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17.

Clare and Kepler had spent all but 12 of their MP. Their SP, the rarer currency, was drained completely.

It was all worth it.

New Designs:

* SP purchases:

* Evolutionary Moss: This adaptable moss grows anywhere, evolving to match its surroundings.

* Obsidian: A black, igneous stone famous for its glass-like appearance and uses.

* Bologna Sandwich: The famous meal of choice for poor college students, this tasty treat is perfect for rewarding delvers. Restores health by 1% when consumed.

* Blue Mist: A semi-translucent, blue mist. Sparkles slightly in dim light and reduces the vision of delvers.

* Eccentric Faerie: A small, humanoid creature, varying in size from 1 to 5 inches tall, which flies and glows faintly in the dark. While small in size, it possesses both a large MP capacity and personality. It will have powerful skill and spell options, although it may be stubborn about which of these options it chooses. Eccentric Faeries appear only in dungeons, and many of their aspects will be determined by their place of origin.

* Upgrades:

* Red Snake-Worm: This design creates a 5 foot long, invertebrate snake, equipped on one end with a massive, tooth-filled mouth. Its teeth are needle-like in shape and vary in length from ½ an inch to 2 inches long. They are also razor-sharp and have a mild paralytic poison suitable for stunning low-level delvers. While they would be constantly ravenous and ferocious in the wild, servants have no need to eat, which mellows their personality some. Still, they have strong predatory instincts, hunting in packs and establishing a well-protected territory. These creatures can live on land but prefer deep pools of freshwater.

* Musical Dipluran Beetle: This design creates a dipluran beetle who sings. Its beautiful music is guaranteed to improve the atmosphere of any up-and-coming dungeon.

* Slime: This design creates the staple fantasy monster, a slime. It is 1.1 x easier to create due to Mythic Connection.

If Clare had a face, she would have been grinning from ear to ear. As it was, her aura was dimpled so much it looked like a bad perm.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

[Well, aren’t you happy?] Kepler cocked his ears at her, smiling himself.

She laughed in response. Aren’t you?

[Yes.] He purred, looking over the list, [I very much am.]

Astrid glanced up at their happiness, the red worms she’d been pursuing crinkling themselves.

Giggling, Clare looked back at the list. We can do so much with this.

[Well,] Kepler admitted, [Not until tomorrow. We don’t have enough MP right now for anything.]

Clare stretched her aura in a yawn. That’s not true. We can do ‘Reshape Matter,’ at least.

Kepler paused.

Astrid pushed off the wall, summersaulting down into one of the little pools Clare had made to reduce the current. She held her hands out in front of her, feeling them with her antennae-hair.

[Nonsense. It’d be better to save up for tomorrow.]

Don’t act like you didn’t like our little spending spree. Clare snickered, poking him teasingly.

Kepler snorted, turning aside. He really couldn’t win on that front-- but he wasn’t going to admit defeat, either.

In Clare’s watery tunnels, Astrid turned to the smooth walls, holding her olfactory eye-band close to it. Fascinated.

Clare focused on her symbiote, who was being far too silent. Kepler? What’s the matter?

[You’ve been up for 13 hours.]

So?

[So go to sleep.]

Clare sighed. She was tired, but it was too early to go to bed. Kepler—

His mental gaze flicked back at her, worried.

Worried.

You know I’m not exactly fragile, right?

[I’m not going to answer that.] He cuddled up to her, trying to hide his anxiety.

Had her sleep deprivation traumatized him? Well…

He was quite literally built to protect her.

You’re ridiculous.

[And you’ll humor me?]

Yeah. She was sleepy, anyway.

They would have time later. Time to spawn servants, create puzzles, traps, and challenges for their delvers.

Tomorrow, and the days after.

Rome wasn’t built in a day; and they would be the Rome of all dungeons.