Once the annoyances were gone I returned to planning out the part of the Castle that would be making up my fourth Floor. I marked out the different rooms and hallways in my mind and soon felt ready enough to start claiming and carving out the structure itself out of the surrounding rock. Though as I got to work some restrictions from the System annoyingly forced me to change my design a bit, since apparently how much Floorspace a certain volume of actual space took up varied depending on how usable that space was, as well as what was inside it.
A cubic meter of solid rock used up more than one filled with nothing but air, which made sense, but what I hadn’t realized was that, if the cube was filled with both rock and air, it could take up more Floorspace than the solid rock did. That was if the free space allowed human-shaped individuals to pass through by walking or climbing. Basically the System depended how much Floorspace something took up depending on usable volume by the Challengers. Squeezing more rooms into a smaller space wouldn’t cheat the system at all.
I grumbled for a while about how few loopholes there seemed to be in this System, but there wasn’t anything I could do to change it, so eventually I got over it and got back to work. Overall my layout wouldn’t need to change much to be able to fit into the Floorspace limit thanks to my earlier Perk. All I had to do was remove two rooms and the hallway connecting them and make some of my tunnels a bit narrower and I could just about make everything fit.
Once the full layout was claimed I took a moment to check over everything.
The Challengers would enter from the top, since this was a Dungeon and each Floor had to be deeper than the earlier ones. Because of this, instead of climbing up to the highest towers of the castle, they would have to delve deeper through its various basements and catacombs to find the secrets hidden below. This first half I further subdivided into three sections. The ordinary first section which would be the ground level of the castle, following that the second section would be made up of a series of increasingly narrow hallways and staircases leading down through the basement into a ‘secret’ area beneath the castle, where the Guardian for this first half would be fought. Beyond that there’d be the entrance that would lead further down into the Prison, but I’d leave the details of that area until Floor five.
I got to work. The first section, which would represent the actual normal castle, would be the largest, with a large entry hall off of which three separate paths would diverge. One to the servants quarters, one to the kitchens, and one to the main feast hall. I carved out the various rooms in each section, then got to work connecting each of the different sections to each other through a series of winding corridors, some of which would lead to nowhere, though narratively I decided they’d lead to other areas of the castle. From the feast hall I carved the staircase that would lead down to the second section. This middle section would be the smallest, and would mainly consist of a series of narrow tunnels and passageways that would lead the Challengers deeper and deeper underground, uncovering darker and darker secrets as they went. Eventually these pathways would lead them to the third and final area of the Floor, which I dubbed the Warden’s Office. It would be a basic and functional room, in which the Guardian would stand watch, keeping both the Challengers out, and the prisoners of the depths further down in. Now I knew I couldn’t actually have the creatures of the fifth leave their Floor, but that would be the Story of the room.
Once the main layout of the Floor was done I started working on sculpting details into the stone to make pillars, walls and floor made from stone bricks, and even statues depicting the castle's former and current residents. I lined the walls of the feast hall in enormous windows, which was a bit tricky and took a bit of trial and error since I hadn’t ever made glass before, but eventually I found the trick. I was a bit bothered by the fact that the Challengers wouldn’t be able to see out of the windows at all, this castle being underground and all, so I covered them in painted artwork depicting the history of the castle instead. Each window displayed a chapter of the events that would eventually lead to the Warden tossing the previous rulers deep into the earth in an attempt to protect the world from their heinous acts. I even figured out that I could spawn some of my [Flame Wisps] beyond the glass to create a sort of artificial glow that would shine through and highlight the various colors of the artwork. It didn’t look realistic at all, but it did look extremely cool.
With the first third done, the Floor was almost complete, as the latter two sections would represent areas underground and meant to be hidden from view, they didn’t need much ornamentation. I did make some adjustments to the Warden’s Office though, carving out giant gashes in the stone to make it appear as if a difficult battle had been fought there in the past. Finally once that was done I moved my core to where the entrance to the prison would be, and sat back to admire the Floor. It was a masterwork, if I did say so myself. The Floor where I’d cemented who I was. If the first two Floors had been me discovering the world, the third would be where I’d started to find myself. And this put into steel what it meant to be Veos. The Floor was meant to Challenge, yes, but that wasn’t all it was for. It was also meant to intrigue, invest, and ask questions of those who attempted it. It was also a representation of me. Of who Veos was at this frozen moment in time.
I let out a metaphorical breath and allowed the notifications of the system to wash over me. Then I opened the Guardian selection window.
Fourth Floor Begun! Select A Guardian!
Floor Aesthetic: Castle of the Vampire Warden. Due to the Core undertaking the risk of postponing the selection of a Guardian, the options will be altered to fit the Core’s intended aesthetic. Note that Guardian creature selection is still affected by the current Floor and the Core’s level.
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Blood Clan Vampire: A vampire of other vampires. A creature of the night, yet one that is enemies with it just as much as it is enemies with the day. The Blood Clan is seen as a plight by the other vampire clans due to their intense obsession with feeding not only on mortals but also on other vampires. Their bloodlust and intense hunger make them fearsome combatants akin to berserkers, and their special blood magic make them all but unkillable when they’re well fed.
Shadow Clan Vampire: The Shadow Clan likes to stand apart from the other vampiric clans, interacting only when necessary. Being mercenaries and assassins by convention, they are often looked at with distrust by those who don’t know them well. Those that do, however, know how strongly a Shadow holds onto a contract, and how much it is worth to not be the one on the opposite end of one.
Nosferatu: A failed experiment by a Lich who grew too ambitious for his own good. That is how most see the Nosferatu. They themselves however do not see themselves as failures. What they might lack in beauty and stealth they make up for in tactics and mentalism. Where the Shadows can strike so fast they can’t be seen, the Nosferatu can strike without being there in the first place.
[Special!] Pureblood Vampire: A vampire which can trace its origin all the way back to the true primogenitor, and who has kept its traits. The Nobility of vampires, the Purebloods can be found in most Clans, though they share more traits with each other rather than their closer kin. They are the overseers of vampire kind, watching and judging their lesser cousins from the front lines of a battlefield just as easily as from atop a throne. Masters of both blood and shadow, brains and brawn, and a control over the creatures of the night rivaling even the strongest druid, the Purebloods are rare, yet never weak.
I cheered to myself. This had worked wonderfully. And considering the special offer the system seemed to have understood exactly what I was going for. At that moment I took back everything bad I’d said about the system and my instincts. They weren’t stupid, after all.
Just as I was about to select the [Pureblood Vampire] as my Guardian, yet another buzz from above me let me know that there were once again people at the entrance. I let out an annoyed growl, but couldn’t resist looking to see who it was.
The trio with the annoying Trald had returned. And they had brought a tiny illusory man made of glowing yellow light with them, standing atop the woman’s outstretched palm.
…Something told me that was weird. Especially the fact that this man made of light didn’t have a Status I could see. In fact if the three hadn’t been actively speaking with it I would have guessed it to be a Skill made by one of them, rather than some kind of strange person.
This time the party didn’t stop at my first cavern, but continued onward directly toward Stalker’s chamber. I sent her a message, but she was already well aware of what was happening. Unfortunately for both of us however there would be very little she could actually do to stop people twice her level, Guardian strengthening or no.
She still gave it her best effort, and I praised her for focusing on that Trald fellow. While her attacks hadn’t hurt him much, it did seem like she disturbed him quite a bit just by being nearby, and her flight made it at least a bit tricky for the three to defeat her quickly. It was a nice surprise at the end of a very unfulfilling first Floor Challenge. I knew they were twice its level, but was this how it normally went? Surely I wouldn’t have to suffer through higher level people demolishing my carefully planned out stories every time they wanted to reach a Floor that would actually Challenge them? Right…? Surely there was something else I could do…
Eventually Stalker’s hit and run tactics proved insufficient, as she was caught in chains of light from the tiny glowing man. Once caught there was little left she could offer in terms of resistance. I sent feelings of encouragement and reassurance as her health dropped to zero.
“Damned insects.” Trald said as Stalker dissipated into motes of mana. “Why do they always have to go for me every time?”
“It’s your charming personality.” The other man said.
“Very funny Victar.” Trald said. He shivered. “Can we get a move on? I want to get this over with as soon as possible.”
“Why did you even volunteer for the reconnaissance troupe if you can’t handle doing the…” Victar began.
“Children.” The man made of light said. Both men instantly closed their mouths. “My time is limited. Keep moving if you wish for my protection.”
“You heard the Bishop.” Lenore said. “Let’s move.”
As the party descended down the stairs towards the mausoleum I started paying closer attention. Whatever else they were, they would at least provide me with information about how well I’d designed the Floor.
…is what I thought. But apparently even that was too much to hope for. Apparently now that the trio was in for an actual Challenge the man of light decided to take a more active role in the fighting. A shield of yellow light encompassed the party, fully stopping any and all attacks my creatures attempted, while seemingly empowering the Challengers own attacks with some kind of burning property that chewed through my skeletons like they were made of paper.
…This wasn’t a Challenge at all. As the party continued onward through the hallways of the mausoleum, as if on a casual stroll, I felt anger and frustration continue to boil up within me. They were making a mockery of my Floor. Of the concept of a Challenge.
And it was all the man of light’s fault. If he hadn’t been here, these three wouldn’t have stood a chance. I could tell. The first Challengers had been of a lower level sure, but they had been much more skilled and organized. These ones… These ones were undeserving of their success. The only one with anything resembling talent and a proper attitude was the woman, but she was completely unable to provide anything or even attempt to Challenge herself due to the coddling of the man of light.
If the Challenge was made corrupt by the presence of the man of light, all I had to do was remove him from this place, and the Story would be told properly.
I felt a surge of power as my Edict activated, then everything went black around the Challengers, plunging them into [Darkness].