The Dungeon Fairy: Three Lives: A Dungeon Core Escapade (The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Book 3) by Jonathan Brooks (the false prince TXT) 📕

what he was talking about.  There were rooms the people could sleep in, farms they could grow food – what more could they want?  She knew that the light inside of the rooms were more than capable of growing plants, so sunlight wasn’t the issue, and since that was all they needed—

Water!

“Exactly,” her Dungeon Assistant confirmed.  “Not only will they need water to grow their food, but there’s no place for them to get water here, especially if they’re holed up for a month.  Sure, I guess they could brave the entrance and gather up some snow to melt, but that isn’t really a viable method of getting water, especially if there are 1,000 or more people living here.”

He had a point, but she wasn’t sure of the correct solution, either.  For one, water wasn’t something she could just create.  Plants, trees, and thousands of different kinds of rocks, ores, and gemstones – absolutely.  Something as simple as water – not so much.

There were three possible sources of water, as far as she could fathom.  One, which wasn’t exactly practical but might work, was to hollow out holes through the ceiling of her rooms, running through 3-inch-wide tunnels that led to the surface, where they would be exposed to the coming snow, which would melt after coming in contact with what was “technically” her dungeon, and then trickle downwards to the people living inside of the space she had constructed.  This was the “natural” solution, but it was a bit unreliable, especially if the holes on the surface got frozen over and wouldn’t melt, and the time it would take to set all that up could require a week or so.

She didn’t have that much time.

Another source of water was through an Environment, namely the Aquatic Environment.  She would have access to water then as an Environmental Object, and she could place it anywhere she chose, and just like her plants when they were cut down, it would automatically be replaced if some of it was consumed through the ambient Dungeon Force running through her dungeon.  This was the easiest solution for Tacca, though it would require using some of her Core Improvement Points to unlock the Environmental Access.  It was also the least versatile, as it would be difficult to direct where the water was needed without a lot of preparation and time, which she didn’t have, so it would likely just end up being large pools of water that the people would have to move to where they wanted it.

The last possible source of water was through Water-based traps.  They could be activated by someone simply walking or touching in a certain spot, and water would appear in whatever “trap” Tacca designed.  This was the harder of the two “magical” solutions, because of the expense of Dungeon Force to set them up, as well as the expense when they needed to be reset after use.  That could be reduced if she were to purchase a Water trap specialization, but it would still be expensive to maintain – though it really did depend on how she utilized the traps she did set up.

Environment or traps?  Water-based traps or Environmental Objects?  Which one is better?

“Why not both?”

Both?  Isn’t that a little excessive?

Shale chuckled, shaking his head.  “Excessive?  No, I don’t think you’re looking at it in the right way.  Water, for lack of a better word, is the lifeblood of the mortal races.  They can’t live without it, and they will take it however they can get it.  It will cost you a little more in terms of Points spent to acquire the Environmental Access and specialization, about 1,400 total if I’m not mistaken, but it will also make their lives much easier.  And easier, and therefore happier, is what you want here.”

What do you mean?  They won’t freeze to death or starve, so they should be happy.

“You forget that I’ve been watching all of these Raiders in the town down below,” her Dungeon Assistant said matter-of-factly.  “Did you know that one of the reasons those people want to delve through your dungeon is because of their need to get away from everyone else?”

That doesn’t make any sense.

“It’s true, I’ve been listening in and observing over the last few weeks, and I’ve learned a lot about the mortal races – more than I learned at DAPS, anyway,” he continued.  “With so many people gathered in one place, there have been arguments over inconsequential things, fights, and even a few killings, though those are rare.”

Why?

“Boredom, mostly, but also because they’re not happy.  Many of them don’t have a place to stay, they may or may not be able to afford food, or they have to wait for a month to see your dungeon – and for quite a few, all three of those things at once.  But you should see the smiles on their faces when they finally get a chance to delve through your rooms, or if something finally goes right for them in town – like getting a room to themselves – or having enough to eat.  Those happy people don’t argue, don’t fight, and don’t kill their fellow Raiders, behaviors which I’m sure you’d prefer to maintain while they’re inside an enclosed space like the one you’re creating.”

Tacca could certainly see the potential disaster that could create, with disgruntled Raiders trapped inside of a mountain, unable to leave or have any other outlet.  Which gave her an idea of sorts of what to do with her new section….

But there wasn’t time to dwell on that, because she had less than 24 hours to finish her grand project.  Taking Shale’s advice, Tacca spent 1,400 CIPs; 600 went toward a Water trap specialization, while 800 was used for an Aquatic Environmental Access.

Aquatic – Environmental Access

The Aquatic Environment allows the creation of water, water-based plants, corals, shells, and a variety