Cat Core 2, Chapter 3.

Chapter 3.

The old man pulled out a scroll and started chanting as he cast the spell written upon it. With a flash of light, Florence found herself and the adventurers suddenly outside and under the night sky. They were near a road that cuts through rolling hills and stretched as far as she could see. Florence looked around, but her whole experience in this world consisted of the view from the front door of her home and this place sure didn’t look anything like it. She weren’t none too happy to have her gem carried around by some stinky goblin, but at least they were supposed to be hauling her to someplace where she could build her new home.

“Good, let’s get moving, that scroll shaved a lot of time off our journey, but we still have a ways to go. Don’t forget you all owe me for casting that, I expect to be paid once we’ve completed our task,” the old man said.

“Yeah, yeah, Harmon, you’ll get your share when we’re done. Remind me to never take a job that requires a geas again. Half the time, I’m not sure if my decisions are my own if it’s the lich’s spell popping them into my brain,” Kam replied. The big orc just grunted his agreement and the stupid goblin was too busy staring at Florence, something she could have done without. She knew goblins weren’t like normal folks, but you would think that one galivanting around with adventuring parties would have picked up some manners. To make things worse, she couldn’t even properly chastise anyone. Without a home, her gem had no way to speak.

The party didn’t stop for the night and journeyed down the road for a bit. Florence had no idea of the direction they were heading toward, but the terrain they passed seemed like more of the same. Given the well-traveled nature of the road, it was no surprise when the happened upon a small caravan setting up camp for the night just off the road. A cheerful fire was blazing, and several people were cooking or seeing to the animals. Over workers moved about the half-dozen wagons laden with various types of produce, and bulk goods.

“Ahh, now that is a cheerful sight. What say you gentlemen, do we ply our trade this evening or leave it be?” Harmon said.

“Leave them be, look at their cargo, it’s just bulk goods we can’t turn into coin easily and I don’t want to drive wagons all over the land looking for a buyer,” Kam said.

“It’s a bad target, but I needses me some stabbing. Been too long without any killin’,” the goblin said, licking his lips at the thought of battle.

“What about you, big guy?” Kam asked the hulking orc. The orc said nothing and instead readied his shield and axe, stomping his way toward the fire. With a gleeful giggle, the goblin slipped away from the rest of the party, and Florence was along for the ride whether she wanted to be or not.

Her vision blurred as the goblin activated some ability just like them there rogues that used to explore her home. If she had to guess, she would say that the little creep was now invisible. The heavily armored orc was not exactly stealthy and the man on watch called out as he heard their approach. Kam and the old man followed slightly behind their bulky friend, weapons drawn by the warrior and spells already glowing on the fingers of the mage.

“Who’s out there?” The caravan guard shouted into the night, his hand tightly gripping the spear he held. His call alerted the other caravan members and those without weapons on their belts moved toward the wagons where they likely had something stored to defend themselves with.

“Ho the fire, we’re just some adventurers looking for a place to rest, may we join you and borrow your fire to cook our supper?” The old man called, the sound of an elderly person just outside the firelight seemed to relax the caravan members. Florence tried to shout, tried to do something to warn these people. They were just minding their business and now the group tasked with getting her home were a fixing to rob them.

“Sure, come on in and make yourself comfortable, we’re glad to have the company,” the man on watch told them.

“Thank you, but I doubt you’ll enjoy our company all that much,” the old mage said, releasing the magic of a spell he had held in check this whole time. A black cloud of insects flew from his hand and covered the watchman and two nearby caravan drivers in stinging and biting critters. Florence hated bugs and these poor men that were afflicted by the spell were being given a horrible way to die.

The goblin had made his way to the back of the wagons and when the spell went off and the screaming began, a flick of his wrists sent two blades spinning into the back of a man just now pulling a short spear from inside the wagon. Going down with hardly a sound, the others nearby didn’t see the little green death machine bearing down on them. With a pair of larger knives in hand, the goblin activated some ability, magically hurling himself forward to drive the blades into the back of his victim, only to have the ability activate a second time to repeat the attack on another target.

A roar erupted from the orc who charged into the largest group of defenders, scattering the poorly armed and unarmored caravan members with ease. The orc’s axe lashed out in a blur of strokes, each swipe taking down a victim. Florence wished she could close her eyes but being in her gem meant she could see everything around her at once and was unable to avert her gaze even if she wanted to. If she had been in her home, she could focus on one room or one defender to prevent seeing what she was seeing, but now she was nothing but a helpless spectator.

It didn’t take long for the experienced party to take down all but two of the caravan crew. That was when the goblin got to work and Florence would try her best to forget the things that little monster did with his daggers to those poor men. By the time the screams were over, and the final victim had expired, the adventurers had found the location of the only real valuables aboard the caravan, the pay chest. It must not have been all that much in the way of coin given their reactions, but she knew they had committed their heinous crimes not for the profit, but for their twisted version of entertainment.

“Now, that was rather invigorating. I suggest we continue on our course and leave this area. Who knows what might show up, drawn to the scent of blood and carnage?” Harmon said. Nobody asked Florence her opinion, but she was all for leaving his horrible scene behind her. They continued at a brisk pace, eventually taking a side road that appeared to see little use. That was all well and good for Florence, she had no desire to watch these bloodthirsty monsters harm anyone else.

The mage, Harmon, passed out potions to everyone when they started to run out of steam. After drinking them, they all had a pep in their step once more, enabling them to keep up the impressive pace they were maintaining. Eventually, the small road they were on became a faint game trail until that gave way to nothing but rough underbrush and rock-covered hills. Florence didn’t like the lack of trees and hoped they weren’t going to leave her somewhere out here. She wanted a pretty backdrop for her new home, not some boring-looking wasteland.

It turned out that licking skeletons weren’t too good at picking places for a home, as the group led Florence toward a small, rock-covered hill. There didn’t appear to be an entrance at first, but one of the boulders at the base of the hill sported a large crack, just wide enough for Blivix to slip inside. The goblin sniffed at the entrance, none too happy to go inside alone.

“Youse use magic, old hooman, teleport gem inside. Thingses I smells in there, thingses I don’t want to have to stabs on my own,” Blivix complained.

“This is your task alone, one particularly suited to your kind, I must say. My powers are not needed here, and I’ll not waste my mana on your comfort. Go, complete our quest so that we may reap our just rewards and be free of this geas that so compels us,” Harmon said. The goblin didn’t look none too happy with the old man’s reply, his hands straying toward the daggers at his waist.

Just when Florence thought that Blivix was going to go all stabby on the old man, the goblin started to shudder in pain. The shaking stopped as soon as he turned and started to squeeze his way inside the narrow opening. That must be that there geas thingy they kept talking about, it prevented them from hurting each other and made them do what the lich wanted. A handy spell if you asked her.

Once past the boulder, Florence found herself inside a narrow passageway leading downward. Being a core, she could see in the dark just as well as in the light but being able to see didn’t make the place look any less creepy, given how filthy it was, not to mention the bugs that were scuttling around all gross like. Nope, she wasn’t going to live in some filthy pit, this place was getting a top to bottom scrubbing once she was back in charge. That skeleton was going to get a piece of her mind once she saw him again, how dare he stick her in some run-down pit to build her home in.

The goblin blurred out his form, hiding from whatever might be down here. Florence had to give him credit, the little critter sure could move quietly when he wanted to. Before too long, they reached the end of their journey, the narrow passage ending inside a larger chamber. In the center of the chamber, an ancient stone pedestal stood, the surface pitted and worn down by time. The top of the pedestal had a small indentation, just large enough for her gem to be placed inside.

“Maybe’s I’s come back some time to take you again, shiny gem. When the lich’s magic is gone, I can do’s whatses I wants, and I think I wantses your power,” Blivix said, a disgusting strand of drool hanging from his mouth as his grubby hands placed her on the pedestal. The little guy might have scared her with his threats back when she was just starting out, but now, she would love to have a crack and Blivix and the rest of his companions once her new home was up and running. Oh yes, there were some kitty cat claws with that goblin’s name on them.

When the green guy gave another shudder of pain, Florence knew the geas stopped the goblin from doing something he shouldn’t. Giving her a final leer, Blivix left the small chamber. She waited to see if he or any of the others would come back, but thankfully, it seemed that they had moved on now that their task was complete. A welcome prompt appeared in front of her, Florence Valentine was back in business.

This area is suitable for the formation of your dungeon, do you wish to claim this chamber as your core room? Yes/No.

Florence selected yes and could finally feel her power expand from the gem. She watched as the first few cents of income trickled in, relief flooding her as each penny was absorbed by her core. While Florence still felt a little strange, she would get back into the swing of things in no time. With nothing else to do but wait, Florence reviewed her core information. She had come a long way since that level zero core she had been back on her first day in this strange world, thankfully, she started over again at her old level, and with all the benefits she had unlocked through her earlier efforts.

Florence Valentine

Cat core, level 4

Experience: 0/1500

Funds: $0.02/$350

Defender expense: $0/$350

Current Core Upgrades.

Core housing: Core housing creates a protective barrier around your core, enabling it to withstand much more damage. The core housing will self-repair over time and can be further upgraded at level 5 and every 5 levels thereafter. The core housing can take on the appearance of something comforting and safe that the dungeon core is familiar with, or it can be designed in a manner that will intimidate your foes. Your core housing is currently destroyed, a replacement will craft itself over time. To fund its creation, a small percentage of all income will be redirected to this task.

Protective avatar with level 1 upgrade. The dungeon avatar is a construct that provides a final layer of defense for the core. Able to attack autonomously or under the core’s direct control, the avatar can be upgraded into a fearsome defender. Your avatar has already been upgraded with the skill, Shake the Cane. Every 30 seconds, the dungeon core’s avatar can now shake her cane at approaching foes. This ability unleashes a flurry of 5 blows on any enemies within a small area of effect. Targets are selected at random. Another avatar ability will be unlocked once the dungeon core reaches level 5. Your avatar has been destroyed. A replacement will craft itself over time, and to fund its creation, a small percentage of all income will be redirected to this task.

Deadly Doug. When your core is threatened, you can push funds into your assistant, granting him more strength and power to defend your home. This ability is only useable when invaders are in your core room and can only be activated once per week. The Deadly Doug ability lasts for 30 seconds and requires $25 to activate. Once the ability is activated, your assistant will grow and become empowered as if he were a champion. This ability will improve as you level.

Summoner: This upgrade allows you to spawn temporary defenders once every 24 hours. The spawned units will be random duplicates of named defenders inside your dungeon. Champions and Minor Champions will not be summoned by this ability. This ability will improve as you level.

Defender upgrades.

Individuality: This upgrade allows your defenders to develop new abilities based on their individual preferences. The core has no control over what the defenders select.

Named Defenders. The cost for each of your defenders is increased, but the named defenders will respawn with any memories they had previously experienced and often develop combat abilities beyond what their levels would suggest.

Defender subtypes have been unlocked. The following subtypes are available.

Brawler: The brawler subtype gives your defenders enhanced strength and stamina, their natural defenses are enhanced, and they can take and give more punishment in a fight. Brawlers are melee-focused, lose some of their natural agility, and have enhanced vulnerability to magic.

Commando: The commando subtype focuses on stealth and agility. They strike from the shadows, deal damage to their foes, and then retreat from view. Commandos have average strength and stamina, along with a higher chance of landing a critical strike against an unwary foe. They have enhanced reflexes and will take less damage from area-of-effect attacks.

Mage: The mage subtype focuses on using magic power to destroy enemies, control the battlefield, or support allies. There are a wide variety of magic types, and since your dungeon does not have a specific elemental affinity, a random magic type will be assigned when you create your defenders. Mages are physically weaker than other classes and should be protected to maximize their effectiveness.

Plague Mount: The plague mount works in tandem with another dungeon inhabitant to enhance the combat prowess of both. The plague mount gives off noxious fumes that weaken enemies within 5 feet of the defender. A plague mount can activate the charge ability every 30 seconds, giving its rider a higher hit, damage, and critical chance on its next blow. This subtype can only be chosen by the defender itself and cannot be selected at creation by the core.

You need to set the reward level for your dungeon. Please choose a reward percentage from the options below. Note that reward levels can only be changed once every 7 days and are the same throughout your dungeon.

1. Miserly: 5%

2. Poor: 10%

3. Average: 15%

4. Fair: 20%

5. Generous: 25%

6. Extravagant: 50%