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Aestrix doesn't remember the specifics of how exactly she became this... whatever thing... she decided to become, but she definitely remembers making a conscious choice and being kind of excited about the results of it. She wanted to do this, and while she's a little nervous, she thinks it will go well, and regardless, she will have fun.
She goes to sleep, and then when she starts to reawaken, it's done. Whatever 'it' is.
The children peer at the new addition to the dungeon, fanning out between the various games.
Rokat chuckles, and drags a chair over to where she'll be able to see them easily, and then sets up a drop spindle to start spinning some yarn.
"So what's all this, then?" she asks.
"Hello! I have set up something called an arcade. It's less a series of puzzles and more like... challenging and hopefully fun games to play. And they give coins called eikos as prizes, which can be exchanged for magical items. So, any one of these that someone wants to play can get them whatever magical item they want, if they do it enough. Or they can vary it up. I've started moving into working on stuff that will help with practical skills, I'm working on an, er," they will probably not have the term 'shooting', "archery range thing, for practicing aim. Kose was trying out the one for reflexes against projectiles."
Kose has, in her frankly insanely impressive efforts, earned herself five eikos. This is enough to buy two communication pendants (2 each), or one set of either magic or night seeing glasses (5 each, but if she adds a 6th she can get customization options like different colors).
Kose considers her options, and chooses to get two communication pendants, which she tucks into an interior pocket of her dress.
The children fan out to try the various games, some more adeptly than others. Dance Dance Revolution proves pretty popular, although more because of the bright colors that change when you step on them than because the two young gentlemen playing have any particular sense of rhythm.
"Are you also planning on adding the water purifiers to the prizes?" Kose asks. "Or maybe collapsible shields like that one you made for Loksa?"
Coins disappear, and pendants (they have been updated to use the titanium-platinum alloy, since that seems like it'll hold magic better than just titanium) appear!
"Absolutely, but the water purifiers are waiting for my water test to conclude so I can make them out of something sturdier and better at holding magic than glass. Those you can just ask for and get while I'm figuring it out, sorry for the delay, et cetera. Yes to the shield as well, though I'm still fussing with actual design there. I have high standards."
"Actually, that reminds me," Rokat chimes in. "Lomon pointed out to me last night that since you know so much about water safety, you might also have something to say about our farms. Would it be worth having some of the lads bring up samples from each of the fields for you to take a look at?"
"Absolutely! I can also add fertilizer to the list of prizes, actually, I know how to make some. Oh, and that reminds me - I've set up a farm area in here, too, for growing crops. I can't make living organic matter," without potentially getting tricky about genetic engineering or something, which she will try at some point but her to-do list is long okay, "but I can absolutely keep things properly watered and safe from pests and in regular sunlight."
Kose and Rokat exchange a glance.
"I have known dungeons that wanted to decorate with plants before, and they always had to fake it with monsters," Kose says. "But you've certainly blown a lot of other preconceived notions out of the water, so I'm willing to bet you can. Can I see the area you have set up?"
"Yeah, it's over - thataway," she says, picking up a pebble and moving it in the direction the farm lies. It is out into the hallway, and then tucked away in a little nook. "I do want to caveat that I do not come prepackaged with a lot of knowledge of plants and farming? I know about crop rotation - where you swap which plots grow which plants over time, instead of just growing one thing in one spot for years - and some fertilizer options, and some about irrigation and proper drainage. I can also guess that probably the reason other dungeons couldn't grow plants is because they made light, not sunlight, which is what plants need to photosynthesize. .... Which is how plants, uh, eat, is I guess the most direct explanation for it, though for the record that is a gross oversimplification."
(Note to self: make some kind of light pen or something, so she can just directly draw in the air to illustrate things she wants to point to. Or possibly work out some kind of dungeon avatar thing, to have more ability to emote and make herself personable.)
The 'farming area,' as she puts it, looks... well, if it weren't for the missing sun and lack of a breeze, it'd look like something outside. The walls are present, of course, but everything is carefully arranged so that it looks like someone is in some kind of gazebo instead of in a dungeon. A path made of irregularly sized chunks of limestone cuts organically through the dirt. Around it are several raised plots, each of which has an empty iron trellis that holds a golden glowing light over the middle. Behind the lovingly decorated trellises is a bright blue 'sky' that would look at home on a bright summer's day. It feels a little bit empty, without anything actually alive in it, but it's the sort of thing that would look very pretty with actual plants.
Kose examines it with the slightest trace of apprehension visible in her eyes.
"It looks very nice," she says, after a moment. "When you do get some plants, how are you planning to tend to them?"
"So the sunlamps are on a timer to simulate a day/night cycle, and then I was going to, er. Water them regularly. I think once a week is supposed to be the standard?" Is it obvious she is a little bit inexperienced with gardening, she is a little bit inexperienced with gardening.
"... right," Kose agrees. "Well, that's a good start, but there's a lot more that goes into caring for plants," she explains. "Weeding, for example. But also, depending on the plant, replantings, checking for disease or infestation, grafting, pollination, harvesting, and so on. I think this might be one area where we do actually know more than you do."
She glances back towards the entrance to the room.
"So I'm wondering whether you're going to want people to help with all that," she finishes.
"Oh. I am prepared to do all of that on my own eventually, probably by doing magical shenanigans so I don't have to do it all personally, but. I do likely need people to... direct and help me start. And maybe tell me if my farm design is garbage, because it very well might be."
Kose relaxes fractionally, and goes to look at some of the soil around the trellises.
"That makes sense; I'm sure plenty of people would be willing to consult," she agrees. "Do you know what plants you want to start with, yet?"
The soil is dark and looks vaguely like it's probably good soil for growing things in.
"~Nope~!" she says, brightly. "I am happy to be directed and mostly just want to help provide nutritional security for the general populace? I do not want people to starve. Do not starve, not even a little." She considers how this might seem like an alarming dungeon order, and then adds: "Uh, please."
"Alright, we should probably just bring you everything we grow," Kose allows. "I should probably let the others sort out what you should start with."
She turns and walks back towards the rest of the dungeon, but pauses on the threshold.
"It's a very pretty garden," she says. "I'm glad you —"
"Help!" Pona calls, on the blue channel of the communication pendants. "Timrat, get Kose. We're up north by the old oaks, and there's a —"
There's the sound of the pendant falling to the ground, and then a distant thumping sound.
"Rokat, tell people to shelter in here!" she calls, dashing through the main area of the dungeon and out the entrance.
And then she's gone.
!!!!
Shit!
In retrospect she maybe should have spent more time testing out drones or weaponry instead of lovingly decorating garden trellises!!
She is going to remedy that right now, by attempting to see if she can make something small fly via spinning rotors. And then if she can make something that can easily steer it around. And then a targeting system for her little not-actually-railguns. And something to see through, and and and fuck she is totally not going to be able to help in any reasonable amount of time, is she, she failed to do her homework like a dumbass.
Enchanting a quadcopter proves fairly difficult. She can get devices which hurl themselves randomly around the room and bang into the walls pretty easily. Devices which fly in a controlled manner are harder, but not too much of a challenge for her well-honed enchanting skills.
After a few frustrating minutes of failed attempts, she can get a stable platform which can hover or fly according to directions from communication hooks like she used in the pendants.
Villagers start making their way in, some of them carrying backpacks or bags. She might notice that there are a good deal more women than men.
Aestrix is silent and barely paying attention to the (precious, irreplaceable, must be protected!) people who make their way in. She notes that, actually, she should be situated to defend them before she attempts offense, and then proceeds to spend her time instead setting up tiny railguns that she can designate targets to fire at. It is much simpler than flight. She has a little tube that accelerates any carbon that goes into it at truly impressive speeds and can be pointed at things she wants to make die in record time. From there, she starts enchanting tiny (black) diamond bullets with 'destroy magic thing in contact with.'
Once she has enough of these to work with, she then starts working on something for sight, so she can look outside of her dungeony borders.
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