by Adam Myhr
On my way to the other corner of the floor, where I’d seen the staircase, I stopped at the library. I looked down at the steel key, then up into the room. With a toss I let fate decide, hiding the key in a mess that may very well destroy it before anyone else came along to disturb the crypt.
In my head, I knew this was a simulation, and these creatures weren’t real. Somehow that didn’t matter though, I felt better having saved the mummy from being desecrated by another wandering soul. I turned my back on the library, went to the end of the hall, and selected yes. I was ready to leave the area.
On the way up the steps, I noticed just how low my food and HP were getting on the HUD. Arriving at the next level, I immediately healed and ate, readying myself for whatever was to come next.
I looked around, realizing I was in a room no bigger than an elevator. I stepped forward off the stairs to look more closely at the wall. As soon as both my feet were down the room started to turn slowly. I had stumbled onto a secret revolving door, and when it stopped, I had a hallway filled with windows to my back and blank wall hiding the staircase to my front. I opted not to waste any time searching for a way back to the stairs down. At this point, I suspected I could only ever go forward.
Looking up and down the hall I realized I was on some sort of balcony. What I originally thought was a wall of windows was actually a row of columns, open to the outside. I stepped forward and looked out over the forest.
I was above the canopy, though not very far. I saw nothing but treetops to the horizon. I made my way around the balcony, finding nothing else in view on any side. Exactly opposite the side I came up to this level on, I found a door leading back into the temple. The door was made of the same stone as the walls were. It had no latch I could find but responded to my pushing. I looked back out over the forest, enjoying the outside world, however fake, for one last time before re-entering the temple.
I stepped into another hallway and sighed. Behind me, the door smoothly closed itself. While it was obviously a door, there was no handle allowing me to pull it open on this side. I looked back to the hallway, making my way to the T intersection ahead. This level smelled different than the others had. I couldn’t place it at first. When I got to the intersection and looked to the right, I momentarily forgot about the smell.
I saw one of the elves, but it was already dead. The body was in bad shape, the face partially chewed off. I was no expert, but this was likely the work of some animal. A trail of blood led off down the hall, following it to the left. I quickly checked the elf for anything of value before following the trail.
As I rounded the corner, I heard sounds of fighting. Snarling and shouting intermixed with growling and grunting. It seemed to be coming from a door on the left, just a few feet down the hall. The same door the trail of blood went in.
I peeked in the door and saw a giant wolf standing over one of the elves. I’d arrived just in time to see the kill, the wolfs jaw snapping the elf’s neck with disturbing speed. As the wolf started to look up a shaft of wood appeared in its neck. I snuck into the room, seeing another elf, grabbing a spear off the rack it was next to as the wolf wound itself up to leap. I watched transfixed, imagining this was how gladiatorial combat became so popular. Letting another turn pass I watched the wolf leap onto the elf, and the elf’s spear.
There was a howl from behind the two combatants, another wolf, slightly smaller, started throwing itself against the cage it was trapped in. In the next turn, the elf pushed the wolf’s body off, standing up with a new spear in hand and turning towards the trapped wolf.
Unable to contain myself I lunged at the elf, a roar coming from deep within me, from a place I’d forgotten existed. My sword sunk deep into the elf’s back, pushing it forward like a rag doll.
You stabbed a small temple elf! Sneak Attack! (x2) Critical Hit! (x2) 24 Damage
You defeated a small temple elf! +9 Exp
I drove the elf’s body to the ground, stabbing it a few more times despite knowing from my HUD that it was already dead. I gained control of myself and looked up, locking eyes with the wolf and feeling as if it was staring deeply into my soul.
The wolf showed signs of obvious mistreatment. There were scars not only on its body but also its face. It seemed scrawnier and weaker than it should be based on its size. I felt compelled to do something. Remembering my current inventory, I pulled out the last of my venison. I slowly crawled forward, maintaining eye contact the whole time. When I was close enough, I reached forward, offering the food to the wolf. It didn’t flinch as my hand got closer. I stopped just shy of pushing the food into the wolf’s face and waited. Without taking its eyes off mine, the wolf gently pulled the venison from my hand with teeth that could’ve taken the whole hand in an instant. It broke eye contact for just a moment, long enough to swallow the food down, then locked eyes with me again. The world seemed to pause around us.
A wolf is offering to be your companion, do you accept?
I had no idea what this meant, for the wolf or me. I did know having help in here sounded like a nice change. I choose yes.
You have gained a companion! + 10 Exp
I stood up and opened the cage. The wolf jumped to the elf’s corpse, tearing out big chunks of flesh and tossing them aside. After a turn of that, she went to the dead wolf and nuzzled it. The only thing I could think of watching the scene was that they had been close somehow, in a human way.
I looked around the rest of the room. It was filled with cages, most having recently killed animals in them and the rest empty. The smell I’d noticed upon arriving on this floor was stronger now, and recognizable as a zoo. This was nothing like any zoo I’d ever been to though. The animals here had been kept in cages that would shame a pet store, and then killed violently for some reason. I looked around for anything useful, finding nothing but broken spears and animal feed. Leaving the mess behind me I went out to the hall, turning left to continue down the long empty passageway. The wolf followed me, never straying far from my side as we moved ahead and turned left.
There wasn’t much on this level. After two left turns, I finally found a door to my right. I examined the door, listening for any movement on the other side. My concentration was broken by the wolf next to me emitting a low growl. I glanced over and saw her hackles raised and muscles tensed. Obviously, there was something in there to worry about.
With the wolf at my side, I figured sneaking in would not be an option. Instead, I prepared my sword and braced myself to bowl the door open. I grabbed the handle and glanced at the wolf, willing her to jump in after me. I took a deep breath and pushed, letting out a scream as I charged into the room.
The wolf leaped past me silently, landing on an elf and tearing into its shoulder. Two other elves were in the room, jumping up from a table they’d all been sitting at. Cards and coins scattered as they tried to keep their balance. Briefly scanning the room, I didn’t see any other threats. Not wasting any time, I pivoted from the door, thrusting my sword at the elf closest to me.
You stabbed a small temple elf! 5 Damage
The wolf drew back, scraping her claws down the body of the elf under her, eliciting screams of pain from it. The elf near me stumbled back, pulling itself from my sword. It regained its balance and grabbed a small sword from the table. The elf across the table looked around, wide-eyed, apparently trying to decide if it should attempt to fight or flee. It timidly grabbed a spear from behind the table, backing up towards a fireplace.
With the door shutting behind me I swung the sword across the still shaken elf in front of me, trusting the wolf to continue taking care of herself.
You slashed a small temple elf! 4 Damage
The wolf bit down on the elf’s leg, the sound of cracking bone not quite drowned out by its screams. The elf’s face went white, and it started shaking, obviously no longer in the fight. The elf in front of me stabbed into my swing, scoring a hard strike on my ribcage, though not quite penetrating the armor.
A small t
emple elf stabbed you! -3 HP
The third elf poked at the wolf, missing and stabbing the table instead. I side-stepped, trying to gain a better position to track the battle while slicing up at my opponent. The elf was in the fight now though, swaying out of my reach and leaving me to slice through the air. It responded with a slice of its own, drawing blood on my arm.
A small temple elf sliced you! -2 HP
The wolf tossed her head, pulling the elf under her up by its leg and sending it flying through the air. It crashed into a desk along the back wall and shuddered before falling still. The remaining elf decided to join the fight, eliciting a snarl when it stabbed the wolf in her haunch.
Your companion defeated a small temple elf! +4 Exp
From my new position, I lunged at the elf in front of me, leaving it to either take the blow or trip over the upturned table. My blade pierced my opponent’s thigh, causing the elf to waver for a moment as a chunk of flesh was shorn from its body.
You slashed a small temple elf! 6 Damage
I saw the wolf spring over a chair, scraping claws across the face of the remaining elf as she landed. The elf responded by smacking the spear across the wolf’s face like a racket hitting a tennis ball. The elf in front of me recovered from its momentary waver to pull in closer, pushing its sword up along my thigh as it did.
A small temple elf sliced you! -2 HP
I swiped my sword into the elf’s abdomen from the side, cutting deep into its stomach and pulling its internal organs out with the blade on the other side.
You sliced a small temple elf! 6 Damage
You defeated a small temple elf! +9 Exp
You earned a level in Short Blades!
You’ve hit air, you’ve hit creatures, you’ve hit yourself! +5 Exp, +1 Str
Across the room the wolf leaped onto the remaining elf, locking its jaws on the elf’s neck. The elf dropped its spear as the wolf landed on it, struggling to maintain its footing under the weight of the wolf.
I jumped over the table, rushing to my companion’s aid. The wolf pushed the elf down, still locked onto its neck. The elf continued to struggle, pushing at the wolf ineffectively. I hopped over the last chair, landing just outside of attack range. The wolf ripped her head back, taking a huge chunk of the elf’s neck with. The elf made some gurgling noised as it twitched a few more times, then stopped.
Your companion defeated a small temple elf! +5 Exp
Congratulations, you have earned a level!
You are now level 2!
HP total increased by 5!
SP total increased by 0!
You have gained 1 skill point!
I paused and looked around at the destruction we’d caused. There was a desk along the back wall with a bloodied up dead elf on it. The pool of blood under the wolf was slowly flowing towards a fireplace in the back of the room. The elf I’d fought was a loose pile of flesh, in the best shape of the three. I searched the elves and table, finding broken weapons and wooden coins of no value.
I moved on to the desk, examining it closely for any hidden doors, or traps. Not finding any I searched through the documents I found inside. One document was similar to the list from the previous level. This one indicated everything was sent through some kind of portal, but three items from the library were unaccounted for. Find the portal, find the books. I took one more look around the room before heading out.
The single hallway on this level continued around, passing a small room with an up staircase before looping back to the hall I’d started in. I doubled back to the steps and headed up with a wolf in tow.
Frank: Average Human
Str:6
Dex:7
Con:5
Int:5
Wis:6
Luck:6
HP:13 (20)
SP:0 (0)
Food:100% (9/50)
Turn:456
Exp:152
Lvl:2
Weapon:
Tarnished Steel Short Sword
Normal, 3-6
Armor:
Tree Folk Basic Outfit
0
Leather Vest
2
Equipment:
lock picks, 2 dried peaches, Small Light Brown Vial
Silver: 27
Skills: (1)
Dodge (2)
Short Blades (2) +1 Dam
Magic:
Cracked Wooden Wand of Light Healing (??)
Sixteen
I didn’t even flinch when the wall came crashing down behind me as soon as we stepped off the staircase. I looked around the pristine space. I was standing in a small room with the only visible door in the corner to my right. There was a small couch along the opposite wall, a small table set in front of it. The walls had landscape paintings hung all over, as if a decorator had gone wild. On the right-hand wall, there was a small tea service cart. It wouldn’t have phased me to see two old ladies sitting on the couch munching finger cookies.
I went over and checked out the tea service. The pot had a small curl of steam coming off it, and there were finger cookies on the tray. I poured myself a cup, ate a cookie while it cooled, and took a sip. The cookie was great, and the tea felt refreshing.
+2% Food
You have learned the effect of a finger cookie. +1 Exp
+10 HP
You have learned the effect of magic tea. +5 Exp
Unfortunately, the pot only had enough tea for a single cup. When I tried to grab some cookies for later, they crumbled in my fingers, preventing me from taking them. Leaving the cart behind I opened the door expecting a hallway, but finding myself in another room.
The room was long and skinny, with an exit immediately to my right. I hardly noticed the exit though. My eyes were drawn to a large fountain on my left, and then up. The fountain sprayed at least 40 feet into the air. The ceiling in the room was normal above me but rapidly shot up over the top of the fountain.
The wolf ran by me and drank deeply from the fountain while I marveled at the ceiling. Deciding if it was good enough for the wolf, it was good enough for me, I went and took a drink from the fountain with cupped hands. The water was cool and sweet but didn’t seem to do anything special. I walked around the fountain, finding nothing interesting, and ultimately headed for the door.
A short way down the hallway I came to an open door on the right. When I paused at the door to listen the wolf bounded past me, hackles raised. My options gone, I blindly charged in after her. In front of me, I saw the wolf scratching and biting at an elf. To my left, I saw another elf grabbing for a bow from the table next to him while staring in fear at the wolf. I drew my sword and headed for the elf on my right, hoping it wouldn’t notice me coming.
The wolf got in a glancing blow, and let out a small snarl as the elf batted down on her head with a club. The other elf let out an arrow that went wide. Now in range, I chopped down at the arm holding the bow out.
You chopped a small temple elf! 5 Damage
The wolf lunged at the other elf, managing to continue facing it even after missing and landing behind it. My foe dropped the bow, turning to me as it pulled out a mace. Not one to be intimidated I pressed the attack.
You slashed a small temple elf! 4 Damage
It responded by putting a new bruise on my ribcage.
A small temple elf bashed you! -3 HP
I glanced at the wolf and saw she was in control of her fight, blood dripping from her mouth and her opponent slowing down in its attack. Concentrating on the fight in front of me I went for a solid body blow. My sword cut through the elf’s meager protection, leaving a trail of red in its wake.
You slashed a small temple elf! 7 Damage
I heard crunching bone from the other side of the room, accompanied by a scream. I allowed a small smile to play across my lips as I ducked under the mace flying at my face. While I was low, I stabbed forward into the body of the elf.
You stabbed a small temple elf! 5 Damage
You defeated a
small temple elf! +8 Exp
I looked over and saw the wolf straddling the other elf and panting. I moved on to finding something worthwhile for our efforts. The two elves had 5 silver. The bow broke in the fight, the mace was a glorified club, and there wasn’t anything else interesting on the creatures. I looked around the room, reminded of high school chemistry by everything on the tables. None of the glass containers that were still in one piece had anything worthwhile in them. Most of the glass was broken, the tables covered with the stains of unknown chemical spills. Arcane writing was carved into some of the tables, symbols whose meaning I could only guess at. Trying to make sense of them made my head hurt.
I left the room behind, continuing down the hallway and to the left.
Rounding the corner, I stepped into a huge room. The walls reached 50 feet up to support a ceiling that wasn’t there. I was unable to look straight up due to the sunlight spilling down into the room. Sunlight that spilled down to what I could only describe as a crystal gazebo. Easily 30 feet in diameter, it was the obvious centerpiece of the room. The crystal caught sunlight and focused it, seven different colored beams of light streaking out from the gazebo to pillars surrounding it.
Light reflected off the pillars and back inside the gazebo, where a pulsing ball of light was visible. About as wide and tall as a truck, the light appeared to rest on the ground. The colored light coming in played about on the surface of the ball, rising and falling on the surface as if something inside were trying to get out.
Unfortunately, the gazebo was flanked by two elves, each with a bow drawn and pointed in my direction. Even more pressing was the elf wielding an ax just a few feet in front of me. I pulled out my sword and engaged the elf in front of me, willing the wolf to go after one of its bow-wielding accomplices in the middle of the room. My upward slash was blocked by the elf which then used its momentum to bring the ax down on my foot.
