Into the Darkness: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Axe Druid Book 4)

by Christopher Johns

  “I feel it.” I spat, watching the others’ assault on the chimera.

  Before, it had been content to wallop us at its leisure where it had stopped upon exiting its chamber. Now, it seemed to have decided that moving was going to be better for it because it did, and it was fast.

  The chimera bounded from its spot, batting Jaken aside with a paw and bounced off the wall to our left before colliding with Muu. The two of them crashed to the ground, the fighter roaring in outrage and the dragon head slamming into him like a pecking bird with a worm.

  “Get. Off. ME!” He growled futilely, taking his shield and sticking it against the chimera’s clawed paw and pulling the trigger on the two-fold weapon. A blade with green venom pouring from it erupted from the portion above his wrist, and the monster howled angrily but didn’t budge.

  The ram’s eyes glowed again, and Kayda screeched as she rocketed across the air above. Uncle Goblin!

  The storm roc crashed into the ram’s head hard enough to knock it off Muu and buffeted the chimera with her wings before sending cold lightning crashing into the dragon’s left eye.

  Hot blood spattered the ground in front of me, and I took Magus Bane in hand, ready to intercede when I heard a cry.

  My eyes darted to the second floor, where Fainnir desperately fought off a kobold that had feigned death well enough it had fooled us. Then I saw another one off to my right on this floor. Then four more.

  The dungeon was actively spawning them!

  “We got company!” I roared, putting the axe down long enough to whip Storm Caller at the closest kobolds. I put Magus Bane on my back and bolted toward Jaken. “Jaken, need a boost!”

  “Got it.” The paladin whistled, and his shield came to his arm, he grasped it and as I jumped onto it in fox form, he launched me into the air where I shifted into my eagle form. I beat my wings, shooting toward the struggling duo, Grav having joined in the fight to assist in defending his master.

  The kobold’s pick swung to and fro, slowly chipping into the elementals stone body. I careened into the fight as the little bastard tried to juke around Grav and get to Fainnir before he could cast another spell. My claws spread as I swooped down and picked the scaly thing up by his head and shoulder, his limbs tried to beat at my claws, but he seemed to realize that I literally held his life in my hands.

  Well, feet.

  I lifted him higher until I could see everything happening below us. My friends had begun fighting the kobolds, specifically Bokaj and James, who could assist each other and dispatch them swiftly.

  Muu was standing once more and had taken his hammer out to play, working on trying to pulverize the chimera’s limbs as Jaken gained his attention and sliced at the draconian-lead head. It looked to be close to about 70% health, but they were working on it.

  Yohsuke stood off to the side of the fight, hurling shadow magic at the snake tail, the hissing monstrosity’s life ebbing further and further. Balmur had opted to go to Fainnir and assist him how he could when his hands moved and the two men’s figures faded slightly, likely having disappeared from sight to anyone else.

  Bea scrambled between the chimera’s legs, much too fast to hit, but she had taken a little bit of a beating. Kayda still harried the heads as best as she could, the ram’s head suddenly jutting forward to collide with her chest, knocking her on her back, a clawed paw smashing into her taking 15% of her health.

  You bastard! I mentally roared and took my frustration out on the creature in my claws, tossing him to the side nearest the chimera’s chamber and shifting into my fox-man form. I fell as I took Magus Bane in both hands and set myself up for this attack. The others did an amazing job running interference until I was about twenty feet above the chimera, where I used the axe to roll into a front flip, then activated Cleave and Epicenter simultaneously. The weight of the great axe in my hands quadrupled, and I knew I was leading this strike in the right direction.

  “Fuck. You!” The blade slammed home next to the chimera’s spine, the back half of the body crumpling, and a large chunk of its overall health plummeting by 25% as blood flecked my face from the impact. I noted a symbol under the health bar that I was well acquainted with—it was paralyzed. The chimera tried to stand but listed to the side, stepping off of Kayda’s body, golden energy covering her as Jaken held out his hand in her direction.

  The time limit on my aspect spell held, and I knew I had about four more minutes. Time to make them count.

  A hissing sound drew my attention, and that familiar sense of precognition made the fur on the back of my neck stand. I shifted into my fox form, wind from the snake head’s passing ruffling my fur, I shifted into my Terran Gorilla form, and hefted Magus Bane into its disgusting, scaled throat with a whoop of rage.

  More hot blood splattered against me, and the snake tried to whip back around, but I sliced it again at the same time that Yohsuke joined me, stabbing his Astral Blade into the throat and using my back to leap up, deepening the wound until he found a large artery.

  “Move!” Balmur shouted from above us.

  I got my happy ass the hell out of Dodge in time to hear a cacophonous boom above us. I turned hard enough that my momentum tripped me, and I fell onto my back, this twenty-foot-long stalactite plummeting toward the chimera and me.

  “The man said move!” Muu’s grunted and his voice strained as he grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, so I shifted to fox-man form, and he hauled me out of the line of fire. The world tilted, and gravity shifted as we lifted into the air, his jump carrying us into the space above the group with ease.

  A loud crashing squelch and a bleating roar from both heads signaled the gruesome environmental weapon had found its mark. I craned my neck to see the stalactite had penetrated the thing’s right shoulder and pinned it to the ground.

  “No better time than now!” Yoh hollered, rushing forward. “Stick to the sides!”

  “Muu, throw me at it.” I growled. We had cleared the distance to the nearest wall with ease.

  “Fastball special coming up.” He chuckled and I shifted into my fox form. As soon as his feet touched the wall, he shoved himself back toward the chimera and threw me as hard as he could.

  The wind screeched in my ears, my eyes slitted to protect them, and as soon as I was near the dragon head, I shifted into my Belgar form and rammed my horn into the side of its face. The crunch of breaking bones and the warmth of the blood running down my face from it let me know I had done well.

  I shifted into a fox and fell in time to just barely miss the paw that slapped into the creature’s head where I had been.

  I landed in fox-man form and slammed my axe into the other paw where Jaken and James pummeled it. It roared again, then cackling growing steadily louder, and the chimera fell under the immense weight of Muu’s aerial assault.

  Blood and bile frothed from its wheezing jaws, both heads fading. Thud. A crash and another howl of manic laughter came from Muu as he slammed back into it again. The creature expired then and there.

  More than a dozen Kobolds came from the entry to the next chamber.

  “We can take them!” Jaken snarled, preparing himself for the brawl.

  Another dozen flooded in behind them carrying bows with nocked arrows dripping a thick, oily-looking liquid.

  Okay, maybe we don’t try to. That shit looks dangerous. Bokaj sent with a growling tone from where he stood in the shadows. I’ll give you guys cover fire; we need to figure out how to get the hell out of here.

  Do we want to get out of here? I asked as arrows sprang from the archers’ arrows. I cast Void Shield, blocking the majority of them so that Bokaj could fire on them, and the rest of us wouldn’t be skewered. Yeah, we want to get out.

  The sound of an explosion rocked us, Yohsuke grinning as I turned. “Star Burst.”

  Jaken called his sword and shield to him with a shrill whistle, the weapons taking arrows as they returned. “Let’s get to getting then. Balmur and Fainnir!”

  They materia
lized next to him, making him jump. “You called?”

  “Yeah, let’s go.” Jaken looked back to the rest of us. “Zeke, Yoh, you mind clearing us a path?”

  “I’m about tapped.” I growled, even with the mana I had managed to steal from the chimera I had about 200 MP on my own and the dregs in my ring.

  “I can clear us a path, get ready.” Yohsuke rolled up his sleeves, flames crackling on his hands. I turned toward the kobolds and the yawning entrance to the chimera’s room when four more sets of differently colored eyes opened inside it.

  “Back the way we came!” James barked as Yoh cast his spell with a gasp.

  Fuck it. I summoned my mana, adding another 100 MP to my casting with Elemental Tinkering and sent an empowered Fireball at the ceiling above the door, leaving my mana at nothing. The blast shook the room, and rubble plummeted from above.

  “Let’s go, Fainnir.” Balmur snatched the kid up by the shoulder and dragged him. He seemed to be in complete shock.

  Kayda fluttered down onto my shoulder in her parrot form. The rubble covered the majority of the doorway.

  Suddenly, ice and shadows crashed onto the kobolds from all sides and froze them solid before the shadows gobbled them up.

  “If you plan to flee, there is no need for me to not assist you,” Maebe’s cool voice greeted us from the entry to the room. “That will only anger the dungeon more, we must flee to the Great Below from here if we are to have a chance at survival.”

  “Okay, but how?” Bokaj sounded out of breath from firing arrows, for once.

  Maebe pointed to Fainnir. “His elementals will be able to create a path for us.”

  “I don’t know if they can do that.” Fainnir sounded uncertain.

  “Grav dig. Shield.” The large elemental grumbled, loping toward the wall east of us. He began punching the wall and moving the stone aside, but it resisted him a little.

  “Did you level up Fainnir?” I asked hurriedly, keeping an eye on the chimera door.

  “Once, but that won’t be enough to help us through.” He already had his status screen open.

  Then we need more firepower. I thought to myself. Better now than never. Gorumbal? Can you hear me?

  I could feel a shifting in the earth around me, as if it came closer, I hear you, friend Zeke.

  We could use some help here. I know we haven’t been able to complete the quest for you all yet, but if we’re going to make it out of here, we could use a down payment.

  There was a pause. As if he considered my proposal. A thunderous roar echoed across the pit from us, and a silver dragon’s head burst through the rubble, more kobolds with it. These ones beefier than the last.

  Gorumbal, my friend, I bind myself with my word to you, on my strength and titles, that I will do what was asked of me. If we fall here, we all fall. Please, give us the power to protect Fainnir.

  The pressure around us grew, and my mind fogged over as that pressure centered on me.

  I take you at your word, friend Zeke. Gorumbal’s rumbling, grating voice echoed through my head. Take this power and protect your charge. Prove yourself adept, and I may allow you to keep it. Do not crumble under the pressure, friend Zeke.

  The world swam in my vision, and suddenly, the earth around me cleared into more focus than it ever had been before.

  ABILITIES UNLOCKED

  Elemental Tinkering (Earth) – Earth now heeds your command unlike it ever has before, and new spells can be created and discovered within the proper elemental realm. Be warned that mana is consumed at a higher rate while tinkering with or discovering a new spell.

  I blinked, and the closeness faded, as did Gorumbal’s attention.

  Mana potions! I dug through my own stores, downing all of the mana potions I could to fill both my ring and my reserves.

  “Keep it distracted,” I ordered the others. “Mae, you too, but don’t kill it, that could make things more difficult. Fainnir, come here.”

  The dwarf sidled up to me, his wide eyes glued to the new chimera’s dragon head my friends were attempting to distract.

  “Hey, eyes!” My snarled order at him brought his attention to me, but he was scared. “I need you to focus on making a spell that will allow you to move the earth, like creating a path. Like you might wade through a stack of leathers waiting to be sold. You’re just shoving them aside to get to the good stuff.”

  He nodded and closed his eyes, trying to do what I had told him. “Find us a weak spot in the stone, Grav.”

  The elemental disappeared before I did the same as Fainnir. I focused my intent and will using the earth mana that I now had at my disposal and dug deep. It was hard. Really hard. Earth was so new to me, but it was also as natural as taking muddy dirt and shoving it aside to look for worms.

  Finally, the spell clicked in my mind after spending 523 MP on it.

  Stone’s Path – Caster molds the earth around them, forcing the very flesh of the world to part for their steps. Cost: 20 MP per 15 foot by 15 foot by 15-foot section of stone moved. Duration: 1-hour (or until dismissed) Range: 15 feet. Cooldown: None.

  If I had read that correctly, that meant I could move a lot of stone, more than six hundred feet if my Math for Marines course had done anything for me. Even more, if I used the ring. But I’d save that for later if I could.

  I glanced at Fainnir, who still focused, sweat beading on his brow and his face. I silently said a prayer for him, hoping Fainne or Radiance could hear us in here.

  I stepped over next to where Grav was now beating on the wall and touched the stone. I could almost feel the pulse of the world beneath it, and it made me wonder if this was how Fainnir felt all the time. I cast the spell, and fifteen cubic feet of stone slammed out of the way toward my feet. The hole it left was a little more than seven feet wide at the entrance, and a just over eight feet tall.

  “Oh, that’s too cool.” Muu’s voice behind me made me flinch. I glanced back to see the others backing up toward the space, and I could also see why. More kobolds clambered over the stones, some of them advancing on us, others helping to dig the second chimera out of the chamber. A second head cleared the debris, the slavering, baying hound-like face with black fur and green eyes. It barked, and a blast of energy swept our way, tossing Yohsuke and James toward the wall.

  Maebe cast a shield of ice in time to save the others and Fainnir, but those two slapped into the wall like rag dolls and fell unconscious, their health bars’ halved instantly.

  “Muu, get them,” Jaken called, and the other man sprinted to the prone figures, hefting them with ease. “Zeke, let’s get out of here!”

  “Grab Fainnir, I think he’s still trying to get the spell made,” James called to Jaken, and the paladin gathered the dwarf into his arms.

  Kayda was on my shoulder, and the others had entered into the hall I had made. But I couldn’t help the thought that I was forgetting something.

  Bea! I glanced toward the fallen chimera’s chest, and sure enough, there was a small hole. “Fuck!”

  Kayda, don’t get too close, but I need you to shock the ever-living hell out of that other chimera, okay? She took off without a thought and soared toward our pursuers and screeched. “Bokaj, cover me!”

  “Got you. Balmur, get his six.” Bokaj grunted, and his bow slung arrows through the air with ease.

  I didn’t bother looking back, I just moved toward my raptor. Oh… she and I would have words about this.

  “Bea!” The sloshing, squelching movement inside the chimera’s chest paused for a split second then began anew in an even more wild and fervent frenzy. “You selfish little shit!”

  I heard her clicking inside the body and took my clawed metal hand and tore the my way into the corpse as best as I could, the scent of copper almost overwhelming.

  This time, rather than going after her myself, I was going to send my shadows in. I gathered them around my feet, and they slithered into the gore with my awareness as well. The inside of this creature was a disgusting jumble
d mess and massive. The musculature so much denser and more disturbing than what I could ever imagine.

  I took anatomy in high school, and I was okay at it. Just okay. Loved the teacher though, great guy. This would make him freak the fuck out, though.

  I focused on the task at hand and not what was inside this thing and finally found what Bea was chomping at the bit to get. Once I had it, I snatched it free and brought it to my hand. Bea stopped moving, the instant wash of rage in her mind traveling through our bond as she searched for what was missing.

  Get your ass out here, and we can get to it later! She scrambled out of the corpse, blood all over her and clawed at my hand with her teeth bared at me. I slipped the crystal into my inventory and tapped her head as she snapped at me, making her get into the collar. She didn’t want to, but I forced her to obey with the sheer weight of my own rage.

  Yeah, she was definitely my familiar if we both reached for anger so readily. I turned, finding my friends closer to the corpse, and Jaken dragging a bloodied Kayda toward our makeshift exit as he pumped healing energy into her. “We gotta go!”

  Maebe was all that stood between us, the chimera, and his horde of kobolds. The nebulous energy of snow and shadow keeping them at bay long enough for us to sweep past. “All of you run!” She grunted and a blast of flame beat against the energy she held. “I will push them back once more before I join you.”

  “Go for it!” I screamed, more used to stress than a lot of the people I knew but seeing Kayda like that and not having known she was so injured made the tunnel vision I was trying to fight settle around my vision. Get your fucking head in the game, Marine! Freak the hell out later.

  A burst of mana washed over us, and Maebe was suddenly running next to and then passing me easily.

  I blinked at my surroundings and growled low in my chest as I sprinted toward the exit, Bokaj taking the rear so he could cover our retreat. “Where’s Fainnir?”

  “Up front, soon as he was near the wall, he opened his eyes and set to work. Kid’s a monster, but he won’t last much longer.” Jaken planted a foot in a kobold’s chest as it made it past Bokaj’s barrage. The creature screeched and fell, shadows eating at its head.