DUMPLING LEARNS TO RUN

I sat up and immediately smacked my head against a heavy stone lid. I groaned in pain, every fucking time, and it’d been such a good nap as well. I sighed, and with a mental flex, assured the unsealing of my tomb. I waited alone in the silent darkness for a few seconds before the stone was lifted, dim light pouring in. I strode across the room, stomach grumbling. Did I finish off the milk before taking my nap?

I stood from the toilet, as it flushed behind me. I walked over to the sink and began washing my hands. I’d woken up in the middle of the night, or whatever passed for night down here, needing to pee. The first thing I had to do was extract myself from the baby lich that had, at some point in the night, come into the bedroom and latched onto me. I left the bathroom, bleary-eyed, and decided to get myself a glass of water.

I walked into my apartment, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from my eyes, and entered my kitchen. I pulled open the fridge and grabbed a Tupperware container filled with the delicious slime I’d cultivated. I licked my lips as the creature wiggled in fear. I shut the refrigerator and pulled a spoon from the silverware drawer.

I walked down the hallway, hearing someone in the kitchen. Probably Shinome, Dumpling was sleeping. I walked into the room, and flicked on the light, “Hey, Shino…” I began before I locked eyes with… someone. She wasn’t Shinome, Dumpling, or Undead. She was dressed in an oversized Akame Ga Kill T-shirt that hung down to her knees, she had messy dark hair that looked like the only reason it was pulled into twin ponytails was because otherwise it’d get in her face, her eyes were brown and her cheeks were puffed out, as she was eating that horrifying goo from the refrigerator with a spoon. Our standoff was broken when the woman just shrugged and… continued her meal. “Wait, wait, wait… who the fuck are you?” I asked the woman in front of me. She chewed and swallowed. “That’s what I should be asking, you’re in my house,” she said. “You’re… the necromancer?” The woman just took another bite of her goo. “Myah,” she said mouth full. She swallowed. “Name’s Julie, now I’m guessing you’re an adventurer. I mean, who the hell else would be in the Lomari? So, there’s no treasure or whatever the fuck you nipple twisters want in here, so could you kindly make off with the fucking?” she said, before walking past me, flopping down on the couch, and turning on the TV. Did she just tell me to fuck off? I am having a great deal of trouble understanding this woman. I heard heavy footsteps behind me and turned to look. My eyes locked with a pair of glowing blue ones. Panic seized me for a fraction of a second, and I activated my blessing. “Finally, Shino. You took your sweet-ass time, didn’t you? Could you kill this bitch and chuck her in the cold storage? Also, bring me some formaldehyde, and maybe some fried tilapia.” I ignored the brat behind me, looking in the eyes of the lich. “Yes mistress,” Shinome said, voice flat and emotionless before she executed a vicious snap kick to my jaw. I felt something break, as my body left the ground, and my consciousness did to my body, as my body had done to the ground.

I felt a knot of tension leave me as I saw the cockroach’s head hit the wall. Its body slumping limply to the ground. It was almost certainly dead; those things generally couldn’t take the head trauma of being kicked in the jaw so hard their bodies lifted off the ground and flew several feet before crashing into a wall. And on the off chance it could, it’d die of frostbite in the cold room soon enough. I watched as Shino hurled the thing’s body over her shoulder like a sack of manure. I allowed my attention to return to the television. When did Shino change her appearance? I supposed it doesn’t matter. Although now she looks more like she did when she was alive. I finished off the remnants of my slime. My empty stomach’s complaints quieted slightly. A skeleton walked into the room with a wine glass filled with a colorless liquid. I took the glass from the skeleton and inhaled the scent. Nothing quite smelled like it. The scent reminded me of my days in a biology lab. My lungs began burning from the chemical in the air.

I lifted the glass to my lips and took a long drink, I felt the burning of the lining in my throat being torn away, followed by the iron rich taste of blood in the back of my mouth. I let out a long, satisfied exhale, as my stomach attempted to regurgitate the carcinogenic liquid that was so harmful to life that not even bacteria can grow in it. With a twist of necromancy, I locked the dead skin in my esophagus shut, trapping the liquid death inside me. I felt the vertigo kick in, my body desperately trying to fight off the poison currently eating the lining of my stomach. I took another long swallow, finishing off the glass. The burning in my lungs intensified as by body began to shut down. I felt the world spin around me. As my consciousness began to flee. It was this moment… my abused body giving up on supporting my mind, the knowledge that if I lost consciousness, I would never wake. The feeling of my life in my own hands. It’s what I craved. I seized it, my necromantic will clamping down on my fleeing soul, locking it in place as my body began to spasm in it’s death throws, mana coursing through it, sealing my mind in place allowing me to experience every horrendous detail as my body crossed over… and I died.

I was in a boat, glowing with necromantic power, a small rowboat, coursing along on its own power. The oars; slave to the current, in the oarlocks. I looked around. I looked at the dark, bleak water, somehow bright, multicolored and beautiful. Many, many beautiful fish swam beneath me. Shimmering in the dark, as they blotted out the light. I would not touch them, it is imperative that I don’t, lest she take notice. I look up at the moon and the sun, hanging in the same spot, replaced with a massive eye. Glowing orange as it gazed down directly at me. She’s watching me, I wonder why. The goddess of this realm, the goddess of death, and life, and souls. In a moment Our gazes lock, and…

It’s over and I’m back on my couch, my body now no longer breathing, my heart no longer beating. Yet still, I shudder. Mortella usually doesn’t bother with my kind; necromancers, we have a sort of working relationship, the goddess and us. So long as we don’t touch the fish, we don’t join them. I look down at my hand. My nails immediately extend, becoming long sharp claws. It doesn't matter. I’m not going to cross over again for at least a few months. But in the meantime, time to resettle the score. I sink my claws into the soft, spongey, flesh of my dead right eye. Pain blossoms in my eye just as I use more necromancy to cut off reception from the ocular nerve. I then begin the slow, arduous, agonizing task of carving out my own eyes. A deal’s a deal after all.

I shot up in the bed, I could no longer feel Mama in the other place. I reached out, trying to find her but I couldn't feel her anywhere. I began looking around the room. Where was the hooman? Suddenly the dark room seemed too empty. So, empty, that it might not be empty enough. I pulled the blankets closer. Where was Mama? Mama never lets me go; she never leaves me alone. Is she okay? Did something happen to her? Did…. I heard a crack come from outside followed by a thump. I flinched at the sound, but immediately scuttled to the door. Pulling it open, I peered through. I saw Mama at the end of the hallway. I was about to run for her, ask her where she went, but before I could, I felt her grab me in the other space. “DON’T COME OUT HERE! STAY HIDDEN!” she shouted at me urgently, before disconnecting. Why would Mama say that? Mama didn’t sound angry… she sounded… scared? What did Mama have to be afraid of? Mama was super strong. I watched as Mama lifted the sleeping hooman up over her shoulder and walked off, just as a boney man walked into the room, carrying a glass of something… It looked like water, but it didn’t smell like water. The boney man gave the drink to someone out of sight and left the room. I heard someone take a drink. I heard strange sounds. Like the sounds I made that one time when I tried to eat one of the square rocks that the walls were made of. The weird noises of my throat trying to remove something that didn’t belong. Curiosity overcame me, as I crept down the hallway. I saw someone, a small person, she was a little taller than me, but shorter than the hooman, and way shorter than Mama. She was sitting on the poofy nap spot, and wiggling strangely, before suddenly going limp. A glass shattered on the floor after she dropped it in her limpness. Was she okay? I approached her, extending my hand to poke at her face. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said a voice. I jumped, my fingers going pointy, so I could cling to the ceiling. Most things couldn’t walk on the ceiling like I could. I looked down, seeing someone. I’d never seen her before either. Today was strange, first Mama abandoned me, then she yelled at me, then I met two new people. I’d never met new people before. What should I do?

The new, new lady was taller than the hooman, but shorter than Mama. She had long black hair, black things over her eyes for some reason, thin lips, pale skin, a jacket made of what looked like animal skin, but it was black and had a bunch of metal bits on it over a neat suit. She smirked at me. “You can come down, you’re safe,” she said. Something in her voice… it made me feel like she was trustworthy, like Mama. I dropped from the ceiling. “Who are you?” I asked. She seemed to consider that question. “I suppose, in a way, you’re my daughter. Which would make me your mother,” the weird lady snickered. “It’s odd, I’ve never really considered having children, yet here we are. You can call me Ella.” “Ella? I like your name, it’s easier than Mama’s name. Or… other Mama’s name? Should I call you Mama also or maybe Mama 2?” “No, you should not,” Ella, not Mama 2, said. “Okee,” I said. “Now, for why I’m here. Fortunately for you, I have a vested interest in your survival.” “Vested interest?” I asked. “Not important. What is important, is that I would advise you to get far, far away from here, before this nasty piece of work, comes back from the ether,” she said, gesturing to the couch lady. I looked down at the sleeping woman. “Is she scary?” I asked. “Very.” “Then, that’s fine, Mama’s super scary, she’ll beat her up if she’s mean.” Mama 2’s smile changed. “Your mother can’t help you with this woman, frankly she’s in a tougher spot than you are. Now, enough talking. I’ll stall her for a while, but you need to leave. Now,” Mama 2 said. Again, something in her voice compelled me. So, I turned and bounded from the room.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

When I woke up, I could feel my blessing running on its last fumes. I was so cold. I opened my eyes and saw absolutely nothing. Everything was pitch black, and oppressively cold. So cold, my fingers and toes were numb. My body was racked with shivers, the sheer cold of the room eating away at what little warmth my body held. I took the last remaining vestiges of my blessing and focused them on my numb hands. They quickly heated, my fingertips suddenly feeling like they were on fire as their temperature rose sharply. Feeling returned shortly after. I flexed my cold fingers and began pawing at the hard surface beneath me. It was cold and lumpy, but something about it was… off. It was ice cold, but as I let my hand rest on it, it became a little softer and wet. I continued pawing about my surroundings, until I felt something. A hand. I reeled back, letting out a shriek into the cold air. I breathed heavily, the cold air chilling my lungs. Although… something about the hand I had felt… bothered me. I reached back towards where I felt the hand and touched it; hesitantly at first but then I realized what was wrong. It was frozen solid. A horrendous idea entering my mind, I began pawing about the noticeably lumpy ground again, feeling for familiar patterns. And the more I pawed, the more I recognized, an arm, a leg, a torso, an… intimate area, a foot, another hand, a… a face. I was on top of a pile of frozen corpses. Panic rising, I decided I very much did not want to be there so, I began to look for an exit. There had to be a way out of here. I half stumbled, half rolled down the pile of bodies, until I felt ice cold brick beneath my bare feet; dear god it was cold in here, that was probably why my blessing was so drained. It was constantly healing me, protecting me from the biting cold. I extended my arms out, reaching for a wall I was unsure I would find. I stumbled in the dark for what felt like an eternity but was really no more than forty-five seconds. My palms finally, finally hitting cold stone bricks. I began running my hands along the walls, searching for a doorway.

Eventually, after walking for an eternity, my hand found a recession in the wall housing a metal door. I pawed over it for several seconds before finally finding the handle. The handle turned slowly and stutteringly before the door finally gave. I stumbled through into the room beyond. It wasn’t nearly as freezing and thankfully it possessed the same, source-less illumination as the throne room. It was a small room, containing several dials, that appeared to control the temperature of the room behind me. Across from me, was the only exit. An open stone doorway leading into the dark labyrinth. I crept through, looking around. Surprisingly, I didn’t see pure darkness. I could see another illuminated doorway down the hall. Seeing no better alternative, I crept towards it through the darkness. Each footstep, muffled by my lack of shoes. Eventually, I reached the doorway, and I carefully peered around it, trying not to be seen. All I saw was Shinome, she was sitting on her throne as per usual. I almost felt relieved to the point I would run in there. But I held myself back. Shinome was obviously under the control of the necromancer. So, if I ran in there haphazardly, she might have no choice but to kill me. Memories of the party that got butchered on my first day here flashed through my mind as I backed away from the doorway. Probably for the best that I don’t carelessly wander in there. But where do I go? I don’t like the idea of wandering aimlessly through the 12th floor of the Lomari Labyrinth. I’ve gotten an extremely favorable taste of it up ‘till now. The real 12th floor is just as, if not more dangerous than, any other floor. Filled with death traps, and horrific abominations at every third corner. I’m just the lucky shmuck who found the one abomination that didn’t seem inclined to kill me on sight. At least, not until the queen of the abominations woke up.

Although at this point something else was bothering me. Where was Dumpling? I hadn’t seen her in there with Shinome. Was she still in the bedroom? I needed to save her, didn’t I? I couldn’t do this carelessly; I need a plan. If I just run in there, trying to grab the baby lich and run out, I will absolutely get myself killed. Instead, I need some sort of distraction. If I can distract Shinome and the necromancer, I can sneak in there and grab her before sneaking out. But what would work as a distraction? I could try leading a monster here, but there were a few problems with that. First, all the monsters on this floor were undead, and almost certainly under the necromancer’s, or Shinome’s control meaning I would have to go to the 11th or 13th floor. Which would mean that I’d have to deal with traversing the 12th floor without getting myself killed. Second, anything I managed to lure would have to be strong enough to provide a sufficient distraction, and anything that strong would likely kill me long before I made it back here. And lastly, I don’t actually know the way back here, the 12th floor is massive and mazelike, It’s not called a Labyrinth for no reason after all. There is absolutely no guarantee that I’ll be able to find my way back here while being chased by a nightmare from another floor. Not to mention I don’t even know where the staircases that lead between floors were.

I suddenly felt a cold hand, wrap over my mouth, trapping my scream in my throat. I heard someone shushing me from behind, as another arm, looped beneath me. Lifting me, from the ground. I tried to look back to see what was carrying me but couldn’t get a good look. I tried struggling, but the grip around me was unyielding. “Stop struggling,” Said the familiar, albeit hushed, voice of Shinome. I listened. Is she not under the necromancer’s control? When did she see me and leave the throne? We walked through the darkness for what felt like several minutes before we reached a small room with light spilling out. Inside were two things. Dumpling, and the object she was sitting on. An ornate golden treasure chest. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, as Dumpling came into view. She was safe. “Come,” Shinome said. Dumpling hopped off the chest, holding something in her arms. The three of us then traveled through the dark for several more minutes before stopping. Shinome set me down. Then we were illuminated by a cold blue light. I looked up to see the object in Shinome’s hands glowing with pale light. It was a guilded axe with a crystalline blade. “Now, I need you two to listen to me, very carefully.” I immediately focused on Shinome’s words, without meeting her gaze. “Human, I need you to take Dumpling the Despondylator, and I need you to get out of here. If Julie finds the little one, she’ll cut her open and experiment on her to find out how she works.” “But what about Mama?” Dumpling asked from beside me. “I need to stay here. If I leave the floor, Julie will notice and call me back. Then, she’ll come investigate.” “Can we beat her?” I asked. “No, not without an army, and the only one we have is under her control. In fact, so am I. Doing this much is straining the limits of my permitted autonomy. A permission that can be taken as easily as it was given.” “But Mama,” Dumpling said, her voice faint. Shinome shushed her. “It’s okay, little one, you’ll be safe with the human, and when you grow big and strong. Then you can come back for me, but until then…” Shinome paused, and took a deep, shuddering breath. “Farewell.” Shinome Shoved me and Dumpling harshly backwards. We stumbled as our heels impacted an upwards leading staircase behind us, causing us to fall backwards onto it. Shinome dashed away, slamming dark energy into the ceiling, causing the world to rock. The ceiling almost immediately started to collapse, cutting off the 12th floor from the staircase. “MAMA!” Dumpling shouted, attempting to bolt out into the collapsing room. I grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back into the stairwell as the labyrinth quaked. Boulders slamming the ground, in front of us. “Let me go! Mama needs help!” Dumpling shouted. “We can’t help her! We need to go!” “No, you don’t get it! I can tell, Mama is super sad, I can’t leave her alone!” “We have to Dumpling.” I said softly, I no longer had to shout, as the collapse was practically over, all that was left was the settling of the rubble. “No, you don’t get it!” Dumpling shouted. “You don’t get it.” She said softer, starting to sob. “You… you don’t.” I watched as the little lich began sobbing into her arms. I re-wrapped my arms around her, changing from a restraining grip to a comforting hug. “It’ll be okay. We’ll come back for her, alright? You and me. We’ll come back when we get super strong then we’ll beat-up Julie and save your mom. Okay? Just think of how proud of you she’ll be,” I said softly. Dumpling didn’t stop crying, but she leaned into my chest and nodded. “But for now, we need to run.”