《Mechanical Dungeon Core》 The Beginning Why, hello there! Welcome welcome! Sit down. Oh, I see you are already sitting, some of you are even laying down, always a good idea to get comfortable. Oh theres one of you that''s actively walking! Careful now, wouldn''t wanna hit anything. Now, I know you came here expecting a story, and we will get to that, as telling stories is one if my favorite pastimes, but first, let''s talk! First of all, yes, I know of you, and your wonderful world, part of the quirks of being such a powerful being as myself, if you don''t mind some boasting on my part. You peer into countless universes through mystical devices and travel around at such incredible speeds, though still believe your world doesn''t have magic? Hah! The things mortals will rationalize. Anyways, we are getting off topic. I am¡­ humm who am I? I have had countless names over the eons you see, sometimes one gets lost in all the titles. Best go with simplicity eh? You can call me The Storyteller. As the name implies, I peer into countless universes looking for interesting stories. Then, when some wandering soul with too much free time comes across me, I regale them with fanciful (and true) tales of young adventurers going against evil tyrants, or of some poor sod who tried to grow vegetables in the desert. Really depends on my mood at the time. Oh, hah! The one of you who was walking has walked into a pole! I warned you after all! Anyways, where was I? Ah yes, stories, wonderful stories! There''s power in them you know. Unlike some of my compatriots who enjoy conquering and devouring universes, or making one sided deals with mortals for their souls or something, I prefer to collect the mortal experience. Makes my power source less contested you see. Now enough dawdling, lets go meet our protagonist, I''m sure they have minimal personal relations in their current world, which is a reflection of yours by the way, with the funny quirk of some major product names being slightly different. And don''t forget their up and coming date with a large fast moving vehicle, but that''s enough spoilers for now. Let''s get to it! Dexter woke up to the blaring of his alarm clock, a relic he found in the garbage of his apartment complex and decided to fix up. After checking his phone, to a grand total of 3 messages, 2 of which were of his robotics classmates giving an excuse as to why they wouldn''t show up today to work on their project, he got up with a groan, already dreading the day ahead, counting the days until he could finally have some free time. Looking around his small messy bedroom, he found some clothes that were mostly clean, and went to take a quick shower to wash away the last of the sleep, at least until his first class of the day. One last look in the mirror showed him what he always saw, medium length chestnut hair that were threatening to cover his eyes, a pair square glasses covering a plain looking face. Quite frankly, he looked about how he felt, completely average. After a lightning quick breakfast of some BootLoops, a colorful cereal in the shape of boots for some reason, he dashed out the door, hoping to catch the bus in time so as not to be late to his first class of the day, again. Dexter was an excellent student, when he applied himself, which wasn''t often. He was more interested in messing around with mechanical devices. An interest he could trace from when, as a kid, he dismantled his dad''s lawnmower to find out how it kept cutting the grass at such a determined height. If there''s one thing Dexter could say he''s good at, it''s fixing things. Atleast non living things, which probably explains why any relationship he''s had has always ended in disaster. After the daily classes he went to the designated meeting spot for his robotics team, where, as usual, he was the only one there. Resigning himself to another late night of working on their end of semester project, a battle bot that could levitate for a few seconds due to an ingenious design by Dexter himself, he set off. Now, Dexter does love this kind of work, you could say he even lives for it. But who wouldn''t be upset at having 4 people to help you, but they never show up? As he walked into the unused classroom they reapropriated as a workshop, he found himself thinking of the past. He was an only child, with a decent relationship with his parents, though he Isn''t as close to them as he used to due to them wanting him to go into law school and him firmly choosing engineering. After moving out to go to college, he''s had a handful of conversations with his parents, usually ending in a disappointing way or with meaningless pleasantries. Back to the present, he, as usual, lost track of time working on their as yet to be named robot, and was about to miss the last bus home. Rushing out, he ran across campus, startling the few janitorial staff who work this late. After reaching an empty intersection, he looks both ways, certifying that the roads clear, before making his way across. All of a sudden, he''s lit up in bright headlights, and then, nothing. Well, that''s that! Young Dexter there met a frightfully quick end. As some of you mortals tend to say, at least he didn''t suffer. What? You were expecting a longer story? I never promised that! I''m a storyteller, didn''t specify the length of my stories. But¡­. Hmmm. I guess I could pull a few strings and contact some acquaintances of mine, to, let''s say, lengthen the story. I know of a world that always has a need for a few extra souls after all. But, between you and me, you owe me. Now then, lets go find ourselves a wayward soul shall we? Dexter woke up, though I guess waking up is not the correct term for realizing you are awake when you never went to sleep. He looks around, then down, and if he could make a sound in such a timeless place he would. Quite simply, Dexter is a disembodied soul. He looks around the sea of other souls around him, all listing along, all little balls of light. And he just went along with it. Kinda hard to have emotions when you''re just a little glowing basketball. With curiosity, he notes that his soul is steel colored, like a well polished piece of metal. He floats for a while observing the souls around him, all seeming to be going somewhere, while his just stays resolutely in place. As if daring to be different in the void. Then, he jumps with a start, having gotten the impression that he''s being watched by something, or someone. A presence so huge, all encompassing, that in the brief moment he felt it, he almost got lost in it. An eon later, or maybe just after a few seconds, he feels another distinct, though no less powerful presence, this time pulling him in a determined direction. Dexter seemingly speeds up so much it reminds him of the faster than light speed travel of the Space Wars movies he liked to watch. All of a sudden he stops above a massive planet. If he were to guess, it would be 5 maybe times the size of earth. Then he goes down to the surface, speeds past what seems to be a lush forest, before he plunges into the rock. Strangely, his vision doesn''t go dark, as one would assume traveling through kilometers of rock would be, but filled with points of light, in all colors of the rainbow. They seem to be fixed in spot, unmoving, though there''s a sense of power behind them, flickering for the smaller ones and a veritable bonfire for the largest. Looking down he seems to be nearing an empty space between the lights then, while he approaches, he blacks out once more. The next time he comes to, he notices something. He''s a crystal, shaped like of those dice with the 12 sides, hexagons on all sides. Then he panics. His mind seems to come to the realization that he''s not supposed to be a dice crystal thing. Dexter seems to agree, and spends the next few hours screaming in his head trying to come to terms with the situation. After an embarrassingly long time of screaming, and one can only scream in their head for so long before they get bored, Dexter notices that he''s being supported by a pillar made of bones, leather, and other miscellaneous objects, things that looks like some ancient tribe would craft and worship. The he looks around, noting he''s in a roughly circular room, with random piles of junk scattered around. There''s a pile of rocks to one side, leather scrap on the other, a small pile of metal plates and ingots, among other things. He starts getting really confused. Then it happens, out of nowhere. A screen pops up in front of him. Or did it pop up in his head? Dexter can''t really tell and is more shocked at the contents of said screen. DUNGEON SYSTEM INITIALIZING¡­.. HUMANOID DUNGEON FOUND MONSTER TYPE: GOBLIN DUNGEON RANK: CANDLE INITIALIZNG DUNGEON MENU¡­.. PRESENCE OF CONCIOUSNESS DETECTED¡­.. DUNGEON MENU INITIALIZED, SHOW? Dexter hastily selected yes, and before long another screen showed up. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. HUMANOID TYPE GOBLIN DUNGEON RARITY: COMMON CORE INTEGRITY: 100% MANA: 1000/1000 AVALIBLE SKILLS: TERRAFORM Use 10 mana to modify 1 m2 of anything in your domain, non organic or magical only. SUMMON WORKER Use 150 mana to summon worker, plus 100 mana per item you generate to equip said worker (FIRST SUMMON IGNORES THE LAST RULE) SUMMON WARRIOR Use 300 mana to summon a warrior, plus 200 mana per item you generate for said worker (FIRST SUMMON IGNORES THE LAST RULE) SUMMON SUPPORT Use a variable amount of mana to summon a minion that specializes in something that isn''t either of the listed categories above. Dexter looks over the options for a while. He mentally selects the worker option and a preview of a creature appears in his head. Dull green skin, a large bulbous head with a long nose and a set of teeth that would make your average dentist cry. Long spindly limbs and a body with a pronounced stomach akin to a beer belly. Clothed only in a ragged and torn loincloth. All in all, your average fantasy goblin. Before has a chance to look at the other options, he hears a voice in his head, almost as if it''s very far away say: No no No! A goblin dungeon? Definitely not. The only thing that surpasses a goblins'' stupidity is their smell, and they are quite the unintelligent beings. I refuse to have this in my story. Now, don''t worry dear reader, I won''t interfere with the story this often, there are rules, even for beings like me. But I will not have a goblin dungeon. Too clich¨¦ quite frankly. Let''s see if we can make things more interesting shall we? Dexter watches as his screen seems to glitch out intensely for a few seconds, before more text shows up. ERROR ########### ERROR#### UNAUTHORIZED SYSTEM ACCESS DETECTED ######## CONTACTING SUPPORT STAFF ######## ER . . . . . . . . . THERE WE GO! WASN''T THAT DIFFICULT. HAVE FUN WITH MY PRESENT DEXTER, AND DO TRY TO MAKE AN INTERESTING STORY WILL YOU? . . . . . . . DUNGEON SYSTEM INITIALIZING¡­.. HUMANOID DUNGEON FOUND MONSTER TYPE: GOB######### ERROR MONSTER TYPE: AUTOMATON DUNGEON RANK: CANDLE INITIALIZNG DUNGEON MENU¡­.. PRESENCE OF CONCIOUSNESS DETECTED¡­.. DUNGEON MENU INITIALIZED, SHOW? The Crew Dexter stared in shock at the screen, before observing that his little cave had changed. Firstly, instead of a pillar made of bones and leather, he rested atop a series of interlocking gears, machinery, and tubes all slowly whirring and clicking against each other, in constant motion. Looking around, he noticed that the piles of leather and rock have disappeared, whilst the metals have multiplied exponentially. Turning back to the screen, he mentally selects yes, and before long the new and updated stat sheet as he''s starting to call it has appeared. HUMANOID TYPE AUTOMATON DUNGEON RARITY: ######### RANK : CANDLE CORE INTEGRITY: 100% MANA: 2000/2000 AVAILABLE SKILLS: TERRAFORM Use 10 mana to modify 1 m2 of anything of your domain. Summons don''t fall in this category. SUMMON WORKER Use 350 mana to summon a worker, plus 100 mana per item you generate to equip said worker. Price of item is diminished by available materials. (FIRST SUMMON IGNORES THE LAST RULES) SUMMON WARRIOR Use 600 mana to summon a warrior, plus 200 mana per item you generate for said worker. Price of item is diminished by available materials. (FIRST SUMMON IGNORES THE LAST RULES) SUMMON SUPPORT Use a variable amount of mana to summon a minion that specializes in something that isn''t either of the listed categories above. REPAIR SUMMON Repair damage to summon. Mana usage based on severity of the damage and available materials. First thing he notices is the change in dungeon name. Automaton seems much more his style so he''s quite excited about that. The next thing he realizes is that while his mana has doubled, so has the price of all of his skills bar the terraform. So, Dexter buckles down and starts to think, and think, and think. Then he finally accepts that this isn''t a dream. With that, he panics again. After a brief panic attack, (a few hours but who''s counting) he decides to just roll with it. He goes to try out his fancy new skills, because let''s be honest here, being a glorified night light on a fancy pedestal really leaves one with little options of entertainment. Dexter focuses on a patch of wall in front of him, and with the terraform skill firmly in mind, he tries to imagine a cube being cut out in front of him. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Like magic, which, after a pause he realizes that''s probably what this all is, a perfectly cut cube just disappears from the wall, and appears where the stones pile used to be. After marveling at his newfound prowess over the material plane (essentially moving a cube of stone from one place to the next) he decided to take a look at his next options. Surprisingly, this time, he doesn''t receive a preview of the summon when he selects it, so, curiosity getting the best of him, he mentally presses the summon worker button. Dexter feels a large collection of something coalesce in front of him, then, all of a sudden, like one of those sped up Brego Bricks videos, a little machine starts being built up. After a surprisingly quick assembly, in front of his pedestal stood a child-sized humanoid mole. Made entirely of whirring gears, metal plates, exposed wires, and mysterious tubes filled with a glowing green liquid. It was holding a pickaxe made of a bronze like material and metal shaft and had a little miners helmet on, light included. The machine looked up at him, its pointed snout turning his way and angled its head slightly, as if asking what to do. ¡°Uh, hello?¡± - Dexter nervously intoned. The mole lifted up a spade-like paw and waved slightly, questioningly looking at Dexter. ¡°OK, uh, make a tunnel that way!¡± Looking around confused, the automaton looked back at Dexter. ¡°Oh right, no arms or way to point¡­. Ok, you see that cube cut out of the wall there? Make a tunnel there until you find something interesting.¡± ¡°Hmmm, I guess you could use a name¡­. How about Moley?¡± He felt a point of mana being used, and a little name tag with the name Moley spelled out on it appeared on the machines chest. ¡°Moley¡± looked down at the nametag and then back at him with an impressive deadpan look for a robot, then gave a military salute and went off onto his business. Checking his mana just to make sure everything went well; MANA: 1649/2000 Dexter, satisfied that in fact the usage amount was as stated, started looking around at the now growing pile of rocks being transported by Moley and the haphazard piles of metals in the corner. Desiring some organization to the chaos, he decided to use the summon support to organize the mess that was his current room. Keeping in mind his desire to organize the room, he clicked the summon support button. Surprisingly 3 small figures appeared instead of the expected one. All half the size of Moley. They looked like little humanoid bees, wings included. Wings that aren''t just for show, as evidenced by their flying up to look him in the eyes so to say. He found it surprising that the little metallic bees could fly at all, but just chalked it up magical nonsense. ¡°Welcome to my cave, not much to see at the moment. Since theres 3 of you, uh, your names can be Itsy, Bitsy, and Beetsy. Please go organize those piles over there by material and size¡± After three identical deadpan stares and a crisp military salute, they got off to work. Feeling pretty satisfied with himself. He decided to explore his nature a bit more. Looking deep inside, Dexter felt something, akin to the flickering sense of power he felt from some of the lights during his journey down here. He assumed those were others like him, trapped in crystal, able to summon beings to do their labor for them. Looking more onto his surface, he felt, not a wrongness from his facets, but a sense of discomfort. Like he wanted to reduce them as much as possible but had no way to do so. Expanding his senses outwards, he realized that he could ¡°see¡± in a 360¡ã around him, not being limited In a specific direction. And such a sight wasn''t limited with range. Even now, he could focus on the grains of rock falling from Moleys digging efforts as if it were happening directly in front of him. Speaking of, Moleys tunnel was taking an impressive shape, hopefully soon he would be able to find something interesting from the surrounding area. Only time will tell.