“…Let’s go with ‘little,’ yeah.”
Her smile brightened, her button nose crinkling with delight. “Then perhaps I can help you as you are helping me. Who better to assist you than someone who has lived in this dungeon all her life?”
She had a point. He really didn’t know what he was doing, and if he was going to acclimate to this place, then he needed to understand the extent of his abilities. He also really needed to figure out the basics like where the hell he was supposed to sleep and what he was supposed to eat.
“Sure, yeah. Let’s do it,” he said with a smile. “I appreciate the he—”
Keaton wasn’t able to finish that statement. In an instant, the dragonkin was flinging herself at him, arms wrapped around his neck, breasts pillowed against his chest, hugging him tight.
He tried so, so hard not to react, just standing there stiff as a board. Something else grew stiff too, though, and Keaton pulled back with a cough.
“I’m sorry, my lord. I have overstepped my place with you. I am just excited to be of service,” she said, long ears drooping, broken wings sagging.
“It’s okay, really,” he managed, willing himself to think of something other than how soft and warm she was. “Let’s just… get started, yeah?”
10
“You have the right idea, actually. I’m surprised you managed to figure out as much as you did without prior knowledge.”
The dragonkin stood beside the crystal, her face lit up by its red glow. She studied it curiously as Keaton explained what he’d accomplished thus far in having the drones work on excavating and creating new chambers and finding him more Anima sources he could use to build new things.
Her words didn’t sound like flattery, so Keaton responded with his own brand of earnestness. “I’m pretty sure I stumbled into most of it, to be honest. I just told the drones to find things that would be useful and do what they’d normally do under the circumstances.”
She giggled again before clearing her throat, affecting a more serious demeanor. Keaton bit back a grin. Now that she didn’t fear him so much, she was proving to be a delight to have around.
“Yes, that would make sense. Drones follow a protocol once they recognize a new dungeon lord. There’s only so much they can do, though. Clearing out space for new chambers and building the basic layout of them is about the extent of their power, from what I’ve seen. Oh, and they can help carry things from one room to the next.”
“How are they getting the little Anima crystals, then?”
She smiled at him in a way that felt mildly patronizing, but that Keaton disregarded because of how nice it was to see her smiling. “You’re not an Anima manipulator, are you?”
“Ah, no. Definitely not. I had some classes when I was younger, but they took me out of them.”
She reached out to touch his arm in a gesture Keaton was sure she meant to be comforting. It was reflexive; something he might have done for another human, too. But the touch of her hand on his skin was electric, a restless energy skittering across his body that made the strange feeling of her claws barely noticeable.
He met her gaze, her golden eyes wide with surprise, lips parted just so. She drew back from him as if he’d burned her, holding her hand close to her body and looking down at it. A flush rose in her cheeks, highlighting the patterning of silver scales that framed the sides of her face.
“I-I apologize, my lord. I should not be so free with my touches. I’m not normally like this, I—”
“It’s okay,” he said softly, following the words with a gentle smile. “Let’s… just get back to the lesson.”
She cleared her throat and stared at the crystal, making an obvious effort not to look at him.
That was weird. I haven’t felt like that since I was a teenager…
Even now there was the tiniest flutter in his breast. Keaton just ignored it, focusing on her words.
“The reason I ask is because this is second nature to those of us who understand Anima. It exists all around us, of course, and is contained in every speck of matter. Certain entities can interact with that matter and draw the Anima from it, condensing it into its purest form. This can then be used by advanced manipulators — dungeon lords, for example — to build new things, so long as they have the materials.”
“So it’s possible to get a crystal from… everything?” Keaton asked, not bothering to hide the awe in his voice.
The dragonkin’s smile returned. “Not everything, but most things. Oh, it’s wondrous, isn’t it? My kind are born with an innate connection to Anima, of course, but I’ve always wanted to study it further.”
“You may get your wish, then, because I’ll be honest: All of this is pretty overwhelming for me.”
Her eyes lit up and she looked as if she wanted to say something to him but stopped herself at the last moment, changing what she’d been about to say.
“That’s not necessary, my lord. It’s not my place, especially as I’m not a lieutenant or even a minion of this dungeon. For now, let’s just focus on getting you up to speed. Have you ever built anything by hand?”
“I apprenticed under a blacksmith for half a year,” he said, ruffling a hand through his hair. “I enjoyed it, but I can’t say I had much of a talent for it.”
“Fortunately, you don’t need innate talent when you have access to Anima.” She gave him a gentle smile. “You do have to think strategically, though. Every dungeon lord who… inherits this dungeon always starts with the same basic pillars to sustain himself and his minions.”
“Ah, so somewhere to sleep, somewhere to get food and water, and… defenses?”
“The first two are right,” she said, her large tail curling around her legs. “The third needs to be made more specific.”
The dragonkin nodded to the crystal, and Keaton thought back to the moment when the last dungeon lord had become vulnerable.
“I need to protect this.”
She nodded. “I think that should be your first task. The last dungeon lord — Lord Havron — decided to ignore the defenses and focus on production first. He paid for it with his life.”
Something sparked in her eyes, some dark glee that Keaton understood all too well. He was glad for that other lord’s hubris, and he didn’t plan to make the same mistake.
“Okay, so I need to get the materials. I know how to make stone walls, which I guess will work for now until the drones can find something better.”
“They’ll come across ore eventually,” she agreed, “but yes, you will need them to gather stone. Drones can gather materials at a staggering rate, and… hmm, do you know how to check the status of your drones?” When Keaton shook his head no, she continued. “Interface with the crystal, then say something like ‘show drone status’ and select your lead drone. Tell me if there’s anything special about it.”
Keaton did as she said, pressing his gauntlet-clad palm to the crystal and speaking the words aloud to get to see the drone status, then that specific drone.
Drone Leader
Health: 10/10
Energy: 45/100
Drones Assigned: 3
Current Task: Excavating
“Uhh… no, I don’t think so. I mean, it’s weird that I can just see all of this distilled down to numbers, but I guess that’s what all Anima manipulators see. It’s got really low health, though. Is that normal?”
“Really? Its health should be double that of the others.” Keaton cringed at that. He didn’t know what 5 health would mean in a real fight, but it couldn’t be good. “But yes, drones are very weak. Nearly anything that damages them will disperse the Anima that has created them, but don’t worry. They will reform in time.”