The effects of the Chaos Infuser on the dungeon seem to have finally worn off. Monsters stopped spawning and rushing towards the dungeon delvers eventually, but there doesn’t seem to be any major aside effects that I can see. Nothing else popped up on the dungeon info menus, except for a boost in Entropy. The event was technically a direct injection of mana into the dungeon ecosystem, so that probably caused it. I want to get my hands on a few more of those devices, but I can’t tell what else the zealot has hidden under his robes. Currently, the dungeon delvers are regrouping, but they’re gearing up for a strong push into the rest of the dungeon. One of the unfortunate consequences of the flood is that the spawners need time to repopulate the dungeon. The only thing they would have to worry about is traps, but they have enough scouts to identify and bypass them quickly. Less than half of them were still in fighting shape; the rest were either injured or dead. They were holding out pretty well, so I had to tip the scales by blinding half of them. This netted me a couple of levels, even from all the way at the dungeon core, so I think I’ll repeat that in the future to gain passive experience.
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After only a few minutes, it looks like they’ve designated their teams. Eight dungeon delvers were going to continue down, two were going to stay behind to guard the injured, and one Scout would be sent to the previous base to notify the others of reinforcements and aid. The zealot was going to stay with the injured. He didn’t have much combat skill, but he did have access to some support magics. Their strongest delvers were all going ahead, so anybody left behind would be easy pickings for Vulcan’s team. Speaking of which, the Scout was just about to set off at the same time as the main force.
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“Hey, Vulcan. Is your group ready to fight?”
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“...Yes… They’re ready…”
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“Good. I’m gonna teleport all of you to the third floor to stop an intruder from getting to the second floor. After that, you can take care of the injured group on the third floor.”
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The rest of the monsters looked excited at finally being able to go back out and fight against dungeon delvers. This will be a good opportunity to see how they’ve developed and perform in actual combat. Vulcan wasn’t taking it easy on them, so they should perform decently. Hopefully, no one dies, but they should be fine as long as they don’t get careless and they have Vulcan. With that, I teleport them to the middle of the third floor to intercept the Scout. I’ll be watching from the throne room, so I can also keep an eye on the main force. One of the Scouts who had explored the fourth floor after the change was still alive, so they didn’t get lost, although they were still cautious of traps. The lone Scout didn’t have to worry about traps or monsters, as their skills allowed them to quickly sneak by while knowing the location of all of the traps. I’ll need to make traps that aren’t reliant on pressure plates or simple pit traps in the future. He was moving pretty quickly, eventually reaching the ambush room where Vulcan’s team was waiting. I didn’t want them to somehow miss him, so I blinded him quickly, giving away his position, and I could earn some experience points from it.
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The Scout skidded to a stop, blades drawn as he tried to regain his bearings. His skills still helped him to detect his surroundings, so he wasn’t completely blind. Vulcan stood back by the doorway and watched, letting the newbies fight while he guarded the exit. Mars the Lizardman and Virtus the Hobgoblin flanked him from the front, Caelus the Quazit circled from above, and Mors the Skeleton and Vesta the Arachne flanked from behind, blocking the tunnel he just came through. He was completely surrounded, with no way out. Vesta was already laying down a thick webbing around the closest exit, so his only option was to fight his way through. He leapt at the physically weaker monster blocking his path, Virtus, who was equipped with a spear and shield. Sparks flew as the steel daggers dug into the crude metal edge of the shield. Virtus was at a disadvantage at close range with a spear, but he was still able to compensate for it with his shield. When the Scout pulled back, Virtus launched all of his body weight behind his shield, performing a shield bash and sending the Scout reeling back towards Mars. Before he lost his balance, he spun around his core into a low crouch, narrowly dodging Caelus’ spear as he dived down for a strike. He was off the mark, but he was able to fly away in time to avoid a counterattack. Next was Mars, wielding two bastard swords, one in each hand, as he focused primarily on offense. Swinging in wide arcs, he forced the Scout to focus primarily on dodging his barrage of strikes. Cuts and wounds were starting to pile up on him as he continued to avoid a fatal blow. Inevitably, he was pushed back enough to step on a sticky layer of thread set by Vesta while he engaged in melee. Both of his feet were stuck, preventing him from dodging the arrow fired by Mors in the background. The arrow landed squarely in his back, not quite a fatal blow, but enough to slow him down. This gave Vesta the opportunity to skitter across the floor, sinking her fangs into him and injecting a potent venom. The Scout was unable to fight back anymore, so Mars walked up and chopped off his head, bringing an end to the fight.
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In a five against one scenario, they did fine. They’re all still learning how to fight together as a team, so they were being cautious about when to engage or how to engage at the same time. This led to them basically taking turns to fight, which they could only get away with because they heavily outclassed and outnumbered a support fighter. Against a more combat-oriented dungeon delver, they would struggle much more in essentially one-on-one fights. Hopefully, they learn quickly, as they’ll need to take care of the weakened dungeon delvers at the end of the floor. I communicate their next goal to Vulcan and teleport them as close as possible to the room. They won’t have the privilege of setting up an ambush beforehand, so they’ll have to rely on their combat skills to hold their own.
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I’m monitoring all of the dungeon delvers inside the dungeon right now, and so far, the main force has just passed the first quarter of the fourth floor. I need Vulcan’s team to finish this quickly so I can teleport them ahead and make use of the floor’s layout. Once Vulcan is only a room away, the able dungeon delvers protecting the injured finally notice the approaching monsters. They rouse up the injured to at least face the incoming threat, even if they can barely stand and hold their weapons. The zealot is staying on the side, eyeing the delvers in their attempts to resist. For some reason, he doesn’t look worried, though, about his own fate. He was able to venture into the fourth floor without being attacked, so maybe he believes he won’t be attacked personally. Vulcan will be posted at the entrance, so he shouldn’t let him pass either way. The dungeon delvers get in formation as the sounds of echoing footsteps finally reach the room. The Swordsman and Spearman left to guard the injured meet the gaze of Mars and Virtus leading the pack, Caelus flying above, and Mors and Vesta hanging in the rear. Following all of them up is Vulcan, the hulking Bronze Golem, catching everyone’s eyes. A look of resignation passes through all of the injured at the sight of a variant monster, but the will to survive still burns in the eyes of the guards. They’re ready to fight until the very end, so they both break out in a sprint, aiming their murderous intent at the Lizardman and Hobgoblin.
