Hours went by, the dungeon slept, Dragon Core kept itself busy, by designing a new type of monster for its hidden second floor. This one would need to either climb very well or jump. The squirrels on the first floor had an impressive ability for both. Dragon Core took a large male squirrel, infused it with dragon magic, then began to shape it with the desired tendencies. First it needed to be larger, at least six to seven feet in height, heavily muscled.

This one would be slower, more deliberate in its movements, but it's power when it struck out at something, would be devastating. It would be able to cling to a shear rock wall, with ease. It's staying power in a fight was going to be impressive, couple that with the ability to regenerate its own health, and you had a power house. A set of long sharp fangs, and spines protecting the back of its neck, finished the deal.

Careful examination, showed nothing was missing. Satisfied once again, it made three more of them, these were females. On a whim, they were bigger, stronger then the male. Dragon Core placed the four in the hidden section of the second floor. The roars of the three females, as they competed for the male. Reverberate around the hidden section of the second floor.

Dragon Core, checked on all the beasts of it's dungeon, they were still sleeping, soon it would be waking them up. Most of them would be ravenous. It didn't take long, before all of the dungeon beasts, had a pile of food placed right in front of them. This once, Dragon Core decided to relax the rules.

Usually, the animals had to forage or hunt for their food. Dragon Core wanted only the strongest beasts in its dungeon. If they couldn't feed themselves, they wouldn't be strong enough to fight off an invasion. Unusual activity, the need to get the dungeon on a defensive standing. That had come at a price, right now they were in a lull. It took the chance, to give the animals the rest they needed.

Once everything was ready, Dragon Core sent out another pulse command, to wake them up. It watched the dungeon come alive, the monsters devoured the food set out for them. Then surprisingly they began to hunt for more.

Dragon Core was pleased, that they needed more then provided, signaled the rest had accomplished the desired effect. It's monsters were recovering, they would get stronger now. It checked on the new addition's, one of the three females, had been beaten. The remaining two females and the complacent male, were gorging themselves on her carcass.

That was irritating, Dragon Core sighed, it would need to make more breeding groups. If each group lost females to fights, this could be tiresome, for building up a population of them. Maybe the instinct to fight for dominance, might need toning down a little. Or, maybe instead of one young from each female, it could change that ratio, make them egg layers, like the ants and spiders.

Yes, that sounds like a good idea. These new creatures were vicious, if they eat each other, there would need to be more young anyway. They would likely eat the young as well. The Core reached out to its new creations, it took only a moment, to changed the females to its new evolved pattern.

Checking once more on its dungeon, finding everything was behaving normally. Dragon Core sent its mind out to the Spidermorph, the Village was still a hive of activity, it looked to The Core's inexperienced eyes, like they were swarming again. The memories however, told a different story. They all said, the Village was just being productive. They implied that getting additional housing up, for both the humans and their herds, was a priority.

It moved its scout around, taking direct control, to see more of the village. Dragon Core was fascinated, these humans and their allies, had peculiar needs. Instead of all housing in one building to keep warm, they spread out in tiny groups. Which seem to be, a breeding pair with their cubs, sometimes an older male or female. In some cases, an old breeding pair, well past their usefulness.

Dragon Core, couldn't think of why, they would be still allowed to live. Wouldn't the extras be nothing but a burden on the breeders? It accessed the memories, tried with them, to sort this mystery out. The memories, in most cases seem to agree with its own judgment, well at least for the old females.

Dragon Core gave up, it was too much of an oddity for it. It just concluded humans were a strange, vicious creature, with irrational tendencies. It set its scout in another tree, with a different vantage point. It needed more of the Spidermorphs, to help keep track of these villagers. It couldn't let them roam around, without something keeping an eye on them. Who knows what, these creatures were capable of?

It withdrew its mind, turning its focus on the female Spidermorph. Only to find one of the females from the hidden second floor had found the den of the Spidermorph. Dragon Core arrived just in time, to see the last of its Spidermorph female's legs, disappearing into the maw of an oversized misshapen squirrel.

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Dragon Core, frantically checked for eggs, finding with relief that the intruder hadn't had a chance to eat them yet. At least it had one batch of young Spidermorphs. It sent the female squirrel running, back to its own section of the tunnels. They wouldn't stray over this way again. It did highlight, however the mistake it had made, by not giving the female Spidermorph defensive or offensive capabilities.

Taking a moment to centralise it's intentions, The Core reached out to the eggs, selecting the females amongst them it changed them, it also gave them, a deep drive, to keep others out of their nesting territory. Watching the ants, who already practice this, and seeing the fate of the last female. Convinced Dragon Core, this was the way to go, these monsters were going to give the squirrels a bit if a challenge.

Now, that it was finished there, it went back to designing the third floor. Dragon Core's attention went inwards, inside its mind was a perfect replica of the dungeon, right down to the last beast and tiny rock on its floor. It had decided to build the third floor, but then to stop for a bit.

To do this, it would need to have the third floors entrance, hidden on the second floor, but in the hidden part of the second floor. So this ment, the entrance to the hidden second floor, would have to be very hard to find. Even harder to get to, it had accomplished this, with the entrance being in the ceiling. Dragon Core was just touching up the plants in the area, making them harvestable.

The rest of its strongest ants, and their queens lived in this section. Their young were scattered, between the end of floor one, up to where the queens were housed. Some of the queens from the original nest were in the hidden part of the first floor. They even had their own exit from the dungeon, deeper in the forest.

Dragon Core, hadn't forgotten its first monsters, part of it wanted to preserve them. It was happy with the arrangement, these first ants had Dragon Blood in them, even if they were part of its dungeon, this particular batch of ants were almost family.

After checking all was well with them, Dragon Core, turned back to its model, the entrance to the third floor, would be right in the middle of the Spidermorph females den. Any intruders that managed to get that far, would have to first get past the squirrels. Then just as they would think they had see the worst, they would encounter the Spidermorphs. The tunnel leading to the third floor would be set, quite literally in the egg chamber, hidden by the eggs themselves.

The tunnel was wider then usual, because this too was going to be Spidermorph territory. It would lead from one egg chamber to another. Until it reached a huge cavern that would house the food animals and plants for them. That were there, for the sole purpose of supporting the Spidermorphs. Dragon Core, also placed a few revised crystal spiders. They were huge living mainly on the ceiling, their diamond faceted bodies glowing with light. They were necessary to keep the plants growing and healthy.

Looking at its model, Dragon Core, watched it carefully, it seemed like it would work. So it pulsed a command to the workers of the dungeon. It wasn't long before the tunnel to the third floor was started. It had to be done now, while the future Spidermorph's were still in their eggs. Because once they emerged, the only time anything would be moving in that section, it would be an invader. That invader, would be having a very bad day.

Dragon Core, had made sure only the workers, nearing the end of their useful life cycles, would be doing this excavation. Once they went down, they wouldn't be returning that way. If they did, the Spidermorphs would have fresh food. The Core was extremely confident in this monster species. They would be in charge of keeping the third floor and The Core safe, for it was having itself moved from its first nursery room, to the third floor.

To make sure the Spidermorphs, were efficient, it had made them fast growing, it would only take a few days, and lots of food before the newly hatched, would moult. This second moult was also the beginning of the breeding cycles, of the females. A third moult would see all of them adults, at full capability. The males for scouts and fighters. The females for breeders and protectors.

Dragon Core, was returning to check on the progress of its new squirrel monsters, when it felt an alert, from its scout, out by the humans village. Quickly it flashed it's mind, into the Spidermorphs mind. The information was instantly available, it watched as a team of hunters, rangers and guards. Began move towards the forest, one of them was looking at a white flexible fabric of some type in its hands.

Dragon Core checked the memories, that white fabric was called parchment, one of the memories had a vivid association with it. Upon looking at that memory closer, it found the white thing was called a map. It had been made by the one whose memories it was looking at. The map had been made up from the distinct information, from the young ranger. That had escaped from the dungeon, that first time.

It was leading this lot of humans, straight to the dungeon. Dragon Core, pulsed an alert to it monsters. Sending orders, throughout the dungeon. It called a soldier ant directly to itself, had it pick it up in its mandibles and carry it down to the hidden second floor entrance. The soldier ant place The Core carefully down, turning around it wasted no time returning to its station, with the other ants. Dragon Core then called to the largest of the female squirrels, the squirrel picked it up and with a leap, took the The Core, into the hidden second level.

It followed directions from the dragon core, to leave it in an alcove already prepared for it. This alcove was in the Spidermorphs den, soon the young creatures would hatch. Dragon Core, could only hope, the humans wouldn't find the entrance to the hidden second floor. There weren't enough of either the squirrels or the Spidermorphs yet to defend it. It was relying on the older dungeon beasts, hoping they would be strong enough to repel the humans.

Once the dungeon was ready, Dragon Core entered the mind of its scout again. It was flowing along silently above the humans. Smoothly moving in the canopy of the thickly growing forest. The humans moved so slowly, that its scout had ample time, to find a safe quiet path above them. While watching their every move.