Chương 19: Renovations

The sun set over the horizon. Deep oranges and reds pierced through the almost overcast sky, giving the surrounding forest an almost nostalgic, summer-camp vibe. The three remaining members of Grelgo's scouting party fanned out into the ruined village, taking seats and groaning as they rubbed their backs. My head hurt. My entire body hurt. A bonfire blazed amongst a section of cleared-away rubble, and the goblins had somehow managed to find a pig that they now spun above the fire.

The smell of cooking meat made my mouth water. Strong and Skully stood outside the fire, taking in the heat. Strong waved at me. I smiled, nodding at the oddly shaped skeleton. While I'd never forget the head I'd been served my first night here, a roasted pig seemed like something a lot more palatable. Stick met with the cleanup crews, whose eyes lit up with excitement as they went over today's wins. I couldn't make out much of what they were saying, but I also didn't particularly care.

I just wanted a moment to myself. I sat with my back against the iron doors, muscles sore and aching from the physical exertion today. There was no way in hell I could pull another all-nighter to fix up the village. But I could do something while I was here. I waved my skeletons over.

"Strong, Explosion, do you two mind continuing to pick up more rubble around the town?" Strong deflated, but Explosion nodded, both flickering eyes bouncing up and down.

"As for you two Soulless, grab those axes from earlier and chop up more firewood for the bonfire. If you can, fashion some more torches too. I would like to see a perimeter of light around the village before we all go to sleep tonight." They marched off without a hint of hesitation. Footsteps crunched in the dirt, and I sighed. So much for being alone. Patch sat next to me, whistling a tune.

"You know, we'd all heard the stories about the Carrion King growing up. Sounded like a sick bastard, if you ask me. Grelgo long ago cast off Stick and his silly little religion as a bunch of nutjobs. But, between you and me, you seem like a pretty cool guy." I blinked.

"Uh, thanks. I'm doing what I can."

"I mean, you look like an evil bastard. Those red eyes are haunting, truly. I nearly shat my pants when I first saw you."

"I—""And to be honest, the way you sucked the life out of Knee-buster? Horrible! I thought to myself, 'Patch, you'd better flee and save your bacon. You don't want to be caught up with this kind of nonsense.'" Patch laughed.

"But I stuck around, and look at us now! Only half of us died in that tower, and I got to bust some skulls. If that ain't a blossoming friendship, I don't know what is."

"Well—""Grelgo will be mad though, I think. But I can vouch for you. I'll say, 'Grelgo! My good buddy and friend. This here is the Carrion King. He isn't like they all said, except for all the soul-sucking. He does do that. As long as you don't meet his eyes, you won't hear all the cries of terror. No need to stick 'em like a pig. He's a real chap.'" I wasn't even able to open my mouth before the goblin spoke over me again.

"But there are a few things I might recommend if you're looking for advice. First off, I'd keep that short skeleton and skull behind lock and key. They're kind of fucked up, and might turn off a new set of friends. Second, when you're sucking souls out of people, try not to look so excited while you do it, okay? That grin you get is just…it's uncomfortable. Third—" I set a hand on Patch's shoulder.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. I'll keep all this in mind in the future. Why don't you get yourself some food?" Patch beamed.

"Yes sir! It was nice talking to you, Carrion King."

"Please, just call me Travis." The goblin stalked off, and Karen took his place in my ear. [I thought he would never shut up. Come inside, we have much to discuss.]"I just sat down." The iron door flung open, smacking me in the back.

"Fine!" The throne room was a mess. Cots and blankets were scattered about. Recovered supplies were stacked and crowded together with no rhyme or reason. Mud was tracked through everything else—exceptionally odd, considering that the ground outside was dry. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The only thing untouched was my throne. The dungeon core lowered itself. [While I hate to admit it, having the goblins sleep in here was a smart decision. The dungeon essence I've gathered today is not negligible! I've collected a total of three essence today, leaving us with a grand total of four!]"Is there anything we could do with three dungeon essence that would make a difference?" [No not really.] As she said the words, her zombie-rats ran down the stairs carrying the corpses of even more rats. [We can raise more of these for defense—to be honest, I love them, and there are so many hiding in the walls. Otherwise, any major structural changes will require at least five essence. Things scale from there.]"Are more rats really better than raising skeletons? We've gathered a bunch of bones—" [Absolutely! The rats are perfect. Look at them.] One of the larger ones with a split skull approached me, sniffing. I tried to put on my best smile, but a primal fear coursed through me instead.

"Why didn't these necromancer abilities come with a heavier stomach?" [You'll get used to it over time. There is such beauty in death…] I crossed my arms and looked around, trying not to focus on the newly rising rats.

"So we need some defenders for this room, I understand that. But if you're down here, I don't know how much use a dozen dead rats are going to be. We should focus your efforts on fixing up the ruins outside." [Dungeon Essence cannot interfere with the outside world—only that inside my walls. That's why it is called Dungeon essence.]"Then how much do we need to rearrange things?" [That depends entirely on the scale of said room. Why?] A lightbulb went off in my head.

"There is a saying where I'm from. Sometimes the best places to hide are in plain sight. If you trust me, I might be able to solve our problem." [I don't trust you at all. Wait, why are you smiling like that? You're freaking me out.] Creating a room in the dungeon felt… otherworldly. I sat on the throne, and Karen and I's minds merged, my presence becoming that of the five floors we had claimed thus far. The traps, the treasure chests… The Dungeon Core was the beating heart of it all.

Karen scoffed at the idea when I started moving things around, but settled into a contemplative silence the more she thought about it. As much as I enjoyed the throne room, for the time being, it had to go. The room shifted under my will, moving the throne back against the wall. I shifted the tall pillars further back, turning the room into more of a warehouse than anything else. Two days and we'd only managed five floors. If we were going to ascend this tower, we needed a base camp.

[Dungeon Essence: 4/5] I raised a series of flat countertops from the ground, followed by several flat slabs in one corner to serve as a barracks. It was all rather militaristic, but it was better than nothing. At the front, I created my interpretation of a gatehouse just behind the iron doors. Defensible walls, two wooden platforms on either side where archers could fire onto attackers, and giant pot that we could heat up full of oil or hot water. [Brutal. I like it.] Those were the necessities.

What came next was more personal. I walled in the throne, turning the back of the first floor into a bit of an office for myself. Cliché as it may be, I based it off my old work desk at Valencorp. I even brought back my tiny fish tank. Comfortable. Familiar. Private. Outside the office, I created a living area. Not a bedroom or living room, but a place filled with tables, chairs, couches, a fireplace. [Dungeon Essence: 3/5] [This is a waste of power. We could put more functional areas in here at least.]"This is functional. It's called morale. It'll be easier to unwind after a day of delving if there is somewhere comfortable to do it." She scoffed. And then, last but not least. Karen's new hiding place. Hidden in plain sight. God, I hoped the old adage was true. I erected a new wall made of heavy black iron at the very back of the room, next to the staircase up to the second floor, and shoved Karen inside of it. At the base, two incredibly thick doors.

To open them would require power tools, extreme strength, or, well, access to the dungeon itself. While I didn't think they had power tools in this world, a locked door would be the first thing people would flood to. Which is why I put our final line of defense on the door itself. A riddle. The key to the forgotten gate, A river of blood, a hoard of bones. To go down, you must first go up, High above the Carrion Peak. Speak friend and enter. [What the fuck does that mean?]"It's called a riddle.

People will read it and assume they must climb up the tower to open the door." [Yeah, I get that. But what does it mean? It doesn't even rhyme. And it's a flat out lie.]"Again, hidden in plain sight. Divert the attention away from the door, and we will be golden." [Dungeon Essence: 0/5] I stepped off the throne, severing the connection with Karen, and stretching out. Creating the wall and moving the core had drained the rest of the Dungeon Essence we had available to us.

As Karen said, we would get more tonight once the goblins moved back in to sleep. My stomach gurgled. I had no idea how long it took to do all that, but it couldn't have been more than half an hour. Hopefully, there would be leftovers. I threw open the doors to the tower and invited my goblin friends back in.

"Come on in, everyone—" Twenty pairs of goblin eyes stared at me, wide with horror. At their front, Stick held his hands up high. Patch pressed a crossbow against his back, wearing a regretful frown. The other members of Stick's clan were much the same. A few whimpered as crossbows and knives dug into their backs, their eyes pleading for me to do something.

"Patch?" I asked.

"Sorry, boss. Big boss showed up." The crowd parted, and a big, scarred goblin stepped through.

"Oi there. You must be the Carrion King. The name is Grelgo."