Roguelike

by Paul Bellow

  As my crow companion watched for the farmer, I climbed down the ladder. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw a book lying on the floor across the room. I smiled and walked over to pick up the black, leather tome with gold embossed letters on the spine.

  You get a BOOK OF SPELLS (BEGINNER)

  “He’s coming,” Dusty said.

  “I’ll be right up.”

  After climbing out, I shut the trap door as the farmer rounded the corner. I had just enough time to hide the book inside my robes. He tilted his head back and stared at me with suspicion.

  “You got the rats,” he said. “Here’s your gold coin.”

  He tossed a single coin inside the barn. It hit the back of a dead rat and rolled away as he walked over to me.

  “I’m surprised you had it in you,” he said. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, feigning both ignorance and innocence.

  “You know what I mean,” he said. “Be honest with me.”

  Dusty cawed three times then flew out of the barn and into the sky.

  “Here’s your knife,” I said, tossing it to the ground next to him.

  “Aren’t you wondering why a farmer like me has a secret room with a book?”

  “What you do on your own time is up to you,” I said.

  “I know you have the book,” he said bluntly.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have thrown the knife.

  “Should I attack him, Alex?” Dusty asked.

  “Not yet. Something’s off.”

  “I need the spell book,” I said. “Please.”

  My high charisma score might help me talk my way out of it.

  “All you needed to do was ask,” the farmer said. “If you do well adventuring, come back and at least tell me the tales of dungeon diving. Years ago, I tried to descend all the way to the bottom, but I barely escaped with my life.”

  “Thanks,” I said cautiously, not believing my luck.

  Was it the game’s unique way of giving me my first spell book?

  Even without a focused storyline, the roguelike sucked me in deeper.

  “Fare well on your adventures,” the farmer said, raising a hand. “My dog Maggot ran off, and I can’t find him. I really need to find him.”

  “Good luck,” I said, turning and walking out of the barn. “I’ll return if I survive.”

  At the edge of the double doors, I stopped, half in and out of the sunlight.

  “What’s your name?” I asked over my shoulder.

  “They call me Mogron,” the farmer replied.

  I smiled as I walked toward the nearby town, hoping to find an inn. With only one health, I wanted to rest up and heal. Like most basic RPG towns, this one had a tavern with rooms for rent, an armory, a magic shop, and a general store. I hoped my limited gold would be enough for a warm, comfy bed to heal up overnight.

  Without any other options available, I strolled into the tavern. The barkeep nodded once as I approached him inside the two-story stone building.

  “I’ll take a room,” I said, stopping in front of the long, wooden bar.

  “One gold per week,” he answered in a monotone voice.

  “Great,” I said, setting a single gold coin on the counter. “Anything you can recommend around here? Have you heard of any princesses in trouble or caravans that need protecting?”

  The bearded man narrowed his eyes.

  “You’re an adventurer, aren’t you?” he asked.

  I nodded, smiling.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I hate the lot of you,” he said. “Nothing but ruffians in our town. Have you heard farmer Mogron’s dog Maggot is missing?”

  “Yeah, it’s terrible,” I said, wondering if it would lead to a quest.

  “Anyway,” the barkeep said as he turned to retrieve a key from a peg on the wall behind him. “You’re in room thirteen. It’s on the second floor. You get two meals a day, one at dawn and the other early evening. If you miss those times, we cannot accommodate you. Additionally, if you’re wanted by the authorities and attempting to hide out, we cannot accommodate you.”

  The innkeeper rattled off a long list of rules and regulations. Was it the game trying to make sure I went to the dungeon and didn’t stick in the town too long? How would the AI running the game react to my playstyle? My questions piled up as I took the key.

  “Anything else?” he asked after he finally finished.

  “No, thanks,” I said then turned and walked toward the stairs.

  Once on the second floor and in my room, I pulled out the spell book, anxious to see what was inside. A flimsy cot was the only furniture in the room, so I walked over and sat on the edge. When I opened the thick, leather-bound volume and read the table of contents, I smiled. The spells were low-level, but they would help.

  GOLDEN BOLT OF ENERGY – (2 mp per bolt)

  These glowing bolts of energy always find their target, doing 1d4+INT BONUS of damage per bolt.

  GOLDEN ARMOR (2 mp)

  Glowing armor surrounds you. You get +2 AC.

  IDENTIFY ITEM – (5 mp)

  This spell gives you knowledge about items’ magical natures.

  You have 2 spell slots.

  Which spells do you add from the spell book?

  I studied the list again, knowing my decision would affect whether my character lived or not. While deaths were common in all the roguelikes I’d ever played, I wanted to defeat the game on my first run. Difficult? Sure. Impossible? Maybe, but I wanted to try.

  The defensive spell would’ve been nice, but I went with identify and the offensive spell. After choosing, I checked the game menu and saw they were both available to cast. With only 15 magic points, I’d need to be careful casting them, especially once I made it to the dungeon.

  Choosing my own character build would have been nice, but maybe that was why nobody had beat the roguelike? I stretched out on the cot with my hands behind my head. Sleep wouldn’t come, but I waited as my health slowly returned. Would I beat the game and get out before Regina? She was a good player, but I’d complete the roguelike first. I was sure of it.

  ()xxxx[:::: Chapter 2 ::::>

  Mage Morphs to Rogue

  Just over an hour later, my health restored completely. I glanced around the bare room to make sure I didn’t forget anything then left. The door didn’t lock, but I hadn’t left anything behind to steal. I walked downstairs, ignoring the innkeeper as I walked outside.

  “Are you around, Dusty?” I asked in my mind as I stood.

  “Up here,” my crow companion said. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I replied. “We need to find the dungeon.”

  “I can show you the Dread Dungeon.”

  “Show me.”

  I should’ve checked the shops, but with only two gold remaining they could wait. Adventure called from the dungeon somewhere close, and I had to answer. The lack of other players in the roguelike had been unsettling at first, but I was growing accustomed to it.

  Dusty flew overhead, leading the way as I left the town.

  “Over here,” the crow said from the air a few minutes later.

  The bird landed in a field a few hundred feet down the road. Before I reached the spot, a noxious odor hit me. I put my hand over my nose.

  “What’s that smell?”

  “That’s the Dread Dungeon,” Dusty said. “Maybe you’re not ready to go down.”

  “I need to go down.”

  My pet didn’t need to know all the details. He wouldn’t understand me trying to escape the roguelike. The situation even confused me.

  “Okay, Alex. I’m here to help.”

  “Can you fly into the dungeon?”

  “I sure can, Alex. But I don’t like it underground.”

  “You can stay out here if you want.”

  “No, I’m coming with you,” Dusty replied.

  I reached a hole in the ground with a stone staircase leading down.

&nb
sp; Why’s there a hole with stairs leading down in middle of a field?

  I chuckled at the craziness of everything as I lit a torch. A notification popped up.

  You have 240 minutes of light remaining.

  As I reached the bottom of the steps, sinking deeper into the rich, moist earth, another message appeared.

  You are on level 1 of the dungeon (-50’)

  I surveyed the first room of the dungeon. Stones covered the floor, walls, and ceiling above. All the tiles were similarly shaped and sized. The wall to my left had a closed door. On the floor next to it, I saw a few gold coins.

  Dusty flew down the stairs, flapping around in the constrained space of the room, cawing loudly.

  “Quiet it down,” I hissed as I walked over to the door, ready to cast Golden Bolts if necessary.

  I listened for any sounds on the other side of the door as I bent down to pick up the few gold coins.

  You get 4 gold coins.

  You have 6 gold coins.

  Not a bad start for doing absolutely nothing. Sometimes roguelikes gave you a bit of a break. I walked over and turned the brass handle of the wooden door. A dark stone tunnel stretched into the distance on the other side.

  “Want to ride on my shoulder?” I asked, glancing at my companion.

  “Thanks, Alex. It would be easier.”

  Dusty flew to my shoulder, digging his claws in my thick red robes.

  “Careful,” I snapped.

  “Sorry, Alex...”

  “You're fine. Just keep your eyes open.”

  I stepped forward into the tunnel, the flames from my torch flickering.

  “How’s your vision?” I asked.

  “I see very well,” the crow replied then cawed.

  “Good,” I said, wishing the damn bird wasn’t so loud.

  I crept forward, clutching the torch and wishing I had a wand. The roguelike would hopefully deliver something quickly. When I played spellcasters, I usually relied on heavy offensive magic to blast my way through problems that arose.

  The tunnel turned to the right then meandered on for another thirty feet before turning to the left. A sturdy, wooden door stood at the end of the hallway. When I reached it, I reached out and pushed on the non-stained wood.

  “Locked,” I said. “Or stuck.”

  I heard a squeal down the hallway. Had I missed a secret door or something? Did monsters spawn wherever and whenever they wanted? Learning new games could be fun, but not in a life or death situation. I turned and saw a big bat flapping its wings and soaring toward me.

  Where’d that come from?

  Dusty flew off my shoulder and down the hall, cawing the whole way. Still holding the torch, I spoke the arcane words to cast two Golden Bolts with 4 mp.

  Your Golden Bolts MISS the bat.

  You have [35/39] mana remaining today.

  The miserable flying rodent flew further down the tunnel. I didn’t want to waste all my magic points killing it, but the experience would be worth it. I attacked with two more bolts.

  Your Golden Bolts SCRATCH the bat for 3 damage.

  You have 31/39 mana remaining today.

  The bat shrieked but kept barreling forward. I fought off the instinct to panic and cast again with 6 mp.

  Your Golden Bolts GRAZE the bat for 5 damage.

  You have [25/39] mana remaining today.

  “Where are you, Dusty?” I thought angrily as the bat approached.

  It flew in and attacked twice in a row.

  The bat HITS you for 10 damage.

  The bat GRAZES you for 7 damage.

  You are DEAD!

  The world fades away.

  You’re in a void.

  Dead again.

  * * * * *

  I opened my eyes and found myself in an all too familiar field.

  You are on level 0 (0’) – Town of Angelfoot

  You are a Level 1 Rogue (Angelo Orange).

  Here we go again. I need to be more careful this time. What’s with the Orange name again? And why wasn’t I allowed to choose my own name? Or class for that matter?

  As usual, the game had more questions than answers. A rogue wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it might be slightly easier than a mage in a roguelike. Spellcasters could be the most difficult in the early stages of the games. I checked my new abilities, stats, skills, and inventory.

  Name: Angelo Orange

  Class: Rogue

  Level: 1

  XP TO LVL: 50

  Health: 21 hp

  Magic: 15 mp

  Alignment: 0 (Neutral)

  Armor Class: 20 (Slightly Armored)

  Attacks per Round: 1

  STR: 85 (+4 damage)

  INT: 75 (+10 mp)

  WIS: 55

  DEX: 94 (+35% Dodge/Ranged Attacks, +10 Armor Class)

  CON: 75 (+2 hp per level)

  CHA: 87 (+25% bargaining)

  One-Handed Blades -> Basic Level 1 of 10

  Dodge -> Basic Level 1 of 10

  Use Magic Items -> Basic Level 1 of 10

  Cast Spells -> Basic Level 1 of 10

  Languages: Common

  You are Carrying:

  a) A note

  b) Lock Pick Kit

  c) Torch (240 minutes)

  d) Large Sack

  1) Bag of Beans (5 portions)

  2) Bag of Rice (5 portions)

  3) 1 gold coin

  EQUIPPED

  Wielding: Rusty Short Sword

  Left Finger: Nothing

  Right Finger: Nothing

  Left Wrist: Nothing

  Right Wrist: Nothing

  Around Neck: Nothing

  Light Source: None

  On Body: Leather Armor (AC10 –Slightly armored.)

  Shield: Nothing

  On Head: Nothing

  On Hands: Nothing

  On Feet: Sandals

  Ranged Weapon: Nothing

  In Quiver: Nothing

  “Okay, Alex,” I told myself. “You’ve got this.”

  “Alex? Who’s that? Aren’t you Angelo? I’m confused!”

  I spun around.

  “Who said that?” I asked in a firm tone. .

  “Down here,” the voice answered. “It’s me, Rick, your field mouse companion.”

  This game is so weird. I decided to run with it.

  “Call me, Alex,” I said, hating to have to go over everything again.

  Losing a companion would be tougher than I’d imagined at first. I vowed to do whatever it took to get my rogue character all the way through the game. No more failures!

  “We should go into town,” I said.

  “Great idea, Alex. I’ll follow you.”

  “Be careful of my feet,” I said, walking out of the field.

  After walking a few dozen feet, I saw a female dressed in overalls come out from around a barn off the main trail. She stopped, looking alarmed.

  “Howdy ma’am,” I said. “Angelo the expert rat exterminator at your service. I heard you might need help with some rats?”

  She squinted her eyes and tilted her head at my attempt at a joke.

  “What are you doing on my land?” she asked.

  “I’m here to kill your rats,” I insisted.

  “Why would I want you killing my rats?” She shook her head. “You’ve been gone too long, Angelo. Come here, you…”

  Hold on a minute. She knows me?

  > Consider female farmer

  [NPC] Glenda Goodring

  Glenda is your mentor and trainer as a rogue.

  “Come inside,” she said. “I’ve got your kit. Unless you’ve decided a dive into the dank Dungeon of Derkmore isn’t for you?”

  “I’m ready,” I replied, wiping the smile off my face.

  She nodded in a studious manner then turned and walked toward the barn. I marveled at the story evolving around my second character. The radical changes took me by surprise. I couldn’t believe it was just a sub-game embedded within the Tower of Gates.

 
; When we reached the incredibly lifelike building, she stopped in middle of the open doorways. I glanced into the barn, seeing bales of hay much like the other. As she stared at me with squinted eyes, I pulled up the note in my inventory with the game to read it without her seeing. The message startled me. Someone had scrawled “Kill Glenda” on the paper. I closed the info box on my HUD and took a deep breath.

  “You’re acting too weird,” Glenda said. “Is something wrong? Have you got the note?”

  Did she mean the note in my inventory? Should I give it to her?

  I reached into the sack at my side and pulled out the note.

  “Here you go,” I said, handing it to her.

  She took the scrap of paper.

  “I can’t believe he double-crossed me,” she said, shaking her head. “Thanks for bringing this to me. Your reward is over there in the corner.”

  She watched as I walked over to a medium-sized chest made of wood with brass bands holding it together. The lid opened easy. I picked up the three items inside.

  You get Nice Longsword.

  You get Nice Leather Gloves.

  You get Nice Leather Boots.

  I kicked off my flimsy shoes and put on the boots. Surprisingly, they fit perfectly. After putting on the gloves, I slid the longsword into my belt.

  “That should get you down deep enough in the Dungeon of Derkmore to find some better stuff,” Glenda said. “Remember, if you find anything you want to sell, check here before you go to the shops.”

  “I will,” I said. “Any other advice?”

  “Don’t get cocky,” she said. “The curse of YASD is real.”

  “YASD?”