I needed to do something fast to make sure I had the best chance of survival. I sent my Crabs into the vitapygmy territory to find what I needed some snail and crab shells and some caramelized life mana. Grinding it all together in a bowl and then bringing the glowing concoction down to where I would need to convey some messages.
The most important one was to warn them away from the Cay Hulk. This was made difficult because the dire crabs were, well crabs. They weren't that smart so I couldn't just throw concepts at them and they knew what to do. Nor could I pilot them and write the stuff myself at least not yet.
What I could get them to do complex things broadly and simple things with precision. and with some trial and error was able to get a proper, if a bit messy, warning painted around the access point to the Cay Hulks lair. I got the word for danger up there and a few X's. Then I drew out a little story of a stick figure Cay Hulk with angry eyebrows chasing vitapygmy. Then I built a short barricade of bricks drive home the 'don't go here' idea.
A few of the vitapygmy had followed my crabs once they had noticed it doing something odd and after they realized what it was doing started to play with the rest of the glowing goop. They started running down the corridor drawing random shapes and the occasional stick figure vitapigmy or simple tree but once their hands were covered in the green substance it was mostly just hand prints as they ran down the corridor. My crabs did not go unmarked as they too now were emblazoned with about a dozen green hand prints on each of their pale blue shells.
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Another measure to try and limit my losses to the delvers was to shift around some of my Mana pearls and materials. I was planing on moving ten life pearls back to Lu Xians Mana Well just so there was something for the delvers to find and take back. but I took a moment to take in the fragments that littered the other Cores Mana Well.
My own tiny chip had been quite powerful an many of these were much larger pieces. I started gathering the shards and placing them into a bowl with caramelized life mana. The vitapygmy Priestess came and watched and after a while sent off another of her charges who quickly returned with a small basket full of tiny slivers of Core.
I gathered them all into My own Mana Well with the collected pearls. As it sank below the surface and became submerged in the enriched water there was a surge of energy. another several sparks arced up from the pools surface to strike my core and the indicator filled to one hundred percent.
With a sudden feeling of vertigo I was pulled into my inner space and was met with the winds of an approaching storm. the clouds beneath me were spinning slowly as if full of anticipation while the clouds above me were churning and darkening as if just on the edge of letting loose their gathered rains. Every so often a flash of green lightning would glow from deep within the cloudy surface ready to be unleashed.
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There was a new feature in my inner space, there was a green orb floating at my inner spaces center. It wasn't the solid crystalline ball that was my Core or even a representation of Lu Xians shattered bits. It was a roiling ball of green energy like a rubber-band ball made of green lightning. When I approached to inspect it all the annoying windows encouraging me to 'Kill to become' vanished and were replaced by a single expectant window that floated over the green sphere with a simple message that was willing to wait for me to answer its call at my leisure.
BECOME
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The Delvers started to approach and set up camp. there was a larger group this time then previously with the camp followers , still set about their tasks of putting up tents and organizing the supplies, were now outnumbered by armed individuals. About a dozen were equipped with basic arms and armor with none of the flare or customization the previous delvers you had seen exhibited but they were clearly grouped in teams of four each member of a team having different specialties.
The delvers you had seen last time were here again and were intensely focused on preparing and organization, a far cry from their relaxed demeanor they had on their previous visit. At least until they ran away as fast as they could.
Jac stood between the camp and the dungeon entrance tapping his foot. He was equipped in much the same way as he had been the previous night with the addition of a large narrow bladed axe strapped to his back along with a small round shield. He also had a brace of smaller throwing axes affixed to a harness that wrapped around his chest as well as a half dozen of them strapped to his thighs.
Dernan approached from the camp and was fiddling with the silver pocket watch he had been using before. "I know you high rankers don't like to waste time on set up but Its getting a bit to close to zenith for my comfort to enter now. if only for the sake of the E ranks."
Jac responded with a simple grunt of assent.
"We should be ready by the early evening at the earliest. Rhams Team should be able to provide you with support if you want to scout the shallows before the delve proper." Dernan spun a few dials on the apparatus and then clicked it shut. it glowed a pale blue. "I was worried about that. it looks like our easy street of a passive Life dungeon has come to an end. This is officialy being registered as a Prime Delve by the DMC."
"Have you ever known a dungeon to just change hands with no surface activity? I don't like it Dernan, I don't like it one bit."
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Far to the south
Expansion
Creation
Growth
Become