78: Maze of Life
It began by pushing the room to the max size Delta could manage. With her DP dipping below 200, the room was closer to a small hall.
Delta floated and looked down at the space before her.
It was the second large space on the second floor. She closed her eyes and spent some Mana to summon walls. Lots of walls. The design choice grinded loudly until it hit the ceiling and cloaked all sight from one side of the room to another.
They were strong walls, thick enough to allow the Pygmies to tunnel through, giving the new digger team something to work on, but with enough space that a person and maybe a small person could stand side by side.
It had cost her some DP to push the room to this size and Delta was going to make the most of it. The stone walls began to take shape and straight away Delta had the path split and then split again. Only one true end could be seen from above and so many dead ends but Delta was going to end it there.
She added some moss to the walls to give a vibe of an old ruin hidden far away. Delta’s own little labyrinth... hidden inside her jungle... which was kind of a natural labyrinth in itself. She hoped people didn’t cry when they saw the maze...
Having the walls so thick meant the Pygmies could easily traverse through and under the maze to arrive at any certain spot but the tunnels looked a little obvious, the moss and creeping vines only hid them so well, so Delta felt the Menu of this room appear. Since it was lacking anything really special, the options for the upgrade were rather simple.
Delta purchased the first upgrade as Renny lead Missy in by the hand, the curious little eyes looking around the area of her home she hadn’t yet been in. Delta smiled at the way Renny was patient with her pointing and gasping at things she had never seen before.
The rough floor was neatly combed over and arranged to keep the ring’s soil, which was lighter like sand, contained by a metal ring that was rapidly being freed from rust and filith. Audience stands creaked and groaned as their collapsed wooden state was undone and they stood proud once more, ready for the audience that was to come. The thick fabric walls billowed as dust and tears vanished like bad memories.
The whole circus tent rippled as it rose higher and higher like a sagging beast finally inhaling after so many years of silence. The wooden pillars bulged and began to reshape themselves into statues of various people holding the tent up with their hands.
A woman with a whip and a wild grin that reminded Delta of Ruli. A man with so many muscles the wood looked ready to crack from just emulating his figure. A soft shapely woman with a veil over her face, her calm eyes looking skyward. The final of the four pillar statues was a man breathing fire, the flames curling into the ceiling and merging to show them spreading.
Renny moved forward, dropping Missy’s hand as he stood center point of the ring, spinning as he stared at the faces.
“I don’t know them but they came with the upgrade... Sys might have added something in. Do you know them?” Delta tried not to intrude too much as Renny looked downright dazed. The Mime turned to Delta and slowly he put a single hand over his chest. He tapped his heart gently.
Exact words weren’t needed. Delta stood there and looked at them.
“She’s the Beastmaster?” she pointed to the woman with the whip. Renny nodded quickly. He pumped one arm and petting something.
“Strong and great with animals,” Delta smiled.
Missy pulled on Renny’s sleeve and pointed to the slim woman with the flowing cloth dress and veil. Renny swayed and his odd but graceful steps had Delta clapping her hands in understanding.
“She was a dancer, she looks really pretty,” Delta said and Missy nodded as her eyes glowed a little pink in awe.
Renny went around and around, his gestures and emotions growing as he told Delta and Missy more and more about the people. Rennys hand motions and mimes became so excited that Delta soon was only able to pick out words or guess at them before Renny moved on to his next sentence.
Then he stopped as Wilhelm the giant silver ape stuck his head in, apparently feeling Renny’s excited mood more than anything. Renny softly pointed to the Beastmaster and Wilhelm stared at it for a long moment before his face vanished, a soft sad huff sounding before Wilhelm’s loud steps left the Circus once more.
“It’s hard to wake up one day and have everything you know just gone... it feels like someone else’s life after a while,” Delta said when Renny didn’t move after that. Missy held Renny’s hand again and tried to hold Delta’s at the same time.
The Mime seemed to look at Delta for a long moment before he tilted his head to the side, curious.
“I wasn’t always Delta, ya know? I was…” Delta trailed off as the Circus tent flowed with fresh air and the scent of sweet snacks and exotic spices soon followed.
“I was...” Delta repeated slowly.
There was something there... just about to come loose like a baby tooth after days of pushing and wriggling. Delta was...
There was a feeling of heartburn and sudden shock as Delta fell to her knees. At first, she was sure she had tried to recall something forbidden but when her human mind recoiled in pain and fear, her Dungeon senses instantly narrowed down on the source of the problem.
Just beyond the Circus, in the room yet to be touched which was going to be for Renny’s key challenge, a crack had formed in the hard walls. She hissed and Renny was by her side, his hand formed around the handle of some invisible weapon.
Delta could only watch as the walls buckled and the crack was widened by one thin black leg. She felt like that leg was hollowing into her own head!
The hole was pushed open and the drooling face of a Spider stared in.
It slowly took a few steps into the Dungeon. It didn’t walk like it was nervous... but enjoying the sweet success of breaking in.
Delta felt a little bit better. She had faced these guys before. Honestly, she had even forgotten they really existed outside of being things Hob and Gob had thrown in. The confidence lasted pretty well until her vision briefly looked past the first intruder.
The tunnel beyond... was black from moving shadows. This wasn’t baby spiders or the three force from before. Delta stood and felt like her skin crawled as an army of the monsters all slowly moved forward.
Delta’s Dungeon was being Invaded and she didn’t have Deo or Ruli to help this time. The darkness beyond the far end of the Circus tent where the performers and staff would enter and exit was soon filled with the staring eyes of Spiders.
Some were the Forest Spiders she had absorbed before but there were new ones. Glowing green tiny ones with their thorax raised. A spider that seemed to be made of web more than hair. Other shapes moved in the gaps but Delta stood.
“Run-” she cried, not wanting Renny and Missy to be overrun.
The words were perhaps better suited for the Spiders, Delta thought after a moment as Missy’s eyes turned black and a few seconds later her gaze swept across the first few Spiders that suddenly burst into action towards Renny.
Spiders... regardless if they glowed green, were made of web or even if they had tails... burned equally it seemed.
Missy’s eyes didn’t look away and her posture was one of defiance and anger. Another few Spiders were shrieking and curling up as Renny neatly made finger gun motions at them. The Spiders, knocked out of their victory from coming into the Dungeon, began to zerg rush them and even with their amazing powers, Delta’s friends would be overrun.
Just as the first one would reach Renny, fangs bared, a giant silver fist appeared, smashing it into green and white paste. Wilhelm roared, his fury stretching across the Jungle floor, daring these insects to come closer.
Delta glared at the Spiders, for some reason... their bodies... their mere existence made her upset.
The odd reason aside... these guys were slowing her project down and if Kemy and her friends came back... Delta was not having these guys screwing up their adventure!
“Fine! Come on! I don’t need an army to beat you back. I got laser princess mushroom, a sassy Mime, and a pissed off giant ape!” she yelled.
Her voice carried much further than she meant to and before she knew it, every leaf... every stone... and even the very air trembled with her voice.
The entire Second Floor went very still for a moment and the Spiders all froze as if sensing this.
Delta narrowed her expression.
“Welcome to the Jungle, now get your crap and leave,” she warned... just once. The nearest spider was still for the longest moment before purpose filled all its eyes and it stepped forward.
It almost seemed to vibrate out its intention.
War.
It was in that instant, Delta saw the hand that guided these creatures. A mother... a caretaker... a creator... and she was sending these spiders in to die first to test Delta.
This thing was using her kids to feel the water.
That… made Delta angry.