Ivy had to admit, as much as she was still worried about delvers from the city, Evelyn seemed to be good at this. Not that she had really anyone to compare her to, but choosing to defer the boon selection until they had more information or there was imminent need spoke to her capabilities. In her place Ivy might have procrastinated the choice, but to decide that the wisest option was to wait and see what was needed and what assets came to be at their disposal... Ivy was honest enough with herself to know she wouldn't have the patience to consciously delay getting a cool ability. Walking in from the entrance, the dungeon quickly narrowed to a few meters long corridor. It made her feel sympathetic for taller and bulkier delvers, who would be forced to duck their heads to pass through. The deliberately uneven cave-like surroundings purposely designed to feel claustrophobic.
She quickly reached the first room. It was roughly circular, about four meters in radius, and seemingly empty, save for some stalactites that were supposed to keep people watching the ceiling. Ivy knew better though, in three places throughout the room the flooring was dangerously thin over two meter drops. They’d tried to line the bottom with spikes, but they were limited to the materials they could access, with just a few types of stone at the moment. Thankfully limestone was among them, and Ivy had been pleased to confirm her hunch that the undeath affinity of the dungeon seemed to make it slightly cheaper to work with given its nature as crushed fossils. It did mean the spikes weren’t particularly sharp, but they could always be improved later.
After picking her way carefully through the first room Ivy reached a slightly less claustrophobic bending corridor. Evelyn had mentioned she wanted the dungeon to be able to train Timberhollow’s soldiers, so making every corridor discourage those wearing bulky armour would be counterproductive. Besides, the corridor widened round the bend into the second challenge.
The room was straight and long, but still wide enough to walk two abreast or even three at a squeeze. A large two meter deep pit dominated the centre stretch of the hall, and the high ceiling was adorned with limestone structures that Ivy couldn’t help but think looked like the ribs of some long buried titan. In reality they were akin to stalagnates rotated ninety degrees in an unnatural fashion. With a short run and jump she began using the ribs like monkey bars to cross the gap. Ivy’s arms started burning as she reached the halfway point, focusing on keeping her momentum despite the temptation to slow. Breathing heavily as she finally dropped, feeling the satisfying impact of her feet on the other side, Ivy felt vindicated in convincing Evelyn not to reduce the number of bars. It was a tough but doable challenge. While they wanted to survive, there’s a limit to how tough they could make it since this was only the first floor.
Without the wood to make doors, part of the slope that dominated the third room and final room of the floor was visible through the two meter long corridor. Walking though, Ivy found herself at the bottom of the forty five degree slope which terminated immediately before a half height wall, with three skeletons spread out behind it. Arming them had proven difficult with only stone and bone available. While it would be possible to make something passable with enough time and mana, Evelyn had pointed out - with what disturbingly seemed like experience - that stone blocks thrown from height and cover tend to be effective enough.
Still panting slightly after her previous exertion, Ivy gave a nod to the skeletons crouching statue-like as she vaulted over the wall. Turning sharply to the right, she saw a limestone slab seemingly dropped from a slot in the ceiling against the wall. It was marked with a skull to discourage further exploration without running afoul of the gods' prohibition of direct communication. In the absence of wood it was the closest thing they currently had to a door. Although they needed to add handholds at the bottom, and Evelyn had to think of its placement as a ‘test of strength’ to avoid warnings from the system about requiring a route to the core. Not wanting to break her back, and recognising lifting this slab of stone was more a test for parties than for individuals, Ivy took a moment to centre herself and walked straight through it. There were advantages to being a [Dungeon Guide] rather than a delver.
This was currently a small room but unlike the others it was illuminated with a greyish purple glow from the dungeon core floating by the far wall. Two skeletons guarded the door with spears of fused bone and knapped stone spear tips that had taken far more time and mana to make than Ivy and Evelyn had been comfortable with. The final denizen of the room was dressed in what Ivy couldn’t help but think of as a classic puritan outfit, mostly black with a large white collar and a tall black hat that had appeared when Ivy had mentioned to Evelyn that she should be able to change her appearance with a thought. One pleasantly surprising element was that it seemed closer to the male version of the outfit. Apparently, this world accepted the practicality of women wearing trousers, for which Ivy was extremely thankful. Maybe in this world of impossible magic they might also have functional pockets. Evelyn certainly carried the look, with impeccable posture and sharp features giving her an imposing air.
“Finished your walkthrough?”
“Yes, it’s all looking good. We might want to add some decoration near the entrance at some point but nothing urgent. How’s your mana looking after making the second spear?”
Evelyn grimaced, “It was less than the first since I didn’t have to experiment but the pair still cost more than another skeleton would have. I’ve got about a third of what I started with left, however I suspect the morning will soon be here if it isn’t already, though it’s difficult to tell in this place. We can’t expect much more regeneration, not that it was really keeping up anyway.”
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“Yeah, most of your regen will come from having delvers inside the dungeon rather than the passive regeneration.”
“I can, however, now gain a level.”
“Way to bury the lede! What do you reckon, put the break point at the door?” Ivy said bouncing over beside the older woman.
“First, could you tell me, is there a reason why I might not want to gain it? I assume there’s a reason one might refuse since the system is offering the option.”
“Oh sorry,” Ivy said feeling mildly chided, though she doubted that was Evelyn's intention. “I let my excitement get the better of me. Technically, yes there is. In that, when delvers check the entrance, they will be able to tell it’s got a second level. So, it would theoretically draw stronger delvers, but we are expecting some of those anyway. Also, you need the mana to pay for the level arch, which shouldn’t be a problem this time, but they increase in cost exponentially apparently.”
“Yes the first arch seems surprisingly affordable but is there a reason to spend mana on that now rather than more traps or skeletons?”
“Yes,” Ivy stated firmly, hoping her earnestness shone through. “Levelling up gives access to new abilities…”
“Much like levelling classes,” Evelyn interjected.
“…yes, probably. Those abilities can give you access to new materials and creatures…”
“And if I could obtain an intelligent creature, that would give me a reason to take the [leadership] boon rather than continuing to defer.”
“Exactly.” Ivy nodded vigorously. “It also increases your mana capacity and regeneration.”
“Well then, as you suggested I think this is a fine location for the level arch.” Evelyn gestured imperiously towards the doorway the spear wielders guarded and an arch of twisting bone extended up from the ground to surround the opening. As it solidified in place there was a faint grey glow from the chests of the two orcish skeletons.
“Wow, well that’s pretty metal.”
“Metal? It appears to be bone to me. Also, do you know what caused the mana gems to glow?”
“Sorry, turn of phrase…” Ivy was interrupted as a translucent blue window popped into being in front of Evelyn like some sort of augmented reality menu. Ivy moved over beside her for a better look.
Level 2 created
All creatures on level 2 increased to meet minimum level requirement.
[Discover Random Creature Template] unlocked
[Discover Random Material Template] unlocked
[Level up Creature] unlocked
Mana capacity and regeneration increased
“So yeah, the skeletons were upgraded to level 2. You can upgrade creatures to be a higher level than the level of the dungeon they are on with [Level up Creature], but the minimum level a creature can be is the level it’s on. That means you need to think about where you spawn them now, since to have a level 2 skeleton on level 1 you’ll have to pay for the skeleton and the upgrade, while on level 2 you can just purchase the skeleton. You can move creatures between levels, but they will either be downgraded if they are moved to a lower level, or you’ll have to pay the mana for the difference. This is why dungeons generally get stronger as the levels progress.” Ivy finished somewhat breathless.
“We are going to need to increase the level of these skeletons for them to be effective with the spears.” Evelyn mused sounding concerned. “Do we need to add stairs or otherwise change elevation now?”
“No, it’s traditional but the level arch doesn’t actually require it. Why not take a look at your options?”
Current mana: 3541/20,000
Mana Regen: 20/hour
Ability
[Discover Random Creature Template]
[Discover Random Material Template]
[Level up Creature]
Summon from template
Orc
Orc Skeleton
Limestone Spike Pit Trap
Skeletal Knapped Stone Spear
After encouraging the system to collate the options in front of her Evelyn swiftly proceeded to level up the spear wielders to level 5. Ivy was a little taken aback at the immediacy of her choice, particularly as she showed no sign of stopping. Trying to keep any hurt at the lack of consultation out of her voice Ivy asked, “Are you sure you want to spend it all here? Traps seem quite cost effective.”
“I need to reinforce our last line of defence; I hadn’t realised all the skeletons were level 1. My former abilities made them half my level.” Evelyn responded briskly.
“Still, I’m sure the costs are starting to add up, what level do you think they need to be?” Ivy added timidly as the mana stones in the skeletons continued to flash and grow.
Evelyn sighed as she stopped. “Sorry, I’m letting the loss of my class get to me. I was a level 39 [Journeyman Necromancer], so it’s been a long time since I worked with skeletons even near this level. I know they can do more damage than their level might indicate if they are used intelligently, but there are limits. I…” Ivy watched as Evelyn seemed to centre herself, “…I feel vulnerable and it’s been a long time since I felt like that.”
“Thank you for explaining, I know this isn’t what you wanted, and I can’t pretend I’m not nervous myself, but for whatever its worth, I think you are genuinely good at this.” Ivy felt like she was rambling but hoped the sentiment would get through even if the words were wrong.
“Thank you.” Evelyn continued swiftly, “Well, my little spending spree got the spear wielders up to level 8. That will have to be enough for the moment.”