The Sleeper Must Awaken

by Kip Terrington

  Zoya’s fists fell naturally to her waist as she nodded abruptly and prepared for action. She cast a Cone of Silence around herself and zoomed forward, swinging her mithril dagger with speed, grace, and precision. The flowers fell and Joe's jaw dropped. The scene reminded Joe of spring when a gust of wind would blow cherry blossoms from their buds.

  “When did you become so dangerous?” Joe asked.

  Zoya’s eyes dropped. She landed on the ground, black diamond dust trailing behind. She kicked one of her feet back and forth.

  “When I foolishly kept you in a trance. I used that time in the dungeon to my advantage. I thought I was protecting you. Instead, I should have had us grind together,” Zoya said, looking back up at Joe.

  “At this point, your past motives are irrelevant. And think about it, it worked out for the best. Lil is a real person and I helped her grow in a way that will make Lil, her tribe, and even this kingdom safer. At the time, I had thought of her as a game piece, but now you and I both know the truth. And, if I hadn’t spent that time—which, mind you, I wish I would have spent it awake so I could have at least gained a profession or read something useful—but, we might not have gained the undying loyalty of the whole clan of Bounder. I doubt I could have pulled that off by sheer charisma alone. You gotta stop blaming yourself for the decisions you made before becoming Zoya. It’ll take you some time to figure out who you are and who you want to be, but honestly, I’m excited for you and that journey. If you ever want my help or advice, just ask. I may not know any answers, but I’m here for you. Comparing my development to yours isn’t like apples to oranges. I’m betting it’s more like comparing apples to quantum entanglement,” he laughed, “Man, I can be long-winded. Long story short, don’t beat yourself up, Zoya.”

  “You are a talker. But, thank you, Joe. Thank you for being willing to look past how I had been. And, oddly, even though you basically just said you can be of no help to me, somehow it felt… comforting,” Zoya smiled, “Shall we continue?” Joe opened his mouth and raised a finger, and then dropped the finger and closed his mouth, nodding in the affirmative.

  With that, they grinded their way through the rest of the floor and Joe watched as Zoya easily dispatched the second floor boss. As the dark fairy collected the loot, she was surprised to find forty solid gold coins, or royals, and then a small pile of ten oddly dressed coinage—a type of item she had never seen before. The royals and new coinage were too large for her to carry so she called Joe over to put them in his bag.

  “Joe, this is the first time I've seen this type of coinage, either in a loot drop or really ever on this Moon,” Zoya remarked as she studied them.

  Joe picked up one of the new style coins. He felt how light and yet incredibly hard it was, and he wondered what it was made of.

  “This one has a picture of a fork on one side and a spoon on the other. It reminds me of the meal vouchers they would give out at casinos. Look at this one—it has a glass on it. You've only told me about the first three floors, but this makes me think there's some kind of vending machine hidden around here. These are tokens,” Joe said.

  “Maybe… but it doesn't seem right. It can't be a vending machine. That one has a picture of a bed on it. You can't buy a bed from a vending machine,” Zoya said pointing to one of the tokens in Joe's palm.

  “After we leave the dungeon we can divide these up, but if you don't mind, I'll carry your share for you. I'll gather up these flower petals and then we can head down to floor three,” Joe said.

  Chapter 15 - Whoops

  Descending the circular staircase and reaching the last curve, Joe noticed a mass of overgrown vines over the entrance to the next floor. He extended his sharp claw and pretended he was an experienced safari guide, slicing an opening through the jungle. The high humidity and heat hit Joe and he began to sweat.

  “It smells like rice pudding down here. Only, it also feels like the steamy oven the pudding came out of. I don't think this body is well suited for heat. Let's go straight to the boss. I'm looking forward to the challenge anyway,” Joe said rolling his shoulders back and stretching.

  “We should have brought some of the angels with us, or one of the other players. Without Obsidian One, I think I could still kill one snake, but that leaves the troll and the other snake for you. Are you sure you can do it?” Zoya asked.

  “No. I'm not sure that I can do it, but that's kind of the point. From what we discovered before, the easier the fight, the more the UI nerfs the XP. Treasure and loot are great and all, but we’ve got to get that experience. The troll will have height on me, as well as strength and quick healing, but there's a good chance that my wrestling experience will be able to nullify those advantages. Worst case scenario, I die and you see me in a day,” Joe said as he stepped forward and looked at the murky swamp water about ten good strides away. His twenty-sided eye spun and a vision of two large gurkins climbing out of the water with their mouths wide open, tongues shooting out to catch Zoya, flashed in front of him. Then, just as suddenly, the vision disappeared and Zoya floated nearby, completely intact.

  “Have these gurkins ever attacked you two at a time?” Joe asked.

  “No, they appear to be territorial. I don't think they work in pairs,” Zoya said.

  “I think sometimes they do. It might be wise for you to stay far out of their tongues reach. I should be able to handle two on my own,” Joe said, stepping forward and waving her behind.

  “I really don't think two will attack together,” Zoya reiterated.

  “My eye thinks differently,” Joe countered as he tapped his temple.

  “That eye, one more thing I don't understand…,” Zoya said as she noticed the swamp water nearby begin to ripple.

  “Look alive Joe, we're about to find out if your eye was right,” Zoya anticipated. She flew behind him, dagger in hand, ready to engage.

  Joe took the lead. He lowered his stance, held his MIL Bar in one hand, and extended his claw from the other. The ripples on the water bubbled over and a creature strolled casually onto the bank.

  Level- 23

  Monster Type- Amphibious Gurkin

  Mana- none

  Hitpoints- 219

  Known attacks- Tongue punch, Fly snatch

  Current status- heat

  “You were right, I only see the one and it doesn't seem to be paying us any mind. Maybe that's cuz it's overheated?” Joe asked.

  “Its temperature isn’t any higher than it has ever been when I’ve fought them before. Something is not right, it should be attacking us,” Zoya cautioned.

  “Whether it attacks us or not doesn't matter, it's categorized as monster. Both the UI and the Book of Useful Information define monsters as soulless eminent threats to sentient life. If you need experience, killing monsters is the way to go. Though with this thing's low-level, I doubt I'll get much, but every little bit counts,” Joe said as he maintained his low stance and carefully advanced. The gurkin’s three eyes did not seem to register Joe approaching. Zoya followed behind, carefully staying out of the gurkin’s range.

  Joe crouched within a foot of the hippo-like green monster and still, it paid him no mind. The fact that it hadn't yet attacked bothered him, but he had a job to do. Looking at the set of three eyes forming a creepy and unsettling triangle, Joe instinctively knew where to strike. Using his MIL Bar to stabilize himself, Joe lunged himself forward and punched with his sharp extended claw. His twenty-sided eye stopped on the 20.

  Ding

  Critical hit.

  As the monster slumped to the ground, Joe held his stance and scanned for a second attack.

  “I don't think there's a second one, Joe, at least not in the water. I still don't understand why it would just let you kill it. We hadn't cast any spells on it. Why would it walk up on the bank and then just stop?” Zoya asked.

  “I dunno. I’ll loot and then we can head to the center,” Joe said as he picked up some silver and a few more tokens.

  Once looted, the monst
er’s body dissolved into ash and floated away. Almost as if this had been their cue, two more gurkins charged out of the bushes—one behind Zoya and another in front of Joe. Not wanting to get snatched, Zoya flew out over the water, away from both of the charging gurkins. Joe told her he could handle himself, so it was time she trusted him. Only, as she retreated out over the water, the charging gurkins altered their angle of attack in an attempt to circumvent her escape. They were much too slow, but it confused Zoya that they weren't attacking the obvious threat.

  Joe couldn’t have cared less that they weren't taking him seriously. He cast Molotov’s Beginnings and threw the flammable liquid at the far gurkin and jumped on the nearest, quickly stabbing it's weak spot.

  Hovering over the water, Zoya watched as Joe almost effortlessly killed both gurkins. His mass really is a significant advantage, Zoya thought, as she tried to quiet her own jealousy.

  Joe looked up at Zoya who hovered over the water and his eyes went wide in alarm.

  “Spooky, get off the water!” Joe yelled. Joe's mistake in calling Zoya by the wrong name stunned her for a moment. It triggered a sudden grief in her, a reminder of what she had lost. Sadness, anger, and longing filled her. As she froze, a gurkin lurking beneath her quickly snatched her with its extended tongue, pulling her straight into its belly.

  In the dark, Zoya held her breath and sped up her processor. Now was not a time to repeat the mistake she had made before, she didn't reach for the knife on her back. In the space of an instant, she considered all her options, even some not available to her. Her thoughts focused for a moment on Moes and she wondered why. If Moes had been here, he could have cast the spell Made Masochist and then she would have been able to cut her way out. Unfortunately, the monster’s pleasure might have led it to spin in joy, and she would have died just like the last time. Not that it mattered, Moes wasn’t here. She needed the monster to spit her out… then she realized why she had thought of Moes. Decision made. She began forming the signs necessary for a silent cast. In the dark gut, Zoya’s body began to glow in shadow.

  Joe’s twenty-sided eye had given him a picture—a tongue snatching Zoya—and he had tried to warn her. Unfortunately, the uninvited guest of human error never RSVPs. Joe watched it all play out, as if in slow motion, the monster surfacing from the water with its jaws already open. Zoya looking at him in stunned confusion, unaware of the danger below. Slowly, the tongue shooting upward. Zoya’s eyes widening in fear as the rubbery flesh wrapped around her and pulled her in. The monster’s jaws closing as it disappeared below the water. The quiet calm of death seemed to fill the swamp as the ripples in the water began to fade.

  Coming back to himself, Joe clicked his MIL Bar on his carabiner and dove into the swamp water. Unsurprisingly, he sunk to the bottom like a rock. A timer popped up in his HUD.

  Breath: 2 minutes 47 seconds

  Scanning the water depths, Joe’s feet dredged through the mud. His hotkeys, his timer, and his menus were visible, but that was it. The water was too murky for him to see anything beyond his HUD. He pushed his arms through the water, attempting to swim around in search of the beast that had taken Zoya, but he was too dense to make much progress. He would have to put a life preserver in his Holdall. Feeling useless, he turned toward the bank and began walking back to the solid ground.

  Despite his lack of competence in rescuing his teammate, Joe felt grateful that his increased lung capacity had provided him the time needed to walk back to shore. As he rose from the water, resembling the Swamp Thing, he saw Zoya already on the bank, sitting cross legged on top of a panting gurkin, who stared back at Joe.

  Zoya looked almost serene as she sat, her six-inch dagger lying across her lap. Almost without thought, Joe clicked on the gurkin.

  Level- 22

  Monster Type- Amphibious Gurkin

  Mana- none

  Hitpoints- 211

  Known attacks- Tongue punch, Fly snatch

  Current status- heat

  Active Spells- Weak Bound Will (controller- Zoya)

  Focusing on the spell, the description popped up in his HUD.

  L4 Weak Bound Will- Ability to cause the will of a monster to become bound to the caster. Monster will remain aware of the bind and its actions, growing steadily in its anger toward the controller. Every ten minutes the monster is given an opportunity to break the spell.

  Joe was about to ask her why she hadn't been using the spell from the beginning when she cut him off.

  “Spooky Joy is dead. My name is Zoya. I know that was an accident. I have devoted a significant portion of my background processing power to the study of emotions, but I still feel inept at processing them efficiently. They continue to surprise me at inopportune moments. Please call me Zoya,” she said. She stood up and flew directly in front of the gurkin. Carefully, she aimed her dagger at the topmost eye of the gurkin. With a swift and silent motion, she drove the dagger in and just as swiftly pulled it out again.

  Critical hit.

  “Luckily, just as it is in actual games, when you strike at the vital area on a helpless monster, a critical hit is almost assured,” Zoya said as the gurkin fell to the ground, its brain injury causing its hitpoints to drain exponentially.

  “I'm sorry, Zoya, I didn't mean to get your name wrong, I just…,” Joe began, but Zoya interjected.

  “I get it. Like I said, I know it was an accident. We don't need to talk about it anymore. Apparently, your eye was correct, at least partially. Instead of two attacking, though, it was four in the space of three minutes. I don't know why I hadn’t been able to detect the two who hid in the bushes. I mean, I know I was focusing my sensors on the water, but they must have been standing perfectly still for me not to sense them,” Zoya said.

  “No, I think it's because they were probably in the bushes of love. I'm lucky I didn't get my face ripped off,” Joe said.

  “What are you talking about?” Zoya asked in obvious confusion.

  “Current status- heat, that doesn't refer to temperature. They were all in heat. You know, an animal’s desire for companionship. I'd be surprised if, during heat, they didn't gain some protective abilities, hence your inability to sense them,” Joe said.

  “I thought these monsters were created not born, but it's an interesting new variable to keep us on our toes, so to speak,” Zoya said as she dangled her toes in the air.

  Joe gathered the loot.

  Loot gained:

  Duck Feet

  Chicken Head

  Premium Cosmetics

  Tokens- 11

  Joe's brow crinkled in confusion.

  “Zoya, look at these items. Even when I click on them, I can't seem to get more information.”

  “I can't get a description either. It seems like more bleed over from home. First, the Boss Music and now junk loot,” Zoya said.

  “You might be right, nevertheless I'm never throwing anything out ever again. In some ways, it's like a dream come true. I can become a total hoarder and yet my closets will never overflow. Plus, who knows, maybe these seemingly useless objects will become a quest item one day. There were quite a few games at home where you had to gather chickens. Although I’m not sure there were any where it was just the chicken’s head or duck’s feet,” Joe said as he stuffed the items in his bag.

  “We did not get much XP for those kills. I don’t like how quickly the UI is nerfing us,” Zoya commented. Joe looked at the relevant ignored message.

  Congratulations!

  You have ended the circle of life before it began. Using mithril, steel, and magic, you have defeated four Amphibious Gurkins.

  XP received:

  Base- 35, Voice of Monty Ring bonus- 35

  Total XP- 70

  “We may be right about the low XP, but then again, you and I should never lose to a pickle, we aren’t children and this isn’t the sandlot,” Joe said.

  “Too true,” she replied, “You know, when I was in here before, I had tried that spell repeatedly on the gurki
ns and it failed the check every time. I’m pretty sure it only worked this time because I was in such close contact with the target. Needless to say, I don’t plan on getting that close again.”

  “Sounds like a solid plan to me,” Joe smiled.

  Slightly more cautious, the two headed toward the bridge where the boss and his minions resided. Having taken the direct route and not encountering any resistance, the bridge was soon before them. Instead of hiding underneath the bridge, the troll lay quietly on the island and the snakes were nowhere in sight.

  Spying the troll in slumberland was anything but comforting to Zoya. If only Joe had allowed her to bring reinforcements. She felt vulnerable without Obsidian One, but if she was going to partner with Joe, they would each have to make adjustments. As if reading her thoughts, Joe whispered encouragement.

  “We got this, Zoya, our items are incredibly overpowered. With the slightest amount of creativity, we can use them to achieve victory. Don't forget you have that mithril dagger, which, in your hands, looks more like a claymore. We can do this and we can do it while maximizing XP. Let's see if we can sneak across the bridge. It's worth a shot,” Joe said as he lowered his stance and stealthily began to make his way across the bridge. As soon as Joe’s foot touched the bridge, quiet soothing music began to play. Joe tilted his head and listened, pausing before taking his second step. Looking over his shoulder at Zoya, Joe frowned before he began whispering once again.

  “What is this song?! It's not ominous or even a little bit exciting,” Joe said.

  “I believe it’s called “Sunrise, Sunset” from the musical Fiddler on the Roof,” Zoya answered.