“You handled your first boss well,” Val said as we made our way out of the mushroom zone.

  Thanks, but it was just a mini boss. We got lucky it had such an easy gimmick.

  “It’s my job to belittle your accomplishments, not yours. Take the win.”

  You’re right. Everyone did their part, and no one got seriously injured. That’s a win for us, but it doesn’t make me worry any less about what’s next. What do you think is next, by the way?

  “Most dungeons share similar design elements. Dungeons are meant to be challenging, but they're also meant to be an enjoyable experience for players. The risk of death is very much present, but no players would enter if it were just endless mobs and impossible obstacles. There are places of reprieve, riches to find, and even non-hostile NPCs to encounter. I don’t know what’s next, but it isn’t always a fight. I’d be prepared for one, though.”

  I gripped the hilt of my sword. Always.

  My butt felt like it was on fire as we continued through the dungeon. After we exited the courtyard where had fought the Fungal Monstrosity, the fungal network began to shrivel and die, having lost its source of nutrients. Logically, this meant that the mushroom men would be dead too, but I stayed at the ready just in case.

  We made it out of the mushroom area without any more action, and I led the group onward without any particular destination in mind. That was until Ersabet caught a glimpse of a light down an alleyway. It was a single, dwindling torch marking the door to a building. The fact that the building had a door made it stand out like a sore thumb, but the torch made it clear this was a place of interest, even if the building itself was deteriorating just the same as those around it.

  “Uh,” Tabby started, “is that an inviting light or a foreboding one? I can’t tell.”

  “You just completed a mini-boss,” Val said. “Some form of reprieve or positive encounter is likely but not guaranteed. I estimate only a 40% chance that whoever or whatever is behind that door attempts to kill you.”

  Val’s words were enough for me. We’re going to check it out,” I said. “Ersabet, why don’t you and I go together and check it out, while the rest hang back here?”

  “I find this plan agreeable,” Ersabet said. “Let it be so.”

  Cautiously, we turned down the creepy, crumbly alley, leaving the rest of our friends behind. The torch-lit door was only about six houses down the alley, so it didn’t take us long to make it there.

  “So, do we knock?” I asked.

  In response, Ersabet knocked three times on the door, each louder than the next.

  A moment later, we heard shuffling and mumbling inside.

  The door opened slowly, just enough for a cloudy eye to peek through.

  “What’s your business here?” a male, human voice rasped from behind the door.

  Ersabet took the lead. “We mean you no harm. We only saw that your light was on, and friendly faces are hard to find in a place like this.”

  The door opened wider, revealing a weathered man, smiling a wrinkly smile. “My face isn’t as friendly as it used to be. Tell me, what sort of folk are ya?”

  “We’re adventurers,” Ersabet said. “On a quest to defeat a grave evil, one that has hurt people beyond the confines of the dungeon.”

  The door opened fully, revealing himself in his ragged entirety. He looked old but could have been as young as forty. It was hard to tell on his weathered, stress-tested face. He had no hair, no eyebrows, and no beard. His clothes were just as deteriorated as his home.

  “Your cause sounds just,” he said. “Come in. Have a rest. Perhaps we can trade.”

  “Trade?” I asked. “Are you a vendor?”

  His chuckle lacked any sort of mirth. “In a way, I guess I am. Hell, it’s probably all I am now. A place to sleep and trade for currency that means nothing to me down here.”

  “Do you live down here?” I asked. “All the time?”

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  He spat, but nothing came out. “Fell on the wrong end of the law, so they sent me here. I provide dungeoneers with provisions, make trades, and run my store as best as I can. Eight more years, and my service is up. Any profits I made down here, I can bring back up. That’s if I survive.”

  “This is a prison sentence?”

  He just shrugged.

  It was just one more needless cruelty stacked onto the Triarchy’s heinous pile of atrocities. I was going to end this game, or I would die trying.

  Not wanting to sound out of character, I changed the subject. “Do you have anything that will help us through the rest of the dungeon?”

  “Aye,” he said. “I reckon I do.” He gestured for us to come in, and we all followed him into his gloomy home. “Got some glasses that let you see in the dark, but by the shine in your eyes, your vision’s already been enhanced. I’ve got a mob lure. Made it myself. Just flip the switch, toss it out, and almost all non-sentient mobs come out to investigate. Gives you a good idea what you're up against.”

  “What about gear?” I asked. “Some of my companions are lacking in the weaponry department.”

  His smile was kind, albeit discomfiting. There was an insanity underneath his murky eyes, and it made me wonder if I’d be able to stay sane if I were stuck as a vendor in a dungeon for the rest of my life.

  “I got more than you could dream of,” he said. “Half my time’s spent scavenging the dead, and all the pretty bobbles they like to leave behind. Anything specific you’re looking for?”

  I turned to Tabby, Kitz, and Delen. “These three could use some range.”

  “That’s wise of you. There are some nasties ahead that I wouldn’t want to get up close and personal with. Best to fight at range as much as possible, I say.”

  He looked at Tabby. “What’s your weapon missy?”

  She crossed her arms. “Always been fond of a crossbow, as long as it's easy enough for me to reload.”

  He disappeared into his home and pulled out an oddly shaped crossbow, a style I’d never seen before. “This here is called a breakaway bow. Made specifically for women looking to fire quickly. Watch.”

  He fired the crossbow empty, and the string snapped hard, firing just as if an arrow was there. “The problem with crossbows,” he said, “Is that they’re damn hard to re-tension. Some strong men can do it by hand. Others design a crank to make it easier to add tension to the string, but this contraption is something else entirely.” He pulled a lever, and the crossbow bent in half, hinged in the middle. With ease, he draped the string over to its hook on the other side of the bow, and then, with some force, he snapped the crossbow back into regular position, the string knocked and ready for an arrow.

  “That’s wonderful,” Tabby said. “The engineering is marvelous, really. How much?”

  “I couldn’t part with this for less than one hundred gold.”

  Tabby’s face became stricken. That was well out of her price range.

  “One hundred sounds fair.” I pulled the gold from inventory and handed it over the counter.

  I turned to say something cute to Tabby, but she had already enveloped me in a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  “Just don’t shoot me with it, and we’re good,” I said, and returned my attention back to the vendor. “What can you do for the old one and the young one?”

  “I’m closer to your age than I am….” Delen started, but trailed off, knowing nobody cared.

  “Got the perfect tool for the boy. He’s got a fierce look about him, so I think this is fitting.”

  The vendor reached into a cabinet and pulled out a slingshot. It was carved from a robust piece of wood and had a thick bungee and pouch strung between the forks. It wasn’t painted and looked like an average slingshot, if a bit bulky.

  “A slingshot?” Kitz asked. “Give me a crossbow.”

  “Relax, boy, this slingshot has killed more men and beasts than any of the ten crossbows in my storage. If you want to hurt something, use this. I been told it’s enchanted to be extra strong.”

  “Let me see.” I held out my hand, and he gave it to me. Instantly, I inspected it.

  Twinned Slingshot

  The long, dead maker of this slingshot was considered a madman by many, but a rare few, including himself, considered him to be a genius. This slingshot was designed to deliver twice the power and speed of a typical slingshot. The inventor thought to himself, ‘How can I make one slingshot twice as powerful?’ And then the genius idea struck him - Build two slingshots in one slingshot!

  The Twinned slingshot is a slightly larger slingshot built entirely around a slightly smaller slingshot. The fit is perfect, and you can’t see any flaws with the naked eye, so you just have to trust me on this. It’s two slingshots in one, and it shoots twice as hard.

  “This slingshot is awesome, Kitz,” I said. “You’ll want this one, trust me.”

  “How much?” I asked, turning back to the vendor. He had a strange look on his face, but blinked it away and focused back on me.

  “Pardon me,” he said. “My mind does its own thing these days. Another hundred ought to do.”

  “And for my other man? He’s strong enough to pull a bow,” I turned my head back. “Aren’t you Delen?”

  “I’d imagine so,” Delen said. “A bow and a shield would be nice.”

  The vendor nodded, “Coming right up, sirs.”

  Before he turned away. “A beginning bow, please. Cheap is fine since he’s learning. Wouldn’t mind something nicer for a shield though.”

  “Say no more.”

  After a moment, the vendor produced a wooden crest shield. It was nicely lacquered but showed no sigil. He placed a half-bow and a sheath of arrows atop the shield.

  “This extra gear is going to cost you 75 gold.”

  “After what I’ve already spent, I’ll give you fifty for the shield and bow, and a hundred for the slingshot. That’s a steal, and you know it.”

  “Maybe, so, but it doesn’t mean much to me since there ain’t many places for me to go shopping around here. Just give me what I ask and be done with it.”

  Not wanting to infuriate this clearly distressed man, I paid up, took our gear, and said goodbye.

  When we exited his building, I could help but smile, and I watched my friends test out their new equipment.

  “Feels good,” Delen said, testing the weight of his shield. I feel like a true warrior now.”

  “We’ll find somewhere up ahead for everyone to practice a few ranged attacks before we get into a fight. Hopefully. If we find trouble, well, sometimes the fastest way to learn a job is by doing it.”