“So that’s a no on the torch. Can you do a little fireball thing?” Did his moves have names at all? Perhaps, perhaps not. I wasn’t about to scream ‘Dusk, use flamethrower now!’ just to see.
My complaints of ‘How much further is it’, ‘I’m hungry’, and ‘My feet hurt’ were ignored. Endless statements escaped me, and the response was always the same distant and impatient series of noises. The one time I tried to stop Dusk had bit at my heels rapidly.
Hopefully, this was Dusk and not some weird subterranean noise maker, that, had eaten, Dusk or something. I don’t know. This game was largely new to me still. We were in a dungeon. Chances that sunshine and lollipops littered the floors nearby was pretty slim.
“Oh.”
After roughly two hours of wandering through carved tunnels and following Dusk, it occurred to me that I did have a torch of sorts. Part of me felt ashamed for taking this long. My tattered cloak was pulled out of hammer space and wrapped around [Morrigu’s Gift]. The thing had stood up to a dragon. It had to be heat resistant. There were still a lot of mysteries with the weapon due to a low [Identification] skill.
“Dusk, can you light this up?” I waved the tiny bundle of rags near him. Hopefully near him anyway. A ball of fire blasted towards me while completely bypassing my attempt at a makeshift torch. My face took the brunt of the fire. Burning hair filled the air as Dusk’s attack faded. Both eyes had bright spots burned into them.
“Come on.” I coughed. That was piled on the leftover damage from my fall down the tunnel entrance. “At the torch, so I can see.”
Another blast whipped towards my face. This time, I dodged by falling down in panic. My hand slapped against the ground and [Morrigu’s Gift] clanked against the wall.
“Are you not going to help me see?” I quickly grabbed the poorly attempted torch and banged it on anything nearby. Whatever I hit sounded solid and thick. Too bad the [Messenger’s Pet] wasn’t one of the things bonked.
Dusk chirped happily.
“Seriously?” My head tilted backward. The [Messenger’s Pet] chirped again. Clearly that was him agreeing with my revelation. Carrying a torch was bad.
“Voices.” Reasons meandered through my brain. By the time I stood up and brushed myself off, a few possibilities occurred to me. “Is fire bad?”
He chirped. Tiny skittering could be heard as he hustled towards me and started nipping at my heels again. This armor really should have come with socks. I shook the leg at Dusk and kept grumbling. Fire would only be bad if he was trying to teach me something, or, if something out there would try to eat our faces.
“Fine. No light.” Having a timed quest meant certain sacrifices must be made.
We fumbled down the tunnel a bit longer before I started to really twitch. There were probably a dozen spiders around me right now. They must be waiting just a few feet away with clacking mandibles and hairy arms.
“Dusk. I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” Being in the dark would have been fine back in my home. Though part of me had to work at remembering this was just a game. Feeling the carved rock around me while hearing the [Messenger’s Pet] making noise kept me immersed. His constant huffing blending in well with the eerily silent surroundings.
Water dripped nearby making me twist and turn in panic. Dusk nipped at my heels again to get me going.
“Just a game. This is just a game.” I muttered.
More steady drips slowly gave way to a rushing sound. The noise seemed oppressive compared to the silence of everything else. In the distance, there seemed to be a light of some sort growing in intensity. My heart sped up in hopes that this might be an exit already.
In any horror game, this would be where the jump scenes happened. I frequently flipped around due to some noise in fear that a giant creature would leap out of the darkness to eat my face. So far it had been strangely peaceful.
We approached the bit of light and things were better. Dusk could be seen nosing around while sniffing at a trail. That was one fear resolved. I had been partially worried that Dusk was some evil creature leading me further into the depths of a cavernous nightmare. That fear brought me full scale to my dislike of spiders and worry about being eaten.
“Where are we?” I leaned my head down towards the [Messenger’s Pet] and whispered.
The light was coming from water that rushed through this cavern. I could see a carved bridge that spanned across the underground river. Portions of it were knocked out and decaying. There were footprints that had to be at least a few days old judging by the dust piles.
I leaned over and looked into the clear water. Fish were fluttering around below, but they seemed mostly harmless. There were no creatures with exaggerated jaws waiting for stupid players like me to get too close. The light was coming from some moss that clung to the bottom and illuminated everything.
All in all, this dungeon was a quiet disappointment.
Dusk had crawled on top of one of the bridge rails. They were at least a foot wide and came up to my chest. He locked his gaze on one of the fish in the water. I could almost see the thought bubble appear over his head as he contemplated diving for one of them.
“Wait a minute.” I paused. I could actually see a little thought bubble. That wasn’t me imagining anything.
“Dusk, leave the fish alone.” His head snapped in my direction as the cloud like bubble faded away. Dusk had twisted his neck far enough to turn his dragon features upside down.
He huffed and his eyes caught one of the swimming creatures again. I stared for another moment and could see the same sort of picture appearing. A bubble floated in an almost comical cloud above his head. Inside of it was the fish swimming along.
“Dusk!” He snarled and drew back a tiny cheek. I stared at him. The [Messenger’s Pet] might be able to nip at me and breathe fire, but I wasn’t really afraid. Not after four weeks together. Unless the Voices turned me into a cupcake, maybe one of them was a magical baker or another equally weird category.
“Can you even swim?” I shook my head. “Leave the fish alone, I’m sure there’ll be gophers or something soon.”
I sat down and checked all my vitals. The health bar had slowly recovered. There was nothing for mana yet. Something would show up if I ever learned any spells. Learning magic seemed unlikely in an underground dungeon.
“I’m telling you, I heard something over this way.” A female voice whispered harshly. There was a familiar tone to it.
“You’re kidding. This way is a dead end, the map says so.” The other voice was also female but far younger sounding.
“No, I heard something.” The older one said. Dusk seemed oblivious to our impending guests. I still had no clue what would happen if he died since James hadn’t gotten back to me. Now was a bit late to be worried.
“You sure it’s not The Ooze?” I could hear revulsion in her voice. There was a slight clink of armor as they came around the corner.
“Oh.” The older one said.
“That’s not The Ooze.”
“No, it’s worse.” The woman looked familiar. Far too familiar. “Hello, Grant.” I blinked suddenly and scanned her up and down. It was hard to tell who this was under the plate armor and huge shoulder pads. The piercing in her ear looked vaguely familiar.
She used my real name, though. Who did I know in real life that might respond to me in such a disgusted manner? One of my clients? According to Henry, all of them thought I was wonderful. Oh.
“Hi, Elane.” I scratched my head and shuffled both feet. This was worse than meeting random strangers. The last time we spoke was after a very bad date that involved drinking and a broken chair. That had been almost a year after Xin passed, and because my sister had set us up.
“Nice to see you, Grant, we’ll be going now.” Elane started forward only to be held back by her much younger companion.
“Maybe he knows the way out, SheHulk.” The second woman was blonde and looked so hopeful she almost shone. Or she was just a lot clea
ner than her companion.
I raised an eyebrow at Elane. She was shorter than the average person, and a Spanish heritage shone through in her hair and skin tone. There was a bare hint of an accent that even the virtual world hadn’t removed completely. The piercings on her face were in the same place in the game and real life. One on the eyebrow and ear, both on her left side.
“Yeah, it’s SheHulk, there something wrong with that name?” She stomped a foot in my direction and drew back her cheek with a snarl.
“Not at all.” A hasty response escaped me. The broken chair hadn’t been my fault. That was all her, as a result of my one track rambling during the date. SheHulk was fitting once you got past her stature.
Dusk was currently wiggling his backside and angling to jump into the water. A bubble above the [Messenger’s Pet]’s head painted a clear picture of his expected results. I looked over the edge, down at the water rushing through that those fish were having a hard time swimming against.
“None of that.” I grabbed at the little creature and he squeaked in alarm before trying to bite at my fingers. At least he hadn’t been paying attention or catching him would have been impossible.
“What is that?” The youngest said. Concentrating on her figure triggered the [Identification] skill. Her name was TinkerHell. It almost fit, she was a waif compared to Elane. About her was a flowing robe that was bound at her waist.
“Dusk? He’s a bundle of trouble.” I stroked his head to calm the tiny fellow down. Eventually we would make it to a town and pick up some snacks for him. Cupcakes did wonders.
“He’s adorable!” The younger girl exclaimed and ran over. She had no problems invading my personal space once Elane had introduced us. “What does he eat?”
“Cupcakes, mostly.” Dusk hissed at the small girl and she drew back with concern on her face. The tiny dragon reminded me of a weird mix between a cockatiel and a ferret. Especially the way he squirmed and his wings fluttered.
“Hey, look at the water again, how fast is that going?” I held Dusk over the edge. “You want to try to catch a fish and swim against the current?”
“Can I hold him?”
“That’s up to Dusk.” Players had tried in [Haven Valley] and normally it went poorly. Dusk was perfectly fine leading people but was not the lap type of creature with others. I set the tiny dragon down to let him run around as he wanted. Holding a squirming creature was bad enough.
Dusk ran off down the bridge and got a closer look at the swimming fish. TinkerHell squealed and ran after him. That left me standing fairly close to Elane who had approached while we talked.
“When did you start playing, Grant?” SheHulk, or Elane, actually looked like she was doing pretty good. She had been sort of plump during our brief period. Her face reflected ten or twenty pounds lost.
Xin had been a rather thin woman. I frowned again, Elane had broken the chair because of my comparisons to Xin. What else could be done though? We may not have ever married, but I had known Xin since high school. My head shook and the entire thought process reset. She had passed on.
“Is he a baby dragon?” Elane asked. Her shoulder rolled and the arm clinked a little. A scowl crossed her features.
“I’m not entirely sure.” I knew exactly what he was. Not that any of the details regarding that were made obvious.
“Tink, we got any more of that oil? I’m going to need some once we set down for camp. Otherwise this stuff will be making too much noise again.”
“He looks upset.” Dusk had wiggled free and was climbing up on my back and hissing again.
“Hey, what’s that guy mad at?” Elane nodded in my direction. “Does he track monsters?”
I shrugged and tried to rub Dusk on the head. He shied away from my hand and dodged to the other shoulder. Another hiss escaped his mouth. The corner of each cheek was tucked in from worry. TinkerHell looked at the cave entrance and tilted her head.
“Is that Edward?” She asked.
“I don’t know. He’s too quiet for me to hear.” SheHulk readied her armor with a shoulder roll. A giant shield and mace appeared in either hand. “Better safe than sorry.” The Spanish woman looked good in armor. She was lacking sunlight and a battle cry in order to complete the inspiring aura.
“Mmmh.” I was actually happy about meeting her down here. As awkward as our parting had been, it was nice to know that people from my past were doing well.
“Runnnn!! Run, we have to run, we have to run! Ladies!” A taller pasty white man came screaming out of the tunnel. His footsteps were silent but the panic in his voice was not.
“Why are you standing around?! Run!” He ran across the bridge.
“That way’s a dead end!” TinkerHell cut him off.
“Then find another exit! This place is too bright, we can’t hide, we’re all going to die. Ladies, I don’t like dying!” He was frantic and ran back to TinkerHell and SheHulk. Elane bashed him with her giant shield. Small stars appeared circling his head as he swayed.
I bit my lips to prevent the laugh.
“Edward, calm your tits, what’s chasing you and how long do we have?” SheHulk said.
“The Ooze! It’s back there. It laid eyes upon my person.”
“It doesn’t have eyes.” Her hand went to one hip as she frowned at Edward.
“It, it, it whatevered me! The point is that that passageway is already filled.” Edward’s eyes were huge and he grabbed TinkerHell by the shoulders and shook. “We have mere minutes, ladies, before it comes this way.”
TinkerHell lifted her staff and got Edward in the groin. I managed to contain the latest laugh. This was neat. Carver would have stared blankly or scowled, but I was me again, I could find humor in a situation and express it.
“Grant, you sure that’s a dead end?”
“Pretty sure. I fell down a long tunnel.” Then a quest told me that climbing back up was impossible with my skills.
“A tunnel? No problem, I can climb!” Edward rushed over to me with a delighted look. “How long was the fall? Ten feet? Twenty? We’ve got to be close to the surface.”
“It was, a lot of feet.” I nodded and tried not to smile. They acted like impending doom was right around the corner. Maybe it was, but I had no clue what could be done about it. [Morrigu’s Gift] probably didn’t come with an ‘Ooze Bane’ title attached to it.
This was a game after all. Maybe there was a secret to killing this creature. I could be Hermes, Messenger of the Voices, Destroyer of The Ooze. None of the other players seemed to share my mirth.
“What’s this Ooze thing?” I asked.
“It’s like that movie creature from a few years ago,” SheHulk said. I had probably missed that movie. Movies weren’t on my list of hobbies in that time frame. My shrug must have pissed Elane off.
“It’s unkillable so far, and it destroys armor and weapons, plus a disease that lingers after you die,” TinkerHell said while Elane rolled her eyes at me.
“That’s not neat at all.” Maybe my niece knew a secret about it. She seemed to know a lot of random things about this world.
“We need an exit. Edward, think you can get up that tunnel and throw down a rope?” Dusk dodged down off of my shoulder while SheHulk and Edward talked. He seemed to be dressed similarly to how Shadow was. Only he looked far more, I don’t know, minstrel-like. Maybe he had some sort of Bard Rank? Was there a Bard system? His voice did have a musical lilt to it.
“Maybe. I’d have a hard time getting up myself.” His eyes flickered back and forth between his party members and the doorway. “For you, I’ll try.” Then he smiled and white teeth nearly blinded me.
“It’s a long, long slope,” I grumbled. I had spent a good fifteen seconds rolling down and hitting things. Even now my health wasn’t completely recovered. Not to mention Dusk blowing a ball of fire into my face.
“Really? So what, we’re just stuck here?” TinkerHell groaned and both her shoulders sagged. She too had equipped weapons like SheHulk, there w
as a bladed staff in her hands that had jewels in it.
“Or.” Edward pointed a finger at the bridge.
Dusk was ignoring us all. The image of fish had formed above his head once more. His butt wiggled back and forth, oblivious to our impending doom. Why he had gone from upset to battle mode so quickly was beyond me.
A long sigh escaped me. The other three people stood between me and the [Messenger’s Pet]. By the time I nudged Elane out of the way, Dusk had already gone for a swim. Moments later he was squawking in confused satisfaction. On one hand, he had managed to snag a fish almost instantly. On the other, Dusk was now being swept away by a raging current.
“After you, ladies,” Edward said with a quick bow. I put Carver’s staff into player inventory and dove into the water. Being considered a lady for going before Edward didn’t bother me. Dusk was more important than the silly timed quest and questions of survival. This was just a game, it was only a game. The mantra escaped me as current swept me down the river and into questionable darkness.
Dusk could be heard flopping around ahead of me. His cries, bird-like, or maybe cat-like, but completely belonging to his tiny dragon self, were mixed up in the rush of water. System messages flew up on my screen to one side telling me about skill increases for [Swimming] and [Breath Holding]. I waved them away while trying to tread the current.
Rocks dipped into the river. My skills in real life were poor with swimming. The game world wasn’t much better. I tried to mitigate the currents desire to smash me into everything.
I cursed and tried to navigate the underground river again. Failure abounded as I rolled from one stalactite to another.
“Dusk!” I got a mouthful of water trying to yell out for my companion. The latest message was smacked away by one hand trying to clear water from my eyes. These messages had to be coming from one of the Voices. There was no way a game would be programmed to screw with me to this extent.
“Dusk!” There, I heard him squawk again. I had enough time to see the tiny creature hanging onto one of the rocks dipping down from the ceiling. Then we collided. During the scramble, he managed to latch onto my shoulder.
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