I tried to open my eyes.
There seemed to be a problem.
I couldn't!
By the Gods, I was blind!
I...I couldn't see anything!
I tried to listen out for any identifying noises but my ears didn't seem to be working properly either.
Deaf too!
I tried to thrash around in panic but I couldn't feel myself moving, which only made me panic more.
I could only imagine that I had been hideously mutiliated at this point and started to moan piteously.
Well, I tried, but it seemed that I couldn't do that either.
After an uncertain period of time, I began to calm down and dimly realise that, although I couldn't move or see normally, I didn't seem to be in any pain.
This was vaguely reassuring but I still couldn't make sense of what was happening to me and I was absolutely terrified.
The lack of pain began to calm me down slightly, just enough to realise that I was beginning to become...aware...of my surroundings
My awareness was not that of seeing, hearing or feeling the way I was used to but, rather, a peculiar 'sense' of things around me.
I had never felt anything like this before.
I tentatively pushed out with this strange new sense to what I believed was my front and received an impression of 'old' and 'hard'. It was a kind of stoic resistance that projected an implacable sense of time and resistance.
It was what I imagined a mountain might feel like.
There is no other way to explain what happened next other than my perception of the events.
Instinctively, I, well, 'tasted' it.
Immediately, a flavour of light poured into me. It was an odd combination of food and drink. It felt grey and flinty but, oh so good. I gobbled it up, not realising how hungry I was until that moment.
I couldn't seem to stop myself. I pulled more and more into myself until it suddenly stopped, shut off like a tap.
I paused for a moment then pushed out again and encountered more, which I straight away began to devour.
When it too stopped, I simply pushed on till I got more.
I moaned inside my mind, the pleasure of eating and filling myself with this strangely flavourful light was overwhelming and made me forget, for a moment, the strangeness of the whole experience.
Suddenly, a different flavour inside the first made me stop.
I tasted chalky, almost like what I imagined calcified bone might taste like. It didn't fill me in the same way but instead, something else happened.
Congratulations! You have begun to take the first steps into your new life as a Dungeon!
You now have the pattern for Rock Vole stored and may recreate this creature for a percentage of mana as a Dungeon Creature.
You currently have 52 mana.
To create the Rock Vole, you must have at least 45 mana.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Would you like to create the Rock Vole as a Dungeon Creature now?
Y/N
I stared stupidly at the notification that seemed to hang in front of me.
I could see it!
I could read it!
I didn't understand it!
Dungeon? Rock Vole? Mana?
Hold on, mana like the magic power stuff?
I began to get an idea of what had happened at this point. Not the specifics, not why, when or even how but I remembered being fascinated by dungeon lore when I was a younger...man? Was that what I was before I was apparently made into a Dungeon?
No point worrying about it now, whatever had happened was done and I resolved to make the best of the situation I now found myself in.
I tried to communicate with the notification.
Although I couldn't speak, I could form words mentally.
"Hello? Thank you for the notice. I wonder if you could help me? I don't understand what is going on and would love some help"
Congratulations! You have begun to take the first steps into your new life as a Dungeon!
You now have the pattern for Rock Vole stored and may recreate this creature for a percentage of mana as a Dungeon Creature.
You currently have 53 mana.
To create the Rock Vole, you must have at least 45 mana.
Would you like to create the Rock Vole as a Dungeon Creature now?
Y/N
"Yes, thank you, I saw that. Could you help me please?"
Notification complete.
Awaiting response.
Would you like to create the Rock Vole as a Dungeon Creature now?
Y/N
"Look, I appreciate that you want me to say yes or no but I really don't know enough to make an informed choice. What is a Rock Vole? How can I get more mana to replace what I spend? What do I do as a Dungeon? Why can't I see anything?"
The notification cleared away and for a moment I was worried that I had passed my only chance at improving my situation.
Scanning New Dungeon....
Unusual Soul component discovered...
Attempting to compensate....
Please select Dungeon Companion...
Fairy / Dryad / Kobold / Succubus / Naiad / Sylph
I looked at the choices for whatever the dungeon companion was and was stumped.
"Thank you but what are the differences?"
Fairy - A Dungeon Fairy
Light affinity.
--------------------------------------
Succubus - Demon
Dark affinity
--------------------------------------
Dryad - An Earth Fairy
Earth affinity
--------------------------------------
Sylph - Air Nymph
Air affinity
--------------------------------------
Kobold - Dragon Kin
Fire affinity
--------------------------------------
Naiad - Water Nymph
Water affinity
--------------------------------------
Please select the choice that most suits your affinity now...
I looked at the choices and was none the wiser as to which would be best for me. None of them particurly jumped out at me to be honest.
"I'm really sorry and I really don't mean to sound ungrateful but is there a choice for all of the..what do you call them? Affinities?"
Pausing...
Dungeon re-scan initiated to ascertain optimum Affinity...
Recalculating Affinity selections available...
Dungeon meets multiple Affinity requirements....
Dungeon may select up to maximum of four Dungeon Companions...
Please state choices....
Note*
Dungeon Companions may be inherently combative towards their immediate opposite Affinities...
Great. So I could choose four companions to help me figure out what was going on, if they didn't kill each other first. It looked like all the affinity things were dametrically opposed so although I could choose up to four in theory, it didn't look like I could really; if I chose Air, I couldn't choose Earth. If I chose Light, I couldn't choose Dark and so on.
I sighed in frustration, or at least approximated it to myself.
It seemed that, at most, I could only really choose 3 Companions without them fighting right away.
Wait, the notifictation said 'may' not 'will'. Maybe that gave me a little wiggle room? Only one way to find out, I guessed.
"OK, I've made my choices. Please could my companions be LIght, Dark, Earth and Water affinities?"
Choices accepted...
Please await arrival of Dungeon Companions before initiating any consumption of surroundings...
"Ah, I think I might have already done that. Should I not have?"
Warning!
Consumption of surroundings will initiate process of Dungeon Expansion...
Further information is required regarding new Dungeon....
Further information will be requested from Dungeon Companions on arrival...
Great, already screwed up. I had a sneaking suspicion that I didn't want the powers behind the strangely intelligent notification taking a closer look at me for the moment but that ship had sailed now.