It was shortly before dawn and I was finishing up a few details of my second floor, and meticulously carving a spiral staircase and shaft from my second floor towards my first floor as its entrance when I felt a disturbance on the boundary of my perception field. Moving my consciousness towards the disturbance, I saw two creatures with short wiry bodies about a metre in height, bluish green skin, sharp pointed features with narrow, beady eyes, sharp teeth, and large floppy ears. One of the creatures seemed to be trying to pull back the other from entering my domain. Seeing a new organism made me slightly greedy for its new blueprint and knowledge, though my highly sensitive intuition, which was common to all high mana creatures, was telling me that these two creatures were bound to bring with them something or someone which would be far stronger than what my meagre capabilities were bound to resist.
“Come on, don’t do it Thog, remember what lord Drakar said? He said he will kill anybody who enters without permission.” one of the green creatures was pleading while still trying to pull the other back out of my perception area.
“What do you know? Lord Drakar always talks big with no action. If we were to live according to what Lord Drakar said, we would have already lost all our emotions and become wooden puppets. You, go back, I will check out the cave and inform you guys of my findings when I come back.” The green creature which I assumed was named Thog, pushed away the other creature and stepped into my domain. Come in, Come in my lovely, bring me yummy blueprints and experience. I thought to myself as my greed won out over my sudden intuition. The other green creature looked indecisively after Thog for a little while and then ran out of my perception area.
Thog started moving into my cave system. My creatures get ready, we have another invader ready to gift us with their life. I informed my dungeon critters. Following their previous experience, my creatures acted with more care and caution. Following their senses, creatures closer to Thog tried to surround him while trying to ambush the small green creatures.
When Thog entered somewhat into the depth of the cave, my creatures started attacking. Yet unlike our previous prey, the small green creature suddenly blended into its surrounding, and my creatures which were ready to attack lost their target. Thog, seemed to sense where my creatures were to a certain extent, and be able to avoid them. I could feel the confused emotions from my critters as they tried to find their lost target.
I could still feel the green creature and tried to point my critters in the right direction, however, the green creature again surprised me, when it easily decapitated a fox I sent to intercept the creature.
Then Thog started moving again, the first time it really had to put in some effort seemed to be only when it reached the intersection point with the brook. Here multiple trout and Owls tried to stop the green creature. However, like before Thog drew its daggers and started dispatching all the critters which came near him, the fishes died with one hit, while the owls were injured whenever they flew low. Even the water arrows did not seem to have a major impact, as the creature easily avoided them. After a short burst of speedy fighting, the blue green creature again disappeared from the sight of my critters, easily shaking them off and blending in with its surroundings.
By the time Thog had crossed the stream, I started to get anxious. It seemed the reason I could easily dispatch my previous intruders was because they were civilians or wild animals. The only experienced intruder was previously weighed down by his companions, a totally different case to the current intruder.
My anxiety leaked into the bonds with my creatures, and my critters started attacking disregarding their life, however like before whenever the green creature got overwhelmed he used his weird skill to disappear, to shake off his pursuers getting deeper and deeper into my cavern. The intruder even seemed to have another skill which seemed to make him somewhat able to perceive my vines and purple sleepers, as he seemed to be somehow avoiding all of them.
Thus at a frighteningly fast pace the intruder made its way up the slope to the cliff leading to the corridor of my second room on my first floor. Seeing that my normal critters could not stop him, I told Vulthar to be ready. At least this time, the green creature would not be able to avoid my purple sleepers and veins.
Throughout the corridor, Thog was attacked by my bloodsucking veins which I grew on the corridor walls. Even though the veins could not hold him for long, his camouflage skill seemed to be ineffective against them, and at the very least he lost some of his blood, which I would see as a win at this point.
My first advantage against the green creature only started appearing when he entered the pollen covered clearing of the second room. Protect me, Vultha!!. I ordered in an apprehensive voice. This room was currently the last barrier between me and the green creature. Vulthar came out of his abode as my last defence and let out an intimidating Howl. The black poison fire shone brighter as he came to block the entrance of the small room where I was located. Despite my second floor being almost complete, my core would not move to the second floor as long as it was still not connected to the first, and right now I was wishing with all my might that I could convert fast enough to connect the floors.
Thog seemed to feel something as he entered the room, as he took out a green paste from his pouch and ate it. My heart sank, as it seemed like an antidote to poison. By then, Vulthar had reached him, and they started fighting. Since Vulthar had received guidance his fight with the small bodied sharp eared creature went much better than my previous critters. They seemed to be more or less evenly matched. I watched excitedly as from time to time Vulthar’s black fire burned the creature to leave black marks on his body. After a while the Poison hummingbirds joined the battle to provide interference.
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After twenty minutes of black fire attacks and physical fighting, there seemed to be a slight change in the creature. Slowly there seemed to be a lag in the movements of its body, increasing its injuries. After another five minutes the creature itself seemed to realise its condition, and started to retreat. Stop it!!! I have a bad feeling about this creature, I need to know what it knows. I shouted at my boss.
My Hummingbirds flew a circle and blocked the way back towards the corridor, while Vulthar’s attacks intensified. Thog also seemed to realise their intention, since he tried to disengage from the fight. Bright red blood sprayed in an arch. And while his body started slumping and he started losing his coordination, Vulthar took this opportunity to tear out his throat.
Congratulations! You have received new blueprint : Goblin Scout
New dungeon species available: Goblins
Along with the new system message, experience and memories rushed into me. Following my intuition that has been nagging me for some time now, I started searching through the memories to see where my worries came from. I got the answer, a war party full of the same goblin, which gave me such a hard time, was camping outside my caves right now.
I almost lost my soul in fright. Just one of those damn things reached almost to my Core, what would happen when twenty other creatures entered my cavern when morning came, which would be in at most an hour? Listen my creature, a great enemy is coming, prepare to fight with your life and whole strength, or this might be the last day in this world for all of us. I warned my creatures while at the same time healing all my injured creatures. With only meagre mana remaining in the first floor, through the constant mana loss through the cave entrance, the healing took up almost half of it. Now came the question, to whether to make stronger animals also in the first floor or to continue connecting the second floor. If I make stronger animals I have immediate protection, however the question is how many I can make before the war party comes for me. However if I continue making the entrance to the second floor I already have a whole more floor of protection ready made for me. But again the question is whether I can complete the entrance before the goblins reach me. In either case, the thing I am worried about and lacking is time.
Finally after a moment of thought I decided to keep connecting my second floor, as there was no certainty that the meagre number of animals I rashly made would be able to stop the intruders. I decided to give up on the staircase which was halfway done and decided to just directly make a shaft to connect the two floors faster.
After an hour, when I was just converting the final thin layer of soil into mana to connect the two floors, I felt the life forces of around two dozen creatures at the edge of my perception.
Phew luckily done just before they came. I thought as I converted the final layer of soil into mana, thus connecting the shaft under my floating Core to the second floor. I waited for my Core to start floating down to the second floor, as I viewed the two dozen Goblins and a Lizard-like creature which were currently slowly entering my first floor.
Suddenly I noticed that something was wrong. Why am I not floating down? Where is the system message for the completion of the second floor? What is wrong? I started panicking, as I asked the system. Though no reply came. My mind started churning rapidly as I tried to think of the reason for this. Suddenly I remembered the requirement that all caves should be at least three metres tall for creatures to pass through. Might it be for a similar reason this time? Maybe because a simple shaft is not recognized as a pathway, the second floor is not recognized as complete by the system? Damn it. Overwrought with worry I started swearing even as I again started carving the remaining staircase into the shaft wall, while concernedly looking at the war party which had started making their way into the cavern.
An invisible race against time started between me and the war party as I used all my might to carve stairs, while the goblins started making fast progress into my first floor. Similar to the previous goblin Thog, the goblins seemed to have an easy time against my creatures, dispatching them off quite easily. In fact the only thing keeping them from me right now seemed to be the distance. I was especially frightened by the four goblins and the lizard creature leading the party. They did not even seem to be sweating and each swing of their weapon seemed to bring down my critters. Despite them not fighting much, whenever my critters seemed to get a bit lucky and be able to bring down one of the remaining goblins, those five intervened and None in the war party got even taken out. Even the injuries seemed to be able to be healed by one of the goblins.
The war party reached the second floor and started their fight with Vulthar and the poisonous hummingbirds. Unlike Thog, the healer in the party sent out an area of effect detoxification, and even the previously effective poison seemed to have lost its effect. The hummingbirds were brought down by fire mages, and ten goblins fought against Vulthar bringing him down within just five minutes.
I used the extra mana from my dead critters to speed up the carving process. And the last step of my staircase was completed just as Vulthar fell down dead. My Core started to slowly float down the shaft towards the second floor.
Congratulations! Your Second floor has been Completed.
STBC of Core (Unnamed/Void creature/ Void realm Anchor Point) : 10.09%
Void realm anchoring into Gulkonda world realm, Final phase: 2%
“Lord Drakar!! A pretty floating crystal...It is escaping!!!” I heard one of the goblins shout, as I willed myself to float a little faster with all my might.
I felt an unnerving reptilian gaze on my body and saw the half reptile creature stare at me intently. I saw one of the goblins run towards my slowly sinking core to grab just as I was entering the shaft.
“Stop!!!” Was the last thing I heard from the lizard creature as my Core finally entered the staircase shaft to float towards the end of the second floor. I hope they will stop long enough for me to reach the end of the second floor. I thought.