Project Alpha_Book 1

by R. A. Mejia

  Before I can change my mind again, I grab the knob with both hands, turn it and open the door. I rush inside before my courage leaves me.

  Chapter 15

  Walking through that doorway is probably the most difficult thing I’ve done lately. All the old stories of people disappearing mysteriously and never being heard from again pass through my mind. I can’t help but wonder how many of those stories were just about people that accidentally discovered a dungeon but never came back.

  But this is something I need to do. Lilian said that people could become rich clearing dungeons and my family can use the boost in income.

  I open my eyes, not sure what I expect, and am greeted by darkness. I rub my eyes and turn around, glad that the red door is still behind me. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, but I can see rough stone all around me, and I can only guess that I’m in some cave. I take a step to my left, and the red door disappears. Panicked, I reach out, but my hand passes through space the door once occupied. It’s my worst fear come true; I’m trapped here. I take a step to my right, ready to freak out, but the red door suddenly reappears. I reach out again and touch the solid surface of the door.

  Not sure what’s happening, I take a step to the left again, and the door disappears. I take a step to the right, and it reappears. I take another step to the right and again, the door disappears. This must be part of the reason why anyone that stumbles into one of these things has a hard time getting out again. The door out is only visible when you're looking at it at a particular angle.

  I gather some of the loose rocks and place them on the ground in the shape of an arrow pointing directly at the door, so when I come back, I know just the correct angle to see the door.

  That settled, I quickly open the red door and step through and back just to make sure that I can leave whenever I want. Ok, even if something here tries to hurt me, it’s good to know I can just leave.

  Ok, Anthony. Get your shit together. You’re not here to screw around. You’re here to figure out a way to get paid. While on the bus, waiting to find a dungeon I’d considered some ways that this might work. One, I get paid in credits for killing creatures in the dungeon. Two, I get items or loot that I can sell for credits. Three, there may be some big payout for quests in here or just from clearing the dungeon. Any way you look at it, there’s some way to make some money here, assuming I can change credits into dollars.

  Near the door is a glowing blue crystal the size of a basketball floating above a pedestal. Curious to see if I can sell the crystal, I try to take it but the moment my hand touches it a blue screen appears.

  Would you like to bind at this Respawn Crystal?

  I have to pull out The Idiot’s Guide to the System, Vol. 1 to look up Respawn Crystals. Apparently, these crystals are found at the beginning of every dungeon. A System User can bind there and if they die in the dungeon they’ll respawn there instead of their home base. The System User can rebind at his home base at any time and once the dungeon is completed, the User is automatically rebound to their home base.

  Well, that makes sense. Why would anyone want to keep respawning back at their home base which may be far, far away?

  I say, “Yes,” out loud and the crystal glows briefly and the notification disappears.

  I tighten the straps of my backpack around my shoulders and walk forward through the cave system. I have to climb a few rises, but after about fifteen minutes, I find the exit of the cave system. Outside the cave is a small forest of trees. I make my way through the brush and the trees until I come to a clearing that looks out over a cliff and I realize that I must be on a mountain somewhere. The view from the cliff edge gives me a great look at the landscape. At the base of the mountains is a thick forest. From here I can see a trail that leads down the side of the mountain to the forest. Beyond that are plains that have stone buildings. The structure that dominates the horizon is a massive castle. The castle seems covered in a weird red fog.

  I start down the trail that leads down the side of the mountain. I follow the trail until I see movement along the trail. I slow down and peer at the moving shadow and see the face of an old man sitting under a rocky overhang. There’s a pile of sticks in front of the old man in the cloak that’s likely an unlit campfire.

  I slowly approach, wishing I had some weapon in case this guy is the first monster I’m supposed to kill.

  As I get close, the old man looks up, smiles at me and says, “Hello, hero. I’ve been waiting for your appearance.”

  To say I’m surprised that this guy knew I was coming would be an understatement. I mean, I didn’t even know I’d be here. “Hey. You’ve been waiting for me?”

  Still looking at me but not reacting to my question, the old man continues, “The prophecies have foretold your coming, and the stars have aligned to summon you to these dangerous lands.”

  I try to interrupt the old man by asking, “Wait, what prophecy are you talking about?”

  However, he waves his hand in the direction of the castle and continues speaking as if he didn’t hear me. “The land yearns for freedom from the grip of the evil overlord, King Kanon. Only you can free the princess from his castle and restore her to her rightful place on the throne. Will you save Princess Plum?”

  Quest: Save Princess Plum from the evil overlord King Kanon.

  Reward: 1000 XP, 1000 credits, clears dungeon.

  Do you accept?

  Ok. This all seems way too familiar. Save the princess from the evil king. Really? Lillian said that these dungeons pull from the collective unconsciousness of the masses, but she didn’t say they were so cheesy about it. Regardless, at least this answers a question I’d had about how to clear the dungeon. Save the princess, got it. I accept the quest.

  The old man nods sagely and looks past me. I’m not sure if he’s a person or just some kind of NPC, so I try to ask him a few questions. But he doesn’t answer anything until I ask, “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

  He then proceeds to give me a detailed history of the area and how it used to be. I’m bored to tears within moments and just walk away, leaving the old man speaking to empty air. That answers that, Old Man NPC.

  The pathway leads directly into the forest at the base of the mountain. I lose sight of the castle in the distance since the skyline is blocked by the canopy of the trees. Within moments of stepping into the forest, a familiar slime monster appears. It rolls from behind the trunk of a tree, and I immediately look around for something to hit it with. A fallen branch on the forest floor looks like a good bet, and I pick it up. The blue rolling slime doesn’t seem to be moving with quite the same alacrity as the last one I fought. It pauses its roll, and I see two googly eyes roll forward, and I realize this thing isn’t the same type of slime as I fought after all. I use Inspect on the creature, and a blue box appears, telling me about the creature.

  Blue Blob

  Level 1

  Health 10/10

  Oh, well this shouldn’t be so bad after all. I raise the branch in my hands for an overhead swing and bring it down squarely onto the blob. A red one floats from the creature. I sigh in frustration. I’d hoped that becoming a User would let me do more than one damage. The Blue Blob only vaguely recognizes that it’s even being attacked and looks around for the source of damage. When it spots me, it rolls in my direction. It’s relatively simple to step out of the path of the blob and hit it as it passes. Only once am I even damaged, and that’s when the blob rolls over my foot causing an intense pain there and five points off my health. After hitting the blob for the tenth time, the branch in my hand breaks in half. Thankfully, the Blue Blob’s health also hits zero, and it stops moving. After about thirty seconds the body disappears in a flash of white light.

  You’ve defeated a Blue Blob, level 1. You receive 5 XP.

  In addition to getting the 5 XP from the blob, I pick up two squishy blue balls. Inspecting them tells me they’re called Blue Balls.

  Blue Balls

  Ou
ch. You have a serious case of blue balls here. Formed from the remains of a Blue Blob, these items are most commonly sold to vendors. Rumor has it that they can be charged with elemental energy.

  I open up my inventory and toss the balls into one of the slots. Thankfully, the balls stack and only take up one slot.

  Walking through the forest, I find four more Blue Blobs and kill each with a branch from the forest floor. It’s annoying that the branch breaks after only ten hits, but there are plenty of them around. I only take two more hits from the blobs, but that equals ten points off my health, bringing me down to 85/100.

  Curious about why the branch keeps breaking, I Inspect it.

  Tree Branch

  Tree Branches are dropped by the trees around you, duh. These branches may be used as impromptu torches, parts for more complex weapons, fuel for a fire, or as a basic bludgeoning weapon.

  Note: If used as a weapon, User must have the bludgeoning weapon skill to use effectively.

  As bludgeoning weapon: Damage 2-3, Durability: 10/10

  Oh, so that’s why I’m only doing one damage. I don’t have the right skill. I open up the skill menu and look up Bludgeoning Weapons.

  Bludgeoning Weapons - This skill lets you effectively use blunt objects as weapons. Trying to use a bludgeoning weapon without this skill will significantly reduce that weapon’s damage. Raising the level of this skill increases the damage done with weapons of this type.

  While I’m sure I could earn the skill for bludgeoning by swinging this branch around enough, I honestly don’t want to wait. The extra damage will make killing these blobs much easier. So, I spend one skill point to get Bludgeoning Weapons to level 1.

  The next Blue Blob I encounter only takes five swings to finish it off. Plus, the branch hasn’t broken yet. Inspecting the branch again shows it still has 5/10 in durability. So, each swing must knock off one point. Walking deeper into the forest towards the castle, I encounter a new type of monster. It would remind me of a walking nose if it had eyes and feet. I inspect it.

  Goombie

  Level 1

  Health 15/15

  Wait, a Goombie? At first, I thought this dungeon was a Zelda ripoff, but now it looks like it’s also taking inspiration from Mario Brothers games.

  The Goombie is much faster than the Blue Blob and uses its feet to kick me for seven points of damage before I’m able to discern a pattern to its attacks. Each time it’s about to execute a flying kick, it takes a double step. Otherwise, it will run up and try to kick me in the shin. It’s also much harder to hit the Goombie since it tries to dodge my blows. I find it easiest to avoid the creature’s kicks to my shins and wait for a flying kick. Then once the Goombie is committed to the attack, I swing the tree branch like a baseball bat and knock the monster out of the air. Each time I do this, it sits stunned for a few seconds on the ground afterward, and I can get in a free additional attack. Even though I do more damage with the tree branch now, I’m not able to finish off the Goombie before the branch breaks. I’m able to pick up another one from the ground, but I can see this becoming a problem in the future when I face off against more challenging opponents. I only take five points of damage before I’m able to finish off the Goombie. The body disappears in a flash of light, and a blue box appears.

  You’ve defeated a Goombie, level 1. You receive 10 XP.

  Once the body disappears, a pair of small shoes is left. I Inspect them, but the description only says that they can be sold for credits, so I drop them in my inventory, taking up the second slot.

  I pull up my Character Sheet to see how I’m doing on health.

  HP 72/100

  Mana 130/130

  TP110/110

  I notice that I’m about a third down in my health but that it doesn’t seem to be regenerating. I also note that my mana and TP are full. I wish I had some special move to help me kill these monsters faster when I remember that I have that ability Absorb. I pull up the ability to see what it does.

  Absorb - Level 1

  SSS

  Active

  The User has the chance to absorb the essence of a defeated foe from their corpse. The chance of absorption is based on the difference in level between the User and the foe. If the User has a higher level than the foe, then the chances of absorption being successful upon activation are increased. If the foe has a higher level than the User, the chances of absorption being successful are decreased.

  To activate, touch the body of a defeated enemy and think or say ‘Absorb’ with the intent of activating the ability.

  Well, it’s not a combat ability since I can’t use it until after the fight is already over. The skill does explain why the bodies don’t disappear right away though. I imagine several skills or abilities utilize the body of a monster. It's a shame I don’t have a necromancer spell, then I could raise an army of Goombies and Blue Blobs to fight for me. I imagine an army of rolling blobs following me to conquer the world.

  My daydreaming is interrupted by a hard kick to my back which sends me tumbling forward to the ground, a red number 7 leaving me. When I’m able to look around, I see a new Goombie has appeared and is already running towards me ready to attack again. I roll on my side, losing the half-used branch I’m holding. The move seems to catch the Goombie off guard, and he has to slow down to turn to face me. I use the time to get to my feet but am not able to do much else. The Goombie runs up to me and starts to kick my shins. Each attack doesn’t do much damage, but a bunch of red 1s leaves me with the flurry of kicks. Angry, I kick the thing like it’s a soccer ball and is pleased to see it go flying through the air. A single red one floats away from it, and it lands with a thump.

  While I’m annoyed my great kick only did one damage, I can guess that’s because I don’t have the appropriate skill. I probably need Goalie Kick Attack skill or something. Still, the attack puts the Goombie far enough away to give me a chance to pick up a tree branch from the forest floor. I’m not sure if it’s the same one I had before, but it doesn’t matter. If it breaks, I’ll pick up another one.

  The rest of the fight isn’t too hard, and I only take another four points of damage before the Goombie lies still, his health points finally hitting zero.

  I remember I wanted to try my ability Absorb and that I only have a few seconds before the body disappears. I kneel down, put my hand on the body of the deceased Goombie and activate Absorb. I feel a pull of energy and my hand glows white, absorbing the body it’s touching. Nothing is left of the Goombie body after the white light fades away from my hand.

  Absorb has failed to capture the essence of the defeated foe. Please try again.

  What? So, it takes the body and doesn’t do anything? It doesn’t even leave any loot now. I pull up the description of the ability. Well, doesn’t that figure. The description says ‘User has the chance to absorb the essence of a defeated foe from their corpse.’ Ugh. That means that the skill isn’t guaranteed to do anything, it only has a chance at working. But it still doesn’t say what it does. I check my character sheet, and it seems that the ability uses ten points of TP.

  Well, I might as well call it a day. A quick check on my health shows it’s at 57/100 and not improving any. I can only guess that if I want to recover my health in here, I’ll have to find some spell or item. I turn around, intending to head back to the cave and the red door when I realize that I don’t have any idea how to get back there. I look around, and all the trees look the same to me. A sense of being lost grows in me, and I have to push down the panic welling up. I wish my phone worked so I could at least see a map or something when I remember that I purchased both the Mapping skill and the Dungeon Mapping subskill. I say, “Map,” and a blue window appears with a map on it. Most of the map is covered in black, but the areas that I’ve walked through are revealed. There’s also a little arrowhead in the dead center of the map that I assume represents me. I turn to the left and right, and the little arrow turns with me on the map. Yup, that’s me.

  Bac
ktracking using the map is more time consuming and difficult than I thought it would be. The map stays oriented with North being up, but I turn around all kinds of ways as I walk making it difficult to orient myself. I find I have to change the size of the map and hold it in one hand as I walk or it will just stay stuck in the air. Unfortunately, the effort of trying to follow the map distracts from what’s happening around me. This leads me into unintentionally walking into several fights. I feel like it takes at least another hour to reach the cave entrance and along the way, I take twenty-eight points of damage from two Goombies and three Blobs. The last kill gets me just enough experience points to make level two, at least that’s what the System message says as I’m enveloped in bright light. I don’t think it’s the best idea to go looking through my Character Sheet in the middle of this forest, so I make a mental note to look over everything when I get back home.