FINAL CORE : [A holy dungeon-core litRPG] - Chapter 21

~ Vidalia’s notes on dungeon dos and don'ts.

Isaiah flies, looking around at floor ten. It’s certainly an interesting place.

In the center of the floor is a gargantuan metal bell, suspended from the ceiling. Its massive exterior is an exquisite artwork in and of itself.

Straight, linear walkways fill the floor at varying heights and angles, surrounding the bell as if it were an insect, suspended in a spider’s web. They’re set into the pillars on the exterior of the tower, splaying out, as if they were branches from a tree.

Isaiah looks down.

The ceiling of floor nine, so the ‘floor’ or floor ten is sharply slanted to an upwards pointing spike that leads up towards just beneath the bell. Anyone who falls off of a walkways here, all of which are without railings or guards, is going to fall down there and then slide straight off of the side of the tower.

It's probably not a great way to die. But if they insist on trying to attack Isaiah’s home with enough will to make it all the way up here, then perhaps this is simply what has to be.

“That’s not even the best part,” says Crystal. “I really saved up a whole mass of dungeon-magic for this one,” he says, leaning in towards Isaiah, a hand by his mouth. “That’s why the goblins are on floor eight,” it says. “They’re cheap. Less magic drain there means we can do more exotic things up here with our budget.”

Isaiah sees nothing new.

“Well…?” it asks, looking around.

“Wait. It’ll be right about… now!” says Crystal.

The bell rings, striking its first chime of the day. Nine in the morning. Given its exorbitant size, it’s expectedly very loud, filling the air with a heavy, deep reverberation that Isaiah feels in its bones, even at this distance. The forest around them erupts in a disturbance, as flocks of frantic birds fly off into the sky, having been startled from their roosts.

The tower rumbles, shaking, as the pillars holding the walkways aloft begin to rotate around the edge of the tower in a slow, grinding circle. All of the long walkways begin to move, spinning around the bell, until they’ve turned a full quarter turn.

Something shrieks, overpowering even the deafening noise of the bell. Isaiah turns to look as a monstrous entity swoops down through the sky, shooting into the tower, just barely missing the pillars with its incredible wingspan.

In a strange flashback, Isaiah is reminded of the eagle it had once seen, swooping a fish out of a river, back during the first day of its rebirth

.

The monster, larger than anything it has ever seen before, lands on the walkways, its body spanning over several of them. Its talons on each foot wrap around each of the single platforms with ease.

It’s giant.

“Crystal…” says Isaiah, looking at the leviathan monster. It is a bird-like creature with golden wings, flush with a rich, jewel-like plumage. If it were standing on the forest floor, it would easily reach the second floor of the tower with slacking posture.

“I know, right?” asks Crystal. “Bosses are my favorite.”

“It’s… very large,” says Isaiah, staring at it. The garuda is a real beast. Are dragons even this big?

Isaiah blinks, remembering that it remembers dragons.

“Dragons get pretty big, but he’s up there all right,” says Crystal, reading Isaiah’s thoughts again. “For our first boss, it’s a bit much. But we can get away with it because the mechanics are so simple.” Crystal taps his head. “Spend smart. Usually a massive encounter like this would be floor thirty, earliest.”

Isaiah nods, impressed.

The intruders will have to fight on a series of stone bridges, each at varying elevation and angle, with no real easy way to cross between them. Meanwhile, the garuda will swoop in and try to throw them off. So their only real chance of damaging it, while it’s in the air, is to use spells or arrows.

But if they miss and hit the bell, they’ll cause the walkways to shift and maybe even inadvertently heal the boss too.

The ground phase is when the close-combatants can get their strikes in, if they reach it before it flies off again.

As for that one weakness, it’s somewhat specific and vague. They’re going to have to look out for that, but nothing is perfect, after all.

“Oh, well, would you look at that,” says Crystal. “I guess the bell pulled them right in.”

Isaiah looks down at the intruders on the tower grounds.

A group of humans comes down the road.

“You think it’s just them?” asks Crystal. “I guess the city is still pretty far off. But look, neat, you can totally see it from here!” says the uthra.

It is true. From floor ten, as high up as they are, the city is very clearly visible from here. This of course means, they are the same from there.

“More will come,” says Isaiah.

“Guess I better get back to work then!” says Crystal.

The humans wander around the grounds, looking at everything and Isaiah watches. It digs its talons into the stones, leaning down over the ledge. It needs them to go into the tower. It needs them to die inside of the tower. Doesn't it?

Time is running shorter than ever. At this rate, even with the multiple bonuses stacked together and the new floors, the tower just isn’t even close enough to being as high as it needs to be.

Isaiah narrows its eyes, watching the humans below. It doesn't really want anyone to die. That's not what this place is supposed to be. But, the death of a human inside of the tower will bring a great boost of experience and power at a very fast pace, if the death of the inspectors was any indication.

At the very least, they’re better behaved than the goblins and they don’t break anything. But that isn’t much of a help.

One of them stops to pray at the shrine. A priestess.

Isaiah makes a note to spare that one if it comes down to it, experience points or not. Another one of them enters the shrine with her and places a small object into the box.

Isaiah makes another note to spare that one too, with the spiky hair, if the decision should arise.

It lifts its gaze towards the sky, watching as a massive shadow flies past, obscuring the light of the sun.

It’s still so far away and there aren’t many days left. Perhaps it is best to not make this choice at all? If the humans want to enter the tower at their own risk, that is their choice to make. If the humans want to come here and worship in awe and reverence, that too is their choice to make. But for them to do either, they must all know of the tower's undeniable existence.

Isaiah spins around, flying towards the bell and strikes it as hard as it can. The giant construction rings out noisily, its voice cascading across the landscape and Isaiah hopes that it stretches all the way towards the human city. It wants them to hear it. It wants them to come and, in fact, one more does, creeping out of the forest with a curious face.

Razmatazz

Every dungeon has to itself more than just tricks and traps and silly, little goblins. As is customary for their sort, each dungeon has an established pattern of floor design. Typically, there are normal floors, challenge floors and boss floors. However, not all dungeons hold themselves to these standards, as some more exotic examples are to be found around the world. A 'normal floor' is what one would expect it to be. It is a floor full of what one could describe as average, predictable monsters and traps for the climate. A 'challenge floor' is a floor that requires less violence in some cases and more mechanical know-how. These often involve complex puzzles, traps and timed challenges. A 'boss floor', finally, is a dungeon's strongest line of defense, but the one it can field the least often. It is assumed that this is because of the intense magical requirements needed to sustain a boss-level entity. Boss: A 'boss' is a particularly high-level, or otherwise dangerous, unique encounter meant to pose a significant challenge to any intruders. Given the incredible amounts of ambient dungeon-magic needed to sustain them, a boss can only be summoned at the end of every segment of a dungeon. Segments of a dungeon can vary from dungeon to dungeon. Typically, the length of a segment is six to ten floors. After the end of a segment, one can expect a slight thematic shift in the next segment of the dungeon. Boss entities can diverge from traditional monster pools and are often deeply characteristic of a dungeon's aspect or origins. While common enemies, such as slimes, might be seen in just about every dungeon. No boss entity has ever been seen in more than one dungeon, as they are bespoke, unique encounters, hand-made by a dungeon-core to deter any outsiders. These, like challenge rooms, can also field unique requirements in order to be beaten. However, most often, it is simply a matter of murder. ~ Vidalia's notes on dungeon dos and don'ts. ~ Dungeon ~ Floor {10} The Bell Tower The bell tower is an open-faced arena with a massive, inscribed metal bell at its center. Water pours down its glistening surface from above, filling the pools that fill the floor. Given the lofty heights, strong gales of wind surge past the pillars, threatening to throw anyone off of the many suspended walkways. The bell will ring three times a day on its own, at nine AM, twelve PM, six PM. But it will also be rung every time it receives damage of any type. Capacity: {01} Boss Garuda Boss room: In order to progress, this boss must be defeated. Upon success: Spawns {01} random, high-quality item of a level equal to this floor's, according to the item drop pool of the boss entity. Activates a shortcut to use at the entrance, which leads up to this floor. ~ Dungeon ~ Bell Effect: Baptism of Bells: Upon ringing, the noise of the ringing bell will be emitted in all directions up to a distance of {DUNGEON-TERRITORY * 2} Baptism of Bells All demons within this area are repelled. All ambient DARK-magic is repelled. All beings within dungeon-territory will feel an innate desire to pay notice to the tower from wherever they are. While boss-encounter is active The boss will heal HP at a rate of {01}% for every evil force repelled. Boss-arena effect will activate. Isaiah flies, looking around at floor ten. It's certainly an interesting place. In the center of the floor is a gargantuan metal bell, suspended from the ceiling. Its massive exterior is an exquisite artwork in and of itself. Straight, linear walkways fill the floor at varying heights and angles, surrounding the bell as if it were an insect, suspended in a spider's web. They're set into the pillars on the exterior of the tower, splaying out, as if they were branches from a tree. Isaiah looks down. The ceiling of floor nine, so the floor' or floor ten is sharply slanted to an upwards pointing spike that leads up towards just beneath the bell. Anyone who falls off of a walkways here, all of which are without railings or guards, is going to fall down there and then slide straight off of the side of the tower. It's probably not a great way to die. But if they insist on trying to attack Isaiah's home with enough will to make it all the way up here, then perhaps this is simply what has to be. That's not even the best part, says Crystal. I really saved up a whole mass of dungeon-magic for this one, he says, leaning in towards Isaiah, a hand by his mouth. That's why the goblins are on floor eight, it says. They're cheap. Less magic drain there means we can do more exotic things up here with our budget. Isaiah sees nothing new. Well? it asks, looking around. Wait. It'll be right about now! says Crystal. The bell rings, striking its first chime of the day. Nine in the morning. Given its exorbitant size, it's expectedly very loud, filling the air with a heavy, deep reverberation that Isaiah feels in its bones, even at this distance. The forest around them erupts in a disturbance, as flocks of frantic birds fly off into the sky, having been startled from their roosts. The tower rumbles, shaking, as the pillars holding the walkways aloft begin to rotate around the edge of the tower in a slow, grinding circle. All of the long walkways begin to move, spinning around the bell, until they've turned a full quarter turn. Something shrieks, overpowering even the deafening noise of the bell. Isaiah turns to look as a monstrous entity swoops down through the sky, shooting into the tower, just barely missing the pillars with its incredible wingspan. In a strange flashback, Isaiah is reminded of the eagle it had once seen, swooping a fish out of a river, back during the first day of its rebirth . The monster, larger than anything it has ever seen before, lands on the walkways, its body spanning over several of them. Its talons on each foot wrap around each of the single platforms with ease. It's giant. Crystal says Isaiah, looking at the leviathan monster. It is a bird-like creature with golden wings, flush with a rich, jewel-like plumage. If it were standing on the forest floor, it would easily reach the second floor of the tower with slacking posture. I know, right? asks Crystal. Bosses are my favorite. ~ Garuda ~ Rank: C Level: 10 A divine entity. Garuda is the king of birds. It is said that the flapping of its wings is enough to bring both the heavens and the hells to a total standstill. This creature carries a strong distaste for injustice and has a particular, very specific hate for snakes. Garudas are extremely intelligent and powerful. Boss tactics Aerial phase The garuda will fly around the outside of the tower, before swooping in and striking in an attempt to destroy platforms and knock anyone it can off of their footing. It will attempt to fly around the bell as often as it can, in order to punish inaccurate spell-casting and distance attacks. Ground phase The garuda will land on the walkways, making a full section unusable for the duration of the phase. Here it will flap its wings in targeted, powerful gusts, trying to throw enemies off of the tower. Secret encounter tactic Garudas will not attack HOLY attributed combatants in particular, as well as anyone deemed to have a pure soul. They are avid listeners and, if spoken too by such a person, will listen to whatever they have to say. HP: 80/80 SOUL: 100/100 It's very large, says Isaiah, staring at it. The garuda is a real beast. Are dragons even this big? Isaiah blinks, remembering that it remembers dragons. Dragons get pretty big, but he's up there all right, says Crystal, reading Isaiah's thoughts again. For our first boss, it's a bit much. But we can get away with it because the mechanics are so simple. Crystal taps his head. Spend smart. Usually a massive encounter like this would be floor thirty, earliest. Isaiah nods, impressed. The intruders will have to fight on a series of stone bridges, each at varying elevation and angle, with no real easy way to cross between them. Meanwhile, the garuda will swoop in and try to throw them off. So their only real chance of damaging it, while it's in the air, is to use spells or arrows. But if they miss and hit the bell, they'll cause the walkways to shift and maybe even inadvertently heal the boss too. The ground phase is when the close-combatants can get their strikes in, if they reach it before it flies off again. As for that one weakness, it's somewhat specific and vague. They're going to have to look out for that, but nothing is perfect, after all. - Territory Breached! - Intruders: 06 Average Level: 11 Difficulty: Normal Oh, well, would you look at that, says Crystal. I guess the bell pulled them right in. Isaiah looks down at the intruders on the tower grounds. A group of humans comes down the road. ~ Pilgrimage ~ The tower gains ambient magics from the arrival of strangers. +06 EXP EXP: 573/750 You think it's just them? asks Crystal. I guess the city is still pretty far off. But look, neat, you can totally see it from here! says the uthra. It is true. From floor ten, as high up as they are, the city is very clearly visible from here. This of course means, they are the same from there. More will come, says Isaiah. Guess I better get back to work then! says Crystal. The humans wander around the grounds, looking at everything and Isaiah watches. It digs its talons into the stones, leaning down over the ledge. It needs them to go into the tower. It needs them to die inside of the tower. Doesn't it? Time is running shorter than ever. At this rate, even with the multiple bonuses stacked together and the new floors, the tower just isn't even close enough to being as high as it needs to be. Isaiah narrows its eyes, watching the humans below. It doesn't really want anyone to die. That's not what this place is supposed to be. But, the death of a human inside of the tower will bring a great boost of experience and power at a very fast pace, if the death of the inspectors was any indication. At the very least, they're better behaved than the goblins and they don't break anything. But that isn't much of a help. One of them stops to pray at the shrine. A priestess. ~ Prayers ~ A prayer has been said at the shrine. +01 EXP EXP: 574/750 Isaiah makes a note to spare that one if it comes down to it, experience points or not. Another one of them enters the shrine with her and places a small object into the box. ~ Donation Received ~ A donation has been left at the shrine +01 OBOL ~ Obols ~ A donation has been left at the shrine +01 OBOL {Polished}NormalObol An Obol. Obols are the popular denomination of currency. They are small, round, imprinted coins most often made out of mixtures of silver, copper and bronze. Obols can be exchanged for goods and services. Current market estimations: 1 x Loaf of Bread {125 g} = 11 Obols 1 x Small Health Potion {0.33 L} = 30 Obols 1 x Impure Iron Ingot {5.0 kg} = 24 Obols Weight: 0.08 kg Value: 001 Isaiah makes another note to spare that one too, with the spiky hair, if the decision should arise. It lifts its gaze towards the sky, watching as a massive shadow flies past, obscuring the light of the sun. It's still so far away and there aren't many days left. Perhaps it is best to not make this choice at all? If the humans want to enter the tower at their own risk, that is their choice to make. If the humans want to come here and worship in awe and reverence, that too is their choice to make. But for them to do either, they must all know of the tower's undeniable existence. Isaiah spins around, flying towards the bell and strikes it as hard as it can. The giant construction rings out noisily, its voice cascading across the landscape and Isaiah hopes that it stretches all the way towards the human city. It wants them to hear it. It wants them to come and, in fact, one more does, creeping out of the forest with a curious face. - Territory Breached! - Intruders: 01 Average Level: 08 Difficulty: Easy ~ Pilgrimage ~ The tower gains ambient magics from the arrival of strangers. +01 EXP EXP: 575/750 Razmatazz ~ Note for occultists{GARUDA} ~ Garuda' finds its origins in Hindu religious mythology. However, it is also mentioned in both the Buddhist, as well as the Jain spiritual systems. It is considered a demi-god, rather than a typical spirit or creature. In the real mythology, Garuda has two forms. One of them looks more like a somewhat rounder, male harpy. The other, which we have gone for here, is a large, bird-like entity, more akin to an extra large gryphon More on gryphons another day. As a demigod, Garuda is held to be a sharply vigilant protector and, interestingly, the enemy of every snake and serpent ever. As such, he remains a popular icon on real-word insignias of both the Indonesian coat of arms, as well as in several Indian military units. The lore here gets very interesting, but it is deeply religious in a more concrete way than our usual trivias, so I can't go too deeply into it because of RR's rules on religious content I already got a slap on the hand in DIS for this haha x-x. But what I can get into is that Garuda has his own short, epic poem epic in the old sense of the word, not in the cringy new meaning called the Suparkhyna Chapter of the bird. Unfortunately, most of the poem was destroyed by time and the elements before it was found. It reads as follows - Shout, thunder, reach the clouds; these waters of thine shall be level with the mountain-tops... Undefined, wholly water, the shore shall be: the frog-female shall croak all the night. The winds shall milk the cloud cow whose trail drips with milk, the wild beast shall come seeking firm land - Maurice Bloomfield, 1896. Any connections readers might find between this poem and my other story, Weaponsmith, should not be worried about. As for Garuda, in Buddhism, these are a race of leviathan, predatory birds who hunt a race of snake people known as Nagas'. They kill them by picking up the nagas and dropping them from great heights. Funnily enough, the nagas learned to counter-act this trick by eating a ton of rocks until they were too heavy to be picked up. No really. To fight against this, the Garuda's started picking the nagas up instead by their tails and shook them out until they vomited. = For those of you interested in Chinese lore, Garuda found his way there and is referred to as Great Peng, the Golden-Winged Illumination King , which is a pretty damn cool name if you ask me.