The Core immediately began working to draw in more Aether so that it could start making more mice but ran into a problem. The amount of Aether in between the walls of the cabin was thinning. Akin to the feeling of air being sucked away, the Core knew it needed to fix the issue before it got any worse, or else it would be unable to grow further.
Using its senses it tried to find further sources of Aether and settled on a section of wall that its instincts seemed pleased with. So, using what Aether it had left, it began to claim and shift stone away from the outside wall, drilling a hole through it to the outside. With a comically small burst of energy, it broke through the final layers of rock.
Directing its mouse up to the hole, the Dungeon peered through its eyes and found itself looking upon a huge shaded area. Wooden beams extended from the outside brickwork to run crossways across the expanse, joining with pillars of stone that jutted from the earth. Across these beams lay smooth wooden paneling that formed the Archmage’s porch, not that the core knew what a porch was.
The sudden rush of Aether that followed its next breath, shocked the tiny core. Vibrant and full of life it flowed from the hole outside to stream through its first room, drenching the pedestal and its crystal occupant. The Core felt the first fluttering's of what would become the emotion of delight at the sensation and breathed deeply for its next step.
It reached for its new knowledge, flooding the idea with Aether, and watched as a tiny baby mouse formed in its cavern. Sensing the movement of Aether its adult mouse came down and watched as its tiny brethren formed and then breathed its first breaths. The baby was a curious thing and immediately began exploring its surroundings, including the older mouse. Sniffing the young one, the older mouse licked the top of its head before heading over to the pedestal and its nest.
Not satisfied quite yet, the Dungeon Core waited for more Aether and spent the next few hours creating a handful of baby mice, six, to be exact. The older mouse didn’t seem to care, content to lounge in its nest. That changed when another creature entered the Dungeon’s domain.
Antennae prodded and poked as an ant calmly began moving through the massive (relative to its size) hole in the wall. It moved in the awkward way that a mostly blind creature does, moving haltingly and exploratorily to the wooden inner walls of the cabin. It took a single bite of the wood. Wood that had been claimed by the Dungeon. A Dungeon that responded to this perceived danger by summoning its guardian.
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The older mouse immediately perked up its head and sniffed, swiveling its head and letting out a mighty bellow, which to a human would sound like a high-pitched squeak. It charged through the cavern and up the tunnel before falling on the ant-like a hammer of doom. Its hands held the smaller creature still as its large front teeth tore and gnashed at the kicking body of the ant, piercing easily through its tough outer chitin.
With its prize firmly contained it dragged the helpless ant into the Dungeon proper, depositing its lifeless body in front of the pedestal. The Core, which had watched this go down with what amounted to its version of satisfaction, was surprised when a rush of Aether flooded the older mouse and itself when the ant finally died. It reached out and tried claiming the ant, watching as its body dissolved into motes of light that were drawn into the core. Another phantom chime sounded but Dungeon Core paid it no heed as it basked in the new knowledge it possessed.
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