The First World Sphere

Gareth wore his new white boots and was practically prancing around as we gathered to make our way through the portal to the second level. I had been given a multitude of items from the hobgoblin, guards, and shaman to take with us in my storage space. It was everything that Ullmark said could be sold for a silver coin or more.

The bee wing cloak on the shaman was intact but covered in blood. I just needed to pick it up and use my cleanliness spell before adding it to my storage. It looked like shimmering translucent veined silk. It was hard to believe it only went for a few golds, but Ullmark said it became extremely fragile once it left the dungeon.

Gimble reminded us our time was coming to a close, and we needed to enter the gate to the second level. Ullmark took the lead, “Once you enter the gate, you need to turn around and exit. This will bring you back to the entrance outside the dungeon. Do not tarry. There are about a dozen gates within the maze….”

Gareth interrupted, “There are 13, and the gate to the third floor, so I guess that is 14.”

Ullmark nodded, “Thirteen gates to get out of the dungeon. Since there are only two teams in the maze currently, I doubt they are covering all the gates. We enter as a group and exit as a group.” Everyone nodded. I entered first with my lightning reflexes spells turned on in overdrive, everyone else a step behind.

I emerged into a long corridor with rust-brown walls and a high ceiling. Everyone else came through and looked quickly before exiting back through the gate. I lingered and listened. I could hear a pig squeal and the faint ringing of weapons. Gimble was at my shoulder; everyone else had left. I looked at him, “No ambush.”

He nodded, “Still, it is odd someone is buying the time slot right before ours. Maybe they just like this time every seventh day,” He shrugged. “We should get going before they think we got slain.”

I nodded and looked around one last time. A soft light seemed to emanate from the red stone. I turned and entered the gate alongside Gimble. We had only been a minute behind the group, but they still looked relieved to see us.

I spoke cheerfully, “Good work, everyone. You all earned your 20% bonus for the week. Get back to the Shiny Platinum, and then you can all party in Gareth’s room.” Gareth looked at me sharply, and I smiled. Gareth was a bit of a slob, and since he didn’t have access to my cleanliness spell, I was guessing his room had deteriorated in the few days he had resided in it.

I walked behind the animated group as Ullmark dropped back and started talking with me. “Storme, you have a pretty good team. I will find out what I can about the other dungeon team during the week and let you know before our next delve.”

“Ullmark, that would be good. I don’t think I have too many enemies that could facilitate running a dungeon team. But I think maybe Loriel might be drawing some to me. If that dungeon team was targeting us, I almost want to confront them and eliminate them,” I said, speaking my mind.

Ullmark grimaced, “One of the reasons I like dungeons is you always know what you are getting. There are rarely any surprises,” he chuckled, “I say that, and today we got one.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Do you want to go to the delver’s guild hall and report the new shaman variation with me?”

I was actually mildly sore and recovering from the overdrive use of my lightning reflexes spell. I thought for a long minute before saying, “Yes. It will be good to see how the process works.”

We talked about the team as we walked, and Ullmark didn’t seem concerned if Gareth seduced and had sex with every woman on the team. He admitted that some delves lasted days, and it was almost inevitable that team members got more intimate. He waved his hands, saying he had long since outgrown his urges. He shared that he patronized a good brothel on the northern side of the merchant district. Information I did not need to know, and I turned down his invitation to join him.

The Adventurer’s Hall was a blue-gray stone building. It had a large taproom and seating with tables set for cards, dice, and other pastimes. Nine men and three women played and drank when we walked in. They just glanced at us before returning to their games. Ullmark leaned into me, “All familiar faces, so no one here is from the team entering before us.”

I followed Ullmark to a side room, where a very bored middle-aged man read a book. Ullmark said, “Guildmaster Sawyer. I have come to see if a dungeon evolution has been noted.”

The man put down his book and quickly came to attention, “Ullmark, what do you have for me?”

Ullmark took a seat across from the man, and I joined him. Ullmark started, “The Frost Vault. First floor. The shaman supporting the dungeon boss used a new spell. It was a large ball of ice,” He used his hands to demonstrate the basketball size. “It had good speed, and the shaman cast two within three seconds. It knocked two of my team down. One with a strike at the back of his head.”

Sawyer reclined in his chair. He started rocking in his chair and thinking. “Ice ball spell? That is interesting.” The guild master was thinking, and Ullmark tapped his desk to get his attention, “Yes, it is a new development. Twenty gold once it is confirmed. I am just thinking that the new team from the capital had a member who cast that same spell in our tap room not two days ago.”

Ullmark gasped, “Do you think he is seeding? That type of quick turnaround for a seed isn’t unheard of.” I looked confused, so Ullmark explained to me, “You can help a dungeon evolve by leaving items created in other dungeons. Once the dungeon resets, the dungeon absorbs the items left behind and can incorporate them. It is not typically done and considered illegal in Skyholme.” The guild master was nodding.

I asked, “What about items not created in a dungeon? Can the dungeon use those?”

The guild master answered my question, “No, but they can use them as chest rewards. It has to do with dungeon theory. Items created entirely from raw aether can be broken down and understood by a dungeon. Items not created with 100% aether can just be stored and used at a later time by the dungeon. I can lecture you for hours of dungeon theory, but I need to post the updates and the reward for confirming it.”

We left the guild hall, and I realized that I might be able to seed a dungeon with metal I created from my ability. Maybe even weapons. It sounded like some interesting experiments for the future. Maybe I could get the dungeon to offer up mithril coins?

I told Gimble he could use the reward money to purchase my delve tokens. He nodded, and we returned to the Shiny Platinum. Gareth’s room was adjacent to mine, and there was definitely a party going on in there as a server came up with drinks, burgers, and fries. I thought about joining them but noticed Bylura when the doors opened. That meant Loriel was probably inside as well. I paused and peeked when the server exited. Loriel, Cilia, and Leda were inside with the entire team.

I was going to come back after I emptied out my storage space. I went to the brewery on the second floor to drop the honey first and found Mera, Fera, and Lachlan. At first sight, it appeared that Lachlan was trying to impress the twins with something he had brewed. As I approached, he was singing the praises of his alertness potion.

“Mera, how is the brewing coming?” I asked, disrupting the group.

Mera put on a big smile and handed me a glass that was about half full. I sniffed it and tasted it. It was a mild brew with no sour taste. “How is it?” she asked hopefully.

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“It is good. You are getting better. I should have the special yeast soon to brew the Frost Mead,” I said, handing her back the glass. “You should really head to the party. No matter how you feel about Gareth, the room is packed with your friends.”

Fera sighed, “Why does his sense leave him every time he sees another woman?”

I didn’t like being put on the spot to defend Gareth. I did anyway, “He will grow out of it. He is just learning how to deal with his new awareness.”

Mera inserted herself into the conversation, ignoring Lachlan, “Why are you not like Gareth?” Mera and Fera were focused on me, and I was not going to escape answering.

I answered, “I feel like I am too young for such pursuits. I have so many things I want to learn, and I feel like I don’t have enough time. I am running the Shiny Platinum for Callem and Wynna and….,” I waved my hand at the brewery, “I keep adding more to my plate.” I was going to say more, but Mera interrupted.

“You need to have more fun, Storme. No one works harder than you. Walking through the city, everyone talks about the restaurant and the paintings. Callem and Wynna were wise to trust you with their fortunes.” Mera smiled tentatively, “Any woman would be lucky to snare you, Storme.”

There was an awkward silence, and I finally said, “We should all go to the party. I just have to empty my storage.” I watched as Lachlan and the twins left. I then removed the honey-filled wax cells, descended the stairs to the general warehouse, and emptied all the items Ullmark told us to take. I kept the bee wing cape, though. It might be a nice birthday gift for Freya.

I retired to the third floor and found the party in full swing. Even Ennet was here with Freya. Ennet had a glass of wine and was talking with Ullmark. Lalchan was tied to Mera’s hip, following her around the room. Gareth was in the center of a sofa with Sammie on one side and Loriel on the other. He was clearly intoxicated.

Gareth noticed me, “Stormy!” Gareth smiled and stood. “We were talking about your heroics today! I was unconscious, but Talia said you were incredible.”

Talia had a sneaky smile, “When the shaman came out late, I tried to distract him with an ice lance, but he was shielded. Gareth was about to kill the guard he was fighting, and the mage slammed a ball of ice into the back of his head,” Gareth blushed in embarrassment. “Then the mage attacked Storme. Storme was thrown back with a second ice ball, and I thought we were in trouble.”

Talia then went on to describe how desperate things were before I got up with a very angry look on my face and proceeded to cut through the goblins. Kill the shaman by cutting off his legs and then I sank my sword into the back of the hobgoblin’s neck. At the conclusion of the retelling, everyone cheered and clapped. I loved and soaked in the adoration but kept a straight face.

A server entered and brought in more drinks. A second server came with buckets of fries and sauces. The party continued, and I moved to the kitchen counter and sat. The kitchen and sitting room were just one large room, so I could see everyone from my resting spot. Loriel and Gareth were whispering heavily between each other, and I groaned internally. If Loriel couldn’t get to me directly, then she was going for Gareth. Cilia came and leaned on the counter next to me.

“Hey, Storme. Your restaurant is good. Are you going to add anything to the menu?” Cilia asked in a soft voice.

“Maybe. I do not want it to get too complicated, as one of the draws is being able to get the orders out quickly,” I replied cooly.

Cilia said, “Well, if you are taking requests, you know Leda and I have some ideas,” she advised. They had been at the farm with us for months, had plenty of time to sample my cooking, and had favorites. When I didn’t respond, Cilia continued, “You should come for a ride on the skyship. Loriel named it Starry Sprinter. You would like it. You can bring Freya.”

Celia was looking good. Healthy. Happy. She was talking with enthusiasm and life. The RBF had been diminished and almost unnoticeable. I looked at her and said, “I am glad you are happy, Cilia. But I think I will keep my distance from Loriel.”

After some silence, Cilia said, “Gareth has agreed to escort Loriel to the Triumvirate Sowing Festival.”

My eyes went wide. I only had one word, “Idiot.” I could see it now. Gareth’s drunken smile and Loriel’s closeness. She had manipulated him. I thought I had warned him, but Gareth wouldn’t heed such warnings if there was a woman involved. His common sense went right out the window.

I would need to talk with Gareth about this in private. It shouldn’t take too much to convince him to cancel his date with Loriel. I talked with Leda, Lana, and Gimble for a bit before dragging Freya to my room so she could sleep before we took the skyship in the morning Hen’s Hollow.

Freya was exhausted, and I showed her to my spare room in my apartment, “Storme, your furniture is so much nicer than the other apartments,” Freya said sleepily.

“You can thank Isla for that. Now get some sleep,” I tucked in Freya, who quickly fell asleep in the comfortable bed.

I went down to the restaurant, planning to make myself a burger. The restaurant was still open for service. Only about a quarter of the tables were occupied as it was extremely late—or early, depending on preference. I asked a server why we were still open. She told me we stayed open as long as we had customers. Usually, we closed when the bakery opened in the morning.

I talked with some cooks and servers, and they had enough staff to remain open, and no one seemed upset with the hours. Working half a day was normal, so the extreme hours did not bother them, especially with the pay they were receiving. I made a burger myself rather than having the cooks do it for me.

I ate in the dining room and was surprised when Remy came downstairs to collect coins. I waved him over, “Remy, how has it been going?”

Remy looked tired but happy, “I just logged your dungeon harvest. What do you want me to do with the black steel weapons, leathers, aether crystals, and rough furniture?”

“I think everything will be sold. I kept the aether crystals I wanted. You can hire someone to come in and haul it away for sale,” I said, waving off the problem. Remy looked relieved. He had been extremely busy. I was about to ruin his day as I produced the book on building the Wind Splitter.

“This book,” I said while placing the book on the table and tapping on it, “Is a manual to build a skyship. I need someone who can help facilitate its construction. I want you to peruse it and let me know if you are interested on the next 7th day.”

Remy took the book and opened it. He was soon engrossed in the images. I ate my burger and left. Remy didn’t even notice me leaving, so I assumed his engineering affinity had triggered. I returned to my room and checked on Freya before going into my own room and setting up my alarms, arcane locks, and privacy screen.

I made some mithril and then did some aether core exercise. Getting my aether to spin in a vortex required a lot of focus. You needed to keep the aether moving at a constant speed. It was frustrating, and I started trying different things. Most times, I got negative feedback. Then, I stumbled upon something unique. My aether core was essentially a perfect sphere. I had been trying to spin the aether on a bisecting two-dimensional plane.

There were accepted ways to do it in three dimensions. The easiest way was to circulate the aether on the edge of the sphere, but the flow patterns got convoluted quickly, and the aether movement halted. I added a funnel at the top of my aether core and a matching funnel at the bottom, meeting in the center. Then, I moved the aether in a continuous pattern. It didn’t work well until I defined an aetheric gravity plane in the center of my aether core.

My gravity plane was not thick; one side attracted aether, and the other repelled aether. So as the aether circulated, the gravity plane did the work for me. The gravity plane was shaped like a washer. It was just a construct but was working to circulate my aether. It took a lot of adjustments to get the flow of the aether stable: adjusting the strength of gravity, defining lines of flow for the aether around the sphere, and finally, thinning out the aether. That was what had been causing me the most problems. As my core replenished its aether, the density was no longer uniform and caused problems with my flow.

My sphere-funnel design naturally thinned the aether to make the density homogeneous. Once the density was uniform, everything just flowed smoothly and didn’t need me to pay attention. I kept tweaking the flow patterns and the gravity plane strength until it looked perfect. I centered my dimensional closet construct in the center of my washer gravity plane. It was extremely stable, and I spent time confirming the spell was not going to move.

I even came up with an idea to add more spell constructs. I just added more washer-shaped cylinders in the central funnel. I should be able to anchor more aether core-anchored spells. I had enough room to easily add one above and one below my center gravity plane holding the dimensional closet. I would have to wait a few days to make sure everything was stable and talk with Selina to see if what I had down was feasible. My core was still expanding, and the gravity constructs were an experiment.

My alarm went off, and it was Freya. It was morning when she had left her room and knocked on my door. I ended my privacy screen and met her. I was exhausted but extremely excited. I took Freya down to the bakery, which was already emitting the smells of freshly baked bread and treats.

Freya ate an entire tray of our honey cinnamon buns. I didn’t know where my small sister put it all, but she did have a sweet tooth. I let her take a package of the buns for our parents but doubted they would ever get to sample them. The buns were extremely popular, and my bakers said they were selling 400 batches daily. Many small restaurants used them as desserts. I didn’t know we had contracts to deliver so many buns each day. Since we were not giving any bulk discounts, I was okay with the sales.

It wasn’t long before Mera and Fera came down. They were soon followed by everyone else who needed to return to Hen’s Hollow. As we all boarded the skyship, I approached Gareth for a conversation.

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