“Keep the pressure on,” Aria shouted. “I think I can dispel its protective field. Roger, hit it with something bigger. Jonathan, give Susannah your war hammer.”
The raccoon immediately began to call on more of his magic. His teeth were bared in exertion, but he refused to slow down. If any of them faltered here, they were finished. Whatever he was going to do, it would be more devastating than any Word he’d used so far. The crab reacted to the growing threat by spewing water at him and using [Annihilating Pressure] again. Susannah grabbed Roger and dodged, sliding under the beam and then flipping over a claw before using it to vault up and over the crab’s other claw and onto another part of the damaged walkway. It was a testament to his trust in her that Roger’s concentration never wavered.
“Here!” Jonathan tossed the war hammer at her. It was an awkward throw, but Susannah used her fishing rod to latch onto the weapon and drag it over.
“Thank you.” Susannah gave him a jaunty salute. “I’ll put it to good use.”
Eileen lumbered back onto her feet. Instead of the two-headed hydra she’d been, she had opted to become the biggest hydra she could, a three-headed monstrosity that towered over everything except the giant crab. Three streams of acid lanced through the air along with a [Destructive Thunder] from Blue Scales. The protective field around the crab dispersed most of the acid, but the merman’s Word had better success. The crab’s entire body twitched as the savage onslaught of electricity slammed into it. Eric leapt forward with Miles on his back – it would have been a comical sight in any other situation – and the pair lashed out at the crab’s eyes before scrambling to get clear. Blinded, the crab thrashed about wildly. One of the crab’s claws threatened to close on the pair, but Eric hurled Miles to safety. He lost an arm for his trouble, but the werewolf simply growled and wrenched himself free. Blood poured from the wound, but already, the flow was slowing as the arm began to grow back.
“[Purification]!” Aria’s magic surged, and a bright glow enveloped the crab. [Purification] was normally used to remove harmful magic from allies, but it could also be used to remove enhancement magic or protective magic from enemies. “It’s strong.” Aria grit her teeth and gestured again. “[Purification]!” The glow around the crab intensified. “[Purification]!” There was a sound like a bell being struck, and the glow around the crab vanished. “There! Its protective field is gone. You should be able to hit it with projectiles now.”
Channel the power of the sword. It should have gathered enough energy by now to enhance you to a useful degree. The Blood Emperor’s voice was calm but forceful. If this goes on much longer, we’ll have to worry about the other crabs as well. I doubt the Unconquered Dead can hold them for much longer.
The crab’s eyes had regenerated, and it glared at them with utter hatred. With a vile, sibilant hiss, its claws reached out to crush them. Miles dodged and smashed his war hammer down as hard as he could. With three Words layered onto the strike, it would have been enough to turn one of the other crabs into pulp. All he managed to do against the giant crab was make a minute crack. Jonathan’s eyes narrowed. It didn’t seem like much, but perhaps the sword could make something out of it.
Strength flooded through him, far more than he’d ever imagined possible, and he took three steps and then swung with all his might. It was a mark of the crab’s durability that the sword couldn’t cut through it like paper, the way it had cut through all of the other crabs. Still, the weapon struck a telling blow. The small crack widened, and more cracks spread out along the outer surface of the claw.
“Aim for the crack, Eileen!” Aria shouted. She barked a Word, and several glowing chains formed around the claw to hold it in place. A lance of water threatened to hit her, but Blue Scales was there to deflect it before he gathered his power and shoved as much water as he could away from the crab.
The shape-shifter-turned-hydra spewed acid. Without its protective aura to disperse the attack, the acid was able to get all over the damaged claw. The crack widened even more, and pits and holes began to appear in the shell around the claw. Eric gave a howl of appreciation and sailed through the air, turning his entire body into a battering ram. The armour around the crab’s claw shattered to expose the weaker flesh beneath.
Aria used [Blinding Flash] again, and Blue Scales blasted the exposed claw with more lightning. The flesh withered and blackened under the assault, and Miles and Jonathan both sprang forward to hack and hammer away. With an awful wet sound, the claw ripped off, and the crab reared back in agony. Eileen stomped forward and unleashed a deluge of acid. The attack landed squarely on the crab’s body, and it shrieked and wailed. With the acid eating away at its shell, the crab rounded on the shape-shifter. It proved to be a critical mistake.
Susannah leapt through the air with Jonathan’s war hammer and brought the weapon down. “[Shatter]!” There was a sound like breaking glass, and a dozen large cracks spread across the crab’s shell before it shattered and fell away in large, broken chunks. The war hammer exploded in her hands, and Susannah flew back, somehow managing to land on her feet not far away from Jonathan and Miles as Roger finally – finally – unleashed the Word he’d been preparing all this time.
[Volcanic Geyser] was a more powerful version of [Volcanic Burst] that not only generated greater heat and more lava but also covered a far larger area – like the entire central part of the chamber that the massive crab occupied. The water in the area evaporated in an instant, and the crab shrieked in agony as the space beneath it turned into a small lake of molten lava. Somehow, the crustacean was able to keep fighting. It thrashed and flailed its claws and legs in a desperate bid to either strike them down or climb out of the scorching liquid. Roger sank against the wall behind him, and Susannah hurried over to pick him up.
“Good work, buddy.” Susannah held him close. “We’ll do the rest.”
“Don’t let it out!” Aria ordered. “Keep it in the lava!”
They needed no further urging. As the crab’s legs fought to find purchase on the firm stone around the lava, Jonathan swung the Blood Blade. The weapon didn’t sever the limb, but it did pierce the shell around it. Miles and Eric piled on their own blows, and the limb gave way. The crab lost its balance and toppled back into the lava. The smell of burning crab filled the air, and Eileen and Blue Scales worked together to destroy two more of the crabs’ legs. They were so close to winning. Before their eyes, the lava was doing its terrible, terrible work. The crab’s flesh had blackened, and pieces of it were burning and then falling away. The group rained blow after blow down on the crab, and Roger rallied enough to throw in a few weaker Words of his own. Finally, the creature succumbed, sinking into the lava with a final, ponderous groan.
Some of the crabs from before spilled into the chamber, but they fled at the sight of their champion falling. The remaining dwarf ghosts roared in approval at the sight, and they gave chase, laughing and chanting as they cut down the fleeing crabs. Jonathan watched them go and dragged in a ragged breath. In his hands, the Blood Blade shivered, and he felt fresh strength run through him. However, he could tell that the blade was running low. Unless he took more lives with it, it would not be able to help him much more. Slowly, he became aware that some of the spectral dwarves had remained behind and had fallen into formation around the group. One of them stepped forward. It was the king.
“It has been a long, long time since someone got this far,” the king rumbled. His voice was like thunder tearing through the sky. It reminded Jonathan of the Blood Emperor. “But you still have a long way to go before you are safe, and your foe is not yet defeated.” As he spoke, a charred claw emerged from the lava. Jonathan gaped. This was insane. How could it still be alive? “Still, it is gravely wounded. We can do the rest.” The king hefted his war hammer. “Go, all of you. Return to the surface and await me there. For the aid my men and I have given you, I would ask a boon.”
It was the Blood Emperor who jolted Jonathan out of his reverie. “All right.” A
nd with that, the spectral dwarves charged toward the wounded crab.
“Come on.” Aria tugged on his arm. “Let them handle this.” She pointed. “The passageway is right there.”
They hurried into the passageway, and their flight from the lower levels passed in a blur of frantic running and hurried combat. He’d never run so much in his life, and he was glad for his vampiric stamina and the power the sword was able to harvest from each blow it struck. He was amazed that Miles and Aria could keep up. Even as the group’s progress grew increasingly ragged, they pressed on. Eventually, Eileen simply scooped up Miles and Aria and put them on her back, so she could carry them along in her bear form. Roger, likewise, was clinging onto Susannah’s back. Her red cloak turned her into a swift, bloody shadow as she led the way with Blue Scales and Eric, her pace never slowing as they fought past small groups of crabs on their way up out of the lightless, doomed depths of the fallen kingdom. More than once, a spectral dwarf appeared ahead of them to show them the way or warn them of an unexpected obstruction in the path ahead. Jonathan wasn’t sure how long they ran. Time had a way of slipping past in a place like this, and the hideous chittering of the crabs seemed to be everywhere. It was only when they reached the upper halls where an exit to the outside of the mountain beckoned did some measure of calm return to him.
“We need to wait,” Jonathan said. Eric growled. After how close they’d come to being overrun or cut off, he was not keen on waiting. “I know – and we can leave if we see trouble. But when the ghost of an ancient dwarf king asks you to wait…”
The werewolf tipped his head slightly in acknowledgement.
“Then let’s hope he doesn’t keep us waiting too long,” Aria said. She patted Eileen’s side. “Good work, Eileen. We don’t have much further to go now.” The bear gave a rumble of agreement and shifted to let Miles and Aria climb off her back.
Thankfully, the dwarf king didn’t keep them waiting long.
He appeared a few minutes later, and Jonathan finally had the opportunity to get a good look at him without worrying about imminent death. King Dalendin was tall for a dwarf and broader in the shoulders than any dwarf Jonathan had ever heard of. However, the ghost was far more faded and indistinct than he had been before. If Jonathan had to guess, either he’d used up much of his power fighting off the crabs or the necromantic energies that sustained him were weaker up here than below.
“You waited.”
Jonathan nodded. “You said you wanted to talk.”
The dwarf tugged off his helmet and crown. The crooked grin he wore granted him warmth that could be felt despite his ghostly nature. His features were rugged and fierce, and his eyes shone with resolve. “You remind me of a vampire I once knew.” He glanced at the Blood Blade. “We made that for him. It’s a pity he never received it. He saved my father’s life, and we dwarves always repay our debts.”
“We were hired by one of his descendants to retrieve it. You may rest assured it will be in the hands of his successor soon.” Had Jonathan merely stumbled across the sword, he would have kept it. Even in the hands of a novice like him, it had proven its deadly worth. He could scarcely imagine what a seasoned warrior like the duke could do with it.
The king smiled. “I see. That’s good.” He pointed at the spirit lantern. “Tell me, do you know what that is?”
“Yes.”
“My men and I… the ones you saw… we were the ones the necromancers could not tame, not even with their foul magic. Yet we cannot move on. The shame of our defeat and the pain of losing our kingdom bound us here. Slaying that giant crab has granted many of my men the peace they sought. Their pride is restored, and they have gone to the halls of feasting and merriment that are home to all the valorous dead. Yet some of them – and I – still remain. Our duty compels us to stay.”
“And what is that duty?”
“What became of my line?” the king asked quietly. “None of the adventurers before your group could really see or speak to me, and the energies that allowed me and the others to do battle once more came from the lantern you carry. Tell me, has my line perished, or has it endured?” He looked around at Mordrath, still splendid despite its ruin. “I fell in battle, but I had hoped that at least some of my people and children could escape. Was it all for nothing? Is this… this folly all I am to be known for?”
Jonathan smiled. “It was not in vain. There are several kings that claim to be descended from your children, and I, and most scholars, believe most of their claims to be true. Yet time has made it difficult to be sure, I will admit that much.”
“Time does that.” The king’s gaze sharpened. He was no mere brute. “So there is no High King of the Dwarves then? My line alone had claim to that. Are the folk of the mountains, stone, and metal once more warring with each other?”
“There has been… strife. As you fear, there has been no High King since you fell.”
“I see.” Dalendin’s expression grew sombre. “I can tell you have… company.” Jonathan stiffened. Was he referring to the Blood Emperor? “The boon I ask is simple. Use the spirit lantern to take my spirit and those of my followers who still remain away from this place. I would meet with those who claim to be my successors and judge their worthiness. All true dwarves will honour the Unconquered Dead, and I am the last High King. They will hear me and listen.”
“And if one of them is worthy?”
The king handed Jonathan his crown. To Jonathan’s shock, it was solid, not some spectral copy. “This is the crown of the High King’s of old. Anyone I give it to will receive the recognition and honour it brings. If one of them proves worthy, I would give it to them as a mark of my esteem – and to unite the dwarves once more.”
Jonathan looked at the others. None of them knew how to respond.
“I can sense your hesitation.” The king chuckled. “Allow me to offer you something else. In exchange for the aid you give me, the one I crown High King will undoubtedly owe you and yours a debt, and we dwarves never forget our debts just like we never forget our grudges. Think of what such a boon would be worth.”
It would be good to have the help of the High King when I seek to reclaim my throne – or you could simply ask for enough money to get your castle back. Either way, this is not an opportunity we can afford to ignore.
“It could take a while,” Jonathan said. “I can’t really drop everything to visit your descendants.”
“That is fair enough. I would like to learn more about them first, and the spirit lantern will allow me to wander and observe the world, provided I return to it from time to time. There were other spirit lanterns too, and I will be able to draw upon their strength. With any luck, they have been kept and cared for. All you need do is set the spirit lantern in a place of power.”
Jonathan pursed his lips. Bloodmark had been very deliberately built atop a place of power. “I can do that, but we might need your aid from time to time. Our line of work can be… dangerous.”
“You will have it – though our aid cannot be given often. We are but ghosts of the past, after all.” The king vanished, and wisps of light flowed into the spirit lantern. “You should leave soon, vampire. Daybreak is not far, and your kind do not handle the sun well.”
“He’s right.” Jonathan’s hands tightened on the crown. It was still there. Incredible. “I can feel it. We need to go.”
The entrance was partially blocked, but Roger and Blue Scales were only too happy to blast the rubble aside. The group ran out into the open and swiftly made their way down the mountainside toward the sea. Sure enough, the feeling of dawn approaching grew stronger with each passing moment. Like any vampire, Jonathan could tell when night was about to end. Roger sent up a plume of fire as a signal, and Jonathan only allowed himself to relax when he saw a ship come into view and make for the shore. It would be close, but they should be just in time.
The captain greeted them with a broad smile as he noticed the blade Jonathan carried. “It looks like you succeeded.”
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“Yes.” Jonathan grimaced. “But I had better head below decks.” His skin was tingling.
“Aye.” The captain eyed the horizon. “You’ve a few minutes at most, and it would be a shame to be caught in the sun after making it this far.”
As he left, Jonathan could hear Aria speaking with the captain.
“My orders are clear. We are to head back with the sword immediately. But fear not. The other ships will see to the other adventurers.”
“I see.” Aria’s next words were to Susannah and the others. “We need to talk, but we can do that in Jonathan’s room provided we all fit. He – we – need to talk about what happened in there.”
* * *
“So… you’re a huntress.”
Aria rubbed her temples for a few seconds. Her body ached in more than a dozen places, and she knew she was covered in bruises under her armour. It was tempting to use magic to heal everything, but she wasn’t going to waste what little power she had left on anything except life-threatening injuries. She would wait until her magic had recovered before she used it to heal more minor problems.
Susannah being a huntress was a huge problem, and she wished she could ignore it. However, she’d dealt with huntresses before. They were allies of a sort to her former order in the sense that they hunted down many of the same monsters the paladins considered enemies. Every single one of them who’d earned their red cloak had been akin to a walking natural disaster: clever, cunning, maniacally determined, absurdly skilled, and virtually impossible to kill. Oh, they were still human – mostly – but there had long been rumours about their heritage, and she’d seen huntresses shrug off blows in much the same way that werewolves and hydras did. And that was assuming they even got hit. Susannah fit the mould perfectly. She was the best archer Aria had ever seen, but her swordsmanship was even better. She’d only used a handful of Words too, but the sheer power behind them was insane. To make matters worse, she wasn’t even as old as she claimed to be.
Attempted Adventuring (The Attempted Vampirism Series Book 2) Page 25
