ALEXiThymiA: Chapter 91 Goodbye Dungeon

Chapter 91

Goodbye Dungeon

Saturday

Time Until Integration: 1 Month, 21 Days, 21 Hours…

The team pushed on after a brief nap in what the group referred to as “Alexa’s floor.” There was something unmistakably her about the floor. From the oversized forest complete with mana infused fruit bearing plants, to the fact the number one sleeping spot was a killed mimic, to the fact that the TV only showed different sections of the dungeons in three different channels labeled Green, Yellow, and Red.

While the others slept for a few hours, Alexa used the time to scout ahead. Looking at the yellow channel she noticed so many of the clues that needed to be paired all lighting up to her senses. She even began making a note of how she could optimize her route between rooms to avoid overlong exposure to chemical traps.

Seeing this, Alexa began writing a detailed plan of notes, taking floor plans and locations of traps. Also with the television, she realized that she had been wrong. So, so wrong about the sleepy time powder. It wasn’t meant to kill the mimic, at least not directly. Instead it was meant to be given to the tribe of goblins that were summoned after a particular sequence of events were hit. A sequence that showed her how to create and complete a summoning circle.

From there she deduced that she was to have already put the sleepy time formula into a nearby pot that would likely be consumed by whatever creature was summoned from the great beyond. The entire process was overly long and complex, but that was what this dungeon was meant to show. It was meant to show how to analyze a terrain and come up with the best course of strategies to succeed based on what you had on hand.

Frankly Alexa was impressed by just how intricate everything was. In fact, in order to get a perfect score on this trial it appeared that she would need everyone to go to different floors immediately to grab specific items then meet up with other members of the team.

Realizing that she had four people to work with she began solving the problems of how to solve first fifteen problems from the yellow dungeon in as short of a time as possible. Once she had the steps needed to solve, she then changed the channel to the Red, and began mapping out the course for this difficulty level of a dungeon as well. They both needed to be solved in the same amount of time, but the way they would be solved would be different. Seeing the more complex set of tasks, most of which required three or more pieces to be gained from three different rooms and assembled in a fourth, this created a logistical problem that Alexa found particularly intriguing to solve.

It wasn’t just that the different pieces had to be assembled in a different, room but when were they assembled. From figuring out the third level of difficulty, Alexa realized that people would not only need to gather specific items, but they would need to exchange them with different people at different times.

Also, it was clear that only one person would be needed to trigger the noted event. Not that this changed much, but it did mean that not everyone had to constantly meet up to do a task. In fact, assembling the items needed for the different tasks would be the easy part. Looking at everything, Alexa realized the hard part would be for her to explain what tasks needed to be done when and by whom. Logistically they would only have thirty minutes to complete the different tasks given.

“Is she okay?” Luke asked, a note of concern in his voice as he watched his sister stare at a television set and frantically write down notes. Only to then shift the focus of the television screen somehow and then erase what she just wrote and continue writing again.

“I think so.” Gina answered, having watched Alexa like a hawk the entire time.

“What is she doing?”

“As best as I can tell, she is coming up with ways that we can solve the puzzles. She seems to be coming up with a task list of items for each of us to do, in order to achieve the fastest times.” Gina answered.

“Wait, why are the items glowing on the screen?” Luke asked, suddenly realizing what Alexa was doing.

“I think she found out a way to cheat, using the dungeon’s own television as a way to spy ahead on the different floors. While we know we effectively had infinite time on the green floor, we will not have as much time on the yellow and red floors, which is where the television comes in.” Gina answered, piecing together the bits and pieces of what she was seeing.

“So what is the plan?” Julie asked, a slight yawn to her voice as she came over to join everyone.

“I think fearless leader here is coming up with a plan for all of us right now.”

“I am.” Alexa said, answering the conversation that was happening around her, while never taking her eyes away from the television. “There are four of us, and five rooms. Some of us will have to gain specific items on our way into and through each room. While others will stay in one room, quickly gather items, then go to the safe hallways between floors, in order to avoid being hurt by the chemicals that are going to be released.”

Rip.

With that, Alexa began ripping page after page of notes from her spiral notebook and handing them to different people.

“You actually had pen and paper in there?” Luke asked, while gesturing to Alexa’s backpack that she took on every dungeon run with her.

“Of course, it is a school backpack.” Alexa answered, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

At that Luke paused, and just looked at his sister with a hint of incredulity. “That makes no sense.” Luke finally admitted.

“How would you suggest sharing notes?” Gina asked, coming to the defense of Alexa and her oddly perfect handwriting. Just holding the paper with its bubbling flowing script, Gina mentally came up with a way that she could keep this. Maybe she would frame it as one of their first true dungeon runs together. Well second together, but it was the same dungeon so effectively the same thing, right?

“With my phone.” Luke said, his words breaking Gina out of her odd musings, causing her to feel a bit angered by the sudden disturbance, which was why she responded so aggressively.

“Okay, but how would you share those notes within a dungeon?” Gina asked.

At that Luke opened his mouth, then closed it like a fish for a few times.

“It doesn’t matter. We have the notes now, and we can continue on from here.” Alexa said, finally rising to her feet. She turned to face everyone, “everyone you have your lists. These are items and the floors you will need to go to, then the items you will pick up. Ones noted with your initial will be ones you keep. Ones noted with someone else’s initial will be ones you exchange with that person. The number next to it will be which floor you need to meet up and exchange items. We only have an hour to do this, so we need to be as quick and efficient as possible. Also, we must do things in sequential order. Which is why we will first meet up and make sure that Luke gets the first items and then go on from there. In this we have an hour to do fifteen tasks, giving us just over four minutes per task to complete. We will need to synchronize watches with a stopwatch feature. That way we know that after four minutes specific tasks are to be complete. That said, I want us to prepare like this is the Red dungeon first, and proceed from there.”

Gina felt a shiver run down her spine at just how focused Alexa was with everything. Then looking at her list she saw that not only was she given a set of instructions to follow, but given sequential orders to do things. Her job was to follow Julie and Alexa through the first floor, to the second floor, where she would find different items in order. At first some of the orders didn’t make sense, until a map of the room she would be in showed different traps and things to avoid and roughly when.

Alexa paused long enough for everyone to read over their assignments, then to look back at her. “This dungeon is all about the details and having a plan. This is just a blueprint for success, please adjust as needed. Any questions?”

Everyone read and then reread the notes.

No one had any, so like that the team entered the yellow dungeon.

Gina followed Julie and Alexa through the first room, avoiding everything and only stopping when they entered the second room. That was where things got a little sketchy as she had to then find the items that all but glowed on the television. Luckily there were a lot of descriptions and details that were noted.

Gina of course had the first set of items to be assembled and completed. Which made her heart race a little bit, but it was in that fun exciting scavenger hunt kind of way, versus the normal creepy, I am stuck inside a dungeon that is trying to eat me kind of way. Which is something she greatly appreciated when dealing with a dungeon, basically a way to think about anything other than being stuck within the dungeon.

Hiss.

The chemicals that she knew were a hazard were already mixing. Fortunately, she had already gathered all of the components needed from that area. Now it was just a matter of finding the last ones, and…

“There you are. Here you go.” Luke said, handing over a list of items. “These are for you.” Luke said, with the first pile. “These are for Julie.” He said, creating a second pile on a nearby table. “Then lastly, these are for Alexa.”

“Okay,” Gina said nodding then began going through her bag and pulling out every item she had and sorting them for Luke. Fortunately the lists were fairly easy to follow, it was just a matter of finding the items and handing them over that was the problem.

“Here are your items, though I don’t know what order they go in.” Gina admitted.

“Oh, didn’t you see the number at the bottom?” Luke said, as he pointed out that there were a few numbers at the bottom of every item, and sure enough there were numerals at the bottom that were easy to see and note. They also corresponded to other items that were paired.

“Oh,” was all Gina said. Then after a moment she said, “you know you are a lot smarter than you look.”

“Hey, what is that supposed to mean?” Luke said.

“Nothing,” Gina said, with a dismissive hand wave.

“So what will you do?” Luke asked.

“I guess I will just stay here.” Gina said, in a matter of fact tone. “And you?”

“Well I need to wait on everyone to come back with the items needed for my room.” Luke said.

Five minutes later, a relatively short time, but an infinitely long time within a dungeon, both Julie and Alexa appeared. Seeing that everyone was prepared and ready, Alexa let out a long sigh.

“Good, we are all here. Let’s distribute the items.” Alexa said.

“Luke found that the items all have a marking on the bottom letting us know which ones are which.” Gina pointed out, noting the odd markings on the bottom of each item.

Looking at that, Julie paused for a second, then with a slack jawed expression she nodded with approval. “Oh wow, good job.”

“Good job?” Luke protested his girlfriend.

“Yeah, good job. I mean, shows why we keep you around.” Julie said, a teasing note in her voice.

While the two were bickering, Alexa had taken and arranged all of the items in paired orders.

“Now here.” Alexa said, handing out different items to Luke, then to Julie, and finally she just pointed to Gina’s pile.

“All right. We are restarting our watches now. Give us one minute, before you start us off Gina. Then every thirty seconds after that we will activate one of these sets. There are fifteen sets meaning we should get this done within seven and a half minutes at this rate. Well eight and a half minutes once you give us a minute to get back.” Alexa said.

“Right.” Everyone said.

As it stood Gina had to perform three combining rituals within her room. Luke and Julie also had three, while Alexa took on six as she would hop back and forth between the final two rooms.

“And sync.”

Click.

At that everyone started their watches and the timers began to go. With that everyone scattered from Gina’s room. Leaving her alone and suddenly nervous about having to wait a full minute to prepare. Realizing she had plenty of time, she went ahead and did her task almost immediately that way if someone wanted to do the second task early they could.

Whoosh.

The matched items disappeared and Gina looked to see that she now had to wait until three minutes had passed to perform her next set. She found herself counting. One minute: one. One and a half minutes, two. Two minutes, three. Two and a half minutes four. Then finally at three minutes, her fifth set. That left just one left, number eight, which she would do at the four and a half minute mark.

Whoosh.

Then just like that her last items were gone. She felt a slight twinge of nervousness as she realized she suddenly had nothing left to do. Then it was Luke who came to her rescue after his last set went off somewhere around the six minute mark.

“Come on. You are done right?” Luke asked.

Gina who had just been staring at the table that now had three different scorch marks from the three different sets of items she had used suddenly nodded.

“Okay then, come on we should get to the end of the dungeon so we can get our prize.” Luke said.

“Oh, right.” Gina said, suddenly very thankful that Luke was there, otherwise she would have likely stared at the charred table like a moron until Alexa came to check on her.

The two joined Julie who had set number thirteen.

Whoosh.

Julie then looked up to find that both Gina and Luke were already in her room.

“You ready?” Julie asked.

Gina and Luke both nodded. Luke of course exchanged small talk with Julie, but the entire time Gina just felt an intense pounding in her ears as she realized she was doing it, she was solving a highly complex and difficult yellow level dungeon. Better still she was part of a team that had done so.

When they were done, they all found Alexa at the final room, where she waved them forward to stand next to one of four unique podiums. Each hosting a yellow crystal.

Seeing the oddly colored crystals, Alexa explained. “These are skill crystals. These will give us an 8% boost to our Analytical skills. We can then use this to complete the last dungeon difficulty as well.

Seeing the golden crystal, Gina felt a sense of awe and wonder fill her as she had never seen a crystal that seemed to glow the way everyone depicts gold would in the movies. Seeing the massive stone, made her pause and realize that she had done it. She had actually completed a yellow difficulty dungeon. Probably one of the hardest and most convoluted Tier II dungeons she had ever heard about, but she had done it, well her and everyone else.

Alexa looked on, a giant smile on her face as she took in Gina’s face as she reached out to gently touch her reward for completing this dungeon. Only now did she realize that Alexa didn’t have a crystal.

“You didn’t get one?” Gina asked.

Alexa just shook her head, “I couldn’t wait, so I took mine already.”

Hearing that, Gina nodded in understanding. Then took the crystal.

“So do we want to rest up, or continue through?” Alexa asked.

“Could we rest for a second. I want to consume this, but I also need a quick breather. That was intense.” Luke said, speaking exactly the same thoughts that Gina herself was feeling.

“Very well.” Alexa said, not really seeming to be too distraught with having to wait a little longer. “Dungeon, could we go back to my floor to rest?”

Flash.

Then just like that the group left the dungeon.

As they moved on, Gina could all but feel the apprehension in the way Alexa moved forward, seemingly forcing herself to take every step forward.

“Are you okay?” Gina asked, going up to Alexa’s side.

Hearing the question Alexa paused, but then found herself nodding. “I just realized this was likely the last time I could enter Bottomless Gorge.”

“We don’t have to finish it.” Gina posed.

Hearing that, a sad look of resolve filled her emotion filled face. “Sadly no, we need to continue. If we are to get stronger, then we all need to complete this, together.”

Hearing that, Gina realized something. “You are doing this to set us up as the leaders for your resistance?”

At that Alexa nodded.

“I…” Gina trailed off, realizing that this meant that Alexa was effectively making it so she would now and forever be part of her core group. Realizing the commitment that this would take, for her of all people, Gina felt momentarily shocked. Then she paused as she realized what Alexa was giving up so that they could all succeed in what was coming. She was giving up a place that clearly was her refuge in the storm. This room, that was her Zen place, the place she would go to when she felt lost or needed a moment to herself, and she was gladly giving it up to be with her. Well, there was of course her brother and his girlfriend, but she was willingly giving it all up for her. All so she could be better prepared to help Alexa with what would come. Realizing this, Gina felt momentarily lost for words. Then she asked the first thing that came to mind. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“I…” Alexa looked like she was going to dismiss the suggestion out of hand, but she was fueled by crystals and her emotional mind was fully engaged with the moment. Realizing this for what it was, Alexa answered truthfully. “I, yeah I would, actually.”