I Am The Apocalypse Chapter 2

The situation objectively didn't change at all while I slept, but at least I feel better about it.

Waking up, I decided I hate not having a clock. Or at least a window! Something to know if I can't sleep anymore because I'm restless or overly rested!

Was this day two in a new world or still day one? I suppose it didn't exactly matter yet as I let out a yawn. I managed to ignore my own roar as I practice stretching as a quadruped. While I get the kinks out of my legs and back, my wings flap out a bit before returning to their folded position. I almost forgot I had them. I wish I could forget my tail, which curves very strangely as I roll my shoulders.

Ignoring that, I looked up at the circle and decided to confirm what happened yesterday. "Up?" I called out curiously. To my amusement, I'm enveloped by light, proving that it really does teleport me at command.

So, the first step to getting out of a situation is understanding your boundaries and resources…or something profound like that. Point was, I have magic eyes, so I should be able to at least learn more about what I'm dealing with in this place.

And where better to start than King Skelly himself?

I stare at the bones for more than a few seconds, concentrating. I feel a bit stupid, as I just know I look constipated while trying this, until the information finally pops into my head.

["Enchanted Corpse of Norbeh V, the Last King of Kane, which will rise to battle any trespassers."]

It's really starting to feel like I'm reading it off a page. Also, holy shit, I'm glad I don't count as an intruder! Still, that kind of security only made me surer there was something worth guarding in this place. But I'll check again for that later. For now, I ventured to the next room, on the right this time to change things up.

I hummed as I spied the oval in middle of the room, wondering just what this little thing was. My non-existent money is on "something horrible."

["Terror Spawner."]

I already hate it.

["Terror Spawner: Creates many weak-to-moderate Spawns, along with three Greater Spawns. Terror Spawns all take a form the target find most terrifying."]

So monsters customized to be each person's worst fear? Yeah, I really hated it.

I moved on to the Hall and took a deep breath, wondering just how many I'd find in this room.

I focus my eyes and stared...and stared...and stared.

Not because it wasn't working! I could see where the magic in the room was. Rather, the issue is my eyes are working too well.

["Explosive Trap-"]

["Spawn Specter of Death-"]

["Spawn Greater Skeleton Army-"]

["Spawn SkeleDrake-"]

["Magic Dampening Curse-"]

Sweat grew on my furry brow as I closed my eyes and allowed the ability to stop. "You've got to be kidding," I murmured as I looked over the room again, without my Magic Sight this time. This place was a battlefield waiting to be unleashed. Every inch of it was set to spawn in enemies or trap, cripple and otherwise attack anyone that set foot in here. True, that was how fantasy dungeons work, but this felt like overkill. There were well over a hundred circles and each one looked fairly dangerous on its own.

I shook my head as I went forth to the circular room and wondered just what I was supposed to look at in this empty room. Oh well, it wasn't like I had anything better to do, so I stared intently at each part of the walls. But each one only said the same thing with no other description:

["Trap Door"]

Very informative. If I had to guess, there was some randomness to this room, making it impossible to prepare for whatever came out to fight.

One side down, I moved back to the Grand Entrance. I took a deep breath as I stood there, prepared to be bombarded by information again.

I was kind of confused to find that, no, this room was not filled to the brim with portals to summon eldritch abominations that will drag you into a hell-world where dying is not a mercy permitted to the victims.

I swear my snake tail just gave me a strange look.

But yes, the room was only sparsely enchanted. The biggest one was on the wall above the hall leading to the gate.

["Anti-Teleportation Trap: Teleporting into this area is possible, but it is impossible to teleport out of it, or within it."]

Okay, so people could jump in here, but they couldn't get out, not even just to another room. Makes sense.

Wait, how and why was my portal exempted from that? Maybe because it's a set two-way portal rather than free-range teleporting?

Shaking my head, I look to the pool of shining water, because I know that has got to be special.

["Annudian Water: An elixir that will heal all wounds and reinvigorate all who drink it. While it does become useless if contaminated, it is also self-purifying."]

I raised an eyebrow at that. Do wolves have eyebrows? I feel like I have eyebrows. While a bit contradictory, I think I got it. If it gets dirty, the water would clean itself, but couldn't heal anyone until it was decontaminated. And again, healing water; if that's not a motive to fix any water pollution problems, I don't know what is.

And as odd as it was, it kind of made sense the more I thought about it. In a game, this would be the last checkpoint, where one heals up and gets their best equipment ready. It made a bit less sense when not applying game logic, but if I had to guess?

Hope. If those that came here were on their last legs already, they wouldn't dare try to press on, even if they were trapped in here. These places were essentially death traps, designed to ensnare and kill anyone stupid enough to wander in without being prepared.

Then again, maybe I'm over thinking it. Or misinterpreting it. There was a throne room after all, so maybe this was once a fortress and got repurposed later. Having a spring of instant-healing water would make any army at least twice as effective.

Ignoring the quandary of a healing pool in a death trap, I scanned the room again. I doubt this Magic Sight is perfect, but it helped find the obvious things. At least obvious to the Magic Sight, I guess.

The platforms of giant, poorly stacked cubes had nothing of note on them, except for one. It wasn't that high up, only a few cubes up, but its entire side facing out was glowing red.

["Hidden Exit from the Lair of Vardreel."]

Who or what is Vardreel? Admittedly, I like the name, it sound kind of badass, but who had a lair in here-

I just stared for a moment as it dawned on me. Assuming my room was below the throne room, the placement could fit. So, did that mean...?

I had my snake tail turn to look at me. Its lenses slid back while I make it focus intently on myself, in all my horned wolfy glory.

My suspicions were soon confirmed.

["Vardreel the Underwolf."]

Okay. That's a thing. And that was it too, no description or note of anything. Just a name and title. Admittedly cool in both regards, but still.

Vardreel the Underwolf, eh? That's who, or really, what I am now? Well, at least I have something to introduce myself as if I get anyone to talk to me. I'd use my real name, but I'd rather save that for if and when I can get a human form.

I wonder what else I'll learn down here?

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

I've learned that I really, really hate not having a clock. Now that I think about it, most houses I've been in had lots of clocks; Entertainment systems, phones, microwaves, laptops, computers, digital ovens and just regular clocks. It was hard to not have some idea of the time in modern day America.

Best I can tell, this is the third day. I've noticed a few new things over time. Namely, I don't need to eat or drink. That, or I can go a very long time without food, but I don't feel the least bit hungry or thirsty. I made sure not to drink the Annudian water, just to see.

It had nothing to do with the idea of lapping at water like a dog that made me feel awkward and embarrassing…not at all.

Despite not feeling hunger in the slightest, I'm still somehow craving a grilled steak like no tomorrow! I guessing removing the need for food doesn't remove the desire for the taste. In fact, I think it actually makes it worse!

I eventually bothered to check the left side of the dungeon with my Magic Sight, out of boredom. Everything is the same, more or less: Circle room is filled with trap doors, and there is enough manpower and spellpower waiting in the Left Hall to make any Low-Fantasy Dark Lord envious. The only real difference was the Spawner at the last floor before the Throne Room. It wasn't a Terror spawner, but a Hope Spawner.

I hated this one even more.

["Hope Spawner: A spawner that generates an illusion based on the target's hopes and ambitions, with people within the illusion being disguised Spawns. The illusion will slowly drain their magic if they do not break out of it and once drained, the illusion will fail as the spawns attack the target."]

Just thinking about it makes me a bit uneasy. I'm tempted to destroy both spawners, but even ignoring that they'll help deal with anyone that wants to kill me? I don't want the place I'm trapped in turning hostile on me. I'm bunking with a Skeleton King, after all.

Oh, yeah, and King Norby has a magic-amplifying staff and an anti-magic sword on either side of his throne. If only I had hands, I might just be tempted to try holding them. But maybe it's a good thing I can't, since Norb might try to kick my ass. I may be a monster, but I have no idea how to use this form.

Well, that's a lie. I know how to fly now! Okay, more like take off and hover. Steering and such is tricky, but I'm working at it.

"Gah!"

It's my landings that are piss poor, as my face is very aware of.

"You'd think falling on a snout would hurt more than falling on a nose," I grumbled while absently pawing at the body part. "I miss hands."

Sighing, I lazed in the peacefulness of the Grand Entrance, my tail curling up on itself. Yeah, everywhere is quiet in this place, but the other rooms are just silent and empty. Here, I at least have the soft noise of the Annudian Waters trickling into the pool. Total silence is what makes people go crazy, or so I heard. And being in the throne room just gets uncomfortable. I swear I can feel Norby staring at me. Him being an "Enchanted Corpse" makes that a lot more likely than I'd rather think about.

It's the monotony in this place that really gets to me. There isn't much to do other than walk around and practice flying. Sometimes I examine the magic stuff in the halls. I haven't gotten to the point of wanting to try tripping the traps on purpose yet. Of course, that just might let me out of here if I can defeat everything in the dungeon. That's the normal way to get out of a dungeon. Besides dying, which I obviously don't want to try.

Trouble is, again, I don't know how to fight. Especially not as, well, whatever creature goes by the name Vardreel The Underwolf. Still love that name though.

At some point, I need to fix that, my lack of fighting abilities. Because speaking of abilities, I'm positive this form of my has other powers besides Magic Sight and looking overly demonic. Like the flamethrower that is my snout. I just need to figure out how to trigger them properly.

In other news, I've already tried the final door again, asking it to open. I figure it might be voice command like my portal circle, but no such luck. I guess getting out like that would be too easy.

Getting up, I head back up to the throne room for what must be at least the second dozenth time. I still haven't figured out how to use that secret exit from the Bunker, as I've dubbed my room.

I started calling the circle rooms the Carousels, because why not? The halls are just The Halls, and the Spawning Rooms need no explanation. I'm starting to wish I could see the creatures that can appear in The Halls. Give me something to do, study them and probably give them all pet names. It'd get really crowded in here though. Just one of those Skeleton Army summons alone should fill the entire hall.

It is still really weird to think about, monsters and magic being a reality I have to live with now. What could magic even do in this world? There was a million and one different ways stories present magic and how it worked, with limitations ranging from "can make life a bit easier" to "can make you a god among maggots" and everything in between. But could I use it? I could breathe fire and I have this Magic Sight, telling me things I never knew, so I don't think it's impossible. Of course, if magic needs a wand or staff, I am out of luck if my tail can't get very, um, what's the word? Dexterous?

That just sounds like a bad sex joke.

"Goodnight, Norb," I say sarcastically. I'll end up pretending to have conversations with the skeleton if I'm here too long. I know it, I've accepted it, and I'm making peace with it. "Down."

Once more, I'm back in the Bunker, the Lair of Vardreel. Honestly, pretty boring place for a lair. But it's big enough for me to jump around in if I feel the urge, so I won't complain. Or, I won't if I can figure out that damn secret exit that leads to the Grand Entrance. The entire wall glows red to my Magic Sight, as if it's trying to tell me something, but there's no secret hatch or switch I can find, so maybe it's just destructible? I haven't really tried just breaking stuff. Yet. It's on my list.

And there's still the prospect of potentially having to fight anyone that comes venturing into this place. But maybe I'll get lucky and find a way out of here before that issue arises.

I can dream, right?