Chương 24: A Dungeon? A Village.

A Village.

"How has no one seen him leave the tower?" Stick cried, his voice barely coming through the thick walls between us.

"This is the second time he's gone missing!" I winced. I had been in such a rush to get down here that I hadn't quite thought through the consequences of leaving everyone behind. With Grelgo's people filling the lower floors, there wasn't anything I could do to get out of here without giving away Karen's location. And revealing that the riddle on the door was a load of shit. I was stuck in here until they all went to sleep and I could sneak out. My muscles groaned as I sat up and leaned against the wall.

There would be a few hours until the dungeon quieted for the night. But, as the saying goes, there is no rest for the weary.

"Karen, how many skeletons can you raise right now?" [Several dozen. I can raise more dead than we have intact skulls.]"Raise as many as you can and get them ready for tonight." [I know what you're planning. It's admirable, really. Maybe even a little cute.] I groaned, rolling my shoulders in a failed attempt to get comfortable.

"I don't need your snark." [I'm being serious. Maybe your kindness is rubbing off on me a little bit.]"I doubt it," I said. [Me too. But I did say that in an attempt to make you feel better. That's growth, isn't it?]"Just make the skeletons, please." [I already have. Here, take a look.] The dungeon information appeared over my vision. [Dungeon of the Carrion King] [Level 9 Dungeon] [Dungeon Essence 9/9] [Defenders: 44] [Skeletons: 32] [Zombie Rats: 12]"32 isn't half bad." [Not in the slightest,] Karen said.

[We are almost at capacity. Fifty links is about the maximum I can hold within the tower until you reach floor twenty.]"How many links could you hold then?" [100. Each region of the dungeon spreads the load enough that we can add more to our ranks.]"Dare I ask what you mean by region?" [I'm surprised you haven't asked sooner,] she said. [Did you imagine that it would be catacombs all the way up?]"I—" I paused, wondering. I hadn't given it much thought at all, really.

"I suppose not." [The region you have been exploring thus far I have been dubbing 'The Bone Zone'. What lies above, well, I am uncertain. When you shattered the dungeon, you could have reconfigured the different regions into a dozen different permutations. But from the context clues and rumbling coming from above, I believe up next is the foundry floor.]"Well, it's good to have that to look forward to," I said.

I leaned back and closed my eyes, feeling through my connection with Karen and, from there, my connection with the soulless dungeon defenders. Trying to interact with those threads was impossible. I knew they existed, but doing anything with them proved to be impossible. In the past, I had given them verbal commands or asked Karen to boss them around.

"Karen, is there a way to take direct control over the skeletons under you?" The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. [There is, yes. But it would add a load to your core that I don't think you can handle right now.]"Fine. Can you at least gather them on the second floor? I want to have them ready to move once the goblins have called it for tonight." [Absolutely.] I waited. And waited. It wasn't until well past midnight that the last of the goblins fell asleep.

Grelgo and his people all opted to sleep outside the tower, which helped. A few guards were posted at the entrance to the tower, but all were loyal to Stick and me. Karen opened the door a crack, and I slipped through. The soulless skeletons who had dragged me inside stepped out behind me. Send them down, Karen. In a wave, all 32 skeletons on the second floor made their way down the stairs. I limped to the kitchen, finding scraps of dried and cold meat to chew on.

A cacophony of snores echoed through the first floor, drowning out any noise I might make with my midnight snack. I'd been perpetually starving the last few days, my meals few and far between—so each bite of the unseasoned meat tasted like a trip to heaven. Every part of me ached. The Major Soul had done more damage to me than I was willing to admit. More than I thought was even possible. My skeletons inched around the sleeping goblins, heading outside to begin their work.

One of the guards gasped and turned around to see me toss a bone over my shoulder. I waved, winked, and then finished my sad meal. Once done, I followed the skeletons outside. The guard whispered, "Stick has been looking for you all night. Where have you been?"

"Unfortunately, a secret. Let's just say I was gathering a larger construction crew. Where are Grelgo's people?"

"They set up camp on the other side of the tower. You can hear their snores from a mile away." I nodded.

"Well, don't mind us. You can probably turn in for the night. I have a feeling we are going to be out here for a while." The moon beamed down on me, stars spanning far across the night sky. Not a cloud in sight. People would be coming. Grelgo spoke of it. Stick spoke of it. Whatever this Adventurers Guild was, could they be reasoned with? How would they react to me? Would they immediately see me as the owner of this tower? As the Carrion King? I couldn't fight a war on two fronts.

Climbing the tower was one thing—climbing the tower while defending it was something else entirely. Hiding in plain sight. I chewed on the words yet again. Explosion and Strong moved next to me, and I smiled. One night with only three skeletons had made a dent in the ruins. How much of a dent would thirty make? Alright Karen, send them away. Let's fix this place up properly. They marched onward, movements almost mechanical. Broken rubble was moved aside. Axes were gathered to chop down trees. Saws roared.

Hammers clunked. The goblins inside the tower continued snoring, and none of Grelgo's men approached us. I guess the only person not getting sleep tonight would be me. I sat down, my back against the plinth of one of the great statues next to the tower entrance. Strong and Explosion sat down next to me.

"What, you think you guys can get out of hard work?" Explosion shrugged. Strong lifted Skully, pushing the skull toward me. Skully's flaming eyes met mine. I considered for a moment, remembering the ability I had unlocked after speaking to the Major Soul. I grabbed Skully, placing him in my lap, and whispered the word, "Commune." Can you understand me? I asked the skull. {Oh! Finally! You can understand me! My name is Sir Gideon IV. I thank you for breaking my connection to the dungeon all those days ago. I have been trying to reach you ever since.} Sir Gideon? You seem to have a lot of personality. Far more than I expected. {Bah! I am but a man whose soul was confined long ago. One whose mind had been broken until you released me.} Released you? Did I not just shove you back into a skull to do my bidding? {When you put it that way— yes. But before you came along, I served that of the dungeon itself. Its cold grip was quite demanding, you know. I can hear its commands, even now.' Stand guard, and kill any living thing that enters the dungeon.'} Sir Gideon scoffed. {But you have issued no commands to me thus far, and so my mind is free.} I blinked. How long had you been stuck in there? {A question of the ages! For how long I had been trapped within those walls, I cannot say. But I was once a great warrior, sent to destroy the Carrion King himself. Ironic, since I now serve you.} You don't have to serve me. You have been stuck in that skull since day one. I can set you free if you'd like.

Or at least put you in a vessel more suitable. {I shall remain in this cranium until I find another that suits me more. None of these corpses that you have uncovered so far are quite to my liking.} Well, just give me the word. I owe you that much. {Of course. Now, Strong, guide me into this village, so that I may boss around more of these other skeletons as I have bossed you around.} I handed the skull back to Strong, and they marched forward. Turning to Explosion, I raised a brow.

"Do you have anything to say?" They shook their head. Maybe I should tighten the leash around my skeletons.