The wolf pack continued to explore the area ahead. So far, they had not encountered any hostilities from the other living animals on the mountain.
Suddenly, something cast a large shadow over the group. When they looked up, they saw a large animal--a griffon! With its large hawk-like wings and the body of a lion, the griffon flew with majestic grace. Suddenly, the griffon dove for the group!
Markos immediately used Earth Work to form a dome of stone. It appeared not a moment too soon because the griffon slammed into it a second later. BOOM!
The griffon cawed in anger. It clawed at the dome with its sharp talons but the stone proved to be too thick to break through.
Markos created a small hole in the dome. Using Fire Work, he created a small flare and threw it at the griffon's chest.
The griffon cawed again and immediately returned to the air. The dark brown feathers on its chest had turned black due to the unexpected retaliation.
Markos released the dome and dared the griffon to dive again.
The griffon refused to take the bait. Instead, the beast circled overhead.
The dungeon core ordered his Earth Elemental minion to keep its eye on the flier. Then he continued climbing the mountain. After an hour, he finally reached the mountaintop and discovered why the griffon refused to leave them alone: it was protecting its nest. The nest was located near the peak of the mountain but placed in a spot which was protected from the howling wind. Markos also heard chirping sound coming from the nest.
Understanding the situation now, the dungeon core kept a safe distance away from the nest. He walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked down. He saw that the Yellow Sky's old territory was located to the southwest. "Deet, come over here," he beckoned.
When the ogress stood next to Sibalt, he pointed down. "That's your old territory. We're going to build a fortress right here on this side of the mountaintop. The fortress will overlook your old territory as promised," Markos noted.
The ogresses bowed deeply in unison. They were afraid that the master was saying whatever it took to get them to abandon their old ancestral home. Now, the clan saw that this human was truly a man of his word and this motivated them to work harder to obey their master.
"Fast Runner!" Markos called out.
A few seconds later, the leader of the wolf pack appeared.
"I want to make a peace offering to the griffons and show that we intend no harm to their young ones. Can you catch some game and bring them here? I would like to leave it under their nest," the dungeon core explained.
Fast Runner barked and her wolf pack took off for a hunt.
While the wolf pack hunted for the peace offering, Markos focused on remaking the landscape and adapting it to his needs. Taking tremendous care to ensure the griffon nest was undisturbed, the dungeon core created a high guard tower and reinforced the ground it was built on. Using the guard tower as the pillar, he created two long walls attached to the tower. The other ends of the walls attached to the mountain; this was necessary to avoid disturbing the nest.
Markos created two floors inside the triangular-shaped fortress and reinforced the structure to ensure that the oversized ogresses could stand on the upper floor without it collapsing under their combined weight. He also created staircases and widened them to ensure that his oversized minions could pass through. Next, he created barricades on the rooftop for defenders to hide behind. He created bins near the barricades and stocked the bins with large stones and boulders for the ogresses to throw at invaders on the ground and in the air. For the entrance, he created an iron door with reinforced hinges.
It took over an hour to reshape the earth and build the fortress. When Markos was done, the wolf pack returned with several deer.
"Deet, please place the deer directly under the nest," Markos requested.
The ogress quickly complied.
By this time, the two griffon parents had returned to the nest. They were looking down on Markos and his companions. Once Deet backed away, the larger griffon flew off the nest and landed on the ground. It sniffed at the deer and started ripping the carcass with its talons. It took a bite to test for poison but found none. The griffon turned around and slowly walked over to Sibalt.
The dungeon core tried to hide his excitement. He was not at all concerned that the creature would attack his assimilated being. It was obviously highly intelligent and Markos wanted to show that his intentions were peaceful.
The ogresses and the wolves became nervous when the griffon was very close to Sibalt.
"Stay where you are," the master ordered.
The griffon's large eyes stared at him. The irises were black against yellow sclera. Its sharp yellow beak drew close to his face and sniffed at him.
Markos decided to activate his Befriend creature ability.
The creature rubbed its forehead, covered with soft white feathers, against his. Yes.
"Befriended: Clear Eyes, Level 12." Thank you.
Clear Eyes backed away from the human avatar and turned around. It grabbed the deer's carcass with its talons and returned to the nest.
Markos let loose the deep breath he was holding.
Deet patted him gently on the back. "Powerful."
The dungeon core nodded. "Indeed, we are fortunate that the mother griffon agreed to be our ally." He looked up at the nest again. He could hear the howling wind periodically on the other side of the mountain peak. Suddenly, he had an idea! He used the Split core ability to create three secondary cores and transferred 1,000 Health and Mana to each.
Jessica immediately appeared before the primary core. "Um, master! What are you doing?" she asked nervously.
Just watch. The dungeon master created a tunnel leading to the underground water stream and tapped into the geothermal vent to expel a secondary core through the tunnel. Once the core arrived in the stream, Markos quickly created a steel cage to encase the core at the bottom of the stream. Then, he resealed the opening and collapsed the tunnel. He immediately received access to the water elemental energy from the moving stream.
Next, Markos did the same thing with the magma chamber deep below ground. This time, though, he took much longer to study the magma flow and decide where to leave the secondary core. Finally, he settled on a section which had cooled and hardened and left the core encased in the molten rocks. He immediately felt the burning energy of the fire element through the secondary core.
Finally, Markos created a long tunnel through the mountain above his dungeon. He took great care to avoid the caverns, caves, and chambers of the Bulddinger Clan. Tapping into the geothermal vent again, he dropped the remaining secondary core into the tunnel and transported it to the top of the mountain. He settled the secondary core in a cage on the opposite side of the mountain peak away from the griffin nest. The wind immediately blew over the exposed secondary core and granted air elemental energy to Markos.
Suddenly, a message appeared: "Evolved: Stage 3." Yes!
Chapter 19
Stage 3
Jessica immediately appeared before the primary core. She was dressed in a cheerleader outfit and holding pom-poms. "Congratulations!" The faery started jumping up and down.
The dungeon core pulled up his UI and reviewed his current status:
Name: Markos Turloch
Class: Dungeon Core (Evolved),
Stage 3 (Infernal)
Helper: Jessica, Dungeon Faery
Health: 30,500/30,500
Mana: 30,500/30,500
Domain: 9.3 square miles, 5.2 units available
Minions: 11/80
Assimilated: Sibalt (Human Herbalist, Level 3,
10,000 Health, 10,000 Mana),
Yozka (Human Witch, Level 15,
2,000 Health, 2,000 Mana),
Allies: 6 (Giant Nematode, Level 6),
(Giant Queen Ant, Level 10)
(Deet, Level 8)
(Fast Runner, Level 7)
(Iyelda Nowrins Galgot, Level 20)
(Clear Eyes, Lev
el 12)
Keeper Abilities: Convert raw materials,
Create walls, Befriend creatures,
Create traps, Create minions,
Analyze, Heal others,
Earth affinity (Godly),
Fire affinity (Supreme),
Hivemind (17/80), Split core (6),
Transfer stats, Reset dungeon,
Create minor objects, Replicate,
Create major objects,
Supreme summoning,
Water affinity (Supreme),
Air affinity (Primary), Assimilate,
Dark affinity (Primary)
Wow! Markos expected the 10,000 points increase in combined Health and Mana but the new ability was a total surprise: Dark affinity. Jessica, what can I do with Dark affinity?
The helper stopped moving and tilted her head for a moment. Finally, she retrieved the information from the database. "Dark affinity is mastery over death. You could raise the dead and use them in your dungeon," she answered.
Second question. I see that I got some advancement in my existing abilities, particularly over the elements. What's the difference between "Godly" and "Supreme" and "Primary?"
Jessica smiled. "Let's backtrack for a moment. The ranks in affinity from the lowest to highest are as follows: Basic, Secondary, Primary, Supreme, and Godly."
So in other words, I received upgrades in my affinities?
"Correct," she smiled.
How?
"You placed your dungeon cores in areas with high concentrations of the four elements and you're able to access those elemental energies," she explained. "It's what triggered your evolution to the next stage and allowed you to gain access to the Dark affinity."
So the next ability to unlock when I evolve again will be the Light affinity?
"Looks like it!" Jessica confirmed. "That gives you power over life itself and allows you to resurrect the dead."
Markos thought for a moment. Since my evolution required access to the elements, I should place better guardians for my secondary cores.
The helper nodded. "You definitely should. Your summoning ability has also upgraded. This means you could summon higher level minions."
Then I should summon Godly Elementals to guard each core?
Jessica shook her head. "I'm sorry. Your ability to summon elementals are limited to your affinity. That means, for example, you can summon up to a Major Air Elemental since a major elemental corresponds to the primary rank of affinity. The "Supreme" in the summoning refers to the highest type of minion you could potentially summon. But that doesn't mean you could summon the same category of minion across all affinities. Sorry for the confusion," she apologized and bowed deeply.
Nah. It's my fault for being confused. But it's fine. If I can only summon Major Air Elementals, then I just need to put the emphasis on quantity over quality. Okay. Let's summon four Major Air Elementals to stay hidden in front of the secondary core on the mountain peak. They will only appear if someone tries to remove the core.
"Aye-aye, master!" the faery saluted and immediately carried out the dungeon master's order.
Next, I want two Major Fire Elementals to protect the core in the magma chamber and two Major Water Elementals in the underground stream. Finally, I want one Supreme Earth Elemental to protect my primary core.
"Yes, master!" the helper replied and started creating the elementals.
Since the UI was still on display, the dungeon core was able to confirm that 9 more minions were added to the list. He now had 20 minions. That was out of a potential total of 80 minions he could have.
Markos marveled at the change in his life in a mere four months or so. He started his life in this world of Enwald as a large diamond buried deep underground. With only a ghost for a companion, he was forced to dig and convert the material to slowly increase his dungeon level and gain power. Now, he was basically the boss of his own company with 20 mindless robots working for him.
Furthermore, whenever Sibalt descends the mountain and reaches the Bulddinger Clan's territory, Markos will be married. For the first time ever. To a dwarven girl of all things. The former bachelor could never imagine the possibility of marriage, even if it was just a political marriage. A part of Markos Turloch wanted to keep Sibalt in the fortress and avoid the marriage.
But the Hivemind intervened. Sibalt the individual was intrigued by the notion of being married. He could not wait to consummate it, either.
Surprisingly, Yozka was equally encouraging of the notion. She had a first love back in her old town but her status as a witch made her beloved turn on her. Yozka wanted Sibalt to experience marriage and then she will, in turn, experience it vicariously through her link to the Hivemind.
Seeing that he was outvoted, Markos reluctantly agreed to depart the fortress. Fine. You guys win.
The male avatar of Markos clapped his hands to draw the attention of the ogresses. "Okay, it's time for me to head down to the Bulddinger Clan's territory. This fortress belongs to the Yellow Sky Clan. I hope you will take good care of it. I will leave a Supreme Earth Elemental here to guard the fortress. There are also a few Major Air Elementals above us. I will continue my journey and visit the human villages and towns to spread the word about my new dungeon. I want the wolf pack to travel with me on the road as well," he ordered.
"Master, can I come with you?" Deet asked.
"I'm sorry. If the villagers see me traveling with an ogress, they will distrust me. The wolves could hide easily if there are humans nearby. You can't due to your large size," the dungeon core explained slowly.
The ogress stomped her foot angrily at the rejection. But Deet couldn't disobey her master. Instead, she entered the fortress and slammed the door shut behind her.
Markos chuckled at the minor temper tantrum. It was good to know that Deet was willing to express her disagreement with him. He turned to face the portion of the mountain adjacent to the fortress. He closed his eyes and summoned a Supreme Earth Elemental. Since there was a plentiful amount of earth in the environment, it was very easy to summon the creature. When he opened his eyes, Markos saw an elemental that stood four stories tall. It was taller than his fortress!
His followers were amazed and awed by the power of their master!
The summoner ordered the minion to turn into a large boulder and placed it between the trail and the fortress. In doing so, any hostile forces will have to deal with the hidden elemental before they could even reach the fortress.
Sibalt and Yozka traded glances. It was time to leave. They started descending the mountain with the humanoid Earth Elemental following them. As the trio walked down the mountain trail, Markos panicked when the borrowed body slipped and almost fell. Yet, Sibalt was able to retain control of his body; he continued walking down the trail until the group reached the territory of the Bulddinger Clan.
The dwarves again blocked his path. Additionally, there were more of them than before.
Markos read the life energies of the crowd and discovered there were 58 dwarves gathered before him. Frankly, he was surprised there were that many dwarves living within the mountain!
Suddenly, the dwarves parted before him, creating a path for Iyelda and another dwarfess to approach. This time, the clan leader was dressed in a fine, golden robe decorated with gemstones. The young looking dwarfess behind her was dressed in a red colored robe. She wore a tiara on her head with a large diamond over her forehead. "Welcome back, Master Turloch. This is my granddaughter, Alethea Nowrins Galgot. I choose her to be your wife," she announced.
The young dwarfess stepped forward. She was only four feet tall with a petite build, unlike the other dwarves in the crowd who had thick builds of warriors. However, her large chest bulged through the dress. Her dark brown eyes were steady and confident. Her skin was smooth and clear. She smiled at Sibalt and knelt on the ground. "Greetings. I am Alethea Nowrins Galgot, the Apprentice Earth Singer of the Bulddinger Clan. If you accept me as your wife, I will pledge my love and respect to you f
or the rest of my natural life."
Markos was torn. He did NOT expect a teenager to be chosen as his bride. But then again, she WAS the clan leader's granddaughter. If he rejected her, Iyelda could declare war against him and his fortress. "Um, you look a bit young. How old are you?" he asked.
"I am, indeed, young. I'm 55. We dwarves usually live to 250," she explained.
Ack! She's almost twice the age of the old me! Markos felt mirth from Sibalt and Yozka through the Hivemind. Since she was 55 years old, he could not reject Alethea even though she looked so young. Markos willed his male avatar to approach her and offered her his hand. "Please rise. I will accept you as my wife," he announced.
When she took his hand, the strength she used almost pulled him off his feet.
"Whoa!" he blurted out to laughter from the dwarves. "You're stronger than you look," he admitted. When Markos tried to release her hand, she held him tight.
Iyelda stood in front of the couple. "The Bulddinger Clan believes that moderation leads to a healthy and long life. This belief extends to our marriage customs. We only ask that you exchange marriage vows before the clan and then exchange an item made of earth and stone." The elder nodded to her granddaughter.
"I, Alethea Nowrins Galgot, publicly acknowledge the merged being known as Markos Turloch and Sibalt as my husband to love and respect for the rest of my life."
"I, Markos Turloch and Sibalt, publicly acknowledge Alethea Nowrins Galgot as my wife to love and respect for the rest of my life."
The Earth Singer concentrated and created a silver-white ring made of rhodium. She put the ring on his middle finger of his left hand.
Markos had observed the Earth Work performed by his soon-to-be-wife carefully. He was able to make the exact same ring easily. Then he placed the ring on her finger.
Alethea looked up at him and smiled. She concentrated again and invoked the earth to create a platform under her feet. She rose off the ground until she was eye-to-eye with him. Without hesitation, she grabbed the back of his head and kissed him full on the lips. Her tongue darted through his open mouth and roamed freely.
CONQUEST: The Dungeon Core Gambit Book One Page 9