Merrick was starting to think that the universe was out to immediately prove him wrong. His thought before walking into the clock tower was that he hoped the guardian would be the most dangerous obstacle he had to overcome. It had already started to feel like the final boss before reaching a sanctuary.
He had faced the first challenge: the miasma in the hall that dripped into his consciousness and pulled him into another dimension. Then he faced the optional mid-boss in the basement: the magically cursed creature that succeeded in luring him away from his path. Video game logic implied that the stone construct protecting the door should have been the final boss.
Whether it was because the world did not follow video game logic or this dungeon was a raid dungeon that followed its own logic, Merrick stepped into the tower and found himself in an entirely different environment facing a new danger.
The shabby old walls of the Hilltop Gallery were replaced by resplendent tapestries and ornate bookshelves that lined the walls of a large circular room. How the books on the shelves were arranged, and how they appeared ancient but cared for, reminded Merrick immediately of the shelves at work.
The only difference was that this room was well lit and well kept. Merrick assumed that was because this was his boss's passion and the shelves at work were the overflow that Merrick was paid to keep clean. The tapestries were strange, at first Merrick was sure that he had seen their image but as the seconds ticked on their images were hidden behind a mess of purple miasma.
It was as if the entire room was swirling within that dimension that he had fallen into earlier. The room itself was pushing his focus toward the center instead of the edges. For good reason, that was where Merrick's next challenge stood impatiently waiting. However, Merrick also knew that that danger was waiting on him to take another step forward.
He wanted to make sure there was not some hidden danger or trap that would suddenly spring at him as soon as he stopped looking for them. The way the rugs were laid out on the ground led Merrick to believe that there had been some kind of dining set and a lounging area but all the furniture had been moved away to make room for Merrick's new problem.
Finally Merrick took a step forward and addressed the young Apprentice that was waiting on him. "So what name would you prefer that I call you here?"
"Rath is my avatar, Rat is me." The young Apprentice replied as she took off the oversized Wizard's hat that matched her avatar in Dungeons Below and tossed it to the side. Rather than float to the ground, it faded from existence into a swirl of purple mist. "I figured the hat would help you recognize me and not stand around like I'm some kind of dungeon mob and yet you still stared at the walls like you were in a game."
"Well, Rat... Sorry for making you wait…" Merrick apologized, "but it seems like the rules are basically the same."
"Whatever, it does feel like a Pokemon Dungeon though doesn't it? Fight after fight with no rest. No worries though, if you faint, I'll take you back to the nurses. No promises you'll remember any of this though."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll understand tomorrow." Rat avoided the question, "Oh and unlike our game duel, I'm not stopping until you are down."
Merrick smiled and drew Spell Stealer into his hand, "I think you are forgetting who won that duel."