John disappeared to the kitchen briefly while we waited for Corey's return, reappearing moments later, somehow balancing a dozen trays of different snacks. I wondered how much of that he could do before his class and levels had come into play. Either way, it was impressive, and his continued smile anytime he came out of that kitchen was a lasting reminder that I had made the right call about Rabyn. Ignoring all the other ways the orc had proved himself so far, this single personal one stood out the most.

"Figured we could all use something to eat. I find it helps with whatever new insanity Dad has found himself in this time," John said, smiling at me, no actual anger at all in his words.

"So, can someone enlighten me on just how important Ivan actually is?" Grant said, looking at me as he spoke. I was glad he was taking the name thing so seriously.

"Imagine we found Nikola Tesla actually alive, but also an expert in the exact things Earth was lacking in," I answered. Some of my earlier reservations about sharing my work area had already faded at the thought of just what we could accomplish together. I was going to need to start that library as soon as possible.

"Got it, one of the premier scientists, and he's ours," Grant replied, nodding at me.

"I am no one's property. But yes, for the moment at least, I would prefer to ally myself with the few people I feel I can trust. And those just happen to be Dave, Maud, and these dungeon cores. I suppose Sanquar and Trelione's granddaughter are close enough as well. The rest of you I don't know well enough to judge," Karlinovo cut in, sounding annoyed at Grant's words, which was entirely fair. I wouldn't react well to being called someone's possession either.

The door to the hall opened as Corey came in carrying Traveler. Was there a reason they had never manifested their own form? Within the black orb swirled far more yellow than even Corey, which had also grown significantly since we first met. This had led me to believe that it was akin to a developing brain inside the cores. "Hello, everyone," Traveler said as Corey placed them on the table.

"Thanks for coming, so we've got some strange situations going on that well, you are the only one who might be an expert in, and I understand if this isn't something you know anything about either, but for the most part we are clueless," I said, surprised no one objected.

"Does it have something to do with the fact you appear to be connected to a functioning dungeon now?" Traveler asked. I wasn't surprised they could detect the connection, but it did make me curious how it worked.

"Yep, that's a big part of it. Also, we have a dungeon core here still inside this penguin form, not to mention the man over there, who is, in theory, a mana beast," I replied.

"I believe I understand part of what has occurred. Young one, in your loneliness, did you find a soul you thought could be your friend?" Traveled asked.

"Yep!" the penguin replied.

"That explains the mana beast, and from the reactions of the other cores. This likely means you drew in one of the corruptors as well," Traveler said.

"Are the corruptors what the others are calling outsiders?" I asked. So far, most of this had just been covering the same information we had already gone over.

"Yes, I have heard that term before. One of the theories for our madness, that our kind do not often talk about, is the corruptors, and while I am sure they play a part in it. It is not the whole story. Study into them has been nearly impossible, as it is not safe for dungeon cores to be exposed to them, for most of us at least. Corey may have found a way beyond that," Traveler said.

"Due to my bond with Dave?" Corey asked. I assumed that was the answer as well.

"Yes. Which is what I also believe allowed Dave to assume control of the dungeon. It saw him as another stronger core, and the transference of dungeons between cores has always been possible. I cannot speak on what this means for the future of your bond," Traveler explained.

"Are we in any real danger from the outsider lurking at the edge of the dungeon?" I asked, that thing had been incredibly powerful, and it wasn't something I wanted loose on Earth. I wasn't sure we had the strength to fight it if it fully manifested.

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"Yes and no. Normally, the answer would be a resounding yes, but I believe your control of the active dungeon puts us in a much safer place. You are unlikely to fall to the madness so many dungeon cores do, which in turn means you will not reach out and allow it inside this universe," Traveler replied.

"Okay, then I guess we call the topic of outsiders as done as we can for the moment. Next question, how do we secure the dungeon? We are going to need to guard it ourselves now, as I don't want something directly tied to me outside our control," I said, hoping Pryte had an answer.

"Well, we don't really have the funds at the moment to set up a full network yet, but we might be able to afford a few nodes for a transport hub. Still, we will need a building there that we control to add one. I'm sure we can have Trolke do that, but that may delay some things here. I'll have to find a transport specialist willing to cut us a deal as well, that could be difficult, they are pretty heavy in demand," Pryte replied.

"I may be able to help there," Elody said, joining the conversation. "Quarilyn has some training in transport magic. It was never her main focus, but she was instrumental in maintaining the archives hub. Considering everything, I had already been planning to check in on her as it was."

"Good idea, we can even make this a diplomatic visit. It will be good for the faction to be seen starting to explore relations with other worlds, even smaller ones," Pryte said, smiling. He had the look he got when something had piqued his interest. I had to agree with it; this potentially opened up access back to the Archives for us, and that was something we needed.

"What happens to my connection to the dungeon if I leave this universe?" I asked, suddenly considering that, and still confused about how this new implication would work long-term.

"That will need to be tested. I suspect you may have to bond this new dungeon core to yourself in order to safely leave this universe. But that will require a great amount of testing, and the willingness of our new young friend to determine, which brings me to something I wish to discuss. If there are no objections, while my gate is being constructed, I would like to spend some time with the cores you've assembled here, Dave. It is rare to see so many of my kind newly freed," Traveler said.

"Of course not, all of the cores are free to spend their time as they see fit," I said, leaving out the unsaid caveat that they couldn't turn against us.

"Really, even me?" the penguin asked, swiveling their body toward me.

"Yes, even you, though for now I would like you to stay with one of the other cores at all times until we understand more about your existence. Are you okay with that?" I asked the core.

"Yes. I would also like more of this food. It is very good," they replied.

"Interesting, do you truly enjoy the food? I personally have never been able to grasp the concept of tastes, even when employing manifestations," Traveler asked the new core.

"Wait, so you can make a form similar to Corey?" I asked, wondering why they weren't employing one at the moment.

"I can once my physical form is housed within the gate. It is hard for our kind to do it otherwise. We need a mechanism to allow for a consistent mana draw, and then we can use that draw to create a manifestation. Likely, Corey is able to do that with your core interaction, but that is something I wish to learn a great deal more about in my time here as well. You both have come so far since our first meeting," Traveler replied.

"Thank you, well, I guess we have our new pressing goals. Get the Traveler Gate up and working, so we can make a trip to the Archives. From there, we can figure out the dungeon. Elody, do you know when the Paladin of Conservation will be coming?" I asked, looking at her. We still needed to figure out the moose situation as well.

"I don't know the exact date, but I should know a few days ahead of their arrival, though. I will let you know when it's imminent. I would like to invite some of my order to visit once the gate is complete as well. Is that okay with you?" She asked.

"Of course, I'd like to meet them," I said, entirely honestly. If they were anything like Elody, it would make for an interesting gathering.

"Would it be possible to bring a representative from the Council on this trip to the Archives?" Grant asked. I hadn't even considered that, but it made sense that they would be interested in actually seeing another world, especially in one of the first diplomatic missions.

"Yes, we can arrange our next meeting to occur before we head for the Archives, and decide on who wants to come then. I don't really see the harm unless anyone else has any objections," I said.

"No, I think it's for the best. It's time more of your world leaders really understood the scope of their new reality," Pryte added.

"Good, I'll let them know. I'll also let them know you will be handling the dungeon now," Grant replied.

"Well if that's everything, I don't mean to kick everyone out, but I also want to have a private talk with Ivan, and since my garage isn't set up for that yet, I need the space," I said, trying not to sound like an ass when asking, but no one complained as they filed out.

Danger is only a belief, something we can't truly be sure is real until we experience it. This is why I believe it is best that we always test our notions of safety and push against those boundaries. How can we really know if something is poisonous without first tasting it? To this end, I encourage everyone to taste every rock, poke every animal, and be not afraid of the general wider world.

First Tenant of Groltris the Unwise

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