《Dungeon Life》 Chapter 1 - Near the culling. A long time ago, the three races of the surface world grew tired of war and used their mights to defeat the lower races, commonly referred to as monsters. The people were unsatisfied with mere victory, they demanded the monsters be wiped out completely, every male, female and child until a human, elf or dwarf could live without the fear of a forest troll raiding your village or a pack of goblins stealing your food, not to mention the world-level threats like dragons. Despite the people¡¯s wishes, the leaders knew this couldn¡¯t be practical, because the monsters carried an energy inside of them, an energy which was capable of giving an average man the strength to defeat a dragon, an average craftsman the ability to make technology far beyond the understanding of the common peasant and gave every mage the ability to change the very fabric of reality on a whim, this energy is called by many names, soul energy, life essence but the term used by the common man and woman is ¡°experience power¡± or ¡°XP¡±. Once the population of every race was reduced to the point of posing no threat, they were all thrown into massive underground constructions called dungeons, designed to be the optimal, self-sustaining breeding grounds for the monster populations to replenish to be slaughtered for XP every ten years. The more dangerous races were hunted into extinction, races such as dragons, arch demons and devils were eradicated. Once every ten years, an elite group of high-level warriors, mages and other skilled fighters are permitted to enter the dungeon of their choice, accompanied by nobles or craftsmen who have been recognised by the crown as talented and worthy of using XP to further their abilities and who wished to become better at diplomacy or trade by gaining XP passively, through merely being in the vicinity of dying monsters they could gain XP. If a surface race is to gain over one-hundred levels, they will be given the title of a hero, someone who demands respect from even a king, someone who if they would please, could spend the rest of their life in luxury. ¡°It¡¯s almost that time again¡­¡± mumbled the fur-covered humanoid, a beast man. His eyes wandered around the rocky walls of the inn. Before him stood a bowl made from a human skull, most likely from one of the past cullings. From across the table made from dried vines tangled into a basket-like texture, strong enough for the smaller monsters. ¡°Yeah, you heading down?¡± asked the lizard-man at the till, he was using a rag scavenged from last decade¡¯s invaders. ¡°No way! You saw what they did last time! They all headed straight down!¡± the beast-man barked almost knocking the skull filled with mushroom stew over. The dim light from the dirt-lamps gave off a spectrum of colours, going from vibrant reds to cold blues, since no mana could be used inside the dungeons because of the enchanted bricks and since there is no source of wood or wax down here, the monsters have resorted to using dirt-lamps. A dirt-lamp is essentially created with the use of compressed monster waste and rotting corpses, processed by slimes and fungi into an amber crystal which gives off light when wet. ¡°If you break the bowl I¡¯m replacing it with your skull!¡± warned the lizard-man, resources like these were rare in the dungeon and the monsters wanted any form of luxury they could get. A wet slurping sound came from the corner of the room, the beast-man looked down and saw the light green puddle, it was a slime. ¡°Hey! I asked you not the do that until I close up!¡± complained the lizard-man as he grabbed a wooden shield, its front was painted with bone-chalk into the image of a lizard-man slipping on a puddle with the caption ¡°Beware, slimy floor.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Now~ now~ it¡¯s~ not~ like~ you¡¯ll~ have~ any~ customers~ today~ anyway~¡­¡± the words came from the slime slowly, like how you¡¯d expect a typical stoner to talk. ¡°Would it kill you to talk any faster?¡± the beast-man grumbled as he grabbed the skull and drank from it, the clear-brown liquid inside somehow tasting both foul and remaining basically flavourless. ¡°Slimes~ have~ slow~ metabolisms~ if~ I~ speed~ up~ I~ might~ die~!¡± The slime slowly rolled on the floor eventually taking the general shape of a young humanoid, at first the body had no features, but slowly a face and hair appeared. ¡°What~ are~ you~ still~ doing~ here~?¡± ¡°Care to take a guess?¡± the beast-man asked as his foot started tapping the floor below, his brow twitched as the slime gathered the strength to reply. ¡°Is~ it~ -¡± it was cut off by the beast-man who cried out in aggravation, smashing the skull onto the table and spilling some of the remaining stew. ¡°YES, IT¡¯S BECAUSE OF THAT BASTARD!¡± he cried out. ¡°WATCH THE SKULL!¡± cried the lizard-man, he was pretty small and had a hunched back. ¡°Hem, take the cup away from him!¡± he commanded the slime. ¡°I didn¡¯t finish the stew though!¡± the beast-man protested but it was already too late, the slime grabbed the skull absorbing it into its mass, the beast-man looked sorrowfully as the brown liquid flew out of the skull, remaining suspended inside the gelatinous form of the slime. The beast-man stood up marching up to the till before feeling his foot step on something slimy, he fell back smashing his head on the table, breaking it in half. ¡°MY TABLE!¡± ¡°MY SPINE!¡± The two of them cried out in unison. ¡°My~ boss¡¯~ table~!¡± the other two politely waited for the slime to make its exclamation. With an angry sigh the beast-man reached under the collar of his shirt, pulling out a necklace of coins, each one had a hole punched, stabbed or bitten into it for easy transportation. The beast-man placed two coins on the till, the lizard man looked at him and raised an eyebrow. ¡°The soup is three coins today.¡± the lizard-man stated plainly. ¡°T-three?! Already?!¡± the beast-man¡¯s jaw dropped in surprise, the lizard-man moved his hand up and pushed the beast-man¡¯s jaw closed. ¡°God, your breath smells like a cat¡¯s mouth¡­¡± the lizard-man sighed. ¡°Shut it, insect-eater!¡± the beast-man rebuked, frowning hard enough to expose his fangs. ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever, just pay up before you get killed.¡± the lizard-man sighed. ¡°Fine¡­¡± the beast-man grabbed another two coins off his necklace, then placed them next to the previous three. A while of silence passed as the slime slowly spoke up. ¡°Wait~ why~ are~ the~ prices~ going~ up~?¡± ¡°Somebody stole some of the mushroom harvest for this week.¡± the lizard-man explained. ¡°Guess it¡¯s one of the plant-eaters trying to eat-up before they get killed.¡± shrugged the beast-man. ¡°Yeah, I doubt it¡¯s some meat-eating monster planning to feast on mushrooms.¡± agreed the lizard-man with a slight chuckle. ¡°You~ guys~ seem~ pretty~ happy~¡± The two monsters each raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s not that we¡¯re happy, I mean, there¡¯s no point being sad if you might die anyway. The slime paused for a bit, as if trying to process the statement. ¡°All~ I~ mean~ is~ I~ like~ seeing~ you~ two~ happy~¡­¡± a smile slowly crept onto its face. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re weird¡­¡± replied the beast-man, ¡°Super weird.¡± agreed the lizard-man. A slow tapping noise came from outside the door, the building itself, if it can even be called that, was a hemispherical shell made from clay, mud and dried vines built against the unbreakable walls of the dungeon. ¡°I think that¡¯s him¡­¡± sighed the beast-man as he stood up and stretched a bit before heading towards the door. ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys next after the attack.¡± said the beast-man with a slight wave. ¡°Hopefully.¡± added the lizard-man, though he didn¡¯t sound morbid, realistic if anything. ¡°See~ ya~¡­¡± the slime said almost out of earshot. Outside of the inn walked a monster, the lower part of his head wrapped in bandages along with his torso, ankles and elbows. He wore a leather vest he scavenged from one of the dead dwarves, white trousers that were too big from him, he had them tied with a rope at the belt and a bandage at the calves, each leg ending with a black hoof. The uncovered part of his face consisted of light yellow eyes with no pupils, the eyes glowed in the dark faintly and the short dark-violet, almost black hair separated into thicker strands. From either side of his head poked out two long ears, each one curving downwards lightly. ¡°Hey! Naxx! What the fuck are you doing out here!?¡± demanded the beast-man gaining the attention of the long eared monster. ¡°Oh, hey¡­¡± his voice was dry, soft and bored. ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®oh hey¡¯ me! Why the hell are you not in the lower levels!?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child, I can go top mines if I want¡­¡± The beast-man cracked his knuckles. ¡°You can try.¡± he said threateningly. ¡°Come on¡­ there¡¯s no way they¡¯ll go to the mine of all places.¡± he argued slumping his shoulders even more than they were already. ¡°Look! I know you want to make sure the you-know-what is done quickly, but are you seriouslytelling me you can¡¯t hold off for one day!?¡± A while of silence passed, ¡°It¡¯s one day every ten years, so unless I get killed it¡¯ll be like¡­ five or six days¡­¡± Naxx explained. Naxx was picked up by the beast-man who carried him down to the very lowest part of the dungeon, the mushroom farm, though most of it was fenced-off, one part of it was designated as the bunker where the monsters hid. ¡°Come on¡­ I need to -¡± ¡°You need to stop worrying everyone!¡± barked the beast-man shaking him up before continuing ¡°We can¡¯t let your species die out, after all!¡± ¡°I mean, technically, there is no other imp in this dungeon, so my species is virtually extinct already.¡± ¡°Stay positive, man!¡± said the beast-man trying to cheer the imp up. ¡°The sooner we get out the better my chances get, that¡¯s why I should be on the top floor, in the mines!¡± whined the imp. ¡°Sure, I bet you can see all the imps in the afterlife!¡± replied the man irritated. ¡°Whatever¡­¡± sighed the imp giving up on getting to the mines. Chapter 2 - The invasion The massive stone doors plated with metal unknown to the lower races opened letting fresh air into the dungeon for the first time in ten years. ¡°Keep the young ones in the holes, they¡¯re not allowed to kill the little ones, craftsmen and farmers stay back as well. Everybody else, let¡¯s go!¡± The beast-man ordered. While there was no legal system in place in the dungeon, the rule is as follows, the powerful rule, but the kind make allies, Baxx was one of those with both strength and kindness. ¡°I can¡¯t go and die! I have a family!¡± Cried one of the pixies, like fairies but without magic, they are no more powerful than rats, though they still carry a lot of XP. ¡°And if the surface races don¡¯t get enough XP from the rest of us they¡¯ll be coming after your family too! Now get up and fight like a man!¡± Baxx ordered, but the pixie was still terrified, he assumed the foetal position and wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°That¡¯s another one of us that¡¯ll die¡­¡± complained one of the beast-men that worked with Baxx, a black-furred cat-woman, a hatchet in one hand and a pouch filled with rocks in the other, it worked like a mace when you¡¯re desperate. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t notice it anyway¡­¡± noted a boar-man, a heaver looking man with a hammer he took from a dead dwarf he killed ten years back. ¡°Y-yeah! They wouldn¡¯t see me anyway! What if I die in the crossfire!?¡± cried the pixie resulting in a disgusted look from just about anyone, but they turned away from him and started heading towards the upper levels. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now, Naxx!¡± Baxx called out, not hearing a reply from the imp he looked around and saw that he wasn¡¯t in the bunker. ¡°Did any of you see Naxx!?¡± he asked a group of elementals, then a group of three people, mushroom people, kobolds, he asked just about anyone in the damn place. ¡°Where did he go!?¡± he called out before remembering that he must have gone to the mines, ¡°That stupid son of a bitch!¡± With that statement, Baxx ran out ahead of the other monsters, soon he was joined by the other monsters who agreed to fight off the surface races, though in reality, they were going off to die to stop the more important monsters like craftsmen or children getting killed. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡± the elf priestess said in a melodic voice, her white robes dragged behind her, in her hand was a long staff with a red gem. Long white hair hung past her chest. ¡°Right - I have ta kill the bastard that killed Bromell¡­¡± cursed a dwarf, an axe in his hand, fancy golden blade and wood handle coated in many layers of oils and polishes. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be motivated by such things as revenge¡­¡± replied the human, his hair was a gold colour, his eyes wide open, bloodshot and devoid of any emotions, he was wearing golden armour and massive golden blade, it must have been heavy. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk church-boy¡­¡± said the rogue with a smirk, he was an elf, grey hair and long ears. He was wearing a cloak and had two daggers placed at his waist, a black tunic and black trousers matched his dark motif. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk edge lord¡­¡± replied the dwarf. ¡°Don¡¯t mock me shorty.¡± the rogue rebuked. Aside from the four, there were also twenty soldiers armed with shields, swords and armour, as well as a nobleman wearing a lavish fur coat, Jewry and a purely ornamental dagger at his hip. ¡°Please, I didn¡¯t pay your four to talk, you¡¯re meant to guard me!¡± he complained. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.¡°I wanna leave his dumb ass in the dungeon¡­ so bad¡­¡± shuddered the rogue under his breath. ¡°Slow down, rogue, we mustn''t act with haste¡­¡± whispered the priestess. As the group marched in they came across the first wave of monsters, small goblins with spears charged at them, nobody was phased by this turn of events, the armoured men charged in slashing at the green midgets until none remained. ¡°Are these things getting weaker?¡± laughed the rogue as he tossed a pouch of dust from his pocket onto the ground, the dust quickly settling and revealing a group of ten or so lizard-men, preciously bending into the background but now exposed. Quickly they were slaughtered, the rogue even moved in and took the time to get some leather off one of the more lively ones before it too succumbed to death at the hands of the paladin. ¡°Hey! What gives, church boy?!¡± demanded the rogue as he was met with the cold, distant stare of the human. ¡°There is no need for that kind of cruelty, they will all suffer at the hands of God soon,¡± he replied. From behind a volley of arrows rained down, one almost hitting the noble before being sliced in half by the rogue. ¡°Quit showing off long ears!¡± complained the dwarf as he charged in, cutting into the monsters, bathing the floors in gore and limbs as he scanned around the bodies in search of the boar-monster which killed his mentor ten years ago. ¡°They¡¯re going deeper! Get ready to fight!¡± Baxx called out as the charged past what was considered the front lines and took a ninety-degree turn right to the mines, he caught the attention of a few soldiers but they were distracted by the fighting of the other monsters. As he ran through the tunnels he saw the loose pile of rocks moved aside, Naxx was being reckless, he ran inside and saw Naxx with a large crate of mushrooms and a skull-bowl into which he squeezed the acidic juice of the mushrooms, he used this juice to slowly dissolve the walls of the dungeon, he¡¯s been working on this for three years already and while the results were visible, they were far from complete. ¡°Thank God you¡¯re alive!¡± he exclaimed grabbing the imp. ¡°Relax, bro. I told you I needed to get this done!¡± he justified his actions. ¡°You dumbass! We¡¯re getting slaughtered out there! It¡¯s dangerous here!¡± Baxx roared before feeling a sharp pain in his back. ¡°My God! A tiger-pattern beast-man! I always wanted one!¡± called out the elf rogue. ¡°You-!¡± Baxx wasn¡¯t able to reply before he felt another stab, another blade flew at his torso. ¡°You should be happy! You¡¯ll get out of here alive!¡± the elf exclaimed, the light from the nearby dirt-lamp reflecting off his red eyes. ¡°And you are?¡­¡± he looked over to the now horrified Naxx. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me! You¡¯re an imp!¡± his excitement grew as he could almost feel the fun he could have with two rare monsters. ¡°I think I led him here¡­¡± Baxx said, his vision hazy as a result of the poison on the blades. ¡°Hem! Get Naxx out of there!¡± from behind the rogue shot out a blob of slime, the surprised look on the rogue¡¯s face was almost worth the pain Baxx was feeling. Hem, the slime grabbed Naxx and charged past the rogue at an uncharacteristically fast speed. As the slime was moving it began to shake, they made it to the main hallway and Naxx was ready to call for backup on the lower floors when Hem made an unusual move, it charged past the solders sustaining minimal damage and almost making it out of the dungeon through the open door when the priestess shot a ray of light through the slime¡¯s body, the light leaving glowing chunks throughout its body as it wiggled its way out past them and out into the open world. Naxx was inside of the slime, it bounced then hopped then rolled its way away until it made it deep into a forest. ¡°There~ we~ are~¡­¡± with that the slime dropped Naxx off, providing him with a hard landing on the forest floor. ¡°H-HEY! WHAT ABOUT BAXX! WE HAVE TO GO SAVE HIM!¡± cried the imp, he moved his hand to try and shake the slime back to its senses, but its body deformed upon impact. ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡± he cried recoiling his hand in fear as he turned to face the slime¡¯s humanoid face, it was struggling to keep it stable. ¡°Slimes~ have~ slow~ metabolisms~¡­¡± ¡°I~ had~ to~ digest~ some~ of~ my~ body~ to~ move~ that~ fast~¡­¡± The slime¡¯s arms started dissolving, its arms broke down, pouring out into the ground. ¡°Wait! Stop!¡± pleaded the imp. ¡°It¡¯s~ alright¡­~ I¡¯ll¡­~ just¡­~ sleep¡­~ it¡­~ off¡­~¡± the slime said optimistically as its face started breaking apart, streams of slime trickled out almost like tears, not that slimes could cry. ¡°Yeah! Just sleep it off! Don¡¯t even think about d-¡± Naxx was cut off by the slime. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­~ worry¡­~ Baxx¡­~ anymore¡­~ kay¡¯¡­~?¡± the slime asked as its features faded from its body and melted away into the floor, leaving only a patch of water and chunks of gel. Chapter 3 - Going home Naxx took a second to register what happened, before him lay a pool of slime that was once Hem. "HEM!" he cried out planting his hands in the dirt and digging through it in hopes of digging Hem out. He dug, clawed and buried through the soil to no avail, the clouded sky turned darker as the first drop of rain hit a nearby rock. He never realised how long he was digging until he realised his hands were covered in blood. A sharp pain came from his now bloodied hands, he looked up and saw the drops of rain fall down, he recoiled slightly, not only has he never seen rain before, he was also in a good bit of pain. In the panic he ended up pulling his hands back, falling on his back and hitting his head on a nearby rock, a burst of blunt pain was all he felt before he was knocked out by the impact. As he lay there in the rain his mind scrambled to make sense of what happened, Naxx was a sixteen-year-old imp, a race which was hunted out of existence, not because of their strength, but because they were too weak to be worth keeping in the dungeon according to everyone he asked on the subject. Every time a human would kill an imp, their XP wouldn''t be worth keeping track of. That aside, the churches were also pretty adamant on eradicating any demonic monsters. He saw the images of the day his whole family was killed, he was six when it happened, the church decided to wipe out all demonic monsters including the imps. Instead of the usual mish-mash of adventurers and nobles, a group of forty paladins and high-priests was sent in, they made sure to slaughter every last one. And they weren''t shy about their resentment of the demons, before they were killed, a paladin''s hammer was used to break their ankles and elbows so the demon could only crawl away from its killers, then it was burned with "holy fire" - it was only thanks to a long-dead, green, slime that Naxx was still alive, he spent the next two years floating around in a suit of slime which helped stop his wounds from getting infected and supported his limbs until they healed enough to be usable. His face never fully healed though, the holy fire burned him bad, and nothing hurts a demon like holy-magic does. He was taken in by Baxx''s family, with all the bandages and the skin which changed colour thanks to the slime exposure, he didn''t resemble an imp all that much, at least he thought so, clearly, the rogue from before proved him wrong. His eyes shot open, soon he was met with both sore hands and a sore head. He sat up and looked down at his hands, they weren''t as bad as it looked, slightly bruised with some small cuts. He stood up and saw the hole where Hem was presumably laying. He felt his heart sink a little as he accepted that Hem was gone, he moved over and used the surrounding soil to cover the hole, he placed the rock he hit his head on as a gravestone. "Thanks, Hem..." he stuttered out feeling the warm stream of tears start to run down his face, it was a nice contrast to the freezing cold he was feeling, the rain has stopped a while ago, but he was still soaking wet.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "I''ll be going back, now." he choked out. "Even though you died to give me a chance to get out, I have to go back and see if Baxx and the rest are alright." he clenched his mist so hard the wounds started to bleed again. "I''m sorry..." With that, he stood up, wiped his face with the bandages on his hand and started his slow march back to the dungeon. From memory, he was able to return to the dungeon where he was shocked to see the doors were still wide open, but no guards were present. He made his way closer and saw that the wet ground was still displaying footsteps leaving the dungeon, as well as several carts. He took a deep breath and went inside, instantly he was met with the horrific scent of burned flesh, on the walls and on the ground were the charred remains of monsters, most far beyond the point of recognition. A few human corpses also littered the ground, though nowhere near as many as the monsters. First, he checked the mines, he found nothing except a few burned corpses, none of them resembled Baxx, though he couldn''t be sure. Then he checked the lower floors, the inn was burned to bits, a leathery hand stuck out of the ashes. He went all the way down to the mushroom farm, Naxx gulped before he went down to the bottom. He saw nobody at first, suddenly a few familiar heads came into view, he was horrified to discover that they were only the heads, beast-men, lizard-men, elementals not even the children were spared. "Naxx... is that you?" asked a rough voice from the corner of the room. Instantly, Naxx spun around to see who it was and much to his relief it was the boar-monster from before, in his hand the same dwarven hammer from before, in the second hand, a new hammer. "It is you... I got another one!" he announced waving his new hammer around a bit before letting out a painful groan and putting it back. "Quil!" Naxx called out as he stumbled towards him, placing his arms around him, temporarily giving the imp some hope, until he felt the warm liquid running down his back. "A-are you-" he was cut off by the boar-monster. "Nevermind me, boy... you need to get out of here..." he interrupted Naxx''s question with an order. "I can''t - what if somebody else is still alive in here!?" he demanded as he started taking off the bandages around his arms. "Here, I''ll patch you up!" he said desperately. "Don''t bother, my spine is pretty messed up..." he replied casually. Naxx wasn''t sure how to reply. "You''re dying?" he asked taking a step back. "They wouldn''t have left me here if there was a chance of me surviving," he replied with a slight chuckle. "B-" Naxx tried to protest but was cut off. "I need you to kill me," he replied sternly. Naxx blinked slowly and looked the bloodied monster in the eyes, "What did you just say?" he asked meekly. "Look here, boy! I don''t know what your plan to do now! But life outside the dungeon won''t be easy for a monster, not to mention an imp! You need the XP!" the boar-monster scolded him. "I can''t do it! Monsters can''t get XP!" Naxx replied taking another step back before falling to the ground once again. The boar-monster moved his hand up to scratch his beard, "Why do you think that? We were once surface races too..." he replied. Naxx didn''t reply. "Alright, you were always like this... at least give me one of those bandages." he relented. "Hurry but before a bleed out," he added with a chuckle. Naxx breathed a sigh of relief as he stood up and moved to hand Quil the board-monster the bandages. In one quick movement, one so fast you wouldn''t expect it from a dying man the boar grabbed a hold of the monster''s hand. "I''m sorry, boy," he said leaning forward before pulling back and smashing his head into the rock wall behind him as Naxx tried to struggle out of his iron grasp, screaming and yelling for him to "stop" and "let go" but the boar-monster didn''t listen. "Do" A smacking noise, "Me" A smacking noise, "A" A smacking noise, "Favour" A sudden crunch noise, "Don''t..." A wet thud followed by a splatter of blood that landed on Naxx''s face, "Die..." A final, wet thud followed by a crack echoed in the now silent cavern. As the dead boar-monster slumped forward exposing the caved-in skull and letting go of his hand, Naxx saw symbol appear on his hand, it glowed a powerful, blue light, it was the symbol for "three" written in runic. "QUIL!" Naxx cried as he tried to shake the man awake to no avail, he stumbled back slipping on some spilt blood and landing in what was previously the bunker but now resembled a pile of butcher''s trimmings. A panicked cry came from him as he stumbled back, before hearing a quiet call for help. "Is somebody there?! HELP! Anybody!" he followed the voice like a light in the void, he reached a pixie on the ground, it was the coward from before, not that it even mattered to Naxx at this point, he was glad to see somebody who was both alive and uninjured. "You''re alive!" he exclaimed picking up the small, pink-skinned man dressed in a tiny version of a shirt and trousers. "Thank, God! Somebody came to save me!" the pixie exclaimed grabbing hold of Naxx''s thumb as if it was his saviour.