The Sleeper Must Awaken

by Kip Terrington

  It was at that moment that the black obsidian statue almost robotically turned it head toward Joe and Zoya, then promptly gave them a double thumbs up.

  Joe couldn't help himself. He stood up and backed away from the bar a full three steps.

  “Ha! Okay, that's super freaky, but also a bit hilarious. The dungeon just used one of your angels to give us a double thumbs up. And I'm pretty sure that's not a, ‘Hey, I think you guys are cool’ thumbs up. That was clearly a, ‘Zoya and Joe, I wish to eat your body and soul. Please travel down deep in my belly where I won't ever let you go’ thumbs up,” Joe said as he looked down at his pants double-checking that he hadn't peed a little.

  “I don't see how it's hilarious,” Zoya doubted.

  “Come on! We're in a stomach! We're haggis. Admittedly, it would be funnier if it was a sheep stomach, but I think you can make haggis out of any stomach really. Don't quote me on that. We don't need to argue about this, let's go ahead and look around the Mezzanine,” Joe said leaving his plate on the bar.

  The Mezzanine had several hallways to choose from, but as they soon discovered, all of them led to a similar blank wall.

  “So, a bunch of hallways that lead to nothing. Anticlimactic,” Joe voiced.

  “It's more like multiple nothings,” Zoya said with a smile.

  “Nothing is nothing, it doesn't matter how many nothings there are. Unless, of course, they're sweet nothings… Sorry, that was dumb,” Joe apologized, looking down at his ring finger where there was no longer a wedding band. Zoya felt slightly nauseous, though she wasn't sure why. She began looking at the wall more intently as if it could provide some distraction. Putting her hands on the wall in front of her, she could feel it wasn't entirely solid.

  “Joe, will you hand me one of those tokens, how about one of the ones with a bed on it,” Zoya suggested. Still lost in thought, Joe absent-mindedly reached in his bag and pulled out one of the tokens and handed it to the tiny fairy. With both of her hands, she pressed the coin flat against the blank wall and the wall absorbed it.

  “Step back, Joe,” Zoya said anticipating the wall exploding or falling on them.

  Only neither of those things happened, nothing happened.

  “It ate our quarter, there's nothing for it. Let's go have another meal, I feel like stress eating right now,” Joe said as he turned his back on the empty hallway and walked out. Reluctantly, Zoya followed him.

  They weren't more than three steps out of the hallway entrance, when they heard the sound of falling water behind them.

  Congratulations!

  You have upgraded the Mezzanine and acquired Alpha Squad Rack. Beds acquired: 1 of 5.

  “What does that mean?” Joe asked, already walking back in the hallway to see the change. Where the blank wall had been, there was now a large thick curtain. As if in his own home, Joe threw the curtains open and looked inside. The room contained one bed, but clearly had room for four more. Reaching in his bag, Joe pulled out four more tokens with a small picture of a bed on them and placed them where there was an obvious lack of beds. With a grin, he led Zoya out of the room and then waited a moment. Sure enough, they heard the sound of falling water. When they returned, the room had five beds. Other than the beds, the room was spartan, but Joe noticed on one wall there was a large rectangle.

  “It looks like the frame for a painting or something?” Joe wondered aloud.

  “Maybe, I guess it's possible we could eventually get tokens for that, although it seems a little silly,” Zoya said.

  “I've got an idea,” Joe said, as he opened his Holdall. Joe carefully pulled out one of the scraps leftover from when the Canvas of Netflixia had transformed into the Mile-High Crystal Theater.

  “What are you going to do with that?” Zoya asked. Instead of answering, Joe held the fabric over the rectangle.

  “Zoya, cut the two edges that don't line up,” Joe said.

  “Joe, there's no way this will work. It's just fabric now. The real Canvas of Netflixia is forever on the top floor of the castle,” Zoya said with skepticism.

  “I don't see why that has to be the case. We now live in a reality filled with magic. I don't see why items would lose magic even if they're cut. Humor me,” Joe said, and quick as the machine-fairy she was, her mithril dagger was drawn and the fabric was cut. Carefully, Joe smoothed it out over the rectangle and suddenly, the canvas turned on, displaying two words.

  No signal.

  “See, I told you it wouldn't work,” Zoya said.

  “Zoya! It did work, there's a picture that says ‘no signal!’ That means we just need to get a signal down here. Do you not remember the cable box?” Joe prompted.

  “Sending signals down here is going to give this dungeon more information. That might make it more dangerous. It wants to eat us,” Zoya reminded him.

  “I'm sure that in some ways the information will make the dungeon more of a threat, but we have to level up and our dungeon diving teams need to maintain morale. As this dungeon gets more difficult, we will gain more experience. If we are careful to provide the right combination of educational programing and morale boosting entertainment, our dungeon diving teams will become more versatile. Afterall, when you level in violence and power, it’s crucial that you also grow in understanding of other cultures and people. Otherwise…”

  “Yes, yes, I get it. We don’t want to create mindless killing machines. Even if they are completely loyal to us,” Zoya interjected.

  “And I trust that you won't allow any signals to be sent down here that teach the dungeon how to make a thermonuclear weapon. We don't want Matthew Broderick to have to come save us.”

  “Mr. Broderick died a long time ago and it cheapens his work to only honor the memory of the movies he did in the 1980s. The rest of his career was just as wonderful, if a bit more nuanced,” Zoya chided.

  “Zoya, I didn’t realize you had such serious opinions about old movies,” Joe commented.

  “Opinions? That wasn’t a fact? …I guess opinions come with being alive. If we’re talking about opinions, though, I think it would be great to explore more of the dungeon, but this place makes me think we need to get our dungeon diving teams organized and grinding,” Zoya said.

  “Yeah. We can't put out all the fires ourselves. However, it is the middle of the night, won’t most of the castle be asleep?” Joe second-guessed.

  “Many will be, though Grork and Bork are awake, of course. For our purposes, many of the individuals we need to speak to will be up. This Moon is not a safe place, so as far as I can tell, no clan or group ever has more than two thirds of their people asleep at any one time. It makes security much easier for everyone all around. I will talk to the goblins about leading a team and then Moes, if he’s awake,” Zoya said.

  “I’ll talk to a few yetis,” Joe said, nodding with approval.

  The two made their way back to the exit of the Mezzanine, but once again, there was a change.

  “Zoya? When we came in here there wasn’t an elevator, right?” Joe asked as he looked at the open elevator doors.

  “No, this is new. We could still go up the stairs, though. The door hasn’t disappeared. You know, if you’re scared,” Zoya said without judgment. Joe cocked one eyebrow.

  “Fear can be useful, Zoy Sauce,” Joe teased.

  “I am going to veto that one. I am not a sauce,” Zoya replied.

  “My bad, just trying it out. It didn’t land. If this elevator had a statue bellhop, I would absolutely take the stairs, but it’s empty so let’s take a ride,” Joe said as he stepped in. To Joe’s surprise, it had more than one button to exit. Not including their normal exit in the basement of the castle, there were four other exits indicated. There were exits for the North, South, West, and East valley floors. Six buttons total, to include their current position.

  “You were right. We definitely need to guard that basement. I will get the yetis on it right away,” Joe said as he pushed the button for the castle exit.

  Cha
pter 17 - For the Greater Good?

  Third Elven Kingdom.

  Queen Shimmer’s throne room.

  Day fourteen, afternoon.

  The high elven queen, Shimmer, leaned back on her throne and brought her fingers to the bridge of her nose and rubbed gently. She didn't like change, but sometimes one had to endure. Unfortunately, being forced to embrace the new had become a staple. At the beginning, it had started with the discovery that Lake Powel had lost its heat source, which meant she was going to have to move her kingdom to another location. This forced migration would be a monumental undertaking. Sadly, she knew it was a universal truth that no problem ever went stag to a party, there was always an entourage.

  A whole new system of magic had been thrust upon not only her, but also her people. Shimmer didn't trust this “UI,” but so far, she hadn’t been able to get rid of it. She had done what any queen would do and began gathering all the information she could on this new phenomenon. It appeared to spread from person to person in two main variants. As the UI worked its way through her city, it labeled people in one of two major categories. Either they were some type of NPC or, much more rarely, they were labeled as a player.

  One of the queen’s generals, a Fire Mage named Rayfall, had become a player. His new status was the reason he stood before her now. The general waited quietly while Shimmer collected herself. As a player, he was granted more abilities than the common NPC. Not only could Rayfall see the blue letters hovering above others’ heads, he had also been given quests and it looked as if he now had many new ways he could advance his skills and magic. Shimmer, however, had been made an NPC, though not an ordinary one, which would have been all too grating. Rather, she was a Major NPC. This gave her the ability to see the words above players and NPCs and she also gained access to a HUD. She was still discovering the new capabilities granted to a Major NPC, but it could not be the priority because, as queen, she had more pressing responsibilities.

  As expected, administrator Frostbreak swept through the door, bowing before his queen. Shimmer tilted her head and the administrator immediately began to speak.

  “My Queen, we have two confirmations that when a player dies they are reborn. So far, the only known side effect is the loss of a level or two. These ‘levels’ seem to correlate closely to the relative power of the player or NPC. The NPCs we killed as a control group have not been reborn. This seems to support the veracity of the UI’s claims. As of yet, only the players that spent an hour in your place of power have been reborn. This was expected, as the information from the UI said that the more powerful the bind point, the quicker the resurrection. As new information is confirmed, I will make certain you are the first to know,” Frostbreak finished.

  “The children, the ones whose deaths I witnessed, bring them to me. I wish to see these miraculously reborn players,” the queen ordered.

  “It shall be done,” Frostbreak replied as he bowed and backed away, leaving the throne room and closing the door behind. The queen looked over at Rayfall and smiled at him.

  “Do you realize what this means, General?” the queen teased. The general looked at her, not quite sure what she was getting at, but he did his best.

  “If players can die and return, it opens up new opportunities for war?” the general supposed.

  “Yes, you could say that, but that wasn't what I was implying. I was speaking about what it meant for you. If players of a low-level can be reborn, then most likely the UI was telling the truth that players of a high-level can also be reborn. You are the highest level player we have yet found. What does it feel like, knowing that you could die and not have it stick?” the queen asked, tilting her head with a polite smile.

  The general opened his mouth as if to reply, but nothing came out.

  “Speak freely, General. It is time you and I were on a less formal footing. After all, you are both a player and one of my most powerful generals. You have become much more useful to me, so I think we can drop a little bit of the ceremony. Just when it is the two of us, of course. So, tell me, how do you really feel about being a player?” the queen prompted.

  The general did not speak immediately, but rather prepared his thoughts.

  “The reason I didn't know what to say is, I've been thinking more about the implications for the kingdom and less about my own personal circumstance. I've been given quests. Some of them I accepted, and some of them I've rejected. When the UI first infected me, I was a little worried that it was going to attempt to control me through these quests. This was the main reason I rejected the ones I did, to prove to myself that I wasn’t a slave. I gave my oath to serve you, so I had to make sure that this new magical force was not attempting to subvert my loyalty.

  “But here, in this moment, thinking about this new power I have been granted, it makes me excited. Since I was a boy I wished to become a great general, and I accomplished that goal, but now I can be truly useful to you! I can give my life up for you without denying you my future service. This brings joy to my soul. I hope that I'm not getting too personal, Your Majesty, but you asked me to be candid, so I will endeavor to be so. My family has not always been as honorable as I would have wished them to be. This is not news to you. I know that as queen there are very few secrets hidden from you,” Rayfall lamented when the queen interrupted.

  “Yes, I know of your family, but as I'm sure you're aware I also know that you have been nothing but honorable,” the queen said to allay the doubt that had just started to show in the general’s eyes.

  “Thank you, My Queen. That brings gladness to my heart. I hope that my becoming a player makes me someone who can rise to meet all your expectations,” Rayfall said, daring to raise his eyes to meet hers. To Shimmer’s surprise, she felt her cheeks color.

  Rayfall quickly lowered his eyes before the moment became uncomfortable.

  Shimmer raised her hand to her chest and took a breath, she thought that perhaps the rumors were truer about Fire Mages than she had first believed. Without ceremony, the large throne room doors opened and the queen saw two guards accompanying a young elven boy and girl.

  As they entered, the queen noticed the little girl stumble, bumping into one of the guards. The guard remained unaware that the young girl had pickpocketed her guard dagger. The queen, however, had a sharper eye, but only smiled at the audacity of the child. What would she do with the dagger? Might she attempt to get revenge on the queen for her death a day-and-a-half earlier? The queen doubted that is what the young girl had in mind, there was too much intelligence behind those young eyes. Not even the most foolish assassin would attempt to slay such a powerful individual with just a guard’s dagger.

  As she read the boy’s name, once again, the queen was glad that she could see the names above her subject’s heads. However, the young girl did not have a name above her head, only the boy.

  Player, Thrips

  Elven Paladin

  A paladin? That surprised the queen. She had heard the name before. It was said that those who wished to follow the correct path, the holy path, believed themselves to be part of this class. She didn't understand how a young elven boy could gain such a distinction, but the UI had changed everything. As the guards brought the children forward, both knelt and bowed deep before the queen. The children understood the protocols. Whether one was a street tough or an aristocrat, all understood that they must bow low before the queen.

  “Stand children, I wish to speak to you and to congratulate you on coming back from the lands of shadow. Before we get into that, there is a matter that must be dealt with. Young lady, I don't know your name, which is disconcerting because I should be able to read it above your head. After all, I know you are a player, I saw you die myself. Can you explain this for me?” the queen asked with a gentleness that all knew was a façade.

  The girl did not raise her eyes to the queen, but she answered promptly. “Your Majesty, my name is Dryleaf. The reason that you do not see this confirmed above my head is because I went into the dr
op-down menus and made my information private. Forgive me for forgetting to turn it back on in your presence. I will do so now. Also, I must inform Your Majesty that your guards have not been keeping up with their training. I present to you this stolen dagger,” the slight child said as words materialized above her head. Dryleaf continued to bow low as she held the dagger stretched out in front of her.

  Player, Dryleaf

  Elven Thief

  The queen rose from her throne and bent down low, retrieving the dagger from the prostrate child. She held it up to her eyes to examine it while she began walking over to the guard from whom it had been taken.

  “Guard Captain Heather, I have your dagger. I'm sure right now you're thinking that I'm going to give it back to you by placing it through your heart. You are incorrect. You see, I witnessed this little thief take the dagger from you and it could not have been anticipated. Her skill was such that anyone with less perceptiveness than myself would have missed it. I do not expect you to be as great as I, however you should not have allowed the child close enough to your person to take the dagger. That was a clear mistake, one that is often made when we underestimate the young.

  “I want what happened here today to help you, and those under you, to learn. I am going to cut your face and you are going to make sure that as you heal and once you are fully healed, the scars are clear and visible. This is not to shame you. This is to show everyone both of my mercy and to help them remember to never underestimate the young again. The UI has changed everything. Anyone could be a player and possess skills they should not,” the queen said with almost true gentleness. In a motion too fast for the eye to see, three shallow cuts appeared on the Guard Captain’s face. To the captain's credit, she didn't flinch, she only bowed formally once the cuts had been administered.