With embarrassment written all over his face, Ramiel looked at the mess that reigned in Darwin's "laboratory," if this brothel could still be called that. There were makeshift test tubes strewn about, made of... Ramiel wasn't sure he wanted to know exactly what they were made of. Sometimes, ignorance is a blessing to be thankful for.
After the sterile environment, not the slightest trace remained. Ramiel had to show almost divine attention to avoid the dismembered parts of various monsters crumbling underfoot. It is better not to mention about the numerous plants, unspecified liquids, and the remains of the monsters' cores.
Ramiel's attention was caught by one place where relative order reigned. On a stone table lay neatly organized stacks of notebooks that he had given to Darwin.
Ramiel thought he could use them more than he could. He had nothing to do with them anyway.
Driven by curiosity, he glanced at one of them. Perhaps it was nosy and out of place, but Ramiel, as Dungeon Master, had every right to do so.
To his surprise, he found in the first notebook from the shore neatly arranged and neatly kept notes on research in the field of potions that temporarily replenish stamina and accelerate cell reproduction. For the uninitiated, this is the red liquid in vials that hunters abuse and drink by the hectoliter in the dungeon.
The second notebook contained recipes for concoctions, decoctions, ointments, and all sorts of plants used in alchemy. He even managed to find the skeleton's loose thoughts about mana.
Ramiel's finding reaffirmed his actions. His investment in Darwin had already paid off several times over, and this was only the beginning of their wonderful adventure together. He had high expectations of him, and from what he has been able to see so far, they still need a foundation.
An unpleasant and furious clicking of bones alerted Ramiel's sensitive senses. He twisted his ankle in place, bending his knees low. He was ready to perform a quick sprint at any second.
Ramiel's left hand went forward, and in his right hand appeared a spear made of 100 percent mana infused with the element of darkness. The black spear blindly aimed in the direction from which he felt the intense bloodlust.
The hunter shot forward, snatching into the air the dried plants gathered in the abyss.
" Fuck. "
Ramiel's pupils dilated in shock when the figure of an enraged Darwin suddenly loomed up in front of him. Millimeters were missing for the skeleton to end its life today.
At the last moment, he dispersed the spell and kicked the floor with all his might. Ramiel lost his balance and rolled several times on the floor, then slammed momentarily into the stone wall.
The crystals that provided the light shook under the impact, accompanied by numerous curses.
Why do I have to have such good senses... - Ramiel cursed in his mind.
Numerous blusters directed at Darwin didn't prevent him from pummeling the decomposed Ramiel with a bone on his head. The skeleton was furious. His master hadn't only created confusion in the laboratory but also didn't miss touching and messing everything up.
The servant, in a fit of anger, literally wanted to kill his own master, so the well-trained hunter immediately went on the offensive. After all, the best defense is offense. Some may consider this the first sign of madness.
An ordinary person will never understand the feelings that gripped the skeleton... Ramiel didn't understand them either. He didn't even realize the gravity of the sin he had committed. In his eyes, he had done nothing wrong. Darwin's aggression was unjustified.
" Enough. " - Ramiel growled furiously, standing up on his feet in the meantime.
Dark green flames in the skeleton's empty eye sockets trembled under the master's reprimand. Darwin immediately dropped to one knee, respecting Ramiel's order. His neck bent at an unnatural angle until the skull scrubbed the stone floor.
Darwin momentarily buried the growing hatred inside him. He knew he had overstepped the mark and didn't want to strain Ramiel's nerves. One wrong word and he might lose his head.
The skeleton's self-preservation instinct worked perfectly. Ramiel was furious and barely kept his nerves in check.
How can one be so thoughtless... Sigh... Never mind...
Ramiel got up on his feet and then shook off the accumulated dust.
Many words were pressed to his lips, but in the end, he let out a short sigh.
" You can get up." - The cool and firm tone of Ramiel's voice caused a sudden flow of electric arc along Darwin's exposed spine.
The rare ability of a man to shout without raising his voice was surprising.
The skeleton obediently complied with the master's command, but his gaze was still fixed on the ground. Darwin respected Ramiel. Sometimes, he just had trouble controlling his emotions, especially when someone lorded over his laboratory without permission.
" Is everything ready? " Ramiel didn't beat around the bush. He immediately moved on to what he came here for, letting Darwin's little prank pass by his ears. Time was chasing him, and before the end of the day, he still had a few things planned to do. And no... not spending time with Caera and Asme.
Fearing for his own life, the skeleton darted to the hollowed-out shelves in the rock, rearranging piles of various vials and notes. Under his chaotic movements, papers flew through the air, and some of the imitation glass containers fell to the ground.
Ramiel shook his head disappointedly. He greatly valued Darwin, but the servant's attitude gave him a headache. Sometimes, the skeleton acted like a mad scientist, only to turn into a docile and panicked lamb.
The contrast between his personalities was visible to the naked eye. Even a five-year-old child would have noticed the difference.
Ramiel didn't have to wait long for Darwin to take the plunge. A few minutes later, the skeleton stood proudly before the hunter, presenting him with his latest creation. He held three vials of a thick and fluorescent pale blue liquid in his bony hands.
Ramiel didn't attempt to hide his interest. He immediately took one of the vials and examined it closely. Inside, he noticed crushed particles of Infirnyt crystals hiding behind the cut petals of the Frost Touch Lily.
"Are you sure this will work?"
Darwin trembled at the unspoken threat from his superior. With a trembling hand, he pointed to a large boulder covered in transparent ice, the hilt of a rusty dagger protruding from it.
"Very well, how much of this do we have? "
Darwin searched the floor for a clean sheet of paper or one with a bit of blank space. Finding it in the prevailing chaos bordered on the miraculous, but the skeleton managed it.
He quickly scribbled a few numbers on it, then handed it to Ramiel with an exaggerated expression of respect.
The young man sighed heavily, lowering his relaxed shoulders lower.
" Do more. Ten is definitely not enough. You have seven days to do it. Put all other projects on hold and focus only on this one. I've had enough of stagnation. " - In Ramiel's words, not even an ounce of sympathy or pity could be found. His cold, commanding, and emotionless tone of voice took no account of opposition. After a while, he added - " You are a skeleton, so you don't need sleep. Focus on that. "
Darwin's jaw dropped lower in disbelief. The flames, representing his eyes, stared at the back of the departing master in disbelief.
He needed a day and a half to make one specific... And this is the approximate time when everything goes smoothly, which isn't always the case...
The skeleton cursed in his mind, then got to work. A busy week awaited him. After all, he couldn't disappoint the master's expectations.
~~~~~~
Ramiel walked around the dungeon, checking how the usual work and preparations for the raid on the Forest of Night Rippers were going. As mentioned earlier, he was fed up with the stagnant development of the dungeon.
Once, he had already underestimated the bosses in the abyss and paid the price for it. The second time, he will not make the same mistake. His double, or original, made it clear. - " This is your last chance, don't screw it up. "
These aren't his exact words, but the message remains the same.
Everything seemed to be going in the right direction. Caera and Asme trained hard on the newest floor of the dungeon. Their desire to improve their abilities so they wouldn't fall behind, Ramiel motivated the women to work hard. Ramiel didn't complain. The stronger they were, the less he had to worry about them.
Avi did well, training the latest generation of Condemned Wolves and The Dead Gnu. The monsters grew up fast and multiplied even faster. Pat watched over everything, occasionally casting the pups a grim look. Otherwise, there was a high probability of the sudden death of a fairy.
The skeletons on the farm also gave 120% of themselves. So did those in charge of the Infirnyt Mines. Crystals became the backbone of Ramiel's humble economy. They were an indispensable part of any armament.
Not that Ramiel had any other choice. Currently, infirnyt is the only resource at his disposal. Not counting a modest amount of trees and wild plants from the abyss.
The man ended his journey in one of the hollowed-out spurs in the throne room. Carved into the rock, the room belonged to the Skeletons, who were responsible for processing raw Infirnyt crystals.
Ramiel was pleased with their work. When he opened the door, the sight of carefully arranged arrows appeared to his eyes. Next to them, he found polished rectangular-shaped crystals with sharply beveled tops. Their purpose was simple. They served as fuel for future magic formations.
Ramiel may have overprepared but wanted to ensure he didn't fail. Last time, he'd run away with his tail between his legs; this time, he wouldn't.
" Everyone is going well ... so, I guess I can take care of myself? "
~~~~~~
Ramiel plunged into the icy water of the lake without a second thought. Not only did his senses immediately sharpen, but the chaotic mana driven by dozens of vortices suddenly calmed.
Dozens of flowers gathered around the man, but he paid no attention to them. He had long become accustomed to their behavior, and it didn't impress him in the least.
On the contrary, he would have found it strange if he hadn't found one exceptional rose close by.
" Once you live... supposedly... " - With these words, Ramiel closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
It didn't take long for him to fall into a meditative state. His mind became blank, isolating all stimuli from the outside world. He had only one goal, to take another small step on the winding path of increasing his mana reserves.
Ramiel looked deep within himself, visualizing the circulating particles of energy ejected by dozens of carefully pampered vortexes.
The next step was nothing complicated. It consisted of creating one giant vortex that would engulf all the smaller ones. However, Ramiel felt a slight uneasiness.
His first attempt didn't end well, alike the second and third. Then, the hunter ended up a bed slave for a week. Even the treatments of gifted healers couldn't so quickly repair the havoc the external mana had wreaked on the body. He nearly said goodbye to life.
Ramiel didn't want a repeat performance, especially since he only had Felix at his disposal. Like the rest, the skeleton grew fast, but he still had much to learn. With his current abilities, Ramiel's recovery could take months.
The risk was great, but the reward waiting around the corner more than compensated for it. Thanks to the method he developed, Ramiel could grow in strength much faster than his peers.
"Sigh... It can't be that bad."
Ramiel began slowly. From each vortex, he separated one tunnel at a time through which the mana particles flowed, gathering them in the center of his chest. He did this with the utmost concentration. The slightest mistake could cost thousands, which he couldn't afford.
Once the mana stabilized, Ramiel was able to add more tunnels, of which the vortices were made. Keeping them stable, combined with maintaining a continuous flow of energy, wasn't the easiest of tasks. It cost him a lot of effort and concentration. The limited divisibility of attention didn't help him with this.
Despite the favorable environment, the hunter was at the limit of his endurance, and a most difficult task still awaited him.
Ramiel groaned quietly, trying to maintain his concentration. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't interrupt now. He had to guide things to the end.
Driven by Ramiel's will, the energy particles came together.
" Come on ... move ... "
Moving one of them was enough to trigger a chain reaction. Ramiel spent hours in this state, but the mana resisted, trying to return to the vortex. Soon, however, his efforts paid off.
One single particle moved, pulling the rest with it. Little did he know, Ramiel would have screamed with excitement. Fortunately, he restrained himself in time.
The mana picked up speed, increasing the speed at which it moved in the meantime. Ramiel didn't even notice when a vortex, a little larger than the rest, formed in the middle of his chest.
Now, the real fun began. The veins on Ramiel's temples came to the surface, and drops of sweat gathered on his forehead. He was breathing hard and rapidly, meantime trying to control the mess inside his body.
The newly formed vortex literally drew in the smaller ones. His appetite was unfathomable. He not only attracted external mana but also tried to devour the processed mana he expelled into his body.
Ramiel tried with all his might to control the raging energy, but the vortex grew larger every second and strengthened. Minutes passed, and the hunter was sinking in strength. It was almost impossible to control the creation.
The man quickly accepted reality and defeat. His thoughts began to revolve around how to minimize the losses.
Ramiel resigned himself to defeat, but then, something unexpected happened. The rose that is the home of the lake spirit entwined its roots around his torso. Its petals emitted a barely visible glow.
Suddenly, the raging mana in Ramiel's body became calm, taking on a cold aspect. Ramiel couldn't explain it otherwise. He could feel his mana becoming colder and purer at the same time. It was pleasant in a way.
However, he didn't have time to ponder it. He couldn't waste the opportunity he had been given. Ramiel focused on stabilizing the mana vortex. The process doesn't require the creation of meticulous and microscopic tunnels, like his predecessors. All he has to do is calm the movement of the mana particles. After that, the vortex will become stable and self-sufficient. Its colossal size, occupying about 1 / 3 of the body, is enough to prevent it from collapsing under pressure.
Ramiel breathed a sigh of relief when he ensured everything went his way. Opening his eyes, he encountered the peculiar sight of almost transparent roots that encircled him. They resembled thin strings.
Despite their fragile appearance, he sensed a free flow of mana in them, similar to that which was now circulating inside him.
" So that's it... " Ramiel concluded, looking at the fairy's house.
" Thank you for your help... again. "
Ramiel wasn't sure if exhaustion had gone to his head or if he had seen the petals of the closed rose move. However, he was sure of one thing: The small being living inside the flower had once again given him a helping hand.