Chapter 155: Rave Island
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Chapter 155: Rave Island
“I’m a little sad to see them go,” Delta admitted as Ruli left the Dungeon proper with the nervous adventurers trailing behind. Estal paused just before she was about to walk outside, opened her mouth, but then simply shook her head and vanished.
“I’m not. Progress and our growth seems to stop for an unnecessary amount of time so you can watch people ‘grow’ and ‘become better people’. Honestly, I am looking forward to getting a move on,” Nu grumbled, his form just his default screen and floating detached hands.
“You say that like we’ve got Mana and DP to burn,” Delta said with a smile as she floated down the first floor.
“...You haven’t checked the system in some time have you? Between your nap and watching sad sacks getting the tar beat out of them by a tree?” Nu asked, text suddenly sounding bemused.
“I know when I’m full because I get bloated and want to hurl,” Delta reminded her companion as she began to open screens.
She paused as she looked at her numbers.
Max Mana: 390/500
DP: 1399
“Nu... we must contact the bank and inform them of an incorrect transaction,” Delta said, voice faint. These numbers could not be real.
“Delta. We are the bank. Did you forget you subjugated a lich-brat and ate her castle?” Nu reminded her and Delta did, infact, completely forget about doing that in her excitement with the new guests.
“Man, I could buy the fifth and sixth floor at the same time right now,” Delta mused, knowing her fourth floor was already unlocked... she was just kicking her feet about what theme to choose.
“Not that I dislike the idea, but you should really ensure your third floor is touched up and any issues we noticed from the last incursion are patched up. No point in getting two more floors and having no DP to actually do anything with them. Plus that sort of jump might make the locals jumpy,” Nu added casually.
Delta didn’t think anything short of the moon falling on them could startle the people of Durence.
“I have decided,” Delta clapped her hands, as if trying to get a classroom’s attention.
She spun and pointed her finger directly north with a dramatic flourish.
She... really wanted to ask the siblings how they had a north or south at all with no poles, but she just suppressed that with soothing thoughts of ‘don’t question the magic sky children... don’t think about it.’
“I choose... Island theme for the Fourth Floor!” Delta declared and the Dungeon began to shake.
“WATER LEVEL. MY TIME HAS COME!” Nu howled like a deranged monster under a full moon.
“Well, at least you’re happy,” Delta said as the mana levels in the Dungeon began to rise like a tidal wave.
The surge flowed down to the opening that formed behind King Jellagon, lowering down into the earth until it pooled and with a nearly violent shake of the earth, the mana raced back up in a geyser.
“Oh, this might be noticeable,” was all Delta managed to get out before the mana exploded out the Dungeon entrance.
---
Ruli froze as a wave of mana rushed over the area, seeping into the trees, ground, and the group to an extent. She turned slowly to see an orange barrier appearing off the door to indicate that Delta was doing a massive upgrade.
She closed her eyes and Ruli held her hands out as if to get as much of the orange tangy mana as she could grasp. It made every inch of her body tingle with power. Ruli had rarely been in a powerful mana area for too long and the demon realm was too alien to do this to Ruli.
She felt like she was bathing in warmth, kindness, and sunshine.
“It’s in my mouth!” Estal screamed as she was bowled over by the wave, while the odd one known as Silver was lifted off his feet and flung hard away, his nature at odds with the mana.
“This mana intensity... it can’t be real. Delta only has three floors,” Hazhur cried out as he barely kept himself stable in the hurricane of force.
Being this close to the Dungeon was like being in the eye of the storm.
“Four... now,” Ruli said as she caught the sight of slight bluish waves in the orange sea. That was a little odd, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it as the waves hit Durence and she finally saw something she hadn’t noticed before.
Fairplay tents and banners on the outskirts of town. Their insulting symbol proudly flying over Ruli’s home.
Ruli’s yellow eyes slitted and the edges began to burn red.
“Don’t fall behind,” she warned the group who all seemed to go very pale at the sight of her face. The sword on her back felt hot and she knew it was reacting to her rage. The sword known as Magma burned hot.
She took off, leaving dust in her trail as she sped back towards town.
---
Jolin Javen Japes watched as his golem child stood in the street, eyes closed as he began to drink deep of the passing Dungeon mana. Vas looked in a trance as if he wasn’t even aware that he was doing so.
He tilted his head and in a single glance had assessed that Vas was not only stable, but thriving under the energy. The bond between them felt through the empty hole in his chest where his heart used to be.
He began to carefully feel Vas' soul, touching lightly about what was within.
Dungeon, Druid, Witch, Demon...
Japes began to smile.
Silence, Godly...
Vas’ form flashed gold.
Water, earth, fire, and air.
The wave from the Dungeon covered the entire town.
All Japes was missing now was that final touch. That made him frown.
“The most potent gathering of people in the entire world, and not a single one of ‘them’ to be found. Time is running out,” he sighed and turned away to think.
He went to his workshop and slowly opened a cabinet with both hands, the two doors opening like butterfly wings to reveal a collage of maps, names, and sketches all connected by a series of strings.
Dozens of the names on the map had been crossed out.
As if needing to reread the names to assure himself he hadn’t missed anything, he went down the list of potential targets.
The Bloated Corpse of Gannui. Purged with explosions.
Liopin, the matriarch of soul spiders. The land where she had been reduced to ash.
The Door to Madness. Sealed with a heroic sacrifice.
That left only...
“This is how I want to go,” Delta whispered to herself. She began to slowly lower into the water as the crab explored its new home and limbs.
---
Nu watched Delta be kidnapped by the giant crab.
He should have expected nothing less.
“If I want deadly warriors... I just need to add crabs to the equation and I can have an army,” he mused aloud. He turned to the paradise around him and opened the menu as he waited for Delta to finally look down and see the void once more.
Fourth Floor purchases and upgrades.
Purchases:
New Island: Purchase a new island for the floor. Cost 50 Mana. 1/12 spaces taken.
Ocean floor: Purchase parts of the floor to be turned into a visible bottom. Spaces where the floor continues to drift off will be converted into massive trenches. 100 Mana.
Unpredictable weather: Cause storms or heat waves to strike if a party lingers on an island too long. Depending on the local island’s biome, these can have deadly combinations. 70 Mana.
Nighttime Wonder: Have an active day to night cycle for each island, allowing the sky to become a recreation of Delta’s home starsystem. Different events can be triggered at night. 100 Mana.
Breathable water: make all water on the floor breathable, if uncomfortable for people. A O2 bar will be created for each person before they must return to the surface. Allows increased underwater challenges. 50 Mana.
The Reflection World: Accessible only through special means. All islands become hellish and aggressive. This option automatically turns on if ‘You made Delta cry’ has been triggered. 200 Mana.
All of these were very interesting. Nu could see a use in all of them, even if some were mostly for making Delta happy. Nu only wanted her happy, however, because when she was sad, it bummed Nu out and he couldn’t enjoy the bloodshed as much.
He took a look at the monster menu next as Delta went scuttling past, laughing like a loon as the crab raced into the ocean on the other side of the island now.
Noi Storm Crab:
Allow a vice function on the claw to allow the crab to crush armored foes. 10 DP.
Allow rare gems to grow on the backs of the crabs. Adds defense and valuable loot. 30 DP
Solar powered: Allow the Noi Crabs to charge a beam in their open claw from the mana in the air and sun to fire a massive magic beam. 50 DP.
The ritual: If five or more crabs gather on one island, they can dance in a ritual to awaken Krab. Krab is a roaming raid boss that can sink islands causing a drastic panic and danger to people who aren’t geared towards racing through the level. All victims will wash up back on the first floor and need to walk back down to the Fourth Floor. 200 DP.
Evolutions:
Crabtaur: Locked: Have five islands or more with unique environments.
Crabomancer: A humanoid able to use magic. It's actually three crabs in a robe and a fake beard. Locked until a crab island is established.
Stabbocrabbo: A crab who exchanged its claws for the sword. While you looted, it studied the blade. Locked until 10 people are defeated in melee combat by Noi Crabs.
Bobians: Special cultish crabs that worship the sky worm, Bob. Able to heal and curse enemies. Locked until Bob Shrine is established.
Nu looked up as the crab returned without Delta and he stared at it. It stared back with deep unfathomable knowledge only a crab could express.
“She looked down, didn’t she?” he asked and it blew out bubbles as Delta finally ran out of the ocean screaming.
The last option he mused about exploring, but decided to put it down so he could peel Delta off the crab before it dunked her in the void again.
The menu was left blinking.
‘Monster purchase’.
---
“Ruli.”
Ruli ignored her mother.
“Don’t be a brat,” Mila insisted. Ruli sighed and stopped choking the arrogant Fairplay representative. Nearby, the kid that her mother had vouched for rubbed his neck in horror.
“He said they would ‘shackle’ Delta if she's this potent. Shackle her... like a beast!” Ruli turned, nostrils flaring and the man at her feet gasped in lungfuls of air.
“Hot air. I still have the legal right over what happens to the Dungeon. Despite claims aimed at me, I don’t lock up children or the innocent in my basement, Dungeon or not,” Mila said calmly and Ruli looked down at the glaring man.
“Run... cause I’m going to drop my foot forward and if you just happen to be there? That’s not my fault,” she growled and raised her foot.
“Peacekeeper! Assault!” the Fairplay punk cried and Ruli looked up the street to see Quiss standing there. Quiss looked down at the man, then at Ruli, then at the gathering of people.
“You’re right, that looks like assault.” Quiss said and walked on.
“W-What are you doing?” the man demanded.
“Nothing... you didn’t ask me to do anything. You just said it was assault and I agreed,” Quiss said as he ducked into Mila’s home to talk to the bruised and battered adventurers that Ruli had gotten from the Dungeon.
“You know, if you won’t sleep with him. I will,” Mila said with some amusement and Ruli shot her a withering look.
“It’s not that I ‘won’t’. It’s ‘I have and he’s never forgiven me for the experience’,” Ruli said without shame and the man under her foot got up and ran off, leaving the boy behind.
“Please... don’t step on me,” the nervous kid said, backing into a wall. Ruli snorted and turned away.
“Ask again when you’re old enough to drink,” she told the kid before looking back at Mila. “Ma, I’m going to get my camping equipment and set up outside Delta. I’ll stop others getting in for now,” she said and Mila nodded.
“I’ll send food through Quiss. The wildlife is only just returning so it's for the best we don’t hunt them until they’re mana adjusted,” her mother said as she looked out.
Ruli could sense more trouble was on its way.
She would need to cut down on her drinking so she was ready.
The idea hurt, but Delta was worth handling people sober.
Plus... Delta could reward her with an open bar if she saw how hard Ruli was working.
Fishing, drinking, and food.
Only an idiot could turn all that into an actual deathtrap.
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Chapter 155: Rave Island
“I’m a little sad to see them go,” Delta admitted as Ruli left the Dungeon proper with the nervous adventurers trailing behind. Estal paused just before she was about to walk outside, opened her mouth, but then simply shook her head and vanished.
“I’m not. Progress and our growth seems to stop for an unnecessary amount of time so you can watch people ‘grow’ and ‘become better people’. Honestly, I am looking forward to getting a move on,” Nu grumbled, his form just his default screen and floating detached hands.
“You say that like we’ve got Mana and DP to burn,” Delta said with a smile as she floated down the first floor.
“...You haven’t checked the system in some time have you? Between your nap and watching sad sacks getting the tar beat out of them by a tree?” Nu asked, text suddenly sounding bemused.
“I know when I’m full because I get bloated and want to hurl,” Delta reminded her companion as she began to open screens.
She paused as she looked at her numbers.
Max Mana: 390/500
DP: 1399
“Nu... we must contact the bank and inform them of an incorrect transaction,” Delta said, voice faint. These numbers could not be real.
“Delta. We are the bank. Did you forget you subjugated a lich-brat and ate her castle?” Nu reminded her and Delta did, infact, completely forget about doing that in her excitement with the new guests.
“Man, I could buy the fifth and sixth floor at the same time right now,” Delta mused, knowing her fourth floor was already unlocked... she was just kicking her feet about what theme to choose.
“Not that I dislike the idea, but you should really ensure your third floor is touched up and any issues we noticed from the last incursion are patched up. No point in getting two more floors and having no DP to actually do anything with them. Plus that sort of jump might make the locals jumpy,” Nu added casually.
Delta didn’t think anything short of the moon falling on them could startle the people of Durence.
“I have decided,” Delta clapped her hands, as if trying to get a classroom’s attention.
She spun and pointed her finger directly north with a dramatic flourish.
She... really wanted to ask the siblings how they had a north or south at all with no poles, but she just suppressed that with soothing thoughts of ‘don’t question the magic sky children... don’t think about it.’
“I choose... Island theme for the Fourth Floor!” Delta declared and the Dungeon began to shake.
“WATER LEVEL. MY TIME HAS COME!” Nu howled like a deranged monster under a full moon.
“Well, at least you’re happy,” Delta said as the mana levels in the Dungeon began to rise like a tidal wave.
The surge flowed down to the opening that formed behind King Jellagon, lowering down into the earth until it pooled and with a nearly violent shake of the earth, the mana raced back up in a geyser.
“Oh, this might be noticeable,” was all Delta managed to get out before the mana exploded out the Dungeon entrance.
---
Ruli froze as a wave of mana rushed over the area, seeping into the trees, ground, and the group to an extent. She turned slowly to see an orange barrier appearing off the door to indicate that Delta was doing a massive upgrade.
She closed her eyes and Ruli held her hands out as if to get as much of the orange tangy mana as she could grasp. It made every inch of her body tingle with power. Ruli had rarely been in a powerful mana area for too long and the demon realm was too alien to do this to Ruli.
She felt like she was bathing in warmth, kindness, and sunshine.
“It’s in my mouth!” Estal screamed as she was bowled over by the wave, while the odd one known as Silver was lifted off his feet and flung hard away, his nature at odds with the mana.
“This mana intensity... it can’t be real. Delta only has three floors,” Hazhur cried out as he barely kept himself stable in the hurricane of force.
Being this close to the Dungeon was like being in the eye of the storm.
“Four... now,” Ruli said as she caught the sight of slight bluish waves in the orange sea. That was a little odd, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it as the waves hit Durence and she finally saw something she hadn’t noticed before.
Fairplay tents and banners on the outskirts of town. Their insulting symbol proudly flying over Ruli’s home.
Ruli’s yellow eyes slitted and the edges began to burn red.
“Don’t fall behind,” she warned the group who all seemed to go very pale at the sight of her face. The sword on her back felt hot and she knew it was reacting to her rage. The sword known as Magma burned hot.
She took off, leaving dust in her trail as she sped back towards town.
---
Jolin Javen Japes watched as his golem child stood in the street, eyes closed as he began to drink deep of the passing Dungeon mana. Vas looked in a trance as if he wasn’t even aware that he was doing so.
He tilted his head and in a single glance had assessed that Vas was not only stable, but thriving under the energy. The bond between them felt through the empty hole in his chest where his heart used to be.
He began to carefully feel Vas' soul, touching lightly about what was within.
Dungeon, Druid, Witch, Demon...
Japes began to smile.
Silence, Godly...
Vas’ form flashed gold.
Water, earth, fire, and air.
The wave from the Dungeon covered the entire town.
All Japes was missing now was that final touch. That made him frown.
“The most potent gathering of people in the entire world, and not a single one of ‘them’ to be found. Time is running out,” he sighed and turned away to think.
He went to his workshop and slowly opened a cabinet with both hands, the two doors opening like butterfly wings to reveal a collage of maps, names, and sketches all connected by a series of strings.
Dozens of the names on the map had been crossed out.
As if needing to reread the names to assure himself he hadn’t missed anything, he went down the list of potential targets.
The Bloated Corpse of Gannui. Purged with explosions.
Liopin, the matriarch of soul spiders. The land where she had been reduced to ash.
The Door to Madness. Sealed with a heroic sacrifice.
That left only...
“This is how I want to go,” Delta whispered to herself. She began to slowly lower into the water as the crab explored its new home and limbs.
---
Nu watched Delta be kidnapped by the giant crab.
He should have expected nothing less.
“If I want deadly warriors... I just need to add crabs to the equation and I can have an army,” he mused aloud. He turned to the paradise around him and opened the menu as he waited for Delta to finally look down and see the void once more.
Fourth Floor purchases and upgrades.
Purchases:
New Island: Purchase a new island for the floor. Cost 50 Mana. 1/12 spaces taken.
Ocean floor: Purchase parts of the floor to be turned into a visible bottom. Spaces where the floor continues to drift off will be converted into massive trenches. 100 Mana.
Unpredictable weather: Cause storms or heat waves to strike if a party lingers on an island too long. Depending on the local island’s biome, these can have deadly combinations. 70 Mana.
Nighttime Wonder: Have an active day to night cycle for each island, allowing the sky to become a recreation of Delta’s home starsystem. Different events can be triggered at night. 100 Mana.
Breathable water: make all water on the floor breathable, if uncomfortable for people. A O2 bar will be created for each person before they must return to the surface. Allows increased underwater challenges. 50 Mana.
The Reflection World: Accessible only through special means. All islands become hellish and aggressive. This option automatically turns on if ‘You made Delta cry’ has been triggered. 200 Mana.
All of these were very interesting. Nu could see a use in all of them, even if some were mostly for making Delta happy. Nu only wanted her happy, however, because when she was sad, it bummed Nu out and he couldn’t enjoy the bloodshed as much.
He took a look at the monster menu next as Delta went scuttling past, laughing like a loon as the crab raced into the ocean on the other side of the island now.
Noi Storm Crab:
Allow a vice function on the claw to allow the crab to crush armored foes. 10 DP.
Allow rare gems to grow on the backs of the crabs. Adds defense and valuable loot. 30 DP
Solar powered: Allow the Noi Crabs to charge a beam in their open claw from the mana in the air and sun to fire a massive magic beam. 50 DP.
The ritual: If five or more crabs gather on one island, they can dance in a ritual to awaken Krab. Krab is a roaming raid boss that can sink islands causing a drastic panic and danger to people who aren’t geared towards racing through the level. All victims will wash up back on the first floor and need to walk back down to the Fourth Floor. 200 DP.
Evolutions:
Crabtaur: Locked: Have five islands or more with unique environments.
Crabomancer: A humanoid able to use magic. It's actually three crabs in a robe and a fake beard. Locked until a crab island is established.
Stabbocrabbo: A crab who exchanged its claws for the sword. While you looted, it studied the blade. Locked until 10 people are defeated in melee combat by Noi Crabs.
Bobians: Special cultish crabs that worship the sky worm, Bob. Able to heal and curse enemies. Locked until Bob Shrine is established.
Nu looked up as the crab returned without Delta and he stared at it. It stared back with deep unfathomable knowledge only a crab could express.
“She looked down, didn’t she?” he asked and it blew out bubbles as Delta finally ran out of the ocean screaming.
The last option he mused about exploring, but decided to put it down so he could peel Delta off the crab before it dunked her in the void again.
The menu was left blinking.
‘Monster purchase’.
---
“Ruli.”
Ruli ignored her mother.
“Don’t be a brat,” Mila insisted. Ruli sighed and stopped choking the arrogant Fairplay representative. Nearby, the kid that her mother had vouched for rubbed his neck in horror.
“He said they would ‘shackle’ Delta if she's this potent. Shackle her... like a beast!” Ruli turned, nostrils flaring and the man at her feet gasped in lungfuls of air.
“Hot air. I still have the legal right over what happens to the Dungeon. Despite claims aimed at me, I don’t lock up children or the innocent in my basement, Dungeon or not,” Mila said calmly and Ruli looked down at the glaring man.
“Run... cause I’m going to drop my foot forward and if you just happen to be there? That’s not my fault,” she growled and raised her foot.
“Peacekeeper! Assault!” the Fairplay punk cried and Ruli looked up the street to see Quiss standing there. Quiss looked down at the man, then at Ruli, then at the gathering of people.
“You’re right, that looks like assault.” Quiss said and walked on.
“W-What are you doing?” the man demanded.
“Nothing... you didn’t ask me to do anything. You just said it was assault and I agreed,” Quiss said as he ducked into Mila’s home to talk to the bruised and battered adventurers that Ruli had gotten from the Dungeon.
“You know, if you won’t sleep with him. I will,” Mila said with some amusement and Ruli shot her a withering look.
“It’s not that I ‘won’t’. It’s ‘I have and he’s never forgiven me for the experience’,” Ruli said without shame and the man under her foot got up and ran off, leaving the boy behind.
“Please... don’t step on me,” the nervous kid said, backing into a wall. Ruli snorted and turned away.
“Ask again when you’re old enough to drink,” she told the kid before looking back at Mila. “Ma, I’m going to get my camping equipment and set up outside Delta. I’ll stop others getting in for now,” she said and Mila nodded.
“I’ll send food through Quiss. The wildlife is only just returning so it's for the best we don’t hunt them until they’re mana adjusted,” her mother said as she looked out.
Ruli could sense more trouble was on its way.
She would need to cut down on her drinking so she was ready.
The idea hurt, but Delta was worth handling people sober.
Plus... Delta could reward her with an open bar if she saw how hard Ruli was working.
Fishing, drinking, and food.
Only an idiot could turn all that into an actual deathtrap.
Chapter 155: Rave IslandI'm a little sad to see them go, Delta admitted as Ruli left the Dungeon proper with the nervous adventurers trailing behind. Estal paused just before she was about to walk outside, opened her mouth, but then simply shook her head and vanished.I'm not. Progress and our growth seems to stop for an unnecessary amount of time so you can watch people grow' and become better people'. Honestly, I am looking forward to getting a move on, Nu grumbled, his form just his default screen and floating detached hands.You say that like we've got Mana and DP to burn, Delta said with a smile as she floated down the first floor....You haven't checked the system in some time have you? Between your nap and watching sad sacks getting the tar beat out of them by a tree? Nu asked, text suddenly sounding bemused.I know when I'm full because I get bloated and want to hurl, Delta reminded her companion as she began to open screens.She paused as she looked at her numbers.Max Mana: 390/500DP: 1399Nu... we must contact the bank and inform them of an incorrect transaction, Delta said, voice faint. These numbers could not be real.Delta. We are the bank. Did you forget you subjugated a lich-brat and ate her castle? Nu reminded her and Delta did, infact, completely forget about doing that in her excitement with the new guests.Man, I could buy the fifth and sixth floor at the same time right now, Delta mused, knowing her fourth floor was already unlocked... she was just kicking her feet about what theme to choose.Not that I dislike the idea, but you should really ensure your third floor is touched up and any issues we noticed from the last incursion are patched up. No point in getting two more floors and having no DP to actually do anything with them. Plus that sort of jump might make the locals jumpy, Nu added casually.Delta didn't think anything short of the moon falling on them could startle the people of Durence.I have decided, Delta clapped her hands, as if trying to get a classroom's attention.She spun and pointed her finger directly north with a dramatic flourish.She... really wanted to ask the siblings how they had a north or south at all with no poles, but she just suppressed that with soothing thoughts of don't question the magic sky children... don't think about it.'I choose... Island theme for the Fourth Floor! Delta declared and the Dungeon began to shake.WATER LEVEL. MY TIME HAS COME! Nu howled like a deranged monster under a full moon.Well, at least you're happy, Delta said as the mana levels in the Dungeon began to rise like a tidal wave.The surge flowed down to the opening that formed behind King Jellagon, lowering down into the earth until it pooled and with a nearly violent shake of the earth, the mana raced back up in a geyser.Oh, this might be noticeable, was all Delta managed to get out before the mana exploded out the Dungeon entrance.---Ruli froze as a wave of mana rushed over the area, seeping into the trees, ground, and the group to an extent. She turned slowly to see an orange barrier appearing off the door to indicate that Delta was doing a massive upgrade.She closed her eyes and Ruli held her hands out as if to get as much of the orange tangy mana as she could grasp. It made every inch of her body tingle with power. Ruli had rarely been in a powerful mana area for too long and the demon realm was too alien to do this to Ruli.She felt like she was bathing in warmth, kindness, and sunshine.It's in my mouth! Estal screamed as she was bowled over by the wave, while the odd one known as Silver was lifted off his feet and flung hard away, his nature at odds with the mana.This mana intensity... it can't be real. Delta only has three floors, Hazhur cried out as he barely kept himself stable in the hurricane of force.Being this close to the Dungeon was like being in the eye of the storm.Four... now, Ruli said as she caught the sight of slight bluish waves in the orange sea. That was a little odd, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as the waves hit Durence and she finally saw something she hadn't noticed before.Fairplay tents and banners on the outskirts of town. Their insulting symbol proudly flying over Ruli's home.Ruli's yellow eyes slitted and the edges began to burn red.Don't fall behind, she warned the group who all seemed to go very pale at the sight of her face. The sword on her back felt hot and she knew it was reacting to her rage. The sword known as Magma burned hot.She took off, leaving dust in her trail as she sped back towards town.---Jolin Javen Japes watched as his golem child stood in the street, eyes closed as he began to drink deep of the passing Dungeon mana. Vas looked in a trance as if he wasn't even aware that he was doing so.He tilted his head and in a single glance had assessed that Vas was not only stable, but thriving under the energy. The bond between them felt through the empty hole in his chest where his heart used to be.He began to carefully feel Vas' soul, touching lightly about what was within.Dungeon, Druid, Witch, Demon...Japes began to smile.Silence, Godly...Vas' form flashed gold.Water, earth, fire, and air.The wave from the Dungeon covered the entire town.All Japes was missing now was that final touch. That made him frown.The most potent gathering of people in the entire world, and not a single one of them' to be found. Time is running out, he sighed and turned away to think.He went to his workshop and slowly opened a cabinet with both hands, the two doors opening like butterfly wings to reveal a collage of maps, names, and sketches all connected by a series of strings.Dozens of the names on the map had been crossed out.As if needing to reread the names to assure himself he hadn't missed anything, he went down the list of potential targets.The Bloated Corpse of Gannui. Purged with explosions.Liopin, the matriarch of soul spiders. The land where she had been reduced to ash.The Door to Madness. Sealed with a heroic sacrifice.That left only...This is how I want to go, Delta whispered to herself. She began to slowly lower into the water as the crab explored its new home and limbs.---Nu watched Delta be kidnapped by the giant crab.He should have expected nothing less.If I want deadly warriors... I just need to add crabs to the equation and I can have an army, he mused aloud. He turned to the paradise around him and opened the menu as he waited for Delta to finally look down and see the void once more.Fourth Floor purchases and upgrades.Purchases:New Island: Purchase a new island for the floor. Cost 50 Mana. 1/12 spaces taken.Ocean floor: Purchase parts of the floor to be turned into a visible bottom. Spaces where the floor continues to drift off will be converted into massive trenches. 100 Mana.Unpredictable weather: Cause storms or heat waves to strike if a party lingers on an island too long. Depending on the local island's biome, these can have deadly combinations. 70 Mana.Nighttime Wonder: Have an active day to night cycle for each island, allowing the sky to become a recreation of Delta's home starsystem. Different events can be triggered at night. 100 Mana.Breathable water: make all water on the floor breathable, if uncomfortable for people. A O2 bar will be created for each person before they must return to the surface. Allows increased underwater challenges. 50 Mana.The Reflection World: Accessible only through special means. All islands become hellish and aggressive. This option automatically turns on if You made Delta cry' has been triggered. 200 Mana.All of these were very interesting. Nu could see a use in all of them, even if some were mostly for making Delta happy. Nu only wanted her happy, however, because when she was sad, it bummed Nu out and he couldn't enjoy the bloodshed as much.He took a look at the monster menu next as Delta went scuttling past, laughing like a loon as the crab raced into the ocean on the other side of the island now.Noi Storm Crab: Allow a vice function on the claw to allow the crab to crush armored foes. 10 DP.Allow rare gems to grow on the backs of the crabs. Adds defense and valuable loot. 30 DPSolar powered: Allow the Noi Crabs to charge a beam in their open claw from the mana in the air and sun to fire a massive magic beam. 50 DP.The ritual: If five or more crabs gather on one island, they can dance in a ritual to awaken Krab. Krab is a roaming raid boss that can sink islands causing a drastic panic and danger to people who aren't geared towards racing through the level. All victims will wash up back on the first floor and need to walk back down to the Fourth Floor. 200 DP.Evolutions:Crabtaur: Locked: Have five islands or more with unique environments.Crabomancer: A humanoid able to use magic. It's actually three crabs in a robe and a fake beard. Locked until a crab island is established.Stabbocrabbo: A crab who exchanged its claws for the sword. While you looted, it studied the blade. Locked until 10 people are defeated in melee combat by Noi Crabs.Bobians: Special cultish crabs that worship the sky worm, Bob. Able to heal and curse enemies. Locked until Bob Shrine is established.Nu looked up as the crab returned without Delta and he stared at it. It stared back with deep unfathomable knowledge only a crab could express.She looked down, didn't she? he asked and it blew out bubbles as Delta finally ran out of the ocean screaming.The last option he mused about exploring, but decided to put it down so he could peel Delta off the crab before it dunked her in the void again.The menu was left blinking.Monster purchase'.---Ruli.Ruli ignored her mother.Don't be a brat, Mila insisted. Ruli sighed and stopped choking the arrogant Fairplay representative. Nearby, the kid that her mother had vouched for rubbed his neck in horror.He said they would shackle' Delta if she's this potent. Shackle her... like a beast! Ruli turned, nostrils flaring and the man at her feet gasped in lungfuls of air.Hot air. I still have the legal right over what happens to the Dungeon. Despite claims aimed at me, I don't lock up children or the innocent in my basement, Dungeon or not, Mila said calmly and Ruli looked down at the glaring man.Run... cause I'm going to drop my foot forward and if you just happen to be there? That's not my fault, she growled and raised her foot.Peacekeeper! Assault! the Fairplay punk cried and Ruli looked up the street to see Quiss standing there. Quiss looked down at the man, then at Ruli, then at the gathering of people.You're right, that looks like assault. Quiss said and walked on.W-What are you doing? the man demanded.Nothing... you didn't ask me to do anything. You just said it was assault and I agreed, Quiss said as he ducked into Mila's home to talk to the bruised and battered adventurers that Ruli had gotten from the Dungeon.You know, if you won't sleep with him. I will, Mila said with some amusement and Ruli shot her a withering look.It's not that I won't'. It's I have and he's never forgiven me for the experience', Ruli said without shame and the man under her foot got up and ran off, leaving the boy behind.Please... don't step on me, the nervous kid said, backing into a wall. Ruli snorted and turned away.Ask again when you're old enough to drink, she told the kid before looking back at Mila. Ma, I'm going to get my camping equipment and set up outside Delta. I'll stop others getting in for now, she said and Mila nodded.I'll send food through Quiss. The wildlife is only just returning so it's for the best we don't hunt them until they're mana adjusted, her mother said as she looked out.Ruli could sense more trouble was on its way.She would need to cut down on her drinking so she was ready.The idea hurt, but Delta was worth handling people sober.Plus... Delta could reward her with an open bar if she saw how hard Ruli was working.Fishing, drinking, and food.Only an idiot could turn all that into an actual deathtrap.
