The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5)
Page 4
400
Steel-banded Articulated Powered Golem
600
Sonic Blademaster
1200
Large Steel-armored Sentinel
1600
Powered Jaguar Empress
3200
Powered Sabre Wolf
4000
Champion Totem
6400
Rapid Steel-bladed Digger
8000
Unobtrusive Multi-access Repair Drone
12800
Titanium Ape Savage
19200
Platinum-banded Wyrm
25600
Titanium-plated Behemoth
32000
Expanded Mobile Fortification
40000
Steel Colossus
60000
Gravitational Devastation Sphere*
15000
Advancement Creation Options
Name:
Mana Cost: (60% Reduction)
Goblin Crafter
64
Shadow Wyvine
6400
Radiant Giant Pegasus
8000
Explosive Phoenix
12000
Stabilized Shapeshifter
12800
Enhanced Celestial Authority
14400
Hardened Animated Slab
20000
High Peak Roc
28000
Well, it’s not quite as bad as I feared, but—
“Sandra! Are you okay?”
Winxa’s voice was like a soothing balm on an open wound. Sandra hadn’t realized how much she had missed hearing the Dungeon Fairy when she was caught up in her blinding rage. I think so; how long was I out?
“Oh, thank the Creator! Your Core suddenly went dark about an hour ago, and I feared the worst—”
An hour? Oh, no….
Suddenly, viewpoints from the four different tunnels leading to the other dungeons suffused Sandra’s mind. In each of them, the Golems, Goblins, Slimes, and Beasts were initiating a counterattack at precisely the same time, pushing back her constructs which had been literally sitting in place waiting for additional orders. Luckily, they were more in a “ready” mode than frozen in place, so as soon as they were attacked they defended themselves. In the Golem tunnel, her Steelclad Ape Warriors used their dwindling stock of Titanium warhammers to smash the large animated hunks of stone and iron to pieces; they made fairly easy work of the Monsters, though the impacts against such heavily defended Golems took a toll on their weapons after a while. When first one warhammer and then another were bent and basically unusable, her constructs had begun to run into trouble as they were pushed back even further.
Against the Goblins, Hobgoblin Mages backed up the horde of smaller Goblins that swarmed over her Jaguar Queens and Dire Wolves, which were typically the best choice against the agile nuisances. With their overwhelming numbers, however, Sandra’s constructs were fighting a losing battle, especially when the Hobgoblin Mages started slinging spells around that tended to encapsulate the feet of her constructs in ice, leaving them trapped and at the mercy of the crude weapons wielded by the Goblin horde. Even a measly Goblin Scout could carve up and dismember a large Mechanical Wolf if given enough time and opportunity – aided by dozens of its brethren, of course.
Over in the Beast tunnel, Steel-plated Behemoths, Titanium Anacondas, and Roaring Blademasters squared off against strong, quick, and deadly creatures streaming out of the Beast-Classification dungeon. Those too fast for the Behemoths to smash apart were picked off by the equally fast Anaconda, or sliced apart by the Blademaster; when a procession of Crocatiles (or Agorphiers, according to the Elves) appeared, the 6-legged cat/crocodile monstrosities shrugged off most of the attacks by the Anacondas and Blademasters. Their tough, furry hides were certainly injured from their slicing and piercing attacks, but it took a pair of Behemoths working together to smash their heads in – though there were starting to be mounting casualties on her side.
The Slimes were another problem entirely; not only did smaller ovoid-shaped Slimes swarm out in greater numbers than Sandra had seen before, but they also brought along larger forms that somewhat mimicked the Beasts she was having trouble with in a different tunnel. Fortunately, their exterior wasn’t as formidable and could be pierced by the jaws of an Anaconda or sliced apart by a Mechanical Jaguar Queen or Dire Wolf, but the sheer quantity of acidic bodies coating her constructs was quickly eating away the metal in which they were constructed.
Seeing all of her forces being pressed at the same time, with the other Dungeon Cores ganging up on her with a single-minded purpose to destroy her, Sandra’s red rage came back full-force. Gone was the clear thinking she had enjoyed for a brief time, as she could only concentrate on killing every foreign Dungeon Monster she could see.
I will destroy you all!
Chapter 3
The difference in the cost of each of Sandra’s Classification Advancement Level 2 constructs wasn’t significantly more than it had been before, especially for the lesser-expensive ones. From some quick calculations that she did while starting her counterattack to push the other Cores’ Monsters back into their own dungeons, she determined that instead of their previous cost being multiplied by 4 or 5 like before, they only doubled in cost for this Level – though that was still quite significant. For a construct like her Clockwork Spider, which originally cost 5 Mana before any Advancement Levels, then increased to 25 Mana at Level 1, and finally 50 Mana at Level 2 – that was a 1000% increase of in cost; for all of that, with her reduction in Mana Cost for her Dungeon Monsters, it only cost 20 Mana instead of 50 – so that wasn’t horrible.
For something like her Steel Python, which originally cost 8,000 Mana, then 32,000 at Level 1, and now 64,000 at Level 2, the 25,600 Mana it cost with her reductions was quite a significant jump.
The worst part of everything was she could no longer afford to create a Mobile Fortification – or an Expanded Mobile Fortification, as it was called now – because she didn’t have enough maximum Mana. A quick look outside of each dungeon entrance showed that the surge in Dungeon Monsters down below was mirrored on a lesser level up above, but so far her people were doing a good job containing the outbreaks. If the Beasts and Slimes broke out, though, the Mobile Fortifications guarding the village were on their own, as the Dungeon Core couldn’t replace them. All of them still had access to the constructs or Wyvines that she had supplied for their defense over the last few weeks, so they weren’t too hard-pressed, at least; however, if Sandra didn’t fight back the hordes of enemies striving to reach her Core, she might be forced to call them back.
I will not let them win! All who oppose me must die!
Over the last day, she hadn’t been sure whether it was her own mind saying these things, or something else, but it really didn’t matter; the anger and rage was so entrenched in her psyche that she wholly agreed with these sentiments. Now the challenge was to enact those ideas, though with the increased cost of her Dungeon Monsters, that might be a bit tricky—
No! Now, they are more powerful and I will crush them!
The brief moment of clarity earlier seemed to give her a little more perspective on her state of mind, so Sandra could instantly tell that she would never say or think something like that. Regardless of what – or – who was actually saying that in her mind, she had to admit that it had a point; she wasn’t sure how much more powerful these new constructs were compared to their predecessors, but the jump in deadliness from the original constructs to Advancement Level 1 was quite significant. The revenge-fueled Dungeon Core could only assume that these were the same.
Core Selection Menu
Dungeon Classification:
Constructs (Adv. Level 2)
Core Size:
23
Available Mana:
38199/38199
Available Raw Material (RM):
75650/86279
Constructs Creation Options:
&n
bsp; 19
Advancement Creation Options:
8
Taking a quick look at what she had available, Sandra saw that she was full of Mana; during her period of inactivity, it seemed as though her army of Hyper Automatons and Articulated Clockwork Golems had continued to scavenge materials outside; she had set such material up to be automatically absorbed as soon as it crossed into her dungeon. Unfortunately, their activity around the battlefield was also responsible for gathering up the Mana released by the deaths of so many Orcs. Normally, this was a good thing, but at some point she had completely filled up, meaning that any overflow was lost to her – but not to the other Cores. I bet this is why they are suddenly overwhelming me.
The only good thing about her Advancement selections, now that she had a chance to look back on them through slightly clearer vision, was that the Monster Seeds required to produce each of her constructs now cost 45% less Mana and Raw Materials.
Monster Seed Origination (Old)
Name:
Raw Material Cost (15% Reduction):
Mana Cost (30% Reduction):
Min. Mana:
Max. Mana:
Tiny Faceted Sapphire Sphere
10200
2450
3500
8500
Small Faceted Sapphire Sphere
20400
4900
3500
17000
Average Faceted Sapphire Sphere
81600
19600
3500
68000
Large Faceted Sapphire Sphere
163200
39200
3500
136000
Monster Seed Origination (New)
Name:
Raw Material Cost (45% Reduction):
Mana Cost (45% Reduction):
Min. Mana:
Max. Mana:
Tiny Faceted Sapphire Sphere
6600
1925
3500
8500
Small Faceted Sapphire Sphere
13200
3850
3500
17000
Average Faceted Sapphire Sphere
52800
15400
3500
68000
Large Faceted Sapphire Sphere
105600
30800
3500
136000
For instance, the Faceted Sapphires that she used for many of her larger constructs and Advancement Monsters were significantly less expensive; for most of them that required a Small Faceted Sapphire Sphere, the Mana cost difference between the new Advanced Level 2 Dungeon Monsters and the Monster Seed was nearly equal to what it cost before, with the additional benefit of it being cheaper RM-wise. This meant that there was less of an impact on the total Mana she needed to spend to create them, while receiving a superior Monster in return. For the new Titanium Ape Savage, Platinum-banded Wyrm, and Titanium-Plated Behemoth, however, the Mana cost difference was significantly more.
All of that information she determined in a matter of seconds, because she was hyper-focused on finding a solution to the attacking Monsters without having to close off the tunnels. While it was always a possibility, and while it would give her some time to regroup if it was needed, closing off the tunnels was a last-resort option, because it would set back her revenge. The mere thought of that made her internal ranting and raving increase in intensity, as if any setbacks to the annihilation of the other Dungeon Cores were anathema to her mind.
To alleviate some of her fury, she worked up a plan for each tunnel, leaning heavily on the belief that her constructs would be much more powerful now – even the weaker ones. By utilizing the Mana she currently had available, as well as the last of the Elemental Orb stockpile she had amassed early in the attack the day before, Sandra started creating more constructs. The Raw Materials just weren’t coming in from outside fast enough for what she needed, unfortunately, so she was forced to cannibalize some of the crafting station components she had throughout her dungeon; she nearly used the rest of the condensed sphere she was keeping in reserve, but decided to keep it until absolutely necessary. An unfocused part of her mind was screaming at her to stop, but she ignored it in favor of doing everything she possibly could in defense of the connecting tunnels.
Starting with the Beasts, Sandra created a dozen Sonic Blademasters, the upgraded version of the Roaring Blademaster. The physical differences between the two were immediately obvious, as the central pole of the Sonic version was twice as long at 6 feet; also, instead of one long pole, the Sonic Blademasters were in a “V” shape. In addition, what was a little worrisome were the “blades” that covered the “V”; Sandra had been expecting even larger, heavier, and sharper blades, but these were the exact opposite for some reason. Instead of blades – which would make sense, given its name – there were discs with oddly shaped holes punched into them, with the pole running through the middle of them. The edges of the disks themselves seemed sharp, though they didn’t appear as deadly as their predecessor’s.
Regardless of what she thought of them, Sandra sent the whole dozen of her new Sonic Blademasters towards her dwindling constructs still holding back the tide. They zoomed through the tunnel at fairly high speed, the point of their “V” shapes angled forward; the group of them flew down the miles-long tunnel in a formation reminiscent of a flock of birds, an odd whistling sound following them as air passed through the holes in their strange disks.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive and rescue the remaining handful of Roaring Blademasters, 2 Titanium Anacondas, and one battered Steel-plated Behemoth keeping the large force of Beast-type Monsters at bay. Without waiting, Sandra instructed her new constructs to attack—and was shocked halfway out of her furious state at what she saw and heard.
The open end of their “V” shape rotated towards the nearest Crocatile, and both poles of their forms started to spin in opposite directions. She heard a high-pitched whistling coming from each of the Sonic Blademasters, which slowly ramped up in intensity over the next 10 seconds. Eventually, the whistle was so intense that if she or her other constructs had ears, they would likely be bleeding – an impact which appeared to be afflicting the Crocatile and other Beasts at the moment. Large boars, a few frightening bear-monkey creatures that looked capable of bending bars of Steel with their hands, and the Crocatile shrank back in obvious pain as their eardrums were blown out and blood started to run down the sides of their heads. Even then, the sheer intensity of the sounds was enough to obviously disorient them a little – at least, that was the impression she got from the look in their eyes.
Before the whistling seemed to reach a crescendo as the Sonic Blademasters spun faster and faster, one of the bear-monkey Beasts picked up one of the staggering boars nearby and threw it towards the cluster of Blademasters floating in the air. The body of the boar was torn apart by the spinning disks of three of her new constructs, but the impact also threw off their equilibrium; they were spinning so fast that any slight change in their weight was disastrous. All three started to wobble slightly at first, but the next second they practically exploded as they ripped themselves apart.
Luckily, none of the shrapnel hit the other new Blademasters, which – Sandra assumed – were now approaching the speed they were striving for over the last 15 seconds. Because of the attack by the bear-monkey Beast, who appeared to be working towards picking up another staggering boar, all of them turned their attention to the new threat. The air in front of each spaced-out Blademaster seemed to vibrate, distorting in a way that looked like a cross between extreme heat waves and the way Echo could bend the light around her form to make herself practically invisible.
The thought of the Elf made the redness in her vision darken again, because she was counting on the Bonded Ranger to get help from her people. Instead, she had abandoned Sandra and the others around the wasteland to their fate, just like—
Oh, wow!
Now that’s what I’m talking about!
The distortion from each of the remaining Sonic Blademasters seemed to expand in the blink of an eye, shooting towards the bear-monkey Beast faster than the agile creature could avoid. When the wavy distortions from 9 different spinning constructs hit the living body of the creature, they literally shredded the bear-monkey from one end to the other. Blood, flesh, bones—they were all blasted apart and flew backwards, covering the incoming Beasts still streaming from the dungeon in all matter of nasty viscera before disappearing.
As one, the flock of Blademasters turned their “blades” of deadly sound toward the boars, tearing them up just as easily, before concentrating on the Crocatile. Instead of being blasted apart in less than a second, the tough, furry hide of the Beast seemed to withstand the pressure of the Sonic blades for a few seconds, though it obviously hurt; the Crocatile tried to stumble out of the way, but it was too late. A large hole about 2 feet wide was finally punched through the side of the Beast’s hide, allowing access to the softer flesh inside – which practically exploded as it was chewed up by 9 Blademasters concentrating on that single spot.
This…is…amazing! With these, I can destroy everything in my path and become the strongest Dungeon Core in the world! These delusions of grandeur – originating with Sandra or whomever else – were shattered when a simple fist-sized rock came from the direction of the other dungeon, thrown by another one of the bear-monkeys. The spherical stone hit the spinning pole of one of the Blademasters, ricocheted off, and took an unlucky bounce that sent it careening off towards another, before being knocked toward the wall. The two Blademasters, thrown off by the impacts, quickly grew unstable and shattered into dozens of pieces, which unfortunately managed to strike 2 others, causing them to break apart as well.