Coping and Pasting

I expended the necessary mana to copy a workbench, complete with a set of tools, and create two exact duplicates of it. The workbenches sprouted in their predetermined spaces and I looked on in satisfaction as the Forge room was coming along nicely. Since the previous night I had plunged myself into my work in order to process all that I had discovered. Not to mention my budding feelings for Sumiré. I huffed and massaged my neck with one arm for a second, inspecting two large melding pots before me. They rested just above two furnaces, designed for forging while their extra heat would also keep the melted metal in the pots in that liquid state.

As for the heat source.. I rested a palm against an Arcane glyph placed near an opening on the wall. I poured nearly a hundred mana into it before severing the connection. From that opening, as well as one exactly likely on the opposite side, began spewing magma into the furnaces! It wasn't real.. It was a magical effect that produced this superheated magma-like substance but it did the trick. The "magma" would heat the forges, the pots and then cyrcle back behind the wall and out again. Like the world's hottest fountain. I had installed carts for lifting heavy ores, smithing tools, tinkering tools, mining equipment, drawing boards, parchment and coal for schematics.. anything we could possibly need for a foundry. Just one thing missing... I DIDN'T HAVE ANY FREAKING CRAFTSMEN!

I had the ability to produce Beastmen as Dungeon minions but had no blueprint for a beastman race. Until now.. I finally had the Nihtu. Which honestly.. didn't make too excited.

[ Nihtu of the Elgolar Desert. A small sized Beastman race, the Nihtu are hardy desert dwellers, acclimated to Elgolar's harsh terrain and low night temperatures. Like some desert dwelling species, the Bat-like Nihtu have developed abilities that make them thrive at night. Short fur that insulates against the cold, Night Vision and echo location. These Beastmen are scavengers by nature and rarely develop skills of their own. They make for poor craftsmen and any ore they might find or steal, they trade for other commodities in their rare interactions with humans. Arsàni have a very hostile relationship with the Nihtu and almost never deal with them except for territorial disputes. ]

Well... That might I explain why I felt an insatiable urge to drive them away from the Plateau. Shit.. Made for horrible craftmen that weren't made to stand the heat. Even with my Chimera skill I didn't know how I could possibly modify them enough to turn them into what our Dungeon needed. I rubbed the sides of my brain in frustration and decided to allocate my free stats in order to distract myself. I had 4 free points. One went in Social and Mental each and then the remaining two were placed into Physical. Since reaching the 15 mark, it required two points in order for it to be raised by one. I felt bad for not also investing in my Magic stat but I was honestly quite pleased in my steady progress in the magical department.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Race: Superior Dungeon Core Lv.15

Avatar: Arsàni, Fire-Breather

Age: 29

HP: 360/380 ^

MP: 096/180

LvL.16: 13%

Aether: 259

Gold: 299

Free Stat Points: 0

Physical - 16 (Heroic) ^

Mental - 7 (Well Above Average) ^

Social - 7 (Well Above Average) ^

Magic - 12 (Beyond Peak Condition)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I did a hand stand just for shits and giggles. It was almost too easy once I found my balance and even did a set of twelve pushups. The joy of my ever-growing physical prowess, did little to distract me however. Sumiré was developing a Hero Core. That explained where the extra experience had been going since the Terror Bird battle.. it was the only explanation. Was I responsible for awakening this power within her? And what did it mean for the Dungeon? Would she become a threat or an indispensable ally? I had many questions and no one to answer them. But I knew one thing. It was within my power to either cultivate this power within her or cut it at the bud. The way the latter sounded made me hate it even more. Sumiré wad probably my most loyal follower, dare I say friend, second only to Eve. I couldn't repay her adoration and faith with self-preservation and fear. I groaned audibly as my frustration and thoughts led to absolutely nowhere. THAT'S IT! I need to punch something! I yelled angrily and stormed off to my Chamber through a series of narrow, secret tunnels.

The idea was to eventually install teleportation arcs within each Dungeon chamber, accessible only to me and my followers but sadly my Dungeon editing hadn't reached that level yet. So for the time being, I needed about a five minute walk to reach my Chamber from the entrance. I geared up, donning a simple leather armor, a backpack and placing my greatsword in the scabbard on my back. The unwieldy blade was something called an "Oxäur Cleaver". Apparently these Oxeners were big and strong and these blades were used mostly for butchering, not fighting. That's also why I got it so cheap. But it sturdy and perfect for my augmented strength. I just needed to get the hang of its size and heft. "Fiona! Here girl! Were going hunting!" I shouted and I swear Fiona jumped me before I even had time to finish the damn sentence! She barked and whined happily as she leaned against me and I responded to her enthusiasm with generous belly rub.

I let every Dungeon exec know we would be going just north of the Plateau and aksed Shu-Bongo to check on us if we hadn't returned in a few hours. I knew there were some crags and small rock formations up there but other than that, the area was unfamiliar to us. With the Blood Wolf scouting ahead, we began our small journey of venting and unhealthy expression of frustration. We reached the rocky formations and spotted a pair of unusually large eagles flying above us and nesting near the top them. The eagles weren't exactly monsters and I wasn't feeling like having a large omelette so we just moved along. We found tracks belonging to large goats and even the slither marks of large vipers but no actual snakes to be seen. After about thirty minutes of nothing but hot rocks and sand, Fiona spotted the pony sized goat on a crag, munching on some weeds. At first I found killing the thing a waste but.. I guessed its pelt could be a useful addition to the Dungeon's roster of summoned items and maybe the meat as well. I took the stance of an archer who was drawing back on his bow and a Flame Arrow took shape. The projectile spun in-between my fingers and sizzled with magical power. No need to Overchannel, I thought. I released the spell and the arrow shot through the animal like a hot knife through butter.

The goat died instantly, falling all the way to the ground just at the base of the rocky formation, near a large boulder. I had Fiona go and retrieve it as kept looking around for danger. As the mutant wolf approached she paused for a second to sniff the air before taking a few more cautious steps. I tilted my head at that, trying to see what set her off but their was nothing there. With no warning, the boulder shot up like a trap door and a giant pincer snatched up our goat! A scorpion the size of a crocodile came clambering out of a hole under the boulder, throwing his claimed prize in before allowing to boulder to fall and close it back up. It swiped at Fiona, clearly intent on securing another meal, but the Blood Wolf avoided the attack easily and let out a growl. I rushed forward, my brain sinking into "combat mode" as I drew my sword. Fiona let out her "Enervating Howl" increasing both our movement speeds and melee damage by a small margin. We both rushed the mostrous arachnid, dancing around it with our superior mobility.

To its credit, the beast was no slouch. It scittered around on its six powerful legs, snapping away at us, missing by just half a second each time. Its powerful tail would come crashing down occasionally, penetrating even the rock beneath our feet, upon a failed strike. "Master! It's like Fisher but dumb!" Fiona commented innocently through our bond. "I'll try to pin it down! You get at its legs!" I cired back and we darted in different directions. With a powerful swing I aimed for the scorpion's face but it snatched my sword, trapping it in its large pincer. It clamped down on the steel blade with both claws, attempting to wrestle it away from me! I tightened my grip and began pushing back. To my delight, I was almost as strong as the large monster, actually resisting its attempt albeit it barely. Sadly for it though, beating it at arm wrestling wasn't my goal here.

[ Fiona has activated "Blood Fang Rank 2"! ]

The wolf's teeth glowed red and spectral fangs of the same colour appeared on each side of her jaws! She bit down on the scorpion's leg, nearly crushing the large appendage.

[ "Blood Fang Rank 2" hit "Elgolar Burrow Tyrant Rank 3, Level 6" for 23 points of damage! Minor bleeding effect has been inflicted! Target will continue to lose 2 HP per second until it receives any kind of healing. ]

"Atta girl Fiona!" I said to her mentally as the scorpion flinched! Slapping its pincers aside I exhaled a cone of fire directly it its face. The flames washed across its carapace, bathing the monster in their scorching heat. Through the curtains or flaming red however, a pincer came barreling towards me! It slammed against my chest, sending me flying back! "What the hell?"

[ "Elgolar Burrow Tyrant" received 10 points of damage. Resistant to Fire and Heat. "Burrow Tyrant" retaliated with 19 points of damage. ]

Oh.. so the jet black, desert dwelling scorpion was resistant to heat and flame. Well.. you learn something everyday. Thankfully Fiona dancing around the monster, was enough of a distraction for it to not capitalise on my mistake and follow up with another strike. I jumped to my feet and spat a mouthful of dirt before focusing on my target again. "I really have to start learning other types of magic.." I growled as I launched myself in the air after running along a vertical surface. I swung my sword in a powerful overhead arch, intending on landing atop the distracted monster! Fiona howled, disturbed by something that I simply couldn't bother myself with at that time. And then... The surface I had just launched myself off of, opened like a trap door, revealing a second Burrow Tyrant which was ready to snatch me out of the air!