The debate seemed to be taking longer than Duke had anticipated. He had stolen enough food for a significant feast before he finally got caught and closed the Portal, chuckling all the time. He decided to see just how far he could push the Ability. He made a Portal about one millimeter wide and put the other end on the ceiling of Aurelia’s meeting room in Legion headquarters. He was overjoyed when he was able to see her in a meeting with her commanders. He listened in.
“Does the King need to be informed of this development, General?”
“I think not. There’s nothing he would care to do about it and would leave it up to us to resolve anyway. Besides, he needs to focus on the reception for the other two kingdoms. I don’t know where he is, but I trust he has at least left someone in charge of setting it up.”
Duke closed the Portal and thought about it for a bit. He did give Sam the instruction to set up the party. It’ll be fine. Sam’s smart and will set up a grand party.
Duke opened a small Portal to the bar in the Inn. “Hey Calen, is Sam setting up for a grand feast and party?”
Calen looked around until he saw the Portal. A quizzical look passed over his face before he responded. “Of course, Sam is setting up for the party. You asked him to do so, right?”
“Yes, right. Of course. Never mind then. Thanks.” Duke closed the Portal.
He was glad that he had closed the Portal just then as he heard Twalla coming his way. He stood up to greet her. “Have you all come to a decision?”
“Yes, we have, but it wasn’t an easy one. Many wanted to leave with you and be done with this place. But ultimately, this is our homeland and any hope that we can stay here and prosper is a straw that too many want to grasp for. How does this dungeon seeding process work?”
“Oh, that is the simplest part of it all. Do you want to gather your people around to watch? It will probably be fairly anticlimactic. At least at first. When the dungeon is ready in a day or two, that is when the real fun starts. Quick question for you beforehand. How travelled is this road. It seems to go nowhere and is virtually unused?”
“There used to be a community of selkies that lived on the seashore. They traded with anyone who came to them, sharing the bounty of the sea. The Barubies built this road for trade but when they turned xenophobic, they used it as a highway for their armies to march on the selkies. I believe many were able to take to the sea and escape genocide, but I don’t expect them ever to come back. So, this road is a relic of the past.”
“I see. So perhaps setting the dungeon up on the side of the road is not as bad an idea as I thought it might be.” Duke essentially was speaking to he back as she had left to gather the tribe and watch this unknown event that Duke had claimed would be beneficial to her tribe. Skepticism ran high but the effects of Duke’s RESTORE Ability had given him enough credibility to allow for this demonstration.
It did not take long for the tribe to gather. Duke’s quick count was around 120 full-grown adults and twice as many children. Not a large tribe but enough he hoped to protect and nurture the dungeon he was about to plant.
“Are you all ready for this?” Duke asked as he met the gazes of the gathered crowd.
“We are ready.” Mahlnok spoke for the tribe.
Duke smiled as he pulled the core he had selected from the pouch. It was slightly green in coloration and he hoped that indicated that it was nature-mana focused as that seemed like a good fit for this tribe of gnolls. With reverence, he held the core up for all to see, elevating it above his head. “With this seed, this core, I shall plant the future of this tribe. May prosperity shine upon you all!”
Shit, that sounded good. I’m getting better at this!
When all had gotten a look at the seed, he lowered it to the ground and placed his hand over it. He closed his eyes and addressed the prompt.
*** You have placed an Inn-variant of the Lake Front Dungeon seed in an ideal location beside a road. Do you wish to plant this seed and create a new dungeon? (Y/N) ***
Duke was surprised by the message. An Inn-variant? What the hell does that mean? One way to find out, I guess. He indicated “Yes” and the seed sunk into the ground.
“Everyone please stand back.” Duke instructed as he himself began to back away from the glowing spot there the core was planted.
The tribe did as requested and stepped back as something started to grow out of the ground. Duke had expected something like a cave or even a set of stairs to grow into the ground. He did not expect something to come growing out of the ground but that’s exactly what happened. And grow it did. In a matter of less than a minute the brownish-green mass had grown as large as a city bus and was still growing. Everyone stepped further back and across the road. The gnolls continued to murmur questions to which none of them had answers
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“What is that thing?”
“Will it stop growing?”
“Must we fight it and destroy it?”
“Mama, I’m scared.”
Duke joined the tribe across the road as he too watched it grow. It expanded continually, visibly growing to the height of the shorter palm trees before it continued to expand outwards and, oddly enough, away from the road. Its growth towards the tribe had stopped two meters short of the road.
Ten minutes later, it seemed to have hit its growth limit. It was a significant mass, largely rectangular in shape. They watched as it continued to refine its shape and before long Duke realized what the final shape was going to be. I’m an idiot. The prompt did say Inn-variant, so of course, it’s going to look like an Inn.
Finally, the Inn resolved itself before their eyes. It was a two-story structure with windows all around. It appeared to be painted a slate blue as the primary color with exposed dark timbers showing in contrast. The windows were all even rectangles, showing various woodland images in stained glass. The door was set in the center of the Inn and was far larger than one would expect. Duke suspected it was to accommodate larger creatures. Finally, A signboard grew out over the door with a sign depicting a deeply crimson stag rearing up. The sign also read “Crimson Stag Inn” solidifying Duke’s interpretation of the sign.
The gnolls all stared at the Inn along with Duke. It was a sight that seemed completely out-of-place from the camp set across the road, but in another context, it perfectly fit in as a roadside Inn. Tentatively, they approached the door, hesitant to reach for it.
Duke stepped forward. “I will go in first to see what it looks like in there. I have a suspicion about what it will be like but if I’m wrong it could be gravely dangerous.” He entered the Inn. The feeling he received as he passed through the threshold was similar to what he felt while TELEPORTING and virtually the same as when he stepped into the Lake Front Inn.
Inside, it resembled a much scaled-down version of the Lake Front Inn. He saw the tables, the large fireplace with a warm and inviting fire. He also saw the bar with a white Minotaur behind it. Unlike Calen, this minotaur was tremendously tall, towering over Duke and making him wonder just how he served drinks from such a height. The counter barely came up to the Minotaur’s mid-thigh. He turned to Duke and smiled. “Greetings, Duke. I am Ryan and this is my Inn.”
“You already know my name?”
“Of course. Sam gifted me with much knowledge; your name and this configuration figured prominently in the knowledge shared. The majority of this Inn is a saferoom like the Lake Front Inn configuration of the Lake Front Dungeon.”
“Is there a section that is perhaps, a bit more dangerous?”
Ryan chuckled and pointed behind Duke who turned around to see a door on the opposite side of the common room. It had a brightly painted sign that read in glowing golden words: Danger! Do not pass through this door unless you are prepared for great peril and bodily harm!
“That is quite the sign. Just how dangerous is the actual dungeon part of the Inn?”
“It scales. The first two levels are relatively simple and straightforward but the next four get progressively more difficult.”
“Six levels and you are just starting out?”
“Sam did tell you that my core was maxed out, didn’t he?”
“Indeed he did. I just had no idea it meant all this. I’ll be right back.”
Duke stepped out of the Inn to see the entire tribe waiting. Spread throughout the gnolls were countenances of worry and trepidation. Duke’s XENOGLOSSIA was working overtime to process it all and it came over him as a wave of body language showing a complex emotion that was not exactly fear but that was the closest analog he could come up with. He employed his Diplomacy Skill as he spoke to them.
“Oh, yes. This is good news. The Crimson Stag Inn is ready for all of the tribe. It is a wonderous building in that it is two worlds inside. When you first enter, you will see that it is an Inn like any other but better. There is also another world that can be entered to fight and grow stronger. Come on in and see for yourself.” Duke held the door open for the gnolls.
Twalla led the way in and nearly stopped in her tracks at the wonder she saw. As she continued into the Inn, her hackles fell and she visibly relaxed. She glanced back at Duke and he smiled with enthusiasm. “This looks just like a roadside inn!”
“That’s because it is one, but also so much more.” Twalla spun around to the bar to see Ryan towering over her with a wide smile. He continued, “This Inn has all the features you would expect in an Inn but also has further dungeon features that make it special beyond its already fantastic Inn features. I am Ryan, your Innkeeper.”
She looked at him dumbfounded as the rest of the tribe filtered in carefully. They looked around themselves confused and bewildered at what they saw. “What is this place?” One asked.
“This,” Ryan gestured expansively around himself, “is the Crimson Stag Inn. You are all welcome to stay here and are even welcome to try your skills in the actual dungeon within. But I suspect that most of you will be just satisfied with enjoying the Inn as it is and not venturing beyond.”
Mahlnok spoke up. “What is the fee for staying at this Inn?”
“Oh, a good and fair question. You seem to have many members of your tribe but few warriors that might be willing to delve into the dungeon.”
“This is true, but an odd thing to point out when discussing rent.”
“Well, the thing is this. I am all alone in running this establishment. I have need of staff to make this place run efficiently. Your tribe could perhaps provide staff and we could all benefit.”
“I can cook!” A voice echoed from the back of the gathered tribe. Other voices echoed out and before Mahlnok or Twalla had another word in argument, the deal was struck. The tribe had a home, a dungeon to delve into, and many of them now had jobs.
Duke stayed in the background, smiling as things resolved themselves. He caught Twalla’s eye as he left for the door outside. She followed him out.
“Duke, you are like no man I have ever met. You offer us so much and have asked for nothing in return.”
“That’s not entirely true. I am asking you and your tribe to take care of and protect the Inn. It may be easy for the most part but there is also the chance that it could be quite difficult and dangerous.”
“I still think we are gaining more than we are giving up.”
“Oh, I don’t know. That is a mighty fine looking camp over there.”
She chuckled. “Thank you, Duke. You are always welcome among us.”
“You would also be welcome in my kingdom. I will stop by sometime to check in on how you are doing. But, for now, I have to get going.” Duke waved and then vanished. He had his own Inn to get back to, hoping the party planning was going well.