DAY 618

----------------------- FLOOR 10 CREATED

ADDING NEW BASE 'CAVE' MATERIALS: SAND (LOW QUALITY) GEMSTONES (AVERAGE QUALITY)

NEW BASE 'CAVE' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED: BEARS: D- BATS: C UNDEAD (ANIMAL): C-

ADDING NEW BASE 'TOWN' MATERIALS: MORTAR (LOW QUALITY)

NEW BASE 'TOWN' CONSTRUCT PATTERN QUALITIES ACQUIRED: CANINES: C BOVINES: D- PRINTED GOODS: C+

FLOOR 10 BONUS UNIQUE 'CAVE' MONSTER CONSTRUCT PATTERN UNLOCKED: INFERNAL: B+

FLOOR 10 BONUS UNIQUE 'TOWN' MONSTER CONSTRUCT PATTERN UNLOCKED: GARGOYLE: B+

 

MANA CAP INCREASED BY 6 TO 475 -----------------------

"I still can't believe you're actually going along with that imp's idea. Okay, sure, he had a few useful insights when we were facing his former allies. But he doesn't actually know anything about dungeons. And this idea of all ideas..." Parker slowly shakes his head as he stands next to his boss, ears slightly drooping in his current Rabbit Patriarch form.

Xenia chuckles as she examines the cavern. "You wanna know something? Don't tell Deylia, but this is her fault."

The accusation causes Parker to furrow his brow. "Eh? I didn't even know she was involved in any of this."

"She's not, but you remember that jester act she put on when you and her were testing Thaddeus? I actually really like how that worked out. She was kinda cute in that harlequin costume, too."

The Patriarch tilts his head as he considers that. "I...suppose I could see that, but unless you're planning to re-assign her, Deylia's still busy on Floor Five. And I'm nearly certain we don't have a 'clowns' or 'entertainers' class of dungeon monsters. ...Do we?"

Xenia shakes her head. "No, and I'm still not sure what to do for the floor guardian. I've put out word to the Church that we're looking for another recruit, it sounds like applicants dried up after the first batch of desperate crazies ran out." She blinks, then glances at Parker. "...Present company not included, of course."

The man gives a rumbling laugh. "I let myself be killed to spend eternity in a monster body, I'll admit to being perhaps a little crazy. But ignoring the guardian for now, where are we starting at? And why did you want my help for this?"

"To answer the first question, we're starting with the space itself." Xenia waves her hand at the empty cavern, its walls slowly smoothing out as she works away at them. "Now, cause I got this floor unlock through an achievement and not from 'acquiring' old dungeon space, we've got the usual issue of me needing to build around a bunch of old tunnels and collapsed sections rather than making use of them. Personally, when I think of a circus I think of a big open space. That's a problem cause there's a limit to how wide I can go here, and also a problem because I don't want it to be just one big empty room someone could try and dash across. However, I think I can do a moderately sized space like this and go vertical for a couple of levels."

The guardian frowns. "That...doesn't sound like any circus I'm aware of."

"And that's the answer to your other question. I know what I think a circus is, but if I want it to mean anything to the Challengers I need a local opinion. I know you've said you're not familiar with stage performances, but have you ever seen a New Continent-style circus? I could use some tips on what those look like."

The man does nod at that. "I have, my village was lucky to be large enough to have one come through most years. I suppose to start with..." Parker taps his foot in thought. "You've said before that most worlds you've lived on have much less magic than ours?"

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"Some going all the way down to zero, yeah. Some are the same, a few had more, but I'd say here it's more about 'access' than 'power'. The high end is a lot lower than in some realms I've lived in, but it sounds like everyone here can use magic if they want to, which ain't usually the case."

"Yup, it's just a matter of finding the training and putting the time in. That goes beyond just Challengers and soldiers, of course. Even peasants know at least a few utility or job-related spells. Anyhow, my point here is that performers also have access to specialized magic. Some of it's flashy stuff for exhibitions, like firing off fireballs and that, but also things like...impossible acrobatics, animal or even monster training, or illusion work."

"So you've got acrobats! Great, let's start at the top - literally." With a wave of her hand large poles grow out of the ground, extending fifteen meters or more into the air. Platforms spread out around their peaks, and ropes suddenly lash out to connect the platforms to each other. "I'll do something with this floor later, but for starters - what's the tricks there? Tightrope walking, flying trapeze?"

"I'm...not sure what a trapeze is, but there was rope-walking...as a starter. It would usually expand into rope-climbing and rope-jumping." Spotting Xenia giving him a raised eyebrow, he explains further. "Which is to say, a performer would try to ascend from a low point to a top-level rope...without the use of their hands. They'd do it entirely by jumping and balancing with their legs. They'd often work little flips into it as well, you know, making use of the swaying and bouncing of the ropes as they go."

"Good, good, an acrobatic challenge. Not gonna just make it a passive thing of course, as a circus we need to have our own performers. So...something with agility and good legs..." Xenia considers her monster options and shouts out. "Aha! Right, spiders."

Parker doesn't quite share her enthusiasm. "I'm...not sure giant spiders really fits a circus theme, Xenia. True, they'd be good with ropes and climbing..."

"No, you're right, I just need to use that as a starting point. If I can combine it with something humanoid and get something fresh there...and of course half of the work will be in the costuming department."

"...Right. The costumes. For the giant spiders."

"Mid-size spiders. ...Which I suppose still count as pretty giant by normal spider standards."

"And how does this work into the gambling or whatnot that Ruckus was apparently suggesting?"

Xenia turns around so that she's facing towards the floor entrance, and begins shaping the stone there. "We'll set up some stadium seating here to watch...not too much, I'm not expecting it to get that busy down here. Hell, maybe we'll even need to try scheduling Floor Ten attempts so that we can get a proper audience going. 'Worthy Circus performances every day at 2 and 8, suicidal Challengers willing'? A space on this side for folks to place their bets. We can use a False Mortal to run the booth, if they've got a costume and a mask on no one will know the difference. Or a bunny girl. Or a bunny girl in a circus costume."

"Alright, so folks come in, place bets on themselves or their friends, and the volunteers go out into the circus and try to cross from one platform to another...presumably while monsters are trying to kill them off, or at least knock them down. They get to the target platform and...what then?"

Xenia puts a hand on Parker's chest and pushes him backward so that he's standing within the seating area, and then the man is struck by a sudden sense of vertigo as the center floor seems to melt away. While Parker was talking Xenia was apparently already hollowing out the mountain below this chamber, and it's suddenly revealed with nothing left separating the two sections except for a large grid of thin stone connections, almost like a rather inflexible net. It's very clearly not a safety net however, as before Parker can ask about it the stone is suddenly coated with metal, most of which grows into spikes. Taking a look at the giant mass of blades and the height of the platforms above, Parker shudders.

"Well, that's definitely a strong motivation not to fall off, or to try running across the floor. No accessibility issues?"

Xenia shakes her head. "The actual test will be when I try to move my core chamber, but I've got a safe stairway down at the exit pole. Plus, we gotta do one here for the audience. Come on." She leads the guardian down a new set of stairs into a seating section much like the one above, except that while the first section was open to the circus area, this one is separated by a window made of solid metal bars. Beyond it, Parker can watch as the stone floor outside shifts into one made of sand.

"Separating access between the observers and the competitors?"

"Yup, if folks want to hop into the arena, they gotta do it from the start, at the top level." Xenia taps her chin in thought before smiling. "And I think I'll trap these bars with poison gas or some shit, in case another 'metallomancer' or something comes by and decides to just break them open. Anyhow - main floor, center ring! You do animal tricks in your shows here? Elephants, lion tamers, anything like that?"

"I don't think we have such beasts in the New Continent, although I believe I've at least heard of lions. We do have tamed animals such as wolves and bears, although even the occasional wild monster is a possibility."

"Hrmm, well, bears just went up a bit but it's nowhere near threatening to a Master. And monsters are...I mean, we've got monsters all over the place already. But canines? Might be able to do something there. What's a wolf show look like?"

Parker considers his childhood memories. "I think usually they come in two stages. The first might be several trainers with several basic wolves, showing them doing tricks and that sort of thing. Some things like you might teach to a dog, mostly more elaborate, though. And then the second stage involves the lead trainer with the biggest, meanest-looking wolf the circus has. They'd do some sort of mock battle...often with a volunteer from the audience in the middle of it, as a 'victim' who the trainer is attempting to protect."

The reincarnator nods along. "Definitely seeing some potential there. Okay, so we'll have multiple events here. A swarm attack, a miniboss, and then if the Miserables are on shift, we'll let them do their routine. And then in between we can do the clowns."

"...I'm really not sure how you intend for that to be threatening."

"Have you ever seen a clown, man? It'll work! Besides, like I said, it's all in the costuming, and the makeup. I'll figure out some good options there. Rabbit Rogues, maybe? A circus has gotta have clowns, though. It's a rule."

The Patriach sighs and shrugs, seeing that his employer's mind is set. "If you say so. And then what, after the Miserables? The final guardian?"

Xenia answers with a sinister smile. "I've still got room for one more section below this. And, alright, I'm cheating a bit cause circuses don't normally have basements. But this is a dungeon circus, and it's Floor Ten, so we gotta kick things up a notch."

"And what does that mean, exactly?"

"Well, I don't want this floor to be all combat-focused, and the middle section's gonna be all about that, plus a bit on the ropes. So the basement's gonna have to be a bit about skill. Puzzles, with a circus theme."

"I don't recall there being much puzzle-solving in the circuses I've attended. What sort of nightmare do you have in mind for that?"

Xenia carves out another stairwell down, and waves for Parker to follow her. "It's definitely gonna take some time to smooth out all the details. But come on down, and see what I've got in mind..."

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