After much assuaging, the merchant relented to use the device. After all of which the goblin smiled, in both satisfaction and expectation, for he felt something he had been long waiting for. Something was trying to connect to the dungeon and it was mostly likely Theoden.

  The goblin willed the connection to the door placed in the lower level and he could feel the fresh flow of mana through it. “Let’s go, Cassian! Your escorts are here.” Armand said to the merchant with a smile.

  “Theoden is back?” The man excitedly asked as he got up and quickly went to get dressed. As they prepared for the guests, a couple of said guests stepped through the doorway.

  There were six individuals, five of whom were dressed simply but held a level of grace that belied their clothes. The one misfit was still wearing his robe with mithril chainmail and staff firmly in hand; of course Theoden would remain equipped. After years of adventuring and several night attacks, he felt himself only comfortable when clad in his full gear.

  One of the individuals who looked a lot like Theoden bent down and grabbed a fistful of the earth. “This is quality dirt, blessed by an earth elemental most likely.” The man couldn’t help but praise.

  “The god of libraries has a fragment of the Earth Lord within his realm, so this is most likely his doing.” Said Theoden, really trying to hype up the five individuals, “Like I said, Father, this is a perfect place for us to grow and expand safely.”

  “No one does anything for free.” Spoke another of the figures, obviously still suspicious of it all, “This is clearly not Mythos, so why would a god be here?”

  “Your worries are valid,” said Theoden’s father. “While we are in dire need of land, it does not mean we are going to put ourselves into danger over it.” The group nodded.

  “Armand is a very kind being; he is much like us, seeking new knowledge and trying to make his home and the world a better place!” Theoden staunchly defended the goblin.

  “Is he also the one that convinced you to engage in soul magic?” His father replied with a deeper hidden anger under it all.

  “Indeed it was…” A metallic voice rang out as the gaggle of elves noticed a 7th figure in their midst.

  “Lord Armand, you’re here!” Theoden said aloud, as the group jumped in surprise. This metallic suit of armor was the ‘god’ of said plane?

  “Yes, I am.” The construct said, then turned to Theoden’s father, “Yes, I was the one who helped your son use soul magic.” At said comment the father waved his hand as a spear made of wood grew in a split second and before anyone could stop him, the elf leader struck.

  Armand effortlessly parried the frenzied attack. “Father!” Theoden yelled in worry and disbelief. The son would have continued but the construct raised its hand to stop him.

  “His anger is valid and I accept it without retribution.” The metallic voice echoed through the hall, causing the father to lower his weapon. “Soul magic is dangerous to both the wielder and anyone around them; if its knowledge were to spread through the realm, the consequences would be devastating.”

  “So why did you have my son engage in such activities?” The elf practically yelled.

  “He was the only one I could trust, and I know he would not abuse the magic.” The suit of armor raised its hands helplessly. “He and his party needed a weapon to protect them and I provided a means for them to safely control it.” Steam was still practically pouring from the older elf’s nostrils but nonetheless, he couldn’t find any arguments.

  One of the other elf leaders stepped forward. “Perhaps we should start this exchange over.” The four other leaders looked amongst each other and nodded, and eventually Theoden’s father relented and nodded in agreement.

  “Splendid,” The suit of armor clapped its hands together. “I am Armand, the god of libraries, or at least part of him. As to answer your question from before, yes, my main body is in Mythos. But before becoming a god, I was a dungeon master.” Armand was glad that he was there as the construct, because his grin on his real body would have given it all away. He had practiced this speech endlessly in the mirror.

  “So how are you here then?” Another of the leaders asked.

  “That is where we return to the matter of soul magic. Before I was carted off to Mythos, I split my soul and left a portion here to maintain the dungeon.” While not true at the moment, it would be soon enough, the goblin laughed to himself. “In fact, the soul-splitting ritual is what I used to control all the dungeon constructs.” He replied while looking upwards to the floating ball of light in the sky.

  “The sun is a construct?” One of the elves marveled. They had assumed they were outside somewhere and not, in fact, within a dungeon.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Correct, one of many.” Armand willed the sun to dim, and magically the space became like night. “I can mimic all parts of day and night up to your preferences.”

  “Alright, let’s get to the main concern,” spoke the one elder who vocalized his worries.

  “The part of no one does anything for free?” The construct asked jestingly.

  “Indeed,” the suspicious elder replied.

  “Well, it is indeed not free,” The goblin replied, “You are already paying part of it by having a door to the real world; only through it can a dungeon get the mana it needs to grow.” The revelation was groundbreaking in the study of dungeons and one of the elders was already taking notes: “The other being my body in Mythos is dying.”

  “Gods can die?” One of the elves asked disbelievingly”.

  “In the right circumstances, anything can die.” The construct replied, “My followers have long forgotten me, and my dungeon was sealed off till recently… I am fading.” Luckily the construct’s tone was naturally monotone or he would not have been able to sell the story.

  “So that is why you need us to worship you?” Asked one of the elves, all the pieces were coming together.

  “Indeed,” the suit nodded, “I think it is a fair agreement—a new life for you and for me.” The elders huddled together and began to convene; after a few minutes, they stepped back and looked at the construct.

  “We need some sort of contingency.” The more suspicious elder stated. Of course they did, thought Armand; luckily he had prepared for this eventuality. The suit of armor brought forth a piece of paper.

  “Luckily I have prepared this contract; feel free to read it and decide upon it.” Armand had done a lot of research into magical contracts and after some experimenting came up with this one. With Cassian’s assistance he came up with something that was fair to both parties. Should they break the contract, the mana within them would be converted into flames and incinerate their bodies.

  Unfortunately, he also needed to be bound to the same punishment if he were to break the terms of the contract. The elves took the contract as if they were taking a dwarvencraft bomb. As they read through it, their knit eyebrows slowly unwound; after reading through the whole thing, they all looked at each other to see who had any disagreements.

  “How does the blood boiling work?” One of the elders asked.

  “When you sign, a spell is engraved upon your body.” The suit of armor explained, showing its bicep containing the spell circle engraved upon it, “I have already signed the contract; now it is your turn.”

  A few moments of silence passed. Then Thoeden’s father stepped forth. “I’ll sign…” He looked side to side, then back at the goblin. “Do you have a quill I can use?”

  The construct snapped and a quill appeared in the father’s hand. Who then signed his name upon the construct, inscribed his name, Thondar. Good to know, the goblin nodded to himself. The other elders relented and signed their names.

  “What now?” Theoden’s father asked after everyone had signed.

  “You receive your control rod.” The suit of armor calmly said as a Reader floated down holding the staff he had made earlier.

  “Looks a lot like my staff.” Theoden couldn’t help but comment.

  “It is a repurposed prototype.” The construct replied as it took the rod and handed it to Thondar. “This will allow you and your people to shape the dungeon to your purposes.”

  “We can create stuff here?” One of the elves asked in surprise.

  “Treated it like spellcasting,” The suit of armor assuaged them, “Just will a shape and pour in your mana!” Theoden’s father shrugged and raised the staff; the flat earth began to bend downwards, creating a riverbed. Water began to flow down it.

  “Most excellent,” the elf stated. “Any limitations?”

  “Any fauna or flora needs to be brought by you; the staff cannot recreate it.” The construct was elaborated. The elves nodded; by then Cassian had made his way down the lengthy stairs. “Here is another portion of our arrangement.”

  “I was wondering what was entailed by ‘escort the associate Cassian Woe safely through elven territory’ entailed.” Said one of the Elders with a bit of a laugh.

  “I will be at your mercy.” The human replied with a smile and bowed to the elders. “Hello again, Theoden. I am glad to see you all in one piece.”

  “I will take my leave now.” Armand said, having completed his task, “Remember to remain on this floor and we should have no other issues.” The construct didn’t wait around as it began ascending the stairs, each step disintegrating behind him.

  The elves watched him leave and then went back to discussing amongst themselves as Cassian and Theoden already began talking to one another as they headed out of the dungeon.

  Armand’s main body sat in his chair watching the guests leave; the construct soon made it back into the main room, sat in another seat and began reading.

  Once again the goblin was alone, at least for a little while. It became a pet hobby of his as he watched the elves plant trees. Theoden and Thondar were the only ones who used the wand to manipulate the dungeon floor. Mainly creating rivers and lakes. The elves did a lot of terraforming by hand, taking pleasure in shaping the land.

  They would surround trees as they chanted in unison, and the trees would grow several feet in seconds. Reaching immense heights, creating a canopy with faint light trickling through.

  Armand managed the daylight cycle after Cassian acquired an hourglass for him. For once the goblin could keep track of time. The merchant made sure to transfer the hourglass through the dimensional storage. Even taking the time to sync it to the sunrise.

  Funny enough, his sleep cycle had been pretty accurate. Speaking of which, it had been a long day and it was a good time to hit the hay, metaphorically. He made his way to his room and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

  He had hoped for a quiet night but those plans were ruined as the stench of brimstone filled his nose. Before him manifested a familiar, smug face. “Mammon…” The goblin exhaled.

  “In the flesh.” The demon suavely replied.