Adaptation To Circumstances

You feel as if you're hardly asleep before you begin to awaken, a dull flashing in your eyes making you aware of menus even as you struggle to achieve consciousness. The first is one you focus on, a level up menu that you pull up as your mind begins to flow back into your **** form.

Beholder Noble

Level: 19
Health: 30/30
Mana: 73/73
Physical Attack: 18
Ranged Attack: 25
Immunities: None
Resistances: None
Weaknesses: Light, Dark, Blind

Abilities -

Overwhelm [6 MP]: A Beholder's Stare causes Fear on a 30% Chance per eye, affected by magic resistance. More eyes on a single target increases success rate.

Hover: Passively floats five feet off the ground. May be activated or deactivated at will.

Improved Recovery: Health and Mana passive recovery increased by 30%, value doubles when out of combat for a set duration.

Beholder Aura: Creatures within 30ft of you suffer the effects of Fear and have all magical resistances lowered.

Telepathy: Creatures understand mental communications from you within 50 feet. Language is no barrier to this communication.

Spells/Skills -

Flare 2 [9 MP]: Heat and flames draw into a single target dealing high damage, inflicting Burn at a high chance and inflicting Exhaust at a low chance.

Shock 2 [6 MP]: Scattering bolts of lightning pelt multiple targets per cast, inflicting moderate damage to all.

Freeze 2 [6 MP]: Blasts an area with pillars of frost, inflicting damage and Imprison at a medium chance.

Bladeturn [4 MP/Hit]: Summons an invisible **** bubble that endures until manually turned off. Damage dealt that does not exceed your maximum health is negated per hit by the barrier. Damage above max HP is suffered normally.

**** 2 [8 MP]: Creates multiple constructs or objects of pure physical **** for any purpose. Lasts as long as maintained, cannot cast or use abilities while in use.

The long list of improvements is rather gratifying as you continue to awaken, more information flashing up. Baehdor and Tevoy now seem to register in your menus and are showing as having leveled up, but you can't track their direct information it seems. You also notice a set of menus for your Lair tracking and open those.

'Welcome back! Your Lair is level 1. Rule generated since last login; 45. Hostages remaining: Two.

You've gained access to the Armory Module, the Bunk Room Module and the Trap Hall Module. Interior decorations unlocked. Servant role unlocked: Armsmaster. Servant role unlocked: Traprunner.'

You're getting the sneaking suspicion you'll be dealing with much of this today, but the last menu is flashing red and you're starting to finally wake up fully. 'Warning: Guild raid activated. A guild who's member's you have held hostage is preparing to raid your lair.'

Well that's interesting. You blink yourself awake, staring at the ceiling. Very interesting. Very...FUCK.

You activate your Hover quickly and realize you're able to see out of many more eyes than before, at least nine eye stalks now jutting out of you and more importantly, you're much bigger. It's hard to focus on these changes when you're in full panic however, and you realize Baehdor is currently curled around some of your eye-stalks, asleep and dangling from you in a dreamy way. "Baehdor, wake up. " You say.

Wait, say?

You can feel it now. The breath you're sucking in, the way your body feels heavier. Your entire lower half now seems to be a mouth and jaw, eye-stalks peering round your front and starting. You've gained a nasty, bone-crushing set of teeth and a huge mouth that easily dominates your lower 'body' as well as a long tongue and several thicker appendages now dangle off your lower body as well, draped to the floor like fleshy curtains. Experimentally you begin to lift and flex these, and find each one is able to manipulate in some very fine ways. An experiment you confirm by prying Baehdor off your stalks as she slowly wakens, red eyes widening as you see her drink in the new form.

It's gratifying to hear the genuine shock and awe in her voice when she mutters "Is that...Master?" To you now, eliciting you to grin slightly which shows several teeth and sends shivers down the spine of the helpless druegar now seated in your bed.

"Make sure Tevoy does not leave her cage and do not let anyone have these. " You explain now, pulling the until now forgotten ring of keys from your eyestalk to hand to her. You have more important things to do and she seems...well, pliable at least. She nods and quietly accepts the keys, squeaking as light flashes around her.

'Baehdor is now a Servant. Role granted: Steward. Servant loyalty is locked at max inside Lair. Remove role item from servant to rescind status' a menu helpfully informs many seconds too late and Baehdor is now holding a clipboard and quill, still naked.

"...We can discuss this later. For now, do as I asked. " You confirm to her, receiving a nod as she sits down now in a light degree of shock and you turn to hover towards the door. Your new appendages can manipulate the handle well, and you open it to move outside. Immedietly a menu pops up and the door is closed behind you.

'Welcome to the outside of your Lair! With your newfound Rule you can customize the exterior defenses of the lair, allowing you to protect yourself and your hostages! This also allows you to select the hostile monsters you pit against players.

We've provided a bonus of 10 free Rule and two tokens for you to place. Please access the map menu to continue.'

The Rule tracker flashes to 55 and the tokens mentioned flash into existence on the tips of one of your appendages. Following directions you open the menu and find yourself staring at a one dimensional map of your lair.

The map starts at the midway point of the tunnels you came through, past the monster and fighting. Seventy feet of wrapping, narrow tunnels lead into a small chamber which then leads to thirty more feet of tunnel and then this open area. The only connecting area marked on the map here is your bedroom lair. Baehdor is marked in green on the map, Tevoy in orange with a padlock symbol next to her name.

'This tactical map allows you to prepare your defenses and traps. Each time an **** is sucessfully repelled your lair will reset and repopulate it's defenses automatically, so you can focus on your own growth.

Now, lets try placing a token and seeing what happens. From the item menu select a token and place it on the map. '

What item menu. Place it on the map? The map is a transparent... overlay on your vision and the token is a physical object. How would you even begin to do that. As if to answer this bewilderment, a secondary menu flashes and you realize it's an inventory. All you have is two tokens and with a little effort, you select one. It is marked Spike Trap.

'Spike Trap Token. This token deals one map square moderate damage and resets quickly. Disarn Required: Level 1'

So easily disarmed, but damaging and quick to reset. Interesting... What's this token?

'Cagefall Trap Token. This token creates a cage suspensed from the ceiling in a square. When activated it falls from above and traps the victim until released. One use only. Disarm Required: Level 3'

And a way to add more hostages. You'll deal with that later, but now new menu pops into existence. Lair Shop.

'Traps -

Spike Token 2 Rule

Arrowtrap Trap Token 2 Rule

Fireball Trap 4 Rule

Cagefall Trap Token 4 Rule

Boulder Trap Token 6 Rule

Magnet Floor Token 8 Rule'

' Monsters -

Kobold Skirmisher (3 pack) 1 Rule

Gazer (2 pack) 2 Rule

Kobold Darter (1 pack) 2 Rule

Kobold Sorcerer (1 pack) 2 Rule

Tunnel Spider Swarm (4 pack) 3 Rule

Acid Slime (1 pack) 4 Rule

Dark Elf Warriors (2 pack) 4 Rule

Dark Mage (1 pack) 5 Rule

Adolescent Minotaur (1 pack) 5 Rule'

'Please remember all purchases are final and cannot be refunded. Rule purchases are infinite use and reset after each ****. '

' 55 Rule remaining. '

Mentally you note how detailed this all feels, but you can't bring yourself to worry too much...This might be easier than you thought, with so many options available to you.

Focusing traps means you don't have to manage much during the fight and you can trust no one can escape, but it leaves you all alone to deal with what makes it through and at this level rogues could likely chew through it. Sticking to monsters only is more flexible, but more ****. The players could retreat to regroup through the cleared space easier and it'd give you less of screen for yourself.

You could always do a mixed protection as well, but you also see a small menu flashing at the top right of your screen marked 'Premium Token Shop'...