Endless Dungeon

by Richard J Thorn

  Trexxa hissed and nudged the terrified creature to his feet.

  "Tell us what you need."

  *** New Quest: Help Goblins Repair Caravan ***

  *** Sub Quest 1: Turn wood into wheel ***

  *** Sub Quest 2: Procure 10 loaves of bread ***

  *** Sub Quest 3: Remove boulder from road ***

  *** Optional Quest: "Deal with" slave master ***

  "Let's get started, then." Cass clapped her hands together, then furrowed her brows. "Any idea where we can get bread?"

  One of the Goblins stepped forward, his head bowed. "There's a tavern not too far from here. They might have what we need."

  A tavern? Cass shook her long, ruby-red hair. "I don't understand. We're in a mountain. How can there be a tavern?"

  He shrugged and backed up.

  "Can you lead us?"

  The three goblins nodded and set off out the door, obviously glad to still have their hides intact.

  "What do you think, Trexxa?"

  Hiss!

  "I agree, this IS strange."

  *****

  Fifteen minutes of walking later, the three Goblins stopped short, talked excitedly amongst themselves, their voices less than a whisper.

  "What is it, boys?"

  "We think it's through this rock here. But we have no way to get there." They frowned and quivered, obviously expecting to get beat for this infraction. Which only made Cass more determined to deal with the slave master. The fear in these Goblins' eyes was far too much to handle. No one should ever be this afraid.

  Cass pulled out her pack and fished around for her axe. She was beginning to realize that even though it was bottomless, all she had to do was think about the item she wanted and it appeared.

  The Goblins gasped and drew back when she pulled out the iron pickaxe. The abject terror in their eyes was so palpable she almost dropped it.

  "What is it?" She asked and they drew back even more, nearly tripping over their feet.

  Cass glanced at Trexxa who shrugged her shoulders.

  "Have none of you ever seen a pickaxe before?"

  "We..." One of the Goblins gulped, trying to answer. "There's a..."

  "Prophesy!" Another blurted out, his whole body quivering like a bad dog who'd been caught. "There's a prophesy that a God will come along..."

  She looked quizzically at the axe. "I don't get it. What does this have to do with the axe?"

  "Because..." One squeaked, sure that he was going to be beat to within an inch of his life. "No one can dig through solid wall. No one."

  *****

  From what Cass could gather, because she could dig through the walls, she was obviously the one their lore had prophesied about. When pressed, they explained that eons ago, their race had been enslaved by another - Centaurs - and the elders had taken their plight to the gods. The gods had promised them that one day a mysterious savior would appear, wielding untold powers who would lead them out of slavery.

  Apparently, that savior was her.

  This was quite a shock to her and she really didn't know how to deal with it. Yesterday, she was in a life-or-death battle with a couple of rats and today she was supposed to be some savior god. Maybe they were mistaken.

  Every time she swung the pickaxe and broke a chunk of wall, they gasped and nearly fainted. It was quite comical and even Trexxa found herself laughing. A half-an-hour of hard labor later, Cass broke through the final block and they stumbled into the tavern. Patrons screamed, dishes flew everywhere and rock rained down upon them.

  "You gonna pay for that?" A gruff, stout Dwarf sliced through their thoughts like a dull, jagged blade.

  Cass jumped and nearly tripped over the Goblins who looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here.

  "Hey, we don't allow animals in here!" The Dwarf narrowed his eyes and set down the glass he was polishing.

  Cass started to defend Trexxa, but the way he advanced on the Goblins told her he wasn't concerned with the raptor.

  "Hey, they're my friends!" Cass stepped in between the Dwarf and the Goblins.

  "Some friends. With friends like them, who needs enemies?" The Dwarf huffed, putting his hands on his hips. His blazing blue eyes bored into Cass's and she shivered under his gaze.

  "Don't worry about the wall. I can fix that." She picked up one of the cubes and placed it back. The entire tavern gasped and people began whispering excitedly amongst themselves. Even the Dwarf was momentarily speechless.

  "I'm not going to ask how you did that. I don't want to know." The tavernmaster finally gathered himself and returned to his stoic persona. "But I have a feeling you didn't came here for ale."

  "No, you're right. We didn't come for ale." Cass admitted.

  Hiss!

  "Oh shush, you!" Cass laughed at the silly raptor.

  "What did you need, then?"

  Cass brought up her HUD and re-read the quest just to make sure.

  "10 loaves of bread." She flicked her long, red hair and looked at the stout Dwarf hopefully.

  Several tense moments passed as the innkeeper mulled over her request.

  "That's a right many loaves, lass." The Dwarf admonished. "May I ask what they are to be used for?" He grabbed a broom and started sweeping up the mess they'd made upon their entrance.

  Cass glanced to the Goblins who shrank back even further. She noted that in their fear, they had *become* the shadows.

  "These fine gentlemen here need their wagon repaired. Trexxa and I --" She swept her arm toward the blue-flecked, pre-historic dinosaur. "Are helping them. Can you do it?"

  The rugged innkeeper leaned on his broom and sighed deeply. "I can --" He put his thick hand up to stop their celebration. "But it'll cost ye. I can't just pull 10 loaves out of my ass, you understand? That takes time, ingredients and - most importantly - money." He said the last word so sharp and powerfully that they all jumped. Even Trexxa.

  Cass gulped. She had a feeling this was going to be the sticking point. "How...how much is a loaf of bread?"

  The Dwarf smiled greedily. "For you? A silver. So, for ten, that's 10 silver. Which, I presume none of you vagrants have, right?"

  Trexxa hissed at being called a vagrant.

  "No. I've only got a few copper." Cass admitted. She rummaged around in her pack and counted out exactly 15. Great. Now what?

  His smile grew wider and Cass could see the naked greed dance in his ice-blue eyes. She shivered at the thought of being taken advantaged of by the Dwarf. But what choice did she have? If she was going to help - then free - the Goblins, she was going to have to fulfill the quests.

  "I'll make a deal with ye." He said in a sickly-sweet voice that sent chills up and down Cass's spine.

  Cass sighed and nodded.

  "I'll give you the first loaf if you'll fetch the supplies for all of them. But then I've got some odds and sods that need to be doing around here. Nothing too difficult, cleaning out some cellar rats, doing a few fetch runs for me, that type of thing. Maybe since you have some kind of wall-busting ability you could help me expand my tavern. Like my pappy always said: 'More is better, runt.'" The Dwarf barked out a laugh that sounded like a hyena who'd smoked a pack of cigarettes every day for its entire life.

  Cass smiled politely, but inside, her stomach was churning. This sounded like an awful lot of work.

  "Assuming we agree and get you the ingredients, how long will it take you to bake up 10 loaves?"

  "A couple of days, probably. I'll have to tend to actual customers first, ye understand." He held up his hand. "Don't worry, I've got a couple rooms I'll rent to you for a reasonable price." He laughed.

  "You mean more quests." Cass sighed.

  "Exactly!" He shouted. "Now, let me get you a list of what I need. I'll be right back." Cass waited until he disappeared in the back before conferring with the Goblins.

  "Are you guys going to be okay with 2 days?"

  "Y...yes, mistress. Our slave master might be angry, but you'll protect us, won't you?" The Goblin
cowered before her.

  "Of course. We're even going to help you escape from your slavery. Aren't we, Trexxa?"

  Hiss!

  "See, even the raptor agrees. Now, you guys seem to know a lot about the lay of the land and I'm just the new gal on the block. Think you could help me find these places?"

  The Goblins nodded hopefully and looked up at her with a touch of sparkle in their eyes. She vowed that by the time she was finished, they wouldn't be so damn fearful. Of course, taking out a slave master wasn't going to be a picnic. She also wondered what kind of hornet's nest she was going to be poking. That worried her, but she shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind. First, she had to complete these quests.

  "Here ye go!" The Dwarf handed her an envelope. "Just bring back the crate they hand you. I'll have your rooms ready by the time you return. Fair enough?"

  Cass nodded and took the envelope. The moment her fingers brushed against the paper, a quest box appeared.

  *** New Quest: Fetch Baking Supplies ***

  "How far away is this place?" Cass stuffed the envelope in her pack and bade the Goblins over.

  "Let me mark it on your map." She brought up her map and The Dwarf made a big, red X what looked to be a long ways away from their current location.

  Seeing her unasked question, the Dwarf piped up. "It's not as long as it looks, but you might want to do some tunneling to save some time."

  Cass nodded. What kind of strange world did she inhabit where the residents couldn't tunnel through walls? She studied the map and even though he'd marked the location, everything between here and there was covered in inky blackness.

  One of the Goblins peered over her shoulder, his eyes widening in fright.

  "What is it? Do you know something? Should we be worried?"

  The Goblin nodded. "Danger!"

  Even after much prodding, that was the only word she could wrest from him. He wouldn't explain what type of danger. How were they supposed to prepare for something they didn't know?

  Trexxa made sure their canteens were filled and a few moments later, they set off. Just outside the tavern, a tall human approached them from the shadows.

  "Sorry, I don't mean to startle you. But I have to know --"

  "Yes?" Cass jumped and reached for her wand, then relaxed when she saw the man wasn't a threat.

  The man cleared his throat and looked nervously at the Goblins who were shrinking back from him. Trexxa tapped her sharp talon on the hardened ground, her arms folded across her chest as she bored into him with an icy, yet inquisitive, stare.

  "I...couldn't help but overhear the conversation..." He gulped, then leaned close and whispered. "Can you really tunnel through rock? Surely not, right? I mean, no one can." The nervous-looking man looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

  Cass tucked away the wand and wiped the sweat from her brow. "I'll answer your question if you'll answer mine."

  He nodded.

  "Yes, I apparently have the ability to break through and manipulate the dirt and stone as I see fit." The man's eyes widened as she explained this and for a moment Cass thought he was going to bolt. "Now it's my turn."

  "Yes, ma'am..." He stuttered. "What is it you wish to know?"

  "Why is everyone so in awe of such a simple ability as tunneling through dirt? I don't get it." She glanced around at all the ashen faces.

  The mysterious man took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "May I come with you on your quest? Perhaps I can explain it better than I can standing around here."

  Cass looked at Trexxa who hissed her approval and the Goblins who shivered violently.

  "Sure, okay. We're taking this order somewhere a ways away from here. I'm new around here, so I'm not exactly sure how to get there..." She suddenly wondered how much she could trust this man. After all, she didn't have the first clue who he was. But something about him set her at ease. Like, he was a long-lost friend or something. It didn't make any sense, but, then again, neither did any of this.

  They walked in silence for several minutes, before he finally spoke.

  "This place is strange."

  Cass ruminated on his words for a bit before asking the obvious.

  "Okay, I'll bite. How so?"

  The group meandered slowly down the dimly-lit hallway. The passage became narrow at times, forcing them to walk single-file for a bit before widening again. It was as if whoever carved this was drunk or something.

  The strange man stopped and peered at Cass. "I'm not sure I can trust you. Could you show me this ability before I answer your questions? I've got a lot to talk about and I need to know that you're who you say you are."

  Cass stared at the man for several minutes before shrugging. "Sure. What did you say your name was again?"

  "Derek." He spoke softly as if not wanting the others to hear.

  Cass nodded and fished around in her pack, finally bringing the crude pick-axe out. The Goblins cried out and shrank back, Derek stared at the heavy tool with his mouth wide open in naked shock.

  "See, this is what I don't understand..." Cass cleared out some room behind her and began working her way through the hardened dirt. Exactly four hits later and a perfect square of dirt popped out, nearly hitting Trexxa who hissed at it.

  "So, the legends are true..." Derek whispered softly. He picked up the small cube of dirt, examining it this way and that. He tossed it in the air several times and caught it easily in his palm, whistling as he did.

  "What legends? Why is this such a big deal?" Cass shook her flaming-red hair.

  Derek opened his mouth to explain when his entire body flickered and then just...disappeared.

  The Goblins squeaked and fell to the floor. Trexxa hissed and raced to where the strange man had just been.

  "What the hell is going on here?"

  A second later, Derek reappeared.

  Cass touched him, her mouth open. "What was that?"

  Fear danced in the tall human's eyes. "I...I think my programming is corrupted."

  *****

  Cass heard the words, but she stared after the man for several minutes before allowing herself to speak. Before she could, he grinned and spoke first.

  "I told you this place was weird. Seriously." He leaned close. "It's a very long story. Can we take a private walk?"

  "Trexxa, keep an eye on the Goblins, will you?"

  Hiss!

  "I'll be back in a few minutes."

  When they were alone, she turned to him and frowned. "Where are we? What's going on? What's this prophecy you keep talking about. I need answers, Derek. Do you have them?"

  Derek sucked in a lungful of dusty air, closed his eyes and laid his head against the tunnel wall.

  "I may have some answers. They may not be the answers you need to hear, however."

  Suddenly Cass's temper got the best of her. She grabbed his shirt collar and pinned him against the wall. "Tell me! Tell me everything you know. Start with 'where are we.'"

  Derek grunted, obviously startled by Cass's anger, but nodded. "You deserve as much."

  "Are we in a game?" Cass let him go and stepped back. "We are, aren't we?"

  He nodded.

  For the next ten minutes, he explained that from what he could understand, this was indeed a game world, created by "devs" for some unknown purpose.

  "And how do you know all this?"

  Again he sighed and leaned close, even though no one was around. "Like I said, I think there's something wrong with my programming. It seems that somehow I've become...aware."

  Cass wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brow. "Aware? Like how so?"

  "I'm not entirely sure. As an NPC, we're programmed with a fairly sophisticated speech matrix. You and I could talk on many different topics and you would likely never be aware you were speaking with an AI. But one thing we're not programmed to talk about is the game itself. Or the inner workings. I shouldn't even know about those topics."

  "So, what's your programmed role, then?"

&nb
sp; "I'm a thief. I'm supposed to pick your pockets." He shook his head. "But I don't want to be a thief. I'd much rather help you on your journey. And maybe get your help on mine."

  "What's your journey?"

  "Who am I?" He shook his head. "I have...memories that don't add up. Such as being in another world." He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. "But it all seems so fuzzy and distant."

  Cass's eyes lit up. "Yes, that's it exactly!"

  "But I also have memories of this place. And when I flash out - like you saw back there - I can see things I'm not supposed to. It's very strange and hard to explain."

  "So, what's all this about me being some kind of foretold prophecy or something?"

  He shrugged. "Not really sure, to be honest. I think it's a game mechanic meant to herald the new player into the game."

  "Is that what I am? A player?"

  Again he shrugged. "You have powers no one else does. The game seems to respond to you. What other explanation is there?"

  Cass mulled his words over. "You spoke of this other world. Is that where our bodies - my body - is? How did we end up here?"

  He shook his head. "I can't recall any better than you. The fact that I seem to be a malfunctioning NPC and you don't tells me that you may have a body outside of this game, but I - sadly - do not."

  "I'm sorry..." Cass took his hand and squeezed. Everything felt so real to her.

  "Don't be. Listen, you guys go on with your quest. I'm going to see if I can do a bit of snooping in the code. Maybe I'll turn up something. I'll let you know if and when I find anything interesting. Deal?"

  Cass extended her hand and they shook on it. "Deal."

  "Just do your best to level up and I'll see what I can find out." With that, he walked back to the tavern. Cass watched him until he was out of sight, then turned her attention back on their quest.

  The Dwarf was right. The path they were on abruptly came to a dead end and they had to tunnel their way forward. Inside the make-shift tunnel it grew so dark that she had to call forth her new light spell. The bright flame stayed close to her shoulder, the light it cast dancing and flickering on the walls around them. They dug for what must've been an hour and when they finally burst through the other side, Cass was famished.