Hello, my name is... well I don’t really remember my name, but that’s a story for later. Not the most enticing way to start this story, I know, but bear with me please. Anyway, your probably wondering, "Why is this strange dude talking to me, I want the dungeon building to begin! I want the gore, traps and death to start!” 

Well, my bloodthirsty friend, that will start all in due time. You see, for you to truly understand my current predicament - and my future ones - you will have to know how it began, how the story of the human me ended, and the story of dungeon me began.

It was an ordinary weekend. I awoke in my pyjamas, under a tangled bed sheet. The birds were the ones who woke me with their sweet, if unwanted song. 

Their was a pleasant chill in the air. Strange for a chill to be pleasant, I know, but the days have been unusually hot during this English summer. Usually it gets to 20°C but this particular summer it was reaching the early 30’s. And when your body is still used to the -5 of winter, and the horrid winds from the nearby Peak District, 30°C is bloody hot. 

Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t just fall asleep. Not with the sunlight streaming through the window. In truth, should I try hard enough I could, but my mom - with the best timing as usual - chose that moment to shout up the stairs, telling me I needed to come down for my morning tea. 

So moaning and groaning I displaced my lovely dog. Bandit’s the name, and sleeping’s the game for him. The poor puppy’s getting old, nearly 10 years old, so I was gentle, but like always, the minute I got up so did he, and with a mighty stretch he followed me downstairs, both of us with bed head.

I don’t remember much after that, I had a protein shake for breakfast because I don’t like to eat in the mornings but mom insisted I have something fulling, and I had about three cups of tea throughout the day. Man, I miss my family.

I do remember with crystal clear clarity,however, bandit and I taking a walk. He loved these walks. It was about halfway through, while bandit hunched up to take a poo, I heard a noise.

This noise was strange, almost like flapping, and coupled with the faint feeling of wind coming from the left side of my face I was freaked out. 

I might be paranoid, but  the wind that day was coming from the right side of my face, and quite strong as well, so for the wind to completely reverse, quite reasonably I was a bit weirded out. 

But following my logic, the best logic, I did not look. In any horror story, there is always that one person who looks, the one who says,"he’s behind me isn’t he.” 

They die first. Always.

So with this flawless logic, I waited until bandit was finished and i picked up his poo and I continued with the walk. 

I continued to feel this anomaly on the back of my head for about 200 metres, and then it stopped, but something much much worse followed. 

I heard a thump. No, not the playful thump, where you get smacked by a friend, neither the shocking one where to pieces of wood get clapped together. 

No-No-No. If only this thump was one of those thumps. 

This thump was a rattling, bone-chilling one. One that reached into your mind and ignited your worse nightmares. One that gave rise to a horrifying demon behind you, ready to devour you whole, and you wouldn’t be to far off. 

As bandit stopped to take a wee, I heard a clattering, and pieces of tar were shot in front of me. then a whistle sounded out and I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head. 

Everything went dark.

“Shit.” a voice screamed out. The voice was that of a teenage girl. A strange girl, but a girl nonetheless. 

With crimson skin, taut with muscles, she appeared to be a demon. But this wasn’t the only demonic aspect. 

She had horns coming from her forehead, gracefully curving back and over her head. 

Along her forearms, shins and stomach were a smattering of scales, with a Shade of red that seemed to shift as the light hit it, making it seem like an ever shifting fire. She wore a bikini top and denim shorts.

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“I was supposed to protect him till he was home.” Another curse rang out.

A swirling vortex appeared in front of my the body.

“Damn.” a voice rang out as a horrific looking creature, with spindly legs and tufts of hair appeared.

“Looks like Death got him. Well no matter. Did you manage to set up the soul gem Ashley.” With a look of annoyance Ashley said.

“Yes Tiki, you know I did.” Flashing a murky, colourless stone, she continued.

“His poor family... Someone’s going to come and find him in a couple of days, and then he’ll be rotten. There’s nothing we can do.” With a thoughtful look, and a glance to the caved in head of the 14 year old boy she sighed.

“That’s not strictly true. Give me a second.” Tiki bent down. He didn’t have to go far, being as short as he is. He looked bandit in the eyes and started speaking in a soothing, hypnotic tone.

“Your a good dog, aren’t you? Well I’ve got a job for you. Run home and bring your owners here. You’ll do that won’t you boy?” The dog was swaying in tune with tiki’s voice. After a second, the dog sneezed and started to run back the way he’d come.

“There, that’s done. The family will come in a bit.” The gremlin-like creature started to sway. After a while he calmed down, and the dead body’s head started to reconstruct. After a little while, the body looked like it was sleeping.

Breathing heavily, tiki said.

“Well that’s done. Now they’ll think he had a heart attack, or tripped and fell. An unfortunate mistake, but not nearly as traumatising as, well...” and he gestured, before coughing.

“Without my dungeon it’s hard to do such tricks. I used to be so powerful, this would be merely a parlour trick.” The mood dropped. Looking around one last time, tiki motioned for Ashley to walk through the portal. 

After he turned around with a blank face. It was impossible to tell what the creature was thinking. For awhile he stood their before stepping through the portal. It was almost as if he was having a conversation?

A few hours later a woman could be seen sobbing as a doctor told her he was sorry, but there was nothing he could have done.

A little later sat at the centre of a grand room filled with obscure runes, a murky, colourless gem could be seen sitting in the centre. If you looked close enough, you could see the murky portion of the gem start to move. Faster and faster it spun before imploding, and what was left was the body of a 14 year old boy.

“What the hell.” I stammered.

 (I’m the 14 year old by the way.  Ps. we’re close to my current point in time.).

“Where am I, where’s bandit, what the actual shit!” I screamed. Slowly but surly a creature appeared. 

Emphasis on creature. 

It looked like a gremlin and a werewolf had a baby, threw it out the window, and while falling, it hit every ugly branch in the ugly tree before landing in the ugly bin that was  being beaten by the ugly hobo’s. 

This thing is horrifying. Worse then deadpool. Geez, poor creature, I actually felt sorry for it.

“Well, I’m so sorry my looks are so horrifying, but it can’t be helped. Now, will you let this ugly creature talk, or should Ashley do it instead.” It said with a grin and a chuckle.

It can here me. well, why not talk with it, after all, when else will I have a chance to talk to such an ugly telepath.

“Well, glad you have such an open mind,” it chuckles again,” my name is Tiki. I’m here to give you an offer, and some information. Would you like the good news or the bad news.”

Bad news, definitely bad news first, after all, at least we can leave on a good note.

With a sad voice Tiki said.

“Good, good. Well, the bad news is, your dead. Ashley tried as hard as she could, but she couldn’t save you. If you may, I have a preposition for you.”

Hahaha, your funny tiki, who could kill me.

“...”

Wait, your serious. Prove it. I was adamant. I need proof of death. Even with that pain in my head, it can’t have killed me. Right? 

Nodding, tiki said

“I’m sorry. I can’t show you how you were killed. And I can’t give you more time on Earth. But I can let you see your family one more time, and show you your body. This will have to suffice.”

I looked at tiki, really looked. And I nodded. If I was actually dead I would like to say goodbye. My family was a close one. Slowly tiki went to a circle on the wall. After a short while it lit up. On it was a picture of me. I was on an autopsy table.

“Cause of death, heart attack.” Said a man dressed in a lab coat. A doctor, I realised.

“Your body.” Said tiki. I... it was a traumatic experience. I do not wish to even tell you about the next portion, as I looked on my parents, with them crying, my brother sitting at the back with a stony look. It was a long time before I was capable of continuing. The entire time tiki stood their with a solemn look on his face. 

When I was ok he said.

“I’m sorry, I really am. My good news, and opportunity come in to play here, however. I can leave you to go to your worlds afterlife. You won’t be reunited with your parents, but your memories will be wiped and you will be reincarnated. My other opportunity is for you to come with us. We are going back to the In Between. It is a place of knowledge and wonder.

You will become a dungeon, and you will be assigned an assistant. You will get 7 days to learn of your powers before you are dropped off on a planet with either no, or very few dungeons. It will be hard. It will be horrible. But it will help you. Help you live in your own memory, create grand constructions and creatures. You can control your own life. Which choice would you like.”

I wanted to go to reincarnate. I wanted to so, so badly. Let my worries drift away, not regret anything. But I know I can’t. I won’t let myself. I’ve already died, and now I have been given a choice to live, and I don’t deserve to reincarnate if I don’t take this choice. I wish to be a dungeon tiki, I wish to live. For me. For my parents. For my brother and for my dogs.

“Understood. For now you won’t be able to do anything, but when we have an assistant ready for you, we will bring them. Unfortunately you are just a soul right now. But like every dungeon, you will attune when you bond with your assistant. 

Your body will mutate to better encompass your soul. But as you are just a soul, your body will have no imperfections, and it will truly be your souls. You will be part of the resonated, part of those who chose to have dungeon assistants. Stay well young one. Stay well.” And with this, I fell asleep, as whatever magic that was used to keep me awake was switched off.

“Why didn’t you tell him i killed him?” Asked Ashley.

“Because,” replied tiki,” he would have more hate then reasoning. And you owe him his life. So I suggest you work to find him the very best assistant for him. Now I’m going to go set up his space. *sigh* the paperwork.” Walking of, each in their different directions, Ashley silently swore to find him the best assistant she could. At least one of them had a good intention.