Void Legion

by Terry C. Simpson

  The revenant screeched. A piercing sound that echoed, felt as if it cut into Setnana’s soul. For a few seconds, she could do nothing. It took but a moment to recognize the entire group was silenced. None of them could cast a spell.

  Djare got to work, hacking away at the gargantuan revenant, his body reaching no higher than the thing’s knee. He positioned it facing away from everyone.

  Khafra took up a spot at an angle off to Djare’s right. His vambraces rose and fell as he pummeled the beast. Their two mystics shifted into place between the main group and the two warriors.

  “I think they have it,” Setnana called out as the silence wore off. “Everyone attack.”

  The marauders, cutthroats, and dementers rushed into melee range. Their weapons rose and fell as they chopped and sliced into Mezanir’s back. An array of spells shot across distance, lighting up the room. They exploded upon impact. Marksmen loosed arrows in quick succession.

  Setnana waited. She was by far the most powerful of the lot. Allowing them a good lead before unleashing hell was only fair. She cast Mimic twice. Copies of herself appeared to either side of her. She summoned a defiler and a nightmare, the latter an ethereal black mass that constantly changed shape.

  Mezanir spread its massive dark wings and flapped once. A great wind knocked back everyone in melee range. It kicked up dust and debris. But before Mezanir moved, Khafra had Spurted back to the revenant. Djare followed a moment later. The rest of the melee re-engaged.

  Every melee must have taken damage, because the mystics hurled a wave of the red and blue motes of Mikander’s Tears and Blood onto them. Setnana did not know the particulars of how a mystic perceived a wound. But somehow they knew who and when to heal.

  The revenant screeched time and again. Whether in agony or anger, Setnana could not tell. Nor did she care.

  Mezanir spread its wings again. When it flapped, there was no wind. Instead, over a dozen black feathers streaked through the air like spears, headed for her group.

  Sorcerers threw up a barrier of interconnected red and blue Aether Shields. The feathers smacked into the barrier and fell harmlessly to the ground. One of the sorcerers had not paid attention. The spiked end of a feather protruded from his back. He stared sightlessly then keeled over.

  Between Mezanir’s horns, the tendrils of void energy pulsed. The pulses grew faster and faster. Setnana had an ill-feeling.

  “Everyone but Khafra and Djare, fall back!” she yelled. “Mystics, Mikander’s Tears on them. Now!”

  Blue motes flew through the air. They landed on Khafra and Djare, seeped into their skin.

  All but two cutthroats in the group followed her orders. Those two continued to stab and slice into Mezanir. She prayed they were ready to engage Escape or Cloak, for the pulse was now too fast to separate the beats.

  The pulse stopped.

  A blast of void energy shot out in a circular wave from Mezanir. Khafra, Djare, and the two disobedient cutthroats screamed. But while Khafra and Djare buckled for a moment before continuing to fight, the cutthroats crumpled to the ground. Poisonous void energy rose like mist from the bodies of all four.

  Mezanir was folded over like a great sleeping bird. Its chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm.

  “Purifying Touch,” she yelled. “Vitalize and Suppression. Get that ailment off Khafra and Djare.” The mystics ran forward to comply. “The rest of you… ATTACK!”

  Setnana had a sense they would not survive another Void Pulse. She called upon Metamorphosis. Her horns grew longer. Her body swelled, her muscles growing bigger and stronger. Her robes adjusted with her new form. She was the image of a demon from the old tomes about the Titan War. Aether energy filled her to brimming.

  She applied Necrosis to Mezanir to increase her shadow damage. Then, she let loose. Shadow Globe, Shadow Flame, and Shadow Flare shot forth in quick succession. She added Plague, an ailment whose damage increased with each tick until a final explosion. Teeth gritted, she cast and cast again as fast as she could.

  Her mimics copied her every move. The summoned defiler’s specialty was an empowered Shadow Globe, which it cast every few seconds. The nightmare flung Nether Lances.

  Across the threshold, Khafra had employed Dementia. He too, was now in full attack mode. He was a raging, dark-skinned, blue-armored blur of destruction.

  Mezanir shook itself. It let out a screech. One more round of the knock back and spears repeated. The Void Pulse built again.

  Breathing labored, desperation clawing at her chest, Setnana continued to cast. Mezanir’s pulse sped up. Setnana let out a primal shout, trying to will herself to unleash more spells.

  The final pulse came. A pause. The world slowed.

  Mezanir let out a plaintive cry and pitched backward. The melee scattered. The void beast hit the ground, cracking the floor, and sending up a shower of dust.

  Cheers echoed in a deafening roar. People hugged each other. Setnana let out a long slow breath. And then, she grinned.

  The Cure

  Objective Complete

  Defeat the Maze Guardian

  Defeated Dungeon Guardian Mezanir:

  5000 experience points

  5000 Ignis dominion credits

  “Back here!” someone yelled. “The treasure.”

  Setnana approached tentatively. The area smelled of scorched flesh and spells. Behind the corpse were two golden chests. She wanted so much to open them but dreaded not finding that which she needed most.

  “Go on,” Ihuet said from behind her. “You deserve this.”

  Setnana flipped open the lid. A shard was inside. Suppression. Try as she might, she couldn’t help the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “Praise be to Nif.” She drew an X on her forehead.

  In that moment she heard Papa’s voice. A Botros shows no weakness. Strength always.

  “Yes, Papa,” she whispered under her breath.

  The Cure

  Objective Complete

  Retrieve Empowered Suppression

  Acquire one of three skills to cure the Gray Death:

  2000 experience points

  2000 Khertahka dominion credits

  2000 Ignis dominion credits

  She dabbed her face with the sleeve of her dress, straightened her shoulders, and proceeded to the next chest. Nif wouldn’t smile on me so brightly as to allow me to find Benediction right here, would she?

  Whispering prayers, she eased the lid up. Her eyes widened at the sight of a smooth wooden shaft. Her belly fluttered. Wider and wider, she lifted the lid. Until she could see the entire weapon. Her breath left her in a whoosh.

  Though the item was a hierka, it was not the one she sought. This was a rare storm lance named Mezanir’s Coil. Made from polished korbitanium, the weapon was a bit over five feet, intricate designs etched into its length. A large yellow pear-shaped gem was set into the top. The bottom was where the weapon earned its name as a lance, the edge glinting in the bloomglobe light.

  I should have known better than to think this would be so easy. She waved to Ihuet. “Hold it until we return to Aprunis.”

  “Yes, Nomarch.” The storm lance disappeared into Ihuet’s inventory.

  Setnana did not allow her disappointment to linger. She strode past Mezanir’s huge carcass and crossed the room to the door set between two pillars. Its surface was completely black. She could see nothing beyond. Draconid writing adorned a plaque above the opening.

  Setnana closed her eyes and calmed her fluttering heart. All that was left were the fugitives and the emperor. Black emptiness stared back at her from the opening.

  “Khafra, Djare, lead,” she called. The two warriors stepped up beside her. “Everyone else, be prepared to either fight the master of this place, the fugitives we’ve been chasing, or both. Either way, we end t
his.”

  CHAPTER 37

  After Frost’s group cleared the first room, they avoided mobs by running to another door. On the fourth occasion, they emerged in a room they had already entered. One with void wolves. They killed the wolves and took the door directly across once more. They encountered nalarr, whom they dispatched with brutal efficiency.

  “Twenty-five minutes left,” Frost called out after they’d cleared the room of the tiger-like beasts.

  His mind conjured ideas of the gruesome deaths awaiting them when the time expired. Either an endless zerg of mobs. Or traps. Maybe death by gas. Or an enraged Emperor KiGyaba would spawn on top of them. He refused to believe nothing changed.

  “Room thirteen.” Gilda indicated the numbers emblazoned in black on each wall. “I think we’ve gone far enough in.”

  “Agreed.” Frost nodded. “Now, we just gotta be ready to run through another door if Setnana’s group shows up. Everyone’s gotta stay together. No matter what. If they show, follow Dante. Everyone got that?” He waited for them to acknowledge him with a nod or a yes. “Saba, place traps at every door.”

  The marksman set about the task. Frost eyed the doors. Above each was at least one letter etched into the stone. The two directly ahead had U and B. The two behind had D and A. On the left, the doors were marked L and Se. To the right was R and St. He had a strong suspicion as to what the U, D, L, R represented. He was uncertain about the others.

  “What now?” He looked to Gilda.

  “Now, I get to see if I’m as smart as I think I am.”

  “Do your thing.”

  Gilda closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed. “If I’m right, we return to room one, and the numbers to each room will change in some sort of sequence as we go.” Gilda opened her eyes, the green of them as intoxicating as ever. “There should be ten rooms to solve. Then the next takes us to the hall before the emperor’s throne room. We don’t have time to clear, so we’re going to run through. Dante, you’ll lead to get aggro if needed.”

  “Got it.” Dante nodded.

  “Keep Tears and Blood ready, Sigrid,” Frost said. His pulse sped up. He itched for the action to come. “Saba and Gilda, you’re with me on snare and stun duty.”

  “Let’s do this,” Dante said.

  Gilda led them to the door with an L. “Initially, we’re just going in and out the same door. Give everyone a moment to get in then we step back. We’ll do that until we’re in room one again.”

  “Okay,” Dante said. “Here goes.” He stepped through.

  Frost and the others followed. They appeared in room fifteen. Void wolves were at the other end and did not aggro. The group stepped back. Room eighteen. Growling nalarr rushed them. Frost fired off Concussion Blast. The group reversed direction.

  Room 1

  It was still empty from the earlier clear.

  “Alright,” Gilda said. “Down to business. Dante, pay attention. In this room and the next, you’ll choose the door with U. Then it’s D and another D. So, when you go through the second U door, wait for everyone. Then do like we just did: step back because that U will be a D on the other side. We then head down to the next D. After that, I’ll call out the other doors. Got it?”

  Dante smirked. “Start with U. Cross the room to U. Wait for y’all slow pokes, then step back into D. Cross the room to D. Wait for your calls.”

  Gilda nodded, brows raised, a certain sign she was impressed. Frost smiled, knowing she would not give Dante the satisfaction by admitting as much.

  “Ready?” Dante asked, a twinkle in his eye.

  “Good to go,” everyone said in unison.

  Frost’s heart was thumping now. He held Deadeye firmly. He forced himself to calm.

  Dante Sentinel Shouted and stepped into the doorway. The rest of them did the same.

  Room 4

  Nalarr roared and were charging Dante when they entered. He Raging Rushed into them then loosed an Enfeebling Bellow. He dashed to the left, taking every mob with him. Frost and the others ran by. Dante sprinted across to the other side of the room with the snarling mobs on his ass, then grinning, he dashed straight toward the U door. Frost fired off a Concussion Blast that streaked by Dante into the mobs, then he turned, and followed the others into the door.

  Room 8

  Gilda and Saba had the void wolves in the next room snared when Frost arrived. Dante stepped into the door through which they had entered.

  Room 12

  The next room had four black-cloaked defilers. They were nuking Dante with their spells. Sigrid tossed heal after heal. Gilda spawned Stalactites and initiated a Glacial Eruption, freezing the defilers in place. The group crossed the room to the D door.

  Room 16

  In the next room were several spriggans. They were swelling to titanic proportions. Frost hit them with an Aether Bomb.

  “L and R,” Gilda yelled upon entering.

  Dante led the way to the door with L. Saba kited around the spriggans, using a combo of Chain Snare and Lightning Trap to remain ahead of them.

  Room 20

  Plague wolves infested the next room. Dante Soul Screamed to get them all on him. Sweat rolled down Sigrid’s face as she struggled to keep him up. She summoned a Shaman Servitor to help. It came in the form of an asrai, a winged fairy no larger than a dvergr who flitted over to Dante and healed by way of Mikander’s Blood.

  Dante pulled the mobs away then Raging Rushed back to the group to put some distance between him and the plague wolves. Concussion Blast kept the wolves disoriented long enough to head into the R door.

  “L and R again,” shouted Gilda.

  Room 24

  Basilisks attacked. The lumbering creatures looked for all the world like ankylosaurus. Or giant korbitoises. Bowsers. Frost smiled. The room shook as the basilisks charged, heads down, the great spikes upon their armored backs large enough to impale a man. Dante and the entire group ran for the L door.

  Room 28

  This room held a combination of void wolves, nalarr, and defilers. Before anyone could move, Battleguards entered through the U door. Nomarch Setnana Botros and Khafra the Mad appeared moments later.

  “Run!” Frost yelled. Heart thumping, he fired off Divergence, Aether Bomb, and Concussion Blast. Aether Shields sprang up around the enemy.

  Frost’s group bolted for the R door.

  Room 32

  The room had no mobs. But the moment they entered, a foul-smelling red mist seeped from the walls and floor.

  “B and A,” Gilda instructed while cupping a hand over her mouth. “Hurry!’

  Frost’s vision doubled as they followed Dante across the room through the mist to the door with B etched into the wall above it. Sigrid quickly cast Tears and Purifying Touch. With Deadeye aimed at the L door, Frost backed in, hoping no one managed to see which door they had chosen. Battleguards appeared. Frost unleashed his entire arsenal and fled.

  Room 36

  The room held a chimera guard. The lupine head unleashed a howl.

  “Madness,” Saba said. “We can’t just go through that thing.”

  “Go! Go!” Frost urged desperately as he entered the room. “A couple of Setnana’s people saw which door we took. Don’t know if I got them.”

  Dante Raging Rushed. Then he popped Crossguard and Enfeebling Bellow.

  The rest of them hurried by while he tanked. Sigrid healed Dante until he dodged an attack, turned, and sprinted for the A door. He was cackling like a madman. They all scrambled through the opening.

  Room 40

  An empty room.

  Dante stepped to the side of the door, which now had a B over it. The rest of them darted to the middle of the room and turned to face the door. They waited. Time stretched.

  Three Battleguards jumped throug
h the door. The first one caught Dante’s axe in his chest. The blow lifted him up and launched him back through the door. The others died to a hail of Aether Shots, Gilda’s spells, and Saba’s arrows.

  Chest heaving, Frost kept Deadeye aimed at the door. Dante was poised with his axe ready to swing. No one else came through the opening.

  Dante burst into laughter. The others soon followed.

  Frost basked in the moment. He had been so focused on his role that he had not thought about or acknowledged his emotions, the adrenaline. His entire body was electric. Slowly, it bled from him. He let out a long exhale.

  “That was epic.” Dante propped his axe handle on his shoulder. “Fucking epic. This game is insane.”

  “It was. It is.” Frost hugged Gilda. She squeezed him tightly. He released her and looked into her green eyes. “You did good. How’d you figure it out?” He could not help thinking of the maze’s solution as a secret code like the ones his father used to rave about. Pops, you woulda loved this.

  “Not here,” she said under her breath. Louder, she added, “Time enough to explain when we’re done. I can’t give away all my secrets.” She smiled but a hint of caution resided in her eyes. Frost nodded.

  “So, which door to the emperor’s hall,” Saba asked.

  “Straight ahead,” Gilda said.

  They strode to the door with the U. They went in.

  Room 1

  “I don’t understand.” Gilda stared all around, utterly confused. “Trust and believe, I was right. I know I was. The numbers were in sequence.”

  IM alerted Frost to the remaining time. Eighteen minutes.

  “If I had to guess,” Frost said, frowning, “I’d say it means we can’t just pick any door in room forty.” He stroked his aether ring. “Let’s repeat the pattern and try another. Maybe the one with Se or St since we tried all the others.” He nodded to the doors with the words above them.

  “Se,” Dante said.

  “Why that one?” Frost asked.

  Dante shrugged. “E before t.”

  “Good enough for me,” Frost declared.