It still takes a while for me to build up enough mana for more rooms. Even with Clyde's delve giving me so much mana. When I finally do get enough, the next room I place is along the central line. This room I plan to make into a village. So, after placing a solid layer of dirt I go back over it and place down houses in a way that I think makes logical sense. It makes sense to me at any rate. After that I go through and place down smooth stones to make something resembling streets. I make sure to give the streets an aged and weathered look. Then go back to the skeleton section of the system shop and buy a few of the none combat skeleton types. They're still going to attack the delvers. They just won't be as effective as a fighter or some other combat role. I plan for them to be cannon fodder. Which is why I fill this room with about two hundred of these ordinary skeletons with another hundred fighters mixed in randomly. Naturally I make them all level 22. The idea being that the fighters were the towns guards.
It takes more time than I would have thought to lay out all the skeletons in a logic pattern. The baker goes in the bakery, merchants go inside their shops, and so on. Most of the normal (classless) zombies I place inside the houses although there are still quite a few on the streets, as well as in other buildings. I do my best to give the illusion that this was a thriving village before whatever happened. I also go back to the first floor after the dungeon is closed for the night and on one of the parchment scrolls, I make vague references to a lost kingdom that was destroyed by a sudden catastrophe. The scrolls remained amongst several other blank ones so that one might believe it was simply overlooked. One of the perks of not having to physically move or unravel the scroll to write on it.
As a final touch I go back and add traps to some of the houses. While still not specifically meant to be deadly these traps could actually kill a careless delver. I don't really expect any of the regulars to be careless. Especially not after making it to the fifth floor. The transition from the fourth to the fifth just so happens to be another one that requires a rank up though. This will no doubt result in higher level delvers coming to rank up. Some of whom will no doubt stay to farm the 'easy' levels.
Surprisingly over the next few weeks Clyde's party delves the third floor several more times, but they don't attempt any of the treasure rooms. This is unlike Clyde. Sure, he's always been cautious, but this feels different. It could have something to do with the fact that Lily is really starting to show now. Then again it could be due to the randomly placed mini boss as well as the fact that treasure rooms after the first floor are a significant leap in difficulty. Not overwhelming but still significant. It could also be a combination of factors, and while I could read his mind to find out I don't feel like it's all that important. If he reaches level 15 and still doesn't tackle the treasure rooms, I'll simply ask him about it.
During this time others have started making it to the third floor although they usually only make it a few rooms in for now. You'd think that would mean the 1st and 2nd floors have become even more popular but apparently, it's been a while since any new delvers have arrived. Not that I'm complaining since the deeper floors give me more mana anyway. Besides, I have no doubt more delvers would come if they knew how deep I actually was. That said it has been about a year since the academy last lead a bunch of level 1 newbies through the first few rooms of my first floor. Which means I should be getting a fresh batch of newbies pretty soon.
Eventually I do get enough mana to create two new rooms. These will be two more forest rooms placed on either side of the main path. The only real difference, aside from a few landscape changes to keep the rooms from being to uniform, is the fact that the wood golems are level 22. By the time I'm finished with the rooms Clyde's party has returned yet again. Although they are much slower now with Lily's walk being more of a waddle. I'm not so sure delving in her current state is wise. Then I remember that something more powerful than me seems to be protecting her. Still, I don't think she's realized that which makes her delving now either really brave or really stupid, I'm honestly not sure which.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!
On the plus side that stream of mana going into the child has grown large enough that I can tell that it's not mana. Well not entirely. I don't have any frame of reference for what that other energy is. Which is a little concerning to be honest, but I also don't get any sense of malice from it or whatever is sending it either. To her credit Lily still manages to do everything she did before, just much slower. It took Clyde's party almost twice as long to get to the third floor as it normally does.
Once they defeat the level 14 skeletons in the side path, I expect them to do what they've always done but this time Clyde decides to press on. I was not expecting that at all. Fortunately, for them this is not the room with the mini boss. Also fortunate is the fact that I decided not to increase the number of enemies in this room compared to the last room. As the fight start Lily casts buff defense on Cole while Cole simultaneously uses his taunt ability to draw the two melee units towards himself. Suddenly it makes sense. They weren't delaying because of Lily. They were waiting. Either for Cole to be able to use taunt a few more times per delve or for them to be strong enough to not need it as often. The fact that Lily's buff defense ability can now increase a person's defense by an easily perceptible amount is just a happy little bonus.
While I still don't think it's possible, I am starting to think Clyde was serious about Lily wanting to continue pushing forward until the baby comes. I normally refrain from reading his mind since I trust him not to try and harm my core. When a single thought is so prevalent he is practically screaming it it's hard not to notice, however. Though neither of us really get why she would push herself so much. At this moment Cole is fending of two attackers that are both higher level while Clyde circles around behind the skeletons. Meanwhile Chandra and Darrel are doing their best to keep the skeleton rogue and air mage occupied.
Once behind them Clyde used a speed skill to quickly close the distance and slash at the skeleton's skull. The skeleton managed to see the attack coming and moved to block it but was a hair to slow. It did manage to block the attack but unfortunately not before it had gone halfway through its skull. With one down you'd think the fight would be easy, but the skeleton tank was wearing pretty good armor on top of being one level higher.
While Clyde and Cole were busy trying to find a way past the armor Chandra's luck ran out. It wasn't the first time that she had fought something a few levels higher than herself but All it takes is a single miscalculation or mistimed step. Before it could finish the job, an ice horn suddenly grew from its forehead. This move however did not come without a cost as a gust of wind suddenly sent Darrel flying backwards. Fortunately for Darrel the really fun air and wind-based attacks are locked behind level requirements because I really wanted to give this mage wind blades. Darrel's still not out of the fight and manages to successfully block the next attack. Although I can't help but notice he is no longer sending attacks of his own.
Lily runs up to Chandra as fast as she can manage and begins healing. The other rogue somehow managed to stab Chandra's underarm. The blade then exited through her chest before being forcefully pulled back through by the enemy rogue, a detail that was hidden by the leather armor. The inside of Chandras armor was drenched in her own blood, not that Lily could see it. While Lily treated Chandra and Darrel was just trying to stay alive, Cole and Clyde hadn't exactly been idle. They had both managed to land some good solid hits, but they were having trouble getting past the armor. Eventually though they were able to win by attacking together they both started with a vertical slice but Clyde transition to a thrust by changing his grip at the last minute. A risky gambit seeing as it could have been easily countered. It was successful none the less.
After that dealing with the mage was a simple matter. Chandra ended up needing two of the healing potions to stabilize her condition and Darrel had a cracked rib. All of this meant that this post fight rest was much longer than normal. As for the treasure well let's just say Chandra, once she was back on her feet, was only too happy to change into the new leather armor they just got. Her old armor taking on a bit of an odor to say nothing of the fact that by this point the inside was now caked in partially dried blood. The rest of the gear went into the party's storage box.
