NOVEL FROG Chapter 14 - Expanding Influence
My little domain is coming along nicely. Sebastian has gotten to work clearing out some of the wooden debris that I could not remove from the goblin attack and his new little friend has made it his mission to make the process as painful as possible.
It is fascinating to watch, really, as the little creature creates images and mirages of debris where there isn't any, cloaks some that actually exists in veils that make them difficult to perceive, and just in general annoys the hell out of my poor mannequin with an impressive display of illusory prowess. That's why the Sprites are Illusion monsters, I suppose.
As much as Sebastian is suffering with his new partner, Juliette is doing great with hers. The two are practicing dancing right now, alternating between the dress being worn and moving in tandem with Juliette for some impressive momentum, and the dress separating itself and being a dance partner.
My indecisive knight has finally settled on a name, and I hurried to lock in the choice lest he change his mind.
Welcome to the crew, Siegfried!
My Status is updated accordingly. I have 7 Monster capacity left, but I am not in too much of a hurry to allocate it, having not seen my new monsters “in action” yet. I could always just summon more mannequins, they have proven to be efficient…
Status
Name: The Playwright
Level: 5
Creature Type: Dungeon Core
Affinities:
Inherent: Dual(Transmutation/Illusion)
Acquired: -
Rooms: 1/2
Monster Capacity: 13/20
Unlocked Templates:
Animated Mannequin
Animated Clothing
Sprite
Monster Roster:
Juliette, Animated Mannequin, Animated Actor Level 5
Siegfried, Animated Mannequin, Animated Bulwark Level 3
Sebastian, Animated Mannequin, Animated Attendant Level 3
-, Animated Clothing, -
-, Sprite, -
With that lingering inconvenience dealt with, I only have some minor topics left on my to do list…. like claiming a second room.
I feel like it is time, and conveniently an exit to my one room already exists, so I can simply lay claim to the existing space beyond instead of having to dig something myself. If I end up unhappy with the space, I can work on changing it later.
It is time, my monsters! Go forth, my essence, my very being, and conquer!
Claim!
Much like the first time, something surges within me after a short buildup period, and I suddenly experience another lurch as my perception shifts, stretches, and twists. If I was a humanoid, I’m sure my dinner would be all over the walls right now. This is an altogether unsavory experience, but it takes me only moments to adapt and properly distinguish between up and down once more.
New sights and sounds fill my perception, and I greedily take it all in. My new domain extends beyond my old entrance down a damp, dark hallway, out into a large foyer. Surrounded by hallways in the other two directions, not counting the one connecting my two rooms, and a big double door that opens outside of the building I evidently find myself in, as well as a collapsed staircase, the room does not contain anything remarkable save an excess of debris.
There is, however, a small sideroom in a corner, seemingly included in the “Room” as defined by my status. Though partially collapsed, my strange sight can see what looks to have been a wardrobe at some point on the side wall behind the debris, while the back wall is dominated by some kind of work area or kitchen. In the center of it, an indent forms a small fountain as water steadily drips in through a crack in the wall. Thinking that this area might potentially hold something of interest, I idly start removing the debris from the area as I inform my monsters of the expansion to our lodging arrangements.
All of them come wandering over and inspect their new space by themself.
Most of them seem impressed with the entrance, but Sebastian immediately makes his way over to the side area and begins assisting with the clearing of obstructing rock. Unable to simply remove it, he instead takes it upon himself to pick out smaller pieces or pieces I separate from each other and drag them over to the main room.
His little Sprite friend attempts to imitate his efforts, but due to its limited size it can only lift small pebbles, which is quite the adorable sight. Together the three of us work for a longer while until I feel rested enough to perform some more summons.
Sebastian will obviously require help, our interior decoration situation is… less than ideal. Though the atmosphere is not the worst, obviously I’d much rather not decorate my floor with pieces from my wall and ceiling. So I plan to summon more mannequins.
Come to think of it, I want to try something. I think I can handle up to 3 summonings at this point in time, energy wise, so I want to try and see if I can do them at the same time.
Let’s go!
Summon! Summon! Summon! Come forth, my servants!
All at once, three tears rip through reality, as a monstrous amount of energy begins flowing. I can already feel the strain, but I grit my metaphorical teeth and endure as, simultaneously, three identical figures begin forming.
Overall, the display is not much different, but I can feel that something has changed, for as the monsters begin forming, the thoughts and feelings I pick up from them are… much more uniform than all my previous summons have demonstrated. The three mannequins act in perfect synchronization as they assume a triangle formation before my glorious pen body and do a stately bow, except for the lead one which falls into a curtsy instead.
Unlike my flighty Sprite, their desire to serve is pure and absolute, maybe purer even than some of my earlier summons. With a tired bob of my pen’s tip I acknowledge their dedication and I begin mentally guiding them towards Sebastian, who shortly organizes and instructs them into an efficient workforce.
Fighting off the fatigue of summoning, I begin excavating with renewed zeal. Our speed has more than tripled with the addition of the mannequin triplets. Soon, the side chamber will be free of obstructions and we can turn our eyes towards some of the hallways or the staircase.
The dungeon is developing nicely. I am already looking forward to receiving our next batch of visitors!