^^ Infant Kraken ^^
"50,000 Gold for a simple stretch of Water? Really?" I sighed at the Guild Representative who was showing me the Territory that was available out in the Ocean that was of the Level Bracket for Level 40-45 Gates.
"Yep. Fifty square miles of Ocean Property, 50,000 Gold, it's actually a great deal!" He nodded enthusiastically.
I rubbed my face for a moment, debating it, and then nodded. "Alright, yeah, do it... it'll also be a Vender Location, so I'll need a Representative of the Guild to make it a Legitimate Business, right?"
"We would appreciate it, though technically if you simply claimed it as a Satellite Location to your Potion Shop, like your Ship, there would be no problems; however, if there are any changes to Topography, do let us know so we can Map it Properly." He handed me a small bronze placard with the location of my territory emblazoned on it, as well as my signature and the Guild's Stamp of Approval, then grinned happily at the commission he'd likely just received.
"Alright... I'll do that, then." I nodded and stepped out of the building to return to Hellen. "All done here, and here's where we're going; we could fly or Teleport, your choice?"
"I actually vote for Flying; if this place is going to be my Inspiration for a Nautical Piece, I want to see the approach to get several different angles and differences." She nodded happily and opened her wings, taking off instantly.
I chuckled at her enthusiasm and summoned my wings as well, flying after her and gently correcting her direction so she wasn't flying the wrong direction. Still, it was a twenty-minute flight, so I spent the time designing the basic topography, an archipelago of small jungle islands filled with various wildlife that I had to pay for per creature, but with the Breeding Skill I only had to buy two of each and they'd manage fine on their own.
The decision to move my Dungeon out of the Titans and into the Water was a risky one, considering not only players but even other Monsters could attack my Dungeon, but I thought the Rewards and Risks matched up rather well! First: the Increased Space!!! I would have needed to buy a ridiculous 1,000,000$ worth of water just to match it, and besides the fact that no Outside Ships could be brought in, -which would mean my Ship-Graveyard would never actually come to pass,- there was also the obvious truth that my Customers weren't exactly incentivized to Trade when they were inside of a Dungeon. Next: the space that used to be Ocean inside my Dungeon could now be changed to Stone, increasing the volume available to my Labyrinth exponentially! The Slimes and Dungeon Architect were already working together to expand my Labyrinth outward, while the Artificers were creating Traps.
"Is that it, up ahead?" Hellen called over to me, pointing at a small cluster of islands that had just rounded the Horizon.
"That's the one!" I confirmed, gaining altitude to get a better view of it from above while she stayed low to the water for the view people would have from a Ship.
The end of the Archipelago closest to the Titan was where the Docks from my Dungeon were moved, as well as a small series of thatched buildings and Nassau-esque design, and a trio of Dry-Docks for Repairs, just begging to be attacked as retribution for what I'd done to the Docks of the City, but the Ships from my dungeon, (transported out in pieces and set to be reassembled at the Docks,) were patrolling around that end of the Archipelago with Respectable Attire and Flags to mark themselves as Privateers, not Pirates. Anyone who screwed with the Docks, the Ships, or the Market, would get smashed to pieces; either by my Privateers, or on the many reefs I'd had built around the archipelago: only my Ships had the Sonar necessary to detect them, though with Crystal-Clear water they could possibly be avoided if you were a good enough sailor.
The rest of the Archipelago, however, was soon to be teeming with various groups of Pirates of my own creation, as part of the Danger of traveling there; the Rewards were the Shipwrecks, which were still the sites of small Fortunes of Gold, sitting there in perfectly, invitingly clear water, only about 50ft below the surface. Of course, there were also dangers in the water, from the standard Shark, Electric Eel, Giant Squid, (which I planned on experimenting with as well,) and so much more.
While Hellen went off to explore, I landed on the deck of my Ship, which had followed us here at a distance so as to not interfere with Hellen's View. "Alright!!! Begin rebuilding the Ships at the Docks, and transport the Shipwrecks to the middle of the Archipelago; no less than 500 meters between each one, alright?" I clapped my hands sharply, and the Warforged sprang into action while I retreated into my Lab.
Transfer Dungeon to Level 45-50 Area? Cost of 2000 Gold Pieces, Confirm?
Warning: Dungeon is Below the Recommended Level for this Area; Proceed?
"Confirm, and upgrade the Dungeon to Level 45, thank you very much!" I nodded as the Gate appeared, a spooky looking mineshaft on the smallest island in the Archipelago, a perfectly-shaped Skull Island with lakes for eyes because I was a nerd. (The Gate was in the Nose, because I thought it would be amusing.)
Upgrade Dungeon to Level 45? Cost of 159,000 Gold!
"That's... significantly lower than what I imagined? What gives?" I frowned, looking at the Cost Receipt.
Recent Update has Balanced Costs of Dungeon Ownership; Monster Costs are Per Level Raised, not Overall Level.
"Huh... alright. Confirm 159K."
Confirmed.
Dungeon Inactive!
Three Mini-Bosses missing; 30 Days to Repair! (30/30)
"Make the Fallen Titan a Mini-Boss... and... one of the Labyrinthian's, as well, in the Factory; a Labyrinthian Foreman, perhaps?" I hummed, selecting the requisite Creatures and replacing the entrance to the Dragon Floor with a hall going to the Cavern with all the Undead Demons, hiding the Entrance to the Dragon Floor under the Throne. After a few minutes, I'd managed to re-work the interiors of the dungeon so that the way to enter into Lolth's Lair, and this exit the Dungeon, went through the Matriarch's Chamber; there were now four ways in or out, the trap pipe in the ceiling, the Throne Path, the Dungeon Architect Path, and the Water Path, which was now the Exit that led up towards Lolth's Lair and the Well.
Confirmed. 1 Mini-Boss Required to Reactivate!
"Alright, let's deal with these Dracolich's..." I went down to the Matriarch's Lair, using Shadow-Stride to bypass the Walls and fly directly there.
All of the Dragons on the Floor were present, apparently, for the 'Rebirth' of the Dragon which gave the Dungeon it's Name; the Matriarch was pacing beside the Skeleton of her 'Mate', which had been dug out of the Gold and placed to one side with the Phylactery set next to it, all surrounded by black and red candles, like some sort of demonic ritual. "Ah, Mistress! You've Arrived!!! Do you require anything to make the Ritual a Success?" She immediately noticed me, even through my Invisibility, to my shock.
'How can she See me?' I questioned the Dungeon Creator, frowning.
You have made her an NPC Quest-Giver, (via the Riddle,) and NPC's are Immune to Stealth.
I undid my Stealth with a sigh, and knelt next to the Phylactery and the Skeleton. "No, I don't require anything, except silence and concentration for a moment." I moved the Fey Phylactery into the Ribcage of the Skeletal Dragon-Lord, selected his marker on my List, and mixed the Fey Dracolich Lord with three Light Spirits. About ten seconds later, the Fey Phylactery shivered as Radiant Golden Light spilled out of it like golden blood from a stone, creating a thick, metallic liquid that coated the bones, swelling in size and layering over itself like a tapestry until the light took the form of ligaments, muscles, skin, and scales; the Dragon Lord, now returned to the size he'd had before death, but with a new unearthly Aura around him, shook himself and got his feet under himself slowly, blinking his eyes until the glowing golden sclera focused on the dragons surrounding him.
Creature Created: Revered Dragon Lord, Level 45!
"Hmm... it would seem my Lair is invaded by... Many, many Lesser Dragons..." he spoke slowly, as if confused, shaking his head to clear it and standing fully upright, before flaring his broad golden wings and unleashing a terrifying roar at the surrounding dragons, so loud that it shook the stone around us, (and probably the rest of the dungeon too, if my busted eardrums and the total 50 Damage I took were any indication.) "Begone, Scrillings!!! You will not Partake of my Mate's Hoard while my Soul is yet bound to this Plane by the Order of my Creator!!!" His voice shook its way into my mind, but I felt like I could heard him just through the shaking of my teeth
They scattered in a panic, hiding behind the Matriarch, who promptly whacked his head saucily and then tackled him into a wrestling match for the ages.
"Make the Matriarch the Boss of the Dungeon, the Revered Dragon Lord the Hidden Boss, and make Lolth the Level 45 Mini-Boss, then activate the Dungeon." I commented dryly, moving out of the way of their wrestling match while they got re-acquainted. "Enjoy yourselves, Darlings! Remember to make more Eggs as soon as possible!!!"
Due to the Extreme Challenge Rating of your Dungeon, the GM's Guidelines have Titled your Dungeon 'Elite', the least of which require Raid Parties of 50 or more Level 45 Players to Clear!!! This Increased Status provides you with 100 XP per Level of Deceased Adventurers, but also gives a x2 to any XP Gains for any Invading Adventurers, increasing the Interest in your Dungeon.
The Challenge Rating of your Dungeon is now 4th in the Lower Realms, raising your Dungeon's Title to 'Epic', the least of which require Raid Parties of 75 or more Level 45 Players to Clear!!! This Increased Status provides you with 250 XP per Level of Deceased Adventurers, but also gives a x3 to any XP Gains for Invading Adventurers of Level 50 or Below, increasing the Interest in your Dungeon.
I whistled softly, impressed the level of recognition the Dungeon would soon receive; I needed to get the Stalls and things up and Running immediately!!! "...Oooooor... I could make more Dracolich's?" I moved to the Demon Chamber and began going to each and every Cave that lined the walls of the Cavern, where one of the Incomplete Dracolich's sat in each, and sat next to one of them, creating a Phylactery and placing a trio of Dark Spirits into it, creating a Cursed Phylactery and embedding it within, then Animating the Dracolich Lord.
Creature Created: Dracolich Lord, Level 45!
"Alrighty... next!"
—
I had had a total of 32 Dragon Skeletons, including the ones from the Event, but I held on to the ones from the Event for now, given that they were Level 50, and I had something else I wanted to do with them, so I ended up with 12 Dracolich Lords, surrounding the Throne where the Fallen Titan sat imperiously and regularly bathing the room in Necrotic Cursed Flames which did no damage to the Skeletons within, as well as summoning twenty Level 20 Dracolich's (each) to fight for them when challenged.
The Challenge Rating of your Dungeon is now Unrivaled in the Lower Realms, raising your Dungeon's Title to 'Legendary', which requires Raid Parties of 50 or more Level 50 Players to Clear!!! This Increased Status provides you with 500XP per Level of Fallen Adventurers, but also gives a x5 to any XP Gains for Invading Adventurers of Level 55 or Below, increasing the Interest in your Dungeon.
"Sweeeeet!" I laughed evilly, settling the Sun Key in place on the Armored Dragon-Ship I was building out of an Event Dracolich, one of the 20 Level 50 Dracolich Lords that I'd gathered.
Servant Created: Dragon-Ship, Level 45!
Dragon-Ship: Created by the Disciple of Daedalus, Samantha Bordeaux, this Sky-Ship is powered by a mixture of Dark Elemental Crystals and Light Elemental Crystals, using the Skeleton of a Dracolich Lord (with Pure Mithril to fill in the gaps and plate the interior, where the seating and Cannons are located,) as the Hull of the Ship, the Scales of a Dragon-Lord as Armor, the Hide of a Dragon-Lord as Wings, and the Proprietary Flight Technology of its Creator for accelerated Flight.
—
The Dragon-Ship's breath weapon is a beam of Cursed Lightning, capable of reaching targets at a distance of 500ft away, dealing Trap Damage + Curse Damage and imparting the 'Ancient Curses' effect. Any Creature Slain by the Ship's Breath Weapon or Slain after being wounded by any of the Ship's Weapons will be Risen as Servants of the Creator, Instantly being Summoned into the Dungeon to join their Brethren.
(See Ancient Curses for More Information.)
—
The Dragon-Ship's Wings gather and disrupt Light, cloaking the Ship in Shadows and gaining all of the benefits of the 'Shadow-Stride' Skill except for Incorporeality.
(+20 to Stealth, x2 Sneak Attack, Invisibility.)
(This Servant will Level Up with the Creator until Level 50.)
"Very nice... Tangent, I've made you a present!!! You wanted something that could handle the rigors of a Dungeon, yes?" I sent him the Description and Stats for the Dragon-Ship, which could seat 20 people comfortably in its newly-covered abdominal cavity, even with the 20 Cannons on either side, currently manned by Automatons, taking up about half of the Space within.
'... is this actually an Animated Dragon? As a Ship?' -Auld-Lang-Syne.
"It most certainly is, Guild-Master Tangent! It's Offensive Capabilities have suffered somewhat with the increased Defensive Capabilities, but it will serve you well, as the 40 Level 45 Lightning-Cannons will deal a great amount of damage, and there's ports for the Mages and Archers to fire off their attacks from the sides, while gaining access to the Stealth Capabilities and Sneak Attack Damage Boost it grants to anyone within it!" I smiled happily, and sent the Dragon-Ship stalking out of the Dry-Dock I was working in to perch on the Roof.
'Sigh... Well, it seems quite impressive, so I don't really have a reason to complain. It also looks very dapper, with the Silver-Blue Mithril covering every inch of it like a High-Fantasy Dragon Automaton... I'll have your Commission sent over immediately; how should I have their 'Crews' receive them?' -Auld-Lang-Syne.
"I'm thinking of having them be available to Rent, like Company-Chartered Party Busses, and Roosting here in the Port Town I'm making around my Dungeon... our Guild will get to use them at a steep discount, maybe 500 Gold per Hour and 1/10th of their Loot, and of course they'll receive first pick over any other requests... as for their Crews, they'll just come here to the Dock-Master's Office, request a Ship, and according to what Type of Dungeon they're going into, they'll either be given a Key or told to wait for an available Unit. It's only been a day, though, since I started working on this, so give me a bit to build up my repertoire before you flood me with Players, yeah?" I sighed, beginning to create another Dragon-Ship while I talked, starting with the Skeleton and the strips of Pure Mithril covering the ribs.
'I see... well, that is what we agreed upon, more or less, so I don't mind. Perhaps I could Haggle you down to 500 Gold a Day?' -Auld-Lang-Syne.
"Are you willing to either pay the difference or have every guild pay that rate? Lowest I'll go is 5000 Gold a Day, (~250 Gold an Hour,) and 10% of the Loot gathered by any Party using my Ships." I responded, setting my blowtorch against a contact point and lowering my mask over my face, carefully welding the metal together with the advanced-strength solder which I'd bought from the Marketplace instead of making myself, in order to ensure its efficacy.
'Is that a final Offer? Because I can take that deal, actually, it seems very fair.' -Auld-Lang-Syne.
"Sure, done deal. Put it in writing, send me a virtual contract, I'll sign it within the hour." I waved a hand dismissively and sent him the Contract for confirmation, continuing to Weld the Armor to the Ribs of the Skeleton.
—
Fourteen separate Lakes, Bogs, Swamps, Fens, and Rivers were spread around the newly Non-Oceanic Dungeon lots, and in those I continued my pursuit of a proper Kraken. (Amongst other things, for the various Environments.)
The Giant Squid I had bought from the Marketplace was not technically a 'Monster', but my 'Unholy Splice' skill was not limited to Monsters, so mixing it with the Elemental Biter, (which was already an Octopus-like creature,) a Water-Dragon, and the Fallen Titan was my first Attempt; the Result was a legitimately MASSIVE creature, nearly 60ft Tall at the waist, where the body transitioned from a water-dragon to a many-tentacled monstrosity, as each tentacle was several hundred feet long, ending in sharp barbs that were full of a Blue-Whale's lethal dose of venom, and an Armored Dragon-Hide covering the entire body, even the Tentacles.
Legendary Creature Created: Infant Kraken, (Runt) Level 45!
"Wait... this is a Runt?" I laughed incredulously, and created a second one, sending them off to eventually breed, once their Level was high enough for them to be Mature Krakens. For now, they'd be sinking Ships around the Ocean and dragging them back here, where I would fill them with treasure for the Treasure Seekers to foolishly challenge the Pirates to get a chance at. "Sh!t! I forgot the Pirates!!!" I groaned, and began drawing up plans for Pirates and their crappy little Gunpowder Cannons, which would break irrevocably if anyone other than an Alchemist tried to fire them.