by Paul Bellow
2) Bag of Rice (5 portions)
3) 2 gold coins
EQUIPPED:
Wielded: Bronze 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: Longbow
In Quiver: 14 (+0,+0) Arrows
I sighed as I stared down the staircase. Starting over wasn’t fun. I needed to be more careful. Strategy and tactics were both important if I wanted to survive. A ranger would be great in the forest, but underground? Why couldn’t I choose my own character? I pushed the thought aside, not ready to attack problems without solutions.
Axelrod and Regina needed me to finish the roguelike, claim the epic loot, and rejoin them in the Tower of Gates. Keeping that in mind, I ignited my torch then went down the stairs,. Ralph my raccoon companion followed close behind. At the bottom of the steps carved out of crystal, I found myself in a familiar-looking room.
You are on level 1 (-50’)
The crystal ceiling, floors, and walls were all roughly the same as the other rooms I’d encountered that were made from wood or stone. I saw two doorways without doors leading out. Ralph nuzzled up against my leg.
“Want me to scout ahead?” the raccoon asked.
“Good idea,” I said. “We’ll take the left one first. Be careful.”
“Always,” Ralph said as he scampered down the crystalline hallway.
My eyes hurt from the light reflecting off the irregularly shaped walls and ceiling. I hoped the whole dungeon wasn’t made out of the same material.
“I’ve found something,” Ralph said in my mind.
At the end of the hallway, I saw a room completely made out of glass.
“This is new,” I said.
“I can see down a few levels,” Ralph said excitedly.
When I glanced down, I saw an armored antelope two levels down.
“A rat,” Ralph shouted then ran toward another doorway.
I looked up and saw a giant rat running toward us.
Another blasted rat?
Being able to see the mob coming, I pulled my bow and nocked an arrow. Ranged combat would help keep me healthy. I wanted to increase my bow skills as much as possible before I made it to the lower levels of the dungeon.
Ralph lunged at the rat, but the greasy bugger dodged to the left and came toward me. I let my first arrow go, hoping I hit the moving target.
Your arrow HITS the giant rat for 10 damage.
I sent two more arrows flying. The second one took the rat down before it could attack me.
Combat is Over!
You get +5 xp
You have [5/50] xp
Why’s the combat screen different? I wondered.
“Great shooting,” Ralph said. “Sorry I missed him.”
He glanced at the dead rat, licking his lips.
“Eat up,” I said.
The raccoon rushed up to the rat to feast on its flesh as I retrieved all three of my arrows. My eyes kept looking down to the dungeon levels below us. The glass dungeon made my stomach queasy, but I had to keep going. Knowing what was coming up would be immensely helpful. Time for power leveling.
* * * * *
Everything on the fourth level of the dungeon was still made entirely from glass. I glanced around as I made it to the bottom of the stairs.
You are on level 4 (-200’)
You are a Level 5 Ranger.
You feel good.
You are blessed.
Your toes tingle.
I had no idea what some of the potions I’d drank on the way down had done, but I felt good. The game notification had that right at least. I noticed a wooden layer under the glass on the floor of the room. Would the Crown of Intelligence quest be offered to me again?
“Orc at three o’clock,” Ralph said.
I spun around and saw a burly, boar-headed humanoid pacing back and forth in a room on the other side of the dungeon.
“Good eyes,” I said. “He’ll know we’re coming too.”
“We can take him,” Ralph said, itching for another fight.
He was small, but he did decent damage during battles. As I got closer to the room with the orc, I noticed the stairs down to the next level were in the same room with him. This is it. I took a deep breath to prepare myself. Be smart this time. No more stupid deaths!
I stopped at the closed glass door. The stupid creature had fallen asleep leaning against the wall. I couldn’t believe my luck as I slowly pushed the door open. Sounds of the orc snoring rushed through, along with awful smells from his putrid breath.
Sword drawn, I slipped into the room and stood above the sleeping orc. I thrust my sword into his neck. His eyes snapped open as his body convulsed. Then they closed, never to open again. I listened carefully for any gongs in the distance, but heard nothing.
After rummaging around in the dead orc’s belongings, I found the note for the Crown of Intelligence side-quest. Would it be easier to complete this time? What waited for me one floor below? I wondered as I stared down the stone stairs.
“Great job,” Ralph said as he stood next to me.
“We need to be ready for anything,” I said. “Can you scout ahead?”
“Sure thing…”
The raccoon scurried down the steps.
“I see a couple orcs,” Ralph said. “They’re playing cards.”
Was the quest exactly the same?
“Hold on. I’ll be down in a minute.”
I quaffed a Potion of Might—my last one. Knowing what to expect, I didn’t think I’d have any problems completing the quest and getting the Crown of Intelligence again. Would other things in the roguelike repeat if I respawned?
The only way to find out was to keep playing.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 4 ::::>
Not (Usually) a Thief
I found the Crown of Intelligence more easily the second time through. It must’ve been a hardcoded section of the dungeon because everything looked the same as the first time. Once again, my intelligence crossed the threshold for spell casting. I still needed to find a book of spells to cast, but all the hassle would be worth it in the end.
As I peered down the stairs to level six of the dungeon, I thought about Axelrod and Regina. I missed both of my prior party members. They each got on my nerves in their own ways, but we’d been stuck in the game together for a long time.
“You ready for this?” I asked before I descended the stairs.
“I’m here to help, Alex,” Ralph said, optimistic as ever.
We descended together. At the bottom, a notification popped up.
You are on level 6 (-300’)
You are a Level 7 Ranger.
You feel good.
You are blessed.
I recited a Scroll of Map Making. The map in my heads-up display filled out completely, including a secret room on the bottom-left. The room contained a dozen items according to the magic spell, and that could only mean one thing: a shop. I grinned, keeping my excitement under control.
The only problem might be making it all the way across the dungeon. On the magic map, I saw three white wolves, a giant centipede, and fifteen zombies between me and my goal. With a bit of luck, I’d be able to sneak up on them and use magic or arrows to take them all down without getting hit myself.
My health and magic points for my ranger character were good, but after dying twice, I wanted to get a character down to the tenth level of the dungeon at least. That would give me a better idea on the main bosses that appeared every ten levels in the game. With a bit of luck, I could take out the first one.
I opened the first door and walked down a hallway toward the three white
wolves on my mini-map. They were the closest monsters and first in the way to my goal. I caught them by surprise and killed one right away. Ralph tore into the second one as a third ran toward me. I raised my longsword as it sprinted toward me.
Your slash MAULS the white wolf for 23 damage.
The white wolf INJURES you for 14 damage.
You have [100/114] health remaining.
The white wolf MISSES you.
Your pierce WOUNDS the white wolf for 17 damage.
The white wolf is dead!
The white wolf WOUNDS you for 17 damage.
You have [83/114] health remaining.
Your slash DECIMATES the white wolf for 34 damage.
The white wolf is dead!
Combat is Over!
You get +100 xp
You have [1025/3000] xp
I wondered how high of a level I’d be able to achieve.
Ralph ran over, stopping at my feet and looking up.
“You should rest,” he said.
“Not until we see what’s in that shop,” I said then pulled out a Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds and quaffed it.
You feel better!
You have [114/114] health remaining.
I still hadn’t found any spell books, but I hoped to find one in the shop. After checking the map of the level one more time, I headed toward the white centipede. The zombies worried me more, but they were in the room next to the shop.
As I entered the room with the centipede, it scampered toward me, the brightly colored segments of its body twisting and turning. Before drawing my sword, I fired off a couple of arrows first. Both hit the white centipede, but it kept coming forward.
I dropped my bow and drew my magic sword. The bonuses would help me make quick work of the many-legged creature.
Your slash MAULS the white centipede for 24 damage.
The white centipede MISSES you.
Your pierce WOUNDS the white centipede for 18 damage.
The white centipede is dead!
Combat is Over!
You get +25 xp
You have [1050/3000] xp
I hated the leveling system in the roguelike, but I had no control over it. Ralph wandered over and bit into a centipede pod. White, gooey liquid oozed out, but he kept eating.
“Not bad,” he said between bites. “You want some?”
“I’ve still got rations,” I said, “but thanks.”
Dying of hunger ranked high on the list of stupid ways to die in a roguelike, so I’d been keeping an eye on my food levels since the beginning. I was getting to the point where I’d invested so much time and effort, I really didn’t want to die again.
Ralph wiped his mouth with the back of his tiny paw.
“Where to next?” he asked.
“The zombies are up next,” I said. “We’ll be okay if I can draw them into the long tunnel outside the room they’re in. I’m surprised they’re all standing outside the shop. Maybe there’s a necromancer item inside?”
Ralph, as usual, shrugged. I headed out of the room and down yet another hallway. Two rooms stood between me and the shop. On the way to it, I saw a discarded metal bracer on the floor in the first room. Might as well, I thought, stooping to pick it up.
After placing it on my right wrist, I checked my stats, not noticing any differences. Sword in hand, I walked into the next room. A rolled-up parchment sat forgotten in a corner. I walked over and picked it up. The game notification gave me no clues.
You get a Scroll Labeled Yum-Hum-Mo.
While I could’ve read it to find out what it did, I stuffed it into my sack for later. Maybe the shop will have a scroll of identify? Things are going better. I might get lucky.
“Let’s go,” I said then headed toward the final room before the shop.
Inside the room, I saw several shambling corpses.
“Over here,” I shouted.
Two zombies turned, most of their flesh rotting off.
“Come on,” I yelled then retreated back into the hallway to wait.
I might’ve been able to easily kill a dozen zombies, but it made more sense to draw then into the hallway and attack them one at a time. They fell for my trap. One after another, they went down as my sword pierced their brains. I kept stepping back so the bodies didn’t pile up too bad. At the end of the battle, I’d racked up three-hundred experience points.
After wiping my blade clean, I stepped over their bodies and toward the first shop I’d encountered in the dungeon. Even a mid-level magic item would help make my life easier. The door I’d been waiting to see finally came into view. I stopped in front of it, wondering if I had enough gold coins to purchase anything good.
I opened the wooden door and saw a short hallway leading to an open rectangular room. The shopkeeper poked his head through the doorway as I approached. I smiled and raised my hands to show I wasn’t holding a weapon. He ducked back inside the shop.
“Stay close,” I said as Ralph walked beside me.
I stopped at the doorway and peered through.
“Are you open for business?” I asked.
The shopkeeper stepped over, blocking the doorway. He glared down at Ralph.
“No vermin in my shop,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
I looked down at the raccoon then up at the shopkeeper.
“That’s no vermin,” I said. “He’s a family member.”
“Really?”
The shopkeeper raised his left eyebrow, dubious of my claim.
“No, not really, but he’s a friend. If you don’t let him in, you’ll not get my business.”
“Fine,” the man said, stepping aside. “Come in if you have gold. To be honest, I don’t get many customers down here.”
I stepped into the room, not seeing anyone else. Several long tables contained all sorts of items. Bookshelves, also stuffed, lined all of the walls.
“Can I help you?” the shopkeeper asked in a snooty tone.
“I hope so,” I said. “Do you buy and sell?”
“Depends on what you have,” he replied.
His long, red robes looked well worn.
“Quite a bit,” I said, pulling a trumpet from my sack. “You like this?”
The shopkeeper raised his left eyebrow again.
“A broken trumpet?” he asked.
I put it to my lips and blew. A sad sound came out the other end.
“Okay, it’s broken, but you can melt it down, right?”
“I suppose,” he said. “I’ll give you one gold for it.”
“Now we’re talking,” I said, hoping to offload more dead weight.
“Let me show you the rest of my stuff before I look around and decide what to buy.”
“Suit yourself,” the shopkeeper said, a tuft of brown, curly hair atop his head.
I took out a bunch of crap I’d been collecting on the last six levels of the dungeon. Broken arrow? He bought it. Twelve bronze apple statues? Sold. Cracked Shield? You bet. At the end of our transactions, I ended up with another twenty gold coins. They brought my total to five-hundred and forty-two. I smiled and walked toward the first table of items.
My mirth faded as I saw the price tag on the first item. Fish bowl: 45 gold. Was it even magical? I glanced over my shoulder and saw the shopkeeper watching me closely. No wonder he doesn’t sell anything, I thought as I glanced at the rest of the items on the table; fishing string (45 gold), box of nails (45 gold), monkey skull (45 gold).
The next table held better items, but the prices jumped to 450 gold each. A Longsword (+1/+4/2d8) would’ve been nice, but for that much coin, I wanted something better. He also had a Dagger (+1/+1/2d4) with the exact same price as the sword. A few non-magical darts also sat on the table looking sad and rejected by many adventurers. His prices made no sense.
I walked to the next table and saw nothing even remotely worth the prices he was asking. On the third table, I saw some magic items of a promising nature. A labeled Potion of Speed, a Ring of Speedy
Movement, Bracers of Wisdom, two Scrolls of Recall, a Bag of Holding, and a Wand of Digging with an unknown number of charges.
The only other tables held decorative art items of dubious value. All the high-end magic items had a price of a thousand gold or more, way too much for my meager budget. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the shopkeeper, arms crossed over his chest, watching me closely. This could work, I told myself. If I take the potion then put on the ring…
My mind went into overdrive. If I died, I would start over from the very beginning, but if I succeeded I might have an easier time defeating the first boss on level ten of the dungeon.
“Ralph, I need you to do me a solid. Literally.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” the raccoon said in my mind.
“Go to the front of the shop and poop on the floor.”
“Are you being serious or joking with me?”
“Just do it, okay? And be ready to run back to me.”
“Okay, Alex, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”
“Me too, Ralph. Me too.”
As my raccoon companion leisurely strutted to the front of the shop, I looked down at the table and came up with the perfect order for my next few actions.
“Hey,” the shopkeeper yelled. “Your dirty vermin is pooping on my floor.”
I grabbed the Potion of Speed and quaffed it down. Energy raced through my virtual body as I next put on the ring. I sped up even more, shoving the rest of the magic items into the bag of holding for sale.
Might as well get the rest of it, I thought as I zoomed to the other tables. The shopkeeper and Ralph both moved in slow motion. After grabbing all the items worth anything, I ran to the back of the room.
“Let’s go,” I yelled as I zapped the Wand of Digging at the wall.