Evolution: A Warlock’s Rise To Power

Lucan worked his way through the tunnels and arrived back on the surface in Shadowsweep.  He headed straight to the teleporter and arrived in Destol.

His first stop was the building where the tunnel to his dungeon was located.  He wasn't going there to collect the money or anything like that.  Since the dungeon was set up in Destol he had instructed the guards he placed to take the funds to her office and store it in the treasurey every night.  It would count as part of Destol's income.

He was going to the dungeon to see how popular it was.  He had been getting a steady stream of DP (Dungeon Points).  But he was still too new to the role of dungeon master and wasn't sure how many people were actually using it.

When he arrived at the building that housed his dungeon entrance, he was surprised to see that things had changed.  It looked very different from what he remembered.

"What has happened here?"  Lucan asked the shadow elf he left in charge.

When he left, the inside of the building was basically and empty room with a flight of stairs going to the basement where the entrance to the shadow tunnel was located.

Now, a restaurant was located on the first floor and there was a sign indicating that a tavern was housed on the second floor.

"Lord Quilldrake, Miss Night made some changes.  We assumed it was fine with you since you told us that she was in charge."  Said the shadow elf nervously.  She was afraid that she was going to get in trouble.

"It is no problem.  It seems like lot has changed."

"Yes, sir.  Let me tell you about it.  As you can see, we now have a restaurant and a tavern inside this building.  Miss night thought that since people were just standing around and waiting to get into the dungeon, we might as well make a little profit while they wait."

"That is good.  From what I hear, it sounds like the dungeon has been popular if people are having to wait."

"Yes, Lord Quilldrake.  In fact, just a few days ago Miss Night decided to no longer require the travelers to wait in line.  Instead, they now make reservations in advance.  In fact she was wondering if you would be able to add a certain feature to the dungeon."

"Oh, what is it?"

"It is rare for a match to last over thirty minutes, but it happens once or twice a day.  She was hoping that you could set a time limit.  Once thirty minutes have passed, the side with the higher level or more towers destroyed could be declared the winner or something.  If you could do that it would make keeping the reservations much easier and ensure a constant turn over without delay."

"I can probably do something like that.  I will slip in when the next group leave and make the changes."

Lucan headed to the basement and walked through the shadow tunnel.  He was in luck, as he exited the tunnel, the players in the dungeon came out.

It only took him a minute to find the relevant setting.

After five minutes he double checked the setting to make sure he was happy.

After twenty-five minutes the match would go into sudden death.  Once a player died they would no longer respawn.  After another five minutes, the match would be over.  The system would take into account surviving players, surviving towers and the damage to the enemy's core to determine the winner.  This way the game could last thirty minutes at most.

Walking out of the dungeon Lucan waved his wand.  An illusionary sign appeared on the wall that detailed the changes he had made to the dungeon.  It would last for three days before it ran out of mana to sustain itself and disappeared.  That was plenty of time for the players to realize the changes.

The minor tweaking of the game only cost him five hundred DP.  He currently had over twenty thousand in reserve and the amount was steadily growing through out the day.

'Maybe it is time to add a second dungeon to the establishment.'  Lucan though to himself.

He would need to track down or create a pair of versus cores but first he had to find a suitable location.  He made a note in his interface to stay on the lookout for a good spot.

After leaving the dungeon behind, Lucan traveled to Starlight Entertainment's headquarters.

Lucan had contacted Silent when he was on his way towards Destol but she was busy until this evening.  He would meet up with her then.  Since he had time too kill, he thought he should uphold his agreement to teach the starlight employees how to better use illusions as special effects.

Walking into the buildings entrance he found the man he was looking for, Tim Kelly.

"Hey, Lucan.  What brings you here?  If you need to speak to Annabel, I will go inform her."

"I was actually looking for you.  I promised you and that director that I would help you all to better use illusions."

"Ah, that is right.  So you have time today?"

"I have a few hours."

"Perfect, come on back, I will inform the others."

Tim led him out the back of the building and into a nearby warehouse that was being used as a film studio.

Right now it was just an empty large space, but it could be dressed up to suit whatever situation they required.

After a few minutes ten other people came in.

"Hey Tim who is this?"  One of the players asked.

"Hank, can't you read.  He is Lucan Quilldrake."

"No duh, I can see the name floating above his head."

"You should remember the name."  Tim said.  "He is the Baron of this land and also the one who you purchased your illusion abilities from.  He is going to give us some tips to make it easier to create special effects."

At this, the others turned their attention to Lucan while Tim motioned for him to start.

"Illusions are like other spells inside of Evolution.  It is not so simple and straight forward as targeting an area and an effect happens.  Compared to slinging fireballs, it is a hundred times harder.  Mostly this is because illusions are an art."  Lucan said.

He looked at the group and saw they were all pay attention before he continued.

"The most important thing is to have a detailed image in your mind.  If you want to create a chair, you can just think 'chair' and then cast a spell.  You need to envision every aspect of it.  How tall is the chair?  What is it made out?  Is it cushioned?  Is it old or new?  Are their chips in its frame?  Is it well made and sturdy or is it a bit wobbly?  There are many things to consider.  But these types of considerations are mainly just for beginners.  Once you get the hang of it you will be able to recreate what's in your mind.  Any questions so far?"

"I can understand what you are saying, but if we have to consider every aspect of a simple chair won't it take years before we are able to say, fill this whole studio with an illusionary scene?"  Asked Hank.

"Yes and no."  Lucan answered.  "Like all artists, some are more naturally gifted than the rest while others will have to put in a lot of hard work before they can see results.  But whether some one is naturally gifted or not, the most important thing is to practice.  Each time it will get a little better. And of course, there are many more potent spells than just the basic illusion spell.  Using multiple types of illusions can create a scene much easier than constructing it purely from the basic spell. Take for instance, the shadow double spell.  It makes a copy of yourself that is has already taken shape, a person only needs to control it and doesn't have to bother with the fine details such as replicating each individual hair."

"Yes, yes."  Tim interjected.  "But that has its limits, a person can only copy themselves."

"Indeed, but if someone were to get good enough to create a copy of themselves with the basic skill, well then they could create a copy of anybody.  There are plenty of short cuts but trainer the few basic ability will give you the most options.  Then once you have created the illusion you want, it is time for the more challenging part.  Interacting with the surroundings.  Getting your illusion to walk, or your chair to break, these things, like everything else take practice.  But enough chit chat, show me what you guys can do and will give you a hand and offer some advice."