“I can well imagine the difficulty of that decision, but it wasn’t your fault what happened to her – nor to the Core that was destroyed along with her Mentor. You had no way of knowing exactly what would happen, and it turned to be a boon to us in managing quite a few recalcitrant Dungeon Cores.”
“I suppose that’s true. However, that just means that we’re no closer to knowing why all of this—” Lapis waved his hand at the map— “is happening. I suppose we can try to contact more of the Dungeon Assistants that survived and see what they have to say?” He didn’t seem too confident about it, but the Council leader didn’t see any harm in it. Besides, the Head Instructor knew every Dungeon Assistant on a first-name basis – mainly because he had helped to teach many of them over the years – and he might be able to pick out some information that Lily and the others may have missed.
As he let Lapis know where to find information about those that had survived, Malachite flew over the map and looked down at the world filled with little lights indicating Dungeon Cores. It was a little sparse compared to how he remembered it looking a little over a year ago. There were a half-dozen new Dungeon Cores that had sprung up here and there as the ones that were destroyed (either from Tacca’s handiwork or through this mysterious cause) were replaced with new Cores.
In normal times, the destruction of a dungeon might happen once a year or even every other year, and the replacement would easily slide into place without upsetting the balance more than a nudge here and there. With the destruction of so many Cores lately, even if it stopped now, it was going to take decades to bring everything back into balance. Thinking of that, he glanced up at the Balance Bar floating above the map. Though, maybe not that long for the balance; to get back to normal numbers of Dungeon Cores will take decades, however.
Malachite wished he knew why the world wasn’t spiraling out of control with the disparity of primordial force – not that he was complaining. Some of their most powerful dungeons had been destroyed lately, which was normally something to be extremely worried about when it came to the Balance. It should’ve tipped the Bar down to worrisome levels towards the different races living on Gairth, but then he figured that the annihilation of the Conclave of Sages tipped it back up. A little bit, at least. He thought that it certainly helped, but for some reason it seemed like something – not of his making – was helping to maintain the balance. Regardless, the result meant that they weren’t in danger right now of the world being ripped apart, but if this year was anything like the last one, the world might not be around to see another one.
If such a thing appeared destined to happen, he would initiate Defense Protocol 1 – complete dimensional evacuation. There was a fallback position in one of the other dimensions they periodically did business with, ever since they had arranged to provide a few Dungeon Fairies every now and then for their dungeons. It was a completely different branch from the DPRC, however, and Malachite rarely Translocated there – mainly because the Dungeon Fairies from different dimensions liked to stay autonomous and didn’t appreciate too much interference. Providing a little help when it was needed wasn’t out of the question though, and the Council leader briefly thought about asking for help.
He quickly shook his head at his own thoughts as he dismissed it. It might be selfish, but if another dimension came to me and had the same problems we’re having, I’d most likely cut off all ties before whatever was happening there spread to my own dimension. Malachite couldn’t and wouldn’t blame them, either; he was responsible for his own people first.
What do I do? Lily and the other Council members…where are they? He didn’t have any answer as he looked down, just as a relatively dim light on the eastern coast of Abenlure started to flash rapidly, before fading out altogether a few minutes later.
Chapter 23
It was amazing how much of a difference an additional 10 Dungeon Force per minute could make. Tacca was not only able to do everything she needed to in her upper dungeon – including rearranging the Spike Pit traps once a day – but also to make some progress on her new section down below. She still wasn’t nearly done yet with construction, as her plans were a bit ambitious, but she finished at least twice as much as the month before. Not only that, but it was really starting to take shape, and she could envision what it would look like when it was finished. She was fortunate that the mountain range in which she was located was so large, because it afforded her the opportunity to really spread out and do what she wanted without being restricted by available space.
As for the 4 rooms she started building the month before, she expanded those so that they were even larger. The one closest to her new Core Room, far down below, was the largest by far. It was 500 feet long and 250 feet wide, and the roof of the room was another 500 feet tall; at the moment, it was basically just a vast empty cavern, but she had plans to fill it later once she unlocked her new Mountain Environment.
The other three were smaller in size, with the one closest to the surface being half the size of the massive cavern. The other two were smaller than even that one, maybe only 100 feet square on each side, and they were located in between the others and separated by a simple tunnel. When those were finished, Tacca started to create additional rooms that branched out from the uppermost room to the left and right. Each of these were 150 feet long on each side, which were still huge compared to the rooms she had made previously for her easier dungeon – and she wasn’t even done yet.
Branching off from these 2 rooms were tunnels leading off to the left or right (respectively) and further down. These tunnels led to 4 more rooms, which were a little smaller at 100 feet long, wide, and tall. She now had 4 main rooms in a “corridor” of sorts that essentially progressed straight down, 2 rooms that branched from the uppermost room on each side, and one that was connected below the first room constructed next to the main corridor.
She still wasn’t done with what she had planned, but by the time the month was up, she was happy with her results. At least, she was happy with her construction results; as far as her accumulation of CIPs, she just barely acquired enough to Level up to Core Improvement Level 12 – and that was even considering that she had already banked some from the month before.
Congratulations, Tacca GloomLily!
You have reached Core Improvement Level: 12
Current CIP Countdown: 12/2300 in 30 days
Core Improvement Points earned: 2000 (2100)
Special Characteristic Points earned: 25 (50)
The reason for this was a dramatic drop in Raider deaths; it was almost as if daring to think about the possibility of it happening had somehow jinxed her and her luck came back to bite her. In total, only 1 Raider had died, and that was due to the Healer’s stupidity of rushing into the Boss room to fight by himself before the others were anywhere ready. Even then, dumb luck managed to save him from being mauled on a half-dozen occasions, as bites ended up snapping short of his skin, or from a Mastiff Dog stumbling and tripping up two Frond Coyotes; but sometimes even luck can’t win out against a force of Canines that outnumbered a Raider at least 15-to-1.
If she hadn’t been constructing such large rooms down below, she probably wouldn’t have made it to her goal of 2,000 CIPs. She needed to cheat a little and use her new Control Limit to produce more creatures to get her over the total, which were presently lined up in her current Core Room. They were a mixture of Root Foxes and Burrowing Mongooses, which were like small, long, slim cats in general shape, but were as unalike as a fox and a wolf. They only cost 1 point towards the Control Limit, however, and they fit in her Core room better than having only 100 Root Foxes.
With all of that, she managed to make her goal by 12 CIPs, which were all she was able to bank for the next month. Unless something happened to increase Raider deaths, there was a distinct possibility that she wouldn’t be able to Level-up in 30 days.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t happy about spending some of those Points she earned.
Core
Improvements
Available Core Improvement Points (CIP)
2100
12 in 30 days
Improvement Name
Value
Cost (CIP)
Maximum Dungeon Force Increase
+500 DF
500
Dungeon Force Regeneration Increase
+10 DF per minute
1000
Control Limit Increase
+100
800
Select Additional Creature
1
400
Select Additional Creature Variant
1
25
Select Additional Trap Specialization
1
600
Select Additional Environment Access
1
400
Reward Tier Increase
1
400
Convert CIPs to SCPs
1 SCP
12
“So, obviously you need to get the new Mountain Environment for 400 like you planned, and you said you were going to get those Gnolls, but what are you using the other 1,300 Points on?” Shale asked, curious. Tacca thought that at least one of the answers was obvious, though they hadn’t really talked about what she was going to do after she acquired those two things.
Well, I was thinking that I should increase my Control Limit again, because I’m going to need more than 100 for my new section. If I get the chance, I’ll probably have to up it a few more times in the future, too, just so that I have plenty to work with.
“Good idea – that’s what I was thinking, too. A good guide to go by would be to double what you used on the previous section, because it should be twice as difficult for the Raiders—but you know that already, I’m sure.”
She did, which was why it had been the obvious solution. She ended up using just under 200 of her Control Limit for her easy dungeon, so the next should be at least 400, she was thinking. More if she could swing it, and if that wouldn’t make the dungeon too difficult.
I do, but it’s good to have that backed up by another. As for my last 500 Points…I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I think I want to raise my maximum DF up by 500.
Now he looked confused. “But why? I thought you said you couldn’t spend your Dungeon Force past a certain amount all at once, or it would start to crack your Core. You’re rarely that full, anyway, since you spend most of your DF before it can accumulate to more than what you need at the moment. Wouldn’t it be better to pick something else, or even save it for your next opportunity to Level up?”
You’re right about not being able to spend large amounts, but I have a feeling that it will help in other ways. When I’ve added to my Dungeon Force before, I think it helped me with my trap limit problem by easing the pressure of having so many. I don’t know if that was indeed what helped, but if I’m going to be able to put any traps in this new section, I’ll have to eliminate some of what I’ve placed to help defend my Core. I’d rather not have to do that, but if this doesn’t work, I’ll do it.
Shale just shrugged, not knowing what else to say. Tacca’s situation was unique enough that no other Dungeon Cores suffered from her issues with cracking, so it was a bit of a shot in the dark. Therefore, before she purchased anything else using her CIPs, Tacca used 500 of them to add an additional 500 DF to her maximum and confirmed her selection.
Almost immediately, the strain on her Core that was coming from the sheer number of traps she had placed around her dungeon, eased. It was different from the “weight” being lifted when she got rid of her negative Characteristics; that was more of an internal lessening of restrictions, while this was more of a pressure against her entire Core that faded away. She could sense that it would come back if she went overboard on the quantity of traps she placed again, but she also thought that she now had enough leeway to place enough in her new section to finish it off.
It worked! I think that’s the key: The more Dungeon Force I can “hold”, the more traps I can place. I still don’t think I can use anywhere near my maximum DF all at once, unfortunately, but perhaps I can attempt to use a little more than what my limit was before.
“It makes sense, I guess. Alright, now I’m eager to see your other purchases.”
At his prodding, Tacca purchased her Control Limit increase, which now put it at 400, and then bought Mountain Environment Access.
Mountain – Environmental Access
The Mountain Environment allows the custom creation of basic and advanced rocks, gemstones, ores, and other minerals in different varieties and densities. Additionally, any Environmental Objects created will be automatically restored if broken or shattered.
Access Costs:
Rock (Basic): 1 DF per cubic yard
Rock (Advanced): 3 DF per cubic yard
Ore (Basic): 10 DF per cubic foot
Ore (Advanced): 50 DF per cubic foot
Gemstone (Basic): 50 DF per cubic foot
Gemstone (Advanced): 100 DF per cubic foot
Mineral (Basic): 10 DF per cubic foot
Mineral (Advanced): 10 DF per cubic foot
The Mountain-based Environmental Objects weren’t very popular for either Dungeon Cores or Raiders, mainly because Cores were instructed not to use what was provided except the most basic or advanced Rock. The reasoning behind this was that Cores could actually create veins or deposits of metal ores, including copper, iron, silver, and gold; not only that, but they could also place any number of precious or semi-precious gemstones, such as amethyst, rubies, emeralds, and even diamonds. The use of these was essentially forbidden, however, for a few fairly obvious reasons.
One, the Raiders could obtain these ores or stones and bring them out from the dungeon; doing this would not only ruin the local economy, but would then make many of the nearby dungeons obsolete. One of the main reasons people delved through dungeons – though not the main reason, which was to get stronger – was to acquire rewards for killing creatures; if a dungeon was providing 100 times the rewards for only a portion of the work, then there would be no reason to visit the other dungeons in the area. Obviously, this would stagnate their growth, which was a big no-no. Dungeon Cores, while not actually expected to work with or promote each other, shouldn’t do anything to actively hinder their peers’ development, either.
The second, and the most important reason to Dungeon Assistants and Dungeon Cores alike, was that the greed from those taking advantage of acquiring these ores and precious stones could be deadly. Just like Darlene had been destroyed after hoarding so many rewards in her Core Room, Cores in the past had ended up being destroyed when Raiders – in their greed – became angry when they already took all of the riches from the walls and couldn’t find any more. To prevent anyone else from acquiring the same as they had, they would shatter the Dungeon Core before they left.
Overall, not a good situation.
Tacca wasn’t planning on challenging those rules, because that would be deliberately flirting with danger – which she certainly didn’t need. That didn’t mean that she wouldn’t add some…accents…here and there that couldn’t be removed, however.
The main reason she wanted access to the Mountain Environment wasn’t for that, anyway. No, it was to be able to creatively shape rock and basic stone into whatever she could think of. Before this, what she had access to create was a basic gray stone, suitable for lining the walls of her dungeon and creating blocks to trap pesky Raiders that wanted to kill her. The caveat with that stone was that she was very limited in what she could actually build and construct with it; lining the walls of a room or creating any size blocks was just about it.
The most stretching of that limitation that she had been able to achieve was when she used the floor of her old Core Room to cover her Fairy body, but that was basically just an extension of the floor over an inanimate object. While it was possible to abuse the limitations in a way to create some interesting designs, such as when one of h
er failed Core Bondings had made some strangely uniform decorations, that took a lot of work and it wasn’t as custom as it could be.
With her new Mountain Environment, though, she was basically only limited by her imagination and available Dungeon Force. She was planning on using as inspiration her outer locale to decorate her dungeon and create some unique scenarios that the Raiders would have to navigate their way through. That, and her creatures could use the rocky and mountainous terrain to their advantage.
Thinking of creatures, now that she had access to the Mountain Environment, it was time to unlock the Gnoll so that she could see if it would mesh well with her Echoing Hyena. She used the last of her available Core Improvement Points – all 400 of them – to select another creature. The menu appeared before her and she immediately picked the Bipedal Category, skipped past the Fae and Goblinoid options and selected Semi-humans. Once in there, she found Gnoll and…she hesitated before selecting it.
Wait.
“What’s wrong?” Shale asked at her hesitation.
I…can’t believe I didn’t even think this through.
“You’re…changing your mind about the Gnoll?”
If Tacca still had a hand and a head, she would’ve slapped her forehead. She had been so focused on Gnoll, Gnoll, Gnoll and her previous plans for the creature that she didn’t even think of the opportunity she was missing.
No, not exactly. I just forgot that I’m not limited to a single Variant any more. Actually, I was more than conscious of it because I was excited that I would have every Gnoll Variant available.
The Dungeon Fairy: Two Choices: A Dungeon Core Escapade (The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Book 2) Page 26