Terse Elements

_ Higher Life Intruder Group Detected. Select Automated Response:

Attack

Claim (Unlikely)

Dominate (Unlikely)

Ignore

_

_ Random Selection: “Claim” selected. Claim Failed _

_ Random Selection: “Ignore” selected _

_ Additional Intruders Detected. Select Automated Response:

Absorb

Banish

Mutate

Claim

Dominate

Ignore

_

_ Random Selection ‘Claim’ selected _

_ Claim Attempt Partially Successful _

_ Random Selection: Ignore _

A small group of wild boars entered the dungeon. They were ignored by the dungeon, but some of their lice were claimed. As the lice began to grow with absorbed mana, the boars rooted around in the leaves and chomped down with relish on beetles, millipedes, grubs, and occasionally a salamander. The lice grew slowly, so the boars did not realize they were there. One of the smaller boars reached up to bite a fruit off the vine. The other boars smelled the fruit and reached up to eat some of the plentiful berries for themselves. After a few more minutes of feasting, the first boar to eat a poison fruit began to cough up bloody foam. It quickly died. The remainder of the boars were spooked and started to run toward the exit, but they crashed to the ground and began coughing up more bloody foam. They struggled for a while, and one got back to its feet and staggered around in a daze. Then the Lice were big enough to drain the boars dry, and they all died.

_ Successfully Defeated Intruder Group. Experience Awarded _

_ Core Level Increased to 3. Mana Storage Increased 5%. Mana Generation increased 5%. Durability Increased 10% _

_ Core Level Sufficient to Spawn Low Cost Claimed Creatures. New Spawns Available:

Lesser Millipede (Mutation Option: Water Alignment (spray))

Lesser Beetle (Mutation Option: Water Alignment (spray))

Lesser Frog (Mutation Option: Water Alignment (spray))

Lesser Salamander (Mutation Option: Water Alignment (spray), Acid Alignment)

Lesser Spider (Mutation Option: Water Alignment (spray))

_

_ Select Dungeon Reward:

New Material

Unlock Spawn

Unlock Treasure

Entrance Feature

_

_ Random Selection: “Entrance Feature” Selected. Select From Available Features:

Doorway

Threshold

_ Random Selection: “Doorway” Selected. Select Material _

_ Only One Material Available. “Vines” Selected _

Inside the dungeon, nothing changed. In the forest outside, a doorway of twisting vines grew out of the ground. The doorway completely surrounded the wobbly patch of air and looked like a proper magical portal.

Only a short time later, A human man tracked the boar family to the vine doorway. He was dressed in simple, durable clothing made from woolen rectangles that wrapped and tied around his shoulders and waist. He carried a sturdy wooden spear and a sort of rough wooden shield. An empty bag had been tied to the human’s back. After checking around the doorway a few times and poking the vines, the human entered the dungeon doorway.

_ Higher Life Intruder Detected. Select Automated Response:

Attack

Claim (Unlikely)

Dominate (Unlikely)

Ignore

_

_ Random Selection: “Dominate” selected. Domination Failed _

_ Random Selection: “Dominate” selected. Domination Failed _

_ Random Selection: “Ignore” selected _

The human was able to faintly detect the domination attempts as an uneasy feeling, but he quickly shook it off. He almost immediately saw the remains of the boars he had been tracking. Beetles, grubs, and one jellyfish were nearly done stripping the bones. The human’s eyes widened in shock, and he swore.

“Scales! A rotting dungeon? By that vine doorway I thought this would be the queen of the elves!”

The human stares all around the dungeon for several minutes. His eyes tracked a blue millipede or a floating jellyfish for a few moments apiece before jumping to look at another specimen. A couple lice picked up the feel of the human’s body heat and crawled towards him, but the human was aware enough of his immediate surroundings to jab at each louse with his spear before it reached him. The human studied the vine fruit closest to the entrance for a moment before recognizing them as a common poison berry. The human muttered about “goblin berries” as he stepped back out of the dungeon.

A few hours later, the human came back. With him was another human: similarly dressed but with a club instead of a spear. The two humans had brought multiple woven reed baskets tied together in a bundle. The first one spoke and swept an arm.

“As I said, Chaney, enough critters to hire ten wizards. Look!”

_ Higher Life Intruder Group Detected. Select Automated Response:

Attack

Claim (Unlikely)

Dominate (Unlikely)

Ignore

_

_ Random Selection: “Claim” selected. Domination Failed _

_ Random Selection: “Dominate” selected. Domination Failed _

_ Random Selection: “Ignore” selected _

The second human (Chaney) replied, “You’re out of mana, Oz. What is this?” Chaney looked around, confused and nervous. He had felt the claim and domination attempts and continued to feel like something was breathing on his neck. “It’s a dungeon! Did you tell the hill lord?”

“No, you’re out of mana!” Oz’s face flushed red for a second before he calmed himself. “The hill lord can find his own self his own dungeon. Burn my bones if I want to take every little thing to that fae eared fake.” Oz began untying the baskets while keeping his spear ready in one hand.

“Oz” Chaney drew the name out in exasperation. “You can’t just keep a secret like this, it could be dangerous. Your cousin’s a proper adventurer and knows about dungeons. It’s what hill lords are for.” Chaney took a half step back as an extra-large blue millipede crawled out of some leaves. “What did you bring me for? It’s a right goblin’s garden in here.”

“I need someone to watch my back as I stuff these baskets. Maybe if we get enough, I can take it up the hill and get the wizard to light Andy’s ass on fire” Oz dropped the basket he was trying to balance in one hand, then accidentally kicked it away when he tried to catch it with his foot. “Scales!” he swore.

Chaney’s face turned red as he took his turn being angry. “You can climb the highest peak and get eaten by a dragon if you want to get me to work against Hill Lord Andebert. You don’t understand. You’ve always had your ‘Cousin Andy’ keeping the monsters away but the rest of us haven’t!”

Oz looked ashamed for a moment, then held up his hands, still holding his spear. “Sorry, sorry! I swear by the elven queen and the System that I meant no harm. I was just excited and got carried away. I don’t know what I’ll do with all this bread and beer” He gestured around at the wealth of creatures, just waiting to be stuffed in a basket, “but I know I want to do something with it, instead of handing it all over to Hill Lord Andy.” Oz kicked at a louse that was crawling close. “Look, it’s just bugs. Little crawlers and the like. It’s not like a dungeon in a story, sending out goblin armies and such. Let’s just get what we can and, in a week or so, you can send a message up the hill saying you just found it. How about it? Help me out here and then you get the credit later.” Oz’s face showed only sincerity.

Chaney relaxed at hearing Oz’s apology. He shook his head and huffed a silent laugh as he took over untying baskets. “You watch my back; You have the greater reach with that spear anyways.” Oz nodded agreement quickly and readied his spear. Chaney took a basket in one hand and a lid in the other started shuffling quietly toward a large blue beetle. “Bread and beer.” He said wryly, “Bread and beer is what you would get with all this. Maybe you could buy enough bread that Talea would give you a smile and remember your name.” Chaney snapped the basket and lid together like jaws around the beetle.

Oz grinned, “That’s the spirit! Impressing pretty women with the might of our arms and our high levels of monster slaying!” Oz speared a louse and stomped on a spider. The two friends chatted and joked while they caught millipedes and beetles. With the last basket, Chaney tried to catch a floating jellyfish, but one of the jellyfish tentacles fell outside the basket and touched Chaney’s hand.

“Teeth!” Chaney’s face paled as he swore. “Teeth! Scales and teeth!” He dropped the basket and grabbed at his hand, which was swelling quickly. “Aaah, it burns like dragonfire!” Oz bashed the jellyfish to the ground and speared right through it. He whirled to his friend and grabbed his shoulders. “Chaney! Are you poisoned? How much damage did it do?” Oz began pulling Chaney toward the bundle of full baskets, leaving his spear buried in the dying jellyfish. “Not much damage. Just hurts” Chaney said between clenched teeth.

Oz let out a quick sigh of relief. He was about to say more when a louse bit him on the ankle. “Ow! Rotting bugs! Let’s get out of here.” Oz smashed the louse with a fist, grabbed his friend and the baskets, and left the dungeon.