The Sleeper Must Awaken

by Kip Terrington

  Grork protectively covered the book in his pocket.

  The large heavy door at the entrance opened. San and three others walked in with their heads held low. Zoya understood the problem, having made the schedule of which groups would be battling their way through the first three floors. Rod should have been the fifth member in this group, but only four had walked in.

  “Grork, go to the bar and get four drinks and bring them to me,” Zoya said. She flew across the room to console San.

  “Rod is a player and that means he'll be back in a few days, don't forget that. How did he die?” Zoya asked as she laid a hand on San’s shoulder.

  “We had already defeated the troll boss and received our experience. This time, Rod had been helpful; he had killed one of the snakes even though he only had one arm. In the fight, part of the side rails on the bridge had broken. Unfortunately, in his excitement he didn't watch his footing and he fell off the bridge into the water and he never resurfaced. It didn't take long before the UI informed us that one of our party members had died. I know what it's like to die. It's horrible,” San lamented.

  “I’m sorry, San. Grork has some drinks for you. Go take a break and rest up. Rod will be back in a couple days. Would you like to talk to Joe when he comes down?” Zoya asked and San shook her head and sat down with the rest of her surviving group.

  Not long after, the elevator opened and Joe stepped out. Before anyone could inform him, he noticed the solemn mood and zeroed in on San’s table. Zoya cut him off before he could walk over.

  “I'll fill you in, Joe, but let San be. I think she just wants to rest for now,” Zoya said as Grork walked over to the two of them.

  “Let's kill the cat,” Grork stated with thinly veiled excitement.

  “Is that why San looks so depressed? You killed her cat? Where did she even get a cat?” Joe asked.

  “No one killed a cat,” Zoya said.

  “You did,” Grork rebutted.

  “I meant today. No one killed a cat today. Rod fell off the bridge and drowned,” Zoya explained.

  “Not a fun way to go,” Joe said, shaking his head as Moes and Bork walked up.

  “Your Majesty, we have everything ready. We have numerous ways to kill the cat: poison, glass, bags we can fill with sand, and many other strategies. By the time we reach Nueve Gato, it will not be immune to magic or steel.

  ***

  Joe smiled and considered how, without preparation, any enemy could be difficult. Thankfully, this time, the desert cat’s eyes had remained dull for the entirety of the fight. They killed it quickly and efficiently eight times. When they reached the final cat, it hadn't been a cake walk, but neither steel nor magic had been used against any of the previous incarnations, so it inevitably met its end.

  Sadly, the experience they received was only enough for Joe and Zoya to gain a single level. However, the loot it had dropped was not a disappointment.

  Loot gained:

  Bedouin’s Tent [ASSIGNED TO GRORK]

  Dungeon Tokens- 15

  See No Fey Veil

  Silver Crowns- 125

  Floor 5 Key

  Rare Item: See No Fey Veil.

  Congratulations! You have found a rare item: See No Fey Veil. This veil does more than cover one's face, it is the ultimate item for any hide-and-seek Champion. When this veil is raised to cover one’s face, the bearer’s dagger skill and damage is increased by 78% and the bearer gains near perfect stealth.

  Restrictions: spells cannot be cast while the veil is covering one’s face. The bearer of the veil will lose perfect stealth if they are in direct line of sight of any individual enemy for more than five seconds. In order to maintain perfect stealth, the bearer must move no faster than 15% of their maximum speed. This veil can only be worn by a tiny-sized character.

  Note: this item is part of a larger set. The more items you gather in a set, the more bonuses you are able to receive. For more information on this set, click on the detail tab from your HUD menu.

  Pick up See No Fey Veil? Yes/No

  Joe clicked no but looked at the additional information.

  Fey Controller Set Bonuses-

  2/8 - Plus 4 to Wisdom

  4/8 - Plus 25% to Hitpoints

  6/8 - Plus 33% to Crowd Control Spells

  8/8 - Plus 25% to all Golem Stats

  Zoya was already wearing the Fear of the Fey Ring and the Obey the Fey Ring. Joe smiled and waved Zoya over. Both Moes and Zoya came to look at the loot. When she saw the item, she hesitated.

  “Zoya, that veil is yours, pick it up,” the king said and she did so.

  “That is a valuable item and the UI didn't assign it to her. At the very least we should cast lots to see who gets it,” Moes argued.

  Grork began a low growl.

  Joe sighed, tired of having this conversation with the little halfling.

  “Stand down, Grork, Moes is just trying to make sure he's getting his fair share,” Joe reckoned, then turned to face Moes. “Have we not compensated you well for your time?” Joe asked. Moes remembered the considerable stack of gold coins in his private room and wasn't sure how he should respond.

  “You have, but this is a different situation. Access to items like these is one of the reasons that I'm helping you in this dungeon,” Moes asserted.

  “I'm sure that's true. However, as we discussed, Zoya and I have to do what's best for this kingdom. That is priority number one,” Joe defended.

  “How does her having this veil help the kingdom more than me having it?” Moes countered.

  “Did you swear loyalty to the kingdom at some point? Because I don't remember that happening. You wear that uniform because we want you to be safe down here, but you still haven't decided if you're going to be part of this kingdom. When you decide that you want to swear the oath, both Zoya and I will be happy to accept you as one of our people. You are an incredible resource to us, even now, but you're not one of our subjects. You are a consultant. And you're paid well for what you do, but consultants do not get first pick of the loot, that’s just the way it is,” Joe said.

  “If I swear right now, would you give it to me then?” Moes asked.

  “I thought you needed to consult with your wife?” Joe countered.

  “I do. I was just asking a what-if question,” Moes fired right back.

  “Oh, well, in that case… To answer your question, ultimately, no one can know the future, Moes,” Joe replied.

  “Fine, if you don't want to tell me, don't tell me,” Moes countered.

  “Ask an iffy question, get an iffy answer. Anyway, you couldn’t even use that item, Moes. It’s for tiny-sized characters. We're going to use that key to go on to the next floor. Do you want to come with us or not? We will compensate you. Your Mind Magic is extremely useful. The way your spells confused that last cat gave us the time we needed to finish it,” Joe attempted to repair.

  “I am coming,” Moes said, smiling at the prospect of a brand-new floor.

  The group of five traveled down the circular stairway that lead to a large locked door. Joe used the Floor 5 key and the door opened, revealing another elevator. The key disintegrated.

  “Looks like the key is a one-time use item,” Zoya commented as they filed in.

  Once all of them stepped into the elevator, the doors closed. They could feel it descend. A glowing script gradually illuminated the wall of the elevator.

  Congratulations adventurers!

  Few are strong enough or brave enough to venture this deep within my walls. You have passed difficult tests and, for this reason, I, the Dungeon of Os can finally start playing for keeps. From here on out, there will be no easy monsters and the level of difficulty with each floor will rise dramatically.

  This version of Floor 5, however, is no ordinary floor. It contains no monsters except for those you bring with you. Depending on your temperament, it may be the single most difficult floor contained in this dungeon. The rule is simple: you may not touch any of the treasures within
. One infraction and the entire party forfeits their lives. This is your only warning.

  Please enjoy your time on the Floor of Wonders.

  When Grork had finished reading, the text faded away and a seam split down the middle of the elevator wall, becoming a door that swung wide open.

  Joe stepped in front of the group and held his hands out to stop them from exiting.

  “Hold. Everybody, turn around and face the back of the elevator,” Joe said in a tone that brooked no argument. Even Moes did as he asked.

  “Let me make one thing clear. No one is touching anything for any reason. I don't care if you see a genie begging you to take a lamp. You will restrain yourself! Moes, remember that ring you prize so much? It's not soulbound. If you die here, you won't get it back,” Joe warned.

  Moes reflexively held the ring close to his chest with both hands.

  “Let's go,” Joe said and the group turned around and stared at the mountains of gold, mithril, jewels, and most importantly, items.

  Moes put his hands in his pockets and cringed, it was almost more than he could bear. With that much mithril, they could have summoned a hundred Champions.

  “It's probably all fake, anyway…” Moes said, mostly trying to convince himself.

  Grork bent over and sniffed some of the treasure without touching it.

  “The gold and silver are real. Completely pure, but it might as well be a million miles away,” Grork lamented.

  “It's all real. Every coin and every carat. Make sure you're careful up ahead. A few bits of mithril are scattered across the path. As long as we watch our step, they're easy to avoid, just don't let Os fool you into thinking you're allowed to take anything that gets stuck to the bottom of your shoes. Moes, closing your eyes to the treasure all around us is a laudable technique, but you need to be able to see where you step,” Zoya consoled.

  Moes opened his eyes and followed the path, attempting to avoid the sight of the mountains of treasure all around him.

  “If it makes you feel better, I believe most of these bricks of mithril are hollow. Otherwise, that large one over there would sink into that pile of rounded jewels. None of this is fake, but it is all made in such a way to appear more than it is,” Zoya commented.

  “That actually helps a bit, thank you, Zoya,” Moes replied.

  Carefully, they made their way through the curving path of treasure. Moes had started to acclimate to the untouchable wealth around him, when they came around the last curve in the path. In front of them, was a squat forest of pedestals. Some of the pedestals were wide while others were narrow, but on each one sat a different item.

  “Zoya, do you think you can fly up a dozen meters or so? Maybe you'll be able to see an exit,” Joe suggested and she did so.

  “I see the stairway. It's about two clicks straight forward. These pedestals continue the whole way, but there's plenty of space in between them for us to walk. Well, for you to walk,” Zoya amended.

  “That's not that long of a walk, however, it's going to be difficult not to mind-click these items as we walk by them. Stay strong, guys. We just have to make it to the end,” Joe said as he began his walk through the untouchable museum of power.

  Bork had been enjoying this walk, the smell of the metals and ivory was fun, but it wasn't really that tempting. Right now, he already had more than he had ever believed he would have. He was part of a new strong nation and, more importantly, he had friends. He was careful to keep an eye on his fellow goblin. It had always been his job to help Grork make good decisions.

  Grork stopped and his eyes focused on a plain brown gem attached to a silver rope. His eyes widened and he reached his hand back to block Bork’s vision, but he was too late. Bork had already noticed the brown gem and its description had popped up in his HUD.

  Legendary Item: Moonstone’s Memory.

  Congratulations! You have found a legendary item: Moonstone’s Memory. In the pale moonlight, when the first mother held the first child, this stone was formed. This finely cut gem refracts light as well as love. When given as a gift from child to mother, this stone will increase, purify, and solidify a mother's love for her child. Its effects are a permanent pure and healthy love for one's child.

  Pick up the Moonstone’s Memory? Yes/No

  Bork’s palms pressed into his eyes, but they didn't stop the tears. Through a whimper, he forced out a question.

  “My king, if we put it in your bag, maybe it would still be there when you came back to life,” Bork said.

  Zoya flew over to the goblin’s shoulder, a tear in her own eye as she hugged his head. In the soft, yet firm, tone, she spoke to the goblin.

  “Oh, Bork. I'm so sorry. If that was the case, I think we would all be glad to give up a few levels so that you could have this item, but it doesn't work that way. The last time Joe died, almost everything he had gained from this world fell out of his bag, as well as many of the items that he had recently touched.

  “It would be wonderful if you could use this gem to repair a relationship, but the dungeon would never let us take it. The good news is, we now know that this stone exists. This means it might drop from a monster one day.

  “If our party all died here, I would lose all three pieces of the Fey Controller Set and you, Grork, and Moes would all lose your rings. Until each one of us finds a soulbinding gem, we will have to be extra careful. As far as I know, only one of those has dropped so far. Let's walk for a bit. Love can be painful, but distance can help, at least a little. Walk with us,” Zoya encouraged as she gently pushed the goblin forward.

  Bork shuddered as he took a deep breath and let it out through a silent sob. With resolute reluctance, he mind-clicked no.

  Joe dug in his bag and pulled out a large summer sausage. Before he could give it to the recovering goblin, Zoya flew up and whispered in his ear.

  “I think it's great that you want to help Bork feel better, but maybe we shouldn't introduce the idea of eating away our problems. I don't have the data to back it up, but I'm pretty sure that heart disease is just as dangerous here as back home,” Zoya gently warned.

  “I guess that makes sense, but I don't think that I can stop my stress eating. I mean, right now everything I walk by is triggering me. I saw a staff back there that would quadruple my mana pool and cut my casting time to a fourth of what it is now. With that staff alone, I could have killed the last cat single-handedly. I'm feeling the temptation,” Joe confessed as he took a large bite of sausage.

  “Maybe you're right. I just noticed another piece of the Fey Controller Set. Tear off a small piece for me… Not that small, a little bigger… little bigger… just right,” Zoya said, holding her hands out for the greasy pork-beef balm.

  As they continued to walk toward the exit, it was clear the only one not struggling with temptation was Grork. He seemed to mostly be enjoying himself, looking at all of the magnificent items.

  “This walk doesn't seem to be bothering you like it is the rest of us, why is that?” Joe asked.

  The goblin patted the book in one of his pockets.

  “Don't steal from a dragon. You be dead. Don't be dead,” Grork quoted The Only Way Goblins Will Thrive by the wise goblin, Mawpook of the Brown Drum.

  Then, as an afterthought, he added, “Hakuna Matata.”

  Both Joe and Zoya froze, fear in their eyes. Zoya turned toward the goblin and spoke slowly.

  “You can't say, ‘don't steal from a dragon,’ and then immediately follow it up with the theft of intellectual property from perhaps the most dangerous corporate dragon in existence. First, the dungeon, and now, you. If there was anyone capable of reaching across space and time to serve someone papers, it is the House of Mouse.”

  “I eat mice for breakfast, where is this house?” Grork asked.

  “Drop the bravado, Grork, we know you’re tough,” Joe said.

  “Bravado? No, no, I love eating mice for breakfast, but I haven't been able to find any in the castle. I didn't realize there was a whole ho
use of them. If I had known, I would have gladly paid some of my stipend for them. Why are you looking at me like that? It's just a song title, it's kosher,” Grork defended, and the UI embellished the translation a bit.

  “When did you even watch The Lion King?” Joe asked.

  “The Mezzanine. Haha! That rhymes, Lion King! Mezzanine! GOOD DAY!” Grork shouted as he clapped his fellow still whimpering goblin on the back, showcasing his classic goblin insensitivity.

  “If you're going to put that movie up there, you should put Zootopia up there also. Maybe that'll help the players work together better,” Joe suggested.

  “It's already one of the movies in the extensive list they have to choose from. I'll move it over to the recommended section so it doesn't get lost in the plethora of content they already have available. There's the stairs—another few minutes and we'll be out,” Zoya said.

  Quietly at first, but gaining in volume, Ray Charles's rendition of Georgia on My Mind began to play.

  “The message that Os gave us said there would be no monsters on this floor. Why is Boss Music playing?” Zoya worried. She turned and noticed Moes staring at an item with an expression of longing that was painful to behold.

  Epic Item: Potion of the Giant Who Will Be.

  Congratulations! You have found an epic item: Potion of the Giant Who Will Be. This potion of transmutation can permanently change any sentient individual into a functional, healthy giant. Restrictions: This potion requires four days of fasting before use. Once ingested, the transformation takes two days and any damage taken during the transformation will reverse the process.

  Pick up Potion of the Giant Who Will Be? Yes/No

  “Moes, don't do it. The dungeon won't let you keep it, and even if you drink it as fast as you can, the retribution of Os will be swift,” Zoya pleaded.

  “There has to be a way. Otherwise, why would it be here?” Moes asked with confused determination.