Valterra emerged from the memory softly, and rather than fade away, the memories began to blend seamlessly with the other inherited memories he had received so long ago. The memory had answered many of his questions, though it had raised more. The land he had seen through his creator’s eyes was a far cry from the one he had claimed. For one, the Locations of Power were not there, and he suspected they had been planted or created by Calamvor, though further memories might answer that question.

  The sudden drop to the river below was not there, with the clearing continuing into a full circle. The entire topography was altered from the original vision. Valterra decided to explore. He began claiming ground under the house in the direction of the supposed river. After some time, he found it, or at least its remnants. A riverbed was revealed, long dried out and filled in, running slightly Northeast to Southwest in a downward slope.

  As he withdrew from his little claiming spree, he settled into his core, letting his mind wander over the various discoveries he had made. Now proven true, the memories he had been given revealed a host of errors with what the gods had told him. He could infer what Calamvor’s holy mission was, as it was clear that his creation or a similar dungeon had been the gods’ goal. What did that mean for himself? Why would the gods lie?

  Valterra scoffed to himself. At least one of them did so as a job. The others he was less sure of. As much as he now doubted them, his uncles and aunts had proven themselves to be caring on multiple occasions. His first creature had a unique path crafted by Ile’Fen. Maph’Ira had helped him name his first real creation. Qual’Dorn had helped him when messing around with his Frameworks and had joined Ile’Fen in crafting a path for his mice.

  Not to mention Krat’Imos, who, even now, was updating his System at Valterra’s suggestion. There was another presence he had yet to meet officially, Ata’Laya, but she had given him the Framework for the Fomorian Stalkers and another path for his mice, so he supposed she was nice. None of the others had offered one of their divine servants for his use. No, the only real schemers he could see were Tal’Irieth and Trik’Weri. For Trik’Weri, it was at least a part of his nature to scheme and cause mischief.

  Tal’Irieth was the leader of the council, though, and Valterra figured that whatever was going on had him as the focal point. Maybe. He had always seemed kind of aloof to Valterra, although when he had first ignited a Divine Spark, the god had expressed concern. Perhaps he was simply worried that their experiment would fail. He had also been the one to directly lie to him when he had first awoken to sapience and met the gods for the first time.

  Valterra sank deeper. Who was he? How much of who he was was painted by the gods? He wanted to play and create. But his name, gifted by the gods, meant that very thing. The core now knew exactly how powerful it was to name something in the old language, and the gods had named him to be their playground. While that resonated in Valterra’s soul, he didn’t know whether that was a result of the name or the fact that the name resonated with some internal part of his nature as a dungeon core.

  For the first time, Valterra had to wrestle with the most foundational questions of life. Who am I? What is my purpose? Why was I created? These questions reverberated in his mind, and he had no answers to them yet. So, with the resiliency of youth, he pushed the questions away, rising from his introspection like a breaching Great Whale. For now, it didn’t matter, but that didn’t mean he would continue as he had been.

  If the gods wanted to play their games, they could. For a long time, he had been an unconscious pawn in the game, but now he was gradually learning the rules. Now, he was going to play with purpose. That meant claiming as many of his own pieces as possible. He had already begun to do that with the Locations of Power. Whatever the gods were planning, he would be ready.

  It was with this thought in mind that he spread his Awareness outward and into his territory. The floors were teeming with life, with the refurbished first three floors especially busy. It seemed that his creatures had discovered how to climb the levels, and already the strongest creatures were making their presence known.

  On the first floor, underneath the deck, there was a steady stream of life and death. To his surprise, it seemed that his lower-rank creatures had continued their former natural lifestyles. They bred and gave birth or laid eggs that then hatched. He hadn’t bothered to notice before, what with the invasion and the clean-up afterward. That had then been followed by his new doubts and experiences with his creator’s memories, so he wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t put any thought toward it. He homed in and watched as his Aether subtly influenced these natural life cycles.

  The offspring grew quicker, and gestation periods were shorter. While he hadn’t noticed it happening, it didn’t mean that he was unaware of it at the same time. His dungeon was his body in many ways, and though for the most part it ran itself, if he concentrated, he could discern its makeup. For one thing, the Frameworks in his core provided Valterra with intimate knowledge of all of his creatures. Therefore, he knew their natural growth rates, and he could then extrapolate their acceleration.

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  It was fascinating. Not only did his Aether speed up the process, but it also made the resulting offspring healthier and claimed them automatically for his dungeon. No wonder he hadn’t really noticed. The dungeon's predatory nature offset the steady stream of creatures being born. If his Aether hadn’t accelerated things and made the parents tougher, then most of the lower ranks would have died out. That, and the fact that the higher ranks ended up climbing higher to the Second Floor in search of greater sources of Aether.

  Valterra homed in on one particular specimen. It was a Feral Mouse, admittedly one that was larger and more impressive than those he had spawned recently. It was clear that the creature was a savage fighter, with scars from numerous fights. It had just climbed to the second floor and was in combat with an Armored Ground Beetle it had stumbled upon. The beetle was a game combatant, and it was clear the two had been exchanging blows for a bit before Valterra arrived to watch.

  The beetle was heavy but armored, while the mouse was fast and savage. The mouse circled and bit, trying to get through the armor to no avail. Both of the creatures were Rank F, and the beetle’s strategy was clear. Its mandibles were larger since Ascending, but it was slower than the mouse. It was, however, tougher, and it simply had to wait for its opponent to tire before it could move in. The mouse had other plans.

  It darted in, snapping its teeth at the beetle’s face, even as the beetle’s mandibles clicked threateningly close in response. This back and forth kept on for a time until the mouse’s plan came to fruition. It had succeeded in turning the beetle around and prodding it back until only a short distance separated it from the drop-down to the First. From there, all it took was a risky shove, receiving a nasty chomp from the beetle’s mandibles in return, to send the beetle off the edge.

  The beetle dropped three feet down, heavy as a stone, and might have survived even that large drop had it not encountered an actual stone at the bottom that cracked its carapace open like an egg, killing it. Valterra watched as the Aether made its way up to the Feral Mouse and looked on in satisfaction as it lit up with the light of Ascension. He had wondered if the beast was close due to its general size and ability. Now he would get to choose a different stage on this Path of Ascension.

  Your “Feral Mouse” is ready to Ascend!

  Please choose from among the following stages:

  Mouse Gorger (Rank E - Copper)

  No longer merely feral, this mouse has Ascended into a larger and more fearsome form. Showing a tendency to fight and devour anything it comes across, this beast has passed into the realms of the monstrous. Often found in lower-stage dungeons as lieutenants of Feral Mouse swarms, they use their greater size to seize the choicest morsels for themselves, both mundane and Aetheric.

  Swarming Nestkin (Rank E - Copper)

  Nestkin are voracious and repugnant little vermin, gaining increased intelligence with every successive Ascension but never truly achieving Sapience, only survivalistic cunning. The Swarming Nestkin is at the very bottom of that totem pole, running in hordes in order to gain the sustenance they need to Ascend further and climb ranks within the nest.

  Murid Stonejaw (Rank E - Copper)

  A return to ancient savagery, the Murid Stonejaw is one of the ancestors from which all mice and rats Ascended. This Framework has remained alive through intensive use by other dungeons. With an elemental affinity for Earth, this creature enhances its already impressive bite by enveloping it in a casing of Earth, earning it its name. A burrower by nature, it makes sure to have a plentiful supply of earth and rock nearby for defensive and offensive uses.

  This was the second time he had the chance to choose a new stage for this particular animal, and he knew what he wanted. If his idea with Krat’Imos bore fruit, then the Embermaw would become the seventh floor’s Guardian. While the Murid Stonejaw could be both prey and predator for that floor, Valterra wondered if it was worth it. The possible Ascensions that could come from meshing an Earth affinity with a Fire affinity practically made Valterra vibrate with excitement.

  In the end, though, it was the mention of higher stages of the Nestkin that caught his attention and held it. A primitive, savage society of foot-tall mouse-like people gave him ideas for a floor and one that he could implement as soon as he had access to the Framework itself. There was no reason in his mind why he couldn’t give the Framework a little push using the Helpdesk and the new stores of Potential, his creator, no, his father had left him.

  Valterra figured the man was owed that much based on the amount of work he had put into preparing the land for his arrival. He already had mice and rat creatures, but he figured some more wouldn’t hurt. Besides, the normal ones were going to Ascend anyway, so he might as well collect all the different varieties so that he could choose the best of them. That would only be the responsible thing to do. Perhaps some conflict between them would help decide the matter.

  He thought Calamvor would have enjoyed the process of Ascension as much as he did. Perhaps that was where his enjoyment stemmed from, to begin with. At that moment, as he chose the Swarming Nestkin, Valterra settled the matter in his heart. He didn’t know all the motivations of those involved in his creation, but he was alive; his Spark still thrummed inside his core, and regardless of what was coming down the road, he and his creatures would be ready.