Chapter 16: Delved
Enchanter Tornay and Lord Merchant Darmelkon stared at the dimly lit dungeon entrance in the cliff face in front of them. Darmelkon broke the silence first. "Any chance it's another dungeon they just found here?"
Tornay shook his head. "This is much too far from the nearest settlement for a dungeon to spawn naturally."
"Hmm. If it's the same one in a new location, we should be cautious of traps."The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
Tornay snorted. "A dungeon this weak is no threat to me. I will handle whatever it might have." He stepped forward, and entered the dungeon.
Purple was... enjoying? Yes, enjoying himself today. Talking with Amber was so interesting and fun! She was endlessly curious about even the most mundane details of his life, and he was finding that talking was a much more pleasant way to interact with people than trying to kill them. He was learning so much from her, too! There were an incredible amount of things humans did when they weren't delving dungeons that he would never have guessed at.
Nothing she had told him today was even remotely as useful as the knowledge of soul structures, but he found that even useless trivia was interesting to learn. As she mentioned more and more things offhand, he found his own curiosity growing, and the conversation swiftly became more bidirectional, with him asking as many questions of her as she asked of him.
As the conversation continued, he got more and more of a sense that there was some kind of structure, a set of rules, in how she talked itself. That, of course, prompted yet another question.
[Talk structure. Rules. Word order. Explain?]
"Oh, you mean grammar?"
Purple noted the word, and the concept that came with it over the bond. It described the structure and rules he had sensed far more completely and precisely than he had managed to convey. [Yes. Exactly.]
"It's how language works, how we can use words to describe very complex things. Do you want to learn it?"
Purple considered only briefly. If he learned this, he would understand what Carlos and Amber said much more clearly and completely, and he would be able to communicate back to them more clearly as well. [Yes.]
"Ok! Let's see, I'll start with the main types of words: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs." After explaining the basics, Amber started using her own explanatory sentences as examples to analyze and explain in detail. It was fascinatingly complex, and he got thoroughly absorbed in it. But not so absorbed that he wouldn't notice another person stepping into his dungeon area.
A man had just set foot inside the tunnel entrance at the cliff face, and Purple immediately turned all his attention to the intruder. This man was filled with and surrounded by mana, far more mana than Carlos and Amber combined. More mana than Purple, even. A lot of it was focused on various items he wore. Rings, an amulet, shirt, shoes, belt, and more. After a moment of consideration, Purple realized he had seen this man before. He had been in that large building with all the mana-filled objects, and Carlos and Amber had talked with him for a few minutes.
Maybe Purple could talk with him too? Then again, maybe not. Carlos had been unusual even before his wish enabled the dungeon core to talk with him. Purple had sensed while asking for the wish that Carlos hadn't actually been seeking a wish in the first place, and definitely had no malice or hostile intentions. It was why Purple had refrained from transporting him away as part of the wish, instead using the mana to grant his wish more thoroughly.
"Shit! It has to be Darmelkon! Dammit, I thought we'd ditched him!"
Carlos stirred from where he had been meditating. "Hmm? Oh! ...Crap. We should have made an escape route."
Amber shook her head. "It wouldn't help. If he's caught up this far, running when he's this close would just mean we'd be tired when he catches us."
"Indeed, I imagine so." The first man, who'd beaten all the traps so handily, strode confidently into the cave, and the second followed a moment later.
Carlos groaned. "Enchanter Tornay. I knew you were plotting something." He looked at Amber. "The other one's Darmelkon?"
"That's Lord Merchant Darmelkon to you," the second man interrupted.
"And you are Carlos and Amber, of course." Tornay looked over at Purple's crystal, and Purple pulsed in fear. "Now that introductions are done with, let me get straight to business. The Enchanters Guild wants that dungeon core."
Carlos raised an eyebrow. "Are you setting up shop here, or are you saying you have a way to move it? Everyone knows dungeon cores are immobile."
Huh? Carlos knew perfectly well that Purple could be moved, what was he saying? Purple was confused.
"We know that this one can be moved, because we know you moved it."
Carlos gestured towards Purple. "Feel free to try. Good luck with that." He silently added, [Please hold on to your mana and resist him.]
[Is... Is safe?] Purple sent back uncertainly.
[Should be. He doesn't want to destroy you.]
[Ok.] Purple kept his usual grip on all his mana and territory, and tentatively reached out with his standard initiation of a wish as Tornay approached, but Tornay slapped aside the wish offer with his mana and took hold of Purple with his right hand. Tornay pulled, but Purple didn't move at all.
Darmelkon spoke up from near the cave entrance. "Well, now that the Enchanters Guild has acquired this dungeon core, I believe it's time to fulfill your side of the contract and pay me."
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