Witch of Lumenflowers

The birth of a dungeon core is no subtle thing. Mana screams and sets the air alight as it rushes inward, desperate to fill a void that cannot be seen. The earth is pulled upward towards the center of the collapse, forming a pedestal for the about-to-be-born core, and any plants caught in the vortex swell with mana until they burst. When the core finally forms, it is at the center of a crater, a clearing made just for it. And that is what occurred when a dungeon was born within the Kirway Forest, a moderately sized grove outside the identically named Kirway Village. Almost.

When this dungeon core formed, something else was mixed in with the inrushing mana, an unearthly, iridescent light leaking from a strange flower that had been torn up by the vortex. As the mana settled and crystallized into the dungeon core, this iridescent light glimmered from within, and as the core came to rest atop its pedestal, this unearthly light grew, taking over the core’s natural glow until only the light remained. And when the core was filled to the brim, it cracked, bleeding iridescent ooze into the Kirway Forest.

“Oh? Now this is new... Just where am I? Ahh, but I’m being rude, aren’t I? I do hope you can forgive me, but please allow me to pull myself together before introducing myself.”

The ooze pooling around the cracked core’s pillar rippled violently before pulling itself up into the shape of a young girl. The shifting colors within the ooze began to solidify, black to form the girl’s hair, white to form her skin, black and white both to form her dress and stockings, blue to form her eyes, and red to form her shoes and ribbon. Now complete, the girl smiled as she looked into the distance.

“Thank you for waiting so patiently. I am Alice! And it’s a pleasures to meet you. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you for your name. Names are important, after all. Why did I tell you my name, then? Well it’s only polite. And you might find my name difficult to conjure with.”

Alice giggled, then turned to the broken core.

“And what should I do with you, I wonder? I do feel bad for treating you as I did, but I’m afraid it was quite necessary... These is so little a single lumenflower can do, you see.”

Alice brought her hand to her chin in thought, then suddnly clapped her Hamden together.

“Of course! Why don’t I fulfill your purpose in your stead! Would that not be beneficial to both of us? I do believe it would be. And doesn’t being a dungeon sound so much more interesting than being a flower? Not that you would know anything about being a flower, of course. Or being a dungeon... Oopsies~“

“Let’s just sweep that aside for now, okay? There are much better things to focus on. Like building! That is what dungeons do, isn’t it? Personally, I think a nice, homey cottage is best. Not the most defensible I suppose, but think of the comfort! And who’s mistake a cute little girl living in a cute little house was a dungeon? No one, of course!”

Alice turned back to the distance.

“And you wouldn’t tell them anything, would you? That’d make for a very boring story, and I know how your sort like to be entertained. At least think about giving me some time, okay? I’ll be sure to make it worth your while~”

“Now then! Let’s make a comfy little cottage! We’ll have a cute thatched roof and rustic wooden walls, and a crooked little chimney attached to a wood-burning stove. Ahh, and let’s splurge a bit and use glass for the windows; I do so detest drafts.”

As she spoke, more iridescent ooze spilled from the broken core, sinking into the earth and rising up into the humble house Alice described.

“The roof has to be yellow, of course, and I think red trim would be most charming! Defenses? Don’t worry! I won’t forget to put a lock on the door~”

With the outside of the house complete, Alice stepped inside, taking the broken core with her.

“For the bed, a straw mattress is traditional, but... Those really are terribly itchy... I don’t suppose anyone will notice if I fill it with cotton, will they? It’s not like anyone else is going to be sleeping on my bed.”

“Let’s make the tables and chairs out of the same wood as the rest of the house. Oh! And of course we need a tea set! I couldn’t call myself Alice if I forgot something like that!”

“And we can’t have tea without water, of course. I suppose a sink really would be going  a bit too far... What do you think? Would a well be better, or an old-fashioned hand pump? I’m partial to the pump myself. It’d go better with the wood stove. Hmm? I just don’t want to pull a bucket up and down? I have no idea what you’re talking about~”

“Now then, let’s make a cute cupboard and a countertop and some other bits and bobs and our kitchen is complete! A place to sleep, a place to cook, a place to eat... What am I missing? A place to get cozy with a good book, of course! We can put the bookshelf against that wall, and a little round rug in front of the stove, and a big comfy armchair...”

“Oh! And if we put a little mantle over the stove right here... Tada! It’s the perfectly spot for you! What do you think? Not bad, right? Way better than that boring pedestal you had, right? I’ll bet it even makes up for me breaking you like that! Haha, well, maybe not quite... But don’t you worry, I’ll... You really do care a lot about those defenses, don’t you.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll use the last of today’s lumen to make a monster or something. Honestly, I thought my lumen would stretch a bit further, but I guess I did get kind of intricate with our home. Hmm... What’s a good, cheap monster... Ah! It’s not like I’m half-assing this! We just don’t have much lumen left, is all. I can’t make anything without lumen, just like you can’t make anything without mana.”

“Mm? What’s lumen? It’s what you pulled out of me, of course! That wonderful iridescent light! It’s so much better than that gross mana of yours, don’t you think? I can’t wait for it to spread. This world will be so much nicer with more lumen in it... But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, there’s a monster to make! And while we’ve been talking, I've thought of just the thing! A Big Bad Wolf! Perfect, right? Little Red Riding Hood won’t  know what hit her. Who? Don’t you worry about that~”