“It has a concealment enchantment on it,” Adriana said. “It will need to be dispelled and then identified.” A soft smile curved her lips. “I still think it is very pretty, though.”
“Maybe you can hold onto it until we figure out what it does? Just don’t put it on yet. We don’t know if it’s cursed.”
Her eyes lit up and she nodded, accepting the circlet from him.
“The potions we can have Vithra identify, then just add them to the dungeon’s stash.”
He turned to look at Cassia, feeling bad she hadn’t gotten anything. Then he noticed her old snakeskin armor had been replaced with one made of iridescent black scales.
She gave him a grin. “A fair reward, don’t you think? I’m the one most likely to take hits.”
Keaton nodded. “Yeah, that seems fair.”
With the loot distributed, there was nothing else to do but decide.
Keaton looked at the crystal, anxiety winding through him. He couldn’t just leave it unattended. The chance for someone worse to swoop in was too high. But he wasn’t happy with having to bind himself to this crystal, too.
“Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do,” he finally said after a long breath. “I’ll claim this dungeon, but then we’re going to train the minions who came from here to run it in my stead.”
“A wise plan, my lord,” Adriana said with a nod.
He didn’t know if it was all that wise, but it was at least something he could live with.
Stepping up to the crystal, he placed his gauntlet upon it and drew in its power. He could practically taste the Anima, bitterness exploding on the back of his tongue as it coursed through his veins. Even without seeing the messages, he knew it would be more power than he’d received from anything else.
And the moment Keaton realized that, he also knew it would be an uphill battle to keep from conquering other dungeons in the future. Maybe even a battle he didn’t want to fight.
The Slithering Crypt has reverted to its natural state.
The Slithering Crypt is now level 0.
You have gained a greater affinity with Anima.
New advancements are available.
32
The trek back to The Labyrinth was a happier one this time, despite Keaton’s complicated feelings on acquiring The Slithering Crypt.
They’d won the battle. There were casualties — two more of Cassia’s warriors were slain in battle — but they’d made it out of there with a dungeon lady defeated. Whether they’d had any right to storm the viper’s territory was another matter entirely, but Keaton tried his best to push it from his mind.
It helped that as they walked through The Labyrinth, he saw all the progress they’d made. Even before he’d usurped the former lord, this place had been little more than a few empty chambers. There was much more carved out now, with the drones hard at work building new pathways and tunnels to connect everything.
The Emvola had barracks all their own, Keaton had a private bedroom, and he intended to order one constructed for Adriana and Cassia, too, assuming the latter didn’t want to remain in the barracks. There was a mushroom processing facility, a large workshop, a forge, and soon a workshop specifically for the development of potions and elixirs. He’d even managed an armory and some storage, though both needed to be expanded before too long.
As they made their way to the Crystal Chamber that had become their war room, Keaton considered the improvements he wanted to make. They needed someplace to process meat, as they’d been sorely lacking in that. An enchanter would be nice, though he had no idea what went into making an enchanter’s workshop. Maybe a library so Anima users could research and develop new things. Oh, and a large dining hall so everyone could eat together. Some sort of communal bath. A place to purify water…
The list went on and on, and Keaton was excited about developing The Labyrinth further. It’d become a home to him in a very short span of time. More importantly, it was a safe place for the people he was beginning to consider his friends. He could shelter them here. Protect them. And maybe that was what he needed to focus on most of all.
Something to conceal the entrance to this place. Secret tunnels to get in and out. Loads of traps.
Gods, I really need to start writing this stuff down.
Before they reached the Crystal Chamber, Cassia clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m going to go get the party started while you play with your little crystal.”
“Party?” he asked, bewildered.
“We vanquished the enemy! Conquered a dungeon!” A broad grin spread across her face. “I’d say it’s high time for a celebration. Besides, while you weren’t looking I had your little goblin friends work on fermenting some mushrooms.”
Keaton made a face, not wanting to know what kind of rotgut that would produce.
“Why don’t you leave the mushrooms be for now,” he said. “There should still be some wine from The Slithering Crypt.”
Cassia shrugged. “If you don’t want to live a little, sure.”
“Yeah, I’m more concerned about the opposite of that.”
She snorted, gave his shoulder another clap, then headed off. Down the hall, he heard her calling out to her remaining warriors. She’d lost four in total. Keaton assumed things would be more somber. But maybe this was the way Emvola dealt with their grief.
“Guess it’s just you and me,” he said to Adriana with a smile. “Are you feeling okay after that battle?”
“Yes. I am glad we were able to defeat her. I suspect she would have caused significant problems for us later on.”
Keaton frowned and turned away from her, trying to hide his expression. She reached for his arm, though, concern evident in his features.
“You do not agree?”
“I just… wonder if we did the right thing, I guess. I’m used to doing what I have to do to get by, but this wasn’t really a matter of survival.”
She canted her head, regarding him curiously. “Of course it is. If we do not grow this place, if we do not fortify it and use whatever resources we can to protect it, someone will find us and kill every one of us.”
He didn’t like the certainty with which she said that, but… she was right. The crystal was the source of immense power. It was highly coveted by anyone who had the ability to tap into Anima. He didn’t doubt they’d be under attack soon, and he couldn’t build up a good dungeon with just whatever he happened to find laying around in the swamp.
It was a necessary evil, to keep the people he was coming to care about safe. He could live with that. He had to live with that.
“Thanks,” he said softly, ruffling a hand through his hair. “That gives me some… much-needed perspective, I guess.”
Adriana smiled at him, then pushed up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. Keaton felt the same little spark of electricity he felt every time they touched, and his cheeks heated as swiftly as hers.
“You are a good man, Keaton. You will make the right decisions.”
He wasn’t so sure of that, but it was nice to have someone believe in him for once. Keaton gave her an almost bashful smile, his gaze lingering too long on her lips before he stopped himself.
“Um, that reminds me… about the whole… bonding thing…”
Her blush grew deeper, but she didn’t avert her gaze. “Yes…?”
“I don’t expect that to happen regularly, or ever again if you’re not comfortable with it. And what I said… sure, I want those things, but I—”
Her finger was pressed to his lips, quieting him.
“I want those things, too,” she whispered. “I don’t want to just watch. I think… I think I will get to that point soon. You will be the first to know, of course, and I hope you will still… want me, when I do.”