Roguelike
Page 15
You have [734/1,472] health remaining.
Tired of messing around, I cast ten lances of lightning, sending each to different armored yaks. All of them hit, giving the big, dumb beasts something to think about while I healed.
You feel better!
You have [1,181/1,472] health remaining.
You feel better! You feel magical!
You have [1,247/1,472] health remaining.
You have [411/711] mana remaining.
I needed to get my potions out of the Bag of Holding, but I couldn’t put down my sword. Not yet. The five yaks around me all attacked again.
The ancient armored yak MUTILATES you for 89 damage.
The ancient armored yak DISEMBOWELS you for 121 damage.
The ancient armored yak MUTILATES you for 79 damage.
The ancient armored yak MISSES you.
You have [958/1,472] health remaining.
With their blunt attacks, my armor wasn’t doing much to protect me. I attacked with my sword to clear the closest ones off me.
You DISEMBOWEL the ancient armored yak for 103 damage.
You DISEMBOWEL the ancient armored yak for 123 damage.
The ancient armored yak is dead! (+3000 xp)
You DISMEMBER the ancient armored yak for 199 damage.
The ancient armored yak is dead! (+3000 xp)
You EVISCERATE the ancient armored yak for 149 damage.
The ancient armored yak is dead! (+3000 xp)
After the third one dropped, the fourth ancient armored yak turned tail and fled. I ran over to the hallway to check on Gloria and Lady Thornburg.
“I’ve got this,” the unicorn said.
Two dead yaks lay lifeless on the ground.
“Go get the others!” Gloria yelled.
I turned back to the cavern. Seven of the huge yaks remained, including the one near death. I reached into my Bag of Holding and pulled out a Potion of Cure all Wounds.
You feel extremely better!
You have [1,472/1,472] health remaining.
I had seven of the potions left, which meant I’d be able to take out the last of the yaks and anything else that came toward me. The remaining creatures attacked, galloping forward. Before they reached me, I cast two minor fireballs for a hundred mana. The dual explosions lit up the cavern. I smelled burnt hamburger in the air. Four of them continued forward.
“Die, worthless beasts!” I yelled then attacked.
Your slash MUTILATES the ancient armored yak for 89 damage.
Your slash DISEMBOWELS the ancient armored yak for 115 damage.
The ancient armored yak is dead! (+3000 xp)
Your pierce DISMEMBERS the ancient armored yak for 159 damage.
The ancient armored yak is dead! (+3000 xp)
Your slash DISEMBOWELS the ancient armored yak for 124 damage.
The ancient armored yak is dead! (+3000 xp)
The ancient armored yak DISEMBOWELS you for 120 damage.
You have [1,353/1,472] health remaining.
Your slash MUTILATES the ancient armored yak for 89 damage.
Your slash DISEMBOWELS the ancient armored yak for 115 damage.
The ancient armored yak is dead! (+3000 xp)
Combat is Over!
You get + 45,000 xp
You have [28,550,000/29,000,000] xp.
I kept my sword up, waiting for anything else to come at me.
“Are you okay?” Gloria asked.
She walked into the cavern, followed by Lady Thornburg.
“I’m fine,” I replied. “More of a nuisance than anything.”
“Good,” Lady Thornburg said. “Now we can go to the beasts that killed my mother.”
“Wait,” I said. “These weren’t them?”
“No,” she said. “I ran into this cavern while trying to escape the dangerous monsters.”
Gloria turned her head to me then shook it. I sighed. Just when I thought it was getting easy, the roguelike changed things up on me.
“We have to at least go see what’s there,” I said. “My health and mana are still okay.”
“I think we should look for the stairs down and leave to the next level,” Gloria said. “I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this.”
“Scared of a few monsters, are you?” I teased.
Gloria sighed. “Okay, but I warned you. We’re so close to the end.”
“I’m not dying again,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“You’ll avenge my mother?” Lady Thornburg asked.
“Probably,” I said. “What are these other monsters?”
She frowned. “I don’t know their name.”
“Of course not…” I sighed. “Okay, let’s go get this over with.”
More mana or a few powerful wands would’ve been nice, but we had to keep going. I hoped Lady Thornburg would at least give us a decent item at the end of the pseudo-quest.
“Where are we going?” I asked, looking around for another exit.
“To find the last monster?” Lady Thornburg laughed.
“Stop messing with us,” I snapped.
Lady Thornburg grinned.
“Your wish is my command.”
She snapped her fingers and transformed into the Wizard of Yendro.
“Regina!” I shouted as I lifted my sword. “We don’t have to do this!”
“We do,” she said. “You must kill me or die, and I’m not letting you kill me.”
She raised her arms to cast, her face hidden by a horrendous mask.
The Wizard of Yendro OBLITERATES you for 439 damage.
You have [914/1,472] health remaining.
Oh, crap. I’m so not ready for this…
Regina laughed, looking deadly as the Wizard of Yendro. I wondered how many times she’d played the game before turning to the dark side and becoming the villain. No time to ask. She has to die, so I can beat the game. I screamed then attacked.
Your slash DECIMATES the Wizard of Yendro for 34 damage.
Your slash MAULS the Wizard of Yendro for 23 damage.
Your pierce INJURES the Wizard of Yendro for 14 damage.
Your slash MAULS the Wizard of Yendro for 24 damage.
The Wizard of Yendro is not concerned.
Come on. How am I supposed to kill her with that kind of protection?
Regina howled with laughter then cast another spell—a green fireball.
The Wizard of Yendro ERADICATES you for 539 damage.
You have [375/1,472] health remaining.
You feel woozy.
I gripped my sword. One more spell, and she would kill me. What to do?
Gloria, bless her, decided without any direction from me. She ran over and brushed against my leg.
“Inverin!” she yelled to cast a spell.
We teleported to a safe place.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 18 ::::>
Guess I’m a Thief Then
You are on level 79 (-3950’)
You are a Level 78 Valkyrie.
You hear someone cursing shoplifters.
“Nice,” Gloria said after we landed. “We teleported into the room with stairs down to level eighty. This is going well.”
I nodded. “Time to heal…”
As Gloria glanced around, I drank another Potion of Cure All Wounds.
You feel extremely better!
You have [1,472/1,472] health remaining.
“Should we go straight down?” Gloria asked.
“Not yet,” I said. “There’s a shop on this level. We should check it out.”
“You’re the boss, boss.”
I smiled then left the room via the only door. The hallway behind it twisted and turned a few times before leading us to an open doorway. I peeked through it and into the room beyond, my sword drawn and at the ready.
“All clear,” I said.
Gloria followed me into the hexagon shaped room. The layouts had become more elaborate the deeper we delved down the dungeon.
“I can smell magic nearby, Alex.�
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Having a companion like Gloria in the roguelike had made all the difference.
“I could cast a spell, but I want to save the magic points,” I said. “The shop should be right over…here.”
Gloria followed me across the room to one of the other five doors. Here goes nothing. I opened the fancy, carved door and saw a brightly lit shop full of all sorts of magic items. I grinned and walked forward. Gloria followed me inside.
“Hold on,” the shopkeeper snapped. “You can’t bring a dirty unicorn in here, not even a tiny one. That’s disgusting and uncivilized!”
“That’s discrimination,” I countered, furrowing my brow.
“No,” he said. “It’s not. This is my business, and I refuse to serve you.”
His tone held steady, not rising despite the anger on his face.
“Fine,” I relented. “The unicorn will stay outside.”
“Perfect,” the shopkeeper said in a snooty tone.
I went outside to the hallway and stroked behind Gloria’s left ear.
“This is how it’s going to do down. You go to the down staircase and wait for me.”
“What are you going to do, Alex?” Gloria asked.
“Don’t worry about it. Go and be ready for something big.”
“I need to know what’s going on,” she insisted.
“Please don’t fight me on this one.”
“Okay…but be careful? Okay?”
“Promise.”
I watched as she trotted back the way we’d come. After she walked out of sight, I turned and entered the shop again—King Egbert’s Emporium of Adventure and Folly.
“Our name is long, but our prices are short,” the shopkeeper said, smiling as I entered. “You have gold, right?”
“I’ve got plenty of gold,” I said. “Don’t worry.”
His smile widened as I patted my Sack of Holding. I wandered into the vast room full of tables and glass display cases.
“You have any bombs?” I asked casually as I browsed.
“A few,” the shopkeeper said. “Why?”
“No reason,” I said, picking up a ring.
You have a Ring of Teleport Control.
I smiled. This will come in handy.
With the ring still in my hand, I continued to the display case next to the table with rings. The shopkeeper hurried over, stopping on the other side of the glass box.
“Can I see that zinc wand?” I asked.
“It’s a powerful Wand of Extreme Damage. You likely can’t afford it.”
“Oh? I can’t?”
I reached into the sack at my side and pulled out a handful of gems.
“Do these change your mind?” I asked as I set them on top of the glass.
“We deal in gold only,” the shopkeeper said. “You do have gold, don’t you?”
“I have plenty of gold. Maybe I should spend it somewhere else?”
The shopkeeper crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re not going to find better prices anywhere,” he said. “Or my name’s not Dave.”
“Let me see the wand,” I said, holding out my hand.
He sighed then opened the back of the glass display case. I looked up the stats when I had it in my hand. Not too shabby. It did 3d100 of non-elemental damage per charge.
“Doesn’t have many charges left,” I said.
“I’ll throw in a Scroll of Recharge,” the shopkeeper said. “Anything else you need?”
“Still looking…”
The shopkeeper stood back as I continued to the next table. My eyes widened. Excalibur? The sword? I reached for the hilt then picked it up. Such a light blade.
“You’re not so heavy yourself,” a new voice said in my mind.
I checked the stats on the blade.
Excalibur (ARTEFACT) – (+60% to hit,+100 damage,3d100 damage) – Sentient, this sword can cast three spells per day as situations arise. Only good alignments may wield this weapon.
“What spells do you have?”
“I’m not going to tell you,” the sword answered with a chipper voice in my mind.
After playing the roguelike so long, I’d begun to notice all the AI characters in the game—like Tabby and Gloria—were getting more assertive. Did the same hold true in the Tower of Gates, the game outside the roguelike?
“Fine. Your decision. Will you come with me?”
“Your alignment is good enough,” Excalibur said. “We shall see if I stay with you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Think about it, Alex.”
“Hold on a minute. I didn’t tell you my name.”
“You didn’t need to tell me. I’m in your mind, remember?”
“Oh…Even more invasive that the telepathy with Gloria and my other companions?”
“Yes, Alex. We’ll have a special bond.”
“Problems?” the shopkeeper asked.
“No,” I said, lifting Excalibur. “I’ll be taking this sword too.”
“As long as you have the gold,” Dave said. “The sword is yours.”
The price tag listed two million gold, much more than I had on me. As the shopkeeper continued staring, I walked to the last table in the first row. Bottles and vials of all shapes, sizes and colors filled the entire surface. The bigger ones had been placed behind the smaller potions in front. I glanced over all the amazing magic items.
Potion of True Sight (1000 gp) – See invisible creatures, traps, and more. Last two hours.
Flask of the Ancestors (10,000 gp) – Refills with elderberry wine once per day.
Potion of Cure Light Wounds (500 gp) – A watery oil, contained in a square bottle sealed with wax.
Potion of Hide from Undead (50 gp) – A watery silver tincture, contained in a square crystal bottle.
Potion of Remove Disease (750 gp) – This watery liquid causes motes of red light to appear when used.
Oil of Invisibility (300 gp) – This variegated oil smells like cedar.
Potion of Resist Electricity (300 gp) – This fuming liquid smells metallic.
Potion of Restore All Mana (3,000 gp) – This fuming liquid smells metallic.
Potion of Heroism (750 gp) – This bubbling elixir causes flames to turn blue when used.
Potion of Protection from Acid (750 gp) – This clear oil causes shadows to appear darker when used.
Potion of Tongues (750 gp) – A watery blue tincture, contained in a cylindrical iron flask.
Potion of Invisibility (1,000 gp) – This bubbling oil smells like strong ale.
“Your prices are high,” I called over my shoulder.
“I only sell the best,” the shopkeeper shot back.
How to steal so many potions? Still without a concrete plan, I kept browsing. The next glass case on the back wall of the shop contained several amulets.
“You don’t have the Amulet of Yendro, do you?” I asked.
“There’s only one of those. Why do you ask?”
I turned and saw the shopkeeper staring at me with a worried look on his face.
“Calm down,” I said. “No need to be afraid.”
He snorted. “I’ve no reason to be afraid of the likes of you.”
“Time to take everything, Excalibur. You with me?”
“No, Alex. Evil is wrong. The game…”
I blocked the sword’s voice from entering my mind as I set it down. While a legendary sword would be nice, I didn’t need an alignment penalty getting in my way.
“The sword doesn’t belong there,” the shopkeeper said.
I turned to him and cast a Minor Fireball. His eyes widened in terror as the ball of flame hit him then exploded brilliantly. Did I destroy some of the shop items? The shopkeeper leaped over the glass counter in a single, fluid motion then raised his hands in the air. Excalibur flew toward him, landing in his hands.
With murder in his eyes, he walked toward me. I cast Burning Axe of Ooze twice to keep him busy while I searched the rest of the tables for an item t
o end the battle. I’d never restored my mana completely from the battle with the Wizard of Yendro, so I only had two hundred and seventy-one points left. I stepped to the table full of potions and picked up one that restored mana.
“You drink it, you bought it!” the shopkeeper yelled as he made his way toward me.
He swung Excalibur, missing the two magic, Burning Axes of Ooze.
“Guess I’ll have this one too,” I said, quaffing the Potion of Speed.
I felt invincible as I zipped over to the shopkeeper. He swung at an axe as I attacked.
Your slash MAULS the shopkeeper for 22 damage.
Your slash DECIMATES the shopkeeper for 34 damage.
Your slash MAULS the shopkeeper for 22 damage.
Your slash DECIMATES the shopkeeper for 34 damage.
Your slash MAULS the shopkeeper for 22 damage.
Your slash DECIMATES the shopkeeper for 34 damage.
CRITICAL HIT!
Your slash DEMOLISHES the shopkeeper for 395 damage.
DOUBLE CRITICAL HIT!
Your slash OBLITERATES the shopkeeper for 420 damage.
The shopkeeper is dead! (+100,000 xp)
You have [28,650,000/29,000,000] xp.
I took a deep breath. Excalibur fell to the stone floor, clanging loudly. A loud warning gong sounded in the distance as a notification popped up.
You have committed an evil act.
You’re a wanted man.
You get -90 alignment.
Your alignment is -80.
That’s not good. All lawful creatures would aggro-attack me on sight. As I rummaged through the rest of the items in the shop, I hoped the treasure would make up for the alignment penalty in the long run. With Gloria still too far away to communicate with, I rushed through the shop and started throwing items into my huge sack of holding.