The Sleeper Must Awaken

by Kip Terrington

  “On the other hand, even if you do put all of your points in Fire Magic, and fail to become a master, I don’t think it would be a waste. I, myself, only received one point of power over our last two level gains and I chose to allocate it toward Energy Conversion Magic, leaving me two points from the 30 point requirement. Something about the process seems to provide a chance you will learn a new spell. I don’t think there’s a wrong answer here, Joe. You’ve made good decisions in choosing your skills and magics. When you chose Unrivaled Vocalist using ten points of power, my previous incarnation just about lost it. However, we have all learned the influence and effect it can have on the crowd, and even perhaps each of us personally.”

  Joe nodded. “I think the potential short-term benefits, strategically, for Portal Magic, are outweighing the possible long-term benefits of investing further in Fire Magic at this point. I’ve already seen how Portal Magic can quicken travel, but there are a number of ways it could make our attack and defense more versatile. Since we have limited knowledge of how this battle and the journey there might go, the more tools at our disposal, the better in my mind.”

  “Agreed. Grork’s and my skills have always complemented each other and the more options we have available… well, the better we can regroup if unexpected problems arise,” Bork said.

  Currently, you cannot reach journeyman in Portal Magic. Do you wish to spend your points on Portal Magic for future credit? Yes/No

  “Decision made. Thanks for the input, guys,” Joe said, clicking yes.

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

  Portal Magic

  New spell acquired

  L3 Ley Line Sight- While this spell is active the caster has the ability to see all ley lines within two miles of their location.

  “Excellent! Let's check out our loot,” Joe said as his eye began to spin.

  Joe began visualizing a possible future. Moes opened the chest and inside was a specialized air pistol meant to fire an almost silent shot. The halfling picked up the weapon and brought it to his nose to smell. Then, with deliberate slowness, he turned the gun up toward Joe and pulled the trigger. The dart hit Joe between the eyes and injected an unknown poison. The halfling then, with deliberate slowness, turned the gun on himself and fired it again, this time at his own temple.

  The vision shattered and Joe stepped forward, stopping Moes from opening the chest.

  “You can't open that chest, Moes. If you do, you'll kill us both,” Joe said and the halfling took a step back, weary of the danger.

  When the dice finally stopped, it displayed a still 10. Joe felt unsure of what to do, but in looking over at the concern on Bork’s face, he made his decision. Turning to Zoya, she seemed to sense what Joe was thinking.

  “Bork, you go ahead and open the chest,” Zoya requested.

  Unable to conceal his nervousness, the goblin stepped forward tentatively and carefully placed one hand on the lid of the treasure chest. As he pushed open the lid, he saw what appeared to be an oversized stone pestle.

  Legendary Item: Pestle of Potency.

  Congratulations! You’ve received a legendary item: Pestle of Potency. This pestle can be used both as a weapon and in conjunction with a mortar. When used in conjunction with a mortar to create a potion, the potency and effectiveness of all ingredients will be doubled. When the pestle is used to strike an opponent, the resulting damage will be equal to the last three attack potions the pestle created. Note: this pestle also doubles the chance of successfully crafting master-level alchemical ingredients. This is an unbreakable pestle.

  This item is soulbound to the opener of the treasure chest it was contained within.

  “No, this is too much, I don't deserve this,” Bork said as he held the pestle close to his body.

  Joe laughed.

  “Your heart is saying one thing, Bork, but your body is saying another. Congrats on a stellar drop,” Joe said.

  “Were you trying to keep it from me because you know I wouldn't share what I discovered with you?” Moes asked.

  “No, if you opened the chest something very different would have happened,” Joe said.

  Moes’ response was only a single nod.

  “Let's proceed down to Floor 6,” Zoya said, breaking the tension.

  Chapter 29 - It’s the Law

  The team proceeded down the circular staircase headed toward the sixth floor of the dungeon. With every meter they descended, both the level of humidity and the scent of tacos seemed to increase in the air. Grork’s belly began to rumble. He sneakily pulled out a bit of rabbit jerky and quickly swallowed.

  As they walked through the door at the bottom of the stairs, they beheld a ginormous cube-like structure of a space: fifty meters high, fifty meters wide, and fifty meters deep. With the exception of the far wall, the room was comprised entirely of stone. The far wall, however, was a wonderous impossibility. It was a vertical sheet of water, held in place by some unknown force.

  “That is stunning,” Joe commented.

  “The surface almost looks like a Stargate,” Zoya added.

  “I agree. If it wasn't square, it would look exactly like that,” Joe said and then abruptly took a big step backward as the shadow of a gargantuan serpent became clearly visible beyond the water wall.

  “That was the boss. It was Level 100. Other than that, I couldn't get much information. The UI informed me that we have to fully enter the water before we can obtain a full mind-click,” Zoya said.

  “I can't breathe underwater, so I guess that's a no-go,” Joe said.

  CREAK. A small cubby hole slid open inside one of the stone walls. No one moved toward it, but the dark fairy examined it closely.

  Uncommon Item: Mask of Underwater Breathing

  You have found an uncommon item: Mask of Underwater Breathing. This mask covers the nose and mouth of a wearer, allowing them to breathe normally underwater. This item is soulbound upon pickup.

  Pick up Mask of Underwater Breathing? Yes/No

  “Unfortunately, anyone who sticks their hands in that hole will have their bones broken,” Zoya lamented.

  Grork raised an eyebrow and grunted a quick, “Worth it.”

  Before anyone could stop him, he had shoved both hands into the cubby hole and grasped the mask. Before he could pull his hands out, a stone slammed down upon his wrists, shattering the bones. With a determined grunt, he yanked his broken hands out from under the stone. Somehow, he had managed to hold tight to the mask and, through the pain, he smiled.

  Everyone stood in shock, except for Moes, who calmly walked up to the goblin and held up a hand for a high five.

  “Congrats on the pickup,” Moes smiled.

  “That's not cool,” Joe warned.

  “The law is the law,” Grork said. Using centrifugal force, the goblin swung his arm around and landed a high five on the halfling, broken wrist and all. He grimaced in pain as his hand flopped around.

  “I can't believe you did it. I was trying to make a point about how dumb the law was, but now I'm not so sure. I mean, the law might have value simply because that was so hilarious. The way your broken wrist had to flop up to hit mine, oh man, that was funny,” Moes said.

  Joe shook his head in disapproval as he prepared a healing spell for the goblin.

  “There was nothing humorous in that cruel display,” Zoya proclaimed.

  “Oh, come on. It was kind of funny. Did you not see how my hand was flopping around my wrist? It's like Moes and I had a completely different interaction than the one you guys witnessed,” Grork said as he surprisingly came to the defense of his prankster.

  Joe decided to let the whole thing go. Carefully, he set the bone in one of Grork’s wrists, applied a bone-knitting spell and then finished up with one of his general healing spells to make it almost as good as new. He then repeated the process for the other wrist.

  “You know, next time, I could probably place my MIL Bar in the gap to keep any wrists from breaking,” Joe comm
ented.

  “Now you say something!” Grork exclaimed.

  “Well, one of us can breathe underwater now, but I don't think that's going to help very much against whatever that boss monster is,” Joe cautioned.

  “It's true, but maybe we can have Grork just stick his head in so he can identify the monster. We need as much information as we can get,” Moes said.

  “There's no guarantee that if he sticks his head in that water that he'll be able to pull it back out without facing the boss. This dungeon likes to remove easy avenues of escape,” Zoya cautioned.

  While they spoke, Grork equipped the mask and walked up to the surface of the water, preparing to stick his head in anyway. The whole party received a disconcerting UI message.

  Warning! Warning!

  Unless the group level averages over 95, severe penalties will be assessed on top of an already difficult boss fight. As a party dives deeper into the Dungeon of Os, the options available to the dungeon increase. If the dungeon divers do not take into account the increased level of difficulty, a party wipe is assured. Once the vertical surface of water is broken by any party member, this room will fill with water.

  Grork slowly backed away, realizing he almost killed his whole party.

  “I guess we'll just have to grind through the first five floors until we average at least Level 95,” Joe lamented.

  “I don't think it'd be appropriate to go through the Floor of Wonders backwards, so there must be an elevator that we can take back up. Surely it is somewhere around here,” Zoya prompted.

  The Dungeon of Os conceded the point, though she was still annoyed that the UI had decided to warn the group of the increased danger they had almost walked into.

  A seam inexplicably formed on part of the rock wall, which opened up to reveal an elevator. The group entered and pressed the button for the top floor. As they exited the dungeon, most of them headed in different directions, as there was no end of tasks to be completed.

  Bork excitedly ran off, carrying a few mushrooms he had gathered from the first floor of the dungeon. Joe followed after him for two reasons. He wanted to learn alchemy and he also knew he could provide Bork with a recently killed animal to start growing his mushrooms in order to harvest Linapot.

  The castle was filled with the comfortable bustle of productivity. There were many ways a new kingdom could become great, but none without a bit of ingenuity and effort. Geniuses could change the world, but the champions of effort were the ones who ruled. Neither Joe nor Zoya were going to allow the grass to grow under their feet.

  Chapter 30 - The Next Paycheck

  Os was invigorated! Streams of essence flowed straight from the adventurers right to her core. The extra reserves of power had given her opportunities for new exploration and discovery. She had sent out tunnels and had been pleasantly surprised to find a massive lake in her valley.

  The lake was still mostly frozen, but it was thawing from the bottom up. Hidden deep within its depths had been a hibernating mammoth water snake. It had been a full geological age since she had acquired a new boss-level monster. Such an exciting find had motivated her to add a new level to her dungeon. The serpent hadn't been powerful enough to be in one of her lowest levels, so Os had decided to fit it in next to the Floor of Wonders. Plus, that way she could see the adventurers’ response sooner.

  Things were looking up, but that didn't mean she didn't have her fair share of frustrations. The new rules the UI had placed upon her were starting to chafe. With so many adventurers exploring inside of her, Os was no longer allowed to devote her full attention to any individual dungeon diver for more than a reasonable amount of time. The UI discouraged blatant favoritism.

  Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. One adventurer was like any other. Food was food. And, reminiscing over her recently acquired ancient memories, Os knew she had never wanted to stalk any dungeon diver more than any other. Variety had been key.

  Now, however, that was no longer the case. Both Joe and Zoya were magnets for her attention. Something about them made her want to follow them from floor to floor increasing their level of danger and increasing the suspense. What would the king taste like? What memories of Earth would she be able to glean?

  Frustratingly, no matter how hard she tried, the king wouldn't die! He was lucky, skillful, and had access to items that shouldn't be able to exist. An immovable bar and bottomless bag were items entirely new to her. What made the situation worse was both items were soulbound to the king. When he did finally fall into her clutches, his wondrous items would remain his own.

  The king and the queen had just defeated her desert cat with maddening ease. But they were about to be introduced to the Floor of Wonders and it would not be so easy. No matter which route they chose to walk through in the floor, they would be tempted beyond measure. One of them would slip up and take a treasure and the whole floor would collapse upon them and wipe the party out. Even if they made it past the first few temptations, the halfling would never be able to control himself.

  Now, it was just a matter of waiting until they touched an item and it sprung the trap. She wanted to watch, but thought it would be better to save her focused attention for when it would have more impact on the situation.

  So, once again, she went down and possessed her Floor 3 dungeon boss. The group would be difficult to beat as it consisted of three yetis, a human, and an elf. Unfortunately, all of them had their limbs so their vulnerabilities were less obvious. For a time, she lost herself in the fighting. Ultimately, her troll and her snakes failed to kill even a single adventurer. Popping up to the second floor, she concentrated and set off one of her flower traps early, smiling as one of the alkaline gases burned the lungs of an unprepared yeti. It fell to its knees and died. And, so she got her second meal of the day.

  Unfortunately, in the middle of enjoying her meal, she realized that the king and queen’s party had made it past the final temptation on the Floor of Wonders! It was inconceivable. …But with every dark cloud, there was a silver lining.

  She had prepared a room specifically designed to scan the futures of both the king and the queen. She was able to justify it by saying that if she looked into their possible futures, she would know if they had somehow secretly stolen an item. The UI had not interfered with the plan, even though she was planning to use almost her full capabilities as a dungeon in this one scan.

  As the party closed the doors of her scanning cube, Os blocked the pull of gravity on the room and began to feed power into her specially crafted scanning device. Light began to bend and Os peered through the lens of time. It was not a steady stream of images, but rather, brief flashes of possibility.

  There were many reasons these futures were uncertain. The simplest was that, as she observed the futures, her newly gathered knowledge changed them. For if one sees a future, for which they had had no foreknowledge, then the discovery of such knowledge destroyed that possible future.

  So, instead of looking for certainty, Os looked for patterns of possibility. She really only wanted to know one thing. Would this king become her undoing?

  As she focused, she pushed mana into her scanning device, and she saw a picture that magnified her own fear.

  Joe conversed with a powerful catalyst, as if they were equals. This catalyst was not the benevolent type. It was dangerous for her even to let her attention rest on it. Then, even as the picture stilled, the catalyst turned its head and peered back at her. Quickly, she fed more power into the device, jumping away from that picture to a future further in the distance.

  Zoya held a royal scepter and, around her, hundreds of her own kind bowed before her. However, something was off in the proportions. The bowing figures all appeared too small, even for dark fae.

  Once again, she increased the amount of power she was feeding into the device and the picture leapt forward once more.

  On a mountaintop stood an elven queen, with her hand pointed at Joe. Such a smile clearly foretold of his death.

>   Suddenly, Os’ focus was brought back to the present.

  “I hope you're not using the scan for more than its stated purposes?” Zoya said.

  Warning!

  Continuation of scan will exceed agreed upon parameters. Do you wish to move away from order and instead, embrace chaos?

  Os frowned internally and discontinued the scan. It was a power sink anyway. The answers she had gathered had unfortunately only given her more questions.

  Chapter 31 - And Then There Was Two

  The Wild Mountains.

  The top floor of the Champion’s castle.

  Day nineteen, midmorning.

  Joe strode toward the throne where Zoya already sat waiting for him. Joe wasn’t thrilled with this part of his new job—sitting on the throne above his people, hearing their wants and needs, and then making judgments. However, he had read enough books to know that if you didn't sit on your throne once in a while, you would lose it.

  Joe climbed up upon the throne and sat.

  Without even asking, Zoya took her place upon his shoulder. Leaning toward his ear, she whispered, “There's only one dispute we're going to have to arbitrate, and it’s pretty cut-and-dry. Lang has been doing an admirable job helping people sort their disagreements out themselves. However, it would be good for the people to see us rule.”

  One of the blacksmiths approached the throne and beside him followed a tall elven woman. Their dispute was a common one. Both wanted access to the forge and were having a hard time sharing. Each one explained that what they were making was important to the kingdom.

  Joe and Zoya discussed their options quietly together and ultimately decided the solution would be the introduction of a night shift. At this point, the bottleneck in their production was a lack in the number of tools. It only made sense that the tools were used every hour of the day and night. Neither party loved the idea of sleeping at odd hours, but they saw the sense in it.