The God-Killer Device

Part 1 - Dee

Dee sat at the docks, waiting for everyone to return. It had been his goal to keep everyone together as the idea of separation in any part of this cave seemed risky and in a new and unknown city it was outright dangerous. As he sat on one of the wooden posts holding the dock up, he looked around at the completely alien subterranean world that had become his temporary home. "Home?" Dee thought. It certainly didn't feel that way, more like a prison cell. But none of that really mattered anyways. It certainly looked more foreboding than his previous life as a student, but it held about as much potential and was just as restraining. At least here no professor would look down upon him and his ideas and force him to work on old inventions that would go nowhere. Dee had always wanted to do something new.

He stood up, feeling a little dizzy from the food rationing during the trip over, he set off in search of some food. He hadn't a penny to his name but maybe he could barter for something or find someone generous. Staring down the streets ahead of him he felt strangely at home. These streets were perpetually under a false night sky which suited the night owl. In them, people milled about enjoying their day-to-day existence completely unaware of what undersea troubles had recently emerged. The destruction of Slubuludop to an awoken elder god was certainly not the end of the troubles for the towns that bordered the subterranean lake. More would likely come and even if they didn't, the one they were already dealing with was plenty bad enough.

In front of him he saw four children playing in the street. He squatted on the pavement to watch them. The game they played was completely alien to him but the joy they felt was all too familiar. He remembered trying to play with the boys at his boarding school and being met with surprising kindness, appreciation, and a welcoming pat on the back and explanation of the rules. Moments like these filled Dee with a love for humanity. He longed for a world that accepted him for who he was and played by the same rules these children lived by, but he sighed knowing that this wasn't the case. Doug made that point an ever-present, ever-dominating facet of his new life.

He had initially taken a liking to his travel companion Doug as he seemed to be full of the confidence that Dee so desired but as Dee had slowly become more accustomed to his new friends, he found that showing Doug who he truly was, was exactly what Doug seemed to despise the most. Dee knew that his ideas were good, or at least he desperately hoped they were. An inventor at heart, he placed perhaps too much of his own self-worth on what he was able to create. Darlock, his other companion, seemed to appreciate Dee's drive, but his last mistake had turned away even that ally. He couldn't help it! Inventing was hard and Dee was experimenting with ideas that, at least as far as he knew, were entirely new and that meant failures and that meant setbacks. How could he be to blame that the rudder suddenly disappeared when he used his new magic? And when it simultaneously grew Dragon, his 'pet' that was more an amalgamation of metal, magic, and chewing gum, twice the size allowing them to escape to safety there was no appreciation. Dee turned away from the kids and continued up the street.

As he walked, Dee saw food stands, magic shops, potion shops and every typical store one could encounter in a dwarven town. None seemed at all concerned at the reality that they were all at least a mile underground and the sky above them of inky blackness only extended up maybe a few hundred feet. At last, ahead of him he saw a store with a small stand outside with samples of their food. The store seemed to be a bakery and the samples were small cupcakes arranged in a rectangle. A good few of them were already gone but there were plenty left for him. He considered taking the plate and running off, after-all he was desperate, and the continuous growling of his stomach was becoming more than just a nuisance. He pondered the question for a moment before grabbing just one and continuing his walk down the street.