Well I was expecting someone to show up but this is rather absurd. A knight, thief, swordsman, cleric and mage. Just how did Sherry and Terrance know these people? Their advance into the lair is rather slow, the thief seems to be checking for something... sorry buddy Lawrence didn't opt in for any traps, not even pit falls. You're wasting your time. Still the guy is looking and is becoming more visibly irate, I think he's clung in that its more dangerous entering your own house than it is entering me.
The pyromancer looks to be trying to show off by striding in confident in his immortality. The others try to stop him but he just walks forward... before face planting. Ouch that's not pretty, I'm starting to get why this guy has a bunch of small breaks all over his body, his low luck score really seems to hate him as he walked forward and tripped over one of the skeletal chickens. The thief is in hysterics while the priestess moves forward to help him, the knight and swordsman are on alert noting the skeletal chickens. The look of sheer incredulity on the swordsman face tells me all even if I can't hear them talk. This was suppose to be a dungeon! What sort of dungeon has skeletal chickens as door guards? They're not even hostile, heck they don't even react when the priestess shrieks seeing one waddle closer and smashes it to bits with a frenzied swing of her staff.
The knight, Feral, is face palming as the pyromancer stands up and starts yelling. Streaks of fire erupt from his hands to strafe the lair. The skeletons don't even try to run away as the host of mini fireballs starts wrecking them. The thief is still giggling shaking his head at how petty the pyromancer is being over his own stumble. With the "threats" dealt with the group stands before the dungeon door. The thief immediately takes out tools but the swordsman says something to him. The thief looks rather mad at himself then reaches for the handle giving it a tug. At first he looks a little happy it doesn't open before the knight kills his enthusiasm by reaching out and pushing it open. Seems its the thief's turn to face palm.
In the hall connecting lair, cell and core they smash a few more of Fadewind's pets. The stench of the cell attracts their attention. I can hear slight shouts, seems they discovered Terrance. While they look ready to fight the zombie minotaur, Terrance just stands there like a statue. Fadewind never had any intention of using the zombie as a defender, he was on guard to save the dungeon master's scrawny arse should Sherry lunge at him again. Attack invaders? No such order passed the kids lips, probably never even crossed his tiny mind that someone might try attacking his home.
Seeing no reaction from the zombie the priestess shouts seeing Sherry. The knight and swordsman rush forward to pull the stone bars back into their recessions. Its only now that Terrance moves seeing the opening of the cell door he tries to blick the passage so Sherry won't attack "Fadewind". The group explodes into action. A pair of swords neatly remove the zombies muscular arms, a curved dagger opens Terrances belly as a mix of fireballs burst around the ashen bull face. The Zombie slumps to its knees, disarmed, head on fire and rotted organs spilling from its opened belly.
The priestess notes none of this as she rushes into the cell and starts healing the pale faced cowgirl. I can see the disgust on their faces witnessing Sherry's living conditions. Let alone the fact they just had to put her husband to rest. The swordsman is looking back towards the entrance and gripping his sword tightly. Lawrence, somehow I think your punishment just got ramped up kid. With Sherry feeling better they return to the hall and take the other fork to soon arrive at my core, as the group of six stand at the door way they started yelling about the small army of skeletal cockatrices... yet the thief points out that they don't seem any more aggressive than the other skeletons wandering between them.
They ask Sherry but she shrugs helplessly explaining they were new additions after she was locked up, she never saw this room past the point that Fadewind brought her in to ambush her husband. The mage frowns and points at the neon pink slime in the corner explaining that it might be the source, theorizing the other culprit, the missing half orc Gretna was likely changed into the creature. However he's at a loss why the hayseed would create monsters only to kill and reanimate them. You and me both buddy.
The thief is more interested in me, a glowing crystal skull on a pedestal... go figure the sneak points out the most valuable thing in the room. The priestess steps forward and starts singing something, her voice is very soft and soothing, its almost like a lullaby if a lullaby suddenly swept the area with a pulse of holy energy that reduced the skeletons around me to ash and dust. With the group unbarred they crowd around my skull asking what should be done. The thief wants to take the skull but the mage laughs at him, waving his hand towards my core and suggesting he try it. As expected the thief can't move me, even bracing his feet on the pedestal and pulling hard my skull moves not a scratch.
The knight suggests destroying me... come on stop thinking like that man, I'm a harmless dungeon, I never hurt anyone. Well not for a lack of intent, more Fadewind was a piss poor dungeon master. As before the mage explains that cores can't be destroyed, but that leaves the question as to what to do with me? They can't take my core, they can't destroy it. What can they do then? The mage suggests just collapsing the tunnel entrance but no one seems overly thrilled with the thought of just hiding me away, least of all me! How am I suppose to get a new dungeon master if you seal my entrance... but there's not much else they can do really, if they try to collapse each room a dungeon is rumored to have the ability to fix that.
Ultimately the group back tracks, after "popping" Gretna, no way would they leave the Mother of Monsters behind. A quick sword thrust and like a water balloon pricked with a pin the slime ruptures. Pink goop and twitching organs splash across the floor of my core room. I wonder if any part of Gretna feels pain or even realizes her time is done. As the group walks back to the entrance I watch the last shivers of Gretna's remains. What a waste. Turning my attention to the lair entrance I see the light that use to reach into the entry passage becoming more obscure before darkness claims the entrance.
I am alone again. Gretna is dead. The skeletons are smashed. Terrance was given his final rest. Silence fills my halls that for several months held living presence. The crushing weight of a void of time settles on me as I realize Lawrence is still alive yet will never return. System? What happens to be when the dungeon master is removed? I have a little energy left, will I continue?
{ Energy can be used to keep an owner less dungeon awake for a time. However it is advised that a dungeon core enter sleep mode when changing dungeon masters will not be possible. Each point of energy can keep a dungeon active for a year of mortal time keeping but without the means to recover the energy a dungeon relying on it would enter a forced sleep cycle. The difference between electively entering sleep mode versus being forced to is that certain dungeon subsystems may become damaged by the drain. While in sleep mode subsystems use less energy and stay viable longer while the core is asleep, with no energy present sub systems cannibalize themselves to try and keep working ultimately damaging or destroying themselves. }
Okay, so sleeping with energy better in the long run than forcefully staying active. Got it. So how do I awaken once a dungeon master replacement comes?
{ Dungeon Farmer Fadewind's Fallacy will re awaken when a viable dungeon master enters your core chamber. Full system reboot will occur when the applicant touches the core. }
Hey system... is there any way I can remodel the core? A crystal skull is a little blatant as a core.
{ Dungeon Farmer Fadewind's Fallacy lacks the energy to remodel the dungeon core. }
So while it is possible I lack the means. Story of my life... err existence. I really need to get a clock in here, without the coming and going of people it is hard to tell if I've spent a few minutes or a few days contemplating things. It feels like mere minutes but I could already be nuttier than a fruit bat. I can't even count skeletal chickens anymore. I mean the inside of the dungeon with Fadewind was not a bustling hive or anything but when bored one could count the chickens or the hairs on Terrance's head to pass time. I suppose I could still do the latter... wait, no I can't. The mage burned his head, right, nearly forgot I have charred rotting undead minotaur smelling up my hall...
No wonder dungeons don't stay active if their dungeon master dies, years of inactivity would lead one to question life. Breaking into psychological debates with yourself would get old quick. Right System?
{ ... }
Uhhh System? You there?
{ ... }
So even my faithful assistant is ignoring my mad ravings now? Fine, you're fired, get out.
.
.
.
You're not really gone are you System? I was just kidding about firing you...
{ ... }
System?
Come on don't prank me like this, say something would you?
.
.
.
Alone again. I have to say I hate this feeling. Solitude grates on me. I know I wasn't really interacting with Fadewind, Gretna and Sherry but the illusion of company in the void of responsive elements at least gave the illusion that I still mattered. But now even that dream is shattered. I can't even exit stage right, turning down the lights as I go... well if there were any lights, the candles Fadewind and Gretna had look to have burned out some time ago. The dungeon is dark save for the soft glow of my core. The halls silent, I'm no longer a dungeon, I'm a tomb.
Focusing on the walls I'll get rid of the chicken murals and adorn them with the symbols off that priestess' robe. How did they look again... ah yes like this and this, that looks good. A nice stone paver flooring, small blocks for the walls, much more respectful than angry chickens. But everything is dirty, even Gretna and Terrance's bodies are covered in dust now. When did that happen? Didn't they just achieve true death a few hours ago???
Weird, something strange is going on, System? What's happening?
.
.
.
Oh yeah, System left me. I'm alone.
Fucking hell, where are you Chicken Lord!?
{ Warning! Dungeon Master The Chicken Lord, LawrenceFadewind has died outside of the dungeon. Searching for heir... Heir of dungeon not found. Scanning dungeon for replacement dungeon master... Aspirant Dungeon Masters not found. Detecting low energy presence. Switching Dungeon Farmer Fadewind's Fallacy to sleep mode. Powering down core. }
Wait wait wait! You're not gone System?! Please... wait... why am I so sleepy... I want to talk... with you first...
The darkness closes in, the dungeon falls silent. Time marches forward as the legacy of Lawrence Fadewind drifts out if peoples memories. Those that knew him thought of him as a crazy idiot who went off the deep end one fall. He began avoiding the village, a rampant amount of chicken thefts occurred. People were quite willing to over look this as the poor boy was just nor right in the head. They pitied him so over looked that he took a few chickens here and there.
Its when people started going missing that people took note. Not so much the whore Gretna who stopped hanging around the men folk, but rather the trade diplomat Sherry and her husband vanishing one eve. It sent the chief into a panic sending someone to the capital a few weeks away, with an important family going missing from their retirement home and signs of a struggle, they feared the poor lad had gone mad, especially after checking his house and seeing he had apparently long since fled to the hills.
With the deepening snow the thefts of chickens vanished. Things quieted down as the snows kept everyone but the hardiest of travellers in doors. It could be said that winter allowed people a chance to calm down. It was early spring when the chicken thief raised his head again but Fadewind's luck had run out. A few days later a party from the capital came looking for Sherry and Terrance and captured the idiot forth width. Under torture the boy cracked and revealed a horrifying truth, a dungeon had awakened in the mountain to the south!
Leaving the mangled boy to the village chief the group rode off. Several hours later they returned, claiming the dungeon had been bested. Sherry had been rescued, however she was very badly malnuritioused. It was her own testimony that doomed the village idiot. It was a plan set forth by him and the whore Gretna. Terrance had died trying to save her. Gretna had already died in the dungeon. Now it was only the dungeon lord himself to face the music.
Both Sherry and Lawrence were taken to the capital. Later the following month that the regional lord had put off a huge show trial damning the dungeon lord. At noon that very day Lawrence was beheaded for the crimes of murder and monster rearing. His body was drawn and quartered and sent to the four corners of the region as warning to any other would be dungeon lords. As for the dungeon... no one spoke of it.