A quick call barely caught Pete, my lawyer from the accident cases, just before he left the office. He’d stayed later than usual, working on a brief. Most of what he told me I already knew.
We could trademark our Game identities, but he wasn’t the right person for it. He’d find me a specialist and have them reach out. I thanked him, hung up, and started dinner.
I hadn’t stripped out of all my gear yet…just the doublet and weapons. Sweat from the dungeon clung to me, itching under my shirt. Another laundry load tonight, no avoiding it.
A glance at the pantry shelf in the garage, then the freezer, gave me an idea. I pulled out a couple of cans, grabbed a bag of pre-chopped frozen veggies, dumped it all into a pot, and seasoned it with a bit of this and that. The scent of garlic and onion powder drifted up as I stirred. Left on low heat, an hour should make it edible enough. I set a timer, just in case I forgot.
Back in my office, I checked email and skimmed the news. Catching up on a world that didn’t pause just because I had. That’s when I heard it. A voice behind me.
THERE ARE OTHERS INSIDE. THEY ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOU.
“What!?” My chair scraped as I spun. The dark blue-robed figure stood behind me, silent and immovable as a shadow. “They weren’t supposed to let anyone in. Who’s in there?”
I KNOW NOT WHO. THEY ARE DRESSED LIKE THE ONES LEFT OUTSIDE. THERE ARE ONLY FOUR.
“What are they doing? How far have they gone?”
THEY HAVE FINISHED THE FIRST FOUR ROOMS. THEY USED THINGS WHICH EXPLODED. THEY ARE LEAVING NOW. A PATROL FOUND THEM AND KILLED ONE. THEY DEFEATED THE PATROL AND ARE TAKING THE DEAD ONE OUTSIDE.
[William of Brinsford:] [MarmariL] [Four of your guys went into the dungeon. One’s dead. They got caught by a patrol. And they were using grenades.]
It took a minute before the reply came.
[MarmariL:] [William of Brinsford] [How do you know that? No one was supposed to go inside without orders.]
[William of Brinsford:] [MarmariL] [Soldiers don’t always follow orders. Get a Healer down there and if you have someone on site who can REVIVE, get them there. Otherwise, you’ve got a casualty.]
While I waited for his answer, I asked the figure, “How did that affect your dungeon?”
THE TEACHINGS SAY TO LEARN FROM EACH ADVENTURER AND EACH ENCOUNTER. I LEARNED FROM THEM. THAT WILL NOT WORK AS EASILY FURTHER IN.
“No…I didn’t think so. I can already see ways to counter it. The last row of rooms should take a grenade without much trouble. Maybe the one before it, too. Did you gain MANA from the dead soldier?”
IT PARTIALLY REPLENISHED ME. WHEN ARE THE ADVENTURERS GOING TO COME?
“Tomorrow morning, maybe afternoon. I don’t know yet if we’ll be there ourselves. I need to talk with the others. You’ll know when I do.”
[MarmariL:] [William of Brinsford] [How the hell did you know that??? You were right. We don’t have anyone who could bring him back. They wanted to clear a room like they’re trained to do. It worked, but they didn’t leave security watching behind. They also didn’t post a guard outside. The survivors are going back to base. It won’t happen again on my watch.]
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
[William of Brinsford:] [MarmariL] [I can’t tell you how. Please don’t tell others I told you. Keep it a secret. Maybe we’ll be able to talk about it, someday.]
[MarmariL:] [William of Brinsford] [Will do. Scared those guys when we came down the hill and knew what they did. I’ll still have to pass it up the chain of command.]
[William of Brinsford:] [MarmariL] [Grenades won’t work later on. The second floor will be a lot worse.]
[MarmariL:] [William of Brinsford] [Thanks. Talk later.]
I exhaled and turned back to the figure. “Thank you for telling me that.”
YOU SAID YOU WOULD WORK WITH ME. YOU STOPPED OTHERS FROM ENTERING.
“For now. Tomorrow, once we announce it, we can send groups in every few minutes. If you can mark the outer door with how many more parties can enter, it’ll help.”
THE TEACHINGS SAY THAT IS POSSIBLE. A STEADY FLOW IS MORE COMFORTABLE THAN OTHERWISE.
“Sort of like not knowing where your next meal is coming from….” I muttered. No reply. Didn’t surprise me.
THE RING NEEDS REPLENISHED. DO SO NOW.
“All right.” I cast DETECT MANA, feeling the Ley Line’s steady presence from the garage. Drawing from it, I funneled MANA into the ring. I saw the thread stretch from me to it…but not leaving it.
“Feel better now?”
CONTINUATION OF OUR COMMUNICATION WILL NOW LAST LONGER.
I turned back to my inbox but my mind kept circling the same thought: the ring, the dungeon behind it, and the soul bound to both. A human soul. I was sure of it now.
“How do I reach whatever part of you is still human? When you made the ring, it felt like I barely brushed it.”
“You said there are more dungeons than you. What happens if I walk into one while wearing you…or carrying you in a pouch?”
DUNGEONS WILL RESIST EACH OTHER. COMPARED STRENGTH OF EACH WOULD DETERMINE THE OUTCOME. THIS IS FROM ADVANCED TEACHINGS WHICH ARE NOT YET INTEGRATED.
“What determines strength? Do you fight it out somehow?”
MANY FACTORS ARE COMPARED. THE GREATEST OVERALL OVERCOMES THE LESSER.
“So…a fight without fighting. Stats compared, highest wins. Are all things equal, or do some count more?”
THE TEACHINGS ARE NOT CLEAR ON THAT POINT. SIZE, AVAILABLE ENERGY, CREATIONS WITHIN OUR AREA ARE A CONSIDERATION.
“That means bigger is stronger. More MANA, more floors, more spawns. All that matters?”
YOU ARE CORRECT. ALSO, THE MORE ADVENTURERS WHO ARE ABSORBED.
“Does that mean the more people enter your dungeon, the faster you grow?”
ALSO, THE MORE WHO DO NOT LEAVE.
A chill pricked the back of my neck. “What if you had other sources of MANA, like my batteries? Are there any other dungeons close to you?”
THAT INFORMATION IS NOT IN THE TEACHINGS.
“I was hoping it was. Does that mean they are not open yet? Or are they some physical distance from you?”
THAT INFORMATION IS NOT IN THE TEACHINGS.
“The teachings want you independent. Too bad you can’t talk to other dungeons directly.”
THAT ABILITY IS IN THE TEACHINGS.
I shook my head. “This is like trying to figure out where a two-year-old hid a candy bar.” If I transfer MANA to you, does that count toward strength?”
THE TEACHINGS DO NOT DEFINE SOURCES. ONLY THE COMPARISONS AT THE TIME OF CONFLICT.
“It seems your Teachings line up with some things I’ve read.”
“Figures. All right…so if we find another dungeon and I carry you there, will you sense it?”
THE TEACHINGS SAY THAT WE RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER WITH A DISTANCE OF ??????.
That didn’t translate. “Can you restate it?”
THAT IS THE ONLY FORM IN THE TEACHINGS.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me? Are there any places you, or the ring, can’t go?”
THE TEACHINGS I HAVE INTEGRATED DO NOT INDICATE ANY. ALL TEACHINGS ARE NOT MASTERED AND INTEGRATED.
“Interesting. Thank you. I wish you remembered more about who you were before the Game.”
IF IT IS NOT IN THE TEACHINGS, IT IS NOT IMPORTANT.
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Dungeon, than are dreamt of in your Teachings.”
THAT IS PART OF THE TEACHINGS.
The line about "Just another brick in the wall," makes the dungeon connection perfect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0bi7OfaKMY
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