Sure enough, there were stairs nearby, but, it involved crossing a pool of hot lava, and a couple of axes that swung in the air. Kek looked at them, realizing how immense this was, and how they needed to figure out a good plan, and do it fast.
“Fuck,” he said.
“We have to do something,” Alina said.
He looked around, and then looked to Val and Bre.
“You two can make it over quick enough, right?” he asked.
“Yeah, we should,” they said.
“I think we should let Alina go first. Get her over, and then we can all make it,” he said.
They turned to Alina, who was nervous about this.
“I have magic. Maybe I can freeze the lava,” she said.
“What about the axes though?” Bre asked.
Kek saw on his HUD that Alina had leveled up a while ago, but had forgotten to use it.
“Alina, you have a level up, you know,” he pointed out.
“Oh, I do,” she said.
She looked at it, staring at the magic, and there was one that caught her eye.
Stop: The ability to stop the movement of an object’s time for a brief moment. Used when delivering combo attacks, or having to stop a moving item.
She immediately chose this one, adding it to her arsenal.
“I think I have a means to get past this,” she said.
They looked at her new power, the power of stopping time. Kek nodded, understanding.
“You think you can handle it?” he asked.
It would require some dexterity, but Alina had faith in herself. “I'll take it slow.”
The first thing she did was walk on the bar. She felt her feet stay there precariously, looking at the first ax. It swung back and forth, like a foreboding omen. She then closed her eyes, saying the spell.
“Stop!” she cried out.
The ax then stopped. She walked over, realizing it only lasted about five seconds. That was more than enough time though.
She had three more axes to go. She got to the second one, using the spell once again, and then the third one. However, the fourth ax was slightly faster, and as she looked at it, anxiety filled her body.
“It’ll be okay,” she said. She looked at the ax as it continued to move, and then, she said it once more.
“Stop!” she said.
But, this one didn’t stop. That’s right, she had low MP. She looked in her bag, finding an ether, and she hoped that this would be enough.
“Stop!” she said once again.
This time, it did stop, but only for a second. She immediately grew wary, wondering if she could even stop this thing.
“Fuck, what should I do?” she asked herself.
She then closed her eyes once more, preparing for the last incantation, and then, she did it again.
“Stop!” she uttered the final time.
This time, it finally did stop. It was relieving, that’s for sure, and when she got over to the other side, she looked at all of them, smiling.
“I did it!” she said.
The spell was enough to help her get over, and Kek knew that with a little bit of leveling, she’d make it. The others then started to move, with each of them using their own ways to get over.
First was Faye., who simply flew all around each of the axes, not caring about much. This was easy, and Kek felt a little jealous because she had the upper hand.
Then there was Bre, fast and agile Bre. Her agility only grew with time, and these axes were nothing for her. She managed to maneuver past each one, getting back onto solid ground like it was nothing.
Then there was Val, who despite her awkwardness, had enough dexterity to get over to the other side. It was pretty nice to see her make it, and Kek felt happy.
Then, there was him. The final member. He went past the first couple of axes fine, both of them not that slow but not super fast. It was the final one that got him.
When he got to the final one, he felt the swing of the ax create a breeze, practically knocking him off. He began to wait until it was at the peak, and he soon moved.
He thought it was fine, but this ax went way faster. He braced himself for the impact, but then, he heard a sound.
“Stop,” Alina said.
The ax stopped. Kek scrambled over, looking at Alina with gratitude.
“Thank you so much,” he told her with a smile.
She looked back at him, and then stepped back. He fell in with the rest of them, seeing the stairs.
They started to climb, watching for any traps. When they got to the top, Kek felt a strong presence along the other side of the door. He looked to the group, who all seemed very tired, and he spoke.
“I think we should camp here. If we go any further, we’re going to hit trouble,” he said to them.
They nodded, each of them planting themselves down on the ground. Kek sat against the wall, and Alina joined him.
“You good?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m just...happy, that’s all,” she said.
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Because I managed to survive,” she said.
Kek smiled, patting her head. “I did too. You’re a big part of this, and I’m happy to have you,” he said.
“Same here,” she replied.
The two of them turned in together, and Kek felt happy, but also worried about tomorrow. He knew that there were many factors at play here, and a lot of dangers that would present themselves, and he couldn’t help but wonder if they would all make it, or if it would be their last night together.
24
When they all finally woke up, they looked at their stats. According to the HUD, everyone was fully recovered, including their MP. Kek knew what would happen soon, and while he felt ready to face it, at the same time, he knew that it was going to be rough.
The first foe would be Lily. Why had she betrayed them? What was her reason for that? Kek didn’t have the knowledge, but he wished he did. Alina on the other hand, grimaced as she looked at the doorway.
“I know why she did it, but that doesn’t make me any less pissed off,” she muttered.
“What do you mean?” Kek asked.
“The way she acted. It was as if Sephy had taken away something important, and that's why she acted the way that she did.”
Kek listened to this, remembering that Lily had said something about her mother. Alina sighed, looking at Kek with a forlorn glance.
“I've seen this before. He did it to her. Val’s mom,” Alina said.
“You knew my mother,” Val asked, interrupting the exchange.
Alina nodded. “Yeah, let me tell you a bit about Galinda. She was your mother, and one of my former best friends. And someone killed at the hands of Sephy. I fear Lily may be in the same situation,” she told Kek.
“Then we have to stop this,” he said.
“I don’t know how much of this can be stopped,” she told him.
He pursed his lips, sighing in frustration at this. He didn’t know what to do here, but then Val spoke.
“You can do it. I mean, I know my mom didn’t make it. I still feel upset when I think about it, but...I’m happy to be here now. To save people,” she said.
“And that’s exactly what we are doing here,” Alina said.
“Yeah. Let’s try to save everyone,” he replied.
They all got ready, heading toward the doorway and feeling the presence of evil. When they opened it, however, instead of being met with a dark, scary place, there was something almost beautiful about it.
Waterfalls crashed down on each side, and as Alina stepped in, she paused.
“Lily is here. This is the waterfall maze. Only certain waterfalls lead you out of here. We must be careful,” she said.
The group listened to Alina, following the orders the young witch possessed. Faye trailed behind, looking at the sights and then scoffing.
“Stupid big-titted witch, always getting all the attention,” she muttered to herself.
“It’s a fake. This leads to a dead end,” she told them.
“How do you know?” Faye asked.
“Because I can feel the doorway. It’s rough here. There is an enchantment here too. It’s part of the wisdom I've achieved as a witch,” she told them.
Kek listened with intent, feeling completely surprised by her actions. Faye seemed annoyed, but that was just Faye.
“Right. Whatever,” she said.
“No need to be so upset,” Kek teased.
Faye ignored the jab, and they followed Alina to the other doorway. She touched it, pushing all of them in.
She led them through the maze, and as she did so, Bre looked around. She noticed that the walls were closing in behind them.
“Have you noticed that we aren’t able to go back?” she asked.
“It seems like every choice we make has an impact on our pathway,” Kek said.
That meant this left no room for mistakes.
They continued on, and Alina seemed almost professional in each of her movements, moving everyone through the place as fast as she could. But, partially through she stopped, looking at the doorway. It was the last one, and something seemed off about it.
“What’s the matter?” Kek inquired.
“This one doesn’t have an obvious seal. I...I can’t tell the real from the fake,” she muttered.
She looked disappointed, but Kek touched her shoulder.
“There has to be a way to figure it out,” he said.
“I can try to use my magic, but I don’t know,” she said.
“Do you have any spells that may work?” Kek asked.
She looked into her arsenal, but she shook her head.
“No. Nothing,” she replied.
This wasn’t good. They could be stuck here forever for all he knew. He looked at the group, and then back at the structure. They could either try this by taking a chance, or something else.
However, it was Bre who pointed to the wall, noticing some strange lights.
“What’s that up there?” she asked.
She pointed to a structure that was attached to what looked like a piece of dynamite. He could barely see in the distance with his kobold abilities, but as he looked at it, he shook his head.
“That's not the way to go. Don’t follow the red,” he said.
“But why?” Faye said.
“That’s dynamite. I can see it.”
He could barely make it out, but it was definitely a trap set by the enemy. Alina looked at him, a bit scared.
“Are you positive?”
“Yes. I am,” he said to her.
She paused, looking at this, trying to take it in, and then nodded.
“Fair enough. I’ll trust you,” she said to him.
She began to walk, with the rest of them following. Kek did the same, looking into the distance. The area closed behind him, and when they got to the other side, they heard it: the stick of dynamite had blown. Apparently the walls had a trigger.
If he hadn’t realized this, they would've been toast.
The sudden shock of all of this moved through his body. He couldn't believe this. He just couldn't. When they all made their way out of there, he turned to the party and spoke.
“That was just...wow. I didn’t think we’d be that close to death,” he said.
“You saved us though. Thank you,” Val added.
The party thanked Kek, and he smiled. He looked in the distance, seeing what seemed to be a stage there.
“Let’s go try to save Lily, once and for all,” he said.
The group made their way in there, about to hit the main attraction, and the show was about to begin.
25
When they got through the doorway, the first thing everyone noticed was how it felt so different compared to the rest of the dungeon. It felt like there was something hidden in here, and as Kek moved forward, he saw a glimmer of light.
“What is going on here?” he asked himself.
“Beats me. It’s not Lily, though. This person is much stronger,” Alina said.
They looked forward, and a woman stepped out. She looked a lot like Alina, and for a second, he could’ve sworn they were sisters. The woman smiled.
“I see you’re doing well, Alina,” she said.
“You sided with her too, Vera?” she asked the young woman.
“Course. When you off and betrayed the lot, I had to do something. Sephy was so mad that you did it, and Darius is quite upset with this too. So they sent me, to go fight against you, and to take you out. Lucky for you, I have enough magic to decimate this entire party,” she said.
The group looked at her with concern, and Kek then spoke.
“You won’t win that easily.”
“Shut up, kobold. This fight isn’t yours,” the lady snapped.
“Fuck you, Vera. They’re my comrades. They can help if they want,” Alina said.
“No, I want to test your luck my dear. This is between the two of us,” she told Alina with a smile.
Suddenly, a magical wall appeared, pushing everyone back. Vera looked at Alina, and Kek studied the HUD, looking to see what may happen.
Name: Vera
Race: Elf
Stats:
STR: 3, DEX: 10, CON: 15, INT: 23, WIS: 34, CHA: 14, LCK: 35
Whoa, that luck stat was no joke! Kek stared at it, realizing that she was up against someone much stronger than he’d imagined. He watched as Vera and Alina squared up against one another. Bre almost stepped in, but Kek put his hand up.
“No. It’s their fight,” he said.
“But--”
“We can’t do anything about this. It’s not our fight. I guess Alina has some history with her. I worry about that luck stat, though. It’s strong,” he said.
“Looks like the kobold isn’t just some dumb little bear,” the lady muttered.
Suddenly, an array of cards sprung from mid-air, and Vera held onto them. Soon, the area around them turned into a table, upon which a bunch of cards sat.
“So, you care to play a game?” she asked Alina.
“You’ll pay for this,” Alina said.
Suddenly, a couple of the cards rushed toward Alina. It was only by the help of her dexterity stat that she managed to move out of the way of the first attack.
“You insolent little brat. It’s funny that my one apprentice I actually missed would show up again like this. It’s a fitting end to your pathetic life,” she told Alina.
“You’re the one who’s going to get it,” Alina said.
The cards swished on by, and she nimbly got out of the way of every one. Alina could feel her body growing tired though, fatigue hitting her.
“Shit, she needs to attack, and fast,” Val said.
Kek watched as Vera looked over at the small girl.
“Wait a minute, are you Gelinda’s daughter?” Vera asked.
The young girl looked at Alina, and then she nodded.
“Why?”
“Because I’ve been wondering what happened. I did have a part in killing your mother, dearie. She came to see me, and Sephy was the one who finished the job. And now, I’m going to kill Alina here right before your very eyes,” Vera said.
Suddenly, the air became tenser. Vera and Alina started to cast spell after spell. The magic Alina had been holding back was finally coming into play. Kek looked at the stats Alina possessed, shocked that it had gone up by about twenty or so points in wisdom and intelligence. Her dexterity had gone up by about five, and luck by seven.
It was then that Kek realized what she was doing.
She was tapping into a power he could see on his HUD, something that shocked even him.
Witch Power: A special power only high-level witches or those who possess the right number of spells can do. Increases all stats, but defense starts to gradually decrease as time goe
s on.
So she was taking this type of risk? It worried him, but it seemed like she knew what she was doing. He braced himself, watching the sight.
The women fought, firing off an array of brightly-colored spells.. Alina gained the upper hand and took the opportunity to read off a longer spell.
It hit Vera, but then Vera shot out a card spell, one that was just as strong, and due to her weakened defenses, Alina fell back. The party watched as she struggled to get up, and Val tried her best not to cry.
“Alina!” she said.
Alina snapped up again and grinned, looking at the group of people before staring at the other woman.
“Don’t worry about me, guys. I’ve got this,” she said.
But did she really? That was what Kek wanted to know.
But there was an obvious wound on her body. She had to win fast.
She closed her eyes, and Vera got ready to summon another card spell.
“Lady luck, obliterate this--”
“Stop,” Alina cried out very quickly.
Vera was frozen in place. It was Alina’s turn to attack again. She opened her book, looking at the contents, and that’s when she found it...
“Oh, great Mother Nature, send your crushing waves against this treacherous cur! Smite them, and show them the power of nature!”
A glowing light emanated from the book, and soon, a tidal wave of penetrating water hit Vera, throwing her all the way back and making her fall to the ground. Alina watched, sighing in relief. She had done it, but was it enough?
She watched as the other woman started to get up, and Alina moved away from the water, holding her hands up.
“Come forth, lightning!” she said.
A shocking bolt of lightning zapped Vera, hitting her square in the chest. She then fell back, obviously dead. As she faded away, so did the water, and the force field was gone. However, Alina soon felt her own stamina start to give in, and she fell down on the ground, sighing in pain.
“Are you okay?” Kek said as he came over.
“Yeah. I just...I need a minute,” she said.
He held her in his arms, his strong kobold body feeling her curves. Faye looked at her, and then she chanted a spell.
“It’s a healing spell. I’m not doing this because I like you Alina, but because we need to continue on forward,” she said.
Deeper Down: A Monster MC LitRPG (Kobold's Quest Book 2) Page 10
