There is No Epic Loot Here, Only Puns

16: Duck for Traps

Wobbly Wooden Children's Tower: A tower that is more suited for children playing than any real defence. The slightly sharpened stakes at the top might hurt a little. Need proper research and spending to have real goblin defences: 10 Mana

Each tower did reach about 7 feet, which might explain the cost, and when adding to the hill elevation...

They were pretty good towers for her gobs, it wasn't complicated and Delta could replace them in a pinch. Delta knew it wouldn't take long for people to just rush up the hill and do battle there, so she also needed a method to slow down the advancing party.

Making sure her new friend Waddles the Dark Drake was fine, she hit yes in the menu to confirm the name was fine, Delta opened her menu and considered her options.

There was something she could purchase to help this room be somewhat challenging.

Sticky Floor Panel: A square panel that is about 3x3 feet. The magic in this trap makes those who step on it... stick to the surface as if it was honey.

Delta hummed and then purchased it. More traps for the dungeon, more annoyance for the adventurers! The actual mana cost was only per trap, which was good because Delta was running a bit low at 18 mana.

Her menu buzzed and Delta eyed the trap purchase menu with surprise as a new trap appeared.

Slide trap unlocked due to having Stick trap and Ink.

Slide Trap: A surface become slick with a substance that makes those who step on it lose their footing and if on a hill... slide down. A dungeon may find this handy if... rooms had hills. 10 DP.

"Menu, you beautiful piece of fudge," Delta grinned and the menu did a little jingle before fading.

Delta eyed the room and saw how she would place three sticky traps along the hill... and three slide traps above them... not too close.

Maybe a pitfall at the bottom if they managed to avoid the sticky trap? Yes! Delta could see how merely climbing the hill would be a problem for people and adding Hob or Gob with their new stone ammunition...

Delta felt evil at her non-lethal room. Well...Unless a rock took out someone's eye then it would be somewhat dangerous but Delta could only do some much with her limitations. It wasn't her fault if someone stared at the goblins throwing rocks or didn't bother to wear helmets!

... There was no guilt at all.

Since she had no guilt about something that may happen... Delta quietly asked the menu about making eye patches as rewards for beating the room or something similar.

---

Add a second floor to the dungeon: 200 DP

This had been a thing Delta had tried not to look too hard at when she finished the Boss room. It was an option she wasn't willing to consider until her first floor had some beef to it... Even then, the idea hadn't been solid until Ruli and Quiss' visit.

What would she do with a second floor? Delta, at the time, could only imagine more death and blood but now... thinking of all that space where she could challenge people, invite people to harvest nice materials or just relax in some safe room as they fished, napped, bet on chicken races or... something.

The problem was that as Delta came more competent at her menu ability the more things that she found she wanted to mess around with on the first floor that required DP.

Delta felt the familiar annoyance at time and resource management. Delta loved it but she was impatient. Back in the good ole days, she would cheat in money just so she could build. Then when trophies became a thing and achievements that dictated she needed to play fair...

Delta knuckled down and got to work. Another floor, even with the bare bones, offered more space for people to explore, more things for people to spend time on. Sure, she didn't get DP from people just wandering about but if they dropped items or if they made tributes on top of her goblins collecting things then she would have ample time to collect things and build her DP.

What she needed now was... well, the one thing she was dreading. Adventurers.

Delta could be the innocent pure dungeon all she wanted but without some form of traffic, Delta was stuck eating mushrooms and rocks.

Until she got more Mana, she decided not to buy the traps for her 'Fort Room'. Instead, Delta wanted to get something done to cement her opinion on this whole 'Dungeon is a murder house' thing.

So she moved to her entrance and stared at the two bare walls that only had torches flickering on them.

"Menu, I want to make a signpost and put it on the wall," Delta requested and the menu appeared.

Shoddy Signpost added to the menu! 2 mana for 10 words.

Delta felt like that was a bargain and purchased two. One for each one.

Would you like to add text to the signposts?

Delta smiled and hit yes. She only needed 10 or so.

---

For a time to come, all those who would enter the Durence Dungeon of Mushrooms and Pacifism would encounter these two signs. The quality and material would change over time but the words mostly remained the same.

To one's left the board read as followed.

"Those who enter, please say 'Forfeit' to leave dungeon alive."

This was perhaps the most controversial thing a dungeon had ever allowed. A death was a gift to the dungeon. For one to allow such sweet power to slip away, their soul must truly be pure or hiding a dark dangerous agenda. People would discuss matter this for years.

The second board was shorter and below it had a simple box.

"Please leave donations, so I may grow and become helpful!"

This was the dungeon's answer to sparing life. To enter this dungeon, one may part with the fluff in one's pockets or the holy object of destiny. All was welcome. Those who stole from this box would be remembered. Often hunted down by the unofficial guardian.

Maybe the most famous thing about these signboards was despite how often one scoffed at them, the earnest tone never faded.

But first... before any of that became important. There was spiders.

There was lots of spiders.