The chest of hand-carved toys from young Elian was a treasure trove of pure, simple joy. I spent the better part of the morning just examining them with my core's senses. There was a chubby little dragon with a cute, happy smile; a heroic-looking knight that was carved with a slight, charming wobble; and a proud, smiling gryphon with beautifully detailed feathers. Each one was simple, but made with a heartfelt sincerity that no master craftsman could ever replicate. They were perfect.
FaeLina, on the other hand, was skeptical of my new Artisan's Soul ability.
'So let me get this straight,' her psychic voice was laced with doubt. 'You're going to try and make new monsters based on a ten-year-old's art project? What are they going to do? Defeat our enemies with the power of heartfelt, amateurish craftsmanship?'
'Something like that,' I replied, my own consciousness buzzing with a creative energy I hadn't felt since my game design days. This was infinitely better. There were no bugs to fix, no deadlines to meet. Just pure, magical creation.
I decided to start with the wobbly knight. It reminded me of Sir Crumplebuns.
I focused my will, activating the new ability for the first time.
[Activate 'Artisan's Soul'.]
[Select Template: 'Wooden Knight Toy'.]
[Select Minion Type: 'Plush Construct'.]
[Cost: 25 DP.]
The creation process was different from before. A ball of raw cotton and fluff appeared in a swirl of purple light. Then, my core's magic seemed to scan the wooden toy, trying to replicate its exact shape and form in the new material. The ball of fluff squished and stretched, struggling for a moment to get the shape right.
Finally, with a soft poof, a new plush knight stood in the main chamber. It was about a foot tall, with button eyes and a felt sword. And, just like the original toy, it had a distinct, permanent wobble.
It tried to strike a heroic pose, but it just wobbled heavily to one side. It attempted a brave salute but lost its balance and had to prop itself up on its felt sword to keep from falling over.
FaeLina burst out into a peal of tinkling, psychic laughter.
'Mochi! You've created a minion with a built-in balance problem! The system copied the flaws! He's a defective toy!'
I had to admit, it was pretty funny. The wobbly knight, which I promptly named 'Sir Reginald's Second Cousin, Sir Wobble-a-lot', was not going to be a frontline defender. But he was charming.
I learned my lesson. The template had to be the idea of the toy, the perfected, idealized version that existed in Elian's imagination when he carved it.
I focused again, this time on the chubby, friendly dragon carving.
[Activate 'Artisan's Soul'.]
[Select Template: IDEALIZED 'Happy Dragon Toy'.]
[Select Minion Type: 'Animated Stone'.]
[Cost: 50 DP.]
This time, the magic was much smoother. A pile of smooth, grey river stones, pulled from the memory of the enchanted spring I had designed for Zazu's future quarters, rolled together. They fused and flowed, the raw stone shaping itself into a perfect, life-sized replica of the toy.
The result was a small, round, cobblestone dragon, about the size of a large, friendly dog. It had the same wide, happy smile as the carving, and its stubby wings gave a cheerful flap. It looked up at me, wagged its heavy stone tail with a soft thump-thump-thump on the floor, and then let out a puff of smoke.
It wasn't fire. It was a gentle, warm cloud that smelled distinctly of cinnamon.
The new creation was a complete and total success.
[New Minion Type Created: 'Cobblestone Drake'.]
[Abilities: Friendly Demeanor, Cinnamon Smoke Puffs, Loyal Pet, Surprisingly Comfortable to lean on.]
The Drake, which I named Cinder, immediately became the most popular thing in the dungeon. The tourists were utterly charmed by the little stone dragon who would wander the lobby, looking for head-pats. The adventurers loved him. Even Gilda was seen giving his stony head a fond scratch.
Later that day, I saw Kaelen on her break from the dish pit. She was sitting quietly in a corner, watching Cinder play with a Dust Bunny. The little stone drake, seeing her watching, trotted over and rested its head on her knee, letting out another puff of warm, cinnamon-scented smoke.
Kaelen hesitated for a long moment. Then, she slowly, gently, reached out and stroked the drake's warm, stony head. A tiny, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips.
Watching that quiet, simple moment, I realized the true potential of my new ability. I wasn't just making monsters or guards anymore.
I was making companions.
I looked at the rest of the toys in the chest. I could make a smiling gryphon for Gilda. A tiny, clockwork knight for Pip to study. My dungeon wasn't just a sanctuary or a business. It was becoming a place of bespoke, magical creation. A toy shop, powered by a sleepy dungeon.