Dungeon Life

Chapter Three-Hundred Nineteen

Chapter Three-Hundred Nineteen

I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to do. It’s like meeting a celebrity and they say they’ve heard about you, not the other way around. The Shield’s chiming laughter sounds, and I wonder how long I’ve just been staring at it.

“Sorry. I’m… still pretty new to all this,” I admit, and the Shield bobs in the air in understanding.

“It is no problem. I think most dungeon cores would have difficulty adjusting to divinity. Though I also think you are not like most dungeon cores.”

I snort at that. “That’s what I hear, heh. I know I run things a lot differently than others.”

The shield bobs in a nod. “Yes, I hear of your strangeness from many of my believers in Fourdock. I also hear it from Order and the Raven, on the occasions we get to meet. From them, I get the feeling that, as the mortals say, you are not from around here, yes?”

I give it a wary look, though I don’t know if that actually translates with my weird void self. I’d like to keep my origins a secret, just because it’s the kind of thing that could set off disastrous change if not done right. I probably shouldn’t be surprised Order and the Raven know at least the basics. From what I can tell, the Raven is supposed to know where souls belong, so he’s gotta know my belonging here is temporary. Order, too, is basically in charge of the system, and it has to have some kind of flag noting I’m an anomaly of some flavor.

After a few more moment’s thought, I decide to trust the Shield. Even if we’ve only technically just met, we’ve basically been working together for a while now. “Yeah, pretty much. The details are more than what I wanna get into right now, though.”

The Shield glows in excitement. “Yes, I knew it! Are you from Beyond?” it eagerly asks, and I’m not sure how to answer that.

“I… maybe? I have a few guesses for where the Beyond leads, and back home is one of them, but I don’t know for certain. I wasn’t exactly party to the secrets of reality there.”

“Ah, but you are! Or at least somewhat. I have heard Freddie’s prayers for Rhonda’s safety with her class, so I know you are doing wondrous things with magic. I even suggested to Laermali that she send an acolyte instead of her High Priest!” The Shield glows in happiness at that as I chew on that fact.

“You sent her to me?” I ask, wondering why it would do something like that.

“She was coming, so I worked to Protect the peace of your meeting. She heads a pantheon, if you did not know, so she is used to being heeded. Even Order and the Raven suggested she listen to my advice, and I am glad it has been working out!”

“What, did you guys have a meeting about me?”

“Meeting?” asks the Shield, the glow dimming for a moment as it processes the term, before the glow returns. “Yes! A meeting is accurate! Order wished to speak with the three of us about you after your ascension.”

I sigh at that. “I really have been drawing the gaze of some big eyes…”

“And you will draw more, I am sure! Change is such a tantalizing domain, tempting and yet dangerous. And you are aware of it!” The Shield’s bright glow softens as a quiet chime of happiness comes from it, tinged with bittersweet. “I was not very aware of what Protection entailed when I ascended.”

“How did you, if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve heard a few snippets in passing, but the Shield followers… er, your followers are usually more concerned with training against my undead than in discussing theology where I can hear.”

The Shield bobs again in a nod and conjures a crystalline rack to rest on, even as we both float among the stars that are the people of Fourdock. “I sometimes think the mortals know more of it than I do, even if they embellish. I think it is fitting, perhaps they get to Protect some of my own beginnings. I don’t remember much of my early time with Jayna. I am told mortals do not remember their birth and early years, either. I started as an artifact created by a long forgotten dungeon. Some of my believers think I was forged from a dungeon core, but Order has repeatedly said that is not possible.”

The Shield pauses, glowing warmly at some memory before it continues. “My earliest memory is of her face, quietly singing a hymn as she polished me. I think she knew I was intelligent even before I did, and she did her best to instill in me her beliefs as a paladin. She did not have a deity at the time, and simply devoted herself to Protection, at least at first. Through many battles, I was her bulwark. I do not know when it happened, but her devotion slowly anchored to me. I knew so little at the time, and I did not understand what that meant. I still do not know why…”

It trails off, dimming for a few moments before shaking itself and continuing. “From there, the legends detail what she did in my name. It took a long time to accept that…” it trails off for a moment, and I get the distinct feeling it’s giving me a knowing smirk before it continues. “When she got old, she told me her time was limited, and the Raven would come for her. I did not want that, so when I saw the Raven come for her, I tried to Protect her. I encased her in crystal, and accidentally transformed the gathered people’s clothes to crystal, too. I saw the Raven fly in and perch on the encasement, then reach through like it was not there. And then he gave her to me.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Its glow dims for a while, and I wonder if it’s done talking. I don’t know what to say to something like that, even after my own experience with my fallen dwellers. We float there for a time, before it finally resumes speaking.

“She’s Beyond, now. She said she had done everything here she could, and she knew I would keep everyone Protected.” It snorts with a sound like breaking glass. “It took me a long time to realize how many people everyone is. I can not get them all… but I try. And my believers do the same.”

It shakes itself and absorbs the stand before resuming floating. “I did not think I would talk to you of that. I wanted to talk of now and the future, not the past.”

“Well, the past is a good foundation to build on. I’m still building mine here, and I don’t know how much of before I should talk about. Or how much I even can talk about.”

“Yes, you have a lot of mystery as well. I can see there is a you inside that glow, but even here, I can not perceive it. I think it is something to do with the framework upon which Order’s system is hung, but I do not know very much about it. He knows the most, but he says he knows almost nothing. Most of us simply accept when he says that is just how it works. Except, I think, you.”

“Like the affinities,” I offer, and the Shield bobs in a nod.

“Like those, yes. Laermali herself says they should be more intertwined, but never could figure out how. It seems you have.”

“More like Rocky has,” I try to deflect, before continuing. “Yeah, I know, he gets it from me. I know a lot of stuff from before. A lot of the rules of existence are understood there, but magic basically doesn’t exist. So I guess I’m a fresh pair of eyes, coming at it from a whole new perspective and seeing things that most people here… just haven’t discovered, I suppose?”

The Shield chimes in happiness once more. “Like with the Legionnaire Paladin! I had been hoping to forge a class like that for some time now, but had been lacking some keystone concept for it. And then you were able to cultivate it in Freddie.” The Shield beams in happiness, and I give a bashful smile.

“I’m glad it worked out like that. I just wanted to help him and Rhonda be the best they could be, give them the tools to craft their futures.”

The shield chimes louder. “A Change to their best, a welcome one indeed! While I can not speak for Rhonda, Freddie is thankful every night for how much his life has improved. A little Change can prepare someone to Protect themselves where they thought that to be impossible.”

“Heh, yeah, I guess we work pretty well together like that,” I admit.

“Perhaps we should work closer, then?”

“Like a pantheon? I think I should try to stay out of that, for a lot of reasons…”

The Shield bobs in understanding. “Yes. Not all of us join a pantheon. There are obligations involved.” It tilts itself in what is definitely a smirk. “Including politics. I am told you try to avoid that as much as possible.”

I nod at that, not even trying to deny it. “I try, but I think at this point, I’ve already stepped in it. I can either pretend otherwise and track it everywhere I go, or I can actually prepare and try to deal with it. I’m actually just getting an information network off the ground to keep informed of whatever I need to keep informed on.”

“It is a good thing to get ahead of. Fewer inquisitions that way. Order and I had to learn that the hard way, as the mortals put it. It is good to learn from other’s mistakes. Perhaps you can learn from another of ours, too.”

“Oh? I’m always up to learn something, especially if it’ll help me not mess something up.” I lean forward, interested to hear what advice it has to give.

“Order and I are not in a pantheon. It gives us more ability to deal with problems ourselves, but it also means we have to deal with them ourselves.”

“I… don’t think I’m going to be joining a pantheon any time soon. I’m pretty good at dealing with problems, at least when I’m not pretending they don’t exist. I’m happy to unofficially work together on things sometimes, but anything official is… dodgy.”

“Dodgy?” asks the Shield, chewing on the word more than asking why working closer would be described as so. “Perhaps. But I had an idea, and Order was not opposed to it. Instead of you joining a pantheon, you should form one. Order and I would be interested in joining.”

I stare at it for a while, trying to wrap my head around the words that came out of its not-mouth. “Is that… what?!”

It chimes in laughter, and I relax, thinking it’s a joke before it continues. “You do not have to do it right now! Consider it for a few centuries, or even millenia. Just know that the help you have given the two of us already is beyond what some pantheon mates would do for each other. The Legionnaire Paladin merges the camaraderie and Protection that I have been striving to spread for a long time now, and your sending of the Harbinger to Order for investigation has made him aware of a weakness in his system to fix.”

The Shield’s warmth softens before it continues. “Just consider it, and consider your domain. It would be a very big Change to how things are done. I think you would know best if it would be a positive or a negative one. Take all the time you need to think it over. Time is much less limited for you, now.”

It floats a bit sideways, kinda like how someone going through a shortcut looks, and I can only assume it’s headed to its own territory, maybe its afterlife to look over the people there? Maybe it’s off to talk to its High priest or something. Either way, I’m here, floating among the projections of the people of Fourdock, thinking about what the Shield had to say.

It was nice to get to know it a bit more, and I get the feeling we’ll become friends, if we aren’t already. The talk of making a pantheon sounds crazy, but there’s a certain amount of sense to it, and makes me wonder the implications if the others are supposed to answer to me. I only intend to answer to Him, but what happens if others answer to me? I think I really will need those couple centuries to think it over, though that brings me to the last thing it said.

Actually having all the time in the world is another one of those things I was trying not to think too hard about.