There is No Epic Loot Here, Only Puns

28: Guilty Roots

Delta dreamed of microwaves.

The machine dinged and Delta snorted awake in alarm. With a moment dedicated to remembering who she was, Delta blinked a few times. She felt... odd as she stood. It took a moment for her to remember she had fallen asleep.

Sleep. It had been something she hadn't done since... before the demon child. It had been awhile since she had thought of that being. Delta yawned and grumbled as she scratched her back. Her first tunnel twinkled with the Lumen mushrooms. It was bright but she guessed that for normal people it was only a low level of visibility.

She felt lopsided as if something extra had been attached to her left hip. It took some effort as she walked to not turn and tumble. The extra 'her' had weight to it like a twin had been attached to her body but Delta felt none of the emotional attachment. She stretched her awareness and immediately pulled it back in alarm.

Delta had never known how to view her floor in its entirety but now, she knew. It made her mind spin as she stumbled. It wasn't just up and down she felt but down and around and up and away. Her true self, the core, felt odd. Delta rushed to her core room only to see a staircase in the core room and no orb. Hesitant, she moved towards the stairs and felt her vision blur as space lunged forward. Her sight cleared on a new space, her core now relocated to some new area.

The Second Floor

This was the second... her second floor. Delta gasped as she stumbled. Her knees hit hard as she felt this new space, it's unknownness hit like a hammer. Delta had never been this low or this deep. It was a new challenge, it was a new opportunity. It was... scary.

Delta gasped as she tried to stretch her awareness out and only to have the feeling bounce back after a single room. Delta climbed to her feet. She had... bought this. Delta had wanted the second floor. Why? Her confuddled mind demanded answers and Delta could only rub her eyes in response as empty questions rose.

Delta inhaled and looked around the lone core room. She had wanted this... to expand her options. Delta had wanted this because... it was good for...

What were their names? Ruiss? Quli?

No, that wasn't right. Ruli! Yes, the woman who made Delta felt like she had friends! Delta took a moment to go over everything. She had come from... Eearth...Earth? Had she been reborn a Cellar? Dungeon?

Dungeon felt right and she took a few steps forward and felt stronger as she kept stretching her awareness. She was Delta and she wanted to be... good to the humans. This rang true and Delta felt her headache ebb away as the memories returned. She was a human and she did not want to kill.

This hit her so strongly that Delta almost fell to her knees again.

Once she felt strong enough, she stood on her own two legs. This was her second floor and it felt like a tiny dark spot in her mind, so empty... so unreal. Delta knew she had so much more space and with a tremble, she forced herself to return to the first floor.

The influx of information was almost overwhelming and Delta stumbled again.

-ear me? Can you hear me, Dungeon Core Delta?

That familiar ringing. Delta grabbed onto it with everything she had left. It was so exhausting to think, so hard to remember.

Delta grabbed the blue light and it flashed.

Restoring mental stability... 50%...80%....100%...I... am sorry. I seem to have unwillingly taken your personal numbers into myself upon the creation of a new floor. Are you feeling well?

"N-... Nu? Where am... I?" Delta rasped and the menu before her dinged.

The first floor. I relocated you here when not all connections reached satisfactory results. Forgive me if I upset you.

The words were empty as words could be but Delta sniffed as she felt the concern emanated from the simple screen. She stood and felt power return to her body.

"I... couldn't remember who I was and I didn't... I couldn't remember you or the gobs or the people!" Delta wiped furiously at her nose. Nu was quiet for a moment.