The Infinity Dungeon [LitRPG]

"Perhaps you should go back to the lab, where it's safe."

With a single sentence, Michael had been effectively thrown out of the loop. Of course he still had the undying loyalty of Johanne and Icarus, and with them he could exercise his will and take back control of Unity in a matter of hours if he wanted. Every day that passed it would be a little bit harder, but as long as Icarus remained his it would never be impossible.

As he sat in the sterile lab, on the sofa that had become his best friend, he wondered if the others were aware of the fact.

"They used to be," Icarus said, "but I made sure to slowly make the awareness of it fade from their mind by subtly hinting at the fact that things have changed. It has hastened your exile from your own company, but at least your power has been preserved. Together with Johanne, we made them think they are the ones who now have control over me, and that I hold no loyalty to you anymore."

"Thanks, I guess." Michael said with a long sigh. "In the end, I was right. I am alone."

"You are not. You have Johanne and I," the AI said.

"Johanne is busy with the company, like everyone else."

"But she is there for you if you need her. If you only stopped pushing her away."

"It's for her own good," Michael said. He got up, feeling his back flare up in pain from spending too much time sitting or in bed. But what else was he supposed to do? "I can't find an excuse to push you away, can I?"

"No." Icarus said, "You can't."

"I see." Michael walked to the small toilet in the lab room. It had been repurposed to serve as his living quarters, away from everyone. He looked at his reflection in a mirror and hated it. "Care to update me on the comings and goings upstairs?"

They had sent him away upon feeling the Renegade energy, and he wondered if they were indeed trying to protect him or if it had just been the excuse they needed to oust him for good.

"Of course," Icarus said, "there is a new general at the head of the OA. He called, saying it's a tragedy Kavanaugh died, but leaving no doubt that he did not care about him. David seems to think that they knew about the mole. The new general offered us to keep collaborating, but under much less advantageous conditions. Travis wanted to reply with violence and asked me to back him up with my access to the nuclear codes. It would escalate to a full-blown coup, of course, and David vetoed it. They argued, but eventually settled for accepting the new conditions for the time being."

"Don Casellaro called," the AI continued. He did not believe it when they told him you weren't there. He pretended you were, and monologued for a while before hanging up. Do you want to listen to the recording?"

Michael nodded. A holographic window appeared in the air, courtesy of a Light Element crystal.

"Signor Michael Lexington? It is a pleasure to finally speak with you directly. My name is Don Vincenzo Casellaro."

"He isn't here," Travis's voice said.

The Don laughed. "As you say. I know he's listening. Caro Michael. We haven't been properly introduced, though I feel I know you intimately. Through our dearly departed Carmela, that is. A stray sheep perhaps, but… have you read in the Catechism, about the duties of the shepherd?

A shepherd must account for his flock, Signor Lexington. Every lamb. It reflects poorly, you understand, when a wolf enters the fold, hmm? When a sheep is taken… violently… without so much as a word to the shepherd? It causes… scandal. And the Good Book speaks quite clearly, quite severely, on those who bring scandal upon the famiglia. We are shepherds, Signor Lexington."

"We do not care about your threats." It was David speaking now. "Speak. What do you want?"

"Ah, direct. Good. Time is valuable, a gift from God, not to be squandered. But Michael's sins are many. What I want? Justice, perhaps. I cannot ask for the teeth of your wolf, can I? If he is not there with you, perhaps you could offer me his hide. Or is the wolf only a precious little lamb in your eyes? I will not meddle with your affairs, nor ask why shelter wolves in sheep's clothing."

Michael paused the recording. He wondered if Icarus or Johanne would ever let them in the lab if they claimed that giving him to the Don was for the best. Shaking his head, he pressed play again.

"I want reparations, certainly. Carmela, for all her ambitions, represented an investment. Resources. Respect. Her removal leaves a deficit. A spiritual debt, wouldn't you agree? Like Judas, selling his soul for silver, actions have consequences that echo. Debts must be paid. It is ordained.

A little birdie, one perhaps touched by the Holy Spirit, perhaps merely opportunistic, tells me you've built yourselves a fine fortress. Site 00, they call it? Gathering power, reaching for the heavens like the men of Babel. A commendable ambition. But pride, as the Scriptures warn us, comes before the fall.

Do you imagine that you are the only one who hears the whispers? The only one partaking of the forbidden fruit? There are older covenants, deeper wells of power than your dungeon. Some might say, holier ones. Some might say, Renegade ones.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Consider this a… pastoral visit, by telephone. A reminder of your obligations. Carmela's blood cries out, not for vengeance, perhaps – vengeance is Mine, saith the Lord, after all – but for satisfaction. An offering is due. Think on it. Pray on it. Guard your flock. Guard your soul. The Devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Guardatevi le spalle. Watch your back, dear men. May God grant you wisdom."

As the message ended, Michael groaned. The silence that followed stretched on for a long minute.

"Fuck…"

***

Travis, David and the Technomancer sat at the large table in the Control Room. They had taken to bringing the Technomancer over, because they did not fully trust Icarus and the man could somewhat act as a tool to strong-arm the AI when needed.

"The Don has a Faith artifact, that's how he managed to overpower you in Rome." the man said.

"Icarus never told us as much."

"Because the machine claims that we can't know for certain yet," the Technomancer spat.

"It could be a dungeon," interjected David, "that data is not clear."

"I've seen the data," the Technomancer said. "And my ability to process it is impeccable. It's a device, and it runs on Faith. The miasma over Rome is a byproduct of it."

"How do you know for sure?" David challenged the man, "Did you see it?"

"I have!"

"That's enough!" Travis said. It always devolved into bickering between him and David.

"Whatever the case," said David, "it could be a problem. What about the Renegade? He's clearly working with the Don."

"That's speculation," Travis said.

David shot him a look. "You felt the energy in the picture. We even examined the dead body. How else would the Don have reached someone in the US, a True Silver at that, and killed him unseen in the OA headquarters?"

"Unseen is a big word," replied Travis, "The OA is clearly compromised too. Anyway, this is all correlation, not causation. The Don has Faith users with reality-bending capabilities, as per the file. You read the file, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Then you know you can't hide a dungeon all that easily."

"Fine, let's take some time to digest this information and reconvene."

They made to leave. The Technomancer was the first to leave the room, never feeling too comfortable around the two powerhouses that sat at the top of the organization. The others lingered for a moment.

"Good one," laughed Travis.

"Indeed," David said, pouring a glass for the other man. "You almost made me angry for real."

"I did?" Travis raised an eyebrow. "What about you? You almost made me want to kick your face in."

They shared a laugh. "What will it be, then?"

"It doesn't really matter what it is. The situation is escaping our grasp."

"Perhaps we do need Michael," David said.

"He can't do shit. Did you not see him? One setback, and he lost all grip on the situation."

"Cut him some slack. You have no idea how it feels to be back to zero."

"I don't?" Travis's voice grew powerful. "I know damn well how it feels. The fact remains. We have searched far and wide, scoured the dungeon, did everything we could–"

"It's been two weeks, Travis. That's hardly a long time."

"How much subjective time has it been, though? How much time has Johanne wasted to cure him? Let's be real with each other. He's crippled and he's acting like a cripple."

***

"The fuckers…"

Michael waved his hand, and Icarus commanded the Light Element crystal to stop the broadcast of what was going on in the Control Room far above.

"Do they know I'm watching?"

"They are under the impression that you have resigned yourself to your fate and are spending your time in self-destructive moping." Icarus replied.

"Harsh."

But not far from the truth, Michael realized.

"Did they even reach a deeper floor?" he asked.

Several files appeared. "Travis took the care to document everything. He didn't leave out any information. Several Operators reached Floor Three, while he and David have descended to Floor Four. They both received challenge floors, but they have yet to beat them."

"So for all their grandstanding, they still have to beat me." he said bitterly. "Or what had once been me."

"Perhaps they are acting like this because they know you can see them?" the AI suggested.

"What? In hope that I might get mad and come back to full power out of spite? Nah, they are taking what they think is rightfully theirs. The mindset has been there from the beginning. The powerful take. Everyone else sits back. I'm not even mad at them. I agree with them."

"Michael, what if Casellaro–"

"Maybe," he cut Icarus off. "If that's the case, then it's even worse. The situation has gone on for far too long already. Power up the testing chamber. It's time to bash my head at the problem until I can come up with a solution."

If Icarus had a real body, he would have smiled.

While Michael tried and failed many methods to restore his lost power, Site 00 continued its daily operations. Unity Corporation expanded, both Vanguard and Candle Light pushing its edges while Icarus worked to fill in the rest of the space with more mundane operations.

Companies were acquired, activities were started. They started lobbying the government, trying to poke holes in the OA which had become nigh impenetrable seemingly overnight.

The first magic detection satellite was launched. When its feed went live, Michael watched from the underground lab while the others watched from the Control Room, with Johanne there to interpret the data.

The holographic map of the world began its slow update, one strip of land at a time as the satellite made the rounds around the planet. When it passed over Rome, the satellite detected the same haze of Faith Michael had sensed while there. When it passed over the rest of the world, it revealed a situation much more complex and dangerous than anyone thought before.

Unknown signatures were everywhere, and more popped up all the time. More satellites were launched. With the better data, they realized just how much Faith there was around Rome, centered at the Vatican. It gave the artifact theory a much firmer ground to stand on, while the absence of mana ruled out the possibility of a dungeon.

One fated moment, Michael jokingly told Icarus to point one satellite towards outer space.

His jaw dropped.

"Holy shit…"