I have repurposed the abomination for my own ends. A joyous day. Now, to find a power source for it... -95.3 Seconds Post-Integration.

  SIMP called everyone back to the Dwarven Pod about a week after the encounter with the Slime Dragon and the transaction to buy the tool.

  Clark went down with a pip in his step. Whatever it was, his attitude had improved -- a lot.

  He figured it was the Multi-Tool. It made defeating enemies so easy! How couldn't he walk on air?

  Clark and Friends arrived back in the opened-space Dungeon Interior chamber to find it changed.

  Silver and golden light filled the chamber. The etches in the walls and floor which were previously filled with SIMP's cleansing energy was filled now with... what was it, the magical ants? He looked closely at on etching on the ground. He gleaned movement. It was the ants!

  "Whoa! Those buggers filled the entire place!" Next to him, Theo and Hera stared with somewhat ajar mouths.

  "Correct!" SIMP cooed from his earpiece. "While you and the team were busy fighting the dragon and buying the multi-tool, I have been busy with nurturing these critters. I have recently been allowed to integrate into the Dwarven Pod's executive systems. This helped me to understand the nature of the creatures before me."

  "So, what are they?" Hera asked in wonder.

  "They are a species of Magi-Ants long thought to be extinct. Whoever built the pod believed that more of these ants existed at Augustford Central. That is why they built the pod here. At least according to the files I discovered within the pod's mainframe."

  He thought about what SIMP said as he toured the large chamber where they had fought the Dark Knight. Everywhere was filled with the bright, glowing insects. He couldn't surmount the notion -- magical ants? Such things existed?

  The team entered the pod to find the insides much more active than when they were last there.

  Monitors were turned on and displaying graphs, charts, and numbers with percentage bars. He had no clue what everything meant, but SIMP appeared to be keeping tabs on all of it.

  Another change was how warm and bright the command console and subsequent devices were; illuminated from within by the strange creatures, no surface looked dull, with each having now an active and alive look.

  "Looks like all of the systems are activated. What are these magical ants, though? What is their purpose?" He really needed to hear this explanation.

  "According to the information files on hand, these magi-ants produce small quantities of holy Blessing energy. They were apparently ordered for Store Use many years ago. Why they were never formally integrated into the store, I do not know, as the files do not say."

  "Holy energy?" Hera asked. "How is that possible? I have never heard of animals producing Blessed energy..."

  "It is rare, yes. These magi-ants come from a faraway continent. I doubt they are like anything we are used to because the internal files state they're the last of their breed."

  "So, that means," Theo interjected. "That if they die, the species goes extinct?"

  "Correct," SIMP confirmed.

  "Well, that's a bummer."

  Clark pondered the implications of the rare type of creature. "If they produce Blessed energy, how does that help us, exactly?"

  SIMP answered right away: "The files indicated the magi-ants have been bred for use in industrial production. They are attracted toward magified centers and subsume themselves into those centers once they've overlaid their bodies on top of them. The schematics I have read indicate the current industrial output: Power Cores."

  "Power Cores? Which are...?" His head was starting to get the same feeling when he was reading and encountered dense prose.

  "Power Cores form the basis of most technology. This pod was manufactured to generate power cores using these creatures. The ants scavenge for food using the leylines and etchings you see throughout this chamber, then, once they've eaten their fill, they go to a Core Manufacture Section, so as to lay upon a core and imbue it with Blessed Energy."

  "I think I understand... ants eat stuff then give their lives to power up a Core. Got it. Where is one of these 'Core Manufacture Sections'?"

  "To the back," SIMP said as they opened a door to the back of the room for them.

  They entered the backroom.

  It was brightly lit and had a single large workbench which took up most of the room. In the center of the workbench was a device which looked a lot like a toaster, except bigger.

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  "This toaster-looking thing is the manufacture section?" he asked.

  "Correct. A core finished charging. It will be ready to remove and inspect shortly."

  Clark and Team waited for the point when the core was ready to be removed. It was slow minutes, but they spent the time chit-chatting about the potentials for the pod. Theo wondered aloud if the pod might be used for defensive means while Hera spoke about the likelihood of the ants being holy creatures of her church.

  Ding!

  At the noise, a small sheet of pulsating silver popped up from the table's indentation like a piece of toast.

  "That's a Power Core, huh?" Clark bent down to inspect the marvel. Though it looked like a piece of toast from afar, up close, he saw many modules and technological nick-nacks attached to the sheet like transistors on a computer's motherboard. "Can I tough it?"

  "Yes," SIMP confirmed. "Power Cores are resistant to all elements and bodily substances. They need not be handled with care."

  Clark picked the sheet, the 'Power Core,' up with his hand. It was cool to the touch. Smooth, even.

  "What do we do with it?"

  "For now, please place the core onto the rack you see to your left."

  He spotted the rack and placed the Power Core into said rack where he thought it looked like a recently cleaned dinner plate. Though maybe he was hungry.

  "As for the uses, Power Cores can power a wide range of items. I see in the pod's memory banks schematics for a range of goods. Unfortunately, those files are not viewable to me at this time. They appear to be locked."

  Clark grunted. "It always seems like this pod has some new bull for us to deal with. We're always waiting on something, yeah? I don't understand how you can be integrated into the machine yet still not have full access!"

  Hera placed a consoling hand on his shoulder.

  "It is frustrating. I share your irritation, Clark," SIMP replied. "Unfortunately, that is how engineering of this scale is when we lack the master keys. Dwarven Technology would not operate for anyone who lacked the proper credentials. Frankly, we should consider ourselves lucky it has cooperated as much as it has."

  Theo, bored, clicked his tongue. "You make it sound like the pod has a mind of its own. What do you mean, 'normally'?"

  "I mean," SIMP's voice was low. "It might very well have a mind of its own. Do you remember when we first discovered the pod upon the defeat of the Dark Knight? When we accessed it after freeing it of plague rot? It welcomed you, Clark. It said nothing more than 'Welcome, Dungeon Champion,' but it welcomed you all the same. I did not force it to say that. That was long before I integrated into its external systems, let alone its internal ones. Aspects of its programming I was able to overpower and gain access to, sure, but looking back on my efforts, I think it might have allowed me access..."

  "Might?!" Theo had an air of annoyance to him. He hoped that did not grow into his trademarked petulance.

  "Oh, I'm sorry, boy, are you aware when you've been infected with a virus and will become sick after a few days?" That time, he could tell SIMP was short fused.

  Theo held his hands up in defeat. He did roll his eyes as a last stake for honor.

  Not wanting the dispute to grow any irater, he intervened. "Okay. That's fine, SIMP. What you're telling me is that the Dwarven Pod might have its own will. If this is the case, can you tell if this intelligence is artificial, meaning, computer like, or if it is spiritual based, like you? Does it have sentience?"

  "Unfortunately, I cannot tell at this time. I doubt I would be able to deduce such an answer without more of its operating system being revealed. And that wouldn't happen without its complete cooperation. After all, a non-local entity's operating system is a private affair, not unlike you humans and your naked bodies. That is not something I can or would force," SIMP explained.

  "Fine. Fair enough. I guess that means we need to cleanse more nodes before those schematics are accessed. That's what you said last time, right? That the Pod's mechanics were integrated into the data nodes corrupted by the plague?" He hoped that part of the equation hadn't changed.

  "That is correct. Cleansing more corrupted nodes should result in the schematics unlocking. Accordingly, this should be your top priority."

  "Very well. I will make that my focus, then." Clark was relived. His next trip would be into the Dungeon Interior, then.

  "One final thing, Clark. Although we cannot access the schematics at the moment, we should focus on producing additional Power Cores. A Power Core will only charge one at a time. If a charged core is not removed, an additional core will not begin charging. It should be our intent to have a stable of power cores ready to go when we do unlock the schematics."

  Not able to find anything wrong with SIMP's idea of keeping on top of the Power Cores -- since, apparently -- they couldn't just wait for them to generate and collect them all at once, he asked how long an interval they had to wait for a Power Core to finish charging. SIMP said twelve hours per core, per charge. "We're committing to coming down here twice a day? Gods, what a pain this is going to be..."

  Hera spoke up. "How about we rotate and take turns?"

  Theo groaned but Clark wasn't expecting him to do anything else, really.

  "I like that idea, Hera. I guess I will take first shift twelve hours from now and grab the core. Then you, if that works, followed by Theo. Objections?"

  He figured Theo would have a choice objection or two, but he kept his mouth shut.

  "Great. So, now that we got that figured out, we need to cleanse more of Plague Central. We've been getting lucky whenever SIMP and I go in there. The enemies haven't been so strong. I don't think that is a trend we should expect to see continue. Just, I know we've all seen an increase in the number of Airhearts. I doubt the Interior will be the same..."

  "Hey!" Theo chirped. "You don't know that until we go in, again. If we're cleansing the nodes, which is the source of this mess, then shouldn't the monster density lower?"

  Theo made a great point! "Theoretically, it should... I guess I am worried about other Nodes picking up the slack or maybe new nodes forming."

  The group spent a few minutes debating the merits of growth and monster strength. When everyone yawned in unison, that was when Clark ended the meet.

  Hera and Theo left before he.

  Clark, per the norm, left last since he wanted to investigate more of the Pod structure. But this time do so in peace without the stress of playing leader.

  Outside the actual structure, he found the same shining etches and grooves among the walls.

  "SIMP... do the leylines run throughout the entire tower? I mean, as I see them now, with their teeth and rides that looks like a conveyor belt?"

  Beep: "Yes. The leylines run throughout the entire store and through every department. They look like a conveyor belt because they are a conveyor belt. Originally, they were used to transport goods between departments and floors before the advent of portal technology. Why? Curious?"

  "Yup. I don't say it enough but this whole place is fascinating. I was also thinking, though... could it be possible to re-activate the belt?"