Around Martin, the earth started to reshape to his divine will, a pit opening at a thought. The pit was big enough to house a skyscraper. With a wave of his hand, Martin carved a long spiral staircase along the lines of the pit, slowly creating multiple rooms along the way. This would give any player who wanted to challenge the dungeon a way to slowly descend into the pit, and the rooms would be great for various challenges.
It was an excellent start, though Martin could feel how his Worship was slowly draining. At the same time, it wasn't dedicated. Martin could instinctively tell that pulling back the Worship would return the area to how it had looked just moments ago.
Martin paused for a second, considering whether he could use this power in combat. By simply focusing, I tried to create a cavernous hole underneath the Bearshark.
It didn't work, and Martin realised that it was probably a good thing it didn't.
However, the experiment showed that the system wouldn't allow Worship to be used for combat. The limits of sculpting were probably determined by the AI, and Martin knew not to push the software. Otherwise, it was likely to have a meltdown.
Instead of contemplating the limits of what the system would allow, Martin made sure to stick to his dungeon-making project.
He started sculpting and changing the world around him, walking deeper and deeper into the pit. He would outfit rooms with various challenges that could be completed to increase the reward. The developer knew that the players would probably have guides for most of these within days, but it was still fun to do a couple of jumping puzzles and the classic 'Rotate the stones until it matches the set on the back wall'-puzzles. There even were a couple of combat puzzles.
Martin couldn't really create any complex puzzles since he wasn't sure what mechanics would be in place to support them. Even the jumping puzzles were a stretch, but he still made sure that each room had something to do.
Martin had lost track of time almost instantly, but the sun was still up by the time he made it halfway down the stair. The orkish god was sure this was an awesome place to have the dungeon's first boss. Looking to the Bearshark, he called his friend down.
"So, it looks like I might be able to use you as part of the dungeon if you are up for it," Martin said, giving the beast a smile.
The massive beast seemed to lick all its teeth at once in anticipation and then looked around.
"Anything specific you want me to do, boss?" It said, and for a moment, Martin almost felt bad about leaving it in this dungeon.
"Nah, just maul anyone that tries to get past you." He said, trying to connect the beast to the dungeon.
At first, he felt some resistance, but as the pressure built, Martin felt his Beast Domain aid him and assert control over the Bearshark. A bright whisp of light appeared just above the creature's head. The ork slowly reached out and grabbed hold of it. A warm feeling engulfed his hand, and Martin could guide a tether of light from the whisp to any point in his new dungeon.
He looked around, then created a large circular platform that would clearly indicate a bossbattle. It was a massive plateau with a slight guardrail, just so people didn't fall off the side by stepping too close to the edge. It almost looked like an enormous balcony, and Martin was quite satisfied with the result.
It was fairly easy to tie the bearshark to the middle of the dungeon. A few enchantments from the Range Domain and Martin ensured that no projectile or beam could enter the platform if someone was standing outside the guardrail. That way, people wouldn't be sniping the boss from the top of the stairs. That was only true for the platform, though. He didn't mind people pulling aggro from a group of mobs all the way down the stairs. It would probably lead to some good wipes.
Returning his attention to the bearshark, Martin grinned. All around it, mutated creatures were spawning, already filling the dungeon with creatures to fight. It was a good thing that the ork would have to go into the system and assign what mobs needed to spawn all the time.
The creatures themselves were definitely a mixed bunch. Most of them looked like two animals smashed together with no regard for what was possible. However, that did mean that they would have a wide selection of skills that would be hard to plan around, and defeating them would require game knowledge and not just having a strategy guide up.
The creatures quickly took their place, some even going to the rooms and starting to rest.
"Right, need anything here?" Martin asked the bearshark, thinking that the area was done at this point.
The beast looked at the ork with eyes that told Martin that the ork probably wasn't as done as he would like.
"Where am I supposed to sleep? What about when I am done eating? I need a place to live, oh and what will you do with loot?" The bearshark asked when the god didn't get the hint.
Martin slapped his forehead. "Of course. Let me fix that up for you."
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His will created a new room in the cliff connected to the boss arena, and with a little effort, the god managed to craft some living spaces and, next to it, a treasure room. He would have to let the main branch decide on what to do for loot. There was no sense in creating rewards for players when there weren't any systems that could be improved.
The bearshark was spiritually tethered to the room, and with a few mental commands, Martin told the dungeon to remake any boss monster 30 minutes after it had been slain.
This workflow quickly repeated itself, Martin creating rooms and small challenges that could be modified and improved by the main branch, all while working his way down the massive stairs.
Finally, Martin reached the bottom of the pit.
The base was massive and flat, perfect for a nest. He filled it with liquid mana, which should have been much harder than it was. The area was so dense in mana that liquifying it probably happened naturally.
With liquid mana at the bottom of the pit, Martin raised several large stone platforms, allowing players to move from platform to platform. Martin then removed the platforms' connection to the ground, ensuring that they could rise as the level of liquid mana rose. It took some slight manipulation, but he finally managed to have the mana be the same density as tungsten while still liquid, ensuring that the stone disks would never sink.
He whistled, and the sound of buzzing wings could be heard as the multiheaded Mana Muncher landed at the bottom. Without hesitation, it landed in the liquid mana, but it didn't seem to take any damage. It looked around, clearly confused.
"What have you made for me? A nest? A prison? What is this?" It spoke while observing the area, and its multiple heads seemed to linger on the pool of mana.
"This will be your home, your nest and your feeding ground," Martin explained. "I give you this with only one other requirement. You must come when I call for you. Your speed is immense, and you will prove a valiant steed."
While it was a slightly humiliating task, the hydra mosquito didn't argue. It nodded most of its heads and settled in.
Martin didn't even have to link the Mana Muncher like he had with the Bearshark. As soon as it took a seat, the dungeon filled with mosquitos the size of a husky.
The critters started to swarm around the dungeon, never touching the mutants that were moving around but clearly on the hunt for mana to suck. Large burrowing worms started to move around inside the wall, ready to pop out and push any tank that got too far from their party into the centre pit. Right into the awaiting Mana Muncher's nest.
Jasper added the same kind of range protection to prevent players from sniping the boss before he took stock of everything.
This was the most horrendous dungeon that Martin had ever seen. It was absolutely not well-designed, and it seemed incredibly unfair. However, it was the first iteration that could be improved by the main branch.
With a flex of his divine will, he slowly looked around. He talked himself through the plan for the dungeon, just to see if he had missed something.
"So! This is an endgame dungeon. It isn't meant to be a dungeon but rather a threat to the world that needs to be dealt with. So, here is what is going to happen.
This dungeon will overflow with monsters, spilling them out into the lands above, probably into the world around Leltho as well. Players are incentivised to build structures to keep the creatures inside... maybe some tower-defence kinda game, but that is up to the main branch. The magic in the area will probably mean that any permanent structures will be torn apart over time. That should provide a money sink for the game as well. The mana will continue to rise to ensure that there isn't a solved state to the defence part, ensuring that the main boss is closer to reach, but the spawns happen more frequently." Martin checked that the mana could rise, and the Mana Muncher would follow with the surface.
"Perfect. If the boss reaches the surface, it will rain havoc down upon... probably everywhere but the noob area... just to be sure. We should never reach that point unless the players fall to infighting, but I think that is all of it."
End game dungeon [https://i.postimg.cc/28k2HtBj/image.png]
It seemed like a bargain, though Martin had a hard time seeing how a dungeon could cost anything less than 16 Worship. He would have to try and make quality dungeons over a large quantity of dungeons.
He accepted the cost, and Worship streamed out of him. It was a strange feeling as if something from the pit of his stomach left his body in heavy waves. As it did, the framework he had been building solidified, becoming a bigger part of reality. It seemed like everything got more intense, vibrant, and alive.
Then everything snapped into place. Martin smiled and sighed. Turning his head to the Mana Muncher, he focused on wanting to be able to call it from anywhere, and he got another pop-up.
You are making a new steed [https://i.postimg.cc/qBZt27G8/image.png]
He accepted this cost as well, and he felt the bond between them strengthen.
Martin groaned, feeling just how tired he was. He could probably sleep for days.
With tired legs, he walked up the pit, reaching the halfway point before just calling the massive boss monster and jumping on top of it, letting it fly him to the top.
Jasmine was waiting for him, and the morning light had turned to dusk. The dungeon had been faster to create than what Martin would normally be able to do from behind his screen, but it had still taken an entire day. He sighed and decided to call the sessions for now. He had achieved his goal.
"Where have you been?" He asked the Prismatic initiate.
Jasmine looked more tired than he felt, but her clothes were clean and her body whole. In fact, there didn't seem to be a single wound on her.
The god quickly spotted that she was sporting a new symbol on her belt. It was a snake eating its own tail, and in the centre were the four elements. Did that mean that there was a new god?
Martin was too tired, and he decided that he would have to ask the others when they left the game.
Jasmine just shook her head. "You gods are somethin' else, ain't ya? Honestly, I'm lookin' forward to things goin' quiet again." She muttered before just sliding down on her butt against a massive rock.
Looking from Jasmine and to the Mana Muncher, quickly joined by the Bearshark, he grinned. "Well, It is time for me to leave. I hope to see you in the future. However..." He paused, looking at the beasts. "No swarming the world while I am gone. At least not yet. The world doesn't have the defences it needs to keep up with you guys, so be careful."
Martin then turned to Jasmine and smiled. "If you begin to feel tired, remember to get yourself someone that you can work with and teach. Maybe not a replacement, but you will be surprised how much perspective you get when you need to be a role model." He said and nodded.
With that, he gave them all a wave before logging out and instantly feeling the pain and discomfort of his real body.