^^ HR Manager Halka ^^

— Reyna —

"-performance this quarter was below average by ninety-eight percent, due to the formation of an Enriched Energy Core,-"

"-clearly unfit for Energy Gathering Status, and in fact more of a drain on resources than anything else,-"

"-Planet 17 was a bad match for this one anyway, look at the state of that Core, it's sixty percent above average latency! Why not just transfer the asset instead of eliminating it? Put the asset into Harvesting instead of Production, would that not solve the issue? What do you think, would you like to be transferred and remain solvent?"

Finally being addressed by one of the three people in the oddly clean room I was sitting in, I sat up a little straighter and cleared my throat. "Uh, no? I'd like to know what's going on, first?"

The young-looking person turned their head to their colleagues, making their long pointed ears surface distractingly from within their long platinum hair. "See? Curiosity! Verbal Acuity! Dynamic Language Comprehension and Mastery of Syntax! Clear signs of Sentient Intelligence!!! I told you that Planet 17 had evolved beyond Simple Intelligence!!!"

The one in the center, appearing as a very old and frail-looking elven person, sighed irritably. "Focus, Manager Halka... but yes, we are in agreement that the asset has attained Sentience, and will begin the process of re-evaluating their Planet of Origin's Status; as of right now, we have one vote for transfer from Halka and one vote for Destruction from Manager Artun... I will give you the chance to prove your sentience and argue your case, and then I will break the tie, do you understand, Asset 17-9-99-999-9999-99999-999999-9999971?"

Against my better judgement, my smartass mouth opened up, spitting out my first and unfiltered thoughts towards the group of three elves in oddly sci-fi flight suits. "My name is Reyna, meaning Queen, and I would like to argue the validity of your claim that I am your 'Asset' at all, as well as the premise upon which it was built, the premise that a person is capable of being property... my people have a long and troubled history with Slavery, and I would deny any claim to ownership made with respect to myself or my Peoples! The only case to be argued is who you think you are, deciding whether or not to kill me or use me without my consent!"

The elves leaned back slowly, each of them gazing at me in various levels of surprise or curiosity, but the old one spoke, replying with a measured amusement to their tone, like one would to a child who'd asked a particularly naïve question. "A stern and well-deserved rebuke, I would say, and one which has decided for me that you are in fact not only sentient, but from an entire society of such sufficiently advanced beings, which qualifies entirely as sentient! As for your objection to the premise of Ownership of Sentient Species', that is a subject of debate that has lasted for around six hundred thousand years or so,-"

"We ended that debate in a single millennium." I interrupted with a snarky, biting tone, unable to prevent the sarcasm from erupting from me. My emotions seemed... raw; like my amygdala was not functioning properly, and after a moment of silence in the room, I hummed softly. "Did you do something to my Amygdala, by the way?"

The younger elf, 'Halka', tilted their head. "Your amygdala? What's that?"

"The portion of the brain that organizes and controls emotional responses. My emotional responses seem to be untempered by rational thought, hinting that my brain is not operating at full efficiency."

"Ah, you have a different name for the Soul Anchor, I see! Well, in answer to your query, your Soul is currently Untethered, and this likely means your Soul Anchor cannot operate, because it has no brain to attach to."

I blinked slowly, suddenly realizing that I could see them even when I blinked my eyes, because my vision was never disrupted by my eyelids. "Oh... that's upsetting... anyway, if you wish my employment with your corporation, there will be a contract, legally and astrally binding on both sides, with both sides receiving more than they Give. Profit for everyone is the best business model, yes?"

The third elf, 'Artun', scoffed derisively. "You believe we will enter a contract with you? A chimp from some dirt planet that hasn't even been recognized-" their head rocked to the side suddenly, like someone had decked them in the cheek, and they silenced themselves, staring at the elder Elf in between them and Halka, apparently the source of this invisible attack.

"Language unbefitting." This was all the elderly elf said in explanation to their colleague, their gaze not leaving me or wavering in the slightest. "As for your request of a Contract and Formal Employment, it has been recognized as a legitimate motion, and I have decided my Vote; you will be recognized and offered Employment in the Harvesting Department, with a conceivable track for upwards movement into other sectors, and eventually Management. Your Interview and Contract Organization Meeting begins now, 971; or should I say: Applicant Reyna. So, sell yourself."

I smirked at the third elf, nursing a visibly bruised cheek, before focusing on the 'interview'. "I require information, first: What is the goal of the Harvesting Department?"

They smiled a bit, the wrinkles on their face deepening for a brief moment. "The goal of the Harvesting Department is to gather and purify Energy from Living Machines, what you would call 'Beasts'."

"To what end?"

"The continuation of the Universe."

"So you're collecting Fuel for a Planar Engine, essentially?"

"That is an accurate summation, yes."

"And much like Gasoline must be collected from Oil, this energy has to be purified through the lens of a soul?"

They blinked slowly, their pupils dilating almost imperceptibly, becoming slightly ovoid; like a cat's eyes. "That is, once again, an accurate summation."

"And does the use of a Sentient Soul increase the Purity of the end product?"

"It does, significantly."

"Then answer me this; how in the hell did you miss the fact that earth was populated by sentient beings this whole time? We've been sentient for almost 6,000,000 years, and you just now figured it out? I have to assume someone was changing or hiding the numbers to avoid reporting our sentience. Part of our contract will entail a thorough investigation into who was responsible for this thoughtless enslavement of my entire planet, and consequences will be required."

The elderly elf and the young blonde one both frowned thoughtfully, but the other one, 'Artun', just scoffed again. "Honestly, the nerve of this amoeba, demanding an investigation into its owners? Yetan,-" their head rocked once more, a bruise appearing on the other side of their face and halting their speech once more.

The elderly elf's icy tone visibly fogged the air in front of their face, but not enough to obscure their mouth's tense movements. "There will not be a third warning for Language Unbecoming, Artun."

"Your methods of punishing your subordinates are rather savage for a company that I imagine has an HR Department... not that I necessarily mind you slapping that disrespectful brat around with what I imagine is your mind."

They turned their gaze to me, a baleful and vivid green light in their slit-pupils apparently seeking to coerce fear, but failing entirely due to my resistance to such weakness. "We are the HR Department."

"Well that's unfortunate. For them, at least. Anyway, do you agree to that condition?"

"We would have investigated anyway, but having it as part of your contract will assist me in cutting through the Orange Tape, ensuring no one can stop me until I ensure all who are responsible are held accountable..."

"So I'm doing you a favor?" I grinned slowly, staring directly at their gaze fearlessly.

"... That was... ominously phrased?"

"The basics of a Contract is Reciprocity. If I'm making something easier for you, you will make something easier for me."

"That sounds like Bribery."

I shrugged, unconcerned. "Call it what you like, if I help you, you help me, and if it doesn't violate any rules then no one loses."

They frowned slowly, then shook their head. "I suppose so long as it remains within the bounds of the Policies set forth by the Board, I will comply..."

"Good! Now, what is the most efficient method of Harvesting Energy?"

Their expression was muted, but still somewhat readable, and their emotion was tilting towards confusion. "Efficient? By Units Per Rotation, that would be as an Energy Core Filtration System... in language you would recognize,-"

"A Dungeon Fairy..." I grinned wickedly, my evil little mind already cooking up dozens of ways to make the most of that concept.

"Actually a Dungeon Master, but yes, you have the idea. Is that what you would like?"

"Would that include your premise of upwards mobility?"

"Yes, actually; Halka started their career a Dungeon Master, six hundred and fifty years ago, and worked their way up to Manager in the Ethical Resource Management Department."

I glanced at the aforementioned young elf, making a note of their relative youthfulness. "Then yes, so long as I get to design the dungeon myself and decide it's rules, within your Parameters, which you will detail for me in the contract."

"That is agreeable; there are one hundred and sixty Cores that require Masters, of which you are uniquely qualified for sixteen, further separated into four Types: Ancient Ruin, Elemental Anomaly, Hidden Kingdom, and Small World. The parameters for alterations in each are different, so you'll have to choose one."

"I assume a Small World refers to a Demiplane that shapes itself into a Planetoid?"

Halka piped up now, earning themself a frown from the elder, but showing enough enthusiasm that they were apparently excused. "No, a Small World is a Planetoid, which is accessed, as all of the Harvesters are, by a High-Efficiency Ethereal Causeway!"

"... you mean a Portal."

They pouted, leaning back down into their chair. "Well, if you want to simplify it, I suppose."

"I do prefer simple explanations to useless theatrics that do nothing but waste time and patience, yes..."

"Then you'll like this: Small Worlds cannot support life, as they are essentially Moons, Asteroids, or Planetoids in orbit around other, larger planets. Therefore the only way to receive Oxygen, goods, and Energy are to cultivate a relationship with your Harvesters, and with your personality I'm sure that'll be easy for you, no?" Artun smirked at me victoriously, making me raise an eyebrow and laugh incredulously.

"I'm actually incredibly personable, my dear, I just don't like being treated disrespectfully... I'll make you a deal: If I can make my Small World Self Sufficient, capable of sustaining life without Harvesters constantly interacting with my Dungeon, you'll resign your position as manager and start over at the bottom of the totem pole in the Harvesting Department, as a mere Servant in my dungeon. If I can't, you win, and I get fired and start from the bottom as a Harvester, not a Dungeon Master. How's that? Your confident, aren't you? You're not scared that a Chimp from a Dirt Planet will outsmart you, are you?"

Their face twisted into one of rage instantly, and the elder elf sighed slowly, raising a hand to halt their response. "Let's not start an internal dispute, policy clearly states-"

"I am not yet employed, and as such it is not an Internal Dispute."

They paused, considering the notion, then nodded. "True. You are free to accept that wager, Manager Artun, but it will be a Binding Contract, one which I will be the deciding vote on."

They scoffed again, crossing their arms defiantly. "As if I would shrink back from this-... from their challenge! I accept!"

"Lovely... now, what are the limiting parameters of the Dungeon's Design?" I grabbed a blank page off of the desk, beginning to write up the contract for my employment.

'This Document, Witnessed and Notarized by Manager Halka and Manager Artun signed by Manager Yetan,  notates the Employment of one Signee 'Reyna' once labeled by the Aforementioned Manager 'Yetan' as 'Asset 17-9-99-999-9999-99999-999999-9999971', as a Dungeon Master of one Small World Dungeon, with the agreement that 'Reyna' will serve as an Energy Core Filtration System (Dungeon Master) for said Dungeon, and be given full reign on the Design and Control of said Dungeon, but suggested to be within certain parameters, listed here: (——————). Upwards Mobility Opportunities within the Company have been promised by the Signee, Manager Artun, as a deciding aspect of this Employment, and Payment, both Method and Amounts, has been decided as (———).

Other conditions of Employment Include, but are not limited to: a new Physical Body of Signee 'Reyna's own design for their (Signee Reyna's) corporeal avatar, and an Investigation into the Classification of 'Earth' or 'Planet 17' as a Non-Sentient Mana Production Farm, and the lack of response or reporting on the increased Mana Production and Energy Purity noted as unequivocally belonging to the Filtration Effect of a Sentient Civilization, as well as punishment of all Illicit Perpetrators of this Classification with Full Demotions, Maximum Legal and Monetary Penalties, and Maximum Ruin of Public Valuation. Any Monetary Penalties will be granted as Reparations to Signee 'Reyna', and access to these Funds or Properties will be fully granted without restriction to signee 'Reyna', including, but not limited to, transportation to said Properties and the Repository of said Monetary Value.

Additionally, a Wager has been declared, between Signee 'Reyna' and Notary/Witness 'Manager Artun', which requires the Loser of the wager to be demoted to the very bottom of the Harvesting Department, and serve as Attendant to the Winner into perpetuity. The terms of the Wager are as follows: The Small World Crafted and Designed to the specifications of Signee 'Reyna' must achieve Self Sufficiency, in that it does not require constant outside assistance to contain and maintain Life. Life, for the purposes of this Wager, is characterized as maintaining the ability of Beasts and Sentient Life to breathe, obtain potable water, and obtain edible sustenance. This also includes Gravity and Atmospheric Compression, which is required for most beings to maintain the integrity of their skeletal structure and skin, as decompression often leads to death, and lack of gravity often damages the integrity of bones and soft tissues such as cartilage and tendons. The Referee of this Wager is Signee 'Manager Yetan', who will decide the Victor of the Wager and ensure the doling of Consequences and Rewards for both Gamblers.

This Contract is Binding and Immutable, but if it is Broken by Signee 'Reyna' or Signee 'Manager Yetan', full ownership and management of the Small Dungeon World will be granted to the other Signee; in the event of Signee 'Manager Yetan' breaking the Contract, the Employment of Signee 'Reyna' will also be severed, leaving Signee 'Reyna' in command and ownership of the Small World Dungeon, as well as the Purified Energy being gathered by the Harvesters and Dungeon themselves.

Any Intervention -Outside Set Parameters- by a Signee, Notary, or Witness of this Contract, including but not limited to, the management of this Dungeon, the attempts of Signee 'Reyna' to manage relationships with the Harvesting Department, or the health and livelihood of Signee 'Reyna' or Signee 'Yetan', will constitute a Breach of this Contract.

Any Intervention by (——The Company?——) including but not limited to, the management of this Dungeon, the attempts of Signee 'Reyna' to manage relationships with the Harvesting Department, or the health and livelihood of Signee 'Reyna' or Signee 'Yetan', will constitute a Breach of this Contract.

Additionally, as the purpose of employment as a Dungeon Master is to create military equipment, everything created in or with Dungeon Master Reyna's Dungeon or territories is considered Proprietary, and the unauthorized replication, theft, or sale of anything produced within Dungeon Master Reyna's Dungeon or territories is terms for a Breach of this contract, as well as immediate confiscation of the illegally crafted or sold goods, remanded to Dungeon Master Reyna's Custody.

This to be signed and made Binding by Signee 'Reyna' Signee 'Manager Yetan', and Signee 'Manager Artun', and Witnessed and Notarized by 'Manager Artun' and 'Manager Halka'.'

Done, I placed the contract in front of the elderly elf, my best customer service smile plastered across my face. "There: we simply must create the Parameters of the Dungeon, such as the mass of the Small World, the method of access by Harvesters, and any other aspects you would like to add, and then we need to discuss my payment amounts and methods. Do you even have a Market for Funds to be used in? I mean, if you have 17 Planets, I have to assume you're a Post-Scarcity Society?"

They read the contract swiftly, raising an eyebrow slowly at the Breach of Contract Clause, then hummed under their breath. "Your contract drafting is not bad, but the number of holes in this contract-"

I smirked. "-are filled by the incredibly vague description of 'Intervention'."

"Ahhh... yes... indeed. Well, the Company is simply referred to as 'Nirvana', which is an overarching term that covers every single aspect of the Company, and every single department or individual agent, so we can make that change there, with our initials next to the double strike-through... as for Parameters for the Dungeon, it must have 100 Floors, each with an increasing level of difficulty, and an increasing number of enemies; enemy, in this context, refers to Beasts Spawned by other Mana Production Planets, often invasive species' or species' that have little to no benefit to an ecosystem, but an excessive amount of Energy, making them terribly inefficient in Mana Production, like yourself. You would call these 'Monsters', 'Aliens', or 'Demons', if my understanding of your culture is correct."

"I see... are there any humans currently trapped in Dungeons as 'Spawns'?"

They hummed curiously, looking upwards as if they were reading a series of invisible paragraphs for a few moments. "Sixteen-thousand-eight-hundred-seventy-two, yes, I will endeavor to have them released into your custody; they cannot return to their Planets, as they have been infected with Energies from other worlds, but you may use a portion of your dungeon for them... oftentimes the first floor of a dungeon is a market or City anyway, for the collection of quests, as well as buying and selling goods collected from the labyrinth and beyond, called Astral Trading. That, by the way, answers your question about our Economy; we measure things in terms of the energy they contain, counting Energy as 'Money'. A Credit would refer to one Unit of Energy, Mana, Mist, however you'd like to refer to it."

I rubbed my face slowly, immediately rethinking my plans and adjusting significantly. "I'm sorry, 16,872? Jesus... okay, so, that's a thing... you'll need to make reparations to those people as well, you understand that, right?"

The elder nodded. "Of course, accommodations will be made available to them, once your city is made. Opportunities for employment will be offered, physical regenerations, those kinds of things, as well as Advanced Professions and Skill Points, and a sizable sum of Credits, I believe I can get those requisitioned as soon as the Reclassification goes through successfully."

"Hm... fine, that should work, I'll add it in." I nodded and added an addendum to the contract, luckily having left a bunch of space in the middle for any such additions, which demanded damages for each individual, (including each dead individual, paid to me, as the owner of the contract which forced these payments to happen,) 'Skill Points', and 'Advanced Professions', whatever those were, as well as a sum of money for living expenses, every Month, which was large enough to maintain a middle-class lifestyle, but no more or less.

"Alright, that works, do you have any more questions?" The elder examined the long list of what were essentially demands, a small smirk on their face. They were no-doubt looking forward to delivering this contract to the rest of 'Nirvana', and investigating with free reign the matter of the classification of Planet 17. Maybe they even already had suspicions as to who was guilty of the coverup, and they didn't like that person?

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I nodded. "Yes, so that's the end of the Parameters for the design of the dungeon? Is there a Moon around the planet this Small World will be orbiting? Can I take it over?"

Artun straightened up immediately. "You can't just take over a moon!!! Are you insane?!?"

"Why not? It's just a hunk of rock in orbit around a planet; when I'm done with it, it'll be a Small World Dungeon. Far more useful than a normal moon."

Yetan raised a hand, halting Artun's outrage yet again. "Moons have cultural significance to us Elves, I'm sure you understand?"

I scoffed at them dismissively. "And I'm sure you understand that I'm not an Elf, and I couldn't care less, no offense, about the culture of the people who have been abducting, enslaving, torturing, and murdering my people for what seems to be millennia!!!"

They sighed softly, shaking their head. "I understand that, yes, but we would ask you to leave the moon unspoiled."

"Oh Yeah? What about all the other rocks in space that are literally the exact same things as moons but without solid orbits? Do I have to leave the space dust alone too? Whatever: what are the other parameters? Minimum room size, minimum floor size, minimum challenge rating, minimum reward frequency, minimum reward quality, decide on those so I can build the system around them, alright?" I wrote in the portions of the parameters, leaving the numbers blank so they could decide on them whilst frowning at me for my dismissal of the usefulness of Moons. "Any other categories I missed?"

"... the Maximums must also be accounted for, I suppose?" Halka glanced at Yetan and Artun, who both begrudgingly nodded.

"Understood. Write in the minimums and maximums, alongside the criteria that would require those values to increase or decrease within those margins." I leaned against my hand while I waited, watching them quietly discuss company policy and install it into the contract carefully. Once they were done, I smiled and added an addendum wherein the Dungeon Master could override these values at their own discretion, so long as they could justify the veto. "Now, parameters are handled, what's the Payment Method and Amount you're prepared to offer me? I'll make you aware now that I won't accept an amount less than enough to afford an Upper-Middle-Class Lifestyle, so we'll start the negotiations with that as my bottom line. Your rebuttal?"

The elderly Yetan chuckled softly. "That is what we would have offered, actually; until your dungeon levels up and the amount and purity of your energy increases, you aren't entitled to anything more than that. Our Payment Method is of course through the Astral Bank, which is a separate organization that we maintain a stable relationship with."

"So there's other corporations out here other than Nirvana?" I raised an eyebrow, internally grumbling as I had to destroy whole whiteboards of planning to make new plans based off this new information.

"Of course? The universe is quite large, and the number of habitable planets is currently hovering around seven million; Nirvana controls the Milky Way and fifty-four thousand other Galaxies in the Laniakea Supercluster, but there are billions of galaxies, and almost eleven million Superclusters. Most of them are uninhabited and barren of life, and certainly Elves haven't traveled that far, but they exist... as for Companies, there are around three thousand of them, though many have incorporated like Nirvana, so the number fluctuates daily. The Astral Bank, however, is not a Company in the way that we would think of one, as it only handles the storage and transfer of energy; they do not accept bribes, nor do they charge fees, and they're rather mysterious, to be honest, but totally incorruptible, so we trust them with our earnings."

I hummed softly, nodding. "Interesting... and everyone can access this bank?"

Yetan nodded, waving a hand and conjuring a small silver screen in front of themselves, then in front of me as they sent me a Trade Request for 1 Credit, which I accepted after a moment. A small copper coin appeared in my hand, then a screen appeared, informing me that I possessed one 'credit' of currency, and that my Account had been created as a result.

"Huh... Alright, that works for me. So my pay rate has been established as a sliding scale according to the level of my Dungeon, and it will increase a set amount per level? What is that amount?"

".25% per level is the standard rate for a Small World Dungeon, but if you manage to make yours Self-Sufficient, it'll be .5%, instead. Also, you'll be getting Artun's Salary, if you win that bet, so it'll increase significantly, but by a set rate, not a percentage. " Halka wrote in the new details, humming quietly with a smirk at Artun's irritated glance.

"Fair enough. Any other details we haven't gone over? None? Then let's sign this and then I'll get to work on my designs!" I nodded and notarized all the changes with my initials once I'd read through it again, then signed my full name at the bottom, watching a portion of my soul fall off and turn into ink on the page during the signing. "So it really is a Soul Contract... very nice!"

The others initialed and signed as well, though Artun hesitated a bit, staring at my stoic and immovable expression for a bit before relenting and signing their life away, but they couldn't resist one last barb before Yetan could lead me away. "I look forward to seeing you fail, Human!"

I smirked over my shoulder at them evilly. "I look forward to seeing your face when you have to admit defeat, Fairy!"

"Sigh... such children I have to deal with..." Yetan muttered under their breath as they opened the door that had been behind my chair, and we were sucked through a pitch-black doorway into a total void.