While the other Trapsmiths in the raid started checking the rooms, Kim and Tiny started down the next section of hallway, intent on disabling what traps they could ahead of everyone else. As each room was declared clear by the Trapsmiths, it was searched. Various small items were found in several rooms, along with some coin and one necklace with 150 Wisdom and 80 Intelligence.
A number of casters asked about the necklace as soon as they saw the stats on it. Alburet quashed the conversation, “Who found it?”
Greenbeard raised his hand, “Me.”
“Did you already get a necklace from Gerald during the trip out here?”
“Nope, I got two rings.”
“Then it’s yours,” Alburet replied, handing it to him. “However, from here on until the Keep is cleared all loot goes to the guild. That does not include the individual loot from bosses. Everything we get will be shared out as fairly as possible.”
This was met with minimal grumbling, though it was obvious that a few people still wanted to argue the matter. Kim came back from the hallway she’d been working in.
“Alburet, the next hallway is clear of traps. There’s only one door that still needs to be cleared. I think it opens into a large room. The hallway has another bend at the end of it,” Kim reported.
“Tiny, help her clear the door,” Alburet told his faithful minion. “Kim, once you have the door cleared, please check the next section of hall for us.”
Kim nodded as she turned to go back down the hallway, Tiny following a step behind her. They waited for Kim to give the all clear.
“It’s clear,” Kim’s voice came over the Raidstone a few minutes later. “I’m off to check the hall.”
“Okay, folks, let’s see what the next challenge is,” Alburet called out. “Gerald, Jaxton, time to do that thing you do so well.”
The large room turned out to be a barracks, with beds for some sixty people. The Trapsmiths didn’t find any traps in the room, so the guild rummaged through the footlockers. They wound up finding three Greater Mana Potions, which were handed over to the healers. A few gold coins were scattered through the chests, and finally there was a dagger made of a reddish-black metal.
Inciderite Dagger (Required Agility 300)
Damage: 300 + 100 Fire
Durability: 5,762/10,000
The blade was handed over by Ironhand with a longing sigh. “Fuck, that’s a nice dagger.”
“Anyone have over three hundred Agility?” Alburet asked.
Karen raised her hand, “I have right at 300.”
“Anyone else?” Alburet asked, getting no reply though a few people were grumbling. “As no one else can use it currently,” he handed it over to Karen. “Okay, let’s keep this party rolling along folks.”
They gathered in the hall just as Kim came back from the next bend. “Alburet we have two rooms and a set of stairs going up.”
“Clear to the stairs?” Alburet asked her, noting an arrow sticking out of Tiny’s shield.
“The stairs are clear, too. Tiny helped me with that trap too,” Kim replied.
“Good to go, then. Please check the next floor, while we clear the rooms.”
Kim nodded as she turned to go. Tiny gave Alburet a reassuring nod before he followed her. Rolland watched his wife go with tight lips. He knew this was her job, but still the worry filled him.
Stacia leaned over to whisper to him, seeing his face. “Tiny be keepin’ her safe, have a bit of faith in him.”
Rolland grimaced, “I’m sure he’ll do his best, it’s just never easy. I forgot how much I used to worry for her.”
Patting his shoulder, Stacia responded, “As she worried for ya when ya went out onto the wall.”
His head fell to his chest for a moment, “Yes, I’m sure it was just like that. Maybe we’re getting too old for this sort of thing.”
“Nay, ya have been havin’ fun. Ya have nay been able to flex ya wings as ya have today, for so long. Ya will come to terms with the worry again, as ya used to, I be sure. Just as she did when ya were unharmed upon the wall.”
He raised his head to meet her eyes, “Thank you.”
The other two rooms along the hall turned out to be offices like the first ones had been. Coin was the only real loot to be found, although Ioaniss lingered as he looked at the titles on some of the dusty books.
Climbing the wide stairs to the third floor, the raid found a set of double doors directly before them. The doors stood open just a bit. The hallway split to the left and right at the top of the stairs. Kim was down the left side checking another door.
“The double doors are safe to enter,” Kim called out, not looking up from the door she was examining. “It appears to be a giant bathing room.”
Ironhand, Friendzone, and the other Trapsmiths went in first as they had before. Once they called it clear the others entered. As the guild filed into the room, they stood staring in silent awe. The room was done in a white gold marble. Two rows of showers lined the side walls, while a number of smaller baths took up the back of the room and a huge tub took up the middle.
From the ceiling hung a gold chandelier. The light coming from it was dim but still enough to illuminate the room. All of the fixtures inside the room were gold as well. The few cabinets in the room revealed towels and soaps, apparently intact under a thick layer of dust. Ioaniss approached the main bath. His eyes went wide when he looked into it.
“Justice,” Ioaniss whispered as his gaze traced over the mosaic inlay at the bottom of the empty tub. “That is a map of the First Empire,” he said, the awe in his voice palpable. “This is amazing,” he dug out a book along with a pencil out of his bag and began to draw the map.
“Fluff,” Alburet said softly to her, “can you draw that as well? I’m sure it will be useful later.”
Fluff nodded, pulling her own book and pencil out. She joined Ioaniss at the edge of the tub. After a minute, Ioaniss glanced at her drawing, his pencil faltering. He put his book away and watched her work.
“Fluffball, could I implore you to make a copy of that map for me as well? I will reimburse you later,” Ioaniss asked.
Fluff just nodded, not looking at him, “It will be easy enough to do. You’ll reimburse the guild, though, not me.”
Ioaniss nodded in agreement to Fluff’s terms. “You have a deal, Fluffball. And my thanks for agreeing to the request.”
By the time she was done Kim had finished clearing the left hall down to the corner and was working on the right side. “That room is ready for you. The hall beyond isn’t, though.”
They pilfered rooms as Kim continued to clear the halls and doors of traps. Here on the third floor appeared to be the officer’s quarters. Clearing them netted a shield that was a clear upgrade for all the tanks and a staff with a dark crystal set into the top. All of the casters wanted the staff just as the tanks wanted the shield.
Pretty much everyone who wanted either the shield or the staff met the stat requirements for the items. Alburet was left with the problem of figuring out who got them. He decided to do it fairly and pulled the deck of cards from his bag. He made them draw for high card, sending the shield to Chris Eveningstar and the staff to Violet.
Kim headed up to the fourth floor, followed shortly by the rest of the raid. She was examining a set of double doors just across from the stairwell when the first people made their way up. A short hall went to the left and right, ending at identical smaller doors to either side.
“The smaller doors are clear,” Kim told them. “This one has had four traps on it so far. I think it’s the main bedroom.”
The smaller rooms were clearly storage spaces, each holding various boxes and crates under a thick layer of dust. Each room also had a trapdoor giving access to the roof. The boxes were left untouched for now, as the members of Alpha Company ranged themselves along the hall around where Kim was working. She stood up, taking a deep breath.
“Got them all. That last one was tricky.” She turned to meet Alburet’s
gaze, “I think this is where things get exciting again.”
“We haven’t been attacked again by the Possessive Spirits, so they might be limited to the first and second floors,” Alburet said thoughtfully, “so you’re probably right. This room probably contains one of our bosses.”
Ioaniss chimed in, “Gwain was a Paladin of Justice, at least before Ophelia. If he fell from Justice’s favor, though, there is no saying what he might have become. There is no record of what Ophelia’s class was.”
“We’ll just have to find out,” Alburet replied. “You guys ready for a boss fight?” he asked the raid, getting a cheer in response. “Let’s go say hi.”
Chapter Thirty-four
Pushing the door open revealed a large sitting room with coffee table, chairs, even a sofa. Two other doors connected to the room, both closed. Gerald entered the room cautiously, with Jaxton in step with him. They paused just inside the room, waiting to see if anything would happen. After a moment, Gerald shrugged.
“Seems empty,” Gerald advised them.
“Let’s check it out, then. Ironhand and Friendzone, if you would check the side doors,” Alburet directed, as the raid walked into the room.
The Trapsmiths each declared the doors untrapped. Gerald checked the one on the left first, finding a small private bathing chamber that was even more richly appointed than the larger one on the floor below. The right door opened onto an expansive sleeping room, complete with overly large bed. What caught his attention, though, was the chair next to the cold fireplace.
From her seat Ophelia smiled brightly at Gerald, her eyes sparking flame. “Stay still,” she ordered in a smoky voice that froze everyone in the main room. The double doors leading to the hallway slammed shut. “You came to see me first, instead of my poor husband. How touching.”
Alburet wanted to speak, but he was frozen along with everyone else. Ophelia smiled as she got to her feet, her white dress flowing down her legs and clinging to her enticingly. “Now then, what shall I do with well-meaning, but idiotic adventurers? How about I turn you into new pets? Would you like that darlings?”
Brushing her long blonde hair back from her shoulders, her ruby lips curled up into a smile that revealed pointed canines. “Maybe I’ll take one of you as a lover. It’s been so long since I’ve feasted on a living man. Which of you is special enough to warrant my time?”
Her eyes flickered over Gerald, “Ah, love. You do so love the woman you cherish, don’t you? It’s so delicious to break that bond. Maybe I’ll pick you…”
She stepped forward, patting Gerald’s cheek before she looked out into the main room. “Oh, you brought all of your friends along, too. Charming. I suppose I must inspect the rest of the livestock before I make any decisions.”
She glided through the room, looking at each person in turn. When she got to Alburet he felt a cold streak run up his spine. Her flaming eyes and pointed teeth suggested that she was a cross between a Vampire and a Succubus.
Ophelia’s gaze widened, as did her pointed smile, when her eyes met his. “So much rage, such love. You are simply precious, darling. You’ve been touched by darkness…” she paused as she leaned in and inhaled deeply. “You also smell of the master. Is he free after so long? Did he find the book, darling? Answer me.” The last two words were spoken in a tone that Alburet found himself unable to entirely disobey.
“I would need to know his name to verify,” Alburet told her as he struggled against the desire to do her bidding.
“Ah, you are a stubborn one. That just makes you even more fun to play with,” Ophelia laughed. She backed away, swaying through the raid without touching anyone or watching where she was going. She stopped in the door to the sleeping chamber, beckoning Alburet with one finger, “Come with me, darling. We can have a nice private chat while your friends entertain my older pets.”
Alburet snarled as his body began walking toward her, trying to fight it the entire way. Ophelia giggled. “So precious, trying to fight my will.” She turned to Gerald, “You are expendable now. Go, and shut the door behind you.”
Gerald spun on his heel, walking into the main room and closing the door with a thud behind him. There was a loud click, then the spell holding the raid motionless fell away. Gerald slammed his shoulder into the sleeping chamber door, only to bounce off of a black barrier that sprang up across it that took away part of his life force.
“We need the barrier down,” Gerald snapped over the Raidstone to focus the raid. “It’s a negative energy barrier. Healers, I need—”
That was as far as he got before the other door, which led to the private bathroom, swung open to admit a number of black, ghostly worms. The worms attached themselves to people, making their targets fall to the floor with wide eyes.
The doors to the hallway swung open as well, admitting Tiny and Kim. They were fending off a handful of skeletons, zombies and two golems. Gerald looked around at the situation as he snarled softly. “God damn it. Kill the undead. Healers split your forces, half on the worms, half on keeping us up. Greenbeard and Goldleaf, keep your heals on that barrier.”
Marysue spoke up as they shifted to follow Gerald’s orders, “There’s an aura up, taking away 10% of our life per minute. So this is a race. Go all out.”
Stacia, who had stared at the door with blazing eyes for a moment when she came free, turned to the raid. Her blades, which had been mostly unused during the trip came free as she drew them. She threw herself into combat alongside Karen and Fluff, who had jumped to help Tiny near the double doors.
Jaxton and Eveningstar leapt to Tiny’s aid as well, taunting some of the undead off of him. Rolland shouted a few words, and a flash of ice rooted the undead in place. Ioaniss was examining the shield on the bedroom door as the battle started to become chaotic.
“The shield is healing,” Ioaniss called out, “the Death Worms are sending it the energy they’re stealing from the people they’re attached to.”
“Gold, Green, switch to the worms and help their targets if you can,” Gerald called out.
The majority of the raid clashed with the undead that had followed Tiny into the room. The golems were the standard Frankenstein type constructs, except they had plates of metal attached to them in key spots to cut off a lot of critical attacks. The zombies wore plate armor, as did the skeletons.
“This isn’t working out well,” Fluff growled.
“I can barely hurt them,” Karen said, attacking the same skeleton Fluff was on. “Melee is all but useless here again,” she added. “Casters, you need to pile onto these guys.”
“Healers, in five seconds unleash your area heals,” Marysue cut over the Raidstone. “We need to drop the shield and the Death Worms as quick as we can.”
Five seconds later the area heals flashed out from all of the healers. All of the Infernals in the room were heavily injured by the light magic. Tiny, already badly wounded, was banished. Only Stacia was spared the damage, as her human guise protected her from taking damage from light magic. The Death Worms were critically injured, while the normal undead were damaged, but nowhere near as badly.
“Focus on the undead,” Gerald called out. “Healers, we might lose one or two, but for the next minute focus on the Worms. We need to stop them from jumping targets.”
The next minute was difficult, though everyone did their best. All of the healers reached for mana potions as the last Death Worm flashed into dust. The original targets had survived, if only barely as another 10% of their life ticked away from the debuff.
“Healers split,” Marysue called out. “Priests on the barrier, Druids stay on the raid. Shamans and Paladins cover the raid as well.”
“It has a million health,” Brightlight frowned as she began to heal the barrier. “That’s going to take too long.”
“Just do your best,” Marysue replied as they tried to heal through the shield.
Three minutes passed, the undead dropping one by one. When the final golem dropped, the debuff ticked ag
ain, taking away another 10%. That left the members at half of their maximum health pool.
The healers hadn’t even gotten the shield halfway down by that point. Grim looks were exchanged as everyone figured they were pretty much done. A horrible scream echoed from the room beyond the shield, “No! No!”
“Fuck, there goes Alburet,” someone muttered, but as they glanced at his status bar in the raid menu they saw he was only down 25% of his life. “What the fuck?”
“If we had our Abilities this wouldn’t be a problem,” Brightlight growled as she drank another mana potion.
“Too bad Phoenix Feathers aren’t a thing here,” Ironhand sighed. “Toss at a zombie and poof it dies.”
“You mean the Down Feather things from the Final Fantastic series of old JRPG games?” Greenbeard asked.
Playing For Keeps (Alpha World Book 4) Page 32
