by Paul Bellow
When we reached the incredibly lifelike building, she stopped in middle of the open doorways. I glanced into the barn, seeing bales of hay much like the other. As she stared at me with squinted eyes, I pulled up the note in my inventory with the game to read it without her seeing. The message startled me. Someone had scrawled “Kill Glenda” on the paper. I closed the info box on my HUD and took a deep breath.
“You’re acting too weird,” Glenda said. “Is something wrong? Have you got the note?”
Did she mean the note in my inventory? Should I give it to her?
I reached into the sack at my side and pulled out the note.
“Here you go,” I said, handing it to her.
She took the scrap of paper.
“I can’t believe he double-crossed me,” she said, shaking her head. “Thanks for bringing this to me. Your reward is over there in the corner.”
She watched as I walked over to a medium-sized chest made of wood with brass bands holding it together. The lid opened easy. I picked up the three items inside.
You get Nice Longsword.
You get Nice Leather Gloves.
You get Nice Leather Boots.
I kicked off my flimsy shoes and put on the boots. Surprisingly, they fit perfectly. After putting on the gloves, I slid the longsword into my belt.
“That should get you down deep enough in the Dungeon of Derkmore to find some better stuff,” Glenda said. “Remember, if you find anything you want to sell, check here before you go to the shops.”
“I will,” I said. “Any other advice?”
“Don’t get cocky,” she said. “The curse of YASD is real.”
“YASD?”
Glenda nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “Yet another stupid death.”
I grinned. Was it an Easter egg in the roguelike?
“Get going,” she said.
“Are you around, Rick?” I asked in my mind as I turned.
“I’m here, Alex,” my new companion replied.
“Can you keep up while I search for the entrance of the dungeon?”
I walked away from the barn.
“As long as you feed me, I’ll be fine.”
“Hope you like rice and beans,” I said.
The mouse didn’t reply as it scurried beside me. When I neared the town, I saw notifications appear above the buildings to let me know what they each sold. I didn’t have any gold, so I skipped through town and walked into the wilderness on the other side. With full health, I wanted to get started right away.
“It’s close,” Rick said out loud as we walked.
“No kidding,” I muttered, holding my nose.
The noxious fumes hadn’t penetrated into the dungeon last time. I hoped the same held true when I went down again. Rick scampered ahead, stopping at the edge of a large hole in the middle of a field. A surreal wooden staircase led down into the darkness. The boards of the stairs appeared rotted and ready to give way.
I stared down into the darkness.
“Can you scout ahead?” I asked.
“Sure can,” my new furry friend said.
As the brown field mouse crept down the stairs, I lit my torch. The rickety, wooden steps looked even worse as I shined the light on them. Would they hold my weight? I stepped onto the first board and heard it creak and moan. When it didn’t give way, I continued, carefully placing my other foot on the next step down.
“All clear down here,” Rick said.
When I reached the sturdier boards lower down, I went faster and with more confidence. The room at the bottom of the steps had different dimensions than the first one in the dungeon with my previous character. Boards had replaced stone on the walls. My heads-up display lit up when I hit the bottom of the stairs.
You are on level 1 (-50’)
You feel wary.
Nice. Already wary. Let’s see if I can make it into the second room this time.
On the wall opposite the stairs, I saw a closed wooden door. I walked over and pressed my ear against the wood, listening. Silence. Great. I turned the handle and the door opened. On the other side, I saw—surprise, surprise—yet another tunnel, but I couldn’t see the end of it.
Torch in one hand and sword in the other, I walked out of the room and into the tunnel. I stopped and tensed up when I heard a squeal ahead. Another black bat flapped toward me. I set the torch down to concentrate on my attacks with the sword.
Your pierce GRAZES the bat for 7 damage.
The bat MISSES you.
Your slash INJURES the bat for 11 damage.
The bat is dead!
You get +5 xp
You have [5/50] xp
You need 45 xp for Level 2 Rogue.
I wiped the blood and brains from my blade to the back of the bat. Rick ran past me, feasting on the carcass. Wow, I thought to myself. Savage little guy.
“We should keep moving,” I said in a soft voice as I reached down to pick up the torch.
“Hold on,” Rick said. “I’m starving.”
The talking mouse would make the solo adventure a little less boring. I stepped into the new tunnel propped up with wooden boards. Rick ran after me, red-faced from feasting on the bat I’d killed. I turned my attention to the way ahead of us.
The tunnel ended abruptly with two doors on each side of the tunnel. I noticed a giant hole chewed through the wood near the bottom of one of them. Rick stopped next to my feet, sniffing the air.
“Rats,” he said. “I smell rats.”
“We’ll come back later if we’re desperate,” I said. “Let’s see what else we can find.”
I opened the other door and saw a long, rectangular room on the other side. This room had another two doors; one to the left, and the other across from where I’d entered.
Nearby, a pile of gold coins rested on the floor. I walked into the room, briefly sheathed my sword, and then bent down to pick them up.
You get 8 gold.
You have 9 gold
I stuffed the coins into the cloth sack at my side. After listening at the nearest door and hearing nothing, I moved to the other.
“Alex, watch out,” Rick said from near my feet.
I turned and saw a cat-sized rat with beady eyes scampering toward me. As it came closer, I tossed the torch in front of its path. The move surprised it enough to stop its forward momentum. I pounced.
Your pierce INJURES the giant rat for 11 damage.
The giant rat GRAZES you for 4 damage.
You have [17/21] health remaining.
Your slash HITS the giant rat for 9 damage.
You dodge!
The giant rat MISSES you.
Your pierce INJURES the giant rat for 15 damage.
The giant rat is dead!
You get +10 xp.
You have 15 xp
You need 35 xp for Level 2 Rogue.
Once again, I cleaned my sword, not wanting to ruin it before I found something better. The thing I loved about roguelikes, even the classic ones, was the ability to constantly find more powerful weapons. I needed to find the best one for every level I gained.
After listening at the second unopened door, I pushed it open. On the other side, a nearly identical room with another two doors created a strange sense of déjà vu in my mind. A trap of some sort? I wondered as I walked in and noticed the same pile of gold.
The coins sat in roughly the same spot as the ones in the last room. After I went over and picked them up, a notification window popped up.
You get 8 gold.
You have 17 gold.
Grinning, I walked across the room to the door on the opposite wall. Rick followed me, scurrying back and forth. When I reached the other side of the room, I opened another door, prepared for anything but not wanting a similar room.
A hallway stretched into the distance before making a sharp turn to the left. I took a deep breath. Such are the early levels in a roguelike, I mused to myself as I walked into the hallway. The construction appeared newe
r than the first rooms. A few notifications popped up.
You hear grumbles in the distance.
A door slams shut.
You hear footsteps approaching.
“Who’s down there?” a voice yelled.
Crap. I stayed quiet, using my mindlink with Rick.
“Scout ahead. Let me know what you see.”
As the mouse ran down the hall, I waited for my fate.
“Goblin,” Rick said. “Do you want me to attack him?”
I stifled a smile. Such a courageous mouse.
“No. Keep your eyes open for others.”
I crept forward to the first turn in the hall and waited. As the wiry, green goblin turned the corner, he ran straight into my waiting and thirsty blade. He fought back valiantly.
Your pierce HITS the goblin for 8 damage.
The goblin HITS you for 8 damage.
You have [9/21] health remaining.
Your slash INJURES the goblin for 12 damage.
The goblin GRAZES you for 5 damage.
You have [4/21] health remaining.
Your pierce WOUNDS the goblin for 18 damage.
The goblin is dead!
You get +15 xp
You have [30/50] xp
You need 20 xp for Level 2 Rogue.
After setting down my torch, I looted the goblin’s body.
You get a rotten apple core.
You get a note.
You get a RUSTY SHORT SWORD.
You get RUSTY BRACERS.
You get 14 gold coins.
You have 30 gold coins.
I slipped the valuable items in my bag to sell them if I ran into a shop in the dungeon. Would it have them? Or did I have to go all the way back aboveground?
“Here you go, Rick,” I said as I threw the apple core on the floor.
The mouse nibbled at the food as I examined the note. It contained a drawing of an intense looking crown along with a map. After reading it, a notification appeared.
NEW QUEST: Find Crown of Intelligence.
Do you accept this quest? y/N
“Nice,” I said to myself. “That’ll be helpful for casting spells.”
“Huh?” Rick asked between bites.
“A quest to find the Crown of Intelligence,” I said.
“Don’t do it,” Rick warned. “We’re too weak.”
“I’m resting up before we go anywhere, don’t worry, but I want that crown.”
You accept the quest: Find Crown of Intelligence
“Okay,” Rick said. “I’m here to help not tell you where to go.”
“How’s the apple?” I asked.
“Rotten, but not bad,” the mouse said.
I walked back the way I’d come. With so few health remaining, I couldn’t chance running into an unexplored room and finding another monster. Anything I ran into might kill me. Without healing potions, I needed to play it safe.
Back in the first room of the dungeon with the staircase leading outside, I rested on the dirt floor, slowly healing my wounds. As I did, I studied the map I’d found for the quest. None of the rooms looked familiar, and it had no markings.
My best bet would be to keep going down, leveling up until I ran into something that matched the three rooms and tunnels on the crudely drawn map. It wasn’t a great plan by any means, but I wanted to keep going. Gaining at least a single level before I left the dungeon sounded like a reasonable goal.
After resting an inordinate amount of time, I continued exploring the next few levels of the randomly constructed dungeon. The chaos factor could easily lead to deadly situations with no chance of escape. Having Rick along to scout ahead would come in very handy. I needed as much help as possible to beat the game.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 3 ::::>
Don’t Get Distracted!
Time passed. I kept grinding down the hallways and into the rooms. Thanks to a few minor healing potions, I hadn’t needed to ascend to the surface. Another staircase stood in front of me, beckoning. I headed down, Rick a few steps ahead of me all the way to the bottom.
You are on level 5 (-250’)
You are a Level 6 Rogue.
You feel good.
The status notification hovered a moment before fading. Over the first four levels of the dungeon, I’d become extremely comfortable with the various game screens. Unfortunately, I hadn’t found the rooms on the map to finish my first quest. With the Crown of Intelligence atop my head, I would have a high enough score to cast spells as a non-mage player.
According to the rules I’d looked up on one of the many resting breaks, I needed to descend to the hundredth level of the dungeon. To do that successfully, I’d need more than melee power and good armor. From my real-world experience before being trapped in the Tower of Gates, a good roguelike required thinking outside the box, and this was no different.
I heard muted sounds behind the door to my left. Time for some action, I thought as I turned the doorknob then threw the door open. Two orcs looked up from a table, cards in their hands. I dropped my torch then stepped into the room. As I walked forward, the orcs dropped their cards and stood, scrambling for their weapons.
I reached them before either had a chance to arm up.
Nothing wrong with taking advantage of surprise, I told myself.
Your slash INJURES the orc for 13 damage.
The orc’s punch MISSES you.
Your slash WOUNDS the orc for 17 damage.
The orc is dead!
The orc attempts to flee.
Your slash WOUNDS the orc for 18 damage.
Your pierce HITS the orc for 9 damage.
The orc is dead!
You have 545 xp
You need 155 xp for Level 7 Rogue.
I glanced around the room. A door to the right of the table where they were playing cards was closed. Were they guarding something? And why were mobs playing cards? Neither of them had anything on their bodies worth taking, so I went over to the other door.
Locked.
With a grin, I pulled out the lock pick set I’d found and got to work. The mechanism clicked after fiddling with it a few seconds. I put the kit away and pulled my sword before opening the door. A hallway lit by torches headed out of the room. The stench of more orcs wafted down the hall toward me.
“Come on, Rick. Let’s keep going.”
“Are you sure, Alex? It might be dangerous.”
“These are the rooms we’ve been looking for,” I said. “We’ve got to finish this quest. Besides, the whole dungeon’s dangerous.”
I put out my torch and stuffed it back in my sack. Better to save it for later, at least until I found a better light source. I walked down the hallway. A sharp left turn up ahead gave me slight pause, but I continued forward, ready to attack. The orcs wouldn’t be a problem unless I ran into a group of them at the same time.
At the corner, I peered around and saw more of the same—a long hallway stretching off into the distance. The foul orc odors grew even stronger. A closed door stood at the end of the hall. I crept forward, eyes peeled on the roughhewn wood. When I reached the door at the end of the hall, it burst open.
Two laughing orcs walked into the hallway, not noticing me at first.
I stayed quiet as I rushed forward to attack the orc in front.
Your slash MAULS the orc for 27 damage.
The orc is dead.
Finally, some good rolls for damage.
After playing just a bit, I was sure the roguelike had it in for me.
The second orc attacked, but I dodged and pierced my sword through its heart. He fell to the floor atop his buddy. I glanced up, looking into the room ahead for any other orcs or other creatures that might want to kills me.
You get +30 xp
You have 575 xp
You need 125 xp for Level 7 Rogue.
Rick gnawed away at one of the bloody bodies as I stepped forward. The room they had come from appeared empty as I approached. Small and square, I scanned it quickly. Two other
doors had been left open. One led to a closet, the other a hall.
I peeked in the closet, hoping for a good loot drop. A towel hung over a metal bar near the top. I grabbed it, not expecting much, but you never knew in a roguelike. The game notice that popped up pleasantly surprised me.
Moist Towel of Healing (?/? charges)
Heal 1d20 health twice per day by wringing water out of towel. Once dry, the towel must be soaked with 12 potions of healing.
I didn’t have any other means of healing, so the towel might actually come in handy. After closing the closet door, I left the room to explore the new hallway. The lack of strong orc odors put my mind at ease a little as I reached the end of the lit hall.
As I listened at the door, I heard a faint humming noise on the other side. The handle turned easily, so I opened it and looked through. A square table stood at the center of the round, unoccupied room. I walked in, closing the door behind me.
Two doors, one to my left and one to my right, were also closed. A shiny gold crown sat on the simple wooden table. This is too easy, I thought as I walked forward.
When I picked up the golden crown, a gong sounded in the distance.
I ignored the sound and slipped the crown on my head.
+50 INT
You feel smart enough to learn spells now!
With my newfound intelligence boost, I quickly realized I had no easy way to escape. All three doors opened. Dozens of orcs rushed in, overpowering me.
