She Rules the Dungeon

After the meeting with Richard, Otta was left to think over it. She'd called Dr Whitestone to find out more about the mysterious programmer. So far, she knew that he worked with one of the top scientist guilds until recently. Richard Clarkson was a highly sought after programmer who was said to be able to single-handedly create any dungeon. As for Roomscape, Richard was the brain behind the idea many years back but the idea was archived by the higher-ups. He was enraged when they finally took his idea to work on it without informing him so he left the guild to start on his own.

Otta spent a long time researching about Richard and his accomplishments. Surprisingly, there were many articles by experts covering his achievements but there was nothing from the man himself. Grace had left a few days ago after seeing how Otta had bounced back suddenly. Otta was thankful to Grace for basically keeping her alive the past few weeks. The raid dungeon project was left as it was. Otta didn't know if she should launch it then approach Richard or approach Richard before working on improving it before the launch.

Nervous, Otta glanced over to her phone once more. It was now or never. She been trying to gather the courage to make that phone call but had never succeeded until now. With Dr Whitestone's encouragement and advice, Otta closed her eyes and hit call.

The call connected in five seconds and Otta was greeted by silence. Unsure of what to do, Otta remained silent as well. The awkwardness lived for twenty seconds before there was a chuckle from the other party.

"Aren't you going to say hi or let me know the purpose of your call?"

Otta blushed crazily. She wasn't good at socialising... that was Michelle's strong point, not hers. "Um... sorry."

Richard didn't mind. He found it hilarious how such an amazing dungeon creator could be such an awkward lady. In some ways they were similar, being unable to interact properly without being behind a screen of some sort.

"It's fine. I'm not the conversationalist either. So have you decided on your answer for the partnership I proposed?"

"I did. However, I don't know where to start. What will happen if Five Lives become a partnership project?"

"That depends on what you want. I can make almost anything happen as long as it is related to technology. I don't have any particular inspiration for making a dungeon and I found your ideas very captivating. I want to see the true potential of Five Lives with your concept and my skills. Of course, it would be better to put together an official team but for now, it would be just the two of us if you agree on the partnership."

"Official team? Like a guild or a company?"

"Something like that. I'm not good with the paperwork details so I didn't check. That adventurer who did the live stream for the launch... it would be great if she joins us as well as someone who is good at handling the marketing aspect of things. Preferably someone not as socially awkward as us."

Otta thought for a while. Getting Grace on the team should not be an issue. However, one adventurer cannot be registered under two guilds. They would have to register as a business. As for the person who is good at handling marketing... Otta wondered if Michelle would lend them a hand.

"I can look into finding those two people to the team. I'm more concerned about how we will work together. Do we need an office or borrow a lab for this?"

Richard paused. He didn't really think that far ahead. "I don't know," he told her frankly. "I'm not very particular about where I work. Any place with air-conditioning, food, a computer and steady internet is perfect for me. Where do you usually work?"

Otta blushed. "I work from my apartment. It's not the best place to work from but it's where I feel most comfortable and where the ideas grow from."

"That's settled then. I can go over to discuss details with you tomorrow if it's not a bother."

Otta nodded. "I'll send you my address. Let me know if there is anything you need in particular, I'll see if I can prepare them."

Richard laughed. "This is the best working condition I have ever had. Otta, I think you and I will get along just fine. I'll head over around lunch. Any requests? I'll stop by Mcsmeldy's."

"One avocado burrito and a tall latte!"

Richard grinned and ended the call. Otta quickly texted the programmer her address and decided on a bath. Feeling the weight from her shoulder disappear, Otta decided to make it an hour long bubble bath. She deserved it after all.

***

"Hey," Richard greeted and held up the takeout bags.

"Hi. Come on in," Otta ushered to Richard. The programmer was decked out in some baggy jeans and a flimsy cotton tee. His black hair was uncombed and everything about Richard screamed sloppy. Otta wasn't faring much better either. Her red hair was messily bunned and she was still in her sleepwear. The air-conditioning was running, providing them reprieve from the heat outside. The weather has been crazy and neither of them wanted to go out if possible.

"What did you bring? That's a rather huge bag..."

Richard glanced over at his green backpack that looked as if it would explode any time. He spent a long time agonising over what to bring since last night and decided on only the basic. He brought his laptop and connectors, a few changes of clothes, some toiletries and his customised digital personal assistant.

As Richard emptied the contents of his bag, Otta wondered if Richard was going to sleep over. She had a guest room that Grace last used but it wasn't prepared. She still had to change the sheets and clean it up a little if Richard intended to stay. Besides, her fridge was almost empty. They definitely needed to settle some basic things if Richard was staying over for a while.

"I think we should discuss the basic stuff before we get started," Otta nodded as Richard stuffed himself with Tuna melt sandwiches.

"Basic stuff?"

"House rules," Otta deadpanned. She couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed at how messy her speckless apartment had become ever since Richard arrived.

"Rule number one, always clean up after your mess. Rule number two, put everything back where you took it from immediately after use. If you're going to use it again after a break, keep it tidied. Rule number three, grocery shopping duty, cleaning duty and trash clearing duty and laundry duties will be shared as long as you are here."

Richard groaned. This was the very reason why he moved out. He didn't want to be bound by chores. "Look, can I just pay rent? I didn't come here to do chores."

Otta looked surprised. "You're surprisingly sloppy."

That comment hit a nerve and Richard frowned. He didn't want to be told that by someone who apparently didn't leave her apartment unless absolutely necessary.

"Look, I don't want to waste time doing chores. They never end. What's important is the work right?"

Otta sighed. Richard had a point but it was still mildly annoying to see her space getting destroyed. "I can compromise as long as you don't leave your things all over the place. I have a guest room, you can use it as you please. Also, we need to do some grocery shopping. My fridge is almost empty."

Richard grinned. "Why shop in the hot sun and have to carry them back when you can simply order online and have them deliver it?"

Otta blinked. "What are you talking about? There isn't such a service."

Richard raised a brow. "For someone like you, it's surprising that you don't know of such services. It's called online shopping. I have a regular list of groceries I buy in my favourites. You can simply add anything that you want to the list. Here, give it a try."

Otta grabbed the phone and her eyes nearly fell from their sockets. "How? This isn't even in the app store!"

Richard chuckled. "I didn't make it public. It's a personal deal with the grocer. I'm a regular customer and he owes me a huge debt after I fixed his broken computer."

Otta's jaw dropped. After the government clamped down on online purchase of any consumable items, everybody had to procure their food physically. Nutrition pills were the only exception but they were controlled by the government.

Without holding back, Otta added everything she needed and wanted into the cart. Only after she hit the checkout button, Otta felt a little guilty.

"Maybe I should remove some items... paying over two hundred for a grocery bill is kind of ridiculous..."

Richard snatched the phone from her and quickly made payments. "Don't sweat it. Just take it as my payment in advance for the meals that you will cook and the room that you let me stay in. I'll do my work well so I'm leaving my well-being in your hands."

Otta's jaw fell. Richard was certainly shameless after he worked the shyness out of his system. The programmer was a jerk but somehow, Otta couldn't find it in her to dislike him. "Well said, partner. I'm expecting a lot from you."

"Naturally. Now, how about you let me in on your ideas?"

Otta grinned and led them to her room where there were pages and pages of drafted ideas. Richard took in everything silently and only asked questions occasionally to facilitate his understanding. He took pictures and made notes of Otta's sketches for monsters and dungeons. When Otta started explaining her future plans to include a more realistic feature into her dungeons for adventurers and a time inflation feature, the gears in Richard's mind begin to work on overdrive. There were many brilliant things that he hadn't considered possible but with Otta's new perspective of things, the two geeks brainstormed ideas for hours without noticing the time.

The doorbell rang, interrupting them in their heated discussion about adding a new flight mechanic into the artificial intelligence system monitor. Otta was puzzled. She didn't have visitors and Grace wouldn't ring the doorbell. Who was it?

"Probably the groceries. Raymond texted me a while back."

Nodding in understanding, Otta went to get the door. A man in his fifties stood outside carrying heavy looking carton boxes. There were at least five boxes on that trolley and Otta felt bad that the man had to bring that all the way to her apartment. It must have been very heavy after all.

"Raymond! Thanks for making it... we would be in trouble for dinner if you didn't."

Raymond smiled slyly at Richard. "I take it you finally found your other half? I can't believe you kept this from me! How many years have we known each other? You're practically my son, how could you keep this from me? I'm hurt."

Richard coughed. "She's not my girlfriend... Otta is a business partner."

Raymond raised an eyebrow. "Otta? As in Otta Olley the creator of Five Lives?"

Richard nodded and Raymond took a good look at the timid red-head before him. "She's nothing like what I imagined."

Richard didn't say anything. Otta didn't know how to react either but Raymond grinned widely. "My daughter is a huge fan of Five Lives! She's not a pro adventurer but she enjoys adventuring. We're glad that someone has brought back the adventuring spirit. If it's not to ask, can I have your autograph? My daughter would be thrilled! Of course, I'll keep your identity a secret... wouldn't want people to start harassing you. It's a relief to know that Richard is here. I worry for him sometimes whenever he is working on a project. If I don't check on him every few days to make sure he's still alive, the man would have probably died."

Richard flushed. "That's not true... I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Raymond deadpanned. "I found you buried under a pile of manuals. If I didn't come by that day, we would have to arrange your funeral."

"But I lived!"

"The doctors said that you had a fractured leg, concussion and was severely dehydrated. Not to mention malnutrition and exhaustion. If I found you a day later you wouldn't have made it."

Richard had nothing to retort. He looked away to avoid the reprimanding gaze and Otta's curiosity.

"I hope that you can take care of him and vice versa. Don't let the hate comments get to you, Five Lives is brilliant. If there is anything that you need, don't hesitate to call me."

Raymond and Otta exchanged numbers while Richard carried the carton boxes in, ready to sort through their purchase. By the time Raymond left, Richard was already fumbling around the fridge, trying to find a way to squeeze all his frozen food.

Otta was stunned. She didn't really have the time to check what Richard ordered. However, seeing the massive amounts of frozen pizza and microwavable meals, she sighed. She bought a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables with some pasta. It was bad that Otta didn't know a lot of recipes but looking at Richard's lifestyle made her thankful that she wasn't completely useless.

"You know what? How about you check out the raid dungeon. It's ready on the computer. I'll put these away."

"Raid dungeon?!" Richard nearly dropped the box he was holding. "When did you complete it? Is it going to be launched soon?"

"I completed everything including testing a few days back but wanted to know your opinion before launching it. The testing world has already been loaded to my account, you just need to set up the connection to the headgear to test it."

Richard bolted off to the bedroom as if someone told him Santa was giving out presents and Otta shook her head. She didn't quite understand what Richard was thinking and stared at the groceries piled on her kitchen floor. This was going to take a while.

***

It took Otta a good half an hour and a lot of puzzle fitting skills to make everything fit in her tiny fridge. She wondered what Richard was up to since he'd been completely silent ever since entering her room. The raid dungeon trial shouldn't have taken more than twenty minutes but Richard didn't seem to be making any noise. It worried Otta slightly so after putting the boxes and bags away, she hurried over to the room-office.

Hunched over her computer and hammering away on his laptop was Richard who hadn't noticed her presence. Otta squinted at the screen. It wasn't anything that she understood. However, seeing that Richard was fine, Otta decided to take a shower. What could possibly go wrong anyway? The programmer seemed to know what he was doing so Otta relaxed a little. After all, one was supposed to have faith in their business partner.

Shower was a quick affair and when Otta returned to her room, she was slightly confused.

"What the hell did you do?"

Richard jumped a little and gave her a bright smile. "Hey! You came at the right time. I want you to test out the raid dungeon with some of the improvements I made based on our earlier discussion. I'm going to load you Surfer character. Get ready to be blown away by my skills!"

Otta was sceptical but complied anyway. She lay down on her bed and adjusted the headgear. Richard launched the synchronising program and Otta was slowly pulled into the world of Five Lives.

The raid dungeon looked no different from before. It was exactly as what she designed. The boss monster was exactly the same too. It didn't seem to behave any differently. Of course, for testing purposes, Otta was given immunity to damage.

Initially, there wasn't anything different about the raid dungeon. Otta did a great job of shaving the Minotaur's health. However, once it was down to half of its health, Otta saw the difference. The Minotaur's attack pattern changed. It was something that Otta wanted to include but with Roomscape's limitations, she could only randomize the attack pattern throughout. This new change in pattern took Otta by surprise and the Minotaur's charge hit her.

Despite the immunity to damage, Otta was stunned by the impact. It felt more realistic than she recalled. Although pain couldn't be replicated in the dungeons, Otta wanted to add a stun effect on players upon impact. That was something she couldn't manage with Roomscape. Richard had done a great job. Also, the impact had realistic physics in play. Otta was forced back and knocked off her feet. The wings helped to slow the speed but couldn't help to break her crash. Otta wondered what would happen to Diver class players if they were hit.

While she was down, the Minotaur took a breather to cast some buff effects on itself. Otta gritted her teeth and checked the available skills she had at her disposal. She was primarily a longbow user but with the Minotaur closing in on her with the new charge skill, she was forced to change it to a crossbow. Otta knew that she wasn't athletic like Grace and wondered how she was going to pull off the acrobatic moves that crossbow users normally do.

"Check out the new skills I made for crossbow users," Richard's voice crackled from over the system and Otta did so quickly.

Having no time to read the description of all the skills, Otta activated one randomly to pause the Minotaur in his charge.

"Artillery!" Otta's character shouted and released a barrage of bolts on the charging Minotaur. The boss monster howled in pain and missed its target when one of the bolts landed a critical hit and blinded its left eye.

Otta took this chance to take to the ceiling of the cave dungeon. She checked the remaining two skills and was impressed with what Richard managed in such a short time. One of those skills was something she'd shared with him earlier. It wasn't quite possible to create a target lock-on skill using Roomscape as the mechanics were too complex for the software to handle. How Richard managed it was beyond Otta but she was thrilled to try it out.

"Target Lock: Artillery!"

Skill combination was also something the system didn't allow. Otta trembled with joy as she watched the combo hit its target. This was something extremely useful to level the playing field for Surfers and Divers. The use of skills combinations would definitely give players new options for designing their combat encounters, especially during raid dungeons.

The Minotaur was down to the last quarter of its health from the skill combo attack. Once more, its attack pattern changed. The time it took to charge its rage skill was also considerably shortened. Otta grimaced at the increase in speed and power of the boss monster. Richard certainly outdid himself. This was going to be a challenging dungeon even for veteran adventurers who were more used to the monotonous battles. On the other hand, RPG lovers would certainly enjoy the thrill of conquering a boss with combined strategies and well put together plans.

Richard looked smug when Otta finally left the dungeon. She blinked at the programmer and gave him a silent thumbs up. It was finally ready for the long-awaited launch.