Dungeon Master

by Andrew Bardsley

  After traveling over the bridge over the main road and following the local roads around the houses and past the school to the train station, he parked in the provided car park. As Ahava started his work commute early, he was able to take a parking space near the ticket machine, close to the station entrance. While he was getting out of the car, still, the symbol was still in the corner of his vision. Ahava walked toward the entrance of the station, barely paying attention to his surroundings, deep in thought about what was causing this weird effect in his eye. He was so preoccupied, Ahava forgot to swipe his pass for the car parking fee at the ticket machine. He walked over the pedestrian bridge and swiped his train pass at the turnstiles. The information board in the station flashed, indicating that the next train to Perth City Center would arrive in five minutes. After finding an area to wait on the platform, he stood silently in thought until the train arrived. Ahava entered the carriage and found an empty seat for the ride into Perth City. Still perplexed, he reached and pulled out his phone to check it. On the display were the words:

  Initializing the History System, 40% complete.

  Again, the only difference Ahava could see was the percentage completion. The hourglass symbol continued to circle. Ahava decided to give up on his phone and reached into his laptop bag to get his tablet. As he switched on the screen, expecting to see his normal home page, instead the same message that was on his phone screen appeared, this time on the tablet screen. Ahava gasped out loud in surprise. This got a raised eyebrow from the person sitting next to him. “Sorry,” Ahava mumbled to the man. This was more or less an inbuilt reaction, as he was English and found saying ‘sorry’ for anything, even if the other person was at fault, was part of his nature. Now, checking both his phone and the tablet at the same time, the percentage shown on the blue screen had reached 50. The train traveled along the rails, stopping at each station on the way to Perth city center, as if nothing odd was happening. All during the journey however, Ahava kept looking at the phone and tablet as the percentage slowly increased, like downloading a game from the Internet.

  By the time the train was traveling through tunnels to the Perth underground city center station, the percentage completion was up to ninety-eight. The train stopped at the platform, the doors opening with an imperceptible hiss, and most of the people on the train moving toward the exit. As with every commute on the train, Ahava automatically moved with all the people toward the exit. Just as he was stepping over the exit of the carriage, the icon moved from the corner of his vision to the center, changing to the words:

  History System Initialized

  .

  ..

  …

  History System Operating

  Suddenly, Ahava’s world went black, like a game loading screen or a movie title screen with the words hanging in the black void of nothingness. He felt no sensation from the rest of his body, almost like he was in a sensory deprivation tank.

  The words slowly faded to black and were replaced by a three-dimensional moving logo getting bigger in the black void in front of Ahava’s perceived view. The logo read:

  The History System

  By

  ???

  To be revealed at a later date

  The logo was announced by a score of music, reminiscent of a full orchestra playing a soundtrack for an action-packed movie. After a few bars of music, the logo was replaced by writing. Ahava mentally strained his vision to focus on the writing to be able to read it. It displayed a series of options:

  ‘History System’ personality type:

  1) Happy, Happy - Always positive and looks for the good in everything;

  2) Angry and self-righteous – never will let a chance to over-dramatize an event pass them by; and

  3) The Comedian - will help you see the fun in every situation.

  Please Choose.

  In a state of shock, he re-read the options, trying to gather his wits together about what was happening. I must be dreaming! thought Ahava. As he found he had no sensations or any feeling of his body, he could not even try to pinch himself to see if he could wake up. Anyway, does that really work?

  He carefully re-read the text and his first inclination was that options one and two were definitely no-goes as he was not altogether keen on overly positive personalities. Also, he could not understand how anyone would want to choose an angry and self-righteous personality type for any system. More with a wish to proceed with whatever was happening than an actual belief in the reality of the situation, Ahava thought in his mind, Well, I guess I my only choice is the Comedian option. Upon his thinking this, option three lit up and a confirmation window appeared in his mind’s eye, confirming his choice. The world faded to black yet again, but just before Ahava lost consciousness he thought he heard a voice:

  “Ok, hold tight, as we are off!”

  Ahava woke up as the light slowly increased, but this time it was not shining through the bathroom window. The first thing he noticed, as he was coming back to consciousness, was the smell. It was hard to describe, but it was a dry, slightly musty heat. The smell stirred memories from his childhood of when he lived in parts of Africa. It smelt like the morning, when he had been camping with his parents and siblings. He could hear the early morning calls of birds, sharp twitterings repeated at intervals of different levels of pitch and volume. In addition, he heard the noise of what he thought sounded like crickets. This was the low undulating whistling sound that could be heard as a constant background noise.

  As he opened his eyes, he could see the sun start to peek above the hills in the distance. The light level slowly increased as he started to see the shape of what looked like roots, sticking up into the air as if a tree had been planted upside-down. Others looked like jagged umbrellas of leaves on the trunk with twisting branches. The light level gradually continued to increase across undulating plains as they opened into waving grass in a slight wind. Below him, he could see a river flow into a large lake with deep green grass around the banks. He looked away from the view in front of him and found that he was on a slope, on a hill with craggy rock cliffs behind him.

  Ahava realized he was currently sitting on the ground, with his back pressed against a rock and no idea how he had got there. He was wearing the same jeans and T-shirt that he had left the house in. His laptop bag was still on his shoulder by his side, as it had been when he exited the carriage. As he came to the slow acknowledgement of his surroundings, he felt his heart beat faster and a cold sweat begin to form on his forehead. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain on his ankle. Roaring in pain, he jumped up from the ground he had been sitting on. Shuffling around, he found a small insect on his ankle between his jeans and his left sock. Quickly he flicked off the insect, which left behind a slightly red mark, still throbbing in pain. Rubbing the mark, he straightened up and walked around as he looked at the landscape again.

  Confused in regard to what was happening, he remembered the last thing he saw: the system logo and options. A jumble of questions cascaded into his mind, the most pressing being: where am I, who is the ‘History System’ and perhaps the most pressing, how do I get back home?

  “Good morning,” spoke a dulcet voice. “Good morning and how are you today—.”

  Before the voice could say any more Ahava interrupted. “What?” exclaimed Ahava. “Who’s there?”

  “The voice inside your head,” replied the voice in the same smooth overtone.

  Ahava scanned the area quickly to see if there was anyone else present. There was nobody in sight. He thought that, along with the rest of the experience, he must be going crazy.

  ”Yes,” said the agreeable voice again. “You are certainly going crazy and possibly becoming delusional too, as all of this experience gives impressions that are contradicted by reality or rational argument.”

  Not only am I hearing a voice inside my head, it is also telling me that I am crazy, Ahava thought.

  “I can hear your direct thoughts, you know.”

  Still
looking around the area for anything to explain this voice and on the edge of panic, Ahava felt his heartbeat quicken again. Now it can hear my thoughts.

  “Ok, relax, it was only a joke,” said the voice soothingly. “You are not crazy or even delusional. This is all real, or at least as real as anything can be. I need you to calm down, so you can pay attention to what I need to say, as you have a lot to do today.”

  Still stunned about the situation, Ahava found himself trying to calm down and take stock of what was happening. Generally being a practical person, he thought it was better to find out more about had happened.

  “Ok,” said Ahava, “I’ll let you explain.”

  “First,” said the voice in what appeared to be a satisfied tone, “let's start off with me. You have the great pleasure of speaking to the ‘History System Interface.’ As that is a bit of a mouth-full, you can call me Thoth.”

  “Right,” said Ahava, “so then … Thoth. What is happening? Where am I and how do I get back home?”

  “If you keep interrupting,” said Thoth, more impatiently now, “then we’ll just be wasting time, as you have a lot to do to get through today.”

  Thoth continued as if he had never been interrupted. “Ok, the answers to all your questions will be given to you at some point in the future, but for now it’s better if we just cover the basics. You were brought in to help, which will be explained fully to you later. It is my job to help you get ready for those tasks, and from the looks of you, you're going to need a lot of my help! The important information you need to start with, and the question you should have asked is ‘how to survive in this environment.’ Where you are now is ... How can I say this?” Thoth paused as if considering. “Not as safe as where you come from. In fact, it’s probably better to say that it’s downright dangerous here. Also, there are some important differences in the laws of physics and metaphysics.

  “To help with your development, I have provided a familiar system that will guide, strengthen and enlighten you for the tasks that lie ahead. As you do activities that are beneficial to the task, you’ll get points, and what do points get you... prizes.

  “These ‘prizes’ are in the form of abilities and items you will need,” Thoth concluded.

  “Ok,” said Ahava, “not one for details, are you?”

  “Right, you are,” shot back Thoth “All the basic details of the system are on your tablet and phone, as well as some other information that will help. The devices have also have been improved a bit to start with. I suggest when you get some time, you should try them out. But you really should understand the basic survival skills before sunset tonight, as most of the wild animals hunt at night. In fact, you should be moving on.”

  “So then,” said Ahava, “what are the basics?”

  “Well,” said Thoth plainly, “you are out in the middle of nowhere with almost no food or water and no shelter. So my guess is that those three things should be the first items on your list. Also, as a top tip, you may want to make your shelter defendable from animals.

  “Ok, that’s it; the pep talk is over. Good luck! I will talk to you later, when you get settled in. Ta-ta for now.” Thoth’s voice ceased.

  “That is…” shouted Ahava. “That's all the information I get? You useless... whatever you are!” The slight echoes of the sound played off the cliffs in the distance.

  Ahava stood there, waiting for an answer, but the only sounds were the crickets and birds with their morning calls.

  Page Break

  Chapter Two: Survival

  Yes, Ahava was angry and also confused, but the need to survive was paramount. This was the driving force in his mind for now. He thought that he should have a look around the local area and see what resources were available.

  As he was located on a hill, he had a good view of the immediate area. Close by and down the hill was a wooded area. Behind him, he remembered the rocky cliffs. Ahava wondered if there was a cave or a small alcove in the rocks that he could use for a temporary shelter. With a fire lit in front of the entrance, it could protect him during the night.

  Ahava walked toward the rock cliff, muttering about the injustice of the situation. The cliff face was about fifty meters high in the center, tapering down to twenty meters at the edges. The shape was like a horseshoe, with a narrow entrance toward the plains, lake and distant hills. He walked through the narrow entrance and found the area the cliffs surrounded was about half the size of a football pitch. There were a lot of loose rocks at the bottom of the cliff, in addition to large cracks in the cliff. Walking around the area he found a large opening at about head height in the cliff face. There were some handholds and enough loose rocks to step on that he thought he could climb up to the opening.

  It had been a long time that he had been rock climbing so he slowly eased up the rock face. Standing on the ledge to the opening in the cliff, he looked into the cave. There was enough light to see the back of the small cave that was the size of a small van. This was perfect for what he wanted for sheltering tonight.

  Great, thought Ahava. I will set up camp here for the night, as the ledge will offer some protection from animals and if I build a fire in the entrance, that should deter any unfriendly visitors. Now to go check out the wooded area to see if I can get some wood for a fire.

  It was a few minutes' walk from the cave in the cliff face to the start of the wooded area. The wood was on a slight downward gradient with varying sizes of trees. In between the trees were bushes of different types and even some flowers. There was a lot of dead wood on the ground. As he walked farther into the wooded area, he heard the sound of trickling water. A little farther into the wood and in a dip in the ground was a small brook flowing down the hill and through the wooded area.

  Wow, thought Ahava, it's like a really good starting area in a game I used to play with the kids.

  For the next hour, Ahava collected dead wood to the bottom of the cave entrance. This was done by a mixture of carrying and dragging large branches. By the end, he was very wet from sweat and had some small cuts on his arms.

  Quite a bit of exercise for an overweight office worker, he thought.

  Some of the large branches had a bush of smaller branches with large, closely packed thorns. This reminded Ahava of a documentary he watched about how some African villages used thorns to protect against predators.

  This, he thought, would be an ideal way of blocking the small, narrow entrance to the horseshoe-shaped area enclosed by the cliffs.

  Pulling and pushing some of the thorny branches, he managed to block off the entrance, with the thorns to the outside.

  The next item on the list was to try and start a fire. As he had been in the scouts when he was young and due to many camping holidays, he was pretty good at setting up a fire. The only problem was that the starting of a fire without matches or a lighter is very difficult. The two methods he knew of involved either using a flint striking steel or heat from friction from rubbing wood. As he had no flint, the only option was to use the wood friction method. Ahava understood that the best way to do this was to use a flat section of wood with a notch at the edge. Under the notch, you place the tinder to ignite, using a bow to turn the wooden rod while applying pressure with a stone on top of the wooden rod.

  He set up the wood ready for the embers from the tinder to light. Making the bow was a bit problematic as he had no string or rope. In the pile of firewood that he brought back from the wooded area, there was some fibrous plant that would do for the bowstring. With all the equipment in place, it took a couple of hours to get the fire going. The main problem was moving the wooden rod fast enough to get any heat. If looks could kill the tinder would have burst into flame from Ahava’s look after the first half an hour.

  With the fire blazing away, it was time to start thinking about the other necessities for his survival.

  Righty, thought Ahava, I have someplace to shelter for the night and a fire, with enough firewood to get me through the night. The next things I
need are food and water. Oh, a weapon is needed too.

  Looking around and thinking about what would make a good weapon, he saw in the woodpile a meter-long stick with a large stump at its bottom. Picking it up and hitting it on the ground a bit, he found it to be very sturdy. He stripped off the excess bark and any twigs on the stick. Then he carried the club out of his makeshift enclosure toward the brook to collect some water.

  When Ahava arrived at the flowing water in the brook, he looked up and down the stream to check for any animals. He stepped on a stone at the edge of the brook and drank the water with a cupped hand. Thinking of how to get water back to his campsite for the night, he remembered that he had an empty water bottle in his bag. Filling this up, he put it back in the bag for later. Looking up from the water he saw a small animal move through the undergrowth of the wood. Hoping to catch up to it and maybe kill it for food, he jumped up and ran in its the direction.

  As he ran, he had little hope of catching up with it. He did not have a lot of endurance and expected the small animal to run away when attacked. When he got closer the small animal looked like a rabbit. The rabbit heard him approach and looked toward Ahava. Expecting the rabbit to make a run for it, Ahava slowed down, as he thought he would not be able to catch up with it in time. To his surprise, the rabbit stood on its hind legs and howled. When it finished the howl, it charged at Ahava. Its mouth was open, showing sharp, cat-like teeth. Before he could do anything with his club the rabbit had reached him and was biting at his jeans legs, tearing them. He swiped his club down toward his leg and managed to hit the rabbit several meters away from him. Looking up from the rabbit, on the ground, he saw out of the corners of his eyes that several other rabbits were running toward him from a different direction. What best describes the following screen is a mad golfer swinging for his life, with fur and blood flying in all directions. Finally, Ahava was left standing there, bent over and breathing heavily, with five dead and dismembered bunnies surrounding him.