But Death is Not Forbidden

by Kip Terrington

  It was beautiful and mesmerizing. If Spooky hadn't been so obsessive about measuring and collecting data, she may have fallen under the flower’s hypnotic spell. To an outside observer, such as the Dungeon of Os, it appeared as if Spooky was mesmerized. The flower stood tall, looking like a gently moving fantastical kaleidoscope. Spooky was maxing out her processor, comparing this flower to the flowers she had so recently destroyed. With a quick mind-click, she found out its name.

  Dungeon, Floor 2 Boss

  Level- 16

  Monster Type- Boar Corpse Flower

  Name- Mibby’s Rainbow Revenge

  Mana- 134

  Hitpoints- 1

  Known attacks- none

  Without actually collecting a flower petal, she couldn't be sure, but her sensors indicated that this particular flower was almost invulnerable. It appeared to have the strengths of all the other flowers on this floor and, most likely, near physical immunity. It couldn't be burned by acid, it couldn't be diseased. Maybe it would be vulnerable to magic? It only had one hit point, but Spooky had been in enough games to know that this meant it would be extremely difficult to kill.

  “Yes, I see you're excited that the whole floor actually does have a floral theme, but this flower will not be as easy as the others. …I need to focus on combat, no more interjections unless you truly believe it will increase our combat effectiveness,” Spooky said to herself. Once again, she cast the Cone of Silence on herself and all of the golems. This gave them some defense, but it was only against airborne chemicals and biological agents. The flower was incredibly beautiful, but Spooky's research had revealed that most things of true beauty were extremely dangerous. Admittedly, sometimes this danger did not have an immediate effect, but sooner or later damage was dealt.

  Going through her options, Spooky was once again frustrated that she only had two available magics. On top of that, only her bind magic was currently available outside of the castle. At this point in her progression, her Binding Magic had some uses but most of them were defensive. Chances were, if she wasn't able to damage the flower with physical attacks, she would need to retreat.

  Spooky formed a plan and began to execute it. Sending her double-sworded angel first, it pumped its wings so that it could attack the flower from an elevated angle. The swords spun and hit the petals of the flower with a muffled clang. The angel attempted to pull the swords back for another attack but there was a complication. Though the swords returned, a sticky substance stretched from them to the flower. Undaunted, the angel struck again with both swords. Like the first time, no damage was done. The sticky substance clinging to the swords was now thicker. Each time the angel struck, more of the viscous green goop clung to the weapons. The swords became heavier and affected the flight of the angel. Spooky decided a reset was needed and commanded the angel to fly away from the flower.

  As the angel pumped its wings to create distance from itself and the flower, the green goop stretched taut. The angel was able to get a distance of ten-feet away from the flower when the green cord of goop finally snapped. Momentarily, Spooky felt relieved but as is often the case, the relief didn't last. As the green goop snapped, the part that was attached to the swords rebounded, covering the angel in a gossamer web of goop. No longer able to pump its wings, the angel fell onto the grass and the green goop hardened. Before Spooky could send any of her angels to free her swordswoman, a new flower bud formed. Quicker than the last time, a stock shot up from the golem and formed a new flower, this time only reaching six-feet high. Again, the bud at the top of the stock vibrated then split open, blooming with a rainbow of color and petals.

  It was time to retreat. Unfortunately, when Spooky turned around, she saw that the two huge doors had swung closed, blocking her path. Her three remaining angels tried to open the doors, but they were locked tight. Spooky wasn't sure, but the doors looked almost smug. Not wasting any time, she clicked on the new flower.

  Dungeon, Floor 2 Boss Minion

  Level- 10

  Monster Type- Corpse Flower Mimic

  Name- Rainbow Revenge, 1 of 5

  Mana- 73

  Hitpoints- 1

  Known attacks- none

  The flowers just swayed gently from a mysterious breeze. It was as if they had all the time in the world. It appeared they had the patience of one who knew that their meal had already arrived. Spooky spoke aloud.

  “One of five? I think as Joe would say, don’t count your rubles on the road.”

  Ignoring the smaller flower, Spooky sent her three remaining angels to attack Mibby’s Rainbow Revenge. Each one attacked from a different angle and elevation. They used their weapons to their full ability, hitting the stock, the roots, and the petals. For a moment, it looked as if the flower began to wilt, but then roots shot from the ground and wrapped around all three angels. They were pulled down to the ground. Like their comrade before them, they too became the building blocks for a new flower minion. Now there were four out of five.

  Spooky felt true fear and, with difficulty, walled off this internal sensation. She began to max out her processor again as she took in all of the variables in an attempt to find any escape from this unpalatable situation. As she focused on her thoughts, the minion flowers slowly began to slide across the floor to encircle her. Her time was running out. The coming experience of the death system felt inevitable. She needed time, so she used her ring and cast Fear. The four flowers halted their advance and began sliding away. Unfortunately, their retreat was short-lived. The Fear spell only impacted them for less than a minute.

  Spooky considered how, in most games, when one came across a creature with one hit point and that was invulnerable to most attacks, they had to defeat it with some silly gimmick. Spooky needed to figure out what that gimmick was. She face palmed. The loot from the boar was the only answer. She needed to hoist this flower by its own petard. Spooky had never dropped the small tusk, believing she wouldn't need to actively participate in the battle. She cast Fear one more time to give her a clear path. Like a tiny charging fairy knight, she lowered the tusk like a lance and flew toward the twelve-foot tall flower. Gaining momentum, she pumped her wings and focused on the target. The tusk penetrated the flower and a black web of death quickly spread throughout the rainbow. As the flower boss died, its four minions wilted, falling limply to the ground. On their own, the doors blocking their retreat opened. Surprisingly, Spooky felt the connection to her four angels reestablish. Spooky was grateful, as being so tiny, she could not carry much of the loot.

  Boss defeated. You’ve received 200 XP.

  Loot gained:

  Obey the Fey Ring

  Silver Crowns- 25

  It was not as much experience as she would have liked, not even pushing her to the next level, but the loot was good. She examined the ring more closely and looked at its properties.

  Item: Obey the Fey Ring.

  You have found an Obey the Fey Ring. This ring can cast the spell Mind Control. Restrictions- can only be worn by a tiny-sized character. Plus 2 to Muscle/Gear. Recharge rate: 1 charge every hour. Current charge: 3/3. Note: this ring 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 Obey the Fey Ring? Yes/No

  First Fey Controller Set Bonus achieved. Plus 4 to Wisdom.

  As Spooky placed the new ring on her finger, she felt her strength increase by 2 and her wisdom raise by four. She now had two pieces in the Fey Controller Set and the set bonus was wonderful, it even increased her mana pool.

  Using the pack rat mentality that was always useful in games, she had her angels collect every speck of dust and ash that had come from the flower boss. For a split second, she considered going down to the third floor, but then she remembered all of the loot she had gathered from the traps. Carefully, she and her angels made their way back up to the castle. As she left the dungeon, she received one more message.
/>   The ancient Dungeon of Os hopes you enjoyed your near demise.

  Though Spooky didn't like to think it, it had been a close call. She needed more power, or at the very least, stronger group members. Her golems were not going to cut it on the third floor. Moes already had too many tasks, but hey, what was one more?

  GONG.

  The Abiogenesis Bunny Generator has made the Morning Bunny.

  Chapter 11 - Game Changer

  GONG.

  The Abiogenesis Bunny Generator has made the Evening Bunny.

  Grork, Moes, Spooky, and two of her golems stood before the entrance to the dungeon.

  “I don't have time for this. As a master of Mind and Spirit Magic, I am uniquely qualified to help those poor tortured slaves. I've only been able to help a couple of them so far. Each spell is specifically tailored for the individual. I have to craft it in such a way that it helps them wall off the most painful memories, yet still retain the core of who they are. You can't begin to fathom the intricacies of such work. When I am finished, they will be able to live lives that are functional and filled with hope. Right now, each one of those poor soul’s only function is to obey. They have been trained in the most barbaric way. Unless they did exactly what was expected, unimaginable torture followed. Some of them have been slaves from birth, so there's almost nothing to build from. I need to be at the power node designing spells that can help these wretched creatures. My mastery, in combination with the Grand Place of Power, can provide unbelievable results. If that isn't enough, you should remember that I am not a Combat Mage. My focus has always been one of support. I doubt that I could be much help to you in there. In summary, you should not waste my time having me help you kill a few mushrooms in a weird dusty old basement,” Moes finished in a huff.

  “That all sounds valid, well-thought-out even,” Spooky replied, “Though the excuse you gave earlier was different. What was it? That the poor little yeti, Tig, would not be protected if you were gone for more than an hour. You went on and on about how you needed to be available to renew the spell Spirit’s Sight on Bork to allow him to see those devious Spirit Walkers. I took your concerns seriously, because Joe made a promise to keep the yeti children safe and what you said aligned with that promise. With that in mind, I spent some valuable building points from my level gains to create a new secure bunk within the Little Yeti Vault. Utilizing the runes you have already made, Tig is sleeping safely in the bunk at this moment. That little room within a room is close enough to the runes that you've already carved and powered up that Tig is no longer in danger.

  “I find it a little suspect,” she continued, “that as soon as I took care of the problem your excuse pointed out, you came up with another one. But to address the excuses that you just brought up. Your patients will still be there when we're done. It might be true that you never had a focus in Combat Magic, but it doesn't matter. In this castle, no one sits on the sidelines. While you're here, you will focus on becoming better at combat in case we need you for defense. In summary, your participation in this group is not optional. You are one fifth of the current militia,” Spooky said in an emotionless tone.

  “Dark Stars! When Gretchen gets here, we're going to have to reevaluate what my options are,” Moes threatened. Spooky made an exaggerated effort to look left and look right and then back at Moes.

  “I don't see her. I guess there will be no reevaluating at this time,” Spooky said.

  “Joe might be mentally unstable, but he's a lot more fun to deal with than you,” Moes mumbled.

  In a flash, Spooky pulled out her dagger. “Watch what you say. That bit of information is not for anyone else's ears, unless I decide they need to know. I'm the decider,” Spooky seethed.

  “Okay! I get it. I'm speaking halfling just like you are. Grork has no idea what we're saying,” Moes said.

  “That's a dangerous assumption to make. Neither you nor I can truly know what he can understand. In the future, be more circumspect. Let's head in,” Spooky said. Moes took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Then both Grork and Moes followed Spooky and her golems across the entrance into the dungeon for the first time.

  As the group entered, Os made a conscious choice to deliver her customary greeting in halfling. She was hoping this would exclude the goblin from the message. She didn't like goblins. It wasn't that they weren't nutritious, much of her growth as an infant dungeon had been thanks to the selfish greedy nature of goblins. They just made her feel a bit icky.

  The ancient Dungeon of Os welcomes the dark fairy’s much improved raiding group.

  Seeing all these new faces ironically made the dungeon withdraw into herself and become introspective. Os began to dwell on why she felt so uncomfortable with goblins. She hadn't understood why she felt this way until she had the fortune and pleasure of eating a professional Mind Healer. This healer had erroneously believed he was as good a warrior as he was a therapist. He had been a joy to eat. Os had relished his knowledge of the psyche. She had gained insight into who she was and who the people were who chose to risk their lives for treasure. That was when she understood the difference between goblins and most of the other species she encountered.

  So far, every goblin she had eaten had felt more closely tied in nature to the non-sentient monsters she created. Only, they were sentient and that somehow made it worse. There was little, if any, loyalty or empathy within them. They would take a wound for no one and were capable of committing unspeakable acts of evil. They were the true embodiments of selfishness. Everything they did seemed to be tied to some type of self-gratification. If needed, these goblins would not hesitate to sacrifice the rest of their party to achieve their end goal. But that was not where the ickiness factor came in. Os soon understood that the more intelligent the goblin was, the more skilled they were at mimicking empathy. She had watched as goblins had used charm and lies to lead their party members into death, simply to acquire a few more gold coins.

  This was how Os knew she was set apart from the goblin race. She felt empathy for the people who had been betrayed by those they had believed were their friends. Granted, she still ate them. Food was food, and one should never turn down a free meal. Os was drawn out of her deep thoughts upon realizing there was a commotion near her entrance.

  Moes was trying frantically to escape the dungeon. Grork held him back, not understanding why the halfling was so agitated.

  “Make him let me go! We have to get out of here now!” Moes panicked.

  “I can tell this is genuine fear. You need to calm down and explain why you're reacting this way,” Spooky asked.

  Moes closed his eyes and tried to steady himself. When he opened his eyes back up, and looked around at the dungeon he still felt his initial fear.

  “I can't believe that you don't know. We are in a dungeon and not some young dungeon where people like us might have a chance. This is an ancient dungeon. Only the greatest of heroes survive a place like this. We need to leave while it still allows us. There are no rules in a dungeon like this. It could kill us at any moment,” Moes stressed.

  Os couldn't help but feel offended by the halfling’s statement. Yes, she was going to try to kill them, but she followed the rules. The floors started out easy and would get progressively harder. There had to be at least a possibility of evading or disarming every trap and the rewards had to proportionately match the challenges adventurers defeated to acquire them. She even followed some rules that were really just guidelines. She was a straight shooter. That halfling needed to watch his tongue.

  “I can understand your fear, but you're forgetting that I've already been successful in this dungeon down to the second level. Also, I believe that you're wrong when you say this dungeon doesn't follow rules. I have been able to observe and confirm that, at least on the first two floors, it maintains a consistent level of increasing difficulty. I have also observed that each boss or trap has a way to defeat it,” Spooky stated.

  “You do not understand the magnitude of the da
nger we face here. We need to get out of here and block off the entrance to this death trap. Plus, if word gets out that there's an ancient dungeon here, it would put a target on our back,” Moes said.

  “Why? It is just a dungeon, aren't they pretty common?” Spooky asked.

  “No, they are not. The core of a dungeon is one of the most powerful items one can acquire. For this reason, most dungeons have been hunted to extinction. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still death traps for the likes of us,” Moes said.

  “Why would anyone destroy a perfectly good dungeon? That is short-sighted. A dungeon can be a valuable long-term resource for any kingdom. Why would they sacrifice a near infinite source of high quality weapons and material? What could be so important?” Spooky asked.

  “Life extension,” Moes answered.

  “I guess that makes sense. Nevertheless, I will not allow that to happen to this dungeon. It is claimed by Joe and I,” Spooky said with an imperial tone.