As everyone keeps telling me, why sweat it, when I will have the rest of my life to accomplish?"

  "Precisely, Clark. Precisely."

  Clark finished his morning routine. He continued to pester SIMP with questions about how they reached the conclusion they did.

  "Virtuality networks," SIMP said, explaining their process, "are never isolated from each other. Even if plague rot corruption is present, they remain in communication with the uncorrupted nodes. How many nodes are part of a network depends on the nature of the local systems, such as, the elevator movements of the tower or when leylines construct new channels."

  "Okay, okay -- wait! What is a node, exactly? I feel like you've been trying to explain this stuff to me without the underlying ideas!"

  "A node is like a memory bank. It is a piece of a network tasked with a specific job within the Interior. This job relates to a function of the tower. The movement of elevators, as I said, is one such example. Leyline construction is another. The creation of new floors, even, is a task relating to nodes. The more complex the task, the more nodes are needed. And in case you were wondering, yes, nodes are generated by the tower, namely me. It is part of the tower's natural function to designate areas for new nodal growth. I verify the location and allow the node to grow."

  "I get it. Continue, please." For once, he did, in fact, understand.

  "Right. As I was saying, nodes are always in communication with other nodes, regardless of plague rot. This is how I can tell this network is sizable. It is so large, in fact, I suspect the plague has hijacked the tower's leylines to build additional nodes on its own, away from my prying eyes. This has led me to believe that the dungeon core could be involved."

  "We did good. Very good. Now we just have to continue our journey into Plague Central."

  "Correct. On both accounts. I have another update before you begin your shift today. This time, it is about the dwarf pod. When you cleansed that node in the interior, we also restored power to the dwarven structure. I have nearly convinced the firewall spirits to allow me passage to upbring the command console containing the strange hollow of vibrations. As usual, I will keep you updated."

  Their progress over the last couple of days impressed him. Just when he thought he would be stuck grinding the corruption forever or stuck with endlessly searching Augustford Central for the missing dungeon core, they made a breakthrough. While said breakthrough still wasn't fast enough for his liking, it was better than no breakthrough. He could at least point to it and say, 'I am not irrelevant. I am finding my own way.'

  By the end of that day's shift -- which was another blessedly uneventful time -- the group returned to the dwarven pod.

  When he entered the large chamber, Clark found it much brighter than before. Now, the stench of decay had lifted, revealing stonework rife with complex etchings. Throughout every etch was SIMP's pulsating radiance, making him feel like he was inside a highly decorated harvest tree or a candelabra. "You've done well in cleansing this place, SIMP I'm impressed."

  "It can be slow work, but I do take seriously the purgation of rot. Its very existence is an affront to my purpose."

  The group entered the pod itself and found themselves again standing around the command console. Except this time, the console's front had unlocked, revealing a shining sphere.

  Theo whistled. "What is that?"

  "This," answered SIMP, "is what was inside the console. I confess to not having an idea or a mental lick of what it is but I can sense strong life energy from inside. The signal is unmistakably that of a soul gem."

  "Care to explain what a 'soul gem' is?" Theo asked before he could get a chance.

  "A soul gem is a vital part of dwarven biology. You've probably heard passing reference to it in your materials since even I, with my possible memory alteration, know about it. I do not know much more than that, though. Just that the signal is distinct and contains an immense concentration of dwarven life energy."

  "Neat. What's next?" he asked without fanfare since he had no clue what this latest discovery held.

  "That is up in the air... when you last cleansed the node in Plague Central, that node allowed me to access this sphere. I hypothesize that if we continue to cleanse nodes within the dungeon interior, we will eventually find one which allows us to further investigate the sphere, through direct activation or the bypassing of virtual security."

  Clark groaned. "So... back to the Interior, then?"

  SIMP might not have been able to smile, but audible, she managed a decent simulacrum. "Yes, Clark. Back to the dungeon interior."