Chapter 6: Board by Board
"I want to build an open dungeon. With our location I don't think a submerged type will do well here. Plus I've always felt more relaxed and a home in wide open areas." Mary replied after a long moment of contemplation on the question.
"Then that's what we'll do, after all it's the place you'll be living for a long, long, time so it's important that you're happy with it. With that choice made now it's time to make a choice of template." As Neira spoke she fiddled with her own status and through their bond pulled up the templates menu in front of Mary. "Now like with improvements, templates are something the Gods implemented in order to make creating and expanding the dungeons easier since not everyone chosen will necessarily have the skills to make the dungeons successful."
"Before we get into that, one quick question. I've been meaning to ask but why do the Gods choose people randomly instead of picking people with the best skill sets?" The question had been bothering Mary since Neira told her she had been randomly picked to be a dungeon. Neira blinked in surprise before giggling as she answered. " That would be because if they were to narrow it down to just that group of people they wouldn't have enough. After all, the more specific or qualified a person they look for, the smaller the pool to choose from. Hence they do it randomly to have as large a base of people as possible."
"Now back to the topic at hand. Templates are essentially a selection of prebuilt options to choose from. For in-depth details dungeons would have to build them by hand but for large-scale things such as making a brick wall or a throne room they help by giving the ability to make it all at once. With one caveat however, aside from the first one templates are only available every 20th rank, so rank 20, 40, etc. So while you're not exactly locked in you do need to pick with a pinch of caution and planning. Also something to note, you won't have evey template available, just ones that either match the location or your affinities."
Mary mentally nodded as she started to actively look at the list that had been sitting in the corner of her eyes for the past little bit.
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Current Templates Available
Pirate Fort
Tower
Labyrinth
Cavern
Castle
Sunken Ship
Undersea reef
Graveyard
...
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Despite what Neira said about it being a list tailored to her affinities and location the list was still quite expansive, with hundreds of options from generic castles to specific ones like a Cursed Undersea Marina. Using the sun and eventually the stars to measure time It took Mary 7 hours to read through the whole list due to how many options and variants there were. If she included the amount of time she spent discussing each option with Neira the time would be closer to 15 hours. In the end, they settled on an option though.
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Template Selected
Eldritch Sea Resort
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The moment she made her selection Mary felt a rush as information suddenly flooded her with new materials and things she could make. The influx made her zone out for several moments before her mind cleared up. Shuddering slightly at the memories of some of the things she could make she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Neira had given her a heads-up about what things with the Eldritch modifier could contain so it's not like she didn't expect it. As for why a resort of all things instead of something like a shipyard or marina? The answer was simple, even though she didn't mind hard work after being exposed to the concept since she was a little girl she was tired. She wanted to be able to rest and relax without any worries for once in her life.
Hence she chose a dungeon that once she was able to create an avatar would allow her to do just that, relax. Murder machine or not, a resort is still a resort and as the dungeon she would naturally be unaffected by the traps or hostile monsters present. She could already imagine it, laying on a sunchair in a swimsuit relaxing with a cool glass of alcohol next to her as some ungodly creature waited on her hand and foot.
Smiling to herself as only a disembodied floating gem could she set to work clearing out the grass and rocks around the area before flattening it. After she cleared a sizeable area she concentrated for a moment before the earth began to shake slightly as it rose and hardened into a foundation of grayish-black stone brick settled down. Then wood began to rise from the stonework turning into a large and impressive single-story hotel that looked as if it was fit for royalty to inhabit. The building was expertly crafted with designs of sea life, ships, mermaids and other ocean-themed designs appeared. Next paint started to wash along the wood, staining the hotel in royal blue, soft gold, gentle green, and brilliant white. Yet, that wasn't all that happened as the brick then began to crumble as algae and other plants grew on it in places at rapid speed. The wood began to mold as paint faded and peeled, windows cracked, boards rotted. Suddenly the opulent and resplendent hotel looked as if it hadn't been tended to in decades now a decrepit shell of its former self.
The inside faired no better, high quality carpet and marble floors ruined with seawater, mold, and exposure from the elements. Chandeliers fallen on the floor, crystals scattered all over the ground, sharpened by time rather than dulled as if for the hotel to vent its wrath upon any careless enough to step on them. A regal concierge desk stood across the grand main entrance, papers strewn all around, the heavy wooden counter warped and cracked as keys lay all around it. Dust and cobwebs coated everything as Mary looked around in both wonder and disgust. Her years as a maid caused the sight to be revolting to her even more than normally so, yet having watched all this appear in mere moments caused a sense of awe to well up within her at the sheer level of detail this "basic" template held.
One final look around and Mary was happy for now as she mentally signaled she was done with the basis and first room of her dungeon. The moment she did so she felt, more complete, for lack of a better way to describe it was as if part of her that she hadn't known was missing suddenly filled back in again. At the same time her status also flashed before her with an update.
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Congratulations on creating your first room and starting your first floor!
Rank increased to 2
Improvements unlocked
Minion selection unlocked
Name: Marigold Spotter
Dungeon Epitaph: Locked
Title: N/A
Rank: 1 -> 2
Type: Coastal Deep Sea Dungeon
Template: Eldritch Sea Resort (new)
Affinities: Storm, Deep Sea, Soul
Bonds: Neira
Mana: 100 / 100 -> 100 / 200
Mana/Hour: 10
Anima: 0
Floors: N/A -> 1
Minion Type: N/A
Improvements: N/A
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Well isn't that just peachy, more decisions to make and lists to spend hours reading Mary thought with a mental roll of her eyes.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone