Chapter 18 - "Lucky day"

Chapter 17 < Chapter 18 > Chapter 19

Chapter 18 - "Lucky Day"


   I was talking with the Dark-Elf leader about the benefits and drawbacks of the different options they offer me as compensation, when I got interrupted in the middle of a sentence:

Announcement Voice: [Research complete!]

That surprised me! Because of me pausing, everyone is now waiting for me to continue.

Marsif: [... Is everything alright?]

Me: [Ahm, yes! Sure ...]

I guess they didn't hear the notification. That's good to know. I'll check it once we're done here.

Me: [... Like I said: since I don't want to endanger the Ashrani without any good reason, and you also want to know your refugees save, I would like to avoid bringing danger to my doorsteps. We had three encounters within a week already, even without luring slavers and adventurers in. Since we also are not quite ready for domesticated animals, I think I'll go for the captured wild beasts.]

Marsif: [I see. I'll arrange a designated hunting party for this. Are you by any chance looking for something special?]

Even if there would be something special around here, I couldn't possibly know about it ...

Me: [No, but I'd prefer a broad variety of different creatures, if possible.]

This could give me a better impression of the wildlife around here.

Marsif: [Sure, we will keep that in mind. So, when could you be ready to take in the first people?]

Me: [Without wanting to make overconfident promises ... I think a week should be enough time to prepare. Also, for the first arrivers, I would like to avoid children and sick people, because I want to see how everything works out first. If we are both happy with the results, we can talk about the future steps. How does that sound to you?]

Marsif: [Totally reasonable!]

Me: [That's good ... Orsha, do you want to add something to this?]

Orsha: [No, Orsha agrees with Kalifos.]

Me: [Well I guess this concludes our negotiation. We have a deal!]

Marsif: [Our Leader will be pleased to hear that! ... Ah- before we finish, there's one more thing I wanted to point out: There's a Goblin tribe in the area. Like the Liz-, ehm... the "Ashrani tribe", they are contributing to keeping the "Human Empire" out from this region. They had some trouble lately which decimated their population. If it gets worse, we think it possible for them to turn to desperate actions. This could mean starting a raid of your place or - even worse - one of the borderland villages. The last would surely be followed by a "cleaning" of the area by the local landlord.]

I somehow know, what creatures he is talking about. It's something weak and simpleminded, but still dangerous if armed and in greater numbers.

Me: [Hmm, Goblins, huh ... What kind of trouble did they have?]

Marsif: [We're not sure. They either tried to hunt something way stronger then themselves, or they where the hunted ones. In any case, if they end up extinct it would put a heavier burden on you when something happens. This is not meant as an advise, we just thought you may want to know about it to better plan for the future.]

My first thought is to try and get the Goblins as an ally. But I guess it's a little rushed thinking, since I don't know anything about them yet. Maybe they can't be reasoned with at all.

Me: [... I see, thanks for informing me, I'll think about it. There's actually something I wanted to ask too: Do you know the reason for the humans attack on the Ashranie? I just get the feeling that it's not what they initially where after. I mean, if they wanted to just extinguish them, they should have brought a bigger force, right?]

I can't help it, their attack just seems over-rushed. Also with the storm ... It was either a lucky coincidence that played in their favor, or it was something they counted on from the start, which would be concerning, but also hard to believe.

Marsif: [To be honest, we are wondering about that too. This whole thing doesn't seem to make much sense. It is currently investigated, but that task lies not in my hands. I'll make sure to notify you as soon as we get more information.]

Me: [That would be great!]



   A few minutes later I watch as our guests disappear into the forest. Judging by their reaction I would say; they are satisfied with our agreement. With a little time and effort this could turn into a nice friendship, but time will tell ... On the other hand, I'm still afraid they could trick me into something I don't want, by taking advantage of my lack of knowledge ...

Orsha and Sari are likewise watching them depart.

Me: [What do you say girls, can we trust them?]

Orsha: [Orsha trusts in Kalifos' decision.]

Me: [Yea, but ... how do you feel about it? What are your instincts telling you?]

She stays silent for a moment.

Orsha: [... Dark man showed respect for the Ashrani. Ashrani should respect them too!]

You are quite easy to manipulate, you know ... Wait, isn't that what I am doing as well? ... Somehow, I really don't want to think about it right now ...

Me: [Anyway, I'm curious about this goblins he talked about. Do you know them?]

Orsha: [The Ashrani and the "Green-Men" respect each others hunting grounds.]

Me: [... That's it?]

Orsha: [The Green-Men ... the "Gobolins", tried to hunt the Ashrani hunters once ... they will not try again!]

I silently smile to myself.

Me: [So you kicked their green Asses, huh? ...]

Orsha: [Yes!]

Somehow I feel proud of them, even if I didn't contribute to their victory at all. But this would make it difficult getting them as allies ...

Me: [... Orsha, what would you say if we try to improve our relations with them. We could use their fighting strength if we get attacked again.]

She takes a moment to consider her answer. I can tell, the thought is not very comforting for her.

Orsha: [Gobolins speaking is ugly. Their smell is ugly! The Gobolins are cowards, only hunt with many.]

Me: [I'm not asking you to get all friendly with them. I'm just saying, they could be useful if - let's say - the humans attack again. Having more fighters could mean less dead Ashranie.]

She takes some time to answer again.

Orsha: [Orsha will ask Hassag tomorrow. Hassak can speak the ugly Gobolins language.]

She is still not happy about it.

Me: [... Right, we're awaiting their return tomorrow. I hope they are better off then we are.]

Orsha: [They are successful!]

She's saying it with overflowing confidence. I hope she's right. Sari stays silent during the whole conversation, but listens attentively to every word said.

Me: [I guess, they will return to your camp in the forest. Maybe you want to leave a note for them or something, in case they will come earlier?]

Orsha: [They will not travel in the night, Orsha will wait for them in the camp tomorrow.]

Me: [I see ... Then we're done for today, I guess. Tell your people thanks for their help with the reparations.]

Orsha: [Yes! We will meet tomorrow.]

I may have said my good nights to them, but I have actually a lot of work to do. "Planning" - to be precise. But before I start with that, I need to check the earlier finished research. "Inner Clock" it was.

After closing my spiritual link to the sisters, I open the research menu. But as I accept the finished project, nothing happens. [Well, it's not the first time ...] It didn't take me long to figure it out: [Like I thought, I need to think about it, and it appears. Just like everything else.] Now there is a small window in the corner of my view telling me the current time:

[19:37]

Like other screens, it disappears after a short while. I feel like I have accomplished  something again, even if it's something as small as that. [Now, what will I research next?] As I ask this myself, I begin browsing through the research entries. And there is one that catches my eye:


-----------------------------
"Economics" - 30 DP
-Opens up new achievements for saving DP.

-----------------------------


It sounds tempting, but the description is rather vague. But what throws me off even more, is the low price for such a "high value" project. There is probably some kind of drawback. [... There's definitely something wrong with it ...]

After some back and forth I decide to give it a try. Maybe the drawback is that it pays of after a long time. In this case I would like to start as soon as possible. Or If there's some investment needed to get a payoff, I would also like to know it before I start with the reconstruction of my base, to better consider my spendings. Since its price is about the same as "Inner Clock", it should take about the same amount of time. If it turns out useless, I would have lost only one day.

[Now, time to do some brain-work!]

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

   [Man, this is getting nowhere ...] It's several hours into the night already, and I'm still not done! I took one of the daggers from the big pile of equipment as a pen, and retreated into a corner of the room to plan out the layout of my dungeon in the dirt. [It's harder than I thought!] I have trouble getting everything under one roof. First, I thought it a good Idea to make the Lizard-Man move deeper underground. They are a bit too close to the surface right now. In case of an attack, there's just the first layer of traps to protect their elders and children. But I'm not sure if the refugees will get along with them when they arrive, so the two groups should still be separated from each other.

Then, I want to test out creature spawning. Obviously, they should also be completely separated from all sentient inhabitants. I think, I should leave several floors for that. The purpose of this is of course to protect myself and everyone else in my dungeon. The intruders would have to go through the dangerous monster-area, to get to the vital parts like: living quarters, treasury, and my dungeon heart.

The problem is: how would the inhabitants get to the surface and back without having to deal with the spawned creatures and traps? Or maybe it's not a problem at all, maybe the spawned creatures are able to distinguish friend and foe. As for the traps; they can be deactivated, but the truth about creature spawning is: I have no Idea how the system works at all. Maybe they can sense hostility, like my alarm does which only activates if someone hostile comes by. Or maybe I have to tell them directly who to attack ... [I have to test it first!] But for this I need a secluded place.

I decide to make a new entrance for this, apart from my main dungeon, and after some looking I found a good spot: About 50 meters towards the coast, there's a small cliff in front of a pond. The cliff is just high enough to make an entrance in it, and it's barley inside of my domain. [It's perfect!] Since all of my dungeon area needs to be connected, I drew a path all the way there on the surface and start digging. For the first test I made just two rooms; an entrance room, and the one where the spawner will be. I tried to make the second one more like a cave then a room, just for the atmosphere. [Done! Now for the spawner ...]

There are not many to choose from: The "Magical" branch has the "Slime Pool" and "Ghost Lantern". The "Beasts" section offers the "Snake Nest", "Rabbit Dwelling" and the new "Kobold Nest", which I got through an achievement recently. The other categories are still empty. The Ghost Lantern is the cheapest of them - it only costs 200 DP, But it sounds rather troublesome so I'll leave it alone for now. With a cost of 850 DP, the Kobold Nest is the most expensive, so it's probably also the most efficient. But I have the feeling it could be difficult to handle, so I look for something easier to start with. The Rabbit Dwelling sounds the most appealing to me, the Ashranie shouldn't have a big problem killing a few rabbits if it gets out of hand.

It actually surprises me to find something like that in this list, making me wonder how efficient rabbits may be as defenders of a dungeon. [Can they even fight?] They may be just meant as food for the bigger creatures. On the other hand, their dwelling costs me 350 DP, which is just 50 less then a Snake Nest and 150 more then a Ghost Lantern. Judging by price, they don't seem to be that useless. Anyway, I've made my choice.

I select the Rabbit Dwelling from the menu and try to place it on the ground but ... it doesn't work. [Maybe it needs more room?] I try to move it around the small cave a little, to see if something changes, until it occasionally snaps to the wall and turns green. [Ah, that's how it works ...] Also, as I place it down, the color of a 3x3 meter area of solid earth behind it turns deep black. I guess it means it's used by the spawner now and can't be occupied with something else anymore.

Now there is a hole in the wall, much bigger then one would expect of rabbits home. [I wonder if this is really meant for rabbits!?] ... I wait a few minutes, but nothing happens. [Does it just need time, or do I have to do something?] A new window opens, as I select the rabbit hole:

){}---------------------------------{}(
Rabbit Dwelling:

Soul Cores: 0

Creature 1: -empty-

Creature 2: -empty-

Creature 3: -empty-

Creature 4: -empty-

Creature 5-empty-
){}---------------------------------{}(

[Soul Cores and empty creature slots, huh?] "Soul Cores" ... that's a term I have seen before! Opening the main menu, I quickly navigate to the soul list and select a random soul. [There it is!] There's the familiar option "Convert to Soul Core". So in short; I need Soul Cores to spawn creatures, which I get by converting souls. I remember wandering what I would need these Soul Cores for. [So, this is their Purpose! I think I get it now ...] That said, it actually took me another hour to figure out how it exactly works: 

After converting the soul of a rabbit to a core -which by the way looks like a small green orb- I tried to fiddle with it in different ways, including putting it in different rooms and opening its menu. But no mater what I did, it just wasn't shown in the spawners menu. The only thing that helped me through this was my stubbornness! Who would have thought that I needed to touch the Rabbit Dwelling directly with the core to assign it to its new home? Now it shows me 1 Soul Core inside, and nothing's happening again.

I try to select one of the empty Creature-slots which results in a new window jumping up:


){}---------------------------------{}(
Available Creatures:

Horned Rabbit
A small, fast, herbivore creature that is very protective of its area. 
They aggressively swarm their prey until it dies or leaves their area.
Needs a small Soul Core.
){}---------------------------------{}(

There's just one entry. Aside from that, a "Horned Rabbit" does not sound like something normal at all, and judging by the description it's certainly not harmless. This leaves me with a bit of hope, concerning the protection of my home. As I select it, the window disappears, and the "empty" changes to "Horned Rabbit -29:57-". The timer is counting down, so I guess the creature will be ready when it reaches zero. [Good, I'll wait for it.]

While I wait, I remember what Marsif -the Leader of the Dark-Elf's- told me about earlier; there are other dungeons out there, and they're quite successful. Spreading to the size of a city or a mountain, having an own cult worshiping it ... I wonder if this is something I could reach one day? Since there is no one around to tell me what to do or what purpose I have, I decided to choose my own path, but where will it lead me? Or rather: [Where do I want it to lead me?] There's no destination, no long-term goal for me to chase. Growing to something so big and powerful to be considered a deity is a tempting thought, but on the other hand, it's also quite the bloody path, at least until I find a way to get DP without killing anything.

But as I already know, there are other examples too. [... Argos ...] The dungeon the Lizard-Man served generations ago. [I wonder, how he got himself destroyed?] Was it a failure in decisions, or just simple bad luck? I could ask the Ashranie, but they don't seem to have any detailed information about that time. Well, my own existence started with trouble right away, without having the chance to make any good or bad decisions, so it could have been the same for him.

Anyway, considering the recent events, I probably made myself an enemy of the Human Empire. We may have won the first battle, but I doubt they will leave me alone from now on. There will surly be someone looking for the missing soldiers. There will most probably be an even bigger force next time. I should think about how to face an enemy force with greater numbers while I plan my dungeon.

I check the timer:

[16:23]

There's still some time left. [Hmm, maybe I could ...] After the successful battle, I feel like I have earned myself a little reward! I leisurely navigate to the Lottery screen and check my current chances, which didn't change from the last time:

){}---------------------------------{}(
Lottery:

Draw "Little Lottery" - 1 DP
Draw

Lucky draw chance - 20%
Epic draw chance - 2%
Legendary draw chance - 0,2%

Draw "Average Lottery" - 10 DP
Draw

Lucky draw chance - 11%
Epic draw chance - 1,1%
Legendary draw chance - 0,11%

Back
){}---------------------------------{}(

Announcement Voice: [Lucky Draw!]

This time I want to win something, so I start drawing the "Little Lottery" and to my surprise I got a "Lucky draw" on the first try. Now a vase materializes in front of me with the usual bluish glimmer. The process lasts just for a moment, and there it is, A vase with a high neck and a simple flower-pattern carved on its side. Not overly fancy, but still nice to look at. It doesn't look like it's worth much, but still better than the fruits and flowers I got before. A nice thing to get for just 1 DP, plus it's something I can't make normally, that makes it something special. I take a look at the lottery screen:

Lucky draw chance - 10%
Epic draw chance - 2,1%
Legendary draw chance - 0,21%

The chances for a "Lucky Draw" jumped back to the original 10%, while the others stayed as they where. That means if I draw enough Lotteries, I'll get the "Epic" and "Legendary" ones sooner or later! Now it makes me want to draw a few more...

A wooden spoon, a colorful feather, an orange mushroom, and ...

Announcement Voice: [Lucky Draw!]

... A lucky draw again! This time I got a triangle hat, the ones that a ship captain would wear. [What am I suppose to use that for?!] I guess the rewards are absolutely random, as long as they match the approximate worth. Maybe one day I'll set up a shop after all and sell all the useless stuff. That way it wouldn't be a complete waste of my effort. But then again ... what would I need the money for? I'll think about it when it comes to it, there's no use wracking my mind about it right now.

Anyway, I feel lucky today! I want to draw just a few more ...

This time I got an iron nail, a flat, round piece off wood with a metal spike on it (I thought it's a prank item, to place on someone's chair. But the description says, it's a "Candle Holder" ... Well lets say, it's a multi-purpose item), a wooden drinking-cup, an apple ...

Announcement Voice: [Lucky Draw!]

... And a lucky drop again! This time I got a glass-flask, containing a bright, thick orange Liquid. I hoped it to be some kind of potion, but the description says "Orange Paint" ... [I wonder if this may become useful one day?] I draw the Lottery a last time, just to get to a total of 10 draws today and got a tomato. Last time I drew it 10 times and didn't get anything special. This time I got a whole of tree lucky draws. [That's some randomness for you!]

Lucky draw chance - 11%
Epic draw chance - 3,0%
Legendary draw chance - 0,3%

I manage to get a last look at the lottery-screen, when my attention gets caught by a sudden sound ...

???: -*Skree*- ...

-----------------------------------------------------

A.N.:
Just as a reminder, the Lottery is decided by a random number generator, I decided the rewards, but not if it wins.
Also, if you have Ideas for interesting or unusual Lottery rewards (doesn't need to be useful, just interesting, or maybe even funny), feel free to post them in the comments bellow.

Chapter 17 < Chapter 18 > Chapter 19

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What kind of character did Argos have?

What was needed to bring Argos down?

How should slavery be handled in the world?

How should the dungeon advance in the near future?

Haw scarce should magic be in the world?

What Name should the Dungeon get in the future?

Should the Protagonist remember his past?