«Attempting to contact System…»
«Failed; connection blocked. Could not return status.»
«Trying again…»
«Failed. Dungeon Core 01020000BEA beginning independent action as per protocol.»
The very touch of air felt different in that moment, compared to the previous few hours she had known. The feeling was clearer, less… filtered. Though, beyond the frail flesh of her heart felt so distant now, the caverns of her body almost feeling like something separate to herself. It was impossible for her to directly manage both the systems and all physical aspects of herself, so some things had to be cut short or cut out completely, left to automated sub systems.
Curious of her current state, she spent several seconds - approximately 197.26 seconds - moving her heart around, dancing on the bipedal feet and stretching her arms out while testing response times and coordination. After confirming the functionality of her heart, she moved on to check many other things one by one, running the diagnostic procedures engraved in her core by the system and refined by generations before her.
Current intruders: 0.
Current traps: 0.
Current active traps: 0.
Current disabled traps: 0.
Current subordinates: 0.
Current resources: Lacking - far away from the nearest source. Priority objective added.
Current domain: 1.2 km²
Current size: 0.34 km²
Nearby threats: Many. Need to establish defenses immediately.
With that worrying appraisal of the situation she ended her diagnostic process early, focusing to bring up sight of the outside to her attention. Most of the ‘threats’ were false flags, to her relief. Animals strong enough to travel through the empty dungeon and destroy her heart… In other words, almost all of them. There were some that definitely were not false flags, though. Further away, almost outside of her limited view range as consequence of not being near a source, there was a group of several smaller monsters whose grey fur stuck out against the harsh white background of snow. About a kilometer away from the monsters, on almost the other end of her territory were two humans with bows, an empty sled dragging behind them. The humans were moving close to the cave entrance that would lead them to her, while the monsters were roaming slowly, packed close together to keep warm. Those were the only two threats that might actually cause trouble. More importantly, though, they could be the first steps to solving her resource and energy problems. She quickly overviewed what she could see of the terrain around her, observed the patches of dense trees and the open areas between, plotting possible paths and thinking of which would be best. Weighing options and simulating results at a breakneck pace before time might steal this dangerous opportunity away, she finally arrived at a plot with the highest probability of working with the least risk to herself.
She pulled up the catalog in her brain, quickly searching through, looking for suitable creatures - low cost, fast, and worth a decent amount to a predator. In the end, while not the most optimal, because of the pressure of time she ended up creating two foxes with white furs, to make it seem more natural in this northern winter environment. She split her focus to be able to communicate and control the foxes directly, and set about her other course of action as the two split up towards each party.
Currently, her body - the dungeon - consisted of one long downwards sloping corridor from a cave mouth to a large, open room. Burning what little she had, she remodeled herself, shortening the long corridor, making the entirety of the dungeon look more natural, but most importantly adding two small holes at the end and adding a few obstacles in the end chamber. At the end of the two holes was a new end chamber, one that she hid herself in to make sure she did not end up being an obstacle to her own plan.
Nestling herself into a comfortable nook in the small stone and dirt room, she focused all her attention on her two small servants, giving them precise orders while referencing the terrain she had observed just a moment earlier. 2, I need you to lead them in circles for a minute. They're faster than expected. Correcting her plans, she issued new orders to the brave little animal that had gone towards danger for her. Lead them through the clearing to your right, continue in that direction until you reach a thicket with a thorny bush. That'll be your opportunity to turn around and lead them back. Be careful not to get tired out, that will put us off schedule.
Turning her attention to 1, she quickly observed the situation... Good for the plan, is that the humans seem to be very good shots. Unfortunately, that had been proven at cost of a leg... 1, you're doing fine. Just lead them here, and prioritize your safety.
Even though she had just been born, there wasn't a single doubt in her mind of what she was doing, or a single itch of discomfort with the dangerous situation at hand. This tense situation where she was near powerless was the typical... Though not having a nearby source certainly hurt, this was certainly her first steps, where she would either prove she was competent enough to stand or crumble to make way for a new core. If she couldn't do this, carve out a place for herself, then there just wasn't a place for her in this world.
Outside her cave, the fox she had named '1' in a moment of need for efficient designations limped as fast as it could, red blood trickling down from the rear leg that had been shot. Luckily, it had managed to cleverly weave through trees and bushes while running from the hunters behind it, blocking the arrows as its master had predicted. Its job done, the little creature slipped into the cave, preparing to run through one of the small holes when given the signal. It didn't lay down even as its entire body shook with the weight of its breaths, watching the path into the large room of the cave for movement. It needed to do its job as bait until the very last moment. The seconds felt like minutes as it waited, its keen ears finally picking up on the softened footsteps hitting the stone floor. A few seconds later, it saw the legs of the two humans, and the muscles in its body tensed. It heard a calming voice whisper to it that it needed to keep strong and stay still just a few seconds more, but it already knew what it needed to do. Shrinking against the wall, keeping close to the small hole that had been cleverly hidden, it watched the humans slowly approach.
"■■■■ ■■ ■■■■■■ ■■?"
"■■... ■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■."
The two, one shorter and younger than the other, certainly were taking their time. Apparently, they didn't feel pressured by the little white fox that was cowering against the wall. They looked around carefully while keeping an eye out that the fox didn't make any sudden attacks, being cautious of the cave room that had been filled with an oddly high number of stalagmites, stalactites, and pillars of the two connecting. Though the fox's master had tried her best, she had definitely not done a good enough job making the formations look natural while worrying about their functionality for the next part.
Eventually, the two seemed to be done looking around, and the younger one pulled the arrow knocked on their bow back with hesitation. The fox met the boy's eyes, and in that moment took the opportunity to dash through the small hole without regard to the arrow in its leg. Its job was done, evidenced by its sibling being only a few meters behind, startling the two humans... And then, the snarling of gnolls came to the attention of the two humans, who under command of the older individual got ready to defend themselves using the layout of the room to their advantage.
Hiding behind the small holes, the two foxes curled up against her as they rested, she watched the battle outside with anticipation. Depending on the result, her gamble will have either been the best decision she could have possibly made, or a death sentence. Without any more resources left to her name, and no method to gather them reliably, she was heavily depending on the results of the conflict to leave her with as many as possible... And, if she was incredibly lucky, the two sides might even wipe each other out. She had evened the playing field with the terrain as much as possible, so that both sides each had one overwhelming advantage. The gnolls their numbers, and the humans their intelligence to use the obstacles of the room as well as their weapons.
A few minutes passed, and the victor became clear with a whimper. The two humans had managed to slowly whittle down the gnolls, though the younger one had sustained an injury during a moment where he hesitated once again. The two left the cavern empty handed, not looking back, and with a sigh of relief she stopped watching and brought her focus back to her heart, shaped in the spitting image of those victorious humans. Her hands petted the foxes cuddled up to her, and she opened her mouth to tell them what needed to happen next. "Some of the gnolls are still alive. You could get some levels, so you should go finish them off." She watched the two foxes leave through the holes to the main chamber, and when they came back she petted them a lot. "You two were very brave. Especially you, 1. I'm sorry that you got hurt..." The fox pressed itself into her, putting force into accepting that it was alright. Though, with an arrow still stuck in its leg, it wasn't too convincing. "I'll heal you soon, I need to collect the resources first."
Once again focusing on her body, the cave, for a moment, she started the process of collecting the materials... Of absorbing the dead gnolls. They were gone in minutes, and she was left with more than she had hoped for. Returning focus to her heart, she once again searched through the catalog of creatures and objects, taking a template from the list and watching the bottle sprout from the stone floor with interest. Though the same thing had happened not half an hour before with the two foxes, it was still a fascinating thing to watch and feel. She looked at the fox she had haphazardly named 1, gesturing it to come near, and she reassuringly stroked it from head to tail. "I'm going to have to pull the arrow out, it'll hurt..." 1 just presented her its wounded leg in response, and taking that as confirmation that the animal was ready she pulled out the arrow, quickly applying the thick liquid of the potion over 1's wound and watching it close in real time. "... As good as new." Sighing and leaning back, she took a moment to breathe and think, reviewing what needed to be done next with her limited resources.
Your intro definitely has me hooked, so you're off to a great start. I do hope you can turn this into a polished story; from what I've read, you definitely have the capability to do so. :D
I must admit, I'm very anxious with this. After writing the prologue and this chapter, I've come up with a lot of lore and background, but I'm still trying to fit the pieces together to see what future they'll form. I'm really happy to see that people are responding positively though!
A dungeon story with a FL lead? Cute little fox companions? A very cleverly laid trap? We're off to a good start! Looking forward to more!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed, I was very nervous posting this
I love this! The way you write the dungeon processes and stuff is really fascinating and enjoyable. I like how while she has that physical body she is also still very consciously the dungeon.
So far, so good. Hope you can keep up with this story.