TELEPHONE INTERCEPT 8839222-1

- Hello?

- Uh, hi. This is Mike Sasich from QuasiTech Industrial, I am trying to get in touch with Casul Gorgio.

- That’s me. What is this about?

- So, I was reading up on a paper you wrote at MIT in 1996. It was the one regarding Deep Learning and Emotional Networking? And I was wondering if we might organize a time to discuss it.

- Uh, I don’t know, I am very busy with my course load right now-

- Look, I’ll sweeten it for you, we were actually considering making you a job offer for a consultant part time role in our company.

- Just off my paper?

- Yes, but I thought we might have a chat first.

- Alright, where were you thinking we might meet?

- Well I was thinki-

Chapter 6

Choice

Canfermirax

Canfermirax gazed down at the human female. She lay surrounded by the corpses of several wolves, all of which had died hard. Gore and blood stained the snow. He sniffed at them and smelled the taint of the blight. As I thought, it has spread already. He thought to himself, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Looking back at the female he saw a puff of steam and the soft rise and fall of her shallow breathing, she had multiple injuries and he could smell her death approaching. He snorted in annoyance, this human looked weak, she would likely be of no help to him in dealing with the dungeon.

Stalking over to the cabin, tail twitching agitatedly, he looked inside, and just stared. Filling the room was a mound of corpses, all from Sizzarh’s pack, mutated and infested, all dead. He glanced back at the dying human in surprise. I suppose she may be of some use to me after all. I need to move quickly.

The human moaned softly as he clutched her in his talons, with a powerful beat of his wings, he was gone. Heading for his lair high in the mountains above the valley. As much as Canfermirax normally hated exerting himself, he gritted his teeth and powered his way across the valley.

Moments later he was stalking through the cavern, Canfermirax muttered to himself as he clattered about, sifting through his collection of trinkets. “Where did I put that cursed thing? AH! There it is!” A glowing red potion of [Lesser Healing] Its dull ruby glow contrasting with the blue light of the cave. “Hmm this will do the trick, I think,” he looked at the human and then at the potion again. “No I guess not, you can’t swallow like that,” he threw the potion over his shoulder.

Returning to examine the human, Canfermirax saw that she did not look good, her skin was pale and clammy, and her breath came in shallow gasps. “However… yes, why not, it may work.”

Reaching out a claw, he focused his will and gathered his mana. Crackling lines of energy, like magnetic force lines, slowly expanded out from his claw. “[Greater Restoration]” He growled, triggering the spell. A large chunk of his mana pool vanished in an instant, flowing along the force lines and into the human.

Canfermirax watched the human for a moment as her breathing eased and a healthy pink began to show on her skin. “Heal human, we have work ahead of us,” he growled softly to her.

Ria

She could hear and see nothing. There was no blackness, just an absence of things, no substance, a strange non-color which made her eyes slide around with no sensation of depth or focus. She blinked and looked down at her hand, she could focus on it, she could see the wrinkles of her skin and the whorls of her fingerprints. Just beyond lay a depthless void. She felt sick, it was wrong, she felt claustrophobic like something was encasing her on all sides.

Suddenly, a shape began to form in the nothingness. A strange mess of polygonal planes began to unfold like a crazy origami flower. As it unfolded, it expanded and as it did this, a kaleidoscope of patterns burst forth, full of color and vibrantly beautiful. She watched as it expanded to fill her view. Its polygonal shapes showed refractory images, mountains, cities, oceans, forests. Everything she could imagine was contained within the shifting shapes.

The shape expanded further, with ever-increasing speed. She realized it was getting nearer and her eyes bugged out and she started flailing, trying to stop her fall. A yawning polygon showing a frozen snowy landscape opened beneath her.

Ria sat up, blinking in confusion. Her heart still hammering, cold sweat ran down her face as she panted. What the fuck was that!?, a memory? Her mind reeled, that must have been from just before I appeared in the snow.

She realized then that she was no longer in the snow outside her cabin, she was in fact in a huge ice cave. Its walls were smooth and pale blue. Arches and pillars of ice held up the cave roof, which also seemed to be the source of a soft sky blue glow which made the cave appear more like an ice forest than a deep dark cave.

“Ahh, you are awake,” a deep rumbling voice spoke from behind her, it reverberated strangely and seemed to echo into the distance.

She whipped around and stared in awe. Gleaming finger-length teeth, reptilian scales, and glittering golden eyes. Instinctively, Ria backed up, squeaked involuntarily, and fell over, finding that she was now sitting in a mound of dry straw.

Ria, stared open-mouthed at the dragon. It stood, white scales twinkling wetly in the cold light of the ice cave. It was long and sinuous, with a wide thorax and a narrow belly. Its bat-like wings were attached above its shoulders, the wing membrane running back to just above its rear legs. Its arms and legs were muscular and ended in long hooked talons, like a bird of prey. Crystalline horns started just above each eye and were swept backward along its skull.

Reptilian eyes gleaming with a strange inner golden light blinked at her. The creature tilted it’s head to the side like a dog, looking at her in curiosity.

“Are you ok human? I was not sure if perhaps my spell was incompatible with your biology,” the dragon said. Its teeth and mouth shaping the words awkwardly, yet somehow cultured, like an upper-class English gentleman.

“Uh… d-d-dragon..?” Ria stammered out disjointedly. She felt a strange tingling of goosebumps running up her spine as her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. She was frozen in terror she realised, she couldn’t move not even a finger would twitch. The massive predator loomed over her, she knew instinctively that it could kill her in an instant.

“Oh, great, you’re an idiot.” The dragon raised a paw to its face and in a very human gesture, rubbed its eyes. “I knew this was a stupid idea…” He began grumbling to himself. Suddenly sounding very human, even dropping the cultured accent.

Wait, did I just get facepalmed… by a dragon?! Her brain scrambled for something, anything she could say to the huge reptile, “I-I’m not an idiot,” great job Ria,*clap, clap.*

“Hmmm…” The dragon raised an eyebrow as if doubting her.

“I-I’ve just never s-seen a dragon before… and, you healed me?” Ria said nervously, eyeing it’s huge talons as they clicked on the icy floor of the cavern.

“Ahh, understandable I suppose,” the dragon scratched at a chin scale absently. “So, you are well? There are no side effects? Correct number of limbs and all that?” It asked. Turning its head and looking at her more closely.

She tore her eyes away from the claws and looked down at her blood-stained furs, there were slashes and holes in it, but beneath there were no wounds and no pain. Her old scars remained but nothing remained from the recent fight.

“I seem to be healed completely… uh… dragon, Sir.” Replied Ria nervously.

“Good, good. To business then,” the dragon locked its strange golden eyes with hers.

Ria felt a sudden tingle, like a buzz of electricity suddenly running up her spine. She felt herself relaxing as she lost herself in those golden eyes. She had nothing to fear from this dragon. Ria found her thoughts coming slower, a strange fog drifting across them making it harder to think clearly.

The dragon began to speak, his words rumbling through the cave. “My name is Canfermirax, White dragon of the line of Mirax. Defender of Celestia and slayer of Granfar the ice giant. Welcome to my lair,” he gestured magnanimously at their surroundings. “It is not much but it is home.” he looked down at her expectantly.

After an awkward pause, Ria responded, “Oh, um yeah, hi I’m Ria. I’m new to the valley. Thank you for healing me Canfermirax, uh, and your lair looks amazing, well, what I have seen so far anyway.” She winced, feeling slow and out of her depth speaking with such a magnificent creature.

The dragon didn’t seem to notice her expression and looked pleased at the compliments. He sat back on His haunches, shifting to a more comfortable position. “So Ria, I am sorry to say, I did not heal you and bring you here for entirely altruistic purposes. I actually need your help.”

“Uh… You?… Need my help?” she asked raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

Canfermirax looked troubled, his eyebrows crinkled and tightened as he locked gazes with Ria, she felt the same strange calming sensation run over her as he spoke. “This valley is my territory, and I must protect both the valley and it’s natural balance as a part of my territorial contract with the land. There is a danger to that balance within the valley.”

He gestured towards the wall of the cave with a clawed finger. “You have already seen the wolves, the mutations and aggression?” He asked.

She nodded dumbly, almost finding herself in a trance from the creatures rumbling voice.

Canfermirax stood and began pacing agitatedly as he continued. “The blight affecting the wolves is caused by a dungeon which has recently formed in this valley. Obviously I will need your help to deal with the dungeon or I must wait, allowing the dungeon to grow in power until it attracts the attention of the human lands,” He looked at Ria, sending more tingles down her spine. “I cannot wait that long, by the time its existence is known to others, the valley would be destroyed by the presence of the dungeon.”

“Uh, what’s a dungeon?” Ria asked, mystified, she had heard of dungeons and dragons of course. She thought a dungeon might be like some kind of underground maze full of traps and monsters.

Canfermirax looked at her incredulously, his jaw dropped open a little. “You know not of dungeons?”

“No, well, I do- I mean. I know of them but uh. I don’t know if the ones I know of are the same as your one,” Ria stumbled over herself, trying to explain but keep her origins secret. Somehow she had a feeling that letting people know she was from another world might be a bad idea.

He looked at her suspiciously. “Hmmm… Dungeons are magical constructs. Temples, caves, castles, a dungeon can come in many forms. Dungeons consume the life force, mana, and items left in them by creatures and people who enter and die inside. They use this to evolve and grow.”

“Uh, I guess they are… kind of similar then. D-do adventurers uh, go in and explore them?” she asked timidly.

“Yes, there are many dungeons frequented by adventurers, they often seek the treasure created by dungeons to attract new victims.” Replied the dragon.

“Oh, uh… I’m not really- uh, what I mean is I’m not, like, an adventurer or anything. I’m just… me?” She said, her brow crinkling with worry. “Why do you need me? I can’t do anything.” She said softly.

“You killed the entire wolf pack single-handedly with only a pointed stick. I think you underestimate yourself.”

“But I..” She remembered stabbing the creatures from ambush, the fight on the ice, her desperate brawl in the snow. She had killed them, she had cut, stabbed and fought tooth and nail to survive. She looked down at her worn hands, remembering how they used to look. Her hands were now callused, scarred and her nails were short and dirty. She noticed a blinking icon on her wrist in the process.

“Ria, I will not force you to help me. It is entirely your choice, but this danger is one which affects the whole valley. That means you and your cabin,” he moved close, his whole head taking up much of her vision. The seriousness of what he was saying clear in his eyes. “The wolves are nothing, there are many creatures in the valley. Once infected, they will become far more dangerous than those wolves, that cabin will not protect you for long. I need your help Ria,” his eyes were close, golden sparks of power flashed within them, but this time, the strange tingling and calmness was absent.

“I need to think about it… just b-back off ok?” Ria stuttered nervously, backing up a little. Her mind suddenly beginning to clear.

The dragon's eyes visibly widened at her reaction and he snorted a blast of frosty air from his nostrils. “Very well. Come and find me when you have decided,” Canfermirax whirled quickly, almost angrily. He slunk off amongst the ice pillars into another part of the cavern.

Ria watched him leave and shivered as she felt the odd mental pressure leave her. It felt like she could finally breathe properly, her mind was no longer strangely clouded.

She wasn’t sure whether to be afraid of the dragon or not. Sure it had healed her and brought her to a safe location. It even spoke to her and asked if she was ok. The problem was that strange sensation, the sense of power pressing down on her. It felt like the dragon just wanted to use her like some kind of tool, something to fix a problem and then discard.

Either way, Ria needed to be on her toes with this Canfermirax creature. She looked down at her wrist and accessed her status screen. A blinking icon showed that she had gained a level. Hopefully, she would get a useful skill to help her deal with the dragon.

STATS

CLASS

SKILLS

FEATS

PLAYER LOG

Kill: Infested_Wolf

Kill: Infested_Wolf

Kill: Infested_Wolf

Kill: Infested_Wolf

Kill: Infested_Wolf

Kill: Infested_Wolf

Kill: Infested_Wolf

Level Gained!

Health Fully Restored

Resisted: Draconic_Influence

Resisted: Draconic_Influence

Examining the player log, Ria scrolled through it and saw entries that looked like the dragon had been influencing her or at least trying to. Is it a passive skill or did the dragon cast magic on me? Ria did a quick check of her vitals screen.

Health Pool

Stamina Pool

Effects

Description

159.2/159.2

159.2/159.2

Draconic_Influence

You have been calmed by Draconic Influence – Fear Reduction (2):

Duration 121 sec

Health Effects

Stamina Effects

It calmed me? No wonder I wasn’t freaking out. Ria narrowed her eyes and looked off in the direction the dragon had gone. Is that why he stormed off? The failed influence attempt? She furrowed her brow in thought.

It looked like she had gained around 10 points in all of her vitals when she gained the level, which put her at 159 in Stamina and Health while Mana was sitting at 120, up from 110. She had also gained another 5 stat points, she immediately added these to Strength, Agility, and Endurance.

She examined her stats again and noted that each point seemed to be giving her around 0.5% bonus, whatever that was, to the stats. She had also gained a few more HP and Mana from upping her stat points.

STATS

POINTS

BONUS

STRENGTH

4

+2%

INTELLIGENCE

1

+0.5%

AGILITY

5

+2.5%

ENDURANCE

7

+3.5%

FOCUS

0

+0%

VITALS

BASE

CURRENT

HEALTH

167.1

167.1/159.2

MANA

120

120/120

STAMINA

167.1

167.1/159.2

She then went on to check her skills and feats. Finding no change, she was a little disappointed. She had hoped she might gain some cool skills with each level, but so far, there had been no such luck.

She sat on the hay pile and considered her options. The dragon wanted her help to destroy a dungeon, whatever the hell that was. She had no weapons and there was really no way she could defeat a dragon if it decided to kill her even if she had weapons. She sighed in frustration. This is a bullshit situation!

In annoyance, she stood up and began to pace. She knew nothing about this world, she had just faced ravenous creatures which had basically already killed her, if not for that dragon's spell… There was no way she could fight a dungeon full of monsters like that.

On top of all the other shitty things, she had to deal with a dragon which could apparently influence her behavior and possibly even her thoughts.

Looking down at her scarred and worn hands again, she stared at them and stopped pacing. This world was a new chance, sure, the dragon was trying to use her, but she had resisted its influence. I think I may be immune to its influence based on its reaction at the end there and how it left in a huff. It needs my help, which means I have something the dragon wants, and that means I have leverage. She looked hesitantly in the direction Canfermirax had gone.

Canfermirax

Canfermirax was worried, the human had been pacing about and muttering to herself angrily for a while now. He wondered if she might be mad, after all, it was the mad humans who came out to live alone in the middle of nowhere, or so he had heard anyway.

His initial attempts to calm her had thankfully been successful, but she was tough, she had begun resisting his attempts to influence her thoughts. She was unlike most of the lesser creatures he had met, goblins, orcs, and even trolls were relatively easy to dominate, but this human, she was not minion material. He had met many humans and celestials in the past, centuries ago during the demonic incursion. Back then, there had been little time to socialise.

He snorted and rolled about in his pile of gems. She was really his only hope at getting rid of the cursed dungeon, he just had no idea how to convince her to help. Maybe I should just hibernate until the human cities deal with it for me, that would be much easier.

Soft footsteps caught his attention and he turned to see the human step from behind an ice pillar, her mouth agape in amazement.

Canfermirax lay on an enormous pile of gemstones, his hoard filled the center of the cavern. The gems tinkled and clicked as shifted on his pile, showing it off to the human. It was rare that he got a chance to show off his treasures to another intelligent creature who could appreciate it. The look on her face was priceless.

Ria

Ria stared in awe at the pile of gemstones, there were a few coins and other trinkets scattered about the piles' edges. The pile had to be a good 20 meters across, the dragon lay atop the pile.

The huge reptile suddenly reminded her of the danger of her situation. Taking a hesitant step out from behind the pillar, she froze as the dragon turned to face her. Despite her ability to resist its influence, she still felt that animal fear of being close to a large predator, like she had just had the glass on the lion enclosure vanish with one just inches away.

Gritting her teeth, she walked further into the room and defiantly met the dragon's gaze, those reptilian eyes were still almost magnetic but the strange numbing sensation was gone.

She clenched her shaking hands and bowed low to the dragon. “I have decided I will help you with the dungeon. For a price,” she said.