Lux stumbled out of the underground cavern, clothes half-hanging and face streaked with grime. Sunlight hit him, hot and bright, as he dragged his feet across the sand. Fury roared in his heart. Over a thousand monster cores sucked into those white pages, and the goddamn book was still sitting stubbornly at 37% complete!

  He wanted to curse or maybe just fall over right there on the sand. So he did. Lux dropped flat on his back, letting the heat bake his shivering bones.

  The warmth crept back into his body and soon sweat trickled down his face. Only when his shirt clung uncomfortably to his chest did Lux finally push himself up. Novgar was grinning ear to ear, and Azura was once again going on about his balls.

  Lux stared at them, suddenly uneasy. The prickling feeling that something was off grew until Magenta crouched beside him, an impish smile dancing on her lips. “Future husband, are you ready to go to the next Wild Dungeon?”

  The words barely hit him before a cold, mechanical voice echoed out: “Wild dungeon completed. A dungeon guide is detected, would you like to absorb the Wild dungeon?” Lux shot straight up, nearly toppling over.

  His hands flailed for Magenta’s sleeve, his head spinning. “Hey, absorbing a Wild Dungeon would be good, right?” His heart hammered so fast he thought it’d burst right out of his chest. If he could absorb the wild dungeon, surely the book would jump in progress!

  Eyes shining with hope, Lux looked up. He locked gazes with Magenta, her irises burning a vivid purplish-red. Instantly, he realised he’d messed up. Magenta’s mouth dropped open in shock.

  Then a shrill squeal ripped the air. “YOU HAVE A DUN” was all she managed before Lux slapped a hand over her mouth, still, the rest of her excitement vibrated against his palm. Panicking, he looked for help, refusing to let go.

  Silver rolled his eyes and strolled over, gently prying Lux’s hand away from Magenta’s lips. “I was planning on telling them.” His voice was calm, but Lux could hear the silent “but, not now” lingering there.

  Magenta’s eyes sparkled as she stared at Silver. “Wow, I can’t believe you actually found it!” she sighed, starstruck. “How could I ever love anyone else when you’re this amazing? I’ll look after the human just like I look after Silver’s discarded socks!” Her vow rang with sincerity.

  Lux shuddered at the thought of being treated like Silver’s socks. Magenta’s fixation on Silver was legendary. Did she collect them? Build a shrine out of them? The image made Lux snort. “That would be crazy if it turned out to be true,” he chuckled to himself.

  The feverish tone in Magenta’s voice caught Novgar and Azura’s attention. Azura’s questions flew fast, and soon Lux was retelling the story of how he’d found the dungeon book.

  Novgar puffed up in pride. “Novgar’s Lucky Charm must be blessed by the Mystic Beau gods! He can even absorb other dungeons!” He thumped Lux on the back, practically shouting it across the sand.

  Lux winced. He’d forgotten to answer the voice! Quickly, he called out that he wanted to absorb the Wild Dungeon. Nothing happened. Not a single ripple in the air. “What’s wrong Lucky Charm?” Novgar’s face filled with worry.

  “I think I missed the timing. Nothing happened.” Lux frowned and pulled out the book, flipping it over in his hands. The cover still read 37% complete. Not even a flicker of change.

  Novgar patted his shoulder, oozing sympathy. “Lucky Charm don’t be sad. Novgar will take you to other Wild Dungeons!”

  The words lit a fuse under Magenta. She opened a porthole on the spot. Before Lux could even blink, the world spun, and he was staring down at a whole new landscape. “Ha! Not again!” He yelled, but it was too late, another wild dungeon, another mess of monster screeches and chaos.

  Three days vanished in a storm of frenzied battles. Each wild dungeon was more brutal than the last, Lux lost count of the monster carcasses left behind. By the time they stumbled back to Silver City, Lux’s legs trembled with exhaustion.

  Ten wild dungeons, and his book was only at 62% complete. The despair was real. He’d wept actual tears after dungeon number ten. Every dungeon was packed with monsters, yet their magic cores only trickled the percentage up. That was why his result was so miserable.

  The worst part? After every wild dungeon, the same cold voice offered to absorb the dungeon. And every time, Lux accepted, but he felt nothing. There was no obvious change or surge of power, nothing to prove the dungeons had been absorbed into the book. The disappointment stung. Unless he found someone with answers, there was nothing more he could do.

  The only thing that had kept him sane over the last couple of days was Novgar’s prattle. Lux learned that Wild Dungeons formed naturally whenever a massive number of monsters clustered together in one spot. The wild dungeon did not stop the monsters from multiplying or leaving the dungeon. However, once a wild dungeon was formed, the monsters preferred to stay inside.

  There were other tidbits, too. The common belief was that the reason so many different races were brought to Mystic Beau was to help with the monster problem, the monsters outnumbered the native Mystians by a landslide.

  At one point, the Mystians were nearly wiped out on three of the eight continents on Mystic Beau. After that disaster, history noted the first portholes opening to Mystic Beau.

  Since then, more and more portholes appeared. But they weren’t permanent. Novgar explained that if a race wasn’t useful for fighting monsters, their porthole would get cut off, just like that.

  The second Lux heard that, his mind darted to earth. Humans weren’t exactly known for monster hunting. He was sure the connection between Earth and Mystic Beau would disappear one day, and humans would be locked out.

  The thought brought a pang of homesickness. He missed his mother’s cooking and his friends’ laughter. Lux stared at the sky, picking out the brightest stars, wondering if one of them was Earth. The ache in his chest followed him as he trudged back to his battered house. His bed looked so inviting he almost wept from relief. Lux collapsed and sank straight into sleep.

  The next morning, Lux could hardly convince himself to leave his bed. The covers were soft, warm, and so heavy with comfort that he nearly sank back into dreams.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  His eyes drifted to the wall above his desk, the one he’d marked with careful little lines and circles. He realised, with a start, that he hadn’t updated it in some time. Twenty-six days, according to the last mark, had slipped by since his arrival.

  It was almost enough to make him want to call today a holiday, to finally enjoy a rest from the never-ending list of things that needed to be done.

  But rest was not on the agenda. A sharp knock on his door cut through the silence. “Lux, are you in there?” Trella’s voice carried clearly through the wood.

  Throwing back the covers, Lux padded quickly across the floor, his feet cool against the boards. “I just got up, give me five minutes and I’ll come out,” he called. He dressed in a flash, brushed his teeth, and by the time he stepped out into the corridor, Trella was waiting with a bright, expectant smile.

  Before he could even think of feeling lazy, Trella’s good mood swept everything else away. “Lux, we finished the town hall in record time thanks to Ruby and Twiggs. Come and have a look.”

  Like a switch being flipped, Lux felt his fatigue vanish. The thought of seeing his own plans built into real walls and windows was more energizing than sleep.

  Only three days away from Silver City, and already he’d missed it more than he’d expected. Luckily, Silver had made his city planner status official. He could pour his extra energy into building Silver City for as long as he was here in Mystic Beau and, truthfully, he was glad he could.

  At the end of the winding path to the lake, a building awaited. A large, red brick structure that seemed to rise out of the earth itself, every window crisply outlined in dark timber. The wide double doors of matching wood loomed ahead, solid and welcoming.

  Compared to the rundown house Lux had just left, this place was a palace, every detail was a delight for the eyes.

  Twiggs and Ruby emerged through the front doors just as Lux arrived. He greeted them one by one. Ruby was radiant, her expression pure sunshine as she regarded Lux. “What do you think of the brick work?” Her eyes glittered with anticipation, hungry for a compliment.

  “It looks fantastic, Ruby. I’m guessing you were the one to make all the bricks,” Lux replied, giving her the praise she so clearly sought.

  Ruby’s smile burst forth, dazzling and almost dangerous, she really was breathtakingly beautiful. “I did, you should come and see how the irrigation system is coming along as well.”

  Lux nodded, he was happy to agree, but first, the new town hall beckoned. He stepped through the open doors. The interior revealed brick walls smoothed to a glossy sheen, reflecting the light in soft patches.

  The central hall was wide and bare, across the back wall, several doors stood in a row, Lux assumed they would be for offices. He went to investigate. Each office was spacious, easily accommodating both a desk and a lounge.

  Satisfied with his inspection, Lux returned to Twiggs and Ruby waiting to show off their other project.

  They led him a short way to the edge of the farm, and the sight that met him there left him rooted to the ground.

  Fields, bursting with ripening crops, stretched before him. Every plant was heavy with produce, impossibly abundant. Lux stared. How could this have happened so quickly? He turned to Twiggs with wide eyes.

  Twiggs grinned, a broad, mischievous smile. “I know Silver City needs exports, so I had a talk with the plants, and they agreed to let me enhance them with my magic. They all worked very hard in the past couple of days.”

  Worked hard? Exploded was more like it! Lux stared at Twiggs, truly stared, as if seeing him for the first time. A man who could grow four acres of produce in under a week! The possibilities snapped and fizzed in Lux’s mind, and his mouth began to water. But before he let his imagination run wild, he needed to know, was this a fluke, or could Twiggs keep doing it?

  “Twiggs you are absolutely amazing! Can you do this with every crop?” Lux didn’t even try to hide the hungry edge in his words. Twiggs burst out laughing, a deep, rolling sound. “Lux I come from Green Aura, did you forget? This is something a two-year-old can do on my planet. I’m a full-grown adult.” He spoke as if that explained his ability and maybe it did.

  The words hit Lux full force, and he started rubbing his hands together, already dreaming of the money he could make. He eyed the thick fields now bursting with ripe produce, and a sudden problem snagged at him. How were they supposed to harvest all of this?

  Movement at the edge of his vision made Lux turn. Trella! Of course, he’d hired Trella’s crew. “Trella, can you gather your subordinates and get them to start harvesting straight away?”

  “That won’t be a problem, but Lux, we don’t have anything to put all the produce into as we start harvesting. Should we make some baskets and wooden crates first?” Trella’s voice cut through the morning air. Lux nodded immediately, it was obvious. They’d need to step up the plans for the granary, too.

  Twenty-five workers descended on the fields, hands and voices working in a rhythm. It would all be done by sundown. Lux left them to it and wandered off to inspect the rest of the farm. He discovered that Violet, Ruby, and Twiggs had managed to clear another fifteen acres in between their other tasks.

  Lux wanted to start growing the next batch of produce immediately, however he came across a snag. They had used all the seeds. Lux started to make plans in his head, Magenta would be sent down to the market, stock up on seeds, that would be step one. Simple, he’d thought. He could almost see her weaving through crowds, arms full of vegetables, setting up to sell baskets of produce. A tidy picture.

  When it came to executing the idea, it skidded off course and crashed, just like the first snag. Magenta’s refusal rang out, “Do I look like I will go and haggle with a bunch of peasants!” The clarity of her words hung in the air, slicing straight through any plan Lux built.

  Luckily, Trella’s convoys were empty, waiting to be filled. They could use those to haul the harvest. Trella plucked someone from his own crew to handle the merchant side of things.

  Only then did Lux remember the new logging machine! His mood brightened, and he made for the logging factory, quick steps eating up the distance.

  When Lux arrived, the place was quiet, the farm had drawn everyone away. He circled the structure, hunting for an entrance, and found a large doorway.

  A pile of neatly cut trees waited outside to be processed. Inside, a conveyor belt led straight into the belly of a hulking machine, ready for the day’s work.

  At the end of the machine was another conveyor belt, stretching long and unwinding like a snake. Further into the factory, rows of towering metal shelves marched along the walls.

  Half of the shelves, Lux noticed, were already thick with processed timber in every imaginable size and length. The magic logger left nothing behind, not a splinter wasted. Lux even caught sight of a shelf stacked with paper.

  He stared at the timber, eyes shining. He hadn’t expected this much wood to pour out of a machine. The idea of exporting crossed his mind, but then he thought of all the buildings still waiting to be constructed. For now, all the timber would stay here, destined for the structures in Silver City.

  So much still unfinished. The thought hit him like a splash of cold water. Lux reached for his Silver City ledger and fished out the parchment, scratching out updates in a messy hurry as he kept glancing back at the mountain of timber amassed before him.

  Silver City

  Treasury; 506.000 gold, 98 silver and 15 bronze coins.

  Population; 8 (Permanent residents), 25 (Temporary residents)

  Contracted Workers; Labourers, merchant.

  Buildings; 10 shoddy houses, Farm, Dirt Path, Town hall, Logging factory.

  Lux walked out of the factory in a buoyant mood, not even the sight of Novgar striding straight for him, grinning like a madman, could put a dent in his good spirits. The infuriating smile was there, all teeth and delight, but Lux was too caught up in the progress of Silver City to care.

  “Lucky Charm! Novgar has some good news!” Novgar’s voice rang out, excited, as if he could hardly keep the words inside his mouth. Lux raised a skeptical eyebrow, their ideas of good news rarely lined up.

  “Silver has decided that you need to visit a city with a dungeon so you can plan Silver City properly!”

  That stopped Lux in his tracks. For once, Novgar and Lux seemed perfectly aligned in their idea of good news. It bubbled up in him, a bright laugh escaping before he could stop himself, finally, a chance to see a real city in Mystic Beau! “When are we going Novgar?”

  “Magenta is waiting for Lux and Novgar now.”

  Lux barely kept himself from running off right then and there.