“Hmn…” Shayma’s eyes snapped open and she jerked upright. “...I’m alive?”
She checked herself over, stretching and moving carefully to her feet. “And...just sore. And…” A grimace at the mess over her thighs. “Well, that was real enough.”
Shayma wiped herself off with the bedding and then, despite the fact that I was pretty sure she badly needed a shower, slipped her clothing back on, frowning at the twigs still tangled in her tail. “I don’t suppose you have a bath?” She said to the room at large, and by implication, to me.
Unfortunately I didn’t. There were water sources outside, though. I could hear a brook, faintly, with one of my outside ears, so I opened the door to the outside. Which seemed to startle her again, the tail and ears flicking. “...I’ll be back for that thing later,” she said, and padded out into the outside world. And soon enough, away from my sight.
I was sad to see her go, and not just because she was gorgeous. She’d actually addressed me, though what she thought she was talking to I didn’t know, but it had been nice to have even intermittently conscious company. The sex was pretty great too.
But I wasn’t going to keep her. I wasn’t that kind of person, or whatever I was, and given that she’d been toting an artifact for some reason she clearly had important things to do. And in fairness, I had somewhat less important things to do, like expanding in what ways I could, but I also wondered at Shayma’s request. Maybe I could do a bath.
It took a while to tap into the brook. It was further than I thought, and I didn’t want to expose myself too much. But with the boring beetles, it was much quicker than it would have been with roots.
I had to build a Monster Station to actually move the beetles out of my inventory into the real world, which sucked up half my biomass to make a large black cocoon in one of my spare rooms. The beetles themselves were exceedly simple to direct, since I could give them any point I could perceive and they’d go there, then dig how I wanted them. They did have to go back to the monster station now and again to, I assume, rest and to discharge what they’d accumulated from mining.
The boring beetles cut small passages through which I could run little crawlways, now that I’d leveled Architecture more. I put a Maw underneath the breach where the brook was pouring down, which sent water into my inventory. Perfect. I sent the boring beetles after the ore deposits I’d found while I began to experiment with my new resource.
A tub involved Altering stone enough that the skill raised itself, but filling it was another matter. I could export inventory contents into whatever room I wanted, but getting it to pour out of a spigot in a reasonable way took practice.
[Fluid Handling] learned
Fluid Handling Category unlocked.
150 Experience gained.
Ooh. That wasn’t as boring as it might have sounded. Pumps, inlets, outlets...you could do a lotwith moving water around and, just glancing through the architecture list, there were versions that were heat or corrosion resistant. Where someone might get such a thing as a corrosive liquid was left as an exercise to the reader, apparently. I had no ideas.
For heating the water, since a cold bath was just really underwhelming swimming, I put as many of my torches as I could cram into the space underneath, and Altered the stone there to be as thin as I could.
[Temperature Control 1] learned: Modify temperature of dungeon features and items.
150 Experience Gained.
So I could give Shayma a hot bath now, if she ever came back. Or a shower.
The boring beetles came back with their loads of ore, flooding my core with iron, copper, and magicite. The last one I could guess by the name alone, and sure enough I could reclaim it for mana. Fantastic. But...I still didn’t have anything I could do with any of that. Even my doorknobs were still stone or wood. But I could probably figure something out soon enough.
it's getting more and more interesting ...
Now that's a new take on how to make baths
These dungeons are terrifying abominations...
Altho he seems nice tbf.
I love the organic take on everything.
I am really enjoying this story so far.
Hmm, the dungeon reminds me of Carrion where the biomass can take over the surrounding structure and materials. It can't do direct combat if the sensitivity of the biomass is any indicator from previous chapters though, it's like using your own nerve fiber to whack someone, it will HURT.
With a touch of Minecraft/Terraria since it needs to mine specific ores if it(or he?) Wants to make specific item or dungeon components.
Interesting read so far.
you could do a lotwith moving
needs a space
Enjoying so far hop the story don't rush I like this pace day by day
So we just gonna gloss over the rape? Dont know if I can read a novel where the mc abuses situation to rape women.
hi,
im rereading it currently and can offer you my two cents:
1) while moraly (dark) gray his actions where not rape. prostitution would be closer (exchanging s*x for goods/services). he neither forced her to accept his offer nor did he set up the situation.
2) the story get much sweeter/lovydovy in the future ^^
@Vyran
1 - No, its rape. Taking advantage of a situation where a persons life is in danger in order to have s*x with them is rape. Threatening to leave them to die if they dont have s*x with them is rape. There is no possible way where this isnt rape. Prostitution could be said for it, but when it comes to life as the goods being traded, it becomes rape.
2 - Stockholm syndrome is a thing and it is neither sweet nor 'lovydovy'. Even if she truly did fall in love with him after, it does not make up for the fact that the rape happened.
@The_LivingLegend that is quite true, but unfortunately the dungeon is incapable of realizing this thing due to unknown reasons probably involving memory loss and a completely different and unique brain structure. And the girl comes from a less advanced society in terms of justice and other such things, so she doesnt actually realise how messed up it was.
In general, the main character never does something like this again, although due to certain reasons the pressure to have s*x with the dungeon is quite high, but the dungeon never forced anyone. It's always technically a choice after this chapter, with the other option being still alive just a tad more difficult.
@The_LivingLegend sorry buddy, but he didn't create the situation in the first place. Nothing is free in this world and it just so happened he wants to breed in exchange for saving her, giving her food, and a place to stay (That's a small price for a life, food and a place to stay. You even still had the choice to leave the place. You can tell it was just his instincts kicking in to breed more 'tools' into his arsenal). I wouldn't even say she is traumatized. I know you're mad about something but what? Do you hate the mc now because he is evil? Do you hate that she wasn't given a choice? Do you hate that she got pregnant out of this? Are you mad because she isn't mad? If you do end up replying please tell me why you're worked up about this.
@The_LivingLegend
Threatening to leave them to die if they dont have s*x with them is rape.
Except, that didn't actually happen. It's an interpretation of his actions as a third party with the knowledge that he added the breeder before opening the room. There was no implication to her that the room had been reconfigured that way, nothing that indicated the breeding station had to be used, not even a suggestion that she should. The room also contains a bed and food.
Even the idea that he could leave her there is stretching the truth a bit. She walked into a dead end and got trapped, he opened the door for her. There was nothing in his actions or intentions to suggest that he might have closed the safe room without her going in, nothing to suggest that he limited her choices in any real way. He just opened the safe room and one of the trap corridors, effectively saying "these are the only alternative options I can offer you".
Which leads to how to interpret activating that corridor of traps. There are 3 options... "I have spikes that could hurt you", "I have spikes to deal with your enemies", and "Dont go this way to hide, it's a trap" ... There is literally nothing to tell her which of those 3 is intended, so it's not really much of a threat.
At no point is there anything to indicate she couldn't just leave once the danger had been dealt with. In fact, there's no communication from him to her and no harmful actions, your judgement is based purely on the thoughts of the protagonist and speculation on outcomes that didn't happen.
@The_LivingLegend Who the Hell cares? Grow up.
@kaithar Yeah it's pretty hard to prove intent when they literally never communicated at all.
SHE assumed that he wanted s*x in exchange for her life.
SHE voluntarily sat in the breeding chair.
SHE let this happen with her own decisions. He is incapable of forcing her to do anything.
He didn't tell her what to do, what would happen if she didn't, or even what would happen at all.
Everything she did was her own decision. And it didn't even appear that it was under too much duress.
She could have said no, or just not done it. Nothing was stopping her from doing that.
There weren't even any consequences for doing so. Proving rape is a pretty far stretch on this one.
People are just way too sensitive and quick to call rape on anything they don't like.
Also, even IF it was rape. Who cares? It's a story. Get a life.
It's more like heavily instinctual to him/it it seems. Totally a d*ck move yeah but he gave her the choice to try her luck going out and escaping from there instead of going into the breeding station in change for his help. She understood what she was getting into as it seems dungeons work like that in this world, and she decided it was worth it to save her life and/or whatever that cube was. I wouldn't call it a good action but it is not irredeemably evil either, tbh
@MinosML There is a fine line between extortion and just not being obligated to help someone without compensation. I mean, I'm not risking my life to save anyone unless I get something out of it. There is no law that says otherwise that I know of. Especially not in a lawless medieval fantasy world.