There is No Epic Loot Here, Only Puns

16: Duck for Traps

The duck had found her Core room.

Delta watched as the bird eyed her Core. There was a lot about this duck that had Delta a little worried. For one, it had almost zero reaction to Fran or Bacon other than more angry quacking. So now Delta had no clue what the duck was going to do.

Some ancient duck ritual to drain her of mana? Delta hoped not. She didn't need for this duck to turn out to be some evil demon.

The duck quacked once.

Delta blinked at the menu.

Summoned Duck #3981 would like to form a contract! A max of 3 contracts can be formed until a new level is formed. Current contracts 2 of 3.

Delta eyed the 'yes' button and at the waiting duck.

Quiss and Ruli hadn't spoken about contracted monsters or what was okay to accept... but Quiss had summoned this duck himself, how bad could it be?

Delta frowned, the contracted monsters seemed like Godsends but there didn't seem to be any downside to them as far as Delta could puzzle out, except for the expensive resurrection cost of course.

"Menu? What bad things could contracted monsters bring?"Delta asked aloud and the menu hummed into existence.

Contracted Monsters: By forming a contract with a dungeon, the monster gains power from the contract that the dungeon cannot control. Contracted Monsters also can leave the dungeon and take a tiny portion of power with them. Contracted Monsters need a huge amount of DP to respawn and do not have to follow orders. The Dungeon Core cannot force the monster to break the contract while it is alive.

Costs a lot, doesn't need to listen to her, and Delta can't force it to leave until it get's beaten by adventurers. Yeah, Delta could she how that could be a problem if she invited the wrong thing into her dungeon.

"Uh... sure, welcome to the dungeon," Delta hit the button as she saw it. The duck glowed and changed.

Delta watched as its brownish feathers turned pitch black and it shook itself once.

"Quack!" The duck seemed... happier? Delta watched it waddled off as her menu dinged again.

Dark Drake: A simple duck with simple needs. Due to ambient magic power left on its feathers, this duck can now curse people to have a bad time if they annoy it.

That raised questions on its own. What curse? What exactly made up a 'bad time'? Delta didn't know and hoped no one was stupid enough to try. Still, now she had a duck, and she knew exactly where it was heading!

Not outside, sadly, Delta had a feeling this duck marched to the beat of his own drum.

The Pond seemed to fit the Dark Drake just fine and Delta quickly hollowed out a little edge near the back of the pond so the duck could nest there or something?

She wanted to improve the pond even more now but Delta inhaled and reminded herself she had an empty room before the Goblin Camp. Delta couldn't just have empty space doing nothing.

Floating back, she eyed the space and remembered what Quiss had said off one hand.

"If they live beyond that door, its a bit weird they don't guard this one."

That was true and Delta felt giddy as she lowered the floor, but only about half the room. The forming slope felt off, so she flattened the side where people would enter. Delta looked up to the entrance that was somewhere about 8 feet off the ground.

"Can I lower the entrance?" she asked and her handy menu responded.

Lowering dungeon beyond this point to the entrance will require 15 mana, do you wish to lower dungeon? Entrance will not change location.

Delta hesitated then agreed. She stumbled as the dungeon shook. Her mental map not changing so much but her awareness felt like it had gain new depths as the first half of her dungeon lowered itself down to put everything beyond this room on a higher elevation.

The tunnel connection sank down until it was now on even ground with the lowest part of the room.

"Step one done," Delta nodded and turned to the top of the hill where the exit awaited the people who entered.

"Menu, give me the mana cost for wooden goblin watchtowers!" Delta requested and she mentally winced as the cost.