The Land: Predators Page 2

  Available Resources

  None

  Available Loot

  None

  To say that the screen was bare bones was an understatement. Luckily, his next prompt held some hope.

  To expand the information available, assign a Dungeon Keeper.

  Congratulations! You have discovered a new Job for your village: Dungeon Keeper.

  Richter tried to assign the Job to himself, but the answer was a resounding “Nyet!”

  You do not possess the qualifications to become a Dungeon Keeper. Choose someone worthy.

  Kind of a dickish way to say no, Richter thought to himself. He just shook his head though and dismissed the prompt. It had been worth a try. He accessed the next prompt with a red border.

  Know This! The capabilities of your Dungeon are legion, but it can only manifest that which has been discovered, offered or taken. Place items and resources in the Well of Offering to increase the possible rewards of your Dungeon. The Dungeon can absorb loot and resources at any point, but only items placed in the Well of Offering have a 100% chance of being learned by your Dungeon.

  Richter looked around, but the only thing outside of the Dungeon was the black spike with the golden ball on top. This “Well of Offering” had to be inside. He was about to tell Hisako that it was time to venture in, but then he caught the look on her face. She was positively apprehensive. The sprite was staring at the entrance to the cave. Richter examined the yawning snake mouth that was the portal to the Dungeon. When he had first seen it, the tunnel entrance had looked like a dark opening in the earth. Now, it was almost like a gigantic monster was going to swallow them all. He could well understand why she might be feeling some hesitation.

  Still, there was no other choice. He would have to venture into the snake’s mouth sooner or later, so it might as well be sooner. Richter wouldn’t allow anyone else to risk their lives doing something he wasn’t willing to do himself. He walked up to the Hearth Mother.

  “I’m going inside, Hisako. You may come with me if you like. I hope you do, but I understand if you want to stay outside.”

  She looked down the hill they were standing on. Only minutes had passed since they had sent everyone else away. The village guards and sprite warriors were still helping the newly released prisoners through the village walls. Their already slow pace was worsened by the large trench that surrounded the entire village. There were only three passages across the moat, and it was taking time to usher hundreds of people across.

  Hisako looked back at him and said, “I want to accompany you. I wanted to suggest that we enter myself, but for some reason I just feel hesitant. It took me a moment to realize what was happening, but I believe I am being enchanted. Hold one moment.” She started casting a spell and golden light surrounded her hand. After speaking several words of Power, the light flared and then went out. Her back straightened immediately. The hesitant tone left her voice, and she exclaimed, “Much better. This Dungeon is casting a Doubt effect on any who would approach it.”

  Richter frowned. He didn’t feel any fear or doubt. The Dungeon looked a bit intimidating but in the same way dating an NBA player’s ex-girlfriend was intimidating. He was still going in there. He was about to ask her to explain, but he decided to check his combat log first.

  Richter has resisted Doubt. As Dungeon Master, you have full immunity to the external defenses of the Dungeon.

  He hadn’t even known! Already he had discovered a third perk of being a Dungeon Master. “I seem to be immune to it,” Richter said.

  Hisako gazed at the Dungeon mouth consideringly, “This newest addition to your village is already proving itself deadly. Dungeons desire to consume those who enter within them. A Fear effect would drive away its prey, but Doubt is far more insidious. Adventurers would still enter, but the enchantment placed on the entrance would most likely nestle in their hearts. At a critical moment, it might make them hesitate. In battle, a moment of doubt can cause the eternity of death.”

  Richter grew worried. “Does this mean anyone that enters will have to deal with this effect?” He had little idea exactly what the implications of being the Master of a Dungeon were, but if Hisako’s initial excitement had been any indication, it was a very good thing. Still, it was also clear that the Dungeon was dangerous. Power was great and all, but he wasn’t willing to sacrifice his village to get it. He had already been hesitant to let anyone in, but if the entrance gave everyone the Doubt debuff then he might need to make it off limits completely.

  Hisako shrugged, “I have made myself immune to the effect, but it is still there. You may be able to do something about it through your position as Dungeon Master. We may also learn more by exploring.” She squared her shoulders and said firmly, “Let us find out.” With that, she marched into the snake’s mouth. Richter blinked once at the strong-willed woman and then hurried to catch up.

  CHAPTER 2 – Day 141 – Kuborn 31, 0 AoC

  Richter half-expected the lifelike cave mouth to snap shut on them both, but despite the forbidding carving of a snake’s mouth, it remained open. Once inside, the tunnel quickly angled downward at a twenty-degree angle. It strengthened the feeling that the two Masters were sliding down the gullet of a monster. The shaft also curved to the right as if following the coils of a serpent. After two full revolutions, the daylight was lost.

  Hisako muttered a spell that made white light shoot from her hand like a spotlight. As they moved, Richter summoned mist lights and threw them to the sides of the tunnel. They would illuminate the passage for a full year before burning out. Richter kept his elementum short sword firmly in his grasp as they descended further into the depths.

  The tunnel itself was nothing special, only brown and grey rock. Loose pebbles were scattered across the stone floor, and soon there was a feeling of dampness in the air as they crossed under the water table. He could feel moisture on the stones.

  After walking for only three minutes, the shaft ended in a cavern. Hisako cast another spell and white sparks shot from her hand in all directions. Wherever the sparks landed, the surface of what they touched began to glow. Five-inch circles of phosphorescent white light appeared all around the room. Even Richter’s armor began to luminesce. Seeing as how it was still covered in blood and gore from the battle with the goblins, it was not the most pleasant sight. Hisako’s spell had achieved its goal, however. They could now see the entire space.

  The grotto they stood in wasn’t huge. It was about the size of two basketball courts laid side by side. The ceiling couldn’t have been more than thirty feet high. One strange thing was that no stalactites or stalagmites marred the smooth surfaces of the chamber. The only features that stood out were the entrance they had come out of, another exit across the chamber from them, and what looked like a well in the center of the room. The far exit had a barely perceptible, shimmering curtain of energy across it.

  The well was formed of tightly fitting blocks of what looked like marbled quartz. The brilliant white stone contrasted strongly with the brown rock of the rest of the chamber. The well itself rose four feet from the ground and was four feet across. What both gave Richter pause and made Hisako’s eyes narrow in anger were the veins that traced through the marbled quartz. Such striations were normally a grey hue, but these were a dark red stone the color of blood. The veins also throbbed with light as if in time with a distant heartbeat… which didn’t help.

  Another prompt with a red border appeared in Richter’s vision.

  Congratulations! You have found a Room: Entrance Chamber. This Room is the first chamber of every Dungeon. No monsters or other dangers of the Dungeon can harm you in this location. A free Well of Offering is supplied in every Entrance Chamber. None can pass further into the Dungeon from this location without your permission, Dungeon Master.

  Richter walked up and looked inside the well, wondering what wonders would reveal themselves. He was disappointed. The chaos seed didn’t know what he had been expecting. Maybe a giant hand to
reach out and grab him when he peeked over the side. Possibly a cauldron of blood burbling far below. Maybe even a sea of snakes climbing over each other, Indiana Jones-style. You had to love the classics. All he saw though was dirt. The entire thing was filled with dry dust only one foot down from the lip of the well.

  Wrinkling his brow in disappointment, Richter placed a hand on the well. A prompt sprang into his vision.

  Greetings, Dungeon Master. You have found the Well of Offering. Items and resources sacrificed down this well may be used by your Dungeon if the appropriate conditions are met. Have a care! Nothing sacrificed to the Well of Offering can be retrieved. Do you wish to activate the Well? Yes or No?

  Richter chose “Yes” and his eyes grew as big as dinner plates. The floor of the well dropped away like it had gone to warp. He jumped back with a startled oath. All that was left was a stark nothingness. He felt like he was staring into a black hole. Not just a dark well, but instead an actual collapsed star. It was insanely disconcerting. Hisako looked at him quizzically.

  “What is wrong?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?” he shot back incredulously. “You don’t see that?”

  She looked over the side of the well, “All I see is dirt.”

  Shaking his head, Richter walked back over to the well. When he looked in again, he still saw the bottomless pit. It made him experience a slightly nauseating vertigo. Since nothing else happened though, his curiosity took over. “Tell me what you see happen now.”

  Richter reached into his bag and summoned a copper coin into his hand. Keeping one eye on Hisako, he dropped it. The coin fell faster than it should have. It looked like the void actively sucked it up. This time, it was Hisako that exclaimed in surprise.

  “It disappeared! What did you do?”

  “I offered the coin to the Dungeon,” Richter responded simply. “What exactly did you see?”

  “As soon as you let go, it simply vanished.”

  Richter read the new prompt that had appeared in his view.

  Item Accepted. Dungeon Loot now includes: Copper Coins.

  Know This! The incidence of items appearing in the Dungeon is proportional to the items’ rarity, complexity, and natural abundance in the surrounding region, as well as discovered Rooms and many other factors. You may affect the likelihood of certain drops in the Dungeon’s Loot Allocation.

  Richter’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement. He accessed the snake icon in his view again and selected “Settings.”

  You lack the appropriate expertise to access the Dungeon’s Loot Allocation information. A Dungeon Keeper is required for this.

  “Son of a bitch,” Richer muttered under his breath.

  “What was that?” Hisako asked.

  He just shook his head. With a sour look on his face, he reached into his bag for other items.

  Items accepted. Dungeon Loot now includes: Silver and Gold Coins.

  He decided to start being a little more generous and dropped in a small, semi-precious gem. The prompt changed slightly.

  Know This! Certain items can be used as both Loot and Resource.

  Items accepted. Dungeon Loot and Resources now include: Jasper.

  The obvious question was, ‘What’s the difference between “loot” and “resources.”’ Luckily, he was with a relative expert on Dungeon Lore. He related the last prompt, word-for-word. Hisako’s answer was fairly simple.

  “Dungeons are not only breeding grounds for monsters. They also grow ‘resources.’ When you offered the gem, it was apparently accepted as an ‘item,’ which means it can be found in treasure chests or gained as loot from slain creatures. The fact that it is also a ‘resource,’ means that miners you bring into your Dungeon may be able to find jasper in the walls as well.”

  Well that’s awesome news, Richter thought. It made the Dungeon even more valuable. It also meant he would need to guard any noncombatants he brought in. He would figure out the logistics of that later, but he was already envisioning having a small fort built inside the Dungeon.

  He reached into his bag again. The “frugal” part of him hated throwing the jewels away. The pragmatic side of him had always been stronger though… albeit only just. It understood that investing in the future was necessary.

  Items accepted. Dungeon Loot and Resources now include: Tiger’s Eye, Amethyst, and Topaz.

  Richter was dropping in the smallest gem he could find each time, but it still felt like he was saying goodbye to precious friends. He had no idea if dropping in larger stones might mean that he could in turn find larger stones in the Dungeon, but the prompts didn’t give any indication of that so he just couldn’t bring himself to drop in bigger jewels. Even the small rubies, emeralds and diamonds he had just literally tossed down a hole were worth hundreds, if not thousands, of gold. He also did not have an endless supply. The small chest of gems he had found upon claiming the village was more than half gone. Richter knew that he would have to start earning more coin soon. Until he fully understood how this actually worked, he wouldn’t risk any more money than was absolutely necessary on this magic hole. Richter remembered his uncle once saying something very similar about marriage.

  He dropped in another item.

  Item Accepted. Dungeon Loot now includes: Common Soul Stone.

  Resource Not Accepted. As the Dungeon lacks the appropriate Room, Common Soul Stone (empty) cannot be used as a Resource.

  Yet another prompt he didn’t fully understand. Focusing on the good, he was happy that he had found another source of soul stones. Richter nodded to himself, and excitedly dropped in another amber gem. This time, there was a third line to the prompt. That would be fine, except they were all red this time. Red, in his experience, was only good in very specific scenarios: apples, carpets and drapes.

  Item already Accepted. Dungeon Loot already includes: Common Soul Stone.

  Resource Not Accepted. As the Dungeon lacks the appropriate Room, Common Soul Stone (filled with a Basic soul) cannot be used as a Resource.

  Soul rejected! As the Dungeon lacks the appropriate Room, souls cannot be absorbed through the Well of Offering.

  The filled soul stone still disappeared, but it was apparently wasted. Richter had chosen a common soul stone that was only filled with a poor quality soul, but still, he hated waste. Of course, the prompt didn’t tell him what Room he needed to be able to offer souls to the Dungeon. From the fact that “Room” was capitalized, he assumed it was a specific area, rather than just four walls, a floor and a ceiling. When he focused on the word though another red prompt appeared.

  Know This! Further information about the Rooms of your Dungeon is beyond your ken. Find a Dungeon Keeper to unlock additional functionality.

  Richter heaved a big sigh. It seemed that his title of Dungeon Master was not as meaningful as he had initially thought. Unless he found a Dungeon Keeper, whatever that meant, his ability to interface with his latest village feature would remain limited. It also didn’t escape his notice that the last prompt was a bit cheeky.

  Luckily, Hisako came to the rescue again. She admitted there was much she didn’t know, but it was still nice to at least know something.

  “There are references to Rooms throughout Dungeon Lore, Lord Richter. They are specific areas in a Dungeon that increase its powers and properties. From what I have read, Rooms can be almost any size and can give any number of abilities. Some are more or less common. One of the Rooms that seems to appear often in Dungeons is an Armory. It makes it more likely to encounter Dungeon creatures that carry weapons. I do not know if an Armory would affect your Dungeon in light of the fact that that your monsters are likely to be Beasts, but then I have heard of high level Beasts that wield weapons.”

  “I still don’t get it,” Richter said. “Why would I ever want to build a Room like that?”

  Hisako laughed slightly at the chaos seed’s naivete. “You do not actually have a choice, Lord Richter. The Dungeon is dangerous now, but it will become much deadlie
r over time. Rooms will be built according to its nature, not your desires. I recommend that you map it as often as possible to know what capabilities it can bring to bear.”

  Richter nodded, disgruntled. He did not enjoy feeling out of control, and it was quickly becoming clear that being a Dungeon Master was a bit of a misnomer. That led him to his next question, “What do you know about Dungeon Keepers? I keep getting prompts saying that I can’t access certain properties if I don’t find one.”

  Hisako shook her head, “The oldest books I have read, dating back more than a thousand years, speak of Dungeon Keepers. Men and women who could unlock the true potential and power of Dungeons. There have been none recorded for years without end, however. The more recent texts posited that Dungeons Keepers used a magic now lost to The Land or that they never actually existed.”

  Richter nodded. It wasn’t everything he wanted to know, but at least he had learned something. He had learned from the prompt that sacrificing souls to the Dungeon would one day be possible, presumably with some reward for doing so. Richter dropped a few more empty amber gems and received prompts that the dungeon could now produce luminous and brilliant soul stones as well. His curiosity satisfied, at least for the moment, he left well enough alone. The Dungeon sensed his intent and soon the bottomless hole disappeared, leaving only dirt in the Well of Offering.

  Richter decided to examine the other feature in the room, the exit on the far side. As he walked closer, he could see that the shimmering field of energy covering it wasn’t exactly clear. It had a slightly red tint when viewed from certain angles. The field undulated in minute ways very quickly. Flashes of color came and went so fast that Richter’s eye processed the afterimage more than actual colors, so the color was lost almost immediately but the chaos seed was sure he had seen it. He looked back at Hisako, who just stared back at him with an expression that mirrored his own. Despite everything that had just happened, they both possessed a craving for adventure. They were united in an excited curiosity as to what was on the other side of the curtain of energy. His fingers brushed the field.