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File 160932928948.png - (19.32KB , 600x400 , dungeoneer_ch8.png )
984496 No. 984496 ID: 293539

http://www.questden.org/wiki/Dungeoneer

I hurt.

Perhaps I am not, in fact, an expert at drinking.

I've used myself ruthlessly; depleted coin, mana and substance in pursuit of ideas that seemed brilliant in the moment. Even by the feeble, hateful rays of the dawning Sun the cracks and blemishes emerge from the kindly night's soporific haze.
Expand all images
>>
No. 984497 ID: 293539
File 160932931635.png - (15.61KB , 800x500 , who_this.png )
984497

How long have I slept? Some little fraction of the night. The earth has hardly moved.

I try to separate myself from the cozy darkness, rise to full wakefulness before the light holds me to account.

My sleep was a fever haze, I'm not sure what was dreams. That act of separation is too much for me right now.
>>
No. 984498 ID: 293539
File 160932937699.png - (26.95KB , 750x650 , objective_complete_survive.png )
984498

My golem body protests as I sit up in bed; its image has been destroyed and recreated too many times.

I've put its stone and clay through various abuses. It has performed better than I could have expected, strengthening its ties to my Heart fragment. My drowsing reinforcement and consolidation is not yet complete.

----------------------------------------
New Ability Unlocked!
----------------------------------------
Spell Revolution: Nearly completed spells are circulated continuously in a closed loop of mana channels, allowing it to be cast very quickly when required. This is preset to a handful of rote spells and each spell takes a considerable amount of time to reconstruct following cast.

Choose two:

In My Image: Copies magical effects affecting Deem to the target. This can also be used to suppress magic currently affecting the target prior to casting the spell.

Invulnerable Hide: Toughen the target's body and their skin becomes practically unbreakable.

Sculpted Simulacrum: Conjures a effigy of the target constructed of materials based on its surroundings and animates it as a golem. It's able to mimic some of the target's abilities.

Stone Egg: Conjures a giant stone egg. It has boulder-like toughness. After a short delay Deem can make it hatch, spraying its surroundings with sticky slime.
>>
No. 984500 ID: 9caba2

>>984498

Good morning there harem member, Kallia seems to be in the middle so that makes her the protagonist of this bed event.
You appear to be the first one in the bed that's awake, so unless Hin is already doing it, you have to make the customary post drinking-or was it a post coitus thing? No matter, you have to whip up some scrambled eggs with sausage.

Also get some water, both you and the clay-leaves on your branches are looking a tad dry(and the branches rather... girthy?).

Spells:
In My Image, since you often get hit by various magical effects, I'd hypothesize that it can be used to help break curses by letting your mages experience them more directly. And you could potentially also use it as a learning tool? Not to mention throwing a debuff right back at a fool in combat or sharing a benign effect.

Sticky Egg, in case there aren't any eggs for making breakfast here.
>>
No. 984501 ID: d47474

huh, somewhat surprised you didn't wake up fused to another golem actually... especially since it looks like you all decided finding more then one bed was to much effort.

but as for what to choose
>In My Image: Copies magical effects affecting Deem to the target. This can also be used to suppress magic currently affecting the target prior to casting the spell.
Deem does seem to get cursed a lot so something to turn that into a boon would be nice.

>Invulnerable Hide: Toughen the target's body and their skin becomes practically unbreakable.
And this one because I feel it pairs beautifully with "In my image" as if she becomes a physical tank it would mean adventurers would more then likely be forced to use magic to try and take her down and if they uses debuffing magic or statis magic with "in my image" she can turn it right back around on the adventurer.
>>
No. 984503 ID: 08e322

>>984498
egg, in my image. check how many people you had rocking sex with last night
>>
No. 984504 ID: 0924b3

>>984498 Simulacrum and Egg, also Deem, sweetheart, brush your hair. It's looking a bit moppy and sad.
>>
No. 984505 ID: 9c1ef3

>>984501
Both of these, because In My Image is such an excellent tool and a good buff like that is only made better by it.
>>
No. 984506 ID: ce39da

In My Image and Sculpted Simulacrum pair beautifully with the theme of a mirror battle. 'You're fighting yourself more than you're fighting me,' and all that.
>>
No. 984507 ID: 001ae5

In My Image and Simulacrum. Making mirror minions and doubling buffs (or mirroring debuffs) will be great for interesting boss fights and force multipliers.
You’re looking a bit slim. Did you make more golems? Or did Centaur gobble you up?
>>
No. 984509 ID: 0c0671

Sculpted Simalcrum: There's so much potential in crafting and combat when you can make inanimate resources mimic the properties of specific animals. Steel formed into the bulletproof hide of a reptile, stem cells molded into replacement organs, and you can make cake out of anything!

I want to see how Deem conjures Stone Egg.
>>
No. 984510 ID: a9af05

>>984498
In My Image and Sculpted Simulacrum

Deem, you're looking really thin. You should replace the materials your body lost, so that you don't look like you'll shatter to pieces if you trip and fall on the floor.
>>
No. 984511 ID: f10f92

>>984498
Hydrate. Check your body for eggs. You ate one last night. Probably absorbed it to fuel tree growth tho? Anyways, Hide and Image.
>>
No. 984513 ID: 10c408

sculpted simulacrum and in my image. Double the denizen fights, double the fun.
>>
No. 984514 ID: d58a70

I'm gonna say In My Image and Sculpted Simulacrum, cause there may be a synergy there of copying buffs like a reinforcement to the summoned golems.
>>
No. 984516 ID: 465a14

In my Image and Sculpted Simulacrum, for the theme and utility. They seem pretty great.
>>
No. 984517 ID: b1b4f3

>>984498
Sculpted Simulacrum, In My Image. Make a minion then give it all your buffs!

Looks like you've got clothes on so your purity has been preserved.
>>
No. 984518 ID: 6e6f32

In My Image and Sculpted Simulacrum

Invulnerable Hide has amazing synergy with Sculpted Simulacrum, as you can create an invulnerable copy of an enemy to beat them down through attrition, but In my Image can do insane things, namely magic cancel a solo runner or Double Boss a team. It may be worth enhancing spell revolution in the future just for Invulnerable Hide, but that is a quest for another day.

It seems your clay is cracked and dry. Seek Water.
>>
No. 984521 ID: 0fae41

In My Image and Stone Egg. How long can you delay the fuse? You can use it for cover or to block passages too.
>>
No. 984522 ID: 12b116

egg and invulnerable hide.

Also touch a boob. Are there any boobs to touch in the bed with you?
>>
No. 984525 ID: 465a14

True, you did do dangerous magical experiments involving boobs last night. It'd be irresponsible of you not to check on them after that- be sure to massage them properly to make sure they didn't somehow get any clay or rocks mixed in.
>>
No. 984533 ID: 735fa3

I'd say sculpted simulacrum and In my image.

I think maybe Invulnerable hide would be more useful, but our strength is in our companions so things we can use with them seem ideal.
>>
No. 984565 ID: 38eec1

>>984498
In My Image and Invulnerable Hide. Cast your famuli in your invulnerable image!
>>
No. 984576 ID: 4b0c86

Invulnerable Hide and Sculpted Simulacrum.
>>
No. 984578 ID: 12b116

Let's go for simulacrum or exploding egg. Speaking of which, are you still full of eggs? If not, which corner of the room did you barf them up in? A drinking expert always barfs something up in a corner of the room.
>>
No. 984636 ID: afa6f6

>>984498
In My Image, and Sculpted Simulacrum are the way to go. Besides the wonderful synergy and the beautiful theming, each is useful on their own in different ways.
IMI, because Deem is constantly putting various effect on herself or experimenting with her Golem body, or getting cursed, so theres already a wide variety of uses without having to change her usual behavior.
And SS, because being able to make a minion on the fly is always useful. and you could use it as a tool to get a better understanding of a target if you use it on various beasts or creatures before considering bringing them in as a minion, and it'll make a great tool for your boss battles in the dungeon, or maybe even as a room challenge if you can set it up beforehand.
>>
No. 984779 ID: 21dfe1
File 160972401681.png - (24.44KB , 600x800 , tough_crowd.png )
984779

>Good morning there harem member, Kallia seems to be in the middle so that makes her the protagonist of this bed event.
>You appear to be the first one in the bed that's awake, so unless Hin is already doing it, you have to make the customary post drinking-or was it a post coitus thing?
>It looks like you all decided finding more then one bed was to much effort.
>Check how many people you had rocking sex with last night
>Looks like you've got clothes on so your purity has been preserved.
>Touch a boob. Are there any boobs to touch in the bed with you?
>True, you did do dangerous magical experiments involving boobs last night. It'd be irresponsible of you not to check on them after that- be sure to massage them properly to make sure they didn't somehow get any clay or rocks mixed in.
...

I don't want to hear it.
>>
No. 984780 ID: 21dfe1
File 160972405792.png - (31.72KB , 650x750 , the_only_early_riser.png )
984780

>In My Image, since you often get hit by various magical effects, I'd hypothesize that it can be used to help break curses by letting your mages experience them more directly. And you could potentially also use it as a learning tool? Not to mention throwing a debuff right back at a fool in combat or sharing a benign effect.
True, it is quite versatile in that respect.

>Deem does seem to get cursed a lot so something to turn that into a boon would be nice.
I don't get cursed that often.

>In My Image and Simulacrum. Making mirror minions and doubling buffs (or mirroring debuffs) will be great for interesting boss fights and force multipliers.
Those two it is then.

>Invulnerable Hide has amazing synergy with Sculpted Simulacrum, as you can create an invulnerable copy of an enemy to beat them down through attrition, but In my Image can do insane things, namely magic cancel a solo runner or Double Boss a team. It may be worth enhancing spell revolution in the future just for Invulnerable Hide, but that is a quest for another day.
Invulnerable skin doesn't mean invulnerability, but yes that is a thought for another day.

I crawl to the edge of the bed and creakily stand up.

>Deem, sweetheart, brush your hair. It's looking a bit moppy and sad.
The colour's run a little. I must have let it get wet for too long. I'll have to tidy it up.

>Huh, somewhat surprised you didn't wake up fused to another golem actually...
With another golem fused to me, don't you mean?

>You’re looking a bit slim. Did you make more golems? Or did Centaur gobble you up?
Do you really think that golem would be able to overcome me? I'm conserving energy.

>Speaking of which, are you still full of eggs? If not, which corner of the room did you barf them up in? A drinking expert always barfs something up in a corner of the room.
No, and I didn't sully this bedroom.
>>
No. 984781 ID: 21dfe1
File 160972416582.png - (33.28KB , 800x600 , deem_used_hydro_pump.png )
984781

>Also get some water, both you and the clay-leaves on your branches are looking a tad dry(and the branches rather... girthy?).
Those leaves aren't clay, but some water certainly wouldn't hurt

I head down to the kitchen to get some water. There's dirty dishes scattered about but I find a clean mug and get water from the pump.

>Hydrate. Check your body for eggs. You ate one last night. Probably absorbed it to fuel tree growth tho?
I removed or digested all the eggs except the one on my chest. I extract that one and set it aside too.

>Deem, you're looking really thin. You should replace the materials your body lost, so that you don't look like you'll shatter to pieces if you trip and fall on the floor.
I'm hardly that fragile and I don't see any spare clay lying around here either.

>No matter, you have to whip up some scrambled eggs with sausage.
The pantry's almost bare. I'll need to go to the shops. I am missing my spare homunculus now so I suppose I'll take Centaur to carry things.

... I do need to bring up the matter of custody with Kallia at some point too.
>>
No. 984782 ID: 36784c

>>984781
……found Hin. Look out the window and you’ll see her. She’s apparently grown too big to fit inside the building!

Hopefully you can fix that, otherwise she’s not gonna be able to fit inside the dungeon when you go back!
>>
No. 984783 ID: b1b4f3

>>984780
Wait a minute isn't that your first adventurer on the floor there? Why does it look like she's got a clay leg?

>>984781
Where's Hin? Don't get Centaur out of bed just yet, you'll probably wake Kallia and... well, we don't remember how long you stayed up last night, do you?
Go find Hin, maybe just spend some time sitting and checking on how everyone's doing back home.
>>
No. 984784 ID: f10f92

>>984781
Now you're hydrated, go back and cuddle. It's only polite.
>>
No. 984788 ID: 12b116

let's look for Hin and find out where that cat came from
>>
No. 984793 ID: b1b4f3

Getting everyone a drink to wake up to sounds like something nice to do.
>>
No. 984794 ID: 0fae41

...So, um. In order of things, I think you should pour some hangover cures for everybody, in the form of water. You should go investigate that hill of yellow and black outside the window there. You should bring the cat a bowl of milk. And you should hug both of those last two things.
>>
No. 984796 ID: d47474

uh, where's Hin and where did the cat girl come from?
>>
No. 984801 ID: 6e6f32

Is.... Is that the cat-folk adventurer from a little while back?

What's she doing here?
>>
No. 984806 ID: d78ab5

The water will probably help with the hangover, maybe, I think that's how fleshy folks get over it other than something about dogs hairs and orange juice.
Your body probably needs heat though, to meld together crumbling joints. So perhaps you should drink...hot water? Maybe with stuff innit?
>>
No. 984807 ID: 9caba2

>>984781
Looks like you managed to get adopted by a cat during your night out. Remember to get some food for her as well.
>>
No. 984820 ID: db14b0

Huh, so Centaur can mimic past invaders now? That is a lot of detail to describe, can you upload memories into golems that are only partially your own?

I do not trust that pump, as it has no face...

Leave the whole jug out for Hin to drink when she wakes up.

Check your amulet to be sure it didn't get damaged. Nobody wants their magic to pop up randomly.
>>
No. 984825 ID: 9c1ef3

>Bed so overflowing with hotties one of them is on the fucking floor
>...but they're all fully clothed

what in the goddamn...

Wait, you might need to find some pants. Or a skirt. Or something.
>>
No. 984828 ID: 4d4283

I think Hin is behind the bushes, There is something wich looks exaclty as her robe.

The best course of actions may be to check damages from last night. I would priorice checking if Hin is ok (she could get a cold). Then look if the cat adventurer is the cat adventurer or a golem. And lastly maybe chek if Kallia is ok, last night she grown things and that can't be good for her health.
>>
No. 984838 ID: 19a984

>>984820
That, or we just amputated the right leg of a semi-random adventurer and tried to fix it...
>>
No. 984971 ID: ae7e19

Make sure you gather up your nice outfit! It would be very sad to loose it so soon
>>
No. 985041 ID: f57349

>>984820
>I do not trust that pump, as it has no face...
Say, Deem, what would it take to make a specialized water-pumping-and-dish-washing golem that could power itself with ambient mana and food waste?
>>
No. 985252 ID: 735fa3

Why exactly are you talking like you live here?
>>
No. 985259 ID: 8fab7a

Yours is a unique position for all you drank, Deem. Not so much hungover as stonedownered from the magic abuse. Heh. Sorry.

Thought: hard to say who took most advantage of the other last night, but the golemeters are down parts and ingredients. You may owe them... something. Ah well. At least some fun was had.

And Pony got eaten.

By the way, your dryadic tree horns. They're... a magical effect of sorts, right? That's what that was last night, wasn't it? You reflected them upon Kallia, In My Image-style. I mean... I don't think she has hers now, still. Or...?

>Custody
Myeah. Centaur was supposed to be of aid with her golem examination project. Still think that's a good idea, in the light of day? I guess you do, if we're handing her over to Kallia, whatever the caveats.

Also, have you considered bringing and selling some of the excess eggs in town? If there's any interesting applications to them, well... we do know how to make more, I think. Mana battery juice can do it.

... could you dump raw mana on them and get, like, a supply of them? Hm. Hmm.

>Catlady adventurer
...is it her?

Oh my.

At any rate, the slow-to-rouse will require sustenance. Check your funds, then dress up and nip out for some quick grocery shopping so that you can repay Kallia's hospitality (or whomever's home this is) with a proper breakfast.
>>
No. 985394 ID: 43a577
File 161036194678.png - (23.61KB , 800x550 , more_junk_next_time_maybe.png )
985394

>...found Hin. Look out the window and you’ll see her. She’s apparently grown too big to fit inside the building!
Well that just sounds like carelessness.

>Hopefully you can fix that, otherwise she’s not gonna be able to fit inside the dungeon when you go back!
I've been working on higher ceilings. Also the spell should have worn off already so this is probably Hin's fault.

>Wait, you might need to find some pants. Or a skirt. Or something.
I find my pants in the lounge room in amongst the other detritus of the night's activities. There's some of my newer rocks on the table too so I replace them.

>Uh, where's Hin and where did the cat girl come from?
She was at the bar, I think. The cat. Hin was there also, but I don't think she's still there.

>Is.... Is that the cat-folk adventurer from a little while back?
Yes.

>What's she doing here?
Sleeping. Maybe I should rest some more too, I still feel low on mana.

>Now you're hydrated, go back and cuddle. It's only polite.
>You should go investigate that hill of yellow and black outside the window there. You should bring the cat a bowl of milk. And you should hug both of those last two things.
I am not cuddly, nor am I a hugger.

>Don't get Centaur out of bed just yet, you'll probably wake Kallia and... well, we don't remember how long you stayed up last night, do you?
Fine. I can go a little longer without any minions. I don't usually sleep, so not as long as usual.
>>
No. 985395 ID: 43a577
File 161036202050.png - (22.67KB , 650x750 , deem_dressups.png )
985395

>Make sure you gather up your nice outfit! It would be very sad to loose it so soon.
I head down to the basement to gather up the rest of my robes. They're a bit loose. I'll have to pin up these pants. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten something with such long sleeves either.

>Yours is a unique position for all you drank, Deem. Not so much hungover as stonedownered from the magic abuse. Heh. Sorry.
So you should be.

>Say, Deem, what would it take to make a specialized water-pumping-and-dish-washing golem that could power itself with ambient mana and food waste?
Why would I waste those sorts of resources on something that limited?

>Myeah. Centaur was supposed to be of aid with her golem examination project. Still think that's a good idea, in the light of day? I guess you do, if we're handing her over to Kallia, whatever the caveats.
I'm not sure if the golem's of particular use to Kallia in its current state.

>Hard to say who took most advantage of the other last night, but the golemeters are down parts and ingredients. You may owe them... something. Ah well. At least some fun was had.
>And Pony got eaten.
I am owed a homunculus though.

>Have you considered bringing and selling some of the excess eggs in town? If there's any interesting applications to them, well... we do know how to make more, I think. Mana battery juice can do it.
I don't think they'll last long term. They're likely to degrade the more they're duplicated.

>... could you dump raw mana on them and get, like, a supply of them? Hm. Hmm.
Possibly, they are partially derive from Stargazer. They might change again though.
>>
No. 985396 ID: 43a577
File 161036212804.png - (20.92KB , 650x750 , wake_up_hin.png )
985396

>Getting everyone a drink to wake up to sounds like something nice to do.
Water seems a bit basic and there's not terribly much else.

>I would prioritise checking if Hin is OK.
She's still in quite an altered state. I suppose I should. I go outside, squat next to Hin and try to poke her awake.

Hin sits up, stretches and yawns. Then she looks down at me. "I haven't changed back? Oh nooo?!" she says theatrically.

I look up at my magically engorged blacksmith wearily. "Hin, take off the bangle."

"..."

"..."

"You've got sharp eyes, Deem." Hin says, rubbing at the Fixity Bangle on one hand.
>>
No. 985397 ID: 43a577
File 161036222090.png - (32.24KB , 750x650 , is_a_huggeder.png )
985397

Hin slouches over and shuffles over to me on her knees, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Anyway, didn't eggsplode overnight? That's good."

"I don't explode."

"Don't lie, Deem!" Hin says, swaying me side to side with her. "Betcha were gonna explode if you drank any more. Like bwwoom! Didn think you'd be such a party animal!"

"I'm not." I say, trying to loosen her hand. "About that bangle, Hin."

"Oh yeah! I think I should keep it for a bit. You got that guy coming, remember?" she says.

"That guy?"

"You know, the guy! Thingy's son! You were talking up your dungeon stuff at the bar? He was interested in sponsoring it?"

That sounds like something I'd do but I don't remember much. Also I think I need to get Hin off me if I'm going to achieve anything this morning.
>>
No. 985398 ID: f10f92

>>985397
Can a fixity bangle keep you drunk?..
>>
No. 985400 ID: f10f92

>>985397
Maybe ask Hin if her horns usually look like that?.. She always grinds them down so I don't think we've seen her full horns before.
>>
No. 985402 ID: 9caba2

>>985397
Eh you can let her wear the bangle for now, right? Just give her a honk to get her off of you.


>>985400
And yeah, last time she got respawned she just had short-ish horns that curled down, right? I think she's decided to branch out a bit like Deem.
>>
No. 985403 ID: 2aa5f0

why does everyone have your branch antler look now? That's your look!

But for real see if you can't get Hin to tell you more about that guy... and maybe see if you can't find something to sober her up, she still seems a little drunk from last night. You wouldn't happen to know any cure poison spells by any chance would you?
>>
No. 985406 ID: 798061

>>985397
Gotta one up her for hugging her, deem. Put her on the backfoot. Hug her back and give her a kiss
>>
No. 985407 ID: 094652

Question: why does magic show mercy to Hin's clothing?

Ask Hin if she wants to take advantage of her situation at the local bar or seedy joint, because you're leaving in like six hours.
>>
No. 985410 ID: ce39da

"Hin, I don't remember much after we left this house. Could you please clarify who this guy is, how I can identify him, and what exactly it was that he was offering that requires you to keep wearing that bangle?"
>>
No. 985411 ID: 525e7e

You ringed her, deem. Now she's yours for life. Enjoy your new bride
>>
No. 985412 ID: 87871e

She has a point Deem, don’t go kicking out blocks from the precarious pile you built last night until you have a clear picture of how it will come down. Besides, all the better for her to reach the top shelf and other high things for you now. Tell her to pick you back up and lift you to the second floor, there are more survivors to rouse.
Before he arrives, you should trim her horns back to something more organized. Not all the way down, that would take too long in this size.
...Oh yeah, you had a bunch of eggs still laying around. If you’ve got someone coming, you need to clean up. Hin is on egg disposal duty.
>>
No. 985414 ID: a9af05

>>985397
Oh great. Someone of importance of some kind is coming by.

Deem, you should probably make yourself taller so that you don't have this random person looking down on you.
>>
No. 985420 ID: 12b116

What else can Hin tell us about what happened last night? How did we end up with the cat?
>>
No. 985421 ID: 8fab7a

Well, at least you've given her a taste of her heritage. I'd say let her be to see if she realizes how much more inconvenient her current form is - 's a good lesson. Also, this way she gets to prank the others as well.

And you may or may not be able to use her to impress this 'Thingy's son'. Press Hin for more details on that, then sic her on the others while you consider your next move.

(Hin's horned now. Are you 'In My Image'-ing her?)
>>
No. 985433 ID: 0fae41

Let her have the bangle. See if you can brew up something to counteract her continued inebriation, or maybe just a large intake of water will do the trick. Can you circulate some mana with her to restore your energy? Maybe standing up and doing some stretches would be good for her.
Anyway, clean up the lounge before you prod the cat. It may be polite, after all this time, to finally ask her name.
>>
No. 985463 ID: f0f35e

Hin still sounds drunk... and looks drunk. How is she still drunk, how does something her size get drunk in a single village? ... someone made enchanted booze, didn't they? And the bangle is maintain the enchantment. Can you empower her to resist mental magic?
>>
No. 985464 ID: 735fa3

Maybe she's still drunk. Maybe the fixity bangle keeps you drunk (alcohol acting like a potion?).

Or maybe she's blushing and putting an arm around Deem because of something that happened last night that Deem can't remember.
>>
No. 985504 ID: 4d4283

She looks like enjoying herself, let her play with tha magic item a bit more. It looks funny.
>>
No. 985539 ID: 19a984

Fuck, this might be bad. Aren't there those templar guys who are in charge and basically destroy dungeons? Aren't we technically criminal by nature to them?
>>
No. 985540 ID: b1b4f3

>>985539
I don't believe we've gotten any details about that yet.

This is a good opportunity to do that though.
>>
No. 985844 ID: 777990

Huh

Flushed cheeks

Arm around shoulder

Pressing her obnoxiously gigantic tits against her

Oh my god, they had drunken gigant mode sex last night.
>>
No. 987064 ID: aa5597

>>985397
Why does Hin have treebranch horns? Did she eat some of the eggs as well?
>>
No. 988531 ID: cdddfb

well, there goes flirty but wholesome.
>>
No. 989450 ID: 9a15ed
File 161450758833.png - (27.11KB , 800x550 , talk_some.png )
989450

>Huh
>Flushed cheeks
>Arm around shoulder
>Pressing her obnoxiously gigantic tits against her
>Oh my god, they had drunken gigant mode sex last night.
I did not, I have never, NO.

>Why does everyone have your branch antler look now? That's your look!
>...Oh yeah, you had a bunch of eggs still laying around. If you’ve got someone coming, you need to clean up. Hin is on egg disposal duty.
She's clearly had enough eggs already.

>Put her on the backfoot. Hug her back and give her a kiss.
I will not.

>Question: why does magic show mercy to Hin's clothing?
Because I cast that spell and I'm not an amateur.

>Fuck, this might be bad. Aren't there those templar guys who are in charge and basically destroy dungeons? Aren't we technically criminal by nature to them?
Criminal? What an absurdly inadequate word. My nature is one of determination. I am one who sits in judgement, not one who can be judged.

Had this fledgling organisation of Harrowers that Kallia once mentioned to me been encountered, I surely would remember no matter what state I was in.

>"Hin, I don't remember much after we left this house. Could you please clarify who this guy is, how I can identify him, and what exactly it was that he was offering that requires you to keep wearing that bangle?"
"My memory's fuzzy, Hin. "'Thingy' doesn't really narrow it down for me." I say.

"You know, Thingy! We broke into his vault last night?"

"Oh, the banker." I say. "He has a son?"

"Yes! The guy."

"The guy?"

Hin shrugs, wondering how I'm not following her rambling. "The guy in the bar."

>What else can Hin tell us about what happened last night? How did we end up with the cat?
"More detail." I say. "Was that before or after the cat?"

Hin squints at me. "Whaaaat, we ran into Myaousha when we were running from the church."

"Right." I say.

"So we decided to do the bar thing," Hin continues, "and Thingy was there!"

"The banker?"

"No, actually his son."

This is getting me nowhere.
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No. 989451 ID: 9a15ed
File 161450764647.png - (24.64KB , 800x500 , a_collection_of_stuff.png )
989451

>Hin still sounds drunk... and looks drunk. How is she still drunk, how does something her size get drunk in a single village?
I don't think you understand how much there is to drink in a single village.

>Can a Fixity Bangle keep you drunk?..
It does resist physical change, it seems it has slowed her processing the alcohol.

"You still sound tipsy." I say to Hin.

"Tipsy? Yah, I guess. Did drink a lot!"

"I think it's the bangle, Hin. It's keeping you drunk for longer." I say, with extreme patience. "You should take it off."

"Ah, hmm. Oh. Ohhh." She picks at it for a moment. "What about the guy though?"

"What about him?"

"Gotta show off the goods you know? We were kind of on a rampage last night." She raises one hand and counts off on her fingers. "You were going on about golems and denizens and being a magical with all the stuff you can do and make. Between us and the golems and everything, I guess he liked what he saw? But gotta back it up at brunch today."

>Well, at least you've given her a taste of her heritage. I'd say let her be to see if she realizes how much more inconvenient her current form is - 's a good lesson. Also, this way she gets to prank the others as well.
>And you may or may not be able to use her to impress this 'Thingy's son'. Press Hin for more details on that, then sic her on the others while you consider your next move.
I sigh. "I'll repair the spell I put on you. But then you'd better take the bangle off."

"Okay, kay." Hin nods.

>See if you can brew up something to counteract her continued inebriation, or maybe just a large intake of water will do the trick. Can you circulate some mana with her to restore your energy? Maybe standing up and doing some stretches would be good for her.
While my Heart itself is badly depleted, there is still power enough in my Heart's fragment for this golem body of mine to operate locally. A concerning amount of mana really, considering the usual loss I suffer from its broken edges. Perhaps I did drink too much.

I put that power and Hin's excessive proximity to use. I repair the decayed structure of the enlarging spell I placed on her. Hin's other changes should subside after a while.

"There," I say, unwrapping the Fixity Bangle from Hin's finger. I duck inside and select a large pot to place back outside near the garden's pump. "You should drink some water too, to help flush your body." I remain at the door in case she decides to get physical again. "The others are still in bed, would you get them up if they're still not up soon?"

My blacksmith raises her arm in some sort of sloppy salute. "Aye aye, keep drinking and pester lots? Got it."

I sigh.

Hin frowns. "You oughta freshen up, Deem. You're looking a bit groggy. Maybe don't come on so strong this time too."

I don't dignify that with a response.

>Deem, you should probably make yourself taller so that you don't have this random person looking down on you.
This person is coming as a petitioner to me. To overexert myself in preparation would reek of desperation.

It seems I have a wealthy individual coming by in between one and two hours, interested in the potential of my dungeon. What should I do to prepare?
>>
No. 989453 ID: 2aa5f0

well, you probably should start by waking everyone else up. Either they'll have a better idea on what happened last night or at the very least when "the guy" shows up it would probably make a better first impression if the meeting didn't have a bunch of passed out drunks laying around the place.
>>
No. 989454 ID: b1b4f3

>broke into the vault, probably vandalized the church
Well, I hope that didn't get you in too much trouble. You didn't wake up in jail at least...

Well obviously you need to make sure everyone's sober and presentable by the time the guy arrives. That includes you. Get yourself a little food, try to get more of the story of last night from the others, clean up the place a bit too. Pick up those eggs you've left lying around.
And check on the dungeon.
>>
No. 989459 ID: 5b0071

>>989451
Returning to the shape that you arrived in town as may actually be a good idea. It will make the clothing Moriko designed for you fit properly again. It could make the difference between this person seeing you as an individual, or simply as an advanced golem Merud or Kallia whipped up. You don't need that nonsense.
>>
No. 989460 ID: 094652

Write up a list of things you expect the petitioner will request, such as cuisine or a sporting match. Prioritize questions about your dungeon and business opportunities.
>>
No. 989464 ID: 12b116

Just be your usual headstrong self, you can basically do anything and he's lucky to get a chance to work with you. We do kind of need to know what he actually talked with you about though.
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No. 989466 ID: 0fae41

Dye your hair, go on an easter egg hunt, and perhaps get everyone's answers straight in preparation for interview. Especially Myaousha's. She needs to understand that she saw a very early, prototype version of the dungeon - we're much bigger now, with much larger and impressive assets - like Hin!
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No. 989524 ID: bd10df

The key to warfare is knowledge. Interrogate the locals for the details of your opponent.
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No. 990664 ID: d2408a
File 161545484731.png - (30.80KB , 800x550 , drudges_and_drinks.png )
990664

>>Broke into the vault, probably vandalized the church
>Well, I hope that didn't get you in too much trouble. You didn't wake up in jail at least...
The church probably deserved it. I'm sure everyone would agree.

>Just be your usual headstrong self, you can basically do anything and he's lucky to get a chance to work with you. We do kind of need to know what he actually talked with you about though.

>Write up a list of things you expect the petitioner will request, such as cuisine or a sporting match. Prioritize questions about your dungeon and business opportunities.
Golems. Commissioned magic items. Rare materials or monsters. Perhaps paying special effort to testing and strengthening anyone he sends to challenge my labyrinth.

>Dye your hair, go on an easter egg hunt.
>Get yourself a little food, try to get more of the story of last night from the others, clean up the place a bit too. Pick up those eggs you've left lying around.
I asked Hin to get the others out of bed already, so I head to the stable to look for any bits and pieces we didn't get off the pack-mule golem.

Th golem has seen better days that featured more legs. There's other dormant golems of inscrutable purpose scattered around. That might be for the best - I need laborers to clean this places up and I already decided not to rouse that cancerous mass of golemetry in the upstairs bedroom. One seems to be made of river mud, one's made of sticks, one is made of rocks and other found materials, and there's one that resembles an artistic interpretation of Belphe. There's a salt crusted mass inside that last one that smells faintly of seawater and eggs. Maybe I should take that one back to my dungeon, it might encourage my little pot to not slack off.

There's some other signs of alchemical activity too - a few scattered potion pots with labels attached to them in a childish scrawl, labeling them "satid- saif FOOd", "BIG" and "gOLi e m".

And another egg or two as well, of course.

>Well obviously you need to make sure everyone's sober and presentable by the time the guy arrives. That includes you.
I reactivate the stone golem first as it seems like nothing too experimental was attempted with it and it has hands. Aside from a bizarre predilection to hand me potions and take them away, it applies itself to clearing some of the clutter, while I brush my hair and darken it.

>Returning to the shape that you arrived in town as may actually be a good idea. It will make the clothing Moriko designed for you fit properly again. It could make the difference between this person seeing you as an individual, or simply as an advanced golem Merud or Kallia whipped up. You don't need that nonsense.
I do need to find some good quality clay though. For a golemetry guild, this place is bizarrely lacking in it. I must have given too much of myself away last night.

Something's nagging at the back of my mind. Did I do that, and do I need to do this now? I probe the altered connections between my Heart fragment and golem body. Ahah!

----------------------------------------
New Abilities Unlocked!
----------------------------------------
Distill and Disperse Modes: Deem has two forms. Distill Mode refines and process energy, while Disperse Mode spreads it. Disperse Mode loses access to Spell Revolution and instead gains Earth Surge.

Earth Surge: Deem can momentarily amplify her physical abilities with a pulse of mana. It loses effectiveness if she's not in contact with the ground.
----------------------------------------

Something twists in those connective channels, a change of flow. My outfit becomes snug as my golem body expands to better fit it.

Outside I hear Kallia scream.
>>
No. 990665 ID: d2408a
File 161545492238.png - (36.94KB , 720x720 , these_goofs.png )
990665

Hin has gotten Kallia out of bed. And out the window.

"Kallia, you're up!" I say.

"Agh, not so loud." Kallia winces. "And yeah, I noticed." She squints at me suspiciously. "How're you up? You were wasted."

"Maybe she's some kind of drinking expert?!" Hin chimes in. "Woo, drink team!"

"Don't you drop me!" Kallia says.

"Relax!" Hin sways. "Haven't droppened nobody yet."

"Yeah that doesn't reall-"

"Nyaha! What an adventure!" my dungeon's very first invader invades the scene. Kallia winces again. Myaousha perches in the window.

"Oh hey cat." Hin says.

"You're tall!" Myaousha says to her.

Hin looks at herself in what I hope is mock surprise. "Huuuh, guess so." She raises her water jug to Myaousha, who drinks some and passes it back to Hin.

"Mwah," Myaousha says. "What's for breakfast?" she yawns.

"The pantry's empty." I say.

Hin drains the rest of the water jug and then refills it. "There's those eggs, can you cook those up?"

Kallia squints at the sun, distrusting the bright, glaring thing that only means her harm. "Huh, kinda later than I thought. You got that guy coming soon right? Maybe just use those new food-potions you brewed, huh?"

"The guy?" Myaousha asks.

I sigh. "Pilan Nemellan's son."

"Oh right, Thingy!" she says.

>Get everyone's answers straight in preparation for interview. Especially Myaousha's. She needs to understand that she saw a very early, prototype version of the dungeon - we're much bigger now, with much larger and impressive assets - like Hin!
"I want to make sure everyone's clear before he shows up," I say, looking at both Kallia and Myaousha's groggy faces. "The dungeon you've seen was a very early and unpolished version - you especially Myaousha. It's much better now, it has much larger and more impressive assets, like Hin here!"

Hin tips her water jug in a toast. "Yeah I'd kick your ass this time, prolly!"

Myaousha tilts her head in confusion. "I fought you?"

"You thought she was a troll and a witch." I provide.

"Oooh! Let's fight!"

Hin grins at me. "What do you think?"
>>
No. 990666 ID: d2408a
File 161545498398.png - (32.02KB , 800x600 , deem_doesnt_deserve_this.png )
990666

"No!" I say. "No fighting! We've got a visitor soon and we've got to get ready."

I think for a moment. Perhaps it'd be best to split the cat and my tipsy half-ogre up for now. "Myaousha, why don't you go freshen up while I figure out what to do about breakfast."

"Sure! I want to try some of that slime milk, OK?" She vanishes from the window.

>Either they'll have a better idea on what happened last night or at the very least when "the guy" shows up it would probably make a better first impression if the meeting didn't have a bunch of passed out drunks laying around the place.
I look at Kallia, maybe she can actually give me an account of what happened. I ask and her immediate response is a smug grin and, "Goddamn, you were an animal Deem."

I sigh.

It looks like I have to herd these three into getting clean, feeding them, coaching them for this meeting and maybe, should I be significantly lucky actually get any useful information out of them before meeting this new backer.
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No. 990669 ID: b1b4f3

>>990666
Be stern. This is important. They can tell you embarrassing stories later. You need to know what you promised this guy, when he's showing up, and... what the hell these golems do. That mud golem in the back has a kind of... menacing aura about it. What's that in its chest?
Also you need better labels for the potions. Childlike writing is not exactly your best foot forward. What does the "golem" potion do? It's new isn't it?
Actually wait, can't you tell what the golems do? By, you know, reading their spell channels or whatever?

Are those weird eggs even safe to eat? Maybe you should try to get some real food instead of relying on satiation potions; you brought those here to sell them didn't you?
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No. 990673 ID: 9caba2

>>990666
I'd say Hin already seems plenty presentable, and she can make sure Kallia gets washed.

See if you can't round up all of your golems, so you don't have any lying around in the street.

Hin might need to get topped up with a satiation potion, can't have her deflating with a customer around.
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No. 990674 ID: 2aa5f0

well you got the golems, you could probably have them splash the girls with water if they don't clean themselves up... and if you have any money left maybe see if there's a bakery or something nearby you can grab some breakfast for everyone.
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No. 990689 ID: 591576

Sniff those potions for the smell of alcohol first. Then, drink them anyway! The golem potion must be labeled for a golem to drink, so it can wait. Give Kallia the satiation potion as requested, and give Hin the one labeled BIG.
The mana eggs are chicken eggs at their core, they should cook quite nicely and multiply for anyone who wants seconds. Do Kallia’s golems know how to scramble eggs?
So, let’s rotate those tasks. Kallia cooking first, herself satisfied by the potion, Hin washing up, because she’ll be fastest, and Deem grilling Myaousha for details. What’s the last thing she remembers, then start where she met this sponsor.
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No. 990745 ID: 0fae41

>>990673
All this seems right. After all somebody's got to down these potions to get rid of the evidence- you're not licensed to sell homebrew yet. Also, satiation via potion is much easier than scrambling all the eggs Hin would need. Recruit your pot golem to help mop up and... try to get the mud golem looking presentable? A protean model can show off the breadth of your capabilities in a single golem. Plus, they're good at charades.
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No. 990824 ID: ce39da

You don't need to do anything with the potions except stash them out of sight (unless the banker's son explicitly asks for them, and... even then).

Have the useable golems help clean, and just... just hide the ones that aren't.

Definitely grill Hin and Kallia, specifically about what you discussed with the banker's son. Be gentle yet stern with steering them back on topic when they inevitably drift onto a tangent.
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No. 990856 ID: 777990

Maybe the golem potions are... well, golem making potions.

You've got like, 4 mono-material, super crude golems. One is made of bamboo sticks, how could that thing ever be useful? Unless all of the weird golems were test runs, figuring out how to get something useful our of a golem that's not actively made by a golemeter.
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No. 990857 ID: b1b4f3

Maybe the mud golem can use the stick golem as a skeleton?
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No. 990858 ID: 38eec1

>>990857
you want a stick-in-the-mud golem?
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No. 990876 ID: b1b4f3

>>990858
Well, look at what we've got here. A golem using mixed materials, a fragile-looking stick golem with NO ARMS, and a mud golem that's slumped over in the corner.
I think Deem was experimenting with mixing materials in golem construction. "stick in the mud" may have been the very phrase that inspired the stick golem and mud golem combo.

...hold on, the cauldron is a golem? Can it move at all? Was it an improvised alchemy assistant or just some way to infuse mana into the alchemy? Maybe Deem can figure out what the new potion does by analyzing the spent ingredients inside the cauldron.
>>
No. 990889 ID: 284364

>>990858
we already have a stick in the mud golem, it carries Deem's heart fragment
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No. 990898 ID: dcdd1c

Do you need us to read those labels for you?
>>
No. 991408 ID: 469d24
File 161580535954.png - (18.03KB , 800x600 , the_least_sticky_and_muddy.png )
991408

>Maybe the mud golem can use the stick golem as a skeleton?
>You want a stick-in-the-mud golem?
>We already have a stick in the mud golem, it carries Deem's heart fragment
Enough of your snide commentary! I am very adventurous and exciting, and my dungeon is too! I'll prove it!

>Do you need us to read those labels for you?
No!

>That mud golem in the back has a kind of... menacing aura about it. What's that in its chest?
That's the golem core. And good if it's menacing! Menace is exciting!

>See if you can't round up all of your golems, so you don't have any lying around in the street.
I don't know if any more are lying around because I can only reactivate them at close range.
>>
No. 991409 ID: 469d24
File 161580540329.png - (21.45KB , 500x800 , a_stick_in_the_mud_golem.png )
991409

>Actually wait, can't you tell what the golems do? By, you know, reading their spell channels or whatever?
Much like reading, interpreting the magical anatomy of a golem is a specialised skill only known to a few so yes of course I can. The 'handwriting' of these golems is abominable though.

From what I can quickly analyse of the patterns and residual intent, the mud golem is designed to... drink a lot? The small stone golem was made to serve drinks. The stick golem has a furled up mess of spell channels in it, they seem to be laid in to imitate and reinforce the mostly dissipated patterns of the plant this stick was from. The cauldron golem is basically a pot on legs but has some elements to try and monitor its contents.

>...hold on, the cauldron is a golem? Can it move at all? Was it an improvised alchemy assistant or just some way to infuse mana into the alchemy? Maybe Deem can figure out what the new potion does by analyzing the spent ingredients inside the cauldron.
The mix in this doesn't seem to be related to any of the potions. Wait. I take a closer look at the crust. The salt crystals are storing a small amount of mana? It looks like it was a mana battery experiment. If I was trying to grow larger crystals, I don't know what happened to them.

>Also you need better labels for the potions. Childlike writing is not exactly your best foot forward. What does the "golem" potion do? It's new isn't it?
>Maybe the golem potions are... well, golem making potions.
Fine! I remove the labels. The bottles are colour coded anyway.

Potions don't lend themselves to analysis as easily as the golems. Now I think about it, I couldn't have made these potions here. I left Doyle and the alchemy kit at my dungeon.

The most I can determine is the golem potion is complex. The ingredients are more like something I'd use in a cognition enhancing potion. It doesn't make or enhance a golem directly, a partial key for a golem core is communicated to the drinker. They can construct a body out of ethereal material? Thought?

The potion labelled 'big' has a similar layer of removal from actually doing anything. It's not a potion either, it's an ointment that has to be poured on or applied to the target. It doesn't enlarge the target, it anchors an enchantment. It's a potion of potion of enlargement?

The one labeled 'food' seems to just be some kind of porridge. It's oddly heavy. It's been compressed somehow.

>Well, look at what we've got here. A golem using mixed materials, a fragile-looking stick golem with NO ARMS, and a mud golem that's slumped over in the corner.
>I think Deem was experimenting with mixing materials in golem construction. "stick in the mud" may have been the very phrase that inspired the stick golem and mud golem combo.
It's an abnormal idea, but I try to combine the mud golem and the stick golem. I've made golems with subordinate elements before, but this isn't that. Perhaps some insight from Centaur last night or simply Merud's diligence with designing cooperative golems has stuck with me as the two merge smoothly.

There, now I have an extra golem with arms and legs to clean up the place. I give it the shirt I was using last night.

The stubby stone golem offers a potion to me. I tell it to grab one of the satiation potions instead and come with me.
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No. 991410 ID: 469d24
File 161580546006.png - (33.09KB , 650x750 , bigger.png )
991410

>Somebody's got to down these potions to get rid of the evidence- you're not licensed to sell homebrew yet.
I'm not selling them so I don't need to hide them. I want to make effective use of them though. With how quickly they were brewed they won't have much of a shelf life.

>Hin might need to get topped up with a satiation potion, can't have her deflating with a customer around.
I march outside, a satiation potion in hand. "Hin, could you drink the satiation potions we have?" I gesture outwards. "I want you bigger! I want to be sure we can impress our visitor and you're the most impressive denizen I have."

"Aww shucks." Hin says. "Well you're the most impressive boss I've had! I'm up for drinking whatever."

The small golem toddles forward with its potion and holds it out to her.

"Is this the one I made?" Hin asks.

"I don't remember."

Hin scratches her head. "Well I guess it was a group effort anyway!" She takes it and uncorks it. "Seen Izakikk yet? You really made a fan last night!"

"We ran into Izakikk?" I say.

My blacksmith blinks. "I think so? There's not two masked potion brewers, are there?"

>Definitely grill Hin and Kallia, specifically about what you discussed with the banker's son. Be gentle yet stern with steering them back on topic when they inevitably drift onto a tangent.
"I doubt it." I say. "Quickly though, is there anything else you can tell about the banker's son?"

"Uhh, not really sorry?" Hin says. "You were just enthusiastic was all. Golems and item commissions and pissing off his dad seemed to be the big ones. The bangle was his originally, remember?"

I think Liana mentioned something about that when she was selling it. I thank Hin, leave the second satiation potion with her and step inside to check on Kallia.
>>
No. 991411 ID: 469d24
File 161580553138.png - (34.49KB , 650x750 , dang_kallia_you_short.png )
991411

>Well you got the golems, you could probably have them splash the girls with water if they don't clean themselves up... and if you have any money left maybe see if there's a bakery or something nearby you can grab some breakfast for everyone.
They can have eggs! If they explode or something, it'll be the adventure they deserve!

Myaousha's still in the bathroom so I gather the last of the travel supplies to complement the eggs. It's just some imp jerky, slime milk and vegetables.

>The mana eggs are chicken eggs at their core, they should cook quite nicely and multiply for anyone who wants seconds.
They don't have hard shells so we decide to boil some rather than then figure out how to crack them safely. The stone golem wanders over with a potion and I shoo it away, telling it to get back to cleaning.

>Do Kallia’s golems know how to scramble eggs?
"Why don't you have any golems for this sort of thing?" I ask Kallia.

"Oh, old Okum says us junior golemeters need discipline and humility. We'd get lazy with golems to do the work for us!"

"The bulk of the work this guild does is providing extra pairs of hands to do work." I point out.

"I know. It's stupid." Kallia says.

"It is stupid." I say. They could be selling skilled work instead of just simple labour if they got the practice at making more skilled golems too.

"Yeah!" Kallia agrees. "Sad you missed him." she says after a moment. "That's a showdown I'd want to see." She pulls the partially boiled eggs out of the bot and then tries to mash them with a spatula in the pan to convert them into scrambled eggs.

"Speaking of showdowns, I really do need to know more about last night Kallia."

"Nah, don't worry about it too much." Kallia says. "You were basically your normal self, and so was he, except you were drunk off your collective asses. He wants to liven up the place. Liked the thought of having a hand in what adventurers coming here might see. Was interested in golems and magic items but you were clear it'd take a while to get be able to do anything complicated. Guy's a lech though."

"How bad?" I say.

"Got a dirtier mind than me."

"You're kidding."

"I never kid, Deem."

>Try to get the mud golem looking presentable? A protean model can show off the breadth of your capabilities in a single golem. Plus, they're good at charades.
>You don't need to do anything with the potions except stash them out of sight (unless the banker's son explicitly asks for them, and... even then).
Before Kallia and Myaousha sit down for breakfast, maybe I should think what else I need. Centaur's not doing anything, maybe I should get Kallia to loan me the golem.

Currently I have myself, Hin, Hin's hammer, the repaired bangle, two active golems, some untested potions and Myaousha's account to show what my dungeon's capable of. Is there anything else I should get ready?
>>
No. 991412 ID: 9c1ef3

>Guy's a lech, though,

Weak point acquired! N, wait, Deem, I'm not saying 'show some leg', here, I'm saying that it's possible we have an in here. We almost run an all-female dungeon, big dog and golem guy aside. And Riesarf, but only sometimes? Maybe drop the point conversationally, a good line might be 'It's a good thing there's often no guys around when we experiment with spells, because [nervous laughter], yeah." or similar lines.

You don't have to embarrass yourself or really imply anything, trust me, his brain will do most of the work for you. I know you're a respectable golem-heart-riding-a-female-shaped-ish-golem and this might prickle, but an in is an in, and any guy can tell you it's a strong one.
>>
No. 991413 ID: b1b4f3

>>991409
>mud golem was meant to drink
>stick golem was meant to be a plant
>arm golem was meant to serve drinks
Hmm, I guess the mud golem was an attempt at making an actual expert at drinking? Or an attempt at duplicating Hydro Pump? Can you tell if it can drink potions, like the alchemical golems you made?
Stick golem trying to emulate a plant sounds similar to that. Plants drink water! Alternatively... a camouflaged golem? Something meant to hide in a field of bamboo? Or maybe it's a different interpretation of a golem emulating "life". I mean, usually they're based off of animal life.
I think you've already figured out what the pot golem's for. It was for a specific experiment, growing mana crystals.

>golem potion communicates a golem "key" to the drinker
So... it's a potion that tells the drinker how to make golems?
>big potion is a salve that anchors an enchantment
...could it be used to enhance an existing enchantment, like Hin's spell? You said "anchor", could it be used to keep her big after she takes off the bangle?
Or is it used to... uh... enhance a bodypart's natural inclination to become larger? Deem did you make a penis enlargement salve? Or a salve of enhance knockers?
>food potion is compressed food
Ah, an interesting variation of the satiation potion then.
>"Is this the one I made?"
She must mean the Food potion.

Waaaait, that means... I bet you let Kallia make a potion too. That's the Big potion, since it's lewd(probably). Yours was the Golem potion, since it's so complex. It was an alchemy competition to impress Izakikk!
I wonder if the golems were a competition too?

>couldn't have made the potions here
...ah, you borrowed Izakikk's equipment. If you can find them again you'll be able to find out exactly what the potions are meant to accomplish. I wonder if that's where the mana crystals went.

>>991411
Oh good, I was worried we were supposed to have a specific magic item or something ready to give him when he arrived. Also I suppose he'd understand if you don't quite know what you made while you were drunk.

>anything else?
Where are the cart golem's front legs? You're gonna need those for the trip back.
See if you can get Centaur in a cooperative mood.
>>
No. 991417 ID: 36784c

>>991410
>"I want you bigger! I want to be sure we can impress our visitor and you're the most impressive denizen I have."
Poor Hin. At this rate, she’s never gonna be small enough to fit inside the dungeon when we go back!

>>991411
>They can have eggs! If they explode or something, it'll be the adventure they deserve!
Wouldn’t that be bad for Hin? Because if she does explode, wouldn’t the Resurrection Matrix in your dungeon be too far away to bring her back to life? Didn’t you say that thing only works on your denizens that are killed inside of your dungeon?
>>
No. 991425 ID: ce39da

Okay, so it sounds like the banker's son isn't too torn up about how you broke into his dad's vault. That's good, at least.

"You'll need to be a bit more clear; does he intend just to advertise, or is he looking to have a more direct hand in that appearance, such as an architect might?"

Having a planner worry about map minutia like treasure and trap placement, trap and puzzle design, mana flow optimization, and aesthetic details so that we don't have to would be a load off our shoulders, for sure. It's also fine if he only plans to advertise, though that might draw the church's attention.

Gather your stuff and wear your A-Game face. With someone who doesn't like his (probably) stuffy and uptight father, we should probably try to be casual about this.

After we conclude this meeting, we should look for Izakikk - if they've warmed up to us, we might be able to recruit them, and they'd be pretty compatible with our dungeon as it is now.
>>
No. 991440 ID: 5661cf

You should get ready for a show. Make Myaousha more inclined to give a favorable review by flattering her. You should have her in your lap while you entertain guests, petting her hair like the evil genius you are.
Spread some of the ointment of potion of big around the cauldron before putting a simple foaming solution inside, to enhance the appearance of its bubbling brew. Perhaps add slime milk to taste.
Perhaps you can show off your speed with ritual casting as well?
>>
No. 991442 ID: 9cf2a6

Cancel all silly lewds forever.

Mostly prepare yourself to be receptive to his ideas and try to compliment his attitude. Follow and bend the flow of conversation.

Also, arrange your antlers aethstetically, it looks like you got poked in the head by two kids who gace up on getting their sticks back.
>>
No. 991537 ID: dcdd1c

Can you enchant some boss music? Setting the mood is important as you well know. Just treat this like a dungeon invader, except instead of getting the most out of an invader, you are getting the most out of yourself.
> The mix in this doesn't seem to be related to any of the potions. Wait. I take a closer look > at the crust. The salt crystals are storing a small amount of mana? It looks like it was a mana battery experiment. If I was trying to grow larger crystals, I don't know what happened to them.
Well it might be a mana battery experiment. I personally suspect that it was an attempt to ferment liquid mana into alcohol.
>>
No. 991546 ID: 0fae41

A lecher and a rebel, hmm? Get Pony to give attention to him instead of golems. When you're talking about the dungeon, emphasize the element of shadow and how it can unlock potential in people. Oh, and maybe thank him for the bangle, if you haven't told him the story already of how it helped cure Hin of ghost parasites, then tell it to him again while sober. The catventurer can give an honest eyewitness account, unless it's a negative one. Then she should go try that slime milk instead.
I wonder what enchantment Hin put in the food potion. It sounds like maybe it was related to her hammer's enchantment for compressed storage?
A potion of potion of bigness? Make sure you keep that around to try and remember the recipe, that sounds like it could be utilized well in a dungeon fight. You have invented an interesting new level of recursion here, together.
>>
No. 991722 ID: 819251
File 161597396112.png - (24.63KB , 800x500 , breaking_of_fasts.png )
991722

>Mostly prepare yourself to be receptive to his ideas and try to compliment his attitude. Follow and bend the flow of conversation.
I suppose I can be gracious to my first suitor in a thousand years.

>We almost run an all-female dungeon, big dog and golem guy aside. And Reisarf, but only sometimes? Maybe drop the point conversationally.
Doyle and maybe the cake-mimic are boys too. And no, my dungeon is not some sort of burlesque show.

>Having a planner worry about map minutia like treasure and trap placement, trap and puzzle design, mana flow optimization, and aesthetic details so that we don't have to would be a load off our shoulders, for sure.
Are you suggesting some petty little banker's son would be better at that then me? Absurd! I've felt that faulty nonsense his father calls a vault!

>Okay, so it sounds like the banker's son isn't too torn up about how you broke into his dad's vault. That's good, at least.
I should be able to leverage it to prove I know what I'm talking about.

>Emphasise the element of shadow and how it can unlock potential in people.
All dungeons do that. It's what they're for. To wrest power and prosperity from the Labyrinth Game. Shadow in particular is useful for encouraging my denizens to develop unique skills. Also I haven't actually formed that affinity yet!

Myaousha finally emerges from the bathroom and Kallia briefly pops in to freshen up. The eggs and jerky are ready. I set the table for the golemeter and explorer pair.

"Nyo ho, thanks!" Myaousha says, picking up the jug of slime milk I brought along from the dungeon.

"Wow, but you guys eat stuff like this every day, huh?" Kallia says, poking at the imp jerky and scrambled failed alien-jelly-golem-power-source eggs.

"Not really." I say. "We have orange goo too. Oh and I'd like to borrow Centaur, Kallia."

"Sure but be nice to her this time. No tearing off her arms and calling her a clay-stealing harlot!"

"I'll try." I say. I leave them to eat.

>>They can have eggs! If they explode or something, it'll be the adventure they deserve!
>Wouldn’t that be bad for Hin?
I just gave Hin two satiation potions. I don't think she needs eggs as well.

>Poor Hin. At this rate, she’s never gonna be small enough to fit inside the dungeon when we go back!
I'll just put her on a diet. She can work off the weight.

>If she does explode, wouldn’t the Resurrection Matrix in your dungeon be too far away to bring her back to life?
She has a talisman for the Revival Fountain outside the church. I suppose the wretched thing has some uses.

>You should get ready for a show. Make Myaousha more inclined to give a favorable review by flattering her. You should have her in your lap while you entertain guests, petting her hair like the evil genius you are.
She's not a cat.

Well, she is, but not that sort of cat.

Anyway, I've fed her now so she should give me a very favourable review!
>>
No. 991723 ID: 819251
File 161597400441.png - (25.71KB , 750x650 , get_out_of_bed_lazy.png )
991723

>See if you can get Centaur in a cooperative mood.
I check upstairs. Still in bed, lazy thing. Completely absurd, it doesn't even need to sleep!

I leave Centaur and the stick-in-mud golem there, telling them to start by cleaning up the bedroom together and then work their way downstairs.

>Where are the cart golem's front legs? You're gonna need those for the trip back.
I don't urgently need to find those.

>Hmm, I guess the mud golem was an attempt at making an actual expert at drinking? Or an attempt at duplicating Hydro Pump? Can you tell if it can drink potions, like the alchemical golems you made?
I'm not sure, none of the potions would be useful to feed it and find out.

>>food potion is compressed food
>Ah, an interesting variation of the satiation potion then.
Not really It's more compact but almost as heavy as just taking food. Also it needs that much food in the first place, rather than processing less edible substances.

>>big potion is a salve that anchors an enchantment
>Is it used to... uh... enhance a bodypart's natural inclination to become larger? Deem did you make a penis enlargement salve? Or a salve of enhance knockers?
No. No I did not.

>A potion of potion of bigness? Make sure you keep that around to try and remember the recipe, that sounds like it could be utilized well in a dungeon fight. You have invented an interesting new level of recursion here, together.
It just gives the potion recipient the ability to enlarge other things. Somewhat fiddly for a potion but nothing too special.

>Well the pot golem might be a mana battery experiment. I personally suspect that it was an attempt to ferment liquid mana into alcohol.
The pot was full of seawater so I doubt that very much.

>Also, arrange your antlers aesthetically, it looks like you got poked in the head by two kids who gave up on getting their sticks back.
My antlers are very aesthetic!

>After we conclude this meeting, we should look for Izakikk - if they've warmed up to us, we might be able to recruit them.
I can't recruit any more denizens without overtaxing my Resurrection Matrix, which would mean severe resurrection sickness for anyone requiring revival. Once I've built some monster lairs I can consider it, but I need more monsters as well.

>Can you enchant some boss music? Setting the mood is important as you well know.
I don't have any instruments.
>>
No. 991725 ID: 819251
File 161597406786.png - (19.33KB , 650x750 , dang_hin_you_tall.png )
991725

>Gather your stuff and wear your A-Game face. With someone who doesn't like his (probably) stuffy and uptight father, we should probably try to be casual about this.
I think I'd best set up outside, just in case there's not enough time to clean up everything.

>Cancel all silly lewds forever.
You're right, I don't need any of those.

There's a rapping at the courtyard door.

"Deeeem," Hin calls from the courtyard, sticking her head into the passageway next to it, "This green potion tastes weird."

"How'd you get that?"

Hin looks confused. "Your little golem cutie gave it to me to drink?"

"That wasn't a satiation potion, that was the big potion!"

"Then it's what you wanted? Biggening?"

"You're not meant to drink it! You do something like pour it on your hands and it makes things they touch bigger!"

"Ooooh, I see." Hin pauses. "So should I start licking things?"

I sigh.

>Perhaps you can show off your speed with ritual casting as well?
I detest being frivolous with my mana but it would be good to demonstrate what sort of empowered guardians I can create. I will have to be conservative as my Heart fragment has a greater proportion of damaged channels however. Who should I reinforce and how?
>>
No. 991726 ID: 0fae41

Yes Hin, you should start rubbing your chest area profusely. And Deem too, for luck. Use your spit to transfer the potion effect. Actually, is that going to increase the amount of food she's eaten even more, embiggening the food as it goes down? ...It's a good thing you're not liable for this experiment.
Is it possible Centaur can't actually move, on account of you tearing off her limbs? Have the mud golem prod her 'awake'.
>>
No. 991727 ID: b1b4f3

>>991723
Did Centaur even move? Is one of its legs on backwards? Or is it detached? Maybe it can't get out of bed, you should fix that.
>>991725
Maybe you should... make the server-golem stop doing what it's doing.
>big potion-salve lets you enlarge things by touch
Hmm, I can see how that could be useful. Triggering the enchantment is faster than applying the salve, so you can apply the salve before combat then use it to enlarge something quickly during the fight. You can then use it offensively; making an opponent's armor bigger without making the person bigger is actually pretty inconvenient!

Use the server-golem as your target for reinforcement since it's basically a waste of space now. Show off that you can quickly reconfigure its body; see if you can make it more crab-like.
>>
No. 991730 ID: 0fae41

For showcasing reinforcement, well Hin needs no introduction, but the mud golem is definitely the fanciest thing to come out of last night. Make the mud half stick together to itself and other things better, reinforce the stick half with a sturdiness, like a tree. That way it can lift furniture bodily as it cleans beneath them, and climb all over walls.
>>
No. 991734 ID: 2aa5f0

>>991723
I’m seeing something red on the floor next to the pillow that feel off the bed. Right beneath centaur’s head. That important at all?
>>
No. 991742 ID: f57349

>>991725
>Who should I reinforce and how?
Offer Myaousha the same stoneskin effect Hin had on when they first met, since it's a visually striking way to demonstrate your capabilities without being too bizarre or threatening, reasonably simple/reliable and affordable in terms of mana, and may help clarify some of her misconceptions through firsthand experience.

Then, see if you can squeeze any more useful intel out of Kallia by reinforcing her poison resistance or natural affinity for witty banter.
>>
No. 991743 ID: 9a2966

>Lick things
No, but she could probably try to kiss them bigger for a short while. Anything we'd care to try it on?

... can she give the banker's son a big ol' smooch on the head to embiggen HIM? That should be a novel experience. Maybe plays into the lech thing too much, but it's not like he isn't gonna be oogling Hin anyway at this point. Call it the one gimme he gets.

>Myaousha, give good review
Well. How often do you get the opportunity to just ask? Just head on over and get her perspective of the run went compared to, say, others she's had, with the caveat your dungeon was/is still underdeveloped.

Unless you did already last night? Can you remember talking to her at all?

>Lazy Centaur
Alchemical clay golems are a brand of fun of their own, eh? Do they often develop personalities? I'd bet a certain golemeter would be having a field day with this.

>fix potion golem
Concur. Can you do so outside while you wait? Probably not too long until they arrive now.
>>
No. 991752 ID: 36784c

>>991734
It’s just another egg.
>>
No. 991756 ID: 38eec1

>>991725
So Hin can make things bigger by licking them, now? I'm sure the guy would be very interested in a demonstration.
>>
No. 991801 ID: cdddfb

> enhance guardians

There's no real need at the moment. You've already demonstrated what you're capable of.

Better save the reserve, you might have put yourself on a few radars after last nights shenanigans, you do not want to approach empty any more than you have
>>
No. 991936 ID: dcdd1c

Can you enhance your perception? Being able to accelerate your thoughts to think more about things without showing it would be useful if they try to pressure you. If you could enhance your ability to pick up on lies, misdirection, or ulterior motives then that could be, well, you probably won't like looking into what a lecher is looking for most of the time, but it remains an invaluable negotiating aid.

Could you grant illusion or sculpting powers with which to depict yourself? It is not as though you plan to take him back to your mountain to show yourself off personally, and a visual reprentation of what he is investing in would help clarify things.
>>
No. 992010 ID: 5a788d

>>991722
>my first suitor in a thousand years
[DISTANT DISTRAUGHT MORIKO NOISES]
>>
No. 993232 ID: ead888
File 161680854484.png - (19.27KB , 800x600 , its_his_special_attack.png )
993232

>So Hin can make things bigger by licking them, now? I'm sure the guy would be very interested in a demonstration.
>She could probably try to kiss them bigger for a short while. Anything we'd care to try it on?
>... can she give the banker's son a big ol' smooch on the head to embiggen HIM? That should be a novel experience. Maybe plays into the lech thing too much, but it's not like he isn't gonna be ogling Hin anyway at this point. Call it the one gimme he gets.
"Well you could kiss things as well." I say to Hin. "We might try a demonstration during the meeting."

"Noted, I'll try to look smooch-able." Hin says.

>Maybe you should... make the server-golem stop doing what it's doing.
I tell the golem not to bring anyone anything.

"Aww, poor little guy. He looks so sad." Hin says. "You're denying him his purpose in life! Can't he bring us water at least?"

"Fine," I say, "only serve people water unless I specifically ask otherwise."

>Use the server-golem as your target for reinforcement since it's basically a waste of space now. Show off that you can quickly reconfigure its body; see if you can make it more crab-like.
"I'll be using this golem for a reinforcement demonstration too." I say to Hin. "Make sure it stays out of trouble."

"Aye aye boss!" Hin says. She sets down her pot and the golem eagerly toddles off to the courtyard water pump with it.

>Actually, is that going to increase the amount of food she's eaten even more, embiggening the food as it goes down? ...It's a good thing you're not liable for this experiment.
Yes, I think so. I warn Hin to let me know if she's experiencing any stomach problems.

>Yes Hin, you should start rubbing your chest area profusely. And Deem too, for luck. Use your spit to transfer the potion effect.
Neither I nor Hin share your fascination with chests.

>>big potion-salve lets you enlarge things by touch
>Hmm, I can see how that could be useful. Triggering the enchantment is faster than applying the salve, so you can apply the salve before combat then use it to enlarge something quickly during the fight. You can then use it offensively; making an opponent's armor bigger without making the person bigger is actually pretty inconvenient!
That is a good point. I might have Hin try to demonstrate that too.

>Alchemical clay golems are a brand of fun of their own, eh? Do they often develop personalities? I'd bet a certain golemeter would be having a field day with this.
All golems develop quirks. If they did not possess some volition, they'd just be puppets.

Some cause more trouble than others.
>>
No. 993233 ID: ead888
File 161680856882.png - (31.55KB , 721x720 , oh_my_goooood.png )
993233

>Is it possible Centaur can't actually move, on account of you tearing off her limbs? Have the mud golem prod her 'awake'.
>Did Centaur even move? Is one of its legs on backwards? Or is it detached? Maybe it can't get out of bed, you should fix that.
Centaur doesn't seem to have left the bed. I go upstairs to check on my newly appointed cleaning team.

"You stop that right now!" I shout at Centaur, finding her and the mud golem all tangled together. Whatever odd, parasitic golemetry Centaur showed last night still seems to be present. I would be interested if I wasn't so annoyed!

Centaur stops and I have the mud golem sit out of direct contact. It is still functional, despite missing an arm and a lot of its body mass, but its responses feel erratic. The plant bits seem to be sprouting, the stick golem's powers of tree imitation seem to be faster acting than I assumed.

I hear Kallia come up behind me. "Huh, what's going on here?"

"Kallia! Your golem was trying to eat mine!"
>>
No. 993234 ID: ead888
File 161680864882.png - (28.98KB , 800x600 , standing_there.png )
993234

The golemeter squints. "Huh."

"Just huh?"

Kallia shrugs. "I'm kinda hungover Deem. I mean yeah, it's pretty weird but Merud's caused some pretty weird golem-related messes too. Just split 'em up for now and stop leaving Centaur alone with clay golems, huh?"

"Hmmph. First Hin drinking those potions and now this." I glance backwards at Kallia. "Did you get taller? Don't tell me Hin's been licking things."

"Terrible right? Half a dozen deemimic eggs down the hatch and all I get is a few inches. I coulda gotten down and dirty with Hin for that!"

I'm not sure if I want to acknowledge any of that. "I didn't give you that many eggs." I eventually say.

"I ate most of Myaousha's."

"Ah." I say.

"What's the matter, Deem? Eggs, potions, ogres, careless golems. I swear, it's like you want things to go wrong this morning."

"Hmmph." That's absurd, why would I want a meeting with the idle son of some petty banker to go wrong? After all I'm only perilously low on mana, which is even now bleeding out of of crack in my Heart, and about to see whatever grasping little demands he might make of me in exchange for a pitiance of gold to fractionally improve my situation.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I'm crippled, Kallia!" I snap. "This shouldn't be worth my time. But I need gold if I'm to have any hope of recovery. I have been petitioned for things that approach the realm of the miraculous! What is the banker's son going to want? Some tawdry things that could be accomplished by a mediocrely talented enchanter or craftsman?"

"Yeah? So wring him for every bit of coin he's worth and use that to go on to bigger and better things."

I laugh in surprise. "So mercenary, Kallia!"

"I too am a grump in the morning." Kallia sips from her mug. "But yeah even if it's something small, I bet there's a ton of unique stuff you can provide. Something that 'stirs the heart'. This imitation coffee's great by the way. What's it made of?"

"Squeezed imps."

"Hah, good one." Kallia says.

I don't say anything.

"You're joking, right?"
>>
No. 993235 ID: ead888
File 161680873799.png - (19.94KB , 720x720 , this_guy.png )
993235

With a reduced workforce I focus on just preparing the courtyard.

>>my first suitor in a thousand years
>[DISTANT DISTRAUGHT MORIKO NOISES]
She's fine.

>>Myaousha, give good review
>Well. How often do you get the opportunity to just ask? Just head on over and get her perspective of the run went compared to, say, others she's had, with the caveat your dungeon was/is still underdeveloped.
I have a quick chat with her, but don't have the time for more developed feedback. It's much as what I expected - some interesting encounters with my guardians but little else. She does call out fighting Reisarf and Stargazer on the ice platforms as a highlight.

>Can you enhance your perception? Being able to accelerate your thoughts to think more about things without showing it would be useful if they try to pressure you. If you could enhance your ability to pick up on lies, misdirection, or ulterior motives then that could be, well, you probably won't like looking into what a lecher is looking for most of the time, but it remains an invaluable negotiating aid.
I'm not enough of a mentalist to easily be able to do that to a useful degree.

>Could you grant illusion or sculpting powers with which to depict yourself? It is not as though you plan to take him back to your mountain to show yourself off personally, and a visual representation of what he is investing in would help clarify things.
I spend some time working on a mud map of the dungeon in a corner in case it proves to be useful.

All too soon there's a knock on the door. Kallia goes off to bring the visitor in.

"Good morning ladies!" the banker's son says, strutting into the courtyard. "You're looking so fresh after a splendid night out on the town like that. I love your energy! I must invite you to some of my parties."

"And a good morning to you, Olan." I say. For I did, eventually, manage to confirm one of us actually knew his name.

He's holding an egg. "I'm so happy to see your tales of vault cracking were no mere myth." Olan says, brandishing it. "You really are a woman of abundant talents."

I settle for an enigmatic smile because I do not actually remember how I got into that vault, but it seems I left an egg behind as a calling card.

"It really sets my head spinning." he says. "So just to get talking started, what do you think you could offer for five thousand gold?"

It is not, in the scheme of things, that much gold. Hundreds of low to mid strength potions. Perhaps a dozen of the weakest of enchanted items like the Fixity Bangle or the levitating plaque. A handful of more significant labours. Perhaps an independent golem, were I to source the materials for a complex golem core and a mana source to keep it operating. Training. Research or tutelage into magic or another of the natural philosophies.

What I'd do with it? I'd simply sit on it. Hoard it and offer it as a reward to stoke the earth-pulse, strengthen my denizens, delve deeper, and build new wonders out of the treasures of the earth. It is not much, but it also twice the amount of gold I currently possess, and enough to fortify my Heart with another layer of crystallised mana. An amount such that I would have to manage my dungeon's surroundings very carefully if it were to be introduced all at once. Otherwise I'd have to deal with more creatures like the devil bear popping up from a glut of power from the strengthening earth-pulse.

This is a trap, of course. He is trying to gauge how I react to that initial offer, what I might do cheaply. Materials and monsters available to me are still limited so I wouldn't want to over-promise anyway. I have knowledge, but am still lacking in ability to put it into action. How should I handle him?
>>
No. 993243 ID: b1b4f3

>>993233
I wonder how many golems you can feed Centaur? Imagine it turning into some kind of massive monstrosity not normally possible via basic golemetry! ...is it using your cart's legs?

Also I think the mud part of the stick-mud golem is feeding the plant part. Something will happen. Hopefully not a berserk tree monster?

>>993235
Ok, list off the things you thought of, but leave the numbers vague or lower than would be fair. For the independent golem, make sure he knows the construction cost is going to be included in the price, and that you would value it higher than 5000. Lastly, tell him that you need to get yourself more familiar with the market, and adjust your prices so you're not being taken advantage of.
You may want to price checks and advice from Liana at some point. Heck, maybe you can bring her in during negotiations. You have a good working relationship with her, and you DID save Ophelia's life.
>>
No. 993250 ID: 2f6d8f

>>993235
oh no he's hot
>>
No. 993254 ID: 12b116

Well what's he interested in, potions? Items? golems? Everything we can make can be completely bespoke or unique.
>>
No. 993256 ID: 0fae41

Stoke his imagination. For five thousand you could do something sensible and an uncommon niche for this corner of the world - but the talents of the old masters are worth more than five grand. You could also perhaps offer to merely tighten the vault's wards against earth pulse leakage - for more, you can go and plug up the vulnerability you used. For even more, you can tell them what it was, so they can sell the knowledge to other banks... It'd be a good opportunity to go and examine your handiwork.
Magic items seem like a good lead in to how you can come up with new items, like this Deemimic egg. But research and deemvelopment takes time, time that additional gold can accelerate.
How quickly could you infuse five grand without spawning another boss monster? With your limited golem caravan capacity, do you even have to worry about bringing too much too quick? What if you carry old gold out for purchases back at town on return trips?
Remember, it's cooler if you call it 'investing into mana research' instead of 'sitting on it.'
>>
No. 1000304 ID: 8bdc69

(pinging to see if there's life)
Perhaps one thing to do is show off your skill with a golem. You've proven that you can both make golems more quickly and with more detail and precision than most, if not all, golem makers that specialize in that field.
Even if you don't want to make a more human-like golem on the spot, you have Centaur to show your skill in making some human appearing golems (though he doesn't have to know all the details behind her, obviously).
>>
No. 1002127 ID: 6d11da
File 162237670472.png - (31.87KB , 650x750 , deem_dragged_one_of_the_armchairs_outside.png )
1002127

>oh no he's hot
Don't get distracted.

>You may want to price checks and advice from Liana at some point. Heck, maybe you can bring her in during negotiations. You have a good working relationship with her, and you DID save Ophelia's life.
I'm sure I can get within an order of magnitude but yes advice on any local rarities would be useful.

>Stoke his imagination. For five thousand you could do something sensible and an uncommon niche for this corner of the world - but the talents of the old masters are worth more than five grand.
What could I offer?

"Nothing." I say.

"Hmm." Olan rubs his chin. "A bit of a low starting bid there."

"What I would do with a few thousand gold is use it to stoke the earth pulse. My dungeon's Heart has been dormant for a long time and it will take time and gold to rehabilitate it. At this moment there are many sorts of things I could make, but nothing particularly uncommon for this corner of the world."

I wave my hand, pointing at myself, Hin's enlarged frame, the potions and the simple golems I've put on display. "This is what I can make out of scraps and dregs and the occasional curio I've found." I lean forward. "The real question is do you want a modest repayment for your money or something more?"

"Oh, I'm always interested when a lady would like to offer me a little extra. What does that involve?" Olan asks.

"For now I need to focus on building up my dungeon - magical crafting requires rare materials and a sufficient accumulation of mana to enchant them. Crafting things to help make better things. And Hin's still growing into her role -" Olan raises an eyebrow at this, looking at Hin looming behind me - "and I need to better endow my dungeon's other denizens to fulfill their roles." He nods with exaggerated seriousness at this.

"So lack of materials is your bottleneck?" Olan asks. "Gold would handle the mana."

"Yes, I need to spend time exploring the area's natural resources and obtain materials from further afield. Grist for the mill." I say.

"What about I supply any rare materials needed for my commissions?" he suggests. "In fact, I can double it, leaving you with a surplus for your own projects."

I wonder if he thinks he's being clever, looking for a chance to skew the nature of my dungeon. I've seen that trick before. This is too good to pass up though. "Mmm, that sounds equitable." I say. "Though I'd be quite satisfied to agree on substitutes if doubling is too hard to come by."

>How quickly could you infuse five grand without spawning another boss monster?
I would have to aggressively patrol the area to identify and eliminate or recruit any such creatures. Given the lack of wilderness skills among my denizens and the fact my Resurrection Matrix is at capacity, the lowest risk would be staggering it over a month or two.
>>
No. 1002128 ID: 6d11da
File 162237675419.png - (25.78KB , 900x550 , sample_golems.png )
1002128

>Well what's he interested in, potions? Items? golems? Everything we can make can be completely bespoke or unique.
"On the subject of commissions, what might you have in mind?"

"I'd love to get some things to liven up the old town and perhaps commission a few magical item, but I must say I'm quite taken with your golems. They're so much more lively than the dowdy things the golemeter guild makes." He looks at Kallia. "No offense."

"None taken." she says.

"One of any real sophistication would be a long term project." I tell him. "The homunculi I've made have basic golem cores and no internalised mana source. They aren't much use without a golemeter."

"Perhaps a sort of maid golem as a test?" he says. "Just has to be able to tidy and sort things. Dust cabinets. Clean ovens. Polish spears. Even make simple meals?"

I'm sure Merud would be able to handle the core sophistication required, so it's a matter of obtaining a suitable means of powering it. Which I can neatly leave in Olan's lap. "That sort of commission wouldn't be five thousand gold's worth of effort." I say. "I would still need something to supply it with mana. I'm sure Kallia can walk you through what they might use for independent golems here."

"It's a date." Olan says.

"Wow Deem." Kallia says. "Putting me on the spot like that."

>I wonder how many golems you can feed Centaur? Imagine it turning into some kind of massive monstrosity not normally possible via basic golemetry! ...is it using your cart's legs?
No, Kallia used some limbs are ones of a similar make in Centaur's initial assembly.

I could build a large golem with only basic materials quite easily, though it would be mana intensive to operate. What is unusual about Centaur is the complexity of mana channels she has - there's around two golems' worth packed into one body. If they don't interfere with each other, that could mean higher performance. However, she also has two golem cores currently, and a golemeter can only form connections to a limited number of golems at a time.

There is potential, but it may be difficult to realise it.

>You have Centaur to show your skill in making some human appearing golems
My golem body is a human appearing golem and I don't want to risk Centaur acting up again.

I trot out the simple golems - the drink fetcher, the mud and stick golem and the golem cauldron as I'm confident they shouldn't play up, and demonstrate the level of reinforcement and reconfiguration I'm capable of on the little server-golem. It is quite attached the the concept of serving drinks so I settle for reinforcing it into something more like one of my brute golems and adding a pair of arms. It promptly offers some more water to Hin, who takes it.

>Also I think the mud part of the stick-mud golem is feeding the plant part. Something will happen. Hopefully not a berserk tree monster?
Despite my concerns about Centaur's damage to the mud and stick golem, it's still capable of doing some sweeping and not going berserk.

"Very impressive!" Olan says. "But wasn't there another one?"

"That one was more complex. Making it while drunk meant some instability." I say.

"Ah, a pity."

We discuss things further and Olan is willing to give me a retainer of 500 gold immediately, but he'd like to see some additional proof before he commits any more gold. He asks if I would be willing to do two of the following to demonstrate my dungeon building expertise:

1) Craft an item - Olan has some old materials he'd like to see if I can make anything from.
2) Dungeon tour - Olan has an adventuring buddy visiting in a month's time and would like to see the dungeon from the invader's perspective.
3) Encounter design - Olan would like to provide some creative input into one of the dungeon's battles.
>>
No. 1002130 ID: 094652

Craft stuff. Stuff is what gets merchants' attention.
>>
No. 1002136 ID: cf426f

>>1002128
1 and 2, of course. Personally interested in what ideas Olan would have for three, but I doubt you'd be comfortable with that.
>>
No. 1002138 ID: 9c1ef3

I kind of want to test Olan to see how professional he is with 3, but 1 and 2 together should provide ample sounding for the purpose.
>>
No. 1002139 ID: 01031d

I like 1 and 2, but we don't know in which state is the dungeon after last night. I am worried to find the dungeon in a unpresentable state AND not being able to count with Hin because she is busy (or worse, that she overexerts herself to make it in time).

Also, about Pony having two cores. Could be posible to add more cores and having one only to control the rest?. Done correctly maybe it could make a powerful golem easy to use (though probably cost-intensive)
>>
No. 1002140 ID: 2f6d8f

>>1002128
>1) Craft an item
Any opportunity to let Hin work her craft is a good opportunity. The others I can go either way.
>>
No. 1002141 ID: 12b116

Crafting an item is pretty quick and easy, but we should definitely question him on what he thinks an encounter should be like to see what kind of ideas he has and if they are useful
>>
No. 1002148 ID: 0fae41

Craft an item and a dungeon tour. He can even see the very exclusive meditation chamber. Encounter design is far too obvious a hand in things.
Is it possible to blank Centaur's mind and start again to remove any destructive quirks? Or should she simply be kept away from any other golems while performing duties?
>>
No. 1002154 ID: 96c896

>>1002128
1 and 2. Dungeon design is strictly your business.
>>
No. 1002160 ID: 5b0071

>>1002128
1 and 3
if this lad has ulterior motives, we don't want to make it easy for him to guess where your core is, even if a tour doesn't include it.
>>
No. 1002168 ID: 031458

Wait holy shit. 2 and 3 are serious traps.
This man is dangerous.

2 Will give Olan and his friend the opportunity to specifically prepare to challenge your dungeon.
The will return with a force made specifically to counter you in order to take back what they gave you and then some. They might even attempt a subjugation.

3 will allow Olan to sell the "Solution" to the encounter to would be challengers. The paltry sum of money this would gain him, and weather or not you manage to counter this would be irrelevant. This WOULD however be enough for him to fabricate a "Claim" upon you. He could weave a web of lies and use his legitimate activities to create just enough "Proof" to convince the local guilds, government, or even just a powerful group of adventurers that he owns you and some misfortune has merely wrested magical control from him.

It is very possible that his true desire is YOU, Deem.

The harsh reality here is that you currently have no rights in this society. Even with sheer might you can't take on the whole world.
Unless you can secure some sort of legal protection, you need to be very careful.

If we are going to do business with Olan, We should go 1 and 2.
A month is enough time to prepare.
A secret new layout with new encounters will need to be planned, large amounts of gold will need to be acquired, and a large mana-battery will need to be constructed.
With that, after the tour the whole dungeon can be delved and rebuilt anew, making any preparations they concoct worthless.
>>
No. 1002176 ID: ce39da

Obviously, picking 1 means that we'll need Hin to sober up for real.

I hope 2's phrasing means he's taking the tour in a month as opposed to now; some of the stuff from your bender last night reverberated back to the dungeon, and we don't know what its final state ended up being there.

I want to probe the guy for his general dungeon-design philosophy, both to gauge whether his approach to 3 would be agreeable and what would score points with him for 2.

For my final vote, I'd prefer 1 and 3; we don't know that our dungeon will reach its ideal minimum state by the time he visits. However, I would permit 1 and 2 if you find his vision completely incompatible.
>>
No. 1002209 ID: 9a2966

1) you're very crafty, so should always be up for a good craft.

3) to get your investor, well, invested.
>>
No. 1002223 ID: f57349

Crafting seems like the way to go. Seconding >>1002168
on specifically voting against 2 or 3 - way too early to let this guy you barely know spy on or meddle with your core operations.
>>
No. 1002226 ID: 96c896

Guys, number 2 is just a planned invasion. It's not going to be a guided tour.
>>
No. 1002228 ID: 2f6d8f

>>1002226
Yeah, I have no idea what some are on about. It's not like he needs our permission to send a party to the dungeon anyway, and as a dungeon we actively encourage invasions. Asking us is pretty much a courtesy.
>>
No. 1002264 ID: 0fae41

>>1002223
Well we have to pick two, and our dungeon layout is not static. A tour of its current state is not handing him the keys to the kingdom.
>>
No. 1002270 ID: 031458

>>1002228
Were on about this guy using ambiguous language has money, connections, and power.
It's like playing poker against someone with enough bank to force you to all-in every hand. Yeah there's plenty of opportunity but the question isn't if you lose it's when.

Yes, a random adventurer who we are vastly underprepare for could just wander by. This guy on the other hand WILL bite us in the ass eventually. It's important we predict when so we can prevent that.
>>
No. 1002276 ID: 96c896

>>1002270
The more we try to avoid playing the Dungeon Game, the less we are a dungeon. Risk is part of the game. We have a vault room to reduce risk and manage the reward for beating the boss. Even if this guy hires an overleveled adventurer to smash through our defenses we won't lose everything, and then we can cut ties with him afterwards for not being an honest business partner.

He doesn't have that much to gain, actually, compared to other dungeons he could be raiding. Deem is a low level dungeon right now! He has more to gain from a long term relationship.
>>
No. 1002279 ID: 2f6d8f

>>1002270
>It's important we predict when so we can prevent that.
And if what you say is true, then saying "no" doesn't actually predict anything. The guy already knows where we are, if he wants to attack anyways he can do it without our say so. In fact, if his objective was to get Deem, his best bet would be to detain her now and attack the dungeon while we can't communicate with our famuli (he doesn't even need to fabricate the charges, we very much broke into the bank's vault and left a calling card, and B&E is still illegal even if you take nothing).
I'm not saying trust him, I'm saying choosing #2 costs us exactly nothing, and will in fact allow us to actually be IN our dungeon and able to coordinate a defense in case of an attack.
>>
No. 1002668 ID: ce8c93
File 162289835816.png - (32.17KB , 800x550 , talk_and_demos.png )
1002668

>Wait holy shit. The dungeon tour and encounter design are serious traps.
>This man is dangerous.
>It is very possible that his true desire is YOU, Deem.
You're being paranoid. Any adventurer would be able to sell a recent map of my dungeon if they explore it thoroughly. And I value the ability to shuffle multiple denizens with different skills through my dungeon precisely because it avoids being too predictable.

>If this lad has ulterior motives, we don't want to make it easy for him to guess where your core is, even if a tour doesn't include it.
My Heart is in the final guardian chamber. It's hard to miss. It's also anchored in place by its connections to the earth-pulse now, someone can't just pick it up.

>We don't know in which state is the dungeon after last night.
It's fine, I just need to finish hauling out some of the surplus to requirement stone!

>I kind of want to test Olan to see how professional he is with 3, but 1 and 2 together should provide ample sounding for the purpose.
"More materials are welcome and I think we'd both feel more confident with a more critical eye looking at my dungeon." I say. "I think the tour and crafting an item should be fine."

>Any opportunity to let Hin work her craft is a good opportunity.
"You can see these golems were quickly done as an experiment." I say. "And last night's rambles ended up generating a few curios of possible use. There's a certain improvisational energy to them all. If these materials of yours have even a shred of potential, we will find it."

>Definitely question him on what he thinks an encounter should be like to see what kind of ideas he has and if they are useful.
"I am curious what sort of things you were thinking about with wanting to design something." I say.

"No real plans I must admit! I simply am destined to settle down in this town, take over the family business and presumably become as stodgy as my father. I'd like to make it a more exciting place before then." Olan says. "Hmmm, how hard is it to make someone big like Hin here?" he asks. My blacksmith would be about twenty feet tall standing up.

"Hin's current size is something I could achieve with a high grade reinforcement on anyone without any real trouble. That would normally only be a final guardian." I say. "In her own case, there's been a few factors adding together: she's part giant, I keyed the enlarging spell to feed off whatever she's eaten, and she's eaten a lot."

"Still a little peckish actually." Hin says.

"The spell will wear off when you fast for a few hours." I tell her. That spell has honestly held together better than I thought, the satiation potions were very effective on Hin.

"Final guardian, you said?" Olan says

I shrug. "If I had a large monster or golem, I could use that. I could use a denizen's spells, or potions too. But the dungeon's reinforcement spells take a long time to set up."

"Ah, just an idle thought: tossing something big at adventurers right at the start would certainly get the blood pounding! And the potions, your denizens can use those too?"

We move into discussing how, yes, my denizens can use my dungeon's potions and items and how I might deliberately hand some out to be used in the dungeon's puzzles and challenges.

Hin demonstrates the enlarging potion on Myousha's hat. Olan is excited by the opportunity to mess with an adventurer's body and gear, although I caution him that it's best to be careful with deliberately damaging an invader's panoply.
>>
No. 1002669 ID: ce8c93
File 162289846589.png - (44.33KB , 800x550 , thoughtforms_very_scary.png )
1002669

We move on to figuring out the golem potions. Essentially it lets the target materialise a golem they imagine. I am not particularly convinced of thought's viability as a construction material however.

Olan drinks the potion, then concentrates. A blobby, vaguely humanoid figure gradually gains form and substance next to him as he expends the power of the potion. It bobs up and down, limbs flexing and bending as if it's a jellyfish floating underwater.

"You can tell this potion is unpolished." I say. "It relies on the drinker's ability to form a clear image too much. It would be almost useless most of the time."

"I think she has a certain rough charm." Olan says. His golem flails its arms bonelessly. "Why don't you show me how it's done then?"

I drink the other golem-making potion. A second golem snaps into being next to me.

Olan looks between the two and shrugs helplessly. "Well, you showed me. I love these potions you have! You should definitely explore this some more. Something unique would really help draw people!"

>Is it possible to blank Centaur's mind and start again to remove any destructive quirks? Or should she simply be kept away from any other golems while performing duties?
I wouldn't want to risk destroying the feature that makes her interesting. In hindsight, I need to careful about any commands to do things 'together'.

>Also, about Centaur having two cores. Could be possible to add more cores and having one only to control the rest?
If you recall, I did consider upgrading my Golem Totem to allow mass production of modular golems - a controller with subordinate golem cores. Merud and I can do that as bespoke work.
>>
No. 1002670 ID: ce8c93
File 162289863546.png - (17.81KB , 500x800 , its_the_police.png )
1002670

Someone knocks at the door and Kallia says its for me.

This is a very poor specimen of guard compared to the standard I've seen so far. Scrawny, disheveled and tired. He stands oddly off center, using the door frame for cover.

"Miss Golem?" he asks, looking at me with some wary and weary blend of emotion I'm unable to identify.

"Yes?" I say.

He flops a rolled up scroll at me. I accept it from him. "You are hereby banished from this town until the first day of winter."

"What." I say. That's almost two months from now!

He steps back. "You must leave town before the gates are locked at sunset."

"Hey!" He's retreating down the street, I think I could run him down but that would be very undignified. I am not especially up to date on the customs of this place, but also I believe assaulting the town's guards would be looked upon poorly.

I go back inside to consult the others about my banishment.

Kallia looks at the scroll. "Yeah, that checks out."

Hin rubs her chin and looks reminiscent. "Probably fair."

I grind my teeth. "I was expecting more support."

Olan laughs. "Think of it as a compliment! They do that to any passers-through who are too much of a headache to try anything else on. Now, I fear I have another commitment but I'll have someone drop the gold and those items off here.

"I'll see you lovely ladies again in a little over a month!" Olan says, "If it's anything like last night, I'm sure it'll be a wonderful time!"

Olan makes his exit.

I look at Kallia and Hin. "I suppose I've already fulfilled my primary goal for coming here." I sigh. "The only essential thing is giving that bangle back to Liana. I suppose you should wait here, Hin."

"Oh actually I've got a demolition job. Mind if I borrow Hin for it?" Kallia says, looking up at my blacksmith.

"If Hin's fine with it." I say.

"Sure, why not?" Hin says.

Now I should think about what to with the rest of my day. I won't have time to fit all of these in, but my options are:

- Deliver the Fixity Bangle to Liana and do some shopping at her store.
- Visit the apothecary. Apparently I impressed Izakikk last night.
- Spend some time with Kallia. I won't see her again for a while.
- Spend some time with Myaousha. Perhaps I should learn more about modern adventurers.
- Visit the church grounds. No, never mind, that's a bad idea.
- Do something else?
>>
No. 1002671 ID: 465a14

Cheer up, 2 months' ban isn't so bad when you can just make and disguise a golem if you really want to do something in town before then. Shopping, Kallia, and the apothecary seem good in roughly that order of descending importance.
>>
No. 1002672 ID: 094652

I'm surprised they didn't ban you permanently.
But yes, you did drive heavy vehicles drunk so...

Fixity Bangle, Myaousha, spy on the church.
>>
No. 1002673 ID: 9caba2

>>1002670
When in doubt, visit the cat.

Also go lightly desecrate some skychurch stuff, maybe write a mean message on it?
>>
No. 1002674 ID: 031458

The church could possibly offer insight on light magic or celestial script.
Disgusting, to be sure. However, if you want to eventually get revenge on whomever broke and cursed you, such insights will prove invaluable.
>>
No. 1002675 ID: 0fae41

>Spend some time with Kallia. I won't see her again for a while.
This demolition job. Elaborate. ...I want to watch.
>Deliver the Fixity Bangle to Liana and do some shopping at her store.
Mandatory. Also, we just got paid.
>Spend some time with Myaousha.
What's new, pussycat? Why does the church take such a large role in adventuring nowadays? This revival talisman must have revolutionised dungeoneer gaming as we know it. Also, has she heard anything about a war between the neighbors?
>>
No. 1002676 ID: cf426f

>>1002670
Lol, gave the shit job to the new guy.
>>
No. 1002677 ID: ce39da

I can't believe y'all are passing up a potential recruit that'd mesh so beautifully with our setup. We need to put Izakikk on the docket. (It's also possible that we ended up losing something at their apothecary.)

First, however, we need to drop off the bangle and do some Shopping.

I'm indifferent about our last free-time event. Can I put a second vote on the apothecary?
>>
No. 1002685 ID: 2f6d8f

>>1002677
>We need to put Izakikk on the docket
We can't, Deem has been very clear about this. In this very thread, even:
>>991723
>I can't recruit any more denizens without overtaxing my Resurrection Matrix
>>
No. 1002689 ID: 09f511

>>1002685
We can't recruit Izakkik yey, but maintaining proper connections shouldn't be passed on.

Delivering the Bangle is mandatory, visit Izakkik, and then either Kallia or the cat.
>>
No. 1002691 ID: 96c896

>>1002670
Deliver bangle, do shopping with the gold you have left.
Visit the apothecary.
And get to know Myaousha.
>>
No. 1002736 ID: 5b0071

>>1002670
Delivery of the bangle. Who knows what nonsense will happen before sunset and its best to keep our word.
>>
No. 1002750 ID: 3c4404

With so little time left, networking seems like the priority. The bangle for your reputation and to get some stock while you are out here, Izakikk could someday be a valuable denizen or invader, and talking shop on any new reagents or tools that have materialised since your former glory could only help, while Myaousha is a representative of some nearby adventuring community you should get to know.
Kallia would be fun, but you have probably had entirely too much fun already if the banishment is anything to go by. Scent-marking the church is always a good time, and you could check up on that priest who you had to rescue when their ritual went wrong, but you have work-related business tying you down.
Or you could try to make Hin jealous by checking out their replacement blacksmith? They must have one by now, mustn't they?
>>
No. 1002812 ID: f98fa7
File 162307608059.png - (24.74KB , 800x600 , buy_some_stuff.png )
1002812

>Kallia would be fun, but you have probably had entirely too much fun already if the banishment is anything to go by.
Yes, Kallia seems to be a bad influence on me.

>>Spend some time with Myaousha.
>What's new, pussycat? Why does the church take such a large role in adventuring nowadays? This revival talisman must have revolutionised dungeoneer gaming as we know it. Also, has she heard anything about a war between the neighbors?
An adventurer's perspective would be good to have. I find out where Myaousha was staying and agree to meet her after lunch.

>Izakikk could someday be a valuable denizen or invader, and talking shop on any new reagents or tools that have materialised since your former glory could only help.
A few refinements might help, I'll do that after meeting Myaousha.

>Delivery of the bangle. Who knows what nonsense will happen before sunset and its best to keep our word.
Off to the shops I go. I take the stick and mud golem, and the imaginary golem to carry any goods I need.

"Deem, glad to see you're up and about!" Liana says. "I thought they'd have to roll you home. I guess if a curse couldn't keep you down, a few drinks wouldn't."

A vague recollection of drinks with Liana enters my head. Somehow she looks no worse for wear.

"Now, I have a few items you might be interested in. If you buy four or more items, there's a 10% discount~"

Waterbearer Wand (200G): This wand can be dipped in a liquid and then used to move and manipulate it. The liquid mass falls apart if it suffers a solid impact. It can also be used to purify water.

"If you need to haul water, it'll save you a lot of effort."

Critter Whistle (100G): A special whistle for imitating various animal calls. Useful for luring and trapping monsters.

"You can do a decent impression of a few different instruments with it too!"

Glossid (200G): An insect that produces a glossy resin that can be used to enhance golems and other magic items, though it does need some effort to maintain the polish.

"A leftover from a sale. One glossid will only produce a small amount of resin, but more than enough to be useful."

"Is it an immature one?" I ask.

"No, it's just small." Liana replies.

Alchemical Sprayer (150G): A gun-like device designed to coalesce and dispense a potion or other alchemical fluid at long distances.

"It is very effective at squeezing more doses out of its alchemical reservoir too."

Proximate Rings (300G): The wearers of this pair of rings may use magic on each other as if they're standing next to each other. The mana cost increases exorbitantly with distance.

"I know you have a few magicians so this might come in handy for you!"

Once I give Liana the Fixity Bangle, I'll have 600 gold set aside for spending money on these sorts of items. I can also dip into the 500 gold advance from Olan but I want to put aside a good amount of that for my hoard. I might be able to sell a few things as well, but most of my goods are weak or unusual catalysts that may be hard to find a market for.
>>
No. 1002813 ID: 094652

Get the Glossid for now. All the other stuff is more expensive than its utility appears, for now.
>>
No. 1002814 ID: ce39da

The Glossid and alchemical sprayer - Gas-traps, anyone? - seem like the only things worth getting in the here and now.

The whistle seems like either a poor man's imitation of a proper tamer or something only a tamer can properly make use of. The wand isn't something we need unless we want to make our place a *shudder* water dungeon. And the proximate rings seem a bit expensive for just increasing one encounter's battle synergy (at least while we still need to increase our earth-pulse reserves).
>>
No. 1002815 ID: 82162d

Get the first four. The water wand will make Stargazer’s job easier next time you change the waterworks. The critter whistle will help lure in new monster types. The big can be grown to greater size in your dungeon. And the sprayer will let you dispense potions from far away, on denizens or delvers! The discount brings this to under 600.
>>
No. 1002816 ID: 82162d

Also, Kallia must have taken this job during your bender. Rather than her being a bad influence, you should go see what your influence wrought. Maybe they’re demolishing the church...
>>
No. 1002818 ID: 9caba2

>>1002812
The bangles seem like they could have some practical use, Reisarf has a pretty large mana capacity, right? Though I imagine it's still nothing compared to yours.

The glossid could be pretty nice in the long run, but I'm mildly concerned about tacking on more things that require upkeep, unless of course we can get another person to join us.
Do they reproduce asexually so we can get more? Or would we need to track another one down?

The sprayer, well it could be well worth it just for its alleged ability to squeeze more doses out of its reservoir.

Depending on the efficiency of the whistle it might be useful for drawing monsters to your location in an emergency while traveling, but attracting interesting monsters for taming or just food seems like the best use for it.
But, from what I recall dungeons already draw monsters to them?

Are slimes considered liquid? Could we potentially huck Alkaline or the orange slime at someone with it? And if you're in gigant mode could you toss a whole lake at someone?
If it works with slimes, Alkaline's slimes could also throw each other at invaders.

My priorities would be the Alchemical Sprayer, the Proximate Rings, and the Waterbearer Wand in that order.
>>
No. 1002820 ID: 031458

Critter Whistle and Glossid.
The Glossid can be modified, reinforced, and enlarged quite easily with your set up. It's a steal.
The Critter Whistle, with some some slight modifications only a dungeon can provide, easily solves the sudden monster problem when increasing your horde size.

I suppose if further reinforced could also be used to summon waves of monsters against the edifices of man.
Useful to have.
>>
No. 1002822 ID: 9c1ef3

Get the sprayer! You have a decent focus on potions as it is. The more ways to apply them, the better. Maybe the wand, too.
>>
No. 1002823 ID: cf426f

>>1002820
Giving the critter whistle to the slimes...
>>
No. 1002826 ID: 96c896

>>1002812
>waterbearer wand
Is it heat resistant? Acid resistant? I'm wondering if there are any combat applications with dangerous liquids.

The Glossid looks like an excellent purchase.

The Alchemical Sprayer might be useful too if you can put acid or other baneful substances in it. Would synergize well with slimes and golems too, allowing a handler to buff a whole group at once.

I like the idea of the critter whistle. Can we use it though? Like, don't you need to know what sound to make?
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No. 1002837 ID: 031458

>>1002826
>I like the idea of the critter whistle. Can we use it though? Like, don't you need to know what sound to make?

To expand on that question, is it a purely sonic mechanism, or does it distort the earth pulse to attract monsters?
>>
No. 1002848 ID: 96c2cb

Get the Glossid, because it is cute. Also because golems are your workhorses at the moment and hopefully can be used to provide the upkeep required too.

The Critter Whistle sounds like it could massively reduce the burden of hunting down rogue spawns from your larger hoard. Could it have brought The Devil Bear to your door?

What would happen if you stuck the Water Wand into Worst Slime? I could see it maybe reducing the magical burden of maintaining cohesion, thus allowing it more energy for stabilising its internals, but as an uneducated moron, I am just grasping at straws here.
Otherwise it is just an occasional convenience for problems that you have already surmounted, or a way to stick something obnoxious to a ceiling that can be dropped just by hitting it.
>>
No. 1002891 ID: e4abe1

The glossid is fren, so get him!
>>
No. 1003078 ID: f2320a

>>1002812
i want that bug, the wand has potential i would imagine perhaps making a blood sword by turning it into a dagger that drains blood and uses it as a extension, or perhaps using as a crafting tool it says liquid so perhaps molten metal would allow for some complex manipulation and molding of metal or freestyle glass spinning, and perhaps slime manipulation for throwing and shaping even if not then "purify" water means ripping out water from something so perhaps make a weapon that rips liquids out of the body drying clay/mud brittle, desiccating slime, fatal dehydration for most animals or bloodloss.

alchemy gun good potential for due to our potion use and making.

the rings i imagine would be interesting for a combo boss or monster that is a caster and a brute boosting the other riding its back
>>
No. 1003083 ID: 2f6d8f

>>1002812
I'd say we absolutely want the Glossid and the Sprayer.
The Glossid because it makes our strongest point, golems, even stronger. Like, seriously, it can possibly even make your golem body stronger, what's not to like?
The sprayer seems all around useful, and we have plenty to use in it.
The whistle might be useful for our future monster problems, but not having the capacity to keep them limits its usefulness somewhat.
The thing about falling apart after one impact makes the wand situational at best.
The rings sound like a trap: the ones for whom this would be useful would be crippled by the mana cost, and the ones who can afford it don't have any use for them. Pass.
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No. 1003095 ID: 031458

I just thought of a good use for the wand...
We could analyze and deconstruct it, then utilize it in purpose built golems, traps, mechanisms, and even running water for our denizens.
We could even go as far as engraving it onto our heart next time we gain a layer.

Water is very important for us to maintain life in the dungeon, and the ability to easily move it around would be invaluable.
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No. 1003117 ID: b80c0a

>>1003078
Oh, wow, yeah! Using the wand in crafting would be amazing! It could be used to produce all sorts of hollow or near-hollow structures in a single piece. I am sure that Deem can whip up some heat-resistant enchantments to make it useful with whatever molten material it is being used on. It might also make weird alloys that would normally be difficult to keep mixed. I wonder if it can directly purify materials...

I guess it all depends upon the particulars of its manipulation faculties. Even if it isn't much use as-is, having it as an example might help with making a more sophisticated replacement.
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No. 1003163 ID: afa6f6

>>1002812
The Waterbearer Wand, Critter Whistle, And Glossid all seem useful.
Deem could probably make a potion sprayer by herself if she wanted to, and it wouldnt even have to be magical, so we could hold off on that.

I do want to point out, since its being brought up a lot, That the Critter Whistle has uses other than capturing monsters for the Dungeon. It can be used for hunting too, so we can get food and potion or artifact ingredients. Or we could just use it to lure dangerous or annoying monsters away from the dungeon.
>>
No. 1003169 ID: 9ffe87

>>1003117
Honestly, I initially thought they were all stupid and pointless tbh, but I think the statement about hauling water sort of distracted from the real potential of the wand. With this sort of outside the box thinking it could actually end up insanely useful, although if used for metallurgy Hin may have to relearn/adapt a decent portion of her smithing in order to utilize the wand.
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No. 1003171 ID: 031458

>>1003169
>Hin may have to relearn/adapt a decent portion of her smithing in order to utilize the wand.

Good! Our denizens are here to grow, afterall.
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No. 1008470 ID: ae5bbf
File 162953338397.png - (34.76KB , 800x550 , thank_you_for_your_purchases.png )
1008470

I don't want to give up too much of my hard worn gold so I will limit my purchases.

None of my denizens are particularly trained as a monster tamer, and the rings are a little niche with my current roster. With more slimes underfoot, handing out a noise maker seems like a bad idea too.

>Get the Glossid, because it is cute. Also because golems are your workhorses at the moment and hopefully can be used to provide the upkeep required too.
My monsters include a number of golems of varying quality, so more options for an elite one would be good to have.

>It can possibly even make your golem body stronger, what's not to like?
My gigant form is the majority of my un-reinforced combat strength. Since I need to add additional stone and clay, it'd undo the glossid's resin.

>Do they reproduce asexually so we can get more? Or would we need to track another one down?
That isn't a queen.

>Water is very important for us to maintain life in the dungeon, and the ability to easily move it around would be invaluable.
>The water wand will make Stargazer’s job easier next time you change the waterworks.
Refilling my water reservoir will be quite work intensive without something like it so it seems like a prudent investment.

>Is it heat resistant? Acid resistant? I'm wondering if there are any combat applications with dangerous liquids.
>Or perhaps using as a crafting tool it says liquid so perhaps molten metal would allow for some complex manipulation and molding of metal or freestyle glass spinning.
It doesn't need prolonged contact so I could work out something. I am somewhat lacking in large qualities of dangerous liquids at the moment however. I will have to raise to Hin the possible value in smithing if she can get used to using it as a tool in the place of casting.

>Perhaps making a blood sword by turning it into a dagger that drains blood.
>Perhaps make a weapon that rips liquids out of the body drying clay/mud brittle, desiccating slime, fatal dehydration for most animals or bloodloss.
The effects are extremely easy for a living creature to resist, it wasn't made as a weapon. And this isn't some sort of water dungeon.

>What would happen if you stuck the Waterbearer Wand into Worst Slime? I could see it maybe reducing the magical burden of maintaining cohesion.
If by 'reduce' you mean killing it, then yes.

"I think I'll buy the glossid and the wand." I say to Liana.

"I had a feeling you'd go for it, you like cute things." Liana says, sliding the glossid's cage across the counter. It keeps blankly scratching at the back wall as I have a golem pick it up. "I'm glad Alkaline's doing better," she adds. "She was so upset you were still sleeping when we left."

I suppose talked to her about my little slime princess last night?

"I like useful things." I say. I'm not going to let that pass unchallenged. "I think being able to spend some time with me helping out was good for her though. How's your daughter doing?"

Liana laughs, "Probably for the best you didn't run into her today. She hasn't forgiven you yet."

"What? I saved her life." I point out.

Liana nods evenly. "And more recently you threw up in the church's fountain, and she had to clean it up."

I feel one outweighs the other here but I'm not going to take one of my few allies in town to task over the attitude of her wayward sky-touched daughter.

"Hin's looking more confident too." Liana says as she hands over the wand. "It's good to see. I feel she was struggling a bit before she met you. Oh and these are yours." Liana says, ducking under the counter and pulling out a tiny wicker basket.

It's eggs.
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No. 1008471 ID: ae5bbf
File 162953340446.png - (23.20KB , 800x600 , cat_here.png )
1008471

>Also, Kallia must have taken this job during your bender. Rather than her being a bad influence, you should go see what your influence wrought. Maybe they’re demolishing the church...
I don't have time for that, even if it was a demolition of a locus of the wretched sky-power!

No-one's come to find me so whatever influences might have exerted themselves on a doll mage and a giant blacksmith, it can't be too serious. I just hope Kallia doesn't egg Hin on into doing something stupid.

I'm a little ahead of schedule, so I drop my golems off at the golemeter's guild along with the new purchases and stroll down to the park where I agreed to meet Myaousha.

This is something of a rare opportunity. Before my long sleep I had few chances for dialgue with those come to bait the snare of the Labyrinth Game. The adventurers I've seen are quite reckless compared to what I'm accustomed to, though I suppose the church's revival fountains go some way towards explaining that. I am still not sure how conventions of dungeon delving might have drifted, and perhaps I should ask about what other dungeons there are nearby.

What should I discuss with Myaousha?
>>
No. 1008472 ID: 8a444d

Recruit, recruit, recruit, ...!
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No. 1008473 ID: 9caba2

>>1008471
Alchemic bombs, blast mining, does she know of any bombs that can blow up the sky?
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No. 1008476 ID: cf5fec

>basket of eggs
Your eggs, I take it.

>Kallia, Hin, egg her on
I see what you did there.

>ask
She has a pretty special trinket - it caught you quite off-guard to be located so soon after founding. How often DO new dungeons crop up, for it to exist? Is dungeon location and exploration a common trade?

How many dungeons has she been in previously? What was the yield from those trips (beyond the ineffable feeling of GLORIOUS ADVENTURE and the rewarding beat of the earth-pulse).
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No. 1008480 ID: c92a02

Nice hat.
The Dungeoneering Guild and how adventurers see them.
Her life path - from youth to adventurer to what, if anything, comes next?
Her grappling hook - if you can trick her into giving away her strategy, you can throw some little complications in the mix on her next visit, to shake things up.
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No. 1008485 ID: 96c896

>>1008472
We can't, there's no room in the resurrection matrix.

>>1008471
Ask about the dungeoneering guild, does she know any contacts? People are constructing dungeons out there somehow, it would be good to know how.
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No. 1008489 ID: 5cf232

>>1008471
Hire her for a professional dungeon review of the present dungeon. Previous word of mouth was a 'rocks and spooky things' dungeon, she'd be the best person to talk about how much it's grown since then.

Maybe.

Not sure how many braincells she's got.
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No. 1008497 ID: 8483cf

>>1008489
We need outside expertise. Draw knowledge from more than one well, lest it grow stale.
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No. 1008550 ID: ca0259

Geeze, ask about the state of the dungeoneering game. What other dungeons does she know of, how many times has she delved? Are they far? How many? Is adventuring common everywhere and normal or is this a rarity.

And Deem, I know this isn't your forte, but when you are dealing with these catty adrenaline junkie types, you might actually get further by doing this the way she would, by asking the questions quickly in succession without waiting for an answer, while getting in her personal space.
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No. 1008619 ID: 315573

Obtain an exclusive license to her likeness in golem form.
>>
No. 1017977 ID: ba5e08
File 164007737738.png - (32.78KB , 800x500 , cat_talk_cat_talk.png )
1017977

>And Deem, I know this isn't your forte, but when you are dealing with these catty adrenaline junkie types, you might actually get further by doing this the way she would, by asking the questions quickly in succession without waiting for an answer, while getting in her personal space.
No. I am going to maintain an appropriate distance.

>Your eggs, I take it.
They're mine again now.

>Nice hat.
"Oh your hat hasn't changed back yet?" I say. That enlarging potion certainly seems to be persistent. Whoever brewed it really must have gotten it perfect.

"Not yet!" Myaousha says brightly. "If I keep wetting it, will it get bigger?"

"What?"

"Well that's how it worked with your blue friend, right?" she says.

"Not exactly." I say.

"Nya ha, so they'll both be back to normal soon, wet or dry?"

I rub my forehead, thinking about what Kallia and Hin might be getting up to. "Probably not."

>She has a pretty special trinket - it caught you quite off-guard to be located so soon after founding. How often DO new dungeons crop up, for it to exist? Is dungeon location and exploration a common trade?
I quickly change the subject. "I was surprised to see you in my dungeon. I wouldn't expect you'd be stumbling on new dungeons often?" I ask Myaousha.

"It was a nice surprise!" she says, tail swishing. "It's mostly mapping areas, seeing if any new interesting or dangerous beasties or other stuff has sprung up out of the ground. Lairs and lacunae sometimes, but you don't get to be the first into a new dungeon often. Winzes at best. Dungeoneer Guildies are a bit precious."

"Winze?"

"You know, a naturally formed dungeon!"

"What?" I say. "Do you mean a beast lair?"

"No, it does dungeon stuff!" the cat explains confidently.

"Dungeon stuff?" I say, failing to be illuminated.

"Dungeon stuff!" she agrees.

After some interrogation, I am able to determine that it's cases where features of a dungeon such as traps, enchantments and resurrection of monsters is seen but in a chaotic and uncoordinated fashion. A little like a haunted house I suppose. This is troubling, as I'm unable to explain why this would be the case.

>Ask about the Dungeoneering Guild, does she know any contacts? People are constructing dungeons out there somehow, it would be good to know how.
I bring the conversation back around to the Dungeoneer's Guild.

"Oh the Guild!" Myousha says. "No, you really need to get in good with them before they'll tell you anything. Trade secrets and all that! I have some friends who tried to join, but not sure how they're doing! I'll let you know if I bump into them again."

>How many dungeons has she been in previously? What was the yield from those trips (beyond the ineffable feeling of GLORIOUS ADVENTURE and the rewarding beat of the earth-pulse).
>Ask about the state of the dungeoneering game. What other dungeons does she know of, how many times has she delved? Are they far? How many? Is adventuring common everywhere and normal or is this a rarity.
Myaousha ends up being cagey on this, I suspect she's had mixed results. I receive the impression that given the relative safety of delving dungeons in this era, it's quite frequent for people to attempt it for a while and then give up on it.

There's several dungeons nearby, one a rocky Earth dungeon where Myaousha cautions me I might want to focus the 'lizards and spooky things' to differentiate myself. There's a dungeon intended for beginners within a nearby city called Urthgar. She says you need to pay for entry. I suppose a vault-type dungeon would have many shortcomings in its mana production but it's still a repugnant thought. It seems somewhat predatory too in that it applies a lot of afflictions and they sell cures. She mentions Kendall's Folly, the haunted ruins that I already know about and have been considering stripping for parts. A light based dungeon that she hasn't attempted: it's fairly tough, and some others that haven't managed to really set themselves apart yet.

>Her grappling hook - if you can trick her into giving away her strategy, you can throw some little complications in the mix on her next visit, to shake things up.
Her strategy, as she is happy to tell me, is to grab things with it and then either go to them or bring them to her.

>Her life path - from youth to adventurer to what, if anything, comes next?
"So how did you end up becoming an explorer?" I ask.

"I love exploring." she says. "Ever since I was a kid. Seeing new things, finding stuff, it's great! Curiousity filled the cat you know." she adds.

"I see." I say. "Do you have any plans for where that'll take you?"

"Nyo ho, I'm going to discover a lost city!" she says proudly.

I suppose she doesn't lack ambition.
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No. 1017978 ID: ba5e08
File 164007745884.png - (11.83KB , 800x500 , bye_cat.png )
1017978

I take my leave, I've stayed a little longer than I expected. That cat is happy to talk but extracting useful information was more of an ordeal. I suppose I'm still not very used to talking with people.

>Hire her for a professional dungeon review of the present dungeon. Previous word of mouth was a 'rocks and spooky things' dungeon, she'd be the best person to talk about how much it's grown since then.
>Maybe.
>Not sure how many braincells she's got.
I already have two people coming to my dungeon for such a purpose and I don't have terribly much gold to space for someone's criticism of a work in progress. I'm sure I'll see her again if she wants to make the place anyway.

>Alchemic bombs, blast mining, does she know of any bombs that can blow up the sky?
Foolishness. In amongst her chatter I did learn her bomb enhancement and remote detonation spells are rote magic she learnt off her sister who I am now almost certain is that pyromancer who attempted to invade my dungeon.

>Obtain an exclusive license to her likeness in golem form.
That seems unnecessary.

I head on to the alchemist's shop next. It's time to look at what goods they stock and have a chat with Izakikk.
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No. 1017979 ID: ba5e08
File 164007752534.png - (31.36KB , 800x500 , croc_shop.png )
1017979

The potion shop's front room is a cool and shady, filled with odd fragrances and bottled potions on the shelves. The lizard woman at the counter is glaring at me. I assume this is Seleni.

"Hello, I'm Deem." I say. "We didn't have the chance to meet last time I was in town, but I was hoping to purchase some alchemical supplies from you."

"No, I'm not selling them to you."

I blink. "Might I need an alchemical license to purchase them?"

"No."

I am starting to detect an undercurrent of hostility here.

"Is Izakikk available then?"

"No, you can't see them." Seleni says.

I'm starting to feel a little petulant. "Why not?"

The lizard woman thumps her fist on the table. "That child has some real talent. Real talent! I'm going to offer them an apprenticeship. But they need to learn to do things right! Brewing potions is something that needs precision, consistency and care. I'm not going to let some maverick potion brewer like yourself boiling and smoking and distilling and snorting whatever random things and expired ingredients come their way to teach them your bad habits. And I'm not going to give you the supplies to cause more chaos about town. It's hard enough at times, without you bringing the entire profession into disrepute!" she snaps. "You should leave my shop, and leave Izakikk alone."

I feel I should be angrier. The unexpectedness has me off-balance. I'm not some common herb-witch to be talked down to on how the practice the subtle arts like this. Maybe a confrontation isn't the best idea. I have already - most unfairly - been banished for whatever I did last night after all. How should I handle this?
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No. 1017983 ID: 96c896

>cases where features of a dungeon such as traps, enchantments and resurrection of monsters is seen but in a chaotic and uncoordinated fashion
I very badly want to investigate these Winzes. I have some ideas on how they might be formed but I think I should wait until you're not talking to someone.

>light based dungeon
Heresy. Unless by "light" she means tricks of light, illusions and mirror puzzles and such not.
Lacking second-hand knowledge on how the Dungeoneer's Guild makes dungeons I suppose you could send some of your crew to attempt one, or even visit in person. Have you ever heard of a dungeon visiting a dungeon before? How would the earth pulse even react? Would both dungeons gain mana from the game?

>>1017979
She's cute you should make friends with her. I wonder if she'd like Chakarchelou?

Tell her you apologize for the bad behavior you displayed last night, you were quite drunk, as it was the first time you tried drinking alcohol and you didn't know your limits. She can quiz you on proper alchemy technique if she wants, now that you're sober. Also uh, ask who made which potion. You want to know who won that contest.

...it occurs to me that she might have the right impression of you. You do a lot of improvisation with your ingredients, don't you? Well, at least you can assure her that you plan to keep your alchemical trouble-making outside of town.
>>
No. 1017984 ID: 25006c

Oops, we already have. We should go check on Izakikk!
>>
No. 1017985 ID: 9a2966

You probably don't want to piss off any more of the town's notables than you currently have (or are going to do, in the golemeter's case). Maybe you can start doing some damage mitigation.

You've several options. You could try all, but I imagine the woman's patience to already be limited. Perhaps the best one is to admit...

>appeal: ...it was an honest mistake
Ask for peace. Nobody was badly hurt yesterday (that you know of, and you're pretty sure you'd be informed or in jail if that was the case). Yes, you were drunk and exploring what is possible using a limited set of ingredients at hand, but you barely remember any of it. It is not how you typically do things - in fact, you've never gotten quite so drunk before. Never. It's not a a mistake you're liable to repeat any time soon - or possibly ever.

Rare, too, you think, is the potion maker who has never once gotten inebriated - or sleep-deprived - and done something silly with her skills and ingredients. Or made an experiment that seemed foolish in hindsight. Or been working with sub-par ingredients and taken a chance that seemed to make the best of things.

>appeal: you're not here to trouble her further, or to 'steal' Izakikk - you may even be able to help
Your intent was not to trouble her credentials or her work, or even to poach her apprentice candidate - if they'd actually prefer to work for her. Nor do you think you have the potential to 'ruin' someone in a night drinking and an hour - or less - of talking, and that she thinks so little of her own capabilities or ability to convince Izakikk that she'd be the better master. It's not like you're gonna grab them and run, just sound out what happened and how they felt about last night. Which you can do. Because you can speak to them.

And translate for others, should there be a need.

(... unless the reason she is so upset is that Izakikk has been packing, in which case you may have to amend that statement.)

>appeal: to the fact she's missing out on an opportunity - and has no right to block another's chance for one
You possess a dungeon and that offers opportunities and growth. Even if Izakikk were to remain as her apprentice, it's entirely possible you - or someone you send to town, at this rate - could provide them both with useful raw ingredients, at least until the dungeon gets off the ground proper and adventurers take over that role. Even then it'd be useful for them to know the relative usefulness and value of items produced by the dungeon.

Is that worth giving up in a pique over an honest mistake? You'd be happy to come back - or again, send someone later - if she refuses to trade for now, but you will have to insist on speaking with Izakikk as that's not something she has any control over. Unless they ARE her apprentice already?

>appeal: she can help mitigate the damage to her profession, potentially as a side business
Regarding future potions that come out of that dungeon... you'll admit you've had a thought of using beneficial ones as potential adventurer rewards, with limited and somewhat randomized side-effects, ideally things strange, odd or unusual.

If she's worried about potions from the dungeon circulating in town and damaging her reputation, maybe you can adjust those plans somewhat. Or get her to quality assure the recipes used as rewards.

>appeal: what does Izakikk want, and where can they achieve it in the best way?
You don't remember much of yesterday, but you are told Izakikk seemed enthused by the experiments. That speaks to something they want, to their motivations. You've tested several of the potions that came out of it, and they seem... fine. Odd, but fine. Some may be potentially useful if they can be refined further.

(Do you have any remaining? You could get Seleni to assess them and verify this statement.)

You're not going to argue that safety and precautions don't have their place in potion brewing and that Izakikk shouldn't be taught those safety standards. But as she mentioned, they do seem a genius, so where does she think they'll grow faster and better? In her shop, or... in the dungeon?
>>
No. 1017988 ID: 25006c

“Oh no, our potion bender last night must have transformed your face into that of a hideous old hag! I’m terribly sorry.”
>>
No. 1017990 ID: 5cf232

>>1017979
Set her off balance by agreeing with her wholly. Brewing under the influence is a terrible idea. You made several terrible decisions last night. Also, brewing with subpar ingredients is only something that should be attempted by an expert when desperate. Which is why you want proper ingredients.
>>
No. 1017991 ID: ce39da

>>1017988
Don't say that. That doesn't help anyone.

>>1017985
I agree with this, in the order listed from best to least-best appeals.
>>
No. 1017996 ID: ca0259

Appeal to the scientist within.

Experimentation is what leads to discovery. If you only make the same potions with the same ingredients you might get consistent results, but you'll never broaden your knowledge if you don't try new things, and test the properties of that which is around.

Yes, you'll fail, yes, there will be messes, and people will be annoyed, but it's all in service to the craft. Alchemy isn't mixing herbs to make healing potions, it's reducing things to their essence and crafting that into something useful. If you only user the most ideal of ingredients, you'll miss out understanding to the deepest level so many of the things around you!
>>
No. 1018002 ID: d78ab5

Tell her her alchemical potions are crap, and that you were just trying to support local business. But because of this, she's forced your hand in driving her business into the ground.

Odds are, she sources her components and recipes locally- either she sends youth into the woods and caves for herbs and mushrooms, or local adventurer sorts unload what they find to her. So just undercut her by going and getting those things yourself, and/or offer payment for said goods by posting a market board outside yer dungeon or by the road. You needn't sell or trade potions yourself, just cut her out of the position of middleman so you can make your own stuff.

This is prime magical trading advice- because eventually you'll want to make a kickass potion or require reagents for something else, and if they catch wind of it, suddenly the prices for such things will skyrocket.

best bet would be to wait for Izzkakwlwhatever if he's the poor sod being sent out for stuff, or when some traders pass by the town with wares for the potion shop, and ask for what they're out to go find. Failing, that, see if the book store's open and get a tome of herbology or monster anatomy.
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No. 1018003 ID: 6c227a

You fully appreciate that the air of unpredictability to your most recent attempts are something of a downside. That is, in fact, the reason you came to her, to get ingredients for more consistent and repeatable results.

The fact is, you are going to keep brewing one way or the other. You would LIKE to do so in a way that is consistent with the honored and respectable traditions of the craft, but if she is going to force you to keep making the alchemical equivalent of bathtub moonshine, you will.
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No. 1018011 ID: 25006c

Ah, never get in bad with your supplier. You’ll have to try and make amends. Duly apologize for your behavior last night, your potions are not meant to be used in town and it was your first experience with the most ancient and powerful alchemy, beer, that led to this mistake. Surely she remembers the days of being a young firebrand with a crucible, scrambling to get her hands on any viable ingredients at all?
>>
No. 1018054 ID: d0bfc0

>cases where features of a dungeon such as traps, enchantments and resurrection of monsters is seen but in a chaotic and uncoordinated fashion. A little like a haunted house I suppose. This is troubling, as I'm unable to explain why this would be the case.
Oh, the classic "break a magic thingy and its magic goes everywhere, changing everything" catastrophe.Presumably someone smashed a locus of Labyrinth which dispersed broken fragments of dungeon-craft across the world. Now these fragments are repeating in isolation what they once did as part of a greater whole. The moral of the story is that dungeons, especially ancient and powerful ones, should not get smashed and vomit everywhere no matter how pretty they are.
>"Nyo ho, I'm going to discover a lost city!" she says proudly.
Depending upon your geographical knowledge, you, being older than dirt, could probably help her. Did you know of any structurally durable but socially unstable communities? Perhaps cities with only a sole, easily-destroyed means of access? Or just listing off some of the major transportation locations as they were thousands of years ago could help someone dig them up to follow to wherever they once led. You are really underutilising your value as an old lady.
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No. 1018903 ID: e9c46e
File 164095263566.png - (34.63KB , 800x500 , negotigator.png )
1018903

>...it occurs to me that she might have the right impression of you. You do a lot of improvisation with your ingredients, don't you? Well, at least you can assure her that you plan to keep your alchemical trouble-making outside of town.
I am not some shady back room potion seller. Don't say these things to me.

>Ah, never get in bad with your supplier. You’ll have to try and make amends.
Hmph, I suppose I can show her a little grace to dispel these wildly untrue beliefs she has about me.

>You've several options. You could try all, but I imagine the woman's patience to already be limited. Perhaps the best one is to admit...
>Ask for peace. Nobody was badly hurt yesterday (that you know of, and you're pretty sure you'd be informed or in jail if that was the case). Yes, you were drunk and exploring what is possible using a limited set of ingredients at hand, but you barely remember any of it. It is not how you typically do things - in fact, you've never gotten quite so drunk before. Never. It's not a a mistake you're liable to repeat any time soon - or possibly ever.
"I must apologise for my display last night." I say. "There was some disruption about the town, yes, but no-one was hurt and I fear it's because I haven't gotten that drunk before. I will be more vigilant in the future."

"Oh so you're normally brewing up potions in some wretched hole in the mountains while not drunk you say?" Seleni snaps.

>Rare, too, you think, is the potion maker who has never once gotten inebriated - or sleep-deprived - and done something silly with her skills and ingredients. Or made an experiment that seemed foolish in hindsight. Or been working with sub-par ingredients and taken a chance that seemed to make the best of things.
I grit my teeth. My dungeon is not a wretched hole!

"No," I say. "I am forced to improvise because I need better ingredients. With the right preparation, useful potions can be coaxed out of all manner of things, but its hardly ideal for stability or repeatability. And surely you've occasionally had to improvise or made mistakes while learning your craft?"

"No, never." she sniffs.

A blatant lie if ever I saw one. "Never experimented?" I say. "Made something just for yourself, or something frivolous?"

"You're the frivolous one." she sniffs. "Partnering up with Nemellan's son. Don't think I can't see what you and that wastrel might be planning."

>appeal: to the fact she's missing out on an opportunity - and has no right to block another's chance for one
"I'd like to partner with a number of people about town." I say. "He was just the first person to make a decent offer. This dungeon is my own and I am going to do it my way."

"Well good for you!" she snaps. "My potion shop is a respectable one and I want no part of the degeneracy you're going to be getting into."

>“Oh no, our potion bender last night must have transformed your face into that of a hideous old hag! I’m terribly sorry.”
"Respectable you say?" I begin. "Strange, I would bet you went and made your snout longer at some stage."

"How'd you - I didn't, that's beside the point! I'm not selling anything to you and you can't see Izakikk!"

>Oh, the classic "break a magic thingy and its magic goes everywhere, changing everything" catastrophe.Presumably someone smashed a locus of Labyrinth which dispersed broken fragments of dungeon-craft across the world.
That's not...
>>
No. 1018904 ID: e9c46e
File 164095267478.png - (41.90KB , 500x800 , i_bet_theres_a_prize_inside.png )
1018904

>Now these fragments are repeating in isolation what they once did as part of a greater whole.
You don't know that!

Calm your rage...

>The moral of the story is that dungeons, especially ancient and powerful ones, should not get smashed and vomit everywhere no matter how pretty they are.
They must still be out there, they're just silent. They're not gone, they can't be.

Still your sorrow...

They don't break! They can't die!

Sate yourself in your bloody games.

I don't, I can't, I...
>>
No. 1018905 ID: e9c46e
File 164095272861.png - (27.48KB , 550x800 , blueout.png )
1018905

This day has been an exercise in irritation but at least I have managed to buy some essentials and made one partnership.

With my errands run, I head back towards the Golemeter's Guild. Hopefully it hasn't burnt down in my absence.

>Did you know of any structurally durable but socially unstable communities? Perhaps cities with only a sole, easily-destroyed means of access? Or just listing off some of the major transportation locations as they were thousands of years ago could help someone dig them up to follow to wherever they once led. You are really underutilising your value as an old lady.
I didn't get to travel much. I would be working off hearsay.

>Lacking second-hand knowledge on how the Dungeoneer's Guild makes dungeons I suppose you could send some of your crew to attempt one, or even visit in person. Have you ever heard of a dungeon visiting a dungeon before? How would the earth pulse even react? Would both dungeons gain mana from the game?
Since I need a large quantity of gold resting beneath the earth in my possession no I would not get anything.
>>
No. 1018906 ID: e9c46e
File 164095277614.png - (36.44KB , 800x600 , the_leaving_town_gang.png )
1018906

Dusk is nearing. To my pleasant surprise I find Kallia and Hin waiting together with the golems and supplies. I think Hin's gotten bigger.

"Yo Deem!" Kallia says, waving. "We made some repairs to your horse golem but it's a bit rickety and anyway Hin volunteered to play pack mule for your trip home."

"With that guy coming in a month, thought we'd best fast track it and just walk overnight." Hin says. "I've got a lot of energy to burn up and big steps to cover the distance."

That is thoughtful of her. "Did the demolition go alright?" I ask.

"Yeah finished early thanks to Hin." Kallia says. "She left an impression, even talked your dungoen up a bit. How, I've got all your supplies packed up, and Centaur's ready to go with you too."

"Weren't you thinking of working on Centaur as your journeyman project?" I say.

"I thought about it and frankly don't think old Okum would let me keep her around. He has Views you know."

"Huge prude." Hin rumbles.

Kallia continues. "I think she's got too much going on for me to really figure it out anyway. But last night was great, I've got so many ideas for things to try now."

"What happened to her outfit?" I ask.

"I tried to get my robes off her but the golemetry's all tangled up." Kallia says, gesturing at Centaur. "I got the important bits!" she adds.

"Any other mishaps?" I say, looking the hybridised golem up and down.

"Wow Deem you've gotten all cynical now you're of drinking age." Kallia says. "She's been drinking a lot, your little drink server's too hard to turn down you know. She might have had some cauldron juice."

"I told it water only." I say.

"Yeah when I reactivated him I might have undone that. Can I keep him by the way?"

"I suppose. You said you used up a lot of materials making Centaur though, and I drank that battery." I say.

"Uh, give me golem advice in the future and for now give me some more of those eggs." Kallia says.

"Do I want to know why?"

"It's a surprise!"

"Oh, and did you get in a fight or something?" Kallia says.
>>
No. 1018907 ID: e9c46e
File 164095288996.png - (28.59KB , 800x600 , big_suggestion.png )
1018907

I explain to Kallia that I had some aggressive negotiations, we load Hin up and then find a way through over the town wall with the assistance of a more impressive specimen of guard than the one who handed me that absurd banishment notice this morning. It'll be a few months until I can see this place again but that's fine! I need to spend more time focusing on my dungeon!

We travel in silence for a little while the light's still good. As predicted, big steps make for good time.

"Hey Deem." Hin says. "I've been thinking. Back when we first met I was kinda sensitive about what I would and wouldn't do for dungeon work, but I want to do more."

"What's brought on this change of heart?" I say.

"Well, it'll be a while before you're in shape to do much crafting with all the magic heavy lifting you did last night and... look so far all I've done is almost ruin everything, get sick and be little more than a speed bump for invaders." Hin says.

"You also tamed Doyle, fixed the Fixity Bangle, helped work on a number of useful tools and have done a lot of your own heavy lifting clearing out the excavations without complaint." I point out.

"Yeah, well look, my mother's an adventurer." Hin says. "And I kind of resent her deciding to run off and do adventurery things back when I was just a kid. But I don't want that looming over me deciding what I do! So screw her, I want to fight!"

"I'm not sure if parental spite is the best motivation, Hin."

"Well not fight all the time." Hin says, "I'm a blacksmith. But when I'm not doing that, I still want to be pulling my weight!"

"Thanks Hin." I say.

"Circling back to heavy lifting for a minute, should I stay big a few days longer?" Hin says. "I just need to be sure to eat enough to keep the spell going right? And you've still got all that leftover orange goo and bear meat. And Doyle too. The entrance needs more landscaping, and gather wood and clay and other stuff. You've made the wildlife all aggro too, I bet I could show those frogs who's boss!"

"You'd be roughing it." I warn her. "Clean clothes and washing and sleeping and that are all going to be a headache."

"It's fine," Hin makes a fist. "I'm tough!"

I do only have a month to get my dungeon substantially improved, and I will need some time before I can exert my Heart magically again. Should I try to take advantage of a giant blacksmith? And what should I get her to focus on if I do? If she's working away from the dungeon itself for an extended period I shouldn't send her alone either.
>>
No. 1018908 ID: 5cf232

>>1018907
If she wants to be big, let her be big. If she gets tired of big she can stop being big. Lazy fair. Stop fistfighting shopkeepers. That's the sorta thing that gets banishments extended.
>>
No. 1018921 ID: 0840c2

>>1018907
Let her be big for now, maybe (have her) make something that can let switch between big and regular size sop that she doesn't take up too much room in the dungeon
>>
No. 1018927 ID: 6cc9ee

Okay, I didn't want to suggest this earlier because I thought it would anger you, but it looks like the opposite is true.
These "natural" dungeons remind me more of dreams. Sleeping, damaged dungeon cores, remembering and creating. Sleep-delving. Traps strongly imply some sapience, after all, because traps by their very nature require the ability to see from another being's perspective. To hide something, you must understand how others see. These dungeons don't connect to where the core is, and thus the core is never found, because they themselves don't really know where they are. Likely some Winzes go unnoticed because none of the dungeon connects to the surface.

Investigating one is possibly the most important thing you could do. Go in person, since you will most likely be able to tell where the core is.

Also yeah I guess Hin can be big for a while longer. Just take stock of food supplies so you have a good estimate for how long that could be. She can do some outside work, and on top of that you'll have a giant guarding your front door!
If she hunts monsters in that form, will she level up as fast as if she was fighting them in a smaller form? I don't know how exp works.
>>
No. 1018931 ID: c92a02

Yes she can certainly stay big! Have her focus on landscaping first, monsters second, and have Moriko and some of Alkaline's minions keep her company. When they're fighting monsters, she can keep a look out for that shadow haunting her, and with enough slime bequeathed Alkaline's minions can try to measure up. We can gather clay easily ourselves, and wood? Eh, where would we store it? Something to consider while landscaping the entrance, I suppose.
Maybe the dungeon moat creates enough cover for her to sleep mildly protected? Also consider: slime waterbed, or at least a pillow, with a watertight tarp. Or maybe your gigant mode thighs will be soft enough.
>>
No. 1018932 ID: c92a02

>>1018931
Oh right, there's the hidden valley if she climbs overland too.
>>
No. 1019018 ID: 7217df

Are there any terrifying long-term repercussions from keeping an enchantment going for too long?
>>
No. 1019019 ID: 031458

Stay big, Landscaping and local scouting... The nasty monsters nearby suggests that the geography is causing the earth pulse to collect somewhere other than your dungeon, or that there is an unclaimed gold deposit somewhere nearby.
>>
No. 1019074 ID: 2f6d8f

>>1018907
There's, like, zero reason not to let her do something she wants to do and would help out.
Also,
>"I'm not sure if parental spite is the best motivation, Hin."
Well... that's kinda her point? She didn't want to fight cause her mother did. And, like you said, that's not the best motivation. So she's not doing that anymore.
>>
No. 1019081 ID: 3491a8

I think a great part of her wanting to be gigant is because she felt weak an unuseful for some time and now whe feel big(ger), strong and capable. Just compare how she can feel now and how should have felt when she was goo. Let her help being gigant for a bit more while it's safe so she can feel the power.

About what she can help with I don't think she will be able to easily enter into the dungeon so maybe she can construct a temporal campament outside.

Also I am prety sure you made some magic constructions when you were drunk. Don't be worried but be prepared for the weird.
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No. 1019198 ID: 854c18
File 164111695334.png - (20.41KB , 800x500 , wanderhin.png )
1019198

>Stay big, Landscaping and local scouting...
>She can do some outside work, and on top of that you'll have a giant guarding your front door!
>I think a great part of her wanting to be gigant is because she felt weak and un-useful for some time and now she feels big(ger), strong and capable. Just compare how she can feel now and how should have felt when she was goo. Let her help being gigant for a bit more while it's safe so she can feel the power.
That's true, I suppose I shouldn't complain about a denizen of mine wanting to work harder.

>The nasty monsters nearby suggests that the geography is causing the earth-pulse to collect somewhere other than your dungeon, or that there is an unclaimed gold deposit somewhere nearby.
"I think I'll take you up on that Hin." I say to her. "We do need to do more work around the dungeon's entrance and there must be a locus in the earth-pulse that we should try to find and tame if you're up for some scouting after that."

"Sounds great!" Hin says. "I really started missing legs during that slime thing. A good wander is perfect."

>Are there any terrifying long-term repercussions from keeping an enchantment going for too long?
None I can't handle.

>Stop fist-fighting shopkeepers. That's the sorta thing that gets banishments extended.
What? She provoked me!

>These "natural" dungeons remind me more of dreams. Sleeping, damaged dungeon cores, remembering and creating. Sleep-delving.
>Investigating one is possibly the most important thing you could do. Go in person, since you will most likely be able to tell where the core is.
It'll be months until I can go on another trip, but perhaps you have a point.

>Maybe the dungeon moat creates enough cover for her to sleep mildly protected?
She should - just - be able to get inside the entrance and into the Golem Totem if she needs to.

Although speaking of my dungeon...
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No. 1019199 ID: 854c18
File 164111706149.png - (40.08KB , 1000x1080 , deems_cool_map.png )
1019199

I have a plan for the future shape of my dungeon, but it won't all be achievable within a month.

An abbreviated version will need to cut some corners, but several new rooms can still be added. It should look something like this by the time Nemellan and his companion arrive.

Invaders enter the Golem Totem first and proceed into the corridor beyond. The way ahead is locked, forcing them through the new slime pit to the east to get the key.

Once the first door is open, they'll be able to see the room of the final guardian directly ahead.

Again, they'll need a key. To save myself and my denizens from too much rework, I'll use how it currently works: placing the final guardian's key in the Thaumatorium.

To achieve my new planned layout I will need to Delve to move some of the rooms. However I'm overdrawn on mana and need at least a week to properly condense it for a new spell even with the earth-pulse stirred up as it is. I also will need to power the forge for Olan Nemallan's demonstration item. That's all the dungeon spells I can expect to have the mana to cast before he arrives.

I have two rooms without any current plans on what to do with them: the large circular chamber I currently use for my Heart Chamber and the new room adjoining the Thaumatorium. They both need monsters, puzzles, or objects of interest and I won't be able to contribute to them much magically.

So far I believe my options for something new are:

Lair Conversion: Move Chakarchelou out of the forge and give him a place of his own. Or I could do that with Belphejar instead I suppose.
Upgrade Golems: Work with Merud to create variant golems. I might be able to put that glossid to use too.
Centaur Worries: I could test how useful Centaur is in an actual fight.
New Brew: I currently have a potion dispenser in the Thaumatorium, but something elsewhere might work too.
Hidden Treasure: I don't have much to give away on this front but secrets to be found are a useful trick.
Garden: I have an oreberry bush, a bomb plant, a sticky bomb seed, and rare mushrooms that I have been tending to but not incorporated into the dungeon yet.
Hazard: I don't have a great many options but I could probably rustle up a pit of acid in a pinch or perhaps Reisarf would have something useful to contribute
Research Materials: I have raw mana, a water wand, strange eggs, Reisarf's spell research, Merud's golem work, a cake mimic, curse shards, paramagnetic iron, statues, light absorbing crystals, emblematic flowers, and frog, imp and bear carcasses. Surely I can come up with something to add interest to a room or power up a denizen.

I can't do all of these but there's some room for overlap.
>>
No. 1019201 ID: c92a02

The old heart chamber: You could seal it off and plant the garden here. Don't want adventurers trampling all over our seedlings, and the room's a bit of a rough draft. Nice high ceiling, though! Can put it to use as a boss chamber again in the next phase.

The thaumatorium entrance: Upgrade golems. Line it with your statues and put some upgraded golems in there, a room to show off your myriad expressions of the perfect form. I call it: the Deematorium. ...Statues are also a good place to hide Stuff. Secrets and wonders could be stuffed in the most tenebrous hollows of the statues. Could hide the water wand there, that's both valuable and expendable.

Centaur... could use a bit more work before we put her in the dungeon. She's always very hungry, can she be sated with raw mana? Can she absorb qualities from non-golemetric foes, like the dead frogs?
>>
No. 1019213 ID: 0840c2

>>1019199
Lair conversion: Let's keep Chakarchelou in the forge for now but if we can't make our old heart chamber into a new garden we can have Belphejar act as the garden's guardian he might be able to make some interesting concoctions to keep adventurers busy bonus if they can be used as a reward for defeating him.

Research Materials:: Can raw mana be used as fertilizer/soil for plants or mushrooms? Can the water wand be boosted by the raw mana? What happens if we mix sticky bomb seeds with raw mana? Can we make a raw mana golem? Can we use the oreberry bush to generate gold or other valuable metals? It probably won't be a lot but just due to the shape any harvest might make a good minor treasure.
>>
No. 1019228 ID: ce39da

Chakerchou and Belphejar need their own rooms to shine. It would be a waste not to utilize as many of our creatures as we can in a single run. (A shame you didn't take my advice about leaving the rift where it was geographically and making that new room "the rift room" where a witch could be at work with the cauldron. Would have saved some effort both in terms of the pulse and in ideas.) Since the old heart chamber is optional right now, we can put the map and a lesser gold reward there. Maybe ask Reisarf if he can whip up a suitably caustic hazard for Chakerchou's lair in the thaumatorium entrance.
>>
No. 1019229 ID: 6c227a

>>1019213
huh, actually a puzzle fight where you gotta throw potion materials into an uncooperative cauldron to win sounds interesting
>>
No. 1019240 ID: 96c896

>>1019199
Put some treasure in that little nook off the hallway that leads to the slime pit. Put a secret door in to hide it. Would I be wrong in assuming that the difficulty in finding the treasure has no bearing in how much it helps your mana generation? You could make it very difficult to find, in that case. A perfectly camouflaged door that has a perfectly camouflaged button to open it. Maybe you could even put that button somewhere completely different and the door is only open so long as the button is pressed? Or pressing the button unlocks a button next to the door that you can then press to open the door.
Oh, to further develop this idea... you could actually use the main door to hide a monster to ambush the adventurers from behind once they get to the slime pit. Then the hidden treasure is behind a smaller secret door at the rear of the monster closet.
If making the treasure too hard to find inflicts a penalty then I guess you could just put a singe secret button in the monster closet.

Do we have anywhere to PUT a garden? If it's accessible to adventurers they could steal our plants and damage the garden, which would be a severe loss. I guess you could put some of the harvest in with the hidden treasure? If it's worth growing then it's worth selling, so it's technically treasure...

Test Centaur.
Move Chakarchelou to the old heart room. The forge is now off the adventurers' path so we shouldn't keep him there. You could put the bomb plant in there, so that whoever's paired up with him to fight invaders could use it as an opening attack.
Improve Golems.
>>
No. 1019317 ID: 8483cf

Upgrade golems!
>>
No. 1019323 ID: c92a02

>>1019240
Yeah, Chak will grow into the lair he's given after all. He can be guardin' the garden.
>>
No. 1019363 ID: 5d19c6
File 164126000244.png - (36.37KB , 800x500 , reisarf_spotted.png )
1019363

>Move Chakarchelou to the old heart room. The forge is now off the adventurers' path so we shouldn't keep him there. You could put the bomb plant in there, so that whoever's paired up with him to fight invaders could use it as an opening attack.
Chakarchelou is the first of my denizens, but I haven't done much with him so far. I need to show my gratitude better and having his own space will help his development. Once I have a new Heart Chamber dug I'll have him move in there. The bomb flower should add some interest to it. The room's optional but the reward of claiming his hoard will serve as an enticement.

>Put some treasure in that little nook off the hallway that leads to the slime pit.
That's a good idea. I can easily build a false wall and that's another test of adventurers' destructiveness towards their surroundings.

>You could make it very difficult to find. A perfectly camouflaged door that has a perfectly camouflaged button to open it. Maybe you could even put that button somewhere completely different and the door is only open so long as the button is pressed?
What good is an unobtainable reward?

>You could actually use the main door to hide a monster to ambush the adventurers from behind once they get to the slime pit. Then the hidden treasure is behind a smaller secret door at the rear of the monster closet.
An idea I might have to save for later: golems could be stored in such a way, but the slime pit is already going to have ambush slimes eventually and I'm already pushing at the limit of what I can excavate and have ready in time.

>Do we have anywhere to PUT a garden? If it's accessible to adventurers they could steal our plants and damage the garden, which would be a severe loss. I guess you could put some of the harvest in with the hidden treasure? If it's worth growing then it's worth selling, so it's technically treasure...
That's true, I'm still unsure how cautious modern adventurers are with their surroundings during the Labyrinth Game. My invaders to date have included a pyromancer and a bomb-happy cat girl after all. I'll have to keep any adventurer accessible areas restricted to sturdy and difficult to purloin plantings, at least until I've managed to cultivate replacements.

>We can have Belphejar act as the garden's guardian he might be able to make some interesting concoctions to keep adventurers busy bonus if they can be used as a reward for defeating him.
He's one of my less combat suited monsters when by himself and the connecting chamber is a small room. I don't think he has the confidence to pull it off.

>The thaumatorium entrance: Line it with your statues and put some upgraded golems in there, a room to show off your myriad expressions of the perfect form.
I should probably destroy those things. What was I thinking?

>A shame you didn't take my advice about leaving the rift where it was geographically and making that new room "the rift room" where a witch could be at work with the cauldron.
I should endeavour to put a witch in at some point, the idea certainly seemed to captivate Myaousha.

>Upgrade golems!
I think I have a clear idea of how to repurpose my current Heart Chamber now but I will wait until I see what modified golems Merud and I can put together to finalised plans for the other room.

It's close to midday and my dungeon is in sight. We've made great time by traveling through the night with Hin carrying everything. I shouldn't be so surprised she's still not looking very sleepy with the stamina boost she's gotten by eating so much.

My golems are at work hauling some of the fallen stone outside and Reisarf's sitting on top of a rubble pile with Stargazer. Chakarchelou sticks his snout out and gambols over too.
>>
No. 1019364 ID: 5d19c6
File 164126009557.png - (45.26KB , 800x600 , resiarf_chatted.png )
1019364

"Reisarf, we're back!" I call out as Hin sets me down and starts unloading her other passengers and cargo.

"Oh, you're back early." he says, glancing at the new golems, my more compact form and Hin's taller than usual appearance. "Is it because of the earthquake?" he adds, not questioning any of those things.

"Heya Rei!" Hin waves. "Deem got banished from town for two months for being drunk and disorderly!"

"Hi Hin!" Reisarf waves back. "That makes sense, Merud and Moriko were afraid it was a ghost again but I said it was probably just a night out. Then we found the puppet golem and it was obvious." He looks at me, while I fume silently. "You were avoiding everyone today though! Are you feeling alright? It's rough being banished."

"I'm fine, it's not like I can never return!" I say. After a moment I remember that Reisarf was, in fact, banished from his village never to return and mentally kick myself. I look at the things Hin's set down.

"We bought this bug!" I say, presenting the Glossid.

"Wow, cool bug!" Reisarf says, watching it mindlessly scratch at one of the walls of its enclosure.

"It's for golem work." I say. "And I was able to make a deal with someone in town for some extra gold. They want a tour of the dungeon in a month's time though, so it's going to be a busy few weeks. We'd better get everyone together so I can explain properly!"

For the first one to two weeks I'll have the majority of my denizens working in the dungeon and a smaller contingent outside with Hin to help landscape, scout and proactively fend off any monsters that are feeling aggressive from my use of Churn the Earth. I need to decide who will keep Hin company and if I want them to take any special supplies such as potions or our handful of enchanted items. Food for Hin's a consideration too but I do have plenty of monster meat, the orange goo and possible even the cake mimic to stretch supplies. I'd need myself or Merud to go with her if I want to send any golems along. Similarly I'd want Alkaline along keeping her slimes out of trouble if I sent any of them. Moriko, Chakarchelou, Reisarf and Stargazer are most of my offensive strength while Belphe is able to provide some potion support.

Is there anything I should have them keep an eye out for as well?
>>
No. 1019366 ID: 5cf232

>>1019364
Reisarf can be Hin's shoulder candy. They can shoot magic and Hin doesn't really need melee backup. Plus, Stargazer high up? Probably real good at scouting.

Or she stares at Reisarf the entire time.
>>
No. 1019367 ID: 5cf232

...First trial. Two 'statues' next to the bridge. If the adventure walks past them, they get thwacked from behind.
>>
No. 1019368 ID: c92a02

Accompany Hin and Moriko on their scouting while Merud and Reisarf remain in the dungeon and research, and Alkaline makes herself and her slimes at home in the slime pit you're making. Take some paramagnetic iron with you as a floating compass, see if it attracts you to anything interesting...
Also take some eggs if only to get rid of them. Kallia's shown them to have some use as a potion.
Keep an eye out for Moriko's stalker... and Centaur. Don't want her sucking our workforce dry. Speaking of, maybe our stick golem needs watering?
>>
No. 1019373 ID: 12b116

Alkaline is going to want to hang around you now that you're back, and as useful as sending Stargazer and Reisarf out to scout would be, we might want to keep them here for any unpleasant surprises that might show up. Maybe send Merud and a couple of golems to bring back anything that isn't huge. They should stay on the lookout for any more plants we might want to incorporate as well.

The statues are cool and the dungeon needs more decorations
>>
No. 1019378 ID: 96c896

>>1019363
>unobtainable reward
It wouldn't be unobtainable. A two-party adventurer team could claim it, or the button could be held down by something if a solo adventurer is clever. Having the button in a separate room like that merely introduces a level of context separation. It would be unreasonable, sure, unless the adventurer can spot the secret door somehow and comes to the conclusion that the button in the other room has to be how it's opened. Though, another conclusion is that there's more than one button... You could do that? Multiple buttons scattered throughout the dungeon, once they're all pressed the secret room opens. Like a scavenger hunt!

>>1019364
Keep an eye out for Moriko's shadow. It was disguised as an imp before, and is probably how the bully got executed. Remember, orange eyes and black skin. ...maybe it IS an imp. I guess we were assuming it would still look like Moriko, but that was a hallucination...
>>
No. 1019419 ID: 9a2966

>Puppet golem
Puppet golem?

>Plans
You should stay here for a bit just to recharge your metaphorical batteries (and mana), but then go with Hin - finding and taming an earth-pulse locus sounds like a 'you' job. Bring a big golem and one of the alchemical ones, unless Merud needs 'em.

You'd probably also want a non-golem combatant with you - either Chark, Reisarf, Moriko and/or Alkaline (and her gang of bodyguard slimes). I'd say Alkaline or Char so they can gain s'more experience, but Moriko or Reisarf would add safety.

>Bringing equipment
Yeah, bring some potions, along with regular expedition equipment. Particularly satiation ones should help maintain Hin's size even if you don't manage to hunt much... maybe Belphejar could extend them even further if you bring him? Hm. Worth considering, we've not done much with him with. Bring a bomb from the bomb plant in case you need to clear some rubble fast or run into something big and dangerous that Hin can't just kick away.

>Dungeon tremors
Rumbling and shaking when you were drunk? Oof. Maybe... apologize to those who stayed, a bit. That's not something most denizens would find comfortable to wake up to in the dead of night. Or being kept awake by.

Also consult with your friendizens on what's been happening! Anything of note? Anyone getting cabin fever waiting for the next big event to come around? Have projects progressed? Inner natures been explored, epiphanies had? Mention you at least now you've got a visit scheduled.

And that you have your own minor upgrades! In My Image and Simulated Simulacrum. Don't think you've spoken about those to anyone yet, and Merud would probably be intensely fascinated by your continued growth.

Speaking of Merud, introduce your new golems and relate part of the... crafting shenanigans that happened in town with Kallia. No doubt he'd be intrigued by the sort of mess you created.

Hin: Add bemused commentary as to what went down on that most epic of nights. Drinking, crafting, breaking and entering, kissing... so many great moments. "Drunken me to drank.", "I did this, but with a mountain." and so on. Don't share everything at once, though. These are stories that can last one's socializing for days, especially with enough cleverly dropped foreshadowing.

Deem: Bite your tongue. She's still been (mostly) steadfast and loyal and is now helping out even more. She truly deserves the nice surprise her forge upgrade will represent when she returns to it... the loose-lipped traitor.
>>
No. 1019423 ID: 9a2966

Oh, and is Centaur's golem-absorption tendencies under control? Lots more golems around here, after all.
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No. 1019738 ID: 5d19c6
File 164146261347.png - (40.45KB , 800x600 , alkaline_was_very_well_behaved.png )
1019738

With the news we've returned, Alkaline's the first to come charging out of my dungeon, with Merud and Moriko quick on their heels. Alkaline races over to hug me, which I permit, and shows off how some of her slimes have been growing. Merud and Moriko arrive at less of a full run.

"Deem, you're back early!" Merud says. "You got shorter. What are these golems? Wait, why is Hin so big?"

"She got banished from town for drinking too much." Reisarf says.

"That doesn't explain-" Merud pauses for a moment. "Ah."

"Alkaline was very well behaved while you were away." Moriko says.

"Thank you Moriko." I say.

>Dungeon tremors
>Rumbling and shaking when you were drunk? Oof. Maybe... apologize to those who stayed, a bit. That's not something most denizens would find comfortable to wake up to in the dead of night. Or being kept awake by.
"I'm afraid I wasn't on my best behaviour yesterday though. I am sorry for the chaos last night. I have discovered I can become drunk and I must never do it again."

"Come on now Deem." Hin says. "I think letting your hair down was good for you."

I point at Hin, the new golems, the rubble pile Reisarf's perched on and the statue next to the bridge.

"I don't mind the statues." Moriko says.

"Wait, there's more?" Hin says.

>Puppet golem?
The spare golem I made to help coordinate things at the dungeon while I'm away. It can't talk but it can mime.

"You were getting a little touchy too." Merud says.

"Wait what?" Hin says. "What did she do here?"

"I made some updates to some rooms, some questionable decorative choices and stirred up the earth-pulse to speed things along." I say.

At this point I decide to briefly recap the night in town. We went to the bar, had some drinks, went back to the guild to engage in some drunken golemetry, had some dares with Kallia and then we headed out again to do some more things about town. In the morning, I was able to make a preliminary deal with Olan Nemellan for additional gold and he'll be coming in a week's time, and also soured things with Seleni, the potion shop owner.

>>Deem: Bite your tongue. She's still been (mostly) steadfast and loyal and is now helping out even more. She truly deserves the nice surprise her forge upgrade will represent when she returns to it... the loose-lipped traitor.
Hin adds her own embellishments, somewhat out of order. I think she's exaggerating saying we also broke into a vault, mucked about on church grounds, that I fell in the harbour, threw up eggs, brewed potions with Izakikk, and that Kallia and I left several other discarded golems around the town, got kicked out of three bars and almost bought a food stand.

"And she was all 'I did this but with a mountain.'" Hin raises her hands towards her chest and-

"Hin, not in front of Alkaline." I say.

"She's a big girl." Hin grumbles but falls silent.

>Finding and taming an earth-pulse locus sounds like a 'you' job.
Dragons are better fought before they hatch, it's true. Although it's more likely to be bears or a plague of frogs in this case.

>You'd probably also want a non-golem combatant with you.
>Keep an eye out for Moriko's shadow. It was disguised as an imp before, and is probably how the bully got executed. Remember, orange eyes and black skin. ...maybe it IS an imp.
What!? Are you sure about this? Why haven't you said anything before now? That one that almost tripped her up when the imps invaded? I've been saying that if it exists we should have seen a more obvious manifestation all this time and that was weeks ago!

I will keep an eye out for any suspiciously competent imps then, and bring Moriko as a warrior and a lure.

>Yeah, bring some potions, along with regular expedition equipment. Particularly satiation ones should help maintain Hin's size even if you don't manage to hunt much... maybe Belphejar could extend them even further if you bring him? Hm. Worth considering, we've not done much with him with.
I don't have many potions left so I think I will simply take Belphejar with us.

That's it then, the outside team will be Hin, myself, Moriko, Belphejar and some supporting golems.
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No. 1019739 ID: 5d19c6
File 164146279892.png - (48.89KB , 800x500 , golem_selection.png )
1019739

I intend to be working outside starting tomorrow, so I have the rest of today to teach Merud new things about golems. I'll be keeping him up all night I think.

>Alkaline is going to want to hang around you now that you're back.
There's not much opportunity, I'll let her sit in on this as long as she doesn't get in the way.

>Also take some eggs if only to get rid of them. Kallia's shown them to have some use as a potion.
They make something a little more like my golem body. I don't see that being terribly useful in the field but they might have some research use. I am not a strong combatant but this transfer of properties could be useful.

>...First trial. Two 'statues' next to the bridge. If the adventure walks past them, they get thwacked from behind.
A simple enough trap to make, but I don't know if I should keep these statues.

>Oh, and are Centaur's golem-absorption tendencies under control? Lots more golems around here, after all.
In a manner of speaking. It's been misinterpreted orders that have caused it so far. I can just leave her inactive.

>Speaking of Merud, introduce your new golems and relate part of the... crafting shenanigans that happened in town with Kallia. No doubt he'd be intrigued by the sort of mess you created.
Merud is immediately puzzled by how some parts of these golems function at all and my own lack of recollection on what I was trying to achieve threatens to turn this examination into a gigantic time sink. We reluctantly have to shelve it and focus on the basis for upgrading some of the dungeon's golems since he'll be doing the bulk of the work.

>And that you have your own minor upgrades! In My Image and Sculpted Simulacrum. Don't think you've spoken about those to anyone yet, and Merud would probably be intensely fascinated by your continued growth.
I'll see how we go with the golem upgrades and then tell him!

Working with Merud, these are the options for an upgraded golem that seem relatively quick to put into place:

Modular: Adding attendant simple golems that link to the primary golem. This allows it additional forms of attack and defense such as an animated weapon and it may change form or use these golems as ablative armour.

Protean: A golem body modified to be malleable. It can move its core around, reattach severed parts and change shape.

Vital Point: The golem's animating force is concentrated into a single vulnerable point. This makes it resistant to damage in other locations and improves its overall performance. The back is a common location.

Woody: A tenacious golem with parts of living wood. This makes it strong, resilient and able to grow to provide benefits such as weapons, sap, fruit or regenerating armour. The mud-and-stick golem I've made is more or less a barely functional version of this.

Gardener: The golem has a symbiotic relationship with a specific flower or plant, and has access to a single Rote Spell of symbolic relevance to that plant.

Other Materials: I don't have any rare materials in bulk, but I could try to make a golem completely out of plants or pull Reisarf in to see if his material combining spell can make anything worthwhile.

Stabilised Simulacrum: Essentially making use of my new Sculpted Simulacrum spell and then trying to make a permanent version that replicates its functionality. I don't think we have the resources to do this very well at the moment but it could be worthwhile.

I can pick two of these and work on two golems or focus on one and make three. An existing golem can be used as the base, or a new golem can be made specifically for this. I can apply the Glossid's resin to improve one golem as well.
>>
No. 1019741 ID: c92a02

>I can just leave her inactive.
...You should test this theory. Behind a locked door.
>Other materials
Try Reisarf's combining spell on Deem eggs and... hoo boy, what do we have that's even remotely suitable for sculpting golems that isn't wood or clay? It'll probably have to be clay + a special item then. Okay, how about clay infused with curse shards? This can in no way go wrong.
Upgrade our stick golem into a glossy, woody golem. Olan will hardly recognize her when we're done.
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No. 1019746 ID: 96c896

>>1019738
>Why haven't you said anything before now?
We didn't notice it when it happened, and only realized it recently. Today, in fact. Yes, it was the one that got tangled up in her clothes. Then I believe ran off with a scrap of fabric. Likely intentional, as a keepsake or for some more magical purpose.

>statue trap
If you don't like how they look, change them. Shouldn't be hard. You could wipe off identifying features or change the features to look more... generic.

Vital Point on your fastest golem. The more agile a golem is the harder it will be for an opponent to get behind it!
Woody on the long-armed golem. I just think it would look best on her. Or just make a new golem with a similar design. I feel like wood and plant-strengthened golems will fit our current stone/plant/dark theme extremely well.
Glossid one of your big brutes.
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No. 1019751 ID: 4273fc

>>1019739
>A simple enough trap to make, but I don't know if I should keep these statues.
Well, that's the beauty of it: convince the adventurers that every statue is out to get them, and they'll take care of them for you.
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No. 1019753 ID: 0840c2

>>1019739
Supporting >>1019746
>>
No. 1019754 ID: ce39da

Considering the direction we want to take our dungeon overall, would it be possible to mass-apply the Woody trait if we put all our effort over the week into just that one aspect? We'll want Gardener and Other Materials (Plant) at some point too, but just woody works for the early sections of the dungeon (which this current section will likely occupy).
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No. 1019755 ID: 9a2966

Let's keep in mind your dungeon's themes: Earth, Shadow, Fecund and Weird Stuff. And since you've been talking about needing some tougher minions, work on 2 of your more offensive golems; a Big Arms and a Big Boy, say. Give them both Woody and Protean upgrades.

Woody for the Fecund theme, aiming for armor or regeneration. Protean for changing up how the golems get defeated so adventurers can't rely on old tactics (plus the whole Weird Stuff factor of being able to keep fighting when it looks like they shouldn't).

Heck, between Protean and Woody, you might even gain a surprise Round 2, if they pretend being downed (but sneakily moved their core) and then regenerate for a later re-encounter using their Woody nature. Perhaps they could even merge, or at least trade bits to make one even tougher and more offensive.

Adventurers will have to learn to be careful about presuming something is dead in this dungeon where life abounds in the shade.
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No. 1019779 ID: af2f11

>>1019739
Are we planning on regaining our golem body's lost mass before we set off? Probably better to have a stronger body.
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No. 1019785 ID: c92a02

The statues are nice! They're all statues of you after all, and they don't even show signs of impaired hand-eye coordination since you don't have eyes or hands. What if... we glossed one of those instead? The dryad/treant statue maybe, since it's outside.
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No. 1019887 ID: 7217df

If I understand it correctly, Stabilised Simulacrum can provide a permanent reproduction of once-off encounters. There are many such encounters, with the obvious periodic plunders of your precious possessions and evil enemies emerging from your earthy emanations, but also searching settlements and cities for certain civilians and combatants from close or convenient communities or boss-monsters and random encounters from any quest locations hit.

Combined with Vital Point, I would hope that the shortfalls in duplicating the original's abilities could be counteracted, and with the wide range of forms likely from Stabilised Simulacrum, the Vital Points should be easy to vary, from hidden behind a knight's shield or kept mobile in a duellist's off-hand, to put right in the centre-torso of something with lots of arms to defend the location. I would also suggest the inside of the thigh for a default weak-point. Minimal exposure, relatively easy to defend, and if they can hit it with any force then they have likely removed a leg, which will often make for an ineffective golem regardless of whether it is still operating. There are reasons why, despite being widely regarded as a weak-point in many species, crotch-shots rarely decide duels.
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No. 1019900 ID: cdbcf8

>>1019739
OK let's see what we got here
Modular. So how small are these simple golems? Because if they're big as like, a cat, we can go swarm mode and overwhelm our enemies. Also how big is the primary golem? Because if it can be small as the simples, we can go for a swarm monster approach to it. Either way living armor and weapons are incredibly useful when making surprise attacks or defends. Also if we focus on them and make a lot of them, mini boss made up of all of them?
Protean. Become a boxer and take any and all punches and give them back? Become what fills the cracks in the walls and hides in the shadows as an assassin? Or just be an copycat and copy what ever our enemy does? The possibility's are endless!
Vital Point. Put the point in it's mouth, they'll never expect it.
Woody...Can we set them on fire? Because as we saw with Agni/Denji it was really affective.
Gardener. Pick the fastest growing plant, make the plants grow inside our enemies.
Other Materials/Stabilised Simulacrum/ Don't have enough stuff for it & we have other things that do it better.

Modular, I like the utility of it. Gardener, the magic part really seems like it'll help us out, if we pick the right plant that is. Plus it was either that or Protean.
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No. 1019901 ID: 5cf232

I like gardener! Risk and reward in one. Defeat the golem, get the magical potion ingredient.
>>
No. 1019902 ID: 5cf232

>>1019901
Which also gives delvers the opportunity to profit without stealing our gold.
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No. 1019906 ID: a6e7d9

>>1019739
>I can pick two of these
Woody and Gardener! Either on the same golem so it can take care of (and cast rote magic on) itself, or in a synergistic pair with a nimble homunculus gardener tending to a burly woody brute.

It's probably best to upgrade existing golems instead of making new ones, but it might be a good idea to let Merud pick which specific golems to upgrade, just to see what he goes for.
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No. 1019916 ID: f57349

Combination of Vital Point and Gardener (Bomb Flower) is tempting.
>>
No. 1019951 ID: 35f98c

>>1019755
This seems like a good idea, to me. Woody and Protean seem like they sync well, making the golem hard to cripple or disable or kill, and also seem thematically good.
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No. 1019971 ID: 7217df

How redundant is protean with slimes? If all of the monsters are vulnerable to the same types of attacks...
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No. 1027510 ID: fefffb

I offer four ideas. 1: For short term, going with modular is what I believe is the best choice. 2: For the long term, developing a stabilised simulacrum would be preferable. 3: Can the vital point of a golem be detached and hidden. Oh, the ways that could be exploited. And 4: Treat those you have come to view as more than servants, more than friends, those you may very well hold as family, whether you admit it or not, you must treat them with kindness, love and understanding. For if you are ever heartless to them, cruel for no reason other than amusement, then either they or I. Will. END. YOU.
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No. 1027600 ID: 3f2a88

Isn't it nice to come home to your wife and kids after a productive business trip, Deem?

I'd say have one of the smaller golems upgraded to be a gardener, with affinity for vines and viney, flowery plants. They'd help maintain the foliage in the dungeon, and be able to use entangling attacks or possibly magic.

As well a completely plant golem that could disguise itself as part of the scenery. Maybe the use of entanglement magic from a gardener golem on another golem made almost entirely of woody, ropey vines would have some kind of synergy.

And I really like the idea of adventurers reaching a seemingly empty, overgrown thaumatorium, where as soon as they start trying to cross the water statues and plants come to life, and slimes slither out of the shadows and hidden corners.
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No. 1027656 ID: ba2bc3

I don't like a lot vital point by itself (is really funny but I always see that kind of design flawed) but I think that a modular shielding golem dedicated to protect the core can be a funny and functional midboss kind of golem.

I would chose Vital point, modular and either woody or gardener for thematic
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No. 1027987 ID: 2e321d
File 164888399676.png - (41.95KB , 800x550 , im_automating_your_space_toilet_merud.png )
1027987

>Isn't it nice to come home to your wife and kids after a productive business trip, Deem?
I don't have any time for this tomfoolery!

>>I can just leave Centaur inactive.
>...You should test this theory. Behind a locked door.
A key feature of an indepedently operating golem is removing their dependency on a magician to supply them with magical power and will. Centaur is not an independent golem.

>Can the vital point of a golem be detached and hidden. Oh, the ways that could be exploited.
In much the same way you could detach and hide someone's head, yes. I would not recommend it.

If I understand it correctly, Stabilised Simulacrum can provide a permanent reproduction of once-off encounters.
No. I'd need to model it after a denizen or someone I have prolonged access to.

Merud was a quicker study for the options I was considering than I expected. As a reward, I dredge through my my pitifully low reservoir of mana to demonstrate my new simulacrum spell. A golem is made that is focused on golem magic. Sadly I think this one may be difficult to use effectively as if I am conjuring up golems I am likely very low on permanent golems.

It manages a passable imitation of some of Merud's rote spells but I am loath to expend too much energy on it when I have several important uses for my limited supply looming.

"That's really elegant Deem." my golemeter says, inspecting his rudimentary copy. "It's like the whole body's a core to make up for the poor channel density."

"Strictly speaking, a golem usually has a complex core so the effort and rarer materials can be focused there." I explain. "Much like how a human is more than just a heart or a brain, many functions and behaviours can be placed anywhere in a pinch."

"Ah I'd mainly heard about that in terms of integrated magic items but you're right!" Merud says, acknowledging the obvious. "It doesn't need to be something complete in of itself, the golem's the complete entity. Isn't that whatever you and Kallia managed with Centaur and the other little golem? There's two cores but they're cooperating?" He starts scribbling notes.

>Upgrade our stick golem into a glossy, woody golem. Olan will hardly recognize her when we're done.
It already is a primitive wooden golem but this idea entertains me to highlight the skills of my dungeon and its denizens. I'll use it as a test run for the glossid's resin since it's a small golem that's unlikely to strain the little bug's supply.
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No. 1027989 ID: 2e321d
File 164888409171.png - (41.62KB , 800x550 , grassroots_golem.png )
1027989

>Let's keep in mind your dungeon's themes: Earth, Shadow, Fecund and Weird Stuff.
>Woody for the Fecund theme, aiming for armor or regeneration. Protean for changing up how the golems get defeated so adventurers can't rely on old tactics (plus the whole Weird Stuff factor of being able to keep fighting when it looks like they shouldn't).
>If they pretend being downed (but sneakily moved their core) and then regenerate for a later re-encounter using their Woody nature. Perhaps they could even merge, or at least trade bits to make one even tougher and more offensive.
A lot of this role should already be adequately provided by a Woody upgrade to one of my brute golems so I believe I will focus on that and get another trick rather focus on upgrading a single golem heavily.

>Woody and Gardener! Either on the same golem so it can take care of (and cast rote magic on) itself, or in a synergistic pair with a nimble homunculus gardener tending to a burly woody brute.
That's a useful pair to have both in battle and as a dungeon tender so I will rework one of my homunculi as well.

>I'd say have one of the smaller golems upgraded to be a gardener, with affinity for vines and viney, flowery plants. They'd help maintain the foliage in the dungeon, and be able to use entangling attacks or possibly magic.
"What is useful to know," I say to Merud, "Is that the plant element doesn't need to be anything special. We just need a symbolic link to provide an appropriate template for a Rote Spell. In fact we might be biting off too much if we tried using something like a bomb flower, the kindly mushrooms or the oreberry as a focus, given the relative crudity of our tools. You could liken the symbiosis to a wizard's staff or familiar: the plant is still largely its own distinct entity but it serves as a focus for the golem's magic."

It's starting to get late but I want this done. Merud makes some cacoffee for himself and I take an exploratory sip myself. I feel a touch of false vitality, energy and sharpness papered thinly over the gaping hole that is the true state of my Heart's mana supply. I don't care for it but I have more anyway.
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No. 1027990 ID: 2e321d
File 164888415730.png - (37.51KB , 800x550 , late_night_golemetry.png )
1027990

We get to the woody golem. I have obtained a small sapling that will become shaped to purpose.

"This isn't a style I have used often." I explain to Merud. "But it's something like a flesh golem. You are weaving the golem's functions into a whole together with the living material's natural ones to complement and enhance it. You've worked on a flesh golem before haven't you?"

"Ah, once when I was first learning golemetry." Merud says. "Master Okum didn't like the idea of them..."

I frown. First homunculi and now this. "I'm starting to think this so called master didn't want you to make golems at all! What was he trying to run, a puppet show? Did he just want you to get a pile of rocks and bang them together?"

Merud sets down his cacoffee mug. "Maybe we should take a break."

I eye him suspiciously. "That seems like a non-sequitur."

"You can get cranky when you're low on mana."

"Well excuse me if my depleted state, impoverished treasury and constant bleeding of vital mana from my wounded Heart is making me 'cranky'!"

Merud sighs helplessly and then looks thoughtful. "Maybe you need to bleed more actually..."

I point at him accusingly. "You're just trying to distract me with something provocative!"

"Mmm, maybe." Merud says, still looking irritatingly thoughtful. "I was just thinking though, if you hold more mana in your golem body, yes you'll have more mana bleed but it may actually slow over time as you see the incomplete channels form more connections to your golem body. It'd be interesting to see what other abilities you might manifest..." He takes a sip as he mulls it over.

"Oh so you're just interested in me for my body?" I say darkly.

Merud spits out his drink. I watch him as he coughs and then he straightens. "Now I think about it, maybe we do need to use your body more?"

It's my turn to splutter. "What?"

"Both of the golems that became Centaur used clay that originated from your body." Merud says. "Maybe it's more useful for golem making than we thought? If you consume a small amount of clay each day and let it reach equilibrium with your golem body, we could harvest some and find out?"

>Are we planning on regaining our golem body's lost mass before we set off? Probably better to have a stronger body.
I hadn't planned to use my Gigant Mode, I need to conserve mana while I am trying to restore my sorely diminished stockpile of it.

"I'll think about it." I say. "But we're getting sidetracked and I want the initial work on this golem finished tonight."
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No. 1027991 ID: 2e321d
File 164888417943.png - (12.59KB , 800x500 , night_night_deem.png )
1027991

We work into the early morning and then there's not much for me to do until I can leave with Hin in the morning. I bid Merud good night and I might as well be comfortable while I'm conserving mana so I climb into a bed.

>We didn't notice Moriko's shadow when it happened, and only realized it recently. Today, in fact. Yes, it was the one that got tangled up in her clothes. Then I believe ran off with a scrap of fabric. Likely intentional, as a keepsake or for some more magical purpose.
Imps are hardly magical geniuses and whatever it might really be, that's what it has assumed the qualities of. Perhaps it did simply come to try and take a trophy off her if it wasn't pure dumb luck. Hopefully that will make it easier to pick from a crowd if it has kept it.

>Treat those you have come to view as more than servants, more than friends, those you may very well hold as family, whether you admit it or not, you must treat them with kindness, love and understanding. For if you are ever heartless to them, cruel for no reason other than amusement, then either they or I. Will. END. YOU.
Who are you to make such empty threats?

>The statues are nice! They're all statues of you after all, and they don't even show signs of impaired hand-eye coordination since you don't have eyes or hands.
They are not very well made.

>statue trap
>If you don't like how they look, change them. Shouldn't be hard. You could wipe off identifying features or change the features to look more... generic.
True, I suppose I simply just don't want to deal with anything more from last night just yet.

>Well, that's the beauty of it: convince the adventurers that every statue is out to get them, and they'll take care of them for you.
Though I suppose them not being well made means I won't miss them much should the get damaged, defaced or continually remade to replenish disarmed traps.

>I really like the idea of adventurers reaching a seemingly empty, overgrown thaumatorium, where as soon as they start trying to cross the water statues and plants come to life, and slimes slither out of the shadows and hidden corners.
It is a strong image, I hope to make it real soon.
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No. 1027992 ID: 2e321d
File 164888422497.png - (27.18KB , 800x550 , they_grow_up_so_fast.png )
1027992

I wanted to check on my other dungeon dwelling denizens before I set off with Hin but something is not right. Something is not right. My royal jelly is being uncooperative.

"Alkaline, open this door."

"No!"

"Alkaline." I say warningly.

"Go away! You just got back and you're leaving already, so go! I hate you!"

"Don't you talk to me like that, little miss!"

"You're dumb and your dungeon is dumb!"

This is outrageous, I shouldn't have rebellious monsters, I am not dumb, and I am very good at running a dun-
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No. 1027993 ID: 2e321d
File 164888424218.png - (26.61KB , 800x550 , oops_all_golems.png )
1027993

"Deem," Merud yells. "I've made a terrible mistake! I tried supercharging Centaur and she's absorbing every golem in sight!"

"Why would you do that?!" I scream back at him.

"I wanted to see what would happen!"

It looks like I have yet more problems to get sorted before I can leave this dungeon in a fit state!
>>
No. 1027996 ID: 96c896

I'm pretty sure you're dreaming right now. Oh well, let's just go with it.

Centaur's not an independent golem so just deactivate her. If that won't work, rally your forces and treat her like a wild monster that needs to be taken down.
Tell Alkaline you can keep her company with your other golem. You're not leaving, you're the dungeon. Remember? So long as she's here, you'll never be apart.
>>
No. 1028008 ID: 56f06e

Slimes and golems seem ill-equipped to harm each other. Try getting them to distract play together.
>>
No. 1028026 ID: c92a02

Send a non-golem to deal with Centaur, like Hin and Moriko. Alkaline requires additional hugs, spend a little extra time with her now and promise more when you return.
>>
No. 1028027 ID: 3f2a88

Ok, so Alkaline just hit her angry teenager phase. She's growing up, it was gonna happen eventually. I'd say bring her with you since she's growing up, but no, you don't just give a teenager throwing a tantrum what they want, you'll spoil them if you do.

That looks like it's centaur right behind Merud, but act fast and disable it. Hopefully without destroying ALL the golems it's absorbed.
>>
No. 1028032 ID: 9a2966

It's a dream. Or a nightmare.

You once said you hated dreaming, because it made your sense of awareness ebb - and you do like to stay in control, don't you? Another time you said - to Moriko - that in a dream there is no separation between thought, desire and action.

Have you ever tried to have a lucid dream, o' dungeon Deem?

To control the effusive flow of consciousness, however indirectly and imprecisely? To explore the mindscapes that rush along and say "To this degree, at least, I am the master of myself, that I can chose their topic and nature" and void your most stressful nightmares.

Try! Why let your dreams torment you once again? Think of something that would be more pleasant. Something you'd find sweet, upon waking... perhaps a celebration of your new denizens and their recent growth. Or perhaps you'd prefer to daydream up a rousing battle, the earth-pulse raging. You've yet to have a proper spar with Hin.

How one between a Gigantified you and a giant her feel and look? The ground would tremble beneath your feet, haha! Or how it'd feel if you faced down a batch of adventurers, together, as a surprise titan battle. Now that could be suitably epic!

... anyway, this can't be the work of a night-haunt, right? Way too amateurish. Alkaline can't even talk yet and she'd pout and cling to come with, not try to block your path.
>>
No. 1028059 ID: 3bd6f9

Order Merud to do something appropriately parental at Alkaline while you decommission the katamari golem.
>>
No. 1028061 ID: ba2bc3

Told ya. Many of us told ya. Dangerous speciments are to be sealed and keept in secure areas for their study and dismantle by the wellinformed and permised personal.

About the golem eater monstrosity I suggest to flee. You are in big danger of lossing your newly improved golem (who knows if that body of yours is replicable).
>>
No. 1028217 ID: 16408a
File 164905615761.png - (42.06KB , 800x600 , teen_talks.png )
1028217

>Centaur's not an independent golem so just deactivate her. If that won't work, rally your forces and treat her like a wild monster that needs to be taken down.
"Tell her to stop!" I yell back at Merud.

"I tried that, it didn't work!" my golemeter shouts back.

"What do you mean it didn't work?! Well stall her, I'll get the others!"

>Slimes and golems seem ill-equipped to harm each other. Try getting them to distract play together.
I give the door an extra push. "Alkaline, can you help!"

She huffs, her slimes pushing back on the door. "Oh so you have time for me now you want something?"

>Ok, so Alkaline just hit her angry teenager phase. She's growing up, it was gonna happen eventually.
>Send a non-golem to deal with Centaur, like Hin and Moriko. Alkaline requires additional hugs, spend a little extra time with her now and promise more when you return.
"Look Alkaline, I didn't know you were feeling neglected, do you want a hug?"

"I'm not a baby!" she huffs again. "You just don't get it, do you?" The door is forced shut.

"Hin, Moriko!" I call out desperately. "We're under attack!"
>>
No. 1028218 ID: 16408a
File 164905619109.png - (23.76KB , 750x650 , hi_deem_im_leave_hin.png )
1028218

>About the golem eater monstrosity I suggest to flee. You are in big danger of losing your newly improved golem (who knows if that body of yours is replicable).
I run towards the entrance, I have to stay away.

There peering in the entrance is my blacksmith. What has she done to herself now?

"Hin, you're huge!"

"Yeah, uh," she chuckles weakly, "you should see the rest of me!"

"What happened?!"

"Uh I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk and took Doyle in case I got into trouble. Anyway there were frogs and fairies and it turns out Doyle can really put out a spread!"

"Hin, I need-"

"Um I've been thinking actually Deem. I've kind of outgrown your dungeon? I thought I'd do my own thing for a bit! Find some bigger and better things to get in."

"Why-"

"Oh and Doyle's coming with me! You really let him get bullied a lot you know!"

"You can't- don't leave me!"

She doesn't listen.
>>
No. 1028219 ID: 16408a
File 164905622353.png - (21.70KB , 800x550 , deadly_impulse.png )
1028219

I hear Moriko yell behind me. Finally, someone I can rely on!

"Die demon!"

She's fighting, wait no that's the imp! Not an imp! Her shadow! She drives her hammer into its chest with a brutal strike. It screams and vanishes in a wisp of shadow.

Moriko looks triumphant for a moment and then collapses.
>>
No. 1028220 ID: 16408a
File 164905625026.png - (25.73KB , 600x800 , morikarry.png )
1028220

What. What is happening.

>It's a dream. Or a nightmare.
What.

>You once said you hated dreaming, because it made your sense of awareness ebb - and you do like to stay in control, don't you? Another time you said - to Moriko - that in a dream there is no separation between thought, desire and action.
Something is not right.

>Have you ever tried to have a lucid dream, o' dungeon Deem?
>To control the effusive flow of consciousness, however indirectly and imprecisely? To explore the mindscapes that rush along and say "To this degree, at least, I am the master of myself, that I can chose their topic and nature" and void your most stressful nightmares.
>Try! Why let your dreams torment you once again? Think of something that would be more pleasant.
Oh yes what a good idea instead of getting tortured I should just not do that thank you so very much for your useful suggestion.
>>
No. 1028223 ID: 96c896

You worry about your denizens that much, huh? I think Moriko is really the only one you need to worry about. She does not understand how much she is hurting herself, whereas you can just talk to Alkaline about her emotions, and make sure Hin is satisfied with her job. Doyle... uh, he's been doing well lately, maybe give him a little more encouragement? Merud seems to have been reasonable with his experiments, are you just worried about Centaur specifically?
Nothing you could do for Moriko in this state; nothing anyone could do I think.

Where are Reisarf and Stargazer? They saved you last time. Subconsciously, you should be able to count on them.
Can you use your sense of the dungeon? Look through your core, instead of your sleeping golem body. I wonder if that will show you reality...
>>
No. 1028224 ID: c92a02

To dream, perchance to sleep... These are all things you've been worrying about, to have them all happen at once is suspicious. So what you need is a plan for each of them.
Focus on Moriko first. Draw her shadow back through the resurrection matrix. When they wake up, you can reintroduce them.
Then Alkaline. She might reject the offer of a hug at first, but persist. It's a good start. Listen to their troubles.
Hin... you can delve a bigger dungeon? Ultimately, she's a strong independent giant and will make her own decisions on whether she stays or goes. She'll probably come back eventually, bigger and better than ever, and really this means you wouldn't have to feed or pay her while she's gone so it's not the worst deal. Doyle was only briefly mentioned but it sounds like the solution is training him more so he's tougher like he used to be.
Finally, Centaur. If you're this worried about a golem's potential, that's a sign that it's very strong. You're afraid of what it's capable of - so test it, experiment on it, pore over its cores and figure out what causes that impulse. Then, install a switch on it! Remember, it is just a golem. You are a dungeon. You're stronger than it.
>>
No. 1028227 ID: 96c896

>draw her shadow back through the matrix
That... sounds like it would work even in the waking world. Just in case it does, maybe you shouldn't do it? Releasing the shadow imp in the waking world might result in Moriko attacking it just like you saw, and hurting herself for real.

I wish we could just wake you up.
>>
No. 1028229 ID: 9a2966

>I should just not get tortured, thanks
If there is no separation between thought, desire and action, can you really not put your mind to better things? At least recognize the absurdity of the things hurting you through your fri- denizens.

Hin owes you much and finds you fun. She'd not abandon you.
Merud is absurdly meticulous and interested in golems. He wouldn't mess up something so basic.
Alkaline adores you. She's happy just to be with you. She blubs, not talks.
Moriko is strong and determined. She could kill her other half and still try to stand - and you encouraged her to reconcile herself with her nature besides.

Nor are any of the problems presented here things you could not solve, if you wished to.

>something is not right
Agreed. If some outside force - like an entity capable of feeding off of and manipulating dreams - is throwing you - in your weakened state - into various no-win scenarios to make you feel strong emotions - that it can feed on - feed it less by calming down. You have suffered setbacks before. You've always risen again. Even now.

But if your dreams truly are not so easy to steer, maybe the outside world can do you one better. Try to command a denizen - Chakarkelou, say - to sniff out and use as chew toy whatever's manipulating your dreams. It must be nearby, or have some sort of connection to you.
>>
No. 1028232 ID: 96c896

I don't think there's an outside force, this just looks like an anxiety dream to me.
>>
No. 1028234 ID: 06c1f4

What the heck, chase after Hin and climb on. She’d be decent enough to do you a favor before she leaves and squash Centaur.
Hey, if it’s a dream, then you don’t have to worry about mana expenditure, you can go gigant mode with no consequences whatsoever!
>>
No. 1028237 ID: 12b116

It's a golem, can't you just cut off the magic animating it? You're the one in charge here, nobody else's power can compare to yours, especially here in a dream
>>
No. 1028242 ID: 2f6d8f

>>1028227
>That... sounds like it would work even in the waking world. Just in case it does, maybe you shouldn't do it?
Only if the shadow is dead, and in the real world it's not yet. The matrix can't bring something that's alive.

>>1028234
>you can go gigant mode with no consequences whatsoever!
Now this is a bad idea. Deem's actions in dreams have affected the waking world before, especially those that use mana.
>>
No. 1028269 ID: 3f2a88

Come now Deem, you have an amazing insight, you should be able to use this.

A dark pall is hanging over you. When you went to sleep everyone was happy, and now you are dreaming of everyone going away. You are suffering your fears, that everyone you rely on and care for is being lost.

So either a malevolent spirit is infecting your dreams, which you'd probably be subconsciously aware of, or you were scarred by some past tragedy, left alone by others, and are reliving that loss with your current family.

But the why is a thing to ponder in your waking hours. Right now, seize on the thread of anger and bold ambition that are your forte.
>>
No. 1028314 ID: ba2bc3

If overthinking is hurting you, then stop thinking until you feel ok enought. Breath, slowly, use that new nostrils you made or the equivalent of "breathing" that dungeons do. Center your mind in not think, you can either supress every thought when it arrise or fixate on something simple like the white color.

Ease your mind, relax your body, let your fears and stress go. Actue when you are prepared.
>>
No. 1028733 ID: f6f6cb
File 164958606873.png - (24.62KB , 600x800 , dumped.png )
1028733

>You worry about your denizens that much, huh?
>So either a malevolent spirit is infecting your dreams, which you'd probably be subconsciously aware of, or you were scarred by some past tragedy, left alone by others, and are reliving that loss with your current family.
...

No.

I don't know about any tragedies don't talk about that you can't make me how dare you!

>At least recognize the absurdity of the things hurting you through your fri- denizens.
Many of the things that can hurt me come from my denizens! I need servants to do anything!

>A dark pall is hanging over you. When you went to sleep everyone was happy, and now you are dreaming of everyone going away. You are suffering your fears, that everyone you rely on and care for is being lost.
Eventually everyone leaves.

Or dies.
>>
No. 1028734 ID: f6f6cb
File 164958611514.png - (26.86KB , 800x600 , cowabunga_my_dudes.png )
1028734

>But if your dreams truly are not so easy to steer, maybe the outside world can do you one better. Try to command a denizen - Chakarkelou, say - to sniff out and use as chew toy whatever's manipulating your dreams. It must be nearby, or have some sort of connection to you.
Something is not right, maybe Charkarchelou can sniff it out. I run for the forge, the corridors seeming strange and unfamiliar around me. It's as if I've only taken a few steps and I'm there. I find a giant turtle taking up most of the forge.

"Chakarchelou! Who said you could go and evolve on your own?"

"Snnr? Grrr."

"What do you mean you don't need me?!"

"GRONK!"

"Maybe I have been slow with the ice cream, but that's no excuse!"

Chakarchelou starts plodding towards the entrance.
>>
No. 1028735 ID: f6f6cb
File 164958615982.png - (27.79KB , 650x750 , happy_april_1_plus_9.png )
1028735

>Where are Reisarf and Stargazer? They saved you last time. Subconsciously, you should be able to count on them.
"Reisarf, Stargazer!" I call out.

"Deem!" I hear Reisarf call out from the doorway behind me. How'd they get here so fast? I turn around and Stargazer looks strange. I squint at her in confusion. Get that stupid smug look off your face, Stargazer!

"Stargazer ate some weird eggs and turned into a girl," Reisarf explains, "so we're going to go and get married!"

"What."

"We don't know how long it'll last but maybe we'll come back!"

"Why is -"

"You should get married too!"

"No, I -"

"You're cute, you shouldn't be so sad, and we love you, so let's get married!"

I back up and trip.
>>
No. 1028736 ID: f6f6cb
File 164958620696.png - (29.19KB , 800x600 , it_was_all_just_a_dream_what_a_twist.png )
1028736

I tumble out of bed and hit the floor.

>I think Moriko is really the only one you need to worry about. She does not understand how much she is hurting herself, whereas you can just talk to Alkaline about her emotions, and make sure Hin is satisfied with her job. Doyle... uh, he's been doing well lately, maybe give him a little more encouragement? Merud seems to have been reasonable with his experiments, are you just worried about Centaur specifically?
Oh so you're trampling around in my dreams now?

>If some outside force - like an entity capable of feeding off of and manipulating dreams - is throwing you - in your weakened state - into various no-win scenarios to make you feel strong emotions - that it can feed on - feed it less by calming down.
>I don't think there's an outside force, this just looks like an anxiety dream to me.
If I see something like that, I'm going to tear it in two.

I don't have dreams like that. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. Maybe this is just some new symptom of my broken Heart and depleted state... I don't like it.

It's morning and so I am already running late. I had wanted to get some more prepared before launching into a busy day of pacification and landscape with Hin, Moriko and Doyle. Hin and Doyle are some distance away from my dungeon but seem to be headed back this way. I suppose I can spare a little time to finalise the packing and speak with one or two of my denizens to reassure myself that they won't get into anything ridiculous while I am away.
>>
No. 1028737 ID: 96c896

>>1028735
Haha, just like I said! They woke you up, you can count on them even in your dreams.
...Stargazer is already a girl though... Are there laws against marrying the eldritch?

>>1028736
>I don't have dreams like that.
I'm going to guess it was either due to the cacoffee, your experimental raw-mana-consuming golem body, or... your new core layer? Many things have changed since the last time you tried sleeping. I guess you can try laying off the cacoffee.

You should try talking to Moriko. Warn her not to kill an imp if it's black with orange eyes. Or any monsters that are black with orange eyes, actually. Heck, make sure everyone knows not to! Possibly tell Moriko what it is, depending on how likely she is to listen and not disobey the order. Don't tell anyone else what it is.

Ummm, you could make sure Alkaline doesn't feel like you're abandoning her.
>>
No. 1028739 ID: 2f6d8f

>>1028736
>Oh so you're trampling around in my dreams now?
Hey, you're the one who pulled us in. And then refused to listen to sense, as usual.
Maybe we should be the ones to leave, or just go silent permanently, if you appreciate us that little.
>>
No. 1028740 ID: c92a02

Speak with Chak and Alkaline, make sure that Chak's draconic greed is being managed and just hug Alkaline so you feel better.
>>
No. 1028741 ID: de4006

Are you... jealous of Reisarf's and Stargazer's relationship?
>>
No. 1028748 ID: d7b36d

You also didn't used to have to sleep at all, or have a humanoid body that your consciousness is tied too, or have a bisected piece of your heart that acts on it's own apart the whole, or have emotional outbursts every time you think about what caused all of these things.

You've changed a lot. You aren't just a dungeon mimicking a humanoid to make life easier now, you are a dungeon/humanoid hybrid. I somehow doubt you could reunite the pieces of your heart at this point, nor should you really.
>>
No. 1028766 ID: ba2bc3

Maybe dreams are a new bug/feature of being an homunculi golem (like drunkness)
>>
No. 1028829 ID: 0840c2

>>1028736
Talk to Moriko and Alkaline
>>
No. 1028872 ID: 36784c

>>1028860
I think this violates one of the rules on this site and it need to be deleted.
>>
No. 1028940 ID: cc0ff9

>>1028860
I just thought I should explain as an author's note that I arranged to have this post removed.

Fan-fiction should not go in the actual quest thread, and trying to shoehorn in new story elements is a breach of decorum at best.
>>
No. 1029015 ID: 9c1ef3

>>1028736
>Thoughts on dream parasite things?
just check under your pillow or around your bed? Maybe? I dunno, it feels logical that tings like that would nest there.

Otherwise, maybe start holding regular meetings of your people and get a feel for their concerns. If there's nothing pressing, well...

Maybe you're working too hard. You did just recently have a great time on the town, sure, but the shenanigans level was pretty high and that might be indicative of some lingering burnout. Consider some more intense rest and relaxation, if you're not picking up on your inhabitant's stress, it could just be you.
>>
No. 1029021 ID: 8eb91d

Honestly sounds like you should try your own meditation chamber.
>>
No. 1038384 ID: 7ec758
File 165804801969.png - (24.30KB , 800x550 , deemeditate.png )
1038384

>Honestly sounds like you should try your own meditation chamber.
I try to focus on it, for I have designed it to encourage a peaceful mindset but between the ache of my low mana and that disturbing dream I don't think it has helped my mood much.

>Haha, just like I said! They woke you up, you can count on them even in your dreams.
Those two have proven to be dependable in a pinch I suppose.

>...Stargazer is already a girl though... Are there laws against marrying the eldritch?
How would I know? Probably! Historically it has been shunned. You might as well try to marry a dungeon...

>Are you... jealous of Reisarf's and Stargazer's relationship?
I- I'm in no mood for these ridiculous questions!

>You've changed a lot. You aren't just a dungeon mimicking a humanoid to make life easier now, you are a dungeon/humanoid hybrid. I somehow doubt you could reunite the pieces of your heart at this point, nor should you really.
Don't say such hateful things to me so baldly. I do not enjoy my maimed state!

>>Thoughts on dream parasite things?
>Just check under your pillow or around your bed? Maybe? I dunno, it feels logical that things like that would nest there.
I'm not looking for a child's boogeyman. Something like that can't creep into my realm so easily.

>I'm going to guess it was either due to the cacoffee, your experimental raw-mana-consuming golem body, or... your new core layer? Many things have changed since the last time you tried sleeping. I guess you can try laying off the cacoffee.
Eliminating possible causes would be wise, I shall endeavour to limit my expsoure to other novel experiences until I'm sure of a cause for that dream.

>Make sure Chak's draconic greed is being managed
"Chakarchelou." I say, for my quasidragon has elected to accompany me to the Meditation Chamber.

"Snnr?"

"You won't be sharing the forge with Hin much longer." I say to him, giving him a chin scratch. "Once we've dug out some more rooms, you'll be lairing in my old Heart Chamber."

My quasidragon looks thoughtful and looks at me questioningly.

"No you can't have the anvil, that's Hin's."

He rolls over and flails his legs in the air.

"Don't get sooky with me. You'd better work hard if you want something of your own to rest on. You're going to have to get strong if you want to keep protecting your hoard."

"Grrr!"

"That's the right attitude, try and evolve soon!"

>Otherwise, maybe start holding regular meetings of your people and get a feel for their concerns.
That isn't a bad idea. I'm still not used to being able to have face to face decisions so casually. In the past it was a far rarer and more formal affair, I wouldn't speak directly with every denizen like I do now, most communion would be far more vague.
>>
No. 1038385 ID: 7ec758
File 165804816110.png - (32.83KB , 800x600 , beware_their_gaze.png )
1038385

>Maybe you're working too hard. You did just recently have a great time on the town, sure, but the shenanigans level was pretty high and that might be indicative of some lingering burnout.
Well that's too bad because I need to work harder if I'm to prepare my dungeon for its new visitors. I only have a montha and I have rooms to excavate, a wilderness to bend to my will, magic items to get crafted and denizens to manage.

>Hug Alkaline so you feel better.
>Ummm, you could make sure Alkaline doesn't feel like you're abandoning her.
Alkaline is quite firmly asleep after trying to stay up far into the early morning. After an abortive attempt at waking her, I consider applying cacoffee but I can only see that ending badly. I will humour your suggestion with some of Alkaline's budded slimes, as they seem to be just as tactile-focused as she is and tell them all I'll be back soon.

>You should try talking to Moriko. Warn her not to kill an imp if it's black with orange eyes. Or any monsters that are black with orange eyes, actually. Heck, make sure everyone knows not to! Possibly tell Moriko what it is, depending on how likely she is to listen and not disobey the order. Don't tell anyone else what it is.
As we prepare to leave, I let Moriko know I've had a premonitions that killing a monster with orange eyes might lead to ill fortune. She and the others seems willing to humour this bit of superstition.

Between Hin, Moriko, Belphejar and the golems I have quite a substantial entourage for this trip. This is fortunate as I want to minimise any direct mana expenditure on my part until I am recovered from my depleted state. I will add a little clay to my golem body to satisfy Merud's curiosity about raw mana saturated clay, but try to minimise use of my Gigant Mode, spells, and any significant physical exertion. I should try to eat regularly and ensure my group picks some fights as well.

Three options come to mind for putting Hin's temporarily magnified talents to best use. We've packed devil bear meat, slime milk and orange goo to keep Hin and Moriko fed, but will be relying heavily on satiety potions too. My goals are landscaping, gathering raw materials and making sure the wildlife is in check following the death of the devil bear and my amplification of the earth-pulse's effects.

Frogs and Forestry: Clearing some of the area that was formerly the devil bear's territory and ensure those frogs' numbers are kept under control. An excellent chance to gather clay, lumber and possibly rarer plants. Very likely to run into frogs and the other creatures of that area: branch bugs, gorebulb spiders, spinning strangleroots, and the slime spitter lizards. Considering the density of monsters, I may get lucky and find a locus of the earth-pulse to convert into a spawning point for my dungeon.

Orange Crags: An area of rocky hillside that had a large amount of orange goo appear there following my nightmare. The goo is inert and edible by itself but seeing the discovery that it was originally a mass of curses perhaps I need to be more proactive about cleaning it up. It's where Reisarf, Stargazer and Moriko found the cake mimic and one of the sites where Moriko has complained about a feeling of being watched. There may be other oddities there such as a twin to the void slash in my dungeon.

Mountain Road: Widen, smooth and improve the path from the base of the mountain to my dungeon. This will make it easier to travel to and from my dungeon, allowing easier patrolling and exploration of the surroundings, as well as slightly faster travel to the town. It'll be useful for monster hunting, taming; and gathering of raw materials and hauling them back to the dungeon. We'll gather some stone and lumber in the process of working on the road. It will make my presence more obvious, but I will have advance warning of any invaders using the road.

Suggest a side effect or quirk of the satiation potions too.
>>
No. 1038386 ID: e07ed2

>How would I know? Probably! Historically it has been shunned. You might as well try to marry a dungeon...
Well you've already bound us to a long-term relationship. I didn't know you were polyamorous, our dear wife.
>>
No. 1038387 ID: e07ed2

Anyway frogs and forestry has frogs so it's the best option without any real debate. The satiation potions go semantic and randomly start making words not sound like words anymore.
>>
No. 1038388 ID: f1cb5b

I think the orange crags are where Moriko's shadow is likely hiding away. Getting her taken care of should be priority even though it's less important for upkeep and materials. It's been hanging over your heads for too long so start there.

And the potions, they rob you all of your internal monologues. You talk out loud when you think. Not every single thought, of course, but maybe enough to let a secret or two slip.
>>
No. 1038390 ID: 9a2966

>Where go
Frogs And Forestry. If you were less mana drained, I'd suggest we be proactive about curses, but you may not want to face that on an empty tank. Wasn't there also talk of finding some haunted ruins in the forest - Kendall's Folly or whatnot? Is that the hopeful locus?

Come to think of it, kicking the crap out of frogs and other pesky monsters (or watching your fri- denizens do it) may have its own therapeutic value too. Hard labor is its own reward, suchlike.

Satiety Side Effect - Intentive Touch

Touching someone can create a temporary empathic connection. Like zaps of static electricity, only for emotions.

What a useless side effect! Surely it'd never reveal anything new or surprising. Or cause a suspicious increase in poking/petting/brushing up against each other accidentally.
>>
No. 1038392 ID: 12b116

let's got battle some frogs
>>
No. 1038398 ID: 899c9f

Our dungeon does need more four-legged denizens, and the opportunity for Hin to put her might to use in a fight can't be missed. We're going frog stomping.
The side effect of these satiation potions you made seems to be additional growth, as over the course of one morning Hin doubled in size. That's a pretty useful side effect given her other enchantment leads to a feedback loop.
>>
No. 1038410 ID: f98309

Build a road and call it the giants’ causeway.
>>
No. 1038414 ID: 15c72a

>>1038385
Orange Crags. Let's handle Moriko's problem so she can finally start improving again.
>>
No. 1038421 ID: 600de3

Orange Crags seems to be the only one that is actually time-sensitive.
>>
No. 1038450 ID: 7397c3

>>1038388
>And the potions, they rob you all of your internal monologues. You talk out loud when you think. Not every single thought, of course, but maybe enough to let a secret or two slip.
Huh. I wonder if that could affect us.
>>
No. 1038455 ID: 15c72a

Satiation overuse side effect ideas:
Drowsiness
Discoloration of skin
Unusual food cravings
Excessive thirst
>>
No. 1038456 ID: 939508

Take whichever path is least likely to have cute monsters. You know well that you are already tight, and if we see anything cute, we will nag you to take it home with you.

illusory googly-eyes, bobble-heads, and/or chibi-proportions.
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No. 1038471 ID: 0d01d6

>>1038450
Better idea: rather than talking out loud, they occasionally end up being projected to others minds. Sort of like reverse mind reading. Similar beneficial effect, but with a less obvious solution of just not talking.



Also, we should hire a chef...
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No. 1038480 ID: f2320a

>>1038455
Hmm sticky/grease sweat like when someone eats too much onion or ham perhaps a stomach ache
>>
No. 1038481 ID: e07ed2

>>1038450
No chance, we're already like that.
>>
No. 1038487 ID: 36784c

>>1038385
Go to the Orange Crags.

>potion side effects?
>>1038455
>Unusual food cravings
This one
>>
No. 1038493 ID: a9af05

>>1038487
This
>>
No. 1038500 ID: a87877

Orange Crags. That site's a disaster waiting to happen if it's not taken care of, or at least moderated to reduce the risk.

>>1038455
I also vote for Unusual Food Cravings.
>>
No. 1038511 ID: 708905

>>1038385
>Frogs and Forestry
Seems a straightforward start

>Side effects: Weird cravings often for normally inedible stuff
>>
No. 1038559 ID: 7ec758
File 165821663142.png - (37.81KB , 800x550 , hin_was_there_too.png )
1038559

>I think the orange crags are where Moriko's shadow is likely hiding away. Getting her taken care of should be priority even though it's less important for upkeep and materials. It's been hanging over your heads for too long so start there.
>Orange Crags seems to be the only one that is actually time-sensitive.
The crags it is then.

After some consultation, Hin, Moriko and I determine that it would be better to spare our nicer clothes from tramping around in a place full of orange goop and Moriko and I change into more appropriate outfits. Hin only has her one set of appropriately sized clothes, but she should hopefully stay above the thick of it.

"Are you sure you can't leave this to us?" Moriko says to me as I marshal my other denizens for this trip. "You don't look well."

"It's fine, she'll just be supervising while we do all the heavy lifting!" Hin says.

"Hin's right." I say. "I'm mainly going to be an extra pair of eyes. If there's something strange happening out there, we all need to know.

"Very well." Moriko nods.

>>You might as well try to marry a dungeon...
>Well you've already bound us to a long-term relationship. I didn't know you were polyamorous, our dear wife.
I don't need any additional intimacy.

Moriko and Reisarf last came through here and found a lot of orange goo and a lot of imps that seemed to be struggling to survive.

I think we've found the culprit: slime spitters.

They're smarter than the frogs in that they don't attack on sight but there's a great deal of rustling in the woods about us, a few sometimes venturing out to deliver a warning spit. In the weeks since someone last came here, they seem to have invited their family and friends. As we get closer the area is swarming with slime spitters coming and leaving drooling orange goo, some carrying away chunks of it. It doesn't look appetising, as most of it has solidified into hardened gunk, but the slime spitters don't mind.
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No. 1038560 ID: 7ec758
File 165821670149.png - (43.32KB , 800x550 , the_glossed_world.png )
1038560

I have a better idea of what happened here now.

A lump of orange goo the size of a small iceberg appeared further ahead and oozed away from the point it was dropped. Most of the plant-life in the gullies is looking distinctly distressed from being smothered in weird goo, though some seem to be showing signs of adaptation. There's a good chance this place will turn into a slimy patch of forest, evidence to me that the point where the goo appeared turned into a weak locus of the earth-pulse after I Churned the Earth.

We've spotted a mutated variety of slime spitter too.

They're bigger, fatter and much more belligerent. It's an impressive rate of growth - the normal ones only come up to about the waist while these ones are much heavier in body, head and jaws and taller than a man. The giant slime spitters don't seem to have developed any new tricks thankfully and are not as sneaky as their smaller kin, but they're not as shy and don't like the idea of us muscling into our territory. putting up at least a token display of displeasure before retreating. I'm glad we brought Hin, the obvious physical deterrence she provides has prevented a lot of fights and I've simply had her smash a path into the woods to stop them getting too many ideas about ambushing us.

One of the giant spitters was too bold for its own good. Thanks to Moriko and Hin providing a most satisfactory hammer and anvil, dinosaur steaks are on the menu for tonight.

>Kicking the crap out of frogs and other pesky monsters (or watching your fri- denizens do it) may have its own therapeutic value too. Hard labor is its own reward, suchlike.
The little flicker from these challenges has been reviving me a little. It's a shame this place doesn't have frogs, I almost miss their suicidal aggression.

>Take whichever path is least likely to have cute monsters. You know well that you are already tight, and if we see anything cute, we will nag you to take it home with you.
These giant spitters are the size of a horse, I don't have any space to keep them and they will try to eat Alkaline. I'm not taming them.

There's an area at least the size of a stadium ahead where the slime is thickest. We'll have to wade through it to reach the origin point. The slime spitters are densely grouped here though, and seem likely to attack in force if we try to force our way in. It's getting into the late afternoon so we pull back to set up a camp and consider our options.
>>
No. 1038561 ID: 7ec758
File 165821678114.png - (40.77KB , 800x600 , talk_at_camp.png )
1038561

I try a shot of Doyle's satiation potion and after not making certain I'm not observing any particularly strong effects or cravings, allow Hin to drink. She half drains the cauldron, Doyle trying not to tremble as she uses him as a cup.

Moriko has some next, as her cooking attempts with the spitter meat were charcoal-like and eating the devil bear meat seems to only be an option if it's a matter of life or death for her.

Hin tries a bit of Moriko's steak attempt and looks thoughtful. My giant blacksmith briefly sears each side of a fat slice of spitter steak and then bites into a piece with relish. "Hey they're great rare!"

"I think I'll stay with the potion." Moriko says, getting herself another ladleful.

"Careful how much of that you have." I say. "One dose is a day's food."

I try a piece of steak. I might as well get a little mana back if no-one else is going to eat it. I'm not sure what Hin sees in it, she barely even seasoned it. I unwrap a piece of clay I've brought to humour Merud's experiment and ingest that next. That's actually quite good! I decide to get an early start on the clay I would have absorbed tomorrow.

Hin quickly falls sound asleep - the day must have been more draining for her than she let on and I share the night watch with Moriko. It reminds me of our last trip together. A pair of slime spitters tries to get at Doyle in the night. It seems the lizards are getting cheekier without the devil bear to menace them. We may need a more secure camp at night.

>Also, we should hire a chef...
Reisarf and Stargazer are good cooks and Merud is passable. Also my Resurrection Matrix is at capacity, adding even a single creature is going to put a strain on anyone getting resurrected.

In the morning I have clay for breakfast, Moriko has potion and Hin has potion, bear meat, and the last of the spitter steaks.

What we need next is a strategy. I haven't seen any imps yet and the local colony might be connected to the mystery of Moriko's shadow and there's a potential locus of the earth-pulse I need to confirm. Both need us to get further into the thoroughly gooed area that the spitters have laid claim to. Their slime is probably acidic, sticky, slippery or perhaps even cursed. Hin's a excellent threat and Moriko's an excellent warrior but if the spitters attack in force we're going to have to pull back or get overwhelmed. Hin's a big target and Moriko can only dodge so much slime getting spat at her. My golems will help but they can only do so much too. I need a better way to fight, to avoid fights, or a good option to circle around and better scout where we need to go.
>>
No. 1038563 ID: e07ed2

Depending on how well you can withstand gravity, jumping and fastball specials with Hin's help might do wonders for mobility.
>>
No. 1038564 ID: 15c72a

>>1038561
It occurs to me that the shadow-imp will be intimidated by Hin. It might not get close enough to spot.

Hmm. I remember you once managed to "untangle" a bit of orange slime, turning it into curses. Can you do that on purpose here, and curse a bunch of lizards?
You could try cooking up some offensive alchemical concoctions since we have Doyle here and probably some raw materials nearby.
Hin is big, but has no weapon her size. She could strip a tree of branches and use it as a weapon? Or lash together something more complicated. Hey, maybe you can cooperate with her to make a shield of some sort since her problem is she can't dodge very well? Shape together wood and rock?
Hin could throw large rocks at them to lure them into an ambush point which you've fortified. A choke point of some sort, so that your fighters don't get overwhelmed.
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No. 1038566 ID: 9a2966

>Alternative: Ambush
Drawing them out into an ambush sounds good if it can be managed. They've been pretty shy so far, plus they're ranged opponents, while we're a pretty melee-heavy team, so if Hin can lure them out and into a gulch or gully and our forces flank them where they can't easily escape, we could probably deal some solid blows and reduce their numbers, at least. They might not be willing to leave their turf, though.

Still, Hin throwing things can solve a number of problems, really. She can clear an area around camp to stock up on decent handfuls of throwing material. This way it'll be harder to approach it without being seen, and she can use some of the stuff to create barriers to stand behind in case the spitters attack, thus helping with the securing goal. Hin could also put down (or throws) in stripped trees and rocks to form a pathway inwards, so you at least have places with better mobility. And if the Spitters close? Here comes a boulder or a fistful of dirt!

Just gotta be careful about friendly fire or tuckering Hin out too much. Maybe just being in a giant body is what is actually somewhat exhausting for her? Perhaps the enchantment isn't doing all the heavy lifting and it's putting stress on her. Would a strength or stamina enhancing potion of some sort help at her level?

Also, could we whip up some anti-slip solution with Doyle if that exists? Mainly worried about Hin doing 'the taller they are, the harder they fall' bit if she steps wrong in the gooed region, but it might come in use for you all. Even solidified I imagine goo can be tricky to walk on unless you do something clever like chuck pocket sand over the most at-risk stepping places.

... I'm not going to suggest filling Doyle with sand so you have enough while exploring. That would be mean, I'm sure. But I will say Hin has some rather large pockets at the moment.

>Alternative: Distraction
Finally, it strikes me Hin could serve as a pretty big distraction. With or without some orange camouflague, perhaps a smaller team could sneak in while Hin and whoever else left behind causes the spitters to be drawn towards a different location? Depends on how big the area is and how many monsters are hiding there as to whether that'd work. Plus we would be depriving ourselves of Hin's sizable assistance while exploring, but maybe it's good enough for a day of scouting.
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No. 1038568 ID: 899c9f

Perhaps if you hunt a few lizards and wear their bits for intimidation before approaching the slime pits that will scare off some of them? Hin needs to forge a tool of some kind, a sloped shield would provide both cover and a way to plow a path through the slime. For a retreat, source a tub of water for cleaning off goop quicker. Ranged attacks are key to countering slime, rocks for Hin and a stone bow for your homunculus.
I can’t help but notice Hin’s outfit looks downright climbable, if you cling to the webbing you’ll be elevated in a secure position without using up a hand. If you hold onto a stick, Hin can lift you even higher for scouting.
For a more secure campsite, a cave is ideal, but this ridge you’ve found works almost as well at blocking off one side of the camp from lizards. Build some barriers for cover, scatter sticks for a perimeter alarm and give Doyle a little shelter.
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No. 1038575 ID: f2320a

>>1038561
This fattening goo seems useful could perhaps use it to make a candyland dungeon section or use it for cattle feed
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No. 1038576 ID: f57349

Can Doyle brew up smoke bombs? Clouded visibility near the ground makes stealthy infiltration easier, and impairs incoming ranged attacks. You and Moriko can use earth-pulse perception to partly substitute for vision, and you can micromanage the golems so they still participate effectively even without knowing what's going on, while Hin could keep her sight-lines clear by simply being taller than the cloud.
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No. 1038577 ID: 7397c3

>>1038560
>they will try to eat Alkaline
Then they must die. Slaughter them all.
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No. 1038590 ID: 600de3

Deem, organics like cooking their food. Have you tried eating pottery?
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No. 1038591 ID: 9a2966

>>1038590
Mmm glaze.
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No. 1038593 ID: 86b9c8

Hin’s behavior is a little erratic. Ask what she’s got cravings for and try to keep it handy. There isn’t enough cacoffee in the world for her metabolism right now.
Focus on scouting first to try and find the imp with orange eyes. Hin’s too big and obvious to do that, but you can have her knocking down trees to scare the little critters and get the materials to make a bridge that’ll give you some solid footing on top of the slime.
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No. 1039170 ID: c2c2da
File 165874420586.png - (35.51KB , 900x600 , hins_a_lumberjack_and_its_OK.png )
1039170

>Drawing the spitters out into an ambush sounds good if it can be managed. They've been pretty shy so far, plus they're ranged opponents, while we're a pretty melee-heavy team, so if Hin can lure them out and into a gulch or gully and our forces flank them where they can't easily escape, we could probably deal some solid blows and reduce their numbers, at least. They might not be willing to leave their turf, though.
>Hin throwing things can solve a number of problems, really. She can clear an area around camp to stock up on decent handfuls of throwing material. This way it'll be harder to approach it without being seen, and she can use some of the stuff to create barriers to stand behind in case the spitters attack, thus helping with the securing goal. Hin could also put down (or throw) in stripped trees and rocks to form a pathway inwards, so you at least have places with better mobility.
That makes sense, it'll help keep the camp safe at night, make the ambush work if the spitters can be lured and give us a point to defend if we draw too much of a response.

>Hin is big, but has no weapon her size. She could strip a tree of branches and use it as a weapon?
Hin and I pick an appropriate sized tree, she uproots it, and we make a stone axe for Hin to start clearing out the forest around our camp.

>Hey, maybe you can cooperate with her to make a shield of some sort since her problem is she can't dodge very well? Shape together wood and rock?
We don't have good materials for a shield of that size.

>You could try cooking up some offensive alchemical concoctions since we have Doyle here and probably some raw materials nearby.
>Source a tub of water for cleaning off goop quicker.
Doyle has been mostly dedicated to concocting satiety potions for this expedition but to give us some more flexibility, I dole out some of my scant mana piecing together some extra stone vessels and then rest.

They're crude and heavy containers but Hin's able to carry one to a stream to fill it with water and the other we pour most of a nervous Doyle's contents into. Moriko fills her waterskin with the potion too.

>Perhaps if you hunt a few lizards and wear their bits for intimidation before approaching the slime pits that will scare off some of them?
Since Hin's stint as a lumberjack makes a lot of noise, Moriko and my homunculus act as sentries to fend off any monsters it draws. I leave the brute golem to help Hin with gather and bundling the trees and stones.

Some irate lizards are defeated, and we start tossing spitter remains into Doyle to condense into more satiety potion. It'll be less effort than trying to properly butcher and store it all, and hopefully give us some cleaned bones depending on how strongly his mix interacts with them. Moriko tries some and compliments the umami it's added to the taste.

>Maybe just being in a giant body is what is actually somewhat exhausting for Hin?
Of course it is, this is some of the most physical exertion she's done since being gigantified and with her pushing the limit of the spell so hard, a lot of what she's eating is going to just sustaining it. Thankfully she's able to eat herself out of trouble as well as into it and perks up quickly after a little rest and a meal whenever she's getting too worn down.

>Hin’s behavior is a little erratic. Ask what she’s got cravings for and try to keep it handy. There isn’t enough cacoffee in the world for her metabolism right now.
"How are you doing?" I say to Hin as she slows down for a break.

"Whooeah, cleared the place out!" she says, looking around at her work. "That axe made a difference, really pulling my weight now, eh." She wipes some sweat from her forehead. "Think I need to figure out a better bath though. Missing a good soak already."

"Afraid I passed on the option for a beach dungeon." I tell Hin. "Do you have a hankering for anything for lunch?"

"Those spitters were pretty good?" Her stomach rumbles loudly. "Uh yeah, more meat'd be good."

Dino-steaks with potion sauce for Hin. That's an easy craving to manage at least. Moriko skips lunch and I try a little of the meat and then continue my schedule of consuming some clay. I still haven't managed to prepare the spitter meat any better than passable.

>Deem, organics like cooking their food. Have you tried eating pottery?
When have I had the time to try eating pottery?

... That doesn't sound bad actually.
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No. 1039171 ID: c2c2da
File 165874441441.png - (58.30KB , 900x600 , deem_is_supervising.png )
1039171

We do a trial run and unfortunately the spitters don't want to chase us far when we provoke them. I suppose it's not unexpected: they just want us out of the slime-rich area they're monopolising.

>It strikes me Hin could serve as a pretty big distraction. Perhaps a smaller team could sneak in while Hin and whoever else left behind causes the spitters to be drawn towards a different location?
>We would be depriving ourselves of Hin's sizable assistance while exploring, but maybe it's good enough for a day of scouting.
Thankfully we have our backup plan. Hin draws a lot of attention and a stealthy team of myself, Moriko and the homunculus should hopefully be able to slip past them.

>It occurs to me that the shadow-imp will be intimidated by Hin. It might not get close enough to spot.
The imps remain evasive. I hope they haven't been driven out of the area completely. We've all talked of being watched at times but with the spitters thronging the area it's hardly surprising.

>This fattening goo seems useful could perhaps use it to make a candyland dungeon section or use it for cattle feed.
It's sugary but unless some of these mutated plants start making something like it, I don't have any way of making more.

>Hmm. I remember you once managed to "untangle" a bit of orange slime, turning it into curses. Can you do that on purpose here, and curse a bunch of lizards?
If I were to deliberately mix raw mana into the orange goo, yes, but I don't know what it'd do. The curses I was afflicted with were hardly disabling.

We wrap up the work on our camp, work on some bone decorations for extra intimidation and prepare for an early start the next morning. I try to get an early night to conserve energy but I overhear some attempts by Moriko to coach Hin in intimidation, to mixed results.

Heading into the spitter territory with Moriko gives me some flashbacks to our trip against the devil bear, the two of us fending off the frogs' unrelenting aggression. It's not really the same as it's Moriko and one of my homunculi on the front line, while I hang back and provide the occasional distraction.

Hin's distraction is very effective, as we run into few monsters. The small spitters are still unwilling to engage with even our reduced group, they seem to mostly be visiting to grab a little slime to top up their slime sacs, while the big spitters seem to have transitioned to a mostly slime diet and remain far more belligerent.
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No. 1039172 ID: c2c2da
File 165874446419.png - (32.77KB , 800x600 , this_has_never_happened_to_me_before_i_swear.png )
1039172

This is humiliating.

I can't do it.

I have been sitting on a floor of slightly sticky of half solidified goo for two hours now and haven't made any headway at all.

Moriko and I found that there is indeed a nascent locus of the earth-pulse which has been accelerating the spawning of spitters and encouraging the struggling forest's adaptation to its surfeit of slime. I am currently in a cave that the giant spitters are too bulky to easily fit into. It's half full of orange slime, and goopy roots dangle from the ceiling.

We evicted some sleepy, normal slime spitters and with Moriko standing watch, I set to work trying to locate and control the locus. Having my Heart fragment physically present should have made this easy, but my mana is simply too wispy and tenuous to assume dominion over this locus from here in my current condition.

Maybe I should have tried to consolidate my reserves before this journey, that night in the town almost completely hollowed me out.

I'm not miraculously going to replenish a large chunk of my mana in the next day or two so I need an alternative. I need to bring myself into better synchronisation with this locus, or leave a denizen here to do it for me.

The easiest way to improve synchronisation is get closer. I used this spot because it was easy to defend and being underground got me more attuned to the earth-pulse. There will be a fight if we try, and I need to properly triangulate it still.

Next I could try to act more in accord with its nature. The locus is mainly influenced by the presence of the orange goo although whatever warped teleport dumped it here has left traces of shadow magic and spatial expansion along with fragments of strange whimsy still hanging about. That's fortunate, as although I have not fully awakened my own shadow element, it is a direction I have been bending myself towards.

Less fortunately the goo, as study back in the dungeon revealed, is weakly fire aspected. Most of the things fire does (like burn, consume and harm) have been simply scooped out of it. We later discovered it was a mass of collapsed curses and that if energy is reintroduced in specific ways it can be turned back into a curse. Even then it's oddly truncated: none of those curses were actively harmful. This has left us with an edible goo that is usually harmless giving aspects of what... sweets, plenty, food, gooey and squandered potential?

Lastly I can deploy a denizen to claim the locus in my stead. This is how I'd normally do the process, but it's slower. They'd have to live here and the locus would gradually absorb an aspect from them. It'll take a few weeks, it may not be finished by the time Olan comes depending on how assertive my denizen is. Obviously I would need to quickly bring someone from the dungeon if I wasn't going to leave Hin, Moriko or Doyle here.

I could also just give up for this trip, but having the authority over this locus will let me tweak the monsters and its effects on the terrain around it.
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No. 1039178 ID: 9a2966

The most pragmatic solution is to act more in accord to its nature. I doubt you want to leave any of your denizens alone up here, especially with the weird sense of being under watch that was previously reported and just admitting defeat and going home is... probably too sensible for us.

How would one attune up, though? Food and plenty is easier - just stuff yourself to the branches and the sap leaks from your very pores - you'd both be filled with food and BE food. Would there also be a sympathetic link in acting sweetly?

The squandered potential thing you should have down as-is - no offense, it's just with your recent hangover and weakened mana state, you are sort of fitting the bill a bit. Maybe fortuitously so.

Strange whimsy... I suppose you could manage that too. Just do things as they come to mind - or take our varied suggestions which could count for the same, I suppose. Even better if those acts can be associated with any of the other traits of the place, yes?

As for shadow magic and spatial disturbance... you could spend time in the shadows, I suppose? Try to become one, hide, and then pop ou--

Hum. Would I be correct that in order to synchronize with this locus you'd have to act in a most fey-like behavior? Glutting yourself on the sweet and sappy stuff, but acting in surprising ways, hardly seen, popping out of nowhere?

It does strike me the orange goop seems almost sap-like and you're having the whole dryad look going - could you connect to it that way?
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No. 1039179 ID: 9caba2

>>1039172
You should act in accordance with the nature of the orange goo. And the locus of course.
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No. 1039180 ID: 899c9f

You have to eat the goo, Deem! You can’t delegate being a dungeon to your subordinates.
How would one act in accordance with squandered potential, other than just being yourself? Maybe if you had a heart to heart with Moriko about the things you were not living up to you would both be more attuned to it.
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No. 1039188 ID: 9ab9f7

You're already in a defensible position, moving from it would put us at risk so let's try to avoid that.

Acting more like the locus... well, strange whimsy would cover doing something for the heck of it, the goo covers a lot of aspects in and of itself, sweet, plenty, gooey... and all the monsters seem to have had a lot of it, wouldn't they in theory be attuned to the locus somewhat? You have to eat the tangy goo Deem, or at least give it a shot.
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No. 1039214 ID: 273c18

Attune to shadow to claim it.
>>
No. 1039240 ID: 12b116

let's get closer, it might be more risky but if we stir up trouble it could give us a better idea of where the locus is concentrated as well
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No. 1039276 ID: c2c2da
File 165882324965.png - (31.50KB , 720x720 , goourmet_deem.png )
1039276

>You have to eat the tangy goo Deem, or at least give it a shot.
I suppose it can't hurt. I eat a few chunks of less hardened slime, perhaps a bowl's worth. I'm only feeling a twinge of resonance and I'm starting to feel full. I try another bite but it's giving me flashbacks to that night in the town. I don't think this is going to work.

>As for shadow magic and spatial disturbance... you could spend time in the shadows, I suppose? Try to become one, hide, and then pop ou--
I'm already in a dark cave, but I don't think I'm going to be startling Moriko.

>How would one act in accordance with squandered potential, other than just being yourself?
>The squandered potential thing you should have down as-is - no offense, it's just with your recent hangover and weakened mana state, you are sort of fitting the bill a bit. Maybe fortuitously so.
...

For all the problems its current lack is causing me, I put that mana to good use Churning the Earth and enhancing my dungeon's forge! I have incredible potential and I don't intend to be wasting it!

>Would there also be a sympathetic link in acting sweetly?
There had better not be, my mood is thoroughly soured now!

>Strange whimsy... I suppose you could manage that too. Just do things as they come to mind - or take our varied suggestions which could count for the same, I suppose. Even better if those acts can be associated with any of the other traits of the place, yes?
I suppose that's worth trying. Are you feeling whimsical today? I'm not going to talk to Moriko about anything demonic, hug anything, or consider changing anything about my appearance. What else have you voices got?

>You have to eat the goo, Deem!
>Food and plenty is easier - just stuff yourself to the branches and the sap leaks from your very pores - you'd both be filled with food and BE food.
Fine, I'll eat the stupid goo!

"Moriko." I say. "How do you finishing eating something you don't want to?"

Moriko peers inside. "Why do you need to do this?"

I wave one of my chunks of slime. "I'm not in tune enough with this area, eating enough of this goo should help."

"I understand." Moriko says. She closes her eyes and thinks for a moment. "Does it taste bad?"

"No."

"Are you worried it's unclean?"

"No."

Moriko knocks off a chunk and nibbles on it herself.

"I see it could get monotonous, but what is stopping you?"

"I feel full." I explain.

"You feel full." Moriko repeats.

"My golem body does, yes."

"And this is a problem?" she says.

"Yes."

"You, the Dungeon Heart, thousands of years old. 'A power born out of the hearts of mountains, of the secret fires and darkness that lies beneath the earth.' With a body you personally created. You can't eat because you feel full."

"I have spent a long time without a stomach." I say a little defensively.

Moriko actually sighs. "It sounds like what you need is motivation. You want to lay claim to this area, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then this slime is an enemy you need to overcome."

"Yes!"

"Think of it as treasure you that you're taking off the spitters." she adds. "You're not going to let some lizards beat you, are you?"

"Yeah!"

Reinvigorated, I tuck in.
>>
No. 1039277 ID: c2c2da
File 165882332378.png - (39.96KB , 800x600 , ancient_special_ritual_pose.png )
1039277

I feel fat.

Motivational talks from Moriko helped, my hammerai also kindly breaking up and fetching more of the solidified goo lining the inside of this cave. I am stuffed to the point I have goo seeping out of my antlers. The little trickle of mana as it digests is a consolation prize, and I can feel the flows and tangles of the earth-pulse that make up this locus coming into focus. It's coming together, This is close, but maybe a little more effort is best...

>Hum. Would I be correct that in order to synchronize with this locus you'd have to act in a most fey-like behavior? Glutting yourself on the sweet and sappy stuff, but acting in surprising ways, hardly seen, popping out of nowhere?
I have golems back at the dungeon, maybe they could do something... I don't want anyone assuming I'm drunk again though.

>Maybe if you had a heart to heart with Moriko about the things you were not living up to you would both be more attuned to it.
No I think Moriko's done that to me enough already.

>Acting more like the locus... well, strange whimsy would cover doing something for the heck of it, the goo covers a lot of aspects in and of itself, sweet, plenty, gooey... and all the monsters seem to have had a lot of it, wouldn't they in theory be attuned to the locus somewhat?
It's a little chicken and egg: a locus of the earth-pulse is influenced by the area it exists in, and its power causes it to reinforce certain elements in the area. Traits of monsters are one of the easily influenced elements.

What do I want out of this area? Once I've claimed it, I can do some subtle tweaks. I can de-emphasise or reinforce an existing element within the locus and also incorporate a feature that exists within my dungeon or my denizens. Between my verdant earth aspect, the rooms I've made to date and my various denizens I have a wide variety to pick from. This tweak has to be simple, think of its as a an adjective or a few words in terms of the complexity. It's a change I'll be making to the terrain itself, to the vegetation, or to the monsters, to the possibility of even introducing new varieties.

Also Deem is now cursed. Suggest an appropriate curse.
>>
No. 1039278 ID: 15c72a

>>1039277
>!!CURSED!!
You're orange now! That's my attack!
other ideas:
emits sweet smell that attracts insects and predators
drool
light sensitivity

>whimsy
Act like a slime spitter! Heck, can you change your golem body to look like one?
Do a silly dance, or a dance that's not so silly but looks kindof like a spooky ritual. Maybe chant a bit?

>what to do with the locus
Well first off, see if you can get rid of all the slime and disperse the lizards then attract imps to the locus so we can find that shadow (Hin might have to hide though). Perhaps you can encourage some shadow-aspected monsters to spawn? Sapient shadows, night stalkers, dream-eaters, that sort of thing. Maybe even a doppleganger or two, but unless they're not very good at mimicry they could cause a lot of problems for both you and the village.
>>
No. 1039279 ID: f57349

>>1039178
You need a lot of mana, quickly, and the best way you know to make that happen is playing the Labyrinth Game. Just gotta run it from the other side this time, 'shadowboxing' against a nonsapient pseudo-dungeon.

Buff yourself with a variant of the cake mimic's metabolic trick, stealing mana from whoever eats part of you. Brew up a potion that makes slimy fruit grow on your head-branches, distilled from the orange goo so it'll smell even more delicious to the spitter lizards than the contaminated stuff lying around free, thus baiting them into melee range when you proceed deeper into their territory. Resemblance to a belled jester cap gets you a "nightmare clown" angle, playing on both the broader shadow aspect and strange whimsy. Melodramatically bemoaning your recent bad decisions while marching into a seemingly hopeless battle could hit "squandered potential," too, and maybe even "hollowed-out fire."
>>
No. 1039280 ID: f57349

>Suggest an appropriate curse.
Cake-mimic style reverse vampirism, though maybe less efficient. Fruit grows from Deem's antlers, quickly becoming overripe, fermenting, and rotting away, only to be replaced by a new crop. Sickly-sweet smell attracts pests, and she can steal mana from whatever eats the fruit.
>>
No. 1039282 ID: 600de3

>>1039277
I CURSE YOU WITH FRUIT! MAY YOUR BOUGHES BOW BENEATH THEIR BOUNTIFUL HARVEST!

And uh turn the goo into slimes? Slime monsters to make it look like Alkaline and her Alkalings are native.

Also everything is purple, not orange.

If you need a bit more of a boost waltz with the ladies.
>>
No. 1039283 ID: 0840c2

>>1039277
How close is the slime to clay in consistency? Could you use to replace minor parts of your body?
>>
No. 1039286 ID: 9ab9f7

Oh ho ho, is that a hint of blushu?

>Whimsy
I haven't got many ideas here, hm. Maybe try to ponder the shenanigans your denizens have gotten up to, like Hin using the bangle of fixity to acquire great bignity. Being more permissive of others' whimsy might help, it's good for their mental health and can discover strengths/weaknesses they weren't aware of.

Hell, you could probably do with some shenanigans- just after you've recovered and also not while capable of exerting the full might of your core, safe shenanigans! Maybe Merud can help with that, a safety valve so you can drink and otherwise experiment freely without risking all your mana.

>Curses
Oops, the goo imparted some of it's aspects and Deem is now plenty, however that ends up manifesting. e.g. fruit, being extra leafy, or something else.

>Locus
Well, the goo is a useful material and kind of the key feature of the area, so it'd be sad to get rid of it, but the curses are tricky.

Maybe you can get rid of the curses, or failing that, have it naturally concentrate so the cursed goo and non-cursed goo can be separated when harvesting it? Slime spitters that spit cursed slime would be an- interesting hazard.

The monsters seem territorial, which is good, since it keeps them from causing trouble outside of the area, and makes them an effective obstacle for anyone seeking your dungeon.

Maybe add a bit of a planty aspect to align it more with you, and/or reinforce the plenty aspect? To give this place a good story, an unnaturally plentiful land guarded by territorial monsters who live off of it.
>>
No. 1039290 ID: 0f5c1d

>>1039277
>Also Deem is now cursed. Suggest an appropriate curse.
Deem is now fat. No matter how much she tries to reshape her clay body, she will always end up looking fat.

She's not going to end up being as fat as the giant slime spitters, but it will still be annoying to her.

>>1039286
>Maybe you can get rid of the curses, or failing that, have it naturally concentrate so the cursed goo and non-cursed goo can be separated when harvesting it?
This
>>
No. 1039291 ID: 0b03a0

Curse of Doll Deem has its revengeance!
Tweak this area to be more gelatinous, the slime mountains are an interesting new feature and a source of abundant minor curses, curses which Alkaline can eat and grow stronger.
>>
No. 1039293 ID: 9a2966

>I have incredible potential and I don't intend to be wasting it!
This is true. So you are saying you made nothing but correct choices in your drunk state and not, say, wasted some mana on creating a bunch of funny statues?

Look, yes, you did a lot of good and cool stuff during your drunk rampage, but you can't say you didn't spill some milk mana either. The more the epic potential the more it matters how it's spent, yes? If you were to waste even more of your precious mana on something frivolous right now - like say turning those dangling drops of sap into sticky sweet peaches - I dare say that might bring you even closer in attunement to this place.

But you may wish to select other options for that final push. It's a balance of however much mana you need to harness it and how much you can to bring you closer. But you are good at balancing things out, aren't you?

>curse
That blush sticks around for a while.

>What to do with the area
You'd want something that supports your existing themes, yes? Fecundency seems like it could fit this area well - make the plantlife adapt better to the orange goo and grow their own array of syrupy, sticky, oozy substances (not all of which have to be orange per se), so it becomes more self-replenishing and not dependent on the limited resource of the orange goo. Could you tie in some of your garden powers to this area? I forget what the effect of that place was. You could also apply the Potent Residue - heh, Potent Resindue, maybe - effect to the area, making stuff created by the products here have something of the same effect as your Potent Residue bath. Maybe a natural slimy pool at the center of the area your minions (or the brave) could dip into and come up with some manner of effect?

As for monster developments - we have our li'l orange goopling slime. Maybe we could create an environment in which it could thrive, with siblings to match? Remember that Alkaline asked for 'More slime'. As a slime queen this region could become one of her outpost domains, a training ground, a harvest zone. And she does seem to like eating curses, so sweets tinged with that would be quite the treat for her, no?

I'd suggest you de-emphasize Spitter spawning, as a territorial foe with a ranged attack AND a predilection towards hunting slimes seems very annoying to deal with if you're sending your denizens (some of whom are slimes) to harvest and/or manage the area. Though you could make the larger variants more rare alpha predators in the biome. The chonky boy T-Rex of Spitters, so to speak, something to truly hone one's edge against - particular if one is a team of slimes trying to train and coordinate together to take down larger and more dangerous targets.
>>
No. 1039295 ID: 9a2966

>>1039293
Bah, nevermind that first bit. Looks like I misread the situation and you're already all ready and raring to go. Well done.
>>
No. 1039304 ID: c3e059

>curse?
>>1039290
This

>what do with this area?
>>1039293
>chonky boy T-Rex of Spitters
>training for Alkaline and her slimes
This
>>
No. 1039308 ID: 7397c3

>>1039276
>What else have you voices got?
Dance. Or Sing. Or do both.

>>1039277
>Also Deem is now cursed. Suggest an appropriate curse.
The curse of the glutton: if you're not paying attention, you'll start absentmindedly consuming any edible thing in front of you, even if you're full. I live like this, and for a while so will you.
>>
No. 1039312 ID: bf7d5b

Curse: pregnant with a slime baby
>>
No. 1039315 ID: e5709d

>Curse
Enhance Nubs
Lactating Slime
Grow a Tail with Dong
>>
No. 1039316 ID: 6360dd

Now she (and only she) can see a big orange humanoid-like rabbit called Herbert who does mieschief to make her look bad.
>>
No. 1039318 ID: 0d2390

Enhance knockers
>>
No. 1039320 ID: 899c9f

The Curse of the Man-Bat gives Deem a sense of vertigo unless her head is upside down.

So the change you're making is to this area, based on your existing aspects? I'm not entirely clear on how this benefits your dungeon. Is it like a surface-side side gig that you can now siphon mana from when adventurers come to deal with the monsters? Will you be able to summon monsters from here to populate it?

Well, I think the most interesting aspect to tweak here would be adding a hint of the alien based on Stargazer's affinity. Say, have you found that twin to the spatial anomaly around here?
>>
No. 1039323 ID: f2320a
1039323

>>1039277
Hmm sweets fecundity fat and not able too stomach it and goo going to run out so i guess ideas list

curse of gluttony: absent minded constant consumption and cravings.

Curse of overflowing bounty: where you constantly produce goo internally like its fat.

Curse of Cake princess got cake:become as cake mimic magically deliciouse minor magic drain when eaten.

My syrup brings all the boys to the yard curse: syrup is fat/blood for plants so lets get some big fat leaky horns that are oddly enticing.

You are what you eat curse: what it says on the tin.

Ham legs: upper thighs literally honeyied hams with pineapple.

Dance of the sugar plum fairy: good at ballet oddly enough smells like sugared plums

Going to see if can find or think up some more so (1/?)
>>
No. 1039325 ID: 36784c

I think the curse should be this: >>1039290 , or this: >>1039308 , or this: >>1039318 .

Can’t really decide which one I’d want the most, so I’m good with any of them.

As for that simple tweak you wanted to make, how about making it so that the slime spitters don’t want to eat slimes anymore. It would make this place safer for your slime denizens if they ever come out here.
>>
No. 1039326 ID: e07ed2

Curse of the Tsundere: unable to hold back from expressing the fullness of your feelings in a direct and comprehensive fashion
>>
No. 1039334 ID: a5db47

Deem's curse is that she becomes chonky! Or she just has enhanced knockers.
>>
No. 1039343 ID: 12b116

>>1039293
Seconding this for what to do with the area.

Fruiting branches sounds like a good curse especially if they are disgusting like persimmons
>>
No. 1039344 ID: fec07f

>>1039343
Slime fruits that are constantly falling off at awkward moments
>>
No. 1039345 ID: 9a2966

>>1039343
>>1039344
Perslimmons.
>>
No. 1039346 ID: f1cb5b

I don't think we really want to maintain an orange slime forest, but maybe you could enhance the shadow aspect, and the curses in the slime, and make it into some kind of cursed swamp?
>>
No. 1039353 ID: 899c9f

>>1039345
>Perslimmons
Does that mean she has to get people to eat the fruit in order to work off the fat?
>>
No. 1039368 ID: 9caba2

>>1039277
Don't worry Deem, you can always just diet a bit to get rid of that excess weight, though you seem to have sprung a leak. Collect some and let people sample it.

For curses, well it's fire aspected, so mayhaps Deem can get a tad more hotheaded. Or simply uncomfortably warm for others to touch.
>>
No. 1039370 ID: 0d74b4

Glowing eyes, which seem to grow larger the more creeped-out any onlookers are by the glowing red eyes dwelling in the darkness...
>>
No. 1039378 ID: 0d2390

>>1039346
Cursed swamp is cool. We could put a bunch of crucifixes in there too (not the religious cross kind. Instead kinds like the T kind or the circle on a post kind from Dark Souls 3) to add to the mood. Maybe a bunch of nooses as well for atmospherics.


We could also make homunculus zombie golems to hang or crucify (as part of their design) for both keeping the monster population in check while nobody is there, but also acting as surveillance.
>>
No. 1039407 ID: cec161
File 165896020273.png - (46.77KB , 800x600 , runes_of_power.png )
1039407

>Curse of gluttony: absent minded constant consumption and cravings.
>Deem is now fat. No matter how much she tries to reshape her clay body, she will always end up looking fat.
>I CURSE YOU WITH FRUIT! MAY YOUR BOUGHS BOW BENEATH THEIR BOUNTIFUL HARVEST!
Deem is now plentifully cursed.

>So you are saying you made nothing but correct choices in your drunk state and not, say-
I don't need to hear this right now.

>So the change you're making is to this area, based on your existing aspects? I'm not entirely clear on how this benefits your dungeon. Is it like a surface-side side gig that you can now siphon mana from when adventurers come to deal with the monsters? Will you be able to summon monsters from here to populate it?
It is to better direct the earth pulse to my dungeon, to create a buffer zone from invaders, to mould it into a place I can draw useful materials from, and to sponsor useful monsters to tame for my dungeon while reducing the risk of antagonistic ones.

>As for monster developments - we have our li'l orange goopling slime. Maybe we could create an environment in which it could thrive, with siblings to match?
I'm not bringing any more creatures as unfortunate as that little orange slime into being.

>Dance. Or Sing. Or do both.
"Moriko, should we dance?"

"I need to keep watch." she reminds me.

I feel a little petulant as I dance with my homunculus instead.

"Should I sing then?"

"As long as it doesn't draw the spitters like it draws the frogs."

I sing a little. I think things are coming together!

>Well, the goo is a useful material and kind of the key feature of the area, so it'd be sad to get rid of it, but the curses are tricky.
>Maybe you can get rid of the curses, or failing that, have it naturally concentrate so the cursed goo and non-cursed goo can be separated when harvesting it? Slime spitters that spit cursed slime would be an- interesting hazard.
I'll try to encourage them to separate, a more distinct threat dotting the area would be more useful instead of this rare, latent potential for something to go wrong.

I feel odd, something is unfurling within me. I've felt this before, mangled and dormant magic pulling itself back together and boiling to life. I feel a flush run through my body. I missed something: there is raw mana present in parts of my golem. It hasn't been an issue when I eat this orange goo, but after eating so much I'm seeping it out my branches, the two have been mingled. I feel a moment of oneness with jelly, a craving to take in more and flower with more, then it quiets. My golem body's watery substitute for blood feels sappy and my branches are tingling, one tip budding into a fruit.

I seem to have gotten off lightly. This slime produce may even be useful.

>I think the most interesting aspect to tweak here would be adding a hint of the alien based on Stargazer's affinity.
It's a slight stretch but I've seen Stargazer's alien jelly and that efficient conversion and stockpiling of energy might be just the elment that's needed for the work I wish to do. I bridge the gap from here to my dungeon, circling around thoughts of Stargazer as I try to push into place the main adjustment.

>Tweak this area to be more gelatinous, the slime mountains are an interesting new feature and a source of abundant minor curses, curses which Alkaline can eat and grow stronger.
>Fecundity seems like it could fit this area well - make the plantlife adapt better to the orange goo and grow their own array of syrupy, sticky, oozy substances (not all of which have to be orange per se), so it becomes more self-replenishing and not dependent on the limited resource of the orange goo.
>The monsters seem territorial, which is good, since it keeps them from causing trouble outside of the area, and makes them an effective obstacle for anyone seeking your dungeon.
>Maybe add a bit of a planty aspect to align it more with you, and/or reinforce the plenty aspect? To give this place a good story, an unnaturally plentiful land guarded by territorial monsters who live off of it.
I focus on the orange goo and the plants, encouraging the distressed stretch of forest to adjust to its sticky situation as I drip my dungeon's fecund aspect into it. A slime forest of plenty which Alkaline and her spawn can make good use of, guarded but rich in reward.

A ripe slime-fruit falls off my branches and plops to the ground.

>I'd suggest you de-emphasize Spitter spawning, as a territorial foe with a ranged attack AND a predilection towards hunting slimes seems very annoying to deal with if you're sending your denizens (some of whom are slimes) to harvest and/or manage the area. You could make the larger variants more rare alpha predators in the biome. The chonky boy T-Rex of Spitters, so to speak, something to truly hone one's edge against.
Threading through the flows of the earth pulse here, I place my thumb against the scales to try to discourage the spitters from spawning here. With how well suited to this area they are, it's likely those that do spawn are going to be stronger but that ultimately will work out to my dungeon's benefit I believe.
>>
No. 1039408 ID: cec161
File 165896033141.png - (29.88KB , 800x550 , plant_the_deem.png )
1039408

As I work, my new fruit keeps growing. I offer one to Moriko but she doesn't enjoy it. They do seem enticing to the slime-spitters though, more start showing up through the day as I work and Moriko and my golem start having to work to keep them off us.

I end up eating the fruit myself to try to reduce the appeal. They aren't that appetising but they might be useful as fertiliser? The scent of even the unripe fruits seems to still draw them. This could make getting back to Hin and the camp difficult.

If it's fruit they want, I guess I'll give it to them! Once I'm happy the changes to the locus are in a stable state I sneak out to remove and plant my branches. A squat little pair of saplings but I think they have a certain charm. I break a twig off each to replace my horns and the replacements start eagerly soaking in my golem body's sap. Hopefully the scent is reduced while they regrow. Maybe I should try transplanting some other plants once we're back at the dungeon.

>Act like a slime spitter! Heck, can you change your golem body to look like one?
I already told you I wasn't going to do that.

>How close is the slime to clay in consistency? Could you use to replace minor parts of your body?
It's slime, not earth, stone, clay, or vegetation, so no. Not without some involved golemetry.

>Hell, you could probably do with some shenanigans- just after you've recovered and also not while capable of exerting the full might of your core, safe shenanigans! Maybe Merud can help with that, a safety valve so you can drink and otherwise experiment freely without risking all your mana.
I'm not about to go putting chains back on my Heart.

>Could you tie in some of your garden powers to this area? I forget what the effect of that place was. You could also apply the Potent Residue - heh, Potent Resindue, maybe - effect to the area, making stuff created by the products here have something of the same effect as your Potent Residue bath. Maybe a natural slimy pool at the center of the area your minions (or the brave) could dip into and come up with some manner of effect?
I've tried to encourage certain images and concepts but I don't have too much control unless I revisit this place with the power and intention to more thoroughly terraform it. I'm hoping to see alchemically useful substances and the center was where all the slime poured through (unless the locus drifted somewhat, so we might be fortunate and get a potent fountain of slime at the center.

>Perhaps you can encourage some shadow-aspected monsters to spawn? Sapient shadows, night stalkers, dream-eaters, that sort of thing. Maybe even a doppelganger or two, but unless they're not very good at mimicry they could cause a lot of problems for both you and the village.
All things I might like to see eventually but I think I'll have to wait until I'm better attuned to shadow.

It's evening by the time we finish but thankfully we're able to slip through the darkening woods without too many random encounters with spitters. Moriko hasn't complained about missing dinner but I could do with something. Hopefully Hin's been fine just a deactivated golem and Doyle for company.
>>
No. 1039409 ID: cec161
File 165896040592.png - (28.56KB , 750x650 , its_you.png )
1039409

"Deem, guess what I caught trying to get into the potions!" Hin says, eyes bright. She ducks behind the tent and grabs something.

My giant blacksmith holds out a strung-up imp. "Orange eyes, you said you had a premonition about it, right? Look at this little cutie, can we keep her?!"

One of my new fruits plops to the ground.

"That's yes, orange." I say, squinting up at it. "You caught it?" Moriko remains silent behind me.

"Left some snares out." Hin says. "Moriko, I think you have a fan." she continues, "Look, she's got a little dress and a little hammer!"

"No." Moriko says.

"Mowww!" the imp yowls like a bad parody of cat as it squirms in the air.

An imp that has its act together enough to make things on its own is rare. They're usually much better at breaking them. This imp feels familiar too. Is this Moriko's shadow? I need to be very careful how I handle this, conversations with Moriko about ancestry and demons have blown up in my face most of the time. Hin seems to be a firm advocate for keeping the imp, but she has no idea about any of Moriko's history too. What's the best approach to hold on to this imp and maybe tactfully raise the point it could be spiritually important to Moriko?

>Say, have you found that twin to the spatial anomaly around here?
That's the other question. I've turned this area about to my will somewhat, but I haven't found that possible spatial anomaly or any other imps yet. I might also want to cull the spitter numbers somewhat. That might be harder with this imp in tow. Should we return to the dungeon tomorrow or stay a little longer?
>>
No. 1039410 ID: 12b116

Waddle yourself back to the dungeon before you need a scooter to get around. We should come back later with a combat focused party and explore the center of this area, and that'll definitely be better without having a captive.
>>
No. 1039411 ID: 600de3

>>1039409
Can you bind the imp like you did Doyle?
>>
No. 1039412 ID: 7397c3

>>1039409
>What's the best approach to hold on to this imp and maybe tactfully raise the point it could be spiritually important to Moriko?
You're overthinking it. You're the dungeon, you get to choose what you keep in yourself. Just answer "yes", and nobody's going to question it. You'll have plenty of time to talk to Moriko later, in a more comfortable and private location.
>>
No. 1039413 ID: e07ed2

Tell Moriko you liked and accepted her for who she was and she didn't have to change.
>>
No. 1039414 ID: 0f7505

However you address this with Moriko, you should probably be careful she doesn't get the idea she can, like, get rid of her demonic side by killing the imp. That doesn't sound to me like it'd end well. Can you give us a recap of what this imp is, exactly? Or, examine it first, do some magic analysis or whatever?

If you've sufficiently asserted dominance over this locus, it's probably better to head back for now. Don't want the imp accidentally escaping or getting killed. If you haven't - what else remains to do?
>>
No. 1039415 ID: 899c9f

Let's stay a little longer, the imp may need further taming before she is house trained.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Moriko. We should keep this one under investigation and study its behavior. We might begin to understand why and how it follows your echo in the earth pulse.
>>
No. 1039416 ID: 15c72a

>>1039409
That is DEFINITELY Moriko's Shadow. Tell Hin we should keep it captive for now. ...wait a minute, it's bigger now, isn't it?

Can you communicate with imps, at all? Maybe it's time to get the imp's side of the story. In private, obviously.
Hmm, is it that it wants to be Moriko, or just to be like her? To gain her acceptance? Maybe you could see if it has any skill with that makeshift hammer.

As for how to talk to Moriko about it, don't yet. Remember, her defense is to deny everything, so gather evidence. Investigate the imp first, find out how it thinks, and if it has any potential to be a decent denizen. We don't have a resurrection slot for it, but... maybe it shares Moriko's? Could you tell if that was the case? Alternatively, maybe you can investigate its link to her, see if there's something wrong with the way it was formed that you can repair, to allow it to become strong, or at least allow it to be summoned and dismissed at will? Most importantly, we need to know if anything bad happens to Moriko if it dies. You could also, potentially, see if you can grant Moriko's wish to be rid of her demon blood, by shoving it into the imp and then severing any connection. Could you do so in a way that prevents Moriko from losing much power?

Once you get some facts, talk to Moriko in private and tell her what you've learned, and ask what she wants to do. Tell her you don't need to know details about her past, the only thing that matters is the present, and this... "separation" has weakened her.
>>
No. 1039435 ID: 4798b1

Let’s head back now. Give Hin the remaining satiety potions before they go bad. As far as Moriko needs to worry, we’re taking this imp with us for interrogation.
>>
No. 1039443 ID: 6360dd

Tell Moriko she doesn't have to face the Imp right now, she can take her time. We should keep that imp secure (whatever we mean) until she want to face this problem.
>>
No. 1039474 ID: f2320a

>>1039409
Where did it get that pink cloth and on size it got fatter thighs
>>
No. 1039482 ID: 0d74b4

You could put a pair of cute little bows on it, and a leash, give it to Moriko, and tell her that you expect her to obedience-train her new pet!

Regardless, congratulate Hin on her good work. Vocal reinforcement is likely much cheaper than whatever you used to congratulate good work back when you didn't vocalise...
>>
No. 1039483 ID: 15c72a

...having Moriko keep it as a pet, while being forbidden to kill it, might eventually get her a little more used to the idea of it being linked to her... but it's also pretty mean. She won't want to do it, and I don't think we should be forcing our denizens to do things.
>>
No. 1039502 ID: 3f2037
File 165914110133.png - (24.58KB , 720x720 , she_screm.png )
1039502

>You're overthinking it. You're the dungeon, you get to choose what you keep in yourself. Just answer "yes", and nobody's going to question it. You'll have plenty of time to talk to Moriko later, in a more comfortable and private location.
I am overthinking this. And yes, the full story can wait. The tour of the hidden valley, the raw mana experiments, the imp attack... I've tried to confess far too many stupid things to her in the heat of the moment.

>Tell Moriko you liked and accepted her for who she was and she didn't have to change.
Exactly this sort of thing!

"Yes, we'll keep the imp." I announce.

Moriko looks askance at me. "I thought you said you'd prefer 'more useful creatures' than imps?"

>Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Moriko. We should keep this one under investigation and study its behavior. We might begin to understand why and how it follows your echo in the earth pulse.
"There's something odd about this one and I need to get to the bottom of it. I think it's the one that finished off the imp bully. It's rare for them to take so much initiative too, they're usually pack creatures. You may be influencing the earth pulse if you're attracting echoes like this."

Moriko doesn't look happy but she nods. "I understand."

>However you address this with Moriko, you should probably be careful she doesn't get the idea she can, like, get rid of her demonic side by killing the imp. That doesn't sound to me like it'd end well.
"I know you don't like demons, but it's going to be a denizen of my dungeon and I need you to make sure it stays alive."

"I wouldn't do anything less."

>You could put a pair of cute little bows on it, and a leash, give it to Moriko, and tell her that you expect her to obedience-train her new pet!
That's disgusting.

>Can you give us a recap of what this imp is, exactly? Or, examine it first, do some magic analysis or whatever?
Moriko had some stigma against her due to her demonic blood in her homeland. However, it's also what gives her an affinity for shaodw and the earth pulse that forms the foundation of her family's fighting skills. Something that happened during the night hag dream intensified Moriko's rejection of her demonic blood, creating a fissure in her spirit. She has slowly been getting weaker since then, and there was growing evidence it had somehow been split off from her as a shadow creature.

This imp is probably her shadow, or at least her shed strength may reside in it.

>Can you communicate with imps, at all? Maybe it's time to get the imp's side of the story. In private, obviously.
>Hmm, is it that it wants to be Moriko, or just to be like her? To gain her acceptance? Maybe you could see if it has any skill with that makeshift hammer.
>Maybe you can investigate its link to her, see if there's something wrong with the way it was formed that you can repair.
>Once you get some facts, talk to Moriko in private and tell her what you've learned, and ask what she wants to do. Tell her you don't need to know details about her past, the only thing that matters is the present, and this... "separation" has weakened her.
It will take a while, but I'll investigate it properly once we're back at my dungeon. I'd just better not wait too long.

>We don't have a resurrection slot for it, but... maybe it shares Moriko's?
>Can you bind the imp like you did Doyle?
It's a soft limit, but exceeding it means that resurrection will be much rougher on all my denizens. I should be able to improve it once this month is up, I think it's worth the cost. I will bind it once we return.

>You could also, potentially, see if you can grant Moriko's wish to be rid of her demon blood, by shoving it into the imp and then severing any connection. Could you do so in a way that prevents Moriko from losing much power?
Of course I can do that, but it would be cleaving apart her being. Unless I was to put something back in its place, some weakening is inevitable. If it helps her achieve a state she desires, that is extremely helpful for her recovery, but in the short term there's not much to be done.
>>
No. 1039504 ID: 3f2037
File 165914122508.png - (51.30KB , 800x600 , headhin_home.png )
1039504

>Waddle yourself back to the dungeon before you need a scooter to get around.
Eating a little orange goo hardly means I'm waddling and why would you think a children's toy would help in a forest like this?

>If you've sufficiently asserted dominance over this locus, it's probably better to head back for now. Don't want the imp accidentally escaping or getting killed.
In the morning, I carry the imp on our trip back. This ends up being the easiest way to handle her without keeping her trussed up.

This turns out to be wise as by the morning I am fruiting again and attracting spitters. Hin and Moriko being freed to fight means that we can repel the handful coming after us without too many injuries.

"You're oddly composed for an imp you know." I tell the imp as we walk. She's content to be carried, she doesn't squirm in my grasp.

"Mowww!"

"Really? She starts screaming the moment you put her down." Hin says.

"You haven't dealt much with imps before I see." I say.

"Wonder where all the others go to." Hin says. "I was expecting to see some but I guess I didn't do much this trip..."

"You cleared out everything around our camp and we wouldn't have been able to claim the locus without you drawing off the spitters." I remind her.

"Yeah but that was a sideshow, it'd be cool to be the main event! If we cooked up all these guys," Hin says, hefting her brace of slain spitters. "And I finished off Doyle's potion, I bet we could probably just bulldoze right in there, fight all the spitters and find the voidy thing you were looking for too."

"You sure you're not just hungry?" I say. "You're already pushing the upper limit of that enchantment and bigger isn't always better."

"Whaaat, back me up here Moriko." Hin complains.

My hammerai takes a deep drag from her waterskin to wet her throat. "In a more normal duel, reach is an advantage." Moriko admits, looking up at Hin thoughtfully. "Against the devil bear, Deem's gigant form was very useful too. Many of these beasts are reluctant to fight a physically imposing enemy too."

"You see," Hin says. "Your fighting expert agrees: bigger's better!"

I didn't expect Moriko to agree with Hin on this.

Back at the dungeon I will need to take things easy outside of my imp investigation. I need to recuperate mana so that I can Delve to push the dungeon towards its final format for Olan's visit, and I need some mana for when Hin works with Olan's curios. I currently have a bit over three weeks until his visit.

Should Hin return to her normal size now? I suppose she could do a little more work near the entrance if she doesn't go too far.

I have had Merud work on improving some golems and I'll be moving Chakarchelou (and the bomb flower) to my former Heart Chamber after the excavation of the new one is a little more progressed. Alkaline's still spawning slimes and I intend to get her into a proper lair too. I should be fine for monsters during the tour.

For plants, I have a small crop of Izakikk's kindly mushrooms coming along in the secret valley. There's the oreberry bush, emblematic flowers and the sap-bomb flowers I haven't done anything with yet too. I'm starting to move in some mundane vegetation as well.

I think I should have my denizens experiment for the next few days. There might be something to add some spectacle (or danger) to my dungeon's chambers, or something that can help my denizens find a way to develop their abilities. There's my own fruitful, monster attracting condition and Hin's sizeable nature, plus Centaur and Reisarf's experiments which might do with some more scrutiny. We still have our miscellaneous tools, creatures and materials too: Hin's softening hammer, the water wand, the glossid, the cake mimic, and then my weird eggs, raw mana, orange goo, slime milk, Stargazer's jelly, curse shards, the lump of paramagnetic iron, and light-absorbing gem.

What are some things that might be worthwhile that don't require any magical exertion on my part?
>>
No. 1039505 ID: 7397c3

>>1039504
>Should Hin return to her normal size now?
just let her stay big as long as she wants, I'm sure she'll get bored of it after a few more days not being able to go inside
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No. 1039506 ID: 899c9f

Hin and Moriko concur, let's send our minions to thrash the slime pit one last time! Pluck your fruits, drop them somewhere and lay low while the fighters and your brute push into the slime. This time you can provide the distraction.
Ways to develop your fighters' abilities include: Higher ceilings. Bigger is better... Also maybe adding some training mats to the meditation room? Make active forms of meditation more comfortable.
Once you get back, keep Hin's enchantment going, use her strength and reach to help the entrance look its best. Plus, a couple of giant footsteps outside your dungeon helps to raise intrigue. You can use your fruit to attract more monsters for her to fight, which will help to keep her fed too.
Hmm, softening hammer + sap bombs = plastic explosives? Curse shards + paramagnetic iron = earth pulse compass?
Has the goo's properties changed after consumption by the spitter lizards? You should perform an autopsy to get some of that twice-processed liquid curse.
If you gloss the light-absorbing gem, does that improve its light absorbing capabilities? What about cutting it?
>>
No. 1039507 ID: 9ab9f7

I feel like you should allow Hin's request. The subtext I'm getting is she knows she can't stay huge forever, but she's enjoying it for the moment, and she wants to make the most of it before returning to normal.

We could technically come back later but- I think it'd be more satisfying for Hin to do it now. Besides, don't you want to see Hin use that enchantment to it's fullest potential? We've got spare spitters and Doyle's potion, I think we can chance it. The main thing is making sure the imp doesn't escape if things go sideways.
>>
No. 1039508 ID: 899c9f

Oh, this is important: If the imp behaves like a cat, you must treat it like a cat. Pet the imp.
>>
No. 1039509 ID: 15c72a

>>1039504
Hmm. If Hin wants to stay big for a little while longer she could try doing some blacksmithing like that. Drag out the anvil, and she can use the Handy Hin Hammer to work without heat. We don't really have the food supply to support that size in the long run though, and there's no way for her to get into the dungeon or get to her bed.
>fight more lizards?
Uh. Well, worst thing that happens is Hin dies I guess? Then she resurrects and becomes small earlier than she wanted. Could give her some good experience. If moriko wants to do it too... well, she'll respawn with her equipment right? And you're not expecting an encounter for the time period where they'll be recovering?
Seems low risk, decent reward even if we fail.
You could ask the others if they want to join in, since it'll be a quick outing and a focused combat job which could actually be safer in numbers since the objective is extermination.

>experiments
Um, you could encourage Alkaline's curse-eating via the curse shards? It's been a while since we tried to solidify/evolve any of her abilities.
Does the waterbearer wand allow you to separate fluids? Can it be used to move slimes around? Launch them at enemies perhaps? Could Alkaline hold it, and use it to levitate herself and the wand at the same time and thus fly at will?
I wonder if the cake mimic would react to the weird eggs? Eggs are an ingredient in cake, and it's technically a living thing... If it can eat things you could try giving it some goo.
Why don't we try making a magic item using the paramagnetic iron and the refocusing gem? I feel like magnetism/lightning and "redirection" together might produce a decent ranged weapon. You could add a touch of eldritch via stargazer jelly, since she's all about the giant lasers.
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No. 1039510 ID: 12b116

How many bombs do we have from that flower, and can we mix them with curses to make cursed bomb traps?
>>
No. 1039512 ID: 15c72a

Oh, Hin needs to make herself a proper giant weapon, instead of that makeshift thing.

If severing the blood would further weaken Moriko, then... maybe something synergistic could be done? Strengthen the bond, but keep the imp separate, so that when one grows stronger the other does as well?
>>
No. 1039514 ID: f57349

>>1039512
Could turn that into a condition. Something like:
>"I hired you for your talents as a blacksmith rather than a brute, so if you want to start a big fight, first forge a proper weapon."
Challenges of working without appropriately-scaled infrastructure might convince her of the "bigger isn't always better" point better than any verbal argument... or, if Hin succeeds, after that supersize effect wears off a gigantic masterwork weapon can be reused as a memorable trap component, so it's a win for Deem either way.
>>
No. 1039515 ID: 15c72a

A giant's weapon can also just be melted down afterwards, it's no big deal.
>>
No. 1039564 ID: 0d74b4

Could the enchantment be having mental effects upon Hin? If I recall correctly, Hin was initially concerned that you sought her fir her combat prowess rather than her skill as an artisan. She seems to currently be seeking to excel as a combatant, which seems odd. Another explanation would be that she has been feeling unfulfilled and is looking for self-expression in the more abundant field of violence, where as her forge may be a bit too dependent upon lacking materials to operate at a satisfying capacity... . Or she just likes how much you dig your hammerai and she wants a piece of that action...
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No. 1039599 ID: 0840c2

>>1039504
Could Merud make Golems that are simply long arms coming from the wall, floor or ceiling? They wouldn't have to be strong, just annoying to deal with
>>
No. 1039678 ID: a0a93b

>>1039599
...And they drop on you from above and drag you back to the entrance
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No. 1039734 ID: 851e04
File 165939225384.png - (29.79KB , 800x600 , hins_the_carry.png )
1039734

We find Reisarf and Stargazer loitering out the front of my dungeon again.

"Oh welcome back everyone! You're all looking healthy." Reisarf says. "Deem, you got bigger? I thought Hin was going to. You're always so surprising, it's amazing!" Stargazer wiggles in agreement.

i look at him in silence for a moment. "T-thanks." I say, deciding to take Reisarf's words as the compliment they were probably intended to be.

"Is that an imp mimic?" he asks, looking at the new addition to our group.

"No, just a shadow imp. There's something odd about it." I say.

"Isn't she adorable?" Hin says. "Are you going to name her? Oooh, how about 'Blackie'?" Moriko gives her a brief, annoyed glance.

"Nooo, not just yet." I say.

>We could technically come back later but- I think it'd be more satisfying for Hin to do it now. Besides, don't you want to see Hin use that enchantment to it's fullest potential? We've got spare spitters and Doyle's potion, I think we can chance it. The main thing is making sure the imp doesn't escape if things go sideways.
>I feel like you should allow Hin's request. The subtext I'm getting is she knows she can't stay huge forever, but she's enjoying it for the moment, and she wants to make the most of it before returning to normal.
True, with all she's been through since joining my dungeon, if this is something she's been enjoying I don't want to cut it short for her.

"I've been thinking about your idea." I say to Hin. "And I think you're right. Maybe we should be making the most of you while these circumstances last. We'll rest today, re-equip, cook up those spitters, and then I'd like you to head back to the crags."

"Great!" Hin says.

>Or she just likes how much you dig your hammerai and she wants a piece of that action...
What.

>Let's send our minions to thrash the slime pit one last time!
"I had better stay back at the dungeon." I say. Out in the wild I'll be attracting monsters, and I need to investigate this imp. "Doyle, you're going with Hin. Do you want to go as well, Moriko?"

"No I think I should stay here." Moriko says, looking at me and the imp in my arms. "It is my duty to protect you and your dungeon."

I nod. "Reisarf, Stargazer, do you want to go? You know how to recognise a spatial void." I haven't thought of anything for them to experiment on, they're good firepower, and the fresh air and combat experience will probably be good for them.

Reisarf and Stargazer share a look. "It'll be like a campout!" Reisarf says. They're also much better cooks than Moriko or myself so there's that little bonus for Hin. I put the two of them in charge of an outdoor barbeque for this evening.

I make the offer to Merud and Chakarchelou too, but my golemeter is still busy with golem work and my lizard is worried about his gold. Alkaline's busy spawning slimes.

>Uh. Well, worst thing that happens is Hin dies I guess? Then she resurrects and becomes small earlier than she wanted. Could give her some good experience.
It'll be a good lesson about not getting in over her head if that happens, and if not less spitters to worry about in the future and we might find the origin point of the orange goo.

>Oh, Hin needs to make herself a proper giant weapon, instead of that makeshift thing.
>Hmm. If Hin wants to stay big for a little while longer she could try doing some blacksmithing like that. Drag out the anvil, and she can use the Handy Hin Hammer to work without heat.
Hin uses her magic hammer to reshape her crude stone axe into something a little more respectable, as I provide some advice on my stonecrafting. We dip into the ingot stockpile to put a metal rim on the axe blade. My blacksmith has a slightly more respectable weapon now.

Hin sets into devouring the spitter steaks with alarming gusto. I try some myself, with my alienist and alien's efforts it's a much more palatable meal. Between Hin consuming an alarming fraction of her body weight in lizard, and her drinking all of Doyle's current batch of satiety potion, my giant blacksmith is waxing out to behemoth sizes. She has to be almost thirty feet tall. It's probably just that ridiculous dream rattling around in my head, but I'm starting to worry.

Moriko even gives her some pointers in the evening. My hammerai comes out on top by ruthlessly going for the knees and ankles at every opportunity but Hin's happy she put Moriko on the spot a few times. It's closer than the last time they had a match-up.
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No. 1039735 ID: 851e04
File 165939229907.png - (41.71KB , 750x650 , petition_the_princess.png )
1039735

The next morning Hin and company set off and I set my other denizens to work.

>Why don't we try making a magic item using the paramagnetic iron and the refocusing gem? I feel like magnetism/lightning and "redirection" together might produce a decent ranged weapon. You could add a touch of eldritch via stargazer jelly, since she's all about the giant lasers.
I don't have the spare mana to work on magical items.

>You could encourage Alkaline's curse-eating via the curse shards? It's been a while since we tried to solidify/evolve any of her abilities.
Alkaline's been lurking up in the hidden valley for some reason, but I find the tent-like affair she's made by stringing up sheets of toughened slime between trees. My little slime princess is lounging in a mass of goo like a couch, some of her more developed slimes tending to her. She must be delegating out a lot of her strength again.

"Alkaline!" I say, holding out my arms.

She doesn't get up, and just glances up from the book she's reading. "Blee-" she coughs. "Deem."

I take a proper look at her. "Why aren't you wearing your pretty dress?"

"Why are you?" she asks back.

I'm not quite sure what tack she's taking here, maybe these books are a bad influence.

>Could Merud make Golems that are simply long arms coming from the wall, floor or ceiling? They wouldn't have to be strong, just annoying to deal with
I'm going to work on some extra long golem arms with Merud as a trap." I offer. "Do you want to watch?"

"No, I'm reading a book." Alkaline says.

"Oh." I say. She seems to be in a funny mood. Maybe it's something she ate. "Well I have some curse shards for you, I think they'll be good to help you develop your curse eating."

She rolls her eyes. "Of course you do." She does accept them off me though. Alkaline reports one of the curse shards makes her chest tingle so I quickly get it off her and let her try the other one instead. From some of her sudden little tweaks to appearance, I think it's the polymorph curse, that one should be very good for her.

>Does the waterbearer wand allow you to separate fluids? Can it be used to move slimes around? Launch them at enemies perhaps? Could Alkaline hold it, and use it to levitate herself and the wand at the same time and thus fly at will?
It won't let someone levitate levitate themselves but throwing is worth a test. I ask Alkaline if I can borrow some of her slimes.

"Ugh, fiiine."

I leave Alkaline to her book and discover the wand is finicky to get right, but if done correctly, considerable slime velocity can be achieved.

>Has the goo's properties changed after consumption by the spitter lizards? You should perform an autopsy to get some of that twice-processed liquid curse.
I set some aside when Reisarf was preparing the barbecue and my main discovery is sometimes it solidifies, making an effective restraint to something that's gotten gunked in spitter goo.

>I wonder if the cake mimic would react to the weird eggs? Eggs are an ingredient in cake, and it's technically a living thing... If it can eat things you could try giving it some goo.
The cake mimic's disinterested in both. It normally eats bugs and mice and the like.
>>
No. 1039736 ID: 851e04
File 165939235571.png - (30.56KB , 800x600 , my_water_now.png )
1039736

My imp and Moriko research has been an exercise in frustration.

I only have my handheld Scan Lens and no dungeon rooms to support me in diagnosing what's going on. That crude tool and my own extensive experience have been enough to identify a number of things to date, but they're failing in the face of something that might be getting deliberately hidden from me.

Moriko scans as doggedly human, rather than a tiefling. She's still weakened but doesn't seem to have become substantially weaker since the last time I did an extensive scan. The imp is a shadow imp, an unusually developed and individualistic one and there's some parallels between her and Moriko but I can't say for sure if it is truly some spiritual shadow, whether it's just some imp that somehow swallowed Moriko's abandoned essence or this is a complete coincidence.

Questioning has revealed the imp very much looks up to Moriko and wants to emulate her. She has managed a passing imitation of Moriko's basic hammer moves, admitted to sneaking into the dungeon with the other imps, killing the Imp Bully and following Moriko around in the wilderness. Hin caught her because she wanted to try some of Moriko's 'special drink'.

>Oh, this is important: If the imp behaves like a cat, you must treat it like a cat. Pet the imp.
If that imp would behave maybe I would. She's been picking fights with Alkaline's smaller slimes and Chakarchelou. The slimes have been getting the worst of it, as generally Chakarchelou just gets fed up after a few minutes and sits on her until I come along.

Moriko hasn't been letting her follow her to her training spot and the imp keeps eating slices of the cake mimic and leaving crumbs and icing about the place, despite it being entirely illusionary!

The only mercy is she doesn't seem to have a normal imp's predilection for getting into places and breaking things.

>If severing the blood would further weaken Moriko, then... maybe something synergistic could be done? Strengthen the bond, but keep the imp separate, so that when one grows stronger the other does as well?
I haven't confirmed if there was a bond because that would require magic work on Moriko that might draw a negative reaction from her. Strengthening a sympathetic link would be very obvious to the both of them. I could wait for Moriko to weaken again and see if there's a corresponding change to the imp but that's hardly ideal either.
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No. 1039737 ID: 851e04
File 165939243278.png - (28.46KB , 800x600 , no_one_expects_the_frogs.png )
1039737

On the evening of the second day after Hin's departure, frogs attack!

These ornery creatures seem to have an impeccable sense of timing. My dungeon's bridge is retractable but unfortunately frogs can jump and with my limited sense of advance warning they're in the Golem Totem before I can do anything, throwing themselves against my big handed brute and swarming past her. I feel the earth-pulse swell as the invaders rush in.

Moriko's a strong fighter but other than her I just have Chakarchelou, Merud, the golems and Alkaline and her slimes. The frogs have brought some of their exploding tadpoles this time, and the kamikaze creatures are likely to cause injuries.

I don't doubt I can repel them from my dungeon itself: my fighters are superior to giant frogs and the amphibian menace can't use their numbers well in most of these hallways, but outside my denizens will get absolutely swarmed. We lack effective wide area attacks outside of Alkaline's Bad Eggs or carefully trying to snip off some bomb flowers without lighting them. It might even be worth waiting for my Orange Crag investigators: they should be back in a day or two but my dungeon would be sieged by frogs that entire time.
>>
No. 1039738 ID: e07ed2

>>1039737
frog
>>
No. 1039739 ID: e07ed2

Anyway the best way to manage these is to get them to start infighting. Imitate a female frog through some apparatus if needed and get the males to compete with each other.
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No. 1039740 ID: 899c9f

You may not be able to read, but you should have Merud screen what books Alkaline reads. That one doesn't seem good for her. Perhaps he can suggest some books that feature heroic golems or powerful queens.

Use the dungeon to your advantage, allow the frogs inside in waves so you can deal with them piecemeal. Use the golems and slimes as the frontline to intercept kamikaze tadpoles. Avoid injuries to core fighters, since the rez chamber is currently overworked. Once they stop accepting your invitation inside, set up a clay pillbox and huck bad eggs and arrows over the rim from your golem totem until they give up and leave.
Also, keep an eye on your spatial anomaly. After all, you did send Hin and Reisarf to look for the other end of it. Something or someone might pass through.
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No. 1039741 ID: ff9c4f

Your goals here should be to avoid injuries and milk and earth pulse for all that you can. Maybe a golem front line, then slimes with spears, or at least vaguely pointy sticks, then Merud with his scarf ready to slap away any tadpole bombs. Chak is probably mostly immune to froggination, so have him slip in and out to cause havoc/intensify the earth pulse and then rest. Alkaline can read her book within shouting distance, ready in case the frogs somehow surprise us and need bad egging.

Or whatever else Alkaline wants to do.
>>
No. 1039742 ID: 15c72a

Ah, if we had some traps or environmental hazards they would be really effective...
I say go ahead and repel the attackers. You've seen how the imp fights, is she strong enough to avoid getting killed? If not, you should make sure she's locked up somewhere safe.
This is a pretty good way to train the slimes, isn't it? We were hoping to use them as hoplites, and that's a formation that works very well against mass enemies.

Can you block/unblock passages to allow manageable groups into rooms for reduced risk combat training? Like, seal off a portion of frogs and then open a different door to allow them to spill out into a room where our forces are waiting? Like an airlock, but for frogs.
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No. 1039745 ID: 12b116

Alkaline is being a sulky teen, get her involved in the defense to give her something to do besides sit around and read porno books. Maybe get her to evaluate the imp's skills while we're defending the dungeon while also protecting it so it doesn't get hurt too bad. This can also give us a good idea of how well she has a grasp of command and tactics with her slimes. Let her have some autonomy and responsibility in the frog battle.
We should definitely get them stuck in to the dungeon where we have the defensive advantage and not really go on the offense where we can get swarmed
>>
No. 1039762 ID: a0a93b

>>1039740
Yyyeah.... I was gonna ask if you screened those books first, but I forgot you can't read. Where did they come from, again? You should probably have somebody keeping an eye on what Alkaline is reading. Given her rate of growth, she'll probably be out of her sulky teen phase before long, but/and you should try to make sure she's growing in a good direction while she's still growing.
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No. 1039779 ID: 36784c

>>1039735
>Alkaline’s attitude
Seems like she’s in her moody teenager stage. Then again, another reason she could be upset is because you never spend time with her.

Seriously, when was the last time you did anything with her that didn’t involve training one of her abilities? Also, with how often you’ve been leaving her behind when you leave the dungeon, she must be feeling a little abandoned.

No matter how much you deny it, you are basically Alkaline‘s mother. And she’s at the age where she’s starting to notice you’re only around when you want to train up one of her abilities. She probably thinks you only care about her abilities, but you don’t actually care about her.

Next time you have a chance, you should spend some time doing some bonding with Alkaline.
>>
No. 1039782 ID: a0a93b

>>1039779
Hmm. Possible good point. Of course, she seems to get annoyed by interaction in general. Still, you could...ask what she's reading, maybe? Have we seen Alkaline engaging in any other hobbies?
>>
No. 1040049 ID: d240e9

Use the Earth Pulse!

It might be impolite, normally, to rearrange the dungeon while the Labyrinth Dance is underway, but frogs deserve no such courtesy. Whatever mana you're getting from them can be used to keep everyone safe. Then, try to prolong things and wring as much mana as possible from the attack.

What you need, then, is something that'll keep the frogs in an impassioned state as long as possible. That doesn't necessarily mean someone has to be fighting them the whole time! In the past, they've reacted to music.
>>
No. 1040338 ID: d0a22e
File 165994010549.png - (51.59KB , 900x550 , deems_cool_golem_swarm.png )
1040338

>Ah, if we had some traps or environmental hazards they would be really effective...
I know, but my denizens have been busy on other work! Unfortunately the bridge I do have isn't the best at keeping them out.

>Your goals here should be to avoid injuries and milk and earth pulse for all that you can.
>We should definitely get them stuck in to the dungeon where we have the defensive advantage and not really go on the offense where we can get swarmed.
I marshal my golems. Many of them are already working about the dungeon in various places, my others working up in the hidden valley improving my denizen's accommodations. They raise the alarm as they drop tools and pick up weapons.

>You've seen how the imp fights, is she strong enough to avoid getting killed? If not, you should make sure she's locked up somewhere safe.
Chakarchelou was napping in Hin's forge and proves to be a fierce guard-dragon as frogs spill into the hall past my Golem Totem and keeping them out of my Heart Chamber where I and Merud are talking. I make sure the orange slime and the imp are safe with me while I fall back towards the meditation chamber where I know Moriko is resting. The cake mimic will be fine in the Resurrection Matrix.

The other side is less defended, which is perhaps fortunate. They haven't caught anyone in the baths, but the frogs aggressively harrass those of Alkaline's slimes that are hanging out there as my golems try to intervene.

Thankfully I can marshall my forces quickly, and send in Moriko to help Chakarchelou. That eases the pressure enough to push forward with brute golems and spear wielding homunculi, allowing my big-handed brute golem to retreat out of the Golem Totem before it was completely destroyed.
>>
No. 1040339 ID: d0a22e
File 165994013393.png - (37.83KB , 800x530 , alkalines_squishy_slime_swarm.png )
1040339

As Merud is hastily patching my golems up, Alkaline arrives.

She's got some new, hydra-like slimes with her. It looks like she's developed her alchemy crafting variants, in the nick of time. They have a body full of volatile alchemical goop that allows them to create various substances. She's learnt a trick from her time hunting the devil-bear and given them very durable and stretchy membranes, making it hard to slash or pierce what would otherwise be a potentially explosive weak spot. I suspect some of their 'heads' will survive as basic slimes.

>Alkaline is being a sulky teen, get her involved in the defense to give her something to do besides sit around and read porno books.
What kind of books?!

>This can also give us a good idea of how well she has a grasp of command and tactics with her slimes. Let her have some autonomy and responsibility in the frog battle.
"Alkaline," I say. "This is a good chance for you, I want you to take charge of your slimes for this battle."

She looks surprised. "Really?"

>This is a pretty good way to train the slimes, isn't it? We were hoping to use them as hoplites, and that's a formation that works very well against mass enemies.
Their numbers are low and they're still learning, but Alkaline's slimes are starting to get the basics of combined formations.

Alkaline leads the charge into the thaumatorium, a mass of shields and spears with Bad Eggs hurled over the top of them. A handful of exploding tadpoles are the only real threat.

"You might want to stay at the Thaumatorium so you can use your Hydro-Pump on your slimes." I suggest.

"I'm going to stay with them." she says, as she delegates that ability to one of her older slimes. She gets ready to push back to the Golem Totem, leaving her injured slimes at the thaumatorium to recover a little and get watered as the others go on.

>Use the dungeon to your advantage, allow the frogs inside in waves so you can deal with them piecemeal. Use the golems and slimes as the frontline to intercept kamikaze tadpoles. Avoid injuries to core fighters, since the rez chamber is currently overworked.
I let the others know we'll use slimes and golems as our front lines, the other denizens only stepping in if something gets past the front line.

We clear the Golem Totem without too much damage inflicted on our forces. Alkaline raises the dungeon entry's bridge and keeps pushing. There's dozens of angry frogs hopping about outside.

"Alkaline!" I say, as she joins the hoplites in the lead. A hail of Bad Eggs clears half the bridge, but then the frogs spit their tadpoles back in turn. Most of hoplites and Alkaline are knocked off the bridge.
>>
No. 1040340 ID: d0a22e
File 165994015186.png - (32.96KB , 800x550 , the_froggening.png )
1040340

My golems grab the alchemical slimes, to stop them going over too.

I send my basic brute, my damaged big-handed brute and a homunculus with a spear into the bridge. Another golem activates the bridge drop. It splashes down into the wet ditch where the slimes are trying and failing to fend off a horde of frogs.

With the basic brute and homunculus getting the frogs' attention, my damaged golem wades into the water, grabs Alkaline and throws her back up. Above, my woody golem grabs her. My golem keeps searching the water for slimes to toss back up as the other two try to keep the bridge clear.

It's not as successful as I'd hoped.

Frogs and tadpoles pile up on the escarpment, hurling themselves down on the heads of my golems, others trying to make the jump to the dungeon entrance. All too soon, I've lost the golems I sent, and about half of Alkaline's slimes.
>>
No. 1040341 ID: d0a22e
File 165994018718.png - (33.59KB , 800x600 , ur_not_my_real_mum.png )
1040341

I check on Alkaline. She seems shaken.

"You can't keep rushing in like that." I tell her. "I won't always be able to bail you out."

"I-" Alkaline starts to say something, then changes her mind. "You didn't have to, I'd have been fine."

We trail off as I give her a skeptical look.

>No matter how much you deny it, you are basically Alkaline‘s mother.
No matter how much you harp on about this you're not going to convince me.

>Seems like she’s in her moody teenager stage. Then again, another reason she could be upset is because you never spend time with her.
>Seriously, when was the last time you did anything with her that didn’t involve training one of her abilities? Also, with how often you’ve been leaving her behind when you leave the dungeon, she must be feeling a little abandoned.
>She probably thinks you only care about her abilities, but you don’t actually care about her.
>Next time you have a chance, you should spend some time doing some bonding with Alkaline.
Well we'll spend some time together now.

"Well we're safe in here, we'll let those frogs wear themselves out a bit." Our numbers are now a little thin for a counterattack without casualties too. "Do you want to read that book of fairy tales together again?"

"I'm not a baby any more." she pouts.

I can't help but find this a little much since it was only a few weeks ago we last read it.

"What are you reading now then?" I say.

She looks aside. "It's very serious and adult stuff, you wouldn't like it."

>Yyyeah.... I was gonna ask if you screened those books first, but I forgot you can't read. Where did they come from, again? You should probably have somebody keeping an eye on what Alkaline is reading.
I can read now, I must have read at least half a dozen books! It must have been from that box of secondhand books I bought from Liana.

>Given her rate of growth, she'll probably be out of her sulky teen phase before long, but/and you should try to make sure she's growing in a good direction while she's still growing.
"Well I don't know if those books are the best for you." I say.

"Oh now you're interested just because you want to tell me what to do?!"

Alkaline stomps off to sulk in the thaumatorium.

...

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

I see about getting my denizens ready for the night. My reduced complement of golems should be enough, along with the slimes camping out in the hallway. The frogs are still trying the occasional probing attack but mostly seem content to try and keep my denizens awake with their infernal croaking.
>>
No. 1040342 ID: d0a22e
File 165994023270.png - (32.89KB , 800x600 , did_you_get_a_haircut.png )
1040342

We're going to hunt the devil bear. No, some frogs? Something is not right. I need to find Moriko and Alkaline. We're going the wrong way.

"You're sooo stupid. You know that right?" A voice comes behind me, It's familiar.

"Moriko?"

"Am I?" the imp laughs back. "You're going to lose her you know, one way or the other. You mess it up every single time. You blurt out something stupid and tactless, or you hesitate and don't do anything - you coward!"

Something about this is famil-

"You can't help her, and you can't help yourself. You're going to drive her away or stew in your own uselessness until there's nothing left of her!"

"Aren't you my denizen? You should be serving me, not berating me!"

"Yeah so I think I'll keep telling you you're stupid! No-one else is going to do it!"

I need to get this imp in line, what should I do?
>>
No. 1040344 ID: e07ed2

>>1040341
>No matter how much you harp on about this you're not going to convince me.
That doesn't matter if she's already convinced of it.
>>1040342
Well denying it isn't helping so far so try acknowledging Morikoesque's issues and ask how you can help or improve
>>
No. 1040346 ID: 7397c3

>>1040342
>No-one else is going to do it!
Hey, I resent that. We do it all the time! We're not about to let you take our job.
>>
No. 1040347 ID: 899c9f

Hey now, there's plenty of us around to call you stupid!
The imp is a symptom of Moriko's denial. Take the first step of confronting it. You'll keep trying to get through to Moriko, and it won't be easy but you will move the mountain of self doubt a pebble at a time. Now, if you don't mind, the resurrection matrix needs testing. (Whack her. Some denizens need a firmer hand.)
>>
No. 1040348 ID: 15c72a

>>1040342
Oh you're dreaming again. No antlers! Also I'm pretty sure the shadow imp hasn't evolved so quickly.
Guess it wasn't the cacoffee. That leaves either the raw mana doing things to your golem body, or your new core layer giving you a deeper link to artificial life.

Anyway, the imp. Just take away her hammer until she agrees to behave herself.
As for Alkaline, once you're awake you should have an extended, serious conversation about your role in her life, and also bring some pre-screened books for her. Find out what kind of books she likes in general, so you can find more of that kind for her, ones that don't have anything too objectionable in them.
Hmm, have you taught her math yet? I wonder if there are any other skills she's interested in learning?
>>
No. 1040352 ID: 0530ae

You gotta teach Alky bout choke points, dawg.
>>
No. 1040353 ID: 9caba2

>>1040342
It's simple, you must seduce the imp. With a smooch.
>>
No. 1040367 ID: 12b116

>>1040342
we tell you you're stupid all the time! Punch it in the face.
>>
No. 1040368 ID: 30b9f6

>Deemdreams
>In a dream there is no separation between thought, desire and action.
Deem, last time you dreamt I suspected an outside source, but now I'm starting to wonder if something isn't rising from your subconscious. Fears and worries, minor matters magnified, perhaps.

>How to get the Imp in line
If it aimed to get a rise out of you... well, it has. But the response can still be measured.

>No-one else is going to criticize you!
Utter crud. You are amply awarded by yours truly with a running commentary whenever mistakes be made - however much you may groan to hear it - and you've received implicit criticism both asked and unasked from your denizens before. To snag two off-the-cuff examples:

>Reisarf: "Ah, you do have a talent for overdoing things."
>Hin: "Deem, you sound like my grandma."

Points made towards your occasional propensity for pushing things towards their limits and how you coddle-worry about your denizens perhaps a bit overmuch.

>You mess it up every single time
Not so. The recruitment, the garden, assorted pep talks, they've all gone fine. You have it in you to say the right things, and you have, confidently, before. Otherwise you'd not have them here at all, let alone as a budding... friend.

>You're going to lose her
Moriko is remarkable, even despite her own internal troubles. She's thoughtful, strong and brave. The loss of her would sting, so the fear of this is in itself a reasonable thing for a Dungeon like yourself. But not only is Moriko incredibly unlikely to leave without fair warning, but also... so what if she does leave? It'd be her choice and her voice speaking - not some imp's - and she's earned the right to both.

Even if she left you could always invite her to come back some day, then continue to work hard on the Dungeon so you can give her a challenge worthy of the earth pulse's stirring. Never let your fear of losing someone get in the way of doing right by them, one way or another.

>Trick the dream imp into revealing something
You know the imp took Moriko's life force somehow, whether through a curse or the shared connection of demonic blood, or whatnot. Can you get it to talk about its connection? Maybe something not entirely wasteful will come from it. The imp issue does need to be resolved sooner rather than later. It'd be great if you could restore Moriko to her full vim and vitality and get her to resolve her issues with her heritage - or at least come to peace with it better.
>>
No. 1040391 ID: f1cb5b

Well... ok, she's kind of right.

I mean, you keep hesitating at the last moment. You end up a step away from just forcing Moriko to confront something that she feels intense personal shame about but is honestly something pretty amazing.

"Shadow" doesn't mean evil, and she comes from a place where they teach the opposite of that. Demonic heritage doesn't mean bad things. You flirt with her at the worst times, refuse to admit any real attachment, and keep letting her wallow in her own self loathing instead of confronting the problem that's been eating at her.

You are literally staring at a magic creature that you can track through a series of magic mishaps to containing Moriko's demonic connection and your answer was to dominate it, keep it around, and hope she takes care of it herself.

Moriko is your champion. Losing her would be losing a piece of this new identity you built. You ARE worried about it, even though you tell yourself you aren't. You're worried she'll continue to get weaker, become hopeless, and leave.

When you push her and she pushes back, and you don't want to have whatever happened to you before happen again, so you retreat and doubt yourself. You wait, and bide, and hope it works out on it's own.

But it's never going to work out on it's own, and not doing anything will lead to failure. Your own mind is telling you Deem, this new golem body has dreams like the humans do, and your own mind lurking beneath the surface, the one that remembers all the long years of labyrinth game, is telling you to quit being stupid and afraid.
>>
No. 1040486 ID: 550cca
File 166012561633.png - (30.29KB , 800x600 , imp_recations.png )
1040486

>It's simple, you must seduce the imp. With a smooch.
That's not going to happen.

>Oh you're dreaming again. No antlers!
Something's not right... no they're here?

>If it aimed to get a rise out of you... well, it has. But the response can still be measured.
It's trying to provoke me? How dare it!

>Trick the dream imp into revealing something
You know the imp took Moriko's life force somehow, whether through a curse or the shared connection of demonic blood, or whatnot. Can you get it to talk about its connection?
"What is your relationship to Moriko?" I say to the imp.

The imp cackles. "I thought you were supposed to know everything, Deem! Dungeons and monsters and demons are all your rock for a brain are good for right?" The imp wriggles on the spot. "No, I've got a better one, what's yours Deem?"

"..."

"You don't even know that, do you?!" she chortles.

>Well... ok, she's kind of right.
That's not what I want to hear.

>I mean, you keep hesitating at the last moment. You end up a step away from just forcing Moriko to confront something that she feels intense personal shame about but is honestly something pretty amazing.
It's something that's controlled her entire life, I don't want it to overshadow her life here too.

>"Shadow" doesn't mean evil, and she comes from a place where they teach the opposite of that. Demonic heritage doesn't mean bad things. You flirt with her at the worst times, refuse to admit any real attachment, and keep letting her wallow in her own self loathing instead of confronting the problem that's been eating at her.
All of you keep pushing me to give her something I don't have! My Heart is barren, there is no future there!

>You are literally staring at a magic creature that you can track through a series of magic mishaps to containing Moriko's demonic connection and your answer was to dominate it, keep it around, and hope she takes care of it herself.
I don't have an easy answer! I don't even know for sure if they are connected! Am I just jumping at shadows?

>Moriko is your champion. Losing her would be losing a piece of this new identity you built. You ARE worried about it, even though you tell yourself you aren't. You're worried she'll continue to get weaker, become hopeless, and leave.
She can't go, I won't let her go, she needs me!

>When you push her and she pushes back, and you don't want to have whatever happened to you before happen again, so you retreat and doubt yourself. You wait, and bide, and hope it works out on it's own.
>But it's never going to work out on it's own, and not doing anything will lead to failure. Your own mind is telling you Deem, this new golem body has dreams like the humans do, and your own mind lurking beneath the surface, the one that remembers all the long years of labyrinth game, is telling you to quit being stupid and afraid.
I don't want it to break her, like- I don't want it to happen.

The imp pokes me. "Are you even listening?"

"What, do you have more insults for me?"

The imp rocks back in the air, legs crossed. "Ah, your fecund dungeon is a bad sham knowing seeing what you're really like, your branches are silly looking and your fruit smell!"

I frown at it.

"Oh, and stop trying to be taller and puffing out your chest! No-one's going to think you're mature!"

"I am very mature!"

"You're a dumb whiny baby!"

"Am not!"
>>
No. 1040487 ID: 550cca
File 166012564918.png - (30.44KB , 750x650 , so_you_have_chosen_death.png )
1040487

>We tell you you're stupid all the time! Punch it in the face.
Hraaagh! I punch the imp in the face.

The imp screams as it flies off.

>Hey now, there's plenty of us around to call you stupid!
>Hey, I resent that. We do it all the time! We're not about to let you take our job.
>Utter crud. You are amply awarded by yours truly with a running commentary whenever mistakes be made - however much you may groan to hear it - and you've received implicit criticism both asked and unasked from your denizens before.
You're next if you keep your attitude up.
>>
No. 1040488 ID: 550cca
File 166012569052.png - (17.69KB , 720x720 , ha_ha_deems_in_danger.png )
1040488

Moriko jumps up in front of me. "Hahahah, you missed!" She sticks out her tongue. "That was just my shadow! Weren't we going to do something now? Sing a song? Have a heartfelt chat watching the stars? Play dress-ups? Should we take another bath together?~"

"... You're not Moriko." I say.

Moriko pouts. "So now you want to say who I can or can't be? Unbelievable Deem!"

>Not so. The recruitment, the garden, assorted pep talks, they've all gone fine. You have it in you to say the right things, and you have, confidently, before. Otherwise you'd not have them here at all, let alone as a budding... friend.
This isn't going fine at all and I need famuli, not friends!

>Moriko is remarkable, even despite her own internal troubles. She's thoughtful, strong and bra-
Moriko presses forward, eyes alight with mischief. "I know, we should we duel again! If I win, this time I'll be the master and you can be my cute little servant!"

"N-no, that's never going to happen again!" I say.

"Oh maybe you can be my cute big maid instead?" She leans in. "Let's seal it with a kiss!"

Something hits my head.
>>
No. 1040489 ID: 550cca
File 166012573968.png - (33.97KB , 800x600 , the_frogs_are_gone_and_everyone_is_happy_deem.png )
1040489

I raise an arm to fend off Stargazer's pats.

"Reisarf why are you here?"

"Oh well Merud and Moriko thought we should let you sleep but I thought you didn't like sleeping? And I have a favour to ask!"

I blink.

>Deem, last time you dreamt I suspected an outside source, but now I'm starting to wonder if something isn't rising from your subconscious. Fears and worries, minor matters magnified, perhaps.
Whatever's causing these dreams, being so overdrawn on mana has to be what is causing me to fall asleep. I need to do something about my levels of mana.

>As for Alkaline, once you're awake you should have an extended, serious conversation about your role in her life, and also bring some pre-screened books for her. Find out what kind of books she likes in general, so you can find more of that kind for her, ones that don't have anything too objectionable in them.
I'm starting to wonder if those stupid books are worth getting in another fight over!

"What is this favour?" I venture as Reisarf and Stargazer continue to just watch me.

"Things happened and Hin's worried you'll get mad, so can you promise you're not going to get mad?"

"That makes me think I need to get mad." I say.

"Oh, that's not what I wanted to happen." Reisarf says.

I feel exhausted already. How am I going to handle this?
>>
No. 1040490 ID: 15c72a

>>1040486
>My Heart is barren, there is no future there!
What does that even mean? You long for a family, you treat your denizens with respect and kindness, perhaps even affection. How can that be "barren"? What is the problem, exactly?

>>1040487
>You're next if you keep your attitude up.
I'd like to see you try. No really, I want to see what that would look like.

>>1040489
>mana problems
Uh, didn't you just get the earth pulse pumping by fighting those frogs? You shouldn't be mana-starved...
>something happened
Promise to have a reasonable level of anger.
>>
No. 1040492 ID: 9ab9f7

Books I think can be handled another time. Alkaline could've been handled better but- this is on us for not properly advising, teenagers are tricky to handle and can be moody. Maybe try again once she's had time to cool off, she's probably frustrated at how she walked into the frog's trap and conflicted between wanting to be independent and you swooping in to help salvage things being actually needed.

As for Hin, well, there's a chance it's the amusing kind of thing that happened and not the frustrating kind, maybe Hin misjudged her size trying to get back into the dungeon and got stuck or something. Let's go see what mess she's gotten herself in and hope it's the former.

Thankfully it was just a dream, although continuing low mana levels is a bit concerning, is it better than yesterday at least?
>>
No. 1040493 ID: 22e820

>>1040489
You’re too tired to get mad mad, so tell Reisarf so and have him come out with it.

The whole «promise me you won’t be mad» at least indicates it can’t be TOO bad. A true crisis should have invoked more haste and less excuses.
>>
No. 1040494 ID: 1ae008

You let Stargazer eat the hole in space? Good choice. We can’t get mad about our denizens growing.
And yes, it is worth addressing again, bad taste in trashy novels can be a lifelong affliction.
>>
No. 1040495 ID: 9caba2

>>1040489
It might be prudent to take up some of that meditating Moriko does to keep your feelings in check.
Though getting extra gold is the more pressing matter.

Hopefully Hin just accidentally smushed something.
>>
No. 1040496 ID: 7397c3

>>1040487
>You're next if you keep your attitude up.
Hah, nice try, but I'm calling your bluff. You keep huffing and puffing, but the blowing down just keeps failing yo occur; if you could do something to us for being impudent, you'd have done it by now. We're not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with us.
>>
No. 1040497 ID: 30b9f6

>You let Stargazer eat the hole in space?
Oh hey, that's new, isn't it? Interesting. I think that's just a trick of perspective though, since we are in the heart chamber where it's located. Definitely not an eye gazing straight at us.

>wat do
Actually, before we get too distracted, Reisarf has a tendency to be laconic about things, so maybe clarify whether there's a need to respond with speed? If there is, get moving.

If not, mitigate incoming annoyance by getting a cup of something - cacofee? - and grabbing a slice of cake mimic on your way out. Maybe some food to slow-digest into mana can put a bit more pep in your step.

Uh, incidentally, have you investigated yourself for curses lately?
>>
No. 1040498 ID: 12b116

Well let's try to not get TOO mad. We need to know what she broke first.
>>
No. 1040513 ID: 899c9f

The reaction will be proportionate to the problem. After this week, your denizens are still finding ways to surprise you.

>>1040497
>digest food into mana
the cake mimic won't help with that, but since you made this golem into a homunculus maybe a balanced diet of slow-release mana really will help you. You shouldn't be passing out from mana starvation in the middle of a dungeon siege... Perhaps it's something else?
>>
No. 1040528 ID: 552024

Promise you'll listen to the explanation before deciding how mad to be.

Also, did Reisarf's hair always have that color at the ends? That seems new. And it's longer, and he's taller? Maybe that's part of the "things".
>>
No. 1040559 ID: f1cb5b

The way you always do, with mild irritation and an all-encompassing knowledge of exactly how to use whatever bullshit you have at hand to make a solution to whatever problem they've created.

I'm pretty sure whatever it is going to be trivial except in how irritating fixing it will be.
>>
No. 1040579 ID: 87a35c
File 166021334656.png - (41.30KB , 800x600 , tell_me_whats_going_on_and_bring_me_food.png )
1040579

>My Heart is barren, there is no future there!
What does that even mean? You long for a family, you treat your denizens with respect and kindness, perhaps even affection. How can that be "barren"? What is the problem, exactly?
...

You must have misheard.

Anyway I don't have time for this!

>Reisarf has a tendency to be laconic about things, so maybe clarify whether there's a need to respond with speed?
"Is this problem urgent?"

Reisarf shakes her head.

>If not, mitigate incoming annoyance by getting a cup of something - cacoffee? - and grabbing a slice of cake mimic on your way out. Maybe some food to slow-digest into mana can put a bit more pep in your step.
>The cake mimic won't help with that, but since you made this golem into a homunculus maybe a balanced diet of slow-release mana really will help you.
"Then I'm going to have breakfast."

"It's closer to dinner." Reisarf says.

"Then I'd better hurry up."

A golem brings me some leftovers and Merud brings me some freshly brewed cacoffee. This isn't bad, I should do this more often.

"Merud, where is your cape?" I say.

My golemeter winces. "We were short on numbers so I tried to reactivate the golems you made in town to see if they could be of any help in fending off the frogs. I, uh, Centaur has it now."

"I seem to recall a night, not so long ago, where I told you - at length! - about some of the problems Kallia and I had with that golem."

He chuckles uneasily and slinks off when he has a chance.

>Also, did Reisarf's hair always have that color at the ends? That seems new. And it's longer, and he's taller? Maybe that's part of the "things".
It looks like Reisarf is a girl again and has been trying to pack more mana into her Secondary Storage. I think the hair's the only physical distortion from using it.

>Uh, didn't you just get the earth pulse pumping by fighting those frogs? You shouldn't be mana-starved...
I dug deeply into my reserves to cast both Churn the Earth and Verdant Chamber that night on the town. I feel a little better now but I'd liken it to a sprain, I have yet to pack my available mana back into replenishing that foundation.

>Books I think can be handled another time. Alkaline could've been handled better but- this is on us for not properly advising, teenagers are tricky to handle and can be moody. Maybe try again once she's had time to cool off, she's probably frustrated at how she walked into the frog's trap and conflicted between wanting to be independent and you swooping in to help salvage things being actually needed.
True, this isn't an immediate crisis either.

>Yes, it is worth addressing again, bad taste in trashy novels can be a lifelong affliction.
I'm not falling for your tricks this time.

>You let Stargazer eat the hole in space? Good choice. We can’t get mad about our denizens growing.
That wouldn't be the worse state of affairs. "Did Stargazer eat the spatial anomaly?" I ask.

"What?" Reisarf says. Stargazer waggles at the light-edged sphere of darkness nestled in her hoop. "Oh, we were thinking about cake and the void shard, and we managed to dig this out as well, I think it'll help with our mana!"

I think it's too early in the day for me to put up with unravelling this one.

>Promise you'll listen to the explanation before deciding how mad to be.
"In that case, I'll hear your explanation before I decide how mad I'm going to be." I say to Reisarf. My alienist opens her mouth. "The worse the explanation the madder I'll get." I quickly add.

Reisarf clamps her mouth shut and looks intensely thoughtful for a few seconds. "Hin's worried you'll get mad because she accidentally absorbed the void shard from the spatial anomaly when we dug it up."

I blink. "Is that all?" I ask. She was the only person who was going to be able to make much use of it at the moment anyway, it was essentially a choice of her or Reisarf for gaining an alternative ability. I believe it was that slime one? It's nice to have but I would prefer to be putting my resources to work.

"That's it!" Reisarf nods in relief.

Time to see Hin.
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No. 1040580 ID: 87a35c
File 166021354560.png - (34.18KB , 720x720 , reptilihin.png )
1040580

>The reaction will be proportionate to the problem. After this week, your denizens are still finding ways to surprise you.
"Uh, hi." Hin says, standing next to the bridge to my dungeon looking slightly larger and considerably more reptilian save in one or two respects.

"REISARF, I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND!" I say. "YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DESCRIPTIVE!"

"Reisarf, why didn't you say anything?!" Hin says.

"Oh no." Reisarf says quietly. Stargazer pats Reisarf consolingly.

"It's just a potiony thing!" Hin says to me. "Doyle made some 'You are what you eat' sort of thing and, uh -" Hin pats herself down. "I might have overindulged on spitters. And then that slime started looking really good too... Reisarf confirmed it should wear off!"

"I can see that! That's not what I'm angry about!" I say at slightly lower volume.

"So you are angry about the shard?" Hin says.

"IT'S NOT THAT EITHER!"

"What?"

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Hin Ivac
Lvl 3 Half-Ogre Blacksmith (2=>3)

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Power: A
Vitality: B => A
Accuracy: C
Speed: D
Wits: D
Skill: C
Spirit: C => B
Luck: D

A blacksmith unaccustomed to success after a life of struggle. Easily befriended by creatures everywhere. Will she rise to the heights she seeks?

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Detected Abilities
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Giant Blood: Great power over the physical world. Hin is resistant to any effects that would reduce her physical condition and gets an additional bonus on effects that would enhance it.

Item Creation: Hin is trained in the skills and secrets of creating magical items. She can temporarily enhance tools and gear or, with the correct setup, create permanent magical items.

Conjure Figment: Projects the shape of something Hin visualises. It has only a little substance to it. Useful for planning.

Gluttonous Ogre: Consuming food recovers Hin's stamina and gives her a temporary boost of health. Overeating lets her overcome injuries and illness faster. Hin can eat a wider range of food without ill effect and resists ingested poisons and curses. Potions have an increased effect, as do other food related special effects.

NEW - Glutinous Ogre: Hin's body produces slime. She can reflexively sweat tiny amounts of it out of her skin to give herself some protection against fire, cold, acid and cutting attacks. She can also spit slime. Secreted slime can be made sticky, slippery or acidic. Hin can allow abilities that only affect slimes to affect her, at reduced effectiveness.

NEW - Dragon of the Orange Crags: While dwelling within the Orange Crags, power slowly flows into Hin as reinforcement magic. Within a few hours, Hin gains a boost to size, Power, Vitality and most abilities; a slight impairment to Speed, a powerful acidic breath and can consume gelatinous substances at no harm to herself, possibly boosting her power. When fully transformed, the added strength is on par with the spells reinforcing an elite guardian of Deem's dungeon. It swiftly wears off should she leave.

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New Ability
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Gelforge: Hin can forge items out of liquids, although viscous ones work best. As part of working it, she can harden such substances into a glassy solid, although the exact properties of the material depend on the effort put in and liquid used.

OR

Blue Skies Monster: Hin can soak up sunlight and store it. She gains a small boost to her Speed the more light she's stored and can expend it as healing magic, but only for others. Conjure Figments can be combined with this light to swiftly create tools, weapons, armour and other items with substance, although they degrade over time if not stabilised afterwards.

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Hin has spent a considerable amount of time in my Earth dungeon which is slowly gravitating towards adding a Shadow aspect, had a lot to do with slimes and potions and other watery things, and developed a potential ability that enhances her existing weak Light affinity? That's just perverse! No, I'm getting distracted...

I don't usually like to have locus guardians as it disperses my most important denizens into the lands about my dungeon, but somehow Hin has achieved this status by accident. And despite not originally being recruited to fight at all, she's also somehow become my second strongest denizen?

>It might be prudent to take up some of that meditating Moriko does to keep your feelings in check.
I'm trying to create a labyrinth of deadly traps and creatures for adventurers to prove their daring. It shouldn't be this stressful!

>The way you always do, with mild irritation and an all-encompassing knowledge of exactly how to use whatever bullshit you have at hand to make a solution to whatever problem they've created.
There's nothing to actually be fixed by I am still exasperated! I sit Hin down to explain this.

"Wait so I'm like the queen of the lizards now?" Hin asks.

"Only while you feel like living in a slime forest." I say.

Hin rubs her snout. "Yeah that seems like a sometimes thing. It's not going to cause any problems, right?"

"No, you'll be fine. You've got something else coalescing though, is there a material you'd prefer to work with?"

"Uh both seem really cool!" Hin says. "You're the ancient dungeon that's seem all sorts of crazy stuff get made, what do you think?"

My natural instinct is to push her towards Gelforging, but maybe I'm being too hasty? Both offer a lot of possibilities, and despite being narrower Blue Skies Monster has other benefits attached.
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No. 1040581 ID: 15c72a

>huge buff from being in Orange Crags
Wow. Uh, can you use that spatial distortion thing to create a portal between that location and your base? That would make utilizing the buff a lot easier if she lived there, but I guess she already said it should only be a sometimes thing.
Ask what the difficulties would be with it. Perhaps we can solve her objections with enough magical shenanigans? Heck, if you can extend the dungeon towards the Orange Crags enough, could we have part of the dungeon count as being in that area, and thus allow her to receive the buff while defending the dungeon? Or can you pull some bullshit and drag the Orange Crags closer? Or pull even bigger bullshit and transplant part of it into the dungeon?

>if not stabilized afterwards
Ok but how do we stabilize them? If we can actually do that, then she'd effectively be able to make items out of thin air. On the other hand, we have a slime queen, AND Hin can already spit slime, so slime is effectively infinite as well for the Gelforge ability. So both abilities let us manufacture items effectively for free, in theory.
Gelforge lets us make a greater variety of items, since different liquids make different things, but Blue Skies gives us some healing light... That seems to be the main difference, assuming stabilizing items isn't a huge deal.

I have a question. Can that healing light heal non-physical wounds? If so, that might be worth it. We're having issues with curses and of course Moriko's spiritual damage, and no clear solutions. You could also try, ugh, researching ways to use light magic in your dungeon, with this as a springboard. The brighter the light the darker the shadow, right?
But if neither of those sound viable, Gelforge is definitely the way to go. We've got healing potions for physical injury!
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No. 1040582 ID: 899c9f

Materials of light and materials of liquid are both bold new frontiers. Go with gelforge, and one day she may learn to forge lava itself!
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No. 1040583 ID: 9a2966

Deem? As much as you are upset by the sheer coincidence of it all and the Light aspect (probably because she was working outdoors at the time?), it seems to me that congratulations are still in order! Hin has levelled and become more than she was and that is no cause for dismay.

Gelforging is useful and you do have a new and upgraded smithy for her to play around with it in, but as of now you also don't really have anyone on your team capable of doing healing. Maybe that'll change if you get the mushroom handler on your side - there might be healing synergies there - but as we don't know, it's actually a tough choice. What does she think? You hired her to be a smith, but she's been feeling adventurous of late and maybe that's what prompted her growth.

Ask if she wants her smithing work to continue to be her focus or she wants to explore becoming a proper fighter. You'd prefer her to be a smith, yes? But her potential can also lean in other directions it seems, so it seems fair to get her own considerations.

>considerations
The Blue Skies synergy with Conjure Figments means Hin can create light armor and weapons for herself even when gigantified (not that the gigantification is a permanent thing, mind), so saving on those resources is very good. If she's going to be stationed at the Orange Crags semi-often, I'd say DO pick up the Blue Skies, she'll be outdoor anyway and without easy access to reinforcements, so any edge she gets is good and any aid (i.e. healing) she can give to whoever else is stationed there to support her is also good.

If she's not or if you really don't want the light-aspected trait in her, then Gelforging is definitely the best - there's probably oodles of things you can use the orange slime, Alkaline's slime and now Hin's own slime for use in forging, plus I'm sure with our fecund focus there's going to be rare saps and oils and juices and other biological liquid-y things to come.

One concern, mind, if she stays big and out there - can the resurrection matrix handle her as she is now? Won't her respawn be very... cramped?
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No. 1040584 ID: 7397c3

>>1040579
>You must have misheard.
We cannot, by definition, mishear.

>>1040580
>maybe I'm being too hasty? Both offer a lot of possibilities, and despite being narrower Blue Skies Monster has other benefits attached.
What? No! Come on, Deem, you of all people should know better than be seduced by the lure of Light. Sure, it might sound useful, bit you know where that leads.
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No. 1040586 ID: 0abafa

DEFY THE SKY TYRANT! STEAL THEIR POWER AND USE IT AGAINST THEM!
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No. 1040588 ID: e07ed2

Blue Skies Monster lets you boss the sky power around. Sounds good to me. Also, the faces on the mugs are cute.
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No. 1040595 ID: 58dd24

Blue skies monster includes a healing ability and an upgrade to Hin's neat little illusion power that makes it actually do something.

Having to rely on potions with side effects for all our healing is how Hin got all weird in the first place. And I have seen some pretty neat dungeon puzzles based on a heavily shadowed room and one powerful light source, which Hin could make for you. A sword of light displayed on the far side of the room, which will banish the shadow creatures which relentlessly harry the adventurers trying to reach it? A rotating beacon of light which the adventurers must remain within to stay safe? There are OPTIONS here.

Gelforge would give us another use for all this sludge we have lying around, but it doesn't seem like the produced products from that are likely to be of very high quality.
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No. 1040598 ID: 36784c

>>1040580
>considerably more reptilian save in one or two respects.
Yes, we can see her boobs have gotten bigger. You don’t need to point that out to us.

I’m honestly more surprised that Reisarf didn’t think that Hin becoming partly dragon would be important to tell you!

>"It's just a potiony thing!"
>"Doyle made some 'You are what you eat' sort of thing
Deem, maybe you should try some of that stuff and eat a few spitters. If you become partly a dragon, then maybe you’d get a little taller.

>ability choice
Gelforge. With all the different types of gels we have access to, we should be able to make good use of that ability.
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No. 1040606 ID: f1cb5b

I wouldn't want to inflict either of those on Hin. Certainly sweating goop is going to negatively affect her social life. Probably should keep her focused towards the orange dragon since she doesn't HAVE to live there, it just means you can have a side quest with her in it. She shouldn't be fighting anyway, even if she is quite powerful, we didn't ask her too and she expressly said she didn't want to and has been helping with combat ANYWAY.

Seriously, what do you when things form that you just... don't want? That aren't helpful, and don't fit in with what you are building. It's not like you can replace Hin, at this point she's one your most loyal and competent denizens.

And hey, at least be relieved this is something you don't really need to do anything about. Definitely urge her towards Gelforging, as that's what she is, a Smith. With ready supply of slime as a material she can create slime specific weaponry for the slimes.
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No. 1040610 ID: 860984

>>1040580
>>My natural instinct is to push her towards Gelforging, but maybe I'm being too hasty?

No, Gelforging does seem great, and synergizes with her ability to now sweat slimes. Plus, she'll be able to make stuff out of Acids among other things, and could open up a lot of trap crafting options. I can see making like, Jelly armor and such things too. Flexibity is nice.
Additionally, on top of keeping Hin more inline with the themes of the dungeon, with Gelforging and Glutinous Ogre, she'll already be able to quick forge simple things just by spitting/sweating out some slime, and then shaping it, no need for light powers. Lot of tricky potential there. Plus, she can now work better with Alkaline since she gets slime benefits, and any new types of slime She produces in the future can be possible new materials. And more immediately, She can turn or slime hoplons into better soldiers by toughening up their slime armor.
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No. 1040612 ID: 2f88b2

Blue Skies Monster would enable much faster crafting of intricate objects (assuming stabilization isn't too much of a pain), whereas Gelforge permits more exotic materials. Blue Skies Monster also grants healing magic. So far "make a long list of complex mechanisms" hasn't been a common task, here, and as mentioned Hin's original purpose wasn't combat, so I'd lean towards Gelforge based on historical happenings - BUT, if either of those things changed, my answer might, too. Do you want complex (puzzle) mechanisms? Does Hin want to do more combat?
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No. 1040613 ID: 02e7e9

Hm, BSM I think. Gelforge is about exotic goo stuff, and we could develop better quality goo to use over time. Bsm opens more unconventional paths though, and shadow is most striking when combined with light
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No. 1040619 ID: f57349

I'd be in favor of Blue Skies Monster. If we've got an in-house source of light-based healing, that means one less potential excuse for somebody to try and get another priest involved, and rapid prototyping seems like exactly what we need given the ongoing sense of time pressure. Even if we end up under siege, Hin could use the hidden valley to recharge.

Slime crafting could be good synergy later on, but seems like a bad idea at this particular moment, since it would be intruding on Alkaline's specialty while she's right in the middle of trying to more clearly define an identity for herself.
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No. 1040620 ID: f57349

>>1040598
>If you become partly a dragon, then maybe you’d get a little taller.
Or we could take this opportunity to make Chakarchelou even more dragon-y.
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No. 1040623 ID: 36784c

>>1040620
Yeah, that could work!
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No. 1040625 ID: f1cb5b

I wonder if you could mix gelforging, a little golemetry, and living slime to make some kind of flexible slime exoskeleton around our slimes making a few "hard" slimes to act as a more durable tank to distract while Alkaline's other slimes ambush from hidden positions and shadows.
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No. 1040631 ID: 2a82d3

ooo Dragon Lady. Slimy skin's an issue, no less cool/cute. I know, not Dragon technically, but that just means she's a great curveball boss to throw at the end of a Dragon area.

Blue Skies Monster would synergize well for that. She doesn't even need to fight, just make some new minions friends from her new domain and they can guard her while she boosts them.

Stick some Fire energy on her, and she could develop into a Master of All Elements. Or a hot mess, but, well...
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No. 1040635 ID: 0d74b4

With both slimes and cauldron, along with pure mana, you have a decent array of liquids. It would feel like a waste if Hin were unable to take advantage of your fluids.
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No. 1040641 ID: fec07f

>>1040580
We don't really have a medic at this point so I'm pretty tempted by blue skies
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No. 1040644 ID: 899c9f

Let's contemplate our goozilla a bit more. This is a proud moment for us- this would be evoking memories of our old dragon Ashwing, if we had memories anyway. She should climb up into the hidden valley and stop sleeping out front, she deserves a hero’s welcome home.
And now, Hin has an innate connection to the land very close by. Your subconscious needn't worry about her going away forever now!
She ate all or most of the slime spitters? Alkaline will be relieved to hear that, so long as she doesn't think she's next.
There are so many liquids we could forge with - liquid curse, slime, both of which are available in massive quantities. Alcohol, ice, ice cream... Truly endless possibilities. Does Gelforging work fast enough to have any effect in combat, even just thickening slime a little?
Lastly, how soon do these various effects wear off, because this is very much what our sponsor likes to see. You could even top her off with hydro pump now so her mana doesn't have to do all the work.
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No. 1040647 ID: 02e7e9

>>1040625
Ah yes, the fabled Exo-Gelatin
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No. 1040648 ID: 860984

>>1040647
>>Ah yes, the fabled Exo-Gelatin

I feel like this is a joke, but I feel like this isnot only a real possibility, but that its a better version of what the Slime Hoplites are doing already.

Also, A lot of voices really seem to be citing our lack of a healer for the Blue Sky Monster, and I feel I have to point out that we just dont have one YET. Our lack of a healer is temporary, but this choice for Hin is apparently permanent. More ddenizens will come, and because of the matrix no one is in danger of dying, but weve only got the one Hin, see we should plan with her future in mind. If we choose the light healing now, and it does end up interfering with her integration into our dungeons nature, and/or we end up getting someone else who can heal later, its going to feeel like a bit of a waste, especially since Hin didnt really sign on to be a medic in the first place.
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No. 1040667 ID: 2a82d3

>>1040648
Lack of healers issue is only a temporary issue, but consider how much Light itself is a going concern. It is clearly asserting itself here.

It could be because Hin's natural affinity for it grows to scale with her as she does. This is only going to get harder to repress later on, so it would be better to direct her in her best interests not just ours. Remember we're not just dictating her job here, but we're deciding her future, so she would grow as a person if she had a life beyond that.* Learning when to concede our own interests in favor of our vassals is just a good management skill, since these conflicts like this are always going to keep happening.

Also consider the world itself may be counter-balancing our Shadow development. We already arguing against the sky here. Are we really prepared to fight another element as well? Perhaps we can focus our resources better if we let this go. In that respect, ceding to it now could deescalate an unnecessary conflict before it happens, like a controlled demolition.

*I'm not just saying that because I hope she befriends a few kobold tinkered.
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No. 1040668 ID: f2320a

>>1040580
I guess we need to turn orange hills into gluttony valley
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No. 1040684 ID: a3629a

Gelforge seems more useful inside of the dungeon while Blue Skies Monster looks better if she will spend more time outside.

More important that her power is... How she feels about this changes? A lot is happening very fast and it might be disturbing for her. She has become gigant (not only in blood) and reptilian. This may be traumatic for her.

As guide of your denizens you should find what she want to do with her life. If she has become your second best fighter when she didn't want to be a fighter, then something is not going right here...
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No. 1040701 ID: f1cb5b

Deem, if you have some finger of god repercussions you can lay down on those insane voices suggesting you invite sky power into your dungeon, I'd suggest you do so.

Blasphemy.
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No. 1040736 ID: 58dd24

>>1040648
Lack of healers is only a temporary problem if we SOLVE it at some point. Every opportunity to gain one is going to be a choice, and so far we have not picked it. I'm thinking we should choose it when offered a chance.
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No. 1040737 ID: 13d480

>>1040580
Given all these physical changes to her body, Hin isn't going to end up with some sort of body dysphoria or something, right?
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No. 1040789 ID: 87a35c
File 166045707558.png - (28.79KB , 800x500 , goosmith_or_shinesmith.png )
1040789

>Deem? As much as you are upset by the sheer coincidence of it all and the Light aspect (probably because she was working outdoors at the time?), it seems to me that congratulations are still in order! Hin has levelled and become more than she was and that is no cause for dismay.
You're right, I'm letting my own tiredness and sourness preoccupy me. I let Hin know I'm proud of what she's managed to accomplish. We'll need to have a proper party in a day or two once things are a little more back to normal.

I feel a little wrong-footed by the frog menace's evaporation. I have a vague sense of what happened, but that dream felt realer. Tactically there weren't a lot of surprises: Hin stomped in with her axe, Reisarf and Stargazer provided spell bombardment whle she carried them and my denizens in the dungeon rallied and caught the frogs in a pincer attack. Hin's quite bruised on her legs and is looking forward to a nice hot soak once she's back to her normal size.

>>huge buff from being in Orange Crags
>Wow. Uh, can you use that spatial distortion thing to create a portal between that location and your base? That would make utilizing the buff a lot easier if she lived there, but I guess she already said it should only be a sometimes thing.
>Ask what the difficulties would be with it.
She would be camping out in a monster infested stretch of woods by herself.

>Heck, if you can extend the dungeon towards the Orange Crags enough, could we have part of the dungeon count as being in that area, and thus allow her to receive the buff while defending the dungeon? Or can you pull some bullshit and drag the Orange Crags closer? Or pull even bigger bullshit and transplant part of it into the dungeon?
Hmmm, perhaps.

>One concern, mind, if she stays big and out there - can the resurrection matrix handle her as she is now? Won't her respawn be very... cramped?
She would be resurrected at her normal size.

>What does she think? You hired her to be a smith, but she's been feeling adventurous of late and maybe that's what prompted her growth.
"Do you think you want to do things in those crags more often?"

Hin rubs her chin. "It's been neat but I think a break would be good first. I'm all bigged out for the moment! Looking forward to a night in my own bed."

>The Blue Skies synergy with Conjure Figments means Hin can create light armor and weapons for herself even when gigantified.
>Blue Skies Monster includes a healing ability and an upgrade to Hin's neat little illusion power that makes it actually do something.
That's true, it would be very useful if she does spend more time at the Orange Crags.

>Additionally, on top of keeping Hin more inline with the themes of the dungeon, with Gelforging and Glutinous Ogre, she'll already be able to quick forge simple things just by spitting/sweating out some slime, and then shaping it, no need for light powers.
But making things out of light doesn't give an overwhelming advantage there. We could simply store a few spare pieces of equipment there.

>he'll be able to make stuff out of Acids among other things, and could open up a lot of trap crafting options. I can see making like, Jelly armor and such things too. Flexibility is nice.
>I'm sure with our fecund focus there's going to be rare saps and oils and juices and other biological liquid-y things to come.
>Lot of tricky potential there. Plus, she can now work better with Alkaline since she gets slime benefits, and any new types of slime she produces in the future can be possible new materials. And more immediately, she can turn our slime hoplites into better soldiers by toughening up their slime armor.
>I wonder if you could mix gelforging, a little golemetry, and living slime to make some kind of flexible slime exoskeleton around our slimes making a few "hard" slimes to act as a more durable tank to distract while Alkaline's other slimes ambush from hidden positions and shadows.
Chatting with Hin, while she's tempted by the thought of being able to conjure up a bespoke tool for whatever she's doing, the opportunity to work with all these exotic materials is just too tempting.

We end up settling on Gelforging.

>Lastly, how soon do these various effects wear off, because this is very much what our sponsor likes to see. You could even top her off with hydro pump now so her mana doesn't have to do all the work.
Given that Olan's visit is most of a month away, not nearly long enough. She would not be able to travel back from the Orange Crags before that reinforcement has reverted either.

"You'd better start fasting if you want to sleep in the valley." I say to Hin. "You can drink a little water if you're getting thirsty but that's it."

"Aye aye."
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No. 1040790 ID: 87a35c
File 166045732908.png - (33.76KB , 720x720 , a_golem_a_map_pamameloga.png )
1040790

>I’m honestly more surprised that Reisarf didn’t think that Hin becoming partly dragon would be important to tell you!
Reisarf's priorities seem skewed at the best of times.

>Yes, we can see her boobs have gotten bigger. You don’t need to point that out to us.
I'm not quite sure how she's ended up the bustiest creature in my dungeon, they might be doubling up as slime sacs. Well as long as she doesn't make a habit of it.

>What do you when things form that you just... don't want? That aren't helpful, and don't fit in with what you are building.
Abilities form because they are compatible with their user. If a direction of growth is undesired, I can prune such things from a denizen though it is taxing on them. If they have a weakness develop, that is much more difficult again, but I can at least shape what direction that takes.

>>"Doyle made some 'You are what you eat' sort of thing
>Deem, maybe you should try some of that stuff and eat a few spitters. If you become partly a dragon, then maybe you’d get a little taller.
They're not actually dragons and I can already become as tall as I want with Gigant Mode. I am trying to conserve mana. Hin got that title on the basis of being a large, fearsome creature with a deadly breath dominating an area.

>Or we could take this opportunity to make Chakarchelou even more dragon-y.
It might be worth trying to encourage Chakarchelou to develop some more.

>Also, the faces on the mugs are cute.
I think Merud has been making them. He and Reisarf seem to be the cacoffee aficionados of the lot.

I now have three weeks until Olan arrives, and need to think about how to occupy myself and my denizens for the next week. There's work on the dungeon to be done to get it into its planned layout, and I need to be better about checking in on my denizens. This week I have the following options:

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Dungeon Renovations - Pick One
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Lizard Lair: Move my Heart to its new location and refurbish the old Heart Chamber so that Chakarchelou can move in. A completed lair will boost Chakarchelou's strength. The lairs will be usable as dungeon rooms should I not focus on them, they will just be more basic and not grant their associated benefit.

Slime Lair: This has to wait until after I Delve to move the Thaumatorium, but I can do it this week if I'm conservative with other activities that require my dungeon's mana. A completed lair will boost Alkaline's slime production.

New Room: After Delving I'll have a new room I haven't given any purpose to yet. Perhaps I should use it as another creature lair, or a study or workshop?

Hallway Works: I have two fairly bare hallways following the Golem Totem at the moment (the frogs have destroyed the statuary), perhaps they could do with a special feature?

Finale Embellishments: Work on something to add to my new Heart Chamber that will work well with my final guardians to make them more memorable or threatening. This space will eventually get converted into a normal room so it has to keep that in mind unless I Delve to relocate the entire room instead.

Exterior Works: I have the bridge to my dungeon but I can start expanding outwards. This will give me slightly more advance warning of invaders too.

Overgrowth: Add a lot of plants to some of my dungeon's spaces to help provide cover and a basis for some traps, puzzles or simply raw material for harvest.

Baths: Divert some excavation effort towards digging out a larger, more private and more comfortable bath rather than the regular bath and the Potent Residue health soak that currently occupy a corner of the Thaumatorium.

Resurrection Remodel: There have been reservations about the current appearance of my Resurrection Matrix and a more harmonious design should ease the burden of my over-subscribed Matrix. I should see what ideas my denizens have come up with.

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Denizen Work - Pick Two
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MANA: I can't keep passing out like this. I need to look at options to more quickly restore and condense my mana.

Olan's Commission: Create the sample item to be crafted out of the catalysts Olan supplied. It has to be done before he arrives.

Way of the Hammerai: I need to talk to Moriko about her shadow, her past, and her future. And do it right this time.

Royal Jelly: Alkaline's going to be a full fledged slime queen soon and seems to be in a moody. Maybe I need to spend more time with her.

Alien Concerns: I should check in with Reisarf and Stargazer to see if they have any concerns. They have been doing a lot of undirected research and maybe I should find out what's useful, relevant and not dangerous.

Words With Smith: Settle with Hin how she feels about how the last few weeks have been going. She also has a lot of new abilities to try out.

Good Golemeter: Merud seems to be having a lot of golem ideas. Maybe I should check in with him.

Lizard Likes: Chakarchelou needs more appreciation, he's been a dependable guard-lizard. I could try feeding him the last of Doyle's potion and the spitter meat to see if that has a positive effect on him.

Curse Breaker: While these monster-luring fruit I'm growing are potentially useful, dropping them everywhere is getting annoying. I should put some effort towards breaking the curse.

Orange Crags Connection: Hin gets a considerable enhancement there. I have the spatial anomaly linking the place to my dungeon and a wizard and his starspawn companion with specialities in spatial magic. This could be worth investigating.

Encounter Design: I should put some thought into how I station some of my denizens about the dungeon now the layout is getting more complex, and get them practiced on getting into position and working together.

Material Science: Between Alkaline's new slimes, Reisarf's material blending spell and Hin's enhancing smithing, I should see what can be produced for use in the dungeon.

Garden Plotting: I should work on propagating my existing plants: the oreberry bush, bomb plant, a sticky bomb seed, and the kindly mushrooms, and see what other useful plants I can gather, such as the slime-adapted plants from the crags and the strangleroots.

Amphibian Assault: The frogs have definitely gotten more belligerent after the devil bear's death and me Churning the Earth. I should send a small squad to keep their numbers under control.

Potion Recipes: Use the Brewery to work with Alkaline and Doyle to create a stable recipe - a potion that can be created reliably without much effort. Due to the limited ingredients, they are likely to have a side effect.
>>
No. 1040791 ID: e07ed2

>Resurrection Remodel: There have been reservations about the current appearance of my Resurrection Matrix and a more harmonious design should ease the burden of my over-subscribed Matrix. I should see what ideas my denizens have come up with.

this seems like it has the biggest impact and it's not the kind of thing to keep postponing.

>Way of the Hammerai: I need to talk to Moriko about her shadow, her past, and her future. And do it right this time.

>Royal Jelly: Alkaline's going to be a full fledged slime queen soon and seems to be in a moody. Maybe I need to spend more time with her.

Ditto these two, a lot of the issues shouldn't wait too long but emotions tend to fester the worst and interpersonal issues are difficult even when they haven't reached an event horizon.
>>
No. 1040792 ID: 15c72a

Dungeon Renovations - Pick One
Slime Lair. Giving her her own room is a gesture that will speak volumes, and allow her to achieve the power she clearly desires. Also, it will look nice, for the visit.

Denizen Work - Pick Two
1, Way of the Hammerai. It's the most pressing denizen issue we have at the moment.
2, Lizard Likes. Mainly because Chakarchelou is cute and we haven't done much with his development in a while. We can't put this off because the potion and spitter meat could degrade...
>>
No. 1040793 ID: 899c9f

>the frogs have destroyed the statuary
Mhm. How convenient for you.
Start with the Baths this week, and Hin will have something to look forward to, and everyone will have somewhere to relax between busy shifts. The other priority renovations should be Chak's lair and upgrading the rez chamber before your exhibition.
Denizen work:
-Olan's commission, don't delay and you can play when it's done.
-Way of the Hammerai. Your dreams have been plagued with worries about Moriko.

We don't have enough time to have a talk with each of our denizens directly - we can't neglect Chak or Alkaline but we could postpone Reisarf and Stargazer's discussion. Merud's golem designs are of interest to Olan, so we may want to have that talk before he gets here. A new potion recipe would also be of interest.
so, tentatively, weeks 2 and 3 should be Alkaline/Hin and Merud/Chak but we'll get there when we get there.
>>
No. 1040797 ID: 7397c3

>>1040790
Let's start from the most urgent: Olan's Commission is time sensitive. We can't put it off, can we? That one needs to be locked in.
Lizard Likes is not required, per se, but we won't get to do it if we don't do it now.
Royal Jelly might be needed too, but we can't stop everything and focus on Alkaline every time she gets cranky. And Moriko's been this way for a while, she should be able to hold together for a bit longer, no matter what the dream imp says. MANA... yes, yes, I'm sure it's annoying, but it'll go back to normal on its own. Walk it off.
As for the other thing: I'm tempted by the Lairs, and you've been putting off moving your Heart Chamber for too long, but on the other hand the Resurrection Matrix may become a problem? Sure, it's possible nobody will die until you get around to it, and it's not like it won't work at all just be very uncomfortable, but... I dunno.
>>
No. 1040799 ID: 15c72a

>>1040797
We can put off the commission. This is week 1 of 3, we can do it next week or the week after.
>>
No. 1040803 ID: 01fe07

>>1040792
This
>>
No. 1040804 ID: a87877

>>1040792
Also voting for this.
>>
No. 1040807 ID: 7397c3

>>1040799
If we keep putting it off, we're gonna give him something shoddy. Do the job first, make sure we have something of quality, then we can do internal stuff later. Procrastinating on this is silly and unprofessional.
>>
No. 1040809 ID: 055838

>>1040790

Resurrection Remodel, definitely. Getting core functions of your dungeon working effectively is paramount.

Olan's Commission - Work is work, and getting this stuff ready early means being able to get a product in, which'll be good for rep.

Royal Jelly - Making sure our good slime girl is in a good mood, especially at such a major stage of development will be huge in avoiding future issues and we haven't really interacted properly with her recently.
>>
No. 1040810 ID: 2a82d3

>>1040790
>Lizard Lair
>Lizard Likes
Nostalgia must be tempting you to make this lizard week. Go for the latter, if you shouldn't also do the former.

>MANA
We can get more work done long-term, with our denizens at least, if she passes out less now rather than later.

>Slime Lair
Would easier for her to do if we also do >MANA
>>
No. 1040811 ID: 12b116

Lizard lair, mana, and talk with Alkaline
>>
No. 1040822 ID: 9a2966

Slime Lair - Let's get the queen teen her own room. Surely this will end well.

Good Golemeter - we've been neglecting following up on Merud for a bit, and I have a niggling suspicion he might now have continued working on Centaur despite our best warnings. Let's get ahead of a crisis for once!

Way of the Hammerai - Well, we've got her mystery shadow at hand now - as a wannabe disciple of her school, which has to be somewhat disconcerting to her. We're due for a new chat, I'd say.

Alternatively, do Olan's Commission if there's a rush on this, but I'd work that into a combo with Words With Smith in a later week.
>>
No. 1040895 ID: f1cb5b

Yeah, for the upgrade slime lair seems like a good bet.

Of course dealing with Morkio's problem is a priority. And as a secondary, work on Olan's commission. I'm not sure what kind of item you've got planned here, but I'm assuming Hin will be involved so maybe you two can get all chatty during that.
>>
No. 1040907 ID: d5b762

Exterior Works
I want more Novan History to help uncover the ancient conspiracy, but but with a public speech at the end of the month, we really need to pump our Presence...
MANA, this may not be a magic run, but Sense Magic checks are everywhere.
Olan's Commission, We've flubbed enough Court Manners checks already, let's get ahead of that for once!
>>
No. 1040909 ID: fec07f

>>1040790
Not sure about renovation but I think we should address our hamurai and slime as they seem to have the most pressing issues
>>
No. 1040910 ID: 0840c2

>>1040790
>Lizard Lair
>Olan's Commission
>Way of the Hammerai
>>
No. 1040911 ID: a3629a

I would say Lizard Lair and see if Chakarchelou manages to get something nice before Olan's comming (and because he deservesw a little apreciation).

About denizen interaction I would chose one Olan related and one of your denizens problems. So little time and so much to do... I think Olan's Commission, MANA, Amphibian Assault(for the visitors safety), Royal Jelly and the path of the hammerai are prioritary. If the Overgrowth is chosen, then the Potion Recipes also are something good to show Olan.

I would chose Royal Jelly because for some long time we only spent spare time on Alkaline and that is being reflected on her. For the other either MANA or Olan's Comision. MANA will give more benefit the sonner we chose is, but we also should secure Olan's Comision should the project have delays.
>>
No. 1040936 ID: 36784c

>>1040792
This
>>
No. 1040938 ID: f1cb5b

We've waited too long to confront Moriko, so that's on the agenda. I'd say as a secondary you get the item made since it's time sensitive. Maybe you can talk to Hin while you are at it, since she will likely be involved.

For the upgrade, a slime lair. Alkaline has a lot going for her but she's still inexperienced and young. A room of her own will help with her independent streak, and give her a little more room to go. Having many slimes is one of the tactics that make them effective, and this should be more true with Alkaline's slimy mixed tactics.
>>
No. 1041063 ID: 9ab9f7

My vote is Lizard Lair, Mana, and Way of the Hammerai. It's best to get this mana issue sorted ASAP so you have the energy and focus for the upcoming weeks.

Also to note, it's probably a good idea to keep the curse in place while you're having mana issues. If your body can get some amount of mana from eating, and the curse is prompting you to do that, then it's helping more than harming when your mana is this low.
>>
No. 1041069 ID: 52c889

First off, work on fixing your mana so you can operate at peak efficiency on all your other tasks. Renovate the Lizard Lair and work on curse breaking too if it’s not mana intensive. Otherwise, speak with your hammerai.
>>1041063
Eating too much will make you sleepy and fat, Deem. Snacking on cake is just empty calories.
>>
No. 1041092 ID: 9ab9f7

>>1041069
Shhh, I'm trying to justify letting a pretty harmless curse stick around for a little bit. Where's the fun if we get rid of it ASAP?

Besides, we do genuinely have more important things to do than Deem's figure, various denizens and projects need attention and we only have so much time. It also is actually helping with the mana somewhat!
>>
No. 1041094 ID: a9af05

Lizard Lair, Mana, and Royal Jelly.

>>1041092
Curse? What curse? There is no curse! *wink* ;)
>>
No. 1041378 ID: 87a35c
File 166098670161.png - (39.61KB , 800x600 , this_weeks_losers.png )
1041378

>Way of the Hammerai. It's the most pressing denizen issue we have at the moment.
>Your dreams have been plagued with worries about Moriko.
>Well, we've got her mystery shadow at hand now - as a wannabe disciple of her school, which has to be somewhat disconcerting to her. We're due for a new chat, I'd say.
Moriko and I have circled this topic every week or so since the night of my clay gathering expedition. It seems like it's never the right time or that something else always comes up.

>Lizard Likes. Mainly because Chakarchelou is cute and we haven't done much with his development in a while. We can't put this off because the potion and spitter meat could degrade...
>Nostalgia must be tempting you to make this lizard week
He's about to get his own lair, I need to put some effort into ensure he's developing well, and happy. And this is an experiment that doesn't leave much wriggle room for timing.

>Slime Lair. Giving Alkaline her own room is a gesture that will speak volumes, and allow her to achieve the power she clearly desires. Also, it will look nice, for the visit.
>Making sure our good slime girl is in a good mood, especially at such a major stage of development will be huge in avoiding future issues and we haven't really interacted properly with her recently.
>For the upgrade, a slime lair. Alkaline has a lot going for her but she's still inexperienced and young. A room of her own will help with her independent streak, and give her a little more room to go. Having many slimes is one of the tactics that make them effective, and this should be more true with Alkaline's slimy mixed tactics.
Doing it this week will mean plenty of time for extra slimes to spawn and hopefully do something about her moodiness. It should help make up the losses from the frog attack too. I'll let her manage her own space, hopefully she appreciates being given the extra responsibility.

>If we keep putting it off, we're gonna give Olan something shoddy. Do the job first, make sure we have something of quality, then we can do internal stuff later. Procrastinating on this is silly and unprofessional.
I need to conserve mana for Delving to get my dungeon into its final configuration, so it will have to be next week.

>We don't have enough time to have a talk with each of our denizens directly - we can't neglect Chak or Alkaline but we could postpone Reisarf and Stargazer's discussion. Merud's golem designs are of interest to Olan, so we may want to have that talk before he gets here. A new potion recipe would also be of interest.
They're all nice to have but what I agreed to with Olan were a tour of a functioning dungeon, and to make a demonstration item. I make sure to have dinner with my less focused denizens.

"Hey didja miss me?" Hin says to the orange slime. It vaguely burbles as she bounces its pot on her lap, perhaps in protest.

My wizards are talking about golemetry, independent action, mana-rich broths, salt crystals, cake, potentia and cogent voids.

>We've been neglecting following up on Merud for a bit, and I have a niggling suspicion he might now have continued working on Centaur despite our best warnings. Let's get ahead of a crisis for once!
He's excited about trying and examining some new things with golemetry but no, he's not doing any work on Centaur.

>MANA... yes, yes, I'm sure it's annoying, but it'll go back to normal on its own. Walk it off.
Fiiiiine I'll continue shambling about my dungeon then.
>>
No. 1041379 ID: 87a35c
File 166098679979.png - (29.06KB , 800x600 , imp_doesnt_know_whats_going_on.png )
1041379

I approach my hammerai in the Meditation Chamber.

"Moriko, we need to talk." I say.

"Has your new pet broken something?" she says, eyeing the imp in my arms.

I sigh. "In a manner of speaking, yes. There's something between us that we've kept circling around, for fear of what might happen should that final step be taken."

I set the imp down. "I know you have demonic blood, Moriko. I have always known this. Whatever stigma it had in your homeland, it doesn't matter to me. You travelled a long way to get away from that and I suspect - " I shake my head. "No, that would be disingenuous of me, I know that this origin has has cast a long shadow over your family and its unique skills."

Moriko steps back. "I never told you that."

"I am more than just the golem you see in front of you." I remind her. "I am more than just some cave in the wilderness too. Just like you, I listen and the earth-pulse whispers to me. I know things."

She eyes the slimy fruit ripening on my branch-antlers. "We've been here before. Is this some new curse putting strange ideas in your head?"

I would say this was unworthy of her if she wasn't speaking the truth. I am getting angry but that won't help either. My poor, bruised pride can handle a few more wounds.

"Listen to me." I say, and she tenses at the edge in my voice. "You are approaching a crisis." I point at the imp, where it's poking the pool's still waters with its makeshift hammer to see the ripples. "It's something that's been creeping up on your your entire life, but here things have been hastened. You aren't happy with your demon blood but at the same time you know it's the foundation of an art you cherish. Your spirit is riven. That imp has somehow ended up hosting the piece you want to hide away."

Moriko blinks rapidly at this claim.

"But nothing will change for the better if you don't acknowledge it!" I finish, feeling a vague twinge of hypocrisy.
>>
No. 1041380 ID: 87a35c
File 166098687756.png - (24.66KB , 600x800 , deep_dark_dreadfully_dark.png )
1041380

"I see that creature and it's like watching a parody of myself." Moriko says slowly. "And yet, sometimes I see it practicing and I think of myself as a little girl. There was one special thing I could do and I didn't want to give it up for anything." She laughs shakily. "What do you want from me? Would I be any use to anyone if I do give it up?"

"I want my denizens to be their best selves." I say. "There is a wound to your soul and it needs treatment." I wave a hand at the imp. "Humans aren't meant to live split in two."

The imp looks up at her. "Moww!" it says.

Moriko frowns. "So I have to kill it? Is this some test?"

"No!"

She sighs in relief. "So you're not like my grandfather."

"I'm probably far worse."

Moriko laughs at that.

I need to encourage Moriko on whether she should reject or reconcile with her heritage. She seems more torn on it than I had initially thought. Should she reject it, she will be weaker but would be at peace with herself and on a better footing to advance in the future. Should she try to reconcile, she'll likely have more of these struggles in the future.

I feel something loosening already. Something forming that was hidden... It's better and worse than I thought.

----------------------------------------
New Malus
----------------------------------------
Mana Vacancy: A surrender of self-definition. All magic affects Moriko with extra strength. The prevailing nature of the areas she spends time in affects her.

OR

Jealous Shadow: Jealous comparison to others. Potentially mimic and recombine abilities of other dungeon denizens, with a shadowy twist.

OR

Moribundance: Bleeding essence stains the earth-pulse. Moriko is steadily weakening. Monsters with Moriko's aspects will start to appear.

----------------------------------------

These developments are all double-edged, Moriko's essence has been silently squirming about trying to take on a new direction. She might take in new influences, steep herself in old ones or lose her way entirely. There's the possibility of exploring aspects of shadow or descending into hollow and envious imitation. She could cleanly expel her demonic side, gather it up again once its been tempered in the earth-pulse or bleed out too much of her strength.

A choice needs to be made here too.
>>
No. 1041382 ID: 899c9f

Okay, Alkaline, Chak and Moriko are accounted for, that leaves Hin, Merud and the commission. And that leaves time to do one thing for yourself! Good.

Urge Moriko to reconcile. People are afraid of the unknown, but you are here to nourish and cultivate unique and rare talents.
Boosted magic effect, like Hin, but without the protection from negative effects... I like this effect, but choosing it would be selfish.
I feel like Moribundance is the key to a redemption arc. Fighting aspects of herself, defeating them to become stronger. The dungeon will support her while she picks up the pieces. And if she does bleed out too much demonic essence, well, that part of her will always be with you, and she can try a path apart from it after all.
>>
No. 1041383 ID: 15c72a

>>1041380
Mana Vacancy!. It will allow her to attune herself to your dungeon (or anywhere else that would be useful to attune to), and she'll be more easily affected by POSITIVE magics! Think of the potential! You can just avoid sending her against magic users, or get her some antimagic gear to compensate. There might be a psychological change paired with it but I'm not sure if it'd be a bad thing at the present moment. She needs to redefine herself anyway.
Jealous Shadow sounds useful but also sounds like it would cause conflict between her and others.
I don't see how Moribundance is a good idea at all. Picking that would be like giving up on her as a denizen, and instead using her power to recruit stronger monsters, except we still can't do that effectively. On the other hand it sounds like it doesn't come with a psychological problem...?

Can we fix the downsides of the malus, eventually?

>She could cleanly expel her demonic side, gather it up again once its been tempered in the earth-pulse
Hold on, that second part sounds very interesting. Can she separate herself from it, give it to you, and allow you to reform it into something she's more likely to accept? Something stronger, perhaps?
So basically, REJECT, but without destroying it, to allow her to reclaim the power later once it's in a form that better suits her desires. To allow her to become what she truly wishes to be, rather than the struggle to accept that which was given to her at birth.
You could do the same, you know. Become something more than a dungeon.

I wonder if Moribundance is like an extra-strength version of this plan, assuming we can clear the negative side effects in time... Well, I don't want to pick it without knowing ahead of time.
>>
No. 1041384 ID: 9caba2

>>1041380
Moribundance seems like the only generally bad one for the short term, though more tsundere monsters could be interesting.

I'd lean most into Mana Vacancy. Against foes that do limited, or no spells, it'd just enhance buffs further, as well as potion effects.
My concern with it is that redefining herself could be a lengthy and harrowing ordeal.
>>
No. 1041387 ID: a2d88b

I'm in favor of mana vacancy too.
>>
No. 1041395 ID: 7397c3

>>1041380
Well, it's good to see she's more open to this than we thought. And talking about not wanting to give it up... to ask her to reject it would break her. Encourage reconciliation instead.
As for the Malus, Mana Vacancy sounds like the only one where we can actively manage the downsides; keep her away from harmful magic and it's all good.
>>
No. 1041401 ID: 0abafa

Rejection feels like surrendering, so I'd suggest reconciling. And Moribundance.
>>
No. 1041407 ID: f1cb5b

I've always thought she should reconcile with her dark side. Of course it will in the future lead to more drama, but the best past is rarely the laziest.

But for what's developing... mana vacancy seems obviously advantageous to you with your penchant for reinforcement magic, but the suppression of self-definition is... honestly not something I agree with. Definitely not with Moriko. It's the same sort of self denial her culture wanted her to engage in, not embracing her nature so she can be the best her.

Jealous shadow too seems like offloading her issue to those around her, and again sounds like no solution to her problem.

And moribundance... is what we feared, her letting her essence bleed into the environment until she's too weak to fight at all.

All of these seem not just bad, but specifically self destructive to Moriko as an individual. Perhaps the world simply inflicting her metaphysical pain on her as a physical aliment.

Inasmuch as it's vastly the worst thing that can happen, assuming whatever journey Morkio ends up taking ends with her overcoming it, I'd say moribundance is the answer here.

I'm not sure, but we don't seem to be picking some new power here, we are choosing a path Moriko will use to overcome the rift in her soul.

Feeling the actual essence that's dripping out of her, dealing with the bits of her soul that are missing as monsters that... frankly will be a huge pain in our ass is preferable to suppressing Moriko's personality or making it everyone else's problem.
>>
No. 1041408 ID: 7397c3

>>1041407
Choosing something because it's the worst option is... a choice. I don't know if I would take it for granted that this will be completely overturned at some point, and making her weaker is just gonna make it the more likely that she'll feel like giving up. We should be choosing something she can live with, not something that will end up destroying her.
>>
No. 1041425 ID: f1cb5b

You really think she'd prefer nullification of self, or fits of random jealousy?

It's not that we're selecting the most destructive thing because lol, funny. This isn't a choice of some cool new power, Moriko has a problem that has torn a hole in her. A problem she had LONG before she ever met us. Now, the... literal way people's dramas tend to play out around deem has made it into a little fucking imp running around causing grief.

I don't think it's really up for debate we want to reconcile Moriko's shadow side. Getting there looks like it's going to be a painful process, with negatives popping up.

It's not like I want to condemn Moriko to bleed out her essence till there's none left in her. She can shut down and stop being herself, push others away, or she can continue to feel the pain of having a piece of her missing until she's dealt with the rift inside.

All of the options are bad. One of these options doesn't subsume Moriko's personality or ruin her relationships with the rest of our dungeon. I'm not saying it's good, I'm saying we'd be doing Moriko a disservice by taking the easy out Mana Vacancy represents, and the same can be said for Jealous Shadow, in the long term.

Gotta say, the similarity of Moriko bleeding energy through a hole in her soul to Deems situation is pretty stark too.
>>
No. 1041426 ID: 7397c3

>>1041425
I think you're reading "surrender of self-definition" as something way more sinister and deadly than it already is. If that said "nullification of self" it'd be WAY higher in the scale of danger... but it doesn't. She was already losing her self-definition in the first place, what with her analysis coming up as human, pretty much denying a part of what defined her.
Meanwhile, literally bleeding her essence and getting weaker, those are huge red flags. She's not a dungeon, she can't take it like Deem does, and even for her it was and still is a very big deal.
>>
No. 1041433 ID: 6c448c

They're all bad choices in a way - that nevertheless offer a way to cleanly come through and recover, whether it's from the rejection point of view or the reconciliation one.

Moriko is afraid of a change that will turn her into someone or something she does not want to be. In that sense, rejection gives her more of the control she craves - she'll never have to deal with the other side of her blood again if her essence expels it once this trial is over with. But any option but Moribundence seems like swapping one problem for others that also risk changing and twisting her nature. Moribundence at least 'only' weakens her, which is change too, but more on her terms.

Reconciliation will definitely change her and her outlook as she learns to tap into - even lean into - that part of her in the future.

With respect to Moriko's will, Rejection and Moribundence seems to be closest to what she'd prefer - bleed out the essence she does not want and then cut off the flood, without, ideally, weakening her to such a degree she's permanently crippled and unable to train herself up again. Probably this would mean a greater denizen becoming a lesser one, but her future potential should remain high. She's quite driven if put on a path she's willing to commit to, after all.

Either option with Mana Vacency could also work if she's allowed to steep herself in the influences of her choice for a period - probably meditation chamber and training areas - but it would probably be tricky to hit the right confluence of influences. Probably there'd be spillover from other things. But replacing or remolding her essence through the influence of something else might not be the worst of options for her as this will, in a way, finally allow her to take charge over the power in her blood, whether to mold it or to replace it with something else that can, at least partially, be of her choosing.
>>
No. 1041438 ID: f1cb5b

I've already said more than my fair share, but I will say respecting Moriko's desire to expel the demonic aspect from her is a terrible idea. She'd probably just be a hammer swinging brute without the demonic contamination, and while we need that part of why Moriko is so important to this operation is that she's the only denizen who can feel the earth pulse, which might simply go away if she loses that aspect of herself.
>>
No. 1041455 ID: 36784c

>>1041378
After we make Olan’s commission, we should attempt to talk with Alkaline to see if she’s enjoying her new room and to see if we can talk to her.

>>1041380
Have her reconcile with her heritage.

And Mana Vacancy should be fine.
>>
No. 1041458 ID: 15c72a

Oh, and I'm guessing as usual, she has no opinion on what Malus to take?
>>
No. 1041484 ID: 15c72a

Hmmm... is it just me, or are these Maluses somewhat related to your own fears and problems? Leaking power, envy, and loss of self?
>>
No. 1041493 ID: 067372

Hmm. I suspect that most of us headvoices are inclined to support reconciliation, due in part to cultural emphasis on being true to yourself etc. On the other hand, growing means changing means not being what you are right now. So I could see this going either way. Does Moriko hate her demon blood, or does she merely feel she's *supposed* to hate it? The former leans me slightly towards rejection, the latter strongly towards reconciliation. Perhaps you should talk with her for a little longer about it; hardly seems wise to base a lifechanging decision off 30 seconds of talking. It's also of note that reconciliation having more future trials just sounds like more opportunities to grow - though on the other hand, not all trials are necessarily good for you, I'll grant.
>>
No. 1041494 ID: 860984

I was originally considering Moribundance, But I realized, having her fight, or watching others fight monster caricatures of the part of herself she already has complicated feelings about will quite possibly just lead her to further distance herself from it, and inspire more self-loathing or hatred. Its also VERY close to what she just said her Grandfather told her to do, which is killing that shadow part of herself and thats something we dont want to feed.
Whether she reconciles with it or lets it go, we dont want Moriko to hate or fear her nature, I think is the main thing.

With that in mind, Im going to vote towards Mana Vacancy, with hopes that she can reconcile, but even if she cant, at least we can guide her to have a better, REAL understanding of what shes giving up.
>>
No. 1041510 ID: 15c72a

>>1041493
Oh you've got a point.
We don't actually know Moriko's true feelings on the matter, because she hasn't spoken about it directly until now! Maybe we should have a proper conversation before deciding on how to move forwards?
>>
No. 1041521 ID: e1de45

I think that the most important thing with Moriko is that whatever she chooses, she keep Morimpko around as a magical companion which she can combine with in a magical girl transformation.
Just think about all you'll save on textiles when she gets a new outfit for free every season!

Moriko's "demonic side" is apparently fully manifest as its own being. This is a chance for Moriko to get to know it, to come to terms with it, in a far more familiar and easily-compared way than "soul searching" can usually manage. She should spend some time training this imp, in order to better understand what it represents of herself.

>The prevailing nature of the areas she spends time in affects her.
She would be affected by the prevailing nature of Deem? Interesting...

I vote Jealous Shadow. Jealousy feels like the aspect to do the least permanent damage to Moriko, and most easily mitigated by diligent management of your staff's relationships.
>>
No. 1042874 ID: 7397c3

>>1042842
begone, bhot
>>
No. 1044059 ID: 2a9875
File 166348343660.png - (25.43KB , 750x650 , you_will_raise_her_as_your_own.png )
1044059

>Urge Moriko to reconcile. People are afraid of the unknown, but you are here to nourish and cultivate unique and rare talents.
>Whether she reconciles with it or lets it go, we don't want Moriko to hate or fear her nature, I think is the main thing.
"I think you need to plumb your own nature." I say to Moriko. "No matter where a part of your skill and strength might have come from, it is something you deserve to make completely your own. You have a rare talent and, if you accept, I would like to nourish and cultivate it."

>Moriko's "demonic side" is apparently fully manifest as its own being. This is a chance for Moriko to get to know it, to come to terms with it, in a far more familiar and easily-compared way than "soul searching" can usually manage. She should spend some time training this imp, in order to better understand what it represents of herself.
I pick up the imp and hold it out to Moriko. "You won't find some ancient evil, or great darkness in here."

"Moww!" the imp complains at the way I'm holding it.

"I'd like you to keep this imp with you, to train it. So you can find out for yourself what it represents of you, and hopefully get the answers from it that I haven't been able to."

Moriko awkwardly takes the squirming imp off me.

>Does Moriko hate her demon blood, or does she merely feel she's supposed to hate it?
I ask her.

"I don't know." Moriko says, trying to keep a hold of the fidgeting imp. "It feels as though I was always pushed to shun it completely, or to wallow in it..."

"You don't need to do either of those things." I tell her.

>It's not like I want to condemn Moriko to bleed out her essence till there's none left in her. She can shut down and stop being herself, push others away, or she can continue to feel the pain of having a piece of her missing until she's dealt with the rift inside.
These are all symptoms of wounds to the spirit and they are not easily healed. It's difficult to decide who you want to be.

>I feel like Moribundance is the key to a redemption arc. Fighting aspects of herself, defeating them to become stronger. The dungeon will support her while she picks up the pieces. And if she does bleed out too much demonic essence, well, that part of her will always be with you, and she can try a path apart from it after all.
It has a certain romance to it, does it?

>I was originally considering Moribundance, But I realized, having her fight, or watching others fight monster caricatures of the part of herself she already has complicated feelings about will quite possibly just lead her to further distance herself from it, and inspire more self-loathing or hatred.
But I don't know if I have the heart to put someone through the same slow bleed I am experiencing, and Moriko having to fight through a hall of distorted mirrors to claim her true self is perhaps too cruel.

I must be getting soft.

>Mana Vacancy!. It will allow her to attune herself to your dungeon (or anywhere else that would be useful to attune to), and she'll be more easily affected by POSITIVE magics! Think of the potential! You can just avoid sending her against magic users, or get her some antimagic gear to compensate. There might be a psychological change paired with it but I'm not sure if it'd be a bad thing at the present moment. She needs to redefine herself anyway.
Undue influence is more widespread and more pernicious than you seem to think. All the same, my denizens have thrived so far by opening themselves to the world around them.

>This will, in a way, finally allow her to take charge over the power in her blood, whether to mold it or to replace it with something else that can, at least partially, be of her choosing.
Yes, I think that might be it. That is the shape this hole in her spirit will take. She can choose what she will seek out and that will guide her steps in the future.

"There is something else." I say to her. "Because of this rift in your spirit, there's a hollow within you. Your foundation is unsteady and foreign magic can easily seep in to influence you. This is a threat and an opportunity."

Moriko blinks. "An opportunity?"

"You will be extremely vulnerable to magic. You must be careful around me as well, the essence of my Heart and my dungeon can be overwhelming. But this applies to positive influence as well! You can seek out things that you desire and you might be able to make a part of yourself going forward."

Moriko stands there. "I see. I'm sorry, this is a lot to think about it. Can I have some time to myself?"

"I understand." I give a short bow to her. "Good night Moriko."

She bows back. "You too."
>>
No. 1044060 ID: 2a9875
File 166348347730.png - (26.93KB , 550x750 , full_of_complaints.png )
1044060

Moriko spends some time in the Meditation Chamber and then takes a long soak in the bath, putting some effort towards scrubbing the imp clean as well. I content myself with wandering the halls of my dungeon and the occasional snack.

No absurd dreams for me tonight.

>Hmmm... is it just me, or are these Maluses somewhat related to your own fears and problems? Leaking power, envy, and loss of self?
Those fears and problems are hardly unique to me.

...

Also I'm not afraid of them.

>You could do the same, you know. Become something more than a dungeon.
There is nothing that is 'more' than what I am.

>She would be affected by the prevailing nature of Deem? Interesting...
It would be very difficult to avoid contamination if she spends time in my dungeon, yes.

>This isn't a choice of some cool new power, Moriko has a problem that has torn a hole in her. A problem she had LONG before she ever met us. Now, the... literal way people's dramas tend to play out around Deem has made it into a little fucking imp running around causing grief.
Hopefully this will clean the wound and give Moriko a basis to move forward, but I will have to keep an eye on her, and support her.

>All of these seem not just bad, but specifically self destructive to Moriko as an individual. Perhaps the world simply inflicting her metaphysical pain on her as a physical aliment.
You had it backwards. She's strong enough to move the world, for herself anyway.

>I think that the most important thing with Moriko is that whatever she chooses, she keep Morimpko around as a magical companion which she can combine with in a magical girl transformation.
>Just think about all you'll save on textiles when she gets a new outfit for free every season!
Where do you get these ridiculous ideas?
>>
No. 1044061 ID: 2a9875
File 166348353680.png - (31.09KB , 800x550 , chakarchenap.png )
1044061

In the morning I seek out Chakarchelou! In the place of his breakfast he gets potions and spitter steaks, at lunchtime he gets potions and spitter steaks, and for dinner he gets the last of the potion and spitter steaks. I have a little of the leftover meat as well.

The next day shows some results.

----------------------------------------
Chakarchelou
Lvl 1 Cave Quasidragon

----------------------------------------
Power: C
Vitality: B
Accuracy: D
Speed: D
Wits: C
Skill: E
Spirit: D => C
Luck: C

Deem's first companion in this era and proud of it. A cave dwelling lizard that might someday become a dragon. In the mean-time hoards gold and chin scratches.

----------------------------------------
Detected Abilities
----------------------------------------
UPDATED - Dragonish Blood: Chakarchelou has a small amount of dragon blood, giving him a boost to his physical attributes, mana regeneration and honing his draconic qualities if he is allowed to hoard gold. With a large hoard, he will grow permanently stronger.

UPDATED - Torch Breath: Chakarchelou can breath a cloud of choking smoke and burning sparks or a narrow, short jet of more intense flame. He can't use it immediately in a fight as he needs a while to stoke his flame.

Tough Scales: Strong armour with a small chance of resisting hostile effects.

----------------------------------------
New Ability
----------------------------------------
Blast Gasp: Chakarchelou can supercharge his Torch Breath by swallowing something volatile shortly before using it. Can be hazardous to overuse.

OR

Slime Hoarder: Chakarchelou's tougher depending on how much slime he has with him. Based on the nature of the slime he's hoarding, Chakarchelou can slightly tweak his abilities such as making his Torch Breath sticky or making his Tough Scales rubbery.

OR

Bulk Diet: Chakarchelou can consume a wide variety of technically edible objects. A diet rich in slime will help Chakarchelou steadily grow larger.

----------------------------------------

Good job Chakarchelou.

"Gnnrrr!" he agrees, rolling on his back and wriggling against a rock.

His time spent in Hin's forge has helped him learn how to focus his breath, and he's internalised the concepts of the Covetuous Ring. That ring doesn't do anything for him now, I should think about who else might benefit from it.

As for the new options, Blast Gasp would work well with the bomb flower that's to be planted in his new lair. He might be holding a grudge over that cat bombing him into oblivion. Slime Hoarder would work well with Hin's new Gelforging or simply carrying some of Alkaline's slimes around. And finally Bulk Diet is an easy path towards terrorising invaders with a giant lizard. I would estimate he'd be of a size with those giant spitters we encountered within two months.

Which might suit him best?
>>
No. 1044062 ID: a70a20

>>1044061
Slime hoarder so he can get pampered by slimes all day while one of them rides him into battle!
>>
No. 1044063 ID: 99f29a

Blast Gasp is the most dragonish, it's crucial to encourage his dream.
>>
No. 1044064 ID: 515982

Bulk Diet! Hey, another use for all that orange slime you left lying around! We'll have to take him on walkies to the orange crags soon.
>>
No. 1044065 ID: e5709d

>>1044060
>Where do you get these ridiculous ideas?
Children's Super Puppet Shows. They were created after the end of a decades-long War of Oppression, so you had all these Chaos-aligned artists letting loose and stuffing as much weird into the brains of children as they could get away with.

>>1044061
Bulk Diet. Let's see if we can get him on some kind of mana-keto regimen.
>>
No. 1044066 ID: 15c72a

>>1044060
>There is nothing that is 'more' than what I am.
Have you ever heard of another dungeon attuning themselves to a golem body as closely as you do? Perhaps you are already evolving, and in a way you are correct. There is nothing 'more' than what you are, because you are at the forefront.

>>1044061
>covetous ring?
You could give it to Moriko if she wants to become more dragon-like. I'd imagine Mana Vacancy will trigger and intensify its effect on her.
Alternatively, can you wear it? You're certainly hoarding gold already.

>drake abilities
Well, Blast Gasp is strong but adventurers will be able to predict when he's using it.
Slime Hoarder is great with our slime-themed dungeon.
Bulk Diet looks good but only has short term benefits. Once he's reached a certain size you wouldn't want him to get any bigger! Wait, how are you going to design the dungeon in the long term to allow him to traverse passages once he's fully evolved?

I vote Slime Hoarder. It's also the most flexible perk available, since it can do various things and of course Hin can give him equipment.
>>
No. 1044072 ID: 9a2966

Slime Hoarder works well with the fecund theme of this dungeon, your slime minions and your gel-forging smith. It'd be my preference.

Blast Gasp not only works well with the bomb plant, but could let him take advantage of our slime queen prodigy's unstable core in a pinch. It's a nice ability and would be my second choice.

Bulk Diet making him big - while we've seen the power of this in Hin - seems like it could backfire. We're already having to deal with Hin's increased appetite (and yours), let's not push our resource needs too far until we're sure we can meet them. Unless that's not an issue, in which case, this is a fair upgrade as well, but still my third choice.
>>
No. 1044074 ID: 9a2966

Oh, and put the Covetous Ring on Hin. For one, she's gained a dragon-like aspect so that might match well with it, for two, as your smith she'd have to keep raw gold and such on hand as a workable material, so that can be added to count as her 'hoard'.
>>
No. 1044079 ID: 12b116

Blast Gasp seems like it would have lots of opportunities to use, and is the most dragon like affinity
>>
No. 1044080 ID: 7397c3

>>1044061
Bulk Diet is a trap. We'll end up hitting the same problem as we did with Hin these days, not enough room. We'll either end up having to waste resources in having enormous rooms for Char to fit, or having him roam outside; and in either way there will be a point where it won't be worth it to continue using it.
Blast Gasp is... okay? It only buffs one of his abilities, that he can't use at will, and using up resources every time. Oh and it has a drawback. It's not bad, just underwhelming.
Slime Hoarder is the way to go. Really, with a slime queen and a gelforger in the dungeon, it's a no-brainer, and it encourages teamwork.

>>1044066
>There is nothing that is 'more' than what I am.
>Have you ever heard of another dungeon attuning themselves to a golem body as closely as you do? Perhaps you are already evolving, and in a way you are correct. There is nothing 'more' than what you are, because you are at the forefront.
This is correct. You may be weaker in power, but in concept you have already surpassed any dungeon that has ever existed. Don't put a ceiling above you that doesn't need to be there. Don't hold yourself back.
>>
No. 1044081 ID: a9af05

>>1044061
Slime Hoarder
>>
No. 1044084 ID: 244451

I like Bulk diet more, but I can't deny the inmense power value of Slime Hoarder. (Vote for Bulk diet anyway)
>>
No. 1044115 ID: 01fe07

>>1044061
I really want to get Bulk Diet to help him start growing bigger because of how tiny he is. But it might be better to get something else this time and hope there's another opportunity to help him grow later.

Let's get Slime Hoarder.
>>
No. 1044118 ID: 708905

>>1044061
Bulk diet seems good
>>
No. 1044122 ID: f1cb5b

I think our life already has enough slime in it. We aren't a slag pit of castoff slime after all.

So lets go with blast gasp. We can probably feed him a stead diet of coal to make it better, and... I'm serious, do not turn Chakarchelou into a slime spitter dragon. No. NO.

Lets make him a proper, fire breathing dragon, with Blast gasp. If that's just, off the table, then Bulk Diet is vastly superior (think about how much of the excavation castoff he can just straight up eat).
>>
No. 1044123 ID: 15c72a

>>1044122
I don't think he's going to be spitting slime. He can just make his torch breath sticky. Like, sticky fire/smoke. Napalm dragon!
>>
No. 1044168 ID: cc0880

Slime hoarder > Blast gasp > Bulk diet

Slime hoarder is by far the most thematic for the dungeon, the most strategically flexible, and the one that encourages cooperation the most.
Blast gasp is useful but doesnt have a whole lot of potential.
Bulk diet could ultimately become a *problem*: we dont want to encourage our lizard to start eating slimes.
>>
No. 1044169 ID: 36784c

Slime hoarder
>>
No. 1044176 ID: 5739b1

>>1044061
Slime hoarder
And ring on Hin
>>
No. 1044240 ID: 74fc3b

>>1044061
Slime Hoarder makes sense for getting everyone's abilities to work together.
>>
No. 1044257 ID: 58dd24

Blast Gasp sounds great. Makes the bomb plants in his lair feel like they belong there, and an interesting fight for sure.

Flexibility is nice and all, but sometimes having a lot of options is less useful than having one option that works really well. Also, honestly getting tired of slime upgrades on every denizen.
>>
No. 1044286 ID: 4c75f0

>>1044061
Bulk Diet will help him start getting to a proper dragon size.

Also, you better not forget about doing Olan's request! He's not going to be happy if you don’t have anything to give him when he comes over.
>>
No. 1044373 ID: a6d488

While Blast Gasp might be more on theme- I cannot deny the allure of giant lizard so Bulk Diet all the way!
>>
No. 1045469 ID: 7397c3

>>1045468
I cast thee out
>>
No. 1046131 ID: b78c76
File 166549405713.png - (21.30KB , 800x600 , chakarchebloub.png )
1046131

>Bulk Diet is a trap. We'll end up hitting the same problem as we did with Hin these days, not enough room. We'll either end up having to waste resources in having enormous rooms for Char to fit, or having him roam outside; and in either way there will be a point where it won't be worth it to continue using it.
I don't see many downsides to eventually having an exceptionally large and ferocious lizard, but I suppose I'll have plenty of other options for adding some bulk to my denizens.

>Blast Gasp is the most dragonish, it's crucial to encourage his dream.
>Blast Gasp sounds great. Makes the bomb plants in his lair feel like they belong there, and an interesting fight for sure.
It's certainly something that stirs the heart. I am very tempted by it...

>Slime Hoarder so he can get pampered by slimes all day while one of them rides him into battle!
>Slime Hoarder works well with the fecund theme of this dungeon, your slime minions and your gel-forging smith.
But I can't ignore that Chakarchelou has a rare opportunity to seize a skill that will tie in with so many other elements my dungeon has developed. Perhaps I really am getting soft, but I can't help but smile a little at the thought of my first denizen being pampered by slimes.

Chakarchelou has learned Slime Hoarder.

I give him some chin scratches as a reward and send him off to find Alkaline and see which of her slimes he might get along with especially well.

>You could give the Covetous Ring to Moriko if she wants to become more dragon-like. I'd imagine Mana Vacancy will trigger and intensify its effect on her.
Having bribed Chakarchelou with a little gold to give up his ring, I find Moriko to offer it as an option to her. Dragons have their own sensitivity to the earth-pulse she is curious about so she accepts. I let her know she should start keeping back any gold she finds on her patrols to build up a personal hoard.

>>There is nothing that is 'more' than what I am.
>Have you ever heard of another dungeon attuning themselves to a golem body as closely as you do? Perhaps you are already evolving, and in a way you are correct. There is nothing 'more' than what you are, because you are at the forefront.
>This is correct. You may be weaker in power, but in concept you have already surpassed any dungeon that has ever existed. Don't put a ceiling above you that doesn't need to be there. Don't hold yourself back.
Stop subjecting me to your inane and insulting speculation.
>>
No. 1046132 ID: b78c76
File 166549411124.png - (33.81KB , 800x600 , lets_redraw_the_map.png )
1046132

The week has passed and I have carefully husbanded the power pooling in my Heart.

It is time to Delve!

The excavations of my dungeon body can be accelerated and its chambers nudged into a more refined layout. This is heady stuff. This work will get the new slime lair in basic working order, so I have Alkaline join me in my Heart Chamber.

My royal jelly comes, dragging her heels and looking distinctly unimpressed, along with a few of her slimes. I know Alkaline's wanting to explore her independence but I feel an odd pang. It really wasn't that long ago that she was hanging off my every move.

This is a working few are ever given the opportunity to see, she could have the decency to look interested...

I expend my gathered mana for more of the deep magic, dungeon magic. The growing sprawl of my dungeon undergoes a glacial spasm and stretch. The mountain shifts.

The stone forgets how it was and my dungeon pulls into its new shape. The partial excavation of the slime lair stays in place as the Thaumatorium and Brewery burrow away from it, a tunnel snaking behind to link it to the hall.

The forge closes in on itself and unfolds again nearer to the Meditation Chamber, a new delving connecting to the Heart chamber in its place. My normal finesse feels lacking as a rough tunnel connects the forge to the long corridor up to the secret valley.

Finally a rough square forms, doubling the size of the slime lair as it links it all together.

I sway.
>>
No. 1046133 ID: b78c76
File 166549417951.png - (19.90KB , 650x750 , green_detected.png )
1046133

I feel empty, my mana is back down to scanty dregs once more. It's hard to think, I want to stop and rest for a while.

Wait, something is new!?

Is this good luck or bad? There's a slight tremor as a fissure connects something new to my dungeon. I caught a sealed off bubble of underground vitality when I made the geography of this area indefinite and remade it again.

Spores are flooding out, leaking into my wider dungeon.

I steady myself on my Heart's pedestal. This was a cavity of fungal growth? Some variety of green thumb mushroom. Their spores help plants grow. They can be vital to underground forests, they can't stand sunlight.

A century or more of built up spores. I'm struggling to think. This might be an opportunity, there's plants I have been trying to grow or maybe some things I should try to keep away from them. I'm trying to focus, where are my denizens?

What should I do about this?
>>
No. 1046134 ID: a7a180

Enormous rooms are not a waste of resources, they are a prime investment. In our current state, you could barely cram Deem's biggest form into the entirety of the dungeon!

You should go immediately to investigate this! Bring Alkaline and Reisarf to investigate, and have your other denizens gather in the secret valley to make sure they have access to fresh air as the spores settle. Reisarf and Stargazer's space magic can help contain the spores, and Alkaline has high poison resistance besides already being at hand.
Be sure to gather samples to fertilize the garden, their presence would make relocating the garden a tempting move but this space is already set aside for Alkaline. It should help decorate the place quickly with greenery, still.
>>
No. 1046135 ID: a7a180

>>1046134
Oh, and seal up the door behind you with Pancake, we should introduce our plants (and denizens?) to this in a controlled manner.
>>
No. 1046137 ID: a6d488

>>1046134
Agreed, you should check this out with Alkaline and Reisarf. Alkaline because this space is set aside for her, and Reisarf to help control the spread of the spores. You because- well, we should get our own eyes on it, and you're kinda planty as well, being exposed to the spores could be interesting! And if it goes wrong, you can just get into the sunlight!

It'd be a waste to contain these spores, but I feel like we have an opportunity here. If we have the spores concentrate in one section of the dungeon we could get a really nice overgrown theme going on, rather than letting that be spread out throughout the dungeon. The only thing I'd be wary of is uncontrolled exposure of the spores to the bomb plants, those getting too overgrown could be a problem.
>>
No. 1046143 ID: 30b9f6

Are we still Delving? In general follow the construction plan, but get your friends together, it's a hands-on-deck moment. You can definitely use these spores to fill in one of the to-be 'empty' rooms, such as your former heart chamber, and create an underground garden herbarium there. That would also be an excellent place to station your Woody and Gardener golems.

Alternatively use the room left of the Thaumatorium - it has closer water access, if less space.

Note that this is also a golden opportunity to spread some of these spores around to make your Dungeon corridors and non-living/utility rooms feel 'lived in' by plants - the mushrooms themselves, as well as any additional growth they encourage. Small touches can add to the feel of your dungeon.

Slimes can probably absorb and then deposit spores with their body. Stargazer's morph-itude can probably let her envelop a mass of spores to help corral and transport them. Bags and anything with a lid can be used for the same, so your denizens can grab those. People with normal physiques should probably take care not to breathe in too many spores, so mask up.

Moriko herself should consider carefully whether she wants to engage with these things at all - or she might find herself with a green thumb all of a sudden!
>>
No. 1046144 ID: 30b9f6

>>1046143
Ah, no, we're done Delving. That leaves the heart chamber 'free' to become the herbarium, with all that's left unexcavated. Bit early, and you're still using it, but you can probably dual purpose it for this.

If not, spreading the spores out and maybe using it to enhance the slime lair seems like the better bet.
>>
No. 1046178 ID: 12b116

an underground forest sounds like a really cool boss room. We might want to encourage that, even more if they'll grow our plants faster
>>
No. 1046181 ID: 15c72a

>>1046131
>insulting speculation.
How is a compliment insulting?

>>1046132
Huh, that yellow thing on Alkaline's chest is shimmering. Investigate.

>green thumb spores
No, no, that's not right. It's in the slime lair, there are no plants there. Seal it back off until you can utilize them properly!
>>
No. 1046218 ID: 93ec6f

Stick your head in the spores. Plus the woody golems.
>>
No. 1046280 ID: d12415

>>1046133
should probably evacuate everyone initially, just so nobody has any adverse reactions to the spores.

It may be a good idea to make everyone immune to any effects the spores may cause. Even if it is more of a symbiosis thing at the end, if they need to leave for the surface, that could be a death sentence depending on how ingrained the fungus is at that point.
>>
No. 1046310 ID: 4d624b

It is okay to be too tired for this. Just tell your denizens about the situation, ask them to deal with it, they are a competent crew, then snuggle up with your dragon and relax into a sedentary state.
>>
No. 1046320 ID: f57349

Notify Merud and Hin to set up precautions so the spores aren't accidentally destroyed by sunlight exposure.

Part of what Alkaline probably wants is respect and responsibility, and the slime lair is her territory, so how about putting her in charge of some of the underground-forest options this opens up?
>>
No. 1046400 ID: 810687
File 166567275854.png - (42.48KB , 800x550 , anti_spore_techs.png )
1046400

>It is okay to be too tired for this. Just tell your denizens about the situation, ask them to deal with it, they are a competent crew, then snuggle up with your dragon and relax into a sedentary state.
No! I need to take care of this!

>Seal up the door behind you with Pancake, we should introduce our plants (and denizens?) to this in a controlled manner.
>No, no, that's not right. It's in the slime lair, there are no plants there. Seal it back off until you can utilize them properly!
There's an expanding cloud of spores drifting through my dungeon. I can probably keep some of them back in place though. I send my door-golem wheeling towards the newly excavations to wedge itself in the crack.

>Have your other denizens gather in the secret valley to make sure they have access to fresh air as the spores settle.
I move some of my other golems start to evacuating the dungeon until we can clear the air.

>Reisarf and Stargazer's space magic can help contain the spores, and Alkaline has high poison resistance besides already being at hand.
>Slimes can probably absorb and then deposit spores with their body. Stargazer's morph-itude can probably let her envelop a mass of spores to help corral and transport them. Bags and anything with a lid can be used for the same, so your denizens can grab those. People with normal physiques should probably take care not to breathe in too many spores, so mask up.
Reisarf and Stargazer are quickly on the scene, Reisarf using her space-warping magic to try and corral some of the spores while Stargazer seems to have settled on some odd suction based approach. The two are effective though.

>It'd be a waste to contain these spores, but I feel like we have an opportunity here. If we have the spores concentrate in one section of the dungeon we could get a really nice overgrown theme going on, rather than letting that be spread out throughout the dungeon. The only thing I'd be wary of is uncontrolled exposure of the spores to the bomb plants, those getting too overgrown could be a problem.
>An underground forest sounds like a really cool boss room. We might want to encourage that, even more if they'll grow our plants faster.
My Heart Chamber is the furthermost main chamber away thankfully. I station a golem to prune the bomb plants thoroughly if required. Other than that I leave the room alone.
>>
No. 1046401 ID: 810687
File 166567279367.png - (30.37KB , 800x550 , too_much_fruit.png )
1046401

>Note that this is also a golden opportunity to spread some of these spores around to make your Dungeon corridors and non-living/utility rooms feel 'lived in' by plants - the mushrooms themselves, as well as any additional growth they encourage.
I'll have to get some plants moved around the dungeon to take advantage of the loose spores.

>We should get our own eyes on it, and you're kinda planty as well, being exposed to the spores could be interesting! And if it goes wrong, you can just get into the sunlight!
My fruit seem to be growing at an alarming rate. My golem body's neck is feeling the strain. Alkaline's getting ahead of me, rushing into the new slime lair.

"Slow down!" I say.

Alkaline doesn't. I fall over, unbalanced by overlarge fruit. I try to snap them off but the stems refuse to break.

My royal jelly doubles back and starts shaking a fruit. "Deem, you have to wake up! Don't leave me again!"

"Alkaline, I'm not a fruit! Come over here, I'm over here!"

She acts as if she can't hear me.

"Deem, it's been a month!" she sobs, hugging the fruit. "Wake up!"

It can't have been that long! "I'm not a fruit!" Stop hugging the fruit Alkaline, it's not me!
>>
No. 1046402 ID: 810687
File 166567283540.png - (28.02KB , 720x720 , and_in_strange_aeons_may_bake_you_a_pie.png )
1046402

Reisarf and Stargazer walk in. Something is not right.

"Alky~," Reisarf calls out. "Stop bothering that fruit! I made cookies!"

"Oh, cookies!" Alkaline jumps up and leaves me.

"Wait don't go!"

I startle awake.
>>
No. 1046403 ID: 810687
File 166567289982.png - (38.69KB , 800x600 , it_was_some_dumb_dream_again_deem.png )
1046403

What.

I seem to be in Alkaline's lap. Some time has passed, perhaps a few hours?

"Get up, you're heavy." my slime princess complains, having noticed I've woken up.

"And whose fault would that be?" I did not request to be occupying anyone's lap.

"It's yours, for not looking after yourself." Alkaline declares with the invincible certitude of youth.

I suppose she's won this round.

"Did I sleep through much?" I ask as Alkaline pushes me away.

"A handful of frogs and a weird spider attacked, but they're gone." Alkaline says.

>Part of what Alkaline probably wants is respect and responsibility, and the slime lair is her territory, so how about putting her in charge of some of the underground-forest options this opens up?
I nod. "Good, if it's safe to go out, I'd like you to gather plants for your slime lair. We might as well take advantage of these spores."

Alkaline looks excited. "W-well I was going to do that anyway!" she says, gathering up most of her slimes and leaving.

This spore exposure's been good for her Nourishing Goo. Some of her slimes seem to have picked up mushrooms. It's not some something we've really put to the test yet, but plants should be able to survive and even flourish from being planted in her slimes.

She's left me a jug of her slime milk. I gulp some of it down. My mana is still in a precarious state but I feel a little better. The monster attack likely helped but I might as well get some food in my golem body.
>>
No. 1046404 ID: 810687
File 166567305044.png - (43.14KB , 801x600 , golems_in_need_of_gardening.png )
1046404

>Stick your head in the spores. Plus the woody golems.
The golems incorporating plants don't seem to have been harmed, it might even be a net enhancement to function once they settle in to this new growth. My gardener-golem has very long vine-hair, the mud-and-stick golem is looking very leggy and my woody brute's upper body is extra bulky. It's having some trouble with narrower doors in fact.

My antlers have grown some, they seem to be producing more fruit, but otherwise my golem body is fine.

>Moriko herself should consider carefully whether she wants to engage with these things at all - or she might find herself with a green thumb all of a sudden!
I check with Merud while flagging him down to check on the golem. She did go through to fend off the frogs. She didn't have any hesitation. Hmmm, I suppose I did talk to Moriko about taking up gardening while we were hunting the devil bear.

This has been a busy week. I still have two until Olan comes for his little tour but I suppose overall things are starting to come together. I just need to be sure to sort his commissioned item before he gets here.

For this coming week, what should I focus on?

----------------------------------------
Dungeon Renovations - Pick One
----------------------------------------
Lizard Lair: Move my Heart to its new location and refurbish the old Heart Chamber so that Chakarchelou can move in. A completed lair will boost Chakarchelou's strength. The lair will be usable as a dungeon room should I not focus on them, they will just be more basic and not grant their associated benefit.

New Room: There is a new room between the hallway and the Thaumatorium I haven't given any purpose to yet. Perhaps I should use it as another creature lair, or a study or workshop?

Hallway Works: I have two fairly bare hallways following the Golem Totem at the moment (the frogs have destroyed the statuary), perhaps they could do with a special feature?

Finale Embellishments: Work on something to add to my new Heart Chamber that will work well with my final guardians to make them more memorable or threatening. This space will eventually get converted into a normal room so it has to keep that in mind unless I Delve to relocate the entire room instead.

Exterior Works: I have the bridge to my dungeon but I can start expanding outwards. This will give me slightly more advance warning of invaders too.

Baths: Divert some excavation effort towards digging out a larger, more private and more comfortable bath rather than the regular bath and the Potent Residue health soak that currently occupy a corner of the Thaumatorium.

Resurrection Remodel: There have been reservations about the current appearance of my Resurrection Matrix and a more harmonious design should ease the burden of my over-subscribed Matrix. I should see what ideas my denizens have come up with.

----------------------------------------
Denizen Work - Pick Two
----------------------------------------
MANA: I am still regularly falling asleep. I need to look at options to more quickly restore and condense my mana.

Olan's Commission: Create the sample item to be crafted out of the catalysts Olan supplied. It has to be done before he arrives.

Royal Jelly: Alkaline's going to be a full fledged slime queen soon and has become quite temperamental and sending mixed messages to me. Maybe I need to spend more time with her.

Alien Concerns: I should check in with Reisarf and Stargazer to see what they've been getting up to. They have been doing a lot of undirected research and maybe I should find out what's useful, relevant and not dangerous.

Words With Smith: Settle with Hin how she feels about her current state of affairs. She also has a lot of new abilities to try out.

Good Golemeter: Merud has been working hard and seems to be having a lot of golem ideas. Maybe I should check in with him.

Curse Breaker: While these monster-luring fruit I'm growing are potentially useful, dropping them everywhere is getting annoying. I may be getting a little heavy too. I should put some effort towards breaking the curse.

Orange Crags Connection: Hin gets a considerable enhancement there. I have the spatial anomaly linking the place to my dungeon and a wizard and his starspawn companion with specialities in spatial magic. This could be worth investigating.

Encounter Design: I should put some thought into how I station some of my denizens about the dungeon now the layout is getting more complex, and get them practiced on getting into position and working together.

Material Science: Between Alkaline's new slimes, Reisarf's material blending spell and Hin's enhancing smithing, I should see what can be produced for use in the dungeon.

Green Thumb: I should work on propagating my existing plants: the oreberry bush, bomb plant, a sticky bomb seed, and the kindly mushrooms, and see what other useful plants I can gather, such as the slime-adapted plants from the crags and the strangleroots to make best use of the green thumb spores. They will keep for a while.

Amphibian Assault: The frogs have definitely gotten more belligerent after the devil bear's death and me Churning the Earth. I should send a small squad to keep their numbers under control.

Potion Recipes: Use the Brewery to work with Alkaline and Doyle to create a stable recipe - a potion that can be created reliably without much effort. Due to the limited ingredients, they are likely to have a side effect.
>>
No. 1046405 ID: 5739b1

>>1046404
>Hallway Works

>MANA
>Olan's Commission
>>
No. 1046406 ID: 7397c3

>>1046402
Dungeon Renovations: Lizard Lair. Let's finish what we started, and we've been putting off moving your Heart Chamber for a while now. The Resurrection Matrix is also important, but it's not like it's not gonna work at all, and I don't think anyone's gonna die anytime soon (but if they do, then it's the next on the list).

Denizen Work: I will continue to be the voice of reason and tell you that if you don't make Olan's Commission with time to spare, something unexpected will pop out and you'll end up giving him something shoddy. Your reputation's riding on this.
For the other one I'll say either Royal Jelly: you seem to be making some progress there so it might be worth it to follow it up, or MANA: your keep complaining about it every other sentence so I'm sure it's very important.
>>
No. 1046407 ID: 9c1ef3

Someone has to do that commission. Get that handled!

And let's get a handle on our Royal Slime. She seems to be more receptive at any rate, now.

And let's work on the Lizard Lair while we're at it, see if he's bonded with any slimes. There's a synergy there that could come in handy.
>>
No. 1046410 ID: 30b9f6

>Alkaline
Aw, she does care. And is annoyed you're not caring for yourself. You should settle that MANA issue sooner rather than later. Though... bah, time is precious, isn't it? Then again, if you didn't fall asleep so often, maybe you'd have more time.

>>1046404
Baths. If you have some nice baths to wash off mud, grime and slime, adventurers and visitors are sure to forgive less well-formed aspects of your dungeon. Not to mention the morale boost to your denizens.

Work on Olan's Commission and MANA.
>>
No. 1046415 ID: d26346

Work on the COMMISSION, your resurrection matrix, and breaking your curse. Alkaline and others are showing genuine concern for your well being.
>>
No. 1046420 ID: 93ec6f

MANA, royal jelly, resurrection remodel. Other than the overburdened matrix- it would be REALLY BAD if that broke at a inopportune moment- you need to take this as a rest and recovery period.

You legit passed out in middle of an important thing. That's Not Okay. Spend some time with your dau-, protege, and relax.
>>
No. 1046431 ID: 15c72a

Dungeon Renovations:
Resurrection Remodel, it's overburdened.

Denizen Work:
MANA, Olan's Commission.

These are the only time-sensitive projects we have, and our denizens are in a good spot for now, I think.
>>
No. 1046433 ID: a7a180

Dungeon: Improve the baths. Who knows, lightning may strike twice with another expansion to the dungeon.
Get Olan's commission out of the way. Then break your curses. It will be a load lifted from your head and shoulders.
>>
No. 1046446 ID: a9af05

>>1046404
>Dungeon Renovations - Pick One
Lizard Lair

>Denizen Work - Pick Two
Olan's Commission and Royal Jelly
>>
No. 1046475 ID: 055838

>>1046404

Resurrection Matrix, in your current state, every little bit of burden removed is important.

Commission and Breaking the Curse. We're being paid for the first one, and as for the second, we need to gain control of the effect itself. The fruits are useful, but if we cannot control their growth, then they are liable to become a significant hazard, especially if their effect grows with the dungeon.
>>
No. 1046509 ID: 36784c

Resurrection Remodel
Olan's Commission and Royal Jelly
>>
No. 1046523 ID: 244451

Mana and Olan's comission. I really want to check on Alkaline, Hin and the spatial anomaly, but health and work first I suppose. We have too many important things to do and so little time

About the buildong I would say Lizard Lair, we might find something to help the mana problem. Maybe growing a big oak to drain some mana from the earth will help?

At least finding a way to solve the mana problem might gives us less time of unconscience. Maybe we could multitask with some of the Homunculi?
>>
No. 1046528 ID: a6d488

Definitely MANA and Olan's Commission. Alkaline's right, you need to take more care of yourself, and besides, it'd make for a poor impression if you fell asleep when showing off the commission to Olan.

As far as remodelling goes, I'd recommend Resurrection Remodel. You said it was over-subscribed, so easing that burden might help. Plus I think your denizens might appreciate a space to call their own when it comes to sleeping and other such things. A personalised space to recuperate will go a long way for your denizens' moral.
>>
No. 1046562 ID: 5d9599

>>1046528
All of this makes sense. Supporting.
>>
No. 1046609 ID: 810687
File 166580968244.png - (43.32KB , 800x600 , we_could_do_magic_science_but_which.png )
1046609

>If you don't make Olan's Commission with time to spare, something unexpected will pop out and you'll end up giving him something shoddy. Your reputation's riding on this.
Yes best to leave some time to spare should something come up. This item is a linchpin to securing Olan's financial support.

>Baths. If you have some nice baths to wash off mud, grime and slime, adventurers and visitors are sure to forgive less well-formed aspects of your dungeon. Not to mention the morale boost to your denizens.
They're not for invaders.

>Resurrection Matrix, in your current state, every little bit of burden removed is important.
>Plus I think your denizens might appreciate a space to call their own when it comes to sleeping and other such things. A personalised space to recuperate will go a long way for your denizens' moral.
True. It is currently cramped, partially being used as storage, and it would be useful as another restful and recuperative space. I will poll my denizens on what thoughts they've had for a better design.

>You keep complaining about mana every other sentence so I'm sure it's very important.
Somewhere between being as important as air and blood to a mortal creature.

>You need to take this as a rest and recovery period.
>You legit passed out in middle of an important thing. That's Not Okay.
>Alkaline and others are showing genuine concern for your well being.
>Aw, she does care. And is annoyed you're not caring for yourself.
...

I will focus first on replenishing myself then.

To deal with my depleted levels of mana, there's four main lines of effort I can pursue: reducing my current energy expenditure, improving my receptivity, foraging from other sources, and tackling my mana leak.

Day to day my largest expenditure of mana is providing will and motive power to my golems. If I switch those to reduced activity, naturally this will mean my golem workforce is getting less done. I could also try to start powering some of them through alternative means such as pushing more of the load to Merud or perhaps seeing if more independently operating golems might be within our grasp.

By improving receptivity I mean pursuing the earth pulse and improving my conversion of mana from a vigorously flowing earth pulse. The earth pulse will become more active if I push my denizens to more strenuous and challenging activities, I can provoke conflict with monsters that have spawned in the region, and work to bring more locuses of power like the Orange Crags under my dominion.

Improving conversion most simply is managed by obtaining more gold and precious materials, in the same way a larger waterwheel drags more force from a stream. More difficult is getting myself into more of a flowing state to better refine and draw down the power of the earth pulse into my own personal mana.

Foraging from other sources is finding supplies of mana that aren't my normal mainstay of the gold and earth pulse. My golem body can consume food to gain some mana, and potions may assist some too but I can only eat and drink so much. I can also accept transfers of mana from my denizens, but that will be a portion of their strength that's not going to be available to them. Hin, Reisarf and Stargazer are the most skilled in this respect. It is possible to scavenge from other sources as well but that's not something we've developed much infrastructure for so far.

Lastly, the riskiest option is attempting to address the wound in my Heart. It's plugged crudely by clay at the moment as this is a porous and non-reactive material that avoids backing up with raw mana and has avoided any unwanted interactions to date. Something that is conductive to the styles of mana I use, such as gold, would not be fit for this purpose, it would hopelessly tangle together the many bleeding mana channels that this fissure within my Heart has introduced.

If I want to get useful results, these efforts will need to be restrained to a few approaches rather than try to go off in every direction. What should I make my priorities?
>>
No. 1046611 ID: a7a180

Priorities: Address your longstanding leak issue, and improve your receptivity, primarily by bringing in more loci of power if you can find them, but fighting monsters seems the most reliable method. All of the aspects of receptivity are interconnected in fact.
>>
No. 1046612 ID: 93ec6f

>>1046609
Expand dominion and work to try and get golems alternate sources of energy. Like the plants.

But remember, you don't NEED to have the golems working as fast as possible. You're immortal, take your time.
>>
No. 1046613 ID: 93ec6f

>>1046611
I agree that addressing the source of the problem is important, but she said it's risky. Perhaps don't do open heart surgery when she's already low on blood? Save that for when she's healthier.
>>
No. 1046614 ID: 15c72a

>>1046609
Are those fruits draining your mana or is it a biological process?

...sheesh, we don't have any good options for mana here do we? Wait, these are five options.

Powering down your golems... well, what are they doing right now? It seems like a good idea to power down the golems more focused on combat than physical labor, or those that have more whimsical designs. You can get them running again when we have an invasion. How much digging are they doing, exactly?

Earth pulse stirring seems like something we should always be doing, unless your denizens are on break. Fighting the frogs seems like a good idea, since they're already picking a fight.

Gold/minerals isn't something we can purposefully focus on, is it? We don't have anything to make money with, and there's no quick way to riches either... what do you mean by "flowing state"?

Getting mana donations is something you can ask for, I suppose, but it seems very disruptive to me. Then again, Stargazer could have a mutually beneficial arrangement there, since she can drink your raw mana.

You can ask Hin to take a look at your heart and design a better plug, giving her your requirements (especially the spell channel requirement). She wanted to do something like that on her own a while back; why not give it to her as an official task? Even if a total solution turns out to be beyond her abilities, she might figure out something slightly better than what you've got now.
>>
No. 1046618 ID: 93ec6f

Consider cooking with mana-rich ingredients with Alakaline. Reisarf too, maybe? It's a bonding activity, it's useful for your mana problem, it's something they can do for you independently to feel helpful, and tasty!

Just don't DEMAND they cook for you. Turning a bonding activity into a chore is plusungood.
>>
No. 1046619 ID: 0e9fd8

>>1046609
Maybe try and create Mana potions? Satiation potions already indirectly do that for you, so that may be a good proof of concept / starting point.
>>
No. 1046624 ID: f57349

Send Belphejar, Merud, and the homunculi out to raid the Orange Crags, with the goal of bringing back all the preserved food and mana potions they can carry. That hits several points at once: foraging via homunculi metabolism, Merud taking over golem upkeep, a challenging task for your denizens, and progress toward seizing the locus of power.
>>
No. 1046626 ID: e5709d

Conserve Power. Your workforce, while formidable, isn't tested for efficiency. You may be spending an excess of energy to power something you don't truly want. Trim the fat and scavenge to make up for labor shortages.
>>
No. 1046646 ID: 708905

>>1046609
What would happen if you had your golem body directly drink tge mana leaking from your damaged heart?
>>
No. 1046667 ID: 832be8

Your golem is becoming rather... fruitful... so you should probably talk to someone, I suggest Hin, about how Olan's delegation might respond to your golem's developing appearance and how you might navigate the worst of it. Remember that perspective can be important, and that just because you have seen it all a million times as a dungeon, doesn't mean that you are prepared to be the direct subject of attentions from one who thinks themselves a peer and equal to yourself...

I would love to see you get a proper prosthesis. Something that can properly take the place of the absent crystal. It is, of course, of obscene complexity, and you don't have materials equal to the task, but surely some improvements could be made. Even something that crudely treats a bundle of individual mana veins as a single mass could still likely bridge at least a few of the broken pathways, and you could pack clay around such connectors to deal with their imperfections. It seems likely that such a system would be prone to breaking from overloads, but you are probably already averse to running much mana through the gouge.
>>
No. 1046681 ID: 244451

>>1046618
I like this. Maybe investigate how to infuse mana into food so it works as mana potions.

If this doesn't work, you can temporally put more of the golems' weight in merud shoulders until we can find a more stable solution.

In a future, I recomend to see for more stable magic source. In fact I would seek a mana source outside of the dungeoneering, so you don't put all your eggs in the same basket. And I would only tackle your wound when you have time, material and instalations to handle a good fix (or to defuse a crisis if it goes bad)
>>
No. 1046692 ID: 860984

>>1046609
I think trying to grab that Locus in the Orange Crags soon is a good idea, before something else tries to take up residence there.
Hin seems like she will have a much easier time there now with her recent power up, and the surplus Goo will give here a good way to practice her new ability. Maybe send Alkaline and a few of her slimes as well, she might appreciate the trip as well as the implied responsibility, and with since the goo is curses, she should be able to eat as much as she likes and get a power up.

As for the fruits issue, if they attract monsters, maybe you can turn them into an asset, like a spray or paste, and use it to lure those frogs somewhere else? Preferably somewhere with other monsters they can get killed/eaten by so theyre not our problem anymore.

For the artifact project, can we get a rundown on what materials we have on hand currently, I cant remember what we have available anymore.
>>
No. 1046698 ID: c161fb

Try to find an alternative way to power your golems.
>>
No. 1047161 ID: 69f37a
File 166640361963.png - (42.01KB , 800x600 , go_grab_me_some_takeaway.png )
1047161

>What would happen if you had your golem body directly drink the mana leaking from your damaged heart?
Much like a human drinking blood to replenish their lost blood it would not work and would cause other complications.

>Send Belphejar, Merud, and the homunculi out to raid the Orange Crags, with the goal of bringing back all the preserved food and mana potions they can carry. That hits several points at once: foraging via homunculi metabolism, Merud taking over golem upkeep, a challenging task for your denizens, and progress toward seizing the locus of power.
>Hin seems like she will have a much easier time there now with her recent power up, and the surplus Goo will give here a good way to practice her new ability. Maybe send Alkaline and a few of her slimes as well, she might appreciate the trip as well as the implied responsibility, and with since the goo is curses, she should be able to eat as much as she likes and get a power up.

I've already claimed that locus, but it can't hurt to tighten my grip on it and I might as well have my denizens move in force if they're going to be bringing back a lot of material. Given the spitters though, I'll just send Alkaline. She can bud off a few slimes if needed but a large number of slimes is likely to attract more monsters.

>Maybe try and create Mana potions? Satiation potions already indirectly do that for you, so that may be a good proof of concept / starting point.
>Work to try and get golems alternate sources of energy. Like the plants.
"This is just going to be an overnight trip, so focus on gathering mainly."I say to my assembled denizens. "Get there, make a camp, see what has changed and what is available on fringes of the crags, and then you can go deeper the second day. I want you back before dark. It's more important to get a lot of material and a good variety than to get into fights over anything. You're looking for food, mana rich consumables and anything that might be useful for magical crafting or for sustaining golems. Alkaline, if you find any interesting curse sources you should grab that too."

"Hin, you're in charge since you know the area. Merud, you'll be doing most of the foraging so make sure you let Hin know how long getting the golems to collect things is going to take. Try not to split up and make sure the others know where you are at all times."

"I know, I'm not stupid. You don't need to worry so much!" Alkaline complains.

"I was thinking of Merud." I say. "Merud, don't you go wandering off again! Especially don't go leaving decoys out and wandering off!"

Merud looks sheepish but I'm not going to be there to stop any bear mauling this time.

"Belphe, focus on brewing up mana potions but you might need to provide help in a pinch. And Alkaline, the spitters are going to be targeting you and any slimes you make, so see if you can find anything interesting, but not if it's putting you at risk."

With a few more warnings and instructions, my denizens are on their way.

>In a future, I recommend to see for more stable magic source. In fact I would seek a mana source outside of the dungeoneering, so you don't put all your eggs in the same basket.
All other sources of mana available to me are insignificant compared to the earth pulse. However, they can be useful to ease me through a time such as now.

>You can ask Hin to take a look at your heart and design a better plug, giving her your requirements (especially the spell channel requirement).
>I would love to see you get a proper prosthesis. Something that can properly take the place of the absent crystal. It is, of course, of obscene complexity, and you don't have materials equal to the task, but surely some improvements could be made.
>I would only tackle your wound when you have time, material and installations to handle a good fix
I think it's too risky. We don't have much of substance to work with. No-one needs to look at my Heart right now...
>>
No. 1047162 ID: 69f37a
File 166640371790.png - (51.51KB , 800x600 , oops_another_prophetic_dreem.png )
1047162

>Getting mana donations is something you can ask for, I suppose, but it seems very disruptive to me. Then again, Stargazer could have a mutually beneficial arrangement there, since she can drink your raw mana.
My denizens do have things they'll want to be using their mana for, true. I have other options I can explore.

>Consider cooking with mana-rich ingredients with Alkaline. Reisarf too, maybe? It's a bonding activity, it's useful for your mana problem, it's something they can do for you independently to feel helpful, and tasty!
We don't currently have a lot of mana rich ingredients but while most of my denizens are away, I'll get Reisarf to do some culinary experiments today and for the next night's dinner once everyone's back that should put us on a better footing to make the most of the new ingredients from the Orange Crags.

I go find my Reisarf and Stargazer in the hidden valley where they seem to be stacking rocks.

"Reisarf, Stargazer." I say. "I think I need your help with replenishing my mana."

Staragzer stops wiggling. "Oh I was wondering when you'd ask." Reisarf says.

"You and Stargazer are my best cooks," I say. "And I'd like you to try and make some food that's rich in mana."

Reisarf pauses for a moment. "Oh, clever!"

"We'll be waiting on our little expedition for better ingredients, but if there's anything you can think of to try for meals today that'd be useful."

It turns out that the cake mimic has been an object of some fascination for Reisarf. My alienist has been speculating that if the cake mimic can transform mana into a novel experience, the taste of a delicious cake, can the opposite be done? I am not sure how Reisarf came onto this train of thought but it is a useful realisation: we are stimulated by variety and new experiences. She might have the right attitude for a magical chef.

We discuss a little more about our current supplies and Reisarf idly mentions that the orange goo can be made to multiply by dripping raw mana into it but preventing the volatilised mix from cursing anything. I don't think I want to know how she found that out.

That night Reisarf prepares a meal with highlights of that are orange goo braised frog meat and an attempt at aspic using slime milk. There is definitely some positive effect from these but better ingredients are needed. I can't shake the memory of those ridiculous dreams though.

Moriko seems to be making strides in taming her imp. It's good enough to sit at the table through almost the entire meal. Because of that the two of them have cake for dessert while I polish off the leftovers.

I need to rescue Moriko and the imp later that evening since they've been unable to resist returning to the confectionery lure of the cake mimic. Moriko thanks me ashamedly and slinks off to the baths to have a long soak and clean up.

>Are those fruits draining your mana or is it a biological process?
They're not a problem.

>Your golem is becoming rather... fruitful... so you should probably talk to someone, I suggest Hin, about how Olan's delegation might respond to your golem's developing appearance and how you might navigate the worst of it.
If these antlers and the fruit they're dropping are becoming too cumbersome, I can tear them out just before the meeting.
>>
No. 1047164 ID: 69f37a
File 166640383356.png - (38.95KB , 800x587 , everyone_had_a_good_time.png )
1047164

It's coming on to dusk the next day and my denizens return from their expedition to the Orange Crags.

They look like they've had a rough time of it. Hin, Merud, the golems and Belphe are looking battered and slime stained. One of the golems is absent while the others have taken a lot of damage. And finally Alkaline is enormous from storing liquids stolen from the Orange Crags, blobbing after the rest at a crawl with a number of extraneous limbs.

At least their bags are full, including a rather battered looking small pear tree.

"What happened?" I say.

Hin steps up with the air of someone who is going to try to wallpaper over too many messy details. "We pushed all the way to the center, but getting back out was a bit hairy. Gee those spitters are bigger than I thought."

One of the downsides of not being thirty feet tall I suppose. It looks like her Dragon of the Orange Crags transformation takes days to reach full strength and dissolves faster as well.

Merud steps up. "The spatial tear's in the open now. It leaks a fluid that pools at the central clearing. It looks like the larger spitters fight over it regularly. We decided to get a sample."

I look at Alkaline. "And they decided to fight you instead?"

"I jumped in to grab as much as I could." Alkaline declares.

I put a hand to my forehead. "Do you ever think before you jump in?" I sigh.

"If it's that important to them, grabbing it was the right decision!" Alkaline says.

"She did suggest we use a skin toughening potion before making the approach. Really helped, injuries might have been a lot worse otherwise." Hin says. I suppose Alkaline did learn some lessons from the bear hunt.

"You wouldn't have been in that much danger if she hadn't taken so much." I say.

Alkline looks upset. "You don't know that!" she protests.

What to do?

I'm starting to wonder if adding a fecund element to my dungeon was a mistake. I know I decided that I wanted to deeply invest in my denizens' growth and development but it feels like lately anything I touch is turning into an unruly weed.

Literally and figuratively in this case. First off how should I handle Alkaline's attitude?

Secondly, a quick use of my lens confirms that this mystery goo from the locus pool is charging up Alkaline's curse absorption to the point that the production of her Toxic Shroud, Bad Eggs and acid is getting cannibalised to turn into more slime-mass. That'll mean more slimes, slime-milk and other slimy byproducts being produced but I don't know if that's what is best for her. She's processed perhaps a quarter of the liquid.
>>
No. 1047165 ID: 99f29a

>>1047164
Don't open off with criticism, it feels bad to get and it's more effective to praise the part they did well then show how they could improve in the future. Acknowledge her success and make suggestions about studying them to figure out guard rotations or particular vulnerabilities or the like if next time there's a large enough number to be concerned about.
>>
No. 1047166 ID: f7e98e

Well - she's right that you weren't there and don't know. Ideally, you'd talk to each person separately and get their unbiased(?) account, but I don't know if that's feasible atm.

You should probably preserve a fair fraction of the mystery liquid regardless, for study. Do you mean to say that consuming this stuff is removing some of Alkaline's abilities?
>>
No. 1047168 ID: 99f29a

>>1047165
Specifically, remember to thank her.
>>
No. 1047170 ID: 15c72a

>>1047164
She's right you know. It might not have mattered how much she took; even taking a little could have provoked the lizards just as much, and to be honest even if it would've been safer taking less, this was a time consuming expedition so it's best to maximize returns despite the extra injuries. She made the right choice, I think.
There sure is a lot of it, let's get it into storage containers then start the analysis and experimentation! She can drink it when she wants to focus on her slimes, of course. That is her choice at this point. Problem is, we have a limited supply, at least until we get a more reliable or productive way of fetching it. Maybe get some storage containers and a long range pump? The lizards won't know what the pump's pipes are doing, so they won't aggro at that range I expect.
>>
No. 1047172 ID: a7a180

>reproduction of the orange goo
So, can this discovery be used to stabilize the curse slime? Maybe a full body containment suit would help with both structure and the not cursing anything part. Also, this means that the earth pulse will sustain the orange crags biome indefinitely, I take it.
It's not just your fruits, Deem. The side effects of eating are taking their toll, and what's turning into fat isn't being converted into mana reserves you can use.

First off, give your daughter a hug for getting everyone in and out with so much mystery goo. She had a good idea and she shared it with the team. That's a good idea. jumping in to collect a sample, that's something your team needs to about first. You ran off with the definition of sample taking there by yourself a little bit. Count your blessings that you only lost a golem and keep safety in mind going forward.
Second, it's true that you may not know what is best for her. Will this mean curse absorption permanently metabolizes slime so fast that the byproducts we're used to won't form? Will it have the effect of curse absorption on everyone, or some other effect? There's much we don't know. Extract the last quarter of the fluid and leave her the rest. I think we should test it on Doyle, see if this can reduce the side effects of the potions he brews.
>>
No. 1047175 ID: 7397c3

>>1047164
>handle Alkaline's attitude?
For one, acknowledge she's right, because she is. She was there, you were not, and the people who were there said she did well.
>>
No. 1047184 ID: 15c72a

Oh, maybe you can sell some of this stuff? Once you find out what it's useful for...
>>
No. 1047187 ID: ae9e42

>>1047164
Tell Alkaline that you worry when she's in danger and you'd rather have her safe than a bunch of mystery goo.

And you LOVE mystery goo.

Then give her a hug. Growing children require touch for mental health. Later, ask her how she wants to handle this. Her body, her choice.
>>
No. 1047193 ID: f1cb5b

So uh... why are you so eager to criticize her here?

I know she's playing it really overly aggressive but as a slime that's something that might play well once she's a little more powerful. Most princesses do better when they are suicidally daring.

I think what Alkaline needs is combat training with consequences. Not like the frogs where you'll fall back if it goes poorly, training that involves bruises for every failure, probably using Moriko with her hammer since Alkaline will actually feel that.

But... do maybe point out that losing a homonculous is a pretty big deal. If I understand them they get a bit smarter over time and of course they are hard to replace, so losing one was losing an asset.
>>
No. 1047210 ID: 67530f

I like the various abilities she has, don't let her consume the goo. Remove goo.
>>
No. 1047296 ID: 244451

Unruly weed are not bad by itself, a perfect garden where every flower is straight and perfect loses a lot of personality.

She took initiative and you should show support. Is ok to show concern, but don't forget to let her know that her effort is apreciated and not wasted or you will risk to lose your relation.

As always I would ask first, but I don0t think that for someone who is getting so independant will like to lose her cool powers to become more of a support role. If you find hard to take that conversation, send other denizen she trust to have it. Is a big deal and for her own good that should not be left to adolescence mood.
>>
No. 1047299 ID: f57349

Strategic goal of the raid was mana stockpiling, so evaluate decisions in terms of how well they advanced or endangered that agenda. What's the replacement cost for the lost homunculus? If Alkaline had gotten overwhelmed, and come home via the rez matrix instead of hiking, how much would that have cut into your reserves?

How much earth-pulse mana did the raid generate directly, and how much is the loot likely to be converted into? Extra gold in the treasury provides passive mana regen, so that could be a useful point of comparison.
>>
No. 1047306 ID: 01fe07

>>1047164
Be nice to your daughter. She did what she thought was necessary to help the others.

You should be proud of her because she helped reduce the amount of injuries everyone received.
>>
No. 1047318 ID: 9c1ef3

>>1047299
Yes, I'm in agreement here. Worst-case scenario: Alkaline gets rezzed and doesn't learn from the situation, AND gains nothing material. But the opposite of that happened: She clearly learned how to mitigate risk of those around her (an important leadership trait!) and even helped to secure useful materials, all without actually needing a rez.

Not to mention, the reports of her allies are quite positive. Trust in them to be honest. It's really clear you're being angry from worry here, and should apologize for your tone - then acknowledge her accomplishment.

She deserves positive reinforcement for what she does well and will likely respond better to it than criticism. Better she learns what is good to do than be drilled in what not to do, in my opinion.
>>
No. 1047638 ID: 7397c3

Deem is gonna be thrilled about how we almost unanimously disagree with her on this one, isn't she?
>>
No. 1047852 ID: f57349

>>1047638
As far as ways to criticize without getting overbroad and potentially crushing personal initiative, Deem did say at the outset:
>>1047161
>It's more important to get a lot of material and a good variety than to get into fights over anything.
[...]
>And Alkaline, the spitters are going to be targeting you and any slimes you make, so see if you can find anything interesting, but not if it's putting you at risk.
While the raid mostly turned out well, and it's important to acknowledge that, sure would be nice to have explicit instructions more consistently followed.
>>
No. 1047854 ID: 15c72a

>>1047852
That is true.
>>
No. 1048675 ID: 8db896
File 166781144026.png - (30.08KB , 800x500 , actually_amazing.png )
1048675

>So uh... why are you so eager to criticize her here?
>I know she's playing it really overly aggressive but as a slime that's something that might play well once she's a little more powerful. Most princesses do better when they are suicidally daring.
Because she put herself and everyone else in danger! This is the third expedition I've sent to the crags, and the first one where my denizens have come back looking like they had to fight every inch of the way.

>Acknowledge she's right, because she is. She was there, you were not, and the people who were there said she did well.
They said she had one good idea.

>Not to mention, the reports of her allies are quite positive. Trust in them to be honest. It's really clear you're being angry from worry here, and should apologise for your tone - then acknowledge her accomplishment.
Fine! Maybe I am reading too much into everyone's reactions and overreacting. I take a deep, steadying breath.

"I suppose I don't." I say back to my royal jelly. Perhaps you're right, perhaps taking any amount of the liquid from the locus point would have drawn a hostile reaction from the creature of this emerging slimy jungle. "I was worried, it looks like you all had a hard time. You're right, it probably is important."

"It was a great idea!" Alkaline agrees happily.

>While the raid mostly turned out well, and it's important to acknowledge that, sure would be nice to have explicit instructions more consistently followed.
I raise a finger. "But I did want a variety of things to be gathered on this trip, not to just soak up as much slime as possible."

"We got a lot of fruits and things too but I bet this is the best!" Alkaline says, slapping herself. "I'm going to make so many slimes!"

>Specifically, remember to thank her.
"Well thank you Alkaline." I say. "You'd better head back to your room, I'm sure your other slimes are missing you."

My royal jelly starts slowly wiggling across the bridge back into the dungeon.

>There sure is a lot of locus goo, let's get it into storage containers then start the analysis and experimentation! She can drink it when she wants to focus on her slimes, of course. That is her choice at this point. Problem is, we have a limited supply, at least until we get a more reliable or productive way of fetching it.
"Can you put some of the liquid you found in jars, Alkaline?" I say.

She waves vaguely back at me. I will have to take that as a yes.

>Strategic goal of the raid was mana stockpiling, so evaluate decisions in terms of how well they advanced or endangered that agenda. What's the replacement cost for the lost homunculus? If Alkaline had gotten overwhelmed, and come home via the rez matrix instead of hiking, how much would that have cut into your reserves?
Replacement of the lost homunculus is mainly time and effort since an entirely new one has to be made instead of just reactivating an existing one. They are cheaply made, although I am starting to run a little low on clay. Had the group gotten overwhelmed, that would have been very bad since they'd have brought almost none of their spoils back and I would have had had to expend considerable effort resurrecting them.

>How much earth-pulse mana did the raid generate directly, and how much is the loot likely to be converted into? Extra gold in the treasury provides passive mana regen, so that could be a useful point of comparison.
Some: my denizens managed to find some gold in the course of their expeditions and the stirring of the earth-pulse is beneficial to me even if it's not at my dungeon. For the plan to eat my way out of my mana privations there's a bunch of ingredients that should hopefully be useful in cooking, and Belphe is filled to the brim with mana potions.
>>
No. 1048676 ID: 8db896
File 166781149186.png - (25.52KB , 800x600 , at_least_this_pear_agrees_with_me.png )
1048676

>Deem is gonna be thrilled about how we almost unanimously disagree with her on this one, isn't she?
Maybe, maybe I overreacted.

>First off, give your daughter a hug for getting everyone in and out with so much mystery goo.
No.

>Then give her a hug. Growing children require touch for mental health.
No hugging!

>Be nice to your daughter. She did what she thought was necessary to help the others.
Must you persist in this ridiculous affectation? She is not my daughter.

>Unruly weed are not bad by itself, a perfect garden where every flower is straight and perfect loses a lot of personality.
But a garden overrun by weeds can hardly be called a garden.

>So, can this discovery be used to stabilize the curse slime? Maybe a full body containment suit would help with both structure and the not cursing anything part. Also, this means that the earth pulse will sustain the orange crags biome indefinitely, I take it.
Did you forget about the 'explodes into curses' part? It might turn back into orange goo afterwards but that would kill the slime.

>It's not just your fruits, Deem. The side effects of eating are taking their toll, and what's turning into fat isn't being converted into mana reserves you can use.
Ah, if only I knew how to break curses! Oh wait, I do!? It's just a matter of finding the time and putting the effort in. Otherwise, I can find some other temporary work-around if I need to.

Time to examine some of the loot!

There's that small and sad looking pear tree my denizens went to the trouble of uprooting and some golden pears from another more established tree they found scattered in the orange crags. Something about the scent awakens something in my golem body. My stomach growls as I pick it up and bite into it. A warm and soothing feeling soaks into my golem body as I ravenously devour it.

"These are chrysopears!" I say.

"The natural treasure?" Merud says. "I thought they might be, but what are the odds..."

"It's something I needed so of course it would turn up." I say.

"That's awfully egotistical, Deem." Merud says.

"I draw the treasures of the earth to myself by existing, Merud." I say, cramming a second pear into my mouth. I don't feel quite the same refreshment from my golem body, this is a little wasteful.

"What's so important about these pears?" Hin says, looking between the two of us.

"They help fuel and refine golems." Merud explains. "They're thought to help overcome shortcomings in a golem's design and crafting. Goldierge's life-loan theorem is that it primarily interacts via temporary enhancement of the Fourth Magic, with the smoothed mana flow driving incremental improvement in their mind-body arrangement. However the pears are not of any use as a mana recovery ingredient so this is disputed. A naturalistic golem such as a homunculus can consume them raw, but the others would need some sort of preparation or tincture made to absorb it."

I give Merud a look as I crunch on my pear. It could be riper. "They push a golem towards completeness. Until the highest levels of skill, a golem's a much coarser existence than a living thing."

Merud's eyebrows raise. "Isn't that backwards, what about Kloppam's paradox?"

I don't know who or what that is.

Hin sighs. "I'm not a golemeter. Can you dumb it down a tad?"

I sigh. "If you want to rob all romance from it, feeding a golem a pear temporarily reduces the mana needed to operate it. A golem that eats one a day over an extended period of time is improved."

"Thank you." Hin says.
>>
No. 1048677 ID: 8db896
File 166781159001.png - (20.70KB , 800x500 , slime_spoils.png )
1048677

The slime-stained backpacks are full with a variety of jelly-like fruit, many of them squashed. Hin gelforged a sack or two out of slime to carry some back too. They're a welcome addition to the culinary variety at least. Hopefully Reisarf can salvage something out of the less-than-perfect conditions of some of them.

"There were a few of these flying jellyfish, they mostly seem to come out at night." Hin says, holding out a sadly deflated looking blob in sunset hues. "We think they build up mana in their body and use it to fission."

"We did manage to capture one alive..." Merud shrugs helplessly. "But it didn't survive the return trip."

The mystery goo from the locus is a form of accelerant from what I can determine. It helps something soak up power from the world around it, good or ill, and consume it. Unfortunately it's not very concentrated. A living creature would be able to get some benefit from ingesting a large amount of it but I'd need to distill it to be of use in smithing or alchemy.

>Second, it's true that you may not know what is best for her. Will this mean curse absorption permanently metabolizes slime so fast that the byproducts we're used to won't form?
>Do you mean to say that consuming this stuff is removing some of Alkaline's abilities?
No, they are just temporarily suppressed. Alkaline still seems quite attached to those abilities so it seems unlikely she'll permanently shed them in favourite of excessive quantities of goo. She might degrade them if she goes overboard.

>Maybe get some storage containers and a long range pump? The lizards won't know what the pump's pipes are doing, so they won't aggro at that range I expect.
That may work but the lizards may get ornery about any unexpected additions to their territory if the pump's not well hidden.

>Later, ask Alkaline how she wants to handle this. Her body, her choice.
I check in with Alkaline as she rests on a bed of her slimes. She's drained some of the volatile goop from one of her alchemical slimes to partially regenerate her Toxic Shroud but it's already becoming patchy.

I ask if she wants to do some cooking with Reisarf, Stargazer and me tomorrow for a celebratory luncheon if she thinks she won't have too much trouble joining in from her current condition. Alkaline looks at me like I'm stupid but says she'll come.

I ask her what she wants to do about the locus goo she brought back and bring up I'm worried it might mess with her Toxic Shroud and other abilities.

Alkaline argues that just means she needs to consume more toxic and cursed material: we have a surplus of orange goo and raw mana that can be combined into an unpredictable melange of curses, there's the last crystallised curse shard from the last time we did that, In My Image could apply my fruitful curse to her, Reisarf has Evil Eye and Curse of Formlessness and could potentially conjure up more a potent and persistent curse, or I could redirect existing forces such as that nightmare trapping formation I tried shortly after she gained her Toxic Shroud.

I guess she has been paying attention?

What should I do?
>>
No. 1048678 ID: e5709d

Work on building some kind of extended storage for your goo-based items. Place it near the end of the water gym to distract adventurers.
>>
No. 1048679 ID: a7a180

What would formlessness even do to a slime? Would it still be absorbed even if she's immune? Try out In My Image and a more persistent curse from Reisarf. Some sort of spatial curse, to make everything seem just a little bit further away?
>>
No. 1048680 ID: a7a180

Oh, and you know what else you should do? Hug your slime.
>>
No. 1048684 ID: 30b9f6

>I guess she has been paying attention?
Haha, yeah. Clever little cookie. All that book learnin' paying off!

What are her stats like these days? Still as lucky as ever?

>>1048680
Speaking of hugs, would Alkaline touching someone over an extended time be a way for her to break or weaken another person's existing curses? Could she give folks the "royal slime spa treatment" and nix their woes at the same time?

Combat-wise maybe instead of just a curse eater, she could train herself to become a buff nixer - or stealer! Principle's somewhat the same, innit? Draw the magic into herself and use it for her own benefit. Guess speed would be an issue.

You can try to do In My Image if she's up for it, but given that she's trying to establish some independence, you'd have to put it in a way she'd appreciate. "Would you like to try to carry my curses, see how you do while you break them?", maybe?

If not, well, let her pick her preference.
>>
No. 1048685 ID: 15c72a

First off, you should see if you can make an orchard of these chrysopears. They're valuable AND directly useful! ...assuming you have some way of accelerating the growth of the trees so it doesn't take years? I guess we could just keep harvesting from the wild trees otherwise, and simply encourage the growth of more.

What happens if YOU drink the locus fluid?

>Kloppam's paradox
I'm guessing that's referring to something about how imperfections are important for something to be lifelike. So, "coarse" can be a good thing, since a golem that is too "smooth" will not be lifelike at all.

>curse stuff
Why not just do all those things? See what gets good results with the least expenditure of effort and resources.
Try putting some raw mana on the "dead" jellyfish.
>>
No. 1048694 ID: 7397c3

>>1048677
>What should I do?
Praise her attentiveness?
>>
No. 1048695 ID: f5ebd8

Research the jellyfish to figure out how to capture it safely. What was the cause of death? Do you need a safer cage to protect it during extraction, or does it need a mana battery to sustain it outside of the crags?
If the pear lessens a golem’s dependence on its golemeter without being a source of mana, what effect is that going to have on the link between you and your golem?
>>
No. 1048706 ID: c89155

Well, if it was Merud who told that what would you do? She seems to want to be recogniced and is making effort for it. Let her learn in her own way but guiding to avoid the worse problems.
>>
No. 1048708 ID: ae9e42

>>1048677
Curse her up! Think Hin could tinker up a Random Curse Bangle?
>>
No. 1048719 ID: 441109

So is it time to finally start working on Olan's Commission yet?
>>
No. 1048991 ID: 131d0f

A golem is a typically stonework construct that often has a core binding its magics together. A dungeon is a bond-forming core that often has a typically stonework construct around it.
Perhaps these pairs could satisfy your not-a-golem body? Can it be processed into some gem-polish?
>>
No. 1051149 ID: 9bc6f7
File 167039736379.png - (51.12KB , 800x600 , admire_delicious_headfruits.png )
1051149

>Oh, and you know what else you should do? Hug your slime.
No, that's not necessary.

>Speaking of hugs, would Alkaline touching someone over an extended time be a way for her to break or weaken another person's existing curses? Could she give folks the "royal slime spa treatment" and nix their woes at the same time?
It would help in a case where the curse is contagious or somehow attached to their surface, but otherwise no. I suppose she might be able to extend her ability if relevant curses were-

Wait, this is just an excuse for hugs isn't it? I already said no.

>Work on building some kind of extended storage for your goo-based items. Place it near the end of the water gym to distract adventurers.
Not what I was asking, but I was considering planting out the room to be added there some time after Olan's visit. I suppose some of the vegetation from the crags might do well.

>Why not just do all those things? See what gets good results with the least expenditure of effort and resources.
If I'm trying to cook why don't I just throw everything in the pot and hope for the best?

>Clever little cookie. All that book learnin' paying off!
>Praise her attentiveness?
I suppose she deserve a reward for coming up with so many ideas. We'll try a few of the more promising approaches then. After some battering, we agree to try three different things.

>What happens if YOU drink the locus fluid?
Nothing comes to mind that'd be as immediately effective as Alkaline but I suppose I have plenty to test with. While we consider curse options, I empty a jug of it and then finally start feeling an effect. It whets my appetite, I feel a yearning to acquire more plants than the two cursed fruit producing branches I currently have and it makes the call towards earth and stone of my Gigant Mode sharpen a touch too. I am wearing sandals so it's very easy to damp it and avoid damaging my dungeon's nice floor.

>What would formlessness even do to a slime? Would it still be absorbed even if she's immune?
I've tested it on her before. In Alkaline's case, once her Inimical Inversion took effect, it made her form a bit more defined and a bit more malleable.

>Try out In My Image and a more persistent curse from Reisarf. Some sort of spatial curse, to make everything seem just a little bit further away?
I call in Reisarf and Stargazer to work on a spatial curse and with Alkaline's permission, I try out In My Image on her.

I find it a little unnerving to watch Reisarf work on a curse based on her Spatial Extrusion. My alienist is dispassionate, slowly and carefully assembling a curse intended to be persistent and effective by structure alone. There's no heat or spite there.

There's some separation achieved, Alkaline's position oddly displaced as her slime attempts to break apart a curse that pushes her apart from everything she reaches for. It fills me with hope for fostering her affinity towards shadow a little more. In My Image is slow to show any effect, Alkaline just sprouting some pale flower-like slime clusters in her head.

"You should use that spell on Stargazer too." Reisarf suggests.

"Why?" I say.

"I thought it'd be interesting." Reisarf says.

I stare at Reisarf a little longer, waiting for a more complete answer.

"..." Reisarf smiles back blankly. "Oh! I was wondering if different people would have different fruit." my alienist adds. "We won't know for sure with Alkaline because her thing will change it."

I suppose she has a point. I am still low on mana but Reisarf rarely asks for anything. I take the time to recompose the spell and cast it again. Stargazer starts to develop some rather questionable looking growths oozing out of the ends of her head wigglers. We'll see what those do when they're ripe if the transferred curse holds together long enough.

>If the pear lessens a golem’s dependence on its golemeter without being a source of mana, what effect is that going to have on the link between you and your golem?
On the subject of fruit, the chrysopear helps a golem aspire to a state of completeness. A human, or even an animal doesn't need mana to move after all. It'd probably be a waste but I could do with one right now. One of Alkaline's slimes helpfully holds up a jug of slime milk to me and I indulge in that instead. Between that and the locus juice I feel fairly full.

>A golem is a typically stonework construct that often has a core binding its magics together. A dungeon is a bond-forming core that often has a typically stonework construct around it.
>Perhaps these pears could satisfy your not-a-golem body? Can it be processed into some gem-polish?
Rubbing it on my Heart would do nothing and I don't have tens of thousands of chrysopears to turn into some sort of floor wax.

>First off, you should see if you can make an orchard of these chrysopears. They're valuable AND directly useful! ...assuming you have some way of accelerating the growth of the trees so it doesn't take years?
I'll have to see if I can keep one tree alive first.

"None of this has done much of anything." Alkaline complains. Stargazer wiggles at her.

"Give it time." I say.

I bid Reisarf and Stargazer good evening as I can see Alkaline's already getting fed up with the starspawn's smug wiggling.

>Research the jellyfish to figure out how to capture it safely. What was the cause of death?
It was bludgeoned to death by an angry lizard.

>Curse her up! Think Hin could tinker up a Random Curse Bangle?
That seems unnecessary when I already have random curse goo.

>Let her learn in her own way but guiding to avoid the worse problems.
For our last experiment, I have golems bring a big bowl of the orange goo, a jug of the raw mana and various cups, spoons and droppers and hand them around to her slimes.

"Now Alkaline, you can decide when it's too much." I say. "We haven't tried this out much so it's important to know your limits."

Alkaline nods.

My royal jelly's slimes just throw everything at her, the orange goo and raw mana vigorously reacting as they touch.

Alkaline is incredibly cursed. Suggest some curses!

I'm not going to put up with this. I should leave and find something more productive to do with my evening.
>>
No. 1051153 ID: ae9e42

>>1051149
Curse of stickiness. She clings to everything she touches and picks up detritus.
>>
No. 1051154 ID: 993369

>>1051149
Curse of Olfaction: Alkaline gains a big, long, drooping nose, akin to that of a proboscis monkey.
>>
No. 1051156 ID: ae9e42

Bad Egg becomes Rotten Durian
>>
No. 1051157 ID: a7a180

Spatial Compression - A nostalgic callback to the days when Alkaline was small enough to fit inside a bottle. Good times. Be careful when and where it wears off.
Imaginary Friends - Alkaline hallucinates the inner desires of those nearby as specters of the earth pulse.
Exploding Knees: Alkaline's extremities are much more detachable and combustible.
The Bad Batch: Alkaline can only bud off orange goo slimes until this curse is broken. Exploding Knees also applies to mitosis.
>>
No. 1051158 ID: 15c72a

>>1051149
Curses:
Fatigue
Nausea
Blindness
Vivid hallucinations of a cat
A mild hunger for the flesh of the living.
"Extra limb":Grow/manifest an extra limb, but it's controlled by your subconscious.
"Missing limb": one of your limbs turns invisible, including clothes. Really messes with coordination.
Heat vampirism- everything you touch grows cold, and there is a compulsion to steal heat this way. Body temperature is noticeably low if not fed.
Bad luck involving minor events
Unwillingness to look directly at people, or any objects you're interacting with
Time dilation- you move slowly compared to everyone else
>>
No. 1051160 ID: 9a2966

>I should leave and find something more productive to do with my evening.
Hoho, one wonders who Alkaline learned impatience from! Shade-throwing aside though, you know things can take time to nurture and grow. Isn't this sort of recklessness an indication that Alkaline herself is impatient for greater growth? Or is she just... that reckless? Maybe what she really wants to be is to be your final boss and prove herself.

Monitor the curse formations, see what you can identify and then, yes, if you so wish you can spend your evening on other things and let Alkaline deal with the consequences of her choices for a while. As long as it's nothing too bad or obvious as to require immediate intervention!

>Curses
Kindergarten Curse: Cursed subject becomes more childish and can make others interact with them in childish ways, i.e. feel impulse to join a proposed game of tag, play charades, etc.

Curse of Obsessive Compulsion: Cursed subject has a single action they must do fairly frequently or become increasingly fidgety, even neurotic, from its clear lack. Suggested actions: Gardening, fighting, digging, bathing, polishing, hugging.

Curse of Command: Subject feels compelled to express themselves through orders. Perceived failure to heed orders can grow a desire to establish or reinforce dominance.

Curse of Curse Reinforcement: Curses are harder to remove, lasts longer and have a stronger effect.

Curse of Dim Fate: Cursed subject becomes more attuned to darkness and shadows, but daytime and brightly lit areas will feel bad. Powerful sources of light can stun or even hurt subject.
>>
No. 1051161 ID: fec07f

>>1051149
Curse of planar vision: Instead of seeing your own reality you can only perceive an alternate reality

Curse of verse: You can only speak in rhyming couplets

Curse of the kitten: An intangible kitten only perceptible to the cursed will constantly meow and run around being distracting

Curse of congealment: If stationary for too long her slime will begin to harden into organic crystal
>>
No. 1051162 ID: 55d211

Curse of slippery fingers: this curse causes those affected by it to randomly drop a random equipped item/gear without their knowledge.

Curse of sticky fingers: randomly take an equipped item/gear from anyone nearby without the target’s or the user’s knowledge.
>>
No. 1051163 ID: 9a2966

And a couple more, why not.

Curse of Form: Subject takes on a singular definite form and loses morphic malleability.

Traitorous Trait: An ability of the user will change for the worse. Suggested: Inimical Inversion.
>>
No. 1051172 ID: 63f410

>>1051149
>Alkaline takes everything all at once.
>Alkaline is incredibly cursed. Suggest some curses!
A curse that makes her default body shape fat. Like, fatter than Deem is right now. No matter how much she morphs her body, it'll always default back to being fat.

This is a result of her taking in all that orange goo at once instead of taking in a little bit at a time.
>>
No. 1051179 ID: c4ca99

Curse of the Sticky Stick: Alkaline becomes rail thin and can’t hold onto additional slime, limiting how much she can bud off and causing the excess to be shed rapidly.
>>
No. 1051181 ID: f1cb5b

>> It would help in a case where the curse is contagious or somehow attached to their surface, but otherwise no. I suppose she might be able to extend her ability if relevant curses were-

Don't... take this the wrong way, I know it's awkward as hell. Amorphous creature that can suck up curses. Golem body that's cursed with all sorts of thing but not "surface curses".

So in other words if she inserts some slime inside your golem body she should be able to suck up some of your curse, even turning it to something else that's to her benefit.

I know talking about putting Alkaline inside of you is a bit weird, I'm not denying it, but if she just stuck an arm down your throat for 20 minutes she might be able to suck some curse out of you, assuming you aren't enjoying the voluptuous figure and sour fruits.

Also you might want to file down your horns a bit. Maybe have one of Alkaline's slimes do it. Or Hin if you just want to waste some time with one of your companions.
>>
No. 1051198 ID: a9af05

>>1051156
>>1051163
>>1051172
>>1051162
I like all of these.
>>
No. 1051202 ID: e33fa7

Curse of Eggman: The subject suffers constant pressure to assume as near as they can to the shape of an egg. Their surface becomes more rigid, and their insides less.

Kitty!: The subject becomes a cat.

Hug Dependency: The subject must be hugged frequently. Hug deficiency results in progressive loss of sanity as the subject enters a maniacal hugging rampage, hugging all around them and never letting go. Extreme deprivation has the subject turn into a rubber-band.

Dinoclaws: The subjects fingers, toes, and similar digits become hard, rigid, curved, and scaled/feathered.

Doorway's Revenge: Space warps around the subject such that portals are just slightly too low for them.

Tongue Lashing: The subject's sense of taste becomes massively more sensitive.

Golemitis: The subject turns to stone with no loss of ability.

Brain the Size of a Planet: The subject gains whatever knowledge is required to make their current circumstances seem tedious.

Litterbug: The subject will always find packaged snack-food near-at-hand. The food will provide no satisfaction and be completely useless in all ways, and cease to exist shortly after losing attention. The subject will experience a mild compulsion to snack. The packaging is permanent and of poor quality, with a mild forgetfulness compulsion.

Lasereyes: Weak lasers shoot from the subject's eyes with no reprieve.

Suggestive eyebrows: The subjects eyebrows are subject to frequent involuntary spasms, usually in response to being talked to.
>>
No. 1051274 ID: 5739b1

>>1051149
Curse of Polka dots: Subject is covered in bright purple and yellow polka dots
Curse of Imitation: Subject is compelled to copy both the action and appearance to the best of their ability of a random being within their sight.
Curse of Yelling: Subject can't help but yell whenever they are trying to talk
Curse of Brutal Honesty: Subject constantly says what is on their mind.
Curse of Dependency: Subject needs to stay in physical contact with another living creature at all times or their health rapidly deteriorates
>>
No. 1051283 ID: c89155

Curse of deslyxia!
>>
No. 1051284 ID: 36784c

Supporting these:
>>1051160
>Curse of Curse Reinforcement
>Curse of Dim Fate
>>1051162
>Curse of slippery fingers
and >>1051172
>>
No. 1051292 ID: bceec2

>>1051149
>I'm not going to put up with this. I should leave and find something more productive to do with my evening.
If you don't want to deal with Alkaline's foolishness, you could get started on Olan's Commission.

>curses
Both the Curse of Curse Reinforcement >>1051160 and this one >>1051172 are fitting punishments for her recklessly eating all that stuff at once.

>>1051202
>Doorway's Revenge
>Suggestive eyebrows
These would be funny to have happen to her.
>>
No. 1051503 ID: 75dfc4
File 167075792445.png - (46.20KB , 800x500 , wubblurghwubguhbluh.png )
1051503

>Curse of Olfaction: Alkaline gains a big, long, drooping nose, akin to that of a proboscis monkey.
>Curse of Congealment: If stationary for too long her slime will begin to harden into organic crystal
>Exploding Knees: Alkaline's extremities are much more detachable and combustible.
>Dinoclaws: The subjects fingers, toes, and similar digits become hard, rigid, curved, and scaled/feathered.
>Curse of Brutal Honesty: Subject constantly says what is on their mind.
>Curse of Curse Reinforcement: Curses are harder to remove, lasts longer and have a stronger effect.
>Nausea
>Hug Dependency: The subject must be hugged frequently. Hug deficiency results in progressive loss of sanity as the subject enters a maniacal hugging rampage
>A curse that makes her default body shape fat. Like, fatter than Deem is right now. No matter how much she morphs her body, it'll always default back to being fat.
>Curse of Sticky Fingers: randomly take an equipped item/gear from anyone nearby without the target’s or the user’s knowledge.
Alkaline is incredibly cursed!

>Monitor the curse formations, see what you can identify and then, yes, if you so wish you can spend your evening on other things and let Alkaline deal with the consequences of her choices for a while. As long as it's nothing too bad or obvious as to require immediate intervention!
This is a mess, I can't tell what's going on. I had a hard enough time determining the curses affecting me last time we tried mixing raw mana with the orange goo, and this is much more dense.

There's nothing overtly harmful forming I can perceive as I quickly retreat to avoid becoming cursed myself by the frothing and volatilising orange goo.

"You should have listened to me." I say.

"I can handle it!" Alkaline says back, retching and then clamping one hand over her nose and mouth.

"I'll leave you to it." I say, turning on my heel to leave. "Call out if you need me."

>Hoho, one wonders who Alkaline learned impatience from! Shade-throwing aside though, you know things can take time to nurture and grow. Isn't this sort of recklessness an indication that Alkaline herself is impatient for greater growth? Or is she just... that reckless? Maybe what she really wants to be is to be your final boss and prove herself.
Ridiculous, absurd. I am extremely patient. It's an indication she doesn't listen!

>Don't... take this the wrong way, I know it's awkward as hell. Amorphous creature that can suck up curses. Golem body that's cursed with all sorts of thing but not "surface curses".
>So in other words if she inserts some slime inside your golem body she should be able to suck up some of your curse, even turning it to something else that's to her benefit.
>I know talking about putting Alkaline inside of you is a bit weird, I'm not denying it, but if she just stuck an arm down your throat for 20 minutes she might be able to suck some curse out of you, assuming you aren't enjoying the voluptuous figure and sour fruits.
No. I'm liable to get more cursed not less with the state she's in. And I'm not so desperate for a curse-breaking I need to try something like that. The effects of my intake of too much tasty orange goo have been persistent, but I'm not that cursed.
>>
No. 1051504 ID: 75dfc4
File 167075799818.png - (31.27KB , 650x750 , girl_talk.png )
1051504

>If you don't want to deal with Alkaline's foolishness, you could get started on Olan's Commission.
I was going to start work on it tomorrow but I suppose a quick discussion with Hin to settle some concepts would give her the night to mull it over. I detour to obtain a sample of mana potion from Doyle, hoping my consumption of the locus fluid will increase my sensitivity there too, and then find Hin.

>Also you might want to file down your horns a bit. Maybe have one of Alkaline's slimes do it. Or Hin if you just want to waste some time with one of your companions.
I begin by enlisting Hin's help in pulling out these horns so I can replace them with something a little more svelte.

"This isn't going to give you brain damage or anything is it?" my blacksmith asks.

"Hin, I don't have a brain." I reply.

Hin huffs. "I forget sometimes."

Giant strength is applied and my neck feels much lighter. One of the branches cracks and is not salvageable but we might be able to plant the other born and turn it into a reusable supply of monster bait. Some of the fruit got a little squashed so I eat them rather than let them possibly contribute to another imp or frog invasion.

"You sure you're fine?" Hin says, looking a little queasy. "Those roots were kind of..."

I give her a look. "Hin, I walked by myself back to the dungeon after a bear tore my arm off. My golem body can take a lot of punishment."

"OK, OK."

We get out the two small boxes packed with the materials Olan supplied for the crafting demonstration. I've kept them sealed since there was an outside chance Olan might have been picked something that will rapidly lose strength once opened as a trap for the unwary.

Baying Bezoar: The bezoar of a questing beast. A sovereign remedy for those suffering from an uneventful life. Difficult to work with as it manipulates luck and fate, often for the worse.

Stone of Poisoned Light: A dense ore that possesses a sickly radiance. Exposure to the light can induce sickliness or strange mutations and corrupt growth.

Tricky and potentially double edged, both of them. I'd want these to be the cores of the items Hin and I craft, or perhaps even combined into a single item if we're feeling particularly inspired. We can use some of the other materials we've gathered but the item should hinge on the properties of these two materials. Something to impress. Perhaps a weapon or tool? What might we do with them?
>>
No. 1051505 ID: 15c72a

>>1051504
Oh? A Questing Beast's bezoar? We told you we saw one during your Ghost Curse, right? I wonder if this is related... it would indeed be fateful for it to be from the questing beast that visited us.

Strange Mutations + Fate Manipulation = an item that can control mutation. You could go for something that focuses on positive or negative mutations, but negative ones are obviously more in line with the Bezoar. I'd expect something like a staff with a means of directing the light away from the user, and also a means of blocking the light entirely. Like a directional lantern?
>>
No. 1051506 ID: ae9e42

A cursed lamp- one that only shines in one direction mind you- that bathes whatever it shines on in sickness and misfortune. Or perhaps we can invert the bezoar so the light gives what it bathes in beneficial mutations? Set the lamp up in a lil garden and harvest weird shit.
>>
No. 1051508 ID: f57349

Lantern of Two Wrongs Make A Right. Ever-shifting gelforged lens uses the bezoar's fate connection to shine corruptive light only on things which are already cursed or unclean, eventually twisting their growth in more positive directions.
>>
No. 1051511 ID: fec07f

>>1051506
Perhaps make a lantern with rotating lenses, depending on which lense is in place the light can be harmful or beneficial
>>
No. 1051513 ID: 01fe07

>>1051504
>Baying Bezoar: The bezoar of a questing beast. A sovereign remedy for those suffering from an uneventful life. Difficult to work with as it manipulates luck and fate, often for the worse.
Make a weapon with this. Whenever someone gets hurt by the weapon, their luck and fate has a high chance of taking a turn for the worse, with a low chance of only taking damage and their luck and fate remain unchanged.

>Stone of Poisoned Light: A dense ore that possesses a sickly radiance. Exposure to the light can induce sickliness or strange mutations and corrupt growth.
Make a wand from this. It causes mutations in whatever it's pointed at.

Sorry these are really basic, I'm not very creative and these are the best I could think of.
>>
No. 1051549 ID: a7a180

Oof, it's going to be difficult to think of an item without a high chance of killing the wielder! Or the smith...

Use the Questing bezoar for the core of a Questing Blade! An axe or knife, or both, balanced for throwing, it ricochets wildly into objects that will cause a lot of chaos. Be sure to wear your helmet, and a cup.
The poisoned light stone could be encased in a (CLEARLY MARKED) watering can and used to foster a monster garden - the benefits of light-infused water are not to be underestimated, or ingested!

Alternatively, you could combine the two into an arrow-attracting shield. Something that will attract all the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, and be tough enough to withstand it. The protective coating needed to shield the wielder from the sickly light will only add to its durability.
What are the odds that you could subtly improve the function of the item you make by using some of the distilled mystery goo?
>>
No. 1051551 ID: 15c72a

Are we allowed/supposed to use other ingredients? You could use that Darkling Gem as a way of changing how the ore directs its light, can't you?
The Divergent Egg relates to potential, which has synergy with fate doesn't it? Could do something with the bezoar with it.
>>
No. 1051552 ID: f1cb5b

Ok, so this isn't the kind of thing he wanted, but the materials are pretty specific to it.

You could combine these, and create a powerfully cursed item. Yes, cursed. This is something great heroes of old did, doing great feats under extreme duress to prove their worth to the gods.

This artifact would like be a weapon or piece of armor, usually a weapon. It would be in and of itself powerful, a man wielding it as a sword might find he's faster and better than a sword of similar weight or build. The sword however is a manipulator of fate. The user will find himself drawn to use it in struggles, and constantly find himself tested by it. It will bring mutation but truly more through a constant series of trials that bring the hero's endurance, intelligence, and even moral compass under constant assault. A weapon that'll force it's use to constantly evolve and improve, lest they die in grand fashion.

I don't think you can truly twist what you have to make it something that won't be considered cursed by most upstanding citizens of the world. Just having such an artifact around might make things uncomfortably... busy.

But if you can make one, it certainly would be and adequate degree of showing off. They write epics about the strife surrounding such artifacts. And hey, if they stick it in a sky-vault it'll probably be fine.
>>
No. 1051564 ID: 9e4268

Perhaps The Double Edged Sword, a (sword/staff/gun) that (fires beams / inflicts / glows / provides) energy that (decreases (luck/strength/attributes) with a small chance of increase / reliably buffs the user with some downsides / temporarily(??) makes (you/them) a monster)
>>
No. 1051566 ID: fec07f

>>1051504
Oh dear you appear to be crossing the border between thic and fat
>>
No. 1051672 ID: d12415

>>1051504
What items exist that can increase luck?
>>
No. 1052218 ID: f1cb5b

Ooh, another idea, though this almost seems like a waste, and is... a somewhat dangerous thing for a creature such as yourself to have or hand out.

Those two items have syngergy, along with Hin's gelcrafting, to create a glass sword. Not.... not a glass sword as in something that won't hold an edge and will shatter the first time it strikes something, the kind that will kill... well, pretty much anything. It'll shatter too, of course, one use only, all that potential expunged in a single burst of murder. I mean, I'm not saying it would have the potential to kill a god or anything like that, but the parameters are pretty ideal for this so unless I'm vastly overestimating you I think you'd be able to create a weapon that would be able to kill something significantly tougher than even you, Deem.

Which again, probably an incredibly bad idea. Impressive, but not necessarily practical, and certainly not something you want to be tossing into the world at random.
>>
No. 1052285 ID: 9b3046

How bout you turn use that Bezoar for a mirror that shows possible future fates of the person it reflects. Not necessarily good, or likely futures, but possible ones.

Also, maybe you can combined that Stone of Poisoned Light with those light absorbing gems we created to make an accessory, like a braclet or necklace that has a more focused mutative effect, using the absorbing gems to soak up the excess light?
>>
No. 1052542 ID: ba71c0

To make a glass sword: Grind up the Bezoar stone into powder. The powder should be burned in the furnace as a catalyst, and will infuse most of it's energy into the stone, which will be ground down and then melted, and then mixed with sand and cooled in a mold made of your own raw mana infused clay. A series of smaller daggers might ensure a human assassination target would certainly die, but a single finely wrought glass sword would expunge enough deadly force to kill a titan or demigod.

Though, keep in mind, you'll probably be poisoning Hin's forge with a bad dose of fate. Another of those play harder, win bigger type situations.
>>
No. 1052595 ID: e5709d

>>1052285
I've seen that one before. It doesn't end well.

Wait... I got it!
>Mirrorcatch Box: A magical solution to recording power in its most primordial form. While the original designs were ridiculous - light inevitably absorbs into inert matter, regardless of its supernaturally reflective properties - applying a power source to this artifact allows the user to prolong the lifespan of the captured lightbeams (from like, zero) by bending spacetime into a faux black hole and then 'copying' photons through forced quantum entanglement and detanglement.
Long story short, you stuff light in a box. This version needs a stable power source, but it can safely contain any form of light while powered. This doesn't just mean disco rainbows - light spells, unstable radiation, and even coded bits can be recorded and unleashed at your leisure. If there's an illusionist who can brainwash people with a lightshow, close your eyes and point this end at magic hands, then stuff their attack into their face when they think you've stopped shining the mirror.
>>
No. 1055344 ID: 8d92a8
File 167571755433.png - (14.51KB , 800x500 , make_some_stuff.png )
1055344

>Oh? A Questing Beast's bezoar? We told you we saw one during your Ghost Curse, right? I wonder if this is related... it would indeed be fateful for it to be from the questing beast that visited us.
Considering how they are usually obtained, you should hope not.

>You could combine these, and create a powerfully cursed item. Yes, cursed. This is something great heroes of old did, doing great feats under extreme duress to prove their worth to the gods.
Yes yes, I am quite familiar with heroes of old and their struggles to spite the gods. However no matter what rewards might be at the end of using it, I don't think an item that will tax its user is a good idea in this case. I don't want something with too many rough edges when I need to quickly and concisely show off its potential.

>A cursed lamp- one that only shines in one direction mind you- that bathes whatever it shines on in sickness and misfortune. Or perhaps we can invert the bezoar so the light gives what it bathes in beneficial mutations? Set the lamp up in a lil garden and harvest weird shit.
>An item that can control mutation.
>Are we allowed/supposed to use other ingredients? You could use that Darkling Gem as a way of changing how the ore directs its light, can't you?
The bezoar's natural proclivity for misfortune makes using it seems risky. With the help of the Darkling Gem it will be possible to filter its effects to be more helpful. I do need to think about developing more variety in my denizens, and getting more useful plants for my dungeon's gardens. I'll just need to ensure we have some examples of its effects ready when Olan arrives.

>Make a weapon with the bezoar. Whenever someone gets hurt by the weapon, their luck and fate has a high chance of taking a turn for the worse, with a low chance of only taking damage and their luck and fate remain unchanged.
A simple and practical way of directing the unexpected misfortune at others and possibly quite spectacular to see in action. Good idea.

>Ooh, another idea, though this almost seems like a waste, and is... a somewhat dangerous thing for a creature such as yourself to have or hand out.
>Those two items have synergy, along with Hin's gelcrafting, to create a glass sword. Not.... not a glass sword as in something that won't hold an edge and will shatter the first time it strikes something, the kind that will kill... well, pretty much anything. It'll shatter too, of course, one use only, all that potential expunged in a single burst of murder.
>Which again, probably an incredibly bad idea. Impressive, but not necessarily practical, and certainly not something you want to be tossing into the world at random.
Why are you telling me bad ideas then?

"I think we'll be best off making two items." I say to Hin as we settle in for a night of crafting theory. After our examination, the glowing stone is back in its lead lined case and the bezoar's been put safely away too. Hin and I set to sketching out the forms this might take.

"Hammer, do you think?" Hin asks. "I think you're the only person who uses a sword."

"Mmm, I suppose it has a better tie to the weight of misfortune anyway." I agree.

>A series of smaller daggers might ensure a human assassination target would certainly die, but a single finely wrought glass sword would expunge enough deadly force to kill a titan or demigod.
If only it were so easy...

>The Divergent Egg relates to potential, which has synergy with fate doesn't it?
I used that egg up in drunken mana battery experiments. The eggs that came of it only seem to have potential related to me.

>What are the odds that you could subtly improve the function of the item you make by using some of the distilled mystery goo?
Decent but it'd make them harder to work with. I don't want to inject too many unknowns into these pieces. I still haven't properly seen the effects of it on myself and Alkaline.
>>
No. 1055345 ID: 8d92a8
File 167571758617.png - (30.83KB , 800x600 , so_i_invented_the_slime_ingot.png )
1055345

>Oof, it's going to be difficult to think of an item without a high chance of killing the wielder! Or the smith...
Don't be ridiculous, I know what I am doing and Hin is a professional.

"For an extra layer of protection in handling them, I think we might be best off doing some quick work with your gelforging." I say to Hin. "Alkaline's slime has proven to be fairly curse resistant. Have you had the chance to experiment with that much yet?"

Hin grins at me. "Check it out." she says, getting a tin off a high shelf of her forge. "Water wasn't working great to start, so tried something really simple first with something we had plenty of."

Orange Crisps: Chunks of the orange goo processed by Hin into a substance like peanut brittle. A tasty sweet.

"This is very good." I say after trying one. "You should make more of these when you have some time!" I declare, reaching for a handful.

"Didn't you get cursed by eating too much of that goo?"

I reluctantly drop them back in the tin.

"Well the others probably would like some too." I mumble. I'll have a golem bring me a snack instead.

>Oh dear you appear to be crossing the border between thic and fat
So what of it?

Hin has one herself before she whisks the tin away. "Anyway, the next stuff is a bit more useful." my blacksmith says, next throwing what looks like an ingot of opaque slime on the tabletop with a splat. It flattens into a pancake and starts slowly oozing back into its original shape.

Treated Slime: Surplus slime from Alkaline and her slimes that's been turned into a durable, stretchy substance. Particularly resistant to impacts and slightly absorbent to curse magic and poison.

"Have you made much with it yet?" I ask.

"Kind of?" Hin says. "I'm still experimenting with the exact process. It's pretty versatile. I can draw out thin sheets of it, but it'd end up as pretty clinging clothing. I gave some to Merud for the little orange slime's suit since he was worried the frog leather was wearing out. I've made some more rubbery slabs that might do well as heavier armour. I tried a more complex mix too but it didn't really work out as intended."

She pulls out two little pieces of shaped slime.

Slime Swimsuit: A two piece swimsuit made from treated slime that's absorbed the waters of a health soak. Grants a minor increase in endurance when wet. There's a chance it will help enhance a feminine physique.

I squint.

"Why did you make this?" I say to Hin.

"Ah Reisarf was asking for some new swimmers because, you know, occasional girl." Hin says, "And I needed material that would that would be light and durable while wet. I tried adding some of the potion that goes in the special bath you made since I figured it'd help with stamina for exercise, but it came out like this." She pauses a second. "Think Kallia will buy it?"

"That isn't something I want to encourage." I say flatly.

"Yeah might be a bit much." Hin agrees. "Although," she leans forward, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "you did say you're trying for a fecund earth dungeon which, you know, implies some level of-" Hin sculpts some round shapes out of the air with her hands.

"..."

"Deem, where are you going?"

"I've kept you up too late, good night Hin!"
>>
No. 1055346 ID: 8d92a8
File 167571761988.png - (9.74KB , 800x600 , stargazer_infringement.png )
1055346

Maybe I should have stayed longer, I have the night practically to myself. Most of my denizens are sleeping. Alkaline seems to be retching a little, one of those absurd numbers of curses she's piled on herself giving her some trouble. She doesn't seem to be in any real distress and the door is firmly closed so I will respect her privacy and not focus my attention there to peep in on her.

Reisarf and Stargazer are perched up high in the hidden valley looking at the stars but I don't want to intrude. I head out it see what they might be looking at. The stars are not too bad, I suppose.

We have a feast tomorrow with the produce Hin, Alkaline and Merud liberated from the Orange Crags. A little celebration of the effort we've put in and the progress we've made. With Reisarf and Stargazer attempting to put some more magic in their cooking hopefully it'll prevent a recurrence of those disturbing dreams after I pour out most of my mana to help Hin craft the hammer and the lantern.

For the moment though, these fruits are distracting. I used a pair of twigs to replace the branches Hin pulled out for me but the weight of the fruit on them is dragging them down and banging fruit against my ears and the side of my head whenever I move. I'm oozing some sappy goo at the connection too.

I drank the locus fluid and it's sitting like a weight in my stomach. I haven't really acted on trying to take advantage of it outside of sipping some mana potion. I know I complained about unruly weeds but it feels a bit like my denizens are all finding some way ahead while I founder around.

One thing I should try is the thought I keep having of adding some more plants to my golem body. I'm outside, I'm sure I could find some useful mundane plant should I put my mind to it.

Out of the more exotic goods I have, I do have a recently acquired pile of slime fruits. I could take some branches off the chrysopear trees but the poor thing is already sickly from being transplanted and that may stress it some more. I have the bomb flower, which has thrived and put out runners after exposure to those spores but attaching bombs to myself seems like a bad idea. The sap bomb is less so, but still a bomb. There's the copper oreberry bush but it is a small bush. There's a handful of the orange chrysanthemums but they're mainly useful as an icon on my behalf.

Perhaps I should focus on something simple.
>>
No. 1055352 ID: 99f29a

>>1055346
Try a century flower. Make it bloom more than once every hundred years and amaze everybody.
>>
No. 1055353 ID: a7a180

Go for the biggest plants - trees. Do you have cinnamon trees in the area? Eat some bark, it's delicious. Try and mold the sap into a solid cap to prevent more leaking. Then you'll have sticky buns!
If you don't have this marvelous plant nearby, I think you should dine on the chrysanthemums. As an icon of you it will reinforce your self image.
>>
No. 1055356 ID: 12b116

>>1055346
A cactus to match your personality

Fat and round with a prickly exterior
>>
No. 1055358 ID: 503f78

> Why are you telling me bad ideas then?

Because you've shown a truly audacious degree of daring and bravado in the past. Don't knock it as bad just because it's incredibly reckless.

Plowing ahead with a ridiculous incaution and dealing with the consequences of your actions has worked very well, and while you clearly still have a lot of dangling concerns you've coped with your situation remarkably.

I don't think any of those plants would really be an improvement, the fruits are already an irritation you need to deal with. You're going to have to make a little golem to follow you around picking them up as they fall off your antlers.

I don't think you are viney enough though. Is the thaumatorium overgrown with vines and ivy yet? Some of that would be perfect.
>>
No. 1055362 ID: 9a2966

>Orange Crisps
You have a delightfully inventive blacksmith, Deem. I wonder if you could trick any invaders into eating enough of these to curse themselves...

>Feast
For some here, a well-earned celebration indeed.

>Fecund
Hin has a very minor point. You have become a bit more mature in your appearance, why deny others the same if they seek it? That said, yes, there are limits and your dungeon should not risk getting too ludicrous a reputation. But sometimes those limits can be stretched a bit for cameraderie. Or comedy. Or both. Kallia would probably buy such a swimsuit for actual gold - for the laugh of it alone.

>Orange seepage
Sticky hairbuns might have potential, but may clash with your antlers. Perhaps strands of your seepage can be woven into giving your hair for a bit of color - like giving yourself a few marker stripes of orange running through your black hair...? Or maybe Hin can gelforge your seepage into something cool that's integrated to your head. Not sure what'd be fitting there, though. Unless she can actually fully play hairdresser here, given your unique nature and her rare ability.

>Add plants to golem body
I can see a garland - or maybe a fluffily flowery scarf! - of chrysanthemums looking rad on you, even if it's only for aesthetics. Aside from the orange variant, you also have reds and yellows up in the hidden valley, don't you? Maybe you could make multiple versions - and have the benefit of them being something you could carefully take on and off and just plant in a pot or garden when you're not using them.

Or you can hold out until the chrysopear tree recovers more and take a cutting from it. I think I like this idea in particular. It's one of the more fitting additions you could add to your bounty-giving repertoire - as there are certainly many other golems around here who'd benefit from receiving them from you. An early second source of chrysopears would not hurt!

>Alkaline retching
That'd be the nausea curse - she might be spilling some locus fluid here. I believe there was also a crystal congealment curse, so if she remains in one place for too long you might have to dig her out tomorrow. Or have Reisarf hit her with even more curses (of formlessness).

You could knock and ask if she's still doing okay. Actually, while she might deserve her current woes, it'd be a shame for her to miss tomorrow's feast from still being mega-cursed. Is there any way you could speed up her curse clearing without making her feel like you're directly intervening?
>>
No. 1055368 ID: bbce81

Did the chrysopears you ate earlier contain any seeds? If so, that might be a way to integrate them without further damaging the sapling. The effects might be interesting.

Barring that, I would suggest that the copper oreberry bush is actually the best candidate. Even if it's metal and not stone or clay, it's already to some degree a hybrid of mineral and floral. Since you're trying to mesh plant and earth here, that seems like it would make it well suited to what you've got planned.

Also, you're not really using it for anything right now.
>>
No. 1055369 ID: 58c090

>>1055362
>Actually, while she might deserve her current woes, it'd be a shame for her to miss tomorrow's feast from still being mega-cursed.
Look, she gotta learn. Let her suffer from her mistakes, it builds character. If you bail her out every time, she'll become spoiled.
>>
No. 1055375 ID: a7a180

>>1055362
>Is there any way you could speed up her curse clearing without making her feel like you're directly intervening?
Probably not, but if it makes her feel better Deem needs to go on a diet too. They'll both be sitting this feast out - the homunculi can have Deem's plate.
>>
No. 1055377 ID: b0c800

>>1055375
the whole point of the feast is so they can put magic into the food so Deem gets some back. also, Deem doesn't get fatter by digestion, all she needs to do is just shed some clay when she's not cursed anyway
>>
No. 1055379 ID: a8f755

>>1055345
Hin has a point you know, Deem. You're looking very on theme at the moment, it can't hurt to lean into it a sensible amount, surely?

As for the swimsuit, I wouldn't want people to be wearing something like that when the dungeon is invaded, since we don't want to get a reputation for being a salacious dungeon, but in downtime it doesn't seem harmful.

As for plants, I'll admit I'm having difficult with ideas. Maybe some manner of fruit tree, I'm thinking that it might supplant what you're growing on your horns with something else. Vines are a classic when it comes the overgrown look. Melons but A) you already have those, and B) it's not a serious suggestion anyway.
>>
No. 1055381 ID: bbce81

Followup to previous suggestion about the oreberry bush being the best candidate: would it STAY a small bush if we exposed it to some of the green-thumb spoors? They seem to make plants grow VERY fast...
>>
No. 1055384 ID: 15c72a

>>1055346
Are those orange stars special?

>plants on body?
How will that work when you use enhancements on yourself? Especially Gigant Form. Will the plants grow with you? Can you control plants growing on the body?
Oreberries seem like a good idea. You could potentially merge the metallic essence into the golem body, for added toughness.
>>
No. 1055399 ID: 9b3046

>>1055346
>> There's a handful of the orange chrysanthemums but they're mainly useful as an icon on my behalf.

Well, you have been floundering a bit about your direction, and things being out of control, maybe the flowers would serve as a bit of a grounding element, like a reminder to reinforce your self-image?
>>
No. 1055404 ID: b3f604

Alkaline ate a bomb and she’s turned out perfectly fine.
>>
No. 1056034 ID: 84d3cf
File 167637005032.png - (35.04KB , 800x600 , golem_garden_supplies.png )
1056034

>A cactus to match your personality
>Fat and round with a prickly exterior
This isn't a desert and you don't need to keep insulting my weight.

Are you trying to get me to throw you off the mountain?

>You have a delightfully inventive blacksmith, Deem. I wonder if you could trick any invaders into eating enough orange crisps to curse themselves...
Unless they've somehow laced themselves with raw mana, I don't think so.

>Alkaline ate a bomb and she’s turned out perfectly fine.
Honestly it's her temper that's proving to be more of a worry to me than her diet.

>Try and mold the sap into a solid cap to prevent more leaking. Then you'll have sticky buns!
That doesn't sound too appealing. It should stop once these replacement horns have grown some. I might see about contriving a syringe to store some of this before the curse on me expires.

>I don't think you are viney enough though. Is the thaumatorium overgrown with vines and ivy yet? Some of that would be perfect.
Vines are versatile things, I could think about using some for hair.

>I think you should dine on the chrysanthemums. As an icon of you it will reinforce your self image.
It seems a little circular, a little exaggerated: an icon of myself to hold up and remind me of myself.

>Did the chrysopears you ate earlier contain any seeds? If so, that might be a way to integrate them without further damaging the sapling. The effects might be interesting.
>Barring that, I would suggest that the copper oreberry bush is actually the best candidate. Even if it's metal and not stone or clay, it's already to some degree a hybrid of mineral and floral. Since you're trying to mesh plant and earth here, that seems like it would make it well suited to what you've got planned.
Yes the pears have seeds, as do the oreberries some to think of it.

>Followup to previous suggestion about the oreberry bush being the best candidate: would it STAY a small bush if we exposed it to some of the green-thumb spores? They seem to make plants grow VERY fast...
Getting these seeds to sprout seems like an excellent use of some of the spores Reisarf and Stargazer gathered.

>Plowing ahead with a ridiculous incaution and dealing with the consequences of your actions has worked very well, and while you clearly still have a lot of dangling concerns you've coped with your situation remarkably.
Fine, I'll try a lot of things! Plants will be more temperamental than earth and stone anyway, I might get more success trying a few different things.

I have a golem gather the supplies and come to me.
>>
No. 1056035 ID: 84d3cf
File 167637011237.png - (29.75KB , 800x600 , sporedabs.png )
1056035

I lie down amid the gathered sticks and vines as my golem applies the rarer seeds and the green thumb spores.

>Hin has a point you know, Deem. You're looking very on theme at the moment, it can't hurt to lean into it a sensible amount, surely?
My golem is my dungeon in miniature, so that clearly suggests that I should lean into it less than my dungeon does, don't you think?

>Well, you have been floundering a bit about your direction, and things being out of control, maybe the flowers would serve as a bit of a grounding element, like a reminder to reinforce your self-image?
Self image...

You don't properly appreciate the artificiality of it, I think.

I am something ruined and broken. My dungeon is something constructed about my wounded Heart, gathering up my fragmented power and patching over the gaps and lacks in myself to present a less damaged face to the world.

This time the aspect I have presented as my strongest face is my tie to the element of earth. Sturdy, versatile and something familiar and comforting to me. Perhaps too much so. To tread new ground I decided I wanted to layer in a fecund aspect, to help nurture my denizens and my dungeon's surroundings. Something to help prepare those who approach me to venture out into the world.

I hope to add shadow next, to let my denizens explore their own mysteries to add to their strength as I recuperate in the restful darkness. Maybe I am more tired than I know.

I think I'm getting sappy.

I don't have my normal distance from my denizens. Perhaps I'm too approachable. They've seen me at my weakest and in all sorts of compromising positions but... I don't hate it. I have enjoyed being more involved with them day to day.

How do I want to armour myself against the world?

Despite everything, despite all the long years and indignities, I am still strong. I will rise. I will always rise. I will grow as I watch my denizens grow. All these fruiting things I have: oreberries, slime fruit, chrysopears. All lures: treasure, monsters, self refinement. The Labyrinth Game to draw my champions in and uplift them.

I feel the plants shift as they seize on this image, starting to interweave with my golem body.
>>
No. 1056036 ID: 84d3cf
File 167637018697.png - (39.97KB , 600x800 , treem_still_a_bully.png )
1056036

I taste ritual in the air, perhaps I'm turning into an unruly weed myself.

----------------------------------------
Deem (Disperse Mode)
Level 2 Homunculus

----------------------------------------
Power: B (C => B)
Vitality: B
Accuracy: D
Speed: D
Wits: E
Skill: C
Spirit: S
Luck: E

A mysterious golem girl from a lost era. A lush body fashioned of clay and stone that's embraced nature to house a frightful spirit, though she's not entirely comfortable in her skin. The engine of calamity that drives her goes where it will.

----------------------------------------
Detected Abilities
----------------------------------------
Woody Homunculus Body Deem's body is an amalgam of alchemically treated clay, stone and plants animated by her magic. This makes her difficult to injure and even her bare hands are effective weapons. She's refined an incomplete form of golemetry's Fourth Magic, the capacity to connect to the world, which makes her body more lifelike. She can eat and drink, and benefit from potions and healing magic. She gain small amounts of mana from respiring, sunbathing, eating and drinking. Living things grow and heal faster in her presence.

Distill and Disperse Modes: Deem has two forms. Distill Mode refines and process energy, while Disperse Mode spreads it. Disperse Mode loses access to Spell Revolution and instead gains Earth Surge.

Gigant Mode: Deem can heal and enlarge herself by absorbing additional earth, clay and loose rock into her body. The degree of physical improvement depends on size and the quality of materials used. Integrated plants grow to fit. A larger body is more mana intensive to move.

Hidden Reservoir: Deem's heart fragment allows her to replenish the mana reserves in her golem body by drawing upon the energy stored in her Dungeon Heart. This gives her a mana capacity that vastly exceeds that of an ordinary magic user. However, the majority of the spells she remembers are designed for use in dungeons or rituals and hence are quite expensive.

High-Speed Ritual: The extraordinary density of spell channels in Deem's body and her familiarity with multiple simultaneous activations of them allows her to cast high complexity rituals in a fraction of the time it would normally take. However, simpler spells can't take advantage of this parallel processing of spell elements as they are typically optimised to be cycled rapidly through a single channel.

Ancient Power: Deem has strong affinities for earth magic, reinforcement, enchantment and golemetry. However, she's accustomed to using these spells as a dungeon, not as a mage. Simple spells and spells similar to what she'd use as a dungeon, such as golem creation and advanced reinforcement shouldn't give her too much trouble, however other magic will require experimentation. Deem can only use Rote Spells via Spell Revolution

Damaged Spell Channels: The damage which removed a fragment from Deem's Heart has lingering consequences, as some of her channels cross the cleaved surface. These severed circuits are not entirely responsive to Deem's control and cannot open or close properly, causing slow mana leakage. If she's careless or unlucky when casting spells, she might activate a damaged channel and bleed mana or lose control of her spell casting.

Spell Revolution (Distill only): Nearly completed spells are circulated continuously in a closed loop of fully intact mana channels, allowing it to be cast very quickly when required. This is preset to a handful of rote spells and each spell takes a considerable amount of time to reconstruct following cast.

Rote Spells:
In My Image: Copies magical effects affecting Deem to the target. This can also be used to suppress magic currently affecting the target prior to casting the spell.
Sculpted Simulacrum: Conjures a effigy of the target constructed of materials based on its surroundings and animates it as a golem. It's able to mimic some of the target's abilities.

Earth Surge (Disperse only): Deem can momentarily amplify her physical abilities with a pulse of mana. It loses effectiveness if she's not in contact with the ground.

----------------------------------------
New Ability Unlocked!
----------------------------------------
Ritual Spells:
False Idol - Verdant Image (Active): Deem accumulates power within her golem body, gradually magnifying the power of her Distill Mode. This happens by her spending time in a shrine and people bringing her offerings or seeking her out. Her healing aura is intensified and magic items, treasures and denizens that spend time in her presence have a chance of being enhanced. This ritual remains in effect until she disperses the power as a dungeon spell, spends a day outside her territory or fights as an aggressor. Deem must accept a large offering to activate this rite.

----------------------------------------
New Structure Unlocked!
----------------------------------------
Shrine: A place people can gather to place offerings for Deem's guidance and blessings. The Heart Chamber is automatically a shrine.

----------------------------------------

I am conflicted. Perhaps I am not being entirely honest with myself. I talked of being more involved with my denizens but this encourages me to step back.

>Hin has a very minor point. You have become a bit more mature in your appearance, why deny others the same if they seek it? That said, yes, there are limits and your dungeon should not risk getting too ludicrous a reputation. But sometimes those limits can be stretched a bit for cameraderie. Or comedy. Or both. Kallia would probably buy such a swimsuit for actual gold - for the laugh of it alone.
I suppose I would be a hypocrite at this point.

>As for the swimsuit, I wouldn't want people to be wearing something like that when the dungeon is invaded, since we don't want to get a reputation for being a salacious dungeon, but in downtime it doesn't seem harmful.
Fine, is there someone I should offer it to (if they want it)? Or should I see if Kallia might buy it.

>You're going to have to make a little golem to follow you around picking them up as they fall off your antlers.
I think I do need an attendant! At a minimum it might let me prove this rite. The ranks of my homunculi are becoming depleted but I have a number of golems to chose from all the same:

1)The homunculus with the shortest hair that tends to use knives. This one frequently leads the other golems.
2)The other female homunculus with spiky short hair, this one works well with the brutes.
3)The homunculus I had Merud model after Kallia but then we changed the face a little. I think it still somehow has a little of her attitude.
4)The homunculus modelled after my original golem body.
5)The male homunculus. Did we only make one of these?
6)The gardener golem with big hair and the big sword. Formerly a homunculus and already one of the more advanced golems.
7) The woody brute, already a highly advanced golem and I haven't tested the effects of the spores on it yet.
8) Big handed brute. One of the stronger golems, sleepy when not fighting.
9) Basic brute, the remaining brutre golem, a frequent flexer.
10) Puppet golem modelled after my first homunculus body.
11) The stick-in-the-mud golem. Technically two golems. Merud's already hard at work on upgrading it to show to Olan.
12) Belphejar Replica. A cauldron-like golem. Belphejar doesn't like it.
13) Golem horse - one of the two golems brought by Merud for use as beasts of burden.
14) Centaur.
15) Pancake. Pancake is currently sealing the chamber full of spores so I don't know why I'm even listing this.
>>
No. 1056040 ID: 15c72a

>>1056036
This may sound weird coming from one of us, but you might want to put on more clothes...

I'm gonna say 9. Beefcake to go with the cheesecake.
>>
No. 1056041 ID: ae9e42

3! Because Kallia is delightful.
>>
No. 1056046 ID: cb34f0

Number 4 is definitely plotting to overthrow you, so pick them as your attendant. Keep your enemies closer, or something.

Also, do the curtains match the drapes?
>>
No. 1056048 ID: 3e26b4

Either the Doyle clone to brew the leaves into tea, or the puppet as a walking, non-talking marker of progress.
>>
No. 1056050 ID: fec07f

>>1056036
Can I just say you are totally rockin the Gaia/mother goddess look
>>
No. 1056057 ID: 109792

Number 4. That golem is good with her hands…
>>
No. 1056062 ID: 58c090

>>1056034
>you don't need to keep insulting my weight.
Well, remember that a larger body is more mana intensive to move, and you're trying to recover mana. Plus there's the image factor: most people don't consider rotund bodies to be attractive, and people are more likely to do what an attractive person wants them to. Your weight is a detriment to you.

>>1056036
>3)The homunculus I had Merud model after Kallia but then we changed the face a little. I think it still somehow has a little of her attitude.
>4)The homunculus modelled after my original golem body.
These two are good options.

>15) Pancake. Pancake is currently sealing the chamber full of spores so I don't know why I'm even listing this.
Because Pancake is the best boy and deserves to be mentioned often.
>>
No. 1056064 ID: 12b116

The stick in the mud golem because it's not overly useful otherwise and has a humorous appearance
>>
No. 1056070 ID: bbce81

I vote for 10. As a visual representation of how you started out, keeping it around to contrast with the you that exists now could be a reminder of how far you've managed to come. It feels like you could use a little bit of uplifting sometimes, Deem.

Other notes/thoughts:

- Would it be possible to use Reisarf's Matter Virus in conjunction with Hin's Gelforging? In particular, fusing the new Refined Slime with stone or cloth to make it a little more sturdy or workable sounds like it could make something potentially useful.

- Would having Moriko drink some of the Locus Fluid help her see results from wearing the Covetuous Ring faster, or make them more pronounced? Or any other change she's hoping to gain from her Mana Vacancy, I suppose. I know rushing her would be bad, but part of me is worried it might be better to make sure a change happens with something positive than wait and leave it to chance.
>>
No. 1056071 ID: bbce81

Edit: just re-read the list, same reasoning applies to 4 as well. Consider this a vote for both, I guess.
>>
No. 1056075 ID: 300835

3 for Kallia-golem. It may be one of the more homunculus-like homunculuses.

Go test out your new capabilities with Merud once he wakes and see if he has any additional insights to glean. He's probably the one who's going to be most clinically interested in your new assets - and abilities and any changes to your attendant.

And he'd be less likely to make fun.

(Hin is going to have such a field day here.)

It's certainly a change... but I think we've established those need not be so bad. Just remain yourself and take heart - no pun intended - in the lovely passive increase in your mana this form gives you.
>>
No. 1056093 ID: 2a82d3

>>1056036
1 seems to be the most practical. You can get extra hands more easily if more work needs doing, and a knife cuts down fruit easier.

About your new Shrine ability, you're still the boss around here. That's going to conflict with having a social life, no matter what. If you have to leave for any reason, any requests made during your absence will hopefully be still standing by the time you get back. (Like work email.)

>>1056062
>Well, remember that a larger body is more mana intensive to move, and you're trying to recover mana.
She may be unconsciously building up a mana buffer. Negging her about it won't help, only addressing her insecurities might. I'll add: there's nothing wrong with being a tank. Every adventuring party needs one.
>most people don't consider rotund bodies to be attractive,
Speak for yourself.
>people are more likely to do what an attractive person wants them to.
Yes, but attractiveness also correlates to culture. I'm sure Deem is observant enough to notice what kinds of bodies or fashion styles people will listen to, and model herself like that if she wanted to. Though, once an appearance of health is established, being exotic is it's own kind of attractiveness.
>>
No. 1056113 ID: 50da0d

>>1056062
Don't body shame. Different people consider different things to be attractive, so your tastes are not the standard that everyone needs to follow.

>>1056093
Agreeing with all of this.
>>
No. 1056117 ID: a7a180

The gardener golem is busy tending to the other golem, have the Deem puppet stick around.
It’s becoming more apparent that curse breaking is high priority. You need to trim the fat from the Treem, especially if you plan to adopt a sedentary lifestyle of idolatry. Sitting there getting fat off your underlings’ worship and labor will tarnish your image with friend and financier alike.
>>
No. 1056124 ID: 58c090

>>1056113
>Don't body shame. Different people consider different things to be attractive, so your tastes are not the standard that everyone needs to follow.
I'm not body shaming, it's how it is. It's my own shape, too. I'm not saying nobody does, but most people don't. Pretending it's not like that is not being body positive, it's being delusional. I also wouldn't be saying this to someone whose body wasn't a golem that could literally shed clay at any time to change her shape.
>>
No. 1056130 ID: bbce81

>>1056124
Seriously? I know *several* people who would find how she looks in the last panel VERY appealing. Especially with the added height. Hell, I even sent the image to a few of them.

Conventionally attractive is not the only form of attractive. If she keeps looking like that, I'd say the biggest issue is going to be adventurers not accidentally calling her 'mommy' when she does boss-fight duty.
>>
No. 1056132 ID: 50da0d

>>1056124
>whose body wasn't a golem that could literally shed clay at any time to change her shape.
I believe you're forgetting that Deem is currently unable to do that. She can't shed any clay to change shape, she's always gonna default to her current form.
>>
No. 1056134 ID: 58c090

>>1056132
She'll break the curse soon enough, we just haven't put any priority on it.

>>1056130
Just cause you know several people who do doesn't mean the majority of people won't. Look I'm not trying to kinkshame anyone, I just think that if we're being 100% practical, a slimmer body will be more advantageous for her than a rotund one.
And I think we're getting a sidetracked here and don't wanna flood the thread with this, so I'm dropping the subject
>>
No. 1056163 ID: d12415

>>1056036
...are you religious, Deem? I'd imagine not, but who knows. Are there gods that you just don't follow? How tangible are they?

Becoming an earthbound false goddess could cause some overwhelming consequences depending on who catches wind of it. I am not sure you want a small army of paladins smashing your door down to smite the blasphemers and their heretical diety.
>>
No. 1056168 ID: d12415

>>1056134
at risk of throwing more fuel on the fire, there is a valid point to be made that more weight is harder to move. I would agree that Deem should either lose weight, OR bulk up more to maintain combat effectiveness. Honestly, it really doesn't matter what Deem looks like as long as she can still have quick reflexes and and strong strikes. This is all assuming a homunculus's clay muscles are on par with a human's as far as strength to weight ratio goes. Tbh I am fine with how Deem looks atm, but her arms do look rather spindly.
>>
No. 1056180 ID: 5739b1

4)The homunculus modelled after my original golem body.
>>
No. 1056184 ID: a8f755

>My golem is my dungeon in miniature, so that clearly suggests that I should lean into it less than my dungeon does, don't you think?
I'd suggest it means your golem should exemplify the themes, since it's the avatar of the dungeon. So it needs to be able to indicate what the dungeon is about when outside of it, and serve as a set-piece / focal point inside the dungeon, especially when you've got boss enhancements applied.

Granted- I don't think it's necessary for me to say this now, since your new form very much works with the themes. The curves sell the fecund theme, while the increased height and woody legs + horns balance that out, and the earth theme is always present. Overall it's a attractive (very much so depending on preferences) but also one that's strong and not to be trifled with. I like it!

For those talking about practicality: I'd like to point out that Deem's Power increased with this new form, and her Speed didn't decrease. Plus this form has access to a physical boost ability. Not liking the look is entirely fair (I'd only comment that she's hardly rotund, at most just thicc. Plus the changes elsewhere kinda balance out the thiccness.), I'm just not sure the practicality argument holds water.

>>1056036
As for an attendant- I'd suggest 3, or maybe 9. I have a suspicion the golems with more personality would work better with Verdant Image as opposed to more automaton-like, it basically gives you a boost for being worshipped? So those with a personality and inclination to pay attention to you would work well. The Kallia-golem would work well I think, the flexer might be too self-focused, and the other golems-with-attiude seem to have leadership roles within the golems, so taking them away to be an attendant might hurt golem coordination.

For the swimsuit, correct me if I'm wrong but I assume you don't want to wear it. So I'd let Hin offer it to Reisarf to see if they wanted it as originally intended, and if they don't- see if any other denizen wants it before seeing if Kallia would buy it.
>>
No. 1056187 ID: 503f78

If we are really going to argue it, yes, your weight is... just a bit too much. Enjoying this many sizes over standard humanoid is a fringe trait, not normal, and while you could give less a shit how a bunch of mortals feel about your appearance, I'm sure Deem has some level of idea what she's looking for in appearance, and somehow I doubt quadruple thick is her ideal self image.

Buuut since as we know intent seems to manifest itself physically around Deem I think Deem is going to need to take some direct steps to bring her size down a little and end the curse.

In other words Deem, you need to go on a diet. You really shouldn't have much trouble with that, since you don't generally need to eat and all this is the result of you trying to eat an earth locus into your control. Just stop snacking and stick to mildly alcoholic drinks at meals with your denizens until you are a shape you enjoy.

Btw, Deem, your new form is looking very imposing. The wood highlights to your body are functional and look good, and the vine hair with flower highlights very is very attractive.

You should bring the male homonculous around with you.
>>
No. 1056189 ID: 7e5fb9

>>1056036
I think number 4 is a good option.

>arguing about Deem's appearance
Deem herself has expressed annoyance at everyone bringing up this topic and has stated that she doesn't care about it too much. I think that as long as she's comfortable in her own body, that's all that matters.

But if anyone wishes to continue pointlessly arguing about this, then please take it over to the Discussion Thread here: https://questden.org/kusaba/questdis/res/94347.html . That way you won't clutter the main quest thread.
>>
No. 1056191 ID: 2a82d3

I'd like to clarify what I meant by "addressing her insecurities", assuming the excessive eating and thiccness isn't just a curse. We should focus on resolving the causes, not just the symptoms. If it's a stress habit she picked up to cope after being traumatized by mana leaks and existential threats, then that means resolving the external threats, or internal fears, not changing the habit.

Still hope she keeps to the "Gaia/mother goddess look" (>>1056050) once the curse is lifted.

>>1056163
Why not double down instead and form an actual heretic counter-religion? Swallow Everything! Break the Church! Break the Sky! The Sky will Fall the Sky will Fall the Sky will F-

Yeah, that's a Bad Idea. Cathartic, but Bad.

>>1056168
Muscling up the upper body a bit would make people think twice about making fat jokes. Find the right balance of muscle and thicc to rock the asethetic of a "brawn and beauty" nature goddess.

>>1056187
Dieting is for chumps. If you want to burn off excess mana right, a proper exercise routine is where it's at. I bet it'll toughen her body up enough that her vitality will jump up a grade once the curse is lifted.
>>
No. 1056193 ID: a8f755

>>1056191
My dude we literally suggested curses for Deem a while back and it was one of them. See: >>1039407
>>
No. 1056196 ID: d12415

>>1056163
Just to nip the potential counterargument that having more people (in this case, paladins full of righteous fury) storm your dungeon would be a good thing because of the Labyrinth Game; they would not be there for gold. They would breach the doors, kill or capture those inside, tear down the walls until they destroy the resurrection matrix, and then crucify the prisoners.

I kind of feel like that would sort of ruin the Labyrinth game.
>>
No. 1056218 ID: d14e86

Deem, your golem is getting very curvy. Your investor is likely to make sexual advances upon your person. While yes, you have seen everything before, the immediacy of this experience is likely to have a greater effect than you expect, so try to be prepared. It would also reduce the professionalism of their tour.
>>
No. 1056364 ID: f2320a

>>1056093
i like more mud it means more material to repair with or cut of to make into golems fast, can also store liquids in pockets or packets, other then that i really want to see a solid wellbuilt skeleton get as skinny as possible and make it as functional as possible then build onto that
>>
No. 1058710 ID: 675b2a
File 167897848987.png - (30.32KB , 800x600 , what_are_you_talking_about.png )
1058710

>Most people don't consider rotund bodies to be attractive, and people are more likely to do what an attractive person wants them to. Your weight is a detriment to you.
>Speak for yourself.
>Sitting there getting fat off your underlings’ worship and labor will tarnish your image with friend and financier alike.
>I'd say the biggest issue is going to be adventurers not accidentally calling her 'mommy' when she does boss-fight duty.
>Deem should either lose weight, OR bulk up more to maintain combat effectiveness.
>The curves sell the fecund theme, while the increased height and woody legs + horns balance that out, and the earth theme is always present.
>If we are really going to argue it, yes, your weight is... just a bit too much.
>Deem, your new form is looking very imposing. The wood highlights to your body are functional and look good, and the vine hair with flower highlights very is very attractive.
>Deem, your golem is getting very curvy. Your investor is likely to make sexual advances upon your person.
...

I don't want to hear it.

>I think Deem is going to need to take some direct steps to bring her size down a little and end the curse.
>Deem, you need to go on a diet. You really shouldn't have much trouble with that, since you don't generally need to eat and all this is the result of you trying to eat an earth locus into your control.
No, I am going to attend a feast in a few hours because preventing further loss of consciousness from a lack of mana is more important than vanity over my golem body's exact shape. I am about to contribute a lot of mana to crafting an item, my denizens have gone to some lengths to gather some mana rich ingredients and consuming more mana rich food was identified as the most reliable short term method to provide some reserves.

Curse breaking has been lower priority than everything else going on in my dungeon at the moment and I'll have another chance to break it before Olan's arrival if it's that important.

>This may sound weird coming from one of us, but you might want to put on more clothes...
I've worn less. This is fine.

>Would having Moriko drink some of the Locus Fluid help her see results from wearing the Covetous Ring faster, or make them more pronounced? Or any other change she's hoping to gain from her Mana Vacancy, I suppose.
I will let her know it is an option when I next have a chance to speak to her.

>Go test out your new capabilities with Merud once he wakes and see if he has any additional insights to glean.
I'll find him when he wakes up.

>...are you religious, Deem? I'd imagine not, but who knows. Are there gods that you just don't follow? How tangible are they?
What do you think?

>Becoming an earthbound false goddess could cause some overwhelming consequences depending on who catches wind of it. I am not sure you want a small army of paladins smashing your door down to smite the blasphemers and their heretical deity.
Aren't you leaping to some conclusions here?

>They would breach the doors, kill or capture those inside, tear down the walls until they destroy the resurrection matrix, and then crucify the prisoners.
No they couldn't, surely I'm still strong enough to... even if they did...

...

Whose benefit do you think the Labyrinth Game is for?

My denizens would die and then I would glut myself on vengeful atrocity. Yet another little calamity in a long, long, lo...
>>
No. 1058711 ID: 675b2a
File 167897851445.png - (36.56KB , 600x720 , its_mr_blue_sky.png )
1058711

Sleep.

Forget your name and still your sorrow.

Drown your spite in your bloody games.

>>
No. 1058712 ID: 675b2a
File 167897858379.png - (30.90KB , 550x750 , late_night_alienist_chats.png )
1058712

"Oh Deem you got bigger again." Reisarf says. "Did you get really hungry in the middle of the night?"

I shake my head. I'm outside Reisarf's little sleeping hut in the hidden valley.

"No?" I say.

"Oh it's a biggening thing again?" Reisarf says. "Those seem really popular right now! Who do you think is going to be the biggest?"

"Reisarf it's not a competition..." I squint at my alienist. Now something's bothering me. "Have you gotten smaller?"

"I'll try harder!"

"No! I -" I sigh. "Why have you changed?"

"Oh! I've been saving up mana in case you needed it, but right now we're testing if eating extra mana will make Stargazer fruit faster!" Stargazer looks at me from inside the hut, seemingly less happy at late night visitors.

"Did it work? Do you know if her fruit attract monsters too?"

"No it didn't. We think they might attract starspawn like her, that's the vibe we're getting off them. I'll tell you if we see any of those jellyfish! And I think being cursed has improved her mana absorption but her compression efficiency has taken a hit."

I inspect Stargazer properly. She is looking a bit chunkier.

"Do you mind if I take some of the surplus then?" I say. I guess I'll have the option of eating a bit less in the morning then.

Reisarf says yes on Stargazer's behalf and after some coaxing Stargazer puts her tail in my hand. We haven't tried out her Mana Battery with anyone but I get a smooth flow of slightly jellied feeling mana from her, which is a soothing balm that eases the numbed, leaky emptiness of my own stores of mana.

"Thank you Stargazer." I say, declining to pat her tail as she whips it out of my grasp. The slimmed down noodle wiggles at me aggressively. I wonder if she might be angry at me.

"Tomorrow please take as much of the raw mana as you like." I say to her. We're not using it for much else. She wiggles again.

>Would it be possible to use Reisarf's Matter Virus in conjunction with Hin's Gelforging? In particular, fusing the new Refined Slime with stone or cloth to make it a little more sturdy or workable sounds like it could make something potentially useful.

"By the way Reisarf." I say to my alienist. "Hin's started experimenting with her Gelforging, so if you have the time could you trying merging some of her products with other material?"

"Oh that sounds perfect! A lot of potential!" Reisarf says, nodding at Stargazer who nods back for reasons that escape me.

>For the swimsuit, correct me if I'm wrong but I assume you don't want to wear it.
I don't float, I don't exercise, and I don't particularly need more boob. So no.

>So I'd let Hin offer it to Reisarf to see if they wanted it as originally intended, and if they don't- see if any other denizen wants it before seeing if Kallia would buy it.
"Also there's a swimsuit for you that Hin made. It'll give you a little more stamina but it might have, ah, figure enhancing properties so if you don't want it..."

"I don't mind." Reisarf says. "I won't let you down!" She gives a jaw cracking yawn. "But sorry I'd better get back to bed. We have to start cooking early." She blinks. "Oh but why were you standing outside my house in the middle of the night?"

I blink.

>Number 4. That golem is good with her hands...
>As a visual representation of how you started out, keeping it around to contrast with the you that exists now could be a reminder of how far you've managed to come. It feels like you could use a little bit of uplifting sometimes, Deem.
"I was trying to work out which golem to keep with me, I think?" I grab a hold of the golem modelled after my original golem body. "This one I think."

Reisarf bids me a good night and Stargazer firmly closes the door.

I think that's everything I wanted to do before tomorrow.

I hear a rustle. Doyle is sneaking along the dirt path that services the little valley hidden behind my dungeon. I remain still, as he creeps along halfway hidden in the vegetation in the side of the path. What's he up to? Should I check this out or do I have enough on my plate?
>>
No. 1058714 ID: 1816ac

Clearly, you have far too much on your plate.
Metaphors aside, however, is he still hungry for a little piece of Stargazer? I am quite curious how this tamed monster has been adapting to servitude.
>>
No. 1058716 ID: 503f78

Yes follow your denizen to whatever clandestine task he's about.

Also, did you lose time Deem? We catch glimpses of something here and there, secrets even you aren't allowed to know, but you losing track of yourself isn't something I've noticed in the past.
>>
No. 1058719 ID: 28f6a2

>>1058712
Of course we should watch what hes doing, it might be something funny
>>
No. 1058721 ID: 30b9f6

>Stargazer mad?
Stargazer might indeed have been a bit tetchy at the late-night intrusion and imposing. She's not some bonded mana container of yours, after all, even if Reisarf is happy to offer.

>Doyle
Let's leave Doyle be, your plate is indeed pretty topped at the moment and it seems he wants to be left alone if he's sneaking off like that. Perhaps he has some manner of secret hobby or something? We can always ask him about his late-night jaunt later. On that note, you could probably stand with giving him some one-on-one attention at some point, I'm just not sure now's the time.

>wat do
You could spend the rest of the night meditating, exercising your breathing to gather mana, and get a feel for your new abilities. You could try switching to Distill mode and loading a rote spell so that you can test it later in front of Merud, pending how long that takes.

Speaking of, absolutely chat with Merud in the morning regarding the, er, functionalities of your latest experiment in your form and function. Even the shrine and idol parts, though you may want to raise that topic delicately. Are there factions or people who might take offense to you inhabiting such a role, even if by chance or temporarily?

And yeah, give everyone a rundown of what occurred at breakfast.
>>
No. 1058724 ID: d8b603

>>1058712
>What's he up to? Should I check this out or do I have enough on my plate?
You must be really, really tired if you're considering letting a tamed monster of yours do stuff without your knowledge.
>>
No. 1058727 ID: bbce81

>Should I check this out or do I have enough on my plate?
Do you have plans for the rest of the night? Like, yes, you have a lot of stuff to do, but unless I'm mistaken all of it need to wait until the morning anyway, right?

On the subject of losing time... I don't think she is, so far at least. But just in case: Deem, hypothetically speaking, if something *was* altering your memories, what would be the easiest way to find out it was happening? There must be some signs you could look out for, right?
>>
No. 1058731 ID: 2eb3cc

+1 to follow Belphejar
>>
No. 1058745 ID: a7a180

Checking up on him yourself won't be very stealthy. Send the stick golem.
>>
No. 1058813 ID: ee44de
File 167904191219.png - (34.64KB , 800x600 , secret_potion_party.png )
1058813

>Stargazer might indeed have been a bit tetchy at the late-night intrusion and imposing. She's not some bonded mana container of yours, after all, even if Reisarf is happy to offer.
I didn't burst into their house, Reisarf came out to talk to me. Perhaps I did accidentally interrupt something though, hopefully she doesn't hold a grudge.

>Deem, hypothetically speaking, if something *was* altering your memories, what would be the easiest way to find out it was happening? There must be some signs you could look out for, right?
...

>You must be really, really tired if you're considering letting a tamed monster of yours do stuff without your knowledge.
I don't demand my monsters spend every waking moment of their existence toiling for me.

>Checking up on him yourself won't be very stealthy. Send the stick golem.
It's still combined with the mud golem and Merud's been working on the two.

>Of course we should watch what he's doing, it might be something funny.
Hopefully it's something to give me some levity.

>Perhaps he has some manner of secret hobby or something?
As long as it's something healthier than spying on people in the bath.

>Yes follow your denizen to whatever clandestine task he's about.
I sneak after Doyle to the best of my ability. I freeze wheneve he pauses to look around, hoping to be mistaken for a rock or tree should part of me be exposed. I think I hear a rustle behind me early on, but I don't spot anyone following me. We reach a part near the valley wall, a tiny clearing dotted with flattish rocks that appear to have been dragged here and there's a small alcove filled with hollowed gourds and cracked and chipped containers. I get some strange smells when the breeze wafts to me from that directions.

One of Alkaline's hydra slimes is waiting here, along with one or two of the undeveloped slimes, all puffed up with liquid. The big slime pulls out the Waterbearer Wand. Doyle's potion contents are pulled out of him and stored. He sags from the loss of his vital fluids then the little slimes refill him.

Suddenly Moriko's imp is in amongst them, I didn't see her arrive. Doyle goes to run, but the imp kicks him and he subsides. She tosses a bunch of berries she was carrying into, then starts licking the juice from the squashed ones off her paws.

They wait a while longer, perhaps expecting someone else. Moriko's imp fidgets more and more.

Finally the imp snatches up one of the hydra slime's Bad Eggs and climbs on top of one of the rocks. Doyle quivers when she roughly tosses the volatile slime in. The slimes lounge around a very nervous cauldron gulper as the imp runs into the alcove to grab something else.

Are, are they bullying Doyle into making potions for them?

>Is he still hungry for a little piece of Stargazer? I am quite curious how this tamed monster has been adapting to servitude.
It looks like my other monsters are hungry for a piece of him.

What should I do about this? Should I surprise them, catch them in the act? I don't think I should let Doyle get walked over, and I should probably confiscate whatever ditchwater potions they've been brewing up. It looks like they've been doing this for a while though... and I think they were expecting someone else? There's been some planning put into this. Who's the ringleader here?
>>
No. 1058818 ID: 9b3046

>>1058813
Hmm, I say you should hide to find out whos running things here first. And then ideally, you should find confront Doyle afterwards and help him settle things himself. Generally, the best way to deal with bullying is for the one bullied to no longer be a viable victim. Im sure we can help Doyle cook up something that will let him take any two of these. I mean, as long as the Ringleader isnt Alkaline or Hin or something.
>>
No. 1058823 ID: 1bbae4

Spot check: where are Alkaline and Chak?
>>
No. 1058835 ID: 503f78

I mean, I don't think we really want to discourage whatever this is just yet. As much as you can never trust an imp, this sort of self motivated ambition is something we've been seeking to encourage in Moriko in the first place, something she seemed to lose when her shadow separated. Or maybe something she was always suppressing, being honest.

Though really this isn't the definition of her learning to reign in that aspect of herself so she can be whole again, it's not something we should immediately interrupt.

I'd say continue watching. I want to see what it's trying to make. Or if it's just experimenting.

I wish there was an easy, clandestine way to get Moriko here so she could spy on it too, she might learn something this way.
>>
No. 1058849 ID: 273c18

>>1058813
Definitely wait and hide to see who's the leader here. It could be the imp though, don't discount that.
>>
No. 1058939 ID: ae1513

Apply more voyeurism!
>>
No. 1058994 ID: a7a180

If you're experiencing lost time, maybe you're the last guest they were waiting for! In which case, you're going to have to call it off. Doyle has rights too. In fact, he even has a doppelganger if they wish to continue this activity.
>>
No. 1059095 ID: f57349

>>1058835
Back off for now, tell Moriko, have her take the lead in investigating further and figuring out appropriate disciplinary action for the imp.
Not the slimes, though - they're Alkaline's responsibility. Don't tell Alkaline about it until Moriko is reasonably sure she's not the ringleader.
>>
No. 1059702 ID: bbce81

>I think I hear a rustle behind me early on, but I don't spot anyone following me.

I'm guessing the ringleader is currently sneakily following *you,* so waiting for them to show up probably won't work?
>>
No. 1059703 ID: 58c090

>>1059702
whaaaaat, nooooo, that couldn't possibly be happening, come oooon
>>
No. 1059777 ID: f1f923
File 168007273177.png - (25.68KB , 750x750 , impdulgences.png )
1059777

>Hmm, I say you should hide to find out who's running things here first.
>I'd say continue watching. I want to see what it's trying to make. Or if it's just experimenting.
I suppose it would be prudent to see if this potential last invitee shows up.

>And then ideally, you should find confront Doyle afterwards and help him settle things himself.
What? But I can settle things. Right now.

>Generally, the best way to deal with bullying is for the one bullied to no longer be a viable victim. I'm sure we can help Doyle cook up something that will let him take any two of these. I mean, as long as the Ringleader isn't Alkaline or Hin or something.
Why are going down this convoluted route when I can just intervene directly? Barring the identity of this possible third conspirator being something spectacularly unlikely, they're all my denizens.

>Spot check: where are Alkaline and Chak?
They're both sleeping. Fitfully in Alkaline's case.

>I mean, I don't think we really want to discourage whatever this is just yet.
What? Sneaking around like this clearly shows they know it's something they shouldn't be doing!

>As much as you can never trust an imp, this sort of self motivated ambition is something we've been seeking to encourage in Moriko in the first place, something she seemed to lose when her shadow separated. Or maybe something she was always suppressing, being honest.
This ambition seems to be gorging on weak potions so as to do things like burp bubbles, get a stretchy neck for a few minutes, and just stare at nothing giggling madly.

>I wish there was an easy, clandestine way to get Moriko here so she could spy on it too, she might learn something this way.
...

I task a golem with bringing Moriko to me.

>Though really this isn't the definition of her learning to reign in that aspect of herself so she can be whole again, it's not something we should immediately interrupt.
I keep observing while I wait but they do nothing except badger Doyle to get refills and become increasingly incapacitated by all the potions they're drinking. Moriko arrives and gives me a look that says she has a lot of questions but restrains herself as I try to mime the situation.

>>I think I hear a rustle behind me early on, but I don't spot anyone following me.
>I'm guessing the ringleader is currently sneakily following *you,* so waiting for them to show up probably won't work?
Maybe the third visitor did spot I was here. No point in waiting any longer. Moriko has been cycling between incredulous looks and frowning, and seems to be itching to take action anyway.
>>
No. 1059778 ID: f1f923
File 168007279257.png - (27.39KB , 800x600 , guilty_parties.png )
1059778

We jump out of the bushes. I grab Moriko's imp, and she pens in the slimes. To my surprise, Doyle springs up and tries to run. The cauldron gulper bowls over my golem attendant and crashes into the bushes, running off into the night.

Never mind, we'll catch up with him later.

"So what have all of you gathered out here for in the middle of the night?" I try asking the imp in my grip.

Moriko's imp wriggles drunkenly. Umm, stargazing?

"Who were you waiting to meet out here?" Moriko says.

They weren't meeting anyone, Moriko's imp lies as she wriggles more frantically. But if they were, maybe a bird?

I try asking the same questions of Alkaline's slime. She doesn't know anything, where is she, who am I, how do I know she did anything, and who is she?

It looks like they're both playing dumb.

I sigh. "What have you been up to with Doyle?" I say, poking the imp's belly accusingly.

Nono, she's just getting fat, the imp offers as an excuse as she squirms. There'll probably be eggs soon. When am I going to lay mine?

Moriko makes a choking noise, I can't tell if it's offense or amusement. I stare at the imp. The imp titters.

I start shaking her.

"Deem!" Moriko says sharply.

"What have you been having Doyle make?!" I demand.

The imp looks like she's about to throw up. She wants the secret potions, the imp spills. If she drinks all these potions it'll be super tasty and feel really good and she'll be all magical! She'll be able to hammer anything she likes into a pancake, and make frogs out of shadows and squish them, and make pretty dresses, and make imps blow up, and make whoever she wants kiss, and go into people's dreams and mess around, and, and-

I'm not going to keep translating this.

"You shouldn't be sneaking around behind our backs, and you shouldn't be strong-arming Doyle into doing this." I say sternly.

>Have Moriko take the lead in investigating further and figuring out appropriate disciplinary action for the imp.
"Moriko's going to figure out an appropriate punishment for this!"

Moriko looks like a startled deer at this.

"Stay here." I say to the imp, leaving my attendant to watch her and the slime. "I need to talk to Moriko."
>>
No. 1059779 ID: f1f923
File 168007282173.png - (39.16KB , 700x700 , i_think_we_should_squish_the_imp.png )
1059779

>Not the slimes, though - they're Alkaline's responsibility. Don't tell Alkaline about it until Moriko is reasonably sure she's not the ringleader.
I explain to Moriko what I've witnessed so far, my speculation and the possibility the imp, Alkaline or one of my other denizens is the ringleader for organising these little potion parties. I don't have a clear idea of the whereabouts of my denizens once they're outside my dungeon, which is a problem since most of them now sleep up here in the valley, but Moriko says the imp wanders at night reasonably frequently. As I explain I'd like her to investigate though, she steadily looks more distracted and a little overwhelmed.

"Is there something you want to say?" I ask.

"Deem, you've grown?" Moriko says.

"Yes." I say tersely.

"No you're heavier - spiritually heavier." she hastens to add.

My irritation eases a little at this, Moriko continues to be quite perceptive about matters concerning the earth-pulse. I explain about my experiments with the seeds and the locus fluid and how I stumbled into activating an old magic, making my golem body a focal point for my dungeon and the Labyrinth Game.

"I think I understand." Moriko nods slowly. "I will endeavour to see what I can find to offer then."

"Be aware of your own Mana Vacancy first." I caution her. "Has the Covetous Ring helped you much?"

"Some I think." Moriko says, touching her hair band. There's a gold band there I hadn't noticed before. "I feel it's something other than gold I might want to seek though."

"You can use the fluid from the Orange Crags locus too if there's any progress you're hoping to speed up." I tell her.

She nods. "I think I will. Everyone else seems to be growing so fast while I'm standing still..."

"It's your own progress that matters, not how it measures up to anyone else." I tell her.

She stays quiet for a few seconds, then looks throw the bushes where the imp and slime are waiting. "Thank you for answering my questions. Now, you wanted me to determine an appropriate punishment for the imp?" she says uncertainly.

Maybe I should offer some suggestions on suitable disciplinary actions? I need to work out what I'll do with Alkaline's slime as well.
>>
No. 1059780 ID: 99f29a

>>1059779
Tell her she doesn't have to seek your heart, it's right there.


Anyway the imp made Doyle brew potions for their own use, so the imp has to make something of equal value for Doyle in return. Perhaps some nice cauldron polish?
>>
No. 1059781 ID: 7bc4ff

Punishment for the slimes could be to make them water haulers. They want to drink so much, they can fill their guts with something less tasty for a while. Maybe a long while, you can let Alkaline decide the duration and she’ll probably not be happy some subjects went behind her back.

Punishment for the imp... it needs to learn to be less selfish, no? Pursuing one’s own desire for strength can be well and good, but when that pursuit becomes ignorantly indolent (weak potions not gonna make you strong, impy!) and is to the detriment of those around you (weakening Doyle’s brews affects everyone else who uses them) and makes you lie without an punch of gratistur or guilt to the people who gave you an incredibly rare opportunity to grow and learn, it’s gone too far.

So, any special perks or goodies it enjoyed besides being Morko’s charge - or wishes to enjoy - in the Dungeon it’s henceforth going to have to earn by helping others with tasks they set it - tasks to be approved by Moriko. Now it’s GOTTA care what others think.

And... if it attempts to circumvent that or keeps messing up like this, you’ll teach it why Doyle was so easy to bully in the first place. For free.
>>
No. 1059786 ID: 273c18

>>1059779
>something other than gold
Hmm. Ask her for more info about that feeling. Is it a material she's craving? Or a certain type of object? The former could be she wants other types of valuable metals, or gemstones. The latter, perhaps she wants... more weapons? Does she have a craving for magical food? Or monster parts?

>imp punishment?
Well, you could make it do chores for a while. Or something like polish Doyle.

>slime played dumb, imp confessed
Get a confession from the slime too, see if she'll fess up as to who the extra person was. Alkaline needs to punish her... hmm. I wonder if Hin is the missing culprit here? She has a bit of a self-control problem when it comes to potions.

Odd that one of Alkaline's slimes could have such divergent ambitions. They're not under her direct control at all?
>>
No. 1059791 ID: a7a180

I bet you could carry Moriko on your horns. Remember to cycle your mana with her soon, mana circulation has positive effects and in this case the fecund magics will rub off on her. She's more easily shaped by the locations she spends time in and well, you are the number one location she spends time in.
Sit on the slime, bad and naughty slimes get put in the Deem crusher.
The imp should have to compensate Doyle somehow, like giving him a polish or making him a pot of snake and spider stew for him instead of in him.
>>
No. 1059803 ID: a8f755

Ok, hm. This isn't something to voice to her, but I feel like the imp's behaviour is reflecting Moriko's own worries, just filtered through that imp's- impness. Moriko is worried about not progressing compared to others, and the imp is looking for a get better quick option by bullying Doyle. I'd remind Moriko that a lot of your other denizens recent advancements have come from unexpected places so it might just be circumstances haven't aligned yet for her. We should probably take her with us on our next excursion though, it might help.

As far as punishment goes, restitution by doing something for Doyle is an option, but I think what would work better is to try and treat the root cause of the misbehaviour. The imp wants to get better, although what is a bit of a mystery since they just babbled off a bunch of stuff. The punishment should push them to get better but still clearly be a punishment. For example, if the imp wants to get real good at hitting things with a hammer, the punishment could be breaking rocks and/or extra hammer tutoring. Basically to impress upon the imp that they shouldn't seek out quick shortcuts etc.

Mainly I'm thinking the imp's punishment should in a way try to help with the worries Moriko has that the imp is expressing- plus resolving the reason behind the imp's bad behaviour will probably help prevent future occurrences.

For the slime, there is a trick you can do to maybe get them to spill the beans: Threaten to tell her mother. Punishment I'm not sure though, maybe leave it up to Alkaline?

>>1059791
>Sit on the slime, bad and naughty slimes get put in the Deem crusher.
I'm not sure that's a punishment, some people pay good money to have that sort of thing done to them.
>>
No. 1059815 ID: f30c55

>>1059803
So because some people get off on it, we can’t whip anyone anymore? Don’t be silly. Besides, she’s a slime.
>>
No. 1059826 ID: ae1513

>They're both sleeping. Fitfully in Alkaline's case.
That sounds like a nightmare. Nightmares can be distracting and reduce productivity. You should wake her up gently and comfort her.
>There'll probably be eggs soon. When am I going to lay mine?
Hopefully after your crack is repaired? The alternative sounds painful...
>>
No. 1059827 ID: 273c18

>>1059826
>nightmare
Oooor, there's some measure of feedback from this rogue slime, and she's having a weird trippy dream or feeling the anxiety of being caught.
>>
No. 1059864 ID: bbce81

Alkaline is going to want to be involved in deciding a punishment for her slime, I think. Not that we HAVE to go along with what she wants, but she's been very defensive about being taken seriously and having responsibilities lately, so she's likely to get pissy if the whole thing gets decided completely behind her back. Involve her in the conversation, maybe, unless she's still too messed up from those curses to participate.

As for the Imp... I'll second those who've suggested Moriko administer some rather intensive/brutal training as a punishment. It's appropriate to the nature of the crime, since if it wanted to get harder it can do so the hard way. And it could conceivably help Moriko too, in that they say teaching something is a good way to understand it better yourself. Granted I don't think anyone who says that was talking about teaching an Imp, but with Moriko at such an... open to influence stage in her development every bit helps. If the Imp reminds Moriko of her younger self, let it do what the younger Moriko did: learn.

>>1059791
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure trying to deliberately amplify Deem's influence over Moriko right now would be a REALLY bad idea. Back when Mana Vacancy was first chosen, Deem told Moriko she'd need to be careful around her and her Heart because her essence could be "overwhelming." And that was BEFORE Deem went all nature goddess and got a boost to spiritual weight. Influencing Moriko is great, but we don't want what makes her Moriko to be completely overwritten.
>>
No. 1059893 ID: ae9e42

>>1059779
Make em clean Doyle with a toothbrush
>>
No. 1059899 ID: 503f78

Huh, wonder who the other one could've been.

Stargazer?

Maybe Char.

Certainly not Stargazer...

Regardless, I like the idea of brutal training for the imp. It's themed, it might have payoffs, and it might let Moriko work through some of her own issues with her disapproving family/mentor.

Also, don't lay it on TOO thick with Moriko. Yes, she's probably looking to "feel the earth pulse" again if you know what I mean, but even with her being more impressionable we don't want to mistakenly rub off a bunch of fecund on and cause some unintentional change in her.

How about "Be sure to come to me when it's time to start looking for what you desire." Deem level vague while still enough to get her mind wandering.
>>
No. 1059996 ID: bbce81

A couple thoughts occur:

1) Deem's new False Idle ritual ability requires "a large offering" to start up. And we have this huge dramatic feast planned for tomorrow. Is that going to count as enough of an offering to trigger it?

2):
>"By the way Reisarf." I say to my alienist. "Hin's started experimenting with her Gelforging, so if you have the time could you trying merging some of her products with other material?"

>"Oh that sounds perfect! A lot of potential!" Reisarf says, nodding at Stargazer who nods back for reasons that escape me.

Reisarf and Stargazer are going to try to use those abilities for cooking tomorrow, aren't they?
>>
No. 1065015 ID: b4e2d6
File 168571479413.png - (36.73KB , 600x800 , deem_crusher.png )
1065015

>This isn't something to voice to her, but I feel like the imp's behaviour is reflecting Moriko's own worries, just filtered through that imp's- impness. Moriko is worried about not progressing compared to others, and the imp is looking for a get better quick option by bullying Doyle.
>I think what would work better is to try and treat the root cause of the misbehaviour. The imp wants to get better, although what is a bit of a mystery since they just babbled off a bunch of stuff. The punishment should push them to get better but still clearly be a punishment.
True, part of the imp's misbehaviour seemed to be be fueled by a desire to become more capable. It seemed to be a mix of hammer skills and random magic that imp was interested in. Perhaps a hint Moriko would like to widen her focus? Hammering in hammer skills is easy enough, but I might have to think on the others. Secondment to Reisarf and Merud's work and using magic tools such as the waterbearer's wand perhaps.

>Any special perks or goodies the imp enjoyed besides being Moriko’s charge - or wishes to enjoy - in the Dungeon it’s henceforth going to have to earn by helping others with tasks they set it - tasks to be approved by Moriko. Now it’s GOTTA care what others think.
"From now on." I say to Moriko. "I think the imp is going to need to do some chores if she wants any more privileges than the basics of food and shelter. I'll have the others come up with things they need help with for you to approve, and if she wants anything from them she'll have to work for it."

Moriko nods at this.

>They say teaching something is a good way to understand it better yourself. Granted I don't think anyone who says that was talking about teaching an Imp, but with Moriko at such an... open to influence stage in her development every bit helps.
>If the Imp reminds Moriko of her younger self, let it do what the younger Moriko did: learn.
"But as punishment for Doyle, I think you should push her harder. A bit of time spent running her ragged and keeping a closer eye on her will probably mean less getting in trouble and she would benefit from developing her hammer skills. What do you think?"

Moriko nods again, looking less overwhelmed at the thought of imp management now I've laid out some advice. "I think I can manage that."

>The imp should have to compensate Doyle somehow, like giving him a polish or making him a pot of snake and spider stew for him instead of in him.
"I think some act to apologise to Doyle would be good as well, but I'll have to check what he might like once we find him again." He ran off to hide and does look like he'll be coming out any time soon.

>Sit on the slime, bad and naughty slimes get put in the Deem crusher.
We return to the others and I take a seat.

>Get a confession from the slime too, see if she'll fess up as to who the extra person was. Alkaline needs to punish her... hmm.
I'm not getting one, just increasingly desperate claims from my new cushion that she doesn't know anything about anyone. I must admire her commitment to playing dumb, even if it is frustrating the investigation.

>Punishment for the slimes could be to make them water haulers. They want to drink so much, they can fill their guts with something less tasty for a while.
>Alkaline is going to want to be involved in deciding a punishment for her slime, I think. Not that we HAVE to go along with what she wants, but she's been very defensive about being taken seriously and having responsibilities lately, so she's likely to get pissy if the whole thing gets decided completely behind her back.
That seems like a good idea, we have been steadily emptying the dungeon's water reservoir and it could stand to be topped up. I'll check with Alkaline once we wrap up here.

>Odd that one of Alkaline's slimes could have such divergent ambitions. They're not under her direct control at all?
They're a slime colony, not a hive mind. Alkaline can respawn the slimes making up her colony and they have ways to disperse information throughout a colony, but it's perfectly possible for something to only be known to a single slime or for a slime to have specific interests.

>Huh, wonder who the other one could've been.
>Stargazer?
>Maybe Char.
>Certainly not Stargazer...
>I wonder if Hin is the missing culprit here? She has a bit of a self-control problem when it comes to potions.
It would have to be another slime, Hin, Merud, Chakarchelou, Reisarf, Stargazer or perhaps some outside monster that's somehow sneaking in. Chakarchelou sleeps inside the dungeon and I haven't noticed him sneaking out in the middle of the night. Most of the others seem unlikely, but since they sleep in the valley (or wander all over the place in the case of the slimes) I can't eliminate any based on their comings and goings.

Since I have passed the duty of investigating to Moriko, I relay this reasoning to her.
>>
No. 1065016 ID: b4e2d6
File 168571486658.png - (19.12KB , 650x750 , asking_for_a_favour.png )
1065016

>I'd remind Moriko that a lot of your other denizens recent advancements have come from unexpected places so it might just be circumstances haven't aligned yet for her. We should probably take her with us on our next excursion though, it might help.
"And don't worry if your growth seems to be slow right now." I say to Moriko, making sure her imp is listening too. "Building a good foundation matters, and trying new things so you can pick a good direction to develop in. Things haven't lined up just right for you yet, but they will. I'll make sure you come on our next expedition in case opportunity knocks."

"Thank you." Moriko says, seeming to appreciate my effort to put her more at ease.

"Mow!" Moriko's imp says.

"Yes, maybe you'll get taller too." I say to the imp.

"More baths might help." Moriko says, which immediately curbs the imp's enthusiasm.

>Remember to cycle your mana with her soon, mana circulation has positive effects and in this case the fecund magics will rub off on her.
>I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure trying to deliberately amplify Deem's influence over Moriko right now would be a REALLY bad idea.
I want to give her space to develop in her own direction, not force her down my path.

>Tell her she doesn't have to seek your heart, it's right there.
It's in my dungeon actually.

>She's probably looking to "feel the earth pulse" again if you know what I mean.
I do not. I refuse to.

>Is it a material she's craving? Or a certain type of object? The former could be she wants other types of valuable metals, or gemstones. The latter, perhaps she wants... more weapons? Does she have a craving for magical food? Or monster parts?
I return to asking her about her progress with the Covetous Ring. If it's driving dragonish impulses, what exactly is resonating with her as something she should hoard as another base of power?

Moriko touches a brooch she has. "I helped Hin with some of what she was working on and in exchange she's made the gold I've found into something wearable. That felt right. I've worked some with Merud as well, with those worn puppet-ribbons."

"Mow!" the imp says.

"And been trying my hand as a teacher as well, yes." Moriko says. "I think," she continues, "That is what I want. To be well regarded. Having things like this, is possessing recognition of virtue. And so," she looks aside, "if I am to act as your knight, might I have a token of your favour?"

Moriko rarely asks for anything and judging by her flushed face, she's embarrassed to be making the request.

The problem is I don't have very many belongings that are appropriate! She might take my choice of token as an indication on how I want her to develop as well.

My current outfit is a few sheets of cloth and my more formal wear was made by her.

There's a few minor items that were made directly by me, but they're not ideal. From the night on the town, there's still a leftover golem-making potion and enlarging potion. It's at least a showcase of ability and a useful item to have in an emergency. The deemimic eggs made that night make things more like my golem body, which is the same problem of too much influence. I need to try something with them eventually, but this isn't the right case.

I'm not touching the flowers.

My Focus Medallion might help her. The resistance it imparts to spell channels should translate to helping inure her Mana Vacancy against unintended influences but this is a tiny benefit compared to using it properly. Also I've been wearing it to help stabilise my Heart fragment's broken spell channels.

I could try to quickly make her something? Or some other sign of favour. We're having the big lunch today with the ingredients obtained from the Orange Crags, perhaps a special meal for her?
>>
No. 1065017 ID: 99f29a

Yes, perfect. Invite her to a dinner you made just for her. You should try some dishes from her homeland in case she feels nostalgic, like jelly donuts or hamburgers.
>>
No. 1065019 ID: 36c3c3

Why Deem, nobody had even mentioned flowers yet…
A meal (with delicious curse slime for dessert!) is a proper way to thank her, but not something you’re supposed to wear. Give her the enlarging potion as a sign that you wish her to embiggen her heart. The bottle will stick around and can be engraved with a symbol, hers or yours, as well as refilled from the bath. Surely, something you created in a drunken haze of hedonism will carry the purest, raw feelings of your heart.
>>
No. 1065021 ID: c8ca0c

I'm leaning towards making something. You could ask for 24 hours, then make something while the others sleep (or whenever works).

>>1065019
This seems sorta in the right direction, though maybe a little shoehorned. I guess she did only ask for a token, not a major artifact.
>>
No. 1065023 ID: d97681

She mentioned Merud’s puppet-ribbons, and her first boss iteration had ribbons, didn’t it.

Why not make her a scarf or a ribbon in your colours, with some beneficial effect added to it? Token of respect, of your authority and useful to boost. Only trick would be what you could manage to imbue into it.

Or maybe you can enchant it later, make it a promise, so there isn’t any risk of bleed in her current state. She could then also offer her input on what she’d want the effect to be.
>>
No. 1065024 ID: 9b3046

>>1065019
>>1065016
I think fancying up the bottle sounds like a good idea. Give it some flair, and maybe reshape it so she can keep it on her regularly.
Also, from what Moriko is saying, it sounds like what shes craving is really respect, or prestige. Surprisingly non-tangible, and thus harder to quantify, but at least it wont cost us anything to feed. I think everyone already respects Moriko a lot, but the issue might be showing it sincerely in a way she can actually recognize.
>>
No. 1065030 ID: 273c18

>slime won't spill the beans
That implies it's Alkaline. The slimes shouldn't have any other strong loyalties. Was it possible that when she saw you in the forest, she ran back to her room as fast as possible, and faked sleep before you checked? A faked sleep while nervous about it would certainly look like what you saw.

>token of favor
Well, it has to be something she can possess. A meal would only temporarily satisfy her desires. The potion idea is nice, especially refilling the empty bottle afterwards- perhaps you could skip to that part? An empty, or partially filled bottle is symbolic of her mana void... You have empty bottles in your alchemical supplies. Partially fill one with meaningful minerals. Colored sand would look very nice. You could choose the colors in a symbolic way or you could match her outfit's colors.
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No. 1065032 ID: a7a180

Pat imp on head.
I'm curious what Moriko would do if you just took off your outfit and handed it to her, but- Potion. The potion is good. It represents how you empower your servants, serving as a practical example of it. When it's used up, it could be filled with colorful sand art, raw mana like your heart, or even a tiny terrarium.

You suspect Stargazer? What was she annoyed about?
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No. 1065050 ID: 402b76

A token of favor for you champion would be something of a trifle that's personal too you. I'm not sure you own anything that's really personal, you have tools, you have wealth, but your wealth isn't in jewelry or trifles you can show off.

Do you still have the scarf you used to defeat Moriko in your first battle? It might work as a reminder of your bond.
>>
No. 1065059 ID: 0f3563

>>1065032
>Do you still have the scarf you used to defeat Moriko in your first battle? It might work as a reminder of your bond.
That's a great idea
>>
No. 1065060 ID: 36784c

>>1065050
>Do you still have the scarf you used to defeat Moriko in your first battle? It might work as a reminder of your bond.
Yes! That's a really good idea! Let's do that!
>>
No. 1065213 ID: aa856b

>>1065050
A token of favor, in my opinion, is the kind of keepsake that gives you courage when your faith wanes. Since you two have this shared experience, I believe it would be a great choice, but I'm concerned it might be a memory of you winning her.

Perhaps you could create the token out of the scarf in a way that still makes it recognizable as that particular scarf while still symbolizing your relationship (as lord and knight, of course ¬¬).
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No. 1065306 ID: 402b76

Perhaps with some imbuement it could be a golem under her control. Some gold threads to appease the rings curse, and an enchantment so she could use it like Deem did in that battle? If such a thing is possible.
>>
No. 1066352 ID: f57349

Maybe combine the scarf with glossid lacquer and gelforging to turn it into a laminated girdle, with a big bow on the lower back. Could still extend golemetry tentacles from the bow, but seems like a better fit overall for both magical-girl and samurai-formalwear aesthetics. Symbolically evokes core strength and support, rather than resembling a leash and collar, or the demonic prehensile hair she previously objected to. Also, belt is a more convenient mounting point for future trophies or upgrade trinkets, so, foundation.
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No. 1070681 ID: 3f7da0
File 169287847926.png - (20.52KB , 800x550 , a_token_of_appreciation.png )
1070681

>Do you still have the scarf you used to defeat Moriko in your first battle? It might work as a reminder of your bond.
That was just some cloth Merud found for me somewhere in the Golemeter's Guild. I didn't really keep track of-

Wait.

Moriko started tying her hair back after that. With a red piece of cloth...

She's beaten me to the punch.

>Yes, perfect. Invite her to a dinner you made just for her. You should try some dishes from her homeland in case she feels nostalgic, like jelly donuts or hamburgers.
>Well, it has to be something she can possess. A meal would only temporarily satisfy her desires.
I doubt those are authentic dishes. Still we're having a banquet tomorrow and it would be a good gesture. I'll see about preparing something for her.

>I'm curious what Moriko would do if you just took off your outfit and handed it to her, but- Potion.
Nothing, because I am not going to do that.

>Surely, something you created in a drunken haze of hedonism will carry the purest, raw feelings of your heart.
No.

That's stupid.

>Why not make her a scarf or a ribbon in your colours, with some beneficial effect added to it? Token of respect, of your authority and useful to boost.
I worry it would be reundant with what she already has. Still, something practical might be good.

>I think fancying up the bottle sounds like a good idea. Give it some flair, and maybe reshape it so she can keep it on her regularly.
>The potion is good. It represents how you empower your servants, serving as a practical example of it.
Yes, a flask I think. Something more convenient that these clunky stoneware potion bottles we're currently using. Two chambered, and I'll put what remains of the golem-making and the enlarging potions in it, as those are both expressions of what I can make, and will give her options in a pinch.

"I've had a thought of something you might appreciate," I say to my hammerai, "but I fear I'll need a little time to prepare it. I'll have to give it to you after today's lunch."

"Thank you." Moriko nods solemnly.

>Pat imp on head.
No. The imp has been very naughty and will not be receiving pats or pets of any kind from me this night.

>Also, from what Moriko is saying, it sounds like what shes craving is really respect, or prestige. Surprisingly non-tangible, and thus harder to quantify, but at least it wont cost us anything to feed. I think everyone already respects Moriko a lot, but the issue might be showing it sincerely in a way she can actually recognize.
"And thank you, Moriko." I say. "You've been a pillar of strength as we've fought to establish ourselves here. You've been there for us - for me - against all our greatest threats. It wouldn't have been the same without you."

Flushed again, Moriko excuses herself as her imp becomes rambunctious.

I will make a gift in the small hours of the morning now, but first I need to drop a somewhat squashed slime off with its progenitor and ask for Alkaline's opinion on appropriate punishment.
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No. 1070682 ID: 3f7da0
File 169287853105.png - (31.60KB , 720x720 , chew_the_fat.png )
1070682

>>slime won't spill the beans
>That implies it's Alkaline. The slimes shouldn't have any other strong loyalties. Was it possible that when she saw you in the forest, she ran back to her room as fast as possible, and faked sleep before you checked? A faked sleep while nervous about it would certainly look like what you saw.
She's been in her room in the dungeon the whole time. I elect to knock and she eventually answers. Her Toxic Shroud has been thickened up again, although so has the rest of her. She's more like a snowman than her regular self, complete with a rather substantial nose. Her hair and hands seemed to be hardened, more like drying tree sap than normal slime.

"What happened to you?" she asks.

I suppose last time we talked I was much less substantial, and possessed of much less vegetation. "I might ask you the same."

Alkaline hiccups. "You know why!" she says. "I took all those curses so I can get all strong and cool!"

Unusually forthright of her. "Well maybe I wanted to be strong and cool too." I joke.

"Nooo! You're so uncool!"

I bite back on the words 'I am very cool' because I haven't existed for thousands of years only to lose an argument with a sulky adolescent slime.

I sigh instead. "I warned you about going overboard." I say. "But you didn't listen."

"You just left me, and then you did this to yourself? So experimenting is fine if you're the one doing it?" Alkaline shoots back.

I am trying to juggle a lot but maybe I was hasty leaving her to deal with the consequences of her actions. I should have been more patient. But she keeps trying to race ahead and it's going to keep getting her in trouble. "Alkaline, I just don't want you to hurt yourself. You don't have anything to prove. What were you expecting to happen?"

"I want to be hot!"

I am rapidly losing track of this conversation. "I thought you wanted to be cool?"

Alkaline flushes greener. "You just don't get it!"

She goes to slam the door. I hold it open.

"We should talk about this properly later, but Alkaline I came here to tell you I caught one of your slimes up in the valley forcing Doyle to make potions."

"I wanted to go!" my royal jelly bursts out.

I look at Alkaline. She looks at me.

She tries to close the door again.

"Alkaline." I say. "Have you been bullying Doyle?"

The somewhat squashed slime I brought with me repeats she doesn't know who she is or where she is. I give her a look and she shrinks back into a puddle.

"He, he - Making potions are what he's for!" Alkaline protests.

It looks like I don't need to get Alkaline's opinion on how to punish her slimes because now I need to punish her as well. although perhaps I should wait for her to be less cursed and more able to do things like scrub Doyle and haul water.

Something in the pile of curses she's acquired seems to have loosened her tongue. I could likely uncover all the details of this secret potion party conspiracy by asking Alkaline some more pointed questions. I don't think she'd forgive me for abusing her vulnerability like that.

I certainly would not if it happened to me.

Still, how should I handle this spoiled slime princess of mine?
>>
No. 1070684 ID: 1effd3

>>1070682
she must be punished.
>put her in the jar.<
>>
No. 1070688 ID: 4cc079

Abusing Doyle is most uncool. Punishment: Diet and exercise, and being compelled to do so against her will. Or so she’s told, until she realizes that’s what she has to do anyway to become hot.
Just following orders is not an excuse for her slime, however. Assign her the tasks of helping Doyle until Alkaline is fit to take over.
>>
No. 1070689 ID: 8f9bc4

> I could likely uncover all the details of this secret potion party conspiracy by asking Alkaline some more pointed questions.

It doesn't seem like there's much more to this than a bratty princess here doing what she knows she's not supposed to. Moriko's imp is involved probably just because it tagged along. There could be something more serious like an outsider meddling with your minions to weaken you, but there's no evidence of that to be the case yet.

> I don't think she'd forgive me for abusing her vulnerability like that.

Tell her that one of those curses seems to be keeping her from lying. You're not going to take advantage of that, but it should impress upon her that more is not necessarily better. She can be strong and cool, and hot, but not by hiding in her room and cursing herself.

Her punishment should involve... getting along with others, something that doesn't let her hide away like this. Definitely publically apologizing to Doyle, once you find out what Doyle thinks of all this. The curses should be their own punishment until you manage to remove the less flattering of them.

I don't think you could squeeze her into the jar like this.
>>
No. 1070692 ID: 12b116

>>1070689
This seems like the best solution. Ask alkaline what she thought would happen after you inevitably found out she was being a shit.
>>
No. 1070712 ID: a7a180

"I (still) look like this because I am putting the needs of others before myself. You look like this because you’re putting your needs above others. The similarity is only skin deep."
Don't push her on the truth curse. Do take a more proactive role in slime development moving forward. It's difficult but don't let her push you away.
>>
No. 1070716 ID: f14228

>How do I deal with spoiled slime princesses
You sigh, kneel down and give her a hug or at least a gentle pat on the back and apologize for leaving her alone to deal with these curses, while you help loosen the worst ones. You say you could at least have offered some comfort and support, even if she willingly went in over her head despite your explicit advice. You lost your patience. You should not have.

But so did she, no?

Assert that fast growth tends to come at a cost more long-term approaches do not - unless one's lucky. For better and worse: she's a lucky gal, and never had to learn that lesson. She has been making great headway and taken risky bets that have paid off - but she must realise luck never holds up forever. Risks must be calculated, not rushed. She's a monarch in the making and needs to think of those around her, and of the consequences of her actions. The way she's acted - it's hurt her and others around her needlessly. You don't want to see your mistakes repeated those hurts turn into truly serious mistakes, or worse.

Does she know she was weakening her minions by serving them diluted random mixed brews from Doyle? Both spiritually and physically, they were becoming dependent on bullied brew for their strength and confidence. And random assorted potion ingredients would randomize their growth (right?), make it far more scattershot than it need to be. Luck would not favor all of them in what they absorbed from this.

The scheme also involved weakening Doyle's brew regularly, making him less able to contribute with a more properly potent brew. That hurt both his own growth and the dungeon's chances to make decent use of his more potent product. Yes, brewing's what he's good at, but brewing is oft a product of patience. There was such a needless waste from this - all done to hide the fact they were improperly using him so.

Moreover, she's broken trust. She's very clever, so knew well you would not approve of this treatment of Doyle. He is bound to this place too and deserves a chance to grow and find his place and strength. Did she really think you would not try to help him grow? You get that she might have felt... something about his regular act, maybe felt he was not pulling his full weight. But there was time still for him to come into his own. And the trust she broke? More so than just yours, she's broken the trust of Doyle, who is still also one of your charges and will remain so.

For now he's scarpered again, and you're not sure where he's gone or what he's thinking, and you're wondering when he'll pop out again. He's probably fearful he'll be punished for having kow-towed to the potion gang's schemes. Or punished by a vengeful slime princess thinking he tattled, rather than the random chance you discovered the truth. That's quite unfair on him.

Nudge her gently and ask her, leader to leader, how she'd make up for neglecting a minion of hers and letting them be bullied by foolish folk, some who ought to know far better. A ruler of a domain ought to think of such things, for when they mess up - or their underlings do - they're the ones who stand responsible and have to clean up and make amends.

Fortunately, it does help to have... a voice or two of reason around. Someone to bat ideas off of.

Now then.

Ask her how she would unfudge this mess. If she had to. You don't expect miracles here, just her honest assessment. She's young, naive, upset, cursed and wroth, sure - but challenge her mettle and see if she can use her glob for more than whinging or blaming.

There will still be consequences - but make her realize why they will exist. Get her started on realing she needs to make up for her rushed, rude, attempt at growth for, uh, hotness' sake.
>>
No. 1070750 ID: 5739b1

>>1070689 and >>1070716 +1
>>
No. 1070821 ID: 34a1b1

You know Deem, your approach with Alkaline has failed so badly because you flip flop between coddling her and running away from the more emotionally engaged solution.

And that largely is our fault, an approach that balances the fact that children and teenagers are vicious little shits who constantly test their limits, while not being the oppressive tyrant that demands constant obedience and quashes any personal expression.

You haven't been a tyrant at all, and that's a bit of a problem. You can't impart years of wisdom to a vicious little shit with simple words. So you either let them make the mistakes and deal with the consequences. That's this. This worked. She's suffering for her hubris. It's not serious or permanent, she'll be more normal as she digests the slew of curses, it's the perfect lesson for her to learn.

For Alkaline, with Doyle it's different. Doyle is also a bit of an asshole but it's not good to treat your equipment poorly. I'm not... entirely sure we want to discourage this. We need to find out what she was doing.

If lets say she was getting the Imp and her slime to feed Doyle random ingredients to make into potions, and then testing the effects on the easily replaceable slime minion, and then upon finding it's not going to be immediately fatal or ruinous then tests efficacy of the resulting potion on Moriko's shadow imp...

I mean, that's just genius and great and you should be proud of that.

If she was just coercing Doyle into making strength potions or something stupid like that then punish her for real. I mean, I don't know what corporal punishment would be when were talking about a slime queen, so maybe just something directly embarrassing instead.
>>
No. 1070921 ID: 16c5bf

Kids don't really learn until you actually explain why they've done something wrong. They need to understand it. With Alkaline... I'd say press her for what she was hoping would happen, setting aside the specifics of what she did. Then you can go in with how badly she accomplished it and how much better it would have gone if she hadn't gone behind your back with it. Making it obvious how Doyle felt about it, like showing her how it reacts to her, might make her feel guilty as well.

Laying down the law on a rebellious teen just backfires every time. Gotta play it smarter than that
>>
No. 1072932 ID: ea6fca
File 169543995873.png - (42.44KB , 800x600 , smh.png )
1072932

>she must be punished.
>>put her in the jar.<<
>I don't think you could squeeze her into the jar like this.
What jar?

>It doesn't seem like there's much more to this than a bratty princess here doing what she knows she's not supposed to. Moriko's imp is involved probably just because it tagged along.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid then, assuming there has to be something more to it.

>For Alkaline, with Doyle it's different. Doyle is also a bit of an asshole but it's not good to treat your equipment poorly. I'm not... entirely sure we want to discourage this. We need to find out what she was doing.
I'm not going to change the punishment based on whether whether her mistreating Doyle produced something potentially useful for me. That's disgusting.

>Tell her that one of those curses seems to be keeping her from lying. You're not going to take advantage of that, but it should impress upon her that more is not necessarily better. She can be strong and cool, and hot, but not by hiding in her room and cursing herself.
"All these curses seem to have given you a flapping tongue, Alkaline, so I'll keep this short. If you just try to pile more questionable magic on, the results will be lukewarm at best."

>Ask Alkaline what she thought would happen after you inevitably found out she was being a shit.
"I will ask though, what did you think was going to happen when I found out?"

"You barely even noticed..." Alkaline says in a surly tone. She hiccups and then rallies. "You'd stop me having fun, because you don't want me to have any fun!"

"This was fun, was it?" I say. "Strongarming Doyle into sneaking out to brew up some party drinks for you, because that's 'what he's for'?"

This seems to have some impact, Alkaline shrinks into herself at my words.

>Her punishment should involve... getting along with others, something that doesn't let her hide away like this. Definitely publically apologizing to Doyle, once you find out what Doyle thinks of all this.
"You'll need to apologise to Doyle as well." I say. "And once you are feeling a little better, there's work to be done replacing some of the ingredients you've used up, and getting other things for the dungeon. I'll be expecting you to work under the others' supervision and to not try to rush in by yourself next time."

She stiffly nods in acknowledgement.

>She's suffering for her hubris. It's not serious or permanent, she'll be more normal as she digests the slew of curses, it's the perfect lesson for her to learn.
"Since you seem so determined to make your own fun, then you can suffer some of the consequences!" I prod her rubbery shroud with one finger. "Are any of these curses hurting you?"

"No!" Alkaline says, though she does raise one hand to cover her nose. "I could deal with a lot more!"

"Then dealing with those curses until they digest seems like an appropriate punishment."

"I could fix this if I got the right curse!" she says.

"Alkaline, doing something again and again in the hope it'll pay off this time is what leads gamblers to ruin."
>>
No. 1072933 ID: ea6fca
File 169543998727.png - (34.67KB , 750x650 , what_did_you_just_say.png )
1072933

>She has been making great headway and taken risky bets that have paid off - but she must realise luck never holds up forever. Risks must be calculated, not rushed. She's a monarch in the making and needs to think of those around her, and of the consequences of her actions. The way she's acted - it's hurt her and others around her needlessly.
I sigh. "You can't keep rushing things, and taking risks." I say to her. "You should only move when you're prepared, if you can."

"You would say that." she sniffs.

"Alkaline..." I say warningly.

"You don't want anyone to do anything without your say so!" Alkaline bursts out. "And you never want to do anything! Hin was sick for so long because you wouldn't commit to anything for treating her cough. The only time you talk to Stargazer and Reisarf is to tell them to stop doing whatever they're doing! With that goo glade, I got all the stuff the last time, and Hin came back super-strong the time before that and you didn't like that either!"

"I want you all to stay safe." I say.

"You don't want anyone to live! You got all huffy when Merud asked my friend Ophelia to come without asking you too!" Alkaline presses on.

"Friends?" I say. Now that priest girl is trying to corrupt her? "When did you become friends with that girl?!"

"You slept through it!" Alkaline shouts back.

I can't let myself get distracted by the machination of the sky-power. Alkaline's upset and lashing out. I try to get my own emotions under control.

"You keep making Moriko all mopey too!" my royal jelly continues. "You never know what you want for her! I've seen her giving you the look!"

"What look?" I say.

"The look!" Alkaline repeats. "You just keep leading her on!"

"I'm not about to start courting anyone, Alkaline!" I splutter. "And even if I did, it would hardly be appropria-"

"Who cares!?!"

Alkine pants, a little wild eyed. I stare at her in silence. Maybe you were right. Maybe those smutty books have been ruining her brain.

The silence draws out too long.

"We're not discussing this. You're taking too many risks and it's started hurting people Alkaline. I'll see you in the morning."

I close the door.

>You know Deem, your approach with Alkaline has failed so badly because you flip flop between coddling her and running away from the more emotionally engaged solution.
Shut up.
>>
No. 1072935 ID: ea6fca
File 169544003235.png - (49.30KB , 800x600 , 99_problems.png )
1072935

Despite the hour, I notice Merud's still in the Golem Totem, with a number of the golems. I go to check in on him. Hopefully I'm not about to discover there's some sort of golem fighting ring that has been started here too.

"Merud, it's the middle of the night." I say.

"Mmmm," Merud says, sipping from his mug. A slight jitter seems to be running through his entire body.

"How much cacoffee have you been drinking?" I ask him.

"Some!" he says brightly.

I sigh. "I'm fun aren't I?"

"What's brought this on?" Merud says.

"It's - no, never mind. It was a stupid question."

"You're certainly interesting." Merud says, looking me up and down. "And I think Alkaline might just have reached that difficult age - in record time, no less."

"Mmm." I agree noncommittally. Damn his wizard ears. I spot Centaur. "Why is that golem active again? I thought I told you to keep her dormant."

"Ah well I'm trying to understand the cooperative cores in the mixed golem we're trying to fix up." Merud says, pointing to the stick-and-mud golem. "Especially since I'm having trouble integrating clay into it, since the base composition is different. I hoped that Centaur's two cores and parastic golemetry might spark some ideas." He points at the sitting woody golem and gardening golem behind him. "And the green-thumb spores have caused a lot of growth of the woody parts so I'm having to reinforce other parts of the golem to accomodate it."

He nudges the golem-suit for the orange slime on the table. It's next to the slime itself, which is burbling happily in its pot. "And hopefully that will help for the new version of this. I wouldn't recommend frog leather as an export material by the way."

"And of course we haven't fully replaced golem losses from these last few attacks and expeditions." he says, running a hand down his face. "Though now I've got some burning questions for you! What have you done to yourself?"

I briefly explain my experiments with the locus fluid and incorporating vegetation into my golem body that has awakened a modified ritual spell.

"You seem to be changing things a lot more frequently since you've gotten your homunculus body." Merud nods along. "Do you think it's because you have more raw mana leaking out of your Heart fragment and encouraging changes, or are you just experimenting with your image?"

I blink. "It must be the first one." I say.

Merud looks at me for a moment and then nods. "I suppose it must be. I do wish we'd set aside some of your clay after you got cursed though. This'll add another factor on top." he sighs.

That's true. I have been ingesting the occasional piece of clay to allow some to be removed to discover if the inherent abilities and raw mana saturation my golem body has been building up might be reflected in other golems but... I haven't extracted any yet.

"Then we'll do it now!" I say, and immediately discover that my cursed state stops me from losing weight by pulling off excess clay like I did to provide clay for Centaur. Now my own body is defying me?!

"It's fine, it can wait." Merud says.

"No, we've missed one chance already." I say. "Don't get distracted, I'm committed to this now!"

"Deem..." Merud says.

How can I extract some clay?
>>
No. 1072939 ID: 99f29a

get pregnant. funnel spare mass into child. objectionable enough to you that the curse is likely to cooperate. simple way to shed clay.
>>
No. 1072940 ID: 3d0e3e

>>1072935
Well, you've got a pair of lumps on your chest that don't do anything. Could just pull those off.
>>
No. 1072941 ID: 1effd3

>>1072935
remove the lumps
>>
No. 1072943 ID: 5b2941

>>1072935
>"Then we'll do it now!" I say, and immediately discover that my cursed state stops me from losing weight by pulling off excess clay like I did to provide clay for Centaur. Now my own body is defying me?!
Deem? You look fine. Don't feel obligated to lose weight.
>>
No. 1072944 ID: a7a180

-A hot bath to soften your clay up
-Hug Centaur
-Add a Curse of Formlessness from Reisarf on top of the other curses
-Making more of those Deem eggs
-Chewing a piece of clay like gum to contaminate it instead of extracting yours
>>
No. 1072947 ID: 13dc63

>>1072935
Well if you can't just pull it off yourself, could merud isolate a patch of it somewhere magically? Is there some sort of magical way a handful could be constricted into a ball and fall off on its own? Either way you might have to get damaged
>>
No. 1072948 ID: a7a180

Wait, Deem, what about Gigant Mode? Or Disperse Mode? Are either of those active right now?
>>
No. 1072951 ID: 46ba31

>>1072935
Well, the golem sitting on the table seems to have two large spare globes of clay you can extract for yourself.
>>
No. 1072952 ID: 273c18

>>1072933
That curse was making her say things she thinks are true. Doesn't mean they are true, but if you've been giving her that impression then you have been doing something *like* what she's accusing you of. I know you've had some conversations with Reisarf that didn't involve scolding the two of them, but... maybe you should talk to them more often?

Just how much do you hate the idea of dating Moriko? If you are asexual then you need to tell her that.

>>1072935
>How to extract clay?
Have Merud do it. Just cut some off you or something like that. It's not like you're going to reflexively attack him in retaliation, right?

Hmm. Do you know what's wrong with Centaur? Why you can't keep it under control?
I wonder if you can just keep feeding golems to it forever, or if there's a limit to how much it's going to eat. Does it cost more energy to keep active the more it eats, or does it just generally get stronger when it eats golems? Maybe you could use it as a boss monster in either case?
>>
No. 1072954 ID: 34a1b1

Oof, that baby option would probably work, it follows the principle of forms golemetry seems to like and would probably allow you to bypass the curse. Would certainly be a price to your dignity and who knows what kind of unholy abomination your homonculous golem offspring would be.

Seems like it's a mental block though, if you lowered your defenses a bit you could probably let centaur leech some of it out of you. Merud might be able to if you let him too, and that'd probably be a tad safer.

And you don't need to take Alkaline so seriously. Hin is fine now and wasn't worried then. The independence of Stargazer and Reisarf is a good thing, they can get along without needing to be managed or direct all the time which is great. And Moriko?

Moriko is a hot blooded warrior and frankly, any relationship with you isn't going to be something any humanoid would be accustomed to. I'm never sure if you actually feel anything for her like she clearly does for you, but if you really want to give her something more what you need to do is what left such an impression on her in the first place.

Find a good earth pulse locus, cast reinforcement magic, and engage in glorious battle. If you desire a stronger connection, connecting through the earth pulse is the only way to do it without the layer of conscious bullshit you engage in to keep your mannerisms acceptable to the humanoids.

Alkaline is going through those rough teenage years. As much as you can't have her impugning your authority or outright rebelling like this, her self confidence and aggressive hubris are necessary traits for any queen. I think she really just needs to learn her limitations by outright failing a few times, hopefully in a context that won't cause any permanent harm.
>>
No. 1072964 ID: a7a180

You are Reisarf's boss and telling him no is part of the job. That's not to downplay the times you've said yes, however. His research, his abilities, and Stargazer's too are valuable to you and you might just want to reaffirm that with a conversation for your ego's sake.
>>
No. 1072973 ID: f14228

You're plenty fun, Deem. Why do you think we stick around?

But maybe not so fun for a child wanting to explore her boundaries. It can be no fun being the parent either, for sure. But it is necessary work, if underappreciated. Rest assured most of Alkaline's words were those of a youth throwing perceived flaws back in the face of the guardian irritating them. The curse just meant she thought there was truth to all of it.

And honest feedback is... well, let's make what use we think we can of it, no?

*You could check with Reisarf and Stargazer if you're being overly nosy or fussy-careful, and holding them back or something. And TRY to socialize a bit more with them, though that do be hard.

*You could ask Hin some time if she thinks you could've moved faster with her cough. I strongly doubt she holds a grudge, but it might be interesting to get her perspective. Is it so wrong to be careful?

*Alkaline's choice of friend... makes sense. She's only met so many people in her entire life - and she's innocent of grudges. Just think about it: around here her only contemporary in relative youth is Reisarf and Reisarf is Reisarf. It is a given that Alkaline would find another youth interesting while they were here. So, to broaden her horizens and let her have some of that 'fun', once her punishment is done you could consider allowing her the freedom of a trip to town. Out of your original batch of minions, she and Doyle are the only ones who have yet to go, no? Giving them access would probably require some finessing, but neither should come off as too threatening or wild to the townsfolk.

*Moriko has seemed a little taken with you. Whatever Alkeline has read into it it is not something that's come from thin air. While I disagree with the 'stringing her along' bit, you have arguably taken an interest in turn in a way you have not with the others. You two share a... connection, be that as main boss and dungeon, or Moriko and Deem. What that is, means or could come to mean will be up to the two of you to figure out, mutual respecting tight-knit dungeon duo, or whatever - but one should certainly try to prevent situations in which Moriko (or you) becomes 'mopey'.

Good luck~

As for the clay: Merud cutting, twisting or tearing some off will probably work - it's not a curse of stasis or invulnerability, so "attacks" should work. Right?
>>
No. 1073071 ID: 071972

>>1072933
>"I want you all to stay safe." I say.
That's a perfectly understandable reason for doing the things you've been doing. You had a previous group of denizens before you got sealed away, so now that you have a new group of denizens, you want to make sure nothing happens to them!

>"Who cares!?!"
She's got a point. Who cares? Nobody will judge you if you did start to court Moriko.

>>1072935
Deem, listen to Merud. He's right about this, it can wait.

Honestly, you already have several projects running right now, you don't need to be adding another one onto the pile! You're only stressing yourself out from trying to do all of these projects at the same time!

Just relax for now and focus on your current projects first before you attempt to do whatever it is you're trying to do now.
>>
No. 1077244 ID: d20dab
File 169995852159.png - (34.71KB , 800x600 , calm_ur_tits.png )
1077244

>She's got a point. Who cares? Nobody will judge you if you did start to court Moriko.
I'm not going to court anyone!

>Get pregnant. Funnel spare mass into child.
ABSOLUTELY NOT.

>A hot bath to soften your clay up
>Hug Centaur
>Add a Curse of Formlessness from Reisarf on top of the other curses
>Chewing a piece of clay like gum to contaminate it instead of extracting yours
Ineffective, too slow or it risks contaminating the sample!

>Making more of those Deem eggs
>Wait, Deem, what about Gigant Mode?
>Well, the golem sitting on the table seems to have two large spare globes of clay you can extract for yourself.
I need to remove clay. Remove clay.

>Merud might be able to if you let him too, and that'd probably be a tad safer.
>Well, you've got a pair of lumps on your chest that don't do anything. Could just pull those off.
"Merud, clear the table! You need to grab my breasts!" I say, as I start untying the shoulder knot on my dress.

Merud blinks very rapidly. "Deem, calm down."

"I am perfectly calm!" I say, finally getting the wretched knot undone.

My golemeter immediately turns around.

"What are you doing?" I say.

"You said I shouldn't get distracted." he replies.

I growl as I pick up a knife. He's not going to distract me, especially since this just requires coarsening my golem body and a vigorous sawing motion.

Merud turns at the sound of two soft thuds. "You... already..." He looks queasy.

"Merud, I've been mauled by a bear. This is nothing." Still, out of consideration I move the shed clay to one of the shelves.

"You weren't always this... juicy." Merud says, rummaging through the golem making supplies for something to use as bandages as I try to mitigate the amount of sap my golem body is leaking by applying new clay to the torso. "Did you have to hurt yourself like that Deem?" he says.

"Yes." I say, cinching the bandages up. My chest feels strange, I'm going to have to do some tidying up of this quick patch job later. "Most of the other ideas were much worse."

He sighs. "You don't need to do something like this just to prove you can take action."

"Why do you say that?" I say.

Merud just gives me a look. "After telling off Alkaline for taking risks, regardless of whether this worked out or not you were going to feel vindicated."

I fiddle with the knife."Don't start analysing me Merud, I don't like it."

"Well you're no fun at all then."

"..."

I am perfectly calm and it would be ungracious - and monstrous - of me to stab one of my denizens with this knife. We manage some desultory conversation about golems with multiple cores instead.

>Hmm. Do you know what's wrong with Centaur? Why you can't keep it under control?
>I wonder if you can just keep feeding golems to it forever, or if there's a limit to how much it's going to eat. Does it cost more energy to keep active the more it eats, or does it just generally get stronger when it eats golems? Maybe you could use it as a boss monster in either case?
Golems tend to have quirks, they're just not usually this obvious. I can keep Centaur under control, as it's just certain orders are interpreted ambiguously.

Centaur's strength is that there's an unusual complexity of mana channels embedded in her - about two golems' worth. This would otherwise be difficult to achieve with the materials and level of skill in applied golemetry I am currently able to muster. Adding additional sophistication in mana channels would improve performance if they are assembled harmoniously, which they currently seem to be. That may not be the case if more are added, though feeding her chrysopears may assist with resolving conflicts.

Centaur's main drawback is she currently has two cores, meaning it occupies two of the linkages needed for me to supply power to and issue commands to golems. This could potentially be mitigated by doing more work to tweak her towards a command golem with subordinate cores as those are designed to be more efficient in terms of links, though it would risk undermining her current unique qualities.

>You're plenty fun, Deem. Why do you think we stick around?
Because you don't have a lot of options.
>>
No. 1077245 ID: d20dab
File 169995857705.png - (46.73KB , 715x637 , girls_holding_knives_pt2.png )
1077245

At breakfast Hin does a double take, and then mouths the word 'fecund' at me. I'm not sure what exact expression crosses my golem's face but she seems indecently amused by it. Moving on, I meet Reisarf and Stargazer in the kitchen to prepare the ingredients liberated from the Orange Crags to make a lunchtime banquet.

To my surprise, Alkaline does show up to help.

"Oh you're really full of goo!" Reisarf says, on seeing Alkaline. "Well done, I think? I was going to try and make jelly for dessert, but do you think that'll be too much goo for you?"

"I could do a lot more! You don't know much about goo." Alkaline sniffs.

"Oh true it's more Stargazer's thing." Reisarf looks at her staff companion. "Though I don't think I'd be able to carry Stargazer if she was like you?"

Stargazer, who is inspecting the ceiling, wiggles.

"Maybe I could ride her instead?"

Stargazer wiggles some more.

"I'll make extra then!" Reisarf decides.

I sigh. "Reisarf, please don't try to fatten up Stargazer."

"I'm not fat!" Alkaline huffs. "You're fat."

I sigh again. "No-one's fat Alkaline."

Reisarf blinks. "Really?"

>You could check with Reisarf and Stargazer if you're being overly nosy or fussy-careful, and holding them back or something. And TRY to socialize a bit more with them, though that do be hard.
"Let's not get sidetracked. What were you thinking of doing with Stargazer?" I ask Reisarf.

"We were going to make crystals!" Reisarf says and does not elaborate.

"Could you explain?"

"Oh, well, making Stargazer fruit didn't really work out. But then we started thinking: those salt crystals grown in the cauldron golem were able to store a tiny amount of mana. If Stargazer can shed some more jelly, we can use Matter Virus to make better mana-storing crystals!"

It's my turn to blink. "That's a very good idea Reisarf!"

"Oh you think so?" Reisarf looks pleased. "I know you wanted me to talk about any experiments with Merud first but he's been really busy. And you said I should try to test things on frogs instead of myself, but we haven't been seeing many lately! It's been tricky."

I did say that before the trip into town, didn't I?

"Is there something you've been wanting to try, Reisarf?"

"Can we have your eggs?"

"My... eggs?" I say.

"From town." Reisarf nods. "They seem interesting and they might go bad if we leave them much longer."

Memories from one of those nightmares needle me. "You're not going to feed them to Stargazer to turn her into a girl are you?"

Reisarf laughs. "Don't be silly, she is a girl Deem!" Behind us Stargazer wiggles herself into an apron and picks up a knife to hand to Reisarf.

"A human girl." I correct myself.

"But you're not human?" Reisarf points out.

I shake my head. "You're right, I was being silly. You can have them."

Either it'll prove I was having absurd fears over nothing, or they'll propose to me and the gift of prophecy will once again be excruciatingly awkward.

Reisarf tilts her head. "You are a girl though, right?"

"I am definitely a girl, yes!" I say a little more forcefully than I intended.

We start cooking.
>>
No. 1077246 ID: d20dab
File 169995865502.png - (33.35KB , 760x600 , no_soup_for_you.png )
1077246

>That curse was making her say things she thinks are true. Doesn't mean they are true, but if you've been giving her that impression then you have been doing something *like* what she's accusing you of.
So far Alkaline has not being retching and saying more blatantly untrue things so it seems she's processed some of these curses at least.

Strange things are continuing to go wrong around her though. Alkaline keeps somehow accidentally picking up ingredients without anyone noticing which is causing some delays. On a slightly more exciting front her hardened pieces are becoming brittle and exploding when she sheds a piece.

This might be worth talking through if she wasn't still being surly this morning. She didn't get much sleep.

Alkaline eventually drops a pot of soup, apologises, gets angry about apologising, and storms off to her room. This is a tempestuous time for her I can see. Her alchemical slime does loiter to help, though it isn't much help.

>Alkaline's choice of friend... makes sense. She's only met so many people in her entire life - and she's innocent of grudges. Just think about it: around here her only contemporary in relative youth is Reisarf and Reisarf is Reisarf. It is a given that Alkaline would find another youth interesting while they were here.
I will consider procuring more youths untouched by the wretched sky-power then. Though that imp hasn't been a great influence either.

>To broaden her horizons and let her have some of that 'fun', once her punishment is done you could consider allowing her the freedom of a trip to town.
Actually that's a far better idea.

As long as she stays away from that church.

>You don't need to take Alkaline so seriously. Hin is fine now and wasn't worried then. The independence of Stargazer and Reisarf is a good thing, they can get along without needing to be managed or direct all the time which is great. And Moriko?
>Moriko is a hot blooded warrior and frankly, any relationship with you isn't going to be something any humanoid would be accustomed to.

>Moriko has seemed a little taken with you. Whatever Alkaline has read into it it is not something that's come from thin air.
>I'm never sure if you actually feel anything for her like she clearly does for you.
I feel for all my denizens.

Speaking of which, I have one last thing to finalise. I would like to announce the new form for the Resurrection Matrix at the lunch. I've canvased my denizen's opinions and the following options seem the most promising:

Resurrection Spring: Revamping the planned baths to be a crystal grotto. My denizens rise to the surface in one of the pools. Focused mainly on soothing my denizens and helping them relax.

Icon Memorial: A statue garden. The skin of the statue flakes away when my denizens are resurrected to reveal them. Something that would help give my denizens a nudge in pursuing an idealised image of who they wish to be.

Underworld Stairs: A great door hiding stairs to dark depths. My denizens walk back into the realm of the living. Something to incentivise introspection and struggle, and help them shed lingering doubts and injuries.

Rejuvenating Garden: A fantastical garden where my denizens reawaken in oversized flower buds. A place dense in nature magic where I might be able to support other rare plants.
>>
No. 1077247 ID: 273c18

>>1077244
>Centaur's main problem is that it takes up two golem "slots"
Right, so if you fed it more golems then it would take up more slots, and you'd have to feed it pears too to keep the cores harmonious? Still, you can leave it inactive near the boss chamber, and activate it when other golems have been disabled by adventurers!

>>1077246
>I feel for all my denizens.
Do you feel any romantic attraction towards Moriko? That is the question she needs to know the answer to. You don't even need to tell us. Tell her. Even if it's something like "I'm scared to want a deeper connection, because then the inevitable loss will be felt more keenly"

>resurrection?
Well, the Spring has two drawbacks: either the denizen has to resurrect naked or their stuff gets all wet, and secondly if anyone else is in the bath they'll get disturbed.
As for the stairs... can Doyle even climb stairs? They seem like they'd be unpleasant for anyone who has trouble getting around due to a curse or body shape. What happens if you tame a giant snake? And what happens if someone falls back down while trying to get out?
That leaves the statues and the garden. I'll vote Icon Memorial because there should be some inherent benefit to the denizens' growth; it sounds like the garden has none.
>>
No. 1077248 ID: a7a180

What happens if you fall down the stairs?
First choice statue park, second choice stairs.
>>
No. 1077253 ID: 99f29a

Either Resurrection Spring or Icon Memorial for me- the perks seem most appealing to me. The stairs' effects are nice too but that seems more like the kind of thing to do via interpersonal stuff.
>>
No. 1077255 ID: f14228

>'Fecund'
Haw, Hin's great - and right. Take it as complimentary acknowledgement that you are successfully embracing your new theme.

>excruciatingly awkward gift of prophecy
At least you might get better mana storage crystals out of it. And so we *were* holding back Reisarf and Stargazer some, huh. Our slime princess may be more observant than you'd like. Or she just spent enough time with them.

>Resurrection Rework
They're all good and intriguing. Icon Memorial might be the best fit as you and your denizens are now. There's a lot of people searching for who - or what - they wanna be around here, and even the more languid ones have places they could be going. And hey, it's probably good for the ego too to have your own statuary. Maybe.

Alternatively I'd say the Garden. It seems like a lively location that can give you room to grow more sorely needed resources - and the place can be a relaxing spot in itself, suitable for wonders and whispered meetings under the eaves of leaves.

>Midnight Mutilations
You should offer apologies to Merud for being cranky and acting on it last night. He's not the worst person to have borne involuntary witness to someone's irate cutting of gordian chests, but humans generally don't enjoy bodily dissembly (or the seeming thereof) without training or sadism.

Your body has taken on hefty tinges of life lately. He really did seem a little off-put - maybe from how easily you went ahead with marring it in response to recent changes. That's something to consider. People will come to think of your main body as 'you', however true or untrue that is, and seeing damage come to it, even if actually superficial, will probably cause similar reactions as them seeing someone less durable getting hurt.

Anyway, look who's here! Give the li'l orange boi a careful nudge-hug from us, will ya? Are they holding as well as can be expected?

Ah, and one more thing. You might want to find Doyle if he hasn't come back. Shouldn't miss out on a feast for fear of consequences that are not his to own.
>>
No. 1077274 ID: 5b2941

>>1077245
>"No-one's fat Alkaline."
Why are you lying to the girl?

>>1077246
I like the Icon Memorial. The
Rejuvenating Garden looks good, but the benefits are dependent on us doing things with it and we always have too many things to do.
>>
No. 1077303 ID: 031458

If I'm reading this right...

Resurrection Spring- Dying and resurrection is less unpleasant and traumatic + luxurious baths

Icon Memorial- Statues can be made into a more ideal version of themselves, granting growth and something to look forward to in death, at the risk of temporary regret.

Underworld Stairs- An opportunity for reflection and introspection upon death. Good for mental growth and future survivability in battle, longer respawn time.

Rejuvenation Garden- Bare minimum nicer than current system. More green space for plants abd projects.

The spring should prevent your more sensitive denizens from getting negative conditions should they get killed, which would let you make your dungeon riskier and more aggressive.

The memorial will offer huge gains to strong minded, emotionally mature denizens, and painful, temporarily crippling lessons to denizens that are less so. You'll need to take better care of your denizens mental states.

The stairs will sharpen warriors and thinkers, but frustrate everyone else.

The garden offers you more opportunities for projects, or you could specialize it for some other alternative effect, if your willing to spend the time.


I'm split between the Memorial and the Stairs.

Hin and your Quazi-Dragon would love the Memorial, but you'd need to take even closer care of Moriko.

The stairs would significantly increase the growth of Moriko and your Wizards but you'd need to keep the rest of your denizens safer from harm than they are now.
>>
No. 1077329 ID: bfb47e

Icon Memorial. Though I think YOU'D benefit from some introspection, the denizens would absolutely benefit from some image training and forethought regarding their ideal selves.

Guess you should find Doyle, though if you could swing by and give Alkaline some attention, you should. In a way that doesn't remind her if her slipping up, of course. Maybe mention the trip you're planning for her?
>>
No. 1077330 ID: eb0a9c

I have an idea:
Have chitin stalagmite statues grow from the ceiling and then fall into a pit leading to a hot spring. Each death will be a shocking dunk into the pool followed by sweet relief; death should not be something to look forward to, but what comes after should. Those that gain the will to break free before they're done dropping will be sprayed with the embers scattered through the pit as part of the chitin removal treatment, giving them permanent bonuses from the capacity of self-revival but making it harder to break free on future attempts.
>>
No. 1077334 ID: 12b116

>>1077246
The garden would be my pick. It can also reinforce the nature magic theme as well and provide a good place to relax. Spring would be my second choice
>>
No. 1077336 ID: f2320a

>>1077274
Well they technically dont have actual fat just more "flesh"/mass due to sort of being amorphous "organism"
Also we are in a medival era its near impossible for meat creatures to gain the seeming bulk we have
>>
No. 1077338 ID: 273c18

Alkaline isn't fat, she is a slime. Amorphous, able to control her shape at will normally. She currently has a weird shape due to a curse, but she's still not fat. Her mass is all functional.
>>
No. 1077421 ID: 0ad767

Please either get with that girl or just tell her you are not interested. I really feel bad for her
>>
No. 1081883 ID: df47b5
File 170626625072.png - (41.11KB , 750x750 , deems_too_important_to_carry_things_now.png )
1081883

>Rejuvenating Garden looks good, but the benefits are dependent on us doing things with it and we always have too many things to do.
It's true, my horticultural efforts so far have mostly been golem gardening and frantic weed control. I haven't even had the chance to replant bomb flower cuttings.

>The Spring has two drawbacks: either the denizen has to resurrect naked or their stuff gets all wet, and secondly if anyone else is in the bath they'll get disturbed.
As I wanted to enhance my Resurrection Matrix to ensure more harmonious operation within my dungeon I will discount this option then.

>What happens if you fall down the stairs?
That would be very difficult to do and very bad.

>I think YOU'D benefit from some introspection.
No I would not. Introspection isn't going to let me work harder at pulling together a proper dungeon.

>You might want to find Doyle if he hasn't come back.
Speaking of pulling things together, I should make sure everyone is gathered now we're waiting on everything to finish cooking.

Doyle is still up in the valley, loitering in the bushes near the huts so I go up to recover him.

"I know I recruited you forcefully," I say to him as I carry him back. "But you need to stand up for yourself. Don't let people just bully you into making them potions. You're not here to be run ragged dispensing them at everyone's convenience."

Doyle wiggles in place.

"You like people trying your potions?" We are about to eat but... "In that case, is there anything you can brew up with what you have that would help with recovering mana?"

Doyle wiggles again and offers me a ladle of his contents. I drink it and feel my breathing ease.

A berry also sprouts on one of my horns. I thought I'd subsumed that part of the curse entirely into my False Idol ritual. I pluck it off and eat it, I'm already attractive to monsters with the power I have gathered so far, making this just another drop in a pond.

>Do you feel any romantic attraction towards Moriko? That is the question she needs to know the answer to. You don't even need to tell us. Tell her.
>Please either get with that girl or just tell her you are not interested. I really feel bad for her
I can't maintain the right distance. Having this golem body is causing confusion. I am deficient in love. I am barely a person...

Wait, no, this is stupid. I have a lot to organise and no need to wallow in melodrama or agonise over relationships.
>>
No. 1081884 ID: df47b5
File 170626632132.png - (49.43KB , 800x550 , random_denizen_sampling.png )
1081884

>The stairs would significantly increase the growth of Moriko and your Wizards but you'd need to keep the rest of your denizens safer from harm than they are now.
Unfortunately I haven't performed too well on that point and only expect one of my wizards to regularly need to escape death. Perhaps if my dungeon was more established this would be the better pick, but at this time it looks like I'm left with one decision.

>Icon Memorial might be the best fit as you and your denizens are now. There's a lot of people searching for who - or what - they wanna be around here, and even the more languid ones have places they could be going. And hey, it's probably good for the ego too to have your own statuary. Maybe.
It will be a good crystallisation of intent for my denizens. And a chance to show some pride in who they are.

My denizens start gathering for the meal. Alkaline is still very cursed, leading a gaggle of her slimes, and Merud has brought the stick-in-mud golem and Centaur, for reasons that presently escape me.

"That's an interesting mask you have there, Alkaline." Merud says.

My big slime raises her little hands to her face. "Stop looking at my nose."

>>"No-one's fat Alkaline."
>Why are you lying to the girl?
Fine. Alkaline is fat. Is that what you wanted to hear?

>Well they technically dont have actual fat just more "flesh"/mass due to sort of being amorphous "organisms".
Fine. Alkaline is mass amorphed.

But to head off any unpleasantness over the mass of Alkaline's nose, I change the topic by asking Merud on his choice of golems.

"Ah, I'm still trying to clean up the new one before Mr Nemellan's visit," he says, "and looking at Centaur in some different environments to better understand the behaviour of cooperative cores."

I nod. "Thank you for working so hard on it Merud, but don't overwork yourself." He looks tired.

>You should offer apologies to Merud for being cranky and acting on it last night.
Ngh, I wasn't cranky, but I suppose I did discomfort him.

"And I'm sorry for last night, I should have been more considerate."

"You should!" Alkaline says.

...

Apologising was a mistake.

>Maybe mention the trip you're planning for Alkaline?
Not until she's more ready for it. No need for her to try to rush getting uncursed on top of everything else.

Thankfully Reisarf and Stargazer are coming along with the food along with some of my golems.

"Before we dig in, I have an announcement to make. Thank you everyone for your suggestions, but I have decided to renovate the Resurrection Matrix into a statue garden."

"Will there be a big copy of your face on the wall?" Reisarf asks.

"No Reisarf, I'm not using your idea."

"Aww."

"Why did you want that?" Alkaline asks.

Reisarf scuffs one shoe on the ground. "I thought it'd be interesting."

The food is served and we chatter over the events of the last few weeks. A lot has happened since my trip into town. I've thankfully bid farewell to bad dreams, the frogs have been a consistent annoyance, Hin's ended up queen of a little slice of slime-stuffed forest, Alkaline's had her growing pains, Moriko's met her demonic side, and we've accidentally flooded the dungeon with verdant spores.

The meal is calming for me, mana-rich food recuperating more of my perilously low energy, and I can feel a secondary stockpile as my golem body locks some of the energy of this 'offering' away thanks to my Verdant Image. It's strangely reassuring to have one stockpile of power that isn't constantly bleeding away from me.

My denizens are looking refreshed too, I'm glad to have something to thank them for their hard work.
>>
No. 1081885 ID: df47b5
File 170626635617.png - (29.34KB , 650x750 , dinner_sweepstake_winner.png )
1081885

It isn't the jelly donuts or hamburgers you proposed, but an attempt at a noodle dish was made, based off what little Moriko has said about her homeland and Reisarf and I putting our heads together.

I present Moriko her new potion flask as well. She seems happy but stays quiet in company. She's appreciative of it, that's enough for me for now.

Her imp is mostly behaving too, though extremely excited at all these new sights and foods.

>People will come to think of your main body as 'you', however true or untrue that is, and seeing damage come to it, even if actually superficial, will probably cause similar reactions as them seeing someone less durable getting hurt.
I suppose I will just have to be mindful of it. Remind them this isn't the entirety of my self.

>Give the li'l orange boi a careful nudge-hug from us, will ya? Are they holding as well as can be expected?
No, a suitable number of hugs is already being supplied by my denizens while they look after it. It's not dead yet, so it's doing better than I expected.

>>excruciatingly awkward gift of prophecy
>At least you might get better mana storage crystals out of it. And so we *were* holding back Reisarf and Stargazer some, huh. Our slime princess may be more observant than you'd like. Or she just spent enough time with them.
I bet she was just lucky.

Still, I suppose it shows I should have more regular check-ins with those two.
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No. 1081886 ID: df47b5
File 170626639988.png - (44.13KB , 750x650 , where_is_my_present_said_the_cake_crab.png )
1081886

It eventually comes down to just Hin and I picking through the leftovers, after my slime princess ends up retreating to her new slime lair in a sulk.

"Alkaline's looking extra healthy today." Hin comments.

"Don't get me started." I say.

Hin sighs. "Parenting's hard huh?"

I give her a look.

Hin straightens up in her chair. "Woah sorry, didn't mean to strike a nerve." She leans in. "Just... think about it though. Reisarf's got his head in the clouds half the time and Stargazer's up there with him. Merud can be pretty insightful but he doesn't know how to handle kids."

"Alkaline's not a child." I say.

"Sure she is." Hin continues. "Or at least she's acting like a dumb kid trying to convince everyone she's a grown-ass adult. Probably doing better than me at her age honestly, I joined a gang. Keep an eye out for imps or dinosaurs in leather jackets just in case I guess?"

"About that..." I say, and break the news of the secret potion party to her.

"There's a monster gang?!? And I missed out?!? Poor Doyle... but this is bullshit."

Anyway, who's left? Moriko! Moriko is either too intense or lost at sea with no hope of rescue. So sorry Deem but you're it for role models."

"What about you Hin?" I deflect.

"What, no! I'm like a big sister or cool aunt or something."

I rub my chin. "You've always seemed the responsible one."

"Cool big sis!" Hin insists.

>Haw, Hin's great - and right. Take it as complimentary acknowledgement that you are successfully embracing your new theme.
It seems to me there's still much to go in anyone embracing their role, but I suppose that's a matter for another day.

END CHAPTER 8
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