When Saul returned to the Blue Slime village, he was greeted by the Elder who somehow had an anxious expression on his face. Saul gave the man a small smile and a reassuring nod, “It is done.” The Elder suddenly smiled broadly with the expression seeming almost human to Saul. The Elder rushed forward and extended two large slimy protrusions from his body, using them to grab Saul in a crushing hug. 

‘Hard to… Breathe…’ Saul returned the slime’s embrace, his fingers feeling the texture of his gelatinous body - Soft and moist and yet somehow still dry. He patted the Elder’s back, odd ripples running through his body, and then choked out, “Need… Air…” The Elder let him go quickly with a surprising flush in the contours above his mouth. ‘Apparently Slimes can blush.’ 

“So sorry about that! It’s just… We’ve been having so many problems lately. It wasn’t always like this. The slimes you defeated used to be much like us. They were peaceful and friendly, and our villages had a great relationship.” Saul nodded, “I understand. I’d like to hear more, if you don’t mind.” 

The Elder continued on, “Our village is called Prairie’s Edge, the one we sent you to was once known as Wheaton… They were close allies. Not long ago, a strange light shone in the sky, and when we next visited our friends we found them replaced by those crimson slimes. I’ll tell you more, but we should get comfortable.” The Elder began to hop towards the village square and Saul walked alongside him. There were several large logs placed around the fire at a comfortable distance. Saul took a seat there and faced the Elder, who continued.

“The light brought changes to the land, the likes of which we’ve never seen. Many of the species that live here began to grow more aggressive. We slimes have always lived off of the land, only fighting whenever we were attacked, but lately we began to face more attacks. That’s why we went to talk to the Wheaton tribe.” The Elder drew in a deep breath as a negative expression crossed over his face. “We found that their Elder had been replaced by King Crimson. I’m still not sure if King Crimson was their Elder who was somehow transformed, or if he was another slime that took over… But either way he was much more hostile to us than we ever expected.”

Saul found himself leaning forward as the Slime continued to talk. At the next pause he asked “Going back to that strange light, what do you think it was? Why do you think you were spared by changes?” The Elder tilted ever so slightly to the side, the motion giving Saul the impression of a man stroking his chin. “I couldn’t rightly say what it was. It was a flash of power that transformed our area. I don’t know if it was limited to the Prairie or if it had an effect on the rest of the Dungeon. As far as-.” 

“Sorry, you said the rest of the Dungeon? Do you know what this place -is-? If it’s… Real? How long have your people been here?”

“I am the oldest Slime in the village. In my youth, I was known as Hopper. As I aged, I became ‘Elder’. We do not keep track of time the way some of the other races might but I know that our tribe has been around for many generations. The Guide may be able to tell you how long a Slime generation is. As far as what the Dungeon is… It is simply the world. I am not sure what you mean by ‘real’. As I understand it each level is self-contained, though some members of each race can travel between the levels.” 

“Some members of each race can travel between levels? Not everyone? Does that mean that I may not be able to cross the different levels? Do you know anything about a doorway that looks like this?” He summoned his bow at his last question and used the tip of the bow stave to begin drawing the doorway he’d entered through. The slime leaned over him as he worked, watching as the drawing was completed. Saul worked off memory but he tried to include the glyphs on the doorway as best as he recalled them. 

Elder nodded as the drawing took shape though a confused expression crossed his face as he looked at the glyphs, “Well, that looks like the Doorway between this level and the Mountains. The symbols seem different though. Maybe each doorway has its own symbols. I’m not one of the slimes who has been through the doorway to the Mountains so I wouldn’t rightly know as I haven’t seen any others. Now, back to what I was saying about the light. It started suddenly and seemed to wash through the entire prairie. I couldn’t tell you why we weren’t affected when so many other creatures were, I just know that we weren’t.”

‘Each question I ask only begets more questions. I’ll let it lie for now.’ Saul smiled to the Slime and did what he could to suppress his curiosity, “Thank you for the information. Would it be possible for me to get some sleep here?” The Elder signaled to one of the other slimes somehow, as one came hopping up with a bag that they set at Saul’s feet. His eyebrows rose as he looked between the bag and the Elder. “What’s all this?”

“We have to say thank you somehow. You, as a total stranger, had no reason to help us but you did it anyway and for that we’re truly grateful! I hope these tokens of our appreciation help you on your future journeys.” Saul leaned forward to open the bag, ‘I’m not sure how that helps me get some rest…’ He opened the bag and leaned forward, his eyes searching inside of it for the contents. Three things were found inside:

“This is really great, but you don’t need to give me anything, really!” The Elder shook his head and gestured to the items, “These are of no use to us. Besides, we Slimes have a very clear idea of honor. When someone helps you, you help them. It’s not out of a sense of obligation it’s just what should be done. We intend to have a celebration for you later, too.” Saul’s smile grew so wide he felt pain in his cheeks, “You’re people after my own heart then! I’ll go get settled down for now.”

He went to the edge of the village with his animal companion plodding along faithfully behind and withdrew his new tent from his inventory, working to set it up quickly. It was surprisingly intuitive. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve gone camping but I don’t remember tents being this easy…’ Once everything was set up, he told Basi to stay outside and then entered the tent and laid out his bedroll. Surprisingly enough the interior of the tent was nearly pitch black. Whatever the fabric was made of seemed to act like a big blackout curtain. Perfect. It didn’t take long at all for him to fall into a blissful sleep.

When he next opened his eyes, it took him a few moments to remember everything that had happened. ‘It all felt so real… It has to have been a dream, though. Time to start my day.’ He rolled to the edge of his bed and moved to swing his legs over but found that he was laying on the ground. ‘I’m outside? That’s strange. Don’t tell me…’ As he moved to the tent flap and pulled it open, his eyes confirmed that it hadn’t been a dream at all. ‘I’ve got to get home somehow.’

Retreating back into the tent, he took a few moments to gather his thoughts. ‘Let’s see… The Guide said that there’s a portal back home on Level 5. I need to get there as soon as possible.’ Visions of the destruction that had occurred alongside the emergence of the Dungeon flashed before his eyes, unbidden. He drew in a shaky breath as the memory played itself out. ‘I hope everyone back home is okay…’ Images flashed through his head of a beautiful couple, their faces just beginning to show signs of wrinkles, the man’s hair colored with a lot of salt in his pepper. ‘Mom… Dad… I’m glad you don’t live in the City. I’ll be home soon… I -will- see you again.’ 

He drew in a deep breath and focused on centering himself, centering his thoughts. He had a job to do. He crawled out of the tent with a greater sense of purpose, his eyes adjusting to the low level of light. Night had fallen on the Slime village of Prairie’s Edge. Basi was sleeping beside the tent but as Saul moved past him, the lizard shook himself out of his slumber and took his side by his master. “Good boy.” As he looked down at the beast he realized that he looked a lot like a deep crimson Komodo dragon. The monstrous lizard leaned his head against Saul’s side for a moment, the weight feeling comfortable and bringing a smile to his lips.

An orange glow flickered in the town square and then suddenly roared to life, a brilliant fire being built in the middle of the town. Elder slime hopped out to stand ‘Is he standing? Is he sitting? What would I say a slime is doing when it’s not hopping?’ before him and gave what Saul took to be the slime equivalent of a bow. “I’m glad to see you’re well rested. We are going to hold a feast in your honor. Please follow me.” Elder turned and hopped towards the bonfire at a reasonable pace with Saul following close behind. 

He saw that they’d set up several tables near the bonfire that were arranged in a semi-circle, with several platters sitting atop those tables that were loaded with food. Above the fire, Saul was able to see a large spit set up with a massive boar skewered through two slimes on either end of the fire rotating the spit. “I didn’t realize you ate meat.” Elder nodded as he reached his seat and gestured to the seat nearest him, “As I mentioned, we live off the land. We are self-sufficient farmers and we grow Marathi boars which are said to be one of the finest delicacies in the lower levels of the Dungeon. Periodically we engage in trade with some of the races from other levels, and our boars always fetch a fine price. That’s enough about us for now, though. We worked hard to prepare this feast, and we hope you enjoy it!”

At that statement the feast seemed ready to begin and Saul reached out to the platters before him, grabbing from the platter that held fruit and vegetables. Many of the fruits looked somewhat similar to those found on Earth but some were totally unique with odd shapes, colors, even textures. ‘Good thing I’m not a picky eater!’ He made short work of those fruits, savoring the unique flavors that seemed so familiar yet totally different than anything he’d ever experienced. Before long the Boar seemed ready and a slime with a massive knife was carving the beast. His platter was brought before slime, whom Saul learned was called Chef, and it was loaded down with meat. When Saul had an opportunity to taste it he found it was like nothing he’d ever had before. Succulent, juicy, delicious! This pork was probably the best he’d ever had. Perfectly salted and seasoned, the meat was tender and perfect. It fell apart the second he placed it into his mouth. ‘It’s like heaven…’ 

“Please don’t forget Basi! He worked as hard as I did. I’m sure he’d love to have some of this pork.” Before long Basi had a platter that was even more loaded down with pork set before him. The lizard didn’t waste any time before he scarfed down all that the platter offered and looked up expectantly. The slimes being the perfect hosts that they were, were tireless in ensuring that he had all he wanted. 

The night was beautiful. Saul appreciated their hospitality. By the time the evening was winding down he was as full as he could imagine and was more than ready to pass out. “Thank you for everything! It was as amazing as I could have hoped. You are as gracious as any hosts I’ve had but I’m afraid I need to get to sleep.” 

Elder nodded and clapped with his hands. The slimes managed to clean everything up quickly and efficiently and Saul bid them goodnight, retiring to his tent and falling to sleep quickly. His sleep was fitful full of nightmares surrounding the arrival of the gates. He envisioned a massive earthquake wrecking New York City, people trying to escape and being crushed beneath the falling rubble. He saw other cities that he wasn’t familiar with hit by other disasters. 

He woke up in a chill, his body drenched with sweat. Through the small opening in his tent flap he could see that it was still dark. ‘Need to sleep some more…’ He thought and tried to calm himself. He closed his eyes once more and eventually fell back asleep, this time dreams of the Dungeon itself waiting for him. He saw events that didn’t make any sense to him. He saw a flash of light that had massive ramifications on the Prairie, warping friendly slimes into crimson beasts. 

In a land that was unfamiliar to him, he saw gray skinned dwarves raising their weapons against tan and fair skinned dwarves, slaughtering them at the behest of a tall figure in a cowl. He saw elf on elf violence in a mystical forest. Before long he was waking up again and this time he could see the faint hints of light coming from outside.

He packed everything up and got ready to depart, Basi waking up as he finished getting his tent prepared and withdrew it into his inventory. The slimes were found gathering in the village square where his and Basi's breakfast awaited: a large platter of salted pork from the previous evening. Just before he departed Elder offered him a large bag that was filled with salted and cured meat and a large water skin. He willed the items into his inventory and bowed to express his gratitude to the slimes. 'I wish I could stay and explore their culture longer. Someone needs to record the history of this place for future visitors if it's going to be a permanent addition to Earth.' "Thank you for all of your hospitality! I'll try to come back and visit some day!"

Basi and Saul set out from Prairie's Edge with light hearts and full stomachs.

Their journey to the edge of the mountains was uneventful compared with their initial treks in the Prairie. They encountered few monsters, none of which Saul found particularly interesting. The further they got from Prairie's Edge the less common the artifact sites he'd stumbled upon became. 'The Slimes must not have ever settled this far out from the center of the Prairie. I wonder why.' Their quest continued, man and lizard moving on at a hurried but sustainable pace.

As the Sun 'Is it the sun? Only Sol is the Sun. What do they call their star?' reached it's highest point in the day the ground began to rise and fall more steadily. They were in the shadows of those massive mountains now. The flat prairie had given way to foothills which he could tell would soon give way to mountainous terrain and passes. From the peak of one of those hills Saul could see a gate rising up in the distance, one that looked a lot like the doorway he'd gone through to wind up in the dungeon in the first place.

Once he was within throwing distance of the gate, the Guide spoke up,

"By crossing through this gate, you will leave Level I and enter Level II. Upon entering Level II, the Guide is disabled, but there will still be written instructions and certain basic concepts can be reviewed by selecting 'Help' in the status screen."

"Be advised, by entering Level II you are leaving the safe zone. Other dungeon delvers can be found in the following levels, and unless you are in a designated safe zone, there is player-killing enabled."

That was kind of... Ominous. Saul had decided early on that he was interested in exploring all the mysteries of the Dungeon, but he didn't really think about encountering other people, and he definitely didn't consider that those people might not be friendly.

He cultivated for quite a while there at the gate, focusing on the movement of energy into his body. As he fell into a state of meditation, he considered his options. He could stay here and explore this first level some more, searching for any secrets that it may hold. He could probably stand to learn more about the dungeon before he moved on.

Or he could take that fateful step that would lead him into the next level. As far as he knew, he was one of the first humans in the Dungeon. That should mean that nobody would have a significant advantage over him at this point, so he shouldn't have to worry about people who might have murderous intent.

 At the same time, it wouldn't hurt to know more about how things worked. 

He turned away from the gate and moved a few paces to the side of it. He reached forward and touched a spot directly in line with the gate, only for his hand to come into contact with some form of barrier. 

"Guide, what's this?" The response was quick,

"Levels are self-contained. Some denizens of levels are able to move freely between the levels, but there is a barrier that surrounds each level and keeps them separate from each other."

That was interesting. If he understood things correctly, he could travel around this first level near the edge of the barrier, exploring it to the fullest and honing his skills before he returned to this spot. 

"How long would it take to traverse this level?" The guide responded,

"Level I is also known as The Prairie. It is a small level compared to the others, no more than a day's travel from any one point to another." 

That sounded pretty good. 

He looked to his pet, aware that the lizard probably didn't have an opinion. It couldn't hurt to learn more about the Dungeon. He set off with Basi, running at a comfortable pace along the edge of the barrier. 

Eventually he came across a copse of trees on the edge of the barrier. That was curious - He hadn't really come across any trees anywhere else. He looked around cautiously, trying to ensure there were no enemies nearby lying in wait. He didn't expect that here, but it was better to be safe than sorry. 

After much scouting, he crept forward into the copse. It wasn't very large as far as he could tell, but the undergrowth was dense and the trees did a good job blocking off any sunlight. After a few minutes of walking through the forest, he came across an area that seemed perfectly designed with an introduction to combat in mind. There were several dummies, made of straw or quilt, lined up. Next to the dummies were wooden weapons of all sorts, swords, axes, even spears. All had blunted tips or were made entirely from wood. The area wasn't designed with just melee combat in mind -  there were a multitude of targets there for ranged weapons. A barrel full of arrows was somewhat near the targets. 

Deciding it would be wise to get some practice in, he grabbed a handful of the arrows and went and stood a hundred paces from the target. Focusing on his breathing, he drew back and released while holding in a deep breath. The arrow whistled through the air and caught the target somewhere between the inner and outer rings. That was okay, but it wasn't good enough.

He considered what he'd done wrong - It felt like he'd relaxed slightly before he released the arrow, maybe that had something to do with throwing off his aim - And tried to correct it. Breathing in deep again, he let another arrow fly and found it landing somewhat closer to the target. 

He practiced in this way for close to an hour, until he was able to consistently nail the center of the target with his shots. 

He took a quick break, settling down to enjoy a snack and drink some water. His lizard was asleep, and had been for some time - This practice clearly wasn't very exciting for him. 

Saul moved to stand 200 paces away from the target and began to practice some more. When he was consistent from 200 paces, he moved to 300 paces. 

Ultimately, he realized that combat wouldn't be anything like this. He'd heard of tactical shooting classes that had the students jog a mile and then try to shoot. Maybe that was a good idea? He'd have to give it a try. 

He ran over to the combat dummy and grabbed the wooden sword. He took a stance, his feet shoulder width apart and held the sword firmly in his right hand. He pivoted, his hips shifting and his weight transferring into the sword as he brought it down on the dummy with a loud 'Crack!' 

He repeated these strikes, a hundred of them, then he began to swing at the dummy from the other side. Then he practiced stabbing motions, alternating between stabbing high and low on the dummy. He spent a good thirty minutes working on his form, trying to pay attention to his balance the whole time. He wasn't any good with a sword, but he figured practice had to help. When he got to the point where breathing was difficult, he jogged back over to the targets and stood 100 paces out and took a shot... And missed the target entirely.

That wasn't good. He'd have to work on that.

To maintain his active state, he would leap from side to side, then plant his feet and shoot an arrow. In his mind, it was good practice for him in the event he ever needed to jump out of the way of an enemy's attack before firing. 

He spent a lot of time working on his accuracy. He spent so much time practicing shooting in various ways, that he didn't even notice that it was nearly dark by the time he was done. His accuracy was a lot better though, in every way. 

He noticed that he hadn't leveled up in archery despite his improvements.

"What do skill levels determine, again?" The guide responded,

"Skill levels determine many things. For weapon skills, they determine damage. If they have proficiency skills, such as dual-wield, they determine the ability to use two weapons successfully. Some skills, like Cultivate level as they are practiced and control the overall benefits that can be received."

From the sound of things, having a high level in a skill didn't necessarily mean you had mastered it. You could have a high archery skill, and your arrows would hit for huge amounts of damage, but you might not have enough accuracy to hit the broad side of a barn. Interesting.

Saul wasn't ready to camp for the night. He went to wake Basi and together they set out from the copse, continuing their circle of the first level.

He didn't come across much else that was interesting, but he did come up with a number of questions to ask the guide, and he did come up with some things to test for himself.

'Let's see...' He thought as he walked along, 'Quest log! Hm... Nope. Quests!... Nothing... Log!' With that, a screen popped up before him that read:

That seemed useful to know about. 'What other menu screens are there? Inventory!'

Up popped another box, this one detailing everything he had in his possession. 

He wondered how other things worked, like parties. "Are there parties in this world?" The Guide responded,

"Parties can be formed between consenting adventurers. Denizens of the dungeon may join parties as well, though they may not be able to continue on with the party past the initial level in which they are formed."

Saul was glad he was taking his time to learn more, worried about the dangers ahead.

Eventually he found himself before the gate once more. He reached down to pet Basi and looked to his companion for assurance. Drawing a deep breath, he steeled himself and took that small step forward, feeling the gate conform around his body.

This level had been a soft introduction to the rules and ways of the Dungeon, but there was no telling what sort of dangers, horrors, wonders, or treasures the next levels would hold.