=========================================================== 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.