Whilst Kuroki could not ask for a finer or more varied assortment of creatures than that which he now possessed, he feared their numbers were far to few. The situation was not dire, by his reckoning, but it wasn't optimal by any stretch.
He also watched his new Torturer with growing disatisfaction. Was it impossible to get decent hired help in such a backwater realm? He knew that he shouldn't be surpised.
A TORTURE VICTIM HAS DIED AND RETURNED AS A GHOST!
"Kuroki! I need another one!"
"You're methods are brutish, ineffective and simplistic. It seems your recommendations are false, Torturer. I want to keep some prisoners alive, Haversham! It might surpise you to learn this, but corpses aren't actually useful to me."
"But Keeper... that is my job!"
"You're job is what I say it is," Kuroki dropped the Torturer flailing into the Workshop before despairingly ordering; "Make me some Steel Doors or something, Fool."
Who to replace him with...
The Keeper in a stroke of inspiration knew exactly what to do. He picked up one of his imps and dropped him outside the Torture Chamber. Pariah was an unusually vicious little imp with a taste for the theatrical. His swollen forehead bulged, even beneath his crimson linen chaperon. His eyes were unnaturally small and beady and his smile was filled with sharp little incisors. He also knew how to follow orders and wasn't an idiot. He would make an adequete deputy for his new head torturer when she was finished interrogating the captured fly.
"Pariah, you are on Interrogation duty. You report to Yidra, the mistress. You do as she says and you take over for her when she is busy."
The Torturers fumblings weren't entirely unfruitful as the Keeper acquired a new creature to his ranks.
"Hello, Keeper. Who are you, exactly? I am Pasili. I used to be a Priestess following my beloved Keeper Ivenik, but then I died. I wandered the lands as a spirit, searching for a chance to come back. I have found it now. I have taken over the spirit of that female Troll you were torturing earlier. And now it seems I am in your service. How may I help you?"
"I am Keeper Kuroki and this is my dungeon within the Southern Isles. You are welcome here, Pasili. Unfortunately we can't match my enemies here in number and so we must overcome through superior skill and magical knowledge. If you wish to devote yourself to either training or research, it would be appreciated."
Pasili was followed by another new arrival.
"Great Keeper, Kuroki. I have heard of your ways, how you try and avoid needless violence by giving opponents a chance of surrender instead of charging in to kill them as any other Keeper would do. I honor your ways. I would like to fight for you, and to help you overcome opponents by means of surrender instead of violence. I am a Dark Elf of Close and Long Range. I possess powerful magic and can research. I am also a Temptress and can use my alluring magic to trick opponents. I am at your service."
"Greetings, Dark Elf. If you have the capacity your services would be valuable in the Library where research into both the Scavanger Room and the Pro..."
NEW SPELL RESEARCHED
"...nevermind, that. I have the Protect Spell now."
Kuroki addressed Annika who had been researching the spell; "Excellent work, Annika. Pick up a bonus from the Treasury if you desire."
The Keeper shifted his attention to Yidra as Flattery unwittingly revealed the results of his explorations. Still, Kuroki could not help but speculate exactly how effective Yidra's methods would yield against creatures less naive - or more paranoid. As he listened to Flattery's information, map information began to flow in and update.
......
I thought he would have far more creatures in reserve. Given his last show of force and it isn't as if he hasn't had time to replenish. Have I finally worn him down or are they in another part of his dungeon?
His own dungeon wasn't the only thing that the fly had seen that was of interest. to Kuroki, of course. There were more skeletons.
"The goblin is unconscious, my Keeper!"
"THE BATTLE IN THE COMBAT PIT IS OVER."
"Good..." Kuroki eyed his warlock thoughtfully. Asifet more than proven himself a steadfast and loyal minion. While he hadn't been around as long as Eixe, Beetlington or Grot; he did stand out for his reliability and broad competence. "Asifet, in the service of this dungeon you have excelled. I am promoting you to the rank of Unfettered Hand of Kuroki and will be in charge of managing a small contingent. You will be tasked with... special assignments. Can I trust you with this?"
Kuroki apparently liked the answer because he dropped Asifet in the training room before announcing his decision to the greater dungeon;
"Grot, Pasili and Zaral... I am going to assign you to Dracnesse under the command of my warlock, Asifet. He has been promoted to the rank of Hand. I will assign you special objectives and you will work cohesively together as a team; I would suggest you off start by training together. I have faith in your abilities, my creatures."
In truth, the Keeper had his doubts. Zaral was too inexperienced, Pasili was an unknown quantity and Grot was... well... he was Grot. At the same time Kuroki had faith. Without setting creatures challenges, how could they rise above them?
DUNGEON SUMMARY________________________
Heart Health: 100%
Gold Held: 17,793 (+4,100 Mining) out of a capacity of 70,000
Spells Researched: Create Imp [Basic], Create Gold [Inherent], Sight of Evil [Inherent], Speed Monster, Heal, Lightning, Protect
Rooms Researched: Combat Pit [Inherent] Hatchery, Bridge, Lair, Library, Workshop, Treasury, Workshop, Guard Room, Prison, Torture Chamber, Scavenger Room [Pending]
Available Creatures: Fly, Firefly, Goblin, Spider, Beetle, Warlock, Troll, Bile Demon, Demon Spawn, Orc, Dark Elf, Black Knight, Skeleton, Mistress, Ghost
Convertable/Transferable Heroes: Tunneler, Dwarf, Human Archer, Barbarian, Giant, Guard, Elven Archer, Wizard, Knight,
Current Creatures: 11 + 11 Imps
Annika (AoO's Warlock), Asifet (MC's Warlock), Tarik (AoO's Warlock), Eixe (Evi's Goblin), Beetlington (SF2's Beetle), Grot (MC's Troll), Keeyai (Dram's Demon Spawn), Zaral (AoO's Demon Spawn), The Black Knight (MGR's Black Knight), Yidra (MGR's Mistress), Pasili (MGR's Ghost), Rinialrah (MGR's Dark Elf)
Mdukos (EJ's Goblin)
Other Stuff
Death Count: 5 + 4 Imps
Ririi (MGR's Goblin), Buzzard (MC's Firefly), Scutus (Moth's Beetle), Luna (MGR's Goblin), Chester (Skarok's Warlock),
Imprisoned Enemies:
Jim Bob, the Level 4 Goblin [Prison]
Flattery, the Level 2 Fly [Yid]
Trap Crates:
Imps:
Imp 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 & 10 Gold Mining
Imp 7 Torture Duty.
Imp 9 Workshop Duty.
Imp 11 Expanding