Is This Really My Life?

I wake up and pat New Chest.

"Do you think there will be anyone today?" I ask, "Eh? You are probably right. The number of people has really slowed down lately. I wonder why. And now that I am thinking about it, I wonder why they always come alone. Do adventurers not travel together?"

New Chest is overwhelmed by the number of questions I ask, so I let it sink in. When New Chest is ready, I listen up.

"Really? You think that it has something to do with the dragons? Hmm. I don't know if they have sent any notes, because Centi is in there with Chest now. Thankfully, she is sharing the food with us."

New Chest, was in agreement about the food. I sigh and look around the room, "What am I doing here, New Chest?"

All of a sudden, I am hit with an inescapable wave of reality. Why am I in this cave? I know why, but what happened before? How did I let my life come to this? I am living day to day, talking to wooden treasure boxes and pretending to be a boss. I'm not really a boss. I get beat all the time and I can't deliver a good monologue. I was put here because I am so pathetic that random dragons felt sorry enough for me to go through such drastic prevention measures. I am ready to get out of here. New Chest has been a good friend and Chest was my best friend. They showed me that life is worth living, and now I want to go live life, not sit in this cave. There is nothing keeping me here anym-

"So," Centi is suddenly right in front of me, "you want to kill me today, don't you? I could see that look in your eyes. You were just realizing that this dragon treatment has worked and that you want to live. So, kill me before you go."

I stare blankly at the woman in front of me who is way too cheerful about death, "What?"

"Am I wrong?"

"How? How did you know exactly what I was thinking?"

"I can read minds."

"No, you can't."

"Okay, fine. I can't."

"Then... how?"

"Eh, it was more a stab in the dark then anything. You seem to have a pretty big attachment on life from what I see, and it is my deduction that this place is supposed to make you want to live. If you came in with a mindset like mine, then it really must work."

I sigh, "It does. You'll be left with New Chest to protect as well as chest."

"No, I won't. Not if you kill me before you go."

"I can't. Just spend a while longer in here and you'll see. Chest and New chest will help you see. Oh, and supposedly you can unlock more rooms and chests if your will to live gets even stronger."

"But if you are trying to leave, then shouldn't that mean your will to live is really strong?"

"Hm. It is strong enough, but I wouldn't call it strong per se."

"What are you going to do when you get out there?"

"I was thinking that I could become an adventurer. That way, protecting people would give me a purpose, and I could come down here and visit you every now and then."

"Me?" Centi laughs, "I won't be alive by the time you visit here again."

I kneel down next to chest, "I am counting on you. Take good care of her. Don't let her do anything stupider than what I did." Then I lean in and whisper, so that only Chest can hear me, "I'll be back down here to sweep her off her feet, so don't let her go anywhere till then." I wink at Chest and then stand up.

"Okay, Centi, I am bestowing upon you my good luck dagger. It is loot from Chest. It will serve you well. I expect you to return it next time we meet." I start walking toward the entrance, waving to her behind me.

"Stop! Don't force me to borrow this," I keep walking away, "Fine! I am going to throw away this stupid dagger. It is going to be thrown away. Oh, look! I am throwing it away."

She makes a big show, but I don't pay attention to her, "Hey, dragons. Thanks for the help. I'll be going now." I walk out of the door and I am teleported. I look around and find myself in front of a huge desk with a bespectacled dragon sitting behind it: the bespectacled dragon. He is using his claws to sort through bunches of thick brown paper on his desk and doesn't seem to notice me. 'Maybe he has to do a psych evaluation or something.' I clear my throat, but it wasn't enough to grab his attention. I do it again, but much louder than the first time and the scaly beast looks up at me. Soon after that, I feel his mind reach out to mine.

"Ah! It worked. I am glad to have helped." The dragon communicates, "So, now you are free to go. Although, I wish you would hear me out as to the other option."

"Other option? What, are you going to force me to become a gladiator for your entertainment? Or maybe take me into slavery to pay off the debt I incurred?"

"No, heavens no. It is an opportunity we offer to all of those that complete the program."

"How many suicidal people are there?"

The dragon manages to look sad with his scaly face, "There are far too many. That is why I am here. Alas, that is not what I am trying to tell you about. I want to offer you the opportunity to help others like yourself."

"Like me? You want to help people with a will to live? So it is the gladiator option!"

"That was never an option. No, it is an opportunity to help those who have lost their will to live. You, of course, remember the room that you were placed in. We have many such rooms here in the facility, and what I want you to do is be one of the challengers that enters the rooms every so often to give the patients something to fight for."

"Wait. That. Those. Those people were all sent by you?"

"Yes, you see, we are actually in urgent need of new people for this job because the demand has increased, and our staff is simply too few to keep up with it. We are spread too thin to provide the optimal treatment."

"I didn't have any better plans. Why not?" I start to smile, "Time to go fight some suicidal people."