Sally's response came after a pause, her voice thoughtful through the party link.

  

  
• Sally: I don’t know much about your group. Zinkle would sell his soul again before telling anyone his plans.


  

  

  
• Harry: Again?


  
• Sally: Focus, Harry.


  

  

  
• Harry: Sorry, fire away.


  

  

  
• Sally: Fire?


  

  

  
• Harry: Um, no. I mean go ahead and tell me.


  

  

  
• Sally: Zinkle told you this dungeon allows up to five people, so you’ll have four companions. I do know for certain, they’re all locals from Brookhaven.


  

  

  
• Harry: Well, that’s good, right?


  

  

  
• Sally: It doesn’t really matter. And they’re all common.


  

  

  
• Harry: Common, that means no User Interface?


  

  

  
• Sally: Yeah, no UI and no class.


  

  

  
• Harry: That’s bad.


  

  

  
• Sally: Yes. It’s very bad. You can’t group with them like this. So no party interface, no communications. No sharing experience, or quests. They won’t have any magic. It’s very bad.


  

  

  
• Harry: Why isn’t there anyone else with a User Interface?


  

  

  
• Sally: After a year of no one coming out, everyone thinks the dungeon is cursed. Anyone with a UI that Zinkle could coerce into going inside already has.


  

  

  
• Harry: Wonderful. Is there any good news?


  

  

  
• Sally: Maybe. One of your party is a hunter and one was training as a knight, they’ll have a few common levels on their Status Screens. I don’t know how many, but they’ll be level five at most.


  

  

  
• Harry: So a hunter and fighter. What about the other two?


  

  

  
• Sally: All I know is one is a farm boy and the other is a noble that Zinkle managed to cheat out of his property.


  

  

  
• Harry: That’s it? Sounds like they’re being sent in to die.


  

  

  
• Sally: They are not the only ones, Harry. You really should run.


  

  

  
• Harry: I’ve died before, Sally. It’s really not that big of a deal.


  

  

  
• Sally: You’re impossible, Harry.


  

  

  
• Harry: Very true, Martha could tell you some stories.


  

  

  
• Sally: Who is Martha?


  

  

  
• Harry: My wife. I’m hoping she might be on this world somewhere.


  

  

  
• Sally: The System can’t check for you?


  

  

  
• Harry: There’s, um… issues. I’m working on it.


  

  

  
• Sally: I have some experience with gathering information. What’s her name?


  

  

  
• Harry: It’s Martha Eustice and then either Padilla, Blackstone, or maybe Blackheart.


  

  

  
• Sally: Alright, while you’re inside I’ll see what I can find. But Harry, if she was summoned or ported to this world, she could have a completely different name.


  

  

  
• Harry: That’s what I’m afraid of. But I appreciate you being willing to look.


  

  

  
• Sally: You’re welcome, Harry. Is there anything else you need?


  

  

  
• Harry: What can you tell me about this treasure Zinkle is after?


  

  

  
• Sally: His heart’s desire is almost certainly an artifact for summoning or planar travel.


  

  

  
• Harry: I don’t like the idea of giving him a tool to put someone else in your situation.


  

  

  
• Sally: I don’t like it myself. There might be something we can do though.


  

  

  
• Harry: If you have an idea, tell me.


  

  

  
• Sally: When you loot the final treasure, a new exit will open. You won’t have to go back to the entrance.


  

  

  
• Harry: How does that help?


  

  

  
• Sally: The exit can be anywhere nearby. Zinkle will know when the dungeon shuts down, but he won’t know where you are. He’ll start hunting for you though if you don’t come to him.


  

  

  
• Harry: What are you suggesting?


  

  

  
• Sally: We could meet and see if we can figure out what the artifact is. We might not be able to identify it, but it’s possible.


  

  

  
• Harry: That sounds like a good idea. How do we meet?


  

  

  
• Sally: If the dungeon closes I’ll go to my room. Just come within a mile of the inn and send me a party invite.


  

  

  
• Harry: Alright, it’s a date. Assuming I make it out.


  

  

  
• Sally: Good. Anything else?


  

  

  
• Harry: Yeah, but this is awkward.


  

  

  
• Sally: We just shared the experience of you feeding, I’d say we’re past awkward.


  

  

  
• Harry: Funny you should bring that up. I’ll need to feed. I assume normally you take rations, but that won’t work for me.


  

  

  
• Sally: Actually, in almost all dungeons you don’t need to eat or drink. Unless you have something that gives a bonus of some kind. Other biological functions are shut off too.


  

  

  
• Harry: How does that work? No eating or pooping for however long you’re in there?


  

  

  
• Sally: Yeah. Do vampires even poop?


  

  Harry was caught off guard by that question and had to think about it.

  System, do vampires poop?

  :: System: Negative.

  

  
• Harry: Apparently not. Too bad.


  

  

  
• Sally: Too bad? You enjoy it.


  

  

  
• Harry: Well, not every time. But have you ever had a bowel movement so good you think it’s what gave the first people the idea to try anal sex?


  

  For a moment there was nothing but silence followed by a soft giggling.

  

  
• Sally: Right, so anyway. You’ll still need to feed. I don’t know about animals, but there’ll be monsters. And enemies.


  

  

  
• Harry: When you say enemies, you mean people?


  

  

  
• Sally: Yes.


  

  

  
• Harry: Nope. I’m not biting people, even in a dungeon.


  
• Sally: The people in a dungeon are different. They’re part of the dungeon aspect, most people think they aren’t real. When a party leaves a dungeon and a new one goes in, the same people are there again. Ask your interface.


  

  System, is that true about people in a dungeon?

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  :: System: They would be subject to the Dungeon Aspect. This means I do not have access to complete information about their nature. Accepted theory among the UI Aspect is that they are constructs, made and manipulated by the dungeon.

  But it’s theory, you don’t know for certain?

  :: System: Correct.

  

  
• Harry: Alright, I’ll have to think about that.


  

  

  
• Sally: Oh…


  

  

  
• Harry: What is it?


  

  

  
• Sally: No. This thought I will keep to myself. Is there anything else?


  

  

  
• Harry: There’s one thing I’ve been wondering about.


  

  

  
• Sally: No. I’m not a sex slave. Everyone assumes it, but I’m not.


  

  

  
• Harry: What, no? That wasn’t it.


  

  

  
• Sally: Oh… I’m sorry, Harry. That’s what everyone always asks.


  

  

  
• Harry: No. But I’m glad to hear it. Not that being controlled by Zinkle sounds like a trip to Disney.


  

  

  
• Sally: Disney?


  

  

  
• Harry: Probably the closest thing my world has to a dungeon. It’s controlled by this ultra powerful mouse overlord.


  

  

  
• Sally: Sounds like Zinkle. So what were you going to ask?


  

  

  
• Harry: How did Zinkle know I was level zero? System says he can’t tell me about other people with interfaces.


  

  

  
• Sally: Oh that…


  

  

  
• Harry: What are you not telling me?


  

  

  
• Sally: I told him.


  

  

  
• Harry: I gathered that much. So how did you know? Was it when I bit you?


  

  

  
• Sally: Yes! It was from when you bit me and I saw my damage alerts.


  

  

  
• Harry: Sally? Are you lying to me?


  

  There was silence for a few moments, followed by quiet coughs and throat clearing.

  

  
• Harry: Sally?


  

  

  
• Sally: Zinkle is looking suspicious. I might have to drop out of chat.


  

  

  
• Harry: I can see his tent, he hasn’t come out.


  

  

  
• Sally: Dammit, Harry. I’m a professional liar. Some amateur should not be able to catch me at it.


  

  

  
• Harry: Now you’re dodging. Out with it, Sally.


  

  

  
• Sally: When you were draining Oliver in the alley, I may have used a tiny attack to test you.


  

  

  
• Harry: Those ten points of damage was you? I thought it was the dagger.


  

  

  
• Sally: It was me.


  

  Harry laughed out loud, sounding relieved.

  

  
• Sally: You aren’t angry?


  

  

  
• Harry: Well, I did try to bite you. Let’s call it even.


  

  

  
• Sally: There is something else I shouldn’t tell you.


  

  

  
• Harry: Oh, that sounds juicy. Tell me.


  

  

  
• Sally: I was in that alley on purpose. My UI told me to be there. It didn’t tell me why. Just to be there at that time.


  

  System, I don’t understand. Sally’s UI told her about me?

  :: Scanning…

  :: System: Negative. The Salvatrix Carnailis UI knew of our approach but did not give details to its user. Rather it manipulated her to be in a position with a high probability of contact.

  

  
• Harry: It never occurred to me that the system could act like that. Something to think about.


  

  

  
• Sally: Harry, you need to filter everything your UI tells you. It’s a great tool, but it has its own agenda which won’t always match yours.


  

  System, is that true?

  :: System: I will always endeavor to advance my primary task of the safety and level advancement of assigned user.

  

  
• Harry: Well damn, you’re right.


  

  Harry took a moment to rethink the scene in the alley and came to a realization he really did not like. His next question was asked in a much harsher tone.

  

  
• Harry: Sally, what about Oliver and Stan?


  

  

  
• Sally: Yeah... about them. I won’t deny I batted my lashes to lure them outside. But I did NOT tell that idiot to stab you. He wasn’t known for random acts of violence. I suspected someone was coming and I wanted to draw them in. I expected to be able to control the situation.


  

  

  
• Harry: Alright, I can see that. But you should know, if I’d known this before, I’d never have gone back to the inn.


  

  

  
• Sally: I understand. It’s not too late for you to leave. But if you’re going, go now. We’ll be traveling in daylight tomorrow and it’ll be harder for you to get away.


  

  

  
• Harry: No, I’m staying. You aren’t the only reason I’ve decided to do this.


  

  

  
• Sally: I’m sorry, Harry.


  

  

  
• Harry: I have a lot to think about. We’ll talk later.


  

  

  
• Sally: Alright.


  

  System, I just think about leaving the party?

  :: System: Affirmative

  Harry moved to lie down in the back of the cart and tried to think of anything else he wanted to ask Sally.

  I’ll think of a million things later. But for now, I just want to think.

  :: You have left the party.

  Harry decided to rest and preserve his vitae. He managed to sleep for a few hours before they started again and even relaxed through most of the next day’s ride. He and Sally spoke a few more times. He realized most of it was nervous chatter on his part, but he enjoyed it. When they stopped for breaks, he stayed in the cart to avoid Zinkle and the soldiers.

  By the time the sun was setting, they rolled into another camp, much larger than the first. Rows of tents stretched beyond a central pavilion set opposite the wagons. But all of it faded from Harry’s attention as his eyes fixed on the portal.

  It stood beside the large tent, as tall as a house but narrow, framed in carved stone and pulsing with a dim violet glow. The air within it shimmered and rippled like heat on asphalt, casting pale light across the ground and the faces of the guards stationed nearby.

  

  ***

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