Chapter 8: A Shrewd Strategy

I toured the rest of the room, drifting past the other stalls while I regained my mental equilibrium. The confrontation with the merchant had shocked me badly, and hinted at some deep-seated resentment on the undead’s part.

Was it only towards me that the merchant’s anger was directed? Or all ‘fleshlings’ as he had referred to us? Whatever the case, I knew I could not afford to anger the Class vendor again. My walk through the room had confirmed he was the only one offering Class stones.

There was no way I could enter the dungeon without skills of some kind. If I did that, I was sure I would die quickly and repeatedly. I sighed. One way or the other, I would have to return to the ghoulish merchant. But before I did that, I decided, I would take the time to study my fellow candidates and observe their choices first.

The others moved together in groups as small as three to ones as large as twenty. Some were confident and strutted arrogantly, while others appeared nervous and indecisive. But as I perused the goods the many merchants had on offer, I noticed none of my fellows dared to question the Class vendor or refuse to make a Class choice.

After selecting their Classes, the crowd of candidates moved to the equipment vendors, and began equipping themselves with sword, shields, axes, and wands. Much to my surprise, some of the groups pooled their tokens together and fully kitted only a single member—usually in plate armor, and with the clear intention of making the chosen one the party’s tank.

I shook my head. It was a bold strategy, but I couldn’t see myself placing that much trust in another, especially after all the Master’s talk of player kills yielding more experience. Still, it was their folly to commit. Idly, I followed one such party as they made their way to the room’s far end.

It had been my initial plan to enter the dungeon as quickly as I could, to run ahead of the pack so to speak. But with me not having chosen a Class yet, that was no longer an option. And truth be told, as a solo player, I wasn’t sure how wise that option would have been in the first place.

Racing ahead of the other candidates might have given me the first stab at the best loot in the dungeon, but it also meant I would have been forced to face the dungeon’s many perils first while also constantly being on the lookout for attacks from the rear from my ‘fellows.’

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As I thought further on it, I decided that the much better strategy would be to stay at the back of the pack, especially considering how dangerous Gnat had hinted the dungeon was. From the rear, I wouldn’t have to worry about being hunted from behind, and while those ahead might out-level me, I would at least be able to explore the dungeon at a slower and more cautious pace.

Slow and steady is the wiser approach, I concluded.

With my course decided, I watched the party of eight—a clanking tank and, by the look of the wands the others carried, seven casters—enter the dungeon through one of six open doors set in the far wall of the chamber. A shimmering curtain of white crackling energy hung within all the doorways.

“What is that inside those doors, Gnat?” I asked.

“Those are the portals to the dungeon section allocated for the Master’s trial,” the skeletal bat replied.

“Portals?” I asked.

The familiar nodded. “The dungeon does not truly lie adjacent to the Master’s domain. When you step through one of the doorways, you will be teleported to one of the Axis of Evil’s sectors in the Endless Dungeon.”

“What is the Endless Dungeon?” I asked in confusion.

“The Forever Kingdom is formed of two realms,” Gnat answered. “The aboveground world, loosely referred to as the Kingdoms and the subterranean world which we are in now, called the Netherworld. The Netherworld stretches nearly the breadth of the Forever Kingdom and is almost wholly made up of the Endless Dungeon, so named, because as yet, no one has been able to plumb its depths.”

“I see,” I said. “And do all six doorways lead into the same area of the Endless Dungeon?”

“They will all lead to the same sector,” Gnat replied. “But at different starting locations.”

I nodded thoughtfully, and leaning against an adjacent wall where I had clear line of sight of the six doorways, I set myself to observe my fellows making their way into the dungeon, and in particular though which door each party ventured.

~~~

A good few hours later, I was still observing the stream of candidates making their way into the dungeon. Many threw me suspicious looks as they entered the dungeon, but I ignored their glares and kept as careful a tally as I could of which parties entered which doorway.

As the time passed, my familiar got increasing upset with my inactivity. “When will you enter the dungeon, human?” he inquired querulously. He had stopped calling me by name as his frustration grew. “I assure you the Master will be most displeased if you fail to the attempt the trial he has set you.”

“Relax Gnat,” I said. “I told you I will enter. Just not right yet.”

“When?” he demanded.

“After the last party of candidates goes through,” I repeated. And when I can be sure none of the others are waiting behind to ambush me.

“There are no more candidates in the room,” Gnat hissed. “Soon the merchants will begin closing their stalls. You best hurry if you intend on entering the dungeon.”

Turning around, I saw to my surprise that the skeletal bat was right. I had been so focused on watching the dungeon entrances, I had lost track of the state of the room behind me.

I kicked off the wall. “Alright Gnat, let’s get shopping. Then we begin our dungeon crawl.”