Giants (Earth/Fire)
Baby Stone Giant
Juvenile Hill Giant
Young Cinder Giant
Young Ettin
Adult Ember Giant*
Adult Cyclops*
Mature Flame Giant**
Elder Guardian Giant***
Fey (Spirit)
Playful Pixie
Sorrowful Sprite
Fiendish Fairy
Baleful Brownie
Naughty Nymph*
Destructive Dryad*
Spiteful Satyr**
Cruel Faerie Dragon***
Goblinoids (Spirit/Fire)
Goblin Worker
Goblin Archer
Goblin Warrior
Armored Goblin
Shadow Goblin*
Hobgoblin*
Goblin Mage**
Bugbear***
Primordial (All)
Diaphanous Spider
Mutated Sandwalker
Amorphous Ooze
Primal Wurm
Crystal Golem*
Unstable Shapeshifter*
Elemental Hydra**
Chaos Titan***
*Requires Advanced Classification Level 1
** Requires larger Core Size and Advanced Classification Level 2
*** Requires larger Core Size and Advanced Classification Level 3
She had hoped that the Bipedal (Fire/Natural) Dungeon Monsters would be the way to go for something that would be able to both craft and use their inherent elemental energy to enchant; however, looking at the list under that Classification, the only ones that she could select at the moment were apparently creatures that walked on two legs but didn’t really have the manual dexterity she was hoping for. The Stealthy Chimpanzee was definitely an option, but Sandra didn’t think that it would be too much different than her Ironclad Apes. While they would be able to use their elemental energy to enchant something, it still didn’t quite have the manual dexterity she was looking for in the crafting process. If nothing else worked out, she would try it; she had quite a few Advancement Points, so she could get more than one Dungeon Monster if she needed them.
The Giants (Earth/Fire) were also another possibility because they looked generally “person-like”, but they were likely too large to craft successfully; unless she scaled up all of her crafting rooms and workshops to accommodate even the youngest and smallest of them, she doubted they would be effective. And while they could probably craft larger enchantments, most of the smaller work might be beyond them – not to mention that bigger enchantment runes required a whole lot more elemental energy, which they may or may not even possess. It was too hard to tell based on what little information she had about them.
Therefore, she eventually decided to forgo making things large-scale and looked small-scale with the next option: Fey (Spirit). The options included Pixies, Sprites, Brownies, and even Fairies – though nothing like the Dungeon Fairy race Winxa was. Since they were much smaller than the other Dungeon Monsters on the list, the size difference was something she had to consider carefully; while they probably had more than enough dexterity to do even the smallest of detail work, it was quite possible that they would have the same problem as the Giants, with not enough elemental energy to create more than the smallest of enchantments. Added to that, it was limited to only Spirit as an elemental option, which would severely limit what could be enchanted. Still, the Fey Monsters she could choose from would likely be really adept at things like jewelry making, and even gem-cutting, as that required a very fine hand at the work.
Next up was the Goblinoids (Spirit/Fire) Classification, with Goblins of all sorts, including different combat-oriented types, but those ones didn’t particularly interest her. What interested her the most was the Goblin Worker, which sounded ideal for what she needed – something that was used to the manual labor involved with crafting. And – as much as the Gnomes didn’t want to acknowledge the similarity – the goblins that she had seen to the northeast near the Dwarfs really did look nearly identical in size and shape. Of course, the Dungeon Monsters she had seen up there were greenish-brown in coloring, quite ugly, and probably had major hygiene problems – but that was something she could live with. Whether or not they had the same type of natural dexterity and attunement to creating runic enchantments was something else entirely.
Sandra also looked at the other “all-element” option: Primordial. She was disappointed to see only a Spider, an Ooze, a Wurm, and something called a Sandwalker – none of which sounded like something that could craft, let alone have the ability to enchant successfully. There were other options in the Classification that looked promising, as well as the other ones she had narrowed down, but that was another problem – they required her to “Advance” her Classification in order to use them.
There were Gnolls and Kobolds, Nymphs and Dryads, Shadow Goblins and Hobgoblins, and even larger Giants that were accessible if she were to Advance her Classification; however, what interested her the most was the Unstable Shapeshifter under the Primordial option.
Do you have any idea what that is? Sandra asked Winxa about it, hoping she would have some sort of insight into it. It was a significant investment of Advancement Points if she were to go that route (80 total AP), and if the Monster turned out to be useless, she would only have one more she could unlock before she was out of Points. With a little time and effort, she knew it was only a matter of time before she received more Points, but she wanted to be smart on what she spent her AP on.
“None of those – just like with your constructs – are anything that I’ve heard of before. I can only take a guess, but even that is likely to be ultimately wrong, so your best bet is to go with your gut – or intuition, since you don’t really have a body anymore,” the Dungeon Fairy replied apologetically.
Sandra decided that she wasn’t prepared to spend all those points quite yet, even if it helped her original Constructs Classification. First, she wanted to test out the Advancement System to see if it was working; since it was untested by her and rarely used by the other Dungeon Cores in the world, she chose something safe that she thought would have an excellent chance of working: Goblin Worker.
Selecting the Goblin Worker from the Dungeon Monster Selection Menu was as easy as most other things in the Dungeon Core menus; all she had to do was concentrate on what she wanted to choose and the name on the menu blacked out as if it were no longer an option. A slight shift of something in her Core that felt strange but not uncomfortable was the only indication that it worked – at least she hoped; looking at her current AP on another menu screen showed that she was down to only 84 now. Nothing else happened for another few seconds, until—
New Dungeon Monster unlocked through Advancement!
Goblinoids (Spirit/Fire):
Goblin Worker now available!
Goblin Worker
Mana Cost: 50 Mana
50 Mana? That didn’t sound so bad to Sandra, who didn’t really have too much experience with how much non-construct Monsters cost. If it was the same size – or at least close to – the same size as the goblins she saw earlier, then 50 Mana was a steal; when she considered that her Segmented Centipede cost 100 Mana and was much, much smaller, then the ability for the reptile-based Core to make the Ancient Saurians made more sense.
“I’ve noticed that the flesh-and-blood Dungeon Monsters – that almost every other type of Core can create – are much less expensive than your constructs. I’m not sure if it has to do with the material or what, but I have to warn you: they are more…fragile than what you’re used to,” Winxa broke into Sandra’s thoughts as the Dungeon Core was thinking about the disparity between the two types of Monsters.
Fragile? I’m not too concerned about that; I’m not sending this Goblin Worker into battle, after all. All she wanted it to do was use it to craft and enchant with – not help defend her dungeon; she had plenty that could do that already.
In order to find her new Dungeon Monster, though, she had t
o visit someplace new on her Core Selection Menu.
Core Selection Menu
Dungeon Classification:
Constructs
Core Size:
20
Available Mana:
3550/19558
Ambient Mana Absorption:
10/hour
Available Raw Material (RM):
30500/49930
Convert Raw Material to Mana?
30500 RM -- > 1220 Mana
Current Dungeon Monsters:
14735
Constructs Creation Options:
17
Advancement Creation Options:
1
Monster Seed Schematics:
148 (6)
Current Traps:
36
Trap Construction Options:
All
Core-specific Skills:
5
Current Visitors:
4
Under the Advancement Creation Options, Sandra found a new menu that listed the Goblin Worker that looked almost identical to her construct-based one. Just like the notification had told her, the new Monster was only 50 Mana, so Sandra quickly created an Average Copper Orb to act as a Monster Seed, and then selected the Goblin Worker…
To say she was underwhelmed would be an understatement.
Chapter 36
“I’ve always hated the look – and, of course, smell – of those things; they just seemed like some sort of reject of the other races, like they were a…a…mistake, or something. I know that seems cruel, but then again, you don’t have a nose,” Winxa said, pinching up her nose at the sight of the disgusting creature on the ground underneath her Core – even though she had to be at least 50 feet away.
The appearance of a Goblin Worker didn’t inspire much confidence that it could do much of anything. Although it was indeed about the size of a Gnome, that was where the similarities ended. It had a sickly-green complexion, warts and boils all over its body, a hunched-over back, and it almost appeared starved and desiccated – even though she knew from a prior conversation with her Dungeon Fairy that Dungeon Monsters didn’t really have to eat…or sleep…or any of the other normal requirements that “living” creatures needed. Its stick-like arms appeared barely able to lift themselves let alone anything else, and she could easily see almost every bone in its chest and along its spine. It was wearing a dirty loincloth stained with…something she didn’t want to contemplate – and that was it; the Goblin Worker was otherwise naked.
She was very glad that she couldn’t smell anything, because she could almost see waves of putrid stench emanating from off of the Worker, and she had to agree with Winxa – it was disgusting and a bit vile. However, if it worked for her purposes (i.e. crafting and enchanting), then she didn’t care overly much what it looked – or smelled – like.
Sandra took down the flame trap she had protecting her Home entrances and sent the Goblin Worker to her small Dragon Glass forge in the next room. A quick look showed Violet still up in the Enchantment Repository working on adding some small enchantments to various RRPs, so she didn’t want to bother her quite yet. As soon as she discovered whether or not her Goblin would be an effective crafter/enchanter, she would see about working the Gnome to get some awesome enchanting done.
Taking a Steel bar and turning it into a simple knife was the first test of her Goblin, and after Sandra created the material she “entered” the body and mind of the new Dungeon Monster for the first time. The sensations she felt while controlling the Worker was almost euphoric; she could feel the cool air of the room on its skin, taste the slightly metallic tinge from the forge in that same air, and smell the slightly burnt odor lingering in the room. Her constructs didn’t experience those same sensations, so to have normal senses again felt incredible. She hadn’t felt so alive since…well…when she was Human, actually.
Of course, along with those sensations, she could also smell herself – or at least the body she was controlling. The horrid stench coming off of the Goblin made her choke and dry heave, before she was forced to exit its awareness to escape the smell. As soon as she left it, the muted sensations of her Core existence crashed back into her immediately, and all sense of smell was eliminated. She was equal parts disappointed and glad about her “normal” existence; on the one hand, she relished the sensations that only a flesh-and-blood being could experience – on the other, she was happy she didn’t have to live with the smell of flesh-and-blood monsters.
She couldn’t imagine having Goblins with their putrid-smelling forms as her only Dungeon Monsters, and she was doubly glad she hadn’t chosen them for her original Classification. She imagined that, over time, she might get used to the smell, but it wasn’t something that she was able to do at that time. For now, she was able to pull back her control of the Goblin Worker just enough to direct its precise movements the way she wanted to, though it wasn’t quite the same as physically doing it herself. That made it a bit disappointing, as that was why she enjoyed the freedom of crafting as a Dungeon Core; it was something she couldn’t do while she was Human – and it felt like she wasn’t really crafting anything herself. Instead it was as if she was just…watching…like she had been forced to do for years when she was a merchant.
Nevertheless, the Goblin’s agile fingers – despite the fragile and weak-looking body of the Worker – were able to manipulate the blacksmithing tools perfectly, better even than her Ironclad Apes. It was easily able to place the bar inside the Dragon Glass forge to heat up and while it did, Sandra had it practice swinging a hammer, which it was able to do – but without much force or strength behind it. That made sense based on its appearance, but it was also a bit disheartening; it really was as weak as it looked, which didn’t bode well for the blacksmithing trade – but perhaps it would do better in other areas.
That it wasn’t cut out for blacksmithing was patently obvious when she directed it to retrieve the now-heated metal from the forge. As soon as it approached the super-heated Dragon Glass forge – which was extremely hot in order to soften the Steel – it literally burst into flames; the smelly and putrid oil that covered the Goblin Worker was apparently highly flammable, and even though no sparks or embers emerged from the fire, the heat rolling off the forge was enough to ignite the Worker on fire.
Strangely enough, even though she had pulled her awareness back from her new Dungeon Monster, she could very faintly feel the excruciating pain it experienced as it quickly burnt into a pile of ash and then disappeared, leaving behind the Average Copper Orb it had been created from.
I can feel its pain? Why would that even be a function of a Core?
“You’ve actually been very lucky up to this point, as your constructs obviously aren’t capable of feeling pain. Over time, the other Dungeon Cores get used to the feeling of their Monsters dying; either that, or their minds are so far gone that they barely even notice it anymore,” Winxa answered.
So…when I killed all of those reptiles at the Gnome village and then here in my dungeon, the other Core could feel their deaths?
“Well…yes, but the Core had likely felt thousands or tens of thousands of its Monsters dying before that, so it probably wasn’t a big deal to it. I’ve even heard – though never actually seen it myself – that some dungeons actually enjoy the pain they feel and even like to experience it firsthand, because it makes them feel more alive.”
At first, Sandra thought that was just more evidence that the other Dungeon Cores were quite insane; after a moment of thought, though, she realized that she could understand wanting to feel more alive. Just a few minutes ago, she had reveled in the euphoric feeling of experiencing the sensations of the Goblin Worker – minus the horrendous stench – and she wanted more of that. Over time, she figured that anything that made her feel more alive would be welcome, though she didn’t think she would go so far as to want to experience the first-hand pain of dying over and over. That was something that she thought might make her insane.
&n
bsp; So, instead of attempting to craft something first and then enchant it, she instead fetched an already-finished Steel knife from her Display/Armory room with one of her other constructs and brought it to the forge room. While that was happening, she recreated another Goblin Worker and had it travel to where the previous one had died, waiting for the knife to arrive. When everything was in place, she got down to the business of enchanting.
Just like she had done with her construct in an attempt to enchant something – which failed spectacularly – she took over the Goblin Worker completely and worked on figuring out how to access its elemental energy. Choking through the horrific smell was a little easier since now she was at least expecting it, and after a while she was able to block it out if she concentrated enough – though that left less concentration for the entire enchanting process. Fortunately, she had become fairly adept at dividing up her mind through practice as a Dungeon Core, so it wasn’t that much of an obstacle.
Using the Goblin Worker, she picked up the Steel knife and even the weight of the small weapon was significant to the Monster’s muscles – or lack thereof. Regardless, she was able to hold it well enough that she thought she could enchant it without any problems. Sandra took a page from the Core book and “reached” inside the Goblin’s body, grabbing hold of the inherent elemental energy inside its body—
Goblin Worker
Current Elemental Energy:
Spirit – 25 energy
Fire – 25 energy
Special Ability:
Temporary Minor Strength and Speed Increase: 10 Spirit and 10 Fire
The Crafter's Defense: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 2) Page 28
