In the dimly lit corridors of The Forsaken Crypt, Eddie 'Bones' Malone was up to something decidedly less sinister than usual. He stood beside a skeleton he’d nicknamed Chuckles, a bony figure that was identical to the rest in every way except for the slightly crooked way it held its skull.
"Alright, Chuckles, today we're gonna add a little humor to this place," Eddie declared with a mischievous grin. "You're gonna play a prank on the others. Trust me, it'll be hilarious!"
Eddie, with a few spare bones and a cloak, set up a simple but classic prank: a fake skeleton that would collapse as soon as someone walked by. He positioned Chuckles behind a corner, ready to pull a string that would trigger the collapse.
"Now, when I give the signal, pull this string," Eddie instructed, showing Chuckles how to yank it. "It’s gonna be great! You'll see, we'll have the others rattling with laughter!"
However, as the first unsuspecting skeleton, affectionately dubbed Spooky by Eddie, rounded the corner and triggered the prank, the reaction was anticlimactic. The fake skeleton clattered to the ground, but Spooky merely paused, then stepped over the pile of bones and continued on its way, unfazed.
Eddie watched in disbelief. "Come on, that was comedy gold!" he exclaimed. He turned to Chuckles, "I guess they don’t appreciate good humor."
Undeterred, Eddie spent the better part of the morning setting up various pranks with Chuckles – from whoopee cushions made from old leather pouches to a bucket of water balanced precariously atop a slightly ajar door. Each prank was met with the same lack of reaction from the skeleton crew, much to Eddie's chagrin.
"I don’t get it, Chuckles. These are classic! Why aren’t they working?" Eddie scratched his skull in confusion, then sighed. "You know what, maybe skeletons just don’t have a sense of humor."
Resigning from his comedic endeavors, Eddie decided to focus back on the dungeon's progression.
Having given up on his attempts to infuse humor into his skeletal crew, Eddie turned his attention back to the more serious matters of dungeon management. As he walked through the corridors of his dungeon, he noticed a small exclamation mark flashing next to the achievements tab on his status window. Intrigued, Eddie opened the tab to find a new achievement unlocked.
[Achievement Unlocked: Local Legend]
"Congratulations! Over 50 people have heard about your dungeon. Reward: Goblin Expansion Pack available in the shop."
Eddie's eye sockets widened in surprise. "Well, would you look at that, Chuckles! We're famous!" He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. His and Argenti's efforts to spread the word about The Forsaken Crypt were paying off.
Excited about the new possibilities, Eddie navigated to the shop section of the dungeon core's interface. The Goblin Expansion Pack was listed there, and he read through the details:
[Goblin Expansion Pack - 800 Credits]
Unlocks new monster types and thematic decorations for your dungeon.
Includes: Goblin Fighter (200 Credits), Goblin Shaman (1000 Credits), Goblin Archer (300 Credits).
Goblin-Themed Decorations: Various ornaments and aesthetic enhancements to give your dungeon a goblin-infested look.
Eddie pondered for a moment. The expansion pack itself was affordable, but he'd need to be strategic about how he spent his remaining credits. The idea of diversifying his monster crew with goblins, notorious for their sneaky and unpredictable nature, was certainly appealing.
Upon realizing that the Goblin Expansion Pack was now available but out of his current budget, Eddie 'Bones' Malone's initial excitement gave way to a calculating resolve. He stood in the control room of The dungeon, Chuckles loyally at his side, pondering his next move.
"800 credits for the expansion pack, huh?" Eddie mused aloud, his bony finger tapping thoughtfully on his chin. "And I've got just 240... Looks like we need to rack up some more credits, Chuckles."
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The skeleton, of course, offered no response, but Eddie didn’t need one. He was already brainstorming ways to increase their resources.
"First things first," Eddie said, turning to the achievement list on his status screen. "We gotta focus on completing more of these achievements. They’re our ticket to raking in those credits until Argenti brings some adventurers back."
Eddie 'Bones' Malone, aware that Argenti was still out gathering adventurers and information, redirected his focus to the list of achievements he could work on in the meantime. The crypt was quiet, save for the occasional clatter of bones as Chuckles and the rest of the skeleton crew went about their duties.
"Alright, let's see what we've got here," Eddie mumbled, scrolling through the achievement list on the status screen. He was looking for objectives that didn't rely on adventurer encounters, something he could accomplish within the confines of the dungeon.
He found a few that seemed feasible:
"Master Decorator" Achievement: Enhance your dungeon with at least ten unique decorations.
"Trap Innovator" Achievement: Create and successfully test five new trap designs. 4/5
"Dungeon Landscaper" Achievement: Modify and diversify the environment of at least three rooms in the dungeon. 2/3
"These should keep us busy and bring in some credits," Eddie decided, turning to Chuckles. "Let's start with the decorations. Time to give this place a bit of a personal touch."
Eddie scoured the dungeon, finding old banners, tattered cloths, and even some interestingly shaped bones that could serve as décor. With a creative flair, he began adorning the walls of the crypt, transforming its bleak atmosphere into something more intriguing and aesthetically pleasing.
Nodding to himself while patting Chuckles on the back, both admiring their handiwork, a notification appeared in front of him.
[Achievement Unlocked: Master Decorator]
"Congratulations! You have enhanced the design of your dungeon and have made it your own."
Unfortunately, it seemed like it only unlocked a bunch more decorations in the shop, but Eddie decided he would make the best of that later and make his dungeon much more attractive.
Eddie 'Bones' Malone, with a mischievous glint in his eye sockets, beckoned Chuckles and Bonehead over to the far end corridor in his dungeon. At the center of the corridor lay one of Eddie’s recent creations – a newly installed spike trap.
"Okay, fellas, today we’re testing the spike shooter," Eddie announced, rubbing his hands together. "Bonehead, you stand over there with that bucket of water. It’s just a precaution, but you know, safety first."
Bonehead, holding a large bucket of water, nodded and positioned himself to the side, his skull slightly tilted in a perpetual state of confusion.
Eddie turned to Chuckles. "You and me are gonna activate this trap and then jump out of the way. Just follow my lead."
Chuckles, as always, stood silent and ready. Eddie liked to imagine a sense of eager anticipation in those hollow eye sockets.
Eddie carefully approached the trigger mechanism, a thin wire stretched across the floor. "On my mark, we jump to the side," he instructed. "Three, two, one, now!"
As he shouted the last word, Eddie stepped on the wire and leaped sideways with as much grace as a skeleton could muster. The trap sprung to life, shooting spikes across the corridor with a menacing whoosh.
However, Eddie's leap was a bit too enthusiastic. He crashed into the wall on the other side, bones clattering loudly upon impact. "Oof! That’s gonna leave a mark," he groaned.
Bonehead, witnessing Eddie's collision and remembering his instructions - albeit a bit too literally - reacted in the only way he knew how. He hurled the entire bucket of water directly at Eddie.
Water splashed all over Eddie, drenching him from skull to toe. "Bonehead! I said it was a precaution, not a 'drench the boss' signal!" Eddie exclaimed, more amused than annoyed.
Bonehead stood still, bucket now empty, looking almost apologetic if such an expression were possible for a skeleton.
Eddie couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "Alright, alright, I guess I should've been clearer with my orders. Good job on the trap, though. Works like a charm!"
Chuckles, standing unscathed on the other side, seemed to resonate with a silent chuckle of his own.
Eddie shook of the water while giving the order to reset the trap, a notification appearing in front of him signaling his completing of the achievement.
[Achievement Unlocked: Trap Innovator]
"Congratulations! You have created and properly tested 5 unique trap designs."
He was given 350 credits for completing this achievement bringing him just under 600. He was going to get the last achievement of changing the environment of one of the rooms in his dungeon but the cost was very high and he decided against it for now.
Eddie, Chuckles and Bonehead went to work, inspecting each trap and making adjustments where necessary. Eddie’s mind, however, was on the goblins. The thought of adding such sneaky and unpredictable creatures to his dungeon was thrilling. Goblins were known for their craftiness, and Eddie was already imagining the chaos they could cause within his crypt’s walls.
Once satisfied with the state of the traps, Eddie decided to do a bit of strategizing. "We need to be smart about this. Every adventurer that steps foot in here is a potential credit in our pocket," he said. "We’ll use what we’ve got to the fullest – and once we’ve got enough for that expansion pack, this crypt’s going to a whole new level."
As night enveloped the world outside, The Forsaken Crypt was a hive of activity, with Eddie and his skeleton crew working tirelessly. Each room, each corridor was meticulously prepared for the challenges ahead.
Eddie retired to his quarters later than usual, his mind abuzz with plans and possibilities. The Goblin Expansion Pack was just out of reach, but not for long.