Valknar

Poll 1 - 9th Floor

Floor eight has been written. Now it is time to talk bout the next floor. The monster will be Lions... But what type.

Oh... there will be a second poll shortly and both will run for a week.

Chapter 101

Vicdrum Searider was looking at the old-style Cythian watchtower.

It did not look like much, but such things would get you killed in his line of work. The Guild had sent him to be this place to be the [Dungeon Assessor]. The previous one had been promoted to run the Guild in the local town.

Vicdrum was not impressed with the community that was growing up around here. He was from the coast and the city that held the Dungeon of Ocean Depths. As he was from a family of good, noble st...

Chapter 100

Minvar had just left Elian’s office. She was leaning back in her chair, looking at the ceiling rafters. The report from the Minoar’s team that had just returned from the Dungeon. They had recovered a Moonlight Rose, which will be sold to the Merchant Guild today.

The report of the battle with the single occupant of the sixth floor. She had rated it low silver grade but planned to raise it to silver or even high silver. A Minoar team was battered badly in the fight. That alone would ...

Chapter 99

Minvar watched her team as they checked themselves over one last time before descending to the sixth floor. This Dungeon was strange and they were no longer treating it like it was beneath them. The two floors they had passed through were presented a marked escalation in danger.

The stair room was well-lit by blue moss. Seeing everyone in a blue tint was odd, but they had adopted it. Her people had sent them with strict orders. Something was happening here and they were tasked to discov...

Chapter 98

“Are you sure?” Elain had never heard Albrot so concerned before. But what they had just been told had unsettled him, and she was right there with him. Just the hint of the implications was starting to scare her.

“Yes, Guild Master. We have recovered a moonlight rose from the seventh floor.” Sliva was just back from the Dungeon and had reported the find before anything else. Her team were under the care of the healers. She looked battered and tired. The fight had been more than ...

Chapter 97

“What happened?” Albrot demanded as he and Elain rushed into the healer's building.

Ranus had created a large building in which numerous healers and priests worked. As they entered, they found it a hive of activity. Nimora stood in the centre of the main room as others rushed around her. She looked shocked, confused and lost. Albrot’s voice caused her to focus and turn to the Guild Master. The front of her robes was covered in blood.

“I-I… W-we… It-it was too strong.�...

New Midian - 2

Authors note - Here is the second part. The rest will be released with these chapters closer to the end of January on Royal Road. They will be released quickly as I plan to publish fast the first book. Paterons will see the other chapters in the first and second tiers before that. As always thoughts and feedback is welcome.

Chapter 3

The men were now close enough for me to get a good look at them and hear their conversation. Both men were dressed for the outdoors and were ...

New Midian

Authors note - This is a side project I have been working on. I am publishing the first few chapters for all to see and would welcome any thoughts and feedback. Count this as a warning s well if you are easily offended I do not hold back from difficult subjects!

Prologue

2040

Two fighter jets tore through the clear sky, and Gaberial, with a steely resolve, resisted the urge to flinch as they streaked past, flying perilously low. Their thunderous passage sent shockwave...

Chapter 96

Winter swept through the valley, announced by five straight days of blizzards that stopped anyone from coming to the Dungeon. That was a shame, as things were coming close to level seven.  Late autumn had seen another uptick of deaths as the greedy tried for the sixth-floor guardian.

“5% that it! That’s all I need!”

The first adventurers were coming in for the day and I waited. Near the end of the day, the fourth group went to the sixth. They were well-armed and looked ...

Chapter 95

Authors note - Two chapters tday plus something extra.

The daily routine continued. Ranus had not contacted me and I had settled back into the everyday grind. Days had passed, and I was seeing fewer adventurers as the days shortened. More rain was coming through the area.

“Winter will be here soon.”

I spoke to Larry, who continued to ignore me. I had a group on the third fighting the first boar. In the last few weeks, I had seen far more new groups heading to the ...

Chapter 94

Ranus leaned back in his chair. He had contacted the Dungeon during a break in his daily schedule. He found it hard to deal with the intelligence on the other side of the crystal connection. It sounded male and its words reinforced this. But the way it talked and approached questions was so… strange.

Yes, the note he received with the crystal was accurate.

Ranus wondered if the Dungeon had understood how much was sometimes revealed during their conversations. He thought about it...

Chapter 93

Things were moving forward slowly. The ogre was taking shape in my head. I had spent the last few weeks alternating between Core Refining and experimentation. It produced some excellent results that I factored into my plans.

I opened my character sheet and looked at the important part right now.

Name Bhaldor

Essence 58%

Race Dungeon Core

CP 50(800) 8.3 phr

Level 6

Corruption 0%

Floors 6

Health 100%

I had increased Core ...

Chapter 92

Folly’s End was an interesting piece of geography. Rivers surrounded the hills. To the north, a river came to the hills and split around both sides of them. These then meet another river to the south. The rivers were wide and deep, making them excellent defensive features. Any noble would love them as they were a source of food, defence and trade. These hills were difficult to approach, let alone attack.

Now, these rivers served a different role, not as protectors for the locals but a...

Chapter 91

The sun was soon coming within an hour.

The past night had been another night of experimentation.  I was getting ready for the seventh floor and putting ideas into testing. I had learned a few things. Ogres were to be the minion type. I leaned towards a single total fitted out with the best I could supply.

“What will the hook for the floor be?”

The hook on the sixth was the silver vein and the third was the boar's bodies. What will the seventh be?

I opened my ...

Chapter 90

Ranus closed the door as he left. Outside in the dark, he found Elian and Albrot approaching the doors. Both stopped walking when they saw him. Ranus was too tired and confused to question this, so he nodded to them and started walking back home.

His head hurt.

He did not see the worried look that passed between the other two before they caught up and walked with him.

“Ranus, I never expected a nighttime walk in the Dungeon from you.” Elian asked with an attempt at humou...

Chaptr 89

Shezar flew again across the town's roofs to the Lord’s home. The chimneys were all producing smoke, forcing her to fly around them. She did not want to get covered in smoke and soot for her next meeting.

The building came into view. The sun had set, and the town was lit in different areas with lanterns. Below, in the streets, people were still moving around. Taverns and inns were loud and busy. The Watch patrolled the streets, and some were still moving with purpose. In the main squa...

Chapter 88

“Five paladins are not a small force, Arbiter Nextom.” Ranus spoke to the group before him.

“Lord Goldwind, the churches are concerned with the appearance of twisted monsters in the valley and the threat they pose to the community and Dungeon.” Nextom was calm as he talked.

“I respect that view, Arbiter. What has me concerned is that they are here with all the additional militant orders and not one of you informed me that they were here.”

“As long as the milita...

Chapter 87

Amya was walking through the town now, seriously thinking about how to end the contract she was under.

She could perform the job she was hired for and ruin Lord Ranus Goldwind. It would not be quick or easy, but it could be done. She was near finishing a plan to do this, but things had changed.

Paladins.

She was aware of the presence of all the churches in the town, but the sudden influx or, in some cases, the reveal of paladins had thrown a veil of uncertainty over her plan...

Chapter 86

Kyiarin was running the Guild access to the Dungeon today. This was his first taste of significant responsibility. He was young and had joined the Guild when he reached the town shortly after it had been established. He was lucky to have a basic reading and writing ability that helped him advance. The Guild had supplied him with a list of adventurers entering the Dungeon. He was looking it over as the groups were lining up. They would wait for their turn and most would spend the day waiting. ...

Chapter 85

“It was only a bat, Larry.”

He was strutting around the front room after killing a bat that had entered the tower and tried to sleep there. I had sent him up to kill it, and he managed to do it after a few attempts. After the kill, I gained a new design for the bat, but it was a 1 CP creature that was bad at best.

He had returned to the main entrance and positioned himself back on the rafter, was settling in. Dawn had just arrived and I was preparing for the first adventurers....

Chapter 83

In a Dungeon, the Core is king/master/God.

That does not protect it from its greatest enemy…. Boredom.

“Waiting for floor seven is going to be a pain!”

I pull open my character sheet to see the damage.

Name Bhaldor

Essence 17%

Race Dungeon Core

CP 50(800) 7.3 phr

Level 6

Corruption 0%

Floors 6

Health 100%

My essence count was slowly increasing again but at a trickle compared to what it was. I looked at...

New Cover :)

Chapter 82

Authors note - Here marks the end of the second book/arc.

There were countless plots and schemes worldwide—actions taken by individuals or groups. The town of Shadow Vales was seeing far more and their effects rippled out, affecting others in ways known and unknown. This was no different from the last few years since the town was established, only the number was still growing.

One man and a male Shi’Tan were on a ship docked on a pier, receiving and sending messages. Fo...

Chapter 81

Ranus was standing once again on the docks, awaiting a ship to arrive.

He looked around this time, far more nervous than when getting a significant visitor. The last few prominent human and non-human visitors had been stressful, but this one made him want to run from his position.

Shi’Tan.

The one race that he never wanted to have to deal with.

He knew this would be an intense visit that could quickly become a disaster. He was unsure how the town's population would r...

Chapter 80

The team that first cleared the sixth floor had just left and I was thinking about the results of their work.

I had started on the floor but changed my mind as my CP restrictions came into play. I had to rearrange a few things to make things work. The first thing was moving the first four snakes to the second cavern. First, I placed three snakes and then five in the other.

This marked the exhaustion of the CP and I was at a loss as to what to do now. I had no CP to do anything els...

Chapter 79

The next floor was earth and rock.

The floor below was nature and this one was about rock. The worms were similar to the snakes as ambushers but, ironically, were tougher than the snakes but not as fast. This forced a slight change of tactics, with the melee fighters taking more of the lead.

The group moved through the first cavern, which changed into cut stone and wooden support beams. The worm attacked Xerack, but he avoided it, allowing Randle and Fredrick to kill it. When pres...

Chapter 78

“Time to move.” Nimora called out.

The group quickly moved, with Xerack heading northwards. He led them into another cavern, the same as the ones before. He slowed as he entered, looking around for signs of the expected snakes.

They moved with slow, steady and careful steps. The grass around them was still with no signs of movement apart from the path they were creating. They were all on edge now.

Xerack was nearly halfway across the cavern and she knew what he was think...

Chapter 77

The descent went without issue, as everyone they spoke to had told them it would. Nimora and her team found the bottom of the stairwell and were standing in a room that looked like a half-finished construction site. Checking a compass, she got a sense of direction. To the east was an open-door portal and to the north was a large, sturdy-looking door.

Xerack went to the door and looked it over. He ran his hands over the door and its frame, checking for locks and traps. After a few minute...

Chapter 76

“Eerwww”

I came back to awareness and the hangover feeling. I had made it to level six, which made me happy. The death of three teams in a single day had pushed me across the threshold. You must love overeager/greedy adventures and the stupid things they did to get killed. I decided to open an alert flashing in the corner of my vision first.

Congratulations!

You have reached another important milestone!

It is not easy for a Core to walk its Path and develop ...

Chapter 75

Authors note - Two chapters today as I had a computer issue that prevented Wednesdays upload.

The runner entered the Adventurer Guild at full speed, narrowly missing a few and colliding with others. Yells and curses followed him as he pushed through to the receptionist's desk. She looked up in frustration at his actions. He reached the desk, leaned over, and whispered a message into the lead receptionist's ear. She paled and ran up the stairs to the next floor.

Elian was si...