The floor is lava.
Well magma technically. I mean I am definitely underground, probably pretty far underground considering all the molten rock. The small offshoot I am in that goes on for maybe half a dozen meters before it ends in a smooth wall of puffy looking grey stone, then there is a giant drop off.
Said drop-off seemingly leads to what has got to be the single-largest cavern in existence below stretching off into the distance. That's the one with all the magma in it.
Aside from whatever my little cubby-hole is built into I actually can’t see any of the edges. Just the rocky ceiling a comparatively short distance up, maybe sixty-odd meters? The magma is a long way down.
Naturally, this is only the beginning of my problems. The second most obvious issue- made slightly less so by my apparent ability to move my… ‘Point of view’ for lack of a better term around anywhere within a certain area around me is… I am a rock.
At the center of the spherical area where I can see is a small obelisk made of black shiny stone with six sides. On the top of this obelisk where a point would normally be there is a large ball-shaped crystal maybe the size of a girl’s fist.
Somehow, by looking at myself I can tell that this sizable chunk of deep-black gemstone is me. As for why I am currently a rock I have no clue. Last thing I remember was…
…
Nothing. Literally Nothing- In two ways. Both in of that I remember a vast, -infinite but somehow getting smaller as though existence itself was coming to a close- empty unending expanse of space, ending. Becoming an absolute Void, the eternal unstoppable fate of all things.
This, and the simple fact that beyond this single memory of something impossible I have no memories at all.
I have no past. I know I was human once but I am a gemstone now. I know no human could have survived what I remember: The End. Everything in existence, everything that ever was having finally finished it’s great play closing the curtains of the stage that is reality.
And now I am somewhere else. A place, that is existing. As places generally do.
I am a rock.
The floor is magma.
What do I do now?
No seriously- what do I do now? Do I just sit here, I can float around nearby so do I do that?
Please select a starting race for your dungeon!
Okay, so now there is a blue box. Dungeon eh? That sounds sort of weird, but that does sound like something to do besides studying some rocks or staring at the magma. Actualy come to think of that I want to make things. Okay Boxy what are my choices?
Race: Description: Imps (unavailable due to lack of demonic taint)
Small, petty, and frail Imps are the weakest of the family of monsters often referred to as demons. Ferocious scavengers from the thousand hells Imps are vicious fighters. No relation to Daemons, or Devils. Rotting Zombies (Unavailable due to extreme heat/lack of rotting material)
Smelly, slow-moving, and overwhelmingly stupid rotting zombies are the weakest form of undead lower even then wisps. Rotten Zombies are only a threat as they come in enormous numbers. Any killed by a zombie will rise from the dead to join the tide of rotting flesh. Fairly flammable, tend to rot to nothing over time. Slimes (Unavailable due to extreme heat/lack of moisture)
Squishy, weak, and slow slimes are simple scavengers and the distant ancestors to jellyfish and sea anemones. While not very effective in direct combat acid, and extreme adaptability make slimes nonetheless dangerous. Can eat literally anything, or even subsist on only water and ambient mana. Slimes are resistant to physical damage but are easily killed by damage to their core and initial forms do damage slowly. Giant Rats (Unavailable due to lack of food/lack of water/extreme heat)
Small, frail, and weak giant rats are sewer scavengers but can be found anywhere people are if you look hard enough. While not very durable rats are fast and numerous breeding very fast and attacking with sharp teeth and claws. Rats can eat almost any organic substance but are voracious.
So I can choose exactly none of them. Okay blue box what can I do?
Name: (None) Race: Dungeon Core Area: 15m^3 Level: 1 (0/1000 exp) HP: 100/100 MP 1000/1000 5/30 days Floors: 1 Rooms: 1 Traps: (None) Monsters: (None) Traits: (None) Rank: (None) Skills: Description:
Increase Area
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Add more area to your Dungeon for MP
An area must be added to the dungeon before you can build or Excavate there.
Create Floor (Basic)
Creates a floor for 100 MP x floor number
Excavate (Basic)
Excavate an area for 1 MP x cubic meter
Trap (Basic)
Allows the creation of basic traps for MP (pit,spike)
Create Entity (None)
Create available flora, or fauna from MP (None)
Create Treasure (Basic)
Create available treasure from MP based on value/current floor
Create Object (Basic)
Create simple objects and liquids from excavated materials or Basic materials for MP
...
Okay that is actually surprisingly helpful, if a bit weird. I am a 'Dungeon Core' and I can do all that huh? I also apparently have no name, but that does not really bother me. I am definitely a girl though so why is there no 'gender' there? Very worrying however is the fact that I apparently have no life in my dungeon. I am not entirely sure why this bothers me it just feels wrong somehow. Like I am missing something. Traps seem important too but I'm not entirely sure why I would need them really. MP seems important, and I have quite a bit but the rate it regenerates is terrible
So Blue Box is there anything I can do to get water?
Create Object (Basic)
Create simple objects and liquids from excavated materials or Basic materials for MP
Current liquids: Water, Magma
Good, but the floor is flat so won't it all drain out into the lava? I think about the excavate skill and the rock in the wall vanishes... and I can feel it appear somewhere inside of me? I use this to hollow out a little ways behind me until I reach the edge of my area- about ten meters from where I started maybe? My MP is at 980 so I expand my area further, spending 80 mana to get a large area of solid rock- this bounces my MP regen up to 1 a day Excavating a large cavern opposite the magma sea I leave a five-meter ring around a deep bowl like depression in the center with craggy, teir-like sides, I drop a few rocks into it and make some little fissures in the bottom that go deeper in a moment of fancy. I know these, like I have seen volcanic hot-springs before but don't remember.
Most of the area I left filled with stone, and beyond these cracks I buy more area to create a sizable pocket to fill with water
The ceiling of the upper room has three large stalactites that I left behind, all composed of that same grey volcanic rock streaked with black. Filling the indentation with water using
I look at the round cave, with the slightly irregular ring-shaped path around the bubbling water. It took so much mana to make this even at 1 MP a cubic meter! The slight light shining through from the small downwards-slope to my core cave makes the walls and bubbling water gleam dimly with a strange reddish light.
Now blue box, What life is available?
Species: 1/257 available Description: Manashroom (5 MP) A common species of mushroom found growing anywhere warm with mana, and water. These glowing mushrooms are a common ingredient in mana potions. Costs 5MP for a patch of manashrooms, grow slowly.
Mushrooms? Really? And they are the only thing available? Out of 257 species?
...
Okay, I can work with that. It's cheap too. I feel mana flow out of me as I buy it. (I am assuming that’s what MP stands for anyway- that would probably make HP health?) I may have been left here clueless but if none of the other species can survive here then I will take care of my mushroom garden.