| (RED)The dungeon nation of ‘Deep Hollow’ has been upgraded from settlement to village. |
This caught us completely off guard. Naturally, we were aware of the large group heading our way, there were many warriors and hunters but the vast majority of the large band were weaker. The one to lead them was Mathew the Seventh, twenty generations down the original’s line. Not only were there three boys with him, but also a much older individual that coerced Boss to exit the mine. The five kobolds took up a defense around their boss as the current King lead his children and the other to them.
“ What is the meaning of this honored one? Our agreement allows only you and your kin to step foot in my lands.”
Boss eyes the stranger sternly.
“ As for you, I deem you a threat greater than allowed by the accords. These lands are owned by the dungeon nation of Hollow. We keep no treasures for you to plunder nor seek the lives of your people to strengthen ourselves. So I bid you leave.”
This caused the middle-aged man to pause.
“ Very interesting, an older dungeon monster. I would guess your age is at least five, no eight centuries old.”
Boss turns back to the King.
“ You best explain before we decide you have breached your agreement.”
The king hesitated before looking down at his three boys. Even though the King overpowered the dragon by many times, he was his children’s future.
“ The adventurer guild grew tired of my family’s secret hidden training ground. So they gave us an ultimatum. Either reveal you or they pull out their support of the area.”
Boss closed his eyes, understanding the situation. When he opened them again he looked at the stranger.
“ By the accords, I invoke the right…”
Before Boss could continue he found his voice unable to act and his vision becoming lower. The shock of the king and his children were paramount.
“ This place will make a suitable mid-tier training ground. Now all I have to do is meet this core in person and set it straight.”
The voice came from the man that now stood behind the beheaded boss dragon. The kobold’s turned to face a new threat. More to guard their fallen boss than defend the humans. However, the killer ignored the small fry and headed right for the cave entrance.
The mine was as simple as walking for the invader. He evaluated it in earnest and came to the conclusion that the metal harvesting would make a decent profit each year. The unguarded collection in the boss room made him smile as he seized all the prize pieces for himself in a bag of holding, including the statues of the gods and goddesses. This caught Loyee’s attention to what was happening.
“ A mere mortal dares defile a statue of my likeness with his greed.”
Diana appears moments after the comment and over a dozen others appear at the same time. Not forgetting his manors he summoned up his best drinks from storage for each of them to their preferences. Many of the gods were of the neutral faction but there was at least one of each from the light and dark factions as well. A silent agreement between them that this was a neutral no conflict area.
| (Blue)“ I knew the day would come when the greedy ones would be here. Just enjoy the show.” |
———-
Carter is an S rank scout for the adventurer guild. For the first thirty years of his life, he worked hard to have an easier life. In his youth, he always believed that if he was strong enough he would be able to earn all the money he wanted. With that, he would coast the rest of his life of luxury and women. Having reached the fabled A rank in his twenties and breaking that restriction before thirty, he seldom had either of the things he wanted. So on the brink of turning forty, he gets offered to scout out this dungeon the King’s of Laroot has kept hidden for hundreds of years. He jumped at the chance for an easier life.
The reports on the dungeon were both strange and typical. It was theorized to be C rank or possibly B. It had some sort of agreement with the royal line, but no evidence of the King, current or former, had any sacrifices to it for them to grow stronger. The most strange thing is that all the guild’s detection methods were avoided. When the anomaly of the royal family was first discovered almost a hundred years ago, scrying and surveying for the dungeon failed for several decades. It was only recently that nobles of the king’s court had produced loose enough lips to give a note of the ascension ritual where the king would actually leave his children with the dungeon for several years. When they returned the king would then put the youths through several trials to name a successor. When the nobles gave the word of the king’s preparation for the next ritual is when the guild acted to find this mysterious dungeon.
Cartel thought of the two tasks he was assigned when told of the dungeon. First is the typical one he expected. To survey the dungeon and deem its rating and convince it to do what the guild wants. Second, and his real task, is to find out how the dungeon escaped their gaze all this time. Then if needed eliminate the source if it could not be duplicated or copied. Even if it meant to destroy the dungeon itself. Something that the adventure guild does not need is dungeons being able to hide from their gaze.
| (Blue)You have entered the labyrinth of the ‘Hollow’ Core (Unique L+ dungeon) |
| Area 1: settlement- a neutral zone inhabited by a small collective of Kobolds. These normally hostile dungeon monsters are non-aggressive and enjoy exchanges of knowledge and trade with outsiders. Those that become friendly are granted rights to their training regime that will help anyone grow up to C rank (if potential allows) within ten years. |
| Kobold strength level C. Area rank C. |
| Area 2: mines- a semi-aggressive zone that is filled with veins of ore. A minimum ranking of D is required to navigate to and work these veins. Deep in the mines is a Boss room that doubles as storage for the works of the Kobolds and a forge, where the works are forged. |
| The Boss is a level C rank boss. Area rank B. |
| Area 3: temple- The entrance to an excavated temple, designed by the dungeon for one of the three deities it worships. As an adventurer, you have been chosen to go into the dungeon of Loyee. As this is a peaceful dungeon nation and you are neither a welcomed guest nor a worshiper of Loyee YOU have been deemed a threat. Per the rules of the accords, I issue this notice and grant one last chance to retreat. Leave my dungeon and my lands and never come back. |
| Monsters none. Area rank X. |
Cartel chuckled as he entered the temple area. The first two areas he gave similar evaluations as the dungeon gave itself, but the temple area he just stepped into and found the same C rank traps he expected. He got through the first set without even focusing on them, For this core to call it’s area difficulty anything other than the standard G, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, and L format. The traps were not even very creative. Wall spikes, deep fall pits, falling stones, pressure plates, tripwires, and more basically physical attribute traps found in lower rank dungeons. Seeing the number of traps he was engaged in, he figured this place would be a good scout or rogue training area. All that it was missing was the rewards. Something else Cartel had to fix with the dungeon. It was not a mile into the maze that Cartel encountered his first magical trap, or rather he realized he had fallen into a magical trap. After passing his hundredth or so spike trap he began to notice them repeating. With an item that looks like a gyroscope, Cartel started to channel magic, and soon the spacial maze he was in was broken. To his surprise not only the traps but the entire dungeon started fading away, leaving a black void with a purple looking mist floating around it in the distance. Cartel could not help but frown as spacial magic is something usually confined to S rank dungeons or higher. Illusions were A, as he assumed this is what this was.
| (Blue)“ As expected from an S rank adventurer. However, it is too late. I offered you a final chance, but you ignored it.” |
Instantly Cartel went into his bag and pulled out a scroll, without even opening it he ripped it in half and became confused when nothing happened.
“ You cheating bastard, dungeons are not meant to tamper with escape scrolls!”
| (Blue)“ Amusing, you calling me a cheater, Considering that those scrolls are meant to escape from dungeons that are detectable by your scry methods, then a portal is opened from your escape point to where you are. The dungeon is used to help fixate the point of the portal. But because I am not detectable, your portal spell only knows my general direction, not distance or details coordinates.” |
Cartel began to pale slightly. He never knew the mechanics of the scrolls, just how to use them.
“ So escape will not work, all I have to do is break this space and I am free.”
With that said Cartel dug into his bag for several pills and other devices. After all his powering up and attacking random directions. After trying every trick and device in his possession. After days of trying and failing every time he laid on his back exhausted.
| (Blue)“ Finally done?” |
“ F**k off!”
Log backed away and turned his screen back to face the gods watching.
| (Blue)“ I did not expect much from my first layer of defense, after all, any decent A rank dungeon could put something like it together, but his mistake was breaking the pocket dimension I created for the spacial maze. I do not expect him to have any more in him to continue to resist. Krypt, I have no desire for his soul so could you take it with you? As for his possessions, it is my right as a dungeon to claim those.” |
Krypt did not have to wait long till the S rank adventurer died due to suicide.
