Tiny Dungeon

POV Mouse Guard

Within the turf war happening outside the third floor, a lone mouse stood his ground panting, facing off against three opponents.

The three insects were covered in injuries but rushed once more in mindless fury. Flexing his mighty tail the Mouse Guard sent it cracking like a whip and the force of it was enough to separate one of the left insect’s legs from its body. At the same time, he brought his right paw down to thrust his enchanted needle through the head of the lead insect who had lunged forward thinking the Mouse Guard was distracted.

With a ruthless wrench, the mouse ripped his needle out and leaped to the right allowing the last insect to fly by, digging its wickedly barbed forelimbs into the dirt where he had been. As he landed his tail lashed out flipping the insect over onto its back where it struggled, its wings buzzing futilely. He then turned and attacked the insect he had taken a leg from, jabbing his needle into one of its eyes as it tried to get out of the way.

With a brutal charge, the mouse lifted his enemy with his tail and left paw, using his right to stab repeatedly into the joints of the insect’s carapace. It chirped weakly in his grasp before slumping to the ground to move no more.

Turning to his final opponent the mouse didn’t walk so much as stalk over to the insect on its back where it lay flailing its many legs and buzzing its wings, trying to flip over. Arriving, the mouse stood over his fallen foe with a look almost like contempt.

The insect in turn looked up from its helpless position at prey that somehow had become the hunter. It couldn't fathom that the ambush would fail and that this rodent would be so monstrous.

The Mouse Guard only thought of how the Aether would feel when the final opponent fell. As the insect tried one last wild strike, the mouse moved and with a final lunge of his needle, the fight was over. The mouse sat back on his hind legs to relax as the after-battle glow of Aether entered his body, hearing a commotion as the younger mice came out from where they had hidden to watch the fight.

The Aether didn’t diminish the pain of his wounded flank where the first insect had landed its surprise blow. The confrontation had been quick and brutal but the Mouse Guard would have it no other way. Once the insects had entered the open to face him directly they had sealed their fate.

Then the younger mice swarmed him, interrupting his post-battle thoughts, squeaking questions, and awed comments about how he had fought. The firstborn of them who seemed less childish than the others took his needle and cleaned it using some moss. The Mouse Guard patiently let them swarm, squeaking back answers to their questions in his gruff way and directing their praise back to the Master.

It was he who let the Mouse fight so well because of the excess Aether available and the title that let one as small as the mouse grow fearsome. He slowly rose, towering over his lesser brethren as he directed them to gather up the corpses. Their procession gradually made their way back to the first floor.

It didn’t take them long to do so as close as they were and soon they were back in front of the Master. Laying down the offerings before the pedestal the Mouse Guard led his brethren in kneeling before the Core as had become a ritual for him to do. He cast his mind out seeking the connection that bound him to his Master and notified him he had returned.

POV Valterra Unok’Davaas

Valterra hummed with pleasure as he consumed the gifts laid out before his pedestal. He had been about to summon his newest creature when he felt Aether enter him, soon followed by his Mouse Guard’s notification.

He had not told his Guard to go fight in the turf war but understood that his creatures wanted to get stronger. There was no better way to do that than fight and the only creatures worth fighting were the ones out in the new territory, especially the ones strong enough to stake a claim.

When the Core shifted his perspective to his pedestal he saw each mouse arrayed in a semi-circle around it kneeling. He had not commanded that particular action but he couldn’t deny its appeal. As he began absorbing the bodies he sent a grateful wave of Aether at the mice and watched as they seemed to bow further.

As the new Schema began to settle in his mind Valterra wondered why the “House Mouse” Schema had not disappeared when his guardian had evolved. Perhaps because it was technically not a new species but simply an evolved version of the same creature? He figured that was probably it. The mice seemed rather smart for such small creatures.

It most likely had something to do with the Aether content Valterra realized.

He shifted quickly to the turf war and flitted across it like a ghost observing the creatures. No fresh kills sadly but he did notice that the creatures settling within his borders seemed to behave more intelligently with prolonged contact with his Aether. He noticed several creatures even teaming up with others of their kind to protect territory, something they hadn’t been doing when he had first observed the turf war.

His wandering thoughts were interrupted by his new Schema, which settled into his Core with a pleasant weight.

New Schema Acquired!

Hunting Pack-Mantis (Common)

A common enough sight in the wilds, these relatively large hunting bugs choose to hunt in packs to catch their prey using their long, wickedly barbed, raptorial forelimbs to capture their victims and hold them still as they bring their sharp mandibles to bear. Their eyesight is particularly clear and sharp for a bug allowing them to identify prey easily. They are capable of extended periods of stillness allowing their prey to get close before rushing it in groups of three or four. With wings on their back, they are formidable opponents being able to chase prey in the air and on land.

As the first Dungeon to use such a creature as a Dungeon Monster, you will be able to freely create and modify its Evolutionary Paths.

Warning! May have unforeseen consequences.

‘Yes,’ Valterra thought ‘This will do nicely.’ He sent a feeling of gratitude through the bond he shared with the Mouse Guard and then drifted back to the unfinished fourth floor. He would come up with a suitable use for the new Schema later.

Arriving back on the fourth the Core realized he still had a slight problem but not one that he couldn’t fix. His new Deeplight Belcher was an omnivore but currently, the only source of meat for them was either cannibalism or the Tidal Whales and he wasn’t sure they would be able to take out one of the Apex predators. So he turned to a Schema that he hadn’t yet used or found a need for.

His Schema for Grass wasn’t much to look at, to be honest, and he hadn’t even glanced at it after he had gained sentience. But now he wondered if he could make use of it after all. It would just require a little tweaking. At this point, the water had risen to about seven feet or so in the top room of the basement and Valterra figured that the rest of the basement must be well and truly flooded by now which was all to the good.

He shut off the weather pattern producing water and instead shifted to earth, producing a rich loam beneath the surface of the water. This took far less time than the water as Valterra could already feel the compact stone of the basement since it was part of his body. Combining those senses with his new magic powers he simply summoned it right on top of the rock letting it settle into place as the water acclimated to the new mineral content.

Now for the final touch. Valterra dove into the Schema for grass and changed a few features. Rather than make a whole new species he simply increased its need for water while removing the need for sunlight and replacing it with Aether. This would have the added effect of causing the plants to light up as they metabolized the Aether content of the water. They would grow along the floor providing shelter for the Deeplight Belchers and acting as a food source for them.

His hope, in only changing it a little bit, was to prevent the loss of the Schema. His mice had shown him that it could be done as long as he didn’t change too much at once causing it to be recognized as a whole new species. As he locked in the changes he breathed a mental sigh of relief as a line branched from the original Schema to form a new one, connected yet distinct.

Instead of feeling the divine presence from last time, he felt the divinity in his Name activate, working to fix hidden errors in his new Dungeon Environment.

New Evolutionary path synthesized from an existing Schema! The Schema “Grass” may now be automatically evolved into the following Schema:

Deeplight Aether-Grass (Variant - Uncommon)

A variant evolution of its mundane form, this grass has been genetically modified to feed off of Aether which causes it to glow various colors. Rich in nutrients and Aether, this plant has become an excellent food source, acting to bolster the consumer’s Aether conduits by a tiny amount. Due to their Aether content and needs these grasses to grow much taller than normal to better sift Aether from the water.

Oh yes, Valterra was pleased. He immediately moved to seed his new underwater room with a carpet of his new grass, using a little Aether to get them to grow faster. Then he waited an hour until his Aether reserves began to threaten to overflow once more.

‘I really am a big Dungeon now.’ Valterra thought as he unleashed his Aether, both to increase his grass's growth once more and to finally summon his new creations.

He started with the Deeplight Belcher’s, summoning ten pairs of breeding adults and he commanded them to begin procreating immediately. They were beautiful creatures and they moved just how he had imagined they would, with undulating movements of their leg paddles. They also seemed to like the grass, nipping a few stalks to eat them.

After letting them settle and begin making nests in the grass Valterra shuddered with excitement. It was time.

Summoning the image of the Tidal Whale to mind he began to funnel Aether into it. He immediately felt the difference as a flood of Aether began to stream into the making of the new creature. As more and more was drawn in, Valterra began to worry he wouldn’t have enough but just as he was about to go dry, the Tidal Whale formed.

A fully adult female Tidal Whale slipped into the water and immediately the new floor changed. The Deeplight belchers shifted in primordial terror as the Whale began to explore her new domain. Lithe and powerful the whale cut through the water with an ease belying her impressive size.

Valterra stared at her in shock. If this was what a miniaturized version looked like, he could well believe the terror it would inspire in the oceans of the world. She was six feet of rippling muscle and massive jaws. As terrifying as the new Apex predator was, the effect on the floor was even more impressive.

The water now had a current.

Oh, it was a small one and not very strong but the Tidal Whale’s affinity over water was even now beginning to show itself. Oh yes, Valterra was very pleased and his satisfaction grew as a chime rumbled its way across his Core. He would check and see which threshold he had met this time later but for now, he settled in to watch his new creation.

End of Chapter Notifications:

Floor 4 Created!

The Core has created its 4th floor with an active and diverse ecosystem that combines prey, predator, and environment with Aether.

Progress to Core Evolution:

45%