He looked at the loot, the Pack, and the lingering system notifications. “Not bad for our first run,” he said, already imagining what the next descent might bring.

  They gathered up all the loot, and the pedestal slowly sank back into the floor.

  “Now what?” Ethan said, glancing around. No door opened. Nothing else happened. The only exit seemed to be the way they’d come.

  But something tugged at Ethan’s senses—a subtle pull, hard to describe. It felt almost like his mana, a faint resonance he couldn’t ignore. He turned in a slow circle, then walked over to one wall where the feeling grew stronger, more familiar. It was so close to his own magic that, on instinct, he reached out with a thin tendril of mana, searching for the source.

  The moment his mana brushed against it, something clicked.

  He connected—to what, he didn’t know at first. But then it hit him, an electric jolt of recognition.

  It was the core. The Dungeon Core.

  Then, clear as day, he heard a voice in his head—an androgynous tone, neither male nor female.

  Oh. You can hear me?

  There was a pause, the sense of surprise almost tangible.

  That… hasn’t happened before. I knew people came through, but it’s been so long since anyone reached me directly. I’m not sure I even remember how to talk.

  The Pack went silent, the only sound Mason’s quiet, crystalline shifting.

  Congratulations on defeating me, the core continued, the words growing more confident. And thank you. It’s strange—being able to speak at all. I didn’t realize I wanted to until just now.

  The Pack stood still, listening as the androgynous voice gathered itself.

  I’m… I’m really here, aren’t I? Talking to someone for the first time in so long. I can feel your magic—yours is strange, Ethan. And the rest of you, too. You’re all so different from the usual parties.

  The tone grew brighter, almost giddy.

  You reached out to me. No one’s ever done that. I want to give you something. Wait—

  The stone pedestal suddenly shuddered and rose up again from the center of the room. This time, it bore a set of leather armor, rich brown and perfectly tailored, with subtle runic stitching that shimmered in the torchlight. The gear looked expensive—clearly a cut above anything Ethan had seen for sale in Celdoras.

  Ethan blinked in surprise. “Thank you,” he said aloud, not sure if the core could hear his words or just his thoughts.

  Pixie, never one to miss an opportunity, skidded to the front of the group. “WAIT! I want a present too! I was awesome! Did you see my lightning?”

  There was a soundless ripple of amusement—almost like laughter echoing through the mana itself.

  Of course, little spark. I have just the thing.

  A small compartment slid open beside the main pedestal, revealing a collar with a lightning-shaped charm—elegant, silvered, and clearly enchanted. It practically hummed with energy.

  Pixie spun in circles, tail wagging so hard her whole body wriggled. “Best. Dungeon. Ever!”

  The core’s voice sounded warm, genuinely happy. Thank you for talking to me. This was fun.

  “Interacting like this is nice,” the dungeon core said.

  Ethan and his team just stood there for a minute, not really knowing what to say. The core, however, kept asking questions about the outside world and what it was like. Ethan answered as best he could, describing the city, the weather, the food, even the weirdest things he’d seen in Celdoras.

  Finally, Ethan asked, “So, since we completed the dungeon, how do we get out of here?”

  “You simply walk back the way you came,” the dungeon replied.

  Ethan looked a little downtrodden. “I thought that might be the case.”

  “Since you cleared me,” the dungeon added, “there won’t be any respawns, at least.”

  “Good to know,” Ethan said. “Well, I guess we’ll be heading out. Thanks for everything.”

  “Can’t you stay and talk a while?” the core asked, almost plaintive.

  Ethan hesitated. “I guess we could, but for how long? And what would we do?”

  “I’m not sure,” said the dungeon. “I would love to talk more… I wish I could even go with you for a bit.”

  Ethan shrugged. “We can stay and chat for a little bit, but I need to go back soon. My mana is depleted and I am exhausted.”

  The dungeon responded, voice almost cheerful. “Oh, I think I might be able to help with that.”

  Ethan all of a sudden felt his connection to the dungeon thicken and twist, and the slight headache and emptiness from having low mana disappeared. Sure enough, Ethan’s mana pool was practically topped off.

  “That’s—amazing,” Ethan exclaimed.

  Feeling much better, for the next half hour, he and the team answered questions about the world outside—the market, the Silver Thorn Inn, the Academy, animals, food, weather, music—anything the dungeon asked.

  Eventually, Buster was asleep in the corner. Moose sat as steady and patient as ever. Pixie, bored, paced around in loops. Lyra sat cross-legged by the now-empty pedestal, Amelia waiting patiently at her side.

  “Do we have to stay in this room to talk?” Ethan asked. “Could we walk out and keep the conversation going?”

  “You could do that,” the core replied, sounding a little brighter. “This whole place is me. And now that you’ve connected with me, I know how to keep up the connection as long as you’re inside.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Ethan thought, glad to not be stuck in one place. Pixie immediately started racing around, glad for the freedom. Even Amelia seemed relieved to move.

  They made their way back up through the dungeon, talking with the core the whole time. Eventually, they reached the stalactite room near the entrance.

  “Will you come back?” the dungeon asked.

  “Probably,” Ethan said.

  “Since you beat me, I’m going to need to close down and build a new boss for level three. That always takes me a few days. People haven’t defeated it in years. With nobody dungeon diving, I’m going to be so bored.”

  “I’m gonna miss you guys,” the core said. “It was good getting to know you.”

  “You were really nice—for a dungeon. Not that I’ve ever talked to one before,” Ethan said.

  “Thank you,” the dungeon replied. “Ooh—I have an idea.”

  Before Ethan could react, Mason started flickering with energy, jumping up and down and spinning in place. “What’s going on with you, Mason?” Ethan asked, stepping closer.

  The dungeon answered, delighted, “I put a small sliver of my consciousness inside Mason. Whenever you come visit, I can reconnect with Mason and see a bit of the outside world through his memories. I was only able to put a small piece of me in there, but it’s something.”

  Mason turned in a slow circle, looking around like he was seeing things for the first time.

  Ethan smiled. “Well, Mason, looks like you’ve got a pen pal.”

  Mason nodded at Ethan’s words and gave a big, clumsy thumbs up. Ethan grinned. “Looks like you got an upgrade, too. And you’re smarter now.”

  “Of course,” the dungeon replied, a hint of pride in its voice. “A sliver of me is inside him—and I’m a very smart dungeon.”

  Before leaving the dungeon, Ethan paused, thinking it over. He really didn’t want Mason drawing attention—or answering awkward questions from all the gate guards who charged him a fee for every single member of his party.

  “Is it okay if I put you in my dimensional storage for now, Mason?” Ethan asked.

  Mason nodded—just once, smooth and clear.

  That’s way better than the head vibrating, Ethan thought, grinning to himself.

  When Ethan and his party stepped outside, the bored-looking clerk from earlier was waiting—but he didn’t look bored now. He straightened up as soon as he spotted them.

  “Did your team defeat the dungeon boss?” he asked, voice tight.

  “We did,” Ethan replied.

  The man sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair. “Figures. The dungeon stopped admitting groups as soon as you cleared it. The stairs to the lower floors disappeared for everyone else. No one could even get to floor two—though honestly, that’s as far as most people ever get anyway. How were you guys able to clear it?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer, already muttering to himself. “More importantly, what are we going to do about not being able to let people in? The last time the boss was defeated, it took nearly a week before things reset. And when it did, there were new rooms, changes… All the maps we have are useless now. I’m going to have to report this to the city. They’re not going to be happy.”

  The man tried to get more out of them—how they’d managed it, what they’d found, what to expect next—but Ethan managed to sidestep most of his questions and, with a polite smile and a few quick words, steered the Pack back toward the city and away from the fort.

  It was already getting late, and Ethan had a pile of things to drop off at the Adventurers Guild and other places, but he decided to head straight back to the inn instead. Before going inside, he slipped into the side yard and quietly summoned Mason from his storage.

  Mason materialized, tilting his faceted head as he looked around, taking in the yard and the inn with quiet curiosity.

  “Welcome to the outside world, Mason,” Ethan said with a grin.

  The Pack filed inside, ready for a well-earned dinner. The first ones to spot Mason were Tessa and Kip, who froze in the hallway, eyes wide.

  Tessa and Mason were about the same height. They stood there just staring at each other—face to face, or maybe face to crystalline head would be more accurate.

  Kip jumped forward and wedged himself between Tessa and Mason. “I’ll protect you!” he yelled, trying to push Mason away with all his might. It didn’t do much—Mason just stood there, looking, if possible, perplexed. It was hard to read a golem with no face, but Ethan could sense something through the bond now—an undercurrent of emotion. Mason actually felt a little confused and uncertain, which was new and honestly kind of strange.

  Moose stepped in, lowering his head and giving Kip a reassuring nudge. “It’s okay, Kip. Mason’s a friend.”

  But before the tension could ease, Jorrin came running down the hall, drawn by the sound of his child screaming. “What’s going on in here?”

  Jorrin stopped short, staring at Mason with the same confused expression Ethan could feel through the bond from Mason—a jumble of curiosity, caution, and outright bewilderment.

  “Hello, Silverthorns,” Ethan said, stepping forward with a grin. “I want to introduce you guys to Mason. He’s our little purple buddy here.”

  The perplexed look didn’t leave Jorrin’s face. “Okay… Hi?”

  Mason raised one stubby arm and gave an enthusiastic wave.

  The perplexed look shifted to outright astonishment.

  “Did that little purple crystal golem just wave at me?” Jorrin asked.

  “Yup,” Ethan said, grinning.

  Jorrin nodded slowly, scooped up his kids, and walked toward the back of the inn, muttering, “If a flying cow came up and kissed me right now, I don’t think I’d even be surprised. Wonder when I’m going to wake up…”

  The golem just wandered around the inn, exploring and taking in everything it could. Ethan wasn’t sure how Mason was actually “looking” at things—without eyes or a face—but there was no mistaking the curiosity in its movements.

  Eventually, Mason tried to head upstairs, but the stairs began to creak alarmingly under his weight.

  “Let’s stay on the main floor for now, Mason,” Ethan said quickly. Mason paused, then shuffled back, content to keep investigating the common room instead.

  The golem soon gathered a small crowd, everyone watching as it wandered around the common room, inspecting furniture, walls, and even peering at the fireplace. Guests and staff alike couldn’t help but stare.

  Gwenna emerged downstairs for dinner, spotted the little crystal golem, and immediately made her way over to Ethan. “What in the world is that?” she demanded, eyes wide with curiosity. “And how did you bring it back here?”

  “So I kind of have a golem now,” Ethan told Gwenna, watching as Mason casually walked right into the fireplace—while the fire was still burning—just poking around inside like he was inspecting it.

  Gwenna’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s…in the fire.”

  Ethan just shrugged. “Doesn’t seem to bother it.”

  Mara came up to Ethan, giving him a pointed look. “Your little friend better not get soot all over my floor.”

  Ethan quickly called for Mason to come out of the fireplace. Sure enough, a trail of hot, ash-covered golem prints marked Mason’s path across the common room.

  “Sorry!” Ethan called, grabbing a bar towel and hurrying after Mason, wiping up the prints as he went.

  Gwenna shook her head in disbelief. “Let’s get dinner—and you can tell me all about your dungeon trip.”

  They found a quiet corner, and for the next hour Ethan, Lyra, and the rest of the Pack recounted their adventure to Gwenna. She listened in disbelief, shaking her head again and again.

  “I can’t believe you beat the dungeon boss. I also can’t believe you’ve got your own golem. And you talked to the dungeon core and got extra loot? I don’t even know which part is hardest to believe.”

  A long, stunned silence hung over the table. Finally, Gwenna stood, still looking dazed. “Alright. I need to process all this. But you’re coming with me to the Adventurers Guild tomorrow—and you’re telling them everything. Promise me, Ethan.”

  Ethan nodded. “I promise.”

  Gwenna gave one last bewildered look at Mason, then headed off to her room.

  Ethan made Mason stay downstairs and told him not to go far or leave the property of the inn. The sheer weight of Mason made Ethan decide against trying to bring him upstairs. He made just enough Bits and Pieces before bed to replenish some of the wealth the guards had extorted out of him—less than he usually would. After a day like this, he wanted to give his mana a rest and get a full night’s sleep.