A Dungeon’s Survival

Cameron

The decision had been hard, but I made my choice. I had seriously been tempted by Draconic Enhancer, but in the end, another class had won out. I had chosen Heroic Summoner. Redundant as it was, it offered me something none of the rest did: consolidation of power. At the end of the day, like it or not, I was a Dungeon Core. Every capability I had was that of a Dungeon Core.

The other four classes had offered me things outside of that purview. That wasn't a bad thing. Everything they promised had been good, and there was something to be said of the importance of diversifying, but the opposite also held true. If I were to spread myself too thin, it wouldn't matter what spells or abilities I had. They would fail me all the same when I truly needed them.

Heroic Summoner and Draconic Enhancer weren't like that. They weren't a cobbled together attempt to be something I wasn't. They each lent themselves to the ruler of a Dungeon in the truest sense, expanding on my capabilities. The main difference between them was how they accomplished that.

Draconic Enhancer built upon everything else I had already and could achieve in the future. It was the safer option by far and probably the smarter one too. I had not gone that route. Instead, I went with the wild card: Heroic Summoner. It had far more risk attached to it, but whereas Draconic Enhancer only built off of my capabilities as a Dungeon Core, Heroic Summoner had the potential to be played off of too. How well it could do that was yet to be seen, but I had hope.

That led me to my next choice. Somehow, it was just as hard as the first had been, and while it wasn't exactly as future defining for me, it came close. It was the first ability I would receive as a summoner, and I had two options. Which one I went with would shape how my class would take form as it grew.

[Ability: Ethereal Summon

Description: You request assistance from the Fey Realm. In response, a spirit may come to your aid.

Effect: Your voice is carried to the Fey Realm. The strength of your call and how compelling it is is dependent on your (WILL). Alternatively, you may direct your plea to a specific spirit so long as you know its name and can picture its visage. If a spirit chooses to heed your call, an avatar of it may take shape through your mana. The process has both upfront and persistent mana costs dependent on the power of the spirit whose avatar is being summoned. The strength of the spirit's avatar can not exceed the spirit's true strength, and it will be adjusted to your current level. You have no control over the summoned spirit, but you can dismiss it at any time. Every five levels, you gain the ability to summon another spirit simultaneously.]

[Ability: Bond Familiar

Description: You can form a bond with a monster, gaining the ability to summon and command it.

Effect: You can form a bond with a willing monster. This bond allows for limited telepathic communication between it and yourself, and the bond compels the monster to follow your orders. The range of this telepathy is dependent on your (WILL). If the monster dies, you can resummon it at a variable mana cost based on its power after a time that is depends on its tier and level. You receive all experience your bonded monster gains but cannot use itself due to level restrictions. Your bonded monster's level is limited to half of your own +1 for every 10 points you have in (SOUL) x the level's tier. It has a minimum level of 1 and can never exceed your own level. Also, upon its death, it looses twenty percent of its total experience. Additionally, you can shape its growth as it gains levels and evolves. A bond with a familiar can be severed at any time so long as the familiar is alive, but a new bond can not be formed for a duration depending on the familiar's level afterword. You can form an additional bond with a monster every 5 levels, but for each additional monster you bind as a familiar, the maximum level of all bound familiars is reduced by 5.]

Both were complicated abilities, the second more than the first, and they both accomplished the same goal: summoning things. That was where the similarities ended. They each handled the process in very different ways.

Ethereal Summon was a route of equals, being able to call on spirits but not control them. I figured I could make magically binding contracts with them ahead of time, but I wasn't sure if that was the way it was normally done, and I had no guarantee they would accept. Overall, the ability had potential for summoning of powerful allies, but it lacked assurances.

In contrast, Bond Familiar was strikingly similar to the relationship a Dungeon Core already had with their monsters. It had many similarities such as monster limits based on levels, telepathy, experience loss on death, and magical compulsion. It was the awakened monsters in specific that it mirrored most heavily with certain details, but that didn't change the fact that it was basically the the human equivalent of being a Dungeon or as close to it as I imagined one could get.

Each option had its merits, and I could see myself going either way with the choice. I needed more information, so I did something I was hesitant about considering my having chosen the class without telling him first. I reached out to Fabian.

Hey, Fabe.

“Huh, Cameron? What is it? I'm almost there.”

So, I may have chosen my class and need help picking the ability.

“You what?”

I chose my class?

“Cameron! Why didn't consult me about this?”

I mean, I kind of did. I asked you for details on all of my options before you left.

“Yes, but you didn't discuss the actual choice with me.”

Fabian, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that, but I'm asking for your input now, so could you please help me?

What followed was a long-drawn-out sigh.

“Fine. What did you choose?”

Heroic Summoner.

“I don't know why I'm even surprised. Okay, so Bond Familiar is basically the summoning system you currently have but with more nuances, and you'd need a monster to bind with. Ethereal Summon lets you reach out to spirits and summon them, but their actions remain their own. You'd need to work out deals with them ahead of time if you wanted any degree of certainty in their help.”

Well, that confirms that, I guess. I more or less put that much together. It's just a matter of which would be better for me.

“Would you even listen to my advice if I gave it?”

Maybe.

“Yeah, that's about what I expected.”

So?

“Okay, here it is, my advice for you to immediately disregard. Choose Ethereal Summon.”

Why? What's your reasoning for it.

“My reasoning is that I set up your Dungeon in an area practically devoid of monsters. There's nothing worth bonding with in the area. Haven't you wondered why there hasn't been a single thing outside of mortals entering your walls? There's nothing there, something I would have reminded you about if you had actually asked me before choosing a summoner class. I have no confidence that anything other than a simple, mostly mindless spirit would agree to defend a Dungeon should you take the other option, but with Ethereal Summon, you would at least have a chance to recruit something.”

Oh, was my incredibly intelligent response.

He had told me stuff to that effect before. I simply hadn't considered it when I was looking at the pros and cons of the Heroic Summoner class. That could be a problem.

What about Dungeon monsters?

“What about them?”

Could I bond with my own monsters?

“Uh … Huh? I have no clue. That's an interesting theoretical, though. The main reason mortals don't bond with Dungeon monsters isn't that it's strictly impossible. It's that they're Dungeon monsters. They're loyal only to their Dungeon. Outside of broken bonds, the phenomenon, not just the achievement that lessens the impact the first time it occurs, Dungeon monsters would never be willing to accept such a pact, and even then, I can't picture a monster with a broken bond accepting such an agreement either. Domination type taming can work with Dungeon monsters, though, so it is hypothetically possible, and since getting them to agree wouldn't be an issue for you, maybe?”

Hey, don't gloss over that. 'Broken bonds the phenomenon,' what did you mean by that?

“Oh, yeah. I guess that never came up. In some rare cases, the same thing that happened with Adraugon has occurred multiple times in a single Dungeon. In all successive cases after the first, the bond is completely severed, not just weakened. The monster is no longer bound to the Dungeon in any way. In those cases it either fights its Dungeon to the death or simply leaves. You're not on track to have that happen, though, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just don't go around treating your strongest monsters poorly, especially not draconic ones. They're some of the most strong-willed. Avoid that, and you should be fine.”

Well, that's helpful. That would have been nice to know sooner, but whatever. Okay, so the bonding with my own monster thing, it could work?

“Again, I have no idea. You're a unique case, and there's no precedent. The way I see it, there's as much reason to believe it would as there is to believe it wouldn't. They are already bound to you, after all. Please, don't choose Bond Familiar just for the small chance it would work.”

And, if I had other ideas I could fall back on if it doesn't?

Another sigh followed my question.

“I see you're going to follow through with this line of thinking regardless of what I say, so go on. What ideas?”

I mean, I have the Crystal Puffers.

“Cameron,”his mental voice suddenly sounded much more exasperated, “do you seriously want to contract a Crystal Puffer of all things, and better question, do you seriously think you could convince a weed whose only instinct is to attack anything that comes near it to serve you, willingly?”

Okay, you might have a point there.

“Only one!?”

Fine, I'll concede you two, but hear me out. As wild monsters, they have some degree of reasoning, right. If I were to beat one into submission or maybe raise one to be less hostile, I could possibly convince it. Also, this is just the backup plan.

“That doesn't address the part about it being a magical weed. What would even be the point in gaining it as a summon? It self-detonates and has a finite lifespan. How would it even survive long enough to gain experience in your Dungeon? You could be left stuck at level one, completely unable to level your class.”

I don't know, maybe I could find another use for it through more mana crystal testing? Also, I could always sever the bond if it didn't work out.

“No,” his voice came in a clipped manner that stressed his every word, "do not bond with a magical weed, even if it's just for testing purposes. That would be a huge challenge and waste of time that you'd be taking on for no discernible benefit.”

Okay, could we somehow get an imported monster, then?

“In what world do we have the means?”

The fey world?

He paused for a moment.

“Huh, that might actually be able to work, but you'd be asking me to put myself in danger to lure a monster through two separate fairy circles. I am not a combatant, and I have no confidence in that plan.”

You couldn't handle a level one monster? That's all I'd need. Please, and it's only a backup plan.

“Cameron, I'll think about it, okay? I'm not making you any promises, though, and if you make that choice before I've had time to think this through, the answer will be no, even if it leaves you with a useless ability. Please, wait until I get back.”

I can do that, and Fabe …

“Yes?”

Thank you. I'm sorry I made this choice without you.

“Ugh, just don't do it again. I can see why you did. There's no way I would have approved of the decision, but at the end of the day the choices you make are yours. I'm here to help you make the choices, though, and I can't do that if you cut me out of the decision making process entirely. Keep that in mind, and please, at least talk things through with me in the future. You can do whatever you want after, but at least clue me in, okay?”

Okay.

“Also, why do you seem so set on taking Bond Familiar? I don't normally agree with your logic, but I can usually at least see where you're coming from. I can't with this.”

It was my turn to sigh as I struggled to put my explanation into words.

Well, with Ethereal Summon, even if I could convince a spirit to help me, it would come with some kind of cost, wouldn't it?

“It would depend on the deal you make with them ahead of time, but generally, yes. Any spirit worth summoning would want something in return. That something could be as simple as a place to stretch their legs and enemies to face, but it could also be lodging, offerings, and luxurious treatment among other things that would make Adraugon seem reasonable. It could still be worth it, though.”

But, I'd be limited to whatever I could convince them to agree to in a predetermined contract. I could see myself being able to convince them to protect my core among a few other things for a reasonable price–”

“Cameron, as much as I'm advocating for this choice, you need to know that the spirits you'd be summoning are fay, and while us fay are many things, reasonable is not one.”

Okay, I might be able to convince some to agree for slightly unfavorable concessions on our end, but you're proving my point. The more I'd ask for, the more they'd probably want in return. Basic tasks like guarding my core are one thing, but for much else, I imagine it'd be near impossible to strike a deal. It's too limited.

Then, there's the mana cost to sustain them. While, with my mana pool, it'd be manageable, it would also be a limitation. If I wanted to keep them around long-term, I would be limiting my resources more than I would with only simple, upfront summoning costs. I think I'd get more use out of familiars, even if they'd be weaker, simply because I could always have them around.

“I hate how much sense that makes. Fine, I'm in agreement, but still, wait for me to get back before you choose it. Also, you are not testing things out with one of your own monsters first. I have no clue what would happen if you did, but since we're in unprecedented territory here and there were a lot of errors involved in you getting that class in the first place, I don't want to risk it. You could end up with permanently lost DP or be left unable to level your class up for all we know. For your first familiar, at the very least, you're getting an external monster. I'll figure something out.”

Thanks Fabe! You're the best!

His response was a long groan.