Salome and Vale continued their talk for a little while, but drifted toward planning their next objective.
Both would love to learn more about the others' origins, but while they still had yet to be called on or warned of anything by Toy, Vale knew he and his dungeon were definitely at their most vulnerable state at the moment.
Dawdling like this for too long may be a death sentence.
Vale, sitting against the dungeon wall watching the workers mine, said:
"When Wrath was explaining the workings of the world to me, he warned me about keeping a low profile until I was strong enough to deal with a significant threat."
Salome laughed.
"I fear that's common sense."
Vale shrugged.
"Well, yeah. But he was quite adamant about it. He said that once discovered, if they learned it was a Dungeon of Vice, they would stop at almost nothing to kill us.
Salome shrugged.
"That's quite the conundrum. We still need resources."
From Salome, he learned how 'beings' like her functioned. Her biology.
While similar in appearance to humans, Salome, Toy, all the Workers and apparently even his new body were constructs of Aether. They didn't necessarily need food or water for nutrients as a typical human would — but consuming those things would help replenish Aether, which naturally dwindles over time.
With that in his mind, Vale said:
"Wrath told me I don't need sustenance; however, after learning about Aether Constructs, I now slightly suspected that it was just a misconception."
"Oh? Pray tell."
Vale continued:
"Wrath had also warned me about the inability to recover Aether while outside of the dungeon, so I shouldn't leave for extended periods of time."
Vale listened to the sound of the workers scraping their claws against stone.
"I don't really know if it's important, but what if it's not that I don't need sustenance, but that the dungeon itself is regulating and sustaining me?"
If Salome's statement about most non-humans being Aether constructs is accurate, wouldn't that account for the fate of the Goblins of Lust? For his sustenance, the dungeon broke their bodies down.
After all, he collected a shard of their Aether; why couldn't he absorb the rest? The byproduct?
Salome sighed and leaned back on her palms, folding her legs over one another.
"That would actually make sense. In fact, your existence wouldn't make much sense if that wasn't the case."
Salome chuckled, then added:
"While watching the imps work is quite fun, don't you think we should be doing something progressive? I don't know much about this world, but I do know being lazy is a fast track to the afterlife."
Vale smiled.
"I'm of the same mind... I was thinking of having Toy scout the area. I'd ask you, but…"
Salome grinned.
"I understand, Vale."
It was much too risky for Salome to tread into an unknown area, leaving the dungeon undefended.
Salome continued:
"But you should send a worker with her to keep an eye out."
"Huh? But she's scared to death of them."
Salome's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked around.
"I know. I meant so it can follow from a distance and report if she dies."
'Oh.'
Vale's gaze fell to the ground.
"I didn't entirely think of that."
The two remained silent for a moment.
A silence which Salome broke as she cracked her neck.
"Starting tomorrow, I intend to train you."
Vale studied her slender form as he stretched his arms.
"I was just about to ask you about that… But will you really be able to teach me? I mean, you have wings and can glide around. You control spikes. How much can I really learn?"
Salome's wings fluttered, an odd, sinister grin on her face.
"Oh, Vale. Don't worry about that. My teaching methods appeal to all."
Vale scratched his cheek.
"Ah, I see. Well, I better go brief Toy about her mission. Can you oversee the workers? Make sure they stay on task."
"Of course."
The daylight that had seeped inside wasn't growing dim yet, but it was a matter of time before night fell, which would make finding whatever they needed much harder. Not to mention the potential dangers lurking in the dark.
It would be best if they could locate a food or water source to send for at daybreak. If not, then Toy and the workers would all starve to death from Aether depletion.
'As for Salome…'
Her Vitality Drain Trait was quite versatile. She could sustain herself off of Vale if need be.
Toy, when she heard the order she'd been saddled with, didn't seem thrilled about such a risky endeavor… well, she wasn't thrilled until she learned of a promised 'reward' waiting for her.
Upon dangling that carrot, Toy had begun eyeing Vale's carrot.
It seemed that ever since she'd witnessed the expression it painted on Salome's face, she'd wanted that experience for herself.
Not that Vale minded.
It's not like excessive fornication was tough on his body. His mysterious, periphrastic Aspect enhanced his body, giving him ample stamina and desire — enough to keep up with even rabbits…
'probably.'
Not to mention, he was making steady progress toward summoning his next champion, so it would be in his best interest not to hold back.
He had 5 Satisfaction saved up. And once he got 20, he could summon another helper.
The workers who'd been mining had never stopped. Now, they had enough stone piled up to complete the initial wall. Vale tasked seven imps with building the wall in front of the entrance up to the ceiling.
As they did that, Vale decided to explore the dungeon's unexplored features thoroughly.
A peculiar item was given to him, though he was unaware of its location at first. He searched the area in vain, but finally opted to investigate the one spot he'd overlooked: the Nexus of Beginnings.
'Seriously?!'
Vale expected failure, but he felt intense surprise when he discovered that the enigmatic Throne of Lust was inside.
'How did this big ass chair fit in a tiny crystal?!'
He tried to bring it out, but for some unknown reason, it could not be released into the core, forcing Vale to summon it inside the actual dungeon.
When he did, a replica, or more likely the original of the chair that was in the weird black place, appeared in the core room.
The pink throne sat in the middle of the hollowed room with a baroque golden trim outlining the soft pink fabric.
Apparently, sitting on it would give him access to an essential aspect of the system — the progression part of it. It was also a break from sitting or lying on the hard rock.
"Baduh!"
Oh, there was also Larry.
While all the other imps were walking back and forth constructing the wall, Larry was sitting in the corner of the core room, smashing its teeth against rocks.