No Need for a Core?

Mordecai tried to not be too annoyed with himself as he started running through potential plans. Before Kazue had spoken up, he’d been trying to think whether or not any of their inhabitants would be fast enough to help Moriko if he sent them out of the territory; but really, no one that could go was a faster runner than her, as Mordecai's avatar couldn't leave the territory. It made much more sense to let the bandits chase her here. And chase her, they would; this bunch was far too close to civilization to let news of their whereabouts spread.

“Kazue, alter the sliding door cylinder to the dungeon foyer in the entrance room, first to open up a path for Moriko to run straight through into the puzzle path; she’s not going to be in great shape for a fight immediately. As soon as she’s through, slide the doorway opening to the center where Moriko's engraving is, and raise that panel out of the way. I’m going to open up the middle path to the sewers there.” He was using their soul link to make sure Moriko was kept in the loop, and as he spoke he used their loot capacity to summon a 9-ring sword. It was not actually his weapon of choice, but it was dramatic enough to be a visible threat.

“I am going to try and not actually fight them, but I need them to know that the threat is real. I won’t mention you, I know you aren't a fighter, but if it comes down to it, you may need to help out. Just, don’t move your avatar into the entrance unless you are ready to hurt and possibly kill people.” He hated having to put it that way, but this was not the time to dance around the topic. Kazue sent back an acknowledgment filled with mixed feelings, which was only to be expected. She’d never been trained in violence, and few took to it instantly.

While Kazue prepped the doors, he focused on the tunnels of the sewer system. He’d not expected to need this option so soon, but he also didn’t want to give this lot the chance to loot anything worthwhile. It didn’t take much to create a tunnel to the selection chamber, but it did make him realize he hadn’t designed any proper vents. That could have been bad. So he quickly corrected that, making the tunnel from the entrance slope down until it opened up on a vertical shaft that would channel gasses up into branching tunnels too small for the passage of anything bigger than an insect. And little room for anything other than noxious gasses.

Then he diverted a bit of the water that already flowed into the sewers, creating tiny cracks so that it would seep out onto the sloped floor of the tunnel, making it very much a one-way passage that would eject people into the shaft and down into the main sewer below. Hmmm, it’d only been a couple of days, there wasn’t much growing here yet, though he could stimulate the environment a little if needed. But let's see how much he had left over at the end, after all, he had to make the rest of the sewer first.

Under his direction the winding sewer caverns grew into another spiral, forming rounded chambers with random outcropping and shallow holes. He was spending more mana than he was happy with here, but fortunately making rough caverns was less intensive than making precisely designed rooms. Carefully placed ‘hills’ and some occasionally wider areas in the corridors would help keep the water from flowing down to the bottom too fast. Finally, he drew it down into a single corridor that attached to the final room before the private chambers. After a moment of thought, he added an effect that would cause ice-cold water to sluice harshly over anyone traveling through this last section. See, he could be helpful. We wouldn’t want our visitors to be gunky when they arrived, after all.

Mordecai snorted at his own humor, then used a bit of mana to bloom crystal flowers throughout the sewers. He didn’t really have a plan here, but it might be interesting to see what grew in the future from this. Okay, the path was complete, now for the last surge of mana he was willing to spend. Through the entire length of the muck and mud, he pushed mana into the tiny organisms and molds already beginning to grow, encouraging them to grow and evolve faster. This mana was given freely as a gift, he wasn’t even making them guests. They were simply going to be part of the ecosystem here. He guided none of the growth, just encouraged it.

New life forms began to stir, but he didn’t have time to observe them. Hopefully, they would be enough if it came down to it. With sword still in hand, he despawned his avatar and held his focus on the entrance to the dungeon. Kazue guided a selection of their inhabitants through newly formed exits from the warrens into the dungeon's entry hall. It was tense waiting, even though he was certain Moriko was faster than those chasing her. It helped relax him when she sent a reassuring message.

“Don’t worry, I got this. I even had to slow down a bit so the ones in front didn’t lose sight completely.”

Soon enough she was charging through the entrance and went straight through the open doors. Kazue slid the opening over to the new pathway, creating an almost straight line. The bandits started arriving just after. Though to their credit, they showed a bit of caution: the front runners paused at the entrance to wait for more of their group to catch up and for everyone to catch their breath at least a little. The dwarf was last of course, but he also was the least winded and recovered fastest.

The group made their way in cautiously, peering around in confusion at the setup and the tables. This gave him time to evaluate their strength. While a dungeon's senses allowed it to examine auras in detail with enough experience, there was a simple, rough gauge that was impossible to miss. It was generally impossible for a dungeon to directly affect the environment within about five feet of an outsider, and that radius grew with an individual's strength. A dungeon could always tell the extent of their influence near someone from the outside.

The oni's radius was about ten feet, and only a few of the others were noticeably larger than the baseline.

The oni quickly showed he was the brains as well as the biggest brawn of this lot. “Looks like a living dungeon. Must be new, wonder if she’s been here before. Looks like someone taught it to make donation tables.”

One of the goblins was scouting ahead and wrinkled his nose at the path leading onward and down. “Stinks down here boss. But I don’t see any other way to go.”

The oni moved into the chamber and frowned at the design, then down at the selection pedestal. “Something ain’t looking right here.”

Well, this seemed as good a time as any. Mordecai took advantage of the fact that he’d asked Kazue to pull the visible entrance in a little from the actual edge of the dungeon territory, and spawned his avatar just outside the door, well clear of the influence of any of the outsiders. “That’s because this is the special path, for people I don’t like.” He said with a malicious grin. The way they started and spun was satisfying, and he strolled in, clearly blocking their exit.

“So, here’s the deal,” he continued, mocking the tone the oni had used previously on Moriko. “If you give up, I’ll take all your stuff, and send you on your way in small clothes.” As he spoke, some of the rabbit monsters started showing themselves. The lightning-horned ones appeared upon niches high up the walls to take advantage of their greater range, while the fire and ice breathers entered at ground level. All of them made a display of their energy - sparks running along their horns or little puffs hinting at their breath weapons.

“If you don’t want to just surrender, I’m going to be a little nice, and give you the chance to explore that route. Any of you who survive, I’ll let go. Or you can take your chances right now, in which case I have no intention of showing mercy.” And here he finished manifesting his Eidolon, a small dragon forming next to him.

The oni frowned as he took in the setup of the trap. “You should be too young to have all of this. Has the half-elf been influencing you? You should be careful about becoming her pet, she’s manipulating and using you.”

Mordecai chuckled at the transparent attempt to sow division. “Oh, I’m much older than I look, but that’s a very long story. All you need to know about us is that she’s mine, and I intend to keep it that way.” While the Oni remained collected, the rest of his crew was beginning to look rather more nervous. “Now, I’m offering this opportunity because I am trying to be conscientious about giving people second chances. But currently, I really don’t like you, so my mercy and patience are at a limit.” He felt Moriko startle while he was talking and that brought more of his core's attention to her, and now he could feel that she was nearly recovered from her run. “And to be clear, while she’s safely catching her breath right now, if you choose to fight me here she will be joining in.”

They stared each other down for a long moment, then the bandit grunted. “Fine.” Mordecai could practically see him calculating the balance of the cost of equipment against the cost of replacing men, assuming the Oni won. That was cold, and his dislike of the three-horned oni intensified. “We’re surrendering.”

Mordecai gestured towards the donation tables. “Then start making your donations. We’ll wait.” The bandit leader made the first approach and dropped his great sword on the table, which immediately disappeared into the dungeon inventory, and then began taking off his breastplate. The others began following suit, albeit reluctantly.

There was a particular hesitation from the dwarf that, along with a telling glance of sympathy from one of the half-orcs, caught his attention. He focused on the small sheathed weapon on a heavy belt that had been the cause of the hesitation. He wasn’t familiar with the design, but its general purpose as a weapon seemed obvious. “Can either of you tell me what that is?” he asked over the link.

The answer came back quickly from Moriko. “That’s a flintlock pistol. I heard it go off when I was initially running. Despite being small enough to fire in one hand, they have a punch closer to that of a heavy crossbow if they hit dead on. Mostly manufactured by the dwarven clans or the Trionean Empire.”

Huh. And he could see some marking of a familiar type on it. The dwarf looked at him, and they locked eyes for a moment. He could see the pain in the other’s gaze. “Let me guess, your gift from the clan? If it hurts that much, you’ve got a trace of honor in you still.” The dwarf winced and looked away, then slowly lowered the belt onto the table. As Kazue claimed it and began analyzing the weapon, Mordecai began thinking on a different path. After a moment he manifested a silver chain around his neck, from which hung a small silver mirror stained to show a swirl of shadows: the hierogram of Ozuran. Then he raised his voice to address the whole room.

“Alright, when you are done, I’m going to offer some of you a second chance. Amongst my many talents, I am a priest of Ozuran. If you choose to, and I agree, you may take a trial of atonement. The challenges of the trial won’t be directly dangerous, but I will be watching how you conduct yourselves. If I am satisfied, I will call upon Ozuran and ask him to acknowledge your atonement.” Such blessings could be detected by any priest should they come to trial in the future, but it was only the start of the path, not a completion. “If he chooses to give you his blessing, I will then give you a task to begin your journey, and will even return some of your gear. However,”

And here his tone turned grim. “Should you either not satisfy me in your conduct, or should Ozuran not acknowledge your atonement as sincere, I will execute you.” He raised his sword to point at the oni, the rings chiming to emphasize the motion. “And don’t even ask. You might have a personal code that would satisfy Ozuran; after all, he’s more concerned about people just having a set of personal rules for the game of life. But I have my own rules, and they are incompatible with yours. I won’t ask for a blessing for you.”

Once more they locked gazes, and there was nothing friendly or forgiving passing in either direction. Mordecai was beginning to doubt his decision to show mercy here, but he’d already given his word. The tension was broken at the sound of stone shifting, and Moriko stepped into the room, having fully recovered and changed into her temple uniform.

“I’ve got to admit, I was rather looking forward to having a go at them under more even odds. But I guess this is best.” She glared at the boss bandit. “Let’s be clear, I’m going to do a full report on you, and if I run into you without your swarm of minions, I’ll take you out myself.”

After that, the bandits began filtering out in just their underclothes, or nothing at all if they hadn’t been wearing any. In the end, only two remained, the dwarf and the half-orc. He’d been expecting at least one of the humans too, but this should do.