A current of life-force slowly eddied into Claire’s cavern as she absorbed the last of the raw matter between her dungeon and the outside world. It would take a while to saturate her cavern at the slow pace it flowed, but she could already feel a slight difference. She hadn’t even realised how stifled her environment had become. She felt the urge to take a deep breath, which in her new state equated to her core shining just a bit brighter as her life-force absorption increased ever so slightly. It was better, but not enough. She needed more, and at a faster pace.
The landscape outside her new dungeon entrance was still dark, but it was that special darkness just before the dawn. A darkness filled with the promises of a new day, saturated by the potential of the coming light.
“I’ll say it one more time, this is a bad idea,” Rick said for what felt like the thousandth time.
I know, Rick. I know, Claire sighed. She did not feel well. Forming ideas was hard, like trying to assemble something in a steam-filled room while reading smudged instructions. And her core itched. I guess this is what people mean with ‘brain fog’, Claire thought to herself. It was a novel and discomfiting experience. She pulled up her main status screen to review it once more.
Claire
Type: Life-Mind
Level: 1
Integrity: 96%
Processing speed: 68%
Functional capacity: 48%
Progress to next level
-220/250 LF Performance provision
0/500 Dungeon Investment, consisting of:
0/≥125 LF
0/≥125 ME
16/250 Skill Share Value
Core defence enabled
Cutting thorn barrier
5 LF to initiate
Continuous drain of 10 LF per day
Resources available
Biomass: 146
Mental energy: 150
Raw material: 641
Her stark decrease in functional capacity had led to an alarming decrease in processing speed as well as the beginning of a drop in her core’s integrity. Claire did not want to know what a further drop in integrity felt like if a mere 4% decrease itched like four thousand mosquito bites. Speaking metaphorically of course. Or would that be ‘speaking simile-ly’? She mentally shook herself and refocused on her main status screen.
Okay Rick, it’s time to go.
Rick just flickered even more erratically as he cast an anxious look to the connecting shaft Claire had dug from their core cavern to their dungeon hallway. It was just large enough to accommodate the size of her core, and Rick, of course.
“Please Claire, are you sure?”
Come on Rick, we’ve spoken about this. I have neither the functional capacity nor the processing speed for two chambers, a full-length hallway, constructs and mental effects. Additionally, I need to get to a richer life-force environment to have any hope at all of bringing the ambient life-force availability of my environment and my own requirements into balance. So yes, we’re going to have to make do with just one short hallway connecting directly to an outside entrance, and I need to relocate into the hallway to replenish my life-force.
“But you won’t be protected,” he replied.
And if I stay here, my core will slowly degrade because of the life force starvation. You said it yourself. A narrow shaft is not enough to ensure sufficient life-force flow. Let’s go.
Claire commenced floating upwards toward the entrance of the shaft leading to the outside hallway. It was going to be a long float, moving through the narrow shaft from her core chamber, upwards and upwards until they reached the start of the entrance hallway on the side of the mountain. Hallway was probably a strong word. Any adventurer that entered her dungeon hallway would have to do so in a crawl. Unless they were mini-sized, in which case Claire supposed they should be able to walk.
Nervously she checked on her cutting thorns, and yes! They were floating along. Since it came into being, the little twig had lengthened, adding five more thorns for a total of ten. It had also developed some buds interspersed between the thorns, which looked like it was going to sprout into leaves soon. Claire didn’t know what the purpose of these leaves would be, but she supposed it would be an aesthetic enhancement, if nothing else.
Refocusing on controlling her movements through the mist muddling her thoughts, Claire slowly glided into the connecting shaft, with Rick following closely behind.
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The flickering candle cast jumping shadows on the walls, as Lily breathlessly watched Agnetha. Slowly, ever so slowly, Agnetha dripped the vial’s amber fluid into Dane’s, her father’s, mouth. If he choked on the liquid now, all would be lost. It was a painstakingly drawn-out process.
Finally the last drop fell into his mouth. With a practised motion Agnetha flipped the vial closed and sequestered it into a pocket. Then she met Lily’s gaze.
“Is it working?” Lily asked.
Agnetha shrugged tiredly and reached for Dane’s neck, pushing two fingers against his pulse.
“I don’t know,” she finally answered. “Your father’s condition is critical and this was but a medium-grade healing potion at best. We’ll know by sunrise, one way or another.”
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Exiting the shaft, Claire carefully angled herself into the hidey-hole she had dug in the roof at the back of the corridor. It was a tight fit. The back walls felt rough against her exterior. She had to dampen the urge to rub her core’s exterior against the coarse surface. The only way to get rid of the itch in her core structure, was to get her functional capacity back up to a reasonable level.
Rick observed her sceptically from below as she wiggled herself more snugly into the hidey-hole.
“You know your glow is visible from below?”
Claire paused. She hadn’t thought about her luminosity. In fact, Rick’s flames glowed just about as bright as her core, if not more.
You’re right, it hasn’t occurred to me. You also have a glow though, so it’s not just me.
Rick’s flickering form stilled for a moment, “That’s true, and I forgot about it.”
Good thing we have each other, Claire laughed. So what do you think we can do about it? I suppose I could construct some kind of camouflage?
“You definitely could, but we need to be very careful with your reserves. Remember, we still have to populate this corridor with constructs and design some defences as well.”
Yes. You know what, let us take another look at my reserves.
Studying Claire’s information on display, resources clearly weren’t a problem. With the digging work she had done on their shaft, and then the corridor and exit, her biomass was sitting at 146 and her raw material at a satisfying 641. The constant issue remained functional capacity, although she was already starting to notice an increase out here in the corridor, raising Claire to a current capacity of 49%.
“Maybe we should think about what we want to do with this corridor.”
Without draining too much of my current life-force - I don’t know what I’ll do if this gosh-darned itching gets worse.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you lose more of your integrity it’ll likely change to pain instead of just itching,” Rick replied.
You know, with you being so serious all the time, I can’t tell whether you’re joking or not.
“Why would I joke? According to what they taught us loss of integrity usually starts with itching before becoming progressively more painful as first fractures and then cracks develop.”
Ah, I see. So we want to avoid that. But like you said, we do need to get some defences up.
“Yes, so I’m afraid it might get worse before it gets better. In order to give your core the time it needs to get caught up on your life-force requirements, we need to make sure that you are protected as much as possible.”
At least I have my cutting thorns protection, Claire deadpanned.
“What? Claire, you can’t possibly believe that your current number of thorns … Wait. You’re the one who’s joking now, right?”
Guilty as charged, Claire giggled. Let’s get this corridor defended!
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Much further away Bastian was pacing in the predawn light, where they were camping just outside the walls of High Plantation. Stanley was still out. Considering that Stanley hadn’t left their group since rejoining them, it was beyond Bastian to understand where and how that man found so much liquor. He was starting to suspect that Stanley may possess a storage space item or storage ability. If it was an item, Bastian had some questions. Like where Stanley got it, and more importantly, why Bastian didn’t get first pick as the group’s leader.
But this line of thought was, of course, just a distraction. There were more important questions. Like what happened to his dungeon compass? He was sure its disappearance had something to do with that brat of a girl. At least she was easy enough to trace. There were only so many “young master Canewholds” after all, and finding the location of the Canewhold estate was a simple matter.
Yes, retrieving the dungeon compass would be easy.
<><><>
Character sheet summary at the end of Chapter 9
Claire
Type: Life-Mind
Level: 1
Integrity: 96%
Processing speed: 68%
Functional capacity: 49%
Progress to next level
-510/250 LF Performance provision
0/500 Dungeon Investment, consisting of:
0/≥125 LF
0/≥125 ME
16/250 Skill Share Value
Core defence enabled
Cutting thorn barrier
5 LF to initiate
Continuous drain of 10 LF per day
Resources available
Biomass: 146
Mental energy: 150
Raw material: 641
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Lily Hunter
Rogue Level 1
First-tier skills
Basic herbalism 1/20
Deception +1 → 2/20
Lock picking 5/20
Petty theft 1/20
Pick-pocketing 4/20
New: Quick thinking +1 → 2/20
Sneaking +1 → 8/20
Sleight of hand +1 → 2/20
Second-tier skills
Spying 0/5