^^ the Ancient Artisan ^^

"Calm down everyone, nothing really changes because we lost 15 hours of our rest period; once again, as soon as the wave begins, we restructure, make the raid sirens to draw in the monsters, then have the dungeon crush them. Kenny, I need more Golems, Brawlers, and Fighters, more Traps, I need some Ballistae on every gate and behind every pitfall, on the ceiling so they're more difficult to mess with, I need pitfalls on the spiral traps that open when there's water present, I need more spiral entrances in every Region of the city, and I need those water filtration plants up and operating. Now, what do I need to make all that happen?"

The tired-looking Informations Technician sighed, rubbing his eyes slowly, then nodded after he'd done some math. "Your Brawlers and Fighters are very helpful, but they're also expensive... you have about 3060 Gold from your Loot and 1095 EXP, but we should try not to touch the EXP... as for the other Loot, there were around 3000 rabbits total, split between you, Akira, and us pretty equally, so that's 9000 Gold we can use for defense and Monsters. Did you get any extra traps and monsters from leveling up to Level Ten?"

Seed Turret(60): 10 EXP / 10 G
Blood Minnow(5,000): 10 EXP / 10 G
Razor Rabbit(0): 10 EXP / 10 G
Dungeon Slime: 10 EXP / 10 G
Ballistae: 25 EXP / 25 G
Hidden Spear Trap: 25 EXP / 25 G
Bloody Bandit(500): 50 EXP / 50 G
Acid Spitter(24): 50 EXP / 50 G
Poison Sprayer(24): 50 EXP / 50 G
Dryad(1): 100 EXP / 100 G
Myconid Warrior: 100 EXP / 100 G (Fungal Breeding Ground Required)
Dwarven Defender(3): 100 EXP / 100 G
Stone Giant Brawler(2): 100 EXP / 100 G
Stone Giant Fighter(2): 100 EXP / 100 G
Leaping Shark(250): 100 EXP/100 G
New Floor: 100 EXP + 100 G
Stone Giant Druid: 250 EXP / 250 G
Young Artisan: 250 EXP / 250 G (Shop Required)
Master Artisan: 500 EXP / 500 G (Shop Required)
Ancient Artisan: 1000 EXP + 1000 G (Shop Required)
Artisan's Shop: 1000 EXP / 1000 G (10 Artisans)
(Restructure: Free, (1) time Per Wave.)

"Oh, quite a few new things, it seems... Ballistae, like I figured, Spear Traps, Myconids, (we can use them to help cleanse the water in the water treatment facilities, that'll be their 'Breeding Grounds',) Slimes, a timeless classic, then Stone Giant Druids, nice, and a number of different Artisans and their 'Shop'... we were talking about needing craftsmen, after all. I'll need all of my own Gold and 2,000 of the other Gold to get the Artisans, but I think it'll be worth it to have ten sets of capable hands making a variety of goods for our little Undercity... of course, having Dwarves would be Thematic, but aesthetic doesn't matter in terms of survival."

His eyes went a little wide when I mentioned the prices, but he nodded seriously as he considered the concept. "Yes, we need proper weapons and armor, and we can't all get them by killing Giant Bears and weasels... alright, yes, that's a good plan; if you buy those first, it might unlock other things or upgrade the dungeon itself, and then we can make plans for the Restructuring that'll happen after that, so I'd say buy that now, and we'll get to work altering the plans according to what happens after that, agreed?"

"No complaints from me." I waited for Akira's affirming nod, then clicked the Shop, designating the area across the Tunnel from the Throne Room and the little pier for it to be placed in.

Purchase 'Artisan's Shop'? (Y/N)?

After I clicked yes, the far wall above the little rushing whitewater of a river shuddered and slowly crumbled, turning to ash and leaving behind a lovely boutique-style shop that was currently empty of all products. "Nice... and now for the Artisans... I'll take One Ancient, Three Masters, and Six Young Artisans, and place them in the Artisan's Shop, with the Ancient Artisan as the Boss."

Purchase (10) Artisan(s) for (3,000) G + (1,000 EXP)? (Y/N)?

Clicking yes once more, I watched as it tallied the value of all my Loot, and then raised an eyebrow at it as I realized I had much more than I thought; each Rabbit had three pieces of loot, and each Loot was worth 2 Gold, not one: this meant I had 6,000 Gold on my own, and I didn't need to dip into anyone else's Loot for just this... that just meant more for later, honestly, and I had plans. It took only a moment for there to be, stepping out of the Shop's back room, a small crowd of ten people. At first they were examining their shop, looking around curiously and seeming to claim shelves and display cases for themselves, but at some point one of them noticed me, and they all began instantly approaching me in a tight group like they'd appeared in. When they reached me, they wordlessly parted, allowing one of their number to step forward. This one was a woman of around fifty, I'd say, aged gracefully and elegantly but aged nonetheless, with gunmetal grey hair spilling past her shoulders in a beautiful stream like a waterfall and held back away from her face by a collection of golden jewelry and a tiara-like headpiece that seemed to take most if not all of her hair effortlessly. Her flawless bronze skin shined beautifully under the artificial and sourceless lighting of the dungeon's interior, and the simple gold-rimmed reading spectacles that were settled on her cheekbones, coupled with her ageless grey-blue eyes, gave her an air of unquestionable authority.

Seeing her entire appearance and display for what it was, I stole the march smoothly, shaking her hand heartily and gesturing to the other three people around the table. "Welcome to my Dungeon, dear. My name is Sybil, this is Akira, my second, Kenny, my Tactical Advisor, and Moira, the Head of the Fertility Department and several different Research Initiatives. Most everyone else here is a doctor or a pharmacist or veterinarian, though their titles are currently 'Villager', last I checked. Do you require anything to make your work or your stay here with us more efficient or comfortable?"

She smiled a bit, clasping her hands in front of her and hiding them in her robes to hide the rubbing as she flexed the hand I'd nearly crushed. "No, nothing is required except ingredients. Loot can be sold to us for double what it can be sold in the Dungeon Store, and we can turn any material you furnish us with into a good of that material. Food, Wood, Stone, Metal, Fabric, Pelts and Hides, Charms and Poisons, Medicines and Chemicals. I specialize in Empowering Charms, such as the Rabbit's Foot in your pocket, or the Armor and Hammer you are wearing."

"Like Enchanted Items?" Kenny perked up like a bloodhound, his back perfectly straight.

She turned her steely gaze over to him, and nodded slowly after a moment of silent deliberation.

"So, what Loot is required for Enchantments?" I asked, curious if it was something easily acquired.

"... I believe you've already seen them; either Blank Weapons and Armors or the Souls of Apex Predators are required."

For a moment I only stared blankly at her, but then I recognized what she meant. "Ah, right, the coins... so you can make the Blank Weapons and Armors, but it's up to us to Imbue them with some monster's soul?"

"That is correct. Now, if you don't mind, we'd like to get to work: where may we find the Dungeon Hoard, to start evaluating the Loot and making requisite Items out of them?" After I pointed at the large chest behind the throne, she gave a small bow and lead her apprentices over to the chest, laying a hand on it to look through the inventory for a moment before raising a pencil-thin eyebrow. "You have no Metal?"

"I'll get you some steel during this next Wave; I intend to set up a Raw Materials Depot and connect it to your Workshop, so you don't have to worry about it for now." I turned back to the digital map while they returned to their exploring the contents of the Hoard, and snapped my fingers at Kenny, who was staring at the Ancient Artisan with something akin to reverence, or maybe he was just Smitten. She was quite beautiful, so I suppose it wasn't that far-fetched. "Kenny! Focus! The pretty lady lives here now, be a creep later! Or... actually, don't, I apologize. But Focus!"

He shook his head to clear it, then cleared his throat heavily, looking back at the map. "Right! Got it! Uhm... back to Dungeon Crafting... how much Gold and EXP do we have left?"

"I have 95 EXP left, and I am once again Level One, but I also have about 400 of each Rabbit Loot left over; apparently, the Gold Value of the Loot is the Level of the Monster, so they're worth 2 G each." Both Kenny and Akira slowly turned to stare at me, incredulous expressions on their faces as they registered what I'd said, but I just shrugged. "The Ancient Artisan required 1000 EXP and 1000 G to summon. I hope she lives up to the price tag, but I think I'll get a nice return on my investment eventually. Let's focus on the now, though, so we can all get at least some sleep before the wave begins."

I've Changed My Mind: You Humans are Boring. The Third Wave Begins Now. Don't Disappoint Me.

MISSION ACQUIRED: DEFEAT THE (3rd) WAVE OF ENEMIES!!! (0/30)

"When I find the Prick behind his, I'm going to smash his fucking balls with my hammer before I rip his greasy little heart out!" I snarled angrily, settling the blueprints and making sure I had all the water treatment plants and the Material Depot, then set the location for the excess material as the Depot. As for monsters, I bought two more of each type of Giant, and Four Druids, then set the water treatment Facility Disposal grounds as the Myconid's Breeding Grounds, placing the Myconids at the bottom of the pitfall traps to attack anything that survived the fall with their likely poisonous spores. Ballistae on every entrance and exit, every pitfall, and along the roof of the river paths and new sewer pathway additions, spear traps along the walls of the maze and in front of the entrances, as well as spaced randomly along the spiral ramps that doubled as lethal water slides. Next, the Subway Tunnels got a series of Gates every hundred meters, and Tokyo Station became its own little satellite village with its own exit and defenses, while the Mall that the rabbits had been using was once again made into the Rabbit's Breeding Grounds, as well as a Marketplace for when we one-day had more Artisan's Shops to place there. In the now-inaccessible basement levels, protected from outside intrusion and given all the room they needed, I moved all the Labs out from beneath us, and gave them more room to work with as well as a direct line to the hydroelectric generators that were now liberally placed throughout the entire city's drainage systems and a serious upgrade to the quality of the containment units for the animals that Moira cooked up, something she'd asked for specifically when prompted on improvements to her lab. It was only moved about a thousand feet away to the north, so it wasn't that bad of a commute, in my opinion, and I honestly felt better with the monster experiments no longer directly under where we all slept. "Anything I'm missing, Kenny?"

"Eeeeeeeto, other than the lack of Slimes, it looks good, Captain!" He gave a thumbs up, grinning goofily to hide the sweat gathering on his brow.

I smiled at his attempt at levity and examined the 'Slimes' in the options. "Hmm... Eh, what the hell, let's buy one and see what it does." I shrugged, buying five of them and placing them around wherever; one went into the Water Treatment Facility, since I figured an acidic creature could be useful there as a trash disposal, two went into the sewers to eat everything that wasn't pure water, and two went into the Waste Disposal of the Dungeon, eating trash and rendering it down to basic components for the Material Depot. That handled, I hit the Restructure Option, gripping the table at the shuddering quake of the earth that seemed to be far stronger than it had been so far, ever since the building had sunk into the ground. Almost instantly, the Artisans perked up and wandered off into their Shop, which now had a massive warehouse attached that wrapped around the entire dungeon and was full of the purified Base Materials that were acquired while ripping through the city itself, including the skyscrapers that'd just found themselves hollowed out of office supplies and other goods, in order to supply us with better beds than the Cots we'd been using because that's what we had in the office. The train tracks that'd been ripped apart were one of the main additions in terms of metals, so I looked forward to whatever they made with them.

Kenny seemed to deflate when the Ancient Artisan left the room without so much as a backwards glance at him, but he rallied himself admirably, then hit the small red button that'd been installed on the map, which began a loud air raid siren above each of the entrances of the dungeon, including others that sounded inside the sewers, to draw monsters in to the places where my monsters could kill them all. "Now, who's up for some proper sleep?"

—

MISSION COMPLETE: DEFEAT THE THIRD WAVE OF ENEMIES!!! (30/30)

Congratulations!!! You survived the (3rd) Wave!!!
Competitor 'Sybil' has Slain the 'Lion's Share' of the enemies!!! EXP and Loot Rewards Dispensed Accordingly!!!

(3) EXP Gained!!! (98/100->Lvl 2)
(30) Squirrel Pelt Obtained!!!
(30) Squirrel Meat Obtained!!!
(30) Squirrel Tooth Obtained!!!

WELL DONE, COMPETITORS!!! THE (4th) WAVE SHALL ARRIVE IN (40) HOURS!!! GOOD LUCK!!!

You're Boring. The Court of Beasts is Displeased.

"Well that's Ominous." I snorted sarcastically, rolling back over and attempting to fall asleep once again, only for a rumbling blast to echo from far above us.

Your Dungeon is being Invaded!!!
Number of Invaders: 40!!!
Activate Defenses? (Y/N)?

"Yes, yes, kill off the intruders..." I sighed, stomping into the throne room while pulling my armor on. "Show me the chuckleheads who broke in this time..."

The screen over the digital table turned to a Herd of Deer, lead by a massive White Stag that had to duck so its glowing silver horns didn't get caught on the ceiling, as they raced through the maze and smashed into every trap along the way with nearly no damage taken on their iron hides. Little shocks of visible electrical discharge followed their antlers and hooves as they stampeded towards the pitfalls, like streams of air had been ionized instantly by their presence. However, with no real room to jump, they couldn't cross the pitfalls, and the Ballistae did their jobs in making them flinch when the bolts slammed against their necks, (not piercing, however, to my irritation,) so they fell, one by one, into the pits full of fungus and poisonous spikes, and were subsequently poisoned by the Myconids until they turned to ashes.

All Invaders Defeated!!! Loot has Appeared in the Dungeon Hoard; Access it in the Throne Room for your Rewards.

Invaders Destroyed!!! Damage to the Dungeon will be Repaired: (1:59:59... 1:59:58... 1:59:57...)
Invaders Destroyed!!! Dungeon Occupants will be Regenerated: (3:59:59... 3:59:58... 3:59:57...)

Competitor 'Sybil' has Defeated the (Legendary White Stag) and the (Gilded Herd)!!!
She Has Obtained the Titles: 'Gilded Huntsman' and 'Legend Hunter'!!!
'Gilded Huntsman': Ranged Damage against Magical Creatures Cannot be Regenerated, and Damage to Resistant Creatures is not Resisted.
'Legend Hunter': Either Up To Five Apex Predators or One Legendary Beast will Spawn in your Event Area every Wave. This effect is Cumulative, and these Enemies can Propagate,-provided they find a Den that Suits them,- but their Offspring will not be Apex Variants.

I. Loath. You.

"Yeah, well, Fuck Off, you Genocidal Prick, or I'll slay your next 'Legends' too!!!"

(2000) EXP Gained!!! (98/100->Lvl 21)
Level Up!!! -> Lvl 20!
(Territory Increased by 2.0 Km^3!!!)
(40) Mithril Hide Obtained!!!
(40) Irresistible Venison Obtained!!!
(40) Silver Antlers Obtained!!!

(Leveling Up Heals All Afflictions!!!
Averages Recalculated!!!
Stats Adjusted Accordingly!!!
Level Twenty Award Dispensed!!!
Name: Sybil Yvkin-Auerbach; Age: 25 (88)
Class: Dungeon Lord
Level: 20 (98/100)
Grade: A+
Strength: 40/10           Intelligence: 30/10
Agility: 35/10              Wisdom: 25/10
Physique: 35/10         Charisma: 25/10
Innate Skills: Super-Human Body Lvl 5
                         Quake Lvl 5
                         Sprint Lvl 5
                        Charm Lvl 5
                        Intimidate Lvl 2 (New Skill!!!)
Class Skills: Dungeon Master's Guide Lvl 5
                       Dungeon Magic Lvl 5
                       Dungeon King Lvl 5 (New Class Skill!!!))

I grunted softly at the burning feeling in my guts, but considering I hadn't aged since the first time I'd been De-Aged, it seemed to be that there wasn't anything to change, so it went away quickly. Totally awake now, bright eyes and bushy tail included, I slumped into the Throne and opened the little Character Sheet again, examining my new Skills. Intimidate made sense, as I'd threatened a Grey Lord and sent him packing after he attempted to punish me for survival, Quake I already knew about, Sprint, Charm was probably a more powerful variant of Taming, considering I got it after 'Taming' the Leaping Sharks with our company's Compound... I hadn't tried out 'Dungeon Magic' yet, but now there was also 'Dungeon King', which was interesting.

"Fuck it: Dungeon Magic Lvl 5." I clicked the Skill, and then held out a hand, thinking of a fireball floating above my hand.

Instead, a superheated flame shot out of the wall, and cooked my hand to well-done in a split second, then turned off as my echoing shriek of pain had Akira and Kenny running into the Throne Room, summoned from their bedrooms by my surprisingly shrill scream of pain.