"Once you'd resolved to go, there was nothing to it at all." ― Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle

Once all the inhabitants of my dungeon had gone to sleep, the new as well as the old, I set to relocating my core. I wasn't sure how it would work, or how long it would take, and I wanted no witnesses to the process – particularly if it was going to represent a moment of particular vulnerability.

I had no reason to expect ill will or underhanded behavior from anyone, but my dungeon instincts were screaming that this should be an entirely private process. As it happened, the process was really quite simple, though it took me a couple of minutes to navigate to the appropriate spot in my status menu. I'd been kind of hoping that my simple intent to move would be enough to trigger a pop-up window, but after a couple of minutes of mental effort, that clearly wasn't the case. In the end, it had simply required going to my main status page, expanding the "level" line and finding a dropdown option for moving the core. That led to a secondary menu to identify the specific room I had selected, and eventually a 3-D wireframe map that allowed me to select a specific location – including the orientation of my core – down to the sub-millimeter level. I didn't NEED that kind of precision, but it was nice to know I had the option. Once I had highlighted the chosen subfloor location, it ran through a variety of checks to make sure the position fit the established system guidelines, and required me to verify that I was certain, not just once but twice, along with system messages warning me that the move was irreversible and the core could not be moved again until the third floor was complete.

Having jumped through those bureaucratic hoops, metaphorically speaking, the relocation process commenced. A significant portion of the ambient mana of the dungeon was drawn to my original core room, forming a golden aura around the core itself. Ignoring the stone box around me, or perhaps more accurately forming a passage through it and sealing it behind, I levitated off my pedestal and slowly, inexorably, sank through the floor in a direct line path to my new location. I got the sense that I wasn't particularly vulnerable in a physical sense, but it would give any witnesses a direct orientation towards my new location and that would be an unnecessary risk. The process took only a couple of minutes to complete, and my passage left no trace behind, at least visibly.

Quest Complete: Complete 5 Quests and Begin Third Floor; Reward: Air Elemental (Minor) Blueprint, Lapis Lazuli Blueprint

Quest Complete: Improve Core Protection; Reward: Shock Trap Blueprint

Quest Reissued: Improve Core Protection; Reward: Trap Blueprint

I'd wondered why the core protection quest hadn't triggered before, but apparently it only counted traps directly associated with the core, and not ones that you simply had to get past in the course of investigating the dungeon. To be honest, I'd largely forgotten that quest existed, so it kind of felt like a bonus reward.

The disruption to the mana flows was noticeable to those sensitive to it, and both the shaman and Hakdrilda tossed restlessly in their sleep. It seemed like at least two or three other Redcrests had some magical ability as well, though the formal introductions I'd been given hadn't specified that, one way or the other.

More to the point, Mayphesselth clearly felt the shift from her lair. **Did you just move your core, Vay? Is that what I'm feeling?**

The mana shifts had left me feeling a bit drained, but I replied politely, if a bit sluggishly. **Hmm? Oh, yes. I just moved down to the second floor. I hope that didn't disturb your sleep or anything?"

May sounded just a bit amused. **No, I tend to sleep for a few months at a time, every few years. I'll be up pretty consistently for at least another year, at a guess. Well, congratulations. I note that you have moved in a few avians; I'll drop by to work out details of their stay in the early afternoon. You can warn them, if you like.**

**Alright, I will do that. Do you have any suggestions or advice you want me to pass on, in terms of what you want from them?**

The amusement this time around was a bit darker. **No, I don't think so. I'd like to see what they come up with on their own first. That should be informative about what kind of people they are, what resources they possess, and set a general tone for their stay.**

And with that, she simply cut the connection and went back to whatever she'd been doing.

That gave me a moment to assess my new location, and I was fairly pleased. My dungeon instincts seemed to feel this was a much more secure set up, and even better, the new location being deeper in the dungeon generated a noticeable bump to my mana regeneration, and I could feel the slow growth of my base mana and mana storage also occurring in response to the new position.

The system seemed to be considering the Redcrests' location as the start of my third floor, even if I didn't quite think of it like that myself. I supposed I would end up with a bifurcated third floor, but for the time being the Redcrests would get the focus. I didn't really want to pair that with a gnome city floor, but at the moment that might be my only option to fit the overarching theme I was shooting for.

Having completed the move to the second floor in less time than I'd feared, I took a few hours to entertain myself by transcribing the basic guidebooks from AD&D and some of the early modules, both out of nostalgia and as a way to perhaps pick up some useful ideas. I hadn't actually played the game much since the days of the first edition, but brief attempts to interest my children had caused me to have some 5e books on tap as well – though hardly the full range. It was unclear to me whether these books, and ones like them, would fit my transcribe lore quest. If so, I was probably getting close to the 10,000 page specification in the next stage, though I wasn't really sure how close.

*****************

I stopped in to check in with Hakdrilda shortly after she'd had breakfast, since I'd felt bad about blowing her off yesterday. I still didn't really have time to experiment with her, but I had noted that she'd gotten around to drawing up specifications for the test chamber she had in mind. It wasn't terribly large, and the primary focus was on highly polished, durable walls around a series of adjustable vent holes with spaces for embedded measurement tools and very specific airfoils of varying shapes and compositions. I promised her that I would work on it in the late hours of the following night, and I expected it would be largely complete by the time she awoke the following morning. Before I shifted to speaking with the Redcrests, Hakdrilda had me absorb a sealed glass ampoule – the first of a large set – apparently containing air samples from the main mine of her city at intervals of 100 meters of depth. She gave me one from the surface level, mostly, I think, to verify that I could secure a blueprint of not just the ampoule but also its thin, gaseous contents. With some attention on my part, it was possible to do both, though I only received a blueprint for the ampoule itself and the glass it was made from.

Blueprint Received: Tempered Glass Ampoule

Blueprint Received: Tempered Glass

I could see that tempered glass blueprint having a variety of uses, but for the moment I used it just to replace the glass at the bottom of my comical slime chute trap, making it thinner and harder to see, while also making it more impact resistant.

Interestingly, while the gaseous composition of the air did have some minor differences from the air of the sky island, the pressure within the ampoule suggested that air pressure on the sky island was being artificially maintained at something akin to sea level despite being several kilometers higher than that. I could only imagine that was a part of the original enchantments built into the construction of the island that maintained a livable environment – though I wondered if air pressure varied from the top to the bottom – as temperature and precipitation clearly did from the vegetation patterns. Checking with Hakdrilda, that first sample was already from about 100 meters below surface level – though functionally close to sea level, since the city was built into a mountain side.

Interesting as all that was, I had to tell Hakdrilda that was all I had time for today, as I had to prepare the Redcrests for their visit from Mayphesselth. She just nodded and seemed relieved that she wasn't going to have to meet with her herself.

It was mid-morning by the time I checked in with the Shaman, Orentha. The avian visitors had been just finishing up a simple breakfast of eggs and some kind of sausage and potato hash with some dried berries and an herbal tea (technically a tisane, I supposed). Between the dozen of them, enough small bits had been dropped for me to secure blueprints of all of it.

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Blueprint Received: Mountain Grouse Egg

Blueprint Received: Goat Sausage (Redcrest-style)

Blueprint Received: Wild Purple Potato (Dragonspine Variety)

Blueprint Received: White Mulberry

Blueprint Received: Spikemint Tisane Blend

Interestingly, while I was aware that I could tease out the individual plants in the blend, the system assumed I'd be jumping straight to the blend – which, to be fair, was likely accurate unless they turned out to have alchemical properties.

That was all pretty academic, though, and I began the conversation by warning her that May had contacted me and would be visiting in the early afternoon.

That had her crest falling flat to her skull, clearly pondering her best approach and waving Glynesha over to share the news. Glynesha took it with a bit more equanimity. "Well, at least we have a timeline now. Better to find out now than when it's too late. Does Vay have any sense of what she'll want from us?"

I had to tell Orentha that I really had no idea; I shared May's somewhat cryptic statement from last night, and the two whipcord-thin avians just nodded. Glynesha seemed to approve of the statement. "Sound advice, really. Well, we'll begin as we hope to proceed; Lukash made her sound stern but not unreasonably demanding. And you, Vay? What are you hoping to get from us in exchange for all this hospitality?"

Glynesha seemed a touch nervously impatient as I spoke with Orentha.

**Realistically, as a dungeon, there's not a whole lot you can do for me. I do expect you'll want to share some things with me, if only so I can recreate them as needed to help support you. Beyond that, the most beneficial thing you can do for me is to simply expend your mana within my domain on a regular basis. Always assuming your tribe doesn't want to assimilate and become actual members of the dungeon**

Orentha nodded and passed that along, and the two of them looked a bit hesitant. Glynesha gave voice to their concerns. "I don't think anyone will want to formally join the dungeon. And we don't really have a tradition of dungeon delving in the Redcrest tribe, either. That sort of thing is seen as too inherently risky, and most of the tribe is now too young or too old to take those chances. We can't really afford to lose any more people – to you or to the dragon."

I had sort of assumed that was the case, and I laid out the concept I'd been toying with. **I understand that, and to be clear, I don't need you to delve the main dungeon, nor do I have any particular desire to devour your people. It's kind of against the whole concept of offering you sanctuary, after all. Here's what I was thinking, though... I'd like to set up training areas suitable for your people to help you practice your various skills – ranging from flight courses to archery/magic ranges and crafting areas. That would enable you to strengthen your people while still expending your mana and energy within my domain with minimal risk. Ideally, I'd like most of your people to use most of their mana each day before they sleep for the night.**

That had them looking both relieved and distinctly grateful. As the leader, Glynesha offered her formal acceptance. "I'll want to confirm with Kragosh and the elders, but I can't imagine anyone would be seriously opposed to that. Obviously, supporting ourselves in whatever ways are necessary will come first, but after that training courses would be a tremendous help. Clearly, we need to become stronger." She looked distantly angry at their situation for a moment – red crest flaring and golden eyes flashing in frustration. "I will ask you to coordinate with our most practiced people about what those training areas should look like, but it should be good for all of us. I was, frankly, kind of worried about how to keep especially the younger tribe members occupied through the winter."

**Great, I'm hoping you won't mind me sitting in on your training sessions; I'm particularly interested in learning whatever magic your people use, but the crafting and other skills are also likely to be useful eventually.**

"Well, you may not be able to ask questions of the teachers directly, but I don't think any of us would begrudge you that training."

**Excellent. Well, when you get a chance, please ask your most likely teachers to design their ideal spaces for such tasks. I can't promise they'll get everything they want, but I can at least lay some groundwork that way. In the meantime, are there any specific things you've noticed the space is missing? We likely have a few hours before Mayphesselth makes her appearance, so I might as well be productive in the meantime.**

Glynesha and Orentha shared a pensive glance, considering their experience before the Matriarch spoke up. "Well, the basic infrastructure is all there – mostly what I'd like to see right now are some aesthetic changes. At the moment, pretty much everything is stone. That's not a major problem, but it will be a bit hard on our talons over time; if you could add more in the way of wooden perches throughout the village space, and maybe a layer of loose sand at the bottom of the structures, that would be a welcoming touch."

**I can do that easily enough. Any preferences as to what kind of wood...**

The next two hours were spent tweaking the Redcrests' new home for comfort. There were no particularly major requests, so mostly it involved the creation of small furniture, missing pantry items (occasionally involving new blueprints from those who hadn't forgotten them in packing) and the like.

All that came to an end, rather abruptly, as the enormous green dragon back-winged slowly to a landing at the base of the village. I assumed she may have been trying to generate the correct impression as Mayphesselth gave the space a quick once over and then transformed into her more humanoid form. The process was both seamless and dramatic, and she made it appear fluidly natural as an aura of authority flared briefly from her form before retracting into something less primally terrifying.

The Redcrests maintained enough presence of mind not to flee or show hostility – most of them simply froze and then drew themselves erect as her aura withdrew. Glynesha and Orentha stepped forward in their roles as representatives of the tribe. They did not kneel but bowed in a deep and respectful manner as they waited for her to speak.

May, for her part, maintained silence for a moment as she glanced around the small settlement, sharp eyes likely missing nothing of importance. She snorted, amused.

"Oh, relax. I said you were allowed to come, and you are. No one is getting eaten today. I take it you two are the ones nominated to speak with me?" She turned her gaze on the two, allowing just a hint of her aura to creep back out.

Glynesha took the lead role on the Redcrest side, saying merely, "Yes, Great One. I am Glynesha, Matriarch of the Redcrest Tribe, and this is my chief adviser, Orentha, our tribal shaman. We've only begun to settle in, but can I invite you into the public structure that Sylvanus has made for us to discuss the terms of our stay?"

May took one last, interested look around the new space, then nodded her acceptance – following the two into the central communal structure. As they gathered around a table in the main hall, the two avians selected chairs for themselves, but did not sit, attempting to follow the dragon's cues. For her part, May waved a hand, and a rather more substantial chair – not quite a throne – appeared at the head of the table and she seated herself.

The power play wasn't particularly subtle, though I was confident she could be subtle if she so chose. "Go ahead and sit, ladies. We have some things to discuss."

The two avians sat, silently, letting May take the lead. I, obviously, didn't require a seat, but I put all my attention on this part of my domain, making my presence known in that way.

May began simply. "I'm going to assume that Lukash informed you of the basic terms of your stay here. You are allowed to remain at least until the spring equinox, so long as your presence doesn't become unnecessarily disruptive – to me or to the sky island more generally. If you opt to stay longer than that, we will need to establish some ongoing form of recompense. I recognize that you are effectively refugees at this point, so a grace period is being provided. What value do you bring to me or to this land?"

That felt rather brutally direct – but that was in keeping with what I'd seen of the dragon.

Orentha took a deep breath, and it seemed as though she might say something abrupt herself, but Glynesha placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "I'm not sure what it is that you value, exactly. We have no resources that I anticipate you desiring beyond possibly our ability to transport things or offer you other services. We will not be slaves or offer you sacrifices, but we are willing to provide our labor or products of our labor in whatever ways that we can. Within reason, of course. If you can identify tasks you would like us to undertake, we can certainly discuss them."

May smiled, in a just slightly predatory fashion. "Not a bad attitude, really. Dragons don't take slaves, and only the worst of us actually devour sapient beings routinely. But we are territorial, and we dislike being taken advantage of. Rather a lot, really." And here, the smile took on a much more predatory cast. "So, let's talk about the services you may be able to provide. I could use some, shall we say, less ostentatious agents..."

Negotiations between the dragon and the Redcrest tribe were fairly brief, with minimal haggling from the avians. Their negotiating position was weak, and they were aware of that fact. And while May's terms weren't particularly generous, they also weren't painfully onerous, either.

While it felt longer, it was likely less than an hour before the deal was sealed. Come the spring, the Redcrest tribe would commit to a communal 60 hours per week of labor for the dragon – mostly in the form of the gathering of, as yet unspecified but not particularly hazardous, materials for May's hoard and as purchasing agents within territories no more than 3 days flight from the sky island. Additional service might be required but would be paid according to the customs of whatever polity the island was currently residing in. That would be a bit of a drain on the tribe in its reduced state, but not a major one.

Glynesha and Orentha seemed a bit resigned, crests lowered and tension visible in their posture but not really upset. Mayphesselth gave the impression that she didn't really care, one way or the other, about the details, but needed to establish a formal dominance hierarchy on any resident of the island. She swept out, rather grandly and without any formal leavetaking, reversing her transformation in mid-stride and launching into the sky with powerful wingbeats.

A mere few moments after Mayphesselth had departed from the dungeon, Aven popped into existence in my new core room – apparently undaunted by my efforts to conceal and protect myself – snaring a seat on the back of a chair at the central table and staring in the direction of the receding dragon – intervening walls apparently providing no barrier. **I see you've been a busy dungeon, Sylvanus. What did I miss?**

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