Bonus: +10 to Endurance
Usage: 1 day
Quality: Good
Alejander stowed them away. He still had the potions he’d already purchased. He didn’t know if he would end up using them for himself, or if he would sell them.
There was moldy food on a plate, a couple of broken weapons, and that was it. Alejander sighed, disappointed with the quality of items he was managing to obtain. Hera had grown tired of searching the room, and was currently flopped down by the bed, belly rising and falling as she breathed.
“Come on,” Alejander said, striding to the doorway and pausing. Hera poked her nose around the door and looked up at him. He nudged her forward and she happily led the way, back straight and ears alert. Alejander stayed close to the wall, hoping to use his ability again if he needed to.
They had barely gone a hundred meters down the tunnel when Hera froze, and Alejander could hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps. Alejander ducked to the ground, unsheathing the daggers. He couldn’t make anything out in the tunnel – there was hardly any light down here – but eventually he could see the shuffling form of a man with a staff. He was human, the staff topped with a glowing bulb, and Alejander felt his heart in his mouth. He recognized the type of staff as used by someone with magic. He hadn’t had to face anything like magic yet in the game and he had no idea how he was supposed to deal with it.
Wizard
Level: 5
Description: A spellcaster of renown, mystic arts, and the odd fight to the death!
Hit Points: {unknown}
Damage: ? {spells} ? {staff}
Reach: Close/Range {staff/magic}
The description didn’t give much away at all. Hera didn’t seem concerned, but then she wouldn’t know what spells were all about. Before waiting for a command from Alejander, Hera took off, howling and snapping her jaws. It didn’t take the wizard long to react, even with the darkness, and he immediately waved his staff through the air, the orb on top glowing purple.
Alejander clamped down his mouth on calling for Hera. If she could keep the wizard busy, he could sink into the shadows and strike by surprise.
You have used: Spectral Agility.
Alejander melted into the darkness and came out behind the wizard, whirling around just as a ball of flame hit Hera on the right side. She went tumbling. Alejander let out a noise of distress and the wizard looked back over his shoulder, surprised and angry.
Stabbing the daggers into the wizard’s back, he heard the satisfying gurgle of shock, but was thrown back by something, daggers sticking out of the wizard. The man didn’t bother to move them, just waved his staff threateningly, a ball of blue fame hurtling towards Alejander. A quick roll out of the way, and Alejander felt something singe his shoulder. There was the smell of burnt flesh and cloth, and he could feel the sting of pain.
You have lost: 20HP
Lunging at his opponent, Alejander almost grinned when he saw Hera do the same. But the smile would be short-lived as the wizard quickly disappeared in a poof, causing Alejander and Hera to slam into each other. Alejander grunted, hitting the floor with an audible smack. Hera tumbled away from him, jumping to her feet almost immediately.
You have lost: 10HP
There was a burst of air against Alejander’s cheek and he could see the wizard a few meters away, eyes glowing a blue color, his staff poised. Alejander had already used his special ability, so that would be locked until the next fight. Whatever he did now, he would have to be clever about it.
Hera had no such compunction, and she raced toward the wizard. Again, taking advantage of the wizard having to split his focus, Alejander was glad of his dark robes as he stuck close to the wall, not believing it would obscure him for long, especially with the staff glowing. He didn’t need it to. When Hera leapt for the staff, getting a good lock on it with her jaws, the wizard cursing and shaking her off, Alejander went for it. He slammed into the wizard, sending them both toppling. And as Alejander had hoped, the wizard landed on his side, causing the dagger to shift and dig in deeper.
Grabbing for the other, Alejander straddled the wizard, whose eyes were back to brown, wide and open as if he hadn’t expected to be bested by a pesky rogue. There was yet another benefit to having Hera around. The wizard rested a hand on Alejander’s chest. There was a pulse of something, and Alejander felt pain lance through his chest before he was shoved away, hitting the wall. He felt nauseous with the impact, breathing hard through his nose.
You have lost: 20HP
Assuming that the wizard’s magic came from his staff had been a big mistake, Alejander realized as he picked himself up. Hera had taken over where Alejander had left off, jumping onto the wizard and snapping at the wizard’s arm. Alejander was getting low on HP and couldn’t let this fight drag out much longer. He didn’t care what he ended up with after this, he just needed the experience – and to get out of the dungeon alive.
With Hera’s bulk obscuring most of him from view, Alejander reached for the discarded staff. His hand burned immediately as he picked it up, but he ignored it, raising the staff and bringing it down hard on the wizard’s chest. There was an audible crack and then a moan, Hera growling in her throat and lunging for the wizard’s throat.
Alejander winced and dropped the staff, hissing at the burns left on his palm and fingers.
You have lost: 15HP
Wizard (lv 5) have died
You have earned 800 experience points. Congratulations!
You have lost: 20 Stamina
You have leveled up to Level 10!
You have earned 10 stat points, 80 base HP, 50 base stamina, 25 points to any skill(s). Your weapons all receive +10 to their damage.
Finally!
Alejander wanted to collapse, wanted to cry in relief, but he was in the middle of the dungeon and didn’t have time to celebrate. Hera stepped back from the wizard’s body, muzzle even redder, and sat back on her haunches, looking self-satisfied. Alejander couldn’t pretend he wasn’t a little afraid of how quickly she had dispatched the wizard with access to his neck, and instead focused on searching the wizard.
His robes were heavy, laden down with items hopefully, but Alejander tried to be careful with how he looked. Slowly, he took a couple of gems, two scrolls, a coin purse and a bottle. There were a few other items, food and drink and miscellaneous items, including matches. Alejander pocketed the matches but left the rest. While checking his coin, he put the purse from the room and the purse from the wizard together.
You have acquired: 6 gemstone
Quality: Good
You have acquired: 1 Reaction Potion
Bonus: +20 to Acuity
Usage: 1 day
Quality: Great
You have acquired: Coin
Inventory: 50 copper, 35 silver, 5 gold, 5 electrum
Total Currency: 220 copper, 138 silver, 113 gold, 21 electrum
You have acquired: Scroll of Shroud of Damage {Tradable} {Uncommon}
Teaches the Rogue ability: Shroud of Damage
Level: Level 10 Rogue only
Description: Thanks to your enhanced capabilities with fighting from the shadows, you have the ability to deal an extra 30HP of damage when you use the Shroud of Damage ability.
Cast Time: Five seconds
Cooldown: One minute
Alejander was glad he had just leveled up – it would mean he could learn the scroll immediately. 30HP was a lot of extra damage and though the one-minute cooldown would have meant only one use per fight, even that was a bonus. Concentrating on the scroll, he took the time to learn it.
You have acquired a new ABILITY!
Utilizing the Scroll of Shroud of Damage, you can deal extra damage from the shadows once per fight!
Stowing the rest of the items in his satchel, Alejander contemplated what he had left in HP and figured going on through the dungeon wouldn’t hurt. He had fought someone with magic now and he still had the teleportation stone.
Using up another two potions on himself and another for Hera, he focused on his stat points, trying to round himself out before he set off again.
You have assigned:
Acuity: 10
Constitution: 11
Deftness: 14
Efficiency: 12
Endurance: 12
Strength: 10
You have added: 5 points to Disabling Traps, 5 points to Night Vision, and 5 points to Perception, 5 points to Riding, and 5 points to Stealth
HP: 135/380
Stamina: 105/215
Skill Points: 175 + 68
{Dagger +34
Dagger: +34)
Existing skills: Disabling Traps {25} Lockpicking {25}, Night Vision {20} Perception {20} Riding {20}, Stealth {40}, Survival {25}.
Before they left, Alejander considered picking up the staff, but just poking it with his finger caused a blister to form. Even with the wizard dead, the staff clearly contained latent magic, but Alejander wasn’t keen on letting something so magical remain behind when he could utilize it.
“Stay here,” he said, gesturing at Hera.
She didn’t answer, but she was still sat next to the wizard’s body, so he took that as an affirmative. Jogging back to the room, keeping close to the wall, he tried to stay stealthy, peering around the corner, and only when he could see the room was clear, he darted in and grabbed some of the tattered clothes from the chest.
Thankfully there didn’t seem to be anything in the tunnels and he ran back to where he’d left Hera and the wizard’s corpse. Wrapping the rags around the staff, he paused a moment, and when he didn’t get burned, he grinned at Hera.
“See? Now we have a magical staff.”
Hera tilted her head, giving him a look he couldn’t decipher but was probably mocking him in some way. Sighing, Alejander gestured for her to lead the way and she did, ears once again alert. She was a mess, would definitely need a clean when they got out of this dungeon, but she did look incredibly intimidating. If Alejander had run into her alone, he might have thought twice about engaging, which only made him appreciate having her with him all the more.
Part of him wanted to just teleport straight out of the dungeon now that he was level 10, but he wasn’t willing to let his progress fall by the wayside. If he came close to death, he could at least still gain some more experience. It wasn’t as if he was going to stop now that he could access the bank. He still needed to secure some loot to sell and gain enough money on the outside to rent his own place instead of having to rely on the hotels and motels around the city.
So, he let Hera lead them down the tunnel, keeping the staff in one hand and a tight grip on one of his daggers. He didn’t want to be caught unawares again. There didn’t seem to be anything for a long time. Alejander gave up counting when he got to the sixth minute and the corridor still hadn’t ended.
“This can’t be the end,” he muttered, and Hera’s ears pricked back. “I don’t like this.”
“You shouldn’t,” a voice hissed.
Alejander whirled, dagger coming up automatically, and Hera immediately shoved past him, hackles raised and growling. He couldn’t make out anything and felt a shiver run down his spine when Hera shuffled on her feet, turning in a circle and still growling. Alejander felt uncomfortable until something touched his shoulder, wet and slimy and cold, and he ducked away, letting out a yell.
Tunnel Snake
Level: 10
Description: A tongue that will seek you out and a body strong enough to crush bones – and eyes as mesmerizing as the sun!
Hit Points: {unknown}
Damage: ? {bite} ? {crush} ? {venom}
Reach: Close/Range {bite/crush/venom}
Alejander dropped the staff, letting it roll over to the wall. Ducking into a roll himself, he managed to come up in a crouch a few meters away from the snake. Hera leaped up, jaws snapping around the snake, dragging it down from the ceiling.
The snake was massive, big enough to crush both Alejander and Hera if it wanted to. It lashed out with its tail, clipping Hera on the skull and sending her tumbling away, whining. Alejander swiped the second dagger from his belt and slashed against the snake’s belly, seeing a satisfying cut down the thick, yellow underbelly.
The snake’s head immediately coiled back, teeth sinking into Alejander’s shoulder though he tried to dart out of the way. He grunted, pain thundering down his arm and he wrenched away, feeling the skin break.
You have lost: 30HP
You have been wounded by venom: 10HP every 20 seconds.
Hera was back on her feet, jaws tight around the snake. She started to shake her head, sending ripples down the coils of the snake as she tried to inflict damage. Alejander shoved the pain down and kept his eyes on the snake. It was fast, lashing and coiling with speed that rivaled Alejander’s – the only reason it had been able to catch him before he managed to dart away – but it was slightly slower in reacting.
He narrowed his eyes, pushing up off his feet and plunging the dagger into the snake’s back, dragging it down and watching blood seep out from the wound. The snake hissed, turning back.
“Not so easily killed,” the snake said, tongue flicking out, and Alejander ducked out of the way, feeling the coils start to graze his shoulders. He needed to get out of the way and avoid letting the snake coil around him and squeeze. He was already going to lose more HP because of the venom.
You have lost: 10HP
While the snake was occupied with Alejander, Hera had released the snake’s belly but was latched on to the snake’s tail, gnawing on the rattle. Alejander could see part of it already hanging off, and the snake was hissing in pain, though still trying to get her fangs into Alejander.
Rolling away, Alejander managed to keep out of the way of the coils and lashed upward, watching the belly wind above him. He brought the other dagger up into the stomach and left it there, hoping it would wind itself enough against the floor that it would dig deeper like it had with the wizard. The snake let out a sound that Alejander had never heard from a snake – though he hadn’t spent a long time around them to be honest, unless backstabbing bastards counted as such – but it galvanized him.
You have lost: 10HP
Alejander needed to fix that as soon as possible. He was losing HP too quickly with the venom, and he’d die if he couldn’t kill the snake fast.
Hera leaped onto the back of the snake and Alejander could see her claws dig in, her teeth clamped on the rear of the snake. Though the snake was large, Alejander wrapped an arm around its body and swung himself up on the back, stabbing his dagger into its flesh and holding on. The snake was moving, and he kept a hold on it, feeling the snake shudder and move. Pain was constant as he tried to hold on, and he could hear the heavy breathing and snarling from Hera.
Alejander had no idea how much damage he was causing, but he could see the dagger cutting slowly through the skin. The snake hissed, slamming onto the floor, and then let out another noise, Alejander satisfied that the other dagger was forced hard into his belly.
You have lost: 10HP
The snake’s head twisted back and snapped at Alejander. And although Alejander slid backwards on the back of the snake, he could still feel another of the fangs sinking into his leg. He grunted, feeling sick, and heard the smack of flesh on flesh behind him.
You have lost: 20HP
Alejander jumped down, staring back to see Hera against the wall, whining. The blood on her muzzle was coming down in rivulets against her skin and his heart clenched painfully. He was fast losing HP, but he didn’t want to get this far and not kill the snake.
“One last push,” he said. “One last push and we’re good.”
Hera lifted her head, eyes on him.
“You can do it,” he urged, and dodged out of the way of another lunge from the snake. It wasn’t so fast anymore, and blood was pouring from the various wounds. The one on her belly, the dagger embedded somewher
e in there, was causing a pool of blood beneath her. Alejander used that to his advantage.
“There,” he said, throwing a dagger at the snake, hitting the wound and relishing the sound of the snake’s strangled hiss.
You have lost: 10HP
He could feel his own energy fading, and he leaned against the wall, grateful for whatever reserves of strength Hera managed to find. Her haunches rippled as she leaped against the snake, snagging her claws in its belly and ripping. Alejander watched with disgust as the snake’s body opened, blood and gore and things he’d rather not contemplate spilling onto the floor, along with his dagger. He retched, and the snake let out one last hiss, low and mournful, before it collapsed in a heap.
Alejander leaped forward, shoving at the snake with his good shoulder to give Hera enough room to fall down and out of the way, flopping to the floor and panting heavily.
You have lost: 10HP
Tunnel Snake (lv 10) has died
You have earned 2000 experience points. Congratulations!
You have lost: 50 Stamina
Without thinking, Alejander ducked behind the snake that filled much of the corridor. That made it easier to get around and grab the cloth-covered staff. Darting back to Hera, he wrapped an arm around her neck. They didn’t have enough of anything to continue on with the dungeon, not even with the potions he had saved. So, he grabbed the teleportation stone. He hated to leave without seeing the end of it, but he had to remain level-headed. By playing with fire, he was going to get himself and Hera burned.
Immediately, there was a wrenching in his stomach and the two of them materialized outside the dungeon, back in the clearing. Catching sight of the familiar shape of Greta, Alejander breathed a sigh of relief before another familiar shape appeared above him.
“Hi,” Sardonya said, with a wry grin. “Having fun?”
“No,” Alejander groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. “As you can see, I’m presently dying… So if you would please excuse me.”
Sardonya snorted, and he could see a far-off look in her eyes. He wondered if that was what he looked like every time he was interfacing with the game. “Wow, you did take a beating.”
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