Worthy Core

 

"Xen? Who's this bozo?"

The skeleton warrior looks down at the skull in her hand, and then back up at the draconic figure sitting across from her. Sighing, she claims a seat for herself as she sets Dave's head down on the table. "Dave, meet the Dragonlord. Dragonlord, meet Dave."

The tyrant raises a browridge at the speaking skull. "Do I wish to understand the purpose of you carting about that remnant of your past?"

"Hey, be nice! Dave here's a friend of mine, kept me company for a long time. Guessin' you're the sort that's not big on friends though, huh?"

Dave speaks up, his voice unhindered by the fact that his jaw is unable to move while seated on the table. "This one of the Necromancer's flunkies, Xen? Want me to nibble on him for ya?"

Xenia shakes her head. "Nah, unrelated sort of asshole. What does bring you here though, Your Scaliness? I didn't even know you could just insert yourself like this, last time we had a chat you yanked me out out of my little trip entirely, didn't you?"

The shapeshifted dragon snorts. "Even an old dragon can learn new tricks, and I learned this one from your previous visitor some months ago. Who is also one of the reasons I'm here, incidentally."

Leaning forward with a bit more interest, Xenia asks a follow-up. "So y'knew about that? I got the impression you weren't involved, was that wrong?"

They don't answer right away, instead taking another gulp of wine from their chalice. "Amazing what this inner dimension of yours can reproduce, isn't it? If I'm not mistaken you never sampled this wine - nor do you currently have tastebuds, apparently. And yet it feels and tastes entirely real, and from a rather fine vintage at that." Setting the cup aside, they get to the point. "I was not involved other than as an observer, no. I am involved this time, however, as my presence here is what is shielding you from a repeat performance."

Xenia's eyes would go wide if she had any, or eyelids. "Wait, someone's trying to get at me right now? Who?"

"I cannot trace the exact source of the interference. The magical signature is entirely divine, however, and not one which I'm familiar with."

Dave interjects, sounding a little nervous. "Uh, you got gods coming after you, Xen? Don't remember you mentioning that part."

The dungeon master sighs. "Wish I could say I didn't, but it's apparently a real possibility. But, you saying you're familiar with a lot of gods, D-L? And...why would you be sticking your neck out for me, if that's the kind of stakes we're playing with?"

If they're bothered by Xenia's nicknames, the Dragonlord shows no sign of it. "A number of them, yes. Divine interference with the Great Dungeon some centuries ago was...extensive. And did not leave us on good terms with each other. Not that I ever had much use for them, but you could say that's soured me on the whole class ever since. But even aside from that, I am shielding you because I do not like it when other people attempt to put my property at risk. Dragons are known for their possessiveness, after all."

Xenia shoots to her feet, palms planted on the table as she aggressively growls at the much-larger figure. "Hey! I ain't anybody's property, and especially not yours! We made a deal, but I never swore myself as your vassal or any of that shit."

They brush off that concern with a wave of their hand. "Forgive me, I misspoke. The Great Dungeon is still my property, as far as I am concerned, I did not mean you directly. You are however my tenant and to some extent its protector, and so I find myself needing to protect you in turn."

The skeleton stays on her feet, still not entirely mollified. "Really? Cause the last dealings we had involved you sending a team with the threat to crack my core open. That's not exactly good guardianship."

"It was a test, and you passed. Consider it water under the bridge, those concerns are past and we have new matters to concern ourselves with - especially with unknown third parties of divine origin showing an interest in you. I have had my agents performing what investigations they can, and I do not believe the entity who contacted you on your last excursion is native to our realm. But then, I imagine that doesn't exactly surprise you."

"Or you, apparently. Sounds like you've got me all figured out, huh? Wasn't entirely sure before."

"Your type is rare, but live as long as I do and you've seen it all before. I understand you're familiar with one Paladin Sable Bluehair? Her grandfather was one such man, and we did meet on one occasion. I suspect there have been others throughout history."

Xenia scoffs a bit as she sits back into her seat. "And he didn't stab you? Dragon-slaying seems like just the sort of thing a hero like that would get up to."

The tyrant shrugs. "Such men are easy enough to deal with. I allowed him to 'seduce' one of my succubi agents and he soon enough went along on his way. He was a man of many conquests, but not one for particularly difficult ones."

"Wait, are you saying Sable's grandma works for you?"

This time they sigh. "Once. Unfortunately the 'seduction' actually took hold at some point, and she tendered her resignation. She had done her job, however, so it was of little concern. Anyhow, we are wandering away from the point."

Dave speaks up yet again. "Yeah! The point like there's a freaking god out for us! What are we gonna do!?"

Xenia crosses her arms. "...Was kinda hopin' the 'ignore it until it goes away' strategy might have some value to it..."

The Dragonlord responds to that with a shrug. "It could be, if you ceased these excursions. It is my understanding that deities do not cross realms lightly, and you have divine patronage of your own. I do not understand the exact method with which they are tapping in to this unique experience of yours, but it very well could represent the limit of their abilities."

"Do you...want me to stop trying to reclaim old dungeon floors?"

"I am currently ambivalent on the matter, to be honest. However, I have been much enjoying these insights into your past lives, they have been very enlightening. If you should attempt more of these, I may allow you to proceed just to see how things play out, but I wished to have a discussion at least this once."

"Oh!" The warrior-turned-paperweight shouts. "Is that what's going on here? Is this like a story about one of Xen's past lives? That's cool! I've heard all of your stories, you never said you could make them play out like this before, though! You been holding out on me?"

Xenia gives a sad chuckle. "Sorry Dave, it's a new trick. And I'm afraid you're not exactly...uh. Real. I do like getting to see you again, though."

"Xenia. Xen. Look into my eyes. ...Might need a little help here." Reaching out, Xenia turns the skull around so that it's facing her, and the two eyeless figures lock stares. "I am a friggin' talkin' skull. I barely feel real on a good day. I still feel kind of flattered though that with all your craziness and all, I was worth telling a story about."

"Totally, Dave. Made you a statue and everything." Turning him back to face the Dragonlord once again, Xenia asks a new question. "So if you're not telling me to stop, what do we have to talk about then?"

The dragon stands up from their chair and begins to pace the room, stretching their legs as they speak. "I would like to take our relationship to the next level. You are aware, I assume, of the system of Collaborator Dungeons we use within the Domain?"

Xenia nods. "I've gotten Lollyp's perspective on it, at least. Not like she was particularly high-ranking or anything though, so I don't know much about the nitty-gritty details."

"The system walks a fine line. The dungeons are the creations of the gods, after all, tools designed to serve a specific purpose. Corrupting dungeons from that purpose would draw their ire, and while I do not fear the divine as most do, it is a conflict I do not particularly need, not while still dealing with the after-effects of our last...confrontation."

Xenia tilts her head. "You saying you got into a slugfest with the gods? You might be bigger in the britches than some dragons I've known, but that sounds like a bit much." The towering figure laughs at her disbelief.

"Oh, it was remarkable in its subtlety. A few divinely-inspired dreams and visions, a guiding star or two, and suddenly a dozen races looking to escape the consequences of their own conflicts were informed of a new land, free for the taking! Barely populated, in comparison with their own ruined cities and ports. A minor matter of a grumpy dragon and their sparse followers who resided in those lands, but nothing to stop them from sending forth their fleets of colonists, hrmm?"

"You're saying the colonization wave was the gods' attempt to kill you?"

"Destroy me, annoy me, the outcome matters little beyond that I was chastised and diminished for my attempts to defy their wills." They wave a hand before refocusing. "But that is beside the point. The Collaborator Dungeon system is more than simply making use of dungeons as military bases. Challengers must be allowed access to them still, yes, and there are limits to how much we can artificially strengthen such dungeons. But the true strength of the arrangement is one of connection."

Bony fingers scratch against Xenia's skull. "I wouldn't have expected you to be all about the Power of Friendship, D-L."

"Ha. More that of a lord and their vassals. The Domain is my domain, and I do not simply mean in terms of political lines drawn on a map. Bonds formed between myself and my dungeons allow me to exert my will across my lands, should the need be great enough. Power is exchanged both ways, as well - were you one of my dungeons, you would never again need to fear for the safety of your core from the whims of errant Challengers."

Xenia scoffs. "I'd just need to worry about getting on your bad side, is all."

The Dragonlord turns to face Xenia as they make their next statement. "I give nothing for free. And I do not actually propose such an arrangement between us - yet. Your dungeon sits beyond the borders of the territory I currently rule, and taking you into the fold would provoke another sort of reaction I do not currently care to deal with. I do not intend for this to be the state of affairs forever, however, and both you and I have long lifetimes ahead of us. When I next soar north, you would be wise to plan for that moment."

Dave growls from the tabletop. "Hey! Are you threatening my pal?"

"No. As I said, I do not have any further interest in 'testing' you, Xenia. Now...I am not one to treat others as equals, for I believe few if any exist, I suppose narcissism is yet another well-known trait of dragons. Believe it or not I am familiar with the concept of allies, however, and I would like to...upgrade our current relationship."

The dungeon master crosses her arms. "I am...very cautiously listening if you're making an offer. Not feeling super inclined to accept at the moment, though."

"No offer today, merely a gift or two." Walking around the table, the Dragonlord halts before reaching Xenia and instead reaches to pick up Dave. After staring into the skull's blank expression for a moment, they continue. "Soul magic is an expertise of the Domain, you know."

Xenia nods. "Seen Cerise do a trick or two, yeah, and I think I've heard Sincere mention that, too."

"Tricks learned from my own tutelage. Even I've learned something from these 'flashbacks' of yours, however. You know, most mortals seem to believe that a soul is simply...a brain, a mind, disconnected from the body. But if that was true, then these recreations would be limited to those things which you had experienced with your own physical senses. What you had seen and felt. Yet they are not. Your soul bears the marks of all the things that have had an impact on you in your many lives, whether you were aware of them or not. This...mockery of a dungeon had a notable impact on your life for seven months, and so the entire structure has ingrained itself into you."

"...Interesting factoid, but if you're gift-shopping for me, chocolates would be better."

"The gift I offer is one you already possess, but do not have the means to use. It's not a simple matter for me, so do not take this lightly - but as Master of the Great Dungeon and a master of the domain of soul magic, I ask you - would you like to know what was beyond that door you spent so many months guarding?"

Xenia stirs in her seat, feeling a little nervous for some reason. "...Why do you ask?"

Before she can rise entirely, the Dragonlord plants a palm on her forehead, and her vision is blinded by light. "Because that is my gift to you."

 

---

 

When the light fades, Xenia finds herself back in her core chamber, surrounded by a very confused group of dungeon bosses. Miles away however, two other figures find themselves in the private chambers of the Dragonlord.

"Ah! My eyes! And I don't even have eyes! ...Wait, are we out? Out of the dungeon? Is this real? Am I real!?"

The shapeshifted dragon looks down at the skull they hold in the palm of their hand. "You are as real as I wish you to be. The soul of...Dave may be long lost, but they left their mark on your Xenia, and chipping off a small fragment of her essence to form the core of your existence is a minor feat."

"I'm...Xenia? Wow, that's a weird one. What'd you do that for, though?"

Lifting the skull to eye level, the Dragonlord asks a question. "Tell me, Dave. You say you are familiar with the stories of your friend's past lives?"

"Oh, sure! Didn't have a whole lot else to talk about, you know?"

"Excellent. I find myself in the mood for...story-time."