It was like they were having the best conversation of their lives. It was like midnight in a coffee shop, getting lost with friends. It was what Logan had been missing since his time in the Army. Esprit de corp.
He was overwhelmed with the sudden surge of information he was given on Marko and Treacle. There was so much to go over—their guardian forms, their guardian core matrices—an encyclopedia worth of data each.
He would’ve liked to spend days poring over all the ability descriptions, analyzing their spells and powers, but the clock was ticking. In four hours, not a second longer, the worst of the worst dungeoneers currently imprisoned in the Chaos Oasis would be coming for them, guns blazing. Metaphorically, at least.
First things first. Inga summoned her centipedes, but they weren’t going to be used as soldiers, not all of them. They were the raw material that Logan needed to grow his fungi. The harsh reality of a desert dungeon was that it had nothing but sand and sandstone. No water, no moisture, no life. It was so dry and so oppressively hot that Logan couldn’t just bring out his badass spores without some serious help. But as the great sage of his time, Jeff Goldbloom, had once said, Life finds a way. That was where the insects came in.
Logan created a digestive pit in the inner sanctum, a burbling three-foot wide moat of acid that surrounded the pedestal. Not only did the thick black ooze of his digestive juices break down the insects, Logan would have moisture and materials to grow his fungal forest in the heart of the desert.
The antechamber? That was going to be all Marko’s creation. He would use something he called Summon Feast to create a horrible banquet that, according to Marko, would be both deadly and delicious.
Logan pulled the satyr’s introductory information:
<<<>>>
Dungeon Satyr: Descendants of the High Lords and Ladies of the Fae, the goatfolk of the green places love to drink, feast, and sing under the light of the stars. Although they are often considered to be gentle and carefree, those that step onto the darker paths can be fearsome creatures to contend against. Along the Shadowed Path of the Muse, Dungeon Satyrs can charm, entrance, and seduce with equal ease—often leading dungeoneers to their demise all while dancing and singing to the merry tune of this deadly piper.
Would you like to know more? Yes/No
<<<>>>
Yes, Logan absolutely wanted to know more—he wanted to know all the things—but once again, he only had a few minutes to get the basics down. He reluctantly hit No and went on to view the satyr’s matrix:
<<< ※ >>>
Marko Laskarelis
Guardian Core Matrix
Base Race: Dungeon Satyr
Current Evolution: Dark Muse
Cultivator Class: Iron Trunk Cultivator; C-Class, Rank 5
Primary Elemental Affinities: Aqua/Umbra
Racial Abilities:
Silver Tongued, Blood of the Fae
Racial Skill:
- Spectral Song
- Unrelenting Debauchery
College of Rhetoric:
- Vicious Insult
- Ventriloquist
- Language of Dance
Nataraja’s Wretched Rhythm
The Dumbshow of Burguk
College of Shadows:
- Living Artistry
- Shadow Betrayal
- Summon Feast
College of Form:
- Mannequin
- Mimic Form
<<< ※ >>>
Marko giggled in a high voice. <Oh, you’re looking at my unmentionables—seems like you should buy me a drink when this is all said and done. Assuming we survive. Now, how’s about I get started on the feast table? It shall be my masterpiece... Though I’ll also be setting up a little chandelier surprise. Think of it as your Aunt Agnese’s chandelier only crossed with a bloodthirsty crystal spider.>
<Hold there. Let me get the room fixed up first,> Treacle sent back.
Their consciousnesses all shared the dungeon while their guardian forms stood dumbly, waiting for instructions.
Logan moved from Marko’s info to Treacle’s.
<<<>>>
Minotaur: These bull-headed creatures are often known for their unmatched strength and brute instinct, but when paired with the keen intelligence of an Alchemic Machinist, the trundling minotaur is transformed into something far more deadly... a masterful mechanic capable of amazing feats of mystical engineering while simultaneously perfecting monstrous internal and external sciences. Minotaurs have a driving need to forge deadly labyrinths filled with twists, turns, and traps that can put even the most seasoned dungeoneers to the test.
Would you like to know more? Yes/No
<<<>>>
Again, Logan couldn’t read more. He reviewed Treacle’s basic character sheet:
<<< ※ >>>
Treacle Glimmerhappy
Guardian Core Matrix
Base Race: Minotaur
Current Evolution: Horned Artificer
Cultivator Class: Iron Trunk Cultivator; C-Class, Rank 3
Primary Elemental Affinities: Mallus/Fulgur
Racial Abilities:
Beast of Burden
Racial Skill:
- Gore
- Labyrinth Sense
Internal Alchemy:
- Clockwork Organs
- Engineered Anatomy
External Alchemy:
- Rabid Mutagen
- Electric Alchemist
- Arcane Transmutation
Machinist Mastermind:
- Blacksmith Marvel
- Engineered Weapons
- Mechanical Monsters
<<< ※ >>>
Honestly, it was a damned good thing that Treacle had joined them. Aside from massively contributing to the Apothos pool they had to work with, he had also saved them worlds of work.
His Arcane Transmutation—one of his most potent abilities—would allow them to turn the sand into harder stone and shape it into a vast labyrinth, separated into two levels, with numerous blind corners and dead ends. Since the timetable would be so tight, the Terrible Twelfth planned on keeping the heroes busy on the top layer of maze while they finished working on the second level. Not only would it buy them some time, but Treacle said that a labyrinth was the optimal way to use the space—they could have corridors right next to each other so that they utilized every square foot.
Treacle also had a racial skill called Labyrinth Sense, which would make it impossible for him to get lost. Logan would share in that ability thanks to his Symbiotic infection.
Still, though they had big plans, and even with all the energy Logan was siphoning off from his friends, they would need more to support all of the minions, traps, and rooms they had in mind. Not to mention the sheer raw energy and focus it took to keep all four cores bonded and working. He couldn’t have done it without the additional knot in his core, but they would still need a kill almost immediately to keep it powered.
Logan took charge as soon as Treacle shaped the simple stone corridors of the top floor of the labyrinth. <Marko, we’re going with your Dark Muse theme for this dungeon. Your job, once you get your basic feast room set, is to create statues, paintings, and works of art. Some will attack and some won’t. Remember what Kyvandry taught us, ‘it’s crucial to demoralize the raiders as much as you can.’ The more we can keep the raiders on the edge, the more we’ll slow them down, which will give us time to perfect our garden of insectile death and the inner sanctum.>