Monroe

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Nine. Secrets in the Making, and Secrets Exposed.

Jessica was sipping on a cup of what tasted not entirely unlike lemongrass tea. It carried notes of citrus and was served piping hot, which was nice, as the wind had whipped up the boulevard from the harbor, making the walk rather chilly.

Kathaleen's reminded her of an old book store in Melbourne she'd loved when she was little. She was curled up in an overstuffed chair, reading a tragic love story about a pair of star-crossed lovers whose family's favored opposing elemental paths of apotheosis. It wasn't bad, but the book clearly could have used an editor. Or even a proofreader, as spelling mistakes abounded.

Still, it was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, and after six days of delving, eight hours each day, she relished the break. Not that delving hadn't been enjoyable because it had. The advice to ensure that their summons were at the highest level possible had proven solid, as they were absolutely dominating the Dungeon, or at least they were now that they'd refocused on the rules.

Despite the expenses of delving in Harbordeep, they were doing quite well financially. They'd purchased the token for the next five levels, as well as paying for another week's room and board. They'd revised the rules of delving, applied them, and gradually regained the confidence they'd lost in the natural Dungeon. The Dungeon in Harbordeep, while not as efficient as the Dungeon in Glacier Valley, was much more true to life and seemed to have been designed to train people for the dangers they would face if they ever found themselves in a real Dungeon. She hoped that Bob was building them for efficiency deliberately because she wanted their Dungeon to be a proper one.

Jessica closed her book and took another sip of her tea. The cup was enchanted to keep the tea at the perfect temperature, and she made a mental note to see who sold them and if they had a version that kept things cold. She couldn't imagine that they wouldn't, and having a mug that kept your beer ice cold would go down a treat.

Of course, all that would have to wait until they upgraded their armor. The cost for that was a staggering six thousand mana crystals per set. Still, a twenty-point bonus to each attribute wasn't insignificant. She looked at her character sheet.

Name Jessica Level 9 Str 14 Cord 14 End 23 Int 44 Wis 45 Stamina 18 Beauty 14 Stamina Regen 1 Health 232 Mana 64 Armor 65 Mana Regen 8 Damage 100 Spell Casting 207

She could only imagine how that would feel. It was no wonder Bob never took off his armor. Her endurance was twenty-three, which meant that if everyone she'd spoken to were to be believed, she was going to live to be a hundred and ninety years old. And of course, she wasn't going to stop leveling, so if things went as planned, she'd end up having a life span of three hundred and fifty years. Which was just mad, but there it was. She'd bumped into Amanda's mum and dad, and they looked like they'd turned back the clock a few years just by reaching level five.

Jessica finished her tea and contemplated finishing the book before deciding she needed a refill. It was her afternoon off, and tomorrow they'd be back at, scrambling for those crystals. They'd have to burn a lot of time gathering them, a couple of weeks at least, but as much as they couldn't spare the time with the countdown ticking, they wouldn't do any good if they were dead because they couldn't be stuffed to gear up.

"So this is the place?" Bob asked Eddi.

They were standing on a small, low plateau that looked out over the eastern ocean. They were a couple of miles from the shoreline, but they were a good five hundred feet up, with a forest blanketing the gentle hills that led to the water. The plate itself was sort of kidney-shaped, broadside to the sea, and measured maybe half a mile across the narrowest section and a mile and a quarter in length. It was rather level, with only a gentle slope of half a degree leading from the back to the front.

"This is it," Eddi said proudly, "it's the perfect place to build our Endless Tower of Reincarnation!"

"About that," Bob began, "I think maybe it might be better if we skip the tower and build the living quarters into the ground itself. Sort of make the first floor the living area, and then have the next floor down be where we start the Dungeon. While that might mean that the first floor is a bit harder, it also means that no one is likely to stumble across our hidden base."

Eddi's face fell. Bob hurriedly continued. "The point of building this is to have a place where we can safely reincarnate, a place where no one knows where we are. A massive tower doesn't exactly help us stay hidden," Bob explained, "and I know that for me, staying hidden while I reincarnate is incredibly important."

Eddi nodded sadly. "I know," he grumbled, "I just want to stay with the Endless theme of towers, you know?"

Bob did indeed know, having seen the stylish silhouette emblem on Eddi's cloak. And on the new ring, he was wearing. And on the tabard.

"The towers can stand tall and proud everywhere else," Bob replied in what he hoped was a soothing voice, "but this place needs to be as inconspicuous as possible. I'd go so far as to say it should only be accessible by a portal, and the living quarters should be warded against transportation magic unless you have a key."

Eddi looked startled. "You can do that?" He asked.

"With either Abjuration or Protection," Bob explained, "although I'll probably use Abjuration, this is one of those cases where the narrow focus of Arcane magic really shines."

"So if we're going to build it underground, how do we start?" Eddi looked around the plateau, which was home to small scrub pines and brush.

"The trick is to use control Earth out to your maximum Range to excavate a closet-sized space so that you can start working," Bob replied as he sat down cross-legged on the rocky ground before pulling out a pouch of mana crystals from his inventory. "So I can push down to about thirty feet, and then make a space six-foot deeper, and maybe three feet to a side; not a lot of room, but then I can start moving from there."

"That's how you build Dungeons with Gateways, right?" Eddi smiled, "you have thirty feet of dirt or stone between floors, so the monsters can't get from floor to floor."

Bob grinned up at him. Eddi was a sharp kid. "Exactly right, which is why we have to use ritual magic to pull the mana flows down from the floors above because the mana won't just drain down; we need to build conduits."

"So, how big are we going to make the living area?" Eddi asked.

"I was thinking a dozen suites, each with their own bathroom, and then one main lounging/eating area with a good-sized kitchen," Bob said thoughtfully. "We shouldn't need more room than that if it's just for members of the Endless that are looking to reincarnate away from everyone. I was only planning on building the Dungeon for five people for the first twenty-five floors and then ten for the next eleven, just in case people end up congregating on those levels, either looking for Affinity Crystals or just getting the crystals together to reincarnate again."

"Alright, so you'll get that started, and I'll head back," Eddi shook his head, "before I forget, here," he dropped a sack next to Bob. "A hundred thousand mana crystals, and ten of each Affinity Crystal, Elemental Air, Elemental Earth, Elemental Fire, Elemental Water, Summoning, Conjuration, Abjuration, Dimension, Plant, and Animal."

Bob stored the sack in his inventory as Eddi cast his portal spell, and then Bob was alone. Thanks to the slight grade and the sparse vegetation, he could see the ocean from the middle of the plateau. It was a lonely but peaceful place. He opened the pouch and placed his hand on the mana crystal, and began to cast the first of many rituals that would hollow out the dirt and stone beneath him, creating a place where he could reincarnate without worrying about anyone catching him in his weakened state.

It wasn't paranoia if they really were out to get you.

"The Australians are in Harbordeep, the capital city of Greenwold, delving in the Dungeon there to bypass the access restrictions we've placed here in Glacier Valley, the result of which is that we can expect them to develop the ability to open a portal back to Australia within a few weeks, is that an accurate summation?"

Mike nodded stiffly. The Secretary of Defense growled. "And there isn't anything we can do about it," SecDef finished.

"Nothing that wouldn't require us to create an international incident," Mike replied.

"Interdimensional might be a better term," SecDef grumbled, "alright, I'll relay this to the Secretary of State. She won't be happy, but she'll need to accelerate the summit they're planning or go to the Aussies directly with it. We're going to need their government to lean on those civilians pretty hard."

Mike frowned for a moment. "Sir, speaking for myself, while I understand the need for secrecy, I doubt the civilians are eager to start a panic, and thus far those that have been brought over have shown an admirable degree of caution," Mike finished, "is it necessary to restrict them the way we have, knowing that they'll inform their government of our actions?"

SecDef shook his head and gestured to his right before turning his chair and picking up a remote control, then turning on the television that was attached to the wall. A grainy video appeared on the screen, and Mike watched as Nora, Carrie, and another young woman inspected a skirt that was really too short. A salesperson approached, and Nora jumped back, knocking over a rack, which fell into a display case that fell into another, the dominos of retail destruction falling one by one. Nora, who may have looked aghast, it was hard to tell with poor quality video, pulled her staff from her satchel and cast an area of effect repair spell, pulling all of the broken glass back together. A few seconds later, the girls dropped through a glowing portal that had appeared under their feet. The portal winked out as soon as they were through it.

The perspective changed, and now it was from outside the store, on a shaky camera with much better quality and sound. This video only showed the girls dropping the portal, but it was easier to make out what was happening despite the increased distance.

As the video ended, it cut to a reporter, the banner of an LA station running at the bottom of the screen.

"Police are still searching for the young women in the videos, although sources close to the case allege that only one of them has been identified, an Elaine Jackson, who was supposedly visiting the mall under the supervision of her father. Efforts to locate either of them have been unsuccessful at this time," the reporter stated calmly.

SecDef stabbed the remote with his finger, and the television shut off. "So, that happened," he grunted.

Mike nodded stiffly.

"Luckily, they don't know shit," SecDef grumbled, "and we've managed to suppress it as best we can, but it's already out there on conspiracy websites." He shook his head, "which if we evacuate, is going to make the operation even more fun, as the people who adhere to those sites will refuse to come in."

"If, sir?" Mike asked with a frown.

"Sergeant, as much as I respect Mr. Whitman, moving the entire population of the United States of America to another dimension would represent the largest movement of people in human history," SecDef explained, "and regardless of what cover story we come up with, because I can assure you that 'Magic' isn't going to be what we would go with, there are going to be a number of our citizens who will simply refuse to leave."

"Yes, some of them are going to be conspiracy theorist crazies, and they won't really be missed, but there are other groups who will be reluctant to leave their land or their property, and some of them will be missed," SecDef finished. "The entire thing promises to be a nightmare, and there are significant questions as to the veracity of Mr. Whitman's claims."

"He literally can't lie, sir," Mike offered.

"But what he thinks is the truth, and what actually is, might be two different things," SecDef sighed. "While everything else he's said has been corroborated, no one else can verify that Earth is in danger, let alone the time frame. Personally? I think he's telling the truth. Call me a pessimist, but after witnessing that monster wave, I can imagine what a tide might look like, and I agree that Earth is fucked. But I'm one voice, and while we are keeping this close, those that have been read in aren't yet convinced."

"We're getting off-topic, though," SecDef conceded as he leaned back in his chair. "That little video you just saw is why we want to keep this entire thing under the umbrella of the government. We don't want any sort of panic or social unrest, which is exactly what that video stirred up. Given that the issue hasn't reoccured, I expect you've already taken measures to prevent any repetitions?"

"I have, sir," Mike responded.

"Great, now we only have to worry about what the Aussie citizens might get up to," SecDef waved a hand. "Thank you for the information, Sergeant, I appreciate you bringing this to my attention."

Mike stiffened, then turned smartly and walked out the door, then began his long trek out of the Pentagon building. He spent the time considering the discussion. It might be prudent to have the Marines consider bringing their family and friends over if the government wasn't going to heed Bob's warning. While he didn't have any family to speak of, his mother and father both deceased, and him an only child, he knew plenty of men who did.

At least the SecDef believed Bob, which had to count for something. If nothing else, it meant that they could likely induct the majority of the United States military into the project, and the day the shit was due to hit the fan, they could evac everyone, then take a peek back over after zero hour. If it was clear, then it could be written off as an exercise. If not, well, they'd use the highest level people they had to establish a beachhead and try to evacuate as many people as they could. He wasn't confident how successful that plan would be, given what he'd seen of the monster wave, but it was better than doing nothing.