Knowing that Dani had wanted me to make more rooms, I decided to surprise her when she got back, and began compressing the stone in my influence to either side. With so much energy available to me, I was quickly able to open the passage. Now, I should say that this was not a quiet process. If you have ever ground two stones against each other, you will have a quiet and soothing version of what was transpiring at my location. Unbeknownst to me, this was usually a process that took many months at a time, in an attempt to remain hidden as long as possible. The vibrations caused by my expedited work caused problems around the mountain, as landslides, rock falls, and a distant avalanche were triggered.
Just as I finished my fourth room Dani zipped in at full speed, “Cal! Are you ok? There is an earthquake happening!!”
<Surprise! I grew!> I paused, waiting for the glowing admiration to flow from her.
“Oh Cal no.” Dani whimpered. “We need to get ready. People are going to want to know what is going on.”
<Did I do something wrong?> I was a bit sad that she wasn’t happy with the new additions. <I was just trying to show you that I could do the things you wanted.>
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Cal. Just a little... too fast for the moment. Usually you would want to create an influence around the area you are going to move, and force it to absorb the vibrations of the work you are doing. That way, you remain hidden. The next time you want to grow, make sure I am around and I’ll show you how to do it. For now, how about... You show me what you made?” Dani released a short sigh, trying to remain positive about the situation they were sure to find themselves in.
Flying through the new open space, she ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘ahh-ed’ at the work I had done, the smooth tunnel walls and the new caves full of stalactites and stalagmites that I had included for visual effect.
“You made three more rooms? I didn’t realize you reached all the way back here! I’m so impressed!!” There was the praise I wanted. Aw yisss.
I pretended to be embarrassed, <Aww shucks, you are going to make me blush.>
“No, I am serious! You are growing so well! And your knowledge must be growing too, after all the work you put in, I’m seeing you as an F-rank zero dungeon! You are almost dangerous!” She half praised, half teased.
Hey! This was a moment of shining triumph! No teasing! <How strong do I have to be to be dangerous?>
“Well,” she considered for a moment, “the average human toddler is about F-rank zero, but they don’t have biting mushrooms sprouting from their feet. A human adult that has never done more than just normal farm work, and has no weapons, is usually around an F-rank four adventurer. At that level, they are derisively called ‘fishies’ by people that have spent time adventuring.”
<What is a fish?> My unspoken thought ‘does it taste good’ nearly escaped me. I am more than just a glutton. Gotta keep telling myself that.
She nodded, noting my self-control, “A fish is an animal that lives in water, which people collect to feed themselves. Usually very weak, hence the nickname ‘fishies’ for new adventurers.”
<I see.> I paused, considering. <Dani, how can I make myself more dangerous?>
If she had a mouth she would be grinning, I just know it. “We can start by making more shroomish, and you can try to evolve them or some of the others into stronger monsters. Next, we will make a few traps, like pitfalls, spike traps, or poison cloud spewers. Finally, we need to make a dungeon Boss.”
<That all sounds great, but how do I make a dungeon Boss? And am I stuck with that forever?> I really have been enjoying changing things, and didn’t want to get slowed down due to a lack of imagination on my part.
“No, actually, when you get bigger, your dungeon Boss might actually become just an average Mob. It is just that you need to put a large amount of your power into your Boss so that it is stronger than the normal ones, because it is going to be in your room to protect you and me. Also, you can’t make a monster of your level or higher. So, since you are an F-rank zero, your best creature can only be of G-rank nine, and you only have the power to control one of them.” Dani clarified.
She suddenly bounced in the air, “Oh! Oh! I forgot! Before we start with all of that, I have a present for you! When I was out looking for herbs I had just found a really secluded grove at the bottom of a crevasse a few miles from here. The walls were really sheer, so it wasn’t surprising that no one had been down there before. There, I found a tree in a clearing that was glowing brightly enough that it was noticeable even in the sunlight.” Dani was quivering in excitement, flying in sporadic zig-zags.
Her excitement was exceedingly contagious. <What?! What was it?>
“Cal! I found a Silverwood tree!” She grandly announced.
<Wow!> How amazing! <What is that?>
“…Right.” She seemed to deflate a bit.
<...What?>
“Sorry, I forgot that you are still very young.” She apologized. “This tree has some of the most potent magic of any plant! It purifies the Essence of those around it.”
<So? Purifying Essence isn’t hard.> I scoffed.
Can a wisp get headaches? Most likely no, but she seemed pained as she told me, “Cal do you remember how shocked I was that you had removed the corruption you had pulled in while cultivating?”
<Yeah?>
“Well most beings, which can only pull from their associated elemental Essence, gain corruption slowly but surely, no matter what they do. At the higher ranks, this corruption can block people from ascending to higher cultivation ranks.”
That would be terrible! <Oh wow. I didn’t know that. How will the Silverwood tree help?>
“Well, I took a seed. A single seed from a Silverwood tree takes years for the tree to make. Also, normally these will never grow outside of their groves, but I think that the Essence you provide might become a decent substitute for what it gets from the grove. If we can grow it, we can almost guarantee that people will come from all around to be here. It may even help to keep you safe, if people come for this instead of focusing on trying to get your Core.”
Another layer of protection would be nice. <You are the best, Dani! How can I grow it? Should I make a room for it?>
She coughed, “Well… That’s the thing, if we want to give this its best shot, we will need to give it the most concentrated, pure Essence that you can give it. It will have to be in your Essence puddle with you. It might eventually take up a lot of room too.”
<Will it hurt me? Is it dangerous?> Pertinent questions.
“Since it will be growing from your Essence, it should act like your creatures and listen to you. But you have to be careful not to absorb it. I really doubt that you could make a dungeon born version that would do the same as an original.” She cautioned. “Also, I don’t think that we can ever get another seed…”
I noticed her wince when she said this, as though she hadn’t intended to mention it. <Why is that? Is it far away?>
“No… Well, for one thing, they really rarely make seeds. They are basically super concentrated Essence that accumulate into seeds, actually similarly to how you make your dungeon ‘seeds’. The reason I don’t think you can make them is that it takes S-ranked spiritual energy to duplicate the effects they offer. I don’t know why; the trees are not S-ranked themselves. They have a very mysterious origin.” She was circumventing her real reason, I could tell.