Chapter 36: Chapter 35. Planting the Seed

Chapter 35. Planting the Seed

I grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her backwards, dragging her away from the group. Not in time. The dark blue potion landed first, spilling… water? I had a new debuff.

You were Soaked. 6 seconds.

Uh oh. The yellow potion landed, and a sizzle shot up my body. I convulsed, electricity zipping up and down my frame. I must have looked like a cartoon character who had stuck a fork in a light socket. It hurt… so… much.

You were Shocked.

You were Stunned. 2 seconds.

Cassandra shook and sizzled next to me, little tendrils of electricity jumping all over her.

My health plummeted to 44%.

“Both non-elites are down,” Janica called out. “But don’t throw another potion. Cassandra and Warren are stuck in the AOE.”

“Sorry,” Henry called out.

The elite continued to pound on Ilrune and Rowan, who were both in single digit health. They took turns blocking attacks with their shields and stabbing with their spears.

Aimon pulled back his bow, holding it. His body began to tremble, then to shake. But he held the pose.

Cassandra tried to dive in, but I stopped her.

“Just wait,” I said. “They can’t overlap their silences anymore.”

She stood next to me, barely able to restrain herself.

“Phalanx!” Rowan called out. “As soon as the Silence wears off.”

Ilurune lined up next to her, shield up.

“One second on Silence,” Janica called out. “Get ready.”

Their bodies locked into place, shields raised. And a barrier seemed to pop up in front of them and trailing behind.

In the same instant, I activated Tempo and Cassandra lunged at the back of the elite.

The Headmaster wailed again, reigniting the silence on our melee. But an instant too late.

Cassandra’s daggers impaled the elite. Aimon released his arrow, the twang of the bow louder than I had ever heard it. My haste made everyone's skills operate at 110% speed.

Aimon’s arrow careened into The Headmaster, knocking it backwards into the air.

The elite’s health dropped instantly from 35% to 0. It dropped to the floor.

You killed The Headmaster

You killed Banshee x4

You earned 184 experience points.

You earned 35 Job Points for the Instructor Job.

You leveled up as an Instructor. +4 to Constitution, +2 to Dexterity, +4 to Intelligence, +0 to Strength, +4 to Perception.

The game bathed me in light and warmth, and my group cheered.

“That was way too close,” Rowan said.

Aimon hugged Ilrune, a sign that death for an NPC might have severe consequences.

I pulled Janica to the side. “What happens when an NPC dies?” I whispered.

“We stay dead,” she whispered back. Her face was a stone.

Aimon and Ilrune were risking their lives with us. Meeting back up with his parents must have meant everything to Aimon to take that kind of a risk. I could understand that.

“Look at this loot,” Cassandra said.

“Just take it for now,” Henry said. “We can distribute it when we get back to the house. We need to plant this dungeon seed before anything stops us. We’re down to moments.”

Henry walked into the headmaster's space. Each of us followed.

Windows covered both sides of the corner office, overlooking the mountains to the west and forest to the north. What a space to work every day. A large desk sat to one side with a comfy chair. A pedestal stood by itself, near the corner. A book on top. A thick, leather-bound old tome, splayed open.

Henry found it first, sliding his fingers down the edge of a page. “This is it,” he whispered. “I’ll link it.”

Book of Names

‎Item Class: Relic

‎Item Quality: Epic

The Book of Names keeps a magical record of every student and faculty member at Edreru University, updating itself with relevant facts, research completed, skills, and current location of each person wh o has ever worked for or attended the university.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“It has the location of every person?” Aimon asked. “Like in real time? So it could tell me where my parents are?”

“Give me the names,” said Henry.

Aimon stepped up to the book and they began searching through the book together. A moment later, Aimon sighed with relief. “Basement 1,” he said. “They’re both right below the surface.”

“It’s time,” Henry said. “Everyone give me the quest items we’ve talked about.”

Cassandra and Rowan stepped up and handed Henry items.

I didn’t have anything.

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s go through the list. Dungeon Seed, obviously. A guardian, plus five they need. That’s the Witch’s Cauldron. Flora, Fauna, Ore for greed. We’ve got Glow Vine Tubers, Dark Iron Ore and… we never decided. Should we use Ectoplasm?”

“Sure,” I said. “That would make sense here. The dungeon would have a bunch of ghosts.”

“Can we use extra things?” Rowan asked. “We’ve got Harpy Feathers, items from the beasts we found in the area, and drops from the river monsters we fought.”

“Not sure,” Henry said. “Should I try?”

“Yeah try to use them all,” Cassandra said. “But Ectoplasms first. That makes the most sense.”

“Okay,” Henry said. “ One to give them roots and lore … that’s the book.” It disappeared from the pedestal into his inventory. “ Two to build their magic cores … that’s the Elemental core and the Enigmatic Core.”

His eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement.

My own heart pounded. For better or worse, I was about to witness perhaps the craziest thing I’d ever seen. In real life or in a game. The founding of a new dungeon. Would it shake the world? How would this moment ripple across the world?

Henry continued to recite from the poem. “ If seven days have not yet passed, and gathered all of what is asked, then when you plant these magic spores, Down will grow four dungeon cores. ” His eyes danced back and forth across his interface. “There’s an option in my inventory to add items to Dungeon Seed. I’m adding them… and it’s allowing me to add extras.” He looked up at us. “Here it goes.”

I had taken a risk in going on this quest. Had put in jeopardy my ability to keep playing this game. If we failed, there was a good chance Sofia and I would lose the pod. Over the past few days, we’d made a little bit of money, and it looked like we’d barely make rent. But with the money I’d get from this quest, it would buy us both time. Time to get the next month’s rent, but also time to breathe. Twenty-thousand Silver was the equivalent of $20,000. Split four ways, it was still enough to change our lives. But if we failed this quest. If we had died along the way. Everyone’s best Job would have reset back to one. And if Ilrune or Aimon had died, it would have been permanent. The group would have probably disbanded, and I’d be left alone. That’s what people did when things weren’t going well. I’d played enough games to know. People left when things got tough. My parents had left for Chicago to find work when their company went under. They had left us to find work. Said they would come back to get us. Just a few days, they had said. A couple weeks at most.

I had taken a risk against my better judgment. Not because I wanted to. Because the game had pushed me into it, had taken away every other option. But once we completed this quest, I would have options. I could take the path that would keep me away from the factory, maybe for good.

A prompt appeared.

Henry initiated the Dungeon Seed transformation. Would you like to join him in planting the Dungeon Seed here in Edreru University? Yes/No

I chose “Yes.”

Everyone stepped back, making a circle around Henry.

The Dungeon Seed floated out of Henry’s inventory to hover above him. It looked like a walnut the size of a human head. Smooth, brown crevices encircled its shell. It emanated light between its folds.

Henry began adding other items to the walnut. He lifted a piece of Dark Iron Ore, then an Ectoplasm, then the Witch’s Cauldron. With each item that he raised to the seed, it enveloped it and changed in appearance. Glow Vine seedlings wrapped around it, threading up like a fast forward clip of a plant growing. Dark Iron Ore popped out in little patches. A ghostly aura misted out. A witch’s cackle sounded, startling me, giving me goosebumps.

When Henry added the cores, the light from within the seed grew exponentially brighter.

Henry added the book, last, and the seed transformed completely into a three dimensional hologram. We were looking at the blueprints of the dungeon, floating between us in midair.

The University sat on top. From there, the dungeon dove straight downward, little floors stacking below the next in a sort of reverse-Jenga. There must have been twenty floors below the University building. Maybe thirty.

Design complete. Would you like to add any additional ingredients? Yes/No

“Don’t accept yet,” Henry instructed. He began adding things to the dungeon. A bear fang. A witch’s feather. Each floated up until the hologram absorbed the item, flashing with each addition. “Okay,” he said. “I think that’s it.” Then he stepped up to the holographic dungeon, and tapped it, lightly, with a finger.

Congratulations, you completed a legendary quest.

‎ You received 1000 Experience Points.

‎ You received 2,000 Silver.

‎ You received a Legendary Weapon Hilt.

A witch’s laughter sounded from the image. Its high pitched voice stopped laughing and spoke. “Together we can change the world.”

A bony hand reached out from the image curled its fingers around Henry’s neck.

I froze, unable to react. Unable to process.

It pulled Henry into the dungeon, his body turning to a liquid state, and circling into the holographic image. Like water being sucked into a drain.

I gasped.

Rowan reached for him. Too late.

Cassandra screamed.

The holographic image pulsed three times, then a prompt appeared.

This zone of Integration Online is about to incur major changes. A portal has spawned that will remove you from the zone. You have ten seconds to take the portal. Any being still in the area will be vanquished. 10… 9… 8…

“What are we gonna do?” Rowan asked. “We can’t leave without Henry.”

“He’s gone,” Ilrune said. “Swallowed.”

“We’re gonna have to find him later,” Cassandra said.

Ilrune stepped through first, with Aimon right behind him. The portal was tall enough to walk through. A swirling disc with the image of the Lakemore docks within.

Rowan looked back and forth between the image of the dungeon and me.

“Come on,” I said. “We have to go.”

Cassandra grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her through the portal.

I followed.

World Alert: Henry, Rowan, Cassandra, and Warren planted the world’s first Dungeon Seed. In twenty-four hours, Edreru University will be accessible to any Adventurers willing to brave its hidden libraries. Protected by ghostly apparitions and an evil witch, the dungeon holds great items of great power and knowledge within. Are you strong enough to recover its relics?