Tiny Dungeon

This wasn’t how he expected his day to go. There were dozens of tasks that took up his time the main task being the state of the Dungeon. Valterra found himself consumed by weariness and the feeling that the world was moving too fast. He wanted to slow down but there just wasn’t enough time, especially not now that Natalia and her Delving party had arrived.

He hadn’t expected them to turn up like this, out of the blue and shrunk. He hadn’t expected Natalia to show up as she did having been told by the System that her grandfather had passed. Uncle Kratty would be hearing about that in the future. Any of the taller sapient races he would have expected to meet once he expanded past the barrier. He hadn’t for the reason that he didn’t know what would happen to the barrier if he did so. Now that he knew their magic was capable of finding a loophole in his father’s wards he was convinced of the need.

It would be much easier to hide if he claimed a large portion of the land. Then, with his powers and Aether Pylons, he could set up Detached Floors that would draw attention away from his main Dungeon. Sighing he put that hope on a shelf in his mind. That would be next to impossible now that Natalia and her party were here. They probably had superiors to report to and he didn’t think their pseudo relationship of Uncle and Niece would be of a high enough caliber to prevent that outcome if he asked her to remain silent on his location.

‘I could ask the uncles and aunts I suppose,’ he thought before metaphorically shaking his head. ‘No. They are already far too interested. I can feel them looking in on the situation.’ He would have to deal with this on his own and he refused to sign another bargain so soon after Ne’Am Skota. The main issue with the situation was that while the Delvers so far had not seemed intent on claiming him they were easily the most powerful individuals that he had experienced so far.

The Aether within each one sang to his senses even as their presence warped his perception in subtle ways. Each of them possessed a power similar in level to Geckodo if the Chieftain’s anxiety had been any indication. Considering that it had taken him everything he had and divine help to claim Geckodo and his people? There was nothing he had on the level of the party of Delvers. He wouldn’t for a while if his rate of growth remained the same. Then again perhaps there was a way to speed up the process.

More Floors and better Aether flow would mean that his Dungeon would accumulate greater amounts of Aether on the lower Floors. Not to mention that the more Floors he created the closer he got to evolution and the Schemas available to choose afterward. With multiple Sapient races and a few more on the way, his divinity would be boosted as well and he would gain Divine Potential, Divine Potential he could use to create new Schemas. Even after Naming Geckodo he still had well over a thousand Potential, enough to create several rare Schemas.

After evolving another time, however, he would be able to create exotic Schemas, which would boost his available power and thus safety to new heights. Valterra settled his mind and began to plan. His whales were searching the pond and with their strength he had no doubt they would be able to conquer the area, allowing him to claim the pond’s heart.

To be honest he would probably be keeping the pod there. They would enjoy the larger area and the sunlight as well as the increased variety of prey. It was still a small area compared to their Schema’s origin but once he expanded past the borders of the wards he could expand it until it fit a proper size, although at that point it would be more like a lake than a pond.

That would open up the basement to be drained of the majority of its water with each room being transformed into a Floor of its own instead of a bloated and waterlogged single Floor. Valterra let out a hum that carried through his Dungeon as he thought about his father’s plans. That they most likely included the basement was a given considering everything. He figured that his father had prepared around ten or so rooms to serve that function. The rats would have become his minions and the garden and pond would have provided Schemas with increasing rarities to fuel his early growth.

Now though, the Locations of Power were shaping up to become detached Floors instead or even hidden ones if he wanted them to be, places where he could experiment without disturbing any theme he desired to have on his subsequent Floors. ‘Or having a Delver party kill my creatures before they can evolve,’ he thought feeling some of his creatures die on the First Floor. His presence swept over the area to find the Delvers calmly dismantling some Feral Mice who had decided to charge them. It wasn’t much of a fight at all.

As he pulled away he caught Natalia pointing toward one of the ramps that led upward and hummed a little to himself. He zipped to the Second Floor ahead of them and had a look around. It had remained Guardianless as he hadn’t had the time to search for any outstanding creatures properly. ‘I could make one of the birds a Guardian,’ he thought, his Awareness taking in the birds that flew around. ‘Although,’ he hummed as a large body passed through his Awareness. ‘You’ll do.’

He hadn’t forgotten his Wyvres. They were still his pride and joy but their growth had stalled on the Fifth without any real prey. The specimen he had summoned onto the Third Floor, however? Well. He was doing great. From birds to climbing creatures, his Wyvre was enjoying a surge of Aether. With his Aetheric blood pumping in his veins, he was a terror to behold as he tore through everything in his path. The only one he hadn’t challenged was Wenigo and his entourage which was fair.

Wenigo. The First Among Many. Valterra had not meant to keep him up here this long. His place was not on the Third Floor but on a lower Floor, custom-built to enhance his greatness. Still, as Valterra made his Wyvre a Guardian he pulled up Wenigo’s description alongside the Wyvre’s.

Wenigo, The First Among Many (Guardian - Rare)

Wenigo was the First. The First creature claimed by the Dungeon Valterra and the First creature to be Named by him. The Potential of this once-humble mouse is beyond compare. A Captain among his lesser kin and wielding Artifacts of his Dungeon Lord, Wenigo is a force to be reckoned with. There is none more loyal to the Dungeon Valterra than his First Guardian all who threaten him will taste Wenigo’s steel.

Juvenile Wyvre (Guardian - Uncommon)

An apex predator of the skies despite its small size, this particular Wyvre has been blessed by the Dungeon Valterra to become a Guardian of his Second Floor. Created to bring death and destruction to aerial pests this Wyvre has exceeded expectations, becoming a terror of avians seeking to abuse the Dungeon’s unique nature. Time will tell how high this predator will fly.

Valterra’s Core shimmered in the color of delight as he read through the descriptions. He never failed to get excited by his Boon. Truly it was one of the greatest gifts he had been given though he suspected that being the Administrator of his own System would be just as huge once he had the freedom to explore it further. In fact, he figured it was a Title all on its own as evidenced by the System telling him he had a new Title available.

He hadn’t looked at it yet, fearing that once he did so one of his uncles or aunts might see it. He didn’t think Krat’Imos would have been sloppy in that regard but the fear remained. Valterra looked over the descriptions again and let the happiness he felt color his Core in golden radiance. He felt the strengthened connection to his newest Guardian and felt around in its Spark in order to get a feel for its desires. What he found surprised him and he chuckled.

Going over to the side of the roof he created a cave-like structure off the side. It would be the largest such dwelling with its own Aether Pylon. He then created pitted depressions in the ceiling, perfect for a creature wanting claw holds. Sending a message of intent he only had to wait for a couple moments before a shadow darkened the entryway. The Wyvre Guardian flew in and immediately twisted to latch his rear claws into the ceiling. He then hung upside down with scaled wings folded, bugling his pleasure at his new home.

Valterra gave his creature the Core’s approximation of a smile before whispering his plans across the connection between them. The creature stilled before sending his acceptance. He would wait until Valterra gave the word and then he would test the Delvers climbing upward. Valterra didn’t expect the creature to win but he figured he would be a good test for them. And if they killed the Wyvre then Valterra could test the resurrection part of his Boon. It was a win-win as far as he could tell though the experience would probably be rather traumatic for his poor creature.

With that done the Dungeon Core let his Awareness run over his Sixth Floor before moving it down to his Fifth and Fourth consecutively. If he was going to switch things around he would need to plan it out carefully so that his creatures could get used to the changes. He found, to his surprise, that Gründaag his serpent Guardian was present on the Sixth Floor hunting the higher rarity flying insects. That he was successfully doing so was a testament to the creature’s lethality. Despite the increase in Aether that came with a higher rarity, the Deeplight Swarmers were still susceptible to the Adder’s gaze and venom.

His Guardian hadn’t gotten away with his hunting without some scars to show for it. The Aether present in Valterra’s Dungeon sped up healing but it did not heal supernaturally, only increasing the natural healing his creatures possessed. By the sheer number of scars present on his Guardian’s body, it was clear he had been attacked multiple times including a nasty specimen that almost went clear through the snake’s body. Still, Gründaag was close, so very close, to Evolution. Valterra figured that with a few more successful hunts the serpent would be ready to evolve. The thought filled the Core with excitement.

Even so, he forced himself to turn away and begin working on getting his Dungeon prepared for the Delvers who he could feel beginning the climb to the Second Floor. ‘I want to surprise them,’ he thought, surprising himself in the process. ‘I want to show them what I have and hear their thoughts.’ They would be impartial for the most part. Honest judges about what his halls were capable of. Not a High Spirit or a Fae creature but simply powerful mortals. He would be able to finally measure himself against other Dungeons the Delvers may have come across.