Matthias could feel a new presence in the south of his domain. They had not walked; they had simply appeared. Not only that, but they were wrapped in plate armor, and Matthias could not identify them or their armor. He was contemplating what to do when Sylt appeared before the hulking figure.

  “Hail, traveler,” Sylt greeted.

  “Either take me to the core of your dungeon or leave me,” the figure growled from within the shadows of their helmet. Their plate armor was plain but polished to a sheen. There were no identifying marks or embellishments. With how little they moved, they almost appeared to be a statue.

  Sylt remained composed, but one brow quirked up. “That is not how this works,” Sylt began.

  “My god has ordained that your dungeon be taught its place,” the armored figure responded. “They change too much. This dungeon is no god and thus should submit to the true gods of this world.”

  “We are strictly neutral in this conflict,” Sylt responded coolly. “He also does not bow to the negligent gods of this world.”

  “He meddles with things he has no concept of,” the figure seemed to growl. “The truths of reality are too much for a lesser mind to comprehend. Take me to your core or be removed.”

  “I think it would be best if you leave,” Sylt countered.

  The armored figure raised a hand, and a beam of searing light shot from it. The sudden attack kicked up dust and smoke.

  Matthias waved a hand, and the dust dispersed. He was suddenly standing between the armored figure and Sylt.

  “Leave this to me, Sylt,” Matthias ordered.

  Matthias had slipped his robes off his shoulders to free up movement, so the top halves pooled around his waist or hung behind him. While he had dispersed the dust with his left hand, his right arm—up to the bicep—was gone. A bloody stump was all that remained, dripping purple blood that hissed as it hit the ground.

  Sylt’s eyes widened in shock. In the moment before the attack had struck him, Matthias had appeared and pushed him out of the way.

  “Your arm,” Sylt began to protest.

  As if in response, Matthias’s stump bulged before new bone and flesh boiled out and rebuilt the arm.

  “I said get out of here,” Matthias ordered. “You are a liability.”

  Sylt winced and sank into his own shadow.

  “You have an avatar,” the armored figure noted. “This changes nothing. If you can be wounded so easily, then I have nothing to fear. Submit to the will of the heavens or perish.”

  Matthias cracked his neck while massaging it with his left hand and sighed.

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  “If you are trying to recruit for your religion,” Matthias quipped, “you have made a very poor first impression.”

  “The gods care not for the will or feelings of mortals,” the figure responded. “Only obedience.”

  “Then I will never kneel to your gods,” Matthias replied, crossing his arms.

  The armored figure raised a hand. “So be it,” they growled.

  Another beam of light leapt the distance between them. Matthias caught it one-handed, compressing the energy into a ball.

  “I have already seen that one,” Matthias noted in a bored tone. “Got any other tricks?”

  The armored figure growled and drew the claymore from their back. In response, Matthias tossed the ball of energy into his mouth and ate it like a piece of candy.

  The armored figure launched forward, sword leading the way in a thrust. Matthias’s left hand gained a chitin coating as he diverted the sword to the side. His right hand slammed into the figure’s face so hard that the helmet shattered.

  Beneath the helmet was a head of metal, porcelain, precious metals, and clockwork. It all deformed under the weight of the blow as the clockwork automaton was propelled backward.

  It growled in an almost feral tone as celestial energy flickered over it and undid the damage. It glared at Matthias as it recalculated. With a flick of its wrist, another burst of energy was launched at him.

  Matthias yawned as he batted the attack aside. Suddenly, he was before the automaton.

  “It seems even automata can make mistakes,” Matthias deadpanned as he gripped both of its arms. “I reacted to your first surprise attack. You seem to have discounted my speed already.”

  The automaton opened its mouth, and another blast of white energy erupted out.

  Matthias let the attack strike him ineffectively as he morphed his tail into that of a manticore and drove it into the automaton’s chest cavity. With each thrust, sizzling poison was left behind, rapidly corroding the delicate clockwork within its body.

  “I told you,” Matthias explained. “I adapted to your energy. You are leaning heavily upon the concept of order. You attack the inherent disorder of biology. It is a nice trick, but I have my own order. I am no simple beast.”

  The only sound that escaped the automaton was a crackling hiss before it began to sag. Matthias used his tail to rip it in half and scatter its components.

  The pieces had not even finished settling before Matthias received a message.

  [The Clockwork Dungeon (Celestial, Legendary) has declared war on Vitalmire Crucible]

  [10,000 clockwork automata (Rare) have been dispatched. ETA: 2 weeks]

  Matthias sighed and rubbed his temples. He was only just beginning to formulate plans when he was interrupted again.

  [The Leech Dungeon (Infernal, Legendary) has declared war on Vitalmire Crucible]

  [1 Titanic Leech Brood Mother (Mythic) has been dispatched. ETA: 1 month]

  Matthias sighed at the new development. With an effort of will, he stepped into the Forbidden Garden. For the first time in a while, he sat upon the bench beneath the great willow tree at its center. He listened to the water raining down from its branches and lost himself in the moment.

  “Matthias, what are you going to do?” Lucy asked as she landed nearby. Ever since his core had reached its current rarity, she and Chloe had been growing a few inches a day. Today, Lucy stood about three feet tall and wore an open-backed dress to accommodate her wings.

  “Is Chloe still having growing pains?” he asked instead of answering.

  “She’s currently in one of the hot springs,” Lucy replied. “But two dungeons just declared war on you. What are you going to do?”

  “It was two parasites,” Matthias corrected. “Two parasites that declared war on me. So I will respond in kind. The Clockwork Dungeon believes it has divine mandate, so open the fifth floor. Send the wild things. As for the Leech Dungeon—it is a far more mundane parasite. I think the new hydra will do quite well.”

  Lucy shivered.

  “You’re just going to unleash all the monsters?” she asked.

  Matthias grinned as he confirmed his responding armies.

  [5 Primeval Hydras and 1 Devourer Hydra dispatched to attack the Leech Dungeon. ETA: 1 week]

  [756,827 entities have been dispatched to the Clockwork Dungeon. ETA: 1 week]