by Drew Jager
Will understood, the Mana was getting condensed in their Dungeon right now, and the longer he waited the more Sentients he would alert when he did finally open up his Dungeon.
"Okay, i'll be ready for it. How will I pick my Boss Monster though? Do I choose one of my existing Monsters or do we make an entirely new one?" He asked. At this, Bel perked up.
"Thats a great question, what you do is pick. You either pick a Monster you already have in your Dungeon and evolve them into a Boss Monster, or you choose from a list of pre-determined Boss Monsters. Unless you have a Monster in here you really want to see evolved, I would recommend picking from the list. You get more variety and can choose a Boss that covers the weakness your other Monsters may have." Will blinked at this, it was a good idea.
"Okay, then that's what I'll do. Now we just have to wait another few days." At this he huffed, he hated waiting.
"Oh stop pouting, I bet it will be over in a second."
* * *
2 Days Later
"You're right, that did feel fast." Will remarked.
Bel just smirked at him and gave him the go ahead to tunnel out into the surface.
He had been staring at the wall he was going to tunnel through for the past few hours, just waiting for Sunrise to happen so he could begin. He had no idea how much Mana this would take, so he built the Tunnel at an upward slope and stopped every few feet to decorate.
Dig 3ft, add moss and a Mana-Light. Dig 3ft, add moss and a bush. Dig 3ft, Mana-Light and a Fake Floor trap. He couldn't help himself, he had to put at least something dangerous in the tunnel.
After his next cycle he broke through.
A pressure he hadn't noticed until it was disturbed blasted throughout his Dungeon. All at once green-gold condensed Mana flooded out of his newly carved entrance, the surrounding trees and plants were flattened by the pressure, but soon grew at an alarming rate. Nature Mana was a powerful fertilizer it seemed.
The Mana rolled out of his Dungeon in a heavy wave, alerting all within hundreds of miles of the news. Bermin had a new Dungeon.
Congratulations!
You have reached Level 3!
Mana is now 30/30
Mana Regeneration is now 15/d
Interlude - Finally
* * *
Within the Ilvan Forest, a lone Gnome is heading home from a long day of foraging for new and exciting crafting items.
Altrix was getting sick and tired of the city. He spent the better part of 30 years cooped up in that prison of mud and stone, and he had been ready to leave the day he got there. Where else would a Gnome go though? His people were not known for their solitude and he had family to provide for. Not that they ever appreciated all the effort he put in.
He knew the nicknames the other Gnomes sneered towards him with when they thought he wasn't listening. It wouldn't have bothered him if they weren't mocking his choice of work. Altrix was an herbalist, and a damn good one. No matter what the others may say, he knew that his work was life saving.
At 95 years of age, he was just leaving the prime of his life and entering his retirement years. His experience showed as the things he could accomplish with Common crafting items were night and day compared to what less experienced herbalists may have accomplish. A long time ago he would have fought anyone on the spot for insulting his craft, but now he never had the energy to do anything but eat and sleep. The only thing that still got him out of the house in the morning was the prospect of going into the Forest and searching for rare and exotic ingredients.
At the moment he was looking for a rare flower that possessed a mild hallucinogenic, but he couldn't seem to find even a trace of the plant.
He thought back to the family he had back in Tenver, the Gnomish Capitol of the Ilvan Forest. He had a son to look after, Altrin, not to mention all the Grandchildren he had given him. Truth be told, he didn't really care for most of them.
Okay. Thats probably not true, he just wished for his old life back. A life of Adventure and excitement, diving into Dungeons and searching for the missing piece of his Life-long Quest. Now, all he had were his plants and potions. It would take a veritable miracle to change the course of his life now.
The walls of Tenver were slowly coming into sight over the crest of a hill. It really was a beautiful city. Even if it was originally built from stone and mud, over time the Gnomes refined it into a sprawling metropolis. Not even those disgusting tree-hopping Elves could hope to match Gnomish ingenuity.
His bias was unfounded though, he wasn't alive when the Great War occured between the Elves and the Gnomes. That war was almost a thousand years ago, and none but the Great Beasts would have any memory of what truly happened back then.
Finally reaching the gates of Tenver, he let out a long, drawn out sigh. Another day wasted in the forest, just waiting for something, anything, interesting to happen.
Katoom!
Muscle memory earned from decades of experience kicked in, and Altrix's head swiveled to the South West direction of the forest. He had heard that sound a few times before in his life. It sent a shiver down his spine and reignited long forgotten emotions.
"The last time I heard that was 40 years ago..." He mumbled to himself.
He wouldn't believe it. He couldn't. It would be too conveinent.
He knew there was a way to know for sure though, all he had to do was wait around for the Mana Wave to pass over him.
It could have just been some foolish Hero child tossing around their power again. That was probably it. There's no reason to get his hopes up over something as unlikely as a new Dungeon.
Even with those doubts, Altrix's head stayed fixed on the direction the noise came from. He was about to abandon hope entirely and sulk back in through Tenver's gates when he spotted it. A wave of golden-green that washed over everything in its path. The very forest was shuddering from the power and now Altrix knew for certain.
He laughed to himself, laughed at the unlikelihood. He bent over in tears at his good luck.
"Finally."
* * *
Somewhere in the Ferst Plains, a pair of Humans are out Hunting.
"Hey Kevin, where the fuck did you leave your shirt? If I wanted to stare at a hairy back I'd have stayed in the village with your wife."
"Fuck you Jared, go scoop it off your Mothers bedroom floor."
Both of the men looked at each other for a brief moment, then burst out laughing. Kevin, shirtless, was walking in the lead carrying a dead Deer. Jared, fully clothed, was behind him poking at the carcass slung over his shoulder.
"Knock that shit off Jared, the fur is already chaffing as it is without you messing with it." Kevin said.
"Sorry man, I forgot how sensitive your skin was, want me to rub some lotion on it? I can go ahead to the village and let everyone know you need a break because you decided to ruin your shirt while we were out hunting." Jared sneered.
"This is why you have no friends." Kevin retorted.
"Rich coming from you, I feel like I do charity work just talking to you."
"Harsh and uncalled for." Kevin feigned being hurt.
"Harsh but true." Jared was unfazed, they had talked like this towards each other for the better part of 5 years now.
Katoom!
"God damnit Jared, you need to start eating better, you are one nasty bastard you know that?" Kevin yelled behind him.
Jared had stopped walking and was staring towards the direction of the sound, it had come from that accursed forest.
No good had ever come out of that place; the Elves and Gnomes were a bunch of arrogant pricks, and the plants and animals were all strange with usually one too many eyes for his comfort.
Kevin, sensing his friend had stopped, turned to look at him.
"What is it boy, you smell something?" He asked excitedly, as if talking to a dog.
Jared just glanced at him with an angry glare, "Something ain't right Kevin. I've heard the village Expert talking about that sound once before. Somet
hing big must have happened in that fucking forest."
"Oh please, we both know that old bastard is a foot from Death's Door, let's head back to town befo-..." He trailed off as he noticed the massive wave of Mana barrelling towards them. It had come from the direction of the forest, and the sound.
"It's...beautiful." Jared couldn't help but blurt out, the cascading waves of gold and green were mesmerizing to him.
"A new Dungeon, do you know what this means Kevin?" Jared turned around to yell at his friend, even as the Mana washed over them.
Kevin had to yell over the wind pressure, "No?! Are you going to finally get a job?"
Even at a time like this he was still poking fun at him, typical. "No, it means we both are. Where there's a Dungeon, theres easy money." Jared's eyes were glistening with greed and adventure.
Kevin merely looked past him towards the forest, feeling more caution than excitement. His eyes shone all the same though.
* * *
In the center of the Ferst Plains. In the city of Indo, in the Adventuring Guild's main Head Quarters.
A petite Beast-woman sat at her desk going over the days reports. Being the head of the Adventuring Guild was not nearly as interesting a job as others had said it would be, but now she was the only one willing to even do the job. It helped that she was one of the few Expert ranked Heroes. Even that hadn't saved her from getting the life of a pencil pusher though. She hadn't seen any real action in over 40 years.
There was a knock at the door, she sighed as she put away another stack of papers. Save those for later. She thought ruefully.
"Come in." Her voice was coarse and smooth at the same time. A grating sound that would draw the listener in and keep their attention, no matter what the speaker was saying.
A tall Human with a muscle density that would put most Monsters to shame entered her Office, her eyes softened at the sight of an old friend.
"Brian, it's nice to see you. How's Karen?" She asked politely.
He cracked a smile, a rare thing for a man with his renown. "Liz, it's good to see you as well. She is doing good, thank you for asking."
His eyes hardened for a moment, "Guild Master, if it's alright with you, I have important news to deliver. Can we catch up afterwards?" He was always too straightforward for his own good, but even he wasn't foolish enough to blatantly disrespect the woman before him.
"Granted. Report." She said in way of response. She smiled inside though, not many talked to her with that level of familiarity anymore.
"In the South West quadrant of the Ilvan Forest we recieved reports of a new Dungeon. Its affinity is unverified, but assumed to be related to Nature. We have already recieved multiple requests from shopkeeps and Novices looking to move and set up a town as soon as possible."
There was a pause, and she saw him take a deep breath before he continued.
"I'd also like to request my immediate transfer to the town we will create around the Dungeon. If I recall correctly, this is the first Dungeon in over 40 years. We may not be likely to get another one for just as long, I would like to personally oversee its development." He finished with a bit of a huff. Despite his strength, he always felt a little nervous when he talked to Liz.
Liz, for her part, kept a straight face. She knew what he really stood to gain, she just had to be sure. "Answer my questions first."
"Of course." He replied instantly.
"You will need to take at least two Veterans with you, is this acceptable to you?" She needed to know she wouldn't be sending him in alone to handle a monumental task such as building a Dungeon Town.
"This is acceptable, and a welcome addition." He calmy answered.
"Good. Will you be brining Karen with you?" If he was going to uproot everything and leave his home of the past few decades, she needed to know he had his wife's permission. There were few people she trusted more than Karen.
"It was her idea." That settles that.
"Figures. You are going to try to complete your Quest?" Her last question was more of a statement, since they both knew the answer, but she needed to be sure anyways.
"Yes. I believe it will be there." Good enough.
"Permission granted, send a letter in every month with status reports. If anything urgent occurs inform me first." She listed off a few more commands. When all work was done she added one final piece of advice, "Don't let this one fall Brian, it's been 40 years since the last Dungeon, and I shudder at how long we may have to wait for another."
Another Dungeon has appeared in Bermin, after so long.
Finally
* * *
Deep in the heart of the Ilvan Forest.
Hidden away in a cave. long since buried by the passage of time, rocks trembled and trees shuddered with activity after centuries of silence.
Air is rushed in through the cracks of the stones blocking the entrance, then rushed out all at once. A few moments pass and a veritable storm of wind is sucked back through the rocks and moss, then released out.
Katoom!
The wind is picking up pace in the cave, rocks have begun shifting out of the entrance and falling away. With each stone turned over, light begins to seep into the dark recesses of the cave. Visibility is still minimal, but shadows play against the walls of the 50ft ceiling, shadows of a long forgotten myth.
Air is once more inhaled, and the shadows rise with it. Released again, and they fall. Golden-green energy rushes in through the Cave entrance, blasting away the rest of the dust and debris blocking the opening. A large cave mouth is revealed, large enough to fit a small village inside.
The interior is briefly lit up with the glow of the newly released Mana, and the form of one of the world's Great Beasts is revealed. Antlers towering over 40ft in the air, while the body slowly rises and falls with each breath. Fur the color of brushed silver acts as a shield against the Mana rushing into the cave. A single eye opens, revealing a bright green iris. The very Forest shudders as the Great Beast takes in light for the first time in over 300 years.
A voice the sound of shifting gravel speaks. "Finally."
Chapter 7 - Eye of Gold
Boss Room
25 Mana per Boss Room
Dig out a custom room for a specific Monster. Can have (1) per Floor. Cannot be relocated once placed.
Will did not want to waste any time when his Dungeon was vulnerable to the outside world, so he mentally slammed the Boss room button and watched as his Mana shot down from 30 to 5 in the blink of an eye.
The location he would place the Boss room was between his Alcove tunnel and the newly created tunnel he had between his Crawl room. In between the two was 50ft of stone he had left available for his Boss room. The moment he had chosen the Boss room option his vision was flooded and chimes began ringing out in his head.
Congratulations! With the addition of a Boss Room, the Crawl has now created its first official floor. In order to build the final room, please select a Monster to be the First Floor Boss.
Dungeon Boss
The leaders of the Dungeon Monsters, they are the strongest Monsters available for Adventurers to fight. There may only be (1) Boss per Floor.
Evolve a Dungeon Monster
25 MP
Choose a previously created Monster within the Dungeon and elevate it to become a Boss. To choose this option, locate a Monster and name them.
Imbued Lynx
25 MP
A large feline, gifted with incredible speed and unnatural cunning.
As an Imbued Beast, the Monster is granted a slight affinity related to its Dungeon. (Earth, Water, Air) May only have (1) affinity, affinities are chosen at random.
Greater Dungeon Serpent
25 MP
An enhanced version of the Lesser Dungeon Serpent. It is an expert at camouflage and possesses an extremely potent toxin.
Imbued Bear
25 MP
Native to the Ilvan Forest, this bear towers over any man and possesses unnatural strength.
&nb
sp; As an Imbued Beast, the Monster is granted a slight affinity related to its Dungeon. (Earth, Water, Air) May only have (1) affinity, affinities are chosen at random.