[41] Busy Little Bee

Delta eyed the screen with a twitch.

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Bloodcurdling Mushroom: This mushroom has moved down a level and evolved due to the Mana strain. If devoured, the eater will suffer body convulsions, sweat, visions, and some other minor things. This will render them bedridden for a day or so, but at least this variety is no longer hazardous to burn. Still foul, though. It is not fatal unless they keep eating them for some reason, but people can be unpredictable.

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Well, that was just dandy. Delta dismissed the screen. Just knowing there are Upgrades for the vile things waiting for her. She sighed and opened a new box she had made in her...happy state.

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Delta's list of goals!

 1. Repay Dil, the farmer's son, in some way.

 2. Make the fishing better for Ruli.

 3. Make more levels and get an Avatar!

 4. Make the...not-Dungeon a place for all the good people

 5. Figure more about the world and where the Demon Child is hiding.

 6. Destroy the evil mushrooms by any means necessary.

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Delta thought it was a very reasonable list for her current state. Sadly, she hadn't grown enough food or such to be of help on a farm. Not unless Dil wanted to be an apple farmer...

"Nu, is there some way to gift a pig or make something to be taken out of the Dungeon?" Delta tried, and Nu flashed to her side.

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[A Monster cannot be taken out of the Dungeon's territory.]

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Delta frowned, and then an idea hit her.

"What about a critter or something?" She asked, and Nu hesitated.

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[Critters are just very weak Monsters. Animals, basically, but with intelligence. They work on enhancing a Dungeon in some form. I doubt they can leave, either.]

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Nu's words were blunt but not unkind. He hovered over to Delta's list and looked it over.

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[The child will heal in time. Surely, you need not worry about the one human you have fought, right? I already have an alert for any kind of memorial if we unlock it... Surely, that is enough?]

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Delta snapped her eyes up, and she stormed up to Nu, finger jabbing.

"I will never just let that go. I lured him into the Dungeon by stealing his livestock. He needed that animal, or he would have never come after it. I can't let just let that go!" Delta stressed, and Nu only floated for a second before more words appeared.

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[Human life. It is a conundrum for us. We feed off it, but we seek to protect it. Yes. I did not want to suggest this due to perhaps being a waste of resources, but I... if it makes you feel better. We have a method of giving people things that they can remove from the Dungeon: Rewards. The challenges have only been shown to give objects, but looking it over, I'd see no reason it cannot form a simplistic life-form as a reward. There is even a nice spot for something referred to as 'Mounts.' I suspect Dungeons can give living rewards if they advance enough.] 

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Delta blinked, then hugged the screen. Nu dinged in annoyance and slipped away.

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[I feel all rough now...]

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"Nu, we just need to get enough pigs or maybe just bacon, and maybe we can set a pig as a reward? I mean, we killed one pig and got two boars out of it. Are you sure we can't set a pig reward just now?" She asked, and Nu shivered as he tried to shake off the contact.

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[No. We can either get the creature or use the option up for the boss choice. We will need another pig to replace the template or, as you said, enough pieces of one.]

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Delta smiled.

"I'll ask Ruli. She brought me a forest last time," she reminded, and Nu shuddered.

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[I had to sort all those windows out... next time, give her a quota and cut her off before she brings you some Godly Pig of the Mountains or something equally... Ruli.]

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"I'll ask her to take it easy. Besides, it's not just the pig. Anything that can help that family out would work. I just don't have anything besides some pots and a fish that still needs to be caught." Delta said aloud and gave the black mushroom another dirty look.

"Still, I have a lot of DP and Mana now. Nu, give it to me straight. What am I lacking that could make my life easier?" She walked on top of the river, a neat little trick she managed to figure out without meaning to.

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[A secure way to fend off people who wish to use your Core's Mana for greedy purposes?]

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"Well... that's why this floor is gonna be a real Jungle Maze, and I mean, the lower we go, the safer I am, right?" Delta pointed out, and Nu dinged softly.

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[There are people who conquer Dungeons in the hundreds if what Ruli has said is true. But yes, the deeper we dive into the puzzles and tricks, the better I would feel. Besides, your jungle is merely a patchy plain with a few trees. Your plants aren't exactly spreading much besides the grass.]

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Delta looked around, and sure enough, she could see one end of the room from the other. Was it meant to take this long to make a decent jungle?

"Flowers... they spread with pollen. Pollen gets around in various ways, like butterflies, wasps... bees..." Delta paused, and Nu went quiet.

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[We forgot about the bees.]

Jungle Bees: These are simple-minded gatherers of pollen. The more plants and flowers on the floor, the more these workers will grow in numbers and effectiveness. Its stinger may apply a local paralytic poison. It will not kill. 13 Mana.

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"Nu, I thought you were on top of this?" Delta teased, and Nu went purple, his words shrinking.

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[I have been rather busy dealing with your illogical screeching of fungi. It would throw anyone off their game!]

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"Right, right..." Delta smiled and made two of the bees.

Sure, she could debate and plan what the bees would do to her Jungle Room, see what could change... but Delta wouldn't bee herself if she planned things too much.

Two tiny red-striped bees appeared and buzzed curiously around. Delta cooed at their fluffiness and then moved back a little as they floated closer with their stingers moving in a little dance.

"They won't die if they lose that stinger... right?" Delta had to ask, and Nu was quiet.

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[I do not know. Maybe we bred enough 'Monster' into them for them to be a bit more...durable. We need to test that. Perhaps Ruli would like to help us there?]

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"Oh, don't be grouchy. She was just helping." Delta mused and looked as the bees flew off together.

"Bees need a hive, won't they be... I dunno, lost without one?" Delta gestured as the buzzing bees.

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[Well, let us look at their Upgrades. Perhaps something will reveal itself?]

Jungle Bees:

 - Upgrade the stinger to be lethal in a smaller dose. 10 DP. *I suspect this is not what you want.*

 - Allow Bees to collect pollen faster. 13 DP.

 - Transform one bee in this room into a Jungle Queen Bee. 20 DP. *Well, hello there. Delta, the System has come with a pre-build bee kingdom package!*

 - Allow Bees to lead to the Secret Waterfall if pleased by visitors. *'Pleased' is annoyingly blank in details. I assume we'll find out.*

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Delta was buzzing with excitement at the hive of wonderful Upgrades before her. Delta made another 2 bees just to keep the species going.

It only left her with 35 Mana, but that was fine for now.

She picked the closer bee and hit the Upgrade option. The bee twitched and began to glow. The tiny red bee grew to become almost crimson as she grew bigger and bigger. Compared to the other bees now, she was about twice the size. She took a little time to adjust to her more fine wings and width. She settled down on a rock and looked about.

Delta got a feeling that the new Queen was unimpressed at being homeless. It looked towards the source of Delta's cooing. The bee was extra fluffy now that she was a Queen. She bowed her head a little before taking off. She floated about and looked around for a suitable area.

Delta was enraptured to have such creatures in her Dungeon now. She used to love watching bees when she was young... At least, she thinks she did.

The Queen returned, and Delta got another burst of impressions. The judgment was that she did not have suitable foundations yet. The bees had nowhere to make their hive. Delta looked at the center of the room. It would be within flying distance of the jungle if the Queen needed pollen, and the bees would be helping her jungle in many ways.

So, she made a single stone pillar rise in the center of the room. It groaned, and dust shifted from the top as it rose to Delta's desired height. Not enough to peer over the trees but enough to make someone think twice before climbing it.

She used her remaining Mana to make it thicker at the base and made the top of the pillar hollow with many holes.

Her Mana hit the single digits, but Delta felt proud of her rock pillar... thing. She looked to the Queen, who had watched it all with cool bee detachment. It flew up and around, diving into the holes and out the other side. It floated back down, and Delta felt relief fill her as the Queen sent gratitude towards her.

"No worries! Have fun being Queen, uh... Lizzie!" She called after the Queen as she and her 3 bees got to work. Delta liked to imagine a golden-topped pillar with sweet honey within that would slightly leak and be considered a landmark for Adventurers.

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[Well, your ecosystem takes one step away from the madness and towards sense. Bees are important. Thankfully, since most things here do not need to kill each other, we won't need more insects to clean the mess up. Plants will barely wither, trees will not topple, nor will bees die... too much.]

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Delta paused in her waving and looked at Nu.

"What do you mean?" She asked suspiciously, and Nu went purple.

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[How much do you know about... how baby bees are made?]

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Nu sounded casual, which instantly made her more suspicious.

"Nothing, why?" She pushed, and Nu just vanished.

"Nu? NU? What happens during Bee sex?!" Delta yelled, and Devina nearby dropped the rocks she had gathered to line the river. She gaped at Delta, and this only made Delta more worried.

She floated up to the hive and, feeling like a creep, watched the bees work.

Queen Lizzie lay on a central platform and watched as her bees worked. She was wriggling, and Delta was worried before the Queen began to lay eggs.

"And that's enough nature for me today!" Delta squeaked, flying away.

She landed near her Waterfall with a pink face.

Sure, it was just what bees did naturally, but...

"None of the other Monsters did the life thing..." Delta muttered, and Nu appeared with a flash.

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[The bees have a strict number limit. Once they hit that limit, all other eggs become inert. I suspect that if we wish to, we can produce multiple hives around the jungle, but that may cause some odd mutations or even turf wars. Critters are smart, but they are still under the sway of animal instincts at times. We still have 153 DP to use. I think we should continue to add to the Dungeon. So, I suspect we must admit there is simply... nothing on the floor to actually cause any problems to people besides the river.]

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Delta looked over her giant room.

"I was thinking of some side rooms, but you're right. I need to start making something here to draw the attention of people, or they will just march on... Well, what attracts Adventurers?" Delta asked, and Nu made a soft ding noise.

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[Shiny things.]

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True enough.

Delta moved around and floated up to get an aerial view of the giant room. She closed her eyes, and years of mind-numbing TV came back to her in haunting scenes.

People... failing at simple puzzles. Idiots who were unable to do simple...platforming... Ugh, Delta shivered at the grinning Game Master. Golden monkey statues haunted her consciousness, and a spark of deviousness took over. She opened her eyes and saw the jungle, not as an empty room but a space filled with potential.

First, she needed her end goal.

She moved the farthest wall and decided to make the new room right in the middle. The gobs would be back soon, but a lot of current ideas need Mana to carve the rooms out. She would need Mana for all the placements and objects she would need.

DP was rather useless until the Mana had done its job...

So, she looked around to see if any new options had unlocked themselves.

Rale was busy raising heavy rocks from the river, and Delta opened the Menu involving the Frog Tribesman.

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Frog Tribesman, Rale:

 - Evolution Options:

 - Frog Warrior: A Frog-man who has taken the art of fighting to the next level. 15 DP.

 - Frog Shadow: A Frog-man who can be one with the jungle shadows. 15 DP.

 - Frog Witch Doctor: A Frog-man who can bend the nature of the jungle. 15 DP

 - Frog Chieftain (Rare): The leader of the Frog Tribesmen. It gains bonuses when the tribe thrives. Only one may exist at a time. 20 DP.

 - Unique Opportunity: Challenges 2/5.

 - Upgrades Options:

 - Upgrade its spear to hold the Jungle Bee's poison. 10 DP

 - Grant weak poison resistance to any plant grown in the jungle. 28 DP.

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Delta was impressed. Rale had options, and the Frog-man... was still diving after rocks.

"Rale, do you want to be a Frog-man that hits hard, a Frog-man that sneaks, a Frog-man that curses people both figuratively and literally, a Frog-man that bosses people around, or do something special that I have no idea about?" Delta called, and Rale paused.

"I want to rescue idiot people who fall in the river, Great Mother," He said with pride, and Delta looked over the options and then nodded.

"Alright, you just keep up the good work. If some 'Lifeguard' option comes up, we'll talk about it! Are you happy? Do you need anything?" Delta asked before she left. Rale looked around and then shrugged softly.

"I need better things to rescue. I need to be better, faster!" Rale kneeled.

"Stronger!" Delta finished without pausing, and Rale only agreed.

"Hm, you need... work-out gears? Human-shaped dummies... Okay, I'll keep that in mind. I just need to get some Mana. You hang tight, and I'll be back with the brand new spanking Frog Gym before you know it!" Delta promised and, clearing her throat, spoke.

"Stone dumbbell!"

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Creation: Stone dumbbell added to the list.

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"Wooden bench!"

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Creation: Wooden bench added to the list.

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"Ugh... this is going to take forever. Nu, is there a way to set it to auto-discovery something?"

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[Try... this.]

Creation: All common items related to a gym. This will only work if you know the items. It won't create things you do not know or have no idea how it works.

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"Yeah, because that would be far too easy," Delta replied dryly.

"Creation: All common items related to a gym!" She called, and Rale watched with interest.

There was a pause, and a screen appeared.

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A Gym Items Subsection is being created. The process will be slowed to prevent mental deterioration.

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"Oh sweet, it worked! Let's see..." Delta opened the Gym Section and saw items appear slowly, one after another.

"This should do for now." Delta hit the Menu, and for 4 Mana, two stone dumbbells appeared, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Rale approached with wide eyes.

He reached down and lifted, pausing as he had to actually put effort into the act.

Delta didn't have enough Mana for the iron ones yet. She hoped Rale would like these ones...

"Mother, I... am not worthy..." Rale whispered, and Delta just beamed. The Frog-man began to lift, once, then twice and then began to alternate his flexing.

His skin bulged as already impressive muscles began to feel the strain.

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Challenge...3/5 completed.

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Delta blinked and then smiled at the screen.

"You can do it!" She cheered as she watched Rale really begin to pump the weights at a speed that she was sure wasn't needed...

Sitting down near the Waterfall, she opened the Deep Pool Menu before it, noticing it was not the River Menu but something entirely new.

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Abyss Pool:

 - Allow Lumen Mushrooms to grow underwater and light up the tunnel if tribute is paid. Turn them into new species. 20 DP.

 - Place a Monster inside as a Guardian: Available Monsters: Frog Tribesman, Crayclaw, Mutated Silvertail. 20 DP.

 - Purchase a randomly generated guardian for the pool. This cannot be undone. 19 DP.

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"I don't know how I feel about the System offering me a gamble..." Delta said aloud, and Nu dinged in agreement.

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[It could be a pure killer, not by choice. Some Monsters are just lethal by existence. It could also be useless or shy. I am almost upset with myself to offer such a roll of the dice!]

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"I... do like gambling in games. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? I get a cool Monster and it might open all sorts of paths! I mean, it's not like I'm going to be getting some convenient S-Class Mermaid and Sea Fairy or something. This is a lottery, not a wish-fulfillment device. Also, if this doesn't work out, there's plenty of fish in the sea!" Delta pointed out and tapped the screen.

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[Are we doing wordplay now? Good grief...]

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19 DP vanished, and a form began to take shape in the pool. Delta watched with anticipation.

"Come on! Cute turtle! Momma feels lucky!" Delta called, and the water began to bubble.

Then, the thing appeared. Rising up like a column of yellow ridges and two large black pinchers. It wiggled back and forth as water rained down around them. It snapped them shut like a steel trap. It turned to where Delta was and made some unholy shrieking noises. Delta screeched back, making the Worm wriggle in greeting. Delta fled.

Nu silently showed her the text that appeared, not that Delta did anything but run into a tree, still screeching.

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Abyss Worm: A 'harmless' Bobbit Worm that has undergone extreme growth from Blue Mana exposure and is now your new Guardian! Congratulations!

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