Cat Core, Chapter 3.

Chapter 3. 

“It’s time for you to get a first look at your new body,” Doug said with a flourish. Florence noticed the area around her gradually brightening, she could finally see! Unfortunately, what the light revealed wasn’t the greatest. She was in an underground chamber; the walls and floors were simple stone. Somehow, she was able to see all around her at the same time, and it didn’t even make her dizzy. A faint glow came from the center of the room where she stood. 

“It’s not very impressive yet, but I must say that you turned out very well. I did such good work as a Dungeon Formation Specialist, I miss that life already,” Doug said, Florence detected sadness in his voice. It served him right after all he had done to her. Thoughts about Doug’s comeuppance fled her mind as she pulled back her view. There, floating in the center of the room was a perfect red gem, it was the room’s source of the light, and it was her. She no longer had a human body, but she thought she looked elegant, nonetheless. 

“Very good, dungeon core, now that you’ve got your first look…” Doug started, but she was forced to interrupt the rude assistant.

“Put a stop to that right now mister, I’ve already told you my name is Florence Valentine, not ‘dungeon core’. I’d appreciate it if you called me by my proper name, as a gentleman should,” Florence insisted. 

“I understand, Florence, sorry for any perceived slight on my part. Rest assured that I hold you only in the highest esteem and would never wish to disrespect your person,” Doug replied. Florence thought she detected a heaping portion of sarcasm, but let it go, she had enough things on her plate and could scold him later if she was a mind to.

“Good, now tell me what it is we’re actually supposed to do,” Florence asked, still confused over what happened next. 

“I’ll make some adjustments to the interface so it is easier for you to understand, then you’ll have your first decision to make, which is the type of dungeon we shall become. Each dungeon has a specific affinity. For some, it’s a link to a specific element or creature type. Choosing the wrong one can hamper your ability to defend yourself or attract the wrong sorts of adventurers. I’ve pre-selected a few for your perusal,” Doug said as more words appeared before her eyes. 

Choose one of the suggested dungeon types or choose your own preference. 

1. Draconic. With power of dragons at your command, your dungeon will start out with simple defenders along the lines of kobolds and various scaled creatures. Higher level dungeons will be defended by powerful dragons of as well as the other minions that serve them. 

2. Undead. Control the force of death and summon the unliving to defend your dungeon. Early levels feature simple undead such as skeletons and zombies. Higher level dungeons have hulking constructs made from the corpses of powerful creatures as well as intelligent undead like vampires. 

3. Elemental. Wield the forces of the elements. An elemental dungeon will initially have access to two elements and summon defenders specific to the elements chosen. Your powerful avatars will burn, freeze, or electrocute your foes. 

4. Choose another based on your preference. 

“Uh-uh, that dog won’t hunt, Doug. I don’t want nothing to do with any of those things,” Florence complained. As the options displayed, she had felt the information on the various dungeon types fill her mind, horrifying her with images of strange creatures and monster things running around. 

“The dungeon type is there to help us defend ourselves, the creatures you summon will be under your control and will not harm you,” Doug pleaded. 

“I don’t want those things running around next to me, why can’t we have something more, well, cute and cuddly,” she replied. 

“Fine, I understand that you used to surround yourself with strange domesticated beasts, now that’s a memory of yours I wish I could remove. If you like, we can choose a beast dungeon. They’re not ideal and have trouble maintaining their challenge at higher levels, but with my guidance, we can avoid some of the pitfalls other dungeons run into with that type. In fact, some of the early creatures you unlock, such as bears and worgs, can be quite a challenge for low level adventurers,” Doug offered. 

Images flew through her mind as Doug described the beast dungeon. Florence saw the various animals, some with strange augmentations she didn’t understand. One image stood out; she saw a type of leopard camouflage itself on a ledge before leaping down on the unsuspecting prey. It gave her an idea. If she could create animals, she could create the best things on Earth, she could create cats! 

“Thank you for that information Doug, it was helpful for once. I know what type of dungeon I wish to become,” Florence said with confidence. 

“Excellent, just confirm you wish to become a beast dungeon and we’ll finish up your other selections,” Doug replied with some relief. 

“No, not stupid beasts, we’ll be a cat dungeon,” Florence said with finality. 

“That’s not advisable, even with monstrous and elemental variants thrown in, a strictly feline based dungeon would be much too weak,” Doug cried. 

“No, not ‘feline’, I want good old house kitties. If you really are going to get bent out of shape over it, we can have some of the exotic ones, like Himalayans or even those creepy ones without any hair. Did I tell you about Clio from the senior center? She kept on an on that her grandson had bought her some expensive Himalayan cats. Well, Judy Lewis called her bluff and showed up at her house one day. She lives over on West 22nd place near the old Piggly Wiggly, anyway, Judy was invited in and didn’t see no fancy cats, only the normal kind. When she confronted Clio, do you know what she said?” Florence asked, Doug was silent, and she thought she might have heard him whimpering a bit, that meant he wanted her to continue her story, didn’t it? “Well Clio just looks Judy straight in the eye, points at the mangy old house cats and tells her that they are Himalayan cats, she’s got him-a-laying over there and him-a-laying over there,” Florence finished with a giggle, she loved that story. 

“No, just, no,” Doug said flatly. 

“Yes, that’s what we’ll be, a cat core, I’m not placing dungeon in our name, that’s just silly,” Florence said trying to navigate the interface since Doug was having trouble saying anything. 

Dungeon type selected: Feline. 

Subtype: Domestic House Cat. 

Notice! Selecting a subtype this specific can have dire consequences. Upgrade paths will be very limited in nature and you defenders may not be as powerful as those in similarly leveled dungeons. Please consult with your assistant before locking in this selection. 

She didn’t need Doug’s input; this was what she wanted! Florence hit confirm and a second warning popped up, consarned, what’s with these folks, of course she wanted kitties. Florence confirmed again. It took a while, but she was finally able to find a way to get rid of that stupid dungeon name and dungeon subtype stuff, her core was now properly categorized. 

Florence Valentine

Cat Core, level 0. 

“You’ve doomed us all,” Doug whined. 

“Bah, quit being negative Doug, when can I start making kitties,” Florence asked. She instinctively knew they would be created as her defenders but didn’t know how she was supposed to go about creating them. 

“I will do what I can to mitigate the damage, since I seem to be bound to you until you survive your initial acclimation period,” Doug said without enthusiasm. 

“So, what’s next, and what’s an initial acclimation period?”

“The initial acclimation period is the average time it takes for a dungeon to learn its functions and perform its duties to a minimum standard. As far as what’s next, you need to answer a few more questions and then we can start. Please, for the love all you held dear in your first life, say no to the questions. I’ll repeat it. Say no to each of the next two questions. We need to save every point of mana, I mean every dollar, if we’re going to survive our acclimation period,” Doug replied. 

“So, how long is acclimation period?” Florence asked.

“Anywhere from 250 to 500 years,” Doug lamented. Florence wasn’t too sure she was any happier with the arrangement as she turned her attention to the next prompt. 

The dungeon core chamber is the most important location in a dungeon as it is the one that holds your physical form. You have the option of creating a protective housing for your core as well as creating a defensive avatar. Many dungeons decide to do this at a later time when resources are more plentiful. 

Create your housing and avatar? Y/N. 

“Well, it ain’t going to hurt to take a peek at what they have, kind of like window shopping,” Florence said, hitting yes over a renewed flurry of objections from Doug. 

Core housing: The 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. Creating a core housing requires $150. Do you wish to purchase the core housing? Y/N. 

Florence felt the familiar tingle as whatever it was that controlled the text sifted through her mind. She knew she should be curious about who this entity was that kept doing this, but it was yet another thing she didn’t care about. Her core sat there floating in its glowing beauty inside the core room. Below her core an image presented itself, something from her past memory that brought her comfort, contentment, and safety. It was her old rocking chair! She knew she had to have it, after all, you couldn’t expect her to float around with nothing underneath her. It was only $150, which was about what one of them Cracker Barrel rocking chairs cost wasn’t it? Of course, hers at home was much better than one of them mass-produced chairs the stores normally sold. Her chair had been made by her great grandpappy and was still as solid as the day it was built. You don’t see craftsmanship like that anymore, people didn’t have the patience for it. Florence resisted the temptation to reminisce further, and instead, she merely selected yes to the question. 

Pleased with her decision, Florence watched as the chair formed under her gem, it positioned itself in just the right spot. She could feel it projecting a shield, protecting her as the chair gently rocked on its own, her gem swaying slightly to match. The only weird part had been watching how she paid for it. A glowing wave of light connected her gem to where the chair was being built, and inside the wave, the image of dollar bills and coins flew out from her core, being absorbed by the chair as it was created. 

Protective Avatar: The dungeon avatar is a construct that provides a last-ditch defense for the core. Able to attack autonomously or under the core’s direct control, the avatar can be upgraded into a fearsome defender. Most dungeons opt to wait before creating their avatar, being either unable or unwilling to expend the resources necessary to summon one. A protective avatar costs $150. Once created, additional upgrades will become available as the core increases in level. Do you wish to form a protective avatar at this time? Y/N. 

Of course, she wanted some protection if what Doug had been saying was correct. Some of the folks that came to explore might want to harm her, if so, she wanted a way to hit back. She paid the cash and, once again, the flow of money left her core and went into the new creation. There wasn’t any sifting of her mind on this one, oh no, Florence Valentine knew exactly what she needed to strike the fear into any attacker, she needed her cane. A perfect replica of her favorite cane was formed, and she found that she could move it with her mind, somehow knowing how to use it in a fight. Her testing was interrupted by another prompt. 

You still have available resources; do you wish to upgrade your protective avatar? To upgrade the offensive and defensive abilities requires $100. Further upgrades will be unlocked when you achieve core level 5, and at every 5 levels beyond that. Do you wish to upgrade? Y/N. 

Florence didn’t want some basic cane; she needed the upgrade, so she paid the extra $100 to improve her cane. She could feel the material of the weapon change as the cash was pulled from her core. When she moved the cane, some kind of glow surrounded it, giving off an aura of menace and power. She gave the weapon a few more test shakes, just to get her form correct. You really had to shake a cane a certain way if you wanted other people to take notice. She was now confident that anyone messing with her core gem was going to get a good shellacking.

“Well done, Florence, who would ever question your commitment to frugality. Thank you so much for keeping a cash reserve for emergencies or to actually build your dungeon,” Doug replied.

“Are you trying to be sarcastic Doug?” Florence asked. 

“I had hoped you’d notice; I was laying it on pretty thick there,” Doug confessed. “You’ve managed to squander our entire bonus on items you won’t need for some time. Now, if you want us to survive for more than a week, please consult with me prior to using any more of our dwindling cash reserves. 

“Fine, complain all you want but I needed a good place to sit and you couldn’t expect me to do this dungeon thing without my cane, could you? Wait, why did I just say dungeon again?” Florence asked as a flood of information poured into her mind. She now knew how to expand her dungeon, create defenders, and make traps. Other thoughts tried to burrow their way in, thoughts she struggled against before rejecting them. She could feel the allure of consuming any who crossed her path, a horrible thing for a lady to think so she shoved that one out, along with greedy ones. Sadly, as each bad thought was forced out, it pulled away more of the helpful information she had absorbed. 

“Are you well, Florence?” Doug asked. Florence could detect a note of concern. 

“Of course, I am, someone tried to put thoughts in my head, but I gave them what for,” She said confidently. 

“Time is ticking, and we will soon be announced to the world, the administrator gave us a bit of extra time, but you used most of that up while you were ‘thinking’. Doug said. It’s now time to expand our dungeon and create defenders.