DakotaKrout

Eternium ~ 36!

“Sorry, Dale.” Hans shrugged and scooted a little closer to Rose. “Those are monsters. Monsters that we can’t really hope to defeat in any kind of reasonable way. Did you never wonder why teams were always comprised of a C-rank maximum? Then all Mage rank groups were all Mages or better?”

“I guess I hadn’t really thought of it that way.” Dale sat down carefully, knowing that he was all riled up and liable to break something if he let his power or emot...

Eternium ~ 35~!~!~!

<Well, that was all exciting and fun.> As much as I really wanted to make light of the situation, I was truly shaken and out of sorts.  There had been a huge number of creatures in the area, and I was hesitant to be the one to inform Dale that it was only thanks to the really powerful people that we were still flying in one piece.

“Can we not do that again?” Dani shuddered and flew over to the Silverwood tree to her usual perch. “I don’t u...

Eternium ~ 34!

While all the fighting was going on up top, there were a few developments deep in the dungeon. Certain people were not using their time wisely, and were instead using the attack as a distraction to forward their own agenda. 

Aiden sauntered toward a trio of Amazonians that had been caught by his most recent traps, pulling out his daggers and drawing them across the throats of his unresisting racial enemies. He smiled as the blood splatter hit his face, barely eve...

Eternium ~ 33! <3

<Dale, sweetheart!> Dale’s eyes popped open, and his iris dilated in annoyance. <Time to wake up! We’re under attack.>

“First off, I was cultivating, not sleeping. Next, how are we under attack? Did we land?” Dale’s words were angry, but his tone was defeated, fully understanding that there was nothing he could do at this point to ignore the dungeon.

<Right, well, it seems that we are flying into a swarm of creatures that are...

Eternium ~ 32!

<Whoa. That’s some serious power echoing along those lines.> I siphoned a little taste, feeling a texture I had never tried before. It contained a hint of celestial, sunlight, and something. <It almost feels familiar, but I just can’t place it.>

“What feels familiar?” Dani wondered idly, watching the light sparkle above the clouds. “The energy in there? Yeah, The Master uses something similar.”

<That’s where it�...

Eternium ~ 31!

Dale stood on the edge of Mountaindale with nearly every person that lived on the Skyland, watching as the first chunk of the moon came close enough to fall to earth. He had seen shooting stars before, but this was… different. No one knew what was about to happen, and the portal wasn’t operational. This could be the end. It certainly wasn’t the largest chunk, maybe a few miles wide, and it was only moving a little faster than gravity would normally bring it down. So, ...

Eternium ~ 30!

Barry and The Master stood across from each other, staring daggers back and forth. The intense pressure they were devoting to the action was actually enough to kill a standard human if it were directed at them. Barry took a deep, satisfied breath and smirked.

“I see the rumors are true. You are leaking power like a sieve.” Barry laughed and took a decisive step forward. “I might not be able to fight you and win, but I bet I could fo...

Eternium ~ 29!!

<Wait, wait!> the strange dungeon begged. Nope. My lovely Wisp wanted him gone, he was gone. Let’s see… Next, I should work on building up my inner world. Maybe I would work on the ley lines that were crisscrossing the entire planet? I could- <Hey! Listen to me you crazy Wisp!>

I was a little startled that they were still alive. Oh, right. Travel time. The Bobs were moving, but hadn’t yet arrived. Silly me, I had just considered it such a done deal that-

Eternium ~ 28!!

<Oh, look!> I brought the academy grounds up on a screen in the navigation room. <It expl~o~oded.>

Chaos filled the courtyard. People were falling out of the air as Mages forgot to levitate them, people were shouting at each other, and large swaths of the crowd were attempting to leave and discuss what they had just learned. I brought up Dale, who didn’t even notice as someone tried to stab him in the kidneys. The dagger - with the word...

Eternium ~ Ch 27!

Dale and Minya literally crawled out of the portal, fresh blood pasting their clothes to their bodies. Dale was gasping, directing his aura to create the healing-light-aspect of the sun. Minya was in even worse condition, barely conscious and gasping for as much air as her lungs could take. Only the aftereffect of Dale’s aura kept her moving.

“We… *cough* how did we survive that?” Dale wheezed the question using every last drop of stamina he had.

Eternium ~ chapter 26!

~ Twenty-six ~

Aiden stood still in the dungeon as the Amazonians cautiously explored the area. His squad was with him, using the cover provided by the dungeon to set up their ambush. These oathbreakers thought that they would just wait around? That they would let people without honor into a world where killing them meant nothing? No. No, Aiden would ensure that if any Amazons survived… it wasn’t for lack of effort on his part.

As the Women walked t...

Eternium ~ Ch 25!!

“There he goes now. The cheater.” 

Dale whipped his head around, but enough people were looking at him that he couldn’t pinpoint who had spoken. He nudged Hans very gently, calling attention to himself. “Hans, what was that all about? Someone just called me a cheater? What does that even mean?”

“Oh that?” Hans waved his hand dismissively. “They just think that you rose to power too quickly, that you achieved a high...

Eternium ~ Chapter 24!

<All done!> My words caught Dani off guard, and she tumbled through the air in surprise. <Wards set up every ten feet in the council chamber. Wards created at the mouth of the dungeon. Mana leaks in the dungeon, it gets funneled to me before it can escape. Fighting breaks out in the council, attacker goes *pop* and I get the Mana. Now no one can accuse me of not caring if their race survives!>

“Why can’t they accuse you of that?” Dani asked ...

Eternium ~ ch 23!

“Well, that was fun.” Dale stared at the faceless Golems waiting for him to step on their paths, and fully decided against going through here alone. “Back to the surface, I guess?”

He walked toward the portal, using his newfound gravity ‘spell’ to hinder the movements of the huge Cats that patrolled the edges of this space. Dale grunted in dissatisfaction when he realized that he couldn’t use the spell to squish the Cats, only make it impossible to move. He ha...

Eternium ~ Chapter 22!

<Hey, Dani. Want to watch Dale fight Manny?> I called over to my lovely Wisp, glad I had remembered; even if the battle had already started. <It’s already started!>

“Feces, Cal!” Dani zipped over as I connected my sight to a viewing screen. “Give a Wisp some warning!”

Dale appeared on the wall just as he was sliding under a paw swing that would have torn him in half before he reached the Mage ranks. There was a collective cheer in ...

Eternium ~ Chapter 21!

“Dale.” Hans grabbed Dale’s hands and pulled him down into a seated position across from him.

“Yes, Hans.” Dale was trying not to laugh out loud. “Are you finally going to confess your deep feelings for me?”

“How did you know?” Seeing Dale’s shocked face, Hans slapped him hard enough to make Dale’s face move slightly. Hans grumbled at the lack of reaction, “Abyss-touched Mages. No, you little blighter! I need your help. My progress is bas...

Eternium ~ Ch 20!

<Hey, Dale.>

“Yeah, Cal?” Dale whispered the words, not in an attempt to hide himself or be stealthy, it was because he could barely breathe currently. A strike to his chest by Gomei had driven the air from his lungs, and now he was trying to regain his wind while holding off three flame-touched greater lizards.

<So, there are a few people working on setting up a portal for the Northmen. I’ve been talking to my Wisp, Dani, and she’s pretty adamant tha...

Eternium ~ Chapter 19!

The group of powerhouses moved into the next room, and the portal in the first fizzled out. If they wanted to leave now, they would need to either complete the room or climb out of the Pit. This time, they started with the Core. The male A-ranker focused his Mana into the tip of his finger and sent it spinning as a double helix to the Core. Soon, the Core was glowing cherry-red, and the High Mageous stopped.

“Whew!” He wiped imagined sweat from his brow. “It’s...

Eternium ~ Chapter 18!

I was losing my mind over all the new effects I could create with Wards. In fact, I was planning on designing an entire new floor based around the Wards. essentially, I was going to make a series of connected rooms that were a skill test. Normally this is not something that would be dangerous, after all, a skill test is a way to improve yourself!

I had been debating on where to place this new trial. After all, it would be easy enough to put it between differe...

Title acquired!

Alrighty guys, with a ful 30% more votes than the others, DD5 has officially been named: Dungeon Eternium!!!!!!!!

You. All. Rock.

DD5 ~ Chapter 17!

(a favorite of mine)

The warlord stood stock-still, staring at his supposedly subservient sibling. He shook his head back and forth slowly, unable to believe the words that were about to come out of his mouth. “Tom, moments ago I had planned to rebuke you. I had planned to have you returned to your position and prepare for the greatest Glory along with our entire nation.”

Tom sharply inhaled, and made as if to speak. Only the warlord holding up a ...

DD5 ~ chapter 16

Well, no one panicked, and there didn’t appear to be people swarming out to fight me. Maybe the dungeon recognized that I wasn’t trying to be hostile? I extended a tendril of influence once more, just to see what would happen. Would I be attacked? Would we be able to chat? I was not expecting the influence in the area to flinch away.

<Hey! I'm just trying to talk to you!> I mentally shouted into the area so far below me. I had a moment of deja vu, and I wondered if Ka...

DD5 ~ Chapter 15~

Sorry about the late posting, just traveling home from a really intense writers conference. As soon as I got out of the car, I started working on putting this up! <3 You guys are the best!!!!!!

“By one stroke, eh?” The Warlord shook his head firmly. “You realize that as the challenged, Beinn strikes first?”

“Yes, sir.” Tom’s voice was fading.

“Medic! Keep him awake.” The Warlord strode closer, and leaned down even as the hea...

DD5 ~ Chapter 14!

I continued the expenditure of my influence deep into the night. The Moon and the shattered Moon fragments were all glowing brightly with reflected light, halfway through the night sky by the time I reached the bottom of the crater. I directed my mind along the path, and began worming my Essence through the created path. I was straining to control all of the newly acquired land by the time I reached the center of the crater. Having so much land, so far from my core, without...

DD5 ~ Chapter 13 ~ <3

As I continued to take more of the crater wall as my own property, I decided more and more that I didn’t care if the Northmen were acting of their own free will. So a dungeon gets control of a nation or two? Good for the dungeon! That’s an inspiration, not a detriment! Yeah! If I ever met this dungeon in person, I’d congratulate it as I tried to eat or take control of its area.

There was another benefit to getting this Ward. Now that I had the Runes tha...

DD5 ~ Chapter 12!

Tom was strapped down to a table, the rags of his clothes cut away. Five men stood around him, each of them caring mystical implements used for purpose Dale could not divine. The eldest among them looked at Tom and made one final offer. “As always, there is a one in ten chance that inspection of your honor will cause your life to end. As you have gone through this process once before, you have better odds than most. Still, I urge you to take the offer that has been given ...

DD5 ~ Chapter 11!

I had just been given an interesting plant as a gift from the first Wood Elf I had ever seen. I really wanted to eat her to see what the difference was between the subsets of Elves, but she didn’t stick around. Next time. The plant was a complicated herb that had some seriously potent medicinal properties, but that wasn’t even why I was so excited about it. 

The main plant could absorb corruption from the air, cleaning and purifying it. Its roots had...

DD5 ~ Chapter 10!

<Let’s see…> I looked over the data provided by one of the Bobs, and found that there were currently more people throwing themselves against my defenses than ever before. Not only were the people in the area working hard to gain the new-style tokens I was offering, but the portal was running constantly. People from multiple nations were cycling in and out constantly, supplying me with fresh victims every single minute. 

The Guild’s attempts at regulat...

DD5 ~ Chapter 9!

Hans and Rose landed at the base of the crater just after Dale was standing again, and the Assassin was clutching the nonplussed Archer for dear life. They were on their feet in moments, and chose not to speak about the screams they had been issuing moments ago. The entire group started walking. At a normal speed, the walk would have taken half a day, but they reached a keep within a few hours.

“We have arrived.” Tom turned to speak to his friends. “Do your best to sp...

DD5 ~ Chapter 8!

“You dare to not only return, but to bring unvetted outsiders and a linked portal to our capitol?” Dale had thought that Tom was huge, but next to this man Tom seemed almost normal-sized. “You smash into our Wards, you bring a dungeon, and Amazonians?”

Tom was remaining remarkably calm for someone so massively outclassed. This brute, this giant of a man was shouting at Tom so hard that his hair was wavin...