After that unexpected visit, I was busy thinking. Since dungeons allowed cores free movement in any of them, why were we bound from leaving our domains? Well, the most obvious answer was to ensure the core was there to defend their domain. There was no point in attempting to conquer a dungeon if the core just fled to a place where they could safely wait out the helplessness from being conquered. But that was too simple an answer. Gah, thinking about it just gave me a headache, I had other things to do still.
I looked over to Mordred, "Well then, lets get the portal up and running, shall we? We know this one works, but we still have to connect the one on the second floor and build one on the fourth." When I mentioned the fourth floor Mordred gave a visible shudder, but otherwise remained stoic. Can't blame him. Without my Labyrinth Sense I would feel lost as well and that was never a fun sensation.
The test itself was simple, as Mordred just walked up to the portal and touched it and it activated. After he stepped through and the portal deactivated Pavol walked up to it. He was purposefully not wearing my Emblem for the test. And when he touched the portal, it remained inert. Good, that meant it was working as intended.
With the test concluded, I pondered what to do for the rest of the day. I didn't have enough EP to unlock anything worthwhile to summon, I would have to get more later. Though I suspected that I would have to find an alternate source somehow, as I seriously doubted that adventurers would line up at my dungeon to get themselves killed. Not after Mother showed up in person and literally wiped out an army of demons and Inlas' little friends. Too bad I didn't have any hostile monsters to fi- wait, that was it, wasn't it? That could work and be mutually beneficial, I would have to mention that to Yrsha when she had thought over my suggestion.
However, this idea was not quite without risk. In the worst-case scenario, it would not work and the monsters in question would not respawn back in their respective dungeons. Best-case scenario, it got a bunch of everything for it and the monsters respawned in their respective dungeons. If I were to guess, considering this was a unique opportunity, this had not been possible until now. Chances were this was not part of the "Immortality" clause on gains, or had and rules added to it at all. So, who could say what would happen or if this had happened before, Archives?
I took a deep breath and then mulled over which group of creatures to approach to ask for volunteers. My first impulse was to ask Talka. But there was no telling how the Strider Hivemind would react to have one of their members be who knows how far away from the dungeon. For all I knew, the distance alone could cause the drone to go crazy or just die. I would need someone who could think for themselves rather than need directives from Talka. After considering all the creatures in my dungeon that could fit through the portal approached the Duergar King. He looked up at me as I stopped in front of him. "Ho, what's with da dour look Melady?"
He looked up at me with a curious expression. I looked down at him and took a deep breath. "I have an experiment I want to discuss with Yrsha, the thing is, it will involve death for a dungeon creature." I began as the King looked up at me, now with a rather confused expression. "I am sorry, Melady, but I fail ta see da problem." he replied, as I sat down in front of him. "It might cause permanent death, no respawning." I replied calmly. There was no point in beating around the bush about the risks involved. The King furrowed his brows. "I see, so that's why ye want a volunteer, rather than order one of us ta do it." He replied finally, after a brief silence.
I nodded in response. "That's right, considering the risks involved I will force no one to do it, all I ask is that you mention this to your kinsmen. If the experiment is a success, it could lead to a very rapid advancement of the dungeon. And also allow you and your kin to practice in live combat with a worthy adversary." The mention of battle seemed to rekindle some eagerness in the now rather surly Duergar. "I will mention it ta da lads and lasses tanight, ye will have an answer in the mornin." He replied at length. I smiled weakly down at him. "Thank you." I answered before I rose. There was another thing I had to do, I didn't want to, but I had to. It was time to brave the forest once more and see what in the world was in there. I knew it had those manta things, but I hadn't gotten a good enough look at them to have an inkling on what they were.
As I was about to take off Indella tapped me on the leg *Mind if I come with you? I heard you had summoned something on the 4th floor and I want to meet it.* Seeing no reason not to, I laid down so Indella could hop on and then I flew off. I would have to introduce Indella to Latra eventually anyhow, so it wasn't like there was a reason to delay it. With Indella on my back, I took off and flew through the labyrinth and walked through the stairs to the 4th floor. Even from this distance, with the ever-present fog around, I could see Latra's silhouette in the distance. Upon spotting her, I could feel Indella get nervous, not that I could blame her.
I took to the skies once more and flew towards Latra. As we got closer, I could feel Indella feeling uncomfortable, the sheer size of Latra was probably unnerving her more the closer we got. *I… expected her to be large, but this… is beyond my wildest imagination. I mean, if she had human features you would be what a fifth of her pinky finger nail when compared to her?* I chuckled in response. "Something along those lines, I'd wager, maybe smaller. Considering her sheer size, it's hard to tell from my perspective." As I neared, I could feel Latra's mind brushing over mine as a greeting. I could also feel Indella flinch momentarily before relaxing. Latra moved her head closer to us. It was stunning just how fast she could move. Then again, at that size even a slight movement would seem fast for me and Indella, considering the difference in size.
As I passed by Latra's many eyes, I could feel here looking at us with amusement. I was slowly circling higher to gain altitude without risking that Indella fell off. With a rumbling sound I could only assume was a chuckle, she lowered her head, quickening our passage to the Core Room. Mighty kind of her. As I landed Indella slid off and looked around. *I think I will stay here. The mist is so bad that I don't fancy getting lost in the wood.* Fair enough, it was not like I was going to force her to come with me, anyway.
"That's fine, I have something I wish to do inside the forest. I want to see what this Champion is like and identify the other creatures that live in there. It might be awhile, but I guess you have someone you can talk to." Again that rumbling chuckle came from below. *It would seem Latra agrees with you, have fun navigating that mess.* I looked at the forest with a less than eager expression. "Oh I will, at least I have a way out in case I get lost, which I will, mind you." Indella laughed and the rumbling from below grew louder as I entered the forest once again.
It didn't take long for me to once more become utterly lost. The trees were growing so far apart that my Labyrinth didn't work properly. There was also something about the mist, I realized. Now that I focused a bit, I realized that the mist seemed to grow thicker the more you tried to find a way through it. The mist was… sentient? Or was it just my imagination? Impossible to tell, however, in difference from last time I refused to be give up as I moved on through the mist. This place was creepy, it reminded me a bit of the deep labyrinth, but here it was the complete lack of any visual stimulus that had me on edge. If someone told me I had gone blind, I would be partially open to agreeing with them. It was that bad and getting worse.
That's when I sensed it, a mind, a slow, old and sleepy mind. I had almost missed it because of the constant pressure of Latra's own massive mind. Though trying to pinpoint its location was difficult. It was as if it was… all around… me, oh. I walked over to the nearest direction I felt the mind in and, yep, the trunk of one of the massive tree's greeted me. This misty forest had Treants living in them, that was, unexpected. I reached out to the mind in front of me. "Good day, old one." Immediately there was a response. The lazy mind grew stronger and more alert as it focused in on me. Then the trunk in front of me shifted, twisted, and a face appeared.
"Oh… A visitor… How… Quaint… Good day… To… You… As well… Child." Its voice was deep and slow, like old creaking wood. But I could sense a powerful and ancient intellect behind those words. "I am sorry for disturbing your rest, Old One. I am seeking the Champion. Do you think you could help me make sense of this fog, so I could reach my destination?" The Treant looked at me for a while, studying me. "Oh… The… Mist… Has… A will… Of… Its… Own… It… Will… Let you… Pass… When… It feels… Like… It… Young One."
It seemed happy to speak with me; I guess it didn't get much conversation outside of Latra. However, if the mist had a will of its own, why could I not sense a mind? Unless... "You say the mist has a will of its own, but I cannot seem to pinpoint it." The Treant looked at me for a while in silence, before it seemed to understand what I meant. "Ah… That would… Be… Because… The… Mist is… Made… By… The… Mistwalkers… Further… In. You will need… To speak… With… Them… About… It." The Treant smiled at me, this trunk creaking as it did. "I see, thank you for the information, Old One. I gave a polite nod. "The… Pleasure… Was… Mine… Young… One… Do… Visit… Again… Sometime…" I smiled myself and as I walked past the trunk, I spoke over my shoulder. "I will take you up on that offer, I might even bring a friend along. I will need to figure out how to deal with the mist first, however, or I fear I might never find you again."
There was a sound of creaking wood as the Treants gave a mirth filled laugh in response as it disappeared into the mist behind me. How many of the trees in this forest were part of it? Better question, how many more were there? If things were like in the lore from the game, there should be more around. Well, they might be asleep. A sleeping Treant would be impossible to detect unless you used specific spells, spells that I didn't have access to. Not that it mattered for the moment. I would introduce myself to them in time, considering a Treant could sleep for centuries at a time. So there was no telling when they might wake up if the lore held up. Hmm, Archives wasn't piping up, so I guess my assumptions were correct.
Well, it seemed finding these Mistwalkers was next on the agenda or I would likely wander blindly in here indefinitely. I continued my trek through the eerily silent forest, which was even more pressing than the Labyrinth, since there was no echo here because of the open space. There was no wind either, and the mist was making my fur glisten with moisture. I continually scanned the area around me for minds, as that was the only reference I would have of making progress. It took about another hour of this dead silent walk along the forest before I finally felt a presence. No wait, not just one. There was almost a dozen of them, and they were approaching and spreading out around me in a semicircle.
I stopped moving and looked around, I couldn't see what they were because of the mist. But I saw nearly two dozen pairs of glowing eyes that was observing me through the mist. They were not moving or making a single sound, hmm, guess that meant I had to make the first move. "Well now, considering how easily you are navigating this place, I take it you are the Mistwalkers." No response, nor any movement from the group. I took a step forward, and the group moved in synch to keep the same distance. This was getting me nowhere.
"Well, since you insist on just playing games…" I opened up the spell list to see what I had access to. One of them had to be useful for this situation. I had some minor illusions from my Illusion Magic, which wouldn't work here. And several Druidic spells from Indella, most of which were for support. However, there was one that caught my eye. I looked up at the group again. "Well then, since you don't want to show yourselves, I guess it is up to me to make you my apologies in advance." I focused on the "Wind Blast" spell, the effect was immediate as a blast of wind emanated from me and blew the mist away from me. Better yet, it pushed the surrounding creatures back a step or two as the mist surged away from them. This revealed what I was dealing with for the few seconds of vision it bought me.
They were strange looking things. They were about half the size of a man, with a gorilla like build with massive forearms and small stumpy legs. That's where the similarities to any regular creature ended, however. Their heads were various animal skulls, while their bodies seemed to comprise mainly of earth. Moss grew on them as if it was fur and several also sported several mushroom colonies of ferns in various places. The glow emanated from the gems embedded in the eye sockets of the skulls. I guess that explained why they didn't speak. There was no way for them to do so. That being said, I had no inkling what I was looking at. Archives some help, please? Archives? Again, dead silence. Ok… That was weird, what was going on here, I mean it was not like Archives was using spatial magic to communicate or anything, right? I would have to figure that one out later, for now, I would have to figure out what these things were some other way.
The startled creatures looked at one another as the mist slowly crept back in, then they all moved closer to me. I sensed no hostility from them, only wary curiosity. As they now crowded in close to me they all seemed content with letting me study them. I opened the menu and started looking through the list of monsters for the Misty Forest Biome, looking for anything that would match what I was looking at. Let's see, not Treant, obviously, not Mist Glider. Those looked to be the manta like creatures I had seen earlier. Hmm, Decidedly not the Mistwalkers, they were… different. Hmm, Earth Shambler looked promising, but the size and body structure was wrong. It also didn't sport the skull head. Oh, wait, here they were.
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Monster: Lesser Daear Niwlog Minotaur
Genus: Elemental(Earth), Spirit, Minotaur
Biome: Misty Forest
Unlock cost: 50EP
HP: 200, MP: 120
Attack: 190, Defense: 100
Magic Attack: 130, Magic Defense: 70
Strength: 19, Dexterity: 10, Endurance: 20
Intelligence: 13, Wisdom: 12, Charisma: 7
Upkeep: 15 E/D
Skills: Unnerving Lv2(Racial), Pack Tactics(Racial), Silent(Racial), Elemental Attack(earth)(Racial), Spore cloud(Racial), Greater Strength(Racial), Forest Guardian(Racial), Mist Vision(Special)
They were Minotaur's? I was not sure whether the news made me shocked or excited. I had not expected that that was for certain, I would not complain, however. The more Minotaurs I got, the better. One upside to all of this was that despite having a high upkeep, it would seem I did not need to pay it. Since it came in as part of the Biome on Latra's back it would seem the cost was just wavered because of the cost I was paying for her. Not that I would normally meet the requirements for a Misty Forest anyway, not with a Maze Biome as my base. Wait, this was unlocked. Had purchasing Latra just unlocked everything for the Misty forest? A quick check immediately proved otherwise. A bunch of stuff was unlocked, but far from everything.
Well, I could inspect that after I found the Mistwalkers. For now, as I looked over at the Minotaur's, they were still looking at me silently. I reached out to their minds and spoke to them telepathically. "Hello, little ones." I could feel the curiosity emanating from them in response to my words. One of them took a careful step forward and touched my leg, then darted backwards to rejoin the others.
I couldn't help but crack a smile at them. "I mean you no harm, I assure you." I messaged them. This, combined with the earlier Minotaur's courage, seemed to embolden them. They all stepped forward now and warily touched my legs before one happily embraced the leg, followed by the others. Once this greeting was over, they all stepped back again. "You wouldn't know where the Mistwalker's are, do you? I wish to speak with them." I asked them.
The group looked at one another, then to me, then nodded to one another. I had no clue how they had communicated, but it seemed they had agreed on something as they turned around and motioned for me to follow. Well, it wasn't like I had any better idea as I followed the group of bouncing and galloping Minotaur spirits deeper into the misty woods.
It took about another hour of walking. By this point, the small group of Minotaur's had attracted more of their ilk. By the time we reached our destination, there were almost 4 dozen of them, if not more, surrounding me on all sides. They all suddenly abruptly stopped and as one pointed forwards, while looking at me. That was eerie to be blunt, but it was not like I could really do anything about it as I walked off in the direction they were pointing.
The ground slanted here and was slowly dipping into a small valley. Water covered the entire bottom of the valley. And I had no way of seeing how deep it was. The solution to this predicament was simple and fun. Using "Flight" I skipped along the surface of the lake, making it seem like I was running across the water itself. Near the center of this lake, I found a small island, and on the island I found them, the Mistwalkers.
I am not sure what I expected, but it was decidedly not this. They looked like, well; I had nothing to compare them too. I had seen nothing remotely like them before. They were almost like centaurs, but with white scales instead of skin, they were also remarkably tall and slender. Their lower bodies was more akin to that of a stag than a horse, lithe and thin, covered in scales. Instead of hooves, they had clawed feet like that of a bird. They had a long sinuous tail that ended in a nasty looking gripping three-pronged claw akin to those used by crane games. The major difference was that this claw was sharp as daggers. And, if the fish held in the tail by one of them was anything to go by, a deadly weapon. The claw had not only cut deeply into the fish, but a bone spike had impaled it through the center, extending from the tail itself. Their faces were vaguely human, in shape. But they had four slits for noses and had three circular eyes. Their pupils were unusual as they were triangular rather than circular. Their mouths were small and circular and lined with small needle-sharp teeth, like that of a lamprey. Their hands ended in a thumb and three thin, long, clawed fingers. The mist rose from their scales like smoke and lazily scattered across the lake. On their head there grew crests of bone, some of which was more prominent on some than others. That was the only difference I could see between them.
As I got near the Mistwalkers, they looked up at me with cool disinterest. I could sense a mind reaching out to me "Begone beast, there nothing of interest here" That was quite presumptive of the Mistwalker, wasn't it? I continued to close the distance while working to figure out which Mistwalker was the one speaking. The presence in my mind grew stronger. "I said, begone!" This outburst was what I needed, as I calmly spoke directly into the mind of the Mistwalker in question, the one with the fish held in its tail. "You should not presume every creature you see is a mere beast, some could do you grievous harm if you do." The resulting shock was amusing to look at as the Mistwalker stumbled backwards and nearly tripped over one another.
It recovered its bearings quickly and tried to blast my mind with another mental command to leave. I didn't even feel it this time, as it was strong enough to trigger my defensive skill. The Mistwalker had an impressive mental strength, but seriously this was too much. There was just something about their behavior that angered me beyond reason. "ENOUGH OF YOUR IMPUDENCE!" My mental command echoed across the island, and I now had their undivided attention. "I came here to greet you all and you dismiss me as a mere beast. No wonder most of the creatures in this forest keep their distance to you. Your behavior is abhorrent!" I did not understand where this sudden bout of anger came from, nor did I care. How could someone or something be that arrogant and still be a creation of Mother?
Just as I was about to ask them that very question, however, another presence made itself known as something came walking out of the mist. This one was stronger than the others, far stronger. It was another Mistwalker, but a much larger one, almost as big as I was. That meant that these had to be kids. That explained, but did not excuse their behavior. I felt this new Mistwalker touch my mind, then recoil as if burned. "My apologies, Lady Core, it would seem I have failed to instill the young ones with any sense of humility and respect, despite my best efforts." The elder Mistwalker bowed its torso deeply as it spoke. "Apology accepted, I am partially to blame for allowing childish remarks to agitate me." The elder Mistwalker looked on the group of young ones, who visibly shrank back from the withering gaze of their displeased elder.
The elder walked over to the culprit for my outburst and grabbed it by the crest. "They should have known better. I have over and over tried to make them understand that they are not better than anyone else. But it seems like my lesson has once again fallen on deaf minds." As it spoke it looked across the group. "Tell me, Lady Core, what can we help you with?" It asked at length, while gazing at me with a patient and inquisitive expression. "I was told by one of the Treants that you could help me navigate this mist easier. If I could do so it would make it easier for me to meet all the creatures that live here, so I can greet them properly." The Mistwalker nodded. "I see, well, that is easy enough, I grant you, and all those who follow you, free access through the mist."
No sooner had the Mistwalker given its consent, before the area underwent a drastic change from my perspective. The mist had disappeared, or so it seemed, but I could still feel it on my fur and face. So, I could see through it as if it wasn't there. I could see the great leaf covered trees, the mossy ground, the clusters of smaller shrubs and mushrooms growing here and there. And that the lake was smaller than I had first thought. Now that I could see it all, the place was actually beautiful. "Thank you" I nodded respectfully to the elder Mistwalker. "Oh, the pleasure is mine, Lady Core, take care now, if you head in that direction you will find the Champion. Now, I would have liked to keep talking but, the young ones need another lesson, it would seem." I gave a single nod as I looked in the direction he was pointing. I didn't envy the younger ones, but then, it was not my place to tell the elder how to raise the younger ones. For all I knew, this was the correct way to go about it. I could have asked Archives, but it kept being strangely quiet. Its silence was unnerving me somewhat by this point.
As I left the island behind I could hear the Elder starting to berate the younger Mistwalkers using open telepathy. This allowed anyone passing by to listen in, so I suspected it was a deliberate choice to do so. I almost felt bad for the young ones, but they did that to themselves. I continued on my way. Now that I could see properly, I took to the air rather than walk along the ground, which sped things up. I could see more of the small Minotaur's below me running around along the forest floor and enjoying themselves. I also noticed something else. The manta like creatures I had seen earlier were flying among the branches on the bigger trees. Without the mist in the way I could get a good look at them.
They were birds, though strange ones. Their wings were overly large, or was it one giant U-shaped wing? It was difficult to tell. They pressed their small raptor like heads into the wing itself when they flew. Their head blended in so well with the rest of it that the only thing that gave it away was its long tooth-filled beak and red-glowing eyes. This gave them an appearance reminiscent of stealth fighters now that I could see them without the mist obscuring them. In place of feathers, they had a purple rubber like hide on top, while their underside was teal colored. Their long legs were decidedly the legs of a bird of prey, with sharp talons easily giving purchase on the branches of the tree. Their tails were akin to that of the manta, a long slender thing, devoid of feathers. Though in place of a spike, it crackled with electricity.
I considered looking up their stats along with the Mistwalkers, but after a quick internal debate, I postponed it until later. Once I had figured out what in the world had happened to Archives, I could have it pull them up for me. It’s continued silence was unnerving me more and more now. I reached out to a few of them mentally as I landed on one of the bigger branches. The effect was immediate as the bird-like creatures all took off and flew away. Well then, guess they were more skittish than I had expected, I would have to get back to them later. With a disappointed sigh, I took wing once more. No point in sticking around if they would not be here to speak with. I continued onwards towards the area that the elder Mistwalker had pointed towards.
It was a few minutes later that the forest to undergo a rather unnerving change. The trees looked withered and gnarled, with several of them sporting broken branches. Not a single one tree had any leaves either. The ground had lost its shrubbery and moss and had turned cracked and withered. In between the trees were mounds of cracked earth that had been burst open from the inside. They almost looked like- I got out of the way just as I realized what in the world I was flying over. And not a moment too soon either, as a pillar of boiling water blasted out of the ground and past where I had been moments before. Geysers, it would seem the Mistwalkers was not the only source of mist in the forest.
This would usually be the point where Archives popped in with a quip or comment, but once again just dead silence. Funny, I had become so used to Archive’s presence that its absence was weirding me out now. Well, nothing to it, I could only soldier on and try to figure out the mystery later.
While I couldn't see the mist in the air anymore, I could feel it even more plainly here. The heat and humidity was excessive. This part of the forest was like a sauna with no exit. Despite the oppressive heat, I continued further into the area. The Champion was probably inside this part of the forest. The trick was to find it. With that in mind, I found that it would probably be wise to land. The last thing I needed was to be above a geyser as it went off. Well, this proved one thing for me, Fire Resistance was not the same as Heat Resistance. Good to know prior to testing that out in a more dangerous situation.
As I moved further into the geyser field, I realized I had made the right choice of landing. Geysers were going off almost non-stop all over the place. Being in the air would have probably resulted in me getting a heatstroke or getting steam cooked. That being said, the ground was no picnic either. I would have to hurry and find the Champion. This heat would get to me if I stayed too much longer.
On I went through the blasted landscape. I almost couldn't believe this was still a part of the same biome as the rest of the forest, given how different it was. Still, both Archives and the ability Biomeback had both insisted that there was only one biome on Latra's back, so I had no choice but to believe it. Especially since I didn't have archives to confer with on the matter. It had been a good ten minutes of walking before I found what might be what I was looking for. Or so I hoped. The heat was getting to me by now. A hill was sticking out of the ground, a strange a conspicuous hill at that. In difference from the rest of the area it didn't sport a blasted landscape, but the same lush terrain as the forest outside. There was also a small and very familiar wall of mist surrounding it. Was I seeing things or was it real? There was only one way to find out, I stepped in closer to the hill. It didn't evaporate into nothing, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. Blessed relief, I walked closer to this one piece of sanctuary from the oppressive heat. That's when I saw it, Latra's champion, it had to be. It was standing on the hill, looking out over the geyser field.
I didn't need to be a genius to realize what Latra's champion was. It was rather similar to its lesser kin. The moss and fungus covered the earthen body of the Champion. But whereas the Lesser ones had been gorilla like in stature, the Champion was more like an Adonis. Its entire body was like a statue carved of an ancient Greek hero. It stood tall and proud, its giant deer skull with antlers and all. The skull had several emeralds studded across it in intricate patterns. And a pair of giant glowing rubies served as its eyes. On its back was a massive, spiked war club and covering much of its body was an armor made of a dark metal-like bark. The most striking difference, however, was the sheer size of the Champion. The Lesser ones had been half the size of a man. The Champion was almost twice my height, if not more. Just what in the world was I looking at, anyway? Before I could even contemplate looking it up, however, the Champion looked my way and started walking towards me while unsheathing its massive club.