The System In My Head

Batman enters the S&M club

"It's not who I am under it, but what I do that defines me." Ben stands on a dark street corner peering into a huge warehouse filled with mischief, debauchery, and Euro electronic music. His Batman mask hides his true identity, protecting him and his loved ones from the consequences of any heinous deeds he may have to do next. Dark knight is looking for black beans.

The warehouse was an S&M fetish club he found online. One with a dress code. Ben didn't have any metal or latex, so he opted for the regular black alternative. The Batman mask costume shop wears his black shirt and coat. He cannot afford the full suit of bat-*****, which indicates that he was not born in darkness, but was only adopted by him. He hoped it would not hurt him.

It was a party that only happened once a week or once a month, so with only a few days left until the deadline, he needed answers. He came to see if the system would classify this place as a dungeon. If so, he might obtain an unexpected benefit again.

Ben approached the front door, a dark tunnel leading to a staircase. At the end, there were several large security guards on the stairs above and the only doorkeeper below, who wore armbands that read, "DM."

Ben's eyebrows shot up. 'Wow .. there's a master of the dungeon here. So this really might be like Domina...'

"Hey, you DM?" ask Ben.

"Yes," replied the man.

'I don't have DM in Domina ... There might be some hidden options I can explore with this guy, ' Ben thought. "Can I pick my class and race with you?"

The man remained silent for a few seconds. "DM stands for monitor dungeon, not master dungeon..." Then he narrowed his eyes. "Damn it, not the other Dungeons and Dragons beast hunters!"

'Animal hunter?' Ben blinked.

The man glared at him. "Are you here to fuck an orc?!?"

...

DM staring at security. "Hey! We have orc f*cker again! Get him out of here!"

Ben shook his head in a hurry. "No, no! I'm not fucking an orc!"

Hearing this, the man stopped and observed Ben. "You swear you're not going to be a giant?"

"...I swear!"

DM relaxed as if nothing had happened. "good. This is not a party like that. That's next week."

'Hopefully, next week, I'm dead or far from here...' Ben went through the entrance process before climbing the stairs.

***

When Ben walked out of the stairs, the first room that opened for him featured a long dark bar. It did not look too different from Domina, with some decorations but nothing crazy. However, now he is convinced of one thing that disappoints him: the system does not recognize this club as a dungeon.

He has not received any warning. 'So if it wasn't the S&M theme that made Domina a dungeon, what would it be?' For now, Ben doesn't have a good idea. Since he was already here, he decided not to waste his night and explore the place instead. If lucky, he'll find some pretty women with daddy issues or Batman issues...

There were a few guests and staff scattered about. Ben walks into the bar and orders a ginger-ale from the bartender.

"Hey, how are you?" A man's voice came from Ben's right.

This is not the type of character Ben would associate under normal circumstances, but a second ago, a man in a black latex suit complete with a zipper in his mouth passed by, so Ben desperately needed an ally. ... "Good..."

"His name is Leon. Your first time?"

"...How did you know?"

"You're wearing a Batman costume..."

"really. How're you? I see you don't drink."

Leon's head tilted down and his face became sagging. "I'm just in time."

"...What's?"

"I've been a bad dog ..."

It was then that Ben saw a rope hanging around Leon's neck on the opposite side facing him. It was at that moment that he realized that nothing was as simple as it seemed in this place. He looked around closer.

There are two signs on the bar wall.

"No Smoking."

"Don't snap your finger."

...

He saw the third one near the liquor bottles.

"Don't spray near drinks."

...

'Time to move!' Ben had already walked away from the bar, leaving his ginger-ale untouched. As he left, he heard Leon's whining fade into the distance.

*Arf* *Arf*

***

Walking through the warehouse, Ben was relieved when he could no longer hear Leon's voice. However, as he walked further, he realized that he had made a huge mistake. Unknowingly, he had left the novice zone, arriving at an area that made the spray blades look like heaven on Earth, but some places were much easier to enter than to leave behind. That's when Ben started listening to the dog whining like a lost boat looking for a lighthouse.

Too bad. We don't appreciate what we have until it's gone.