Chapter 148: Dungeons and Ceremony (II)
🕑 Added 2025-01-19 18:36:53 +0000 UTCWalker looked out on the crowd, returning to their seats or even moving to other sections to speak with friends, new and old.
Now was the big moment. Now was the time to shock them with something they hadn’t seen before. Something that would give them new goals to strive towards.
They’d tested how it would work profusely, with Ulysses dedicating a full ten percent of his parts to the process, something Walker had indeed paid for. But the cost was worth it. After all, it wouldn’t do for his grand reveal to end with everyone’s death.
As it was, after lots of testing and more of his time and resources lost, everything was ready. If the Afterlife had been his number one priority within the time rings, this was his number two. With a message from Ulysses and Rimi stating everything was all set, he gave his citizens one more minute to enjoy speaking to one another, then made his announcement.
“My fellow Symponians, please take your seats, it’s time I showed you something I’ve been cooking up for a very, very long time.” He paused long enough to see the greater majority sit down, then spoke again, “As if the Runner system and mounts weren’t big enough additions to Symphony, we have something new we’ll be adding to each landmass. As such, before we can go over the monumental Territory rewards, we first need to take a trip to a new location.”
While the crowd looked at one another in confusion, a portal appeared just outside the arena, hundreds of feet tall and easily allowing the crowd to view the top lip of the feature. The great circle of darkness inspired only dread in those who viewed it, the unknown being the most terrifying thing a person can imagine, unless you were Runner Grove, who whooped at the sight.
Walker assured the crowd that everything was going as it should be, then tapped into the Gravity system. Selecting each section, he gave a warning as Symphony’s grip on them lost its effect, and with a slight shift, each gently floated toward the sky. He had to confirm to the crowd, again, that what he was doing was according to plan to allay their fears further. Then, gathering the Space strand into his hands, he gave each platform a light push, and in an interconnected line as each stage gently met another, they floated through into what lay within.
It was a whole new world.
Speaking as the crowd floated on the greatest roller coaster ride Symphony had ever had, Walker shifted his tone to one of outright seriousness, “This is a dungeon. Most dungeons will be much smaller; others will be much, much larger. As in, planetary large, taking more than a small amount of time to complete. Each is built to have a different form of time dilation, where size indicates how much faster the dungeon will run compared to the outside world.” Walker paused to let their translators help them understand everything, “This dungeon, in particular, is thematically built, which I’ll explain in a moment. It is about the size of the original form of Symphony. Due to that size, the time dilation here is four times what you would experience in Symphony. That means for every four minutes you spend here, one minute will pass in normal time.” He waited momentarily as the crowd grew loud, discussing what that meant, then floated over to them, forcing their eyes up, “What you have just entered is a non-standard portal, but normal dungeons will have an entrance that looks like a tall stone arch of differing colors. Because I’d rather not have numerous citizens dying without warning, each dungeon entrance can be identified, so you will know what you’re stepping into.”
Through space and gravity, Walker had the stages settle down on the flattened ridge of a mountain. It didn’t take long for everyone to notice what was in the distance. Soon enough, their eyes found the truly massive Mana Tree far away, twenty times the size of any found on Symphony, with small and large blue lights dancing around it. As the import of the tree’s size began to seep in, the shadow of a large man outlined in a cyanic glow appeared. Walker Reed stood on space, looking down at a hundred thousand people with a half-smile.
“I spent a lot of time coming up with this, many years if you can believe it. The Dungeon system, all told, is my most significant work for the living. An evolving system managed by no less than three great minds and made up of over a dozen systems combined with a specific purpose. It’s challenging, deadly, and unforgiving. This one, in particular, is a deathscape from which many of the unprepared would perish after only a few dozen steps. There is a theme here. One that focuses on the speed and power of lightning. To answer a few questions you may have, yes, you can die in this place. Yes, there is an arch in Symphony that will take you to the entrance. Yes, the rewards are great. Well, they’re at least above the par set by the Ascension event. But don’t just take my word for it; take hers.”
In front of Walker and in the eyes of many, where nothing had once been, now stood a massive being over fifty feet tall, far dwarfing the Hill Giant. Outlined in golden light was a feminine figure looking down upon them as if from a great height, because they were.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Lightning Dungeon.
The figure said, her voice oddly soft for something so large.
I am this location’s Dungeon Master, and I don’t feel the need to tell you my name.
As the Creator has given you a brief overview of what a Dungeon is, I will defer to his wisdom and grant further enlightenment.
This is the Lightning Dungeon.
Each monster in the far distance will fight with an electricity attunement, and should they be defeated, you will find there is a random chance for its bounty to drop something attuned to lightning as well.
The large figure gestured, and an arch of pale stone appeared. The moment it did, arcs of lightning began to stream around it in flashes of blue and white.
This is the natural entrance to the dungeon, instead of the cheating way in which you arrived.
The massive figure gave a look at her Creator before continuing.
Please identify it.
Each member of the crowd did so, new whispered conversations ranging out from the varied sections about what they read.
-The Lightning Dungeon-
Difficulty level: 5: Tough
Time flux: 4x
Monster Tiers available: 1-4
-Dungeon Limitations-
Party limit: 6
Level limit: 200
Time limit: 5 days
Reset time: 1 hour
Current record: Unavailable
Unique resources: Yes
Walker stepped on space toward the figure, moving closer so he could whisper, “Janice, do you mind showing them one of the underbosses?”
The figure looked at him with big eyes, “First, a few people likely heard that, which I do not appreciate.” She gave him an arched eyebrow at that, the golden arches seeming greatly impressive if for no other reason than their size. ”And second, I know I am only three months old, Creator. But this is most unusual.”
Walker planted his hands on his hips and looked her in the eye, the organ as large as his own body. “Janice, you may be the Dungeon Master but don’t forget I built this place. If I need to change the rules of what is and isn’t allowed, I will.”
A staredown occurred longer than Walker expected, but eventually, the large soul construct backed down, “I understand.”
“Good. I won’t ask you to bring the final boss, only one of the unders.”
“Very well.”
Walker nodded, then moved his thoughts inward. The Symphonians needed to process what all of this meant, meaning he had a little bit of time to keep the show moving forward.
He’d designed the Dungeon presentation as if it were a lesson plan. First, he’d presented new information that hadn’t occurred to them before. Then, he’d explained what it all meant in an easy-to-understand format. The last step in Walker’s bag of teacher tricks was simple: Modeling.
He needed to show them that no matter how big the target or how large the task may seem, it was always possible as long as they thought things through. And he knew from experience that showing them live and in 3D was the best way to go about things- recordings wouldn’t have the same impact.
Plus, he didn’t mind a fight every once in a while.
Walker turned to the crowd, “You’re about to see an Underboss. Each dungeon has a different amount, preset by the Dungeon Master here, who will not be named, of course.” He coughed once, “But this is what you will face should you ever enter this place.”
As he finished speaking, a monster appeared nearby, at a healthy distance from the people sitting nearby. Walker spoke quietly to something, then pulled a weapon out of his chest.
It was a Morningstar.
“Now, these will seem big and scary,” He said as he floated toward the creature, “but everything has a weakness. You just have to figure out what it is.”
Walker’s feet glowed orange before a shattering sound burst across the area. Disappearing to the eye, he suddenly appeared above the monster, “This is a lightning crab. I know what you’re thinking, and I agree, I’m terrible with names.” He dodged a claw the size of his own body, quickly appearing by one of its legs. Swinging back the ball of his weapon with gusto, he began the long movement forward while still speaking, “But it’s a crab, attuned to lightning…I mean, that’s what it is.” The cracking sound was thunderous as the crowd watched the Creator move on to another leg, “Each of these legs is pretty tough if I’m honest with you, and the meat inside, I’m sure, is delicious.”
Another crack.
“But they go down real easy once you take out a few of these legs.”
Crack
Crack
Crack
The Lightning crab looked piteous as it leaned on its two claws for balance, the right side of it broken and leaned upon by its massive weight. Walker looked at it as he spoke loudly, “Everything has a weakness. Be it speed, a critical point to attack, or even ego. You just have to find it.”
Crack
The crab collapsed on its backside as blue blood leaked from several broken limbs. “One second, please,” Walker called out, then blurred through the air, the tip of the Morningstar crashing down. The Lightning Crab's skull caved in with a final smashing sound as air escaped its shell, its eyestalks falling listlessly against the sides of its shattered skull. Walker reached toward the opening, pulling a glowing blue gem from it.
“This is a skill remover.” He said, holding it up, “Dungeon Master, what is the rarity of this within the Lightning Dungeon?”
“It has a two percent chance to drop from an Underboss.”
“Two percent,” Walker said with a grin, “This little guy can be used to remove a skill you no longer want. One, perhaps, that didn’t level up correctly. What a handy little thing it is.” Walker threw it back into the corpse behind him, wiping the blue blood from his hands on the ground nearby.
The body behind him slowly burst into multi-colored particles, fading away into the sky as the Creator walked forward, a light show in his shadow.
Without warning, each section began to lift on its own as his voice drifted up to them from the ground, “Of course, this dungeon will be available for all who wish to challenge it in the near future. The entrance will be standing just outside of the arena for any of those willing to take the chance.” He floated up beside the drifting sections, giving a light push to the back of the line, “I will warn you, should you die within the dungeon, your items and even your body will disappear, just like the Lightning Crab we’re leaving behind us. It is part and parcel of challenging a dungeon. Lose, and you lose everything. Win, and you take it all.”
Looking back in the direction of the golden Dungeon Master, Walker called out in a loud voice, “Thanks for everything, Janice! I’m sure you’ll have challengers soon enough.”
The large golden figure threw him the middle finger just as the group exited back to the Arena.
