=========================================================== Dungeon Keeper Ranma
Chapter 08: Nemesis
By A-kun
===========================================================
Nemesis growled at the audacity of this new keeper, this Keeper
Ranma. Somehow, the awesome might of Ranma's forces had allowed the
younger keeper to plow through all of King Reginald's land as though
the King's men weren't even there. In little over ten months, he'd
practically swallowed the continent whole while Nemesis' power base was
dwindling as rapidly as his health.
King Reginald and his knights had covered the land when Nemesis
had first gotten his Dungeon Heart. The two had formed a hatred for
each other that was unparalleled by any other. That hatred had cost
Reginald a fourth of the previous king's land.
But Nemesis had been in a hurry to conquer the continent when he
overstepped his bounds. Reginald claimed back most of the land Nemesis
had claimed and Nemesis' reign had ended... until five years ago, when
Nemesis began allying with the other Keepers in the land.
A little over a year ago, Nemesis ruled the land in all but the
official sense. Every Keeper on the land had made an alliance with
Nemesis and the King lived in fear as he watched more and more of his
land was lost to Nemesis and his fellow keepers.
Nemesis wanted to conquer the kingdom Reginald had protected so
that his sons could continue his legacy by conquering the world. It
was the reason he'd not destroyed a few of the Hearts of those Keepers
who would not ally with him. It was so his children could take them
and become even greater than he.
Instead, his sons quarrelled over the meager land they'd been
sent to claim as part of an effort to create cooperation between them.
Now, he wasted most of his time trying to keep their quibbling to a
minimum by entering their realm inbetween them. It had calmed them,
but not much.
Nemesis knew he was doomed to die, but he hoped, at least, that
his death would inspire his children to work together. It was the one
of the two last hopes he had. The other was that King Reginald would
not find him and destroy his Dungeon Heart. Not only did he want one
of his grandchildren to inherit it, but he also wanted to rob Reginald
of any sort of revenge after Nemesis had killed his wife.
All he could do now was prepare and hope that it would be natural
causes and not Ranma who finished him off.
"Sir, it would seem that the Dark Gods have made a decision and
allied with Keeper Ranma." came the report from Loxias the thief.
"WHAT?!" Nemesis demanded. He summoned his own Dark Angel,
Leichas.
"It is true." Leichas told the aging keeper, "However, Keeper
Ranma is not the only keeper left, Master Nemesis. Should you prove
your might and defeat him, the Dark Gods would definitely change their
opinions. However, I would choose a better battleground. This land
has little to offer you in way of defense."
"I know. I'll have to take him on in Cherry Blossom. It's an
ancient land, but it would provide us with gem veins." Nemesis
declared.
Nemesis was so wrapped up in telling his sons to go to Cherry
Blossom and preparing his own primary dungeon heart for the move that
he failed to notice that he had never converted a thief named Loxias.
Loxias smiled to himself as he snuck away. Cherry Blossom had more
than enough mana vaults and gem veins for Ranma to crush Nemesis
easily.
Lundar pondered over Ranma's question. He'd noticed the imps'
slow transformation and he was _almost_ certain he knew why.
"I believe, Keeper, that it is because of you." Lundar told him.
"Me?" Ranma asked.
"Slowly and without really thinking about it, you are influencing
the pattern by which the imps are made. Warlocks who make their own
imps can do the same, but they choose to change the imps' appearance.
You have such a strong sense of who you are that you are slowly
changing the imps into smaller copies of you." Lundar explained.
"So, any we can do to reverse it?" Ranma asked, weirded out by
the idea of hundreds of miniature Ranmas and Ranma-chans running
around.
"Well, there is, but you'd have to research imps more thoroughly
and focus on what you remember them looking like before. Even so,
there's a fair chance that this would simply happen again." Lundar told
him.
Ranma grumbled, but decided he would just have to put up with it.
At any rate, it was time for the war council.
In a newly constructed room beneath Lord Ironhelm's former tower
(before Ranma killed him and seized it), there was a massive room with
a large table in the center. Four representatives from each class,
with the exception of the Dark Angels, who only had two, and Horny, who
was unique, were seated around the table. There were a total of six
empty chairs around the table, not including the ones Ranma and Lundar
had just occupied.
"Okay, we've pretty much conquered the entire continent. The
only points that the King still controls are the castle and the land of
Butterscotch. Nemesis himself seems to be holed up in the next land
over, Cherry Blossom. What's the recon on his situation, Loxias?"
Ranma asked.
Loxias the thief stood up, "We were able to penetrate his
defenses long enough to know that he's with his two sons, Fabius and
Faust, keepers both. He spends most of his time trying to get them to
stop attacking each other on the sly. Their defenses are weak at first
glance, but actually quite well planned in reality. There are spike
traps and gas traps lining just about every doorway, they have numerous
sentry cannons and have many creatures at their disposal."
"No less from the keeper who used to rule the underbelly of the
continent about a year ago." Lundar commented, "But against our forces,
he stands no chance. I know that none of Nemesis' family believe in
doors very much, save for the expensive and difficult to create Magic
Door, which they use sparingly, thus a full charge will likely catch
them completely offguard."
"Actually, there's a bit of distressing news for the king as
well. Nemesis' health is failing." Loxias continued.
"Why is that distressing for the king?" Ranma inquired.
"Well, Nemesis was the one who killed his wife. If he dies
before King Reginald can have his revenge..." Michael began.
"Well, we can use that as a possible bargaining chip. Michael,
what about Butterscotch? What forces are there?" Ranma asked.
"The three Princes, Timothy, Anthony and Daniel. They're
guarding the land per their father's request. They hold the portal gem
in a secret location," Michael explained, "Anyone who asked about it's
location was beaten up and thrown in prison. Not only that, but we
heard them reading a letter from the King. If they're attacked,
they're to flee to the Hero Gates."
"So it's location is obviously entrusted only to the Princes.
We'll have to be sneaky and capture all three." Ranma noted.
Ranma looked at the Fairy Lynn, "Lynn, what forces are in the
castle?"
"Only the King's finest. He's been gathering up his most
powerful heroes or his most trusted to undergo special training for a
duel with us. Not only that, but there's a rumor that they may employ
the Stone Knights, but we were unable to find out their location, what
they might be ordered to do or anything about weaknesses. All we do
know is that one of the Stone Knights is protecting the final Portal
Gem within it's body." Lynn announced.
"Well, let's try capturing Butterscoth and Cherry Blossom. Once
we have the entire continent and Nemesis under foot, we'll try
bargaining one last time with Reginald." Ranma explained.
"It's nice to see that you're still feeling compassionate,
considering what the king tried." Horny commented.
"Hey, if it were my daughters, I would have tried too. That's
why I can't hold it against him." Ranma answered, "I just wish he'd
wake up and realize that he's not going to win. We've got him
outnumbered completely and even if his men are the best, they're doomed
against our forces."
"If I may be so bold, Ranma, I think the problem lies primarily
in good faith." Loxias spoke up, "The King has trusted keepers before
only to see his good faith trampled on. Perhaps if we crush Nemesis'
forces and offer up Nemesis to the King for judgement..."
"It's an idea. I don't want to kill the old man or leave him
locked up to rot away in a prison. Family is important, even if they
can be incredibly thick-headed dunderheads." Ranma responded.
Fabius was a skilled strategist and tactician... of a sort.
While he was capable of matching beginner keepers, his skills at
command and practicality were merely average at best. In the harshest
truth, he sucked big time compared to his father.
However, what Fabius lacked in intelligence, he more than made up
in charisma and quick problem solving. His minions were always happy
and though they were likely going to die, their complaints rarely
lasted long. Fabius took care of their needs quickly. He also had
numerous traps to help defend his domain, meaning that his minions were
not without support fire.
Faust, the younger of the two brothers, was the one who had
inherited his father's brilliance in combat. When it came to training
his creatures for practical combat and tactical movements, he was
genius-level.
However, Faust did not believe in doors or traps at all. He
relied entirely on his creatures to defend himself. While not a bad
idea in terms of cash expenditure and hassle (trolls and bile demons
were some of the biggest whiners in Faust's eyes), his dungeon heart
was left unprotected should someone best his creatures.
One would wonder how in the world the two brothers would have
started fighting in such a manner as to require their father to
interfere. Until one realized that there were two more things that the
brothers had inherited from their father.
Arrogance and pride.
When they'd killed Lord Ronin, they had argued about who should
claim his portal gem. It had been largely Fabius' forces who'd done
the deed, but it had been Faust' brilliant tactical movements that had
allowed his brother's warriors to do so. In their arguing, Keeper
Malachi had slipped in and claimed the portal gem from the two arguing
brothers.
Then, they'd argued over who should kill him. In their arguing,
they lost the portal gem to Ranma's forces, who swept in like a tsunami
and crushed everything in sight. The two brothers argued again, this
time over who's fault it was that the portal gem had been lost.
Then, one of Fabius' imps had killed one of Faust' imps. Faust
had returned by killing that imp. Fabius, who had not seen the first
slaying, killed one of Faust'.
It had cascaded from there.
Both brothers had been waiting for their father to get tired of
their fighting and just allow them to go at it. That way, they could
prove once and for all who the better was.
Now that they were in Cherry Blossom, there was no way in hell
their father would allow them their fight... at least, not while he was
alive. But neither brother dared attack their beloved father, daft
though he might be for wanting to take on a keeper who was as awesomely
powerful as Ranma with what little they could muster via the portals
Cherry Blossom provided.
However, if Keeper Ranma were to banish their father, they could
flee and take their own sweet time getting their revenge. But it would
be whomever won their private fight who would carry that vengence
through. It had been one of the few things they'd agreed on.
So, they began building their dungeons, silently glaring at each
other, even though they were at least a mile apart.
Nemesis grew more and more nervous. Reports of what Ranma was
doing had yet to come in, even though Nemesis had sent five high level
rogues to investigate. They should have been back hours ago.
Keepers developed special senses as they grew old. One of which
was knowing when something had gone wrong. Another was sensing when an
enemy had claimed a portal. Ranma hadn't claimed one, even though he
was near two. And the rogues were skilled enough to ignore any traps.
Nemesis got the feeling he had just thrown away five perfectly
good rogues.
No matter, his portals would cover for them. The only annoying
part was that he would have to let the newbies train a lot before they
were up to the level of his other creatures. That just infuriated
Nemesis more.
Ranma, on the other hand, was smiling as he watched the rogues
spin on the torture racks. Nemesis had been a fool to send anyone to
scout his position.
He sent some imps to claim the portals. It was time to gather
his fighting force and planning a course of attack.
The one thing he didn't like about moving his Temporary Heart was
that he had to build a fighting force from whatever came through the
portals. It was one of the powers that portal gems had, to prevent all
but those entering through a preset portal or those directly connected
to a Dungeon Heart from entering. Occassionally one could bring a
small fighting force with them, but that was a drain on his mana and on
the bodies of those that were brought with.
Sure, his forces could go and claim the land above the Dungeon,
but that did little as far as defeating the enemy below ground went.
Admittedly, that was one of the weaknesses of the Dungeon Heart.
The good news was that once the remaining portal gems were his, he
could move his entire army at will.
His advertisements were in the local towns, and any creatures not
yet aligned with him had the chance to sign on via the portals. All
they had to do was think very strongly about joining keepers in general
or a specific keeper and they would be pulled to his dungeon.
Warlocks and mistresses seemed to be the most common at the
beginning, followed shortly by salamanders and dark knights. A few
goblins showed up as well as a firefly, a troll and three bile demons.
A good start for a dungeon. Besides, he wasn't in the habit of tossing
creatures away.
The first problem was teaching them the basics of the Saotome
Ryuu. It wasn't much of a problem once he offered a bonus to the
paycheck of anyone who learned it. All of them were willing to learn
once the word 'bonus' and 'paycheck' were placed near each other.
After all, what could it hurt to at least check out the Saotome Ryuu.
The second problem was getting everyone a lair. For some unknown
reason, the creatures had a tendency to head for any old spot. This
wound up with the warlocks and mistresses taking the lairs in the
workshop, which were meant for the bile demons and trolls, while said
bile demons and trolls took the ones meant for the dark knights and
salamanders. It cascaded from there.
And finally, he had to deal with the complaints. The trolls,
bile demons and fireflies would often go exploring when they weren't
doing anything else and that wound them up nearly half a mile away from
food when they got hungry.
When it was all said and done, a Keeper felt more like being a
mother hen than an actual would-be conquerer.
The first thing Ranma did, when his forces were sufficiently
trained, was to smash a nearby outpost set up by the king. He captured
a force of several fairies, a wizard, a few elven archers, two knights,
three dwarves and one royal guard.
Once they, like the rogues Nemesis had sent, had been converted,
Ranma created some lairs and a hatchery in the outpost for his new
warriors. He also claimed the temple to the Dark Gods that they'd been
guarding.
The next move was to get rid of Nemesis' support.
Simultaneously, he was monitoring the situation at another
Dungeon in Butterscotch. His forces there were preparing to capture
the princes. If he had all the cards, it might entice King Reginald to
FINALLY give in. Ranma had no desire to kill the King.
Prince Daniel frowned as he looked at the stones where a door had
once been.
"Where's the gate?" Daniel asked.
His entourage shrugged in confusion. The gateway had been right
in front of them as they walked down this particular walkway. Ian,
Prince Daniel's personal aide and royal guard, patted the rubble, "A
cave in. I guess we'll just have to use one of your brother's gates to
leave in an emergency. It would take hours to move this."
Prince Daniel scowled, "Let's get going then. If Keeper Ranma is
around here, we may not get a chance to leave if we dally."
The instant the Prince had left, two imps on the far side of the
'rubble' fell over laughing.
Nemesis had warned his sons of probable attack. The only
advantage they had was that Ranma would be fighting with fewer troops
than normal, thanks to the portal gem. Most of the other fools who'd
allied with Nemesis and had claimed portal gems had lost themselves to
ego and had been summarily destroyed by Ranma.
However, now his son Fabius was under assault by Ranma's forces.
Nemesis had sent some reinforcements, but it was unlikely that they
would reach Fabius in time.
Then, he felt it. The collapse of Fabius' Dungeon Heart.
[Can this be true?!] Nemesis cried inwardly.
It did not take long to confirm it as Nemesis cast Sight of Evil
to view the room of Fabius' Dungeon Heart.
Choking back tears, Nemesis sent a message to his other son, "My
son, your brother, has been killed! I swear that his slayer shall die
as well!"
Faust stared at his brother's fallen Dungeon Heart as well. He
had not felt the destruction as keenly as his father, but the news of
his brother's death had made his blood boil.
He may have wanted to see his brother defeated, but he still
cared for his older sibling enough to want him to remain alive. His
tactical genius fell apart in the storm of rage that swallowed his
body.
The rage was quelled by surprise as his own dungeon was breached
and a band of knights, supported by a wizard, several fairies and five
elven archers; charged into Faust's dungeon.
His own forces quickly rushed to meet the intruders, but were
quickly smashed down by the unrelenting warriors under Ranma's command,
despite the numerous spells Faust cast to aid his forces and weaken
Ranma's.
Faust couldn't understand why Ranma's knights hadn't fallen as
one took a full hail of magical arrows to the torso. Suddenly, he
watched as the magical arrows slid out of the knight's armor and
clattered to floor and the knight renewed his charge. Then the
chilling reality struck him as he realized he'd forgotten that Ranma
too was a powerful keeper and was healing his creatures as soon as they
were injuried.
Faust had no one to blame but himself as a cocky looking teenager
strode into his dungeon, waltzing past the fighting as if it weren't
even taking place, and smashing the supports on Faust's Dungeon Heart
before he could snap out of his shocked stupor.
Nemesis trembled. His two sons, both dead before their father.
Tears ran down the aged keeper's face as he roared out a challenge to
Ranma, "YOU'VE SLAIN THE SONS I HOLD MOST DEAR! NOW, REVENGE IS ALL I
HAVE TO LIVE FOR! SO, PREPARE TO DIE MOST HORRIBLY!"
Nemesis was an old keeper, but also a very powerful one in his
own regard. He hurried to his temple and prayed. There was but one
thing he had to offer to the few Dark Gods who were not going to
change.
His wish was granted by the Dark God Havoc, who sent Nemesis a
precious gift.
The red giant roared as he flexed his muscles from his long
slumber, barring his two inches long fangs. He had a white horn on
both sides of his head and his eyes glowed yellow. He carried a
massive scythe, wore a chainmail loincloth and a black nose ring
sticking from his pig-like snout. Two wicked-looking shoulder guards
with spikes pointing outward and metal boots were the only other things
that he wore.
The beast looking down at the piddling keeper and spoke in a
voice that commanded the highest respect, "WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME
SLAY?"
"My enemy and yours is a keeper named Ranma!" Nemesis told the
creature.
"THIS HAD BETTER BE WORTH IT, KEEPER. IF NOT, I WILL COME BACK
AND SLAY YOU TOO." the monster warned.
"It will be worth it to me, Reaper! Now go forth and kill my
enemy in the most gruesome manner possible!" Nemesis told it.
The Reaper snarled at the command, but strode forth, smashing
through the traps and doors in his way, and walking over any creatures
foolish enough to wander into his path.
Ranma sensed it's presense long before he and his forces saw it.
The water boiled around the Reaper's feet as it strode straight towards
Ranma. The elven archers and fairies let loose with a massive hail of
arrows and lightning bolts, but Ranma knew that would not be enough.
Indeed, the spells and arrows simply bounced off the Reaper's
mighty body. An explosion in front of Ranma signalled the summoning of
Horny. The Horned Reaper snarled as he rose from the ground.
"Horny? I didn't call you..." Ranma began.
"This is a foe only I can deal with, Master." Horny responded,
hefting his scythe.
"HORNICULUS! YOU SERVE THE FOOL I AM HERE TO SLAY?" the Reaper
asked.
"That is right, Grim." Horny replied.
[Grim the Reaper? What a terrible pun. I bet the Dark God who
named him was a comedic RIOT back in ten billion BC.] Ranma wryly noted
to himself.
"THIS WAS NOT KNOWN WHEN I WAS SUMMONED. REAPERS ARE FORBIDDEN
FROM FIGHTING EACH OTHER." Grim spoke, before turning and walking away.
Everyone, save Horny, stared after Grim as the Reaper departed.
Ranma snapped out of it first when he remembered that since the Reapers
were limited in number, the Dark Gods wouldn't want them fighting each
other as it would lead to one or the other's demise.
"As I said, only I could deal with him." Horny declared.
"Just out of curiosity, how did you two know each other?" Ranma
asked.
"I didn't. All Reapers instinctively know another Reaper's name.
It was to prevent wizards from tricking us with fake Reapers or
illusions so that we could not slay them. However, by calling that law
into effect, I cannot help you in your battle against Nemesis." Horny
answered.
"Oh." Ranma stated, "Well then, I've got a different job for
you..."
Meanwhile, Nemesis was pulling at his hair as he watched the
Reaper return, tell him that his soul had been given back, and begin to
leave.
"Why?!" Nemesis demanded.
"BECAUSE HE HAD A REAPER OF HIS OWN. I CANNOT FIGHT ANOTHER
REAPER. HOWEVER, HE TOO CANNOT USE HIS REAPER AGAINST YOU. CONSIDER
YOURSELF FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE SPARED A SLAYING BY ONE OF US." Grim
responded before entering the Temple and vanishing back to his god's
side.
Nemesis stopped. If Ranma had a Reaper at his side the entire
time, then no wonder he'd been so unstoppable. The Reapers were to
everything else what a human was to an ant.
But now, without his Reaper tearing through his enemy's forces
like tissue paper, Nemesis may actually be able to gain the upper hand.
It was time to begin the final levels of training in preparation of
repelling Ranma's forces.
Prince Daniel stared at the sight of another cave in.
"That's insane! Two cave ins?!" Prince Daniel asked his brother.
Prince Timothy nodded.
"BROTHERS! Lava swallowed up the bridge to my gate-is that a
cave in?" Prince Anthony inquired, staring at the cave in.
"It would seem all of the gateways out have been blocked."
Timothy noted.
"Correction, all of YOUR gateways out have been blocked. Ours
are just fine." Horny declared.
The three Princes turned to see Horny, a legion of dark knights
and ten dark angels surrounding them.
"Ohh... shit...." the princes declared in unison.
Ranma was indeed impressed as his forces began smashing through
Nemesis' walls and beginning the massive assault on the aged Keeper.
Nemesis was no fool. He'd placed hundreds of traps around his dungeon,
knowing that his creatures would need every bit of assistance that he
could muster.
Ranma marched forward, deflecting or canceling every projectile
or attack thrown his way as he set about smashing every trap and door
Nemesis had created. He paused every so often to heal anyone who was
severely injured.
However, Nemesis' forces were fated to lose as Ranma's imps
neutralized Nemesis' claimed land before claiming it for Ranma. Soon,
Nemesis had lost too much mana to support his creatures regularly and
operate his traps at the same time.
After a full hour of combat, Nemesis' dungeon lay in ruin. The
traps, lacking sufficient mana to fire, had been shattered. His
creatures were rendered unconscious and hauled off to the prison or
killed and dragged to the graveyard. The doors had been shattered, his
land had been claimed. The only thing remaining was his Dungeon Heart
and himself.
Ranma had to respect Nemesis for the simple fact that he'd done
far better than any other Keeper Ranma had faced.
Nemesis snarled defiantly from the steps of his Dungeon Heart as
he gazed at the forces that had destroyed his dungeon and slain his
sons.
"So, you're going to kill me, just like you did my sons."
Nemesis growled.
"I haven't killed anyone. I simply destroyed their Dungeon
Hearts when they were too busy trying to defend against my army." Ranma
responded.
Nemesis arched an eyebrow. His sons had only been banished.
That was a relief. His legacy would be carried on yet.
"And now, you're going to banish me, am I right?" Nemesis asked.
"No, you're my hostage." Ranma answered.
Nemesis frowned in confusion.
"Sire! Look up at the sky!" Armace, the Court Wizard, cried.
King Reginald looked up from his courtyard to see a massive face
appeared. He didn't recognize the pigtailed boy at all.
"King Reginald," the boy's image spoke, "I am Ranma Saotome, the
Keeper who has conquered your entire kingdom, barring your castle."
"WHAT?!" Reginald demanded, surprised that such a young man could
have conquered his realm.
Ranma's left eyebrow quirked briefly, but he continued, "Forgive
my indirect communication up until now, as I am not from your world and
it has taken me a while to learn spells like this one. I appear before
you with an offer. The last Portal Gem and the Gateway in exchange for
your kingdom, your children and... Keeper Nemesis."
Ranma moved aside to show a Dungeon Heart with an old man sitting
on the stairs. Reginald, meanwhile, was realizing that his sons had
been captured as well.
Ranma continued, "This is Nemesis. I have destroyed his entire
dungeon. All that remains is him and his Dungeon Heart. In front of
your castle is a gateway. You may send whatever forces you want to
destroy Nemesis and you may even have your wizards make the gateway
permanent. I have rendered Nemesis' Dungeon Heart incapable of high
magic and my forces are leaving. I will keep a few imps behind to
monitor, but that is all. If you accept this offer, give a note to my
imps saying so. If not, then at least you will have revenge for your
departed wife. I recommend you not take too long as Nemesis' Dungeon
Heart will not stay helpless forever and Nemesis' health itself is
failing. I bid you good day."
"Armace-" King Reginald began.
"We've already checked. He and three imps were the only other
ones within a ten mile radius and that IS Nemesis." Armace responded.
".... Get Glynn. We'll send him through, just in case.
Reinforce that portal and get every available guard around it. I don't
want a sneak attack." Reginald commanded.
"And the exchange?" Armace inquired.
"Never. Even if he keeps his word and gives them back, he could
simply return again and conquer us all." Reginald growled, "Never again
shall I trust a Keeper."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Portals - The Portal Gems act as an ECM, blocking any non-
stabilized magical gateways. Dungeon Hearts with Portal Gems are
'stabilized', but any non-keeper or non-imps who go with the Dungeon
Heart are drained of strength, essentially resetting their strength
(resetting them back to Level 1). Portals and Mercenary Portals act as
other stabilized points, but this is why all creatures have to enter or
already exist in the areas Ranma goes to conquer.
This is also why Ranma and other Keepers must claim land before
they can drop creatures on it, because the 'hand' acts as a minature
dimension door or gateway.
Next time, on Dungeon Keeper Ranma!
King Reginald versus Keeper Ranma!
Horny versus the Stone Knights Erdrick and Glynn!
Honey, Mina, Relena, Timothy, Anthony and Daniel versus the Elite
Royal Guards!
The best of what's left versus the best of what is!
Properly Applied Motivation and Keeping Those Whiny Creatures In
Line!
There are a lot of ways to motivate your creatures into working
harder.
The first is a simply slap. A single slap will motivate a
creature to work 10% harder (their usual is 80%), while further ones
simply damage creatures. A slap done to creatures in your prison
damages them, but beware as it may cause them to die without producing
a skeleton or a corpse.
The second is the drop. By dropping a creature in an area where
they can do work (i.e. a warlock in a library, a troll in a workshop or
a dark elf in a guard room), you get an extra 10%.
The third is Speed, known only to Monks and Imps. This allows
them to work another 10% harder. With these two creatures, combined
all of these aspects, it's possible to get 110% efficiency!
Often, though, if you drop creatures fairly far from a hatchery,
lair or treasury (the last one being very important when you get the
notice that it's payday and there are empty sections of treasuries),
they'll complain that they can't get to a lair. In cases like this,
you have to grab them and hurl them into their desired location. If
they don't become stunned, you may have to pick them up and drop them
again. If they do become stunned, they'll reset and notice the
change of location.
With creatures that are hungry, but you need them where they are
(such as training, in a workshop or in a guard room), grab some
chickens and drop said chickens on them. They'll stop and eat. If
you've dropped roughly 3 to 5 chickens on them, most creatures will
return to their normal duties. Since trolls and bile demons are
technically always manufacturing while in the workshop so long as
they've got the tiny hammer in their flowers (even if they're walking
around a forge!), this will maximize how fast a creature will move.
Creatures also move and perform their jobs fasters as they go up
in levels. A Level 10 Bile Demon will run circles around a Level 1.
Elites can move faster as well, but they require specialized rooms and
you only get one of each type (unless you capture and convert an enemy
Elite, but that would require you going head to head with another
human).
If a creature becomes unhappy (sulking) or angry because of his
or her company (i.e. they're in the same 'room' area as one of their
natural enemies for too long), there are four things that will get them
happy again so that they won't leave your dungeon.
First, grab some chickens from the nearest hatchery. Then, grab
the creature and move them out of the area. Drop the creature, then
drop the chickens on their body. If the chickens disappear, then
you've fed them properly. Watched to see if an X pattern appears or if
the complaint goes away. If they return to their former emotion
(angry, sad or sulking), then go to the next step.
Pick them up again. Find a spot clear of any of their enemies
and create a single spot of lair. Drop them on it and make sure they
make a new home there. If they are still sulking, go to step three.
Create a micro area of the area they work in. If it's a library
or a workshop, make it the usual 3x3. Drop them in it. If they stop
complaining, then that's that. If not, then you need step 4.
Step 4 is paying them a small amount to shut the hell up. Tap
the numbers displaying your gold a few times. Each tap should give you
about a hundred gold. Drop this money on the creature and make SURE
that they and ONLY they get the money. Make absolutely sure the money
doesn't simply fall on the ground. If you're having trouble paying
them (this happens a lot if the camera angle is bad or if the creature
is a fast one, like the elves or fireflies), then pick them up and drop
them. This SHOULD stun them long enough for you to pay them.
You'll sometimes run into ambigious notifications that don't give
you a way of find the complaining creature. It'll be something like
"Your creatures are unable to get to a lair.", "Your creatures are
unable to get to a hatchery", etc.
If this pops up, systematically pick up every creature you have
and drop them in a hatchery, including imps.
There are many causes for these complaints. Usually, it's a
creature who's become stuck either in a prison, in a graveyard, in a
portal or in the temple. The temple is actually quite infuriating as
I've found warlocks and vampires in the sacrificial pool numerous
times. I figure they've probably been bumped inside or they're just
stupid. In either case, you're best off creating a temple in a low
traffic zone, creating a wider traffic zone (i.e. tearing out the
current walls so that there's more room for other creatures to circle
around) or by selling the center most piece. This will revert most of
the temple into flat ground, which your creatures can't DIE in.
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