FINAL CORE - Chapter 27 (Patreon)

The most terrifying dungeon in the world is undoubtedly the Bleakwater-Abyss.

Situated roughly one kilometer outside of the coast off of Ruby Bay, on the western shore of the far-eastern continent, the Bleakwater-Abyss is the world’s only current existing ocean dungeon. Sitting right in the middle of the water, it can only be reached by ship.

Swimming is highly inadvisable, not even because of the distance or the rip-tides that will pull you under and into the darkness. But simply because the ocean is full of monsters in a way that is simply indescribable to anyone who has never seen it before.

A forest might have some goblins, some slimes and some mush-mushes, yes.

But the ocean, the depths of the ocean are full of creatures composed of a horror of a deranged mind. They are creatures so twisted and strange that, with our landborn eyes, it’s entirely impossible to see them as something as a part of our natural world.

— And that is simply what lurks in the black waters at the start of the ocean. Who is to even say what swims further out and deeper below?

The ocean, being an element not natural to us, is beyond our powers and the dungeon there, the only of its kind, is much the same.

Having had time to grow and a secure place to do so at, it has grown to be the highest level dungeon in the world, with an average monster level of eighty.

It has often been debated if it is worth sending a destruction team here, but, given its unique location and the fact that it does no harm to the shipping routes it lays between, it has until now been ignored. Despite this, there have been many cries to economize the dungeon, as with all others. If this is not possible, as it would seem, then there are voices who say to destroy it, so that a new dungeon can be born somewhere else; one that can be harvested of its natural resources like any other.

However, these voices are quickly silenced, when they are given permission to go themselves and do the job.

— Barring a world-ending, hundred year crisis, no adventurer or destruction team in their right mind will go here.

Some might call it a loss for us. But I find that it helps to simply view it as the way things are. It is easier to imagine that there are simply forty-eight dungeons in the world in total.

This one is best forgotten about and best not thought of, especially during dark nights near the water.

~Of the Bleakwater-Abyss, the deadliest dungeon in the world

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[Floor Eleven]

The funneling chamber

Cinders rain down from above, as strong gusts of wind are drawn in through the metallic floor below and rise up towards the top of the tower.

Capacity: {28} Monster-Points

2 TRAPS

Room Effect: Random gusts of wind will pull upwards through the flooring and connect with the floor above, creating a traveling firestorm.

Monster-Point prices per monster

• F-Rank: 1
• D-Rank: 4
• C-Rank: 8
• B-Rank: 16
• A-Rank: 32
• S-Rank: 64
• SSS-Rank: 128

Isaiah looks down at the floors of floor eleven. They aren’t stone, rather, they’re a gigantic series of thick metal grates. The boss-arena can be seen below.

Wind rustles its feathers, as a powerful updraft flows in through the openings, moving through floor eleven to feed the burning fires starting on the floors above.

Section two of the tower is going to be fire themed. Holy fire, that is.

Crystal always has the most interesting ideas.

Isaiah looks towards the side, towards a creature clawing its way along the grates.

[Purifying Spirit]

A strange, floating entity with an unusually large and cumbersome body for a spirit. It is an agent of purity and will attack impure entities on sight with raging flames. It is an extremely damaging, slow, monster that prefers offensive measures.

• Class: Monster
• Element: Fire
• Type: Berserker
• Category: Elemental
• Rank C
• Level: 11
• HP: 00/00
• SOUL: 35/35

*Elementals do not have health-points. Instead, their soul-points act as health.

[Dying Cinder]

Dying cinders are low-ranking elementals that have failed to ascend to a full elemental state. They are much weaker and so, prefer to stay at range.

• Class: Monster
• Element: Fire
• Type: Caster
• Category: Elemental
• Rank D
• Level: 11
• HP: 00/00
• SOUL: 15/15

*Elementals do not have health-points. Instead, their soul-points act as health.

[Cinder Spiral]: Manipulates the air-currents around itself to spark a firestorm. This effect stacks with other cast cinder spirals.

The wind shoots past the creature, pulling down cinders from above and erupting into a spiraling, twisting flame that roars around the floor.

Isaiah nods.

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[Floor Twelve]

The repentance brand

A room full of metal walkways that are designed to look like a holy symbol from above. The floor of the room is full of a burning pit of fire. Smoke rises up towards the ceiling, where it vanishes into several grates. It is said that this is the very same brand that was used to once scorch a fallen god for his failures.

Capacity: {30} Monster-Points

2 TRAPS

Room Effect: Every time a NEGATIVE STATUS effect is applied to any creature here, the fire below will grow more intense, causing the metal walkways to heat up.

Phase 1: No effect

Phase 2: -3% HEALTH/STAMINA per minute while in the room

Phase 3: -6% HEALTH/STAMINA per minute while in the room. Applies status [Heat Exhaustion]

Phase 4: The walkway will collapse.

Monster-Point prices per monster

• F-Rank: 1
• D-Rank: 4
• C-Rank: 8
• B-Rank: 16
• A-Rank: 32
• S-Rank: 64
• SSS-Rank: 128

[Repentant Priestess]

A variant of the shadowy-priestess, a repentant priestess is a monster in the shape of a person. For her sins, she now gives penance through the pain of burning herself.

• Class: Priestess
• Element: HOLY/FIRE
• Type: Inflicter
• Category: Homunculi
• Rank D
• Level: 11
• HP: 30/30
• SOUL: 44/44

[Mark of Penance]: Casts a magical barrier that expands over a distance of 3x3x3m and absorbs {10} damage. Anyone who touches it is affect by stacking status [Burn(1)]

[Pure Heal]: A heal spell, mixed with purifying fire. Restores health to a target, but also applies stacking status [Burn(1)]

[Dying Cinder]

“Not bad, right?” asks Crystal.

Isaiah watches as the priestess creates a magical barrier and then holds her hand against it.

— A sizzling noise fills the room.

The hooded woman mumbles indistinct prayers beneath her breath, not removing her hand.

“It is a little dark, no?” asks Isaiah.

“Nothing some more fire can’t fix!” replies Crystal, cheerfully. It frames the monsters, the priestesses below, with its fingers. “It’s a great floor! They come in and they have to stop the priestesses,” explains Crystal. “The longer they’re alive, the more status effects are applied and the faster the fire grows!”

“So it is a time challenge?” asks Isaiah.

“Time and nerves,” replies Crystal. “Floors pretty hot down there for sure,” he replies, looking down towards the floor that is covered in heaps of burning, indistinct material and ash.

“What keeps it burning?” asks Isaiah, already knowing the answer.

“Dungeon-magic,” replies Crystal. “I’d like it more if we had something like the river to make it feel ‘natural’, but we’ll work something out, don’t you worry about it!”

Isaiah shrugs, not sure if it cares about that. But Crystal seems to know best.

“Did you follow my design?” it asks, looking up to floor thirteen.”

“Sure did!” replies Crystal, flying off. Isaiah flies after it.

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[Floor Thirteen]

The ritual smoke chamber

Smoke pours into this room from below, drifting past several chambers full of herbal aromatics. It stings the eyes and obscures the creatures that hide within it. Stone faces adorn the walls, hidden just behind the smoke, looking down towards the path with soft uncertainty in their expressions.

Capacity: {34} Monster-Points

2 TRAPS

Room Effect: The soothing smoke restores drained SOUL

Monster-Point prices per monster

• F-Rank: 1
• D-Rank: 4
• C-Rank: 8
• B-Rank: 16
• A-Rank: 32
• S-Rank: 64
• SSS-Rank: 128

[Incense-Elemental]{Passive}

A whispering cloud of fragrant incense. It takes the rough form of something akin to a human, but its body is dissolute and gaps appear inside it at random places, shaped like eyes.

• Class: Monster
• Element: Fire
• Type: Caster
• Category: Elemental
• Rank C
• Level: 12
• HP: 00/00
• SOUL: 33/33

*Elementals do not have health-points. Instead, their soul-points act as health.

[Whispers of Doubt]: Whispers to any passing person, smelling of a familiar smell from a fond memory. They will attempt to dissuade them from whatever cause they currently pursue and allow them to consider the faith instead.

“Are you sure about this though?” asks Crystal. “A whole floor of these guys?” he asks, pointing as the elemental drifts by. “We’re wasting two monster-points too, by using only C’s on this floor.”

Isaiah shakes its head. “It fits with my design,” says the entity. “The other floors are ready?”

“Working on it, but we’re getting there.”

Isaiah nods, looking at the elemental and then around the incense filled room that smells vaguely of a bird’s nest. “Those who we could not convert below will have died before they got here,” says Isaiah. “Those who survive are strong and we need them even more.”

“Mind control never works, boss,” says Crystal. “I’ve seen it tried a thousand times. It just makes people angrier.”

Isaiah shakes its head, rising into the air. “We will do no such thing,” it explains. “It is not control, we simply offer another way. It is their choice to take it or not.”

It flies off, to inspect the floors and to continue with the segment. This is a full day of work in and of itself.

[Dungeon]

Restricted sub-rooms:

• Kitchen {LEVEL 2}
• Food storage {LEVEL 1}
• Tunnels {LEVEL 1}

Outside areas:

• Graveyard {LEVEL 2}
• Hot-springs {LEVEL 1}
• Quarry {LEVEL 1}

Current number of floors: 22

01: The wading pool

02: The weeping bridge

03: The prayer hall

04: The holy-water basin (10)

05: The ritual-chamber

06: The lower viewing platform

07: The lower workings

08: The upper workings

09: The cathedral organry (20)

9B: Safe room 01

10: The Bell Tower

11: The funneling chamber

12: The repentance brand

13: The ritual smoke chamber

14: The conversion hall of mirrors (30)

15: The steam-pipe continuation

16: Clutch of unusual eggs

17: The spirit kiln

18: The foxfire meadow

19: The shrine of tribulation (40)

19B: Safe room 02

20: -

21: -

22: -

X: Roost atop the very big tree (☠️) <

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Just a lot of new stuff to show this time. I think next one is going to be some character interaction and maybe some good old fashioned violence =)