To Kelly, the stepped nature of the monument’s lower section was obvious enough, especially after Billy’s input on what was written there. A simple structural design that placed the most foundational knowledge on the bottom and built up from there. Even the images of the various forms of kobold were dissected and figured out. Though the knowledge of all the different forms a kobold could come in wasn’t the most useful at the moment. She was even able to notice that each section of writing had been done by a different hand with no repeats, something Billy had missed.
Though, as Kelly had suspected, the truly marvelous stuff was on the obelisk section. She wasn’t quite certain what most of it meant. It seemed after a certain point even just the more measurements started to slip from your mind in a similar manner to how the writing did for Billy. However, just the lower section was enough to help so many things in town. The only shame is that none of it can be used directly.
Sure, she had basically crawled all over the monument, measuring every bit she could. In the end, though, even without realizing it, Kelly could tell most of the special measurements weren’t going to work. However, it did open up the avenue of finding what similar things were that would work. The most simple of which was found almost instantly and made her feel like a bit of a dunce.
In hindsight, it should have been obvious something so widespread in nature would have a magical meaning as well. So yeah, the golden ratio had power. Kelly wasn’t sure of the details, but that and more opened up before her. Though of course the capstone of the obelisk wasn’t ignored by her.
The rest of the measurement and talk of ratios came after she spent way too long trying to figure the capstone out. Kelly could see the most obvious bits, but anyone could. It had kobold gods on it and it didn’t act as a proper icon for any of them.
Now, if someone wanted to start worshiping one of said gods, they could likely whip something up using the capstone as a reference. For Kelly, that wasn’t the major draw. Rather, even after the forgetfulness enforced by the monument, she did all she could to remember. Not that much stuck. Though afterwards Kelly’s head was swimming with so many half-formed thoughts and ideas.
So much so that deeper in the dungeon, Doyle just had to ask, ‘Is the monument really that exaggerated? I’m looking at it right now and the thing isn’t really that mysterious.’
Ally laughs, ‘Most of what they’re grappling with is the extra-dimensional nature of the thing. I still can’t read the thing, but going by how the boy described it, about halfway is where the original creators of the monument failed.
‘They tried really hard to make the info generic, but past a certain point things begin to mismatch. The whole forgetfulness thing is just an outcropping of it. What he was reading simply doesn’t fit with their universe and so the information gets eroded.
‘Sort of a passive self defense by the dimension. After all, things monument are a popular method to try and invade a dimension for a few unsavory sorts. Anyway, you don’t have a problem looking at it because you are your dimension. Not like you are going to deny yourself the knowledge.’
Doyle tilts to the side, ‘If it is a defense, then why would it be okay for me to take a look?’
Ally shrugs, ‘Rules of the game? Like, there are things so corruptive by nature that to have one existing in a dimension is harmful. On the other hand, an item that needs a sapient to do something is a lot safer because you are a dimension. The most common such item is going to be some form of demon or devil summoning ritual.
‘Not the usual ones where someone calls up some otherworldly evil and contracts it. Those are to a certain extent safe in that once the contract is broken or the contractor dies, give or take a few conditions, the summoned being will go back home along with any extra beings they might have summoned. Though it also helps that while the summoner is generally calling up something more powerful than them, that summon can’t in turn summon anything of equal or greater strength to itself.
‘Not saying there aren’t a few dimensions overrun by extraplanar entities which have managed to set up a self-sustaining cycle of summoners. Though most common for that tends to be angel analogues as less backstabbing tends to happen. Not that they aren’t any less bad for a dimension, but that is neither here nor there.
‘Anyway, I got a bit off topic there. Simple enough, contract summons or battle summons are cool, even the lowest power permanent summon is bad. If even a single imp is allowed into a dimension, it can cause whole worlds to fall if not more. Mostly because stuff like devils and angels make sure even their lowest or low can summon the next step in the chain.’
Doyle nods, ‘I can see how that would be trouble. I’m assuming there is some leeway and signs of this happening so we aren’t going to end up with a swarm of extraplanar nonsense knocking on our door anytime soon?’
Ally grimaces and shrugs, ‘Eh? Maybe? I feel it is relatively safe to assume the dimension doesn’t currently have some extraplanar cancer growing in it? There is a system so it is mostly safe to assume that if we did, there would be more being done to curb it. Stuff like having system “events” to challenge the locals against some menace or another. That and there would be a lot more elements around meant to counter the threat as the system would loosen the requirements for stuff like paladins if there was a demonic invasion.’
Doyle, ‘So the system would act like an immune system for the dimension?’
Ally shakes her head, ‘While a dimension does work to prevent outside interference, they don’t actually get hurt by them per se. Or rather, for something as simple as an invasion of demons, they don’t care. Whether a dimension is filled with humans, demons, devils, angels, or any other number of beings is immaterial to it.
‘Extraplanar knowledge is blanket blocked because of threats to the dimension itself. There are things out there that eat dimensions and they can start from the most harmless of sources. All it takes is given some civilization a single toehold and even without a True Immortal backing them, some places have advanced in certain ways to the point that they can reel in smaller dimensions to plunder.’
Doyle darkens, ‘I think I might have seen something like that.’
Ally raises an eyebrow, ‘Well that is alarming.’
Doyle shakes his core, ‘Don’t worry, it isn’t any near here. I had to go pretty far to find my myconid boss and on the way I came across a disturbing little collection of dimensions. It was basically a giant fungal net using corrupted souls to try and spread itself to other dimensions through fungal sapients. I made sure to stay away from that mess and double checked the boss’s soul before pulling it in. Also, while whatever was being done left a mark on the souls of fungaloids longer than not, it wasn’t permanent.’
Ally makes a sour face, ‘Yeah, I think you mentioned something about it? Maybe not as complete as that, but I’m surprised I didn’t react more at the time. I would say that was worrying, except for the fact the void is the most infinite thing we currently know of, so finding stuff like that isn’t strange. Since even for you it felt like a good distance away, we should be safe until you’re more ready to defend yourself.
‘Also, since the dimension we’re attached to is relatively new to magic, the chances of there being any fungal colony old enough to host such a thing properly is doubtful. While sapient fungus doesn’t require supernatural powers to exist. They’re generally going to need it to do anything. Though speaking of fungus and what not, how is your boss settling in?’
Doyle pauses for a second, ‘Speaking of the boss settling in, when do I get my new instances?’
Ally snorts, ‘Answer a question with a question?’
Doyle, ‘More likely than you think! Though yeah, the boss does seem to be settling in alright, but I did just remember that I got my instances right after I made my first boss. It was something about the dungeon being more stable.’
Ally, ‘That does sound familiar, let’s pull up the message to find out.’
{First Boss created...
Dungeon Stability increased...
Instancing for all floors before the first boss unlocked
10 instances available to be distributed among all unlocked floors}
Doyle tilts to the side, ‘That last line doesn’t make sense. It says they’re available to be used for all of my unlocked floors and yet I can very much tell they’re only good for the floors before my first boss.’
Ally, ‘That is strange, however I suspect it has to do with the stability part. Maybe once you gain more instances, you will be able to spread even those instances to the deeper floors. Though I must admit, I’m a bit ignorant on the subject.’ Chapters first released on novel★fire.net
Doyle, ‘So why isn’t my dungeon more stable now that I’ve gotten a second boss?’
Ally perks up, ‘That I can answer! Your first boss was special in a number of ways. First of all, they were your first. Going from zero to one is an infinitely larger step than going from one to two. Also, your first boss had more intent and meaning behind her. After all, you used the first floor monster that, despite being a new one every time they got wiped, you kept thinking of as the same kobold.
‘That means your myconid boss is sort of starting from zero itself while your kobold boss already was at one from the get go. If I had to guess, you’ll likely stabilize floors six to nine after the boss first fights delvers. Oh, and I do mean when the boss fights the delvers. None of that pussy footing around like what happened on the fifth floor. The delvers don’t have to win against the boss, but they do have to actually reach the final cavern and attack the bosses direct minions. Though of course that is more of an educated guess, though it should be close to the truth.’
Doyle, ‘Why the emphasis on the boss getting into actual battle? Technically, all the myconids on the floor are its to control so the outer towns are just as much under its banner.’
Ally, ‘The thing that is stabilizing the dimension is your dungeon’s native sapients, the bosses. Though now that I think of it, the kobold boss might have also had a leg up because it created those pseudo-sapient friends. While sapients aren’t required for a stable dimension and they can, in fact, cause a small enough dimension to destabilize, your bosses will always be a stabilizing force on your dungeon.
‘Now, remember the entire purpose of your dungeon’s bosses is to defend the dungeon. So while having the myconids on the outskirts of the boss’ domain might seem like enough, such threats aren’t seen as significant. Only when the boss itself is forced into battle will its position within the dungeon hierarchy stabilize and in turn, cause the earlier floors to stabilize as well.
‘Oh, and while I said this was an educated guess, this is the floor for stabilization. So maybe it doesn’t happen the instant the fight finishes. However, it won’t happen before the fight for certain.’
Doyle nods, ‘I guess that does make a certain amount of sense, but how will wandering bosses and the various sapients that aren’t a boss but could appear in the dungeon affect things?’
Ally rolls her eyes, ‘You have to rain on my parade by asking things I don’t know.’