《The FINAL Dungeon》 Ch 1: The First Beginning

Dungeon:

I¡­ I received ¡®I.¡¯ I think. I am¡­ I. ¡®I¡¯ is good.
<<~SENTIENCE~ATTAINED~>>
Running New Start Sequence: ¡­ <<~LOCATION~ACQUIRED~>> ¡­ <<~ENVIRONMENT~ACQUIRED~>> ¡­ <<~POTENTIAL~CALCULATED~>>
~~~Objectives~~~~**Updated!**~~~~~~
  1. Select Creature
  2. Create Floor[1]
  3. Begin Next Floor
Oh. I also¡­ Do?
<<~CREATURE~SELECTION~>>
ENVIRONMENT: Underground[EARTH] POTENTIAL: LOW
BEAST[EARTH] BEASTS are highly flexible creatures. They are usable in any location by any Core, regardless of POTENTIAL. While often lacking the intelligence found in other selections, BEASTS always hold a ferocity unable to be ignored. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [EARTH] attuned beasts tend to act as armored brutes. Often their natural speed is limited in exchange for greater defense.
GIANT GIANTS are mighty hulks, towering above the normal HUMANOID. Their large size is often confused with a lack of speed, which allows GIANTS to easily leverage their great strength against an overeager opponent.
OOZE OOZES are a collection of amorphous creatures, capable of incredible adaptation. While not possessing great physical strength, all OOZES both are naturally acidic and have an intrinsic connection to Mana.
Oh¡­ again! Heh. ¡®Oh.'' ''Oh.'' ''Oh.'' ''Oh.¡¯ ¡®Oh¡¯ is good, too. Beast¡­ Limited¡­? Ooze¡­ not strength¡­ Giant mighty!
<<~GIANTS~SELECTED~>>
~~~Objectives~~~~**Updated!**~~~~~~
  1. Create Floor[1]
    1. CORE ROOM
    2. DEFENSE LAYER
    3. ENTRANCE
  2. Begin Next Floor
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
Ah! I do Floor¡­ Intra¡­ Within¡­ Ether within my environment! Inter¡­ Between¡­ Ether between I and¡­ and I¡¯s Giants!
:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
It easy enou¡­ enough. Easy enough to cre¡­ crea¡­ make a room. It was easy enough to make a room! And it was. With an instinct so ingrained the green gem could easily be forgiven at missing it, the surrounding earth was forced away in waves of Ether. Infused with the primordial Mana, all of the dirt, rocks, gems, bones, and bugs surrounding the Core compressed into a strange new material. Any adventurer worth their salt would recognize it as Dungeon Stone: the strongest ¡°natural¡± material in existence. Not quite unbreakable, but without a nation¡¯s worth of Mana or the direct intervention of a Deity¡­ it was essentially indestructible. The small green gem laid by itself in the center of the room. Excited at the use of its new power and a bit tired at the massive outpouring of energy, the Core reviewed its objectives. It never noticed how the released Ether failed to deplete after it created the room. Nor did it notice how it continued to radiate outwards, slowly degrading into Mana¡­
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  1. Create Floor[1]
    1. CORE ROOM [?]
    2. DEFENSE LAYER
      1. ROOMS
      2. TUNNELS
      3. CREATURES
      4. ENHANCEMENTS
    3. ENTRANCE
  2. Begin Next Floor
A brief flicker of fear swept through the gem. If its objectives kept expanding¡­ Would it ever finish¡­? Eh. Onwards! More Rooms!

Mystiq:

In the private realm of the Elder Goddess of Magic, Mystiq opened her eyes for her bi-century check-in. Well. Then she continued to open them. Eons of being a Deity tended to produce¡­ interesting results when it came to abilities. Mystiq had long ago created many unnatural replicas of herself. Or, well. They were replicas of enough of herself to matter. Each of her moved to check the variety of experiments and projects she had in motion. The many eyes, several hands, a couple arms, and notably one full human each took care to perform a multitude of careful examinations. With a few extra eyes¡­ next time I¡¯ll be able to get back to bed 0.02% faster¡­ Mystiq thought. Something to consider, at least¡­ Aeon and Erudita might finally stop teasing me about my sleep schedule¡­ Considering the Elder Deities had become near fully Conceptual, it was unlikely. Beyond their Millennial Luncheon, Mystiq was more likely to spontaneously cease existing before miraculously meeting one of her peers. ¡°Sleep¡± was an interesting way to interpret the transition between the truly metaphysical and the semblance of pseudo-mortality of the standard Deity. Mystiq was rather unique among the Elder Gods and Goddesses, however. Her connection to the ever-changing nature of magic meant that being fully Conceptual was unrealistic. To be magic meant being change, understanding what that change was, and reproducing or undoing that change. Luckily, she did not need to understand the cause. Magic was effect. Cause was thankfully the domain of the newer Goddess of Science. Or as most called her, the Exhausted Goddess. In any case, it was Mystiq¡¯s similarities to the ¡°Default Deities¡± that allowed for what happened next. She was examining one of her greatest creations when it happened. They were her favorite: a species of sentient stones designed to record new magics, ensure the constant upkeep of readily accessible Mana, and even provide a bit of worship. One moment she was looking through hundreds of thousands of eyes, and the next she was a woman. Just a woman. Two hands, two arms, two eyes¡­ Zero power. What the Actual¡­ What? What!?! ¡°Four worlds.¡± Mystiq¡¯s head snapped around. She was not alone in the stark white void that now surrounded her. Behind her stood a New God. One of the really new ones¡­ Ugh. One brain makes it so much harder to remember things¡­ ¡°Four worlds.¡± The New God continued: ¡°31 Continents. Over 300 Nations. Billions of Worshippers. All for this moment.¡± With a flick of his wrist, he was suddenly holding an elaborately decorated golden sword. Intricate engravings empowered the mighty weapon with a variety of obvious effects, including the aura of bloodlust, the heated edge strong enough to force the air to whistle around it, the increased durability required to have gold function as a weapon, and even the ridiculous size. The hilt of the dumb thing was over twice the wielder¡¯s size. And enough of a hint to finally recognize the boy standing in front of her. ¡°Arthur? The so-called ¡®King of the Gods?¡¯ You¡¯re not even a dozen centuries old, and you think you can challenge an Elder Goddess!¡± With the raising of her voice, Arthur flinched. Her power might be sealed, but even a fraction of a modicum of her power could wipe him from all of existence. But threats alone were not enough, as Arthur centered himself with a deep breath before continuing. ¡°Mystiq. You have been placed on trial, one for which you failed to appear! Your crime stands unanswered, but that matters not. For you have gone against the King of the Gods! For the crime of absence, you have been found to hold ineluctable guilt!¡± Taking a single step toward her, he raised his massive sword high above his head. ¡°With the full sanction of the New Gods, I sentence you to death! By our power I remove you! By our strength, we replace you!¡± Each proclamation was emphasized with a burst of godly might. Enhanced by his domain, empowered by billions, Arthur was the mightiest he had ever been. Mystiq was the weakest she could ever be. Before the sword fell, the once Elder Goddess made sure to take a careful look at the crowd of auras surrounding her executioner. It certainly looked like the entire new Pantheon, but there were a few notable exceptions¡­ No need to throw out the babies with the bathwater¡­ As Caladfwlch fell, in a private realm newly vacated and currently being ransacked, a single finger plopped itself off one of the many dead hands. It wiggled its way into a miniscule fold of space before squirming through a series of ancient rituals. As Mystiq was sliced in two, a backup plan older than the written word was activated. Ch 2: RIP Normalcy

Dungeon:

To work...
:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Create Floor[1]
      1. CORE ROOM [?]
      2. DEFENSE LAYER
        1. ROOMS
        2. TUNNELS
        3. CREATURES
        4. ENHANCEMENTS
      3. ENTRANCE
    2. Begin Next Floor
Once it had set its mind to it, another few bursts of Ether was all it took for the little gem to continue expanding its domain. Carving a tunnel westward, it was not long before it had created a long winding cavern. Interestingly, the Core had little knowledge of cardinal directions. Thus, its "tunnel that way" ended up more complex than one might expect from a newly sentient rock. Quickly swooping northward, the Dungeon grew rapidly. Rapidly enough, in fact, that it also grew increasingly uncomfortable. At this point, the small green gem was simply resting on the floor of its large core room. As its home expanded, this fact began to shift from the discomfort of a weak itch to- IMPENDING DOOM Oh! OH! Oh... Umm... Hide! Thus did the young Core fling itself away from its tunnel, manipulating the old core room''s lingering Ether to produce a suddenly rising column of stone. When it reached the wall another burst of power let the terrified gem burrow its way into a much smaller space. A few desperate moments later and it was now inlaid into the back wall of a new room. Oh! Good. Good... *Whew* ... That was horrifying. A more appropriate core room established, and newfound agoraphobia appeased, the Dungeon was just about to continue building its tunnel. But then:
:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
It stopped in its metaphorical tracks. With only a third of its environmental Ether remaining, it was instinctively hesitant to continue tunneling. It wasn''t too eager to build any further rooms, either. And yet, it knew it needed more. A defensive layer with a single room was doable... but it felt... Wrong. It feels wrong... But I need more for the entrance... Oh well. It will be fine. Yes... Fine... Already its Etheric abilities had become much greater than when it first awoke. As carefully as it could, taking great care to use as little Ether as possible, it flooded two points in its new tunnel, expanding the areas just enough to qualify as rooms. Giants will need plenty of space...
:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
It was close, but successful. Yes! Plenty of Ether left. Hopefully. Definitely... Probably... Next came the fun part.
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Create Floor[1]
      1. CORE ROOM [?]
      2. DEFENSE LAYER
        1. ROOMS [?]
        2. TUNNELS [?]
        3. CREATURES
        4. ENHANCEMENTS
      3. ENTRANCE
    2. Begin Next Floor
<<~GIANT~SELECTION:~FLOOR[1]~>>
>LOCKED< >LOCKED<
OGRILLON OGRILLONS are the product of Orc and Ogre breeding. Natural OGRILLON rarely inherit the physical attributes of their Ogre parentage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dungeon-Born OGRILLON all hold an Ogre''s strength, barely contained in an Orcish body.
OGRE OGRES are huge, savage humanoids. Their incredibly muscular frame and great size make them dangerous enough on their own, and deadly as a group. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OGRES are often underestimated by the truly mighty. This is often their last mistake.
Locked! What if I... Nope. Maybe... Nope. Fine, Locked... Which one, which one... Hmm... One of each to start? Upon making its decision, a subtle ripple of Ether ripped out against the core room. Two jagged black slashes tore across the previously unmarked walls, an echo of ethereal light slowly leaking into the room. Each portal seeped its own energy. They were obviously different... and yet the Core could not determine why. They appeared the same, escaped from similar darkness, and yet... the Dungeon knew exactly which was which. As both glittering fogs moved further and further from their respective entrances, they became yet more and more material. From subtle light, to glittering fog, until finally falling to the ground with a plop! The opaque white masses squirmed their way into the ground, with the walls healing behind them. Well. Um... That happened.
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
I''m in an empty core room, down a third of my creature Ether! I want a refund- A light grinding noise echoed throughout the Dungeon as a pair of stalagmites rose around the Core. One stopped at about six feet tall, whilst the other grew up to nearly ten! Both shattered at the same time, each revealing a different humanoid. The smaller of the two wore scraps of what could politely be called hide armor. It rested upon ridiculous musculature, appearing to just barely be contained by its gray-green skin, even taking a deep breath seemed to require great care. Two tusks rose upwards from an overwhelming underbite, curling towards its strangely intelligent eyes. The huge one was wearing even less, somehow. A pair of pelts were all that protected the world from the creature''s indecency, barely hanging on beneath an excessively distended gut. Its massive hands ended in sharpened nails, or possibly claws. It was hard to tell. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.The off-yellow thing licked its lips, having to curl its massive tongue around a number of sharpened teeth. Its beady white eyes stared down at the Ogrillon, already reaching for its first snack- NO. Both creatures flinched away at the Core''s declaration. The smaller sibling recovered first, and the Core was quick to direct it out of the core room when it began to reach for the Ogre. It ended up in the room furthest down the tunnel. When the Ogre finally came to its senses it immediately began searching for its runaway snack. Although not appearing particularly quick-witted, having circled the empty core room multiple times, it eventually began clawing at the exit. Luckily the Ogre''s massive belly prevented it from chasing down the Ogrillon. The Core was not sure exactly what would happen were his creatures to consume each other, but it did not want to risk losing its newly spent Ether. As the Ogre clawed in vain at the inadequately sized tunnel, the Core set about attempting to remedy the issue. Could it stop them from eating each other...?
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Create Floor[1]
      1. CORE ROOM [?]
      2. DEFENSE LAYER
        1. ROOMS [?]
        2. TUNNELS [?]
        3. CREATURES [?]
        4. ENHANCEMENTS
      3. ENTRANCE
    2. Begin Next Floor
<<~ENHANCEMENT~SELECTION~>> OGRE[NOVICE]:
ENVIRONMENTAL [EARTH] Ogres hold a natural affinity for Earth Mana. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Ogres have an undeveloped affinity. If fueled by an infusion of Earth Mana, it could result in remarkable abilities.
EQUIPMENT Ogres are not well-known for their craftsmen. Yet when an Ogre manages to outfit itself with more than a sapling, it can become a force to be reckoned with. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Ogres are unable to utilize complex weapons or armors without significant penalties.
SUPPORT Ogres normally procure a variety of resources for their own use. Provided some of those resources, unnatural Ogres will find their own use for them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Ogres struggle to modify resources, often using them in the most basic fashion.
Perfect. I''ll just- What!? Before it could make its selection, the Core noticed something. Or rather, a lack of something. All that remained in the core room was a few scraps of flesh and a significant amount of blood... Blood which marked a clear trail, all the way to the first tunnel-room. The one directly next to the Ogrillon''s, and the one which contained an Ogre clutching its shredded gut to its torso. An Ogre which was slowly crawling its way into the next room...
:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????

Mystiq:

If having a single brain was limiting to an Elder Goddess, having a semblance of consciousness housed in a puny array which itself had to be housed in a pinky... Well. Needless to say the backup plan was working flawlessly. Mystiq had already wasted twice the amount of reagents, and near triple the amount of Ether which was required. Luckily, the foresight of the truly ancient is vast. She had packed this fold of space to the brim in order to- CURSE IT ALL! Another failed activation. Another reset. Another series of wiggles and taps in order to activate her emergency protocols. And again. And again. And many agains. On her fifth-to-last attempt, she finally got it. Should have gotten it before the 31415926th try... getting rusty...
<<~EMERGENCY~>>
RUNNING START SEQUENCE: ... <<~SCENARIO~¦±¦®¦È¦Õ?[1774]~IDENTIFIED~>> ... << WORSHIPER BOOST ACTIVATED >> <<~GODDESS~MANTLE~RECLAMATION~FAILED~>> << CLONE ACTIVATION FAILED >> << INHERITANCE ACTIVATION FAILED >> << MULTIVERSE RECURSION FAILED >> << APOCALYPSE ACTIVATION FAILED >>
Uh oh...
<<~WORSHIPER~MANAGEMENT~>>
MORTALS 0
CONSTRUCTS 10
WHAT! Thousands of universes, quintillions of mortals, and my literal millions of priests ALL GONE?! And only 10 Constructs?! What''s holding back the Further Beyond?! What''s preventing Mana stagnation!? What HAPPENED TO ALL MY BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS!?!
<<~WORSHIPER~MANAGEMENT~>>
MORTALS 0
CONSTRUCTS 7
No...
<<~WORSHIPER~MANAGEMENT~>>
MORTALS 0
CONSTRUCTS 3
No! Ch 3: Family United

Dungeon:

:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
How the heck is it even still alive¡­? The Ogre had lost a comically lethal amount of flesh and blood. And yet, there it was. Still inching its way forward, still gushing¡­ or only leaking blood¡­? The Core watched, intrigued, as the remnant Ether in the room began behaving strangely. Instead of resting passively throughout the space, it had shifted to congeal around the injured Ogre. It wasn¡¯t infusing it, transforming into Mana, or whatever happened during the summoning. It was acting as a director. Forcibly rearranging the internal energies of the Ogre, the once unresponsive Ether dragged them out into the creature¡¯s injuries. Injuries which were healing at an astounding pace. Right up until the Ogre began to leave the room. Still searching for the Ogrillon, the gluttonous creature let out a pained grunt as soon as it entered the tunnel. The Ether had violently abandoned it, eliciting further moaning as the Ogre¡¯s internal organs once again attempted to become external. The Core took note of the increased gore surrounding the previous room¡¯s exit. Stupid? Stubborn? Both? Let¡¯s go with ¡®Impressive.¡¯ Yet as impressive as it was, the Creature was still on a collision course with the Ogrillon. An expensive Ogrillon. Not on my watch.
<<~ENHANCEMENT~SELECTION~>> OGRE[NOVICE]:
SUPPORT Ogres normally procure a variety of resources for their own use. Provided some of those resources, unnatural Ogres will find their own use for them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Ogres struggle to modify resources, often using them in the most basic fashion.
Selecting the SUPPORT option, the Dungeon spent several harried moments searching through an extensive list of suppliable resources. Rocks, logs, plant fibers, full plants, hides, a ¡°water feature,¡± creature skulls, humanoid skulls, and finally¡­ Aha! Giant Deer Carcass! The Ogre paused for a moment. With a confused look momentarily flashing across its grimacing face, it shuddered upon the floor before a familiar ethereal light surrounded it. In a near repeat of its earlier summoning, the energy solidified before vanishing into the floor. Looking exhausted, the Ogre panted heavily as a rock formation rose beside it. The subsequent giant deer corpse barely had time to flop down before jagged teeth began tearing into it with a manic fervor. Wow. Second wind, huh? With a few, well actually a lot of commands the Core was able to lead the Ogre away from its prior prey. It perked up immediately once it began healing again, and did so again when the deer corpse began regenerating as well! As the feast continued, the Core took a closer look at this ¡°carcass.¡± It seemed to contain the same energies as the Ogre¡­ the Ogre which was currently devouring it. Cannibalism!?! Well it is an Ogre. The Dungeon watched, fascinated, as even bones began to reform when the Ogre either swallowed them or tossed them aside. That bit of clutter did not appear to be healing¡­ Or going anywhere. That might be a problem¡­ As a few became many, the Core was relieved to see that the couple bones which managed to leave the room dissolved into the Dungeon Stone making up the floor. Ok then, bone flood averted. And I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll clean up after itself if the room ever becomes overfull. The Ogre continued to gorge itself on the endless deer carcass. It was covered in blood¡­ most of it belonging to the deer. Maybe not¡­

Mystiq:

<<~WORSHIPER~MANAGEMENT~>>
MORTALS 0
CONSTRUCTS 1
Mystiq had been in a lot of difficult situations throughout the eons. But never one like this¡­ The New Gods had hit her where it hurt, her source of income. Whelp. It¡¯s been a good run. While not fully conceptual, the once Elder Goddess of Magic still required the same thing every Deity did: faith. Without anchors to the mortal realms, a Deity was simply an idea. A lever without a fulcrum, a pulley without a rope, a Deity untethered in such a manner could have all the power in existence. Yet¡­ lacking the leverage of faith would doom any Deity to an unceremonious death. One I should have faced already¡­
<<~WORSHIPER~MANAGEMENT~>>
MORTALS 0 This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
CONSTRUCTS 1
Mystiq glared at her one remaining construct. Her one remaining source of worship.
<<~WORSHIPER~MANAGEMENT~>>
MORTALS 0
CONSTRUCTS 1
And yet the New Gods did not destroy it. Cannot? Or will not¡­? Whilst potentially a trap, Mystiq knew she had no choice but to bet everything on her final worshiper. A fresh young Dungeon, not even two floors old. Remove all restrictions, void all locks¡­ and subsequent errors¡­ Activate the experimental features¡­ Even the Dungeon Guide¡­ Hmm¡­ What would make for a trustworthy guide? It would need to be small, but knowledgeable. Something able to command instant respect from the young gem¡­ Something that would not betray me the moment it had the chance¡­ oh. Mystiq made sure she had done all she could for her final Dungeon before selecting herself as its guide. In a poof of smoke and light, she was gone.

Dungeon:

:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
The Core was quite pleased with all it had done. Having discovered that yes, the deer had not counted toward its Ether spending, it had gone on to SUPPORT the Ogrillon. The list of resources had been quite different, with many of the objects having a much smaller scope. The best it could do for another carcass was a pheasant. Not even a giant one¡­ It was picked at by the Ogrillon, but it had not consumed much of it. It had mostly begun harvesting the ¡°dead bird¡± for feathers and bones, making a few neat piles nearby. It was that smidgen of sophistication that decided the next creature. Summoning a second Ogrillon had been simple enough: spend Ether get creature. Sneaking it past the Ogre had gotten a bit¡­ dicey. The Ogre¡¯s room now had a near full carpet of deer bones, most of them picked clean. It had even scattered out a number of antlers, each acting as a primitive caltrop. At least¡­ the Dungeon had assumed they were placed with purpose. The constant eating seemed to have brought a semblance of rationality to the Ogre. But¡­ it was still an Ogre. Luckily, this second Ogrillon was a bit slimmer and faster than the previous. It snuck as far as it could before the snap of a crushed bone alerted the behemoth. At that point it had become a race, with the occasional stunning command to halt the lunging Ogre. It took a bit to return the Ogre to its carcass after it lost, but once the feast resumed it settled down just fine. The Ogrillons were having a staring contest when it was finally able to check on them. The original won after casually taking a large bite from its pheasant and spitting it at the new guy. Not to be deterred, the slugfest that followed began with a tackle and ended with chipped tusks. Mentally chuckling at their antics, the Core began the process of enhancing the lighter Ogrillon.
<<~ENHANCEMENT~SELECTION~>> OGRILLON[NOVICE]:
ENVIRONMENTAL [EARTH] Ogrillons can naturally attain a variety of affinities, including one for Earth Mana. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Ogrillons have, at best, an undeveloped affinity. If fueled by an infusion of Earth Mana, it could result in remarkable abilities. Or a statue.
EQUIPMENT Ogrillons naturally live amongst their Orcish tribe as either curiosities or powerful brutes. In either case, it is not uncommon for an Ogrillon to become well-equipped by their tribesmen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Ogrillons can utilize most weapons or armors without significant penalties, but do best with bludgeoning weapons and light armor.
SUPPORT Ogrillons normally procure a variety of resources for their tribe''s use. Unnatural Ogrillon will find their own use for them, tribe or otherwise. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Ogrillons will attempt to utilize their resources to their fullest physical potential. They are often more successful with a tribe.
Choosing to stick with what it knew, the Dungeon was surprised to discover a variety of new SUPPORT options. It seemed having two Ogrillons, even when they were both novices, had done something to improve its potential choices. There were a number of things that looked interesting. But it decided on a campfire, hoping the minor intelligence of the Ogrillon would be able to make good use of it. Another summoning later, and the original was curiously prodding the merry fire while its sibling recovered.
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
It seems intrigued, at least. Now¡­ I wonder what other options I could get with a second Ogre¡­ Before it could act on that thought, a new burst of information flashed through its mind:
<<~EMERGENCY~>>
YOU AND %NULL_ERROR% OTHER DUNGEONS ARE THE LAST OF YOUR KIND. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YOUR CREATOR: MYSTIQ BLESSES YOU IN HOPES OF YOUR CONTINUED SURVIVAL
What the¡­ Error? Last? Mystiq? Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Or in this case, think of an Elder Goddess and her little finger will show up next to you with a puff of smoke. Ch 4: Author Reveals Gimmicks

Mystiq:

Ah. No wonder the New Gods never got here¡­ The poor thing hasn¡¯t even finished its first floor!
:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Create Floor[1]
      1. CORE ROOM [?]
      2. DEFENSE LAYER
        1. ROOMS [?]
        2. TUNNELS [?]
        3. CREATURES [?]
        4. ENHANCEMENTS~[?] %UNUSED%ETHER%[...]%
      3. ENTRANCE
    2. Begin Next Floor
<<~DUNGEON~MANAGEMENT~>>
ENVIROMENT:~Underground[EARTH] POTENTIAL: LOW CREATURE SELECTION: GIANTS FLOORS COMPLETED: 0
Oh goodie. Low Potential. I¡¯ll have to fix that¡­ Right after I ensure the place stays closed. Or at least kinda closed. No need for anyone to know I¡¯m here¡­ Dungeons had been built for a variety of purposes. They¡¯d generate faith and record new magics, but also were designed to prevent Mana stagnation. Mana is energy, the energy of magic. It could be used to produce all sorts of effects, often with strange or incongruous causes. A bit of chanting and some finger wiggling won¡¯t do much on its own, but with a bit of Mana that mage might be casting a fireball. How did that happen? Intent? An ancient language? The blessings of alien beings? Mystiq didn¡¯t care. She was the Elder Goddess of Magic, not finger wiggling. She was what is, or what could be. Not what was. In any case, in the course of its natural usage - or lack thereof - Mana could become attuned to specific elements. The full list was miles long¡­ But suffice to say Mana attuned to water struggled to produce a sandstorm. To keep the mortals happy, and to harvest for her other projects, Mystiq had crafted a creature capable of producing and manipulating Mana attuned Mana¡­ otherwise known as Ether. Ether did not naturally exist. It took very specific circumstances for Mana to attune to itself, and while it was quite useful afterwards it took an entirely different series of specific circumstances to prevent Ether from degrading. The Mana the Mana attuned to could attune to a different¡­ In any case! Again¡­ Dungeons were originally created around a delicate Ether-producing process. One which, try as she might, Mystiq could not manage to circumvent as a finger. So. It¡¯s not staying closed. It¡¯s gotta open up¡­ But maybe not for everything¡­? Dungeon Stone was a major part of the ¡°Ether Isolation Functionality¡± that allowed for Dungeons to exist in the first place. With a few tweeks, and a small ritual to cover the entrance¡­ I might just be able to hide out here indefinitely.
<<~DUNGEON~MANAGEMENT~>>
POTENTIAL: LOW
Well maybe not here exactly¡­ But I¡¯ll fix that once I¡¯m sure this nice young lad won¡¯t get me killed opening his front door¡­

Dungeon:

A finger has appeared. Neat? I guess¡­? Did I do that¡­? Just as it was beginning to worry about splurging precious Ether on a lesser carcass, the thing started moving around! Uhh¡­ STOP! ¡­ LEAVE? Please¡­? Huh¡­ Whatever it was, accidental summon or otherwise, it did not seem capable of following its commands. Just as the Core was contemplating its potential as an Ogre dessert, a wave of PITY washed across its mind. Self-conscious in a way that it did not understand, the Dungeon grew even more confused when it was filled with DETERMINATION moments later. What¡­? It was only once the pinky began to inch its way out of the core room that the Core finally understood. The growing FRUSTRATION was a big giveaway. I¡¯m connected to a finger? And it¡¯s getting mad¡­? The Dungeon had no way of knowing this, but Mystiq had already grown very tired of being a finger. And even more so being forced to physically move around as a finger. It only made it halfway into the next room before coming to a halt. The FRUSTRATION suddenly fell away, being replaced by CURIOSITY and hints of PRIDE¡­
<<~ALERT!~>>
LOOK! LOOK! HEY!~LISTEN! LOOK!
Oh, that¡¯s not going to get annoying at all. Already observing the finger, the Core was at a loss for what it was supposed to do.
<<~ALERT!~>>
LOOK! LOOK! HEY!~LISTEN! LOOK!
Ok. ¡°Do Nothing¡± is apparently the wrong answer. With the FRUSTRATION rebuilding, the Core decided to take decisive action. It manipulated the Dungeon Stone around the pinky to drag it back into the core room. Mystiq did not approve. The surge of ANGER faded quickly enough, to once again be replaced with PITY. The Dungeon was not exactly happy about that, but it stopped the annoying messages. Good enough for me! The now unwelcome invader resumed squiggling its way back across the next room. The FRUSTRATION was not so much rebuilding as it was... escalating. Erupting, even. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The Dungeon tried its best to ignore the invasive emotion. It was busy prodding the Ogre out of its latest feast fugue. It refused to stop eating, but at least its mass now blocked the finger¡¯s path into the bone filled room. This made it all the more baffling when the finger managed to squirm right on by. When it finally reached the Ogre, all it took was a tap for the invader to get its attention. The savage creature took a single glance over its shoulder before freezing in place. It stopped eating, it stopped breathing, and heck. It even dropped its carcass for the first time. When the finger again started moving, the blood-covered behemoth leapt up faster than it ever had before. It quickly began to¡­ flee in terror. Rushing to get as far away as it could, the Ogre made it to the wall before attempting to claw its way out. Dumbfounded, the young gem watched as the pesky invader sauntered its way past the frantic creature. The Ogrillon, luckily enough, didn¡¯t behave like the Ogre. They wasted no time freezing in place, deciding to try and hide behind the piles of harvested pheasant immediately. Hmm¡­ they seem at least a little calmer¡­ perhaps it¡¯s their intelligence? Maybe if they were better armed¡­?
<<~GIANT~SELECTION:~FLOOR[1]~>>
HALF-OGRE HALF-OGRES are the product of Human and Ogre breeding. While not as physically capable as their Ogre parent, every HALF-OGRE is born with impressive strength coupled with a Human mind. HALF-OGRES rarely tend to push said mind to the same heights as a Human, often struggling to control their Ogre''s self-control.
OGRILLON OGRILLONS are the product of Orc and Ogre breeding. Natural OGRILLON rarely inherit the physical attributes of their Ogre parentage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dungeon-Born OGRILLON all hold an Ogre''s strength, barely contained in an Orcish body.
OGRE OGRES are huge, savage humanoids. Their incredibly muscular frame and great size make them dangerous enough on their own, and deadly as a group. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OGRES are often underestimated by the truly mighty. This is often their last mistake.
Well hold on.
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
I¡¯ve got the Ether for three more intelligent creatures, an empty room, a pest which needs squashing, and a new smart selection to try out¡­
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
Three ethereal light shows later, and three stalagmites rose within the core room. The humanoids which soon emerged looked like mini Ogres, with their dusty yellow skin and sharpened teeth, but the lack of unbridled furiosity gave away their more affable parentage. The addition of tunics, vests, trousers, and boots helped. The first to emerge was a bit shorter and slimmer than the others, and could be considered muscular if one had never met an Ogrillon. It also had a pair of fleshy protrusions offering additional protection to the front of its ribcage, or so the Core assumed that was what they were for. Unlike the other two, it actually had hair on top of its head: shorn thin until reaching behind the ears and transitioning into something styled as a rope. Those other two were identical in every way. Each was slightly beefer than the outlier, possessing thick arms nearly half the size of an Ogrillon¡¯s. Both had thick patches of fur running along their jaws, starting at their ears and ending at mouths filled with sharp teeth. Neither of them had tunics for whatever strange reason. Perhaps they overheat more easily¡­? With the trio of summonings completed, the Core decided to forgo its traditional SUPPORT enhancement. What it needed was extra whapping potential, and EQUIPMENT would certainly provide it.
<<~ENHANCEMENT~SELECTION~>> HALF-OGRE[NOVICE]:
ENVIRONMENTAL [EARTH] Natural Half-Ogres hold no affinity for Mana. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Half-Ogres carry the potential to grow Mana affinities. Until that potential is realized an infusion of Earth Mana will result in interesting, yet costly abilities.
EQUIPMENT Half-Ogres are at worst eaten by their Ogre parent, or at best eke out a modest life on the fringes of Human society. Finding a well-armed Half-Ogre is not difficult, but it is rare to see one in quality armor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Half-Ogres are able to utilize most weapons or armors with ease, but struggle to use heavy armor without significant penalties.
SUPPORT Half-Ogres normally procure a variety of resources for their, or their family''s use. Provided some of those resources, unnatural Half-Ogres will find their own use for them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVICE Half-Ogres will utilize everything they have available to their utmost physical potential. Objects with metaphysical potential will be harvested, but underutilized.
In an effort to maximize their whap-ability, it chose the largest weapon available to the first Half-Ogre: a quarterstaff. As their older sibling shuddered through the process of becoming armed, the Dungeon discovered a similar-looking weapon available on the other two¡¯s list. It looked like a staff with an extra hunk of metal on the end: a spear. Once all three were done panting, it ordered them into the next room. With all three of them at the doorway, there¡¯s no way it¡¯ll slip by!
<<~ALERT!~>>
Look who it is¡­ The finger had done something to the end of its tunnel. The Ether there was arranged in an intricate pattern, one which seemed to loop in on itself as the Core examined it more closely-
LOOK! LOOK! HEY!~LISTEN! LOOK!
Or at least it tried to look closer. It was having difficulty ignoring the grating message, but the feeling of DETERMINATION was not much to go on. Shrugging its metaphorical shoulders, the Dungeon decided it might as well look over its objectives.
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Create Floor[1]
      1. CORE ROOM [?]
      2. DEFENSE LAYER [?]
      3. ENTRANCE
    2. Begin Next Floor
Huh¡­

Mystiq:

I forgot how hard it is to communicate with the young ones... hopefully once its potential grows it''ll figure out how to properly speak¡­ Mystiq had, with no help from the foolish baby Dungeon, managed to set up a quick fix to her upcoming ¡°Hunted Down by New Gods¡± problem. By modifying an outdated feature designed to further regulate Mana emissions, she ensured both her and the Dungeon¡¯s presence would remain unannounced to the outside world. She even managed to modify the standard ¡°Entrance Creation Logic.¡± Now instead of an elaborate set of stairs, a magic elevating platform, or even a flashy portal¡­ it would just be a deep hole! No need to advertise to adventurers. Hells, if we¡¯re lucky it¡¯ll tunnel up into an abandoned well. Now¡­ if it would just MAKE THE ENTRANCE ALREADY! Mystiq had been pinging the Dungeon repeatedly with her Guide privileges, but to no avail. Holy Hell¡­ This thing better not be broken¡­ Adjusting such a thing would not normally be terribly difficult. Yet, unlike her previous modifications to older systems, changing a new tool she had barely started working on as an Elder Goddess¡­ That¡¯ll take some doing. And waste time I could be spending on more important things¡­ There were two more key features Mystiq needed to get online if she was to reclaim her place as a Deity. One: she needed to funnel excess Ether into her currently diminished body. Two: she needed to get the Reconstitution system activated. Raising a Dungeon¡¯s Potential was¡­ a very difficult task. The automated process that seeded Cores across the known worlds could not produce perfect Dungeons every time. Could it have been improved? Probably. But it worked well enough. Or rather, it had before it was likely destroyed or stolen¡­ I hope those idiots didn¡¯t break anything¡­ Otherwise they¡¯ll start to wish I had just killed them¡­ Reconstitution was the result of an interesting thought experiment and a boring Luncheon. It took Ether to make and run Dungeons. Yet Dungeons also produced and stored Ether. Would it be effective to have Dungeons produce other Dungeons? No. Dungeons could not effectively reproduce on their own. Their ¡°soul¡± was not sturdy enough to mingle with another¡¯s, regardless of their potential. At best they could make incomplete copies. Enough to ensure a Dungeon could continue running, but not enough to create anything new. Reconstruction took that fault and ran with it. Create enough floors to overpower the process, at least five, and then rebirth the core elsewhere. If it left a partial mind behind, even an originally Low Potential Dungeon could become overwhelmingly powerful. Mystiq had never fully implemented the system. The potential to fill worlds with bland, unchanging monster pits had not excited her at the time. But at the time I had more than one Dungeon. A lot more¡­ Before she could take a depressing trip down memory lane, the Core finally placed the Entrance where she asked.
:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
As a simple hole appeared above her, Mystiq started making her way back to the safety of the core room. Holy Hell there¡¯s a lot I¡¯ll need to change¡­ No need for the Magic recordings¡­ And I better make sure no stealth kid or speed freak can just waltz through here¡­ Maybe the Boss feature¡­? Ch 5: New Door, New Me

Dungeon:

:ETHER[INTRA]: ????????????
:ETHER[INTER]: ????????????
Well okay then. The little green gem was confused, to say the least. The "invader" was much more than it initially thought. As it watched its entrance slowly tunnel its way upwards, the strange loops and whorls of golden Ether left by the finger wrapped around themselves in an ever-unfurling fractal of impossible complexity. Huh.
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Create Floor[1]
      1. CORE ROOM [?]
      2. DEFENSE LAYER [?]
      3. ENTRANCE [%ERROR%]
        1. BOSS
    2. Begin Next Floor
...?
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Create Floor[1]
      1. CORE ROOM [?]
      2. DEFENSE LAYER
        1. ROOMS [?]
        2. TUNNELS [?]
        3. CREATURES [?]
        4. ENHANCEMENTS~[?]
        5. BOSS
      3. ENTRANCE [?]
    2. Begin Next Floor
Okay...? The strange new option was simple enough to use. It wanted a creature... Seems more like an extra Enhancement than anything. But I should choose... the last one? Which last one? The last one away from me? The last one I made? The last one... from the Entrance. Ah.
So... was something supposed to happen? The Dungeon had chosen the outlier Half-Ogre. It was already different, so why not? If something was supposed to happen, however, then it wasn''t happening yet. It was still the same Novice Half-Ogre with its quarterstaff. URGK While looking over its new "boss," the Entrance burst through the last of the rock separating it from the outside world. The sudden influx of overworked mana was momentarily crippling, tearing through the Dungeon and washing away the previous serenity brought about by its unmoving Ether. The gem had not even known what taste was moments ago, and now it knew it hated stale air more than anything. Luckily enough for the Dungeon, the sensation slowly ebbed away as the Ether impressed throughout its halls and rooms began to tear apart the flood of aspected mana. As affinities began to be stripped away, the golden ring of Ether permeating the Entrance moved to carefully regulate the outpouring of newly revitalized energy. Every trace of divinity was held within the confines of the Dungeon Stone, and the unaspected mana was released slowly, slow enough to hopefully evade the detection of anyone paying attention... Uuuuuuggggggghhhhh What this meant for the young core was that the overwhelming amount of air mana which had inundated its senses was quickly replaced with something much more palatable. Then, since the mana intake Entrance was being crimped by Mystiq''s precautions, it slowly rose from its stupor as its rooms lost their air mana stink. Whhhhyyyyy? It recovered to quite the sight, all three of its Half-Ogres had placed their weapons down beside them. I get it already, okay! You didn''t have to kneel too... Indeed, each of the Half-Ogres were bowed, kneeling before the finger as it crawled its way past them.

Mystiq:

At least some of these creatures can show proper deference. Mystiq was not exactly thrilled after crawling her way across the entirety of this youngling''s first floor, but she was still pleased nonetheless with her progress. Already, the amount of ambient unaspected mana had risen enough to begin the next phase. Squirreling her way into the core room, Mystiq put the finishing touches on her Reconstruction system. Another stream of golden Ether erupted around the green gem, recursively refurling its grand loops ever inwards. Slowly, ever so slowly, the ambient mana in the core room was dragged along for the ride. A miniscule drop of Ether slowly condensed upon the core''s surface before being absorbed into its many facets. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. And through those facets, unto me...
<<~RECONSTRUCTION~>>
RUNNING START SEQUENCE: ... %ERROR% ... %ERROR% >> TWO ERRORS THROWN << ... SUCCESS
<<~WORSHIPER~MANAGEMENT~>>
CONSTRUCTS 1.2

Dungeon:
HOLY HOLY WOOWOWOWOOOWWW HOLY WOWOWOOW The core was feeling pretty good all of the sudden. All it took was a divinely-granted Ether infusion. Fortunately for the plot, this additional outpouring of emotion was also short-lived. Interrupting its insane joy was a notification:
<<~EMERGENCY~>>
YOU ARE CHOSEN FOR FUTURE RECONSTRUCTION. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YOUR CREATOR: MYSTIQ BLESSES YOU IN HOPES OF OUR CONTINUED SURVIVAL
Oh. Oh! While a divine finger appearing shortly after the previous message may have clued in a savvy fellow as to its origin, this little core was not even a floor old at the time. With the aid of Etherics this new message was enough to finally inform the Dungeon of its "invader''s" identity. Mystiq? Sure! But what was godhood to a rock, however sentient the young mind might be? It passed by this divine revelation with the same ease as all of its previous notifications. Onwards!
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Create Floor[1] [?]
    2. Begin Next Floor
    3. RECONSTRUCT[*----]
Alright! If it feels like that every time...
<<~RECONSTRUCTION~>>
RUNNING START SEQUENCE: ... FAILURE EXIT CODE 1: NOT ENOUGH FLOORS
Oh. Well then I know what I''m doing!
<<~FLOOR[2]:START~>>
And yet, despite the eagerness of the Dungeon, nothing seemed to happen. The core grew panicked rather quickly. Without more floors, how will it ever feel the superjoy again? How would it do anything? How could it gain any new-

Mystiq:

Oops. Note to self: reverse paradigm on new Standard Entry Logic for future floor construction... I don''t care how strong the core is, there''s no need to have it plummet down a featureless shaft every floor...

???:

The BrokeKnife Bandits were not a creative bunch. If the average citizen of the Kurgid Barony, which the bandits called home, were to enquire about their name, the first thing outta their mouth would be: "What the hell is ''enquire?''" They called themselves BrokeKnife because they were broke and had knives. Simple as that. As one might imagine, a can-do attitude and a sharp blade can only get you so far. Without a brain behind the organization, it was only a matter of time before they crossed the wrong folk. And despite their initial promise, a camp of over 50 bandits is pretty hard to maintain after all, stealing from the Baron''s treasury was not the wisest of decisions. 50 bandits could not survive against a Baron''s wrath, or rather a Baron''s military. Thus, they fled. The Kurgid Barony was large, and while fully explored it was not fully settled. The BrokeKnife Bandits carved out a hidey-hole of their own near a major trade route, and when the occasional plucky young merchant naively thought they could save a bit of coin by not hiring guards... Well. Then the BrokeKnife Bandits did what they did best. On this particular evening the crew of over 50, having recruited since their escape into the countryside, was just settling down after a successful raid and subsequent party. The stolen wine wasn''t going to drink itself after all! The few who were forced to remain on watch still partook, despite their many promises. And so when a light rumble near their camp sounded out, they thought nothing of it. The BrokeKnife Bandits had initially set up their camp beneath a small cliff. The outcropping of rock sat alone in a sea of trees, not even half a day''s travel from a nearby road if one knew where to look. That night, as many of these Bandits collapsed into a drunken stupor, a sizable hole carved its way out of the top of this cliff. As the scent of blood, death, and mana wafted its way out of the hole, a curious fox approached. Hesitant... But ravenous. Ch 6: Second Floor, First Entrant

Dungeon:

:ETHER[INTRA]:
:ETHER[INTER]:
Ouch. What a fall... Alrightyyyy... I''ve got more Ether, and a blank canvas begging for a Dungeon. What are we working with...?
<<~GIANT~SELECTION:~FLOOR[2]~>>
ETTIN ETTIN are an unnatural product of Ogre mutation by scientific, magical, or divine interference. Born with the strength of two Ogres, and the same number of heads, ETTIN are often more dangerous to their cannibalistic selves than any opponent. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dungeon-Born ETTIN are created with enough survival instincts to not eat themselves, allowing the massive brutes to fully display why two heads are better than one.
VERBEEG VERBEEG are also known as human behemoths for their close resemblance to humans. This similarity is more than skin-deep, as VERBEEG are largely considered one of the most intelligent Giant subspecies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dungeon-Born VERBEEG, while hosting a lesser intellect than their natural cousins, are known for their trickery and full utilization of everything at their disposal.
FLOOR[1] HALF-OGRE OGRILLON OGRE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previous Floor Creatures accessible at reduced cost
Reduced cost...? How reduced are we talking...? I guess there''s really only one way to find out.
~~~Objectives~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1. Create Floor[2]
      1. CORE ROOM
      2. DEFENSE LAYER
        1. ROOMS
        2. TUNNELS
        3. CREATURES
        4. ENHANCEMENTS
        5. BOSS
    2. Begin Next Floor
    3. RECONSTRUCT[*----]
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. To work...

???:

The sly fox was... a fox. Sly for a beast, yes. But... to claim it as anything more than an animal would be incorrect. It smelled meat and mana, and instinctively understood it NEEDED it. Yet this fox had not survived so many winters without learning caution. It sniffed about the new hole, searching for a way to slink its way downwards, preferably undetected from any who might steal its feast. Mystiq had dramatically changed the Entrance however. A yawning pit, so deep as to fade into darkness, provided no easy entry to the now obsessed fox. It HAD to go down there... And so, against its better, if limited, judgment... it carefully attempted to creep its way into the hole. The unfortunate fox immediately failed to grip the walls around it, plummeting downwards with a high-pitched, drawn out yelp. And while most of the BrokeKnife Bandits failed to care even the slightest bit, one drunk Ranger licked their lips... Daydreaming of roasted fox...

Dungeon:

The core was hard at work, pressing its environmental Ether into expanding its first room on Floor[2]. With its abundance of Ether, it decided to go big. It spent enough Ether for this early room to count as two normal ones before shuttling itself away into a smaller core room.
:ETHER[INTRA]:
Already the young gem was seeing the increased potential for its new Floor. Its Ether seemed more potent, doing more with less... even though it had even more! This is incredible! I can''t wait to see what I''m like on the next Floor! Little did the core know how much of this strength came from Mystiq. Even with its low potential, the Elder Goddess had removed most of the handicaps meant to make Dungeons "fair" for her mortal followers. There was no longer a need, considering she no longer had any... Before the gem could begin playing with testing out its new creatures, its focus was forcibly dragged back to the first floor.
Oh! So that''s what Bosses are for... Around both the Entrances leading to the surface and Floor[2] a latticework of Dungeon Stone had erupted. It was as if the walls, floor, and even the ceiling had reached out to halt the... INVADER The young gem had never experienced a true invasion before. If it had, it never would have confused Mystiq as being hostile. It knew, from the edges of its facets to the depths of its swirling soul, that this... thing... meant him harm. But in another twist of good fortune, a fox is not a cat. No matter how sly, they do not always land on their feet. This particular tumbling fox landed on its ankles, shattering a number of bones, and leaving it unable to walk. It was barely the work of a moment for an Ogrillon to saunter over. In a sudden, swift motion the Dungeon''s first creature lunged. Both of its fists slammed downwards in a punishing blow. The fox was instantly killed, its skull shattered. Yet, the Ogrillon was not left unscathed. All along its arms and upper back, massive bruises bloomed like rotting violets. Its strength was simply too much for its (relatively) diminutive form. Hmm. Perhaps... I don''t need more Ogrillons... With the death of the Invader, the core was quick to calm. It watched as its injured creature was healed by remnant Ether, and the... What? The dead fox was... leaking. Well, physically yes, obviously. Serious injuries tend to do that. But metaphysically as well, the fox was suddenly a font of overwhelming mana, qi, soul, divinity, vita, and innumerable other energies that were so esoteric the core couldn''t keep track of them, let alone name them. Most of the immaterial erupting from the dead invader dissipated immediately, or fluttered its way up and out of the Dungeon. But some remained. And of what remained, some began to congregate around two creatures. The killer and... The Boss? Interesting...
<<~INVASION~REPELLED~>>
OGRILLON[NOVICE*]
HALF-OGRE[NOVICE*]
Although slight, the death of the fox had empowered its creatures. Mind you, a single sly fox cannot make a Titan of an Ogrillon... But it was a first step. As the gem returned to forming its second floor, the newly enhanced Ogrillon dragged its new prize back to its rudimentary camp. Butchering the beast, the creature set to roasting fox fillets. And as the carcass regrew its lost flesh and bones, the scent of cooking meat drifted out of the Dungeon''s Entrance...

Mystiq:

The once Elder Goddess turned Dungeon Guide didn''t even look up from her work when she was alerted to the feeble Invader. The kid can handle it. With the removal of enough... no longer applicable systems, Mystiq hoped to more directly enhance herself and her lone source of faith. Whilst it had provided her and it with a modest boost in capability, the costs of maintaining the Reconstruction system and Entrance ritual were higher than she had hoped. If I''m to reclaim my true status as the Elder Goddess of Magic sometime this millennia... I... I require aid. Divine aid. There is no grand trick to attract the attention of the divine. Mortals did it quite often, one simply needed to sincerely call out to a deity in a place of worship. But Mystiq didn''t want the attention of just any deity. She would have preferred to call out to her Elder siblings, but reaching out to vast cosmic forces was a fool''s errand. Even if you managed to force enough will into your plea to reach them, the likelihood of a conceptual being the size of multiple multiverses reacting to a lone mortal... Well while it wasn''t zero it might as well have been. The New Gods were much easier to reach... Which was actually a problem. If Arthur or his cronies caught wind of her prayer as it crossed unto the heavens... It would not end well. The only thing Mystiq had going for her was that the New Gods were not as united as the so-called "King of Gods" pretended. There were few who chose not to join him in his crusade against her, but there was certainly one who could aid her: Miss Fortune. Hells, considering this Dungeon''s good luck so far, it''s not unlikely that she''s already paying attention... Miss Fortune, while still a New God, enjoyed a rather strange role in the grand scheme of things. Her purview over luck would seem to clash with Father Fate, the Elder God of Destiny. Yet the two had managed to... bond over their similar roles. Some would say they bonded too well... Their children number in the- of course! Mystiq was good friends with her sibling, Father Fate. And through him she had met and befriended Miss Fortune. They had mingled quite often, as Mystiq was one of the few Elder Gods to maintain a physical form more than once a millennium in the modern age. Of course she would not side with Arthur against me! And of course she would convince her children to do the same... Hopefully that didn''t come back to bite her... Arthur is not the forgiving type... In any case, Mystiq knew what needed to be done. With the aid of a simple shrine, she could call upon her bond with Miss Fortune to connect with a friendly deity. And as a plus, she might respond within a year''s time. Ugh. The timescales of the Gods... Ch 7: Generally Generals

Dungeon:

:ETHER[INTRA]:
:ETHER[INTER]:
Having seen the effects of Bosses on invaders, it made sure to redesign its newest entrance to accommodate. Adding stone, rather than simply carving it away, was a bit of a strange experience. A momentary feeling of emptiness precluded a slight downtick in Ether. The moment passed, and the walls reached outwards as desired. Looking good, looking good... I hope this works... The Dungeon had been hard at work prepping for its grand vision of Floor[2]. Two Chiefs... Two Generals! A clash between factions! It wanted its newest Floor split in two, with one of its new creatures in "control" of each half. Yet, it knew how difficult it was for its different creatures to commingle. Thus did the core experiment with its tunnels. How small could they be? Where could they be placed? Floor[2] took shape quickly, with oddly shaped rooms made in an attempt to manipulate its tunnel lengths. The few obvious tunnels it did have were oddly formed, the relatively smooth walls of Floor[1] had been traded for strange bulging gouges in the walls and floor. The Dungeon had merely been testing its abilities, but it made for a treacherous battleground of uneven footing and inconspicuous niches. Wait... what are generals...? The Reconstruction system was initially designed as a hypothetical, a "what if" for a bored Elder Goddess. The unfortunately diminished finger had done its best to modify this ancient design for its current situation. What she needed right now was a host of enhanced worshippers, and at the time all she had was a baby Dungeon. Ether, with a divine hand- or finger -to guide it, could do many things. In this case, it hastened the growth and development of a young gem. With that growth came knowledge. They''re the big important creatures in the back! Kinda.

???:

A BrokeKnife Bandit paused while he did his daily trap check. While the latest "haul" came with enough food to last the camp a month, the raid had stolen an unfortunate lack of meat. Well, after the night before it also had an unfortunate lack of alcohol. This was coincidentally why this bandit, a Ranger, had been moving a bit behind schedule today. The sun was high in the sky, and here he was just getting around to checking on his variety of snares. However, the unfortunate reality of living in a forest meant that a change in schedule could mean becoming lunch. Or in this case, losing it. The Ranger, growing more and more frustrated at doing chores while hungover, only grew more upset to find that the few snares which had caught anything were ripped to pieces. Whatever they had snagged had already been looted by some lucky forest predator. Instead of a future rabbit stew, the BrokeKnife Bandit found more chores: making new snares to replace those shredded by wild animals. Now in a terrible mood, trudging back to camp, he caught a whiff of something in the air. Someone was roasting meat nearby! Somebody had meat... probably from one of his snares... And broke ''em so they could steal it for themselves! Angrier than he had been in a long time, the Ranger stomped his way forward, following the smell of cooking meat. As he grew closer and closer to camp, he still managed to carefully search for whatever nook or cranny they had used to hide away his food! He was so furious, so focused, that he barely noticed how he had moved his way up onto the cliff overlooking the camp. There he found a dark hole in the ground. Muttering curses to himself, he moved back into camp for some rope and a few buddies to beat the hell out of whoever stole his meat!

Dungeon:

The Dungeon made the wise decision to summon its generals one at a time, having considered the problems it had with its creatures on Floor[1].
<<~GIANT~SELECTION:~FLOOR[2]~>>
ETTIN ETTIN are an unnatural product of Ogre mutation by scientific, magical, or divine interference. Born with the strength of two Ogres, and the same number of heads, ETTIN are often more dangerous to their cannibalistic selves than any opponent. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dungeon-Born ETTIN are created with enough survival instincts to not eat themselves, allowing the massive brutes to fully display why two heads are better than one.
A now familiar crack appeared in a wall of the core room. It leaked its light and resealed. It sounded out the grind of aching stone. It summoned its pointed tower of stone. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Same old, same old. And then it erupted into a massive form. A hulking mound of pale, patchy flesh broke free in a sudden burst of strength, sending chips of stone flying about the room. The few that hit the core softened upon impact, sloughing off into a puddle beneath it. Great. Looking over its first general, the Dungeon thought that the Ettin fit its role to a ''t.'' It was incredibly broad, its frame easily fitting not only its two heads but also double the muscle of its Ogre. It still maintained the large gut, tusked maw, beady eyes, and gnarled probably-claws of its Floor[1] counterpart. But where the Ogre was fully hairless, the Ettin had patches of matted hair dotted about its body. Each head had one of those patches. Yet where the left head sported a rotting beard, the right showed off a knotted clump of fuzz just above its brow... which did not reach the top of its scalp. It was the only visible difference between the two heads, which were eyeing each other with suspicion. Perfect! It''s plenty big! Now I gotta make it important... and put it in the back... The gem directed it away to the far left room, fulfilling another of its general obligations. Next up was the Verbeeg.
<<~GIANT~SELECTION:~FLOOR[2]~>>
VERBEEG VERBEEG are also known as human behemoths for their close resemblance to humans. This similarity is more than skin-deep, as VERBEEG are largely considered one of the most intelligent Giant subspecies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dungeon-Born VERBEEG, while hosting a lesser intellect than their natural cousins, are known for their trickery and full utilization of everything at their disposal.
As the next stalagmite rose, the Dungeon was in high spirits. It was apparent that the Ettin would be a tremendously strong protector, leading to high expectations for its next general. The Verbeeg did not force its way into existence, arriving with the natural shatter of its Floor[1] creatures. It was... shockingly thin. It was muscled, yes, but compared to an Ogre or even an Ogrillon... This thing isn''t even 9 feet tall! What''s it weigh, barely 300 pounds?! How is it supposed to be a general like that! The Verbeeg was downright gangly compared to its previous creatures. Yet, this was partially due to its greater height. It still held all of the strength of a Half-Ogre, but when stretched out over its taller body it looked deceptively weak. Also like a Half-Ogre, the Verbeeg was fully clothed. It was wrapped in well-treated furs which were tied neatly around its torso and limbs with strips of leather, ending in unclawed hands or simple leather boots on their feet. Its face was far different that anything it had ever seen. It was strangely expressive, and untusked! It had long hair surrounding said face, it flowed freely with minimal knots or tangling! Its eyes were far more than what any of its other creatures had. A circle of white surrounded the normal beads of black it was used to, which seemed to dart all about. They were searching, feeling, knowing... How strange. Perhaps... You can be a general, yet. The Dungeon directed its Verbeeg onwards, to the furthest right room. Before the creature had even arrived, it had somehow managed to fashion a rudimentary flail with strips of leather from its clothing and a rock swiped from the ground. Which was interesting, as the core did not remember there being any rocks, despite Floor[2]''s rough design.
:ETHER[INTRA]:
:ETHER[INTER]:
Alright. Now... How "reduced" is our new cost...?
<<~GIANT~SELECTION:~FLOOR[2]~>>
FLOOR[1] HALF-OGRE OGRILLON OGRE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previous Floor Creatures accessible at reduced cost
A moment, a lightshow, and some dust later... a new Half-Ogre was poking its way around the core room.
:ETHER[INTER]:
... huh. Another one. And so appeared another Half-Ogre.
:ETHER[INTER]:
Two Half-Ogres were standing in the core room. At the cost of one Ettin or Verbeeg. Two-for-one? Yeah. I can work with that...