Chapter 73: Climatic Shift
Wednesday, April 19th, 3:04 PM
Dungeon Ciara
After finishing my fifth floor with a few traps inside the pyramid, I added an arctic climate to the fourth and admired the impressive growth of curious plant life that ensued. A fresh coating of snow fell from miniature clouds that formed inside, and the effect was stunning. Snow Goblins rejoiced as they cleaned Neko’s hide.
New trees appeared as well.
They were similar to a Bristlecone pine in shape—twisted and bonsai-like, but as large and tall as a Ponderosa pine, with pitch-black bark that made their meter-thick trunks and hefty limbs appear scorched. But their leaves were a vibrant green, making for a stark contrast against the snow and ice.
With the appearance of those trees, whose outward appearance was almost identical to a Redwood, I raised the ceiling of my fourth floor an extra forty meters to allow room for them to grow. It wasn’t enough. Greenwoods, though few in number and confined to the open, central area of that floor, exceeded 120 meters in height within minutes. I raised the ceiling to 160 meters, and then again to 200 meters. Finally, they stopped growing at around 185 meters in height. Somehow, despite being no thicker at their base than a standard Redwood, Greenwood trees easily grew twice as tall.
The additional height afforded to that central chamber made for a stunning view from the ground between the giant trees. With the illusion of a real sky, and colossal trees disappearing into the icy mist above, I longed to go for a hike in my old body.
Who am I kidding? I was diseased and tiny… If I had my old body back, walking through there would be miserable, and I’d freeze to death without a parka.
Nodding at the state of my fourth floor, I poured mana into the third floor to engage a temperate climate.
When Furt saw the false sky appearing over the tidal lagoon, his eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, “Great Creator-Dungeon! Please to giving Rock Goblins a taste of the desert-home?”
[Oh, you prefer living in a desert?]
“Desertss and warm volcanoes for Rock Goblins, yess,” Furt hissed, as a toothy grin split his face.
It turned out that Lizardfolk were different from how I’d assumed as well—favoring a semi-aquatic lifestyle along coastlines. Thus, after I summoned forty of those into the third floor, my Rock Goblins made a harrowing journey through the fourth floor, braving the cold to reach the desert below.
The redwood forest of my second floor didn’t change much, though I did have to replace the hearthstones beneath the bathing pools, as all lightstones and other environment-affecting mana-infused materials were placed into my inventory. I was happy to note the climates only affected the spaces I designated in my mind as I applied them to my floors. Thus, my third-floor traps were not affected.
My fifth floor received a total of fifteen traps—ten in the pyramid, two near the entrance, and three in the exit tunnels. Some were standard spike traps, but the majority made use of mana-infused materials. All could be disabled, to protect my minions and residents.
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As everyone at the Dungeon did their best to prepare for the future, the rest of the humans who were present at the Dungeon were awakened over the next week. Even the children—something that caused its own set of headaches as their frantic parents scrambled to rein them in and keep tantrums from turning deadly.
Luckily, the children had all been through enough that those issues remained little more than headaches as they, too, were trained in martial arts and a small school was set up. Their parents were allowed to be part of the teaching crew, and a ratio of two adults to one child was kept, just in case.
Mike and the naval engineers had a massive breakthrough with arcstone—if a large enough chunk of copper was infused, the output scaled enormously—well into the 900-megawatt range for a half-cubic-meter of arcstone. The output was non-variable, meaning it could be managed with that in mind, and the implications were staggering. Best of all, arcstone somehow generated no additional heat whether insulated, grounded, or servicing a variable load.
If this new magic-electrical material could be implemented as the engineers envisioned, then traditional fuels and even batteries would become unnecessary for anything short of rocketry. With the vastly-superior materials that could be created via classes and magic, even supersonic flight was believed to be possible without burning fuels or the use of afterburners.
One of the electrical engineers was hard at work on a motor and controller system which, with application-specific adapters, could serve as a bolt-in replacement for the turbine engines of helicopters.
The trouble with implementing all of these new possibilities and upgrading dozens of ships and aircraft was a lack of people to get the work done. Thus, it was decided that five Chinooks should be completely infused to the point where they were many times more resilient than normal, and then retrofitted to roam the country with an inexhaustible supply of energy. They would ostensibly carry an awakened crew, along with at least five awakened marines—many of whom had earned classes that improved their effectiveness with ranged weapons.
The Adventurers Guild had new leadership since Paul and his friends had been murdered by Felt and Marchant. They worked hand-in-hand with the government, and I overheard President Thomas weighing the possibility of them being incorporated as a new, important part of each military branch.
Despite everything that had happened, the majority of people refused to give in to despair. There were a few exceptions, but the only notable one for me was Steven Miller—the man whom I’d once adored and longed for. He sought only escape through carnal pleasures, and had been awakened as an Incubus as a result.
Rachel and Steven had their conduct watched carefully, but both settled into a routine. Once everyone was aware of their abilities, and word had spread of the tremendous physical pleasure they could provide at the cost of around fifteen minutes of lethargy, each had a rather full schedule—especially Rachel. Sailors from the vessels that docked made liberal use of both, and the pair seemed all too happy to comply while still reserving time every night for one another. That Steven could now produce twin male organs to service women made him quite popular—especially since he could resize each to suit every woman, and remove the extra for those who weren't keen to receive anything through the back door.
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Joe and Siobhán were seated across from one another in the revitalized Crow’s Nest, eating a dessert of fresh peaches and berries, with a gorgeous view of a cloud-speckled sunset over Monterey Bay.
Siobhán’s emotions were turbulent, and Joe wrinkled his brow at the sadness welling up in her.
“I miss them.” The corners of her mouth wavered as they turned downward.
“Me too,” Joe replied truthfully.
“Michael was quiet, and he worked hard for everyone’s sake. But Rihelah was my… I—” Siobhán’s mouth twisted into a frown as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Joe swallowed, then took her small hands in his. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
“Mm.” Siobhán keened.
For a few minutes, Joe gripped her hands as she sniffled.
With her emotions layered on top of his, it was difficult for Joe to remain composed, but he managed. The warmth, love, and gratitude he could also feel from her helped a lot, and he’d learned to focus on those to maintain a clear head.
“Do you think they’re okay? On Gaia, I mean.” Siobhán poked at one of her peach slices with a fork, shifting it across her plate as the tines failed to pierce its clean, fuzzy skin.
Joe pressed his lips and said, “They damn well better be, because when I’m strong enough to go there with Mike and bring them back, if Michael and Rihelah are anything but hale and whole, whoever or whatever has done them wrong is going to pay.”
As he spoke, Joe felt a mix of hope and indignation from Siobhán.
Siobhán replied, “If you ever get strong enough to do that, you had better take me with you. I swear, Joe, if you leave me here alone, I...”
Immense sadness, a haunting fear of abandonment, and primal dread crashed against Joe. Siobhán’s eyes locked onto his as she inhaled slowly through her nose.
“Okay. If I’m able to, I’ll bring you along. But first, I’ll have to figure out how to do that. I—”
[Those enemy residents are tunneling toward my core again,] said Ciara, sounding exasperated.
“Those idiots never learn,” Siobhán shook her head.
[Ah, they stopped dead at my enchanted stone. Looks like they’re turning toward the surface again.]
“Another F-Ranker?”
[Seems like it. Around half a kilometer beneath Soquel, and tunneling up at an angle toward Aptos.]
“Want to come?” Joe asked Siobhán.
She smacked his shoulder. “Really? Do you have to ask?”
Nita raced down the outside of the castle as they passed, and Siobhán scooped her up.
“I’m a fan of the spider bra,” Joe said as Nita assumed her usual position.
“My tits like you better than any bra.”
“Are you threatening me with a good time?” Joe asked.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Always,” Siobhán grinned.
Both waved to the guards as they exited the northeast gate and accelerated along the smooth road I’d created to connect the Dungeon with what used to be Watsonville.
When they neared their destination, Joe activated his newest skill and produced a pair of spring steel compound bows with two quivers of arrows.
“I want a skill like that,” Siobhán complained.
“You command a giant spider. You can name and befriend animals, and you have a skill that allowed us to grow closer in a single week than I ever got with Anna over the course of fifteen years.”
“Okay. You have a point.” Siobhán beamed at Joe.
[Two hundred meters ahead, to your left. They’re still forty meters underground. Five men and two women. One World Order, as usual.]
“I can’t believe that group is still around.” Siobhán grumped.
“I think they’re probably tied in with the enemy Dragon,” said Joe.
“That… actually makes a lot of sense.”
“It’s like what happens when a dictator takes over a country.”
“How so?” Siobhán asked.
“First, they find people who are unhappy with the status quo and gather them together. Then, they arm those angry people somehow, in a manner that will help to bring down political opponents. After a bloody struggle, if the aspiring dictator wins, the country goes to shit.”
“Mm.”
“But this is where it gets even worse. Once a new dictator has the power they seek, the first thing they do is kill off most everyone who helped them attain it.”
“Why would they do that?” Siobhán asked.
“Because people who weren’t happy with their situation in their country before it became a dictatorship are going to scream even louder once they realize they just lost their remaining freedoms.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. The world can be a nasty place. So can the entire universe, apparently.”
[Forty meters straight ahead of you. They’ll reach the surface in about five seconds.]
Joe nocked an arrow, and Siobhán did the same.
When the first heads popped into view, Joe drew his bow while Siobhán stood ready.
I’m glad she hasn’t had to kill anyone, yet.
As soon as all seven were at the surface, Joe let his arrow fly.
The new arrows Mike had made for them were devastating, and Joe hoped he would never find himself on the wrong end of one. Combined with the supersonic speed of Joe’s shot, their enemies had no idea they were in danger before the arrow struck the woman who’d emerged last from their tunnel.
On impact, the large, imbued tungsten shot contained in the arrow’s head continued on as if an overpowered shotgun had been fired from the point of impact. At one centimeter in diameter, the ten projectiles spread out and punched holes through all but one of the seven people, dropping them to the ground.
The lone woman whom Joe had missed shrieked as she turned around. When she spotted Joe and Siobhán, she launched stone bullets at them, revealing herself as a Stoneshaper. The projectiles were easy to see because of Ciara’s influence and their resident status. Otherwise, even Joe might not have seen them coming.
Siobhán and Joe disappeared behind a stone shield that Ciara shaped for them.
The woman swore, and footsteps retreated.
“Nita,” Siobhán whispered. Her familiar hopped down and skittered away.
“Now,” said Joe.
They stood, moving around the shield to give chase while Nita took a somewhat curved path toward their quarry.
The woman stopped and fired back at them again, then screamed with anger as Ciara raised another stone shield, shattering her projectiles. She didn’t seem to notice Nita until the spider leaped over her head, attaching a large blob of glue to the woman’s left cheek and nose as she passed.
“Aiee!” The woman screeched in horror, then uttered a ragged wail as her hands stuck to her face when she tried to remove Nita’s glue. She was still screaming when Nita yanked her backward, then raced to attach silk to her feet, binding her to a nearby boulder.
Joe waited until Nita had returned, then fired a normal arrow that caused half of the woman’s head to explode, ending her life.
“Damn shame there are so many traitors,” Joe griped.
“Mm.” Siobhán met Joe’s gaze with a regretful smirk. But her emotions were already calm.
She’s getting used to it. I guess there’s no way I can shield her from this crap. We’re in this shit for the long-haul.
After putting their bows away in Joe’s spatial storage, the pair let Ciara handle the bodies as they walked hand-in-hand along the road back toward the Dungeon, gazing up at the stars as twilight darkened into night.
Around halfway back, Joe felt a jolt of emotion from Siobhán just before she nudged him and pointed up.
Between the Pegasus and Perseus constellations, Andromeda was just visible to the naked eye.
“I never thought I’d care so much about the stars, Joe.” Siobhán clutched at his arm.
“We’ll get them back someday.”
“Up?” Siobhán beamed at Joe.
“Sure,” said Joe. He kissed Siobhán, then kneeled down so she could climb onto his shoulders.
For a while, they stood in silence, gazing up at Andromeda.
Siobhán said, “I hope we have a baby, Joe.”
Through their bond, Joe could feel Siobhán’s desire escalating.
“You’re blushing,” Siobhán whispered from above him.
“Yeah.”
“You like feeling my warmth behind your neck, mm?”
Joe snorted. “Rather feel it somewhere else.”
“As you wish,” Siobhán said, tapping Joe’s shoulder to be let down. Once she was on her feet, she walked to a boulder beside the road, stepped onto a bedrock ledge to raise herself up a bit, pulled down her pants, then leaned forward and presented her bare, shapely backside.
“We can stargaze while you’re in me,” Siobhán said cheerfully.
Siobhán’s intense desire for Joe surged through their connection, and it drove him mad.
While loosening his belt, Joe thought, Damn it, I love her.
They both gasped as Joe entered her. The combined sensations from both their perspectives was still a shock despite the hundreds of times they’d joined with one another.
As they settled into a rhythm that suited them both, Siobhán whispered back, “I love you, too.”
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Ambrosia flooded its mouth. Palps quivered with joy as it chewed its struggling food. It tried to finish quickly, so as not to be noticed in its exposed location. Small and vulnerable, it knew that being unseen was always best. Claws from one of its victim’s flailing limbs raked the side of its head, and it bit down harder, feeling something crunch. The food stopped struggling at last, and it ate.
It turned rapidly in place to gaze with apprehension toward a sea of lights that orbited one another in a colossal, vertical spiral centered at the other end of its wooden perch. Blackness to shame the darkest night filled the void within, and a single reptilian eye bearing a chromatic iris blinked into existence.
Its own eyes were enthralled, and for a moment it stood frozen alongside the entire forest. Every living thing was as still as death. The vision ceased as it if had been a dream. The memory faded from its mind, while an alien shape stood in the vision's place. It observed the newcomer, still chewing while its antennae quivered and sought chemical information.
Oblong black spots upon its carapace glowed, as it charged its weapon – just in case, while taking in the sight of the new arrival through enormous eyes.
Some strange creature had arrived upon the same fallen branch. It felt surprised, and that made it nervous. The nearest foliage was rather far, which fueled its anxiety. It experienced a slight desire to drop its food, attack, and feed upon the much smaller new arrival, but the food still in its jaws kept that impulse to a minimum. The odd interloper looked around wildly with its mobile head for a few seconds, watched it eat, and then moved on. Contented, it continued feeding.
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Whoa. Okay, this is definitely a dream. It’s—
Michael raised his hand in front of his face, except it wasn’t a hand. He turned his head. His strange, wraparound vision took in the picturesque forest scene from a different angle—along with the sight of a familiar green, slender shape.
Uh… this is weird, but cool.
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A thick bush quivered in the meadow.
There was a bright flash as its interior swam with a trillion tiny points of light, packed into a flat spiral.
Their vision was rudimentary, but it was clear to the bush’s resident population that something unusual had happened. Unusual meant dangerous, and so they cowered.
The lights danced just beyond a series of alluring silken pendants that filled the majority of its hollowed-out interior, and when they vanished, an alien creature took its first tiny steps as it turned in place to take in its surroundings. Its triangular head snapped toward all signs of movement in a predatory fashion.
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What... the heck is going on? Maybe I passed out? We were in a meeting with the President, right? That awful woman, Karen, was trying to put Sunny and Sandy in cages. Siobhán was telling her off, and then I did, too. Michael was holding my hand, but I don’t remember anything after that. Why can’t I see anything?
Darkness and solitude persisted for what seemed like hours, but Rihelah wasn’t sure.
When sight returned to Rihelah’s eyes, it was like nothing she’d ever experienced…
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Floors: 6
Minions: 631/720
Residents: 12/22
Denizens: 5.69M
Traps: 25/30