He looked down at the girl struggling to squish the dirt through his computer screen. She was amusing after all, trying so hard at something so pointless. She really didn't know how to work efficiently, if she would just buy some mana potions.
Then again, with her special body, if she ate some mana stones she would sure grow explosively. Not that she knew that of course, he wouldn't present everything to her on a silver platter, what fun would that be.
Chuckling to himself, he decided to watch her for a few more days before giving her a hint. Fate, however, never followed plans.
"NATHANIEL. GET OUT HERE." A rough voice hollowed, anger dripping from every word. Nathaniel frowned again, more troublesome fellows to deal with. Taking one last glance at the screen, he flicked his wrist and stepped outside into the endless space.
XXX
"OUCH!" Elise yelled, whipping her head around to see who ambushed her. Seeing the vast empty space filled with nothing but dirt and her golems, she frowned and rubbed the back of her head in pain.
She had been busy working on her fourth condensed dirt ball when something hit the back of her head. The dirt ball exploded back into loose dirt and the back of her head hurt tremendously.
With no success in finding the culprit to such an evil sneak attack, she bent down and looked at the murder weapon. It was a small pebble, it was perfectly smooth and glowed softly in the dark. Elise suddenly realised that it was dark in here, as dark as midnight. They were in a cave, after all, with no light source. Yet Elise had seen in here as well as she would have in bright daylight, Nathaniel really gave a strange body.
Sighing slightly, she flicked through the menu like a pro trained by her hours of window shopping on that hay bed. Quickly, she stopped at a subsection within the Dungeon section, a section she rarely visited. The title read [Weather Controls] with various options and upgrades beneath it. She casually bought a daylight rotation module and installed it on the first floor for 15DP, it was the cheapest weather option which only provided sunlight simulation on a floor and day night rotations. There was no weather nor temperature correction, it merely matched the outside.
Although slightly expensive, the purchase was necessary for future patrons of this area. Having solved this sudden problem with ease, Elise felt a little smug at her growth. She started out as an ignorant earthling from who knows where and now she had the ability to install sunlight in her dungeon. What an improvement.
Turning her attention back to the strange little pebble that attacked her from behind, she picked it up with curiosity. The moment she touched it she felt the strange feeling return, the same she felt when she first touched a magic scroll. 'Eat it' the voice in her head commanded her. 'Devour it'.
Although the urges were enough to drive her insane, she trusted it, she trusted her body and ate it. It tasted like candy, magical candy. It melted and fizzled in her mouth and slid down her throat. It tasted like rainbows and lemon drops.
The energy it provided was astonishing as well, her mana that was like a dried up flower bloomed into a rose garden. She could feel the rapid recovery of her mana as well as a sizable growth but then it hit her.
She felt like she had opened her eyes for the first time and truly seen the world. The mana flowed around her like water, waves and waves caressing her whole body. She inhaled it greedily and exhaled it with caution. It was as if she was drowning in ecstasy, and then it was gone as fast as it came. It only lasted a split second but it was like a drug.
When she left her daze a few moments later, she was shocked at what happened. Was it some sort of drug? A drug dealer in her dungeon? Before she could have further thoughts, she was hit with a different type of sensation. Without a word, she teleported to her castle in the dimension and made a run for the nearest toilet, which was pretty close to where she landed.
Let's just say, what came out wasn't like what went it. It pulsed red and black as if poisonous and deadly, its colours bright and glowing unlike anything that should come out of a human body. Elise took one look at it before decisively flushing it down without investigation.
With a strange expression, she teleported out and went to consult Zwei who was busy with the golem workers.
XXX
Marcus sat down in front of the desk with his report. "Town Lord, here is my report on the ghost. It is highly likely that there is a necromancer on the loose in the vicinity of our city. I suggest we continue to observe the ghost before aiming to capture him. Sir?"
The Town Lord looked up from the report, his white hair neat and tidy. His face, although wrinkly, had kind melancholic sage green eyes.
"Marcus, listen to me for a moment." He commented in a grave tone. His hands joined each other before settling down on the table, his knuckles white from the force he exerted. "Times are changing. The gods who haven't made a move for centuries are becoming unsettled, and I..."
He looked like he wanted to continue but he closed his mouth at the last minute. None of them talked for a while as Marcus tried to understand his meaning. Finally, the Town Lord raised his head to meet his gaze. An impossible amount of emotion and wisdom swirled within those eyes, threatening to pour out in the form of liquid jewels. They never did.
"Be careful." He muttered after an eternity, the sadness in his gaze flowed towards Marcus like electricity.
Having said his part, he looked away, focusing on the report. "Do whatever you believe is right, protect our town. That is your duty."
Marcus couldn't see his expression anymore, nor could he judge his emotions from his body language. The Town Lord sat dignified in the that belonged to him. Marcus looked away, blinking back his tears, the two of them desperately and obstinately acting, trying to keep up the façade of apathy.
He stood up and walked away with his report in hand.
"I will surely complete my duty."