Surviving the Simulation: The Grand Crusade

The early afternoon sun cast an eerie glow across the edge of the swamp, its sickly rays dancing upon the murky waters and highlighting the twisted vegetation that surrounded the entrance to the Dusk Tunnel Mine. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and the distant croaking of more giant frogs, adding an ominous backdrop to the impending clash.

"Longer we wait, the more gnolls we'll need to fight outside. Everyone get their game faces on," Rex whispered as he moved up and down the line of adventurers.

Moments later, Rex raised a hand, signaling the party to spread out and approach strategically. The air was tense, and the sounds of the swamp seemed to hush in anticipation. They were coming up from the blind side of the outbuilding. It would be a few more moments before the patrolling gnolls could see them. The closer they could close the gap before the battle started, the better advantage the group would have in the opening exchange.

As the adventurers closed in, the gnoll patrol appeared around the corner. Immediately aware of the impending threat, the three snarled and charged. The clash erupted like a thunderstorm, the scrum of steel and growls drowning out all the natural noises of the swamp.

While several members, including Rex, continued to clash with the patrol that had spotted them, Xander and half a dozen others broke toward the rest of the gnolls. Their matted fur was soaked with swamp water, their weapons gleamed in the sickly light, and their snarls mingled with the guttural barks of the charging guard hyenas.

The mine's entrance loomed behind the chaos, a dark maw cut into the earth, radiating foreboding. But it wasn't just the gnolls that made the battlefield dangerous. The swamp itself was a threat. Every footstep was a gamble on mud, rot, or something worse.

They'd learned that lesson the hard way with the frog swarm. No one said it out loud, but the entire party kept a wary distance from the water, eyes flicking toward any ripple or splash. Something was out there.

Xander slammed his boot into a gnoll's knee, sending it sprawling into the murky shallows. It wasn't about doing damage. He just needed space. Both of them had been stumbling through the mud, and with the gnoll now flailing in the water, Xander had the moment he needed to reset, plant his boots, and prepare for whatever came next.

The water exploded around the flailing gnoll.

The beast screamed as the massive snake that the sound of battle had attracted lifted into the air it. The snake's constriction quickly encircled and crushed the gnoll, cutting short its scream. Xander almost felt sorry for it until the snake decided that if one gnoll was good, then a whole host of morsels must be better.

"It's never easy," Xander muttered under his breath. "Zoey!"

"What the heck is it with you and attracting more crap down our heads in the middle of a fight?" Zoey responded as she sent several frost imbued arrows into the snake's flank.

While this new foe didn't look like a typical snake, it was clearly something far worse. Cold-blooded, it began to slow as Zoey's arrows hit home, giving Xander a moment to fully take in the beast.

At least six feet of it was visible above the waterline, thick with greenish-black scales slick with swamp muck. Unlike normal snakes, it lacked twin fangs. Instead, its mouth bristled with a full set of serrated, needle-like teeth.

He triggered Analyze instinctively.

[Analyze] Swamp Lurker | Level: 8 | Status: Hostile | Class: Beast.

Not the strongest thing they'd faced, but definitely in the top ten and, unlike most monsters, it didn't seem to care how many adventurers were still standing.

As the last gnoll fell, the remaining hyenas turned tail and vanished into the swamp. That left the party alone to face the new monstrosity.

"Figures," Xander said as the creature lunged. He barely had time to react, jabbing his spear into its nose to redirect the strike, shoving it off to the left. It wasn't panicked or reckless. It was just big, mean, and terrifyingly efficient.

The massive beast seized the momentum and continued to swing its head to Xander's left in an attempt to change targets. Its strategy worked as it caught one of the safe zone members squarely in its jaws in one continuous swoop of its head. Now two morsels into its meal, its massive head swiveled back and forth, looking for its next snack.

"Rex, we need a plan here!" Xander called, as he used the opportunity to renew his divine aegis on both himself and Rex.

"Grab its attention! You've got the best reach with your spear," Rex called back as he moved off to the side, waiting for the moment to strike.

"Hey ugly! You look like my next pair of boots and a nice handbag!" Xander shouted, raising his voice more than anything else.

The beast didn't understand the words, but the sudden noise drew its attention. With a surge of muscle and mud, it lunged straight for him.

Planting his spear firm into the ground, Xander triggered every ability he could as the swamp lurker descended on him. Judgement on the beast, smite on his spear. The beast crashed into Xander, his divine aegis exploding in a shower of sparks.

As quickly as it struck, it recoiled just as fast; however, Xander's spear remained embedded in the creature's mouth, though Xander no longer held it. It shook its head violently back and forth, giving Zoey plenty of time to pepper it with additional frost imbued arrows. Those arrows continued to cause the swamp lurker to slow down its thrashing until Rex and the rest of the melee team could descend on the creature, ending its life.

"Ouch," was all Xander said, triggering several heals on himself in succession.

The immediate danger passed, Rex looked over to Xander, worried. Xander lay on his back, half buried in the mud, a spectral cat sitting on his chest, staring him in his eyes. Slowly, a hand reached up to stroke the cat's fur. Cabbot was less than amused because of the amount of filth Xander had on his hand.

"Huff!" was Cabbot's reply before disappearing back into the astral realm.

"I said get its attention, not get squished by it. You okay?" Rex said as he helped his friend out of the mud.

"Idiot," Zoey intoned. Her tone was flat, but Xander caught the flicker of concern in her eyes buried under the usual sarcasm. Annoyance was present, yes, but other emotions too.

"Yeah, I'm fine, or at least I will be. That was not at all how I saw that going," Xander said. "We're going to file that in the 'that will learn you' file on this trip."

Giving Xander a moment to recover, the rest of the group went about cleaning up the battlefield. The loot left quite a bit to be desired, with mainly junk weapons and armor, little gold to go around in a group as large as they had, and no magic items.

The swamp lurker was another story. Two members of the group had material harvesting skills and the yield from the beast was more than enough hide and bone to go around as the creature was close to fifteen feet long once they got it out of the water. The captain of the guard held on to the eyes and venom sacks for Victor, and dispersed the rest.

"Captain! Xander! Look at this," Rex called from the mine building.

Rex was standing over what had once been the foreperson's or some type of mine boss's desk. Laid out on top of it was a map of the mine. The map, etched with symbols and markings, detailed the intricate layout of the mine, which was broken up into several levels. If it was still accurate, then there was going to be more area to explore and clear before they'd be able to declare mission accomplished.

Xander listened to the captain of the guard and Rex debate back and forth regarding the best method of clearing out the mine. He himself favored a one group approach while the captain of the guard was advocating for splitting into two groups. Conveniently, one group would be half of the members from the safe zone, while the other group would include everyone else.

It smelled a little suspicious to Xander, but he wasn't ready to call foul. Especially as he noticed a set of keys on a large ring hanging off one side of the desk.

He leaned in, pretending to study the map, casually shifting his weight as his fingers unhooked the ring. Just as he slid the keys into the pouch on his bushcraft belt, a voice barked from the other side of the room.

"Hey. What's our fallback route if we're forced to retreat?"

The group debated for another ten minutes before reaching a consensus to stay together. The captain of the guard wasn't happy, but he agreed that overpowering everything in the dungeon was safer than risking people getting picked off alone.

The final selling factor was Xander piping up that the groups could split up once the dungeon was clear to maximize looting speed. The captain of the guard jumped at the suggestion while Rex raised his eyebrows at Xander. He responded to Rex with a slight shrug, as if to say, 'tell you later.'

"Okay, listen up! We're going to take another fifteen minutes and then head in. Wrap up anything you've got to and form up at the entrance," Rex said, clearly invoking his leadership ability, which projected his voice.

Pulling Xander off to the side, he leaned in close. "Split up once we clear?"

"You didn't see it, but there was a ring of keys under the desk. If there's a hidden part of the dungeon, which I did not see listed on the map, by the way, then there is a good possibility we'll need these keys and some time away from prying eyes," Xander quietly explained.

"I'm with you now. I was going to chew you out for undercutting me there for a moment, but you're right," Rex said, slightly surprised.

"If we find a hidden room, we'll want to make sure we agree on what to do. I'm not entirely sold on giving Victor the keys to ownership of the mine," Xander continued.

"Agreed."

Fifteen minutes later, the group of adventurers stood in front of the mine entrance, the gateway to the gnolls' underground stronghold. The mine's entrance, now ominously quiet, revealed the path into the heart of the gnolls' lair. Beyond the shadows and the damp stone walls lay the forced laborers, toiling in darkness. The party steeled themselves for the challenges that awaited within, their conquest at the entrance marking a significant victory, but not the last, in the ongoing battle against the gnoll plague on the safe zone. Xander looked at the plaque next to the entrance, and the information shocked him.

Dusk Tunnel Mining Complex

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Status: Overflowing
Recommended Party Size: 5
Player Deaths: 35
Dungeon Clears: None
Fastest Clear Time: None

That confirmed for Xander that someone had abducted people to the mines. It didn't say how many people were currently in the mines, but he held out hope that if Jo was somewhere in that hellscape, she was alive and waiting for him.

"I'm coming for you, babe, hang on," he whispered to himself.

The party stood just outside the yawning entrance, quiet now but thick with unseen promise and danger. Xander exhaled slowly, trying to shake the adrenaline from the snake fight. They weren't even inside yet, and already it felt like the swamp itself was fighting to keep them out. Gripping his spear, he nodded to Rex. Time to see what the hell the Simulation had cooked up this time. They stepped into the mine, leaving daylight and safety behind.

Dusk Tunnel Mine Complex
Status: Overflowing
Congratulations! You have discovered the Dusk Tunnel Mine Complex. A mine rich in silver and iron ore, this once productive mine has transformed into a gnoll stronghold. Can you reclaim the mine for humanity? Gather your party, go forth, and conquer. The greater the risk, the greater the reward!

WARNING: This dungeon is currently overflowing, causing monsters to exit the dungeon because of a lack of space. The number of monsters within the dungeon will be higher than normal for the duration. Clear the dungeon to reset the overflow status.

WARNING: This dungeon remains uncleared. New dungeons offer a range of one time benefits in regards to loot quality and special rewards. Increased chances of rare monster spawn create an additional challenge within the dungeon.

The dungeon mine stretched deep into the depths of the earth, its passages carved from solid rock by years of mechanized mining and old fashion manual labor. The air hung thick with the acrid scent of torch smoke, mingling with the metallic tang of freshly mined ore. Torches, their flames dancing erratically, cast long shadows on the uneven walls, creating a dim, eerie glow that barely illuminated the entrance area. The echoing sounds of pickaxes striking against rock reverberated through the tunnels, creating a dissonant symphony that underscored the oppressive atmosphere.

"Sneaky types out front. Keep an eye out for traps. We don't have a large data set to go off of, but the last dungeon I was in was thick with traps," Xander said.

The torchlight continued to flicker and cast deep shadows across the entrance area and the single mine shaft leading deeper. For Xander, however, everything had a sharp crispness, as if it were a full moon. He could clearly see into the shadows because of his Cat's Sight.

"That's still creepy," Rex said, referring to the wisps of spectral smoke that wafted from Xander's eyes.

"I've gotten pretty used to it by now. It's disconcerting when it first kicks in, but you won't hear me complaining. I have a feeling that we're all going to be spending more time exploring the depths in our new normal," Xander replied, walking side by side with Zoey as he constantly scanned the surroundings.

Rex led the primary group from the front, while a pair of scouts walked twenty feet ahead. The captain of the guard brought up the rear. Xander and Zoey weren't at the front of the pack with Rex once things got moving, but they were close. The group wouldn't be sneaking up on anyone though, as the clank of armor and weapons, mixed in with various coughs and sneezes, echoed off the walls. Their numbers would benefit them should they enter an encounter in any rooms, but out here in the tunnels, the noise was a liability.

"Side tunnel," whispered one scout.

"Xander, check it out. No torch, don't go more than a hundred feet," Rex said, and everyone broke apart to hug the walls, letting Xander pass.

The mine tunnel stretched ahead like a lazily winding snake, swallowing what little light filtered in from the main party behind him. The air grew heavier with every step. Musky and thick with the scent of fur, damp earth, and old blood. Tufts of coarse gnoll hair clung to the jagged walls, proof that something passed through frequently.

The packed dirt floor muffled each footstep, but Xander's breath sounded too loud in the narrow corridor. The occasional creak of old support timbers punctuated the silence, followed by the low groan of shifting rock. Like the mine itself was watching, waiting.

From somewhere deeper in the tunnel, the distant ting... ting... ting of a pickaxe echoed, rhythmic and haunting. He swallowed. Every sound felt closer than it should've been.

Around the second lazy curve, the last traces of torchlight vanished. Shadows pressed tighter. Then Xander caught a glimmer of light bleeding from the edge of an iron door, half-sunken into the left wall.

He hesitated. Just a second. Then leaned in and pressed his ear to the cold metal. His reward was a wet cheek from condensation and the faint, almost too-soft crackle of fire from somewhere within. Xander reached for the door handle to test the lock but froze as it began to turn on its own.

He threw himself back into a narrow bolthole he'd spotted earlier and pressed tight against the damp wall, heart thundering in his chest.

The door creaked open.

Guttural yips and snarling barks echoed into the tunnel as a massive gnoll stepped out, its fur matted and eyes yellowed. It glanced both directions, then lifted its snout and sniffed the air. It turned and locked eyes with the shadows where Xander hid.

Spear in hand, Xander coiled to strike when a blur of motion burst from behind him.

A small, spectral form darted straight at the gnoll, let out a fierce hiss that echoed like static in the tunnel, and then bolted off down the corridor.

The gnoll flinched, startled, and spun after the retreating blur, completely missing the man crouched just feet away.

A growling gnoll began to follow Cabot out the door, but another gnoll called it back. With one last bark, the gnoll turned, strode into the room, and slammed the door.

"Cats, protectors of fools and small children," Xander said as he slumped against the wall, blowing out a long breath as the tension eased from his shoulders.

Quickly making his way back to the group, Xander filled everyone in on what he had found. Rex made the decision that they should clean out the side tunnel before moving deeper into the mine. There was no way the group could sneak up to the door, so instead they'd just brute force the encounter like they had outside.

Moments later, the heavy steel door groaned its protest as Rex and the captain of the guard forced their way into the chamber. The group burst into the room to unveil an unexpected sight: an underground tavern, bathed in the ethereal glow of dimly flickering torches. Wooden tables and chairs were strewn haphazardly, a well-tended fireplace crackled with roaring flames in the corner. The air carried the lingering scent of aged ale and dust, a peculiar contrast to the harsh reality of the subterranean surroundings.

As the group made their entrance, the chamber's silence seemed to stretch on as a formidable pack of gnolls stared back. The silence shattered like glass as the gnolls' expressions changed from shock to hostility, their fur bristling. It became evident that this room was a sanctuary of sorts. A sacred refuge of drinking and relaxation they were prepared to defend with ferocity.

The captain of the guard, his sword gleaming in the torchlight, bellowed, "Prepare yourselves!"

The adventurers swiftly formed a defensive line with the tanks out front. Defiantly, the gnolls gathered at the room's center, their snarls echoing, poised to repel the intrusion. The first swing of a tankard, launched in a drunken gnoll's fit of rage, shattered the fragile peace. Tables overturned in the chaos, sending mugs and plates clattering to the floor. The fire, fueled by the escalating tension, or more likely a bit of spilt alcohol, seemed to roar in approval.

The ensuing clash erupted in a frenzy of steel meeting steel, arrows whistling through the air, and the occasional spells crackling with energy. Gnolls lunged forward, fangs bared, colliding with the seasoned adventurers. The room echoed with clashing weapons, growls of gnolls, and shouts of anger by both parties.

Xander caught a glimpse of Zoey weaving through the chaos. Ducking a swinging sword with one hand and batting aside a tankard with the other. She struck one of the gnolls low as she passed, earning a pained howl, then vaulted up onto the bar with a burst of speed.

From his angle, he couldn't see what she saw behind the counter, but the sudden hitch in her movement said something had surprised her. Not a threat, though, because the next second, she was already loosing arrows from her new perch.

A bolt of shadow magic slammed into the rafters just a foot from her head. Across the room, a snarling gnoll in crimson robes pointed a clawed hand in her direction.

The dim light of the tavern played tricks on the combatants, casting eerie shadows that danced across the wooden tables and chairs. These furnishings became makeshift barricades as the adventurers and gnolls sought cover amidst the intense struggle. The flames from the fireplace danced unpredictably, casting a flickering glow that added a sinister element to the skirmish.

As the tide of battle ebbed and flowed, the adventurers surged forward, only to be met with a relentless counterattack from the gnolls. The room, once a sanctuary, transformed into a battleground where every footstep echoed with the resolute determination to conquer or defend.

Having abandoned his spear in the close quarters for his mace, Xander moved from combatant to combatant, supplying either a swift swing of his mace, heal, or divine aegis, depending on the situation. He, too, had seen the shadow bolt streak toward Zoey, and he was determined to escort the offending mage to the afterlife.

The mage hadn't seen Xander approaching, as it was in the middle of casting another spell. Xander couldn't tell, but the mage appeared, focused on Zoey across the room. Either way, it was a distraction he used to his advantage, smashing the mage in the nose. The gnoll mage's bloody nose and distraction caused his spell to fizzle out before completion. Turning on Xander, it flicked its wrist, releasing a fire spell that sparked against his divine aegis.

Divine aegis may have blocked all the damage from the mage's spell, but Xander did still feel a bit of a tingle in his arms. It wasn't much, but it was enough for him to lose his grip on his mace. It fell to the floor, cracking one of the stone tiles when it landed.

The mage glanced down and held a toothy grin, thinking its opponent was helpless.

It soon learned that an annoyed paladin was not a helpless opponent, with or without a weapon. A kick to the chest caused it to fall back into the fireplace. The flames, hungry to join the fight on either side, quickly lit the mage aflame. Its cries of pain cut across the entire tavern before Zoey ended its thrashing with an arrow to the neck.

With the mage's death, the advantage in the battle shifted toward the adventurers one last time. The last gnoll made a break for the door, only to be met with an axe to the back of its head. It crashed into the already weakened door, causing it to break loose from its top hinge and lean at an odd angle. The twisted metal grinding signaled the end of the battle.

"Good work, men. You know the drill, police the battlefield, take a break," Rex called out. "Xander, you're on healing duty. See if we have any critical injuries."

"Can do!"

Just like the battle outside, the loot wasn't the greatest because of the number of combatants they had in the party. Still, Xander noticed that a couple members had found weapons that were better than what they were carrying. Shaking his head at how bad the previous weapon must have been for a gnoll weapon to be an upgrade, Xander continued making the rounds.

One death, two critical, and almost everyone had some type of minor injury was the final price of the battle. They stacked the gnolls up like cordwood on one side of the room, while they wrapped their slain companion up for transport back to the safe zone later. They'd leave her where she was at for now and retrieve her on the way out.

Meanwhile, Zoey had been dealing with the pair she'd found hidden behind the bar. Neither could have been over ten years old, and they were both absolutely terrified. The scouts couldn't find a key to the chains among the gnolls or junk in the room, but one of them quickly found a solution in the form of a lock pick.

"Hi, I'm Zoey. Can you tell me your name?" Zoey inquired, trying to sound as soothing as possible.

"I'm Greg, this is Albert."

"Can you tell me how and how long you've been here?"

"I'm not sure how long we've been here. We just left school when everyone started seeing things. Then these giant dog people snatched us. We were with the others until today. They brought us up here and chained us up. Don't know why," Greg replied.

The roaring fire and other destroyed items showed Xander why someone had brought the boys to the tavern, but he wouldn't mention it since they had already suffered enough.

[Analyze] Greg Watts | Level: 0 | Status: Neutral | Class: Commoner.
[Analyze] Albert Watts | Level: 0 | Status: Neutral | Class: Commoner.

That isn't good, Xander thought.

This was going to be something that was going to come up again the deeper they moved into the dungeon.

"Rex, they can't stay here and we can't take them with us," Xander said.

"Yeah, thoughts?"

"We left the wagon outside and I'm thinking that was a mistake given the creatures we've already run into. I say we send back four or five people to guard the wagon and what survivors we find. They can fort up in that outbuilding," Xander offered.

"Captain, what are your thoughts?" Rex asked, deferring to the captain, as it would have to be his men that went outside.

"We've got a couple here that aren't quite up to the dungeon. We can send those three back outside, along with the two boys. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable sending more," the captain offered.

"I agree. This fight was nasty even with a larger group. The entrance said recommended party of five. I'm not sure how they would have handled that," Xander considering the ramifications. Did the dungeon scale to a larger number of people? If that was the case, did the captured players add to that count?

Not a comforting thought, he concluded.

That decided, the three men escorted the two boys, along with the slain companion, back outside to secure the entrance. Everyone else spread out in the room to take a quick break before they continued on. Someone built up the courage to try the alcohol from behind the bar before the captain of the guard could admonish them. It was a non-issue, though, as it was quickly spit out moments before Xander heard someone puking.

Having found a chair that wasn't broken, Xander sat at the bar, picking a sandwich from his bushcraft belt. Cabbot walked straight out of the wall at the end of the countertop toward where Xander was sitting before taking a seated position of her own. Her tail thumped repeatedly against the bar top as she glared.

"I see your little flippy tail. You saved me, I understand. I appreciate it. Here," Xander replied before breaking off a part of his sandwich and giving it to her.