Valterra’s gaze was riveted on the words blazing across his Core:

  Amazing! Valterra hadn’t known that he would be able to choose the next stage of Ascension for his creatures. Now that he thought back, the only other time this had occurred had been when his Mouse Guard had begun glowing back when he wasn’t yet fully sapient. Filled with childish joy he eagerly looked through the options.

  The first that stood out was the fact that his Mouse Guard was no longer the only mouse that could become one. That was big news since he was also Ascending which would allow the Core to see what was coming down the road. He almost dismissed the Ascension options for his smaller mice to go and check but held himself back to look at the other options.

  The other two stages looked like they were the next step for a natural House Mouse’s Ascension without the interference of a divine entity. Thanks, Ile’fen. Valterra thought, trying to express his gratitude for the Framework of his guardian even though he figured the High Spirit wouldn’t be listening.

  It surprised him, therefore, to feel the briefest divine touch as Ile’fen responded with a feeling of pride. Whether the pride was for him or the Framework, Valterra didn’t know but he was comforted that the High Council was watching over him even if it was only to watch him play.

  He turned back to the Frameworks before him to try and see how they might be used in a dungeon. The Feral Mouse had it right in the description. He doubted that he would be able to mold its Path of Ascension freely, seeing as it had already been used by dungeons in the past.

  The Mouse Hoarder, though, seemed interesting in the way that it stole things and then sat and defended the hoard. He figured it would be hard to trust such a creature with the defense of the Dungeon for another Core though, especially when you could choose a hoard of ravenous giant mice instead. There was also the chance that it was a natural Path of Ascension for a House Mouse rather than simply a wild variety of mice that went feral.

  Regardless he could already see a use for the creatures. Who knew what treasures lay in wait to be uncovered in the archmage’s cabin? And of course, Valterra could create little trinkets for his mice to find. It could be fun! Yes, he would have to see about that stage later.

  For now, though, he turned away from them. He knew the desire of his little mice and how they looked up to their older kin. They wanted to follow in his paw steps and become Mouse Guards and he would grant their request. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to summon more mice immediately. He wanted those other stages after all! After he had led them back to their cavern he selected the option and let the light take them.

  Looking over the next series of notifications Valterra was struck once more with flickering ideas of what they might look like. He dismissed the lizard option despite its interesting applications. He knew his third floor guardian was content being a snake and would rather become a more lethal version of himself. He didn’t quite know how he knew that but he did.

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  That being said, as his eyes drifted over the other two options he wondered which one might fit best. Against the ants, having the sharp edges on his snake’s scales might help it cut through the hoard. Then again, constriction wasn’t really viable against the ants and he didn’t know if his guardian could move fast enough to become the dervish of death that Valterra imagined.

  To make his decision Valterra thought carefully about what he wanted his guardian to be capable of long term. When thinking about it that way, the Sylcyne Garter Snake made the most sense. With its ability to both constrict and strike with venom, it would be doubly able to protect the entrance to the Dungeon, at least in his mind… as long as the reptile wasn’t swamped again under a hoard of ants.

  His choice was made, and Valterra guided the snake inside and out of the way before letting the Ascension process begin. He watched as its coils loosened in sleep before turning to the last flashing notification.

  Well, that…was certainly different. Valterra didn’t know what to make of the new options. He knew he wouldn’t be picking the last one at least. Despite his excitement over the option and the power it would bring to the table he didn’t want to stymy his first guardian’s growth.

  The Mouse Scout was an interesting option. With the capabilities it offered, he would be able to scout around before expanding his territory. Then again, at the rate he could expand it may not be worth it at this point. He would definitely be getting some in the future but for that, he would need more mice.

  Really, there was only one option. Valterra made sure his guardian was back in his cavern before selecting Mouse Soldier. Taking a metaphorical step back he turned his gaze to the third floor, which doubled as his front entrance. It no longer had a guardian but that was okay. He could summon more. That would come later, though.

  Over the last few days as Valterra had worked on his newest floor, the new territory he had claimed above ground had become a bedlam of chaos. The third floor, which had set boundaries and a set guardian, was fine situated as it was between the bedlam and the main Dungeon Entrance.

  What lay outside the third floor was entirely different, a wild and yet Aether-rich land. It had also been claimed by a dungeon which meant that everything within that space became more and more magical despite not having the dungeon's full attention or having the boundary of a floor.

  Thus it became prime real estate for various creatures, with different varieties of insects, arachnids, and rodents fighting over territory. They all sought that most precious of resources…Aether.

  As Valterra swept his attention over the carnage he mentally berated himself. Despite his recent gains from the creatures that had just Ascended, he could have been collecting Frameworks or using his extra Aether to claim more creatures and more creatures meant more defenders.

  Strictly speaking, Valterra, while intelligent and full of downloaded instinct and knowledge, was like a child in many ways. He had spent the last few days claiming a massive space for one Framework after all. In this moment, as he fumed at the missed opportunity he lashed out in the only way he knew how.

  He summoned his Aether reserves and called forth his Authority over the elements. Bolts of fire, rent earth, lashing rain, and biting winds rippled through the new territory causing the denizens to run for cover.

  The display helped calm the Core even as he realized it hadn’t accomplished anything. His tantrum had amounted to little more than a new interesting rock feature, some scorched grass, some puddles, and a new haircut for a tiny rodent. Valterra looked at his territory before sighing internally and getting to work.

  Within the span of a few moments, he had claimed the spoils from several conflicts, much to the chagrin of the victors who had returned after his display only to find their prize taken. With the corpses came the knowledge of their bodies, their makeup, and how Aether could be used to give them life once more.

  Valterra finally let go of the last vestiges of his anger as the Frameworks settled into his soul, already picking through them to see what new defenders his little dungeon would have. At least he had gotten something out of this mess, though he promised himself he wouldn’t shirk making the most out of this new playground of his.

  End of Chapter Notifications: