Chapter 6
We all head back and make another left at the split to head down the tunnel we passed earlier. There are a couple more small groups of the undead that we have been fighting. I notice that their races are all mixed. There are elves, dwarves, humans, and beastkin. I even saw one gnome and a lizard person thing that looked more like a human than the kobolds I had seen when we cleared out the Corpse Driver Beetles. There wasn’t really any pattern to it that I could tell. In the next room we come to there are five undead to deal with, but they are still the slow level fourteen shamblers that we have been dealing with and still pose little in the way of a threat to us. Except for the undead worm, we have been letting Timbre get in the fight just so she can get some action. We could take care of them completely from range if need be though.
Again there are two tunnels to take and we continue down the left one. No worm this time. There is a group of three zombies in the tunnel and a group of five in the small room that it opens up to at the end. We deal with the undead and search the room but we don’t find anything that leads off the room. No secret compartments or doors anywhere we have looked so far. I even cast Mana Sight periodically in order to see if there is anything magically concealed. There’s nothing. Turning back we go to the last fork in the tunnels and take another left. The undead in this tunnel are all in groups of five and seem to move a little faster, a little smoother. Before Timbre puts down the last one in the group I use Identify on it and see these ones were level fifteen. Still didn’t stop us from decimating the group.
The first thing we see when we get to the next area is that there are way more zombies here than there have been anywhere else so far. There are a dozen or more in this room. Next I notice that there are three exits. I don’t notice anything else though since my vision is consumed the next moment by a purple skull that head-butts me. It didn’t physically head-butt me, but it might as well have. Timbre, who also was looking around like me, steps up to block the incoming arrows and another purple skull. A quick check of my combat log tells me it’s Death magic that just bitch slapped me. Thankfully my Magic Armor was still active and my natural resistances mitigated some of the damage.
I was pissed that we let our guard down with the easy prey and allowing us to get ambushed; I stand and prepare to cast again. I see the two casters in back with robes on, along with the two archers beside them. Focusing intensely, I start forming the newest Earth spell I have. I never cast it since it could be dangerous around buildings, but the nature of the dungeon should make it safe. Five of the regular Zombies shamble towards us while the other five form a wall in front of the ranged ones. “They can use tactics now?” I scream inside my mind. It doesn’t matter. In the next second I finish my spell and release a small Earthquake in the center of the group with the casters.
The ground shakes even where I stand and there is a low rumbling sound mixed with the grating of rocks. It will keep them off balance for ten seconds. I can feel a grin stretch my lips as the zombies fall. That is all the time I will need. I quickly cast my quicksand spell next, targeting the group of five approaching us. Not being very intelligent they all wander into it and get stuck. That’s when I take the staff I carry in both hands and start channeling. I channel through both arms this time, duel casting the same spell though it. It takes me a couple seconds more than casting normally and about three times the mana, but when I release the spell it’s worth it. My Flame Wave spell, duel cast like it is manifests a wall of fire hotter than ever and rolling forward toward the undead.
I’m able to control the size of the wall to some degree and I keep it as low as possible, but wide enough to catch all the zombies. It’s still five feet tall, but the condensed mana burns hotter from the compression. When it hits the first five it reduces their health to ten percent and they are all burning. As the fire moves on, Timbre runs up to the closest edge of my quicksand and starts bashing skulls on the scrabbling undead. Azzaria joins in, placing precise shots in the two farthest undead and ending them. Meanwhile, I tell Thia through our bond to attack the other group. She fires off two Ball Lightning as quickly as the cooldown will allow. The first strikes the regular zombies in the front and my Flame Wave finishes them off.
When my spell hits the archers they catch fire and lose the majority of their health but the mages have shields of purple that become visible. At first their shields hold but they fall just before the fire passes. They take damage but still have more than half their health left. That changes pretty quickly when the second Ball Lightning shows up. Hitting the left caster the magic spreads out and the four remaining undead shake for a moment before collapsing back onto the ground. Looking around I see that the remaining undead are all real dead now as they begin to evaporate.
Looking back to my party I see that both Azzaria and Timbre took arrows in the beginning salvo, Timbre to the left shoulder and Azzaria in the right thigh. Feeling my own face it feels dry and I think my eyebrows are missing. Well I can’t let that stand. Azzaria starts to limp my way ready to heal the injury but I wave her off. “Take care of yourself and then Timbre. I can do this” I say pointing at my face. Life magic is good at healing and even prevents scarring, but at her level it won’t fix my damn eyebrows. Thankfully I have a spell to take care of that. Directing my magic on myself I cast Reverse Pain. It’s more expensive and heals for less, but my spell actually reverses time on the injury. It takes a couple casts, but half a minute later my health is full and my eyebrows are back. I love magic!
“Well that was unexpected” Azzaria says after tending to Timbre.
“Yeah, let’s take a break here for a few minutes and then start checking these tunnels. Left one first just as before” is my reply.
We rest for a few minutes in the chamber until everyone has their MP restored. Heading down the left tunnel we encounter another group of five, but they are handled in short order. The next turn to the left in the tunnel reveals a dirt floor. Everyone stops when it comes into view and we look around for any signs of another worm. When we see nothing the other three look at me. Looking back I make a decision. “Let’s go. We know what to expect, so be ready. You also have the Mana Barrier on your armlets in case you need it.” Nodding back to me, Timbre turns and takes her position at point.
We don’t go far before there is a grinding sound, and just like before Azzaria jumps out of the way. This time she jumps toward the rest of us as the worm explodes free of the ground. The usual tactic for them seems to be attacking the last person in line and trapping the groups escape. We’ve seen this before so none of us were surprised. Timbre races over and bashes it in the face with her shield before it’s even all the way out of the hole in the ground it made. Off balance and not expecting the swift counter attack the worm flops over on its side. Still half way in the hole the three of us start piling on the damage. Azzaria is firing glowing arrows with the telltale green of life magic while Thia is firing off her Zapp skill into the undead’s ugly mug. I can even smell burned meat from where Thia’s lightning is cooking small parts of it. For my part I rapid fire Mana Bolts into the side of it. The spell destroys the skin and punches through, but doesn’t cause much damage.
The tunneler worm screeches at the pain inflicted upon it and thrashes around. This earns it an overhead hammer strike from Timbre’s hammer, glowing with Life magic. The hammer flashes when it connects and the worm’s head is spiked like a volleyball into the ground. Seeing as how the technique worked so well last time, I switch to Ice Lance. In the next few seconds I get off two more spells. The first Ice Lance is deflected by the worm, shattering the large icicle on the tunnel wall as it swings its head around. The blow catches Timbre on the edge of the shield while she is raising her hammer to strike again. She doesn’t take much damage but is flung to the side a few feet causing her to fall down.
When the worm rears up to maul its downed opponent Thia and Azzaria try to get its attention by shooting at its head. It ignores them and is about to strike when I c
ast Earth Wall between it and Timbre. The tunneler’s head shoots forward and is met with my spell. The wall stops it cold for a second before it opens its mouth and starts chewing through it. In only a couple seconds it is through to the other side where Timbre waits. Unfortunately, for the undead worm, that is all the time Timbre needed to get up and into a defensive position. When the head emerges from the wall it is forced right back through the other side by a powerful swing from Timbre. When it flops down in front of me again I can see the malformed head of our foe crushed in by my companion’s war hammer.
The undead twitches a couple times before lying still. A moment later it dissolves into light and floats away. Left in its place is a vial about four inches long. I pick it up, looking at the liquid inside. It’s pure black in color and thick, like warm honey. It looks pretty gross actually, and the description doesn’t change my mind when I use Identify.
Undead Ichor: This is the concentrated blood of the undead. Crafting ingredient. Item class: Uncommon.
Storing it away with everything else, I turn back to the girls. First checking on Timbre I make sure they are all healed back to perfect health. “We still didn’t find the end of this tunnel. We should check it out, but keep an eye out for any more worms.”
I needn’t have worried. The next turn takes us back to the right and we aren’t attacked again. About ten feet after the turn is the end of the tunnel, and sitting against the wall of the dead end is a chest. It’s the first we have found so I’m leery of it. I’ve played games where the chests can be deadly, so I am a little cautious. We approach and get a better look. It’s small, only about a foot tall and plain. The small chest is just regular wood from the looks of it and has no latch. “Azzaria, do you have something to sense traps? I will check it for magic but I don’t have a skill for mundane traps.”
She nods to my question. “I do, and I am not seeing anything.”
I cast my Mana Sight and nothing shows up on the chest that I can see. My Identify skill just says that it’s a small chest. “I don’t see anything either. You have the highest AGI of us Azzaria. I want you to open it. From the games I played back on Earth there was something called a Mimic. These often take the shape of a chest to lure people close before devouring them. I don’t know if there is such a thing here but I figure you have the best chance of avoiding it if there is.”
“There is such a thing, but I have only heard of them being in places with very strong creatures. Your caution is warranted though, since I have never been in a dungeon before” she tells me.
She creeps forward and I can tell she is hyper aware on what’s happening. When she gets to the chest she sets herself and then flips the lid quickly before jumping back. Nothing happens. We all approach and everything looks normal so we look inside the chest. It’s small, only a foot tall and the same in width, but half as deep. When we look in there are copper and silver coins at the bottom. On top of all that is a ring. A simple band of steel which my still active Mana Sight tells me has a little magic in it.
Steel Ring of Toughness: Steel ring enchanted for front line Fighters. Item class: Uncommon. Durability: 15/15. +2 STR, +3 VIT.
Reaching into the chest I send all the coins to storage and then pick up the ring. Holding it out to Timbre I say “Looks like this is for you.”
She bounces over to me excitedly and takes the ring before licking my face. “Thank you Vol.” Then she slips it on her left index finger.
With nothing else to keep us here we head back to the previous split without encountering anything else. We take a left again into the middle passage and start walking. This tunnel takes a turn to the left and then one to the right, but we don’t find any undead to fight. When we get to the end there is an iron banded wooden set of doors. It’s unadorned, but I know a boss room when I see one. “I bet this is the floor boss room. I say we head back and explore the last tunnel before we open it.”
They all nod and Azzaria says “I think you are right, best to clear out anything else on this floor before moving on.”
I’m close to gaining a new level as well. With all the experience that I gained from the quest we completed yesterday and with the double experience here it will only take a couple more groups to level up. Every little bit helps and I want us as prepared as possible for the boss fight. Down the last tunnel we find more zombies to fight and we quickly overwhelm the small groups of two or three before continuing. After a curve there is a straightaway section we can see opens into a room larger than the previous chambers we have found. “Can you use your camouflage to get a look at what we face in there?” I ask Azzaria. In answer, she activates the skill and stalks off toward the end of the chamber.
A tense ten minutes pass as we wait for her. When she reappears in front of us she gives us the Intel on the room ahead. Apparently there are five zombies in the room, two archers, two casters and a seven foot tall Zombie that is wearing plate armor and carrying a two handed sword. Now this sounds like a challenge! We discuss it for a second and Timbre is adamant that she can hold the large one while the rest of us take care of the others. “Azzaria, keep a close eye on Timbre. Make sure that you heal her if she is taking too much damage.”
With a saucy smile and a wink she replies “Of course.” Then she leans over and gives Timbre a quick kiss on the cheek. Trying to cover up my momentary distraction from such a scene I nod to the room.
Without another word we step into the room with Timbre leading in the point position as usual. After that the rest of us spread out a little so that we have line of sight on the ranged enemies. The large one runs forward lifting its gigantic sword to split my Beast Companion in two. My heart stops for a moment as I almost lose control of the spell I’m casting due to my concern for her. There is nothing to worry about though. As soon as the zombie commits to the downward slash Timbre sidesteps out of the way. In a counter, she brings her hammer into the knee on its exposed side with a crack of bone.
Focusing back on my own fight, I release the Flame Wave spell and catch all of the rest except for one archer in its fiery breaker. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Timbre is dodging and countering the slower zombie without issue. A ball of crackling lighting streaks into the group of four, exploding and flinging all of them away from each other. The archer I didn’t hit gets a shot off at me when he gets up, but we buffed before coming in and my Mana Barrier deflects the arrow. He is ended shortly after that by a rapid-fire barrage of glowing arrows from Azzaria. Thia’s lighting attack collapsed the shields the casters had up and she is hitting them with more Chain Lightning as I throw fireballs their direction.
Azzaria takes down the other archer a moment later and the two casters are low on health, but still burning, when I hear a yelp. Ignoring what I was targeting I look over to see that the large armored zombie was able to slice Timbre in the thigh. It isn’t bad, but it does seem to be slowing her down some. As I watch I can tell that she will need to block more to compensate and the size of the sword will still cause her damage. I quickly cast Earth Wall to block the zombie away from Timbre and give me time. The next thing I do is use folded space and stick my hand through the small worm hole that forms, casting Reverse Pain on Timbre’s injured leg. The spell has a short distance, but using folded space helps me to get around that.
With the wound on her leg healed up she is fully capable again and is able to dodge the armored foe when it rounds my wall. Turning back to the other undead I see the last caster fall to an arrow. That just leaves the big guy. Not wanting to play around with it any longer and risk another injury to Timbre, Thia and I fire off lightning as fast as possible. Azzaria joins in with arrows that whine as they spin, digging into the armor of the large zombie. After a couple of hits from me, the sword wielding undead turns my way, but stops dead (I know it’s a bad pun) when there is a chainsaw like growl that bursts from Timbre’s throat. The last of our enemies here wheels back around and tries to find the source of the noise. Catching sight of Timbre he charges her and
she starts her dance over again. After that it only takes a few seconds more to finish it off as lightning passes through its metal armor and spinning arrows drill through it.
With all the enemies down and dissipating into motes of light we collect the loot left behind. Mainly coins again but it’s a slightly better haul than with the weaker zombies. The big one also dropped the massive sword it was using, but it wasn’t something any of us could use, except Timbre. Her hammer is better though so she declines it. I store the oversized weapon away to place in the armory when we get out of here. I call a break and open my messages. I see that I was able to get the last experience I was hoping for.
LEVEL UP! You have increased your level by 1. You are now level 15. As a Void Human you get 6 points to apply to your Stats and 1 Talent Point. As you are a Mage +1 INT +1 WIS are allocated. You currently have 4 undistributed SP and 1 undistributed TP. You can distribute these from your status page. Continue to increase your level to follow the path of true power. Fight for the RIGHT to survive!
A Mage Rising: (The Chronicles of Herst 2: A LitRPG Saga) Page 13
