Ebony Maw (Sallin_Kari)

[porne]

The first lump of strange dungeon magic flows easily into the... area that the spawnlings live, and you feel it double in size, adding another dozen... slots for lack of a better word. The next magical lump flows where you want it, and you feel the magical energy flow expand a bit, but before it settles, it leaps to the next thought that crosses your mind, moving to the part of your magic you use to alter the dungeon and making it more refined. It jumps to Velvet next, and you hear a loud surprised squeak from her in the next room, and she feels... more powerful. Your last thought, of leaving the dungeon, causes your mind to... stretch and attach itself to a lump of stone. You suppose you could toss the stone outside, but you might need to invest a few more magical lumps into this before it becomes useful.

[Sallin_Kari]

Honestly I'm not sure what exactly I did, especially since I was just testing things out. It didn't take though except for one so I shouldn't have messed up anything too badly. Still the concept of the rock might be interesting... If I can indeed see through the rock, perhaps I could spy on intruders before they even enter? I've got to test that out. Not exactly what I hoped for but a start at the very least. Better talk with Velvet before I do anything more permanently, so I call for her.

[porne]

"Ooooh, so they are pregnant. That's what usually causes the dungeon to expand its powers like that. And then you go and take away the power you've dangled in front of me. Hmph." She's pouting again, but she seems mostly happy about it.

[Sallin_Kari]

Ah... Well... That makes things interesting. I do question, "Wait, so if it is them being pregnant that gives this, does that mean... that you can... well... There is no nice way... but farm them by repeatedly breeding humans? Or is it just a first time thing? And what exactly can I do with them?"

[porne]

"Not repeatedly, humans only gather that much magical power over a year or so, after that they need a chance to recharge. They're more useful because you can breed anything you want in them!"

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Seem reasonable?

[Sallin_Kari]

"O-oh..." I respond in question before, inquiring further, "How long are they normally pregnant then?" I thought human pregnancies took almost a year anyways so that doesn't seem to be a limitation to the farming... idea. "And what are they pregnant with now? I didn't chose anything specific."

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Oh certainly

[porne]

"Nine months I believe. But you can use your magic to accelerate things if you want. I don't think whatever they're pregnant with has been settled yet, just that they are. Go back to them and check." Velvet tells you.

[Sallin_Kari]

"Is that for anything or just human pregnancies," I question, before just dropping the whole, 'their pregnancies haven't been set yet' bit, as I have no idea how to respond to that. Instead I simply comply moving back towards to three... Maybe they've regained their sanity by now? That might not actually be a good thing though...

[porne]

The three pregnancies are independent, and there's a bit... adaptability in them? Exploring, you feel that you can push them toward... hm, five different forms? Three of them are snake like, one is a stony gargoyle, and the last is a demoness of some kind, although the demoness is... different. The others are some kind of spawnling, but the demoness seems more like an actual child. As is, the three are drifting toward the demoness, and if you do nothing, that's what they'll have.

[Sallin_Kari]

Well shit... those are some choices I have here... What would they be least opposed to? The gargoyle is probably out. The weight and rough texture mustn't be pleasant to carry. The naga would likely be larger, but then again... demons probably won't sit well with them. Shit, I can't decide this. I poke them to see if I can rouse them.

[porne]

Unfortunately, the girls don't seem to respond to your poking. That may or may not be a good thing, especially if they've still got the aphrodisiac in their systems. You suppose at least the demonesses will probably look human when they're born, the other options are most definitely not human, particularly if they birth eggs.

[Sallin_Kari]

I'm not exactly certain what to do, demons sound like the best option, but I don't want to bear that responsibilty. It would be nice if the children would help me out with the dungeon. Pacing between them, I gently place my hand on the warrior's stomach. Demons seem like they'd be strong, so they could help defend. Moving to the white haired lady who I believe to be a priestess of some kind. Maybe they would be good at magic. I heard that mages could produce all kinds of potions and magical items. If I didn't have to rely on the dungeon's supply of mana for everything that could be useful, and possibly produce things the dungeon can't easily. Finally moving onto the thief girl. Then again, someone who could keep things neat and tidy, and actually cook would be nice. An organized professional type... Standing up I think, honestly I don't know what to expect from demons so who knows what they'll be like.

[porne]

As you focus on the demonesses in their mothers, you get the feeling they're a bit more... malleable than the spawnlings. You don't push them in any particular direction, at least not consciously, and simply ponder what each one could be for. You're almost surprised at how each one seems to match the mother in skills.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Did we have magical elements beyond light/dark (learned/natural)? There's nothing wrong with a character having a bias toward a... genre of magic even if we don't divide them up into elements.

[Sallin_Kari]

If they're not getting up anytime soon I guess I'll leave them to rest. Returning to Velvet, I remember I haven't fully spent that mana I collected. I ask her to elaborate on things I can do with it before I decide promising I'll give one of the remaining bundles to her.

[porne]

"So that's why I didn't get to keep it. I'm glad you decided to ask though. I'm betting you experimented a little bit, but didn't want to commit to anything. Before, you gave me just a general improvement, but you can also give me specific improvements like to my magic casting ability. You can do the same thing yourself as well. You could also work to create golems that allow you to make little dolls and such, although that takes a lot of investment as I don't think it does more than allow you to watch through the focus at first. Oh, you could also unlock spell crystals, they can store a special type of spell and then be triggered so you'll have magic traps. They take longer to reset though, so don't think you can just create a wall of fire or something. Hm, you could also create enchanted weapons and such for yourself, but that's... difficult to not screw up." She rushes out in a gush, seemingly hyper and excited now that you've started talking to her again.

[Sallin_Kari]

"Didn't exactly know what they were before. I did end up increasing the cap for minions though, so that's good... But from what you're saying probably the first things are the spell crystals then, and you wanted improved spell casting," I summarize her explanation and my thoughts.

[porne]

"Oh, that's a good one to start with. And that makes sense, the spell crystals can store one spell, and you can either funnel magic to them, or cast it yourself directly into it, but that means heading out there. Also, you can only cast spells you already know, obviously. Focus on those ideas and then push the dungeon magic into them."

[Sallin_Kari]

"Quick question before I do so. Will your spells work through the spell crystals?" As she's most use to magic it might be nice to have her take care of it, especially if she's getting her magical abilities boosted anyways. Regardless of the answers though, I already picked those two so I begin the process to acquire them.

[porne]

"After another upgrade, you can channel some of the spell through it, although the dungeon will resist you to some degree. Unless you're willing to invest in multiple gems for both sight and a spell. Either of us can charge it from our personal supply of energy, although if you're significantly ahead of your gem skill, it won't hold the spell for long. Also, the humans and such will steal them if they're able to, and you'll have to spend mana to build new ones." She informs you, and you can't help the feeling of resentment that the dungeon tries to 'balance' things instead of just letting you build yourself a fully equipped hideaway.

[Sallin_Kari]

"Compared to not having any magic at all, this is still good," I shrug, "So how do you feel with the boost?"