-0-0-0-0-0-

Count Medean's Mansion, Medea Island, Kalenic Sea

-0-0-0-0-0-

The evening meals served to the lord of Medea Island were surprisingly pleasant. Haylae had expected simple fare but found herself impressed at the range of food she had been served over the last few days. The seafood was very palatable, the vegetables flavorful, and given the quality and variety of ingredients available at the market in town, she was sure the trend would continue.

Tonight they were being served crab on a bed of greens. It was a novel experience, although Haylae had eaten crab before. This crab wasn't served in its shell, to be cracked and opened on her plate. No, she would call this a steak, a slice of crab meat cooked on a grill rather than boiled. The meal was enjoyable, possessing a heat that the char of the grill couldn't quite explain.

"I hope you enjoy this, my dear," Medean stated, halfway through his steak. "This meat was gathered from the First Floor's Guardian. It's particularly succulent, and the monster's fire magic gives it a hint of spice." Haylae slowed her chewing at that information. This was monster meat? From a giant crab? Well, that made the cooking method make more sense. She swallowed and kept eating.

She hadn't spoken to Medean much, but he talked enough for both of them. He was eager to explain anything she was even mildly interested in.

"Could you tell me more about the dungeon?" She asked between bites. The man brightened, a gleam entering his eyes.

"Ah. Of course, of course. Well, where to begin. This Island was discovered several months ago, and the merchants who discovered it brought some information on it and the dungeon to my father. He took that knowledge to the king, and the king granted him leave to settle the island, to claim it and the dungeon for the Kingdom." Haylae nodded. Tensions have been high recently, and the island has incredible value as a resource and staging point.

"The Dungeon itself is fascinating. From the reports I've been given, the dungeon is ancient. The most popular theory says that it was discovered and used by the Mycane civilization. Many believe they conquered it and used it to grow food, train their legendary soldiers, and perhaps even used it as a refuge in times of crisis. It's unclear why the island contains no ruins of the Mycane while ruins are prolific within the dungeon. Perhaps we'll never know." He paused to take a drink and finish off the last of his meal.

"But that is all a theory. The Guild has explored five floors, though the fifth is proving difficult to explore safely. The First Floor is a set of caverns, not unlike those you would find on any cliff-dominated coastline. Enormous crabs inhabit it, claws shaped into powerful weapons and shells into a potent defense. The Second is a shifting, trapped labyrinth, half-flooded and filled with bloodthirsty fish. The Third is a jungle inhabited by various beast-like monsters and some kind of lizard-people, who have equipped themselves with crude armor and wield basic weapons." Haylae tilted her head at that.

A monster species that used armor and tools? From what she had always been told, monsters were stupid, bloodthirsty creatures, driven by instinct to kill anyone they came across. The island lord seemed to pick up on her confusion.

"Ah, yes. The Lizards are a point of contention among the guilders. Some believe they are intelligent and capable of holding a conversation. Rumors abound, of course, and it's hard to know what's true. But anyway, the Fourth is another maze of tunnels, though this one is filled with an incredible variety of rats. From small to enormous, and with a range of abilities. Every encounter with them is hard-fought, and more is learned with every delve. The Fifth is the most recently explored floor, centered around a large castle." Haylae blinked in surprise.

"Yes! A Castle! It's finely crafted of a yellowed stone, with arching ceilings and large halls. Insubstantial shadow monsters inhabit it, impossible to hit unless they want to be; not one has been killed or even hit. Outside the castle is a forest of enormous mushrooms filled with monsters of a similar nature. Walking, angry mushrooms. Imagine!" The lord seemed caught up in his imagination and downed his re-filled glass of wine.

"This dungeon is incredible! Filled with such unique creatures and things. I'm sure you've tried one of the mandarins from the market? They were discovered in the dungeon. Unlike most citrus, they grow on a vine and are quite sweet. I'm told the ones grown outside the dungeon can't quite reach the same quality as those found there, but they are another unique resource the dungeon has provided." Here, the lord's expression soured, and he waved away a servant who approached to re-fill his glass.

"The only problem is the bounty." He grumbled. "The second son of Grand Duke Plasiad, a silver-ranked guilder, was killed on the first floor shortly after we settled the island. In an unfortunate turn of events, the Duke's older son and heir was poisoned. None could save him. Supposedly, the Duke received word of the death of his only other son days later. He placed a bounty of Ten Thousand gold coins on the dungeon." Haylae, who had been nodding and making the appropriate sounds, froze. Ten Thousand? That was...

"Later, when his pet guilders failed to end the dungeon quickly, he doubled the bounty. Twenty Thousand! It's a ludicrous amount of money. He would bankrupt himself to pay it off. The local guild needed to place a gold-level requirement on the dungeon, to empty the local inns of Silvers and open up more space for those who would soon flock here." He sighed and leaned back in his high-backed chair.

"Thankfully, the dungeon is proving to be more than anyone had expected, and it even managed to find a way to disable all teleport crystals that are taken inside! With the ability to easily escape any fight denied them, and with the dungeon targeting all those intent on claiming the bounty... Well, the guilder population has halved. Despite the deaths, several guilders were recently promoted to platinum rank, and I'm sure that, if they're careful, they will continue to grow in strength." Now, he looked proud.

"Medea island will flourish. The Guildmistress assigned to my island, Layla Losat, has confided in me that they are nowhere near the bottom, and it is unlikely the bounty will ever be fulfilled. However, she would much prefer the bounty removed to prevent more needless death. An admirable goal. I'm unsure of how to go about it, though. The Plaised dynasty is powerful, and their political reach is impressive. I believe it will take the Duke's death and his brother's ascendance to make any progress whatsoever." The servants delivered their dessert, and the rest of their meal was spent in silence.

Haylae found herself with much to think about.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The Dungeon, Medea Island

-0-0-0-0-0-

With a feeling of accomplishment, I opened the floodgate. Water flooded down the newly-created tunnel, passing through more than a dozen filters that pulled salt and other undesired components from the seawater. The Tunnel snaked from the ocean floor, where its entrance was grated; the holes too small for any human to pass through, of course. The water emerged from the tunnel and flew off a sculpted, fake-sandstone cliff, drifting down to the empty basin below. It would take a few hours to fill and for water to start flowing, but with this done, all the canyon needed now was fauna and flora.

Watching the water flow through the pre-designed channels and rapids was so satisfying. I can't be sure if the river is impossible to cross, but I think I've made it as hard as possible.

I brought in some reed-like grasses and lined the river with coconut palms every so often. I don't have any cactus, but maybe I can make my own. Succulents, on the whole, are just a plant that retains water in thicker stems and leaves. The one I am most familiar with is the Aloe plant. So, let's see if I can make another plant resemble an Aloe.

Let's take this grass that I already grabbed as a starting point. First, I needed to shift the leaves to grow like an aloe, from the middle pointing up. Then a general thickness, with the interior filled with a water-based jelly-like flesh. I gave it spiked ridges running up the inner edges, unlike the Aloe; these would be razor-sharp. Now, I have a plant that looks like an aloe. Keep in mind I'm not an expert on the plant, and while what I've made may look the part on the outside... I think a slow-acting poison-laced through its flesh completes the deception.

I quickly spread out the rest of the canyon with sparse grasses and other similarly 'faked' succulents.

With that done, now it's time to select the monsters of this floor.

There are so many choices.

Desert hares, desert snakes, various insects, and small mammals. I also want to re-introduce the intelligent crabs and perhaps modify them to a form that lends itself better to a sapient existence.

I should probably start with the lowest rungs on the food chain. First, I introduced insects you would expect to find in a desert; various spiders, ants, termites, flies, and moths. All were modified to fit a desert environment, though I can't be sure of that. I might saturate them with mana until I see some beneficial adaptions. At the very least, I made sure they were colored various shades of sandy brown for camouflage.

I'm annoyed that I don't have scorpions right now, and maybe I can fake them. They're arachnids, right? Eh... Nah. I'll wait on that for now.

The next were the small lizards, birds, and mammals that would feed on the insects. The birds are relatively easy, so I'll start with them. Start with small finches, and robins, with a desert camo. Then a bigger one... some kind of buzzard. Could I make a vulture? Let's get a couple of Pheonix down here and make them... menacing.

A bald head and neck, increased wingspan, heat-regulation, and a change in color to white and black. Make the talons larger and increase their bulk in general. Yeah, this looks right. Well. Fix the head up a bit... Yeah. There we go. I'll give them Air magic to help them stay aloft longer and take advantage of sandstorms. They've ended up quite big as well. Not as big as Pyry, but each one is larger than a human. I made sure they all had mana cores too.

Next, some Lizards. Starting with the standard skink I first found in the jungle months ago, I scaled it up and made it spikey, leaving me with... a very nice bearded dragon. Cute. Alright, now for the next. I pumped out another half-dozen lizards of various sizes and spread them around the floor. I think I need one 'monster' species, too, so let's put some crocodiles down in the canyon. I gave them cores, and that's sorted.

Now, time for snakes. I put some green mamba look-alikes down in the canyon among the now-flourishing greenery. A python species and a cobra species quickly joined it. On the desert part, I spread out a load of sand snakes. These are particularly funny because of the adaption that made their eyes face upward, situated on the top of their heads. It meant they could hide under the sand, revealing only their eyes, which looked like more grains of sand.

Sneaky fellas. I didn't make any snakes into monsters, but I might do that later.

With that, time to do some mammals.

You might not think about it, but there are a lot of mammals who live on or near deserts. Felines, ungulates, canines, mustelid... I don't have canines yet, however, or any ferrets. Let's start with the felines. I think I'll go with two kinds: a smaller one and a larger one. There exist a species of cat called a sand cat. They have slightly squashed faces and sandy coats with black stripes. Very cute. Still wild, though. I gave them monster cores. Perhaps I can make it lean on some deceptive instincts here. Act cute and harmless, then display deceptive strength or speed. Also, make them pack animals to overcome their small size.

I'll go with a mix of Lion and Cheetah for the larger cat. Big, bulky, dangerous, but fast. For coloration... a combination of cheetah and tiger. Spots that 'drip' down into fang-like stripes.

Now... I'm not entirely done here, but I want to introduce the crabs to their new home. Let's get them down here. And... I think I have an idea for them.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The Ninth Floor, The Dungeon, Medea Island

-0-0-0-0-0-

Skitters-Across-The-Sand was one of the scant three dozen Crabs chosen to descend. The Creator had deemed them worthy and led them deeper into the depths. Their less intelligent kin had been left behind to act as the first line of defense. Skitters wished that she had been allowed to remain.

They had been here, in this safe cavern, for a long time. As time passed, their intelligence grew. They once performed simple rituals to venerate their creator, enacted with the vigorous movement of the pincers around fires. Now they worship quietly, offering individual prayers to small shrines. Worship of the creator was a personal affair, though Skitters knew many prayed for the same thing.

A chance to prove themselves. To play a part in the creator's defense.

It was a 'night' like many of the ones before. After a communal dinner, they adjourned to their rooms, where they would praise their creator and his wisdom. Tonight, however, their prayers had been answered.

The Creator spoke to them.

"My loyal creations. I have crafted a new home for you on the Ninth floor. Please, follow the tunnel I have created so you might find your way there." The Creator declared.

There was no hesitation.

Within minutes the crabs had gathered what little items they possessed and assembled in the cavern. As one, they made the pilgrimage to their new home. The Tunnel was dim, lit by a luminous, cyan moss. The procession was quiet but for the thump of their legs on the sandy ground.

None would dare sully this event with casual conversation.

The journey took at least a day, as they had to pause once to have a quiet meal and rest.

When the tunnel ahead began to lighten, you would expect them to speed up. However, they maintained their walking pace. They would reach the holy land; there was no point in rushing.

They emerged from the tunnel into a beautiful canyon. Water poured off a cliff to their left, filling a small lake. A river rushed from the lake, running down the middle of the canyon in a series of rapids and deeper, fast-moving sections. Along either side was a bevy of greenery, shifting in the wind.

The group followed the river down the canyon until they reached a large overhang leading into a tall cavern.

"This is to be your new home. There are caves in the back that open into private caverns, inaccessible to any potential invaders. Now, there is one final thing I wish to do. Do I have your permission to modify you?" The Creator asked.

"Of course, Creator!" Skitters-Across-The-Sand declared. She immediately felt her body begin to morph and change. Her shell shifted and elongated. She felt muscles she'd never had before. Her back end became layered. She turned her... neck? She watched as her rear end gained a dozen shelled sections, rising behind her into an arching tail. The final section gained a vicious-looking stinger. She twitched a new muscle, and a drop of green venom slipped out of the tip.

She followed the base of the tail down her slimmed body, to the point where her new... torso. Her eight legs remained slightly less armored but significantly more mobile. Her 'torso' was likewise armored, with two 'arms' emerging from her 'shoulders.' The arms ended in bulky hands. Looking further down, she could feel that she retained her enormous pincers, still attached to her lower body.

"You are Crabs no longer. You have become... Scorpans." The Creator declared.

Skitters opened her mandibles, raised her claws, and screeched into the dry air.

"PRAISE THE CREATOR!"

"PRAISE! PRAISE!"

-0-0-0-0-0-