by R J Triveri
River only grumbled as her eyes rested on the token in the rogue’s hand. On the flipside, Dante’s eyes widened in understanding only to be met with Nyx’s continued grin and, a moment later, a private message.
Nyx Inerro => Dante Rior: Figure it out yet?
Dante nodded, sighed, and replied a moment later.
Dante Rior => Nyx Inerro: You stream sniped us somehow, didn’t you?
She only grinned as River glared. Nyx flipped the token deliberately.
Nyx Inerro => Dante Rior: You’re thinking too small, Dante. Besides, who would miss out on this adventure? Now shh, you’ll make me miss it!
Her grin grew as River’s face flushed a deeper crimson with each flip of her silver token.
Nyx Inerro => Dante Rior: She’s so easy to piss off! How do you not love doing this?
“Now then.” Nyx suddenly cut the teasing and looked seriously at River. “You have two options, River. I can come and help run the dungeon, or you can spend the next few hours farming the mobs in the deep forest for a chance at the token and an even smaller chance at completing the dungeon.” Grabbing the coin from mid-air, the roguish woman continued to smile. “Since they’re soul-bound and have a decay timer of twelve hours, you won’t find them on the marketplace either. Still would be a great way to train your team, but not nearly as fun. Right?”
If River’s face wasn’t enough to broadcast her frustration, the party’s chat wouldn’t have had a candle’s chance in a hurricane of hiding it.
(Party) River Hexi: Who the Hell does she think she is!? Does she think we’ll just let her help? She had to have cheated to do all of this!
(Party) Mac Null: It seems fishy to me. To know we’d be here and to know what the Wiki was wrong about, she had to have a hand in it. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had snipers in your streams as soon as word got out about your mission. Even if others don’t know what you’ve got to do, they’re going to want in. You’re famous, River, and people covet that.
(Party) River Hexi: Hell! Why didn’t I think about it?
(Party) Dante Rior: Because it’s unethical as Hell.
(Party) Allen Lee: Talking’s great and all, but what are we going to do about it. Time is ticking, and every day we lose is a day that the… ghost has on us.
(Party) Mac Null: We don’t take an alignment penalty for actions taken against Inciperians. We could just, you know… end it right now and take the token off her corpse. No soul, no soul-bound.
(Party) Dante Rior: Holy shit, no!
(Party) Allen Lee: We aren’t going to kill anyone, Mac.
(Party) Mac Null: I’m just saying what River has to be thinking. I mean, it’s an option.
(Party) River Hexi: Who do you think I am, Mac?! I’m not going to murder someone in cold blood. Stream sniping is one thing, but outright murder… this isn’t up for debate right now.
In the silence of their discussion, Dante let out a sigh before looking back at Nyx.
(Party) Dante Rior: Then we have one option, don’t we?
Looking to each member of her party, River groaned rather loudly. “You can come with us on two conditions. One, no talking. Two, this is the last we see of you.”
Nyx grinned. Apparently, she had been expecting this as she let loose. “Counteroffer: I come with you and give up any share of the loot I earn in the dungeon as good faith, and if I prove my worth, I’ll work with you throughout whatever you’re doing for your quest.”
“Why would we accept that?” River asked stubbornly. “You should be glad we’re offering you anything at all.”
“Maybe, but why be happy with what you’re given?” the galaxy-haired woman countered. “I could just open it for you. I could just have let you all fail and get frustrated or die, but I’m not. I’m offering you the missing information, and I can guarantee that this won’t be the last time the Wiki isn’t complete if you even survive this.” Her voice grew quieter as she looked over her shoulder. “And I can promise you that I’m the least of your worries.”
“Is that a threat?”
(SIFS Chat: River Hexi) [Mod] Bloo-haw_72: The chat wants to remind you you’ve already wasted a few minutes here. Politely, they want to tell you to get your ass in gear.
The woman’s smile faded a bit as her patience began to wane. “Threats are for people that can’t follow through on their promises, River.”
Before River could counter, Mac stepped into the conversation. “Why don’t you share your class and rank before we move on in this discussion. It might spur us one way or the other.”
With a shrug, Nyx bluntly responded, “I’m a hard-earned rank 20 Rogue-Errant with a few traits to my name.”
(Party) Dante Rior: Haven’t heard of a Rogue-Errant before.
(Party) Mac Null: I’ve met a few in my time. Rogue-Errants are rare because of the fragile combination of specialized magic and nearly a straight devotion to dexterity. Very weak in head-to-head combat if they get caught unaware, but they are really, really good at sneak attacks, movement, and back-stabbing.
River groaned slightly as the skill-set the woman possessed sunk in like a brick through her skull.
(Party) River Hexi: And with a single distracted target, she’d be a perfect addition, wouldn’t she?
Not waiting to answer the party’s leader, Mac continued his press. “Such as?”
Noticing the lull in the conversation for the moments it took for their attention, Nyx answered simply. “Nothing that would worry you or hurt us in the long run.” When she was sure no more questions were following it up, her foot began to tap, and she looked past the group into the ring of Silverwood trees. “Now, if you’re done playing party time, am I in or what?”
(Party) River Hexi: I really, really hate to say it, but what do you think, guys?
(Party) Dante Rior: It’s too well-planned, but as much as I hate to admit it, it’d be better to keep her close, or we’re just going to be dealing with this again. She doesn’t seem like one to give threats lightly.
(Party) Allen Lee: Whatever you two want, I’ll follow, but if she steals one thing from me, I might just forget to watch her integrity.
(Party) Mac Null: I know how you feel, River. She’s hiding something, a glory hound, and ruthless, and that’s just from one meeting with her, but she’s dangerously cunning. She planned this meeting and executed it perfectly.
(Party) River Hexi: I hate to admit it. I really, really hate to say it, but let’s see how she does. I won’t share the quest though until we’re sure we can trust her.
“Trial run only,” River managed after catching her breath again. “If you don’t pull your weight, you’re out.” With a sigh, she opened her menu and sent a party request to the woman. “And if you fuck with us again, you won’t live to regret it.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Nyx grinned while she accepted the invitation. “Guess it’s time to kick some asses, right?” When no one answered with anything more than a weak smile, the woman went to work. Taking a few steps past the group, she held up her token towards the trees and spoke in a language none of them truly understood. “Quaerunt pars aditum nobis victoriam per speculum in provocationem dominus!”
River Hexi => Dante Rior: If you start flirting with her, I will kill you myself. Got it?
Dante Rior =>River Hexi: Noted.
Access Granted!
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Shatterswarm
The Dungeon of Glass - Level One
The current time is 12:09pm. The dungeon will end at 4:00pm.
Your party has three hours and fifty-one minutes left until ejection.
SIFS chat disabled. Streaming still in progress.
In a flash of light, the five party members were left standing in the dungeon’s first room. River, Dante, Allen, Mac, and Nyx each faced a different direction, but they all noticed the same thing. The room was made of well-worn, midnight-blue bricks with green mosses growing prolifically as mortar in a way nature and construction shouldn’t allow. No doors or windows coul
d be seen, and the room was rather unadorned. All around them, five crystalline beasts – spawns of fire, earth, water, air, and darkness – stood back-lit by five shimmering lights to give the glass sculptures coloring. Their shadows loomed over the center of the room and converged around the group as the lights danced and mixed within the open spaces with a large, blank, circular plaque in the center of the room.
“Stupid transport,” River groaned as she looked around the room before turning to face her group. “Alright, anyone see anything?”
“Well, I see you and the rest of the team,” Mac teased. After River cleared her throat and scowled, Mac straightened up a bit and looked around a bit more in earnest. “Well, we’ve got spawn statues, lights, and a blank tablet.”
“Any ideas?”
“Not in the least,” Mac answered before looking from her to the others.
River smiled and turned to the group’s infiltrator. “Any of this in that vast knowledge you were talking about?”
“The Wiki clears any specific information, and this dungeon is never the same twice.” Almost embarrassed, Nyx shook her head. “Even if I knew something, this time would be different.”
With a self-satisfied smile, River just looked at her, but rather than berate her, the tone of the conversation seemed to shift from smug to the here-and-now of survival. “Well, you didn’t get to be a rogue without picking up a few things, so what do your skills say?”
As if a light bulb went off, Nyx grinned. “Give me a second, I know just the thing.” Her hand reached for the ground and spread out until her palm was flat against the ground and her eyes closed. “Detect Threat.” From her center, the group could see a glowing circle of white energy grow around and extend outward in a careful, slow radius.
“Not a bad choice,” River confirmed as she watched it grow, but some weren’t satisfied with waiting around.
“It’s got to have something to do with the statues,” Dante said absently as he walked away from the group, intently focused on the glass menagerie around them.
“Don’t be stupid, Dante,” River said as the radius expanded farther. “Wait till she’s finished her check.”
“I’ll be fine. It’s not my first dive.” River eyed him with a sharp anger as he ignored her words and pushed ahead towards the statues. Jumping from his shoulder, his new familiar carefully circled around the statue, sniffing at it before releasing a rather defensive growl. “They’re all spawns, right?”
“Right,” Allen answered as he took his place next to the Seeker. “They’re pretty common in low-level dungeons, but they aren’t usually this big.”
Curiously, Dante moved a bit closer till he was almost nose to head with the statue in an attempt to look inside the glass for anything it hid. “I wonder if the light means anything.” In an attempt to test his theory, Dante ran his hand in front of the royally lit glass to block its purple shadow from the room. “Maybe it’s a trigger of some kind.”
As the light radius of the detect reached the five statues, a dangerous red aura permeated their existence and a sharp crack echoed through the air as one of the creature’s feet broke free from the base. “Shit, it’s a trap!” Nyx cried out as Dante’s hand brushed the smooth surface of glass as he reached down to pick up Sedai.
“Dante!” River cried out as the beast came to life with another crack.
Freed from its spell, the glass beast’s head turned to look directly at the closest of the five and cried with the force of a thousand shattered mirrors as its claws came to bear and swiped at the outstretched arm, connecting with razor-edged claws and taking digital flesh with it.
Dante Rior: Damage Received - 70% Integrity Remaining
Warning: You have been affected by the condition - Bleeding. (0:20)
Dante grabbed his arm in an attempt to stem the tide of pixels that leapt from him and took his precious integrity away as his familiar ran back behind him for defense. Thankfully, their life mage was more than ready for anything as his spear came crashing against the glass creature with the satisfying sound of shattering glass. Not a moment later, the beasts’ hands fell to the ground and spilled across the raised floor. “Get back, Dante! I’ll handle this one.” Dante nodded before falling back next to the rest of his team as Mac moved forward to guard the healer’s back. Proving his worth, Allen wasn’t holding anything back as the spear came to call against the creature with a cry of, “Piercing Strike!”
He drove the spear forward into the head of the crystalline spawn and forced a spread of shimmering life out of the back in a spray worthy of the word. In a blizzard of glassy snow, the spawn exploded and fluttered to the ground along with a few bytes for his trouble. Picking it up split it amongst the group before he turned back and looked at the Seeker. “Want a hand?”
Sedai whined below him as she looked up at his arm. Dante nodded as he glanced at his dropping percentages, but to him, that wasn’t what hurt. “Yes.”
Allen simply nodded, pointed the spear at his ally, and said, almost melodiously, “Tonde subsisto.”
The wound on Dante’s arm glowed the colors of ivy before he felt it. A swell of healing brushed the pain aside like dust in the wind before he saw the welcomed message.
Dante Rior - Damage recovered: 89% Integrity Remaining
Status Removed - You are no longer Bleeding.
Carefully, Dante removed his hand from the wound. The clothing and his flesh had healed as if nothing had happened to him, and he was thankful for it. “Thanks. Didn’t think life mages could deal with status effects though.”
Allen nodded, and the words that followed were treated with an oddly added temperance of care. “It’s amazing what you can do with the right skill mutation triggers.” He looked back at Mac, still trailing behind him, before he spoke again. “I can handle myself.”
To the meaning, Mac nodded with his usual, knowing smile. “Of course you can. You handled yourself right in and back out, but I’m still going to cover you.”
River was less than impressed as she approached the small group. “You shouldn’t have needed to.” Her attention turned to her friend with more than a bit of surprise in her tone. “That was dumb, Dante! You’re supposed to be the one that thinks! I’m supposed to run in first and ask questions later, not you. What the hell were you thinking?”
“It was an accident,” he answered to his own surprise as he looked down at the cloud kit. “But at least we know not to do it again.”
“You’re going to have to,” Nyx called from back by the plate on the ground. “Some writing appeared on the plate when your dwarf speared that spawn into oblivion.”
“No thanks to your slow roll of a warning.” Ignoring her comment by sheer willpower, Allen looked back at the woman. “What does it say?”
“The.”
“The?” River asked as she walked back over and stared down at the plate. “The what?”
“How should I know? It’s probably going to tell us the way out,” Nyx guessed. “Do you see any doors out of here?”
“And the word appeared when the spawn broke?” Nyx nodded in answer before River spoke again. “Does anyone besides Dante have the scan or detect skills?” To her surprise, Mac and Nyx both raised their hands. “Really? Both of you?”
“It’s always good to know a weakness,” Mac pointed out. “Well, that and the name of what you’re trying to kill. Sometimes it gives you clues you wouldn’t know otherwise.”
“And for id’ing loot drops to steal.”
“Touch or distance?” River asked, knowing that there were multiple iterations of the skill.
“Only striking distance,” Mac answered.
“Farther than your Seeker here,” Nyx said proudly. “Gotta love perks.”
Unable to deny the woman’s use or question how she’d already known Dante’s limitations, River nodded at her. Looking around the room, she took note of the four statues that were left and pointed to the one backed in blue. “Scan that one. Whether or not Allen can
kill them in a single strike, he needs to conserve his integrity for healing skills, and we need more information before we do anything else.”
“And I thought Dante was the experienced diver,” Nyx teased.
“So did I,” Dante agreed to River’s surprise, but stood his ground all the same. “Then again, I’m not used to working in this big of a group.”
“None of us are, I think.” River tried to give him an understanding smile, but her words didn’t quite match. “You’ll get used to it.”
Sedai whined to be picked up again, but Dante ignored her as he watched Nyx raise her hand. “Scan.” The light of her skill was dull, contained to the stars of her hair before she spoke again, reading off the screen that appeared in front of her.
Scan Complete!
85% Successful.
The Shatterswarm [4/5 remaining]
Rank 12 - Construct Elemental
Status: Stoneform
I break and shatter, but my experiences will live on to make the whole stronger.
Scan will continue until channel has been canceled.
“They’re part of a whole called the Shatterswarm. Well, that and a riddle, but that’s it. No integrity, loot table, or skill list. Weird.”
“And the riddle?” River pressed.
“I break and shatter, but my experiences will live on to make the whole stronger.”
“That’s not much of a riddle.” A sharp crack broke her attention as the blue-lit spawn began to free itself from the base that held it in place. River’s eyes went straight to Dante and his kit, but neither were near it. “Shit, we’ve got incoming.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Allen said gruffly as he held his spear like a staff. “I’ll deal with it.”
“Not alone you won’t,” Mac added as they stepped in time together towards the creature.
He held back as Allen was already a step ahead despite his smaller form. In a ring of crystal, his spear had made the first connection. “Shit!” Unfortunately, the spear’s basic strike did nothing more than create noise, and the spawn continued forward without issue as the claws rose higher with the intent to kill. Falling back a step to stand next to Mac, Allen recovered and went back on the attack. “Piercing Strike!”
