“And that will have to be where we call the session for tonight guys.” My announcement caused six voices to groan in synch around me. This group always groaned at when the gaming session came to an end, but this time they really went all out in showing their grievances to me.

  “Oh, come on boss man.” The oldest of the group lamented. “We were just about to storm the main keep.”

  “Yeah, come on. I want that level up so badly.” This came from the formerly quietest member of the group, now the one who has the most real-world charisma and wit. “I need to get that boost to my charisma.” I had to give a light chuckle and the looks of sheer dread that dawned on the others faces.

  “I don’t think I can balance the NPC’s difficulty checks if you keep rolling like you have been once you do get that extra bonus.” I shook my head lightly as I began to pack away my dice and game screen. “And as much fun as it would be to finish the night up with you lot of troublemakers storming the main keep and maybe getting some sweet loot, but the time has just gotten away from us all tonight and we don’t have much a choice.”

  “Besides Mel I don’t think have enough armour to keep you safe if you fail a save. You know, like the time with the kobold clan chief?” The eldest looked over to the smaller of the two girls in the group with an admonishing but also mischievous glint in his eyes.

  Everyone started to laugh as the memory of that event came to them. I just shook my head while grinning as I finished packing up the last of my gaming equipment. I looked over at the group of kids as I threw my bag over my shoulder with a delighted smile on my face. It took a while for this group to warm up to the idea, but after the many sessions we have been playing my heart swelled with both pride and joy at how far they had all come.

  It had been six months since I began volunteering at a troubled youth centre by running table-top games to help them work through several issues each of them had by playing characters that both taught them new skills that they could incorporate into their lives and daily interactions, as well as help them direct some of their negative aspects towards more positive results. A good example of this would be Drake; he was always a big guy with a fair bit of anger locked away and began using his strength and size for bullying and more...thuggish avenues. Thanks to him working through some of that pent up aggression to protect people from monsters and to keep the rest of his party safe, he began to turn into more of a protective teddy bear that used his advantages to help others instead.

  I smiled to myself thinking of all the milestones each one of them had achieved as I headed to the exit of the building. I pushed the door open and breathed in the cool night air. The sun had just set, and the clouds were thin and wispy, letting me see most of the stars and the full moon as I made my way to my car. I pulled out a cigarette and was about to light it when my breath caught, and everything went black.

  I lost feeling over my whole body and floated in the black for what felt like an eternity with nothing but half-conscious thoughts and vague notions of who I even was let alone what was happening to me. Just as I was about lose even those, I felt a hand of some kind envelope my being. I was then pulled through what felt like syrup until the hand let go of me and a bright light almost blinded me.

  It was at that exact moment that I realised I had eyes again to be blinded, as well as arms and hands to protect such blinded eyes from the searing light. I opened by mouth and took my first breath in who knew how long and tried to stifle a pained yell. Unfortunately, I was not successful in this endeavour and the ears I hadn’t even realised I had begun to ache under the sheer volume of my own scream.

  “Oh, my apologies sir. It didn’t occur to me that this experience would cause you pain.” The light then faded to a much more reasonable level so that I could see. And what I saw startled me into silence more than the abrupt lack of blinding pain did.

  I stood in an area that could only be described as a feast hall of Valhalla. Roaring fires and tables ladened with meat and drink stood in abundance. The smell alone made my mouth water and my tastebuds to dance in joy at the very thought of grabbing one of those giant hunks of meat and delighting in the savoury goodness of it.

  But what really caught my attention were the seven figures arranged around the central table. It took a while for my mind to comprehend what I was even seeing. It was like something out of a fantasy game. The entity on the right end of the table was made up of rocks, earth and moss that moved with the fluidity and grace as if it were all liquid, with molten veins of various metals running throughout in what looked to be an approximation of veins. Even sitting down, it was a foot taller than me, and I had to look up at his, and it was clearly a male whatever it was, face. It was mostly flat but with a strong and rugged jawline with green emeralds in depressions where his eye sockets would be.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The figure to his left seemed to be a sentient thundercloud that was in a vague shape of a humanoid. Dark clouds and sparks of lighting floated around the entity in almost random directions and with no discernible patterns. The next figure was what could be described as a youthful angel covered in white robes with a golden halo and a quartet of feathered white wings growing out from her back.

  The figure in the middle looked almost like a stereo-typical fantasy elf. High cheekbones, long pointed ears and a lithe figure. They seemed quite androgynous and wore high quality robes that flowed all around them. Several tomes of various quality and design covered by differing types of leather and runes abound on their spines and covers.

  The one to the robed figures left seemed to be almost the opposite of the angelic woman. It wore a black suit that could only be suited for a funeral with a black cloak and hood over an ebony white skull. It would almost be an exact copy of the descriptions of the grim reaper if it weren't for the lack of scythe and pristine condition of both the suit and the cloak.

  The one next to the well-dressed skeleton was what I could only describe as a vaguely humanoid slime with waves flowing through it with the foam of the surf acting as if it was a flowing main of hair and small sea creatures swimming freely throughout. The last figure on the other end of the table seemed to be a gnome blown up to human proportions, complete with bulbous nose, oil covered workshop overalls, half a dozen tools and magnification eye wear on her forehead.

  As I started dumbly at these entities the mound of living earth spoke up, “Close your mouth there lad. You’ll start eating flies at this rate.” My jaw came together with an audible clack. “Now come and sit your arse down over here. We didn’t grab your soul from across worlds for you to stand gawking at us.” I barley even registered the words that had been spoken as I slowly made my over to the only empty seat on the table opposite the seven of them. It wasn’t until my backside was in said seat that what was just said clicked in my mind.

  “What do you mean grab my soul?” My eyes began to widen as the implications slowly dawned on me. “Also, where the hell am I and who are all of you?” My jaw fell open again as the skeletons mouth opened and a raspy voice answered.

  “You died back on your own world. We collected your soul as it was heading towards the region of departed souls there. As for where you, you are currently in the meeting hall of the gods of the world of Engarsa.”

  “And we have brought you here because we require a soul such as yours to aid us with a particular issue, one we have been trying to remedy for several years. Our efforts have only delayed the end results however.” The robed figure in the middle said once the skeleton had finished.

  My mind was immediately back to swimming in soup as all of that was laid out before me. To start out with I was dead. I had somehow died after leaving the centre and these...gods...had reached out and plucked my soul from wherever the hell I was going to their world. That alone occupied the full attention of my mind as I struggled to comprehend what had just been said.

  “Look can we get a move on with this meeting?” The tool wearing goddess asked as she was putting together some random gadget, “The guy is obviously struggling, and I have several projects that require my attention before some mortal goes and blows themselves and decent chunk of their surroundings up.”

  “Very well.” The elf in the robes spoke up to take control of the meeting. “We have called you here, young man, in order to aid this world. Though not in the way the usual stories of your world would entail.” He sat down and opened one of the many tomes surrounding him. “We do not require you to slay some great and terrible power for the sake of the citizens, or deal with a horde of monsters several hundred thousand strong. No. What we require of you is to become the first of a new type of being and aid the monsters and beasts of our world.” He leaned forward and continued, “We require you to become the first ever dungeon of this world. We need you to provide challenges to the different races of this world and provide safety and numbers for the numerous monster and beast races across our world.”

  “We do not wish for any races of our world to die off completely,” the angelic Goddess said, “All life is precious, and no race should ever be removed from the land.” I heard a small sniffle from her and saw her wipe a tear from her eye.

  “All of the civilised races of this world have nearly hunted down all the beasts and monsters across the entire planet,” The thundercloud spoke with a booming voice that was un-ironically that of a thunderclap, “They have done this in the effort to gain as much experience and as many levels as they possibly can, using the cores of the slain monsters and beasts to improve their own.” There was a rumble and shake that could be loosely interpreted as a head shake. “They have over hunted almost all the world in their efforts.”

  “And this will cause the world to eventually fall into war with itself as those who wish to continue to gain levels go to the only source of additional power they can find, the other races.”

  My jaw once again fell open as the torrent of information was laid out and hit me with the pressure and force of a cannon. Save monsters, become the worlds’ first dungeon, provide challenges to countless people of varying races and stop them from going to war with each other? Even one of those pieces of information that had been said was more than enough to lay me out on my arse. All of them at once...there was only one word that readily came to mind.

  “Fuck...”