The Tower in the Shadows

“Well, now I know how Adventurers will handle my Dungeon.”

My sight is focused on the main entrance room. The Adventure group has just left and at least had the presence of mind to close the doors. I ignored the notifications for the moment, thinking about what had happened and there was quite a bit.

My Dungeon is resetting with all the monsters respawning and traps rearming. The bodies were dissolving into motes of different colour lights before respawning. It takes only a few minutes before everything is as it was. It was time to review what had happened.

Larry scampered back to his favourite spot in the rafters and Puck came out of the tunnels I had created to allow him to move around. It flew around the third floor, watching the boars as they appeared. It seemed very interested in all that was going on.

“Any thoughts, Larry?”

I asked, knowing there would be no answer. He just looked at the door and was a bit apprehensive. He was getting more upset every time he was disturbed. He was becoming lazy these days.

“They were a Copper grade group. They spoke of Tin and Iron grade adventures flocking here. Is copper the next grade on the development ladder? I wonder what is the full ranking system with criteria for the grade?”

Questions now were flooding my mind. It was easy for me to go back through my memories of the group's time in my Dungeon and review everything they said and did. I started at the point they entered.

“It seems my trusty wine trap is no longer the threat it was.”

That simple bottle of wine was one of the leading killers in my Dungeon. I had to admit to myself that it had a soft spot in my heart. It was sneaky and deadly; I was loathed to get rid of it, but I had to be practical.

“Leave the bottle, but get rid of the coins. Yes, that is what we will do.”

That was the option I was happy with. I just did not want to get rid of the bottle. It was an easy means to kill the arrogant and foolish.

“Right now, about you, Larry.”

He perked up, knowing I was focused on him. They had spotted him, but the flap up there allowed him to escape. The other flaps had allowed him to avoid the Adventures as they explored the surface structure. I should have moved him from here, but again, that was his spot and he hated moving.

“I will leave you for the moment. But that might change!”

I got the sense of him being relieved and he hunkered down. I left him for the moment and continued the review.

This took me to the first floor.

“They steamrollered through this floor. Only the guardian even came close to giving them any trouble. The pitfall traps gave them pause.”

The wasps were taken apart with almost laughable ease. Their “rogue”, Kimor, had taken her time spotting them, and the Dungeon's exploration seemed to tax her more as it went on.

“Was she using a skill of some kind?”

So many questions! Carrying on.

“The floor guardian's speed worked for it and I got a good quality arrow out of it.”

That was the highlight of the group crossing the floor. It had dodged several attacks but was finished by the group’s “tank” Tobor. His mace was glowing when he hit it and the blow emptied the health bar of the guardian. That was the first overt use of either magic or a skill I had seen the group use. I did not count the lanterns.

The stairwell had not been as confusing as I had hoped and they quickly realised the trap that it was in itself. The one called Woodland and the group leader, Gran, quickly grasped the danger others would face due to arrogance or pride.

“Would they warn others or let them descend without telling them?”

Another question I could not answer yet. The second floor was more challenging due to the water than the toads. They pushed past them with no issue. Even the floor guardian was taken down with little in the way of concern.

“The flowers were a good addition.”

They seemed happy they were there and I think the flowers will be picked when they establish whatever community out there to support Adventuring groups.

“Yes. It is only a matter of time before more people arrive. My existence demands some form of support structure to be established.”

It could be a small community to start, which I suspect will appear. Later, who knows?

“Ah, but things got kinky when they hit the third floor!”

…………….

“Did I actually say “kinky”? Now I know I am losing it! Back to the review! Concentrate!”

The boars provided them with some challenges. The first and second rooms pushed them initially—the first boar by surprise and the second by numbers. The later rooms were more manageable as they adapted to the boars.

“The floor guardian did push them hard.”

The boar had hammered into them, knocking Tobar and Gran down. His greater strength and endurance of the guardian had helped it endure the Adventurer's attacks, but it had been overwhelmed in the end. During the fight, I realised something important.

“I am conflating Shadow abilities with Darkness ones. To maximise Shadow abilities, I need to supply shadows, not darkness!”

Should I re-plan the floor or the guardian room? I am wasting one of the guardian's most potent abilities as the space is now. I spent some time in thought but decided to leave things as they were. The next floor; however, I will need to consider this.

That left two things that had been brought to my attention during the Adventure’s exploration. First, my Limitless Monsters/Traps perk is something they have never encountered before. The mixture of monster types had confused them, but they worked through it. It seems that a dungeon typically has monsters based on its affinity. They can develop others later but are always linked to the primary one.

“As I have no affinity, how will the “Guild” react?”

The other thing is that my plan to hide my Core worked. Moving the Dungeons essence around using air currents obfuscated my location and made my Dungeon a bit drafty.

“It seems they expected to find my Core. Is this going to cause more problems in the future? They also mention maybe trying to contact the Dungeon Fairy. There is so much to unpack from that by itself.”

There are so many questions with no answers. There was nothing else to do but wait and try to find the answers. Oh, and read my notifications.

“Let's see. Adventurers arrive. Adventures triggering traps. Fighting. Adventures leave…. Essence gain?”

I called up my character sheet and found a 10% bump in my essence total to the next level.

“Right, the wiki said; making Adventurers use their skills and magic will slowly increase my essence total. Another avenue to level up I can use.”

## ## ## ## ##

Assessor Woodland was happy to be free of the Dungeon. As a member of the Guild, she needed to know what it was like in them, but she never liked to be in them. The day had progressed and the area was in the shadow of a mountain, but still, it was better than the darkness they had been in.

She had come to one conclusion early on that had been only confirmed. She had never seen any record of a Dungeon like this one. A headache was building behind her eyes at the mere thought of the report she would have to submit and the ramifications, let alone what would happen when word got out.

She saw Ranus Goldwind was waiting for them, sitting on the ground with an older man by a fire. She walked towards them, followed by Gran and his team. The two men stood and faced them, looking at their condition. They were all tired and battered, with Gran and Nilus covered in mud.

“Assessor Woodland.”

“Trader Goldwind.”

“Your appearance, I think, answers my question, but your opinion, is it a Dungeon?”

“Yes, Trader Goldwind, it is a Dungeon, the first new one recorded on the continent of Kyber since the Folly.”

The young man closed his eyes at her answer and a smile of joy came to his mouth. Opening them after a deep breath, he spoke something she should have expected but was still surprised at. He had done his research.

“I, Ranus Goldwind of the family Goldwind of the Nascan City States by Right of Discovery, claim my due as decreed by the Gods and the Guilds.”

Well that was going to put the cat amongst the pigeons she knew.

“I, Elian Woodland of the Adventures Guild, hear and recognise your claim of the rights of Discovery of a new Dungeon. As the Gods have decreed, it will be added to my report to the Guilds.”

Ranus nods at her words. She wonders if he truly understood what he had done. The others, from their reactions, did not.

“So, Lord Ranus, what will you call this valley and the community that will be established here?”

Surprised looks were on all but Ranus and her faces; they finally understood what had happened. Ranus Goldwind was now the owner of this valley by divine law and would receive all the rights and privileges that come with it.

“The valley and the community will be called Shadow Vale.”

She nodded another thing for the report.

“I have started construction on the other rise.”

He turned, swinging his arm in a flourish. Across the floodplain, she could see his crew members felling trees and clearing a space in the forest.

“I have moved your chests to there. We will have tents up before nightfall. A watch has been arranged.”

“Thank you. I need to clean up and write my report.”

The fire was put out and they crossed the floodplain to the new camp being formed. Woodland oversaw the setting up of her tent. Inside, there was a sleeping bag and her travel chest. She sat cross-legged on the bag and pulled out the floor diagrams and notes she had created.

“What are you?”

She whispered to herself. The diagrams showed an unusual layout for a Dungeon—the free access to the floors and the different affinity types of monsters on each floor. She tutted as she pulled a scroll case from the chest after unlocking it with her mana. Opening the scroll case, she pulled the magic-infused vellum and prepared herself to write her report.

With her quill, she started to write. The report covered the arrival to the surface building. She went through everything the group assigned to her did and encountered. She detailed the Dungeon's oddities and downright strange things that should not be present but are.

The report went on and every paragraph she wrote vanished into the page. She was detailing the group's inability to find the Core room, even with her help. She stopped there and wondered how the Guild's leaders would interpret even the smallest amount of what she had written. Thinking about this, she snickered and wondered if they would recall her to check her mental state. Ending with Ranus Goldwind’s claim of the Right of Discovery.

Leaning back as this ended the report. She wondered if the young Goldwind understood what he had done and what was going to come for him. Lifting a mana crystal, she took one last deep breath and touched it to the vellum. The crystal glowed and the report was sent.

So, the die was cast.

She thought about food and dug around in her pack. She still had plenty of travel rations. Getting some out and was munching on some nuts when her crystal glowed with a faint chiming.

“That was fast.”

Touching the stone to the vellum, words quickly formed on the page. She knew who she was talking to. It was him, after all, that sent her here in the first place.

Elian, is this report accurate?

Here we go. She lifted her quill and started writing.

Hello, Guild Master Albrot. Yes, everything is accurate in my report.

Do you know what this means?

Yes, Guild Master, I know.

There were a few moments of no activity before a large block of text appeared.

I am sending an entire support team to help you build the Adventure Guild building and assigning you as acting Guild leader until I understand what is happening. The other Guilds will be coming as soon as they get your report. It will not be long before the information gets out and every low-grade Adventurer and hanger-on will be coming.

Be ready.

The crystal went out and the message slowly disappeared. She blinked at what she just read.

“Xandus tits!”

That was not what she expected or wanted. It seemed she would be spending more time in the new community of Shadow Vale—all ten tents of it.

“Who am I fooling.”

She knew that this would become a small town in a matter of a few months. People will flock here, and there will be chaos and violence at best, even with the presence of the guilds. Ranus Goldwind has painted a great target on his back as the local and continental powers get involved.

She stood and opened the flap of her tent, looking over the small encampment.

She had to admit he had chosen the location well. The rise would protect them from floods and give them a measure of defensive protection. Ranus was standing talking to the old ship hand that seemed to follow him around about the location for a pier on the other side of the rise from the building and floodplain.

Yes, he was doing a lot better than she thought. He had gambled and planned ahead to bring supplies and equipment. Gran and his team were going to have to wait with her until the Guild support arrived.

“Yes, things will start moving quickly now.”

She went back into the tent, closed the flap and pulled a statue from her chest. She set up a little altar in the confined space and began praying.

“Oh, Astraus, Goddess of Dungeons, Challenges and Struggle. Hear my prayer as we have discovered this new Dungeon. Allow me the wisdom and insight to understand its secrets and….”