Pov Vivian

  My grandfather finally made it back, but he didn’t look too happy.

  “How did it go?” I asked him after the greetings, once we finally got away from the gateway and headed to our homes along an isolated forest path.

  “They did thank us officially, but everyone was quite cold except for that old bear. He was quite pleased. The end of the Pixies is near and the last of the small pattern, as the dungeon calls it, is destroyed, and everything looks on the up and up.”

  “I wasn’t asking about that.”

  I saw him sigh, and there was a little bit of sadness I could feel from him.

  “Our home has always been where the clan is. We would not be allowed back into the fold, nor can we return to the surface in peace. This dungeon will be forever our home.”

  We both walked in silence after that. That was going to be hard to tell everyone, as many had hoped that perhaps we could go back. That being said, there wasn’t a single person not excited about what this dungeon could offer us. From what I heard, new dungeon rooms had already opened up, and I guess, eventually, there will even be floors where diamonds can actually find a challenge.

  “So, granddaughter, I’ve heard we have conducted a few trade missions in one of the more influential hub stations. Tell me, how has that been going?”

  “We have gotten the few things we were missing, and we’re bringing in some expertise that we could corner the market on, but it will take a bit more time to set everything up.”

  “Well, time we have. This dungeon is a lot more complicated. It’s not just the dungeon rooms—there are other worlds, other civilizations here. During the war, I got to talking to a few of the older adventurers and even some of the dungeon’s creatures. Did you know there are entire worlds dominated by ants, and their technology seems interesting?”

  Grandfather certainly was correct about that. It turns out that the advances the Eternal City-State made in airship design were actually from the ant nations.

  “Do you wish me to start diplomatic relationships to perhaps make some trade partners and gain some of those technologies?”

  "Of course I do. You should go on the next trade mission. Now that I’m back, there’s no reason for the two of us to stay here all the time. Also, perhaps you could find yourself a mate. Great-grandchildren would be fun to have around."

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  I stumbled—something I hadn’t done in a long while. When I looked back up, I saw Grandfather looking at me, smiling with amusement. "Don’t tease me like that. You’ve never brought that up before—why now?"

  "That’s an easy answer. Children are what make a community; they bind everyone together. Many of the other races have forgotten our beginnings, but there’s a reason why we are a tribal people—we simply function best like that, everyone taking care of each other.”

  “Right now, I see us separating with no clear goal except survival and comfort. We need children, and there are whole worlds for them to explore when they grow up. We have more space than ever before. This room that we currently occupy. This is just the start."

  His words stirred something inside me, something that made me want to strive for something better. "So, I’m guessing there will be no regulations on mating any longer?"

  "I have always hated those rules. We won’t lose our inheritance just because we find partners outside our bloodlines. Thanks to the dungeon wish, every offspring will have a talent that will bind us all together. While yes, those talents might be weaker overall because of this, in the long run, it doesn’t matter. Here, we have infinite resources, and only our will is holding us back from reaching the very limits of ourselves."

  "You know, Grandfather, you shouldn’t waste those good words on me. There will come a time when you have to address the others, and I don’t want you to fail to give a good speech."

  "Not to worry, it’s called practice. Now go get prepared and see what this dungeon has to offer us."

  We spoke a bit more about casual things, but our pathways split up—he headed towards his home, and I went to mine. When I made it home, I actually didn’t have to pack—everything already was. I had been itching to get into the dungeon rooms, even if it was just the bigger trade hub stations.

  The ones who had been coming on the trade missions were surprised to see me show up early in the morning with my backpack and travel clothes.

  “So, I guess you’re coming with? It’s about time,” one of them said, and I smiled in return.

  “So, if I remember correctly, we’re currently bringing some of the swords our smiths have made?”

  “We have a contract to supply the Runner Guild with swords that late platinum ranks can use. Right now, we're not bringing back anything since we don’t have any critical missing resources, so we’re just accumulating coin. Should be an easy mission, although we will still go through the markets and see if anything catches our eye.”

  “Understood. Is there anything I should know that I haven’t already read in the reports?”

  “Yeah, there’s one thing—don’t stop and open-mouth stare at anyone. It wouldn’t leave a good impression.”

  Why would they ever think that I would do something like that?

  We didn’t even need the cart this time, as we were only bringing about 50 swords. There were ten others, and each one took a bundle underneath one of their arms.

  “Everyone, let's go,” the leader said as he placed his hand on the gateway, selected the correct location, and we all walked through.

  The sun greeted us—it was early morning here as well. From what I understood, every single world ran on the same night and day cycles. That would actually make things a bit easier than in the outside world.

  Then I finally looked around, and only the warning I had just received about not staring open-mouthed managed to keep me walking along with the traders.

  The city itself was magnificent. Buildings were well-maintained and built masterfully, but that wasn't what surprised me so much. It was the people around me.

  There were quite a lot of ants buying stuff or selling like any other adventurer. There were wolves that seemed to be wearing some sort of vests. Other, more unique creatures, and then there were the minor races like kobolds and goblins. They were a bit changed from what we saw on the surface—more refined.

  Then there were the big creatures, proper monsters, but they were still seemingly normal, going about their business like everyone else. "Is it always like this?" I asked one of the traders in a whisper.

  "In the few bigger trading hub stations, certainly. Other than that, it's still dominated by adventurer races. You did better than I expected," she said with a smile.

  I just returned to taking it all in. So many creatures—so intelligent. ETG must have a trait that allows for a greater chance of intelligence in the offspring of its monsters. That’s the only answer.

  Those talents were rare and indicated that this dungeon was a lot more intelligent than a normal dungeon. And all of this in under 250 years. What would happen in the next 50? In the next 200? Or even 1000? I am guessing beastkin will make a reappearance in a big way. I think I’ve never appreciated Grandfather’s decision to join the dungeon more than I did right now.