Several hours have past since the two lizard-women had been laid to rest after their exhausting conversation with me. I'm glad that I don't feel the same fatigue as they do, but waiting for them to wake up is also mentally exhausting. Now that I finally have a source of information, and therefore a place to throw all my questions at, all I can do is watch them sleeping.
Bonehead - whose name appears to be "Hassag" - also has trouble to calm down. When they brought them out, the two women passed out before he could talk to them. Now he is also waiting for answers, walking impatiently up to the tower and down the whole time. [Easy, man. I accepted your offer. Everything's fine. Sit down, you are making me nervous!] I wish I could just talk with him, like with the girls. They called themselves "Sari" and "Orsha", members of the "Ashranie" tribe. And they said they are born with the "gift" to "walk in dreams". Sounds very mysterious. Are they maybe able to participate in other people’s dreams or something? ["Sari and Orsha - Spirit friends and dream-walkers of the Ashranie!" ... Now, that's a hell of a title, certainly something to be proud of.]
But what I can't stop thinking about is this "Argos". They said, their tribe had a ... [how did she call it?] ... a "bond" with him. I guess she means some kind of contract, or agreement. If I have that right, then he also was a ghost - or spirit - residing somewhere. Probably someone -or something- like me ...
If they had an agreement with him, then why don't they have it anymore? Did Argos abandon them? Did they anger him somehow? Or did he just use them as long as it was beneficial for him, and threw them away afterwards? [I really need to know more about him!] I hope they wake up soon. I feel kinda' bad for them, to have them go through this tiring experience again, but I can't help it. [I need answers!]
What also bothers me is one other thing they said: If I protected them, then they would also protect me! [Protecting them ... from whom? The human soldiers, maybe?] And more importantly ... [How?] ... At this point, I'm not even sure how to protect myself. [What are they expecting?] That's another thing I need to make sure to ask them. They have to tell me what kind of protection Argos provided them with.
All I can do for now is letting them come inside this room, and activate the traps. [I could at most add more traps ...] But what would definitely be more helpful would be a way to close the entrance! [This shag needs a solid door!] ...
){}-----------------------------------------{}(
Available Constructions:
All Constr. / Expansions / Themes / Architecture / Special constr. / Misc.
Wooden Bridge - 45 DP / m²
Simple wooden Barricade - 25 DP / m²
Wooden Door - 35 DP
Wooden Gate - 70 DP
Remaining DP: 3593
){}-----------------------------------------{}(
[Whoa, another one of this screens! Just how many are there?] I'm not even surprised anymore ... [Well, let’s go through it, step-by-step again]:
It says "Available Constructions", so it's probably not the same functionality as with items.
There are several categories again, some of which sound intriguing, and also a little weird, like ... [what are "Themes" supposed to be?]. I need to check them out one by one.
Under the Misc. category there are again a few things for me to purchase. Though, I don't know what I would need a "bridge" for, there is also a "Door" and a "Gate" in the list. [Great, finally!] "Barricade" doesn't sound that bad either. [Now, this is a useful discovery!] But before I begin barricading this place, I need to check out the other tabs. I don't want to make useless investments if there are better options.
[Therefore ... ]:
){}-----------------------------------------{}(
Available Constructions:
All Constr. / Expansions / Themes / Architecture / Special constr. / Misc.
Add a Floor - 2.000 DP (cost x2 for each expan.)
Expand Terrain - 1 DP/m²
Expand Domain - 1 DP/m (cost +1 DP for each expan.)
Delete Expansion - no cost
Designate Room - no cost
Remaining DP: 3593
){}-----------------------------------------{}(
[WHAT?! 2.000 DP just to add another floor, but only 1 DP/m² to expand an existing one? What’s with that pricing?] And the price doubles for each additional floor too. [That's harsh!] I also can’t get it back if I change my mind. I better think twice before expanding anywhere ... But what does it mean by "expanding my domain"? [What domain?] Again, I have no clue. I'll just leave that one for later ... [Next one!]:
){}-----------------------------------------{}(
Available Constructions:
All Constr. / Expansions / Themes / Architecture / Special constr. / Misc.
Remove Theme - No cost
Ruin (special) - 5 DP/m²
Remaining DP: 3593
){}-----------------------------------------{}(
[Ah, I think I now understand what these "Themes" are supposed to be.] There was an entry on the "General Dungeon Information" screen that’s called "Dungeon Theme". I recall that the theme of my dungeon is "Ruins", but seeing this option, I guess it can be changed ... If there was another theme available.
){}-----------------------------------------{}(
Available Constructions:
All Constr. / Expansions / Themes / Architecture / Special constr. / Misc.
Empty - 1 DP/m²
Solid - 1 DP/m²
Wall - 20 DP/m
Ceiling - 15 DP/m
Small Window - 10 DP
Big Window - 15 DP
Small Entry - 10 DP
Big Entry - 20 DP
Stairs (straight) - 70 DP
Stairs (spiral) - 90 DP
Pit - 5 DP/m2
Remaining DP: 3593
){}-----------------------------------------{}(
And here is everything you need, to construct simple buildings, complete with a moat ... or whatever a "pit" is supposed to be for. I also check the "special constructions” tab, but it’s empty. [Well, for me all of this is special enough already.]
I can't believe it ... Am I really able to advance this place ... Am I even allowed to do that? Well, if I'm not, then why would someone give me the opportunity to do so, right? [Wait ... Does that mean that I am actually in charge of this place?] But that would be the same as ... [ ... being the dungeon master? ... ] This would explain, why there is no one around giving me orders ... or why I feel so attached to the dungeon core ... Or why I have access to all the menus ...
[No-no-no - wait ... this makes no sense! Why would I be a dungeon master?] It's not like I signed up for this! ... Or did I? ... Maybe I volunteered for it, and I just don't remember ... [This is also crazy, why would anyone volunteer for something like this?] Being imprisoned is not all that fun, even if you can decorate your cell to your will. But I surely didn't come here by myself. Either with- or without my agreement someone (or ... "something") must have brought me here! So does that mean there is someone higher in the command chain?
I'm certain, that my situation didn't just happen by itself! Then who decided it for me? [It can't be something absurd, like: "The collective wishes of the Lizard-Man for ... "something" ... to protect them has brought me to life", right?] There is no way someone would believe that story. [Or that I'm "The great ... something ... that awakens every 5.000 years or so, to bring calamity to the world!"] That would be a bit of a cliche.
So what is the meaning behind it? Why is nobody around to instruct me, or at least to give me some orders? Am I some kind of abandoned child? In that case, no one would care about me, and I could do whatever the hell I want ... It would also mean that I have no purpose ...
[Gosh!] Right now, I'm glad that I don't have a physical body. Because if I did, I would definitely get a headache from all this thinking.
I can feel how all this confusion and the lack of satisfying answers is slowly making me angry ...
[... To hell with all the reasoning!] Whoever decided on my situation is not here to welcome me, so I don't have to care about them as well. Right now, the lizard-men - or "Ashranie", since I now know how they call themselves - are the only ones who appreciate my presence here. Since I have nothing better to do anyway, I could as well stick with them. [Or more like "let them stick with me", because I obviously can't follow them around.]
Well, it's decided then. This will be my first goal: [Provide protection to the lizard-men!] And for this, I will need to know how, and what they need protection from. So my secondary goal will be: [Collect as much information as possible about the world!]
...
[Wow ... that felt good!] Having a purpose is certainly a good feeling. But even if I banished all the complicated questions for now, I'm sure they will still be poking at me on occasion.
So, since I have almost no information about the threats around here, I should try to take universal protective measures. This should include: shelter from bad weather, wild animals, and intelligent enemies - like the soldiers. [I should probably ask the two girls about why they are on such bad terms with the humans, if I get the chance.] Maybe diplomacy will be an option in the future.
So, to protect against bad weather, a closed room and a ceiling should be enough. When it comes to wild animals, you would want a way to shut yourself behind sturdy doors. [But all of that is useless if the enemy is intelligent ... ] In these cases you would want something to actively protect you.
The protective measures that I was able to provide so far are just the two kinds of traps. But even with that I already managed to get creative. [But now I also have pits, bridges, barricades, doors...] there is surely a way to get more creative with that! The problem with traps is just this: how do I prevent the Ashranie from accidentally stepping into them? When -let’s say- one of their children gets caught in one, this could mean instant death. [I don’t want that to happen ...]
To prevent that, there are just two possibilities coming into my mind: [First one: I would have to tell them "exactly" where the traps are, so they can avoid them.] Maybe I could mark them in a way that only the Ashranie will be able to notice. [And the second: Making some backdoors, so the Lizard-Man don't even need to get near any traps.] But if the enemy is really smart, then they may find out about it. Then, all my efforts would be in vain. Well, I'm still able to deactivate the traps, but as I already know, there are times when I need to sleep or am simply distracted. That's one more thing I should ask them about when they wake up. [Maybe that "Argos" guy had a clever idea to handle the traps and his residents.]
[Well, I can't do much with just this room.] I should try and expand that area. [So, let's see how this works ... ]
I open the "Expansions" tab again and chose "Expand Floor". Surprisingly, as a result the map opens. [So it's done from here, huh?] The Map is centered on this room, and in contrast to the normal view, the innings of the room are slightly glowing green. There is also a floating translucent feather that I can move, like I do with other things.
As I move the feather out of the green area, a small rectangle highlights beneath it. Judging by its scale, it must be around 1m² in real size. I move the feather around the map a bit, to get used to the new tool. [It's surely not a feather for no reason. I guess, I'm supposed to "paint" the area...] After navigating it to the spot right outside of the rooms entrance, I try painting with it on the map. As it touches the ground, the square beneath it instantly becomes green, like the ones in the room. [That's it? Is it now part of my dungeon?]
[Now I absolutely "have" to confirm this!] Moving to the entrance, I carefully slide through to the outside. Doing so, I feel so tense, like expecting a lightning strike at any moment. But nothing happens. Instead I freely move out of the room, and am now beneath the clear sky. [Wow, this is such a relief!] From here, I can also see the sun. It must be something past midday already. Even without a physical body, I can feel sunshine falling down on me. This change in environment, even if it’s just one meter away, is so refreshing that I can't help but just stand there for a few minutes and enjoy it.
Looking at the ground, it doesn't look any different from before it was added to my realm. Also, none of the Ashranie seem to notice anything. [Nice! Now, let’s make it bigger!] For now, I think about adding the broken tower to "my area". I would like to say "my domain" but judging by the menu, a domain seems to be something special. I will need to check that out later.
But first, I can’t help but gaze around a bit more ...
The outer wall is in a much worse state than I initially thought. There are holes everywhere. [There is no way that this thing will protect us from anything].
The tower must have been huge, back when it was in one piece. Looking from this perspective, it seems like a long time ago it was hit by something big. [Shot by a catapult maybe?] On the map I can see that most of the rubble from the upper floors seem to have fallen inside it. Perhaps I can use the tower if I clean it up, and reinforce it somehow. [The lizard-men ... ahm, I mean "Ashranie", could then use it as a lookout.] But rebuilding, or even reinforcing it will lead to an obvious optical change. It will make it difficult to stay unnoticed in the future if I decide to refurbish this place. But if I also repair the outer wall, then it will make it easier for the Ashranie warriors to protect it, since they are good with throwing spears. A higher position would help that, and I wouldn't need to rely on traps that much.
Alternatively, I could leave it the way it is, and expand underground. This will most probably turn out to be more expensive, DP wise, but it also wouldn't draw that much attention. And I would have more freedom in the layout of my home too.
Well, whatever I decide to do, it would be a good idea to add the area inside the walls to my territory, even if it's just for my personal freedom.
[Now, let’s get to work!] ...
I vote Jericho for the spider's name.
ReplyDeleteArcheon sounds good to me, also thanks for the chapter
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. :)
DeleteThank you verry much for your sugestions. I will also add "Chucky" to the list, derived from "Sha-ki" - thats how the Ashrani call it. With the next chapter (maybe tomorrow, sice most of it is finished already) i will strt a new poll, so people can choose what name they like the most.
ReplyDelete