Chapter 3 - "Busy Morning"
I don't know, how much time has passed since the lizard-men arrived. It felt like minutes, but it was probably just a few moments. The tension rises, as all of them fell silent, like they're awaiting some kind of answer.
[Just what do you want from me?!]
Maybe I could chase them away ... [Should I throw a few of their own spears at them?] I look over to the barrel containing all the weapons. No, they haven't done anything clearly offensive or hostile yet. If anything, they seem to actively try to avoid that.
But what I am more curious about is, they seem to know that "something" is here, even if they obviously can't see me. Maybe they know about the dungeon core, because they seem to specifically focus their attention on that shiny, floating orb. [But still, what is their intention?] Are they here to just say "hello" to their new neighbor? Do they want to make sure I'm not hostile? Or are they here for my protection? I don't think that they came here to get their weapons back, they could have taken them right after the battle if they valued them.
I let my suspicious gaze wander over the respectfully bowing crowd.
[They sure don't look hostile ...] Still, even if they are friendly, these guys look rather ... "wild" ... I'm not sure I want them around. [Well, right now, I don't have much of a choice.] I have no clue about "if", or "how" I should react to their current behavior. So I decide not to react at all. For now, I'll just watch them, and see what they do. Their intentions may become clearer after some time.
A few long minutes pass in silence, until the guy in front speaks again:
Lizard Man: "Shornag kes schar, arig nas-shagar ... "
[Yea, whatever you say, buddy ...] What could that "Shornag"-thing be? He keeps repeating that. Maybe it's a greeting, or simply his name ... [It could be anything, really.]
Lizard Man: "... gorgot Shornag!"
That last part seems to be important, as all of the others around repeated it in a chorus. Suddenly, this whole situation gave off a religious atmosphere. [You guys are startin' to creep me out here!]
I'm honestly relieved when the Lizard turns to the crowd and with a gesture of his hand the whole bunch of them begins to leave. He stays here for a few more moments, just watching the shining yellow light that is emitted by the dungeon core and fills the whole room. It gives off an even more mysterious aura as the night comes closer. He follows his people soon after, but not before giving a few orders to some of the stronger looking members of the group. Among them is the big guy that led the attack against the soldiers.
With all this chaos and tension, I don’t have the mental power left to stay on guard all night. I begin to realize just how tired I am. [Is it normal for ghosts to be tired?] Well, it doesn't matter now, because I really begin to feel the mental fatigue dawn on me. It's to the point that I can't think straight anymore.
I drag the chests a bit closer together in a corner of the room and move behind them to feel at least a little bit comfortable, and slowly give in to the soft embrace of sleepiness.
[ ... ... ?] I am awake again ...
The sun is shining outside. [How long have I been out?] I look around and notice that I'm still behind the chests. [Ah, the place wasn't torn down while I was sleeping.] I smile internally at my own joke. On second thought, I should probably not joke about that ...
I rise from behind the chests and am instantly confronted with a shocking scene: In front of the entrance, a huge boulder is dangling on a thick chain from the ceiling. Beneath it, there is blood spilled across the floor. Since it's also on the pressure plate, it must have gotten there after yesterday's battle. Meaning - the trap was triggered and got someone while I was asleep. [Come on, give me a break!] My eyes instantly glance at the dungeon heart, but it's still there, shining brightly. It also doesn't seem like the second Trap has been triggered, because I don't see any arrows lying around.
I check the rest of the room. Everything else seems to be in perfect order. That's definitely too much excitement for right after waking up. [Just what could have happened while I was happily dreaming?] And why didn't I wake up from it? [Wait a moment ... dreaming ...] I remember, having a dream. It's quite blurry, but still, I remember trying to get somewhere. [Ah, ghosts can have dreams huh?] Well, it doesn't matter now. Instead, I should try and figure out what happened while I was asleep.
I hover to the entrance to inspect the damage. There is no equipment lying around here, so I doubt that my trap killed a person. Maybe it was some kind of animal. [No, probably not ...] Since the trip-wire is still in place, the culprit must have been smart enough to step over it. [Maybe there is a hint outside ...]
As I open and inspect the Map, I'm surprised by what I see. It doesn't take long for me to notice what's new. Instead of one Lizard-Man, I can now see 5 of them around. 2 are armed and stay on watch, while the other tree seem to be building something in a corner of the outer wall. [What the hell are these guys up to?] One of them is the one with the bone-hat from yesterday. The other two seem to be female. They stand more upright than the others and their bodies are more slender. Aside from that, I see no difference. It's hard for me to tell them apart.
They are building something, that looks like a mixture of a hut and a tent. It's made out of thick branches, different animal skins, sticks and big leafs. [Are you telling me you are moving in? How about asking for permission first?] Honestly, these guys are starting to annoy me. I wish I knew what they are up to ... [Maybe my trap killed one of them and now they are planning their revenge ... ] I guess there is no way to find out right now.
[So, what should I do now?] Just leave them be and see what happens next? No, nothing good will come out of just sitting around, doing nothing! I need to get a better grip on my situation, there are way too many questions swirling around my head. Now that I took a rest, let’s try to sort out the events with a clear mind and see what I know so far...
[So, the first thing that I remember is ... I woke up, like I did a moment ago. I had no idea about my identity or where I was. That's when I saw that mysterious sphere.] I look over to the so-called "Dungeon Heart" ... [No wait, there was something interesting before that.] There was this screen that showed me some information. Back then, I was too confused to give it any real thought. [What was it again?]
With that, the window opens in front of me yet again:
){}---------------------------------{}(
General Dungeon Information:
Dungeon name - ?????
Dungeon theme - Ruins (Special)
Dungeon rank - Z-
Number of floors - 1
Number of rooms - 1
Number of Traps - 2
Remaining DP - 3576
){}---------------------------------{}(
[Yes, that's the one! Let's see what useful info I can get out of this ...] I go through the individual entries one-by-one, starting with the heading:
[ ... It says "General" Dungeon information.] Which means, that there also must be detailed information somewhere. Probably in other sections like the "Item Info Screen" I saw before, but I will get to that later.
Next there is the dungeon name. [Why are there question-marks?] Does that mean that the name of the dungeon is unknown, or does it simply not have one? If it's the second possibility, then I guess the master of this dungeon must be quite a lazy-ass, if he doesn't even care to give his dungeon a proper name!
[Dungeon Rank ...] So there are ranks for dungeons. "Z-" sounds pretty low, though. Like - there is nothing that could be below that. How is the rank of a dungeon determined anyway? By its size, or maybe by its danger-level? [Gosh, I'm trying to find answers, but I just end up with more questions!]
Slightly frustrated, but unwilling to give up, I go further through the list. [Number of floors and number of rooms ... Well, it's a one-room dungeon ...] As pitiful as it sounds, there is nothing more to say about that.
Then there is the number of traps. [Ah, that was my doing!] And I feel a bit proud about it. Also, it counts my two traps despite the fact that one of them was already triggered. So I guess it can be reused at least a few times. [Let's see if I can rearm it after I'm done with this.]
The last thing on the list is the DP amount. It decreased a good bit from the last time I saw it. Well, after my recent investments, it is not a surprise. (I still hope no one will get mad about that.) [I wonder how that balance can be increased? ...] Maybe the Dungeon Lord - whoever he is - will make a donation from time to time? [Let's hope that he also adds a few more rooms, while he is at it. Otherwise I'll soon start to get claustrophobic in here...]
[So, that was that ...] Not much useful information, but it's still something. [Now regarding the matter of my trap ...]
Since most of the options seem to appear intuitively when I request them, let's try it with this one. I feel a bit excited, since this will be the first time for me to intentionally request new information. I fix my eyes, concentrate on the boulder trap and try to focus. [... I want to rearm this trap! So, how do I do that?]
My question is answered with a screen I haven't seen before. [It worked!] It feels like I achieved something. [Now, what do we have here? ...]
){}---------------------------------{}(
Item Information:
Boulder Trap
Type: Construct (Trap)
Costs: 100 DP
)-----------------------(
Options:
Deconstruct: +50 DP
Arm: 10 DP
Disarm: ---
Relocate: 5 DP
Repair: (not damaged)
Upgrade: (not available)
){}---------------------------------{}(
[Wow, there is a bunch of things, I can do with it!] Including disarming a loaded trap, or move it to another location. What annoys me is that I need to pay for it! [I have to pay for every little thing.] But I can also deconstruct it to recover half of its price, if I ever happen to be in need of money. [... Or DP - whatever that is.]
What intrigues me more is the "Upgrade" entry. [Why is it unavailable?] Do I lack money? Or am I not authorized to do that? Do I need to meet some conditions, like kill five people with it? I don't know, so I'll leave it for now.
As I choose the "Arm" option, the big circular stone just gets pulled up by the chain to the ceiling to its original location, and the trapdoor that covered it closes. [Really, if I didn't know it's there, I wouldn't be able to see it.] The loud rustling of the heavy chain echoes through the empty room. [Now, that's been taken care off! What next?]
Just then, I notice one of the Lizard people not far away, a female I think, looking at the entrance. There is no doubt that she just saw what happened. [Crap, I haven't thought about that. Now they probably will annoy me again...]
Female Lizard: "Eszech-garscha, omba Shornag!"
She calls out to the others, cautiously, as if she doesn't want to disturb anyone. ["Shornag", to yourself!] Her voice is softer than the ones I’ve heard until now, and her whole appearance looks more feminine. [It's decided, she is a girl!] At this point, it doesn't matter anyway.
She makes a few shy steps in my direction, like she doesn't want to wake anyone, and stops there, as if she is waiting for an invitation. Behind her the bone-head and the other female appear from behind a corner of the tower. They stand there for a while, as if they are waiting for something to happen. [There we are again, staring at each other, like idiots!] After some time the bone-head hastily said a view sentences that sounded like orders, and the second female ran off to somewhere in a hurry. [Now what?] On the map, I follow her movements into the woods. The other two stopped what they were doing and are now just sitting there and waiting.
While there is nothing happening out there right now, I take the chance to inspect the other traps that I placed with my newly-discovered ability. Basically, the arrow-traps offer the same options as the boulder-trap and the activators are missing just one option; they don't need to be rearmed. But they also have an additional one - they can be deactivated. I also checked the containers I made, but the only thing I can do with them at this moment is selling them. I tried checking on equipment and other stuff that was brought in from outside, but it didn't work. [My controls seems to be limited to only things that I created myself.]
While I am looking around the room to see what else I can check out, I stumble upon something unexpected. [I guess I'm not as alone in here, as I thought!] In a corner of the room right beneath the ceiling there is a big, dark, furry spider lurking. And by "big" I mean over half a meter in diameter, more if it stretches its legs to full length. It crawled into the corner as far as it could and is now just sitting there motionlessly and easy to be overlooked. [Should I be concerned about this?] While it is somehow creepy, it doesn't seem to do anything. The rearming of the trap was quite loud, maybe it’s scared. [Well, what could it do to a ghost? We could at most play "who scares the other first".]
I'm quite sure that I looked around the room very carefully yesterday and I'm certain I’d have noticed if that ... "thing" was there. But maybe it was just out for a walk at the time. [So, what do you say dude, who is who's guest now?] I watch it for a while, and as I'm wondering if it's sleeping with open eyes right now, I am distracted by a rather panicked squeaking from outside.
As I look through the entrance, I see that the women from before returned, and with her two other Lizard-Men. They are armed and carry something that I would describe as a round cage, hanging from a long stick, that rests on their shoulders. In the cage, there is a small orange monkey. Its bright fur almost makes it look like the creature is burning, especially during its fast movements as it rampages inside the cage.
[Man, what are these guys up to now?]
As they gather around the entrance and place down the cage, Bonehead - [I'll just call him that.] - steps forward and raises his voice, like he is making an important announcement:
Bonehead: "Esmár Shornag! Or-nog arsá, er-shi-gra ..."
With this he pulls a small sachet out of one of his belt-pouches, opens it, takes a pinch of its dust-like content and spreads it over the monkey. The angry creature obviously doesn't like that, as it instantly starts screaming furiously.
With a gesture to the two guys who brought it, Bonehead steps aside. Then, the two lift the cage and carry it to the entrance. [Wait, what are they ... ] As they stop at the entrance, carefully trying not to touch the trip-wire, they hover the cage inside, right over the pressure-plate.
[Don't tell me ... They want to "sacrifice" it to the dungeon?!]
While I am looking around the room to see what else I can check out, I stumble upon something unexpected. [I guess I'm not as alone in here, as I thought!] In a corner of the room right beneath the ceiling there is a big, dark, furry spider lurking. And by "big" I mean over half a meter in diameter, more if it stretches its legs to full length. It crawled into the corner as far as it could and is now just sitting there motionlessly and easy to be overlooked. [Should I be concerned about this?] While it is somehow creepy, it doesn't seem to do anything. The rearming of the trap was quite loud, maybe it’s scared. [Well, what could it do to a ghost? We could at most play "who scares the other first".]I'm quite sure that I looked around the room very carefully yesterday and I'm certain I’d have noticed if that ... "thing" was there. But maybe it was just out for a walk at the time. [So, what do you say dude, who is who's guest now?] I watch it for a while, and as I'm wondering if it's sleeping with open eyes right now, I am distracted by a rather panicked squeaking from outside.
As I look through the entrance, I see that the women from before returned, and with her two other Lizard-Men. They are armed and carry something that I would describe as a round cage, hanging from a long stick, that rests on their shoulders. In the cage, there is a small orange monkey. Its bright fur almost makes it look like the creature is burning, especially during its fast movements as it rampages inside the cage.[Man, what are these guys up to now?]
As they gather around the entrance and place down the cage, Bonehead - [I'll just call him that.] - steps forward and raises his voice, like he is making an important announcement:
Bonehead: "Esmár Shornag! Or-nog arsá, er-shi-gra ..."
With this he pulls a small sachet out of one of his belt-pouches, opens it, takes a pinch of its dust-like content and spreads it over the monkey. The angry creature obviously doesn't like that, as it instantly starts screaming furiously.
With a gesture to the two guys who brought it, Bonehead steps aside. Then, the two lift the cage and carry it to the entrance. [Wait, what are they ... ] As they stop at the entrance, carefully trying not to touch the trip-wire, they hover the cage inside, right over the pressure-plate.
[Don't tell me ... They want to "sacrifice" it to the dungeon?!]
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