The sun's glare was beginning to hit me when I woke up. I looked around, it was another perfect day. I stood up and began to do some stretches and light exercises. Once I was warm and limber I sat and meditated letting my thoughts wonder and slowly grow still. After a couple of hours, I brought my conscious mind back and sat for a few minutes. Standing I slowly walked to the edge and looked down at the water falling into the pool five hundred feet below.

After making sure I had everything I turned and ran to the edge and jumped off, snapping my wings open and feeling the play of air currents as they passed over and under the wings. I spiraled down to the lake, occasionally flapping my wings but for the most part just letting my body instinctively fly itself. As I approached the beach I flared out the wings and flapped them down and out a couple of times.

I landed softly moving no faster than a slow jog, it was an amazing experience flying. I did not have the power to achieve self-sustainable flight with my current strength levels but once I leveled up I would. I was eager to level up, I had a long grind ahead of me. Grinding out the upcoming levels would be a bit of work but I was determined.

Glancing at my minimap I began to make my way to where I had added the waypoint for the location of the derelict buildings. The underbrush was thick and heavy and it took a fair amount of effort to push through it. I had once read that breaking bush was actually pretty tough work and I soon came to believe it. Eventually, the minimap waypoint flashed and I knew I had to be pretty close to the buildings.

Looking all around it took me a few minutes to spot the actual buildings. The first one looked rough and I could see that plants were pushing out the windows and growing from the inside. It was a clearly a ruined building and I did not bother to enter it. Walking around the building I saw the second structure. It was made of stones and did not look damaged. Moss was growing over most of the structure and it had no windows.

I circled the building and finally located the door which was flush with the wall and also covered in a layer of moss. After examining it carefully I gently pulled the moss off the area of the lock. The lock itself looked undamaged and I knew that it would not be that hard to pick. Pulling out the tools of the trade I set to work and had the lock opened in less than two minutes.

Once I heard the distinctive click of the mechanism unlocking I put my tools away. As I slowly pushed open the door I wondered how a world of magic could have advanced technological locks. If I were a real player I would submit a bug report and receive some free bling from the developers.

As a ghost in the machine if I reported this I would be punted out of the game and that simply would not do. So sadly this tidbit of information would have to be noticed and reported by someone else.

The light from the exterior of the building showed a dim room with a table and several chairs. Entering farther into the room I was glad my Dragon vision was still helping me to see in the dim light. I made my way to the far end of the room where another door was located. This one was not locked and opened with a minor bit of effort. Going past the now open door I began to descend a long spiral stairway.

I stopped counting once I hit five hundred steps. Activating the interface I had the PIM display each step I took. At twelve hundred steps I noticed that the walls were damp and the stairs were getting a little slippery. I continued for another one hundred feet until I came to an opening. Stepping through I saw that I was in front of a massive door carved in the shape of the Kraken with mermaids and other creatures making up the fine details.

As I approached the door the now familiar ding sounded and a small window appeared on my interface.

Congratulations Torn

You have managed to reach level two

All your stats have increased by ten percent

Enjoy the game and your new powerful stats

Smiling to myself I pumped my fist, at last, level two and no bloody errors. I was happy that at least the current incarnation of me seemed to be working normally. Taking a step towards the door I heard another ding and once again a small window appeared.

Congratulations Torn

You are the first player to find the Dungeon of the Deep

As the first player here, you have the option of claiming the dungeon or announcing it to the game world for twenty-five thousand experience points.

If you claim the dungeon you must be able to completely clear each level including the level bosses

The last level has two bosses and they also must be defeated

This dungeon is an entry level and designed to be successfully completed by a team of five players at a minimum level of five

You will have one week to complete the dungeon

Once completed you will have ownership of the dungeon it will be soul bound to you

Do you wish to claim ownership

Yes or No

I hit the yes button on the interface and then sat down on the damp step to think. In most games you level rapidly through dungeon crawls and as long as you could solo the dungeon you would be fine. If you had to do it with your guildmates or housemates you would lose some of the xp bonus but would have a far better chance of success.

If you had to do a dungeon alone you could join a PUG but you were almost guaranteed to fail. Originally PUG stood for pick up group but it quickly was universally recognized as a pretty ugly group.

Here I was faced with both an opportunity and a challenge. I could not finish the dungeon at level two, even with my nanobots and abilities. But if I could finish the first level or two I would be sure to reach level five. If I went back and handed in the pub master quest I might make it to level three before I even start the dungeon.

Think of these things I slowly turned around and started the long ascent. I needed to buy some potions and buffs before I began this dungeon. Also, better gear is in order, something that hopefully has enchants. Once I finally reached the surface I left the building and breathed deeply enjoying the smell of the sea in the fresh air.

Arriving at the terminal I knew I would have to wait for a couple more hours till the light faded. The day had been productive and I was eager to get back to the mainland and tell the guys what I had discovered. It was too bad that they could not come with me and run the dungeon, but NPC are strictly forbidden by the game from doing that. But still I wondered if they might be able to, they were not normal NPC.

Sitting on the bench in the warm sunlight I opened the interface and accessed Gnet. Making my way to the game forums I slowly scrolled through them trying to find out anything about the Dungeon of the Deep. It was a bust, but if my theory on why the island had been abandoned was true, then it was not surprising that no one knew of the dungeon.

Because it had not been discovered by the time that the island was abandoned it had a very small chance of being discovered. The fact that I had climbed the mountain, located the Dice and had glimpsed the building hiding among the bush was sheer luck. I hoped that this string of luck would hold. I would do my best and then chance fates, as the Gods were useless here. Chuckling at my self-induced humor I napped until the darkness came.

Getting back over the channel was a lot easier than I had thought it would be, the wings helped and my confidence was much higher than when I had gone to the island. I was amazed at the sight of the ocean waves one thousand feet below me. They glistened in the light of the two moons and the sea foam looked like a living creature.

Once I arrived at the mainland terminal I folded up my wings and covered everything with my cloak, then I made me way down towards the abandoned park. I stopped along the way and ordered three large meals for takeout. It seemed a lot but I knew I would need the calories for the change back to normal Elf. Once I arrived at the park I settled down near the creek and began to eat.

The hot pot pies had an excellent taste, and the grilled spicy sausage was wonderful washed down with some hard pear cider. The cheese went with the sausage and it all tasted great, finally finishing off with roasted chicken and wine. By the time I was done I was happily full and slightly buzzed. It was a nice feeling; things seemed to be working out.

Wrapping myself in my cloak I cleaned up the leftovers and then went down to the water to have a wash-up. The clear cold water cleared my head and allowed me to focus on my thoughts for tomorrow. I lit a smoke and sat back, I would meet with the guys and then go to the Pub and hand in the items I had returned with.

Continuing on my day, a trip to the bank and finally to get some clothing and potions. I would have to be somewhat generic as I had not chosen the second class yet. My thoughts were still inclined towards a distance DPS class as I was tired of getting up close and whacking at another player. I had just not found anything yet that could help me choose.

I am willing to bet that I would in the Dungeon of the Deep. Snubbing out my smoke I laid back and closed my eyes with the gentle sounds of the creek and the warm night quickly putting me to sleep.

I awoke to find both Sebastian and Komhether sitting on the bench down the pathway. They were chatting softly as I sat up; I cleared my throat to let them know I was awake. Walking down to the creek I washed up and then scooped some water and had a drink. Clear and cold it tasted great. This was the benefit of living in a game world; there was no pollution to deal with.

Calling out to the boys I said, “Hi guys, good to see you. let's go get some food and kavaa and then share what we have found out.” Leading the way I went towards the pub on the terrace, I wanted to eat, drink and get some xp. Once we reached the pub the owner Alaric came and greeted us and then sat us down in a private booth. Leaning over to me he asked, “Did you succeed?”

Seeing me nod yes he took our orders and left with a large smile on his face.

Sebastian began the discussion as we slowed down on the eating. “This is what little I have discovered, the dwarfs are rapidly building and expanding and some of what they are developing are weapons. Another machine they are producing is called a streetlamp. They take these streetlamps and fasten them to buildings on the corner edges. They light up at night using some kind of fuel system. Almost every block in the first and second tier is now equipped with these streetlights. They light up an area of about ten feet at nighttime."

I asked after taking a sip of kavaa, “How do the people feel about these changes? Most people are usually a little stiff about change, they do not like it.” Nodding thoughtfully Sebastian said, “It is surprising how little resistance there is to any of the changes. What with cleaning the lower tiers and enforcing curfews as well as having the Hammeryte patrols out making sure crime does not pay, most people are happy.”

Sebastian continued on speaking, “Some of the other things that I found out have to do with what is happening in the Dwarfen lands. They also were preparing for war and when the Gods disappeared it brought some chaos to the land. Suddenly people were asking the King where the Gods were and why prayers were not being answered. Why quests were not being given, and why the oracles and priest and monks were all wondering around like the poor brain-dead.”

“Sadly the King did not give a reassuring response. Now discontent and fear have given way to what amounts to a rebellion. I think Banhammer is building weapons and somehow having them shipped to a dwarven port where those engaged in the rebellion receive the items. By manufacturing these new weapons here in the human kingdoms capital city he is effectively free from any punitive action that the dwarf King would like to engage in.”

That was a lot if information and I needed to think about it for a bit before I could decide on a course of action. Turning to Komhether I asked, “What did you find out my friend?” I could see him preen a bit at being the bearer of news. I could not help but smile at the little messenger; he was worth his weight to me. The fact that Sebastian had established a relationship with him made me happy also; I think they had both been very lonely.

Komhether cleared his throat and began to speak, “As you know I am able to not be seen by people, this was important as a messenger of the Gods should not be seen by just anyone. So by using my ability I was able to enter the Kings own chambers and attend to several meetings that were held. “

“The first thing I have learned is that the King has appointed Archon, your friend from the group that you refer to as the Old Bastards. He is now the Kings Chamberlain and is the one who is really running things up at the palace. The King is not the man he once was, without the favor of the Gods he is little more than a figurehead.”

“The only ascended with power in the land is the Unknown God and he only speaks with Viceroy Reona and the Chamberlain Archon. The King is now almost a prisoner in his own palace. What a strange twist of fate that is. The top guilds and houses still do meet with Archon but from what I can gather, we are no longer preparing for war.”

“Thanks, Komhether, that is valuable information, and I appreciate you and I mean both of you for getting me this, it really helps me.” I wish I could say more to express how I felt; I really did appreciate the effort that the guys had put into getting this information for me. Taking a moment I finished my kavaa and then began to tell my story. Once I was finished we were all silent for a while. Sebastian then asked, “If the dungeon has never been done, and it is all still undiscovered, do you think you will find some good items in there?”

I nodded my head and spoke, “I am sure hoping that I will, and if it is not anything that I can use then hopefully it will have items I can auction off or sell. There is only one way to find out and that is by running through the dungeon.”

At this time pub master Alaric approached and waved at me, excusing myself I walked over to him. He led me to a small private room and then asked me for the recovered bag. I reached into my pack and pulled out the bag. Handing it over to him I watched as he looked at it and then finally put it on the desk.

Turning to me he reached into his waist bag and pulled out five gold coins. I could see that my xp bar had increased by ten thousand xp. Suddenly the ding sounded and the window opened.

Congratulations Torn

You have managed to reach level three

All your stats have increased by ten percent

Enjoy the game and your new powerful stats

Opening up my stat window I could see that my stats had increased. I had started with a base stat of two hundred at level one. Then at the second level, I reached two hundred and twenty. Now at the third level, I was two hundred and forty percent above normal. It all helped. It seemed that every level would increase my base stats by ten percent of the original base level.

A simple system probably brought into the game during one of the patches to help equalize the classes. Most VRP games would develop certain classes that were considered overpowered compared to some of the other classes. This was really picked up on the player versus player aspect of games. To be honest I had always thought that it must be hard to balance classes and no one would be happy all the time.

Thanking Alaric for the quest rewards we shook hands. I then mentioned I had would be available in ten days to start in the kitchen. He nodded and said, “That will be fine.” I left him looking at his mother’s bag; he had a sad smile but seemed happy to have received it. It was amazing that NPC could have the emotional depth that they had.

Making my way back to the table I rejoined the guys and we sat and enjoyed another drink. Komhether asked, “When will you be going back to the island?” “Tomorrow, I need to get some supplies and then I am off. We finished the meal off with some more kavaa and laughs, then it was time to go.