Prologue + Chapter 1.1- Birth of a Bug_The Dungeon's Worst Little Mistake

-The Dungeon's Worst Little Mistake-

-Book I-

Creation

-Prologue-

//System status = online

//51865 days since Dungeon_System_117 operations commenced

//…

//>Run.Order Daily_Routing _Maintenance

//Running…

//Order complete

//System status complied

//Mana intake up 1.07%

//Floor_7/Construction Project complete

//Floor_18/Damage Repairs complete

//Floor_21/Level Skip patched

//Bug.1387 – Bug.1412 patched

//>Stop

//…

//System_Maintenance_Notes stopped

//27 other System_Maintenance_Notes unread.

//System_Patch_Notes delivered to inbox

//…

//>Run.Order Floor_Status_Check

//Running…

//Order Complete

//Floor_Status_Check compiled

//Floor_1/ 0%

//All mobs cleared

//All treasure cleared

//All resources cleared

//All traps disabled

//Floor_2/ 5%

//All mobs cleared

//All treasures cleared

//All resources cleared

//Floor_3/ 17%

//All treasures cleared

//Floor_4/ 34%

//All treasures cleared

//Floor_5/ 73%

//Boss Status/ W/L = 2/4

//Floor_6/ 92%

//Floor_7/ 98%

//Floor_8/ 98%

//Floor_9/ 97%

//Floor_10/ 34%

//Boss Status/ W/L = 0/2

//Floor_11/ 91%

//Floor_12/ 98%

//Floor_13/ 98%

//Floor_14/ 97%

//Floor_15/ 93%

//Floor_16/ 96%

//Floor_17/ 92%

//Floor_18/ 99%

//Floor_19/ 86%

//Floor_20/ 51%

//Boss Status/ W/L = 1/1

//Floor_21/ 91%

//Floor_22/ 98%

//Floor_23/ 97%

//Floor_24/ 97%

//Floor_25/ 91%

//Floor_26/ 96%

//Floor_27/ 90%

//Floor_28/ 80%

//Floor_29/ 69%

//Floor_30/ 93%

//Boss Status/ W/L = 1/0

//Floor_31/ 100%

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//Floor_32/ 100%

//>Stop

//…

//Floor_Status_Check stopped

//>Run.Order Floor_Restock

//Running…

//Order Complete

//All floors restocked

//…

//Error detected

//Order Completed Incorrectly

//>Show Error

//Floor_Restock/ Bug.1413

//Floor_Status

//Floor_1/ 101%

//Error_ Description [Excess Mana sent to floor_1. Suspected to be caused by rounding error. Bug has been noted and Ticket made for next scheduled patch.]

//>Run.Order Mana_Drain/Floor_1/01%

//Running…

//Order failed

//Failure_Description [All allocated mana manifested. Retrieval impossible until all entities on Floor_1 are cleared.]

//Solution found

//Solution_Description [Wait. Floor_1 has a near 100% clear rate since Days_Operated/ 496.]

//>Run.Order Locate_Error_Entity/Floor_1/Bug.1413

//Running…

//Order Complete

//Entity Identified

//Gremlin.316.32.9898 [Designation changed to Bug.1413]

//Bug.1413_Error_Description [Excess mana used during manifestation. Excess converted into 10 free stat point.]

//…

//Warning

//Unpermitted Sapient_Entity detected

//Bug.1413 sapience detected

//Sapient_Dungeon_Mob_Protocols initiated

//Grant Bug.1413 User_Level_Clearance?

//>n

//…

//Admin override detected

//…

//Sapient_Dungeon_Mob_Protocols reinitiated

//Grant Bug.1413 User_Level_Clearance?

//>y

//…

//Bug.1413 User_Level_Clearance granted

//...

//…

//Admin override retracted

//All current tasks complete

//Dungeon Status at 100%

//Time 00:00

//Starting Day

----------------------------------------

-Chapter I-

Birth of a Bug

Tucked away in a dark corner, hidden behind the twisting corridors of rocky walls dripping with water and covered in damp moss, a large plant bulb rapidly grows and swells. Its bulb heavy with a sloshing liquid material which quickly solidifies into the silhouette of a form that shows through the protective flesh of the gestating plant’s bulb.

The plant’s bulb, no larger than a human child curled up on themselves, is quick to complete its work. Within moments of growing, the plant is already expelling the contents of it bulbus womb.

It tears; cell membranes releasing their bonds and allowing the skin of the bulb to split into four as amniotic fluid spills out through the opening. The plant, its job complete and no longer needed, promptly dies and falls apart as the dungeon cuts off its supply of mana through its roots. Unfolding to the floor like a wet blooming flower, it releases its package, which rolls off of it in a slow flow of fluids, umbilical cord coming loose and falling free as it tumbles away from the pod.

The creature that was just birthed takes a few moments before beginning to violently cough. Hacking up a lungful of amniotic fluid and clearing its throat.

The creature is wet and cold, its fur soaked in fluids and caked in dirt. Following its instincts, the creature sluggishly gets up onto its hands and knees and crawls over to the dead plant.

Hunger pushes it to consume the plant that birthed it, and it continues to do so until there is nothing more than its withered base and roots left behind to rot and be absorbed back into the Dungeon.

Stomach full and satisfied, the creature sets to work on cleaning itself. Licking off all of the amniotic fluid and wiping away the dirt that coats its fur covered body.

It takes some time, but the creature eventually finishes grooming itself. It does not rush, as the Dungeon is still silent. The instincts that it was born with whisper that the Dungeon is safe at this hour.

The entrance has yet to open for the day.

----------------------------------------

The creature explores its new home curiously. Walking away on two legs that took only moments to learn how to use, it aimlessly looks around at everything it can find. Finding wet moss that is squishy under its fingers and taste interesting, wet rocks that are smooth and shiny under the light of the blue glowing mushrooms that fill the caverns corners and ceiling, lighting the Dungeon with a gentle glow. The glowing mushrooms are edible, but don’t taste good. However, there are other mushrooms that the creature finds, but its instincts scream at it not to eat those. The moss tastes better anyways.

Besides all of these interesting things, there are also other plant bulbs scattered about the place. Often times they can even be found practically filling some of the rooms that the creature walks past. They are heavy with the coming births other creatures and are close to bursting. The creature considers eating one but decides not to as it is already full. Its plant and the moss it's been snacking on have already filled it up.

Something in one of the rooms it was passing by catches its eye. Something shiny.

It runs over, ignoring all of the bulbs filling the room it just entered and snatches up the object. Holding it up to the light of the glowing mushrooms, the creature looks it over from every angle, marveling as the light shines on the extra shiny blue rock. Its surface is reflective, showing images of the cave around it and the very creature that holds it.

It blinks, peering into the reflective surface and marveling at the reflection of its own eyes. They shine blood red even in the reflection of the shiny blue rock.

The creature, despite having hardly a single thought going through its head, instantly makes a decision.

My rock.

An awkward smile spreads across its face of its own accord as the creature stands up, shiny blue rock safely gripped in its hand. Leaving the room, the creature ignores the noises of plant pods bursting and of the other creatures being birthed. It knows that they will come out weak and will be taking their time to eat their pods and clean their bodies. They won't be bothering the creature for now.

Instead, it chooses to move and try to find a place to hide. The shiny blue rock is simply too much of a temptation. If the others were to see it, there is no doubt in its mind that they would try to take it for themselves.

As it walks, taking turns and backtracking at dead ends, moving to find a quiet place to hide. The creature finds something shiny floating and flashing in its vision that it hadn’t really noticed up until now. Being that it was far too distracted by squishy wet moss and shiny rocks, it is pretty easy to understand how it could ignore the little dot until now. But now it is sort of starting bother the creature, having this thing floating and flashing in its vision.

Yet no matter how it tries to blink its eyes or rub at them, the shiny dot just simply doesn’t go away from its vision. Getting a bit irritated, it tries taking some swipes at the dot with its hand, but it can’t hit something that is floating in its vision. Irritation growing at this anomaly, it takes one last swipe, pushing its anger into its will and wishing to touch the dot.

It finally responds and moves, scaring the creature into jumping a bit and letting out a startled call. Thankfully it didn’t drop the shiny blue rock in its fright. It has no idea if dropping it would break it or not.

Now though, the creature comes to a new problem. The dot got much bigger. Having grown to the point of blocking most of its view.

Thankfully, the creature can still see through the obstruction some. But having some glowing thing -not exactly a dot anymore- blocking its vision is not exactly ideal. Especially if it is going to get in the way of looking at the shiny blue rock.

The creature gets angry again, swiping away at the glowing thing obscuring its vision.

The swiping isn’t working, but it notices an area that is flashing. Maybe if it hit it there like it did the dot? Perhaps that will make it go away?

Putting in some effort, it swipes at the flashing light, and something manages to happen, much to the joy, and then subsequent disappointment of the creature.

The light thing didn’t go away. Instead, it just changed a bit and now there is a bunch of other flashing lights.

Annoying! Ahhhhhh!

The creature, having learned that hitting the flashing lights makes stuff happen, simply starts to hit anything that it can. Hitting and hitting and hitting until all the lights stop flashing and there is only one left. It is larger that the others, and it didn’t start flashing until the others stopped. It must be important.

The creature hits it, only needing one try this time as it has gotten much better at hitting the glowing lights during the last minute or so.

The light thing changes again. Subtlety. But the creature can feel something happening.

…

Pain…

Pain…….

Pain!

It hurts!!!

“AhhhhhhhhhhhhhAhahaaaaaaaAA!!!!!!”

Pain flashes through the creature and it screams, writhing around as it falls to its knees. Collapsing to its side, the creature kicks and flails, burning pain coursing though its head and down though its entire body like fire in its veins.

It wants the pain to stop. Anything for the pain to go away as its body heats up and it starts to drip with sweat.

Its eyes fall onto the shiny blue rock. So beautifully shiny in the light of the glowing mushrooms.

It doesn’t hesitate.

It bashes the shiny blue rock against its own head.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

It goes for a fourth blow, but the energy to move quickly falls away from the screaming creature. Its arms falling to the floor, the shiny blood covered blue rock dropping from its grip as its vision goes dark.

Prologue + Chapter 1.1- Birth of a Bug

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