Cottagecore Dungeon
Chapter 56: Time to Face the Music
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〔Bookmark〕
Chapter 56: Time to Face the Music
(THRESHOLD LEVELS MET: NEW CONNECTION AFFINITY SKILLS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE)
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I won’t talk your ears off with all the details. That’s your job.
As an added bonus, this Skill also happens to be good at passing the time. And helping others fall asleep.
Don't judge. There's beauty in this.>
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Believe me, sugar, it can.
Ever heard of Kintsugi? You haven't? Shame. It's beautiful. You'd love it. Kintsugi is the art of mending pottery, stoneware, and other broken objects with precious metals (like, say… gold).
This Passive Connection Skill will enable you to infuse a Leyline thread with gold, allowing you to Stitch two objects together.
Everything gets a bit of wear and tear throughout the years. This Connection Affinity Skill can make everything right as rain… provided you've got the cash to make it rain.
Why not Mend the rules a little?>
Hmm… Ya know, when I was thinking of leveling up to help out with this situation, these offerings weren’t exactly what I had in mind. Call me a skeptic, but I don’t think potentially violent and disruptive Dungeons will be hindered by bedtime stories or gold lacing.
“What’s the matter, lurker? Got nothing to say?” The neighbor Dungeon jeered. The voice was distinctly young and male, with some sort of synthesized overlay to make his voice crackle.
All I wanted was to have some peace and quiet to level up. But I quickly got the feeling this wasn’t going to be a friendly, neighborhood chat.
Not like I was exactly in a good position for making polite conversation to begin with. Cave ceilings didn’t usually come with good rocking chairs or sitting stools. Unless I wanted to cling onto a stalactite with my Soul Stroll form–which I didn't–I wouldnt be able to verbally respond to the other Dungeon. At least until I had a solid surface to sit or stand on.
Until he did something, I was going to keep looking at my options. I quickly skimmed through my offered Powers.
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This here is an upgrade to your Pyreplace Simmer Power. Selecting this again adds a second Construction to your Crafting Recipes: The Easymake Oven.
The perfect addition to any home.
It’s not just an oven. It’s also a stove. And a firing kiln! In a pinch, this baby can passively bake up any of your available Fire Minions Recipes before dinnertime. Just remember to set a timer on your Earth Minions, otherwise they might get a bit tough when you leave them in the oven for too long.
Get cookin’, mama.>
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This Aura stops pesky neighbors and adventurers from snooping around your lawn. The Privacy Fence will block any attempts to use Scan, Spy, Scope, or any other visual Skills related to System information gathering. Your Dungeon will also be partially obscured from long distance Scrying attempts.
Keeping this Aura active doesn’t erase your physical presence. It’s a fence. Not invisibility. Anybody with eyes can see you’ve got a nice house hiding behind the picket.
Well, it was a good run. Third time’s the charm, right?
“Well, well, well. If you aren’t going to talk…” He paused. The music took on an ominous, dark turn. Like some sort of dark cathedral techno? How on Orph does he do that? “I suppose you won’t say no if I take a closer look, huh?”
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The other Dungeon reached out. And our boundaries fully met. The lines between them blurred and fuzzed. And became… sticky? I tried pulling away, but there was a slight resistance. Like velcro sticking together.
And with that, came vision. For the first time, my sight was expanded without me having to Knit or launch myself into a new room. I was able to follow these unfamiliar Leyline threads a short distance, deeper into the cave. I could see a beyond into the other Dungeon, like looking through the open living room window of someone else’s home. Naturally, I couldn’t resist being a little judgemental.
I mean, the cave was a cave. Nothing really to write home about. But I could be judgmental about how this other Dungeon tied the place together. My neighbor's wavering boundary lines of reality were… messy and chaotic. And puzzling. They ebbed and flowed like the tide. Or like... sound waves?
Yes, they did indeed match up to the music this Dungeon was fond of. In fact, the vibrating Leyline strings seemed to be the cause of all this infernal ruckus.
The meeting of our Dungeon borders also provided a small connection between us, which went further beyond mere sight-lines. I received a glimpse into his very Core. His mind and his personality.
Young. Distractible. Ambitious. Brash.
Hungry.
Those weren’t good signs. This soul was dangerous.
I needed to look at the rest of my options.
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Thankfully, their acid is weak and easily neutralized. Which means they’ll not only help you rediscover that lost family heirloom behind the dresser, but they’ll give it a good polish too!
This Connective monster can also be used as a base in a few meals. Great for “Antique Sword Jell-o,” “Enchanted Sabaton Aspic,” or “Wedding Ring Pudding.” Mmm! Now don’t they all sound delish?>
Terracotta Hermits are low maintenance. And quite good at keeping garden pests at bay. Their diet consists of whatever they can scrounge up, like clay or compost. But when they mature they develop a fondness for fresh caught orphworms. Yum.
These Earth affinity Minions are surprisingly social and good at forming Connections. Once they outgrow their mobile homes, Terracotta Hermits will pass down their shells to the younger generations. While stoneware might break easily, over time, Terracotta Hermit shells will magically harden as they absorb residual Mana. Which means you won’t be outgrowing this Minion Recipe anytime soon.
Just make sure these Minions are never homeless. Or they get real crabby!>
Milly! This is serious! I've got the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come barking up my wall and a teenage dirtbag under the floorboards! And you're making dad jokes?
You need to give me more to work with here! Nothing here is good for direct combat! I need my Minions to be pulling out the big guns, not chewing on the carpet! Where's the giant laser worms? The swamp monsters? The dragons for my Dungeon?
My internal cursing was interrupted by my neighbor. Because, of course, the edges of our property lines didn’t come with a privacy fence. He also got a glimpse into the fringes of my Dungeon too. His smile grew as wide as a billboard. “First a brain-dead Dungeon Core? And now some fucking boomer? You’ve got to be kidding me!” He laughed uproariously. It sounded fake, like he was performing his own amusement. Or for somebody else’s. “This new life is almost too easy!”
I felt the other Dungeon's attention shift. He focused on a point next to my Dungeon boundary–one of the limestone columns–and reached out to the Mana buried deep within.
I watched, curious. This action seemed familiar…
The pressure in the air dropped as the Mana gradually compressed upon itself. Then, within a fraction of a second, it immediately expanded back out with explosive force.
BOOM!
The towering cave column went off like a dry ice bomb filled with magic pixie dust. A deep reverberation, like a synthesized gong, echoed throughout the underground labyrinth.
Well, garter my stars and biscuit my butters! WHY IS EVERYTHING EXPLODING ON ME LATELY?
Thankfully, I was unharmed. My Dungeon still stood, Leylines and all. Albeit without some of its fine interior decorating.
Turns out I wasn't the only one that could Sweep or Dust away the ol' cobwebs of reality. This other Dungeon implemented the tried and true method of simply blowing the world to smithereens.
I had to admit, his methodology was quite fast at cleaning up physical matter. It put my duster and broom Skills to shame, even if it was, frankly, barbaric.
Red and white colored Mana swirled about in the air chaotically as our Dungeon Cores automatically tried to hoover up the residual Mana.
Strangely, I felt like I had managed to pull away slightly more Mana than him into my Dungeon. To be honest, I hadn’t expected to come out on top of that little tug-of-war. Even if I hadn’t consciously done anything, it was weird that I managed to absorb more Mana when he was the one that blew up the environment in the first place.
The other Dungeon's attention shifted again. This time further up along my boundary lines, leading towards the cottage. Towards my Core.
I mentally gasped as I realized his intentions.
No! Not again! What is it with everyone wanting a piece of my magic crystal body?
He reached out again.
Leave me alone!
The pressure in the air dropped.
Without thinking, I also reached out...
And swatted him.
His attention reeled."What the hell?" His voice cracked.
His strange Leyline unraveled and his Mana Blast Skill fizzled.
He tried again.
And again, I swatted at his Skill like a flip-flop on a fly.
“Stop that!”
Like a grumpy honey bee, I continued to swat away the Leyline threads. Which was surprisingly easy. No wonder Dungeon's needed external protection. Whatever his Mana "eating" Skill was, it required a higher attention level than casual swatting.
But I had to do something else. Eventually he’d give up and try another tactic. And this music was... UGH.
In the background I sneakily began Leyline Knitting. I crept into the opposite direction of where the neighboring Dungeon had come from, snagging up some unclaimed territory through the cave, making sure to get enough ground coverage to stand on.
If I was quick, it might be able to make it look like I had also come from deep within the mountain, just from the other side?
Not likely. It was a long-shot. Only a fool would fall for that ploy.
But, then again… This other Dungeon was young. And I had some experience over the years in fooling young neighbors.
All I needed was to buy some time.
I Soul Strolled into the cave and stared up at the giant crescent smile. “Could you please turn it down?”
〔Bookmark〕
Previous chapter
contents
introduce
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