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The Fourth Floor, The Dungeon, Medea Island

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Lukar was paranoid. The shadows in these pipes moved like liquid, twisting and striking from angles unseen. The harsh torchlight didn't help as much as you would think, only casting darker shadows. The mages of their parties, Itan and Palisa, summoned a few sprites each to light their way and banish any shadows near their group. The sprites' even light was far more effective at keeping those shadow monsters away. The way they were spread out around the group to overlap their lights kept the shadows at a distance.

Of course, providing three sprites with mana was more than a bit draining, even for Platinums such as themselves. Their magic would be weaker, and spells would take longer to cast. Lukar judged the price worth it.

They were scarcely three turns away from the shadow's ambush when they reached an intersection. None of the seven pipelines leading from this circular room were the same size or shape. Squares and stars, horizontal rectangles or squares turned up on their corners. The other circular pipe was too small for them to do more than crawl through it.

And universally, all the pipes were smaller than the one they had just left.

"Well. I don't think crawling through those is a good idea, " Lukar started, pointing at the small pipes. "It would leave us too vulnerable. Same with the medium-sized ones. That leaves us these three." He waved a hand at the only three tunnels big enough for them to pass through hunched over. "Mobility would be reduced and restricted to single-file, but it will give us a better chance." There was murmured agreement with a nod from Dulie.

Quietly, they passed one by one into the pipe. After a few dozen yards, they emerged into a round room not entirely unlike the previous. There were only two exits here, not including the one they'd just left. Before they could choose which to enter, noises echoed through all three pipes. Squeaking roars and scrabbling claws.

They formed up, weapons were drawn and spells primed. With eleven guilders in the room, three stood facing each pipe, the mages in the middle to respond as needed. As the noises grew louder and more distinct, they paled en-masse. This wasn't just a few monsters attacking at once. These were swarm types. Lukar counted himself lucky they hadn't encountered the bug swarms of the third. Killing swarm-type monsters was a nightmare, especially when they were small enough that swords were practically useless.

"SWARM! Mages at the ready!" Dulie shouted. "Focus North and East. West, hold out as best you can! If you're being overwhelmed, get out. No one dies today!" The melee fighters shifted slightly, letting the mages get a clear shot down the center of the pipes. The fighters at the third closed ranks, which included Lukar. He glared down the shadowed pipe.

The noise continued to build until he finally caught his first glance of the monsters. The gleaming eyes of dozens of monsters stared back. They rushed closer, more and more monsters bursting from behind them.

As they approached, Lukar got a better look. What he saw disgusted him and terrified him. Rats. Giant Rats. Horrible, mutated rats with arms like humans, fur-like quills, and claws tipped with gleaming substances. The room was suddenly illuminated by the two mages casting their most potent spells. Lukar could imagine flames pouring like a river from one, incinerating everything in its path. The other he knew would have released a stream of lightning, a more sustained and draining spell than a single devastating bolt, but better to combat monsters like these.

There was no more time to think. The rats were upon them.

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The Dungeon, Medea Island

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Three separate Ratten Clans all descended on the hapless guilders at once. The ' Brawler ' clan came from what that woman had declared north (actually south). These had focused on increasing their strength and bulk. While less numerous than other clans, they were still powerful, in general half-again-to-double the size of most other clans' most massive members. These ratten were tough, preferring to break bones and crush their enemies with superior strength than through the traditional 'death-by-many-cuts' tactics of normal rats. The fire mage was an excellent choice for these, as they weren't particularly fireproof.

From the 'east' came the 'Electric Rat' Clan. Yes, I named them that on purpose. It was too bad the guilders had decided to set the lightning mage up facing that pipe since all it did was boost their power. I'd read a few fiction books in my old life featuring electrically-charged rats, leading to my creation of this clan when it didn't look like they would form on their own. Every member of this clan had larger-than-normal cores, and the only magic they knew how to cast was lightning magic. A single Electric Ratten has arcing bolts of electricity jumping between their conductive and metallically tipped fur. As a group, the charge they can build up can lead to a grand display of arcing currents and patterns. They could discharge their magic with a simple claw or bite, passing their charge through the similarly conductive claws and teeth. No ranged strike yet, but I'm hopeful a powerful enough individual that can do it will emerge soon.

I'd had them rush the Platinums without displaying their abilities, but when the lighting mage made her foolish mistake by dumping a lot of charge into monsters designed to channel it, let's say that the humans didn't fare very well. They could barely keep the Ratten back as it was, the mage having switched to a defensive warding to keep the monster's electric attacks at bay.

The final clan involved in the attack was the Quill Clan. These had focused on sharpening and strengthening their fur into spikes. They could use mana to fire their quills from their skin at speed. While not yet armor-piercing, the sheer number they could fire as a clan saturated the three defenders. While shields and armor blocked the majority, more than a few buried themselves in exposed skin. Of course, they still had melee options. The fur on their legs was forward-facing and could be fired at point-blank range for maximum effectiveness. While not poisoned, they were still dangerous. I might introduce a couple of poisons to them after this. It would make them much more effective.

Their enemies were overwhelming and nearly endless. Even with the fire mage's effectiveness against the brawlers, she wasn't using her full power. They still kept six sprites up to keep away the shadows. Four minutes into the onslaught, one of the sprites winked out with the mage supporting it, choosing to end their connection to bring more power against the Ratten. Then another winked out, and another, until only one remained. A few of the guilders looked panicked, even beyond the tide of Ratten attempting to rip them to pieces.

Well, there was a reason they feared the dark.

Shadows boiled and writhed. The Shadow Clan did their duty from a nearby pipe utterly inaccessible to the guilders.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for the first Guilder to grab their teleport crystal and escape. The flash of the teleportation triggered an almost simultaneous response from everyone else; to grab at their crystals.

Then they were gone. Injured and frightened, but whole.

I felt disappointed. I'd hoped to get at least one of them.

I refocused on the dungeon above, noting the approaching sunset with a sigh. I hummed an inaudible tune to myself. With the breakthrough to the fourth floor, it was time to de-escalate the third. I lowered the number of Kobold hunters and shamans participating in the 'combat trials' and linked the remainder to respawn crystals. These were smaller than Mushu's and took less time to make, but I'm unsure how effective they will be.

With how I've observed the other two to work, it should keep the kobolds limited by not having enough space to hold all of the monster's mana. Any mana they have over that limit will be lost, 'resetting' the monster to a certain level of strength. It will incentivize them to stay alive, with the threat of losing their power on death. Perhaps if they pass some threshold, I'll upgrade their crystals and relocate them to the Seventh.

By then, Mushu was emerging from his crystal. It had taken significantly longer than the Crab Knight, almost two whole hours. I'm hopeful that time will go down since that's been my experience with the Crab Knight so far. He's down to ten minutes, from a half-hour.

I focused on the respawn crystal, analyzing the mana as it emerged. First, it formed an outline and framework. That framework was filled with mana, which shifted to Mushu's natural coloration. When he blinked and gazed at his claws in awe, I reached out to his mind.

Mushu, my loyal guardian. How do you feel? He straightened at my words, then dropped to one knee.

Creator, I feel as if nothing happened. Was I truly slain?

Yes, Mushu. The Humans overwhelmed you and your subordinates. While you would likely emerge victorious in an equal fight, the loss of one of the Tamers and his beasts was your downfall. I'll provide you with more and tie them to their own crystals. From this day forth, you are undying. His already bowed head drops further.

Yes, Creator! Thank you, Creator!

Test your body. Unlike before, this one is made entirely of mana. Consuming more naturally grown foods will replace that with one flesh and blood with time. That's guesswork, of course, but in my experience, monsters gradually replace the parts of their body made of mana with the real thing over time.

With that, I left Mushu to get acquainted with his body. The first, second, and third floors are fine. The fourth had performed well, despite the raid escaping with their lives. Every rat that participated in the fight got a bit of a boost from me as an incentive. The other floors were fine as they were. Untested, but as ready as they could be.

Next on the list is the eighth floor.

The hollowing of the cavern is coming along nicely, but it will probably take another week to excavate the area I want to use completely. I'm also thinking of having my floors more adjacent than directly below. I don't want to dig too deep and suddenly be in the mantle. That wouldn't be good. Also need to avoid the volcano's magma chamber; I don't know how big it is.

The first mountain is looking good, though. I'm still thinking about monsters, but it's still a ways off before I need them. A floor-wide enchantment to simulate storms and other weather wouldn't be amiss. I could pull off some Saruman-level shenanigans.

As I dug deeper into the crust of this planet, the humans above were celebrating. It's not every day that someone reaches a new floor in my dungeon.

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The Beach, Medea Island

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Haythem lay back against the small hill, where the sand gave way to grass. Down by the water, dozens of golds celebrated the two platinum parties that had finally pushed through the third. He spotted both Bertram and Flasa down there, mingling with the crowd. He did not doubt in his mind they were wringing every tidbit of information they could get out of the increasingly drunk crowd.

Haythem sipped at the Ale and smacked his lips in satisfaction. It wasn't the best he'd tasted, but this imported beer was better than the locals' brew. In time, that might change. They were too new to the industry, but time and experience would do wonders.

His eyes drifted from the party to the glowing cave in the cliffside. He thought over what the guild had announced and their publicly released information.

A claustrophobe's nightmare of a pipe network filled with living shadows. Giant, mutated rats. Their fur replaced with a hedgehog's quills or alight with the power of lightning. Not just one or two, either. Hundreds, potentially thousands. Haythem just knew the fourth floor was going to be a pain. After a time of enjoying his ale and the cool ocean air, his party members joined him.

"No one knows what's changed yet. We'll probably have to wait till tomorrow for news." Bertram started. Flasa hummed in agreement. The dungeon has previously shown a pattern of lowering the difficulty of 'beaten' floors. Haythem had hoped it might have adjusted just after the guardian was beaten, but it probably needed the whole night to make the changes.

"The Platinums let any details about the Guardian slip?" He asked the rogue. She frowned and shook her head.

"No. They're being remarkably tight-lipped," She revealed. "The Guild's also been quiet on the matter. They must want someone to fight it again, to see what's changed since the old guardian was killed."

"Sensible, if irritating," Haythem said in response.

They continued drinking into the night. They were in line to enter tomorrow, in the afternoon. Any information they could learn would be another advantage in their quest for strength.

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