You know, despite being trapped in the world of one of the cruelest RPGs out there, I'm glad I'm not trapped in a horror movie.
What do I mean by this? Well, my flashlight lit the path ahead, it wasn't like in a movie where a group of dumb teenagers breaks into a haunted house and the only source of light they brought was cheap flashlights from the corner store.
I moved my arm in an arc, illuminating my surroundings, seeing mold, mushrooms, ruins, rotten wood boxes and barrels, plants, bloodstains, mangled corpses and more. I was in the basement of the dungeon, so it is better to start collecting items that I will probably use in the future.
I found some herbs growing between the wall blocks and floor tiles, green, red and blue herbs, the classic ones from a certain zombie game franchise; I kept them all in my backpack with some mushrooms I collected right after passing the four pillars with the massive Ritual Circle drawn in blood on the floor.
"You seem strangely calm." Kitab spoke.
"Don't confuse my calm with naivety, I know the risk I'm taking and the dangers of this dungeon. I already had my panic attack on the stairs; I don't need another one in here where the monsters roam."
As if fate had heard my words, a monster came from a dark corridor ahead and floated towards me, a brown jellyfish with a humanoid face, Maneba, an initial enemy.
My heart raced as my mind reviewed everything I knew about them. If I remember correctly, they can communicate through telepathy, are probably related to Rher, The God of the Moon and Madness, and they are not exactly evil, acting more out of the need to feed.
"A monster stands in your way; let us see if your words are true!"
Hm... Trying to talk won't do me any good. I quickly looked around, finding nothing I could use as a weapon, and the corridor was too narrow to go around the monster. Well, time to find out if Kitab's spells work.
"Hey Kitab! How do I use your spells?"
The Maneba advanced, swinging one of its tentacles towards my head; I ducked and took a few steps back.
Why am I surprised? This is not a game! It's obvious the monsters won't wait for my turn!
Then I stepped to the left, dodging a tentacle that tried to hit me on top of the head.
"Just feel the magic in your body! Visualize the cosmic power of the universe! Contemplate the void and its infinite dimensions, and unleash the power given to you by the Old Ones!"
"Do you think I'm some kind of wizard?! I'm not an anime protagonist who masters a new power in five seconds! Give me something I can use!"
I screamed in frustration while dodging the blow of another tentacle.
"Alternatively, you could just say the name of the spell."
"Seriously?! Why did you not say it before?! Glimmer of Truth!"
I felt a pressure in my head, followed by some pain. The spells in Fear and Hunger use mind, the game's MP, what I felt must have been the equivalent of my mind being drained.
Kitab trembled in my hand, an unknown force flipped its pages, green smoke came from them and enveloped the Maneba's head. The monster stood still for a few seconds before shaking its head and attacking me again.
"It didn't work!"
"It is not my fault! You are the one who leads me in fights; so the blame for using an ineffective attack is yours! You must know your enemy to face it in the best way possible!"
The Maneba comes from the deepest depths and knows about the place where time has no meaning. This thing is already crazy or it has enough knowledge to not go mad, so let's go with the second option.
"DAMN IT!"
I screamed in pain when the Maneba hit my left side, it hurt like being whipped by my father's belt. I don't feel anything broken, but it still felt like hell.
Focus! Pay attention to the thing in front of you! This ceased to be a game a long time ago!
Retreating, I used the second spell in my arsenal.
"Cats of Ulthar!"
The pressure in my head came back stronger. I think this spell uses more mind than the last one. Kitab shook in my hand, the pages flipped again, a black mud seeped out of the book, flowing towards the floor, forming a big puddle at my feet.
That's it?
Again, as if fate knew what I was thinking, something happened. A series of eyes appeared in the mud, then it took shape, they rose from the puddle with the dark substance serving as the body.
They crawled out of it and walked towards the Maneba, their form changing as they approached; assuming a quadrupedal shape, four thin legs ending in paws, a long slender tail and one head with a pair of ears on the top.
When the transformation ended, there were ten night-black "cats" with a single large blue gold eye of Horus in the center of their faces.
They stopped in front of the monster and looked at it curiously; The Maneba tilted its head aside and hit one of the cats, throwing it against the wall, turning it into a dark stain running down the stone until it reached the floor, where it resumed the shape of a feline, approaching the monster again and letting out a distorted meow that made my skin crawl.
M̶͖͔̫̞̞̤̲̳̆̃̐̓ę̵̼̗̘̲͍͖͇͇̻̫̹̩̫̼̳̖̣͑̽o̶̡̧̙̘̯̙̩̰͖͉̜͈̲͚͓̬̗̭͍̹̠͈̽̽̽̾͐͋̂w ̢̳͖̞͔̼̰͚̱̝̮͖̞̟̟̞̣̜͍͜
Suddenly, huge claws came out of its paws, white, shiny and sharp, easily able to rip the flesh of a human being, but the change didn't stop there, for just below the eye of Horus, a thin line appeared, expanding to the sides, revealing a gigantic mouth with rows of teeth the size of knives.
Then, came a scene from a horror movie, all the cats jumped towards the Maneba as the monster swung one of its tentacles towards the nearest cat, but with a swing of its claws, the feline leading the group cut it in two with one blow.
The Maneba let out a cry of pain, but kept fighting, swinging its tentacles frantically, but the animals dodged without effort. With great speed they jumped, rolled and ducked out of the way.
While the monster was busy with some cats, the rest of the group surrounded the creature. For a moment, the thing stopped upon realizing what was happening, but it was too late.
All the summons jumped on top of the creature at the same time and began to devour it. Claws slashed and tore, throwing blood and pieces of flesh everywhere, their mouths bit and ripped apart, taking off large pieces of the monster.
The Maneba screamed and struggled, trying to escape, but each attempt to push the cats away with its tentacle was met with the same tentacle being cut. Eventually the monster was brought to the ground where it was easier to be devoured.
The cats ate in such a frenzy that they ripped holes in the creature's head and crawled in. I could see the bulges moving beneath the skin, until one of the summons broke off the top of the monster's head in a shower of blood.
There was nothing left when they were done, they ate even the pieces of flesh that were thrown away. With the monster gone, the blood-covered cats came towards me, and for a moment, I thought I would be next.
However, I changed my mind when they rubbed against my legs, their distorted meow echoing through the dungeon. I nervously patted one of them on the head as it purred and rubbed itself against my hand.
One of them jumped on my shoulder and watched me while another jumped on my arm and sat there. With a final meow, they dissolved into a dark mud that disappeared as if it had never existed.
"So, what did you think of your first fight?! Of your first spell that guaranteed you victory?! How do you feel?! Happy?! Irritated?!" Kitab spoke.
"A little scared and surprised by what I saw. I'm glad I survived and didn't get eaten by the cats."
"Now you understand why the Egyptians loved those furballs! Anyway, congratulations! You won your first fight! You earned a total of 0 XP and 0 Gold!"
"What a generous reward…" I replied with obvious sarcasm.
"I can't do anything about it; I don't make the rules here."
"Didn't expect you to, but let's move on."
I didn't have to walk far until something else caught my attention, a large iron door with the symbol of a crow. I knew what was on the other side, the Miasma.
I knocked on it, making a metallic sound ring through the place, and then I tried to push the door, but it didn't move. After that, I tried to pull it, grabbing the handles with all my strength and throwing all my weight back, but nothing happened.
Without much choice, I put my ear to the cold metal. Everything stood silent, until a strange voice spoke.
"Hello."
I recoiled immediately because it had spoken inside my head. Surely, the Miasma is on the other side. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it now. A shame, having one of the best weapons right off the bat would help me a lot, but I have no plans to face Crow Mauler, I'd rather never have to meet him.
Without options, I kept advancing and picking up stuff that I found inside boxes and barrels while walking close to the walls; I prefer not to step on a tile that would lead me to the Black Witch.
Lighting up a room beside me, I saw something that caught my attention, a group of crates filled with rusted armor and weapons. Maybe there's something I can use.
"Would you like to flip a coin?" Kitab asked.
"Good question, how do coin flips work here? What stops me from not doing what the coin result tells me to do?"
"This dungeon is alive, if you don't do what the coin result dictates, the dungeon will oblige you. Forces leagues above you will ensure that the result is fulfilled."
"Seriously, so I pick heads or tails and flip any coin in the air?"
"Not exactly, you have coins of different values, and the higher the value the greater the reward, but greater will be the consequence, if there is one, if you get the wrong result. Alternatively, you can choose not to toss a coin and try to find something yourself."
Considering I seriously need equipment and the consequence is simply not getting anything, I didn't see a problem with trying. I took a five-cents coin and held it up, as if to show the dungeon what I wanted to do.
"Heads."
I tossed it up and watched it spin in the air. Sweat trickled down my forehead as the coin dropped back into my hand, making me laugh nervously at the result. Heads. Soon after, the coin crumbled to dust. Now let's see what the dungeon has in store for me.
Rummaging through the boxes, I found a large dagger, almost a short sword, shaped like an upside down V. It was a little rusty, but it was better than nothing, so I tucked it into my belt.
"Beginner's luck, I say! Still, not bad. Would you like to try again? You can get something better with a higher value coin."
"I prefer not to push my luck and it is better to save the coins for when I need it."
"Fair."
I passed through the room with the chest on the other side and the pile of corpses serving as a shortcut to the upper levels, but it was locked, so I moved forward, seeing the door that led to the lower floors.
Next to it there was a skeleton.
"Hey Kitab, do you have any necromancy spells?"
"No, but that doesn't mean I can't have it in the future."
Damn it!
Creating an army of the undead would be interesting, I just need to loot all the equipment I see and I would have an army ready.
I went through the door and downstairs, past a cemetery, but avoided going left as there's a chance I would find an Elite Guard. So, I went down the long hallway instead.
There are now two places I can go, the relatively safe room and the armory where Ser Seymor is. I decided to go right, maybe I could get better equipment in the armory if Seymor doesn't try to kill me.
I approached the room where the knight was, but I didn't go in right away. Instead, I leaned against the wall next to the entrance and spoke.
"Hello?"
"Who's there!" A strong male voice said from the other side.
"I'm a person trapped in this dungeon just like you. Can I come in? I swear I'm not a threat."
A few seconds of silence passed before he replied.
"Yes, but come slowly and with your hands up."
I did as he said, walking into the room with my hands raised. Struggling to his feet and staring at me for some time was Ser Seymor, a pale, gray-haired knight in chainmail wielding a giant sword.
"See, I'm not a monster, just a human being like you. Can you put the sword down now?"
Seymor sighed without energy and placed the heavy sword on the ground with a loud clang, making the room shake, but I noticed that he was looking at me strangely.
"By Alll-mer, what are you doing here? What would drive a young man like you to enter this place?"
I found some humor in it, since he looked quite young too.
"I have no idea. I woke up at the entrance to the dungeon and had to run for my life to avoid being devoured by giant dogs."
"Another soul trapped in this cursed keep. Sorry for my actions, but this place messes with our minds. Who knows what kind of monsters roam around?"
"I agree with you, but changing the subject, would you mind if I pick some equipment?"
"No, of course not! Take whatever you need for your survival!"
"Thanks!"
Most of the equipment was degraded beyond use, so I preferred not to spend a coin, making do with what I found, and the things I found were an iron mask and a cloth hood.
The mask covered the front of my face from the forehead to the nose, having two slits for the eyes and a leather strap to attach it to my head, while the hood was sewn by threads and made of black cloth.
Shrugging, I put on the mask and the hood, it was better than nothing. I could try the assassin's strategy and hide in the shadows. I didn't find anything else, so I left, but not before talking to Seymor.
"I will keep exploring the dungeon. Would you like to come with me?"
Honestly, it would be nice to have someone strong in my party.
"Unfortunately, I must decline; I am on a mission to find my companions, mainly Prince Buckman. If you find him, would you send him to me?"
"Of course, you can count on me!"
"I'm thankful for it, now, would you mind answering another question?"
"No, ask it."
"That book and that shiny thing in your hand, what are they?"
"You could say I'm an amateur sorcerer, the book attached to my arm is my grimoire and the glowing thing is a magic item that lights up the path ahead."
"While I don't have a positive opinion of sorcerers, you don't pose a threat, so I wish you luck in whatever you seek in this place."
"Same to you Seymor, until we meet again."
"Equally."
After saying goodbye to the knight, I went towards the relatively safe room, where I found a bonfire to prepare food, the statue of a woman with a crow on her arm and a bed.
I don't need to sleep or eat anything now, but I made a note in my agenda and ripped the sheet right away, leaving it on top of the bed with a stone on top, serving as a weight.
It talked about this room being safe the first time you slept in, but if you tried to sleep a second time, you would have to flip a coin, and if you missed, you would fight the Crow Mauler. I sketched the monster on the back of the paper. If any of the main characters will still enter the dungeon, I hope this helps.
I also took the opportunity to make some notes.
"Help Cahara find the treasures and make his S ending?"
"Save Le'garde? Maybe… If so, let him become a New God? No! He's lawful evil and cares more about himself than humanity! If he ever genuinely cared, that is no longer the case! Explain to him the truth about the New Gods? I doubt it would work. Nas'hrah tried in the Golden Throne and he did not believe him. If not, stop D'arce from reviving him and creating the second game's antagonist? Yes!"
"Save the girl? If so, let her become the God of Fear and Hunger?"
"Recruit the Floating Head?"
"Recruit Moonless? Yes!"
"Learn necromancy and make an army of the undead?"
"Become a New God?"
Now, I was facing the big hall again. If I went forward I might get a stronger weapon, but I don't have any cursed weapons to face the ghosts. The worst part is, I'm saying this as if the Iron Shakespeare isn't an issue. At least I left a note about the monster followed by a sketch at the entrance of the hallway.
With no other choice, I moved forward. Suddenly, the ground started to shake, heavy metallic steps echoed through the darkness and I pointed my cell phone ahead, revealing the Iron Shakespeare, the massive knight in golden armor with gigantic hammers for hands slowly advancing towards me.
Wasting no time, I cast Glimmer of Truth, the green smoke engulfed the knight's head and he screamed and thrashed around, his arms reaching for something that wasn't there. Looks like he still has some sanity left.
I ran across the corners of the hall, past the pillars, and sprinted towards the exit, nearly being crushed when one of the Iron Shakespeare's fists knocked the closest pillar down in a hail of stone.
I thought he was trying to kill me, but he still attacked the air, making me quicken my pace and run towards the stairs leading down to the prison, letting the knight fight whatever he was seeing.
"I'm a little disappointed that you ran away."
"Don't give me that talk, I'm in no condition to face that thing and I'd rather never have to do that."
"Better watch what you say, the dungeon is listening and it has an ironic and sadistic sense of humor."
END OF CHAPTER