[RAW]Apocalypse Innkeeper -- Chapter 4

Last one!  I'll be posting a poll tomorrow to see which stub people liked more and to gather feedback!

=====================================

Chapter 4

Or’ireth vanished a few minutes later, after offering me directions to the nearest Challenge Dungeon and promising to meet me there with the gear I’d need.

I was still unarmed and alone in a murder world, but for the first time in months, I felt hopeful.  Ever since the tutorial started, I felt like I was nothing more than a rat stuck in a maze, running and killing for someone else’s benefit.  Everything I had wanted for myself, my hopes and dreams, had been subsumed by the need to survive and kill.

But if Or’ireth’s offer was as good as it sounded, I’d finally regain a measure of control over my life.  Sure, I’d still be stuck on Joriel, but at least I’d be freed from the constant cycle of kill or be killed battle.

It felt damn good to make a choice beyond fight or flight.

Still got to make it to the dungeon in one piece, I forcefully reminded myself.

Thankfully, I had gotten pretty good at avoiding monsters and murder hobos, and Joriel offered plenty of foliage to hide in.  I felt bad getting my new clothes dirty, but sinking through the underbrush was better than trying to take on a Crusher Pig barehanded.

The oversized boars were the most populous hazard in the tutorial area.  They kind of looked like terrestrial wild pigs, except they could grow to the size of a pick-up truck and they had huge, goring tusks sticking out of their mouths.

It was little wonder most of my fellow humans preferred to murder each other than go after the pigs.  Killing a fellow trial taker of similar or higher level gave you a healthy pile of experience and coins, not to mention any items they were carrying.

I passed a few of the Crusher Pigs as I followed my map, looking for the landmarks Or’ireth had mentioned.  The Challenge Dungeon was under one of the huge skyscrapers, expanding through its lower levels.  The demon guessed the area had once been a shopping mall or commercial district before the planet’s downfall.

Here and there I saw signs of my fellow humans, mostly footprints, dead monsters, and blood splatter.  As a general rule, I avoided others since even friendly people could turn murderous if they thought the coast was clear.  Morality and cooperation had seemingly been ejected out the window by the System.  It actively encouraged murder and betrayal, sacrificing our humanity in the name of power and progress.

I fucking hated it.

Part of what I loved about being a bartender was just talking to people, or their joy when I handed them the perfect cocktail.  A well-served drink could turn a person’s entire day around.

But Joriel and the System crushed those ambitions.  Happiness couldn’t make you more powerful, pain and suffering were all we could look forward to.  It was little wonder I was tempted to just give up and walk away.

After a few hours of sneaking and scuffling, I found the Challenge Dungeon.

Pits of Overwhelming Despair (Challenge Dungeon)

Level Requirement: 25

Floors: 3

“Who the fuck comes up with these names?” I asked as I waved away the pop-up.

“They’re randomly generated by some jerkass at the Medusozoa Chorus,” Or’ireth answered from behind me.

Spinning, I was once again caught off guard by the demoness.

She had changed out of her business attire.  Instead, she was clad from head to toe in form-fitting black leather, the material looking like it had been practically painted on, with just a few reinforced metal plates here and there to protect her vitals and limbs.

“Fuck,” I muttered, not bothering to hide my gaze as I looked her up and down.

She posed, holding a long wooden staff in one hand, and a small shield in the other.  “Like my adventuring look?”

“I love it,” I said, drinking her in.

“I don’t get to go out in the field much anymore, but I always try to look my best when I do,” she said, tucking the staff and shield away to grab her phone again.  “Here, let’s party up, and then I can give you some starter gear for the dungeon.”

“Party up?” I once again had no clue what she was talking about.

Or’ireth furrowed her brow.  “Seriously, those lazy fucking jellyfish didn’t even tell you about the party system?  What about bartering?”

“Nothing,” I told her.

The demon flicked her phone, and a new window appeared in front of me.

[Or’ireth Doomscar (Demon) – Level 30 Cleric of Blelzenka] Invites You to a Party!

“Party members share experience and Realm Coins upon defeating enemies or opening chests, diving the spoils amongst themselves,” the demon explained.  “It’s a great way for trial takers to take on more difficult challenges.”

“Shit, I wish I’d known about this sooner,” I said, feeling a deep, abiding rage at the System and the tutorial for not even explaining the basics to us.

How much bloodshed and strife could have been avoided if people knew there were options for working together?

The Barter system was a way to trade items back and forth, similar to the online games I’d played as a teen.  When Or’ireth brought it up, I saw there was a grid to drag items and Realm Coins back and forth.

A set of leather gear and a sword appeared in her offer window.  I tried to accept it, but nothing happened.

“You still have to offer something, even if it’s a single Realm Coin before I can accept,” she explained.  “It prevents people from being robbed or ripped off.”

“Or giving away free items,” I said with a scowl.

Still, one of my meager Realm Coins was a steal for a full set of leather armor, including boots and gloves, and a Longsword (Inferior 1).

Ducking behind a bush, I quickly changed.

Or’ireth giggled.  “I’ll have to show you how the Inventory system works too, I guess.  You can just switch gear on and off without having to strip and change every time.”

“Seriously, fuck those jellyfish bastards,” I said, stepping out.

I held up my new sword.  Though it was still Inferior One grade, it was far, far nicer than the Cheap Swords I had been using.  The iron blade was well-made and wickedly sharp.

“There’s a wide range of differences, even within a single grade,” the demon said once I asked about it.  “The Realm Store is purposefully stocked with the worst of the worst during the tutorial so the trial takers need to push themselves.  You’ll find though once you hit level thirty and escape that the items spawned by the System will be much better quality, and the Realm Store will offer expanded options as well.”

“And still charge an arm and a leg for the basics,” I said, realizing the prices my franchise would offer for basics like food and drink were far, far lower even for the worst crap in the store.

“Lazy and greedy,” Or’ireth said, speaking once again of the mysterious jellyfish overlords.  “They’re gouging humanity as much as they can as early as they can since they know your population will only go down as time goes along.”

With that depressing thought, we walked down a ramp of rubble and under the skyscraper.  The floors beneath the building were surprisingly intact, I could see where shops and businesses had once lined broad, tiled concourses.  Vines and fallen concrete obscured much of it though, turning the shopping area into a maze.

I also spotted a few monsters, Oversized Rats.  They looked like the vermin from back home, except each one was the size of a Doberman.  There were a few Murderous Milipeeds as well.

“Trash mobs,” Or’ireth sniffed.  “I’ll leave them to you.  When in a party, you get bonus experience for delivering the killing blow.”

“Good to know,” I grunted.

She grinned, before lifting her staff.  “Blelzenka’s Blessing!”

My aches and pains faded as newfound strength flowed through me.  “What was that!”

“A basic blessing provided by my Class,” Or’ireth answered.  “I’m limited to level thirty by The System right now, but I can still access my basic skills.”

She gave me a small push.  “Go on, let’s get this done.  The faster we get you to thirty, the faster we can get your franchise open!”

*****

Easily dodging to the side, I thrust my sword deep into the rat’s flank, the blade punching clean through to the other side.  With a defeated squeak, it dropped dead, another measure of XP and Realm Coins dropping into my possession.

So far Or’ireth had left me to do all the killing, just handing out buffs as the old one expired.

“I don’t have access to healing Skills at this level, but Blelzenka’s Blessing offers a passive health regeneration, allowing you to recover much more quickly than normal,” the demon said.

We had been at it for about two hours, and we had cleared two floors, killing rats and bugs by the dozens.  I had hit level twenty-nine, and I’d even found a chest with a few coins and potions.

I paused.  “Who’s Blelzenka?”

The demoness smiled fondly.  “She is the patron goddess of the demon clan, as well as those who seek vengeance and all trial goers.  You don’t have to be a true believer like me, but if you feel like offering her a prayer I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”

I shrugged, feeling uncomfortable.  “Until this mess started, I didn’t believe in god, let alone gods.  It’s still a bit much to swallow.”

“The demon clan didn’t have any gods until Blelzenka,” Or’ireth said.  “I can’t go into the details, the System doesn’t like talking about gods before trial takers can get their Classes, but I can state for a fact you’d probably like her.”

“Great,” I waved my sword, eager to keep going.  “I think I see the stairs over there, we should be getting close to the end.  Any idea what kind of boss we’ll be facing?”

“No clue,” she said, knocking her staff against her shield.  “But a good brawl before opening your franchise location sounds like a lot of fun.  Lead the way!”