Descent

As fascinating as it was to see Kyr at such a larger size, there were still several issues to take care of. First and most obvious to begin with, the large body of what I now knew to be a Stonecloak Lasher. It was lying in the entrance, and that probably wasn't the sort of thing I wanted just laying there. It would attract large predators I might not be able to deal with, pull in Delvers, or scare away any smaller creatures I might want the schemas of. Fortunately, the answer there was simple. Kyr simply used his now much larger bulk to shove the body off of the entrance ledge and into the rock pool that was right beside it. While Kyr might subsist off of mana alone, the Kraken-ling wouldn't say no to some meat. And with its beak, it relished the challenge of cracking through the armor.

With that handled, Kyr began winding his way down the slope once more. I was tempted to give him another once-over, but it appeared everything was pretty much the same, just the blade was sharpened, he was stronger, and of course larger. Forcing my mind away from it, I began surveying the first floor. I was satisfied with my newest two additions, so much so that I felt confident that I could fulfill the last few requirements to Descend whenever I felt like it. As such, I elected to play it smart. I still had another seven or so hours before my mana would be close to full, and I would be able to implement my plan. Then, as much as I hated it, I was simply going to wait again until I was close to full so I could get a good start on the second floor.

Before I began the wait, I wanted to take note of the things I needed to do. Implement my plan for future water-based floors, modify Kyr's nest to accommodate his new size, finish the first floor, and begin building the second floor. Good to know.

Once another seven hours had passed, and my mana was close to full, I didn't hesitate to pick up where I'd left off. Restarting from the now water-filled pipe, I began carving away the stone and rock faster and faster, uniformly and constantly expanding. A sphere began to take shape, at first only a few meters across. Then, it changed to ten meters across, then twenty-five. Then it was fifty, and the expansion only stopped once it was a hundred meters across in every direction, and slowly filling with water.

I'd made sure that the amount of outflow that led to the reservoir was too little to even be noticeable on the surface, but not so little as to be essentially nonexistent. Over time, as the waters flooded in and flowed out, some would make its way down here. And when, in the future, I needed water for one of my floors, I would simply tap into this reservoir or into the others I planned to make if this one ever got full. A water source, entirely within my control, just what I needed for future levels. I could already imagine what the Kraken's floor would be one day; one of the largest in the whole dungeon, and completely flooded with water.

It would certainly be useful to have water at hand in any case. My ability at shaping stone had apparently gotten significantly better, as I hadn't used as much mana as I had thought I would need when making the reservoir. So I immediately turned to Kyr's nest.

The main chamber would barely have been large enough to accommodate his new body, but the tunnels leading to and fro were simply too small. Unfortunately, I couldn't simply connect tunnels of the size Kyr would now need that way. At this new size, Delvers or other creatures could potentially use them. So I tried to find a solution. I looked at my admittedly small knowledge of traps to see if any of those would work.

Unfortunately, anything I thought of would trigger against Kyr as well as any Delvers attempting to use the tunnels. It took me some time, but eventually I found a solution, of a sort. I had Kyr make his way back through to my core room. I realized I hadn’t really been paying attention to this room for quite a while, and while everything had been happening, my own Core had grown larger by a few centimeters.

I mostly only could tell because of the slightly newer golden script along with the way Kyr looked at my core curiously for a moment. Ignoring that new development, I quickly explained as best I could to Kyr what I had decided. Kyr’s new nest would be my core room. I didn’t have any plans to leave him on any particular floor for now, and I wanted him with me. But due to his new size, I couldn’t just leave tunnels that size connecting things together.

So instead, I would simply make my core room his nest, and he could move as he liked from there. I waited as Kyr looked around the room before regarding my pillar that I rested upon. With a thought, I shifted the pillar sideways, moving me from the center of the room to the side. Another long minutes passed as he explored the room anew, before he finally seemed to agree with it.

If I could have held a breath, I would have let it out then. While I knew that Kyr was my creature, and that he had no choice but what I told him to do, that didn’t mean I wanted to antagonize creatures under my control. So instead, I was just glad that he had accepted the change.

I left Kyr to get himself comfortable in this new nest, while I sealed off his old nest and thickened the walls until I was sure no one could break through into the shortcuts I had made for him.

Turning my attention back to the first floor after all of that, I finally let myself finish the first floor. With a few bursts of mana, I created Rock Skorpions inside the nests I had made for them inside the outcroppings and walls.

After their creation, it took five much more intensive moldings of mana to birth five Stonecloak Lashers throughout the room. Unfortunately for the Stone-Tailed Rats, their time as the only living creature on the land of the floor was over, and now they had predators.

Above all however, I impressed upon all my creatures the importance of not just defeating, but killing any Delvers that made their way into the first floor. The rats would steal supplies and break small items with their stone tails. Rock Skorpions would serve as the deliverers of potent venoms when they struck from their camouflage. And more importantly, the Stonecloak Lashers would ambush and directly fight them once the others had weakened them.

And should any group of Delvers make the mistake of venturing into the waters, they would soon regret it. The Lampreys would deliver paralyzing venom before dragging them below. Once beneath the surface, they would either be consumed by the Lampreys or beaten to death by a pod of Glowmouths. And of course, the Kraken-ling would be a threat all to itself, dragging victims below and devouring them.

I felt a flow of satisfaction at my first floor. It appeared entirely natural so as to divert suspicions from me, as well as remained dangerous enough to hopefully gather new schemas and deal with the occasional Delver. And it was this very burst of satisfaction that caused it.

Congratulations on completing your First Dungeon Floor!

Please Select a Guardian Creature!

Kobold (Common) : A bipedal monster race, Kobolds are weak, but adaptable creatures. The tribes they form can turn into formidable powers given time and the right conditions. The dormant traces of draconic bloodline makes many laugh at the creatures, but should it awaken, a Kobold would find no laughter facing it.

Stone Slime (Common) : Slimes are among the most notoriously common and weak creatures. Their ability to adapt to any environment is oft looked over, as are the sometimes stunning adaptations they produce. The Stone Slime utilizes a hardening exterior to prevent it from harm, its usually weak membrane hardening into a semblance of stone for a short time.

Obsidian Hound (Rare) : The Obsidian Hound is a lackluster single combatant, but when in a pack, the Obsidian Hound can defeat even powerful enemies. Its sharp and tough fur allows it to shrug off many enemy strikes while its razor sharp obsidian fangs can rip through even weak stone. For all its short ranging speed, the Hound is actually quite limited in range due to its need for constant sustenance. It simply cannot afford extended chases.

Orthruan Serpent (Rare) : The rare Orthruan Serpent is often drawn to Dungeons with an affinity for serpentine creatures. With a powerful serpentine body and thick, regenerating scales it is an incredibly durable creature. Most notable however, is its two separate heads. While it lacks venom of any kind, the sheer power and regeneration it shows in combat make it a powerful fighter against any foe.

Rock-Claw Lynx Kit (Exotic) : The Rock-Claw Lynx is the very definition of an Apex Predator. So much so, that even the Kits of the species can challenge other species adults or even elders. The Kit’s claws are not just made of stone, but it also uses its innate Earth Magic to sharpen and strengthen them constantly. By the time such a Kit reaches full maturity, the Rock-Claw Lynx’s claws are more deadly than any metal blade.

That raised.. A lot of questions. I’d first thought that Kyr, the first Guardian creature had been for my first floor.. But now that I looked back on it, I gained him after I completed my core room, not after I first created the first floor… Do… Do I get a Guardian creature when I finish a floor? After a moment, I moved the considerations to the back of my mind. Before I could test that, I’d need to finish another floor, which was quite a ways away. So instead, I focused on choosing which Guardian creature I actually wanted.

I already knew that whichever I chose would most likely wind up on the second floor after I finished creating it. The first floor was rather well balanced as it was, and I didn’t want to mess it up by introducing some new creature so suddenly and permanently. With that thought in mind, I began considering the options.

Almost immediately, I crossed out the Kobold or Slime. While they both had mentions of adaptability, something I was coming to see the value of, I still couldn’t justify choosing them over the other options.

It took me a little longer, but eventually the Obsidian Hound was eliminated as well. It wasn’t viable for the same reason as before, it was supposed to need a lot of sustenance. And while I definitely had a lot more creatures now, I still didn’t have ones that were plentiful enough or just big enough to make me comfortable releasing such a supposedly voracious hunter into my dungeon.

It came down to the Orthruan Serpent and the Rock-Claw Lynx Kit. They both seemed rather powerful and rare. The serpent had regeneration and two heads, while the Lynx Kit had inherent room to grow along with its claws and magic.

After a long few minutes of internal debate, I decided on the Rock-Claw Lynx Kit. Just from the description, I could tell that it would grow over time, and the longer it lived the more dangerous it would be. I figured I would have to be stupid to not take advantage of that, and so I should get it as soon as possible so it would be as strong as possible.

With my decision made, I selected the choice. By this point, I wasn’t too surprised by the now familiar bright white light that began to form in front of my pillar in the core room. Kyr looked over with interest and coiled around himself to watch.

Slowly, the light took form into the remembered shape of the feline that had wounded Kyr so badly not all that long ago. I could tell Kyr recognized it as well from the sudden hiss.

As the light faded, I could feel the current of Earth-Attuned magic running through the creature and concentrated in its claws. I took a moment to recognize the Kit as a female before examining the rest of her.

She stood up to over half a meter tall, and over a meter and a half long, from nose to tail. Even as a supposed young kit, she had claws the length of Kyr’s fangs. Her mouth was filled with small, but viciously sharp teeth, and above all, her eyes were perfectly suited for hunting even in no light. On top of her incredible eyesight, I saw her ears swivel side to side, taking in and sorting the sounds that reached her.

A moment passed before she turned to regard Kyr, before slowly, almost reluctantly lowered her head. I could feel the smug satisfaction from Kyr as the Kit recognized the power Kyr held. I was both half amused and half proud. He’d come a long way from being mauled after all.

Finally, as soon as I seemed to finish inspecting the newest, svelte and powerful member of my dungeon, the next message arrived.

Your First Floor is complete!

It is time for your first Descent, beginning to pave the way for the next floor in your Dungeon!

Very, very suddenly, I felt my mana-vision expand. I could feel the ability to shift my core room from its connection to deeper in the stone. With but a thought, the room slid to the side, shifting through the stone with barely any noticeable resistance.

Both Kyr and the Kit watched the tunnel disappear and felt the beginnings of panic before I quickly reassured them. Using the mana I had, I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete the second floor I wanted. So instead, I carved the now ended tunnel further and deeper. I continued its perfect smoothness for another few meters before I let it slowly begin to shift into a more natural, rugged type of tunnel.

This more natural appearance led it farther and farther down, twisting and turning. I made sure to have it loop back up and down, twisting left and right time after time. By the time I was running out of mana, the tunnel was over five hundred meters long, and it looked like a twisted, knotted rope laced back through itself.

The second floor would be a complex, interconnected web of tunnels. They would be all nigh identical. And while the first floor had light sources in the Glowmouths and the slight bioluminescence of the Bluecaps, these tunnels would be pitch black.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough mana right then to create the web of tunnels I envisioned, so instead I just created what would eventually be the right path to follow, before willing the core room to connect to the end of the tunnel. I made sure to keep a continuous flow of calm and assurance to Kyr and the Kit the entire time the room shifted through the stone, not wanting them to panic over the whole room descending. A moment later, I received one last message.

Welcome to your Second Floor!

The instant I read the words, I felt a fundamental shift. Looking to the source, I could see an invisible and intangible wall where the tunnel went from unnaturally smooth to rough natural stone. I recognized it immediately as the border between the first and second floors.

The Kit took a few tentative steps towards the new entrance or exit that had appeared in the room, one that now led to the second floor instead of the first. I nudged it forward, letting it know it was okay to go explore its newfound home.

It began making its way forward, padding softly into the tunnel. As it did so, I glanced to check how much mana I had left after everything that had just happened. I wasn’t too surprised when the answer was twenty-one. I may have started with close to a hundred and fifty, but I’d also done quite a lot with it.

Carved out a reservoir for storing water, one that even now was slowly, so slowly filling up. Finished up the population of the first floor by creating beginning populations of two new species. Then I carved the longest singular tunnel I had made yet. I wasn’t too surprised when that had all used up so much mana.

I was particularly happy with my new Guardian creature. Already, I could feel the way it was subconsciously using its earth magic to sharpen and strengthen its claws. Not to mention the way its sharp hearing and eyes let it navigate the dark….

I felt my thoughts freeze for a moment as I had an idea. I felt my attention rush back to the first floor, rushing back to the new Stonecloak Lashers. My focus sank in and through their exteriors until I found the small Dark-Attuned Pearl at their centers. I spent minute after minute, approaching half an hour simply watching the way the pearl seemed to spin and influence mana, slowly attuning the mana it drew in with Dark mana.

After I’d spent so long watching it carefully, I finally pulled back. Quickly, I flooded the area around one of the Stonecloaks with my ambient mana-vision, before instructing it to create a globe of darkness. The Stonecloak did so quickly, not intelligent enough to guess why, but simply happy to have my attention. I watched carefully as the Dark-Attuned mana surged from the pearl and out into the air around it.

I tamped down my slowly growing excitement before I told the Stonecloak it could stop. Finally, I pulled my attention back to my core room, where Kyr seemed to be resting in a large coil. I left him on his side of the room, instead focusing on the opposite side.

With trepidation, I carved a small pebble off of the wall, letting it fall to the ground. Kyr’s eye cracked open at the sound, but closed quickly once he saw what it was. Summoning up the image of the pearl I’d been observing for half an hour, I began to try and draw mana into the pebble in the same patterns. Trying to press the patterns and mana into the stone without destroying it.

I pressed down my excitement when I felt the mana slowly begin to make its way into the stone, barely under the surface at all. Instead, I simply focused even more, guiding the flow even more carefully. Slowly, ever so slowly, the mana began to suffuse the pebble. I watched excitedly as the surface of the previously grayish stone turned subtly darker, and the air around it began to darken ever so slightly

Pressing a bit more, I felt the mana seem to almost.. Solidify. Almost locking into place within the stone. Instead of the pitch black cloud that the Stonecloaks created, the pebble seemed to be creating a haze, almost a drifting cloud that made it difficult to see much farther through. For other creatures that is.

I was disappointed for a moment, seeing that it wasn’t absolute darkness, then I reconsidered. If it was absolute darkness then many creatures I might put in the tunnels would be blind along with Delvers. With this haze, it obstructed their vision, while letting my creatures still see and navigate. It even helped them have better chances at ambushes. Besides, I could always dot Stonecloaks throughout the tunnels anyways.

Thinking it through, I could feel myself growing happier about this development than I would have been had I succeeded originally. I guessed that I needed a more pure substance such as pearl to create a more complete darkness, but this was more than enough for my purposes!

In that moment, two things happened all at once. I felt an intrusion at the entrance of the first floor, and when I looked to see what it was, I paused, horrified. Standing in the entrance were five bipedal creatures, in varying armors and carrying packs.

Delvers.

They had finally arrived, and I was almost completely out of mana. I sent a message to every creature I had, letting them all know that Delvers had arrived, bringing them out of their natural rhythms and having them prepare for what was to come.

And then, at the most inopportune moment…

Congratulations!

You have reached the threshold for your first Evolution!

Beginning Evolution...

I was staring straight at the Delvers when my mind slowly slipped into unconsciousness.