Dungeon Crawl Academy

Chapter 3 - The Game, The Rules

Student ID: 001-183-111
Name: Erigor Windbellow
Class: Warrior
Date: August 28, 100 AR
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I am NOT racist.

Did you expect to read that? No. Or maybe you did. I digress.

My name is EW-073. Erigor is just a code name. I'm actually a sentient computer program.

This might take some time to explain.

I am a secret undercover government agent, sent by the Grand Deus of War, Mars, to infiltrate DCA and expose a dangerous demon plotting to create a dungeon using a powerful rune hidden deep within the corridors of DCA, all the while posing as a student.

And so I was placed into an artificial body, given training in many forms of combat and weaponry, and sent off into the great big world.

My alias? Erigor Windbellow, your average Half-Giant. Aggressive, competitive, stubborn, and a fair bit racist. And so I pretend to hate Aran, if only for the purpose of maintaining my disguise.

So when my trainer from headquarters, Aura Scalenica, takes the stage, I have to take great measures to not hurl. Or cry.

Don't get me wrong, Aura is great. On my installed beauty registration program, she is a 97 out of 100. That's pretty good, if you ask me.

By the way, the Grand Deus of Love, Aphrodite worked in conjunction with the Grand Deus of Technology, Prometheus, to create that code, so I'm pretty good at determining beauty.

She is a Dragonspawn, making her a Phi. She belongs to the Flenara clan, which has fewer scales than most others. He does, however, have a thin layer of scales over the very tip of her nose, and I suspect her chest is covered in an armor-like coating. Her horns protrude from her head pointed slightly backward, and her reptilian tail extends just about to her mid-thigh.

I've been trained to recognize everything about a person. Old habits die hard.

Anyway, it is very possible if Aura is here, I will be taken out of the assignment. I only have to pray this is simply a coincidence, and my presence here won't be as short lived as it may seem.

"Welcome to Dungeon Crawl Academy, Freshmen!" Aura smiles. "My name is Aura Scalenica, and I am a graduate of this prestigious academic facility. I have been brought here by Athena to explain to you a bit about life on campus, and more importantly, the Game."

I was told a bit about the Game beforehand, but it's not public knowledge. I pretend to shrug in confusion along with the rest of my party.

"Life here takes its form in a seven-day rotating schedule, in which you will take a total of 10 classes over that time. Each Sunday thru Friday will consist of your main eight classes, and one of your two half-credit classes, which alternate. Saturday, however, is dedicated to The Game.

"The Game is a competition in which students must use their cumulative knowledge from their classes to either duke it out party against party, or fight against specific monsters or groups of monsters in the training dungeon, Tutorial, beneath the school."

Training dungeons are dungeons created and moderated by Deus. I assume this one is the brainchild of Athena.

"The rules for The Game are as follows," Aura continues.

"One! If killed in an event in The Game, we have powerful mages who are trained in resurrection spells, and they will be instantly revived outside of the bounds of the competition area. We cannot guarantee, however, that no pain will be inflicted as a result of death."

Simple enough. We won't die if killed, but we can still feel pain. No immortality today.

"Two! Outside of specified events, the only spells able to be used on other students are Charms and Curses. If a Curse is applied to an opponent or teammate at the time of battle, the Cursecaster's team will receive bonus points, regardless of who is affected."

An extra mechanic. Weakening the other team earns you points, but so does handicapping your own. I'll see if Aran can work some Cursecasting to improve our points.

"Three! Cheating is grounds for immediate disqualification from the round, and a point deduction!"

Don't cheat.

"Four! If several matches are being conducted simultaneously, one team from one match cannot assist or hamper a team from another, unless the teams are two against two."

Don't interfere with a match that isn't yours.

"Five! Once a round of The Game begins, players cannot exit until they have entirely lost or completed the round."

You have to commit.

"And finally, six! All effects from before the round and during the round will be cured or terminated after the round! Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The student body collectively responds.

"Okay. All of this is in your Student Handbook, so if anything is unclear, check that. Also, a few lucky students have been selected to talk in private with me, and grill me with questions about DCA. Their names are: Erigor Windbellow, Aran Ragnarok..."

I zone out after that. I might be fucked. I don't know. I just follow along until I reach an office. She sits down at one side of a desk while I sit on another.

"What a coincidence! I didn't think I'd be seeing you so soon!" Aura winks.

"So you're not recalling me?" I ask.

Aura shakes her head, and I let out a sigh of relief. "I really AM a DCA grad, and I really WAS called here to give a speech. I just didn't think I'd be the one called up to the stage."

"That's good," I exhale once more. "So, have you found any hints in your short time here?"

"Well, not many," Aura sighs. "None of the teachers or staff were acting in any way suspicious, so I have to assume the demon slipped in as a student. Heck, that student could be anyone. You have two hundred and forty nine students to go through, so don't let a single one slip through your search."

"Hey, I just had a thought," I assert. "There's one Omega kid who acts extremely reclusive. Would you peg that as introversion or a sign?"

"I think that's definitely something to pursue. What's the kid's name?"

"Aran. Aran Ragnarok," I point behind me to the door, "and you're about to meet him yourself."

[Entry Complete]
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And our first twist begins!

This story is like a ball of twine. It begins as a linear string, and slowly becomes more and more tightly knit until it reaches the point of incomprehensibility. As the story goes on, more and more secrets will be revealed, and although you might know the truth, the characters will not...

So have fun with that.

Sincerely,
GamerXL5