The Slayer

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  We split with Taryn and headed down the left passage, taking note of the strange markings on the walls. Was something intelligent living down here? Perhaps we didn’t want to find out.

  Eventually the tunnel emptied out into a large chamber with unrefined walls and a much taller celling. A pungent smell lingered in the air, a smell that matched the brownish color of the water that covered the floor of this underground chasm. All in all, it was quite unpleasant.

  Despite the massive size of the room, we could still see a small opening on the far end of the chamber… a way out. I pulled a piece of cloth out of my inventory and wrapped it around my face to fight the smell, then lifted my torch and led the charge.

  Surprisingly, the water was much deeper than we assumed. After just a few steps I was waist deep in the brown muck, nearly gagging from the odor that had fully engulfed the area.

  “This had better not stain my damned robes.” Helena said as she waded into the murky pool. The water was quite cold down here beneath the surface, which brought a surprising amount of discomfort to the warlock. Still, despite her complaints she soldiered on.

  Once fully into the chamber, I noticed a peculiar sight. Lining the walls were stones of varied sizes that glowed a faint red hue. They looked quite a bit like Aether stones, though every one of those I’d seen before had shined a shimmering blue.

  “Dark Aether.” Brenton said, noticing the curious look on my face as I made my inspection. “Often found in subterranean levels such as these. They offer a field bonus to wielders of dark magic, like necromancers or,”

  “Warlocks.” Helena said with a grin, lifting a clenched fist into the air. Perhaps they would come in handy then.

  After making it nearly halfway through the massive pool of water, Brenton gripped my shoulder, bringing the group to a halt. “We’re not alone.” He whispered into my ear, his spectacled eyes scanning the chamber in a fervor.

  I took a quick look around but saw nothing. “What do you mean? I don’t see,”

  “There.” He interrupted, pointing to a spot in the water. Tiny waves rippled towards our location before disappearing a few feet away. “You see that,” Brenton continued. “The waves should be moving away from our direction. If they’re moving towards us, then…”

  Suddenly, something burst out of the shallow pool behind us, eliciting a scream from longshot. I turned, summoning nevermore to my grasp as I prepared to face whatever lurked beneath the water. Unfortunately, Longshot and his assailant were nowhere to be found.

  “It took him!” Hilda said as she heaved her mace onto her shoulder, shield held out defensively.

  Brenton raised his gloved hands into the air, quickly preparing a rune as the four of us moved in closer together. “Keep your eyes keen. Look for any sign on Longshot!” he said, his voice uncharacteristically frantic.

  The water in front of us rippled before another form emerged, gasping for air, eyes full of terror… it was longshot! He reached to his face, patting at a large laceration that ran over his nose and across his cheek. With a paled expression he gasped, “They’re everywhere.”

  Several more forms began emerging from the muck around us. They stood tall like men, though they bore scaly bodies and sported long talons on the ends of their fingers. Each of them had a long snout with razor-sharp teeth and tales that twitched in the water. Their beady eyes focused on us with every intent to kill… there had to be nearly a dozen of them!

  “The l’karri.” Brenton said in a hushed tone. “A breed of subterranean lizardmen. They’re quite territorial.”

  The creatures circled us, searching for the right time to strike, snapping their jaws together in a taunting fashion. Many of them had power levels that rivaled our own…. We were their prey.

  Or so they thought.

  “Hilda, now!” I yelled, catching the creatures off guard. She stepped forward hoisting her mace in to the air like a beacon before slamming it down onto her shield and activating her new taunt skill, Shieldmaster’s Challenge

  Most of the creatures turned on her, diving in with claws outstretched as they sought out the soft flesh hiding under her armor. She let out another roar, activating stance: Stalwart and bolstering her own defenses.

  Helena squared off against the three l’karri that were out the taunt’s range. Her eyes flickered with a soft red glow as she let out a howl that could rival that of a banshee.

  Psychic Scream

  Warlock spell

  Confuse nearby foes for 5-10 seconds with a magically enhanced wail

  The lizardmen grabbed at their heads as they flailed about through the water, eyes squeezed shut in pain. Brenton and I rushed towards Hilda as longshot made his way towards the far wall, searching for a perch to use his bow. Razyr leapt into my palm, changing into the drake sword as I slashed away at the nearest scaly beast, eliminating its health bar in a quick series of strikes.

  Beside me, Brenton activated a conflagration rune and doused a pair of the creatures in flame. For being relatively unfamiliar with each other, our group was working together quite well.

  That’s when I noticed the reinforcements.

  Several more lizardmen emerged from the muck, diving towards Brenton and I with claws outstretched. I lifted my drake sword to parry, then swung nevermore in a wide arc, clipping one of the creature’s midsections while forcing the others back.

  Brenton grunted in pain as a one of the l’karri slipped by my defenses and stabbed its claws into his shoulder. Instinctively, he activated a rune of destruction to escape the creature’s clutches.

  The blast sent the lizard careening straight into my back, throwing me off balance as I tumbled into the murky depths. Dirty water stung at my eyes and seeped into my field plate, making it difficult to rise.

  I began to surface when another l’karri leapt onto my back, forcing me into the water once more. They were going to drown me if I didn’t do something. I focused on my skillset, then activated lunging strike. Muscles twitched as I lunged directly upward, ramming nevermore through one of the creature’s necks and sending the other staggering away.

  My eyes darted back and forth between my companions. Hilda was in bad shape, overwhelmed and taking heavy damage from several of the lizard-like creatures. Brenton wasn’t much better, struggling to fend off a l’karri that had wrapped its scaly hands around his neck. I looked in Longshot’s direction, but he was nowhere to be found… likely taken again by the creatures. We were falling fast, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t save them all… hell, I wasn’t even sure if I could survive myself!

  It was then that I noticed Helena. She stood at the center of the chamber, a grin on her face despite the l’karri closing in on her location. Her eyes glowed with that soft red hue as she lifted an object into the air, a curved obsidian horn. With an incoherent chant, she plunged the horn into the water, then remained very still.

  The muck around her bubbled as a creature began to emerge from its depths. Standing nearly eight feet tall, the creature sported leathery red skin stretched over layers of muscle. Atop its head were a pair of curved horns blacker than night. Helena let out a maniacal laugh.

  She had summoned a demon.

  22

  I’m not sure what I expected when Helena plunged that horn into the water, but it certainly wasn’t this… a towering horned behemoth from the infernal realm!

  Helena strode up to the creature’s side with confidence, then ordered it to strike down the l’karri nearest her. The demon charged forward, goring the first of the lizardmen with its curved horns before scooping up another l’karri and ripping its arm off with ease.

  By the gods, it was listening to her… but how?! I gave the demon a quick inspection as it tore into a third helpless l’karri nearby.

  Berylistraxxetaz

  Greater Demon

  Lvl: 18

  This thing was a powerhouse, way beyond anything we’d encountered before. Thankfully, we had nothing to worry about with a creature like this o
n our side…

  My heart dropped as I watched the demon charge forward and slam its horns into Brenton and the l’karri strangling him. It wasn’t a direct hit, but it was enough to leave a nasty gash on Brenton’s side and send him spiraling into the muck.

  The demon let out an otherworldly roar, then hoisted the flailing l’karri up and ripped its head from its shoulders. It then turned and began dashing towards Hilda and her attackers. Helena’s expression soured. This thing, this demon wasn’t listening to Helena… it was attacking anything it could get its hands on!

  What had she done.

  I got a glimpse of Hilda’s face amidst the chaos of battle… she was pained but she remained resolute. Then she caught a glimpse of the charging demon and her eyes went wide.

  Hilda threw up her shield as the demon smashed into her group. L’karri bodies went crashing into the muck as crimson horns tore through scaly flesh. Hilda grunted as the horns met her shield, sending sparks into the air before the impact knocked her into the water. As she rose, the beast snatched her up by the neck, hoisting her in the air with ease despite her heavy plate armor.

  No, no! It was going to kill her!

  Without thinking, I activated lunging strike and slammed my blade into the demon’s back. The tip of nevermore pierced the creature’s skin but the blade wouldn’t go any further, halted by the demon’s thick hide. It didn’t even seem to notice me!

  I placed my foot into the demon’s back and tried to yank my blade free. It was no use! The demon’s free hand lurched towards Hilda, claws ready to tear at her flesh. I couldn’t let her die, not like this!

  “NO!” A resounding roar echoed through the chamber, bringing even the mighty demon pause. The beast released Hilda back into the muck and turned to face the voice… the voice of Helena.

  There she stood among the floating bodies of the dead l’karri, energy flowing from the dark Aether manifesting around her like a pair of giant crimson wings. Her eyes glowed with an intensity that I had never seen before… she almost looked demonic herself.

  “Heed my commands, Berylistraxxetaz! I have summoned you from the infernal realm… you are under my control now!” Her voice had taken on a noticeable change, causing it to sound deep and otherworldly.

  The demon, hearing her words loud and clear, lowered its horns and began to charge. I prepared to jump in but paused. Oddly, Helena remained steadfast, staring the creature down as it made its approach.

  Chains of corruption emerged from the water, entrapping the demon as Helena activated her spell. The horned beast came to a sudden halt as the chains tightened, then began thrashing about in the water, a bloodlust in its eyes.

  One chain snapped, then another, as the demon inched ever closer to freedom.

  “Activate rune: Binding!” Brenton’s voice came as a surprise as he approached from the left, laying a binding spell on the already struggling demon. He was nursing a wound on his side and his glasses lay crooked on his face, but he was still in this fight to be sure.

  “Yield to me, Beryl!” Helena growled, stepping closer. She seemed more powerful than she had just a moment ago. The Aether was feeding her its energies… but would it be enough? The demon howled back at her in protest, then in a sudden burst of strength, tore through its chains and bindings!

  I dashed in between them hoisting my blades up defensively, but the demon swatted me away before I could even set my stance. Helena’s eyes went wide as the creature reached for her… then something happened.

  A wave of energy cascaded down her arm, pooling in the palm of her outstretched hand. It glowed brightly, showering the area in a crimson light then dimmed as the energy took shape. Suddenly, the red energy solidified, taking the form of a small creature with skin the color of stone. It crouched in her palm, thought barely able to fit, with wings outstretched and two curved horns jutting into the air. The grin it wore on its face displayed a row of teeth that were sharp like swords. By all accounts, the creature looked just like a gargoyle.

  “You know the rules!” It yelled. “Heed my master’s call! Or I’ll make sure your scarping dung off of the lowest levels of the infernal realm!” Was that thing scolding the demon?!

  Surprisingly, the demon yielded, taking a knee in front of Helena and her little beast. Still wide-eyed, she reached out with her free hands and uttered the words of dismissal. The demon began to sink into the mucky water, before a final burst of hellfire rose up to consume the creature, banishing it from whence it came. Helena collapsed to her knees, exhausted.

  “Wha… what the hell just happened?” I said, rushing over to her side. Razyr let out a growl at the gargoyle creature as it scampered up to Helena’s shoulder.

  “I…. don’t know.” She said through labored breaths. “Once we entered this chamber I felt all this power…I tried to use my summon lesser demon spell that I’d picked up, but ended up calling forth that monstrosity.

  “It’s the field bonus.” Brenton said as he hoisted Hilda to her feet. “The dark Aether empowered your spells… perhaps more so than you would’ve liked.”

  “But… how did I stop it?” Helena said, finally rising back to her feet. “Was that you?” She cocked her head to lock eyes with the gargoyle perched on her shoulder. The thing wore a devilish grin on its face, a look that served the little beast well. “I heard you call me your… master?”

  The creature scowled at her. “So what, I bonded with you, and gave you a nice little boost of power I might add. Don’t make a big freakin deal about it… I was tired of being stuck as a sprite in this cave watching these damn lizard people mate like rabbits!”

  Helena grinned as she gave the creature a pat on the head. “Did you threaten the demon?”

  The gargoyle shrugged. “He knows his place. He shouldn’t have tried to sneak his way into the realm and bully you around.” Helena chuckled. Somehow, I knew these two would be perfect together.

  Doomswell

  Umbra Familiar (Bonded)

  With the skirmish finally over, we were all awarded a hefty amount of experience points…. nearly enough to gain a level! Brenton was running low on mana, so we elected to use just one healing rune on Hilda. The rest of us would have to function with our wounds until we escaped.

  We did a quick look-over of the chamber, finding little more than crude tools and strange discolored meat that the lizardmen had likely been chewing on. As I waded through the muck, something brushed up against my body, making me jump. I turned while summoning nevermore, though I quickly realized the weapon wasn’t necessary. Floating in the brown water next to me was the torn body of longshot. His lifeless eyes stared at the darkened celling of the cavern as he floated, his neck torn out and drained.

  “Brenton.” I said solemnly. He pointed his torch in my direction before bowing his head in mourning. Slowly, he made his way to my side and inspected the body of his fallen comrade.

  “He was a decent man.” Brenton said with sadness. “A shame he had to go like this, miles under the surface trapped in filth.”

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “We can avenge him… we can end all of this and ensure his death wasn’t meaningless.”

  Brenton nodded. “Perhaps… but first we have to make it out of this cave.”

  I nodded, then began to make my way towards the cavern’s exit on the far wall.

  “Wait.” Brenton said. I turned and watched as he removed something from Longshot’s cold grasp… a bow. “Take this.” He said, offering me the weapon. “Longshot was a great companion and a loyal friend. Perhaps you can do this bow some justice.”

  The weapon glowed a faint blue as I took it in my grasp, a marvelous longbow finely crafted from a pale wood.

  You have acquired:

  Eagleshot

  Masterwork Longbow

  Enchantment: Bonds

  “May your arrows land true to protect those that you care for”

  I nodded, slinging the bow over my shoulder. “I promise, I will do it and him justice.”
<
br />   The four of us regrouped in the center of the chamber and began to make our way towards the exit. That is, before the sound of splashing brought us pause. I turned as Taryn made his way towards the group, his face emotionless but unharmed.

  “Taryn.” Brenton greeted the rogue with a nod. “What have you found?”

  The man responded in an almost robotic voice. “I have found a way out. Please, follow me.” His was rigid in his movements, more like a puppet than a person.

  “Somethings… not right.” Razyr whispered into my ear. He was correct, something was off… though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

  Taryn turned and began walking in the opposite direction. It was then that I noticed it. Concealed in the shadows near the entrance stood a creature with long tentacles protruding from it tiny skull. Its thin body was covered in a leathery robe and decorated with various pieces of bone.

  A mind flayer.

  My eyes went wide as I turned to flee, to escape the influence of that terrible creature. That’s when the voices began in my head.

  23

  Sweat ran down by brow and into the folds of my armor as I heaved another large stone out of the way. It was a simple task really, clearing out one of the old stone tunnels likely built by some ancient race… but it was what my masters wanted, so it had to be done.

  Working down here was fulfilling, like a calling that I’d always been searching for… And the masters, the masters were so kind! They allowed us to bask in their superior intelligence, to devote our lives to the hive…. Very few beings in Aetheria were ever so lucky!

  The torch on the wall flickered as I continued to move stone after heavy stone, inching my way further into the once buried catacomb. My muscles ached, but I ignored the pain. Pain was irrelevant in service to the hive.