The Dungeon Inn - English

B1C10 - Brunos request

I was worried that Bruno's weapon would break apart, due to the rough manufacturing. So I sent him to get a new tree trunk with the hand axe. He quickly came back with one. Together we again made the end, he would be holding, less dangerous and again used sharp stones, to make the other more dangerous. However, he also brought a bone with him.

"Master, with respect. I'm glad, that I'm no longer the only one, who's supposed to defend you and that I have a better club. But that doesn't change the fact, that you have to get stronger yourself."

He handed me the bone and pointed to my makeshift stone spear. I agreed with him, that I relied too much on my companions and overlooked the need to increase my own strength. Together we sharpened the bone and I used it, to replace the spear. That was the end of the matter. I thought so, but Bruno had other plans.

"That was just the beginning. I would like to ask you, to train with me daily. Having a good weapon is one thing, but being able to use it, is another."

As strong as Bruno may be, if the wolves attacked again, he might not be able to stop them all and one might get through. Then I would have my spear and be able to defend myself. But what if they are people. A wolf will use fewer tactics than a human. I reluctantly allowed him his request. I had already gotten used to the lazy life, where the hard work was done by Bruno. He didn't seem to be considerate as usual. My safety was his top priority. I wanted to use the snakeskin, we had left over, as armor for him, but he insisted, that I should use it for myself.

The days passed and later Sarah joined us for training. The cold storage no longer required as much mana, so she wanted to train in her defensive role. I was hoping that we could prevent the enemies from breaching with an ice wall, but she immediately informed me, that it would cost too much mana, both to build and maintain it. However, she could create small ice cubes in the air, to intercept or at least weaken projectiles. Of course it would be better, if she threw them, because depending on the strength of the projectile, it would only slow down or throw the ice block in our direction. But if she had to react quickly, it was too slow. She uses throwing ice cubes more as an attack. She was free to choose the form. When training with me, she used easily breakable ice cubes, so that I could practice fighting small flying monsters. For real opponents, she would make the cubes more solid and also use icicles if necessary. So I knew their fighting skills. Ice cubes in the air to intercept projectiles. Throwing ice cubes and icicles as an attack. And when the opponent was close enough, she would grab them with her hands and freeze them. Both close and long range combat were covered, making her an ideal protector. While Bruno stopped the opponent in close combat at the front, she was able to support him from behind with her magic. The only downside was, that her actions depended on her mana. So she had to make sure, she always had something left over in case of an emergency. Sarah also used the training, to improve her mana consumption and quantity. She said it was like Bruno's endurance, the more he trained, the better it would get. I considered training in magic too, but it quickly became clear, that I couldn't function without the crystal. The crystal also made me understand, that only it held the mana and I would merely use it. So I could improve the consumption, but not the quantity. The consumption also depended on what I was doing. So better consumption when summoning would not automatically mean an improvement in dungeon expansion.

When we weren't training, Bruno and Karl stocked up our supplies. Thanks to Sarah, we were now able to store more without worrying that it would go bad. I, on the other hand, used the time to plan the labyrinth so that I can act accordingly for the next expansion. The idea was that I could move in a circle, gaining enough time for my companions to eliminate the danger or for the enemy to simply give up and retreat. However, certain dangers had to be avoided. If it were just a simple circle, the opponent could split up. One part would push me forward while the other would ambush me. So it couldn't be a simple circle, but rather several intertwined ones in order to prevent the danger of being surrounded. At the same time, however, it should not be easy for the enemy, to simply walk through the entire labyrinth without knowing the structure. In other words, there couldn't be just one path where you just follow one side the whole time and thus solve the entire labyrinth. The intertwining circles should already partially eliminate this, but if I'm careful I can make it even more difficult. If I go over multiple layers, drawing a map should make it more difficult. But I shouldn't just go up and down one level, but preferably in different numbers, so that the opponents lose their orientation as to which height they are currently at. If the levels are slightly tilted, I could increase this even more and it could drain more of their stamina. This should give me the rough structure.

The next thing is supply, I have to set up points, where I can get supplies. Although I can survive without food, my companions cannot. If I only have one supply point, I run the risk of the enemy splitting up, one hunting and the other denying me access to supplies. This will make maintenance more complicated. Maybe I should resort to the mana method and let the dungeon absorb part of our supplies. Theoretically, I don't even have to do this preventatively, since the dungeon can do this, even if the enemy is guarding it. Although it probably only works once, if they notice it and then destroy the rest. So it's better to put some of it aside.

The last thing I should plan for is traps. Not that I won't have enough space later, for example for a long tunnel with a nice stone rolling down. I could also consider using the collapse of a passage, to change the path.

So there was a lot to plan, but I also had enough time, because the necessary mana didn't accumulate that quickly. The next push for this should come soon.