AbuzzSpace7100
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.AbuzzSpace7100
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i have been working on a story! i want you all to comment ratings or recommendations. without further adu here it is.
THE GAME FILES
From somewhere nearby, a tiny, shrill voice cackled.
"HA HA, YOU FALL!"
Suremite groaned and turned to see his least favorite person in the entire world: Magicguy. Or, as everyone called him, Magic, because saying his full name gave him too much power. Magic was two years old, about knee-high, and somehow the most annoying living creature in existence.
Suremite sighed. "Magic, where is your mom?"
Magic responded by picking up a rock and throwing it at Suremite’s foot.
"Alright. Cool. Love that," Suremite muttered, stepping away before Magic could escalate things further.
The town was busy as usual. The Blacksmith rang with the sound of hammering, the Wood Carvers echoed with furious sawing, and from the Town Hall, someone yelled, “WHO KEEPS STEALING MY APPLES?!”
Suremite wandered through the streets, mentally going over his day. He could go mining, but today felt... different. His gut told him something was coming. Or maybe that was just breakfast settling weird.
He passed the Changing House, where people swapped gear, and the Crafting Home, where old man Torin was struggling with a satchel.
"Morning, Suremite," Torin grunted.
"Morning," Suremite replied. "Need help?"
"Can you magically fix this?"
Suremite could. Thanks to Alchemy, his secret skill that let him combine four items to create something new. Only his best friend, Hotdog, knew about it, but she wasn’t around much.
Of course, if Torin knew, he’d make Suremite craft satchels forever. So, Suremite shrugged. "Nope."
Torin squinted at him. "Useless."
"Yep!" Suremite said cheerfully, walking away before he got roped into labor.
At the Blacksmith, Garren was sweating over a sword, looking like he was fighting for his life against the heat.
"Need a blade?" Garren asked.
"Do you have one in ‘not huge’ size?"
Garren smirked. "Not my fault you’re tiny."
"Not my fault you’re old."
The blacksmith chuckled, then got serious. "Mines have been weird lately. Strange noises. Shadows moving."
"Like, normal weird or ‘I should flee immediately’ weird?"
Garren just shrugged. Not helpful.
Suremite continued toward the Mining House, where the mine entrance loomed, dark and waiting. The feeling in his gut returned. Was it danger? Was it adventure?
Or was it just Magicguy, who had somehow caught up and was now throwing pebbles at his back?
Suremite sighed. It was going to be a long day.
Outside, the sky had turned dark, and with the night came the things that lurked in it.
From his seat, Suremite could hear the faint clunk clunk clunk of Terabotas—tiny, angry rock monsters with glowing eyes. They weren’t too dangerous alone, but if you kicked one, it would call its rock buddies and suddenly you’d be in a very unfortunate avalanche.
Then there were the acid worms—gross little things that spat sizzling green goo at anything that moved. The worst part? If you hit one too hard, it would explode like a dropped fruit, but way less fun and way more “oh no, my boots are melting.”
And, of course, the Goteras, giant tree monsters that roamed the forests at night, just waiting for someone to wander too close so they could swat them like a fly.
Suremite was not going outside.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the dim lantern light flickering against the tavern walls. He needed more light. Good thing he had Alchemy.
Digging into his bag, he pulled out a stick, a rock, a cloth scrap, and... a chunk of coal he found earlier. He focused. the familiar tingle of magic sparking at his fingertips. The items glowed faintly before vanishing in a small swirl of light.
A second later, a torch clattered to the floor.
Suremite grinned. "Nice."
A loud BANG on the tavern wall made him jump.
"YOU IN THERE, BIG BRO?"
Oh no.
The door burst open, and Magicguy ran in at full speed, holding a Terabota above his head like a prize. The tiny rock monster flailed its stubby limbs, looking absolutely done with its life choices.
"LOOK WHAT I FOUND!" Magic yelled.
"WHY," Suremite yelled back.
Magic threw the Terabota. Suremite barely dodged as it hit the floor with a heavy thud, looking more confused than aggressive.
“BYE!” Magic shouted and sprinted out the door, leaving Suremite alone with a very upset rock monster.
Suremite sighed and picked up his torch. It was going to be a long night.
“WAKE UP, ROCK BOY.”
Only one person called him that.
He bolted up and yanked the door open.
There stood Hotdog, hands on her hips, grinning like she had just won a fight against a bear (which, knowing her, was entirely possible).
Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, and she wore her usual worn-out gear, with a few new scuffs that told him she had probably picked several fights on the way here.
“Well?” she said. “You just gonna stand there, or are you gonna say hi?”
Suremite smirked. “Hi.”
Hotdog rolled her eyes. “You are the worst. Come on, I got things to tell you.”
Suremite had no idea what kind of chaos she was about to drag him into, but knowing Hotdog? It was going to be fun.
“I’m about to blow your tiny mind,” she said, leaning forward.
Hotdog crossed her arms. “The games are connected.”
Suremite blinked. “Uh… what?”
“I mean all the games. Yours, mine, others we haven’t even seen yet. They’re all part of the same… I dunno, web?” She waved her hands around like she was physically drawing the connections. “And something’s messing with them.”
Suremite chewed thoughtfully. “And by ‘something,’ you mean…?”
Hotdog shrugged. “Dunno yet. But weird stuff is happening. I came from Yeep’s Hide and Seek, and let me tell you, it’s bad over there.”
Suremite squinted. “What’s Yeep’s Hide and Seek?”
Hotdog groaned. “It’s only the best hiding game ever. You and a bunch of people get dumped into these crazy arenas, and you gotta outsmart the seekers. It’s fast, it’s fun, and—normally—it’s fair.”
“Normally?”
Hotdog nodded. “Lately, people have been… disappearing. Like, straight-up vanishing mid-game. And seekers? They’re acting weird. Like, glitchy, almost.”
Suremite frowned. “That’s… unsettling.”
“Yeah, no kidding. And it’s not just my game. I heard whispers about strange stuff happening in other places too.” She tapped the table. “That’s why I came to find you.”
Suremite raised an eyebrow. “Why me?”
“Because you have that Alchemy skill. You can create things no one else can. And something tells me we’re gonna need every trick we’ve got.”
Suremite stared at her, the weight of what she was saying finally sinking in. If the games were really connected… if something was wrong in all of them…
That meant this wasn’t just a weird day.
This was just the beginning.
“So you’re telling me,” he said slowly, “that every game—every game—is connected, and something is messing with all of them?”
Hotdog nodded. “Yup.”
“And people are disappearing in your game?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And the seekers are acting all… glitchy?”
“Bingo.”
Suremite rubbed his temples. “Okay. Cool. Great. Love that. Any idea who or what is behind it?”
Hotdog sighed. “No clue. But whatever it is, it’s powerful. And it’s not just messing with one game—it’s spreading.”
Suremite opened his mouth to ask another question, but before he could, the tavern door slammed open so hard it nearly came off the hinges.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
Magicguy sprinted in at full toddler speed, flailing his tiny arms like a maniac.
Behind him, a massive Terabota—a hulking creature made of iron and jagged rocks, the same size as Suremite—stomped through the doorway, cracking the floor with every step. Its glowing eyes locked onto the screaming two-year-old.
“IT WANTS MY SNACK!” Magic shrieked, clutching a half-eaten apple.
Suremite shot to his feet. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”
Magic tripped over a chair and rolled across the floor like a particularly loud potato. “I THREW A ROCK AT IT AND THEN IT TOOK IT PERSONAL!”
Hotdog was already moving, grabbing a chair and chucking it at the Terabota’s face. It bonked off its iron head, doing absolutely nothing.
“Yeah, that didn’t work,” she muttered.
Suremite grabbed his bag. “Time for Plan B!”
“Which is?”
He yanked out four items—two rocks and two sticks of dynamite.
Hotdog’s eyes widened. “Wait—”
Suremite activated the spell.
But instead of the usual Alchemy glow, this time the air crackled. The items vanished, and suddenly—
BOOM.
The Terabota exploded into a shower of iron and rubble, shaking the entire tavern. A chunk of debris barely missed Magic’s head.
Everyone froze.
Magicguy slowly peeked up from behind the table, eyes wide. “WHAT WAS THAT?!”
Suremite stared at his hands, his heart racing. That… wasn’t Alchemy. He didn’t create an item—he made something happen.
“…Arcane Magic,” he muttered under his breath.
Hotdog coughed out some dust. “Okay. Cool. We’re not gonna talk about how you just detonated a monster like it was a Tuesday?”
Suremite didn’t answer. His mind was spinning. If Alchemy could create items… then Arcane Magic could trigger events.
Magic popped up, dusting himself off. “Okay, I’m in.”
Hotdog blinked. “What?”
“I’m in your group now. We’re a team,” Magic announced, grinning.
Suremite shrugged. “Alright, cool.”
Hotdog whipped her head around. “EXCUSE ME?!”
“I mean, he kinda already follows us around anyway,” Suremite said. “Might as well make it official.”
Hotdog groaned. “No, no, no—”
“TOO LATE,” Magic said, hopping onto a chair. “I’M PART OF THE SQUAD.”
Suremite nodded. “Welcome to the team.”
Hotdog dropped her head into her hands. This was already too much.
And the real adventure hadn’t even started yet.
Hotdog crossed her arms. "Right. Because every horror story starts with ‘let’s go into the creepy cave where people totally don’t disappear.’"
Magicguy bounced up and down. "I WANNA FIGHT A ROCK!"
Suremite sighed. "Let’s just go."
The three stepped into the caves, torches in hand. The deeper they went, the more unnatural everything felt. Normally, the caves were dangerous, sure, but tonight? Silent. Too silent.
Then came the first rumble. And the second. And then—
CRASH! The ground exploded as a massive wyrm—a writhing, acid-spitting monstrosity—burst out of the rock wall, screeching.
"YEP, I HATE THIS!" Hotdog yelled, dodging a spray of acid.
Suremite was already reaching into his bag. "I got this!" He pulled out two sticks, a rock, and a cloth scrap, quickly activating Alchemy. In a flash of light, a spear appeared in his hands.
Hotdog pulled out her own weapon—a reinforced club—and swung at the wyrm’s head. It hissed and recoiled, only to be met with Suremite’s spear jabbing into its side.
"STOP WIGGLING!" Magicguy shouted, flailing his tiny arms.
The wyrm turned its attention to the toddler.
"Oh, great job, Magic!" Hotdog snapped. "Now it’s mad at you!"
Magicguy grinned. "I AM VERY PUNCHABLE!"
The wyrm lunged at him, but before it could swallow him whole, Suremite grabbed two rocks and two dynamite sticks and activated Arcane Magic.
BOOM.
The explosion rocked the cave, obliterating the wyrm into a mess of sizzling bits.
Suremite smirked. "I really like Arcane Magic."
They barely had time to breathe before the ground trembled again. This time, three Terabotas emerged—one of iron, one of copper, and one of solid stone.
Hotdog groaned. "Of course there’s more."
Magicguy picked up a pebble and chucked it at the stone Terabota. It bounced off uselessly. "TAKE THAT, LOSER!"
The stone Terabota’s eyes glowed red.
Hotdog smacked her forehead. "You just made it angrier!"
Suremite sighed. "Alright. Let’s do this."
What followed was pure chaos.
Hotdog smashed through the copper Terabota with her club, Magicguy ran in circles screaming, and Suremite alternated between Alchemy and Arcane Magic, summoning weapons and causing small explosions to send the iron Terabota flying into a rock wall.
After what felt like forever, the final Terabota collapsed, its rocky limbs crumbling to dust.
Panting, Suremite leaned on his spear. "Okay. That was a lot."
Magicguy threw his arms in the air. "I LOVED IT."
Hotdog wiped sweat from her brow. "Well, congrats, we survived… and we made it to layer 10."
Suremite looked around. The tunnels here were darker. Colder. And something about them felt wrong.
He swallowed. "We’re definitely not done yet."
And deep in the shadows, something watched.
"Okay, new plan," Hotdog said, gripping her club tightly. "We just run. Fast."
"That is the worst plan," Suremite replied. "We could walk and not trigger every monster in this cave."
Magicguy bounced on his heels. "I LIKE MONSTERS!"
As if the universe existed solely to punish them, a hulking wyrm erupted from the ceiling, drool dripping from its jagged teeth.
Magicguy immediately pointed at it. "FRIEND OR FOOD?"
"Definitely food!" Hotdog said without hesitation before grabbing Magicguy by the back of his shirt and hurling him directly into the wyrm’s mouth.
Suremite blinked. "Huh."
The wyrm swallowed.
"…Is it bad that I’m kinda okay with this?" Suremite asked.
Hotdog shrugged. "Eh, he had a good run."
Before they could fully process what just happened, the wyrm started thrashing violently, making an awful gargling noise. Its body convulsed, and then—
BLAM. Magicguy popped out of the wyrm’s back end, covered in slime but completely fine.
"I WON!" he cheered, throwing his arms in the air.
Suremite sighed. "Of course you did."
With that mildly traumatizing event behind them, they pressed on, fighting through copper Terabotas, more acid-spitting wyrms, and weird glowing lizards that tried to eat their torches. Suremite, experimenting with his Arcane Magic, discovered new spells:
"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Hotdog said, shoving aside a pile of wyrm bones. "You're magic. Big deal."
"NO I'M MAGIC!" Magic screened from a distance.
Finally, after what felt like forever, they reached layer 90. The ground beneath them was no longer stone, but some kind of dark, metallic substance, humming softly with energy.
"Oh, that’s not normal," Suremite said.
Hotdog narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. We might be in trouble."
Magicguy gasped dramatically. "OR… WE’RE IN A BOSS ROOM!"
Silence.
"...Please don’t say things like that," Suremite muttered.
Something stirred in the darkness ahead.
THE GAME FILES
Chapter 1: The Town of Beginnings (Now With More Chaos)
The sun blasted Suremite right in the face as he stepped out of the tavern, nearly blinding him. He yelped, stumbled on the step, and barely caught himself before face-planting into the dirt. Smooth. A flawless start to the day.From somewhere nearby, a tiny, shrill voice cackled.
"HA HA, YOU FALL!"
Suremite groaned and turned to see his least favorite person in the entire world: Magicguy. Or, as everyone called him, Magic, because saying his full name gave him too much power. Magic was two years old, about knee-high, and somehow the most annoying living creature in existence.
Suremite sighed. "Magic, where is your mom?"
Magic responded by picking up a rock and throwing it at Suremite’s foot.
"Alright. Cool. Love that," Suremite muttered, stepping away before Magic could escalate things further.
The town was busy as usual. The Blacksmith rang with the sound of hammering, the Wood Carvers echoed with furious sawing, and from the Town Hall, someone yelled, “WHO KEEPS STEALING MY APPLES?!”
Suremite wandered through the streets, mentally going over his day. He could go mining, but today felt... different. His gut told him something was coming. Or maybe that was just breakfast settling weird.
He passed the Changing House, where people swapped gear, and the Crafting Home, where old man Torin was struggling with a satchel.
"Morning, Suremite," Torin grunted.
"Morning," Suremite replied. "Need help?"
"Can you magically fix this?"
Suremite could. Thanks to Alchemy, his secret skill that let him combine four items to create something new. Only his best friend, Hotdog, knew about it, but she wasn’t around much.
Of course, if Torin knew, he’d make Suremite craft satchels forever. So, Suremite shrugged. "Nope."
Torin squinted at him. "Useless."
"Yep!" Suremite said cheerfully, walking away before he got roped into labor.
At the Blacksmith, Garren was sweating over a sword, looking like he was fighting for his life against the heat.
"Need a blade?" Garren asked.
"Do you have one in ‘not huge’ size?"
Garren smirked. "Not my fault you’re tiny."
"Not my fault you’re old."
The blacksmith chuckled, then got serious. "Mines have been weird lately. Strange noises. Shadows moving."
"Like, normal weird or ‘I should flee immediately’ weird?"
Garren just shrugged. Not helpful.
Suremite continued toward the Mining House, where the mine entrance loomed, dark and waiting. The feeling in his gut returned. Was it danger? Was it adventure?
Or was it just Magicguy, who had somehow caught up and was now throwing pebbles at his back?
Suremite sighed. It was going to be a long day.
Chapter 2: Nightfall and Nonsense
The tavern creaked as the wind howled outside, rattling the old wooden walls like they were held together with hopes and questionable craftsmanship. Suremite sat at his usual spot in the corner, poking at the last bits of his dinner—a slightly burnt potato and whatever the tavern owner had decided counted as “meat” today.Outside, the sky had turned dark, and with the night came the things that lurked in it.
From his seat, Suremite could hear the faint clunk clunk clunk of Terabotas—tiny, angry rock monsters with glowing eyes. They weren’t too dangerous alone, but if you kicked one, it would call its rock buddies and suddenly you’d be in a very unfortunate avalanche.
Then there were the acid worms—gross little things that spat sizzling green goo at anything that moved. The worst part? If you hit one too hard, it would explode like a dropped fruit, but way less fun and way more “oh no, my boots are melting.”
And, of course, the Goteras, giant tree monsters that roamed the forests at night, just waiting for someone to wander too close so they could swat them like a fly.
Suremite was not going outside.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the dim lantern light flickering against the tavern walls. He needed more light. Good thing he had Alchemy.
Digging into his bag, he pulled out a stick, a rock, a cloth scrap, and... a chunk of coal he found earlier. He focused. the familiar tingle of magic sparking at his fingertips. The items glowed faintly before vanishing in a small swirl of light.
A second later, a torch clattered to the floor.
Suremite grinned. "Nice."
A loud BANG on the tavern wall made him jump.
"YOU IN THERE, BIG BRO?"
Oh no.
The door burst open, and Magicguy ran in at full speed, holding a Terabota above his head like a prize. The tiny rock monster flailed its stubby limbs, looking absolutely done with its life choices.
"LOOK WHAT I FOUND!" Magic yelled.
"WHY," Suremite yelled back.
Magic threw the Terabota. Suremite barely dodged as it hit the floor with a heavy thud, looking more confused than aggressive.
“BYE!” Magic shouted and sprinted out the door, leaving Suremite alone with a very upset rock monster.
Suremite sighed and picked up his torch. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 3: A Hotdog Appears
The next morning, Suremite woke up to someone knocking aggressively on the tavern door.“WAKE UP, ROCK BOY.”
Only one person called him that.
He bolted up and yanked the door open.
There stood Hotdog, hands on her hips, grinning like she had just won a fight against a bear (which, knowing her, was entirely possible).
Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, and she wore her usual worn-out gear, with a few new scuffs that told him she had probably picked several fights on the way here.
“Well?” she said. “You just gonna stand there, or are you gonna say hi?”
Suremite smirked. “Hi.”
Hotdog rolled her eyes. “You are the worst. Come on, I got things to tell you.”
Suremite had no idea what kind of chaos she was about to drag him into, but knowing Hotdog? It was going to be fun.
Chapter 4: The Truth About the Games
Suremite and Hotdog sat at a wobbly table in the tavern, a half-eaten loaf of bread between them. Hotdog had that serious look on her face—the one that usually meant something big was coming.“I’m about to blow your tiny mind,” she said, leaning forward.
Hotdog crossed her arms. “The games are connected.”
Suremite blinked. “Uh… what?”
“I mean all the games. Yours, mine, others we haven’t even seen yet. They’re all part of the same… I dunno, web?” She waved her hands around like she was physically drawing the connections. “And something’s messing with them.”
Suremite chewed thoughtfully. “And by ‘something,’ you mean…?”
Hotdog shrugged. “Dunno yet. But weird stuff is happening. I came from Yeep’s Hide and Seek, and let me tell you, it’s bad over there.”
Suremite squinted. “What’s Yeep’s Hide and Seek?”
Hotdog groaned. “It’s only the best hiding game ever. You and a bunch of people get dumped into these crazy arenas, and you gotta outsmart the seekers. It’s fast, it’s fun, and—normally—it’s fair.”
“Normally?”
Hotdog nodded. “Lately, people have been… disappearing. Like, straight-up vanishing mid-game. And seekers? They’re acting weird. Like, glitchy, almost.”
Suremite frowned. “That’s… unsettling.”
“Yeah, no kidding. And it’s not just my game. I heard whispers about strange stuff happening in other places too.” She tapped the table. “That’s why I came to find you.”
Suremite raised an eyebrow. “Why me?”
“Because you have that Alchemy skill. You can create things no one else can. And something tells me we’re gonna need every trick we’ve got.”
Suremite stared at her, the weight of what she was saying finally sinking in. If the games were really connected… if something was wrong in all of them…
That meant this wasn’t just a weird day.
This was just the beginning.
Chapter 5: Questions, Answers, and Chaos
Suremite leaned forward, trying to wrap his head around everything Hotdog was saying.“So you’re telling me,” he said slowly, “that every game—every game—is connected, and something is messing with all of them?”
Hotdog nodded. “Yup.”
“And people are disappearing in your game?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And the seekers are acting all… glitchy?”
“Bingo.”
Suremite rubbed his temples. “Okay. Cool. Great. Love that. Any idea who or what is behind it?”
Hotdog sighed. “No clue. But whatever it is, it’s powerful. And it’s not just messing with one game—it’s spreading.”
Suremite opened his mouth to ask another question, but before he could, the tavern door slammed open so hard it nearly came off the hinges.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
Magicguy sprinted in at full toddler speed, flailing his tiny arms like a maniac.
Behind him, a massive Terabota—a hulking creature made of iron and jagged rocks, the same size as Suremite—stomped through the doorway, cracking the floor with every step. Its glowing eyes locked onto the screaming two-year-old.
“IT WANTS MY SNACK!” Magic shrieked, clutching a half-eaten apple.
Suremite shot to his feet. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”
Magic tripped over a chair and rolled across the floor like a particularly loud potato. “I THREW A ROCK AT IT AND THEN IT TOOK IT PERSONAL!”
Hotdog was already moving, grabbing a chair and chucking it at the Terabota’s face. It bonked off its iron head, doing absolutely nothing.
“Yeah, that didn’t work,” she muttered.
Suremite grabbed his bag. “Time for Plan B!”
“Which is?”
He yanked out four items—two rocks and two sticks of dynamite.
Hotdog’s eyes widened. “Wait—”
Suremite activated the spell.
But instead of the usual Alchemy glow, this time the air crackled. The items vanished, and suddenly—
BOOM.
The Terabota exploded into a shower of iron and rubble, shaking the entire tavern. A chunk of debris barely missed Magic’s head.
Everyone froze.
Magicguy slowly peeked up from behind the table, eyes wide. “WHAT WAS THAT?!”
Suremite stared at his hands, his heart racing. That… wasn’t Alchemy. He didn’t create an item—he made something happen.
“…Arcane Magic,” he muttered under his breath.
Hotdog coughed out some dust. “Okay. Cool. We’re not gonna talk about how you just detonated a monster like it was a Tuesday?”
Suremite didn’t answer. His mind was spinning. If Alchemy could create items… then Arcane Magic could trigger events.
Magic popped up, dusting himself off. “Okay, I’m in.”
Hotdog blinked. “What?”
“I’m in your group now. We’re a team,” Magic announced, grinning.
Suremite shrugged. “Alright, cool.”
Hotdog whipped her head around. “EXCUSE ME?!”
“I mean, he kinda already follows us around anyway,” Suremite said. “Might as well make it official.”
Hotdog groaned. “No, no, no—”
“TOO LATE,” Magic said, hopping onto a chair. “I’M PART OF THE SQUAD.”
Suremite nodded. “Welcome to the team.”
Hotdog dropped her head into her hands. This was already too much.
And the real adventure hadn’t even started yet.
Chapter 6: Into the Depths
Suremite adjusted his pack and stared at the gaping cave entrance. "Alright, if something weird is happening in the game, the caves are probably the best place to check."Hotdog crossed her arms. "Right. Because every horror story starts with ‘let’s go into the creepy cave where people totally don’t disappear.’"
Magicguy bounced up and down. "I WANNA FIGHT A ROCK!"
Suremite sighed. "Let’s just go."
The three stepped into the caves, torches in hand. The deeper they went, the more unnatural everything felt. Normally, the caves were dangerous, sure, but tonight? Silent. Too silent.
Then came the first rumble. And the second. And then—
CRASH! The ground exploded as a massive wyrm—a writhing, acid-spitting monstrosity—burst out of the rock wall, screeching.
"YEP, I HATE THIS!" Hotdog yelled, dodging a spray of acid.
Suremite was already reaching into his bag. "I got this!" He pulled out two sticks, a rock, and a cloth scrap, quickly activating Alchemy. In a flash of light, a spear appeared in his hands.
Hotdog pulled out her own weapon—a reinforced club—and swung at the wyrm’s head. It hissed and recoiled, only to be met with Suremite’s spear jabbing into its side.
"STOP WIGGLING!" Magicguy shouted, flailing his tiny arms.
The wyrm turned its attention to the toddler.
"Oh, great job, Magic!" Hotdog snapped. "Now it’s mad at you!"
Magicguy grinned. "I AM VERY PUNCHABLE!"
The wyrm lunged at him, but before it could swallow him whole, Suremite grabbed two rocks and two dynamite sticks and activated Arcane Magic.
BOOM.
The explosion rocked the cave, obliterating the wyrm into a mess of sizzling bits.
Suremite smirked. "I really like Arcane Magic."
They barely had time to breathe before the ground trembled again. This time, three Terabotas emerged—one of iron, one of copper, and one of solid stone.
Hotdog groaned. "Of course there’s more."
Magicguy picked up a pebble and chucked it at the stone Terabota. It bounced off uselessly. "TAKE THAT, LOSER!"
The stone Terabota’s eyes glowed red.
Hotdog smacked her forehead. "You just made it angrier!"
Suremite sighed. "Alright. Let’s do this."
What followed was pure chaos.
Hotdog smashed through the copper Terabota with her club, Magicguy ran in circles screaming, and Suremite alternated between Alchemy and Arcane Magic, summoning weapons and causing small explosions to send the iron Terabota flying into a rock wall.
After what felt like forever, the final Terabota collapsed, its rocky limbs crumbling to dust.
Panting, Suremite leaned on his spear. "Okay. That was a lot."
Magicguy threw his arms in the air. "I LOVED IT."
Hotdog wiped sweat from her brow. "Well, congrats, we survived… and we made it to layer 10."
Suremite looked around. The tunnels here were darker. Colder. And something about them felt wrong.
He swallowed. "We’re definitely not done yet."
And deep in the shadows, something watched.
Chapter 7: The Long Way Down
Suremite, Hotdog, and Magicguy continued their descent, deeper and deeper into the mines. If layer 10 felt wrong, then everything below it felt worse. The walls pulsed faintly, like something alive lurked just beneath the rock."Okay, new plan," Hotdog said, gripping her club tightly. "We just run. Fast."
"That is the worst plan," Suremite replied. "We could walk and not trigger every monster in this cave."
Magicguy bounced on his heels. "I LIKE MONSTERS!"
As if the universe existed solely to punish them, a hulking wyrm erupted from the ceiling, drool dripping from its jagged teeth.
Magicguy immediately pointed at it. "FRIEND OR FOOD?"
"Definitely food!" Hotdog said without hesitation before grabbing Magicguy by the back of his shirt and hurling him directly into the wyrm’s mouth.
Suremite blinked. "Huh."
The wyrm swallowed.
"…Is it bad that I’m kinda okay with this?" Suremite asked.
Hotdog shrugged. "Eh, he had a good run."
Before they could fully process what just happened, the wyrm started thrashing violently, making an awful gargling noise. Its body convulsed, and then—
BLAM. Magicguy popped out of the wyrm’s back end, covered in slime but completely fine.
"I WON!" he cheered, throwing his arms in the air.
Suremite sighed. "Of course you did."
With that mildly traumatizing event behind them, they pressed on, fighting through copper Terabotas, more acid-spitting wyrms, and weird glowing lizards that tried to eat their torches. Suremite, experimenting with his Arcane Magic, discovered new spells:
- Stone Shift: Two rocks and a chunk of coal let him move stone walls like sliding doors.
- Blaze Surge: A stick, cloth, and dried grass let him shoot flames from his hands.
- Gravity Pulse: Four iron chunks let him send enemies flying backward with a force wave.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Hotdog said, shoving aside a pile of wyrm bones. "You're magic. Big deal."
"NO I'M MAGIC!" Magic screened from a distance.
Finally, after what felt like forever, they reached layer 90. The ground beneath them was no longer stone, but some kind of dark, metallic substance, humming softly with energy.
"Oh, that’s not normal," Suremite said.
Hotdog narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. We might be in trouble."
Magicguy gasped dramatically. "OR… WE’RE IN A BOSS ROOM!"
Silence.
"...Please don’t say things like that," Suremite muttered.
Something stirred in the darkness ahead.
