Against a wall in the dungeon, there is a doll.

In many places in the world, a wall would be a fine place for a doll to lie. Sometimes, it would be a sad sight, sometimes, a happy one. A decoration. A child's toy, with glossy blonde hair, short and curly, a button nose, blue eyes, and a green cotton dress with a large ribbon for a waistband. In many places in the world, this would make a fine purchase for a child.

But in a dungeon, this is immediately distrusted. A dungeon is no place for children (save the foolish), and it is no place to play (except to the foolish.) And it would not be difficult to mistrust the charm of this small doll, considering the large knife in its hand. But, for the moment, its eyes are closed, and it lies there, slumped slightly to one side, as if sleeping.

And then, in the silent dungeon, a pair of blue, glassy eyes open.

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Doll looks around, curiously. It doesn't really know anything, save that it is a doll, and that it holds a knife. Wait, Doll shakes its head, its hair waving. It knows another thing.

Doll knows how to use that knife. It holds it up, head tilting.

The knife is sharp. The knife is clean, shining. And Doll can see its face. Its eyes stare for a few moments, and Doll puts their hand back to their waist, and begins making a slow, stumbling stagger in a random direction.

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After all, Doll doesn't really know much. To Doll, any way is as good as any of the two others it saw from its wall.

Step, stumblestep... Step step... Stumblestep step.

Doll isn't very good at walking, but it does its best. After all, Doll is curious. And it won't see or understand things if it stays at the wall. Despite not knowing anything much at all, Doll wants to know.

All around Doll, there is silence. There are faint lights here and there, shining along the walls, but mostly, it is also dark.

Step, stumblestep, stumblestep, step step, step. Forward. Forward. After all, backwards is the wall, and Doll doesn't care about backwards. Not yet. Doll wants to know what forwards has.

And Doll... Is rewarded.

Something, ahead, is lying on the ground. It doesn't make a sound, it doesn't move, and red liquid pools around it. Four legs. A long head, pointed, forward facing ears, sharp teeth. And a gash in its chest.

Something about that gash draws Doll towards it. Step step step step step... Moving fast seems to be better for Doll, even if it might tumble and fall over. And Doll feels... Excited.

There is a reason Doll is drawn toward that body, that gash. It doesn't know what that reason is, but it knows it, deep inside.

This body is almost as wide as Doll is tall, so its chest, that gash, is perfect height for an arm to reach in...

...To grasp something.

...Something that breaks, or melts, or burns, Doll doesn't know which.

All Doll knows is that when it happens, Doll hears a voice.

[Claws. Leap. Improved Senses.]

And Doll immediately understands.

The things inside bodies give it things. The things inside bodies make Doll stronger. And if Doll is stronger, it can learn more. Get more things. Get stronger. Learn more, get more things...

...And the first emotion Doll feels, in its short life so far...

...Is excitement.