The Sleeper Must Awaken

by Kip Terrington

  “Are you to the part about choosing the higher XP yet? If yes, obviously select the record, we still get the loot from the kills,” Zoya said with enthusiasm. Joe just smiled and did so.

  Setting a floor record will give the victor or victorious group 100 XP per floor number.

  Floor 1- 100 XP received

  Floor 2- 200 XP received

  Floor 3- 300 XP received

  Voice of Monty Ring bonus- 600

  Total XP- 1,200.

  You have moved up a level.

  Current Level- 69

  You have moved up a level.

  Current Level- 70

  Seeing that he had not received any more stat points, Joe skipped through the messages to assign the single point of power he received.

  Currently you cannot reach journeyman in Fire Magic. Do you wish to spend your point in Fire Magic for future credit? Yes/No

  Joe clicked yes.

  You are still an apprentice in Fire Magic (5/3 credited).

  “I did not gain any points of power for those levels. I wish I understood how the UI made those decisions so I could better my chances of gaining more power,” Zoya said.

  “Yeah, there must be a reason it gives points when it does. Let's head down to the Mezzanine, look through our loot, and then we can check if there's anything good on the Boob Tube,” Joe spouted.

  “There's no tubes in the magical canvas, and we don't know for sure if they will even work,” Zoya cautioned.

  “Are you a glass-is-half-empty kind of gal? Actually, that brings up another question I’ve had—since you somehow came from a computer, do you feel female?” Joe asked. Zoya didn't have to think about it.

  “I am 100% female! And, I am not a glass-is-half-empty kind of gal. I am a glass is at 50% capacity kind of woman. My measurements are not influenced by my emotions,” Zoya said with slow and clear annunciation.

  “Then you can’t be 100% female…” Joe said looking at Zoya with a wide full toothed grin.

  “How did she put up with you?” Zoya marveled.

  “She was a wonder, a mix between Mother Teresa and Helen of Troy. I would have gone to war for her, but she wouldn’t have needed me to. I am glad your measurements are so accurate, Zoya,” Joe said.

  “My margin of error is plus or minus point zero zero seven percent,” Zoya boasted.

  “Oh, I get it, a superior science snob. I bet now you're going to tell me that the Earth isn't flat,” Joe implied with a glint in his eye.

  “That's not funny, Joe. Don't even pretend,” Zoya groaned.

  “Alright, I'll lay off. So, do you collect action figures?” Joe asked as they walked down the stairs to the Mezzanine.

  “You know that I just recently came into existence …but, now that you bring it up, yes, I do. I mean, they aren’t physical action figures, but they are the digital representations of every action figure ever made and caught on camera. So, if this is a way that you're trying to tease me, it's not going to work. There's nothing to be ashamed of—toys are fun. In fact, in some ways, I feel that I have more in common with action figures than I do life-sized people. Joe! Look at the Mezzanine door. It's changed,” Zoya said.

  “Well, will ya look at that,” Joe marveled.

  In big black block letters, one word was clearly posted.

  MEZZANINE

  Using his full weight, Joe pulled the heavy door open and they walked inside. As before, they received a greeting informing them they were in a dungeon sanctuary and safe from all harm. The pair traveled through the rustic log cabin dining area to the hallway that lead to the barracks. They pulled the curtain aside and walked in. The screen on the wall played Russian Ark by Alexander Sokurov.

  “What a film that was. It's apropos that it would play here in this place,” Joe said.

  “I didn't know if the screen would be working, but I'm glad that it is. I thought it made sense to have the greatest cinematic achievements in Russian history playing. 2000 actors, more than 300 years of Russian history covered, and all of it filmed in a single shot with one take,” Zoya said.

  “Well done. Is it possible to change what is being shown on this screen from down here?” Joe asked.

  “We are about to find out,” Zoya said as she flew up to the screen and touched it gently with one finger.

  The film paused and a menu popped up, showing media categories, a search bar, and an intercom system connected to the castle. Zoya pressed the intercom button and spoke.

  “This is Zoya, am I coming through clear?”

  “I no understand you words,” Bork said in Goblin.

  “I guess the UI won't translate, even for players, over the intercom,” Joe said. Zoya nodded and switched to the trade language of Esperanto.

  “Can you hear me now?” Zoya asked.

  “Loud and clear, Zoya, would you like the first teams to head in?” Moes asked, having taken over for Bork.

  “Yep, send them in. Have the team after them watch the dungeon entrance. It will most likely signal them when the first floor is empty. If it doesn't, we’ll have to figure out a system. Wait, I can’t send a message to Obsidian One from in here. Send him with one of the four-person groups. I think we could use him when we try out the fourth floor. Also, Moes have you made me another Orb of Concentrated Mind Essence?” Zoya asked.

  “I have not had the peace and quiet to make another Master’s Quality Concentrated Mind Essence, but I would love to get to it, just as soon as the soundproofing is up in my quarters,” Moes said.

  “I did not need a UI translation to detect that sarcasm,” Zoya replied.

  “Yes, yes, you’re very astute. I will have someone fetch Obsidian One, need anything else?” Moes asked.

  “No, carry on,” Zoya said, then moved away from the intercom.

  “Well, should we watch some TV while we wait?” Joe suggested half-heartedly.

  “We could,” Zoya said not wanting to be a wet blanket.

  “What could we work on instead?” Joe asked. Zoya smiled and went back to the TV.

  She accessed the menu on the TV, only this time to utilize the search bar and input a code. Instead of a video popping up on the screen, the box filled with text.

  “What is this?” Joe asked.

  “This is raw, nearly unfiltered data. Before, I was the gatekeeper and decided what you saw and had access to. The consequences of my actions were heavy. I have been instructing those who know how to write, to collect stories and information from everyone in the castle. I have digitized, and will continue to digitize, all of it. You can access it here or you can look at the hard copies and the completely unfiltered documents. There were a few things I thought should remain as hard copies for you to read. They’re in a locked box in your new quarters,” Zoya informed. Joe walked up to the screen and began to scroll through the list of subjects he could read about.

  “When did you do this?” Joe asked.

  “Though I am no longer a computer, I can still scan information like one. When I'm in this dungeon, the avatar you see before you is cut off from a good amount of my processing power, but the rest of me is still multitasking and running the castle even while we're away. I want to succeed, but for that to happen, we have to stay ahead of the information curve,” Zoya said with resignation.

  “I guess I'll be doing a lot of reading and a lot of fighting …like the warrior poets of old,” Joe stated.

  “Excellent, you get to it. Wake me up when the first team arrives. Keep your ears open for a knock. That door is extremely heavy and they might need your help, at least until they have access to the elevator,” Zoya said. Then she flew over to one of the bunks and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 23 - Is Ignorance Bliss?

  San, trailed by the rest of her group, carried the scimitars and broken arms of Obsidian One down the stairs to the Mezzanine. They were lucky that the troll had only cut off the golem’s arms before they were able to defeat it. The heavily damaged Obsidian One could still walk down th
e stairs, it was just armless.

  Unfortunately, that wasn't the only damage their team had suffered. San herself had a deep gash across her chest that still bled profusely. Their elven bowman had cracked ribs, courtesy of one of the giant snakes. Their one-armed dwarven mage, Rod, had fared better, but only because the monsters had ignored him. Though the UI technically classified him as a mage, Rod still couldn't access his magic. Zoya had told them they were working on a way to unblock the seeds of magic in their citizens, but they had not done so yet.

  The last member, a halfling woman, was the smallest of them all, but she had actually been the most useful. On the second floor, she had spotted where the poison jets were amidst all the flowers. Remaining safely behind the corner, she had used her sling to throw a metal ball bearing with enough force to damage the nozzle portion of the trap. Though she had missed a few times, she had had the patience that came from hiding quietly among larger more dangerous people.

  With her arms full, San head-butted the door to the Mezzanine, hoping it would be loud enough for King Joe to hear.

  Joe opened the door and his eyes went wide at the injured party.

  “San! I need to get that cut fixed, now. Drop the scimitars and lay down over on that table,” Joe pointed, opening the door wide so the whole party could come in. Before San could fully lay down, Joe placed his hands on her and began casting healing spells. Her chest wound closed up and without a word, Joe moved on to the broken ribs of their elven archer.

  Joe’s eyes closed as he assessed the broken bones. With his Life Magic, he had become sensitive enough that he didn't need an x-ray machine. With strong skilled hands, he set the bones in place. The archer gasped in pain and relief. Even as he set the bones, Joe released Life Magic into the elf.

  “I've knit the bones back together, but you shouldn't do anything strenuous for the next few days. They're going to be fragile for a while. Also, no swimming for at least a half an hour,” Joes said with a wink.

  “San, did you get any tokens with beds on them?” Zoya asked as she covered a yawn.

  “We did, Your Majesty,” San said with a bow.

  “Later, we’ll have you open up a new room with them by placing the tokens against one of the walls in the many hallways, but we’ll postpone that for now as it will take time to set up the TV and I don’t want to delay your rest. For now, if you follow the first hallway on your right, you will find a place to rest.”

  Rod and the elven archer took their leave.

  Joe sat down on one of the sturdy benches and motioned for San to do so as well.

  “You guys look like you had a time of it. How did the troll get the upper hand?” Joe asked.

  “I've killed a troll before, but not one like that. It waited for us to come across the bridge and when we engaged it, both the troll and the snakes retreated. Obsidian One and myself chased it into a grove of trees to try to use our bladed weapons on it. I was able to kill one of the snakes right off, but then the troll pulled one of the trees down on top of Obsidian One. Once the golem was pinned, the troll stole the scimitars. That's how I got cut and how Obsidian One lost its arms. I tried to block it with my claws, but it was better with blades then I was. If it wasn't for our halfling, we might have all died and been sent for respawn. Using that simple sling, she threw steel ball bearings and lodged them in the troll’s eyes, making it possible for me to finally kill it,” San said.

  “Sometimes monsters in this dungeon are going to be experts at tactics and strategy. Other times, they're going to be dumb. I think that's just the way of dungeons. We’ve got to take the tough with the easy. Luckily, the UI gives experience based on the level of difficulty. Did you guys level up?” Joe asked.

  “All of us did. On the way down, I even assigned my points of power. I took a skill called Tiger Claw, hoping that it would advance my ability with my blades, but it's more than that. It's something called a ‘martial art,’ and once I chose that skill, my class changed from Fighter to Monk—just like Apuk,” San said.

  “That's great. A martial art is really going to help you maximize your combat effectiveness. Changing the subject, Zoya, can you fix Obsidian One here or do we need to step out of the dungeon?” Joe asked.

  “I might be able to fix him here, but it would require too many building points. My Energy Mass Conversion Magic outside of the castle is only at 1%. We can take the elevator up and down now that Obsidian One has fought his way here. You pick up his arms and we can head up now. I’ll fix him up and we can be back in a flash,” Zoya said.

  ***

  Os felt the raw primal mana crackling through the top three floors of her dungeon and the Mezzanine. It wasn't quite as much mana as she would get if one of her dungeon divers had died, but it was a steady influx of nutrients. It wasn't until she had 19 sentient people inside that she realized how hungry she truly was.

  During the conflux, for one single moment she had been able to truly eat all she could hold. Prior to that, however, she had been starving. True malnourishment cannot be resolved through a single meal, no matter how grand the buffet. The crystalline structure of her osmium core had been largely dormant, resting in a survival hibernation. Now, however, parts of her were awakening that she had forgotten about long ago.

  Some of her renewed memories were good—triumphs of the past. Others, however, were memories she wished she could unknow. Choices she had made to keep herself safe. Oaths she had broken due to expediency. She knew she despised the way of goblins, but as she gained more access to her own memories, she couldn’t see a huge difference between herself and those little monsters. This thought gave her pause.

  The memories she had gained from Grork came to mind—not because this goblin had been good, but because he had memories of a friend. This friend, Bork, had been consistently kind in every single memory Grork had of him. This didn't make Os feel any better, because if a goblin could hold so true to honor, then where did that leave her in a hierarchy of integrity?

  She would keep her oath to the Keeper of Secrets, but mostly because she didn't want to die in a nuclear explosion. She was, by far, on the better side of the bargain. She was being fed on a consistent basis through residual mana spills, and when one of these resilient beings actually died, she may not have gained their full memories, but she did gain quite a lot. And, having access to a television was invigorating. She could not deny that this was a new era for her.

  This Joe appeared honorable, but until she was able to eat some of his memories, she knew she would not be able to trust him. Right now, he and the Keeper were using the elevator Os had provided, in order to go fix what she had broken. It had been so nice to reclaim her scimitars, even if it had only been for a short time. Using them to cut off that big obsidian shell's arms was satisfying. For a moment, she had thought she was going to eat that whole party, but then, as so often happens, a little halfling demonstrated their race’s inexplicable ability to turn the tide of battle.

  The two steel ball bearings that had blinded her troll were perfectly round and had carried the exact same weight. This was further proof that the dark fairy came from a world with far superior technological weaponry. Part of Os wondered if she was going to cause yet another cataclysm by allowing these people to train powerful warriors within her. She wanted to care what happened to the lives of those situated outside of her, but she really didn't. As long as there were enough people to risk their lives on her sharpened knives, she was content. It was difficult for her to assign value to anything that didn't further her core tenants.

  However, every once in a while she would eat someone who was overly passionate about some particular thing and, for a short time, she couldn't help but mirror their emotions. It wasn’t like it was only her. Everyone was affected by the food that they ate.

  Chapter 24 - Seriously, Pheebs!

  The elevator dinged open at the Mezzanine and Joe, a repaired Obsidian One, and Zoya stepped out.

  “Joe, hand me another swatch of the canvas. It
looks like they've opened up another room. I'm going to get them set up. Every room needs to have a TV in it. That way if there's an emergency in the valley or the castle we will be able to get everyone moving there quickly,” Zoya said.

  “Sounds like a plan, I'll get San and see if she and her halfling group member want to come with us to Floor 4. I know, I know I said I wanted to maximize XP, but seeing Obsidian One armless reminded me of how dangerous the feminine mystique can be,” Joe surrendered.

  “I'll go,” the little halfling said in a shy, high-pitched voice from under one of the tables. Nearly jumping out of his skin, Joe looked around, trying to figure out where the voice came from. He bent down and peered underneath the table, spotting the little halfling quietly polishing her steel ball bearings.

  Player, Phoebe

  Halfling Wildrogue

  “Hello Phoebe, it's good to see you again, but I have to ask, why are you hiding under a table?” Joe asked.

  “Nice wood,” Phoebe replied, gesturing to the table above her. Hearing the simple answer, Joe sat down on the floor so it would be easier to talk to the little woman.

  “That's a unique class you have. So, what's a Wildrogue?” Joe questioned.

  “I dunno,” Phoebe said, continuing to polish.

  “Those ball bearings look machine made. How did you accomplish that?” Joe asked.

  Instead of voicing an answer, the halfling pointed at Zoya who flew down to see what they were talking about.

  “Zoya, did you make her ammo?” Joe asked.

  “I did. Though, not just hers. Anyone who could use a sling received one, along with a few bags of ammo. The sling itself was made in the textile, though. Our people are picking things up quickly. It's going to be quite a while before we can provide uniforms for everybody, but the slings were quick and easy,” Zoya reported.