1/2 Deem 2020/12/30(Wed)03:55 No. 984497 ID: 293539
File 160932931635.png - (15.61KB , 800x500 , who_this.png )

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.

2/2 Deem 2020/12/30(Wed)03:56 No. 984498 ID: 293539
File 160932937699.png - (26.95KB , 750x650 , objective_complete_survive.png )

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!
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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.

>>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.

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.

>>984498
egg, in my image. check how many people you had rocking sex with last night

>>984498 Simulacrum and Egg, also Deem, sweetheart, brush your hair. It's looking a bit moppy and sad.

>>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.

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.

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?

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.

>>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.

>>984498
Hydrate. Check your body for eggs. You ate one last night. Probably absorbed it to fuel tree growth tho? Anyways, Hide and Image.

sculpted simulacrum and in my image. Double the denizen fights, double the fun.

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.

In my Image and Sculpted Simulacrum, for the theme and utility. They seem pretty great.

>>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.

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.

In My Image and Stone Egg. How long can you delay the fuse? You can use it for cover or to block passages too.

egg and invulnerable hide.

Also 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'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.

>>984498
In My Image and Invulnerable Hide. Cast your famuli in your invulnerable image!

Invulnerable Hide and Sculpted Simulacrum.

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.

>>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.

1/3 Deem 2021/01/03(Sun)17:33 No. 984779 ID: 21dfe1
File 160972401681.png - (24.44KB , 600x800 , tough_crowd.png )

>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.

2/3 Deem 2021/01/03(Sun)17:34 No. 984780 ID: 21dfe1
File 160972405792.png - (31.72KB , 650x750 , the_only_early_riser.png )

>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.

3/3 Deem 2021/01/03(Sun)17:36 No. 984781 ID: 21dfe1
File 160972416582.png - (33.28KB , 800x600 , deem_used_hydro_pump.png )

>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.

>>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!

>>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.

>>984781
Now you're hydrated, go back and cuddle. It's only polite.

let's look for Hin and find out where that cat came from

Getting everyone a drink to wake up to sounds like something nice to do.

...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.

uh, where's Hin and where did the cat girl come from?

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

What's she doing here?

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?

>>984781
Looks like you managed to get adopted by a cat during your night out. Remember to get some food for her as well.

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.

>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.

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.

>>984820
That, or we just amputated the right leg of a semi-random adventurer and tried to fix it...

Make sure you gather up your nice outfit! It would be very sad to loose it so soon

>>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?

Why exactly are you talking like you live here?

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.

1/4 Deem 2021/01/11(Mon)02:45 No. 985394 ID: 43a577
File 161036194678.png - (23.61KB , 800x550 , more_junk_next_time_maybe.png )

>...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.

2/4 Deem 2021/01/11(Mon)02:47 No. 985395 ID: 43a577
File 161036202050.png - (22.67KB , 650x750 , deem_dressups.png )

>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.

3/4 Deem 2021/01/11(Mon)02:48 No. 985396 ID: 43a577
File 161036212804.png - (20.92KB , 650x750 , wake_up_hin.png )

>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.

4/4 Deem 2021/01/11(Mon)02:50 No. 985397 ID: 43a577
File 161036222090.png - (32.24KB , 750x650 , is_a_huggeder.png )

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.

>>985397
Can a fixity bangle keep you drunk?..

>>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.

>>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.

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?

>>985397
Gotta one up her for hugging her, deem. Put her on the backfoot. Hug her back and give her a kiss

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.

"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?"

You ringed her, deem. Now she's yours for life. Enjoy your new bride

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.

>>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.

What else can Hin tell us about what happened last night? How did we end up with the cat?

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?)

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.

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?

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.

She looks like enjoying herself, let her play with tha magic item a bit more. It looks funny.

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?

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

This is a good opportunity to do that though.

Huh

Flushed cheeks

Arm around shoulder

Pressing her obnoxiously gigantic tits against her

Oh my god, they had drunken gigant mode sex last night.

>>985397
Why does Hin have treebranch horns? Did she eat some of the eggs as well?

well, there goes flirty but wholesome.

1/2 Deem 2021/02/28(Sun)02:19 No. 989450 ID: 9a15ed
File 161450758833.png - (27.11KB , 800x550 , talk_some.png )

>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.

2/2 Deem 2021/02/28(Sun)02:20 No. 989451 ID: 9a15ed
File 161450764647.png - (24.64KB , 800x500 , a_collection_of_stuff.png )

>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?

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.

>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.

>>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.

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.

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.

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!

The key to warfare is knowledge. Interrogate the locals for the details of your opponent.

1/3 Deem 2021/03/11(Thu)01:27 No. 990664 ID: d2408a
File 161545484731.png - (30.80KB , 800x550 , drudges_and_drinks.png )

>>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.

2/3 Deem 2021/03/11(Thu)01:28 No. 990665 ID: d2408a
File 161545492238.png - (36.94KB , 720x720 , these_goofs.png )

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?"

3/3 Deem 2021/03/11(Thu)01:29 No. 990666 ID: d2408a
File 161545498398.png - (32.02KB , 800x600 , deem_doesnt_deserve_this.png )

"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.

>>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?

>>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.

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.

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.

>>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.

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.

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.

Maybe the mud golem can use the stick golem as a skeleton?

>>990857
you want a stick-in-the-mud golem?

>>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.

>>990858
we already have a stick in the mud golem, it carries Deem's heart fragment

Do you need us to read those labels for you?

1/4 Deem 2021/03/15(Mon)03:49 No. 991408 ID: 469d24
File 161580535954.png - (18.03KB , 800x600 , the_least_sticky_and_muddy.png )

>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.

2/4 Deem 2021/03/15(Mon)03:50 No. 991409 ID: 469d24
File 161580540329.png - (21.45KB , 500x800 , a_stick_in_the_mud_golem.png )

>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.

3/4 Deem 2021/03/15(Mon)03:51 No. 991410 ID: 469d24
File 161580546006.png - (33.09KB , 650x750 , bigger.png )

>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.

4/4 Deem 2021/03/15(Mon)03:52 No. 991411 ID: 469d24
File 161580553138.png - (34.49KB , 650x750 , dang_kallia_you_short.png )

>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?

>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.

>>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.

>>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?

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

1/3 Deem 2021/03/17(Wed)02:39 No. 991722 ID: 819251
File 161597396112.png - (24.63KB , 800x500 , breaking_of_fasts.png )

>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!

2/3 Deem 2021/03/17(Wed)02:40 No. 991723 ID: 819251
File 161597400441.png - (25.71KB , 750x650 , get_out_of_bed_lazy.png )

>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.

3/3 Deem 2021/03/17(Wed)02:41 No. 991725 ID: 819251
File 161597406786.png - (19.33KB , 650x750 , dang_hin_you_tall.png )

>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?

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'.

>>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.

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.

>>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?

>>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.

>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.

>>991734
It’s just another egg.

>>991725
So Hin can make things bigger by licking them, now? I'm sure the guy would be very interested in a demonstration.

> 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

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.

>>991722
>my first suitor in a thousand years
[DISTANT DISTRAUGHT MORIKO NOISES]

1/4 Deem 2021/03/26(Fri)18:29 No. 993232 ID: ead888
File 161680854484.png - (19.27KB , 800x600 , its_his_special_attack.png )

>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.

2/4 Deem 2021/03/26(Fri)18:29 No. 993233 ID: ead888
File 161680856882.png - (31.55KB , 721x720 , oh_my_goooood.png )

>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!"

3/4 Deem 2021/03/26(Fri)18:30 No. 993234 ID: ead888
File 161680864882.png - (28.98KB , 800x600 , standing_there.png )

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?"

4/4 Deem 2021/03/26(Fri)18:32 No. 993235 ID: ead888
File 161680873799.png - (19.94KB , 720x720 , this_guy.png )

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?

>>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.

>>993235
oh no he's hot

Well what's he interested in, potions? Items? golems? Everything we can make can be completely bespoke or unique.

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.'

(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).

1/2 Deem 2021/05/30(Sun)05:11 No. 1002127 ID: 6d11da
File 162237670472.png - (31.87KB , 650x750 , deem_dragged_one_of_the_armchairs_outside.png )

>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.

2/2 Deem 2021/05/30(Sun)05:12 No. 1002128 ID: 6d11da
File 162237675419.png - (25.78KB , 900x550 , sample_golems.png )

>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.

Craft stuff. Stuff is what gets merchants' attention.

>>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.

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.

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)

>>1002128
>1) Craft an item
Any opportunity to let Hin work her craft is a good opportunity. The others I can go either way.

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

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?

>>1002128
1 and 2. Dungeon design is strictly your business.

>>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.

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.

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.

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

3) to get your investor, well, invested.

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.

Guys, number 2 is just a planned invasion. It's not going to be a guided tour.

>>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.

>>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.

>>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.

>>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.

>>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.

1/3 Deem 2021/06/05(Sat)06:05 No. 1002668 ID: ce8c93
File 162289835816.png - (32.17KB , 800x550 , talk_and_demos.png )

>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.

2/3 Deem 2021/06/05(Sat)06:07 No. 1002669 ID: ce8c93
File 162289846589.png - (44.33KB , 800x550 , thoughtforms_very_scary.png )

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.

3/3 Deem 2021/06/05(Sat)06:10 No. 1002670 ID: ce8c93
File 162289863546.png - (17.81KB , 500x800 , its_the_police.png )

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?

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.

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.

>>1002670
When in doubt, visit the cat.

Also go lightly desecrate some skychurch stuff, maybe write a mean message on it?

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.

>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?

>>1002670
Lol, gave the shit job to the new guy.

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?

>>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

>>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.

>>1002670
Deliver bangle, do shopping with the gold you have left.
Visit the apothecary.
And get to know Myaousha.

>>1002670
Delivery of the bangle. Who knows what nonsense will happen before sunset and its best to keep our word.

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?

1/1 Deem 2021/06/07(Mon)07:28 No. 1002812 ID: f98fa7
File 162307608059.png - (24.74KB , 800x600 , buy_some_stuff.png )

>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.

Get the Glossid for now. All the other stuff is more expensive than its utility appears, for now.

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).

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.

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...

>>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.

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.

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.

>>1002820
Giving the critter whistle to the slimes...

>>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?

>>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?

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.

The glossid is fren, so get him!

>>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

>>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.

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.

>>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.

>>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.

>>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.

>>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.

1/2 Deem 2021/08/21(Sat)01:09 No. 1008470 ID: ae5bbf
File 162953338397.png - (34.76KB , 800x550 , thank_you_for_your_purchases.png )

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.

2/2 Deem 2021/08/21(Sat)01:10 No. 1008471 ID: ae5bbf
File 162953340446.png - (23.20KB , 800x600 , cat_here.png )

>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?

Recruit, recruit, recruit, ...!

>>1008471
Alchemic bombs, blast mining, does she know of any bombs that can blow up the sky?

>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).

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.

>>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.

>>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.

>>1008489
We need outside expertise. Draw knowledge from more than one well, lest it grow stale.

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.

Obtain an exclusive license to her likeness in golem form.

1/3 Deem 2021/12/21(Tue)01:02 No. 1017977 ID: ba5e08
File 164007737738.png - (32.78KB , 800x500 , cat_talk_cat_talk.png )

>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.

2/3 Deem 2021/12/21(Tue)01:04 No. 1017978 ID: ba5e08
File 164007745884.png - (11.83KB , 800x500 , bye_cat.png )

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.

3/3 Deem 2021/12/21(Tue)01:05 No. 1017979 ID: ba5e08
File 164007752534.png - (31.36KB , 800x500 , croc_shop.png )

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?

>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.

Oops, we already have. We should go check on Izakikk!

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?

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

>>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.

>>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.

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!

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.

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.

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?

>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.

1/5 Deem 2021/12/31(Fri)04:10 No. 1018903 ID: e9c46e
File 164095263566.png - (34.63KB , 800x500 , negotigator.png )

>...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...

2/5 Deem 2021/12/31(Fri)04:11 No. 1018904 ID: e9c46e
File 164095267478.png - (41.90KB , 500x800 , i_bet_theres_a_prize_inside.png )

>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...

3/5 Deem 2021/12/31(Fri)04:12 No. 1018905 ID: e9c46e
File 164095272861.png - (27.48KB , 550x800 , blueout.png )

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.

4/5 Deem 2021/12/31(Fri)04:12 No. 1018906 ID: e9c46e
File 164095277614.png - (36.44KB , 800x600 , the_leaving_town_gang.png )

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.

5/5 Deem 2021/12/31(Fri)04:14 No. 1018907 ID: e9c46e
File 164095288996.png - (28.59KB , 800x600 , big_suggestion.png )

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.

>>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.

>>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

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.

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.

>>1018931
Oh right, there's the hidden valley if she climbs overland too.

Are there any terrifying long-term repercussions from keeping an enchantment going for too long?

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.

>>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.

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.

1/2 Deem 2022/01/02(Sun)01:49 No. 1019198 ID: 854c18
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>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...

2/2 Deem 2022/01/02(Sun)01:51 No. 1019199 ID: 854c18
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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.

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?

>>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.

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.

>>1019213
huh, actually a puzzle fight where you gotta throw potion materials into an uncooperative cauldron to win sounds interesting

>>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.

Upgrade golems!

>>1019240
Yeah, Chak will grow into the lair he's given after all. He can be guardin' the garden.

1/2 Deem 2022/01/03(Mon)17:33 No. 1019363 ID: 5d19c6
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>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.