Chapter 5: Reaching a Milestone Before the Alarm
Catalysta stepped out of the bronze exit portal and was inches away from three sets of glowing eyes. The Catberus crouched down and Catalysta flinched before she realized the guardian was cowering in fear; afraid of retribution for its earlier attack. The creature was intelligent, and to Cat it was beautiful. She reached out her hand and stroked the snow white mane of the middle head, scratching between the ears of the black and white striped left head and the right head mewled, wanting scritches too. She moved a hand to rub under the coal black jaguar head and a massive rumble reverberated through the caves in front of the dungeon entrance as the Catberus began to purr--all three heads. No longer afraid of Catalysta and no longer an enemy, Cat noticed the eyes that she once thought red were actually violet--so one head had green eyes, one had blue, and one violet. The animal was an amazingly gorgeous mythic feline.
“Okay,” Cat said, giving each head a rub, “I’m going to go back up. You can go too, but don’t show yourself until I’m up there. I don’t want you scaring anyone. Don’t attack anyone without my say so. You should be able to learn all the villager’s scents and then you’ll know who belongs and who doesn’t. I still want you to protect the dungeon and the town. Alright?” The three sets of eyes stared at her and blinked slowly, then all the three heads shifted slightly downward in unison. They understood.
Catalysta looked at her in game clock as she moved back up the corridor to the library entrance, and saw that it was 6:02 A.M. in the waking world. She hoped she’d find a good stopping place soon. She’d never actually gone into the manor house from the passageway, there hadn’t really been time to investigate what with the bleeding out and the Catberbus attacking, so she was hoping there was some sort of lever on the cave side. After she had claimed the dungeon the passageway to it and away from it was lit by smokeless fire braziers, so there was plenty of light for her to see clearly.
On the back of the door into the library was an indention of a hand, to which Catalysta placed her own and the stone swung into the manor house smoothly. She hadn’t even pushed, the door just responded to a human touch.
“Bannor! She’s back!” It was Nerry. She stood behind the desk brandishing a club that she slowly lowered to the floor when she saw that it was Catalysta.
Cat heard the thumping boots of Bannor as he rushed into the room, “Catalysta! I thought you were dead. You were gone for so long, but then the world announcement--you claimed the dungeon?”
Cat grinned at the man’s flabbergasted state, “Sure did, wasn’t easy either. Thousands of elementals--the Spirit of the Dungeon went overboard if you ask me, but Catberus is no longer going to be a danger to any of you as long as I live.”
“Th…thousands? When we went in there were no more than ten monsters on each of the first five levels. I…I have no words.”
“I do,” said Nerry, “How?”
“Well, the Spirit of the Dungeon was protecting itself from the Agents of Shadow. It sensed them and thought that was who would be entering it. It got me instead. I mean, you saw how I responded to your spells. The elementals were no different. Well, mostly no different.”
“What level are you now?” Bannor asked, giving her a side eye, as if he was almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Twenty-five, and I am literally, one point from twenty-six.”
Nerry’s mouth dropped open in shock, and Bannor began mumbling before he shook himself, “You’re telling me that you gained twenty-five levels in less than eight hours?”
Cat looked up, nodding, “Well, almost. Twenty-four levels, since I started at level one.” She thought about the pendant still in her inventory, “Which reminds me, where is everyone?”
“Sleeping,” said Nerry.
“Oh…” Cat said, “What about Sekka, the doppelganger?”
“That creature lasted all about five seconds against the Catberus. It died so fast, we were afraid it wasn’t enough time for you to beat the Catberus to the dungeon.”
“Well, you were partially right. It was able to land quite a powerful hit on my back. It shredded the leather armor back there and took off a whole lot a hit points before I started healing back up. I might even have scars--but I’m not sure if that kind of thing happens to Dreamwalkers.”
“It can,” said Bannor, “If the wound is severe enough. Anything else important happen in the dungeon?”
“Oh, right! I got a lot of loot that I wanted to see what you think its worth is.” Cat pulled one of each of the fine dusts--which were wrapped in individual squares of leather--a calotropis petal, and all the infused spring waters. “I’ve got loads of these as well as cracked stones and flawless stones, and I gathered a bunch of these. I brought the different varieties of spring waters to you because I thought you could use them.”
It was Bannor’s turn to stare dumbly at her in shock; Nerry spoke up though, her eyes shining with eagerness, “Calotropis! That plant is the main ingredient to make one of the finest cloth! How much do you have?”
New Quest Found: Cloth of Comfort--bring Nerry 50 Calotropis petals for an article of clothing to go under your armor. Reward--armor will fit more comfortably, +1 protection for each article of clothing. Nerry will give you a discount on future orders and will pay you for extra materials you bring her. Accept? Yes/No
Of course, Cat accepted and pulled five hundred Calotropis petals out of her inventory; another large square of leather put them into a bag for her. She didn’t understand where those were coming from, but it made it very convenient for her.
“Here,” Cat handed the loot to Nerry, “Not really sure what I need but I’m sure whatever you make for me will be great.”
Nerry’s eyes shown with delight, “Aye, this will help me improve my tailoring skill even more. Rare materials always do.” She eyed Cat from her toes to the top of her head, “I’d wager you’ve got some ragged clothes on under that armor. Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
Catalysta kind of shifted around. She’d never really thought about it before, what with all the running and fighting and looting. But when she did dwell on it, “Yeah, it is kinda itchy. If I had to keep adventuring in it like this, it’d probably really start to chafe.”
“Aye, I’ll get started on it in the morning then. I may even have something for you when next you return.” She looked at Bannor who was still staring at the samples Cat had produced, his eyes popping and mouth agape, “Bannor! Shut your gob. Ye look like a catfish.”
Bannor closed his mouth with an audible snap, before closing his eyes to calm himself, “Right. These packets of fine dust are quite rare. I can use them in alchemy or really any crafter can use them to strengthen their armor, weapons, clothing, any item really. They are often quite expensive because it requires a jeweler to grind a gemstone into dust and when they are in the business of setting stones rather than destroying them, well, they don’t often do it. It also requires a diamond coated grinder which is also hard to find and rare. Course, cracked stones are worth something too, cheaper to turn into dust but still expensive. And flawless gems of any variety--well, lighter than holding gold, but the value varies depending on the shade, size, and type. You’ll need a jeweler or maybe another high level craftsman who works closely with gemstones to give you an accurate estimate of worth. Now these,” he held up the vials of infused spring water, studying them.
The longer he stared at each type the wider his grin became, “They are a potion unto themselves, but I might be able to use them as an ingredient to make stronger resistance potions. This was not something that was in the dungeon when I ran it.”
“No, the pools didn’t appear on the floors until after I Mastered them.”
Bannor stared at her again, but quickly shook off his surprise. He knew she had claimed the dungeon; that had to have meant she had mastered the first five levels, something he and his past adventuring group had never even attempted since they were avoiding death. “What am I thinking? All this is very interesting, but we are running out of time. We and you still have much to do before you return to your world. Nerry, go wake the others--the children can sleep--but bring everyone to the fountain in the center of town. Catalysta and I will go there now.
“But the Catberus--”
“Is now tame and won’t hurt you,” Catalysta said, “It’s just a big kitten with three head now.”
“Okay, as you’re standing here, alive. I’ll believe you.” She left turning towards the stairs to the upper levels.
“Come with me,” said Bannor. Bannor led Catalysta outside, where the moon was full, though it was giving off a greenish hue. As they walked, orbs of light appeared, lighting the square even more. The orbs were part of the chateau’s world magic, and would appear if a resident wished them there. They approached the fountain in the center, passing close by the mangled corpse of the doppelganger. It was shredded, almost beyond recognition, except for the gray mottled skin. Cat shivered--not in remorse, the creature had been evil and vile--but that could have been her if she had been a few steps slower.
“Here,” Bannor stopped by an indentation in the stone of the fountain and placed his hand on the indention. The water in the fountain stopped and the middle pillar opened up to reveal a giant quartz crystal that rose into the air, floating and shining--putting the orb lights to shame. As the crystal reached the zenith of its positioning, the other villagers arrived.
“Are we all in agreeance to make Catalysta the Patron of the Chateau?” Bannor asked, as he and Catalysta looked around. Everyone was nodding, but Chitany and Hichard were shifting their eyes downward as they did so, as if they wanted her but were disappointed in something. Catalysta snapped her fingers; she had almost forgot again! She pulled the trinket from her inventory before Bannor could continue and held it out to the battered woman.
“Chittany, I forgot to give this back to you before I went into the dungeon. It totally slipped my mind with everything that was going on.” Catalysta handed over the star pendant memento, and instantly both Hichard and Chittany’s mood brightened.
Quest Complete: An Heirloom of Love. You have gained 50 experience points. You have maxed out Charisma with both Hichard and Chittany.
Congratulations! You have reached 100 Charisma with every resident of Fasthaven.
You have earned enough experience to reach level 26.
“Good, now that that’s settled, Catalysta Angelwing, we would like to formally appoint you as our Patron, our Protector, do you accept?”
Catalysta had never much been into town building in the past games she played and if these were real people with real lives, she really didn’t want to be in control or totally responsible for every decision their little community made. “Before I answer,” she said solemnly, “What does being a Patrol entail?”
Bannor looked pleased that she would have the foresight to ask that, “Becoming our Patron would effectively link your ability to the town and protect us. As a Patron, you can use resources--which vary from Patron to Patron but include, mana, hit points, gold, items, etc.--to upgrade Fasthaven and protect it from attackers like the Agents of Shadow or bandits. It will also allow the settlement crystal to give you quests itself when it decides something is needed. It means that Fasthaven will become your base of operation as you fight Shadow for Dun”
“So I won’t have to, like, rule over you or anything?”
Bannor grinned and shook his head, “Not if you don’t want to. We can create a council, which you will be a member of, of course, to help all make decisions together.”
“Okay, that sounds good. But are you sure you want me? My ability might make it difficult for all of you to perform wild magic based skills or spells.”
“Are you kidding?” asked Liliana, “When I cast my spells on you and they did nothing, just got sucked up, it was the first time I’ve been able to level that skill in ages.”
“And with your ability powering the settlement crystal, we’ll never be turned into animals again,” said Gizette as Granden pulled her closer to him.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Okay then,” Catalysta stepped toward the fountain, “I guess I accept.”
“Wonderful,” Bannor moved aside and pointed to the indentation shaped like a handprint. “Place your hand here.” Before Catalysta could do as instructed Chittany let out a scream; the massive three headed cat had made its presence known.
Bannor and Nerry made calming motions with their hands, thought to Catalysta’s eyes they were just as terrified as the others.
Cat moved quickly, “Don’t be scared of Berus,” she had made the nickname up on the spot hoping to ease the group’s fears, “they’re harmless to you now.” She went to the Catberus and repeated her petting of the beast, like she had below ground. A resounding purr exploded from it as all three heads closed their eyes in pleasure. “See? Hichard, you’re good with animals. Come here.”
Hesitantly, Hichard stepped forward, his hand outstretched like one might to allow a stray dog to sniff his hand. Berus’ middle head leaned forward and nuzzled the appendage, its tail a question mark behind it. Then it roughly licked the outstretched hand, which made the stablemaster chuckle and grin. He moved forward to give the lion head an equally rough scratch around its ears, which made the tiger and jaguar heads dive in for nuzzles too. The remaining group let out a collective sigh watching the now domesticated monster pretend it was a housecat, just like Cat had said it would.
“I think you should all give your scent to Berus,” Catalysta gestured to all of them, “They’ll attack evil alignments and coral intruders, so they need to know who isn’t an intruder.” Again they all looked hesitant, but Hichard’s success had them all approaching Berus one by one. Chittany’s reaction made Catalysta doubt she would want her children exposed to the beautiful beast, but it would eventually be necessary as Fasthaven grew in power and size and fame. Catalysta had every intention of helping the improvements and popularity to come to pass.
As Berus was getting to know the villagers, Catalysta approached the indentation in the fountain, putting her hand palm down in the spot that Bannor had previously. As she did, time froze. No one around her moved but text appeared in front of her.
Do you wish to bind yourself to Fasthaven and become a Patron? Yes/No
You have selected Yes. Your Void Points are now linked with the settlement of Fasthaven. You may not utilize the settlements Void Points for personal purposes, however you can use your own Void Points to supplement the settlements’ purposes.
Do you wish to view the current defensive options related to your VOID ability? Yes/No
You have selected Yes.
Void Space: All Wild Magic will fail 10% of the time if cast inside the boundary of Fasthaven, regardless of strength, friendly, or enemy. Mana used in the attempted casting will be added to the settlement’s pool of Void Points. This effect will extend vertically into the sky and underground 1 mile. It will not affect the dungeon beneath the settlement. Cost--25,000 Void Points, daily maintenance 1,000 Void Points. Upgradable up to level 10 for an additional 25,000 Void Points per level. You may turn this on and off at will, but maintenance Void Points will still be required.
Void Mist: Drains all mana from any who enter the area of effect at 1 point per second, including magical beasts or plants, in a radius of one mile in all directions. This will induce a constant headache and confusion, making all but the most stalwart of individuals turn away from the town or get lost in the mists. Children up to age 10 are immune, as are those who have no mana naturally. This does not extend underground. A token may be created and given to negate the effects of the mists. Once a token is created, all future tokens must be created from the same material. A token is individualized and will not work if it is stolen or gifted by any but the Patron. Cost--50,000 Void Points, daily maintenance 5,000 Void Points. Upgradable up to level 10 for additional 50,000 Void Points per level. This may be turned off but mists will take up to twenty-six hours to dissipate entirely.
Void Moat: Creates a moat around the immediate boundary of Fasthave, which changes with the settlement if the settlement grows. Nothing magical may cross this boundary without losing both all their mana and a percentage of hit points, unless they possess a token from the Patron. Cost--1,000 Void Points, maintenance 50 Void Points. Upgradable to level 10 for an additional 1,000 Void Points per level. This may be turned off or on but maintenance Void Points will still be required.
Void Shifters: Creates 10 shape-shifting Void Animals to patrol the areas surrounding Fasthaven, you determine their bounds. They will attack any individual humanoid/beast whose alignment is considered evil. They can take any animal form in order to use both physical and Void attacks. Works very well in conjunction with Void Mist. These creatures can be killed with physical attacks, but they take care of their own needs, eating meat and drinking water that they forage for themselves. Cost--100,000 Void Points. Maintenance 0 Void Points. If a Void Shifter is killed, replacing it costs 10,000 Void Points. Upgradable to level 10 for an additional 100,000 Void Points per level.
Void Towers: Creates pillars of concentrated Void energy that can directly target individuals with high mana or high affinity for magics. Will instantly drain up to 300 mana per attack. Must be placed within the borders of Void Mist. Cost--50,000 Void Points per tower, with daily maintenance of 5,000 Void Points per tower. May have an unlimited number as long as enough Void Points are available. Not upgradable.
Catalysta stared at the words, thinking. She would definitely get the Void Space and upgrade it all the way to 10. She had a million Void Points to work with and that seemed like the up close protection they wanted. That was 250,000 points gone. Next she decided to go with Void Mist, over Void Moat, because it would cover a larger area and prevent a lot of enemies from even getting near Fasthaven. She upgraded Void Mist to level 5, using another 250,000 Void Points. Lastly she created Void Shifters and increased its level to 2, which was another 200,000. With those choices the Void Moat and the Void Towers seemed kind of redundant, plus she might need some Void Points to upgrade Fasthaven in other ways. She might consider adding the other methods of protection later, but at the moment it seemed like overkill. She had a little over 300,000 Void Points left. More text appeared.
Would you like to create tokens to give to the residents of Fasthaven? Yes/No
You have selected Yes. What material would you like to use to create tokens?
A list of all the materials she had on her person materialized before her. She still didn’t know how much all her loot was worth, but she did know that she had plenty of small flawless sapphires. She selected those.
You have selected Small Flawless Sapphire as your material for creating tokens. Are you sure? This cannot be changed. Yes/No
You have selected Yes. Only Small Flawless Sapphires may be used in the future to create tokens signifying residency or alliance to Fasthave, granting safe passage.
How many tokens do you wish to create?
Catalysta just decided to make one hundred. She had the sapphires and she figured the town would eventually grow. Having the tokens in her inventory would save time if she found someone while she was adventuring. She didn’t know whether or not she would be able to access the settlement interface when she was away from Fasthaven, but she doubted it, since she had to touch the indentation to activate it.
Congratulations! You have completed the requirements to expand the boundaries of Fasthaven.
Requirements:
Have two defensive skills active, one of which must be level 5 or higher.
Have a population of at least 10.
Be Bound to the Manor House.
Claim the Dungeon of Embodied Magic
Cost: 250,000/250,000 Void Points
Do you wish to upgrade Fasthaven from a Chateau to a Village? This will double the area of the settlement. Yes/No
You have selected yes.
Requirements for upgrading Fasthaven from a Village to a Town:
Have three defensive skills, two of which are level 5 or higher.
Have a population of at least 50.
Have three mercantile businesses.
Defeat 50 levels of the Dungeon of Embodied Magic.
Cost: 500,000 Void Points
The villagers around her remained frozen, but the surrounding area did not. The outer walls of Fasthaven shrunk down to waist height, and a new taller wall extended the boundaries of the village out. In the new space the forested area was cleared, the trees turned into neat lumber piles, and large stones, possibly for use by masons, were stacked in separate areas. There was even a bit of metal that had apparently been in the excavated and cleared area. Automatic building materials. She would probably need to find a carpenter or something. As if the settlement crystal had heard that thought, more information appeared.
Would you like to view the Fasthaven information Page and Available Quests? Yes/No
You have selected yes. Please review below.
Fasthaven (Village)
Size: 200,000 square feet.
Patron(s): Catalysta Angelwing, level 25. VOID
Population: 12, including the Patron Dreamwalker. For more information on the villagers select population.
Populated Crafts and Jobs: Tailor, Leatherworker, Alchemist, Stabelmaster, Hunter, Town Guard, Barmaid
Populated buildings: 5/10
Buildings in various states of disrepair: 5/10
Exports: Infused Hearty Milk. Current Production Weekly: 0/100 Gallons
Outer Wall Health: 500,000/500,000 hit Points
Gate: No Gate built
Guardian: Catberus--the local guardian of the Dungeon of Embodied Magic will also guard the village of Fasthaven at night.
Active Defenses
Void Space (level 10): All Wild Magic will fail 100% of the time if cast inside the boundary of Fasthaven and extended two hundred and fifty feet beyond its walls, if used in a form of attack targeting the town walls or someone within the town walls regardless of allegiance. Healing magic may be performed only if the caster is an ally or resident of Fasthaven. Defensive spells may be used only if the caster is an ally or resident of Fasthaven. Mana used in the attempted castings will be added to the settlement’s pool of Void Points. This effect will extend vertically into the sky and underground 1 mile. It will not affect the dungeon beneath the settlement. Allies and residents of Fasthaven may directly contribute their mana to the settlement Void Point pool at the settlement crystal. Daily maintenance-- 1,000 Void Points. Not Upgradeable. You may toggle this defense skill on and off.
Void Mist (level 5): Drains all mana from any who enter the area of effect at 1 point per second, including magical beasts or plants, in a radius of five miles in all directions. This will induce a constant headache and confusion, making all but the most stalwart of individuals turn away from the town or get lost in the mists. Children up to age 10 are immune, as are those who have no mana naturally. This does not extend underground. You have 100 available tokens active for dispersal. Daily maintenance 5,000 Void Points. Upgradable up to level 10 for additional 50,000 Void Points per level. This may be turned off but mists will take up to twenty-six hours to dissipate entirely.
Void Shifters (level 2): You have created 20 shape-shifting Void Animals to patrol the areas surrounding Fasthaven. Currently they will roam within the bounds of the Void Mist unless you change their area of patrol. They will attack any individual humanoid/beast whose alignment is considered evil. They can take any animal form in order to use both physical and Void attacks. Works very well in conjunction with Void Mist. These creatures can be killed with physical attacks, but they take care of their own needs, eating meat and drinking water that they forage for themselves. They will not consume humanoids. Maintenance 0 Void Points. If a Void Shifter is killed, replacing it costs 10,000 Void Points. Upgradable to level 10 for an additional 100,000 Void Points per level.
MORE INFORMATION MAY BE ADDED AS FASTHAVEN GROWS
Available Quests: Rewards Variable
Recruit a Blacksmith: 0/1 yes/no
Recruit a Carpenter: 0/1 yes/no
Recruit a Cleric: 0/1 yes/no
Recruit a Farmer: 0/1 yes/no
Recruit a Rancher: 0/1 yes/no
Recruit a traveling Merchant: 0/1 yes/no
Recruit more town guards: 1/20 yes/no
Recruit an Innkeeper: 0/1 yes/no
Increase the population of Fasthave to at least 50: 12/50 yes/no
Reestablish trade between Lebia and Fasthaven: 0/1 yes/no
Reestablish Infused Milk business
Obtain 10,000 Gold to bolster the economy: 21/10,000 yes/no
Obtain 1,000 units of iron: 0/1,000 yes/no
Obtain 1,000 units of workable stone: 0/1,000 yes/no
Obtain 1,000 units of high quality logs: 0/1,000 yes/no
Find and claim a mine for Fasthaven: 0/1 yes/no
Find and claim a quarry for Fasthaven: 0/1 yes/no
Clear surrounding area of monsters to create farmland and grazing areas: 0/100 acres yes/no
The list seemed to keep going on and on. She stopped reading and just accepted everything. Making the village stronger would make her stronger and with quest rewards being variable, she was sure there were some high quality goods in store for her if she did well. She closed out of the Village screen and everything around her unfroze. The once pure clear quartz settlement crystal turned a purplish hue, marking the addition of her Void ability to the settlement’s abilities.
Her clock showed her that she only had about ten minutes until her alarm went off and she’d have to get up for class.
“Here,” Cat pulled out eleven flawless sapphire tokens and handed them to Bannor, “these will allow safe transport through the Void Mist. I suggest making them into necklaces or something. There’s one for everyone in the village, even the kids, as I didn’t know what age they were. Hopefully, you guys can review the changes to Fasthaven, because I'm real short on time now.” The group of villagers looked around in wonder at the new open spaces in their home--Bannor did too, but he also needed to make sure everyone had the token. Nerry was the first to go to the fountain and attempt to review the new information.
Catalysta on the other hand was trying to get into her character sheet when the settlement crystal sent her a notification.
Villager Nerry is attempting to access Fasthaven information sheet? Do you wish to allow this? As Patron you can change this at any time. Yes/No
You have selected Yes, are there any other villagers you would like to give access? Yes/No
Hurriedly, Catalysta gave every adult resident in the village open access to view the town interface, believing they wouldn’t try to use her Void Points without asking. And then she was finally able to level herself up and reach Level 26. She added a point each to Constitution, Strength, Endurance, Willpower, and Agility. Another five points were added to Endurance and Constitution automatically. She felt her vitality rise without it really affecting her body shape again. As soon as the process was complete, Gamdrea sent her a message.
Congratulations! You have reached a milestone! By reaching level 26 you are well on your way to proving your worth to Dun. Due to your swift rise in levels, you have been selected for a special mission from Dun. You will be transported there instantly upon your return to Gamdrea on your next sleep. Your quest will populate in this new area. Once completed you will return to Fasthaven. Good Luck Agent of Light.
As her brain read the last words, the world went white and an annoying beeping sounded in her ear. She hadn’t even been able to tell the villagers bye.