by R. A. Mejia
“Thanks for helping me out there, Nancy. That was a great first shot. It took out almost half that goblin’s health.”
“It’s a benefit of my Overwatch ability. I have to use it to protect an ally, but at a massive TP cost, it guarantees me at least one successful headshot with enhanced damage.” She turns and looks back toward where the goblins should be, though they’re too far for me to see. “It’s the weirdest thing. I was watching the goblins chase you through the scope and wondering if you’d meant to lead a train of monsters to me when they suddenly stopped, turned around and ran back to where I first saw them. I’ve never seen monsters do that before.”
I’m puzzled for a moment over the described behavior, but then it clicks, and I laugh out loud. “These are truly mobs, just like in a regular game.” The confused look on Nancy’s face tells me that I need to explain more. “These goblins are acting more like video game monsters than anything else. They must have some boundary where they’ll chase someone, but once past that, they abandon the chase and return to their starting position. That also explains their current behavior as imitations of statues. In many games, monsters have some sort of trigger area set around them that, when crossed, turns them on. Game designers do this to save on processing resources. I mean, why track hundreds of monsters and NPCs when the player is only going to interact with a few at a time? It makes sense from that perspective, but I’d never expected to see something like this in a System Dungeon.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it before in a dungeon. But if you say you recognize it, how can we take advantage of it?”
I think for a moment and smile at my plan. “This might be kind of fun if it works,” I say to Nancy and proceed to explain my plan.
A few minutes later, I find myself sneaking back up to the four goblins. I test my theory by dropping Sneak and yelling as loudly as I can. Nope, no response from the goblins. I wonder whether I can just snipe the monsters from here or if they’ll react to being attacked. Only one way to find out. I charge up my go-to area of effect spell, Fireball, aim at the center of the goblin group, and let loose. The mana is consumed as the Fireball leaves my hand, and it crackles as it flies through the air and lands dead in the center of the group. There’s a bright flash of fire, and red 14s float away from each goblin. The attack triggers them, and they once again scream before charging me.
There’s a loud rifle crack, and one of the goblins goes down, his health completely emptied this time by Nancy’s Overwatch shot. Thankfully, I’m too far away for their grab-and-smash tactics to work a second time. Instead of standing and facing them head-on, I plan to use their behavior against them. I turn and run with Nancy shooting at the chasing goblins. I can hear the sounds of bullets whizzing past me and have to trust in her marksmanship as I run towards her until I can no longer hear their footsteps behind me, and just like I thought, the four rubberband back to their starting locations. I laugh to myself at just how easy this behavior going to be to exploit. I return and repeat my maneuvers: I drop a fireball amongst them, see 10% of their health disappear, then turn and run until they stop chasing me. Five full cycles later, the last goblin drops to the ground dead, and a bit crispy, earning me 220 XP, which is pretty good considering that I’m splitting the XP with Nancy as my group member.
The whole thing costs me a good bit of my mana pool since each level 3 Fireball costs 35 mana, but considering that I only slipped once and lost 40 HP to the last goblin, it was worth it. I check one of the bodies for loot but only get a soiled loincloth, which I don’t keep. I use Absorb on the remaining three but don’t gain any more abilities. The one I already got from the guys outside might be the only one they have to give.
Nancy jogs up to me a short time later, and the two of us rest before we continue exploring the hallways. We find more groups of goblins and even some hobgoblins. But they all exhibit the same behavior and have the same boundaries that define their activation area and rubber band if they chase you too far from their starting point. If the dungeon was following better game design rules, I’d have expected the reset mobs to also reset their health, but maybe this is one of the ‘bugs’ mentioned by the dungeon. I have no intention of reporting it, though, and use the behavior to clear out the monsters instead. When we’re done, Nancy and I are 770 XP richer for the work. One fight with the tougher hobgoblins proved particularly challenging because I ran out of mana and had to refill it before we could finish. The extra work with Fireball increases the ability to level 5, and all the ’tactical retreats,’ increase Goblin Cunning to level 3.
We follow a hallway around a corner, and I’m surprised when there isn't another group to fight. Instead, there is a red door at the end of the hallway. It’s not a dungeon door, and Inspect only tells me that it’s a ‘wooden door with the number 53 carved onto it.’ I worry this is all a trap.
“What do you think Nancy? Should backtrack all the way to the intersecting hallways and explore the left path before committing to go forward.”
She carefully examines the wooden door and then looks back at the long path behind us before answering, “No, going back would be hours of running with no guarantee of another outcome. I say we continue forward.”
Examining the door again doesn’t provide any other information or clues about where it leads to, so we rest and make sure that our health, magic, and TP are all full before turning the doorknob and stepping through.
Chapter 26
Opening door 53 reveals an old ruined apartment with peeling wallpaper, a ceiling with dark moldy water stains, and a floor covered in orange carpeting. The place isn’t very big, and the entryway opens up into a living room with a faded grey couch and a boxy CRT television in the corner. The room reeks of mold and rotten food, which is likely coming from the mounds of trash in the kitchen which is just beyond the living room couch. To the right of the kitchen is a hallway leading further into the apartment. I take a step into the room and find that the carpet squishes underfoot, and I just hope that the liquid doesn’t seep through my boots. Nancy’s rifle is too long to be effective in the apartment, and it disappears as she drops it into her inventory. She takes the sawed-off double-barreled shotgun from her leg holster and readies it instead.
She gestures with the gun ahead to hallway to the right of the living room. There are three doors of the hallway, the middle of which is covered in bright colorful stickers. She approaches the closest door, me behind her with my war hammer at the ready, and she slowly turns the knob in case someone is inside. I almost pass out from the horrendous odor that hits me. A quick peek inside shows that it is a disgusting bathroom with excrement overflowing from the toilet onto a floor covered in used needles. Nancy quickly closes the door while coughing and trying to clear her lungs of the stench. She turns to me, eyes watering from the smell, and says, “This place is disgusting. Why is it even here?”
Before I can answer, a shrill female voice calls out from the last door at the end of the hallway, “Is that you, sweetie? Do you have mommy’s medicine?”
There is the sound of something shifting, and the door handle turns with a creek. We quickly back up and hide around the corner while readying ourselves for battle. No longer able to see who is coming down the hallway, I can only listen as heavy footsteps plop on the soaked carpet. I wonder at the size of the creature that is making them as they get closer until a large figure with thin, stringy hair in a loose dress walks past me, and I use Inspect.
Mother Grendeline
Level 16
Health 800
Mana 150
The embodiment of the monstrous and neglectful mother, Grendeline yearns for her next dose of ‘medicine’ and will do anything to get it. She has spent years being affected by her addictions and has ignored most other aspects of life, including hygiene.
Abilities: Addict’s Rage, Berating Bellow
Weaknesses: Fire, Her ‘medicine’
“Gross,” I say out loud after reading the description. The sound is lo
uder than I mean it to be, and the creature turns with her long thin dark hair fanning out as she does so.
“Who are you two?” she asks in a hopeful tone.
I hear Nancy cock back the hammers on her gun, but I raise my hand for her not to fire. This mob is 4 levels higher than me and has more HP than Nancy and I combined. I don’t want to have to initiate combat if I don’t have to, and the fact that she’s talking means there may be a chance we don’t have to fight her.
I try to smile, but the odor coming off of her is a bit much, and I can feel myself grimace. “I’m Anthony, and my companion is Nancy. Is there a way out of here? I think we just need to get past this area.”
She considers me for a moment before responding. “Yes, there’s a door out if you go through my bedroom. But you can’t go in there unless you’re a client.”
“Client?”
“Yes. I need my medicine, and I have to pay for it somehow, don’t I?” Her eyes roam up and down my body and then Nancy’s. “Are you a new client?”
It’s only when she mentions medicine again that I notice the track marks along her long arms and the look of desperate hunger in her expression.
“No, we’re not clients. Nor do I have any ‘medicine’ to give you. But…” I never get to finish my sentence because the instant that I say I don’t have anything for her, her hungry gaze turns angry and rabid.
“No medicine? Not a client? Then what good are you to me?” Her voice grows deeper, and her thin arms bulge with ropy muscles as her eyes turn red.
There’s a sound like thunder as Nancy fires her sawed-off shotgun. A blossom of green blood erupts from the creature’s chest, and a red 30 floats away from the monster. But Mother Grendeline hardly seems to notice she’s wounded as she lashes out with her long arms and slashes at me with long claws that have suddenly grown from the tips of her fingers. I hiss in pain as her claws slice through my leather chest armor, and a red 33 floats away from me. Any thoughts of talking this out flee from my mind as I awkwardly swing my war hammer. A red 7 floats away from her, and I realize that trading blows with her is a losing proposition for me. Her clawed hand tries to gouge my face, but I drop back, barely avoiding the attack. The carpet squishes as I land on my butt, and I’m covered in the unidentified liquid as I roll back to give myself some space and come to my feet.
There’s another boom as Nancy unloads her last shot from the shotgun, and then I see her frantically try to expel the spent shells and reload. Mother Grendeline’s attention shifts to Nancy, and the monster backhands the girl, sending her flying back to into the kitchen to crash against the cabinetry. A red 32 floats away from Nancy’s body as she drops to the floor, unmoving. I know that she’s only knocked out since she still has HP.
I take one step towards Nancy, but Mother Grendeline is only five feet from me, and I know that if I don’t do something to slow her down, she is going to send me and Nancy to respawn. The monster turns toward me, and I back up farther as I hold out my left hand and charge up Ice Needle. While it’s only a few seconds, it feels like an eternity as the projectile forms and Mother Grendeline approaches, her razor sharp claws ready to rend me in two. I launch the projectile the moment it forms, and it goes soaring straight at the creature. It damages her for 16 HP, but more importantly, it slows her movement, giving me more time to back away and launch another Ice Needle. Unfortunately, I run out of space when my back hits the stove. Mother Grendeline may be slowed, but her long legs make up for it. In four steps, she’s on top of me again. Two more slashes, and I’m down 65 HP. I respond with two attempts at using Break, but only the second strike lands, wasting TP. Mother Grendeline scream in pain as her knee shatters, and she drops to the floor. I take the chance to grab the unconscious Nancy and drag her over the island separating the kitchen and the living room. I land feet-first on the couch and feel a needle pierce the bottom of my boot.
You have been poisoned by a needle trap. 15 HP loss over 1 minute plus disorientation.
I quickly jump off the couch and feel slightly woozy as the poison kicks in. I drag Nancy’s prone body off the furniture, and she hits the carpet with a squelch as I drop her. I return my attention to the monster and have enough room now that I can switch to magic as Mother Grendeline struggles to get back to her feet. Instead of another Ice Needle, I activate Fireball. It takes slightly longer to charge, but I don’t have to aim as well. The Fireball arcs out from my outstretched palm and goes flying over the island to land in the middle of the kitchen. There’s a blast as the area of effect damage goes off and then a scream as the monster takes fire damage. More impressively, however, the fire quickly spreads to the rest of the kitchen. The place must have been coated in something especially flammable because it spreads like crazy. A stream of red 5s and 6s float away from the hobbled creature. She screams profanities, curses at me, and then rails against the uselessness of all men. I think I hear a faint echoing cry from somewhere that says, ‘I’ll be good mommy, I promise.’
You’ve been hit with the debuff: Berating Bellow. All stats lowered by 2 for 20 seconds.
I feel myself weaken as my stats drop, but I back away as the fire starts to spread to the living room, and the smoke starts to sting my eyes. I see the burning figure of Mother Grendeline pulling herself slowly towards us, spreading the fire further and growling in fury.
I quickly grab Nancy by her arms and drag her body down the hallway as quickly as I can to the second door. Opening it reveals a cobwebbed-filled child's room, but there’s thankfully no child anywhere in sight. I breathe a sigh of relief, glad that there isn’t anyone else in the apartment as I back away from the small room. The smoke is getting pretty thick, and I can hardly hear the screams and curses anymore over the sound of the fire. As I make it to the last door, I find it is locked and have to drop Nancy as I re-equip my war hammer and use Break to knock off the door handle. With the handle gone, I push the door open and see an immaculate woman’s bedroom. It’s stunning in its contrast to the rest of the house. A bed in the corner is covered with a white comforter and colorful throw pillows, and there is a dark wooden dresser along one wall with bright orange necklaces and earrings on it. The decor is decidedly feminine and you can tell that someone put a lot of thought into the decorations.
Your party has defeated Mother Grendeline, level 16. You receive 180 XP.
The notification and the burning in my lungs remind me that I don’t have time to gawk, and I grab Nancy and drag her to the door that is at the back of the bedroom. I turn the knob, half-expecting it to lead to a closet and for Nancy and me to burn to death. But it doesn’t. Instead, it opens up to a familiar-looking cement hallway, and I drag Nancy through. With tears streaming from my eyes, I hear the door close behind me. Almost immediately, I notice that the air here is much easier to breathe. It may be the magic of the dungeon, but I’m glad that the fire isn’t spreading here. I drop to my knees to check on Nancy, and a quick use of Inspect shows that she still alive, even if she is missing a good chunk of her HP. I take several deep cleansing breaths, and Nancy awakens a few minutes later. I explain to her what happened as we rest to recuperate our health, mana, and tech points.
Once our health is restored, we get back to our feet and get ready to move on. I re-equip my war hammer and see Nancy’s Barrett M82 appear in her hands as she brings it out of her inventory. Her eyes widen, and she curses as she pats her empty leg holster. She turns to me and says, “I must have dropped my shotgun when that monster hit me. Did you grab it?”
I shake my head in the negative. “Sorry, I was too busy dragging you out of the burning apartment to grab your gun.”
Her cheeks redden at the reminder that I saved her from a respawn. “Yeah, thanks for that. I guess I understand why you didn’t grab it. Can we go back and get it?”
I shrug. Unsure as to whether or not we’ll be allowed back in, I stand up and make my way back to the door that leads into the burning apartment. I press my palm against the door and instantly pull it back w
hen I feel heat. Turning back to Nancy, I say, “Sorry. The place must still be burning. I think it’s too dangerous to try to go back right now. Maybe we can come back later?”
There’s a sad expression on her face, but she nods understandingly. “It’s fine. It was only my back up weapon in case the monsters got too close anyway. Most of my abilities are focused on longer ranged shots.”
The two of us slowly continue to explore the hallway ahead, trying to be as stealthy as possible so as to not be caught unaware. Our precautions prove unnecessary, however, as we don’t find anything else to fight. Instead, after about 20 minutes, we come across a set of large metal double doors. I find that they are locked when I try to open them, and a notification pops up.
Please enter the 4-digit combination to proceed to the Boss Room.
“There is room below the prompt to enter 4 numbers. Do you have any idea what I should enter?” I ask Nancy.
“No, no idea. Try 1,2,3,4.”
After the last number is entered, the prompt flashes red, and the text changes.
Incorrect combination. Random monster spawning...
I twirl around, war hammer ready after reading the text. There’s a flash of light, and about ten feet in front of me, a three-headed canine appears. It looks about confusedly, and I take a moment to Inspect it.