MH2 - Chapter 18: Gods Rest, Dungeons Roam

Dolli opened her eyes. Had she fallen asleep? She was in a cave, and the sun was rising outside. A thunderous boom shook the floor and Dolli jumped up, fully alert. Then it all came rushing back to her: Kelzoul, the explosion, the turtle dungeon snapping her up. She was still in its mouth.

Another vibration shook the cave with a low sing-song wail, blowing air out the turtle’s beak. Dolli leaned down, patting the rocky tongue of the turtle.

“Think you could put me up on your shell?” she asked, hoping the turtle could both hear and understand her.

A strong sense protecting flowed through Dolli and the turtle’s mouth closed a small measure. It vocalized again, and Dolli could feel the intention. She was safe in his mouth.

Dolli moved to the edge and looked out. They’d moved a good deal away from where they had battled Kelzoul. His charred, steaming mass of his remains could be seen on the horizon, but the turtle dungeon was stationary now.

“You protected us well. I need to return to the city. I’ll be safe there too,” Dolli said in a soothing voice.

The turtle clicked deep in his throat, then the view outside his mouth shifted. They moved until Dolli could see the edge of his shell, and the weapons her dungeonfolk had mounted to it. Her people stood watch on hastily created stone and moss ramparts that served as the neck of the shell.

“There she is!” a Crawfen pointed to Dolli and she waved.

The turtle opened his mouth wider, then let Dolli step down onto his outer shell. The dungeonfolk cheered, trying to pat Dolli on the back, but their hands kept passing through her. She solidified her body to accept the praise and cheered them back. They pulled her along through roughly crafted tunnels from the neck of the shell into the city, protected by the crystal dome.

So many were gathered in the streets, and though there was rubble all around them, they celebrated.

“We did it!” someone said.

“You saved us!” another monster cried.

“For Haven!” they shouted together, ushering Dolli through to the center of town.

The elation of her people buffeted against her shock, but all she felt inside was cold. Did Taffy, Julie, Roodaulf, and the others make it, or were they consumed in the explosion? She could check her menu to see if they were in the respawn pool, but she was scared of what she might find. She needed to get away and find out for herself in private.

She hopped up onto an overturned cart to get above the crowd. They quieted at her presence, and she summoned her best words. “Last night, we survived a horror unlike any other trial we’ve been through. It was your tenacity, your willingness to put everything on the line and fight for what we still have that got us through. It was us together, as one. And so tonight, we celebrate!”

The crowd roared, jumping and cheering with a joy only felt from surviving a great battle. Dolli let it go on for a moment, then called for silence.

"Let there be a week-long festival held to honor those lost to Kelzoul’s wrath. We will summon no hero to slay, we will not work except in the labor of celebrating life, and we will eat and drink enough to satiate the dead in the afterlife!”

They cheered again, every face beaming smiles back at Dolli. She smiled back, and addressed them a final time. “Well, we better get planning. Where’s Rufus?”

“Here, Overlord,” the towering Stagarth called from behind her. She turned and reached out for him. His expression shifted ever so slightly when he looked in her eyes and she knew he could see her fear.

He took her onto his shoulder and addressed the dungeonfolk. “Let’s do a bit of cleaning up, shall we? Can’t be dancing with all this rubble in the way!”

He distributed a massive, dungeon-wide task for repairing the village, one that Dolli declined. She kept her breathing steady as the walked through the dispersing crowd to her cottage. She gripped his antlers tightly, the anxiety of her people’s fate gnawing at her from the inside out.

All she had to do was look, and then it would be over. She could mourn or celebrate. What was it so hard just to look?

“What’s on your mind?” Rufus asked.

Dolli stomach turned. She didn’t want to tell him the shame she felt… but she trusted him above all others. He was her best counsel, and friend. “I sacrificed them to save myself,” she whispered.

Rufus hummed. “Or did they sacrifice themselves to save Monster Haven?”

“I asked them to.”

“But did you use your Overlord presence? Did you force them?” He asked.

They stopped at the door to the cottage. Nubiri was perched on her roost pedestal. Her gaze surveyed the village and threats outside the dome, but Dolli could tell by her tilted head that she was listening in. No matter, the village would find out the truth in time.

Dolli shook her head. “I’m not sure if I did. We were out of time and it all happened in a blur.”

Rufus opened the door. Around the table sat her officers: Greg, Brene, Boji, Julie—her arms open for an embrace. Dolli jumped from Rufus’ shoulder and rushed toward her. Dolli hugged her tightly, the anxiety melting as tiny crystal tears of Spark dripped from her eyes.

“I was so worried for you,” Dolli said, sobbing into Julie’s shoulder.

Julie patted her back with a misty hand. “Rufus returned us to the Lifewell the moment Kelzoul exploded, which ended combat for everyone.”

“With you being the Overlord, I didn’t have authority to return you to the Lifewell,” Rufus said, taking his seat.

Greg opened the kitchen window. “We hunted the forest, messaged, called yer name, and even sent the skolfs out with yer scent—well yer old scent.”

Nubiri slipped through the opening and rested her head on the counter. “I searched Kelzoul’s remainsss and the surrounding destruction for many hours.”

“In short, Overlord, we were worried about you,” Brene said.

Dolli climbed up into her seat, a peculiar feeling brewing inside her. It wasn’t just the power of the Overlord commanding them to respect and obey her; they cared for her, truly. The love overwhelmed her, and she let a final blue crystal of Spark leak from her eyes. Then she wiped at it curiously. Tears? She’d never been able to cry before in this form.

“Ah, yes,” Rufus said, understanding her confusion. “There seems to be much we need to discuss.”

Dolli opened her menu, unprepared for the barrage of messages. The Officer’s Chat had over one-hundred messages, those she could read later, but the popups that followed all demanded her attention. Dolli read them aloud to the group.

[Modulation Successful! Created Epic Dungeon Transformation – Wandering Defender]

You have used your Modulate ability against a Legendary level threat, transforming your dungeon and its play style. The following modification have been made to the dungeon:

· Dungeon is now a modified monster:

o The dungeon has Health, Spark, but does not have any other stats.

o The dungeon can independently select its own abilities to use at will or at the command of the Overlord or Battle Commander.

o The dungeon can be modified with armor.

o The dungeon cannot respawn.

· Dungeon type is now Wandering Defender: The dungeon is now mobile. The dungeon requires Lifestream Energy to move, cast spells, and regenerate health.

· Lifestream Cache:

o Lifestream Cache size for level 10 = 10,000

o Lifestream Energy Regeneration Rate for level 10 = 29.76/hr.

§ Current time to fill an emptied Lifewell: 336 hours

o When the dungeon is not connected to the Lifestream, monsters must eat and sleep to recuperate along with all other necessities.

o Monsters may still be revived in the Lifewell while mobile, but the energy is depleted proportionally to the level of the monster from the Lifestream Cache. *See Lifestream Cache Details for more information.

o When the Lifestream Cache is emptied, the dungeon becomes stationary and cannot cast spells for [24] hours.

§ The Overlord can elect to make the dungeon connect to the Lifestream and become stationary at any time through the Dungeon Abilities menu.

§ Disconnecting from the Lifestream applies Roaming Dungeon debuff. *See Dungeon Abilities menu for more details

o If the Lifestream Cache is depleted when the dungeon’s Health total is 0, the dungeon will die, destroying the Overlord and setting all resident monsters free.

o The dungeon can connect to the Lifestream wherever it becomes stationary. *See Lifestream Cache Details for more information.

· Dungeon is longer Ascendant: The dungeon will not grow vertically with every level. Instead, the dungeon will grow proportionally in all directions.

-----

Next, the Lifestream connection restrictions and limitations popup appeared. Dolli’s voice was starting to get hoarse, but she read it anyway.

[Lifestream Cache Details]

· Lifestream Cache will have reduced regeneration rates by [20%] if it is within [5] miles of another dungeon, village, or keep.

· Lifestream Cache will have reduced regeneration rates if it connects to the Lifestream in an area lacking its primary dungeon energy types by [10%] per missing energy type [Mountain | Forest | Plains].

Cost to Respawn

Level

Cost

Level

Cost

1

30

16

160

2

35

17

170

3

40

18

180

4

45

19

190

5

50

20

300

6

55

21

330

7

60

22

360

8

65

23

390

9

70

24

420

10

100

25

450

11

110

26

480

12

120

27

510

13

130

28

540

14

140

29

570

15

150

30

700

-----

What a mouthful. Dolli was parched by the time she’d finished.

Parched.

She hadn’t had a need for food or drink for over a month. Feeling the need now brought back a sense of joy in her. She solidified her form and reached for the warm tea at the center of the table.

Dolli took a moment to take in the aroma. Floral, rich, hint of herby bitterness, and a touch of sweet mountain raspberries. She took a sip, feeling the warmth, tasting the freshness of nature. It was as if all her sense had been turned back on. Perhaps it was lacking the need to eat or drink that had reduced her desire and her sensitivity to it. How strange, and yet wonderful now to have it all back.

“That good?” Julie asked.

“Oh, she’s been missing her tea,” Rufus said with a chuckle.

“I had,” Dolli admitted. “And I hadn’t even known how much. It was easy to get caught up in battle rotations, repairs, new tasks, summon heroes, quests this and that, blood and gore and death…”

She stopped and took another drink. “Tea is life.”

“If you think that’s good, wait until ya taste my whiskey,” Taffy’s disembodied voice said from somewhere in the room.

Brene jumped to her feet, short sword in her hand in a blink.

“Whoa, sorry! I didn’t mean to snoop,” Taffy came out of the shadows, hands raised. “It’s an old habit of mine. Never trust an Overlord.”

Dolli pursed her lips, but motioned for Brene to stand down. “It’s quite alright. Dungeonfolk are more than welcome to sit in on these Officer’s meetings­—most of them, at least. Please, have a seat and pour yourself a cup. I guarantee it’s better than any whiskey.”

“So feisty! I love it.” Taffy laughed and scooted a chair up next to Dolli.

When everyone was settled again, the meeting continued.

Dolli sat back in her seat. “The dungeon is changed, but I think this is to our benefit. Mobility will give us the freedom to do more of what we please, gather essential resources for improvements, and hide from any more legendary level threats.”

The officers chuckled, and Dolli went on. “But there are interesting limitations that come with it. It will be a new balance we have to strike. While we’re on the move, we will require food and sleep, something we are not prepared to handle. I recommend we set down for a few days, respawn all the dungeonfolk, collect some wild game and plants. We’ll want to start a farming and gardening operation—”

“And we will most certainly need some of my whiskey,” Taffy interjected.

The group looked at him incredulously.

Taffy held up his hands. “It’s true. I’m tellin’ ya, this stuff will literally make your chest hair grow.”

“We will discuss space for your distillery after we’ve figured out logistics for the essentials,” Dolli said patiently.

Taffy turned red and rubbed the back of his neck. “Right, that, uh, that makes sense. Sorry.”

The meeting went on and Taffy held his tongue for the remainder, but was attentive. They planned everything from farming allocations, storage, changes in respawn rotations, lodging arrangements—group barracks first, then individual homes as the dungeon grew and space allowed.

They talked until their stomachs rumbled, then agreed to reconnect to the Lifestream for the time being. The need to eat, drink, and sleep faded away and the got back to work. Morning turned to afternoon and finally they had a workable plan of action.

Before they dispersed, Dolli pulled Greg aside. “I need you to craft me something special for me—well for a hero.”

“A hero,” Greg growled. “What is it?”

Dolli went to the end table next to her rocking chair, the seat of power, and pulled out an emerald portal stone. This one required an incantation, one she could easily teach.

“Can you craft this into a pin, like the Officers pins? Something a hero could wear.” She passed the stone to Greg.

He inspected it for a moment, then grunted. “Bet I could… not that I want to much. Who’s it for?”

“The girl, Katrina. She provided necessary reinforcements in the battle. It’s a teleport stone that will allow her to travel to any area I designate through this sigil,” she said, holding up a bit of parchment. “Could you make something binding, so she can’t trade it to other heroes?”

Greg nodded. “I’ll get to it soon as the necessities are managed.”

“Thank you.”

The group dispersed, save for Rufus and Taffy. Rufus looked as though he needed a moment of her time alone.

“If you wait for me at the X I can help find a spot to get your distillery started,” Dolli said to Taffy. “I think near my alchemy lab would be optimal. We can enlarge the Spark shield around both buildings to protect the surrounding businesses from… the undesirable side effects of brewing.”

Taffy snaped both fingers and pointed to Dolli, saying, “Sounds like a plan,” then left them alone.

When the cottage was clear, Rufus spoke. “Is it wise to give a hero unlimited access to Haven?”

“It’s relatively safe. We can easily kill her in her current state, but she’s useful in a pinch, and knows how to get alchemy materials. I need someone who can go into towns and copy spells from the local apothecaries.”

Rufus scowled. “What’s this really about?”

Dolli was quiet for a moment.

Too long a moment.

Rufus hummed knowingly. “So, you’re back on the old quest.”

“You more than anyone should understand why I want to do it.”

“I thought you liked this hero?”

Dolli nodded. “She’s kinder than most. I think coming to understand their perspective has helped me not to hate them so much, but that doesn’t mean I want them here anymore. I need to build her trust so she’ll tell me more about her world, and lead us to answers.”

The room fell to silence and Rufus poured himself a bit of tea from the cool kettle.

“Am I wrong?” she asked.

Rufus shook his head. “I couldn’t say.”

Dolli crossed her arms and balked. “You wanted to murder them so bad you were willing to be transformed into a dungeon monster.”

“And I’ve done a fair amount of hero murdering.”

“For your son’s sake, Rufus, we must do this. For the sake of all Hafheim’s sons and daughters, we can’t allow the heroes to come here anymore.”

“You think giving this Katrina unlimited access to Monster Haven will get you closer to that end?” Rufus asked.

“I think she has access to ancient cities with ancient texts from the Shamans of Old, and I know if I ask, she’ll get them for us.”

“She figured out what the potion was for with relative ease. Are you certain you’ll be able to build the necessary trust for such an ask in the shadow of a lie?”

Dolli sucked down a deep breath. “I have to try.”

Rufus dipped his head. “And I’ll support that decision when the time comes.”

“Because you believe in it, or because I’m your Overlord?”

Rufus sighed and rested a hand on Dolli’s shoulder. “Because I trust that no matter what happens, you’ll fight for us, and we’ll find a way to get through anything.”

He set his teacup down and turned for the door.

“Am I making a mistake?”

Rufus paused, then shrugged. “Many choices still lie ahead of us. Who knows what the next one might bring?”

“What is it with all the philosophical questions today?”

“I’m feeling thoughtful after facing my death,” Rufus said, tapping his chin in mock-thought.

“I hope my choices don’t bring us to ruin—again,” Dolli said, the words heavy in her heart.

Rufus chuckled and picked up a bit of debris from the dusty floor. “What’s a bit of ruin in the face of Monster Haven’s tenacity?”

Dolli smiled. “Nothin’ at all.”

Rufus opened the door and headed out into the breezy autumn afternoon. All she wanted for her people was peace, and prosperity. She’d go to great lengths to get it for them. After what they’d all been through, they deserved it. She knew it could be done, and how she had the means to figure it out.

It was time to end the heroes’ invasion of Hafheim, and close the realm portals for good.