“I don’t particularly care for the insinuations,” Isolde coyly responded while Gideon coughed in the background. Armand rolled his eyes, clearly unfoiled by their deceptions; compared to Thoth, they were merely in their infancy of their misleading capabilities.

  Speaking of the demon, “Thoth cleanup duty!” the goblin yelled. Everyone looked around in confusion at the sudden announcement. The silence was interrupted by the sound of rapid distant heavy footfalls that quickly became resounding. The earth practically quaked as the creature came flying in.

  The four recoiled as they witnessed the blur pounce upon the table and begin consuming all the leftovers of the feast; scraps, plates, and napkins were not spared by its onslaught. “What the hell is that!” screamed Jomead.

  “Don’t tell me that is what I think that is…” Theoden couldn’t believe his eyes. “Is that a greater demon?”

  “Yes, on the verge of becoming an archdemon.” The goblin turned to the party, which could scarcely believe it all. The demon let out a satisfied burp. “Allow me to introduce you all to my familiar; you all are probably familiar with his name.”

  “Any other surprises?” Isolde couldn’t help but ask.

  “Where would be the fun in sharing that?” The goblin replied.

  “I don’t know if my little heart could take much more of it.” She tried to tease but couldn't help but reveal a hint of worry.

  “Well, an archangel also calls this place home, as well as the Earth Lord Terra. The rest of the denizens are clones of me that, if I do not exert control over, will try to rebel, and I am seeking to escape this place by becoming a god…” She and the rest of her small party had long passed out before he got the last part.

  He sighed as he looked at the collapsed party; he would probably need to tell them again tomorrow. After all, they were integral to his plan. Several Readers came into the room and used their invisible hands to grab the unconscious individuals. Once each of them was sufficiently tucked in, the goblin focused in on the other adventurers in the main hall.

  They were off engaging in the various activities of the library; some were in the gardens casually enjoying the environment and fishing, and a few engaged in a hunt. Others sat in the library reading through the books or engaged the librarian trying to answer some of the difficult or obscure questions.

  However, there was a small group of people huddled in one of the rooms, clearly up to something. One of the watchers closed in and focused in on the group. This group in particular was comprised of the individuals who attempted to follow their queen despite being ordered not to.

  “We have to do something; the queen is most likely in danger.” Spoke up the one who initially protested Isolde going off without them.

  “You’re just saying that ‘cause you’re pining for her.” A gruff voice came from one of the guards.

  “You watch! The bastard is probably doing something to her right now…” The shrill voice of the obstinate guard practically reverberated off the walls. The guards were deep into their cups and Armand knew that they would inevitably do something stupid.

  And something stupid they did do. Late into the night, he was awoken; he felt one of the sentinels reach out and connect to him. A group of guards attempted to sneak into the restricted section of the library.

  While originally he would have just slaughtered them, they were Isolde’s men, and it would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Despite being a goblin, a creature notorious and well acquainted with dispensing death, he himself had not engaged much in said act till arriving in this position.

  He had reaped several lives but felt indifferent to it all; perhaps it was because he was a goblin, perhaps because he was a dungeon master, or perhaps it was just because he had become used to it.

  Just because he didn’t reap their souls didn’t mean they had to be comfortable, as he willed the sentinels to carry the intruders to a holding area within the restricted section of the library. The hospitalities of the main library were missing from this place.

  Only the bare necessities were there—food, water, and plumbing—after all, he had no desire to deal with waste products. After the imprisonment, he returned the sentinel to its guard post and went back to sleep.

  Armand arose and moved to the faux hall where his guests were staying. The labyrinth that was this library had grown; to ensure proper mana flow to the dungeon core, he instead focused on creating multiple small passages to the center rather than one large passage.

  This was only a temporary fix; after all, if he could figure out how to enlarge the dungeon entrance more, he could get even more mana and thus support a large group of constructs.

  His train of thought was interrupted at the arrival of his main guests. First, Isolded stumbled out, bleary-eyed; the scene was very reminiscent of when she was a child. She was still not a morning person.

  With a snap of his fingers the table filled with tasty treats, which woke her up very quickly. She didn’t hesitate; she finally felt at home. Armand smiled, thinking the same; the place hadn’t been the same since her departure.

  He gave her a few moments to eat but then spoke up, “So what do you remember?”

  “Remember?” She asked as she wiped her mouth.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Last night’s events?” The goblin asked a clarifying question.

  “Ahh… that.” She looked up and to the side. “Something about a demon and an angel?” Isolde took a sidelong glance.

  “That was not all, but it was about where you all collapsed. Also probably more than enough.” The goblin said with a smile, “Ahh, I see the rest of the company has awoken.” He added on as watched the trio stumble in.

  Gideon and Jomead both bowed to the goblin and took a seat at the table. Theoden had a thousand-yard stare, clearly more cognisant of the previous evening's discussion but chose to ignore it. But he couldn’t bear to look at Armand, as if staring would cause the goblin to morph into some eldritch being.

  “How was your sleep?” The goblin asked of the three.

  “Good,” Gideon replied.

  “Excellent!” Jomead exclaimed.

  Theoden just sullenly nodded.

  “Good to hear.” Armand clapped his hands. “On to our next point of discussion, I have some questions I wish to ask.”

  “You can’t find it in your collection?” Isolde teasingly asked.

  “Unfortunately, no…” The goblin replied, “Surprisingly, knowledge of dungeons is surprisingly thin across the realms.” He waved his hand and continued, “You all are the only other people who have seen a dungeon firsthand!”

  “And you wish to hear from us what it was like?” Gideon spoke up.

  “Indeed!” Armand said, happy they were on the same page. “Now first, tell me about the entryway. Was it as large as mine?”

  “No, each entry is quite small and well hidden.” Cautiously spoke up Theoden.

  “Each entry?” The goblin tilted his head. “There is more than one entrance to the Labyrinth of Kings?”

  “Yes…” the elf continued, “There are twenty or more known entrances in. Perhaps more…”

  “That surprisingly answers one of my questions.” The goblin elaborated, “You see, dungeon entrances are integral because they are what allow mana to flow into the dungeon.”

  “Really?” Theoden snapped out of the reprieve that he was in, his scholarly curiosity aroused. “Several people wondered why the dungeon had entrances that people could fit in, but if it serves as a mana source, that explains a lot.”

  “You should have seen when I tried to close the path.” The goblin replied, “The whole place nearly collapsed.”

  “Fascinating,” the elf replied; the rest of the group had long grown cross-eyed at the conversation.

  “The next question, and one you probably cannot answer, is how do I create more entrances?” Armand mused.

  “Have you tried willing in a new entrance?” Isolde asked, "After all, he had control over this dungeon what was stopping him from trying.

  “That is a good point.” The goblin closed his eyes and imagined another door appearing that led out. While a door did manifest in a distant hall, no mana came in. He had a sentinel attempt to push it open, and there was no movement; clearly it was purely decoration. He opened his eyes and looked at the group.

  “Based on your expression, I assume that it failed.” Isolde said. The goblin shrugged, clearly unsuccessful but still unfazed.

  “Perhaps you need a dimension anchor?” Theoden chipped in. Dimensional Anchor—that is something that sounded familiar, thought the goblin. Everyone jumped as the goblin let out a loud exclamation.

  Armand sent a command to one of the readers, who quickly retrieved what he was looking for. The book floated into his hands; it was Doors to Dimensional Design. The book Thoth found for Thoeden—better late than never.

  The goblin placed a hand upon the book and made a complete copy. The reader took the copy and gave it to the elf. “This is something that should help you on your quest, Theoden. But it also makes reference to a dimensional anchor.”

  “Perhaps you could explain for us laymen?” Isolde asked of the duo. The elf cleared his throat.

  “You see, a dimensional anchor is a magical circle that allows for a connection to a plane of existence.” Theoden explained, “It is how we summon creatures from other planes.”

  “I have been experimenting with summoning. I had previously derived the symbols that represented hell, celestial, and elemental planes. However, I assume that I need the one that corresponds with my plane.” The goblin concluded.

  “Most likely.” Theodeon agreed.

  “Only one thing to do…” The goblin waved and out of the shadows came a figure. It was tall, shiny, and built. It looked like a suit of plate armor but the faint glow of magic could be seen through the seams. As it walked, the gait and pace perfectly matched a normal person's.

  It turned to the elf and spoke in a deep masculine voice, “Let us go examine the main entryway.”

  “Care to explain that?” Isolde asked

  “That is going to be me, or rather the me that will inhabit the outside world.” The goblin said with a smile, “since I will be using it rather frequently, I have been practicing existing…”

  “...in two places at once.” The suit of armor completed the sentence.

  “You’re attempting to leave the dungeon?” "Isolde," she said worriedly, clearly the goblin had some crazy plan.

  “Indeed,” The goblin replied, “I’ll explain in due time but I wish to enjoy our time here.”

  “Theoden, please come with me and we can examine the entryway.” The construct in the shape of a person spoke.

  “How should I refer to you?” Theoden still didn’t quite seem to understand.

  “We are both Armand, so you can continue addressing me so.” Said the goblin and construct in sync. The goblin then turned to Gideon and Isolde.

  “While Theoden and I go examine the gate, perhaps the two of you can go visit the holding cells.” Said the goblin as a sentinel stepped out from the hall.

  “Holding Cells?” Gideon asked

  “Some of your men were worried about you, and while normally I would have eliminated the threat, I wanted to give you some face.” Armand said while looking at Isolde.

  “Is it who I think it is?” The girl had facepalmed already, correctly guessing who the suspects were.

  “Correct.” Replied the goblin as the suit of armor walked out the door. It was his prized creation and he had to show it to his guests; he decided to deem this construct model the knight.