assistirfilmes Chapter 93: Dungeon Master
Chapter 93: Dungeon Master
Chapter 93: Dungeon Master
Zarian walked to the center of the Ride-or-Die Fort, where a market place had once existed for the local humans before the kobolds attacked. Now all the broken vendor stalls were gone.
The soldiers had carried away the dead remains and debris while acolytes helped with mopping up, so it was a more sanitary and neat place, just about perfect for placing down a dungeon core.
Para formed a scoop to dig up a deep enough hole before Zarian placed the core down. Then Para pushed the loose dirt and stone fragments over the core and covered it.
Looking up, Zarian saw nightfall had arrived.
Stony the giant was still busy digging up ditches further out around the fort. Hannah was zooming, working nonstop, as she built fortified walls based on plans she’d drafted and shared with Zarian. Watching her go was like watching a game of Minecraft from an outsider’s perspective.
Turning around, Zarian heard Naomi shouting for the soldiers and acolytes to set up lights. She called out to Loner and the skeletons to stay extra vigilant in case of dangerous beasts coming in to scavenge from the dead or the living.
The remains of the villagers weren’t much good for any uncontrolled necromancy, so it was safe for the soldiers to bury them deep into the ground further south.
As soldiers and acolytes put up torches to push away the encroaching dark under a cloudy night, Zarian felt a rumble under his boots. He backed away a few steps as stone and dirt sank down into a slope before forming a staircase.
The staircase widened and sank further into the earth before reaching a smooth stone floor. Reality shifted. A burst of aura blew out from the dungeon entrance. Two fluted columns formed, flanking the main doorway, before everything became still.
A few nearby soldiers and acolytes stopped what they were doing to gawk at the magical event. None of them had seen a dungeon before. None of them knew dungeons could move around and get planted wherever.
The soldiers and acolytes were further shocked when a public notification appeared in gold for Zarian and everyone else to see.
Without having to ask, the Star System listed what each option meant. Zarian appreciated the disclosure, since there were many spots in the Star System that went unexplained.
“Three. Two. One,” Zarian counted down before hearing another soft ‘ding’ inside his head. He couldn’t help but smile as the soldiers and acolytes gossiped and speculated behind him.
Zarian dumped all of his points into Mysticism. He was going to need every bit of Mysticism he could get for what he had planned, so this achievement was close to the most perfect thing as of now.
“I choose option three, please,” Zarian said.
There was a slight tremor that passed under everyone’s feet. Zarian noticed the local reality shift a little more. The surrounding aura near Zarian and possibly around the entire fort became denser, much denser. That would certainly increase aura recovery for everyone.
Another public notification appeared over everyone’s heads.
“A dungeon that’s made a part of a fort?” a soldier questioned from behind Zarian. “Can we truly rely on monsters from a dungeon? What if these so-called resources are traps?”
“Can we even rely on ourselves?” an acolyte asked. “I’m only a Level 12 Logistics Manager Assistant. I’m barely much of a fighter. I’m barely keeping up.”
“Lord Zarian says he’ll ensure all of us will survive from this and grow stronger,” another acolyte said. “We just have to put our faith into him, for he is chosen by Lovewar.”
“I’ll do all I can. But I think it’s foolish to think all of us will survive this. The Floridians will, but the rest of us better make peace with our gods,” a different soldier grumbled.
Zarian chuckled as he slowly turned toward the peanut gallery. He addressed the last soldier who had spoken.
“Are you calling me a liar?”
They all hushed up and stood straight like Naomi had taught when an authority figure addressed them. Then one soldier found his voice, even if it was a shaky and squeaky one.
“We aren’t as strong as you, milord!” the soldier squawked.
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe you’ll never be as strong as me. But that’s okay. I’m strong enough for all of us.” Zarian cackled. His Parasite Cloak fanned out into different horrifying forms that struck fear into everybody nearby. “We will have a grand siege, and nobody will die. And when you become old and gray with grandkids, you’ll tell them the story of Lord Zarian Darkrun and his impossible, Ride-or-Die promise.”
Silence had befallen the square. Zarian watched them. And the children watched him in return. He saw the quiver in their eyes, and that told him everything he needed to know.
They still doubted him.
He could tell.
But that didn’t matter much as he turned away and stepped down into the staircase. He entered the dungeon’s mouth, and he felt a deeper shift in reality through his aura, like stepping through heavy curtains on a stage to transition from one place to somewhere else far different.
He found lavish and fluffy carpeting under his boots. He looked up and saw soft illumination glowing from bluish-white sconces set high on the fluted columns. He saw a reception desk in front of rows and rows of giant bookcases holding an endless amount of books.
Spider-like creatures lurked and crawled around the bookcases, mostly out of direct vision, though they weren’t his primary interest. Zarian looked away from the empty reception desk and turned to a dining area that reminded Zarian of a proper cafe.
Then he heard a hiss followed by one of the most amazing smells Zarian could enjoy in life. He walked over to the cafe counter as a woman with six arms worked with a runic device that used ground-up beans and hot water to brew something dark and delicious.
The woman turned around and smiled with pretty lips before they parted and revealed a set of spider-like fangs. She held out a mug of the dark brew over the counter, and Zarian grasped it with both hands before taking a small sip.
Yup, this was the stuff.
“How?” Zarian asked.
Reiki waved her hands toward the library-like dungeon and its spider monster occupants. It didn’t take long for Zarian to figure out what her gesturing was saying.
The library had a book on coffee. The dungeon could replicate that as a common or uncommon item.
Before Zarian could say anything more, he noticed monstrous spiders drawing near with items in their hands.
They held crates filled with waterskins, all of them filled to capacity. They even held food items that were fresh to eat, such as meats, cheeses, and even fruits. They held a variety of supplies, ranging from blankets to quivers filled with uncommon arrows, all of which were usable for the guild.
The spiders were bigger than when Zarian had last seen them, now the size of minivans with long reaching legs. They also had insectoid arms extending from their fronts, right under their faces filled with pale eyes and monstrous spider mouths.
They held out the offered items for him to see, and with a nod, Zarian gave them his approval. The spiders went out to deliver the much needed resources to the fort.
At some point last night, Zarian had to feed Hannah extra aura to keep her going. She’d needed so much aura that the natural aura boost from the supportive dungeon wasn’t enough.
The cost was well worth the benefits, since Hannah was now Level 57, and her Cube Maker Magic skill had advanced to Cube Maker Magic +1, which reduced the cost of the skill by a drastic amount. Hannah was both a legendary Runic Engineer and a living fortress maker, which was becoming a big deal, honestly.
“I’m tired, Lord Zarian,” Stony said from his gate house. He even had a roof to keep him out of the rain, unlike everyone else. “Can I take a nap for a little while?”
“Yeah, sure, you’re not needed for now,” Zarian said.
Roland and the nearest soldiers and acolytes gawked at the Madness Wizard. None of them said a thing because there wasn’t any point in reasoning with a man they all deemed to be impossible to predict.
Instead, they listened to the rumbling snores of the Level 105 Wall Crusher Master, whose voice resounded for miles. If the kobolds hadn’t known they were here already, they would know for sure.
“Did you know we can become masters when we hit Level 100, depending on if you’re good enough?” Zarian asked Roland.
“Is that why Stony’s class has the ‘master’ included?”
“Yup. At the Level 100s is the master rank. At the Level 200s is the Champion rank. At the Level 300s is the Paragon Rank. At the Level 400s is the Heroes and Villains rank. And at the Level 500s and beyond is the god rank. From there, it’s a competition to either take the throne of the Adventurer King or become one of the fourteen major gods.”
Roland nodded along. “This is all information from Lovewar?”
“Lady Hannah told me a bunch about it. Corma is mainly for anything below Level 100 with a few who are a little above Level 100. The next world above after ascension is for Level 100 to 300. The next world after that is Level 300 and above. Can you believe that after we ascend twice, I’ll get to punch a god in the face directly?”
“Milord, that’s blasphemous!” Roland shook his head. “At this point, I’m sure the gods will know of you and have plans to obliterate you directly the moment you arrive.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they’ll have plans. But I’m going to eat some hearty meals and go on some fun quests. And I won’t be alone. So the gods can plan all they want, but I’ll be on my way up there when I’m good and ready. Hell, even if I hit Level 100, I might not ascend just yet. There’s a tournament in Carrowmore, and I’m not missing it.”
The more Zarian talked, the more Roland shook his head. The young twenty-year-old local man was a simple guy who had wanted nothing more than to rise up the ranks of nobility and have a harem of women to fawn over him.
Now Roland was here, suffering the mad ramblings of Zarian Darkrun, standing wet in the rain with hundreds of other young men and women, as they waited for the dark forces of wolf kobolds and their idolized wolf dragons to make an appearance and attempt to massacre them all. This was Roland’s current destiny.
For a moment, Roland looked like he might’ve preferred dying on the day the gnolls had attacked his unprepared company of sacrificial young men.
It was too late now. Zarian had saved their lives, and now they were a part of his latest game, which was preparing to start as Zarian, Roland, and everyone else watched the endless tide of kobolds appear on the northern horizon.
“Oh, my good gods, there are so many,” Roland said.
“We’re dead, we’re absolutely dead,” another soldier said.
“I think I’m going to cry,” an acolyte said.
“It’s too late now. I’ve committed. If I die, I’ll be secured under Lovewar’s grace,” a different acolyte said.
Zarian shook his head and looked back as dungeon spiders crawled up the walls with crates filled with fresh food, waterskins, and hot chocolate. The soldiers and acolytes have grown accustomed to the dungeon spiders quickly since they kept providing fresh and delicious food, with water always on hand.
The hot chocolate was a new sugary drink that none of the children had tasted before, so Zarian held his silence as he watched Roland and the others take a sip and perk up instantly.
“My goodness! What is this delicious delicacy?” Roland asked.
“That is hot chocolate, a lost knowledge that only the Dancing Librarian Dungeon knows, which is owned by me as the master.” Zarian leaned close against Roland, the Parasite Cloak wrapping around comfortably. “Do a good job, and you and all the boys and girls will get more hot chocolate, with maybe a little something extra that us Floridians enjoy drinking.”
“Yes, well, I do certainly feel a bit more invigorated now.” Roland pulled away and shouted aloud to the others. “Come now, my fellow lords and ladies! We are the bastard sons and daughters of our kingdom, and here we are, ready to make a stand and raise ourselves up to live a better tomorrow!”
“For the Floridians who’ve saved our lives!” cheered one soldier.
“For Lovewar, who has chosen the Floridians!” cheered an acolyte.
“For hot chocolate! My new love and pick! I’ll stay Ride-or-Die for that!” cheered another acolyte, and many of the soldiers and acolytes agreed with her.
“Cheers!” they all shouted.
“Screw the hot chocolate! When do I get my enchanted fishing rod and an actual day off?!” Gilbert roared from further down the wall. His steed neighed loudly along with him.
There was a pause. Then the soldiers and acolytes cheered again, just because.
The young men and women enjoyed their hot chocolate. They listened to the loud rumbling snores of their fellow giant and gatekeeper.
Then, half an hour later, they saw carrion birds flapping through the rain. They heard the screeches, roars, and caws from a menagerie of scaly creatures of the evil alignment.
They watched a dark tide sweep closer across the land north of them like an unstoppable wave that moved and shifted and broke at random spurts as parts of the loose enemy formation rushed ahead of the others.
Stretching from horizon to horizon, thousands of kobolds attacked with claws, chipped swords, warped spears with rusty spread heads, shields riddled with holes, and any other odd thing they had in hand. They looked like rabid dogs fused with carnivorous reptiles, their humanoid bodies falling a little short of five feet for the smallest of them, but the way they moved with primal confidence made their short height seem like a negligible factor.
The good mood of the soldiers and acolytes dropped away like they’d fallen into an endless abyss. Zarian laughed, of course, because he couldn’t help but find it a little funny.
The soldiers and acolytes were scared of a bunch of Level 15 kobolds, some over, some under, but a majority of them around Level 15.
Granted, there were thousands of those Level 15s.
The acolytes were a few levels above Level 10. The soldiers were mainly around Level 20, or maybe a few levels above that.
They could easily get mobbed, beaten down, and overwhelmed by tens or hundreds of kobolds. So facing off against five thousand kobolds around Level 15 for the first round seemed preposterous.
Zarian hopped into the air with the Strength of his physicality alone. He landed over two hundred feet away from where he jumped and settled on the rooftop of Stony’s gatehouse.
Arms folded across his chest, Zarian waited as his Parasite Cloak stretched out and grew to its largest size, becoming a massive and monstrous flag that snipped, snarled, slashed, clawed, and chomped at the air behind him.
The rain kept pounding.
And the earth rumbled with ten thousand feet, all rushing at them like a dark tsunami wave.
“Bianca, do your thing,” Zarian ordered.
The Light Princess shot into the sky like fireworks. She entered a hover three hundred feet in the air. Then she let free her anger with a searing flash aimed down at the charging kobold army, catching them unaware.
The hardest part was directing all of that light through the rainfall. But Bianca was just angry enough to make a solid first impression, especially with her good +3 power.
The timing was perfect. The searing flash blinded many of the kobolds. They didn’t see the simple but deadly trap waiting for them.
Hundreds of kobolds fell to their doom as they ran straight into the ditches Stony had dug up yesterday. At the bottom of the ditches, wooden spikes and arcane webbing waited, all of which the spectral spiders had set up overnight.
The Wolf Dragon Siege of North Crown Peak, a Mythical Regional Event that could decide the fate of an entire kingdom, began.