Dungeon Calamity

by Dakota Krout

  Chandra – Owner of an extremely well-appointed restaurant, this A-ranked Mage is the grandmother of Rose. She also spent a decade training the current Guild Master, Frank. She is Rose’s Grandmother and very protective of her.

  Chi spiral – A person’s Chi spiral is a vast amount of intricately knotted Essence. The more complex and complete the pattern woven into it, the more Essence it can hold and the finer the Essence would be refined.

  Cleric – A Cultivator of Celestial Essence, a cleric tends to be support for a group, rarely fighting directly. Their main purpose in the lower rankings is to heal and comfort others.

  Corruption – Corruption is the remnant of the matter that pure Essence was formed into. It taints Essence but allows beings to absorb it through open affinity channels. This taint has been argued about for centuries; is it the source of life or a nasty side effect?

  Craig – A powerful C-Ranked monk, Craig has dedicated his life to finding the secrets of Essence and passing on knowledge.

  Currency values:

  Copper: one hundred copper coins are worth a silver coin

  Silver: one hundred silver coins are worth a Gold coin

  Gold: One hundred Gold coins were worth a Platinum coin

  Platinum: The highest coin currency in the human kingdoms

  Cultivate – Cultivating is the process of refining Essence by removing corruption then cycling the purified Essence into the center of the soul.

  Cultivator – A cultivator is one who cultivates. See above. Seriously, it is the entry right before this one. I’m being all alphabetical here. Mostly.

  Dale – Owner of the mountain the dungeon was found on, Dale is now a cultivator who attempts to not die on a regular basis. As a Dungeon Born person, he has a connection to the dungeon that he can never be rid of.

  Dani – A pink dungeon wisp – Is that important? – Dani is the soul bound companion of Cal and acts as his moral compass and helper. She is also an integral portion of his psyche, and losing her would drive Cal into madness.

  Dire – A prefix to a title that means “Way stronger than a normal version of this monster”. Roughly. Kind of paraphrasing.

  Distortion Cat – An upper C-Ranked Beast that can bend light and create artificial darkness. In its home territory, it is attacked and bound by tentacle like parasites that form a symbiotic relationship with it.

  Dungeon Born – Being dungeon born means that the dungeon did not create the creature but gave it life. This gives the creature the ability to function autonomously without fear that the dungeon will be able to take direct control of its mind. The dungeon can “ride along” in a dungeon-born creatures mind from any distance and may be able to influence the creature if it remains of a lower cultivation rank than the dungeon.

  Dwarves – Stocky humanoids that like to work with stone, metal, and alcohol. Good miners.

  Egil Nolsen – known to the world as ‘Xenocide’, this man is of unknown ranking and fully insane.

  Elves – A race of willowy humanoids with pointy ears. There are five main types:

  High Elves: The largest nation of Elvenkind, they spend most of their time as merchants, artists, or thinkers. Rich beyond any need to actually work, their King is an S-Ranked expert, and their cities shine with light and wealth. They like to think of themselves as ‘above’ other Elves, thus ‘High’ Elves.

  Wood Elves: Wood Elves live more simply than High-Elves, but have greater connection to the earth and the elements. They are ruled by a counsel of S-ranked elders and rarely leave their woods. Though seen less often, they have great power. They grow and collect food and animal products for themselves and other Elven nations.

  Wild: Wild Elves are the outcasts of their societies, basically feral, they scorn society, civilization, and the rules of others. They have the worst reputation of any of the races of Elves, practicing dark arts and infernal summoning. They have no homeland, living only where they can get away with their dark deeds.

  Dark: The Drow are known as Dark Elves. No one knows where they live, only where they can go to get in contact with them. Dark Elves also have a dark reputation as assassins and mercenaries for the other races. The worst of their lot are ‘Moon-Elves’, the best-known assassins of any race. These are the Elves that Dale made a deal with for land and protection.

  Sea: The Sea Elves live on boats their entire lives. They facilitate trade between all the races of Elves and man, trying not to take sides in conflicts. They work for themselves and are considered rather mysterious.

  Enchantment – A temporary pattern made of Essence that creates an effect on the universe. Try not to get the pattern wrong as it could have… unintended consequences.

  Essence – Essence is the fundamental energy of the universe, the pure power of heavens and earth that is used by the basic elements to become all forms of matter.

  Father Richard – An A-ranked Cleric that has made his living hunting demons and heretics. Tends to play fast and loose with rules and money.

  Fighter – A generic archetype of a being that uses melee weapons to fight.

  Frank – Guild Leader of the Adventurers Guild. He has his Mana bound to the concept of kinetic energy and can stop the use of it, slowing or stopping others in place.

  Glade – A mini-boss mushroom that uses tentacles and thorns to kill its prey.

  Glitterflit – A Basher upgraded with Celestial Essence, it has the ability to mend almost any non-fatal wound.

  Hans – A cheeky assassin that has been with Dale since he began cultivating. He was a thief in his youth but changed lifestyles after his street guild was wiped out. He is deadly with a knife and is Dale’s best friend.

  Huggin – Brother of Jasper who sadly was transformed into a crow.

  Incantation – Essentially a spell, an incantation is created from words and gestures. It releases all of the power of an enchantment in a single burst.

  Infected – A person or creature that has been infected with a rage-inducing mushroom growth. These people have no control of their bodies and attack any non-infected on sight.

  Infernal – The Essence of death and demonic beings, considered to be always evil.

  Inscription – A permanent pattern made of Essence that creates an effect on the universe. Try not to get the pattern wrong as it could have… unintended consequences. This is another name for an incomplete or unknown Rune.

  Jasper – A lightning Mage who has taken on the name ‘Odin’ to seek revenge for the destruction of his people.

  Justin – An uppity Portal Mage who may have learned the error of his ways. We shall see.

  Kere Nolsen – An S-ranked High Inquisitor.

  Mages’ Guild – A secretive sub-sect of the Adventurers’ Guild only Mage level cultivators are allowed to join.

  Mana – A higher stage of Essence only able to be cultivated by those who have broken into at least the B-rankings and found the true name of something in the universe.

  Meridians – Meridians are energy channels that transport life energy (Chi/Essence) throughout the body.

  Mob – A shortened version of “dungeon monster”.

  Muggin – Brother of Jasper who sadly was transformed into a crow.

  Necromancer – An Infernal Essence cultivator who can raise and control the dead and demons.

  Nick – Leader of ‘The Collective’, Nick is a C-ranked human that is only interested in gaining money at any cost.

  Noble rankings -

  King/Queen – Ruler of their country. (Addressed as ‘Your Majesty’)

  Crown Prince/Princess – Next in line to the throne, has the same political power as a Grand Duke. (Addressed as ‘Your Royal Highness’)

  Prince/Princess – Child of the King/Queen, has the same political power as a Duke. (Addressed as ‘Your Highness’)

  Grand Duke -Ruler of a grand duchy and is senior to a Duke. (Addressed as “your Grace”)

  Duke -Is senior to a Marquis or marquess (Addressed as “your Grace”)

&n
bsp; Marquis/Marquess -Is senior to an Earl and has at least three Earls in their domain. (Addressed as ‘Honorable’)

  Earl -Is senior to a Baron. Each Earl has three barons under their power (Addressed as ‘My Lord/Lady’)

  Baron – Senior to knights, they control a minimum of ten knights and therefore their land. (Addressed as ‘My Lord/Lady’)

  Knights – Sub rulers of plots of land and peasants (Addressed as ‘Sir’)

  Oppressor—A Basher upgraded with Wind Essence, it has the ability to compress air and send it forward in an arc that slices unprotected flesh like a blade.

  Pattern – A pattern is the intricate design that makes everything in the universe. An inanimate object has a far less complex pattern that a living being.

  Raile – A massive, granite covered Boss Basher that attacks by ramming and attempting to squish its opponents.

  Ranger – Typically an adventurer archetype that is able to attack from long range, usually with a bow.

  Ranking System – The ranking system is a way to classify how powerful a creature has become through fighting and cultivation.

  G – At the lowest ranking is mostly non-organic matter such as rocks and ash. Mid-G contains small plants such as moss and mushrooms while the upper ranks form most of the other flora in the world.

  F – The F -ranks are where beings are becoming actually sentient, able to gather their own food and make short-term plans. The mid-F ranks are where most humans reach before adulthood without cultivating. This is known as the fishy or “failure” rank.

  E – The E-rank is known as the “echo” rank and is used to prepare a body for intense cultivation.

  D– This is the rank where a cultivator starts to become actually dangerous. A D-ranked individual can usually fight off ten F-ranked beings without issue. They are characterized by a “fractal” in their Chi spiral.

  C – The highest-ranked Essence cultivators, those in the C rank usually have opened all of their meridians. A C-ranked cultivator can usually fight off ten D-ranked and one hundred F-ranked beings without being overwhelmed.

  B – This is the first rank of Mana cultivators, known as Mages. They convert Essence into Mana through a nuanced refining process and release it through a true name of the universe.

  A – Usually several hundred years are needed to attain this rank, known as High-Mage or High-Magous. They are the most powerful rank of Mages.

  S – Very mysterious Spiritual Essence cultivators. Not much is known about the requirements for this rank or those above it.

  SS – Not much is known about the requirements for this rank or those above it.

  SSS – Not much is known about the requirements for this rank or those above it.

  Heavenly – Not much is known about the requirements for this rank or those above it.

  Godly – Not much is known about the requirements for this rank or those above it.

  Reagent – An item or potion that creates a specific effect when added to an inactive Inscription.

  Rose – A Half-Elf ranger that joined Dale’s team. She has opposing affinities for Celestial and Infernal Essence, making her a chaos cultivator.

  Rune – A permanent pattern made of Essence that creates an effect on the universe. Try not to get the pattern wrong as it could have… unintended consequences. This is another name for a completed Inscription.

  Impaler – A Basher upgraded with Infernal Essence, it has a sharpened horn on its head. At higher rankings it gains the ability to coat that horn with Hellfire.

  Shroomish – A mushroom that has been evolved into a barely dangerous Mob. Really, only being completely unaware of them would pose danger to a person.

  Silverwood Tree – A mysterious tree that has silver wood and leaves. Some say that it helps cultivators move into the B-rankings.

  Smasher – A Basher upgraded with Earth Essence, it has no special abilities but is coated with thick armor made from stone. While the armor slows it, it also makes the Smasher a deadly battering ram.

  Soul Stone – A highly refined Beast Core that is capable of containing a human soul.

  Tank – An adventurer archetype that is built to defend his team from the worst of the attacks that come their way. Heavily armored and usually carrying a large shield, these powerful people are needed if a group plans on surviving more than one attack.

  Tom – A huge red-haired barbarian prince from the northern wastes, he wields a powerful Warhammer and has joined Dale’s team. He is only half as handy to have around right now.

  ~ The Completionist Chronicles ~

  The scans had been very invasive, including MRI’s, blood draws, and tests he didn’t have a medical name for. Dylan later told him those tests were to determine the best way to destroy his body, making Joey shudder. He had paid off the FIVER-capsule and invested a million dollars into an in-game account. That was the absolute maximum but at a ten-to-one ratio that still only gave him one hundred thousand gold. This was–potentially–a lot of money, but he would theoretically live forever in the game so he would still need to become strong and make wise decisions with his finances. He looked at all the zeros in his account and sighed.

  Joey left everything else to his mother, and they parted with a tearful goodbye. He had tried to get her a pod, but she refused the opportunity; her faith demanded that she live a natural life and have a natural death. Luckily for Joey, there was an in-game system where he could make calls to the real world so they would be able to stay in contact for all of her remaining years. Finally, a black van rolled up the driveway, and he was loaded in. They drove quickly, and within a few hours, he was in the sub-basement of a massive corporation, staring at the monstrous machine that would be the final resting place of his body.

  “Good luck, buddy,” Dylan called out, a sad smile on his face. “See you in game!”

  Joey was startled. “You have a pod?”

  “Nope. I’ll be playing standard, computer and headset style. I’ll add you to my friends list when I log in. My in-game name is ‘dSnake’,” Dylan promised with a thumbs up. He paused, then leaned in, “Joe… beat the game. If you do, there is a chance that you… I shouldn’t be telling you this… this is more than a game. You could come back. Here. The real world.” He stopped talking and hurried away as footsteps closed in.

  A very confused Joey was brought to the pod, and they arranged his limbs in a particular order. The doctor overseeing this process was thrilled that he stayed so still, earning him a sour look from Joey. The lid started to close, and second thoughts filled his mind with numbing horror. A shining gem that looked like a diamond was lowered to his head and rested gently above the bridge of his nose.

  A small line of text appeared in his vision. No blue screens, huh? He rolled his eyes. Guess all those books from royalsRoad turned out to be useless in the end. Alrighty then. The message read:

  Do you want power?* Yes / No

  Well, yes. That sounded quite pleasant actually. He selected ‘Yes’ with his eyes.

  Do you know what is about to happen? Have you read the terms* and conditions?

  There was a link on the word ‘terms’, and he selected it and read carefully through them. There was plenty he didn’t understand, but now–at least–he knew a baseline of what was expected from him. He went back to the question and selected ‘Yes’.

  The words flashed red.

  Excellent. Prepare to die. Yes / Yes

  That was way too ominous! As he opened his mouth to shout, a roiling liquid poured onto his face and into his mouth, cutting off his complaints. Joey reflexively coughed but couldn’t free his head from the fluid. He tried to hold what little breath he had held, but was entirely covered with no access to air. When his lungs felt like they were beginning to explode, he finally breathed in.

  Air rushed into his lungs, and he blinked at the suddenly bright pod. Wait, he wasn’t looking at the pod! He was standing, breathing heavily as he read the words hovering in front of him.

  Welco
me To Eternium! There is no saved data for your profile. Would you like to make a new character? Selecting ‘no’ will lead to true death. Yes /No

  Easy answer. Joey selected ‘yes’.

  Great! This will be the only time you will ever be able to create a character as your status is about to legally become [Dead]. Ouch, sorry about that! Would you like to choose an available starting class or undergo tests to see what the right choice is for you? These tests may unlock different or even unique classes based on your ability, but be warned! Taking the tests and showing low aptitudes may reduce the amount of available classes! You can exit these tests at any time! Start Game / Take Tests

  Well, if he was going to be here for a long time, he didn’t want to be a boring archetype. Thank goodness he had studied video game theory for the last few weeks. Joey reached out and pressed… wait! He looked at his hand, moving on its own, under his own power! He jumped and smiled. His body was working again! He reached out and selected the ‘take tests’ option.