Dakota Krout - Dungeon Born (The Divine Dungeon Book 1)

“You just strengthened your heart, lungs, lower intestine, and a few muscles in your arms. In practical terms, this means that your endurance is going to skyrocket, the rate at which you heal will also increase as your body gets used to this transformation.” Craig imparted with a smile. “You did the job perfectly.”

“As an added bonus, you should be able to see that your Essence seems smaller, but in actuality it is all still there; some of it is constantly following the unique pattern you have created for it. Before you think that you can just do all of those different meridians in one go, please realize that if you go below a certain amount of Essence in your center, you may die. Just do what you have been doing and you will be fine; you simply need to build up the amount of Essence you have again before you open a new meridian.”

A smile on his face, Craig then directed, “Now, from that meridian, pull a bit of Essence to your eyes, and see what happens.”

Dale reached inside himself yet again, pulling Essence upward. His eyes quickly gathered a bit of Essence, and the light in the area became overwhelming. He squinted, and was suddenly able to see the flowing Essence in the other men. Their spirals were powerful, howling twisters that spun Essence into smaller twisters that continued deep into their centers.

“Wow!” Dale breathed. He looked at them all, amazed, “You see like this all the time?” Looking around, he could see Essence moving through everything, the colors almost sickeningly bright. The best comparison he could think of was pouring honey on a massive dessert cake with creamed ice on the side, then trying to eat it when you were already full to bursting.

“In the dungeon, yes. Out here, it can be a bit... overwhelming. Practice this on your own, as often as possible.” Craig commanded him. “Since it doesn’t leave your body, there is no Essence cost associated with this skill, all of it will make its way back to your center when you stop using it. Now, look at the men in this and tell me what I meant when I said they would all be dead in a few months if they planned on delving into the dungeon.”

Dale looked at the unknown men, shocked at the thick corruption in their centers. The Essence they had in them was stagnant, simply sullenly sitting there, festering like a disease untreated for too long. “Was this what I looked like to you all before you stripped my Essence?”

“Yes. You were able to see what it looked like inside yourself, this is an outside perspective, which is why it looks a bit different to you. See that giant man over there stuffed full of earth taint?” Craig pointed at the massive man they had discussed a few minutes ago, “For all of his bulging muscles and nasty attitude,” the unknown man had just punched someone whom had accidentally bumped him, “within a few months your arm muscles will be fully reinforced with Essence, and you will easily be able to beat him in an arm-wrestling contest, or stop a blow from him as you would a child. Life lesson here, don’t forget he will still outweigh you, don’t try to grapple with someone that huge!” Hans laughed at what was obviously an inside joke.

Craig nodded at Hans, also grinning, “This is just the start for you, the more meridians you have cleansed and opened, the more powerful your physical body will become.” Craig glanced at Dale, ensuring he had his full attention. “I’m hoping you are beginning to understand the advantage you are gaining over the average person, but remember that in the Guild we use this power as it is intended to be used; that is, to help our fellow man. Well, those tricky Elves too, I suppose.” Craig reluctantly allowed.

“Now,” Craig broke into a smile, “I wasn’t sure if you noticed when it happened, so have an official welcome to the sixth rank of the F series!”

The others clapped Dale on the back, cheering at his success. Dale grinned, happy that this day had turned out so well. They decided to continue walking around, and possibly visit the new priest and see how his preparations to build were going. They walked to the shining lot, seeing Father Richard praying in the center. They waited a moment until he noticed them and sprang up. “Lovely! Good morrow to you m’boy!” Father Richard cheerfully called out, walking toward them.

“Good morning Father.” Dale intoned respectfully.

“Beautiful, is it not?” Father Richard gestured towards the lot. “Turns out that giant lot is now solid quartz ! I thought it was glass, but was so pleased to be wrong! In an unexpected and fortunate turn, it also seems that this entire sheet collects celestial Essence from the heavens and sunlight. I will be able to build a monastery that will bring people flocking from all corners of the world!” His eyes were burning with fervor, and he was wildly gesticulating.

“Really?” Dale had never heard of objects collecting Essence on their own. He decided to try his new ability, so collected Essence in his eyes and looked at the quartz. The entire clear pane now was filled with solid bars of golden light. ”Ah! My eyes!” Dale cried, slapping his hands to his face.

Hans curled his lip and looked at him piteously, “You’ll learn, kid.”

“Heh. Oh, to be young.” Father Richard chuckled, “Anyone know where I can find a good builder Mage? Quarrying enough stone from the area to build this church would take a decade, and the craftsmen I’ve been talking to are all trying to sell me on sandstone. This place is lousy with granite; why would I not take advantage of that?”

“We have portal Mages that should be arriving in a few days, if you have the coin I know a few I can recommend from the Lion Kingdom, for a small finder's fee.” Hans stated greedily. They quickly dissolved into discussion while a young boy ran up to Craig, telling him that the Spotter was waiting for them near the stairs of the dungeon.

“About time, those bookworms probably only slithered out of their tent because they were tempted with a new toy.” Josh muttered in a voice like gravel. He rolled his thick shoulders, making his armor creak.

They meandered their way back to the dungeon, Hans promising to meet up with Father Richard again soon. An unfamiliar man was waiting for them, his slim frame raising questions as to his status as a Mage in Dale’s mind. He focused on the man with his new ability, but the energy inside of what was certainly a Mage was so confusing as to be beyond comprehension, actually making Dale nauseous.

“That’s what Mana looks like.” Hans muttered to Dale, seeing the odd green tint to his face. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I hear you have a quandary for me! I cannot wait to begin! Shall we?” The slim man raced down the stairs, bounding down them with no apparent concern for his safety. His words had an odd, slow inflection to them, as if each were savored before he spoke them, clashing with his rapid movements.

“That’s what near physical invulnerability looks like.” Hans dryly muttered again to Dale. “Really, try not to think about it. They are just… too weird.” The Team followed at a more measured pace, meeting the Mage as he was staring at the door. They settled in for a wait, which is what they got. The man muttered, gestured, and studied a book he had with him. He peered at the stone touching, sniffing, and even licking it once or twice.

“Freaking weirdo.” Hans muttered, earning a glare from the slim man, who suddenly shot up the stairs at reckless, astounding speed.

“What? Did I offend him, ya think?” Hans nervously asked as the others looked on in confusion. They glanced up just in time to see the man suddenly jump from the rim of what had once been the simple crevasse opening. A metal object gleamed in his hands as his back arched, swinging downward with a primal scream as he swung a pickaxe. The pickaxe head shattered, exploding in his hands as it impacted the stone, the shaft splintering into sawdust from the inhuman force behind the swing.