FINAL CORE : [A holy dungeon-core litRPG]

"Dungeons might be perceived as a threat by some. But I view ‘em as something like a bee-hive. Sure, bees can be threats. But the likelihood of them being one on their own is pretty slim. They just kind of mind their own lives, you know?

Now, when you go poking around in their business, looking for honey, that’s when they get ya.

So I can’t say that I have much sympathy, honestly. I wouldn’t go poking around the den of some slime-mother and then complain to the city council that I got burned. It just doesn’t make any sense. It would be my fault for being there in the first place, wouldn’t it?

But you know what people are like these days."

 

~ Interview with a retired adventurer, after the reports of a recent party wipe in the southern witch-cap dungeon.

 

 

Isaiah sits atop the ‘tower’, which is essentially just one single cylindrical room at the moment. So, it isn’t really a tower just yet. But it’s getting there. It just needs some time and some elbow grease.

 

The creature has, after another night of sleep, had more time to think about its life and also about its lives in general. It didn’t mind being a human. That was kind of fun. It also didn’t mind being a bird. That was really fun.

 

— Actually, it really, really liked being a bird.

 

It turns its head, looking over towards the distant nest, in which it isn’t welcome. Its own eggs and its own partner all sit there, just within reach. But none of them are available to it in this life, in this body.

 

So…

 

What does it want? The entity that is Isaiah. For what purpose is it here? This new body has urges to build, to protect, to stay safe. But from what? And what is it protecting? The only thing worth protecting is the nest. But the male blackbird doesn’t want anything to do with it. So Isaiah will just have to find a way to return back to its body as a blackbird. It’s the only reasonable thing to do, right?

 

— And who could have the power to make this happen?

 

Isaiah just so happens to have the answer to that question. It closes its hands together, holding them against its head and prays.

 

In its feverish dreams last night, it had remembered often praying to the gods back in its human life. Gods are powerful things. Only a god could have the power to return it to its old body. So it will have to find a way to reach the gods, to ask them to return it into its old bird life. It would very much like to be there for when its eggs hatch and it can only imagine how sad and frightened its partner must be. He probably thinks that his partner died. Blackbirds mate for life in most cases, after all.

 

Isaiah opens its eyes, looking up towards the sky.

 

The gods do not answer its prayer.

 

It frowns, waiting for a moment longer. But nothing happens.

 

Why not?

 

Isaiah tilts its head, looking curiously at the clouds passing them by.

 

Maybe the clouds are ‘blocking’ its prayers? Like how a tree will stop the wind? That makes sense, right? But it brings an obvious problem into scope. It will have to get past the clouds.

 

The creature flaps its wings and then lifts off into the air, flying straight upwards as high as it can. It flies for a few minutes. The tower becomes smaller and smaller, the forest becomes smaller and smaller as it rises into the heights.

 

~ [Isaiah] ~

[Edge of Dungeon Territory reached: {1} km]

You are unable to leave this area

 

Isaiah frowns. This is a problem. The clouds are still much, much, much higher up. It needs to go noticeably higher up then this, if it wants its prayers to reach the gods.

 

Damn.

 

It looks around the area, scanning the environment.

 

It has missed flying, it notices rather abruptly. It hasn’t really flown since it was a bird.

 

Wow.

 

It’s so high up and the air feels so clean and light. There is so much to see! This is fun! The strange being lets a smile come to its face, finding one after all, as it examines the world.

 

To the west is a place where humans live. It recalls seeing them as a blackbird and it sees their city now. It is gigantic and grand and ornate and, still fairly far away. But it is simply such a monumental collection of constructions that, even at this distance, it is impossible to not notice. Smaller houses line the world from there all the way to the edge of this very forest.

 

To the north is a hilly region. It looks rocky and very rich in natural features. The river runs from up there, heading down into the forest and then past the tower. The original source of the water must be much further in the north.

 

To the east is more forest woodland. It is the deep-forest. Blackbirds don’t fly there. In the deep-forest, there are mean, scary things that catch and eat blackbirds. Isaiah narrows its eyes.

 

Finally, to the south, is the ocean, vast and blue. It’s a beautiful sight and Isaiah would very much like to go to it, feeling a strange urge all of a sudden. But it is certainly further away than one kilometer. So that will have to wait.

 

The entity sighs, flying back down to the ground.

 

There’s only one thing to do.

 

They’ll just have to build the tower much, much higher. It will have to go high enough so that it itself can fly past the clouds, at the very least. Thankfully, the industrious, little uthra are busy at work. The second floor of the tower is already being laid out.

 

 

“Ta-da!”

 

Isaiah lets out a pleased gasp as it looks around the hot-spring. The crystalline-uthra has done a fantastic job. The ground is full of a pit of water, lined with well laid, large rocks. Angelic statues sit at the head of the pool, holding overturned pots over their heads, out of which strong trickles flow, obscuring their visages.

 

From the main path to the dungeon-gate, a small, well-laid route leads to here. Posts stick in the ground, adorned with chimes and talismans and a strong, stone wall surrounds the area, made out of the same bricks as the tower. It gives the area a very nice, secluded sense of safety from the forest.

 

But there’s one problem with the hot-spring.

 

“Cold,” says Isaiah, looking down at its reflection in the water. It touches the surface, watching a ripple move outward.

 

Crystal flies down. “Nothing that some dungeon-magic can’t fix!” It taps Isaiah’s hand. “Just do it like last time.”

 

Isaiah stares for a moment, thinking. But then, the entity obliges, sending out some magic from its body, out through its finger. It’s a strange feeling, like someone was pulling a string, tied to its hip-bones, out through its core and all the way up to the tip of its talon.

 

New Area ~ [Dungeon] ~ Hot-Spring {Level 1} A simple, safe and secluded hot-spring. Adventurers and wanderers may find safety and restful peace here.

Level {1} Effect: While resting in the water, slowly restores all drained HEALTH, STAMINA and SOUL.

THIS IS A SAFE ZONE. NO HOSTILE DUNGEON-ENTITIES ARE ALLOWED INSIDE OF THE HOT-SPRINGS AREA.

 

“Nice!” says Crystal.

 

The water starts steaming, a dense cloud of vapors forms almost immediately. “This is going to be great!” it says, lowering itself down and resting its legs in the water. “- For the dungeon, of course!” Crystal adds on.

 

Isaiah rolls its eyes, remembering that this is a thing that people do. But it turns back to the water, lowering its hand down into it. It is hot and pleasant and honestly, it does actually feel very nice.

 

This is good.

 

The humans, if they ever make their way here, will be placated by this place for a time, which will allow them to prepare the tower's defenses properly. Plus, by spying on the intruders, they’ll learn a lot of their adventuring secrets, which will provide invaluable information for their future developments.

 

“Thinking about peeping, eh?” asks the uthra. Isaiah blinks. “Don’t worry, I can’t read your mind. Or can I? Haha!” The uthra flies up into the air, shaking its wet legs off. “See that statue up there?” it asks, pointing at one of many small decorations; an unassuming, small, statue of an angel, looking out over the water. “Just close your eyes and think really hard about it, okay?”

 

The uthra has never led Isaiah astray so far, so it obliges.

 

 

An instant later, its vision shifts and it finds itself watching itself from above, from the eyes of the statue. Crystal flies up. “Not bad, right?” it asks. “Now just think about your body and you’ll zap back.”

 

Isaiah looks at its strange, soft, oddly fleshy body with large wings from above and then does so, returning back into itself.

 

 

“These dungeon-eyes are pretty pricey, magic-wise, but we can put a few of them up in the different floors of the tower or in the forest,” it suggests. “That way you can peep around the area now and then.”

 

“Good work,” praises Isaiah, looking around at the hot-spring. “This is good.”

 

“Right?” it asks. “I’ll get back and help with the next floor no -”

 

- [Territory Breached!] -

Intruders: 01

Average Level: 13

Difficulty: Deadly

 

 

Razmatazz

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