Dungeon Robotics 9 - 10

Good Morning! Just a few days until Christmas. I hope everyone is ready for this year to be finally over as much as I am. hahaha.

Chapter 10

Regan

Descending into the depths of the dungeon, I realized all over again how far from the norm I was as a dungeon. Maybe I should think up a new name for the sort of being I was. God felt too self-serving. Maybe genesis core would be better, since I create much more than I destroy. Not that anyone would believe that when looking at my handy work here. Either way, it wasn’t something for me to decide.

“How much further?”

“Readings show another seven hundred kilometers. Apollo’s arrow breached much further than anticipated.”

“Understood. From the scans, it looks like all the passages leading to the boring site were sealed by the intense heat.”

“Yes, sir. We’ve managed to detect several signs of life on floors we’ve passed. We’re leaving drones behind to keep appraised of the situation.”

“Good job.”

It would take a few more minutes before the fleet reached the bottom most level, so I brought up the schematics for Apollo’s Arrow. Jarvis had already done some preliminary work on why it exploded. I broke the schematics apart in front of me and study them while we dove.

Roughly twenty minutes later, the bridge crew alerted me that they had arrived. “Floor estimation?”

“One hundred eighty-four. If target has the max floors, then we should be sixteen floors from his core,” Jarvis reported.

“Begin scanning and setting up base. I want a full setup as soon as humanly possible. So, it should take a third of the time for you all.”

“Are we to use the drills?” Jarvis inquired looking at me with one of his eyes.

“Yes. Not sure how much they’ll work this far down, but we can modify them if needed.”

Several of the ships landed on the melted floor and began letting soldiers disembark. Heavy equipment in the form of mechs, tanks, and drones also unloaded setting up a perimeter around the landed ships. It wasn’t long before equipment meant to scan deeper into the dungeon was set up as well. It would send various types of pulses that would feed us back information. Sonar, mana, electro-magnetic, and various other.

“This is quite the feat,” I mumbled as I looked around. I’m not sure what the floor was before it was reduced to rubble, but it was massive. Easily equal to one of my later floors that clocked in at over five hundred kilometers. I found it almost regrettable that the shockwave melted everything beyond recognition.

“A few of our scans show that it was a sort of forest. There is a considerable amount of partially burned flora,” Jarvis chimed in from his spot at the terminal.

“Now that you mention it, if there was any water, I bet this would make a nice swamp.” I tapped my chin then looked Jarvis in the eye. “Then we need to be careful. Dungeon floors recover based on their settings. Even with the interference on my mana, it might take less time for such features to recover.”

“I will inform the officers,” said the captain of the ship moving over to the communications terminal.

“Now then.” I cast my mind out looking for the dungeon host. I still wanted to end this before I reached his core the hard way. Not only would be a waste of mana for both of us. I know the amount of pain the host would be in the entire time. I found the host defiantly waiting for me, but he refused to connect his mind with me. I did get a sort of message. I was going to have to fight every step further into his domain.

An hour or so later, the sound of grinding cascaded through the chasm as my new and improved drills began to make progress through the floor. If dungeons had any noticeable flaw, it was that a person could theoretical go straight down and they would reach the dungeon’s core eventually.

Pulling up the status of the drill, I mumbled to myself. “How’s it looking?” I almost wanted to laugh. If the Heavenfall and Apollo’s Arrow had punched through the dungeon at a breakneck pace, then the drills were slower than molasses. According to my scans, it would take almost a week to get through the amount of material separating floors. I looked up from the screens at the entrance that we’d already confirmed lead further down. “Guess we’ll do this the old fashion way.”

“You don’t intend to go yourself, do you?!” Jarvis said instantly grasping my intention.

“No. Why help everyone become more powerful if they never use it on anything challenging. These halls haven’t been touched in a millennium. I’m not stupid enough to try them on my own.”

“That makes me feel a bit better, but I don’t think Ignea will be happy with you heading into an enemy dungeon.”

“That’s why we keep it a secret shall we,” I said putting a finger to my lips as I smiled. I moved over to the window and looked at the set up. My time limit was just over a week. If we don’t reach the core through manual means then I’ll have to test out another of my new toys. The only downside was that I couldn’t’ guarantee the dungeon’s survival if I used it. “Hold the fort. I’ll go gather my party.”

Nova

Soza! I would repay my honor tenfold. I would prove that I am stronger than you! I ground my massive teeth in anger, sparks flying, until Morka hissed at me. I begrudgingly stopped my new habit.

She was wrapped around two eggs that were larger than a human. I might be more powerful than Morka, but I didn’t want to irritate my mate while she was nesting. She had to constantly provide them with mana, and I would be a fool of a father to stunt my own hatchlings’ growth.

Spreading my wings, I took off from the floating island. Soza had soundly defeated me. My pride as a dragon was severely wounded, plus I had let my father down. I had asked him to bring me more females, but what happened when he did? I failed him!

I flew aimlessly. The floating island floor that I called home was massive. I could fly for hours and not reach the other side. Testament to my father’s strength and power. Perhaps I should have taken his offer to increase my strength. NO! I was not some weakling that took handouts.

I sucked in a deep breath then roared, a beam of white light flashing between me and an island before it exploded into thousands of shards. I took my anger out on several more uninhabited islands before Ignea appeared in front of me with an annoyed face.

She flew up to my head without any fear and poked me in the forehead. “Stop breaking the floor!”

“They are uninhabited!”

“That may be the case, but they take mana to reform! So stop!” She glared at me before she teleported away before I had a chance to say anything.

Red filled my vision as I was overwhelmed by my anger and I roared with my full force. Mana washed off me in waves as the area around me turned into a blinding white space. I was Nova! I was supposed to be the strongest of Regan’s, the Machine Father’s, children! Now even a tiny fairy presumes to order me around.

My rage filled roar tapering off, I fell towards an island. I needed a chance of scenery. This tranquil area wasn’t good for a dragon! I concentrated and my body shifted to that of a tall man. I still wasn’t as good as Soza, but anything she could do, I knew I could.

My form was still metallic even after my change. To be honest, I didn’t mind since it was in line with father’s body. My white metal formed my skin, while golden strands of wire formed a mane of hair. My wings and tail were still present, but I preferred to keep them.

I sent my mind through the dungeon, looking for anything that would take my mind off my issues. I saw father’s new city, but nothing there really called to me. Moving down some more, I found an intense energy pulsing ever so slightly from a spherical room. Drawn to it, I teleported without another thought.

A low hum greeted me. The floor was a sea of magma and tendrils of flame danced around the room. Metal panels lined the ceiling reflecting the light of the room. I gazed around the room completely taken by the sight.

In the center of the room, a ball of light floated a few meters in the air. The orb seemingly drove all the anger I’d been feeling away from my mind. I had never felt something so… pure. As if my body had a mind of its own, I walked forward and touched the sphere. The light inside me and the sphere began to pulse at the same time.

Tendrils of light leaked from the sphere and wrapped around my arm as it snaked toward my chest. For someone looking in at the scene, I was sure it would look like the sphere was trying to eat me, but I felt nothing but clarity. I mentally opened my chest plates exposing the metallic gears and circuits that composed my organs as father called them. The light plunged in merging with the source of my own light.

I groaned as my body shifted back to my dragon form. I could feel my body growing stronger as all the light was pulled inside. The block that had been holding me from tier four finally fell away and the room cracked as my power reached tier four. The light eventually stopped flooding into me, and only a small orb about the size of a head remained.

Falling to the ground in front of it, I grinned. “I will never forget this selfless action.” The orb pulsed once then continued to glow steadily. I knew something had given up its chance at life to help me. I could nor would ever forget that. I felt a tapping on several places along my body. Looking around I found the mortal Louella’s sun spirits were poking me. They appeared both happy, angry, and sad at the same time.

Some of them flew over to the orb and placed their faces against it. “I see. I’m sorry. Your sister lives on in me now.” Several of them nodded.

One of them flew up and placed her forehead against mine. An image of a flame slowly dying flashed through my head. Understanding instantly flashed through me. “Yes. She wouldn’t have lasted. I will make sure father knows about this as well as your mother.” Seeing the small girls that were barely larger than one of my claws, smile made me realize I had been wielding my pride wrong.

There was no reason to be proud if I didn’t deserve it. I might be big and powerful, but these tiny girls had more to be proud of then I did. With renewed clarity of my life, I bid the girls farewell then teleported back to Morka. She had been grumpy, not only due to laying eggs, but because I lost. No female dragon wants a mate that loses.

She woke up and looked at me, her eye widening in the process. “You’re stronger.”

“Yes. I will show you that I am a worthy mate!” I said with a low growl as I rubbed my muzzle with hers.

“I will be here expecting nothing less.” One of her claws rubbed the scar I gave her during our battle. For dragons, scars like that were basically the wedding rings of mortals. Gently touching our eggs, determination filled me.

With a thought, I teleported to Hephaestus’ floor. Fire and brimstone rained all over the floor as metal monsters moved through the magma. The sound of hammering was coming from the giant forge in the distance. As I made my way over, I enjoyed the smell of smoke and flame. A dragon could really appreciate this place. Even if they weren’t a red.

“Nova! Get your sorry ass over here,” A booming voice called to me.

“Hephaestus.”

The giant dwarf as father called him stood over an anvil as he pounded a piece of metal. Weapons of all shapes hung from the walls of his forge. Power radiated from each and every one of them. Mortals would lose themselves to gain these items. Of the items back in my trove that I had been infusing with mana for almost a year, only one of them matched up to the creations of Hephaestus.”

Hephaestus reached out with his bare hand and scooped some scum off the liquid metal in his forge. “I see you finally got rid of your impurities.”

“I learned at the sacrifice of another.”

“As the world normally operates. I cannot forge a decent sword without damaging my hammer and anvil, without burning the coal, without hurting my hand. Nothing is done without affecting someone else.”

I hung my head and sighed. “You are wise. I wish I had learned that before, such a pure soul was taken.”

Hephaestus swung his red-hot hand around and jabbed his finger into my chest. The metal plate instantly glowing red hot. “Is she not with you now?” He poked another spot. “For her to live is simple. Just keep her in your memories.”

“I agree.” Always would she be there.

He removed his finger and got back to forging the sword. “Now. What have you come for?”

“I want you to forge my scales into something stronger. I have reached tier four, but my body has barely changed. I’ve learned that one person, even a dragon, is only good for so much. Just as my mind has been reforged, I want to reforge my body.”

“It will be painful.”

“So be it. I can handle pain.”

Hephaestus suddenly moved at a speed that was hard to keep track. In a matter of heartbeats, the sword that looked like he had just started forging was finished and he was inserting it into a barrel of oil. He might only be tier three, but he’d honed his art to the extreme. I was right to come to him.

“Very well. Let us start.”

The minutes stretched into hours. They soon felt like days. I laid there as Hephaestus moved around me and forged my body. His hammer reinforced by dungeon mana feeling like a mountain was falling on my body with each blow. Many times I wanted to lose consciousness, but refused. I knew if I did, I would fall short of my goal.

When I felt the call of darkness welcoming me to relief, I remember the light that gave its life for my chance to grow. My will would rage back similar to when Hephaestus stoking his flame. I soon lost track of time but eventually found that no more blows were coming. I opened my eyes and looked around.

Hephaestus sat in a seat breathing heavily with his body drenched in sweat. Five hammers sat broken around his feet. Blood streamed from his hands and arms. “My brother! What happened?!” I demanded moving next to him only to find that my body felt a hundred times more powerful. I moved almost instantly.

“Every gift that I could think of, every weapon and armor that I have imagined. All of them pale in comparison to my work here. You should now be called Nova, Aegis of the Machine Father. Very little can stop you, even our father would be hard pressed to stop you.”

“Never mind that! Will you recover?” I asked worried that he might have taken it too far.

“I will be fine. I just need some… a lot of rest.” His head fell forward and silence filled the forge. Dread filled my chest until a few seconds later a snore that could cause landslides echoed from Hephaestus.

I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning my head, I found father standing next to me. “Just in time. I have a need for you.”

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