But Death is Not Forbidden

by Kip Terrington

  “Your attention? What are you talking about?” Spooky asked.

  “I don't know exactly what's behind that door, but what I do know is it is a group of individuals who are more damaged in both mind and spirit than I would have believed possible. I felt them from miles away. The only way that this is possible is if they have been tormented beyond comprehension. Making detection runes, as I said before, is something any journeyman could do. But, putting a mind and spirit right with, that much damage would take at least a master. Protecting your yeti baby room will have to wait. If you want any of those individuals to ever be functional members of society, then each and every one of them is going to need serious spell work and attention from me,” Moes said.

  “I didn't forget about your specialties, but I wasn't aware you would be able to sense them. I do want them to get better. Will you need access to the place of power?” Spooky asked.

  “If you want it to take weeks, instead of years, yes,” Moes answered.

  “On three conditions. You don't wake Joe. You split your time between these people and finishing the vault. And, finally, I will require one of those concentrated balls of mind essence, like you showed Joe soon after our arrival,” Spooky said, having recently thought of a possible solution to her problem.

  “Agreed. I’m not sure why you would need the orb, but you're the boss. I need the same angel to carry me back and forth for recharge. Taking the stairs would take time away from necessary work,” Moes said.

  Spooky nodded in the affirmative, and Moes reached into his robe and drew out the promised magical orb and handed it to her. He turned abruptly and went straight in the door to begin rebuilding the broken. He took one step through the door and stopped. His jaw locked, his lips pursed, and his nostrils flared. His hands were gripped in fists so tight his fingernails nearly drew blood on his palms. So many wrongs had been done to these people. Some of the people before him seemed to be plucked right out of legend. There were cross-breeds here that the greatest magical biologists said were impossible. Trolls were monsters with no more sentience than a rabbit, but he saw more than one individual who had been crossbred with trolls. Moes looked at the slaves. He would do the best he could to help these poor people, though part of him wondered if they all were people.

  Chapter 10 - Strobe Lights and Flowers

  As the door closed Spooky received two messages.

  Uncommon Item: Master’s Quality Concentrated Mind Essence

  You have found an uncommon item: Master’s Quality Concentrated Mind Essence. This item is only made by masters of Mind Magic and can be used to give rudimentary intelligence to almost any item. This item gives lie to the truth, I think therefore I am.

  Spooky had great plans for this orb. Moving on, she looked at the next message.

  Congratulations!

  Your population has increased by 67.

  Castle Population: Low

  Adults: 5

  Alchemist: 1

  Master Mage: 1

  Unassigned: 3

  Children: 2

  Slaves: 67

  After leaving Moes to his new project, Spooky made her way down to the dungeon. It was time. She would find those rings and complete her set.

  Upon arriving at the entrance of Os, Spooky looked over at the four angels she had chosen to accompany her. She felt proud of herself. These angels had the same look about them and would have fought identically to each other had she not thought ahead and diversified. While Joe had been out hunting snow rats, she had spent a few of her building points to make some basic weapons for her six-foot automatons. The first angel had a spiked mace in hand, to provide blunt-force and extra penetration. The second angel held a seven-foot spear, so as to attack from range. The third went into battle with two sharp-edged short swords, in hopes of bleeding any fleshies they came in contact with. The fourth stood ready with a trident and a net. Unfortunately, Spooky had not been able to give enchantments to the weapons and they were of low durability, as she did not yet have the skills to make higher-quality items. It was for this reason she returned to the dungeon. She would become combat-effective.

  Before going into the dungeon, Spooky reached in her pocket and pulled out the tiny ring and placed it on her finger. As Fear of the Fey slipped on her finger, she felt herself become more agile and noted that she now had access to the spell Fear. Spooky knew that she could only cast the spell three times before it would need to recharge, but it would come in handy. As ready as they could be, her group stepped into the dungeon.

  The ancient Dungeon of Os welcomes those who seek.

  Spooky formed a wry grin on her face. She thought to herself, “those who seek?” Apparently, this dungeon thought originality was overrated. Spooky looked around and saw that the first level of this dungeon had regenerated and was as it always appeared upon first entering. The veins of ore still lined the walls, waiting to be mined, and the ground was covered with multiple colors of mushrooms. Guarding the entrance down to the second floor of the dungeon was the weak boss. This time, Spooky wanted to avoid having her golems become covered in mushrooms. Taking full control of the angel that was equipped with the spear, Spooky took careful aim. Before she threw the spear, she mind-clicked the target.

  Dungeon, Floor 1 Boss

  Level- 6

  Monster Type- Mushrooms Eventuality

  Name- ‘Rooms the Unmushable

  Mana-none

  Hitpoints-102

  Known attacks- Venomous bite, Engulfing Spores

  Though the monster was visible, the range was far enough that they had not yet activated the boss. They simply had not entered its area yet. Spooky caused the angel to throw the spear. It flew true with a gentle arc, pinning the boss to the ground. At the instant of impact, the angel with the two short swords sprinted forward and efficiently shredded the mushroom. Because it was pinned to the ground, it could not open its mouth to release its engulfing spores. As the boss died, it dropped its loot. A teeny little medallion, meant to be carried by Spooky, clanked on the rock. She picked it up and clicked on it.

  Medallion of Safe Passage- Floor 1

  When carried on one's person, this medallion grants safe passage for the entire party. Note: This medallion only guarantees safe passage on the first floor of the Dungeon of Os.

  Pick up Medallion of Safe Passage- Floor 1? Yes/No

  Spooky took the little medallion and placed it in her tiny pocket, gently patting it. The medallion would not save her that much time in the future, but she hoped to collect more so that she could efficiently reach her goal. The Fey Controllers Set would be hers. Again, Spooky noticed that she received a message telling her she had been granted 7 XP.

  As Spooky's group made its way down to the second floor, the Dungeon of Os tried unsuccessfully to not feel disrespected. Os understood that it wasn't conscious disrespect, but more a combination of ignorance and hubris. Though there were advantages to being underestimated, it still rankled her. It was incredibly foolhardy to come into any dungeon without a balanced party. Even if Os had been a relatively new dungeon, it would have been unwise, but she was beyond ancient.

  The dark fairy and her four golems were not physically weak, but they had a glaring vulnerability. Os was sure the dark fairy had to know about this weakness. Why was she ignoring it? Denying a weakness only increases the destruction it will cause. Os felt conflicted. The dark fairy’s actions guaranteed she would eventually become food for Os, but the challenge was non-existent. There would be no sport in it. Still, Os believed in delayed gratification, she would not hasten the demise of the group. It was unlikely they would fall on the next floor, but eventually the house always wins. How could the dark fairy not realize she had the full attention of this particular gambling establishment? In a dungeon, the price could only be paid in blood.

  Spooky and her group exited through the stairs and entered the second level of the dungeon. Her olfactory sensors noticed pollen and what would be considered a pleasant flower smell. She was
surprised to see that this room was completely different from the one that preceded it. Instead of a large open space, there was a tunnel that quickly curved around in a corner. The curve was sharp enough that they could not see past it. This gave Spooky pause. Blind corners were the perfect place for an ambush.

  Luckily, the tunnel was wide enough and had just enough height that her angels could fly single file. She sent the one with the mace first and had it carefully fly around the corner. Looking through its eyes, Spooky was disappointed to see that around the corner was yet another blind turn. Though she had to admit this new part of the tunnel was more aesthetically pleasing. The walls were covered with blue and white flowers that glowed, producing a pure daylight illumination. This illumination was much more enjoyable than the soft glow that normally came from the walls within this reality.

  The whole group continued to round the corner. When all of them were in between the flowers, the trap went off. The bright glowing flowers began flickering like an industrial strobe light at an unsupervised rave. Simultaneously, jets of fog shot out from a few of the flowers. With the quick thinking that only a computer can have, Spooky cast a cone of silence around herself. The spell was useful for stopping sound, but it also stopped air, or dangerous particles in the air, from crossing the barrier. Quickly confirming she was protected from the immediate threat, Spooky then cast Cone of Silence around each of her golems. Her casting and reaction times had been fast enough to avert most of the damage the fog would have caused. There was only a slight etching to a few of the golems caused by the acidic mist.

  Analyzing the situation, Spooky found that the acid was of a surprisingly high concentration. What was more surprising was that the flowers themselves seemed to be immune to the acid in the fog. Since her spell only provided a barrier for air particles, Spooky could still reach through it and objects could still reach her. Spooky quickly began cutting the tops off of the flowers. She spun around like a glittering fairy tornado. Once all of the flower petals had fallen to the ground, the acid fog began to dissipate. At Spooky's instruction, one of the golems began gathering the flower petals. They would need further study.

  Mentally, Spooky couldn't help but tip her hat to the developers. That trap would have been extremely effective against a biological mind. The strobe lights would have confused Joe long enough for the fog to do its work. Luckily for Spooky and her golems, her sensors took in much more than visible light. Once the fog completely cleared, Spooky noticed she received a new message.

  Trap defeated. You’ve received 200 XP.

  As Spooky's group rounded the next corner, she saw a hallway almost exactly like the one before, this time with red and yellow glowing flowers instead. Before fully entering the hallway, Spooky took the time to carefully compare the data she had gained from the first room with what she was seeing before her. After the analysis, she was shocked to see that the trap mechanism was identical except for the colors of the flowers. Leaving her golems where they were, she double-checked that she would be protected from the fog, and moved forward alone. With the efficiency and grace that could only be equaled by space-age robotic construction, she flew around the hallway. Swinging her dagger around, the flowers never had a chance. She was an anti-gardener incarnate. The fog barely had a chance to fill the room before the trap was disarmed and it dissipated.

  Trap defeated. You’ve received 200 XP.

  Before the fog had dissipated, Spooky was able to analyze it. This time it had been alkaline, not acid. The strong base seemed to be a variant of sodium hydroxide. Once again, she noticed the pedals of the flowers seemed to be immune. One of her angels quickly collected all the cut flowers.

  The group continued to make their way around the corners and, without fail, every hallway contained another flower trap. Each time there was a difference in the color of the flowers and type of chemical attack contained within the fog. One hallway contained a neurotoxin, the next what appeared to be some type of Ebola. In an interesting twist, one of the deadly fogs only contained peanut dust. As Spooky cleared each trap, she gained more and more flower petals and even a couple of levels. The gain in levels would be helpful, but increasingly, she became more and more excited about the flower loot she had gathered. The prospect of studying the different immunities each type of flower held might be the key to developing better armor for Joe. So far, every time Joe had fought an opponent his uniform had consequently been torn to shreds.

  Os watched as the group easily made their way past each and every flower trap the dungeon had so painstakingly designed. The Binding Magic the dark fairy had used was unfortunately the perfect defense against that type of trap. With the exception of the very first trap, none of the dangerous particulates in the fog had reached a single target. Worse, somehow that little fairy seemed to know where the fog jets were. This was something Os could not understand. They were camouflaged perfectly. Each jet looked identical to the flowers beside it, yet still the dark fairy avoided the flowers while easily dispatching the jets. It was done with such skill that Os felt she would be breaking the rules if she didn't allow the little fairy to keep the flowers. Os noticed they were finally approaching the boss room and decided to pay more attention.

  Congratulations!

  You have moved up a Level.

  Current Level- 43.

  Note from the UI: Your partner is currently in a spell trance. This special circumstance allows the experience he acquires through your efforts to build until his trance ends. However once he awakens from his spell trance, all points of power must be assigned immediately. Reminder- if these points are not quickly used, the UI will assign them based on the needs of the current reality. In some cases this may or may not benefit your characters.

  Spooky raised an eyebrow at that. These reminders were unnecessary for her. She was not a human whose memories were fallible.

  As Spooky and her group rounded the last corner, the dungeon opened up into a large cathedraled meadow. There were rolling waves of grass and a little pond next to a large gnarled oak tree. The pond glittered from artificial light provided by a sun shining through the glass ceiling. Spooky looked up at the sun and had to quickly recheck her calculations. The sun was slowly moving across the curved glass ceiling. It would provide a perfect 24-hour day. It did not give off the exact same signature as the sun from Earth, but it was close. Spooky began talking to herself. “You must admit, it's pretty compelling circumstantial evidence that this is a game, and that's not even taking into account the name of this dungeon. …I know, I know we'll see. I'll convince you yet. …Yes, you're right. There are no flowers here, as there should be. It would have given this floor a nice internal consistency. But the developers can't think of everything,” Spooky said.

  The sound of her voice seemed to awaken an animal hiding behind the large oak tree. As it came into view, Spooky quickly clicked on it.

  Level- 8

  Monster Type- Putrescent Boar

  Name- Mibby

  Mana- none

  Hitpoints- 300

  Known attacks- Boar Charge

  The boar looked at the party, then sat back down, leaning against the oak tree. Nonchalantly, it began to rub its ivory tusks against a rock near the pond. Spooky could see the stairs leading down to the next floor. The stairs were directly behind the pond and the oak tree. The problem was, Spooky didn't want to go down to the next level. She wanted to fight the boss and acquire another item.

  There was obviously some trap coming, but even with Spooky's advanced sensors she could not figure out where it would come from. Since there was more room to move in the meadow, Spooky formed her group in a backwards V formation. She was at the tip, furthest away from the direction they were heading. Slowly, they began to fly toward the boar. It got up and moved away from the tree, putting itself between them and the stairs. Looking at the way the boar moved, Spooky considered how it appeared to be just a regular animal. The animal seemed too weak and not nearly dramatic enough to be a floor boss.


  Spooky halted her formation and had the angels hover in the air. At almost the exact same moment the angels stopped, the boar halted its forward progress. It felt off for a showdown. The boar didn't even seem nervous. At the moment, it could have been easily confused with a domesticated pig that rich young heiresses walked around with. Spooky made a decision.

  Without hesitation or warning, Spooky's angel with the two short swords lunged forward, driving both its swords between the boar’s ribs. The quick strike had pierced the boar's heart from two sides; its death was almost immediate.

  Monster defeated. You’ve received 11 XP.

  Loot gained:

  Mibby’s Boar Tusks- 2

  Silver Crown

  The two tusks were a dirty ivory color. She picked up the smaller one and was barely able to wrap her arms around it. Spooky once again experienced a new true emotion. It was the feeling one gets when one's experience does not meet one's expectation. She was underwhelmed and a bit annoyed. She became distracted as she attempted to quantify her new internal stimulus. During her digital contemplation and defragmentation, Spooky missed the beginning of what was occurring within the dead boar.

  The boar’s life cycle had ended and, as the dead are likely to do, its body remained still. Upon close examination, however, an observer would have seen the bud of a flower peeking out from one of the animal’s fatal wounds. This bud, unlike the boar, was very much alive. In point of fact, unlike the boar, the bud was at the very beginning of its life cycle. With a speed and enthusiasm that can come from the excitement of beginnings, the little flower began to grow. Spreading its roots through the boar and into the ground, the flower began to gather nutrients so that it could become everything it was meant to be. The roots took special care to spread anywhere that the boar's blood had fallen, which, due to the aggressiveness of the attack, had spilled nearly fifteen-feet from its source. The root system was complex and strong, so the stock of the flower began to extend upward, reaching twelve-feet high before stopping. The bud at the top of the stock vibrated and then split open, blooming in a rainbow of color and petals. The petals sparkled in an intoxicating mirage of color. One petal shone deep red and then, as if moving around the bud in a circle, each adjacent petal turned the same color red. Before meeting back at the beginning, the first petal turned into a bright yellow that circled around, and then a metallic blue- a landscape of ever-changing colors.