"I'm sorry, how did BB become 'weird', again? He did go through quite the transformation, some differences in behavior are to be expected." Guy hovers around the core chamber, attempting to ease Xenia's concerns while the other bosses continue Trush's introduction tour.
"Yeah, the transformation, let's not even get into how it seems like he's got a whole new personality now compared to before he could talk. He's just...way too eager to please. It's weird!"
"Ah!" Guy comes to a halt as they realize the issue. "I believe I see the problem, ma'am - incorrect expectations. You see, BB is quite normal. It's your other bosses who are, for the most part, 'weird'. You're simply not used to it, but this is how a dungeon boss is supposed to act with their masters. At least, the fully sapient kind."
Xenia feels unconvinced, and shifts in her chair. "I dunno, Guy. Tank and Dips are 'standard' ensouled bosses too and I didn't get the same vibe from them! They follow orders, sure, but I'm pretty sure their first love is like...stabbing people."
"Ah, well, they are undead - ghosts, in particular. Some other undead, such as vampires, may act more human-like, but ghosts often tend to be a little...incomplete, personality-wise. Focused on a specific emotion, like anger, or grief. As dungeon monsters, your ghosts will tend to be inclined towards violence. Rabbit Champions, on the other hand, are a more well-rounded personality type. A broader range of emotions, you might say."
"...Are you sure? Because from the looks BB was giving me, I'm pretty sure he might have had an emotional focus like 'being way too flirty with the boss'. Maybe that's just around me, though."
"...I suppose I should say, that each monster type will likely still have some influence on the behavior of the bosses who utilize it. And, well. BB is a rabbit, ma'am."
"Yeah, no kidding." Xenia's eyes narrow as she stares off into the distance. "Did the gods do that on purpose, Guy? Make monsters that are into their dungeon spirits? I've been trying to make it clear as it is, just cause I might be, y'know, open to things, doesn't mean I want to be pushing my dungeon master-weight around. But if monsters are designed to be into that, that just raises a whole other level of questions."
Guy pauses for a while before they eventually answer. "Well, ma'am, I'm afraid I have no particular insight into the intentions of the gods. However, I can make inferences, and I suppose there is at least one vital piece of evidence."
"And what's, that?"
"Well...dungeon monsters don't have a digestive system. They live off of mana, and when they consume your food it is simply converted back into mana. Or, I suppose, in the rare case that one might eat an adventurer."
Xenia raises an eyebrow. "...Okay? Not sure that implies much."
"Only that it raises the question of, what purpose does monster genitalia serve, in that case? It is certainly not because they need to reproduce the old-fashioned way."
"...Fuckin' horny-ass gods."
"They do have a bit of a reputation, ma'am."
After the tour was over, the rest of the evening for Trush was spent in a long conversation with Xenia and a few of the others concerning her less-public attributes. If anything, Trush was rather elated by the revelations, particularly the parts involving Xenia being an experienced swordswoman. He extracted a promise from Xenia that the two of them would spend some time training together, and Xenia found herself rather pleased at the thought - none of her companions thus far were particularly big on the sort of melee combat Xenia thrived on, though the suggestion of practicing knife-fighting with Taly came up as well. The most surprising part was perhaps that Lollyp only implied that the pair should try some 'bedroom sparring' twice, which was quite the show of restraint from the slime.
The next day however it was time for Xenia to do something else for Trush, and after her experience with BB the day before, she found herself rather dreading it. With Lollyp upstairs guarding Floor Two, Xenia, Taly, Sincere, and their newest addition were gathered in a Floor Four meadow for the dungeon master's latest project. Trush himself was standing in a full, shining suit of knight armor, minus a helmet given that they were still working out the details of one that would work with the man's sudden growth in the ear department. His shield bore the floor's emblem of a rabbit head in profile, and the former orc seemed a little embarrassed about how fancy his equipment was.
"I don't know if you were ever in the army, Worthy, but this setup is insane! Custom, perfect-fitted, custom-detailed, and you said this was enchanted? You know how much something like this would cost to outfit a soldier with? Hells, even with the Rainlanders you only see suits like this with the nobility, the folks who can afford to spend a minotaur's weight in gold on their kit!"
The dungeon master smiles, pleased by Trush's reaction. "Have been in a few armies, actually, and I know what you mean. And it's actually not even as good as it could be, either. Our metal armor tier is currently...B-minus? So only slightly above average, before the enchantment, it's really only the great fit that really elevates it. I went with a lightness enchantment by the way, since my impression is rabbit-classes live on their speed and all that."
Trush nods along as he stretches his arms. "Thought I noticed that, though I'm still adjusting to my own strength so I wasn't sure. But you didn't call us all out here just to see how my new suit looks, right? We got other business."
Xenia's face grows more serious. "Yup. I'm gonna give you some sidekicks."
Trush's head tilts with a bit of confusion. "Eh? You think I ain't gonna be enough as I am?"
"Oh, I bet you could be, especially if we sent you after lowbies. But I can tell you're not supposed to be entirely solo - the slot for a Wandering Boss includes some extra allowances for support monsters, and I think I can see why. Most bosses get an arena of their own, and that can be a big homefield advantage. Lollyp gets her acid pools, Taly has some traps, the armors have Terror Tentacles, and so on. You don't, though, which means you gotta bring your arena with you."
Sincere, who'd been watching Xenia's facial expressions while she spoke, asks a question of his own. "You seem as if you aren't actually happy about this, though. Is there some downside?"
She shakes her head. "No, no! Not, like...a downside with costs, or something like that. Just something I haven't done before, and I'm worried about what exactly it is I'm about to do here."
The group exchanges some worried looks, and Taly voices them. "Okay, and now we're worried. What weird fuckery are you gonna pull today?"
"Squires. Rabbit Squires. They're the minion version of what becomes a Bunny Knight boss, and a pretty obvious sort of backup for Trush. I was thinking two archers, two spearmen."
Trush scratches his head, or tries to, finding an ear getting in his way as he does so. "Huh, guess having a whole squad with the same mobility as me would fit, not to mention the style or whatever. What's the problem then?"
"Well, it's just that it seems pretty clear now that the Rabbit-People category are basically sapient people. Except...BB is an ensouled boss, even if he's been 'reshaped' or whatever to fit as a dungeon monster, I have to believe there's still some level of free will there in the guy. But sapient, soulless monsters? I kinda worry I'm not making like, guard dogs, and more like I'm about to get into the business of making slaves, here."
Taly sighs at her boss's explanation. "Xenia. You know, I'm glad that you have those kinds of concerns, I guess, but you're way overthinking it. They're soulless, like you said yourself."
Xenia frowns, though she does nod. "Yeah, but if they have like...the ability to think and feel and express themselves, it's like they're still people, right? Not having a soul just means they lack free will and shit."
"Xenia, no, you're missing the point." The Rogue laughs to herself. "To think I'm explaining dungeon spirits to a dungeon spirit. Xenia, you don't run the dungeon. You are the dungeon. Worrying about if your monsters get free will is like worrying about if your fingers should have free will." She clears her throat, and adds one more statement under her breath. "And we all know damn well what you use those fingers for..."
"That...Guy! Does that analogy make any sense?" Xenia shouts out, and Guy appears on the spot.
"Analogy? Ah, fingers, I see. That is...largely correct, ma'am, yes. The nervous system of a dungeon is far more complex than a human's, of course. Processing, or thought, is handled at multiple levels - your own core, the floor cores, and by each individual monster. To be perhaps over-specific, a more correct analogy would be to say that a finger might choose on its own to twitch - but it couldn't choose on its own to grab something, as that would be a higher-order process. But even so, all of those levels are still indeed you, ma'am, just as all parts of a human's body belong to that human."
The dungeon master takes a moment to process that information, presumably with her dungeon core. "Well, that still feels a little weird in some ways, I guess, but I suppose you're right about me not needing to worry about the monsters feeling like slaves, at least. Alright, then - Trush, got any specific requests for your sidekicks?"
The knight smirks. "Sure. Mind makin' em cute?"
Xenia narrows her eyes at the rabbit. "We did just cover that these will be like my fingers, yeah man? You planning to have indecent intentions towards my fingers?"
The two meet each other's eyes for a moment, neither saying a word, until eventually Xenia snorts.
"Okay, I don't know why I even ask these kinds of questions anymore. Sure, whatever, have your sexy bunny squires. Boys can be cute too though, so let's at least have something for everyone, yeah?" She goes through her monster creation menu, and sets a few specific options while leaving others to be randomized. A moment later, with four bursts of mana, four new Rabbit Squires are standing in the arena, already equipped with armor. As she said, two are equipped with spears and two with bows and arrows, with a male and female member for each set. Beyond that though, they have little in common - while their skin, hair, and fur colors all come in natural shades for humans and rabbits, they cover quite the range, with the one of the archer women coming in a darker shade of skin than anyone Xenia's seen on this world yet, while her companion next to her is as pale as any elf.
As they become aware, the four of them collectively turn to face Xenia and stand to attention. They don't quite speak in unison, but all four do greet her with variations on 'Ma'am!' and 'Dungeon Master!'. Looking them over, Xenia takes a deep breath before addressing them.
"Welcome to the dungeon, Rabbit Squires. You'll be helping out Trush here with his Wandering Boss duties - are you all aware of your situation and what we do here?"
One of the spearsmen speaks up first, a young blonde man with almost-white fur on his limbs. "Yes, ma'am! We're here to defend the dungeon against intruders, to protect your core, and to follow your orders and those of your bosses!"
"Convenient." Xenia tosses a glance in Guy's direction. "They come with a total information download and all that?"
"Well, as I said ma'am, they are you, or part of you. They certainly don't have all of your memories, skills, or experiences, but they have been granted just about everything that would be relevant to their tasks."
"Guess that saves me a lot of time, then. Although, Trush - you want to take over naming them? They're your finger-squires - " Xenia pauses and her face goes blank. "...Slap me if I ever use that expression again, please. Anyways, you got ideas?"
"Hmmm, indeed I do. Line up, squad!" The Knight gives a sergeant's bark, and the four Squires turn to face him instead. He points first to the spearman who spoke up last. "You. Spearman Yardath." The next is the woman standing next to him, a brunette with brown fur but the occasional white spot. "Spearwoman Ashadi. You there, who look like you came from the South Merchant States, you're Archer Namasha."
The dark-skinned woman tilts her head. "I've never heard of the South Merchant States, but very well."
Trush turns to Xenia, who shrugs. "Never killed anyone who's been there, I guess. Good to know there's still room to expand my horizons...anyhow, keep going."
"Right, right...not a lot of travelers from that far out, let alone low-level Challengers. And you, you'll be Archer Grange." The final Squire, a man with black hair but gray fur, nods. As Xenia considers the selections, she chuckles.
"Did you give all your Squires orc names, Trush?"
"Well, what else was I gonna name them? After pet rabbits? These men and women are soldiers, and deserve the names of soldiers!"
"Fair enough. Let's see, anything else I can do for you? ...Shit, am I going to need a lot more apartments now? Or at least like...some sort of barracks?"
Ashadi shakes her head. "No need, ma'am. If you need us to take some rest time, we can just live inside him." She points a finger at Trush, whose eyes grow wide.
"You'll be living in where, now?" Guy hastily steps in before any misconceptions begin to grow.
"Monsters do not need living quarters as such, ma'am, that you've provided any at all is an extreme rarity, as far as I understand it. However, the minions of a Wandering Boss are special in that they can be unsummoned and resummoned at will, in order to assist with the Boss's need for mobility. However, it does take a bit of time for a monster to recover from a summoning, so it's not something you'd want to use as part of a combat ambush."
"Huh, convenient again. I do still feel a little bad though, even though I know the armors and Big D haven't been asking for anything either. If I did make you guys a barracks or something to hang out in someday, would you use it?"
The Squires exchange a quick series of glances before they nod, and Yardath answers for the group. "That does sound...interesting, ma'am."
"Something for the Dungeon Master to consider later, I think." Trush speaks loudly, once again gathering their attention. "For now, I've got business with you, new meat!" He grins, his smile still somehow managing to look like an orc's. "Time for me to see what you can do - let's spar."
"I'm sorry, how did BB become 'weird', again? He did go through quite the transformation, some differences in behavior are to be expected." Guy hovers around the core chamber, attempting to ease Xenia's concerns while the other bosses continue Trush's introduction tour.
"Yeah, the transformation, let's not even get into how it seems like he's got a whole new personality now compared to before he could talk. He's just...way too eager to please. It's weird!"
"Ah!" Guy comes to a halt as they realize the issue. "I believe I see the problem, ma'am - incorrect expectations. You see, BB is quite normal. It's your other bosses who are, for the most part, 'weird'. You're simply not used to it, but this is how a dungeon boss is supposed to act with their masters. At least, the fully sapient kind."
Xenia feels unconvinced, and shifts in her chair. "I dunno, Guy. Tank and Dips are 'standard' ensouled bosses too and I didn't get the same vibe from them! They follow orders, sure, but I'm pretty sure their first love is like...stabbing people."
"Ah, well, they are undead - ghosts, in particular. Some other undead, such as vampires, may act more human-like, but ghosts often tend to be a little...incomplete, personality-wise. Focused on a specific emotion, like anger, or grief. As dungeon monsters, your ghosts will tend to be inclined towards violence. Rabbit Champions, on the other hand, are a more well-rounded personality type. A broader range of emotions, you might say."
"...Are you sure? Because from the looks BB was giving me, I'm pretty sure he might have had an emotional focus like 'being way too flirty with the boss'. Maybe that's just around me, though."
"...I suppose I should say, that each monster type will likely still have some influence on the behavior of the bosses who utilize it. And, well. BB is a rabbit, ma'am."
"Yeah, no kidding." Xenia's eyes narrow as she stares off into the distance. "Did the gods do that on purpose, Guy? Make monsters that are into their dungeon spirits? I've been trying to make it clear as it is, just cause I might be, y'know, open to things, doesn't mean I want to be pushing my dungeon master-weight around. But if monsters are designed to be into that, that just raises a whole other level of questions."
Guy pauses for a while before they eventually answer. "Well, ma'am, I'm afraid I have no particular insight into the intentions of the gods. However, I can make inferences, and I suppose there is at least one vital piece of evidence."
"And what's, that?"
"Well...dungeon monsters don't have a digestive system. They live off of mana, and when they consume your food it is simply converted back into mana. Or, I suppose, in the rare case that one might eat an adventurer."
Xenia raises an eyebrow. "...Okay? Not sure that implies much."
"Only that it raises the question of, what purpose does monster genitalia serve, in that case? It is certainly not because they need to reproduce the old-fashioned way."
"...Fuckin' horny-ass gods."
"They do have a bit of a reputation, ma'am."
After the tour was over, the rest of the evening for Trush was spent in a long conversation with Xenia and a few of the others concerning her less-public attributes. If anything, Trush was rather elated by the revelations, particularly the parts involving Xenia being an experienced swordswoman. He extracted a promise from Xenia that the two of them would spend some time training together, and Xenia found herself rather pleased at the thought - none of her companions thus far were particularly big on the sort of melee combat Xenia thrived on, though the suggestion of practicing knife-fighting with Taly came up as well. The most surprising part was perhaps that Lollyp only implied that the pair should try some 'bedroom sparring' twice, which was quite the show of restraint from the slime.
The next day however it was time for Xenia to do something else for Trush, and after her experience with BB the day before, she found herself rather dreading it. With Lollyp upstairs guarding Floor Two, Xenia, Taly, Sincere, and their newest addition were gathered in a Floor Four meadow for the dungeon master's latest project. Trush himself was standing in a full, shining suit of knight armor, minus a helmet given that they were still working out the details of one that would work with the man's sudden growth in the ear department. His shield bore the floor's emblem of a rabbit head in profile, and the former orc seemed a little embarrassed about how fancy his equipment was.
"I don't know if you were ever in the army, Worthy, but this setup is insane! Custom, perfect-fitted, custom-detailed, and you said this was enchanted? You know how much something like this would cost to outfit a soldier with? Hells, even with the Rainlanders you only see suits like this with the nobility, the folks who can afford to spend a minotaur's weight in gold on their kit!"
The dungeon master smiles, pleased by Trush's reaction. "Have been in a few armies, actually, and I know what you mean. And it's actually not even as good as it could be, either. Our metal armor tier is currently...B-minus? So only slightly above average, before the enchantment, it's really only the great fit that really elevates it. I went with a lightness enchantment by the way, since my impression is rabbit-classes live on their speed and all that."
Trush nods along as he stretches his arms. "Thought I noticed that, though I'm still adjusting to my own strength so I wasn't sure. But you didn't call us all out here just to see how my new suit looks, right? We got other business."
Xenia's face grows more serious. "Yup. I'm gonna give you some sidekicks."
Trush's head tilts with a bit of confusion. "Eh? You think I ain't gonna be enough as I am?"
"Oh, I bet you could be, especially if we sent you after lowbies. But I can tell you're not supposed to be entirely solo - the slot for a Wandering Boss includes some extra allowances for support monsters, and I think I can see why. Most bosses get an arena of their own, and that can be a big homefield advantage. Lollyp gets her acid pools, Taly has some traps, the armors have Terror Tentacles, and so on. You don't, though, which means you gotta bring your arena with you."
Sincere, who'd been watching Xenia's facial expressions while she spoke, asks a question of his own. "You seem as if you aren't actually happy about this, though. Is there some downside?"
She shakes her head. "No, no! Not, like...a downside with costs, or something like that. Just something I haven't done before, and I'm worried about what exactly it is I'm about to do here."
The group exchanges some worried looks, and Taly voices them. "Okay, and now we're worried. What weird fuckery are you gonna pull today?"
"Squires. Rabbit Squires. They're the minion version of what becomes a Bunny Knight boss, and a pretty obvious sort of backup for Trush. I was thinking two archers, two spearmen."
Trush scratches his head, or tries to, finding an ear getting in his way as he does so. "Huh, guess having a whole squad with the same mobility as me would fit, not to mention the style or whatever. What's the problem then?"
"Well, it's just that it seems pretty clear now that the Rabbit-People category are basically sapient people. Except...BB is an ensouled boss, even if he's been 'reshaped' or whatever to fit as a dungeon monster, I have to believe there's still some level of free will there in the guy. But sapient, soulless monsters? I kinda worry I'm not making like, guard dogs, and more like I'm about to get into the business of making slaves, here."
Taly sighs at her boss's explanation. "Xenia. You know, I'm glad that you have those kinds of concerns, I guess, but you're way overthinking it. They're soulless, like you said yourself."
Xenia frowns, though she does nod. "Yeah, but if they have like...the ability to think and feel and express themselves, it's like they're still people, right? Not having a soul just means they lack free will and shit."
"Xenia, no, you're missing the point." The Rogue laughs to herself. "To think I'm explaining dungeon spirits to a dungeon spirit. Xenia, you don't run the dungeon. You are the dungeon. Worrying about if your monsters get free will is like worrying about if your fingers should have free will." She clears her throat, and adds one more statement under her breath. "And we all know damn well what you use those fingers for..."
"That...Guy! Does that analogy make any sense?" Xenia shouts out, and Guy appears on the spot.
"Analogy? Ah, fingers, I see. That is...largely correct, ma'am, yes. The nervous system of a dungeon is far more complex than a human's, of course. Processing, or thought, is handled at multiple levels - your own core, the floor cores, and by each individual monster. To be perhaps over-specific, a more correct analogy would be to say that a finger might choose on its own to twitch - but it couldn't choose on its own to grab something, as that would be a higher-order process. But even so, all of those levels are still indeed you, ma'am, just as all parts of a human's body belong to that human."
The dungeon master takes a moment to process that information, presumably with her dungeon core. "Well, that still feels a little weird in some ways, I guess, but I suppose you're right about me not needing to worry about the monsters feeling like slaves, at least. Alright, then - Trush, got any specific requests for your sidekicks?"
The knight smirks. "Sure. Mind makin' em cute?"
Xenia narrows her eyes at the rabbit. "We did just cover that these will be like my fingers, yeah man? You planning to have indecent intentions towards my fingers?"
The two meet each other's eyes for a moment, neither saying a word, until eventually Xenia snorts.
"Okay, I don't know why I even ask these kinds of questions anymore. Sure, whatever, have your sexy bunny squires. Boys can be cute too though, so let's at least have something for everyone, yeah?" She goes through her monster creation menu, and sets a few specific options while leaving others to be randomized. A moment later, with four bursts of mana, four new Rabbit Squires are standing in the arena, already equipped with armor. As she said, two are equipped with spears and two with bows and arrows, with a male and female member for each set. Beyond that though, they have little in common - while their skin, hair, and fur colors all come in natural shades for humans and rabbits, they cover quite the range, with the one of the archer women coming in a darker shade of skin than anyone Xenia's seen on this world yet, while her companion next to her is as pale as any elf.
As they become aware, the four of them collectively turn to face Xenia and stand to attention. They don't quite speak in unison, but all four do greet her with variations on 'Ma'am!' and 'Dungeon Master!'. Looking them over, Xenia takes a deep breath before addressing them.
"Welcome to the dungeon, Rabbit Squires. You'll be helping out Trush here with his Wandering Boss duties - are you all aware of your situation and what we do here?"
One of the spearsmen speaks up first, a young blonde man with almost-white fur on his limbs. "Yes, ma'am! We're here to defend the dungeon against intruders, to protect your core, and to follow your orders and those of your bosses!"
"Convenient." Xenia tosses a glance in Guy's direction. "They come with a total information download and all that?"
"Well, as I said ma'am, they are you, or part of you. They certainly don't have all of your memories, skills, or experiences, but they have been granted just about everything that would be relevant to their tasks."
"Guess that saves me a lot of time, then. Although, Trush - you want to take over naming them? They're your finger-squires - " Xenia pauses and her face goes blank. "...Slap me if I ever use that expression again, please. Anyways, you got ideas?"
"Hmmm, indeed I do. Line up, squad!" The Knight gives a sergeant's bark, and the four Squires turn to face him instead. He points first to the spearman who spoke up last. "You. Spearman Yardath." The next is the woman standing next to him, a brunette with brown fur but the occasional white spot. "Spearwoman Ashadi. You there, who look like you came from the South Merchant States, you're Archer Namasha."
The dark-skinned woman tilts her head. "I've never heard of the South Merchant States, but very well."
Trush turns to Xenia, who shrugs. "Never killed anyone who's been there, I guess. Good to know there's still room to expand my horizons...anyhow, keep going."
"Right, right...not a lot of travelers from that far out, let alone low-level Challengers. And you, you'll be Archer Grange." The final Squire, a man with black hair but gray fur, nods. As Xenia considers the selections, she chuckles.
"Did you give all your Squires orc names, Trush?"
"Well, what else was I gonna name them? After pet rabbits? These men and women are soldiers, and deserve the names of soldiers!"
"Fair enough. Let's see, anything else I can do for you? ...Shit, am I going to need a lot more apartments now? Or at least like...some sort of barracks?"
Ashadi shakes her head. "No need, ma'am. If you need us to take some rest time, we can just live inside him." She points a finger at Trush, whose eyes grow wide.
"You'll be living in where, now?" Guy hastily steps in before any misconceptions begin to grow.
"Monsters do not need living quarters as such, ma'am, that you've provided any at all is an extreme rarity, as far as I understand it. However, the minions of a Wandering Boss are special in that they can be unsummoned and resummoned at will, in order to assist with the Boss's need for mobility. However, it does take a bit of time for a monster to recover from a summoning, so it's not something you'd want to use as part of a combat ambush."
"Huh, convenient again. I do still feel a little bad though, even though I know the armors and Big D haven't been asking for anything either. If I did make you guys a barracks or something to hang out in someday, would you use it?"
The Squires exchange a quick series of glances before they nod, and Yardath answers for the group. "That does sound...interesting, ma'am."
"Something for the Dungeon Master to consider later, I think." Trush speaks loudly, once again gathering their attention. "For now, I've got business with you, new meat!" He grins, his smile still somehow managing to look like an orc's. "Time for me to see what you can do - let's spar."
