Daily life in a Slime Dungeon

"Ah, it looks like you're the one I need to talk to." Francesco nodded as he saw Taki inside the throne room. He tapped him on the shoulder and entered the royal chamber, his red eyes carefully analyzing every stone, column, and object that filled the room. Cracks spiderwebbed across the obsidian floor, a testament to battles the empty throne had witnessed. Dust dulled the intricate magical carvings on the throne, whispers of a kingdom lost. "Hmn, looks like that survived the test of time. Must be infused obsidian."

Taki's tail lashed behind him, a low hiss escaping his throat. He forced himself to focus, shoving aside the lingering horror. The echo of his nightmare pulsed beneath his skin, a phantom pain. But the Vampire, a cold presence in the throne room, demanded his focus. "Alright, full stop," he growled, meeting the Vampire's gaze. "Who are you, and what do you want with my kingdom?

"He says he be inspector, poyo. He bugging us. Talk about forms, accountants, and more, not yummies." Bluesy chimed in, holding his tears inside from seeing his King now awake. But he knew he had to maintain posture. He steeled his outer shell, hoping that in doing so, it would also harden his inner self.

"Inspector, huh?" Taki stepped closer to the Vampire, his tail pointing at the White-Haired man like a scorpion. "And who gave you permission to inspect us?"

Francesco kept his smile wide. "I know you are new to these lands, senior Taki. So, I'll let this clear act of aggression slide. I am Inspector Francesco Salamandra El Quinto from la Intendencia Real de Sangre, the faction that owns the underworld south zones of the Gaia Mainland. Under royal decree 304B, all dungeons under our lands must pay a 25% tax of your Gold and Hrystal gross revenue. Simple and efficient."

A lot to take in. Taki breathed and dissected every part of this phrase, hoping Francesco wouldn't notice his extended silence.

'1. New information just arrived. We are not alone in this world. Well, I already assumed that since there was a previous king, but confirming it is nice. Gaia Mainland. This means that we are on the continent of Gaia? Or is this world called Gaia? I think that's more likely.'

'2. Intendencia Real De Sangre. IRS. Now, that makes a bit more sense, but it still doesn't. We are the underworld south zones of the Gaia Mainland, and they rule over that. 304B decree. Are there other 303 royal decrees? What about 304A? Useless right now.'

'3. 25% tax on Gold and Hrystals. Hrystals? I don't even know what those are, but I already feel the pain of having to give off 25% of them away to these blood-sucking vampires. Vampires, right? Sangre, red cloaks, a bat emblem, and that white hair. I need to prod for more information.'

"And what makes you think we will agree to that 'decree' of yours?" Taki took one step further, now standing face-to-face with the Vampire. "What do we get in exchange for 25% of such important things as Hrystals and Gold?"

The inspector's smile didn't fade, but his eyes narrowed. "Death. Death awaits you if you don't pay. But you also get some benefits, young Devil."

Bluesy wobbled uncomfortably. He wished he could have told Taki about all of this before the damned Vampire did.

Francesco walked forward, bumping past Taki's shoulder. "I understand you're a gringo, a newcomer to these parts. This is your first dungeon, and from what it seems, your first contact with the underworld in Gaia, yes?"

Taki reluctantly nodded, hoping to acquire more information from the Vampire.

"See, la Intendencia is one of the three great factions of the underworld realm. For dungeons under our control, we promise to protect them from invasion from other dungeons to maintain order. We promise to protect you from large-scale invasions from all the overworld races. We give you trading support, commerce routes, and a place to sell all the loot you will collect from the humans you kill. The benefits are grand, and compared to the effort we make, 25% of your pitiful treasuries is nothing." Francesco announced while parading through the room, rubbing his finger against different surfaces to check for dust. "Building and growing a great dungeon without us would be... hopeless, to say the least. Especially for one with such a... low standard, like yours, amigo."

Taki paused, letting the insult linger in the air. His stinger twitched against his will, but he swallowed his anger. His mind was too busy going into overdrive to process the insult. So much info to extract, so much to decide, in too little time. He analyzed the list of benefits and quickly found himself veering on the side of caution. Protection. He would need protection to grow his Slime Kingdom into a proper size and power. They were all too weak for now and couldn't risk any actual combat. Even too many Bonnies swarming them would be enough for him to be reborn again in a different world.

So he decided to prod more.

"Say, Francesco, was the past owner of this dungeon wiped out by the IRS?" he asked nonchalantly. "Or was it something you were supposed to protect him from?"

Bluesy's form rippled, then stilled. A memory flickered in his depths - a crown toppling, a king's desperate cry swallowed by darkness. He couldn't let that happen again.

Francesco turned back in a dramatic motion. He flared his arms open and popped his cape. "I wish! The old King was a coward, a sly fox! Always paying his taxes late. I wanted to cut him down with my own claws. But no, It wasn't us."

"So, was it something you were supposed to protect them from?"

Francesco frowned, prompting Bluesy to frown as well. It was the first second the Vampire hadn't smiled since he arrived, proudly displaying his elongated canines.

Taki didn't like that reaction.