We stand there, four eyes transfixed on the shimmering mirror of the large, reflective crystal we stand in front of. A sharp ambient light seems to shine around us, yet there is no visible source. I tilt my head, looking at the visage of the armored skeleton shining back out towards me, who does the same and I watch as an aquamarine face copies me, both it and its reflective doppelganger mimicking my movements. Lifting a hand, I pinch my skull. Did I gain some weight? I look a little chubby here.

 

I sigh.

 

The slime does the same, pulling a piece of her gooey face out a little. Her lips blubber as she lets out a wet sigh too. Her eyes droop a little, presumably that means mine are doing the same. Seeing the three sad expressions around me, I realize something.

 

This is unacceptable.

 

  Standing up straight, I pull my shoulders back and lift my head high, flexing my arms and letting out a loud grunt. If only for the theatrics of it. “OOH!” I say, flexing my biceps inward and leaning forward towards my reflection who does the same, its eyes shining a little brighter as it watches me carefully. That jerk better not try to steal my fruit though.

 

Something wet bubbles on my side as the slime shifts, the creature watching my every movement. Picking up everything I do, consciously or subconsciously. She’s watching me, learning. She sees what I see, she does what I do.

 

“Ooh~!” she bubbles, flexing like I am. Though she seems to be straining herself a little, as her lips are pursed.

 

I clasp my hands to my cheeks as if I were embarrassed by her posing and swoon. “Ooooh!”

 

In delight, she does the same. Her wet hands slapping against her cheeks as she copies me, though she adds a little dramatical flair to her movements. “OoOoOh~” she gurgles, swaying a little from side to side, as her aquamarine cheeks blush.

 

I clench a fist, stepping towards the reflection in the mirror, looking at it with challenging eyes as my boot steps forward, stamping into the dirt with CONVICTION. Lifting a hand up towards the apex of the word, my fist clenched I shout. “OOH!”

 

She lifts her arm up too, making a fist to threaten the gods above, much like my own, as she looks at her reflection. “OoOoH!” she glibbers.

 

I nod approvingly, seeing the three smiles around me and the TWINKLE in their eyes. That’s better.

 

What was I doing?

 

Oh yeah.

 

I keep running. I gotta stop getting distracted like this. Every time I build up a lead, I always lose it because I keep taking breaks.

 

  Crystals shine out in all directions, jutting out of the many rock walls. The sheen glass surfaces showing us back our reflections from all angles, in all manner of color. Floor sixty-eight is some kind of… crystal cave. Or mine. Or something. It’s hard to say, because everything is dead here except for us and our reflections.

 

  “No-one here but me!” says the slime and I nod approvingly. It’s not exactly factually correct, since I’m here now too. But I’m growing to appreciate her enthusiasm. Though I do worry she’s going to take a little too strongly after me. Not everyone has the deep moral conviction to uphold the rigid set of tightly bound ethical beliefs and code that I do. Not everyone is suited to be a hero.

 

I stop, looking at a crystal that shimmers with a dull green and scratch my head. Wasn’t somebody’s underwear this color?

 

I vaguely remember something like that… I think?

 

The slime leans in, scratching her head too as she shares my puzzled expression. I look at her, she looks at me. We shrug at the same time. Haha!

 

  Picking up the pace, I keep running as the slime crawls back into my armor for… whatever reason. I guess she just likes it there. I hum, reciting the tune of the miller’s calliope as I keep moving. The sound of my voice rings off of the glass shards, bouncing back to me just like the images of my own body that runs. Just like the images of the tattered, filthy, wet cape billowing behind me.

 

  Like every floor before this one, floor sixty-eight has a lesson to teach me. But I’m not really sure what it is. Maybe it’s something about… I don’t know. The power of friendship or personal responsibility or something like that? That’s fine. As long as it doesn’t try to steal my fruit. I narrow my eyes, looking at the reflections around me as I run, that watch me just as suspiciously in return.

 

The slime pops back out, holding a piece of fruit out towards me. Thanks. I nod. OOH! Taking it, I bite down on it to eat it before anyone can steal it and the slime the fruit was made out of dribbles back down into my armor, mixing in with the rest, that bubbles in excitement.

 

I’m getting really far in this life. I leap, reaching up towards a crystal hanging above me and latch on, kicking myself up to leap again up to the next one higher up above.

 

  I’m going to go as far as I can, even if the dungeon-master or anyone else at that table doesn’t like it. I’m going to get out of the dungeon. Rising up, I grab onto a ledge and pull us both up onto it. Ahead of me is the real staircase and I look at it, satisfied. I’ve saved a lot of time by being able to climb like this. The path would have taken another five minutes at least.

 

Turning around, I look at the hero-party entering into the passage below that I just left.

 

The hero’s eyes meet mine as I look down on him, in both senses of the phrase and I clench my fist, something inside of me doing the same as she looks out of a slit in my armor.

 

As sure as my heart beats, I’m going to escape the dungeon. I’m going to beat the hero. I’m going to save them all. All of them. All of them. I narrow my eyes. All of them. As sure as this thing in my soul goes

 

“ThOok ThoOk,” says the slime-girl and I nod approvingly, turning to run further. She gets it.

 

 

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