I'm really starting to dislike losing my consciousness. Bad enough I can't guess the passage of time normally, but being unconcious just throws me completely for a loop. How long was it this time? Is Queen already replaced? Did the world end without me being front row center? No way to tell until my focus returns, everything is blurry and out of shape. The core room looks much as it did before my nap, Queen is still here so I can't have been out of action for too long. System?
{ Dungeon Tutorial is unable to resolve the cores query, please restate. }
Well the shitty tutorial is still on. How did she turn you on? I though I controlled the system?
{ Dungeon Master Queen is given access rights to the system on two levels. On the base level a dungeon master has the authority to place orders and dictate the direction of the dungeon. Queen's race gives her an additional layer... }
"I'm a dungeon lamia my precious, a special breed of being that is connected to you in far more intimate ways than just as an awakened dungeon master." Queen's voice cut in, a hand lazily stroking my crystal skull cap. "Direct your queries at me precious, the system is far too rigid, it can keep a core like you contained but it needs a more intimate hand...urk... a moment precious, let me get this done and then we can discuss."
Focusing on her more intently I watched as she slithered off her throne cradling her bulging stomach, it was rather obvious that my last sight of the Breeder had obviously borne fruit with my new master. Pity I was asleep for the gestation period. Watching her move to the side she laid in the water that had once filled half the room, she was breathing deeply as a scale on her front shifted exposing a pinkish red slit. Biting her lips, the lamia grunted as her body undulated slowly. From the hidden genitals a gush of fluid erupted followed swiftly by a light blue egg roughly the same size as my crystal skull. She was not finished though, thrice more she repeated the act of laying a small clutch of eggs.
Stroking one she glanced up from them to look at my core, "Don't be jealous precious. Sadly allowing the Breeder to do its job is the fastest way to expand my people, with no other options available the leader must naturally shoulder the burden. It is hard on my system, but this is the third and final clutch, if I don't get any females this time I will have to risk my body again, and a fourth clutch will likely see my end... not that precious would mind hm? My passing would free you again would it not?"
Internally I was nodding at her explination but then it hit me... You can hear me???
Queen giggled and slowly slithered back up on her chair, laying over my core with a sigh, "Dungeon races are mutations connected with our beginnings. You may not know it but your core radiates magic. The more a master or candidate spends in your proximity the closer the connection to you when we advance. As a dungeon lamia I am almost part of you now. Almost. I still have my immediate desires and goals so in a sense we are, in many ways, part of the dungeon. So yes I can hear you, or more precisely, I can understand your intent. I cannot truly 'hear' you, but the understanding is enough."
Sighing as she settled on the throne, resting her voluptuous upper body on my core she breathed slowly, "I do apologize for essentially robbing you of your efforts but you were very out of control. The dungeon ecosystem is something of a delicate balance. As your awareness should have awakened, a dungeon should never breach the surface, or expand itself into the depths. Both things you did. With ghouls running rampant outside and allowing me in through below, the powers that be had to act unless the world saw another necropolis rise."
Shifting against my skull she exhaled and continued, "So you had to be contained. Thankfully the ghouls have already been pushed back by the outsiders. With this good news comes the bad, they will eventually push in to stop the source, as the current dungeon master, even though I helped to stem the ghouls from within, these invaders will come to hunt me. Thus I was forced to avail myself of your wild Breeder. Foul thing hadn't even been trained, little better than a wild beast lost to its heat. Disgusting."
"Honestly precious, if I'd have a guess, you're still a young dungeon are you not?" She glanced around motioning with her free hand, "It's the state of your halls that reveal your age. While dungeon masters can remove and remodel dungeons they usually won't bother with a good layout. Too much waste having to clean up the follies of ones forebearers. I mean really? A maze? That was the best your last master could do? No wonder you chafed under their oversight. Still the fault lies with you precious that you are ignoring your purpose."
If I could I would frown at her discussion, just where did her know how stem from? Before this she was just a little snake that crawled out of the bowels of the ground. On what basis did she have to question his intents? No, I don't care if I named you Queen, I am not your subject.
"But you are precious." Leaning on his core the lamia stretched her body slowly, "You aren't wrong. Before this I was a simple snake. My evolution is where that changed. The core of your existence likely never taught you much so I guess it's my job. Dungeon evolutions inherit that core consciousness. It's how I 'hear' you. I'm as much a part of you as that core consciousness is, only I don't have to wait for you to jump through lessons to impart what you should know."
Lazing across his skull she sighed, "For example, just what has that core consciousness taught you? Besides how to breed those repulsive breeding tools that is."
I thought back, just what did the tutorial teach me? Well that silly rule that I can't build the dungeon in my masters place, but if I waited on them I'd still be a hole in the wall full of undead chickens. As I thought about Fadewind and his fetish Queen started laughing, nearly rolling right over me off her throne. "Skeletal chickens was your first dungeon monster? Hahahaha.... oh dear gods I can't breathe, what sort of luck does your core have to be awakened by a necromancer that liked undead poultry? hehehe..."
Mentally frowning at her giggle fit I continued to recall the simple lessons like detecting the status of the outside region and yes the three types of breeding systems. As disgusting as she found the Mothers of Monsters or the Breeder I was never in a position to establish a breeding pit... well I suppose the cave goblins could have done it but those blind little shits were only a step up from useless, it was only after multiple evolutions through the Mother of Monsters did they even start to resemble proper monsters. Then came her and her buddies and everything got out of hand... well more so, I did have to admit my suicide attacks on the orcs weren't the best laid plans but I had to work with what I had!
Queen just nodded wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes, "You know nothing. Your core is still primarily sealed."
I couldn't disagree, I mean outside of this core chamber I was practically deaf, while I got pretty good at recognizing typical responses and curses from lip reading people and goblins, it was hardly false to claim I was essentially running tied, gagged and blindfolded.
"Why didn't you listen to your guidance essence?"
I really wanted to curse her. Listen to the tutorial? It was like watching mold grow on my walls, actually at least that made progress. With my two prior masters who were keen to just use me as a convenient squatting locale when would the tutorial teach me anything? By its own decree I was to be a passive observer waiting to fulfill my dungeon masters will... problem was my masters before didn't want anything! I would be stuck in limbo watching people come and go, that is hardly a future I want for myself, hence after Fadewind was killed I vowed to never neuter myself again with the tutorial. Yet she had to go and essentially castrate me. Even now the tutorial was silent, waiting on HER before it would show me anything, and the first thing SHE did was put me to sleep!
Queen looked slightly taken aback at my silent rant, a look of incredulity passed her face before she looked down at my crystal skull, "Just how young are you?"
Time is meaningless, by age... hundreds of years maybe? I could never guage the travel of time after Fadewind's death. Under his ownership I experienced a few months I guess, then a long sleep, the Shadowhand, after he left it had to have been hundreds of years as an elf he died of natural causes, or so I figured, unlike Fadewind I was told he died, not that he was killed. Now I had another sleep, dungeon only knows how long she has been in charge with my guiding essence on its own.
Queen covered her mouth, "I had no idea, you're a new core. Completely new not one that rebelled and went wild. Sorry about that precious, your essence was not as forthcoming about your experiences just a laundry list of what it found wrong in the existing time frame. Well this makes things different."
Different how? I'm still yoked to the tutorial and it won't do anything without her input so I'm trapped. Whatever. So lead on oh almighty Queen, what can your humble servant build for you today? What's that? Nothing? All done, guess you better put me back to sleep then before I try to take any initiative myself.
Queen frowned tapping the top of my core, "Okay maybe I deserved some of that, precious you have to understand that we exist to build an entity greater than our selves. Your essence is what helped me evolve, but you were out of control."
Out of control? I was making monsters! That's what a dungeon does!
Queen shook her head patting the top of my core, "Calm down precious, dungeons are far more than just monster nests. A true dungeon is one of a self contained ecosystem. Yes you breed, raise and evolve monsters, but not to the point where they cannot exist within you. By letting my ghouls take over their own reproduction with no counter force to limit them they ran amok. You had a Breeder free roaming creating gods only knows what with whatever it got a hold of."
Admittedly things did go a bit crazy, but it beat just watching a bunch of humanoids mining day in and day out. I'm a dungeon not a mine shaft!
"You are what your master needs you to be, you are an assistant helping the dungeon run as smoothly as possible. It is the first lesson your guiding essence taught you, dungeon masters rule, dungeons evolve." Queen refuted simply.
But I do not desire such. I am not a spectator for my existence, to be driven through existence by every Fadewind and Shadowheart that stumbles in. I want more.
"I do not deny you are unique precious, from what I have understood by the memories awakened by my evolution, speaking to you like this should be impossible. Most dungeons do not have a sense of self, rather they embody a purpose. Like your drive to be one filled with monsters, most other dungeons would guide their dungeon masters to embrace that cultivation rather than trying to breed their own monstrous hosts."
Ha! I'm different! I am not like the rest thus I should be an exception to the rule right?
Queen shook her head leaning on my core, "No all the more importance that the guiding essence teaches you what a dungeon should be. Left unchecked you could bring about great ruin."
I gave a mental smirk at Queen. I have learned I am pretty much eternal, ruin beyond will not effect me, I need only achieve my purpose.
"Granted, then what IS your purpose?"
That's easy....uh... wait a second I know I chafe under useless masters but why do I want endless monsters? You know, now that I think about it, I've more or less just been bucking useless masters but why create monsters like this... Give me a second Queen, I know the answer is in here...
Some where...