Chapter 19 - "Angry Fur-Ball"
???: -*Skree*- ...
The intriguing sound comes out of the Rabbit Dwelling. And a moment after, a creature shows itself. At first, a horn pokes out and I hear some sniffing, then the rest of it follows.
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| Horned Rabbit |
[Wha- ...] That surprised me! Every time I hear that voice, I think someone's attacking again. But ...[Hidden Achievement?] I open the achievement screen while keeping an eye on the new inhabitant, who is cautiously inspecting its surrounding and sniffing on every stone.
And there it is, a fulfilled achievement right on top of the list:
Achievement: "Reincarnation" (Hidden)
Condition: Spawn a creature with a Soul-Core that was made from the same Race.
Reward: 500 DP, The cost for your next research is reduced by 50 DP, Homunculus Egg x1.
[Wow, that's quite the reward!] 500 DP and even reduced research cost. I hope it comes with a reduced research time too. But what in the World is a "Homunculus Egg"? Another thing to check later ...
Was that all just because I made the Soul-Core out of a rabbits soul? But it was just an ordinary rabbit, not a horned one ... [I guess that was close enough.] I thought it simply appropriate to use a rabbit for a rabbit, this is more than I expected.
That aside ... there are even secret achievements too? I wonder what else I could get if I discover more of them? It's almost like some kind of test, as if someone wants to see how well I'll come off. I mean, if they are secret, then there was someone who hid them ... purposely. Like a test to see if I can find them. But there's one more thing that can't be ignored:
To my surprise, this is not the only achievement I got. There's one that I got my eye on since I know about achievements, and now it's finally unlocked:
Achievement: "Getting a foundation"
Condition: Have at least one creature. Place at least one trap. Advance the dungeon to a min of 100 m² (100/100). Kill at least one creature on your ground. Create at least one room.
Reward: 1000 DP, 50 Research hours, m²-count on "Dungeon Info"-screen, Reach "Tire Z", new Theme: "Mine", new monster spawner: "Wild-Cats Den".
Most of the conditions were met a while ago, the only thing I needed was a creature. This one gives me a new dungeon tire, so I'm not "Z-" anymore. I guess I fulfilled the requirements to call myself the lord of a proper dungeon now. It comes with a bunch of other rewards too. the 1500 DP I get from both achievements are worth a celebration already, and then there's a new theme, a new Spawner ... I guess I'll treat myself to a few more lotteries later (since this is the only way I know of to have some fun ...). With this comforting thought and something nice to look forward to, I accept them both and instantly get a new Achievement on the list:
Achievement: "Going slowly" (Needed: "Getting a foundation")
Condition: Have at least 10 creatures (1/10). Place at least 10 traps (10/10). Advance the dungeon to a min of 500 m² (500/500). Create at least 10 rooms (10/10). Kill at least 10 Creatures(10/10). Relocate the dungeon-core.
Reward: 1500 DP, 75 Research hours, "Population" on dungeon screen, Reach "Tire Z+", new Theme: "Swamp", new spawner "Rat Nest".
I chuckle to myself. It's the same as with the last one; the creatures are the only thing left. But I find it interesting that the new tire will not be "Y", but "Z+". This means, there are more steps on that stairway to climb than expected. I wonder if these "deity-dungeons" already reached the highest tires. Thinking about what kind of wonders my be luring ahead, waiting to be unlocked, makes me dizzy. [Better stay in reality for now!] Which means ...
Horned Rabbit: -*Skree*- ...
... [Right.] ...
The small dweller hops around the cave, sniffing on corners and stones. Now there are a few things I need to know about it. First would be: [Can I control you?]
I try to focus ... Collecting all my concentration on it, I give out a single impulse; [JUMP!] ... Nothing's happening. I try it again with several different commands, trying to make it do something, but the creature is completely ignorant to it. [You're a bad bunny!] So, I can't control my creatures directly, this complicates my future plannings!
The next logical thing to test would be; how does it react to the Ashranie? But I don't want to wake Orsha or Sari right now. They both had a hard time lately, so this can wait until tomorrow.
In the meantime, I want to test out how different spawned creatures react to each other. For this I would need another spawner and another creature. [What should I get myself?] ... After some thinking, I decide to go with the freshly acquired "Wild-Cats Den". It wants me to invest 400 DP, so it's slightly more expansive than the last one. I enlarge the cave a bit more to make room for it and place it on the opposite side of the Rabbit Dwelling, without problems this time. There's not even a big difference in them, they look almost the same.
Now, [...what kind of soul should I choose for you? ...] I don't have any cat-souls, so I'll go with the ferret-soul. This is as close as it can get to a cat, with my current variaty.
I convert the Soul, place it into the spawner and open the creature menu. [Let's see ...]
){}---------------------------------{}(
Available Creatures:
Shadow Cat
The cat with the most silent paws and an immense talent to hide its presence. The shadows seem to follow it, and sounds are slightly damped in its surrounding. It is uncertain if the creature can be considered "magical", but it surly is dangerous, especially in dark caves and nightly woods.
Needs a small Soul Core.
){}---------------------------------{}(
Now, this one seems to be more fearsome then the rabbit, I look forward to watch it hunt. As I confirm, I got a waiting time again:
[59:55]
[A whole hour this time!] Does it depend on the creature, or is it getting more with the amount of creatures I have? I really hope it's the first one, because it could get to ridiculous amounts after some time, I don't want to wait a weak or something for a new creature to spawn ...
[Anyway, I have more time to kill again!] Taking a look on the clock: [... 3:12 AM ...] I guess this is a good chance for that "celebration" I was thinking about. Heading to the already well familiar lottery screen, I think that a normal person would probably have a smile on its face right now. I wonder why I enjoy it so much ... is it because of the chance to get high value items for a low price? Well, that sure plays a role too, but tat's not quite it. I think, what really makes me smile inside is the curiosity - this; "I wonder what I'll get next" feeling. That way, even if I don't get any special rewards, it still feels satisfying.
To get a real "festive" feeling, I'll go for the "Average Lottery". I wonder what kind of reward I'll get for a lucky draw on this one. Since I drew it just once before, my chances are pretty low, thought ...
Announcement Voice: [Lucky Draw!]
[What the ... seriously now?] I guess it IS my lucky day! But something's off, the object forming in front of me is moving wildly, like it's a live. And when the process is done, a white chicken sinks to the floor in frond of me, looking around in naive curiosity.
Horned Rabbit: -*SKREEEE!*-
The furry creature instantly starts running towards the newcommer and kicks itself of the the ground ...
Chicken: "Bu-daak-bak-bak-BAAAHHHK!"
Before I know it, the Rabbit pierced the poor thing and throw it of its feet. Together, they flew almost two meter wide before hitting the dead-end of the cave. The rabbit literally pierced the Chicken to the wall! Next instant, he drew his horn out of the still gasping creature and bites his way through its neck. All of that took just a few seconds.
[ ... ... ... WHAT THE HELL !?] I didn't even have a chance to react! [WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? You damn, stupid ...] It can't be helped now ... I should consider making a "save-room" for my future lottery drawings.
Well, I can't lie about it having a positive aspect; I got to see the Horned Rabbit fight. [If that could even be called a "fight", he just SLAUGHTERED the poor thing!] But I certainly take back my doubts about its capability as a dungeon-protector.
What shocks me the most right now, is: [I got a chicken from the lottery ... A DAMN, LIVING CHICKEN!] I was totally convinced it would give me only lifeless objects! I should definitely take some measures before doing that again. What if I get a "Legendary Draw" next time, and it spawns me a bear or something in the middle of my dungeon? But being able to spawn Chickens, and maybe even other domesticated creatures, leaves me with new options for future food-supply.
The hostility of the Horned Rabbit is concerning, thought. If it gets so worked-up against a chicken, then it will be no better with the Lizard-Man. I'm still curious about its reaction to the Shadow Cat when it spawns. I'm afraid, they won't get along ...
[Wow ... this is hard to swallow.] My options and possibilities have advanced again and force me to adept my future planning once more. With a look at the Shadow Cat's spawning screen I confirm that there's still almost an hour left. Should be enough time to take care of something else ...
I leave the cave and return to the tower. [Now, where would be a good spot? ...] I look around the outskirts of the structure for a place to dig a hole. The purpose behind it will be; to give my 8-legged friend "Archeon" a comfy place to live in. That spot beneath the stairs where he is lingering right now is causing the Ashranie a good amount of anxiety. Instead, I want it to migrate somewhere "I" want it to be. For this, I intend to make a nice small underground cave, accessible through a small hole in the ground. Since I may want to connect the rabbit-cave with my main dungeon eventually, it would make sense to place the spider-cave somewhere along the way.
It didn't take me long to hole it out. I actually even went a bit over-board and made a few small branches into tiny rooms spreading from the bigger central cave, which I made two stories deep. In case something falls in, it will hopefully brake its legs and become easy prey! [... I would Need to tell the Ashranie about it ...]
Now for the difficult part; how to get the creature down there? ... I could wait for it to discover the cave on its own ... [No. What if it doesn't care about it? I could be waiting forever!] Instead, I should try to either force it down there, which I don't know how to achieve, or lure it with some kind of bait. [It liked the cadaver of the dead Harpa ...] I could try to get my hands on an another dead creature. But it brought the Harpa to the top of the tower already, so if it considers the tower as its nest, it may not be interested in going anywhere else. So instead, I could try stealing its pray and drag it down all the way to its supposed-to-be home, and hope that "little Archeon" will follow it down there ... [Right, lets do that!]
Its a good thing that there are no Ashranie currently at the tower. I guess they are afraid of the little dweller. [Let's make this less troublesome for everyone.] I turn my concentration on the tightly wrapped Harpa and try to lift it up.
As soon as I "touch" the wrapped cadaver, Archeon twitches! [You don't like it being taken away? Then come and claim it!] I get my concentration together and lift the cocoon-like thing in the air. Archeon first takes just a few hesitant steps out of its cover, but as I lift it higher, he suddenly jumps on it and sinks its teeth into the dead flesh. I guess he thinks it's still alive. His sudden move surprised me for a moment and I almost dropped both of them. But all that boulder-caring I did by now was actually good for something, as it sharpened my ability to concentrate on things and thanks to that practice, I manege to keep the balance. Archeon doesn't seem to care much about hanging in mid air and is busy with "killing" his already dead prey. I take the chance to carry him to his new home.
It's strange, but I started referring to it as a "he", despite not knowing its gender. [... It just feels right, I guess.]
When we get close to the ground, Archeon jumps of, which concerns me at first. I got afraid, he would give up, and go back to the tower. But when I throw the Harpa down the hole, he hesitantly follows. [Let's hope he stays there ... or actually ...] I could make him stay!
I rush back to the tower and grab the biggest piece of the broken gate from the pile. It's not like It'd be needed for something else, so I bring it to the hole and cover it up with it. To make sure it stays in place, I also put a boulder on top. This way, I hope Archeon will get used to its new surrounding and not return to the tower anytime soon. To make this complete, I even fill out the place under the stairway with stones, so if it happens to return, It wouldn't feel at home anymore. [Hopefully, this will work ...]
... ... ...
[Done!] I place the last stone on the pile. Now, there's no room left under the stairs for the spider to make itself comfortable. The Ashranie are starting to get used to stones and random items flying around, but still pay a lot of attention to it. Especially Archeons moving didn't go unnoticed, and was followed with a lot of anticipation. An Ashranie-guard appeared on the tower short after.
I check the clock: [... It's almost time.]
When I return, the Horned-Rabbit jumps around the cave like nothing's wrong. The dead chicken is nowhere to be seen. [Did you eat it?] ... Possible, but there's a more likely explanation. I open my Soul-List, and there it is:
----------------------------------------
...
- Normal Soul: Human "Mara"
- Normal Soul: Human "Jakof"
- Normal Soul: Lizard Man "Zaák"
- Normal Soul: Lizard Man "Lakásh"
- Weak Soul: Chicken
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As the last entry, there's my poor chicken. It got absorbed by the dungeon, without me noticing. I wonder if the features of a creature's soul are, to some degree, carried over to the one I spawn of them. And if so, [ ... what features would you get from a "Chicken"? ... Stupidity? ... Ah, the time!]
I open the "Wild-Cats Den" to check how long until the Shadow-Cat appears, but ... there's no counter! Instead, it shows me some information on the wild cat. Does that mean it spawned already? If so, I didn't notice. I start looking around and, [... There it is!]
A black cat, slightly bigger then the rabbit, covered in some kind of shadow-cloud is sitting by a wall across the room and leisurely watches the carefree rabbit jumping around. [When did you get there?!] It yawns, as if to show how boring my question was. The rabbit also doesn't seem to give it any attention. [Does that mean, you're not attacking each other?] At least my own creatures recognize one another, that's reassuring ... it would be quite difficult to manage my dungeon dwellers if they where to jump at each others throat!
There are still things to clarify, like: Do I need to feed them? What happens if I don't? And what happens if they die? Every answer is giving me more questions ... Well, the last one will hopefully be answered soon with a bit of help from the Ashranie's side.
I leave the cave and look at the sky. The horizon is slowly brightening. The night is almost over. Soon a new day will begin ... with new challenges. It's going to be eventful: we are awaiting Hassag back from his rescue mission, the big moving in of their main-force, maybe a celebration of the recent victory or successful rescue (depending on the outcome) and a handful of minor things, like encountering them with my creatures. Maybe we'll see the Dark-Elf's again, they promised to "feed" me after all. [That reminds me ...] The living quarters of the Ashranie are probably too small to take in their whole tribe. [I should enlarge them before they arrive!] Well, there's still enough time for that.
For now, I just want to enjoy the peacefulness and calmness of the night for a moment. It will become busy soon enough ...
As the last entry, there's my poor chicken. It got absorbed by the dungeon, without me noticing. I wonder if the features of a creature's soul are, to some degree, carried over to the one I spawn of them. And if so, [ ... what features would you get from a "Chicken"? ... Stupidity? ... Ah, the time!]
I open the "Wild-Cats Den" to check how long until the Shadow-Cat appears, but ... there's no counter! Instead, it shows me some information on the wild cat. Does that mean it spawned already? If so, I didn't notice. I start looking around and, [... There it is!]
 |
| Shadow Cat |
There are still things to clarify, like: Do I need to feed them? What happens if I don't? And what happens if they die? Every answer is giving me more questions ... Well, the last one will hopefully be answered soon with a bit of help from the Ashranie's side.
I leave the cave and look at the sky. The horizon is slowly brightening. The night is almost over. Soon a new day will begin ... with new challenges. It's going to be eventful: we are awaiting Hassag back from his rescue mission, the big moving in of their main-force, maybe a celebration of the recent victory or successful rescue (depending on the outcome) and a handful of minor things, like encountering them with my creatures. Maybe we'll see the Dark-Elf's again, they promised to "feed" me after all. [That reminds me ...] The living quarters of the Ashranie are probably too small to take in their whole tribe. [I should enlarge them before they arrive!] Well, there's still enough time for that.
For now, I just want to enjoy the peacefulness and calmness of the night for a moment. It will become busy soon enough ...
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A.N.:
First draw on the lottery and it's "lucky draw" already. I swear, I'm not making this up. XD
(Actually, it was almost an "epic draw"!)
Also, as usual, the pictures are links. Click them to if you'd like more information on the creatures. They can also be found in the compendium.
A.N.:
First draw on the lottery and it's "lucky draw" already. I swear, I'm not making this up. XD
(Actually, it was almost an "epic draw"!)
Also, as usual, the pictures are links. Click them to if you'd like more information on the creatures. They can also be found in the compendium.
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