Clara groaned and tried to cover her eyes, there was a pink box shining light into her eyes. She tried to roll over and ignore it, but found she couldn’t, her body would not move and no matter how hard she tried worse the light kept shining. She tried to focus and see what the box was and realised immediately something wasn’t right. There in front of her face was pink box with words and behind it the floor of dark empty cave. She was looking at the cave from above - somehow and she could see every nook and cranny of the place even though the only light was coming from the small pink screen in front of her. She tried to reach out in fear to grab onto something, anything but it was then that she realised the reason she couldn’t move her body was because she didn’t have one. She was just a floating incorporeal being staring at a box and a cave and she had no idea why.
How did she end up here? Where is here? And how did she leave? She wasn’t … dead - Right? And most importantly would this stupid box just go away! And away it went but before she could really celebrate it was replace by another one, this time asking about monsters. Clara didn’t care about monsters she just wanted answers and this time when she asked the screen to disappear it stayed firmly where it was with the occasion jiggle it wanted her to answer it, but it wouldn’t answer her. How was that fair?
Clara stared at the box that was now in a constant state of agitation, as it had not stopped shaking and now seemed to be flashing. She still did not choose any of the monsters listed as the thing had not answered her and she just knew it could. Plus goblins were gross, slimes sounded gross, and she had no clue what Umbris were. Really what reason did she have to pick any of them, but the thing seemed to take that as an invitation as two more boxes appeared in front of the one that was already there to explain and show off Slimes and Umbris.
Clara personally thought the Slimes looked disgusting, and that she didn't want one anywhere near her. That still wasn't enough incentive for her to choose, but her disgust of 2 of the monsters was enough of a choice for the box as it disappeared while having the cell for the Umbri highlighted. Another box came immediately and gave Clara just enough time to read it before disappearing.
It had highlighted Rabbit, which wasn’t at all surprising since Rabbits were in fact her favourite animals, but the boxes still weren’t finished as there came a box this time asking her to pick a plant, she had no strong feelings about the plants listed so one was not chosen immediately. Leaving Clara and what ever was controlling the box in a stand off.
She could choose something, but she wanted answers, and the thing clearly had some understanding of what was going on even if it didn’t want to tell them to her, but this was about her so she wouldn’t just give in to what ever was happening. She deserved to know where she was and how she could get back home. The thought of getting home seemed to infuriate the box as it shook wildly and selected the Peony before disappearing. And then it was gone. No more boxes just her in a cave, with a gem she was somehow just noticing.
The gem was the same colour as the boxes, so she figured whatever was controlling the boxes was in there or was looking from it. She tried to think at it to answer her questions when some sort of status screen appeared.
What was this, a video game? Clara was pretty sure she'd know if there was technology like this in the world, but she wasn’t really one for video games she preferred her fantasy in movies and books. She’d played some games with her little brother. But that still didn’t explain what was happening? Was this really some sort of secret technology? Also what's a Dungeon Core? And Essence? It was all so confusing.
‘You answer that!’ she wanted to yell but with no mouth or body she was forced to think it very loudly, she knew that whatever thing that created the boxes could read her mind. It once again didn’t respond so she gave it one last effort. ‘Why am I here?!’
It didn’t answer and Clara wanted nothing more than to cry. But she couldn’t because she was a floating whatever in a cave dungeon with only a crystal who would not help her for company. She just wanted to go home. Home to her family, her friends.
She wondered what had happened to her, had she just disappeared, had her body just seized to exist? Or was her body there lying unconscious as her mind was elsewhere? Were they worried about her? Or have they not noticed yet that she was no longer there? She wanted to know what she done to deserve this. It wasn't too long ago that she was in a restaurant with – with – her mind drew a blank. With who? Why couldn't she remember? Had this thing not only had stolen her, but stolen her memory as well? What else did she not remember? What else had been taken from her? Clara incapable of crying and incapable screaming simply did not move, she made no more move to find out how or why she ended up in this situation and instead stared ahead at the empty cave.
She did not feel pain, or hunger just and overwhelming need for this to be normal, but what finally snapped her out of her funk was not normal. At least not normal for her. It was a bear, a bear dragging a dead deer into the cave and immediately it felt like spiders crawling over her brain and the following bear that came after made it all the worse. Clara had never felt anything like this before she wanted to puke to tell it to leave and all the while she had to watch as the bear ate the deer it had dragged in with it before eventually curling up and sleeping. She knew if she’d had a body she’d be bawling. The bear stayed for hours before it finally left the next day.
‘What was that?’ she asked not really expecting a response She felt ragged and raw. But surprisingly it did respond.
‘So what happens to me then? What happens if the core breaks?’ And there went the boxes back to ignoring her. Clara had a bad feeling that if the core, the gem she’d mistaking thought was how the box watched her but was instead her. That if anything happened to it, she’d be dead for real. That little thing was her and it needed to be protected. But how?
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The thing was answering her now. It only ever answered her when she asked about this stupid dungeon. But she guessed she'd have to listen for now. What was a core room anyway?
Great, more nonsensical words. What's a Boss room?
So what Clara gathered was she needed monsters, she didn’t particularly want monsters but what was she supposed to do about that. She was about to create a monster when she realised, she had no clue how to. When no box popped to explain it, she simply asked a question. ‘How do you create a monster?’
' Great very helpful,’ she thought sarcastically. Clara supposed monsters weren’t that bad, especially if they were anything like the ones from Monster’s Inc. It was doubtful but a girl could hope. Clara imagined the monster the boxes had chosen for her … the Umbri. It was short about 3?ft it looked in a way like Father from Codename: Kids Next Door, all shadow except from its eyes which were white. Unlike father it had no hair, or pipe it was just a short shadowy monster child with white eyes and sharp fingers.
And though she was thinking of it the monster still didn’t exist, she decided she wanted it to exist and suddenly there it was in front of the core. As she saw the creature walking around her core Clara wondered if she’d picked the right thing. The way it walked was odd a big stretch of its right leg together with its right arm and then the same with the left, on top of that it was hunched both to the front and the side.
Clara had originally planned on making two of the monsters but after truly seeing the first one she decided against it.
A new box appeared, Clara looked where the deer had been only to see nothing it had simply disappeared along with all the blood and fur. It wasn’t right, nothing was right. But she didn’t want to think about that right now, so she’d focus instead on the rabbits; she imagined a couple cottontail rabbits liked the ones that ate her garden and then popped them into existence.
The rabbits didn’t seem confused by the fact they suddenly came to life instead they started sniffing each other and generally paying her no attention. Unlike the monster which had been marching around the core since it had popped into existence, the thing stopped marching to stare at the rabbits, ‘leave them alone’ Clara thought, she didn’t want it hurting the rabbits. What if shadow monster ate them, what did shadow monsters eat?
So the monster didn’t need anything, she was still going to feed the Rabbits though, as that was what they did. She created 3 square meters of grass for the rabbits to hide in and eat. When she tried to create more another box appeared.
Clara remembered seeing something about mana, when she’d looked at the core, so she tried to bring the box back up.
She had used all her mana creating 1 monster, two rabbits and some grass, she was certain that she’d made a mistake, but it was too late to change everything she just hoped that the two rabbits wouldn’t breed.
For now, while she had no real plan, she would simply entertain herself rabbit watching.
Clara had no clue how much time had passed since she first became a dungeon core, but she was bored. She had nothing to do and was tired of rabbit watching. She never imagined she’d get bored of rabbits and wondered if her mother was right in never getting her one.
“I can get you a rabbit if you want?” Carter said, he was always a little confused about their dates to the pet store.
“No, mom won’t let me bring one into the house.” She scratched the top of the white rabbit’s head. “Jai offered to get me one for my 16th birthday, but she wouldn’t let him.”
“Well, we’ll get a rabbit when we move in together then.” He leaned over to pet the rabbit as well.
They never ended up getting the rabbit, but then again, they never moved in together either even after he proposed. ‘Someday my prince will come…Someday we’ll meet again and away to his castle we’ll go ... to be happy for ever I know…’ she missed him, she missed mom, dad, Oliver, and Jai but most of all she missed CARTER. She missed CARTER, CARTER, CARTER, CARTER. She couldn’t remember his name. Why couldn’t she remember his name, and his face, where was his face? all that was left was his voice, his sweet slightly scratchy voice. Why couldn’t she remember him? There was something very wrong with this dungeon business.
Clara tried hard to remember him, when they first met, when they started dating, when he proposed. Because she’d been engaged but now, he was gone, just gone with the faintest whisps of his voice to keep her company. She wanted to cry again, but instead she was stuck looking at two rabbits and a monster.
She couldn't help but imagine Snow White’s prince riding in on a White Horse and saving her with true loves kiss.
Carter offered his hand helping her onto the horse, they were at the stable where his family boarded their horses. She was sitting behind him side-saddle on the biggest horse she ever been on. Not that that was saying much she’d only been on a horse a few times, each time a school trip to a farm or stable.
She wrapped her arm around him and rested her head on his back. he grabbed the reins and gently led the horse on, they did not speak, Clara simply relaxed into Carter and enjoyed the beautiful autumn scenery. He led the horse off the trail to small picnic air with a look out. Where a stable hand was taking care of a large basket and blanket clearly set-up for a date.
“Is that for us?’ She asked almost jumping up, before remembering she was on a horse.
“Yes, I though you’d enjoy it.” He said softly.
“Thank-you, so much. I love it!” she practically clapped in excitement.
He chuckled softly, “Don’t thank me yet, wait till you see what I have planned.” He stopped the trot before the stable hand who had a stool ready for Clara to disembark and soon followed after.
He gave the stable hand some directions, and off they went with the horse and the stool, leaving Clara and Carter alone to their date.
Clara tried to force another memory, but none would come. She thought back what she was doing before. Dreaming of Snow White and wondered maybe if that was it. “Some day, my Prince will come...”
There was a flash, and on her finger, she saw, a beautiful vintage diamond ring. And that was all. She though just maybe Snow White was the key, to gaining her memories back and ting out of here? But how? She could sing the songs and think about the story, but that was it.
It was then that the monster caught her attention, it was still marching in circles. Not doing anything of purpose like say telling the story of Snow White. The boxes had said that the dungeon was supposed to create enriching environment and truly what was more enriching than Disney Princesses.
Clara was excited for a moment before she realised, she had nothing to make Snow White. She only had rabbits, grass, and the monster (and no current plans to make more). Plus she had no way of making anything else. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to get more things, or mana, but the boxes had said first so that meant there had to be a way to get more, maybe she just had to wait?
The days passed by slowly for Clara, rabbit watching, singing songs and just generally being bored. Until one day she felt the itch again. There was a wolf, it was a bloody and limping, grey fur missing in patches, its front right paw was most likely broken. Clara knew immediately the thing was dangerous, and it seemed so did the monster as it immediately started throwing balls of magic at it. She wasn’t happy with how the monster had immediately started attacking the wolf, but she needed the animal gone so tried not to complain. Plus it was likely the animal would eventually succumb to its injuries.
Even though the monster had attacked first it hadn’t managed to land a single hit on the wolf, causing the wolf to charge and bite it in retaliation. The monster in grasps of the wolf managed to release stray balls of magic in the vague direction of the wolf, until it threw one so far off its mark it managed to hit and kill one of the rabbits hiding in the patches of grass.
Clara was furious, not only was that horrible feeling still around but the stupid monster had just killed one of her rabbits with its incompetence. ‘Stop using magic!’, the thing either hearing her or sensing her anger immediately stopped shooting it’s magic wildly and instead flung itself into scratching and biting until the wolf fell dead.
The pain disappeared immediately but Clara said nothing to the creature though she could see it walking closer to the gem once again, she ignored it focusing instead on the now dissolving bodies of the wolf and rabbit.
Clara still didn’t grasp how that worked, but now that she was no longer in excruciating pain, she realised she now had Mana something she had been lacking since she’d made the rabbits and now, she needed another monster to really protect her and her last remaining rabbit. But also, she needed another room, a boss room. She tried to create a room in the back of the dungeon.
She selected yes, and opening appeared in the back of the cave on the other side of the opening was another cave room almost identical to the first. It was a bit smaller and lacked grass, a monster and the rabbit. But otherwise it was identical.
With the new room created Clara wondered why the core hadn’t moved.
Yes again, and once again another room appeared, this time off the second room it was much smaller this time, and in the middle was a pedestal now holding the gem.
Next, she needed a monster better than what she had right now, stronger, smarter and with much better aim. The new Umbri she was imagining would cost more than the first, but it would be worth it if the thing could aim. The monster appeared standing stock still, it also made her uncomfortable, but Clara could tell it was more powerful than the first, so she’d ignore that felling.
What Clara needed next was a way to test the monster’s aim she’d been thinking about that while creating the monster, but she wasn’t sure that was something you could control. But she didn’t have much of anything just monsters, rabbits and grass. Tall grass but still just grass and she was never going to let the monster practice it’s aim on a rabbit unless...
Not having a better idea Clara imagined a square of the grass twisted together, thicker, stronger, and in the shape of a rabbit. It was cute. She almost made but changed her mind manipulating the shape into a large flower with a target for the centre, it was just taller than the monsters.
The target flower ended up costing her the rest of her mana, but it was what she needed right now. Plus now that she no longer had 2 rabbits, she should be gaining mana daily: not a lot but some. She turned her attention back to monster #2 (ignoring #1 who was ‘resting’) and thought hard at it ‘Go practice your aim, in the middle of the flower.’ The thing lurched forward moving in that same jerky way, the first one did. Until it moved to an okay distance from the flower and started shooting balls of magic at it.
The second monster had slightly better aim than the first, it hit the target at least once, but most of its attacks just hit the wall behind the flower. Clara spent time watching the monster practice its aim until it just seemed to run out of juice unable to make anymore balls of shadow. She hoped that it wasn’t gone forever and would come back with time, but she couldn’t be sure. She’d check tomorrow now that she had a way of checking when the days passed.
But right now she need a plan, a way to turn this dungeon into a Snow-White experience; get her memories back; and get out of here. She supposed she could try and make a Snow-White play. Save the princess and defeat the Evil Queen. But with what she had no materials, what was she supposed to do just sit and wait until the boxes gave her what she needed?
Was that what she had to access to? She’d gained deer and wolves either from them dying in the cave or the essence thing. Probably the essence. But also that plant she made was now on the list. So that meant she just had to get things into the dungeon or create them herself; Creating them herself seemed expensive especially as the box was now telling her that the flower cost less than she spent to make it. So how could she get things to come into the dungeon?
This thing had all the answers but only gave it to her when it wanted to, what it needed was an instruction booklet. She waited a moment but none came so she asked the question; ‘What’s an expedition?
That was perfect she looked at the 2 monsters she had, they were both resting, but Clara feeling the slightest bit of resentment to the first for how the fight with the wolf went decided it would go out and find things to bring back. ‘Go get me some things from outside.’
‘Yes’
Clara wanted to scream. She’d do it tomorrow; she’d do everything tomorrow. Now she just had to worry about monsters from other dungeons coming in.
