Dominik, Fran, and the earth elementals exited the dungeon, and made their way for a small clearing. There, Dominik instructed them to use their earth magic to destroy a large tree. The earth elementals began shaping the earth, at first moving large piles and throwing the dirt at the tree. This proved to be mostly ineffective. After this they began solidifying mounds and lobbing them at the tree. This was slightly more effective, but the tree still stood.
Eventually, the earth elementals learned how to solidify and shape the earth into spikes. Soon, they began raising spikes from the ground to pierce the tree. They began creating these spikes faster, and striking it with more force to pierce it. This is what Dominik was looking for, a deadly attack to pierce their enemies, even with dirt or gravel. After a few hours of practice in the clearing, and after felling a few more trees, Dominik decided this would be enough.
He would work with the elementals over the next few weeks in the dungeon and help them perfect their combat abilities, including the creation of barriers to protect themselves. He would also practice moving the earth himself, though despite his connection to the earth, this proved more challenging for him than for the earth elementals.
They returned to the dungeon, and he began working on everything required. He would only have a few weeks at best to prepare everything, and he didn’t want the adventurers destroying the dungeon, so he made sure to solidify all of the structures he could, including the outer walls.
First, he created benches and tables for the troglodytes, and for himself and Fran, in the dining area on the tenth floor, where the kitchen and the livestock were kept. He walled this off completely from the rest of the floor, and created a tunnel from the twelfth floor, through the eleventh to the tenth. He made sure the walls were near indestructible, so his minions could eat safely, and so the livestock would be safe.
He worked on the seventh floor, and solidified only deep under the floor, and higher up on the ceiling. He filled the floor with dirt and rocks dug out from the walls as he expanded the dungeon. Using the troglodytes to begin digging, and his own earth magic to move large piles, and finish digging the halls and rooms. It was good practice for his earth magic as well.
He focused his efforts on the end of the seventh floor, making several rooms into perfect, large arenas for his earth elementals, filled with their element. A mere barrier spell won’t be enough to protect them from this, if they even manage to make it this far.
He also used an axe to chop down trees and branches, and made them into crude spears, which he sharpened with some knives he’d taken from the treasure room. These spears were for the troglodytes, at least the biggest and strongest amongst them.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
He would use support magic to strengthen them, and allow them to fight on the second floor, for anyone who managed to get past the spiders. This he hoped would be enough.
After this, he created an avatar. This time, the avatar he made would be purely for combat. Something no longer concerned with looking human. He would make this towering behemoth the last enemy of the sixth floor. Or perhaps for now, the only enemy on the sixth floor. This he would control himself. But if anyone got past him, they would have to contend with the earth elementals on the seventh floor.
After he dug out tunnels going all the way to the first floor, with small rooms on the first few floors in case the spiders or the troglodytes needed to hide behind nearly indestructible walls he could create, he focused the rest of his efforts on the sixth floor, and creating his second avatar.
He’d decided to make it large, ten feet tall, though he’d have to increase the size of the main hallways and doorways leading up to the sixth floor for that. He made its skin strong, he gave it a thick hide like a beast. Hard to cut and pierce. He packed it with muscle, making it wide and strong, with plenty of fast twitch muscle fibers for speed. It would have the closest recreation to eldritch eyes possible, while still being fully functional with the frame. This would allow it to see perfectly in the dark, even in magical darkness.
Its bones were thick and strong. He gave it a large powerful heart, and a large mana core. The mana crystal was mostly to store mana for support magic and healing spells. This would enhance its strength a great deal. After the third week, the dungeon, and the large beast in the shape of a man he’d made as his second avatar were ready. Unfortunately he couldn’t cover it with armor, and his attempt at creating armor with earth didn’t work very well. It would only reduce its flexibility and weigh it down.
He did however, cover the dead adventurer’s large hammer in a layer of strong stone, to increase its size and weight, while leaving the steel as a center for it. A much more flexible center. This would be the perfect weapon for the second avatar, at least for now. Increasing his reach, and allowing it to be wielded with both hands if need be.
He couldn’t cast offensive spells directly. The only thing close to offensive spells he knew were for fighting demons, the undead, or for countering protections of the enemy. He could only even try to disenchant an enemy’s barrier spell directly through an avatar. Even then, it would be more effective to cast a spell on his, or his allies’ weapons to help them pierce through a barrier spell. This would be more effective than trying to increase the troglodytes’ strength enough to pierce through it with pure force.
Any heavily armored targets would, of course, likely be fine against their spears. This also applied to elemental armor, which required specific counters, meaning you needed to practice elemental magic. This sort of thing was left up to the mages in the first battalion of the royal guard. Perhaps he could learn to counter earth armor, but that was fairly uncommon as it is. But there was only so much he could do in a few weeks. Other types of elemental armor were less focused on offering defense and instead offered utility, or damaged attackers. He was less worried about this, as he would just fight them himself.
Finally the dungeon was ready. Though he wished he could’ve filled the other floors with other creatures of some kind. There wasn’t enough time, and he didn’t know how to summon anything else. Nor did he have enough mana stored to fill the rooms after creating the earth elementals and the second avatar. But his mana was slowly returning.
For now, hopefully whatever ragtag group of adventurers were sent to explore the dungeon after the reported shift will be stopped on the first or second floor.