Acquired Item!
Lightstone Staff (Honeywood)
Rarity: Magic
Damage Type: Infernal
Seals: Illuminate
The old man’s staff was formed from honeywood but the crystal glowing on its top was peculiar. Runes marked the faces of the cheap glass, and I mined their function as I consumed each one.
Zagorath Acquired an Enchanted Sigil
Illuminate (100 Infernal Essence)
I chuckled at the pure illusionary magic of the priest’s weapon.
“What is it?” Abby asked me.
“The priest who stole you—did you know his staff could only shine a little? I thought maybe it could blast a few energy bolts, but it’s just a glorified torch!”
“Now you mention it, I never did sense him using it for anything except illuminating his path.”
“He was a charlatan through and through,” I said. “But at least his sigil will be useful.”
Zagorath was still far too dimly-lit, and the Illuminate enchantment would resolve some of the issues. I didn’t want my dungeon to be completely visible to adventurers but still wanted them to feel as if they had a fighting chance. One of the best ways to do that was to make sure they could at least see down here.
The crystal was firm, but it didn’t take me long to find microscopic fractures in the frame of the material and absorb it. Then I consumed the honeywood until nothing remained of the entire staff. Finally, I consumed the priest’s robe and his satchel.
Zagorath Consumed Magic Staff (Honeywood)
Physical Essence +50
Zagorath Consumed Priestly Robes (Roughweave Cotton)
Physical Essence +10
Zagorath Consumed Satchel (Tanned Leather)
Physical Essence +5
Zagorath Acquired Blueprints
Staff (Magic)
Priestly Robes (Common)
Satchel (Common)
Laying on the floor where the priest’s satchel had been was a tiny statue of a fairy-like creature. It was made of the same burnished metal as the soul forge and the Hellbat effigy, and my eyes widened as I realized its purpose. As my mind crawled over the item, it became known to me, and then Abby spoke.
“It’s a Storm effigy,” she said with a hint of worn nostalgia. “It won’t be possible for you to use it.”
“Hmm . . .” It might not have been useful to me right now, but it would almost certainly become valuable if I figured a way for my soul forge to consume it. Abby might just be the key to that, so I left the effigy there and moved on.
Another sweeping glance over my floors, stairs, and passages, and I was satisfied I hadn’t forgotten anything. Bertha was up in the antechamber, meditating in her favorite position. I still hadn’t resummoned Puck after his death, and I figured I’d give the half-troll a little more recuperation time while upgrading my weapons.
I built a new dagger out of Obsidian Alloy and inscribed the Swiftness +1 sigil into the hilt beneath its pommel.
Crafted Item!
Agile Pig-Sticking Dagger (Obsidian Alloy)
Rarity: Magic
Damage Type: Infernal
Seals: Swiftness +1
Swiftness channels the essence inside a wielder and increases their speed.
Cost: 1,000 Infernal Essence, 150 Physical Essence
I put the dagger beside my core and recreated six new scimitars and one dagger built from Orc Steel. The new set of weapons appeared on the side altars, replacing where the cleavers had once been. I created brand new pieces of leather armor and let them rest on the altars alongside the weapons. In total, five sets of armor required 350 Physical Essence. I embossed small details of Lilith’s visage and collections of skulls in the items as a kind of brand for Zagorath.
Then my mind turned to my champions. Bertha’s halberd seemed to be holding up fine, so I left it alone. I doubted Puck could actually swing with any sort of power, so I left him unarmed. His shadow-spheres and flight would have to do for now.
I forged a new Savage Halberd as a tempting piece of treasure for the next set of adventurers. Instead of Troll Iron or Orc Steel, I used the Obsidian Alloy to form a glaive-like head of shining black metal. I etched a Might sigil into the blade and wrapped the handle in fresh Black Leather, giving the user a better grip. With a little flair, I shaped a single rack for it, directly in front of my core’s plinth.
With the veritable ocean of Infernal Essence swirling in my core, I flooded my soul forge chamber with fifty Hellbats. They exploded from the swirling miasma of energy in the clawed platform, whirled up through the ceiling, and took their place once again in the vents. I ordered twenty above the antechamber, twenty into warrens above the First Floor, and the last ten I tucked away above the side altars in the Pretzel.
I still had over 3,000 Infernal Essence but wanted to spare some just in case new upgrades came along.
“That was… amazing,” Abby said in awe.
“Sure you weren’t going to say impossible?” I questioned.
“Shush.”
Her reaction just made me laugh. Lilith really had wanted me to do well.
Finished for now, I glanced over my dungeon’s status page.
Zagorath
Type: Infernal Core
Essences
Physical - 3,360/10,000
Infernal - 3,496
Soul - 925
Soul Forges
Hellbat
Champions
Bertha the Hell Troll/Human (Black Sands)
Puck the Infernal Imp
Traps
Spring Trap (Physical)
Bladed Fan (Physical)
Ceiling Spike (Physical)
Floor Spike (Physical)
Materials
Obsidian
Bread-rock
Honeywood
Troll Iron
Leather Scraps
Obsidian Alloy
Clouded Ruby Gemstone
Black Leather
Tanned Leather
Goblin Oil
Orc Steel
Roughweave Cotton
Cheap Crystal
Blueprints
Cleaver (Magic)
Poleaxe (Common)
Savage Halberd (Magic)
Savage Mace (Magic)
Two-Handed Great Sword (Epic)
Orc Scimitar (Common)
Orc Short Spear (Common)
Leather Jerkin (Common)
Leather Boots (Common)
Leather Cuffs (Common)
Leather Pants (Common)
Leather Belt (Common)
Pig-Sticking Dagger (Magic)
Staff (Magic)
Priestly Robes (Common)
Satchel (Common)
Seals
Swiftness (750 Infernal Essence)
Swiftness +1 (1,000 Infernal Essence)
Might (1,000 Infernal Essence)
Illuminate (100 Infernal Essence)
Lilith had definitely given me an advantage in one sense; while I still had to number-crunch, the game-style readout of what I’d learned was incredibly useful. Then a new notification rolled over my vision, my eyes widening as I read the text.
Zagorath Increased in Power!
Total Champions Increased: 2 → 3
Maximum Physical Essence Increased: 10,000 → 20,000
Maximum Avatar Time: 60 minutes → 180 minutes
I figured I’d leveled up, and the power increases were definitely welcome. I could add another champion to my ranks, could carry additional Physical Essence, and my avatar could spend far more time outside my jewel. All
