n

n

nThe flame trap left a deep impression on his mind. Geth wondered if he could make similar setups that could heal when run across.

nThe most he could do was learn from Blaze. Once he reached Level 4 Rune Comprehension, he would begin his own experiments.

nFor now, Geth turned his attention towards the tower. He could see that the remaining party members were standing around the entryway.

nBlaze looked over with an eyebrow raised,

"Why do you think they haven't gone in?

"

n

"Let's find out,

" Geth shrugged. He was curious about the tower as well.

nThe two ventured over while chatting about the potential use of Runes and Formations. The others looked toward them when they came close.

nGeth spoke up,

"No one wanted to check out the tower?

"

n

"It's locked.

"

n

"Locked?

" Geth walked up to the door to examine it.

nThe door was almost 10 feet tall. A large white gem was set into the doorway around chest height.

nA Formation stretched out from the gem, extending to 9 open sockets. Each of the fist-sized sockets had a Rune etched into it.

n

"Albus, show me the map,

" Geth said while he traced out the Formation. The shape was odd, looking like a strange ax with a bent handle.

nHe looked at the map section that he and Albus had uncovered and marked. Each of the existing Dungeon locations matched up with one of the sockets.

nHe focused on the Runes that were etched into them. The ones that he could understand matched the general composition of the Dungeon.

n

"Oasis, Forest, Water, Grave... These are the four that we've conquered.

" Geth pointed at each empty socket while speaking to his party members.

nSwole walked up then and pointed at an empty socket directly north of the gem. The Rune in the center meant 'Fertile.'

n

"This is the Skeleton Dungeon that I managed to take.

" He then pointed towards another northeast of that one.

n

"This is another Dungeon that I found with some of those Orc creatures. I was looking for help to take over that one when Filthy found me.

"

nBlaze stepped up next, pointing at the socket directly south of the gem. It looked as if the location was nearby.

n

"This is where Pebbles and the kids are. The Rune here means 'Gather.' The Mana density in the place is extremely heavy.

"

nHe then pulled out a blue Dungeon Crystal and pressed it into the open slot. The doors vibrated as the gem and Dungeon Crystal flashed brightly.

nAt first, both stones were flashing randomly. After a few minutes, the flashing began to resonate.

nAs the gems began to glow in sync, the earth began to shake! The tower started shining with the gems as a Formation spread out from its base.

nMost of the party looked surprised and wondered what was going on. Blaze and Geth ignored their questions as they stared carefully at the new Formation.

n

"It seems as if the Formation from the door is forming in this Dungeon in a circular pattern!

" Blaze called out as he tried to brace himself against the tower wall.

nGeth nodded and continued looking in the southernmost direction of the Dungeon. The light coming from that area resonated perfectly with the Dungeon Crystal.

nThe earth began to tremble as the lights became blinding. Geth had to close his eyes at the sudden glare.

n

"Ahhh **!

"

n

"What's going on?

"

nHe could hear the complaints of his friends as the ground stopped quaking. Geth rubbed his eyes and blinked them rapidly to regain his sight.

nHe felt yet another strong appreciation for the Mana as his vision returned. A small, crude set of structures appeared before the party in the southern section of the Dungeon.

nIt was some distance away, but it looked like a small village had taken the place of the barren land in that area.

nWhat's more, humanoid figures could be seen timidly roaming around, poking their heads from the buildings. Blaze was the first one to react. His floating eyes had already positioned themselves around the perimeter.

n

"Pebbles..?

" He muttered.

nEveryone present could hear him clearly. The group looked at each other with a bit of excitement as they began to move south towards the structures.

n

"Geth... Does this mean that we can bring all of our families here?

" Hulk asked with a voice full of hope.

n

"That may be the case. Let's check out the changes before making any drastic moves. As long as it's safe...

" He trailed off.

nGeth couldn't wait to see his children again. It had been over a month since they'd left the Slime Dungeon.

nHe had planned to stop in for a week before heading to the Direwolf Dungeon, but this would change things. Still, he had to consider whether or not he wanted his family mixed in with the others.

nZolis grabbed his free hand and looked up at him with a hint of tears in her eyes. She hadn't been away from the kids for this long since they'd been born.

nEven Filthy was looking off to the north. Anyone could tell that his thoughts lay on seeing his wife and daughter again.

nGeth let out an inaudible sigh. He wasn't sure what his decision would be. It really depended on the defense of this place more than anything else.

nA small crowd quickly formed in front of the structures and waited for them. Blaze ran ahead, soon leaving the others behind.

nThey caught up quickly. There was less than a half-mile between the tower and the small village.

nGeth could see Blaze waving his arms wildly while explaining things to his wife. Pebbles looked towards the approaching group and gave them a big smile.

nShe was a plump woman with a radiant smile and cheerful aura. The first impression she gave was that of a southern mom in a movie.

nThe entire party's mood lightened as they came closer to the woman and the children standing around her.. Zolis let go of Geth's hand and ran up to hug her.

n