by Tao Wong
“Early.”
“Yes.” Daniel yawned again, then smiled slightly. He reached down and picked up some brown packages wrapped in parchment paper and twine. “Don’t have much of a lunch today. I did pick up some pack meals from the Guild for today and tomorrow.”
Asin sniffed, obviously displeased, but took the packages to slip into her bag. As the wind shifted, she caught Daniel’s scent and Khy’ra intermingled with their night’s strenuous activities. Nose wrinkling, she stepped away to crouch beside the entrance.
“How are things going?” Daniel asked after a while to fill the silence.
“Good.”
“Really? You’ve been pretty stressed about our earnings recently.”
“Low,” Asin agreed.
“Never seen you that worried before.”
Asin just shrugged, not meeting his gaze.
“Asin, we’re friends. You know you can talk to me about things, right?” Daniel probed again.
Again, the Catkin just nodded, and Daniel gave up, lips compressed in a tight line. Perhaps he would ask Khy’ra later when he had a moment. The two had certainly developed a curious relationship. Daniel’s thoughts were interrupted as Omrak neared them. Daniel absently noted that Omrak was wearing a simple, visorless helm today, his first real piece of armor. Time to get to work.
“Ouch,” Omrak growled, rotating his shoulder. A trio of Skeletons had managed to get hold of his hands, hampering his movements while a fourth had pounded on him. The group had found a cavern filled with Skeletons, their presence hidden by a convenient wall, and found themselves swarmed before they could pull back. Every single one of the party now bore wounds from the battle, Asin barely escaping with her life by scampering up a wall and staying out of reach of the Skeletons.
“Sorry. Nearly done,” Daniel said. His plates of iron armor had protected him from most direct attacks, but between the gaps and along the edges where armor met cloth, he was scratched and bruised.
“No like,” Asin said as she collected another stone and dropped it into her pouch. “Can’t hurt.”
Not exactly true, Daniel thought as he spotted a throwing knife and handed it back to his friend. Her Piercing Shot could drill through skulls, killing the monster immediately. Unfortunately, each use of her Skill drained her Stamina, ensuring that she could only activate it occasionally. Otherwise, her attacks were minimally effective.
“Well, we’ve begun the unexplored region of this side of the map. Hopefully we’ll find the way down soon,” Daniel said placatingly. Not much else he could say. “When everyone’s ready, that is.”
“A minute,” Omrak said, testing his shoulder again. It still pulled sharply when he rotated his shoulder, drawing a wince from the large blond man. “Perhaps I could use a Healer’s Mark.”
Hours of walking, squeezing, crawling, and occasionally climbing later, the party had mapped out another section of the Dungeon. Unfortunately, their last section had led to a dead-end, and so the group found themselves backtracking to their last unexplored location.
“That’s … new,” Daniel muttered as he poked his head around the corner. Asin’s warning had pulled the group to a halt before they entered, and now the trio watched the group of Skeletons and Skeleton Champion standing eerily still in a previously empty cave. The Skeleton Champion looked no different from its brethren except for a deeper, darker discoloration of its bones, and the pair of short swords it wielded.
“Champion,” Asin growled softly, testing the edge of her throwing knife.
“See if we can kill it beforehand?” Daniel suggested.
“I can try,” Omrak offered, hefting his throwing axe.
“Both.”
On a silent count of three, the pair surged forth from their hiding spot and threw their respective weapons. The knife and throwing axe whipped through the air before they were deflected in quick succession by the Champion’s swords.
Omrak stood there, stupefied, while Asin scrambled to pull her bolas from her belt. At least those worked, especially in such a large crowd. Daniel, seeing that the attack was finished, stepped forwards to take the charge.
The normal Skeletons rushed forwards, bones clicking together as they came on with their hands outstretched. The Champion stood still, however, instead issuing its paralyzing scream. The group winced as one, feeling the supernatural fear course through their limbs to slow them down. At least now, they had gained sufficient experience to resist the initial freezing effects of the scream. Even so, Asin found herself fumbling the grip of her bolas, dropping it on the earthen floor.
The first Skeleton was on Daniel before he could activate his Shield Bash, slowed down by the scream as he was. He could only hunker beneath the shield, taking the attack and stepping backwards to absorb the charge as even more Skeletons piled on. Seeing an opening, he roared and sent his Skill Perin’s Blow directly into the ribcage of one monster, shattering the bones and sending them flying backwards in a hail of shards. Gravely injured, the monster collapsed at his feet, while Daniel stepped to the side to avoid a grasping arm.
Behind him, Omrak brought the pommel of his axe down on the crown of a Skeleton, compressing the monster and knocking it off its feet. With a backhand strike, he cleaved open the ribcage of another that was attempting to circle the group. This attack was minimally effective at deterring the creature as it regained its feet and continued its approach.
Finally on her feet again, Asin skipped backwards and to the left before tossing the bolas underhanded at a Skeleton in the back. It wrapped around the targeted monsters and another’s legs, tangling both up and buying time for Daniel.
Using the brief moment afforded him, Daniel focused and let loose a Shield Bash against his current opponent, sending the monster stumbling backwards. In the opening, he engaged his Double Strike to crack a hip and then the skull of another Skeleton. Before he could reset his guard, a sword darted forwards, skipping along his chestplate and missing his face by inches. Not giving Daniel time to rest, the Skeleton Champion lashed out again with its other sword, a blow that was barely blocked by Daniel’s shield.
The pair dueled for a moment, Daniel blocking attacks with his shield and mace, and the Champion cutting and stabbing with speed and precision. Daniel grunted as he stepped backwards again as he attempted to regain control of the fight. Unable to assist or hold the attention of the other monsters, the Skeletons began to circle around the Champion and Daniel to attack his friends.
Asin yowled as she scrambled backwards, throwing another bolo to entangle the feet of a Skeleton that chased her. It was a delaying tactic, but at least it meant she only had two to deal with. Beside her, Omrak roared as a Skeleton gripped his thigh, its mouth clamped around his leg. The Northerner was unable to deal with it as he held a second clawing Skeleton aloft by its ribcage and struck at a third even as another pair attempted to close in on him.
Daniel grunted as another strike slipped past his guard and bounced off his upper arm armor. The Skeleton Champion was significantly more skilled than he was, Daniel was quickly realizing. A muted cry of pain from behind him reminded him that Asin was in trouble and he made a quick decision, raising his shield slightly higher.
The Champion was quick to take advantage of the situation, its sword lashing out. Trusting in his armor, Daniel surged forwards at the same time, twisting his shield so that he could slam its edge into the Champion’s neck even as he engaged Perin’s Blow. The Champion ducked low but failed to clear the shield completely. The top of its head was caught by the improvised weapon and the Skill-driven blow rocked the monster backwards.
Panting with exertion, Daniel stepped forwards and kicked the monster directly in its chest to send the Champion sprawling backwards. Daniel then spun to the side to look over his companions. To his surprise, it was Omrak who most desperately needed his help, swarmed as the Northerner was by the Skeletons. Daniel rushed the monsters and triggered Double Strike again, each attack targeted at ripping a monster off th
e giant. He grimaced as an abrupt shift by the giant made one of his strikes glance off Omrak’s arm, even as it ripped the skeleton off.
Freed at last, Omrak struggled to his knees. Enraged and glowing red, the Northerner pinned a Skeleton under one knee and pulled another down by gripping its pubic bone. On the ground, the monster was smashed repeatedly in its face by Omrak, cracking the orbital bone and finally shattering the skull in its entirety.
Daniel, his initial charge spent, proceeded to bend lower and push his shield into the midsection of a nearby Skeleton, pushing it away from Omrak and into the Champion. Crouched beneath his shield, Daniel proceeded to lash out at any opening he saw beneath his shield, crushing ankles and tibias as he spotted them. A sword flicked past the shield, coming at an angle and cutting deep into Daniel’s side near his arm where his body was left unarmored. The attack forced his arm to collapse, the Skeleton he had been holding aloft crashing down on him.
Daniel tottered for a moment on his knees before he shrugged his shoulder and tossed the sprawled over monster behind him. The Champion stepped into the opening, a sword raised to plunge at Daniel’s exposed throat. It was only a thrown knife that sliced through the air to crack into the monster’s temple that threw the blow off to clatter uselessly off Daniel’s armor.
Forcing what little strength he had into his knees, Daniel triggered Perin’s Blow again, catching the Champion in the spine as he stood. The explosion of force threw the Champion backwards and left its spine broken. Daniel had no time to stop to gloat as he turned back to help his friends mop up the last of the monsters.
With the Champion broken and unable to continue fighting, the other monsters were quick to fall. Now that Omrak and Daniel were able to handle them, Asin scampered back with the remaining pair of Skeletons she had been distracting. Afterwards, the group sat in place, breathing deeply as they waited for the magical healing to slowly patch them together. Daniel grimaced, glancing at his remaining Mana pool, and walked over to Omrak, casting Minor Healing to help patch the open wound in his thigh. He would need to cast Healer’s Mark at least a couple more times to heal the big man full which would significantly reduce his existing pool significantly. As it stood, he had used his Gift on the most serious of his own wounds to conserve Mana.
“Swords.” Asin pointed at the pair of bone swords that lay on the ground.
“Omrak, can you carry them?” Daniel asked, gesturing to the weapons. The Northerner grimaced but walked over, picking up the pair and testing them.
“Good balance,” Omrak stated. Touching a finger to the edges, he pulled his finger away with a whistle. “Still sharp.”
“Could be good money,” Daniel said, rubbing his chin.
Omrak nodded as he began to tie one sword to his own, electing to hold the second in hand. Asin, having recovered her breath, had pulled open the chest to reveal the floor stone. She held it aloft for everyone to see, a grin on her face. This was a stone she could be happy about.
“Better?” Daniel chuckled slightly and then winced, his ribs bruised from the repeated pounding. Better to get moving before they stopped for the day. Pulling himself to his feet, Daniel led the group to the next passageway, keeping his eye out for more skeletons. A short half-hour later, Daniel’s eyes widened slightly as he received a notification as constant use of his healing skills finally resulted in an upgrade to its abilities. It did not take him much time to make the decision.
Minor Healing (I) upgraded to Minor Healing (II)
Heals minor wounds.
Effect: Heals Intelligence + Healing Skill level of wounds
Cost: 20 Mana
It was still an expensive spell, but it now healed a third more. It was comparable in terms of the amount healed now with Healer’s Mark, but unlike Healer’s Mark, which healed over a period of time, this was close to instantaneous. That was the reason Daniel decided to choose to upgrade this spell rather than Healer’s Mark. One could keep them going on long delves, the other could save a life.
“Daniel,” Omrak growled, bringing the Healer’s attention back to the present. Daniel stared forwards, his attention drawn to the Skeletons stumbling forwards towards the party. They were in a small space here which meant there was no way for the monsters to flank them, but it also meant their continual screams would jar his nerves. Good thing they couldn’t get past his armor. Settling into his stance, Daniel hefted his mace. No need to waste Stamina on special attacks here.
Seated in a larger cavern, the party rested their feet after a long day of searching. They had covered miles of underground passages, their only source of light the Mana lantern carried by Omrak. Miles of mapped passages behind them, the trio sat eating their meal together.
“How much more?” Omrak asked as he bit into his sandwich.
“No idea,” Daniel said, looking up at the minimap. “Still, I think we’re close. Maybe a few more hours if we are willing to continue pushing it.”
“Tired,” Asin growled, rubbing at her calves.
“There is danger in continuing without rest,” Omrak said around a mouthful. “We risk running into further ambushes.”
“True,” Daniel said, frowning as he assessed his own body. He had less than a fifth of his Mana left and that needed to be held in reserve for combat. Fatigue ran through his muscles, his eyes bloodshot and aching from constant squinting. They could attempt to rest here, but the way the Skeletons roamed, it was unlikely to be a restful night. That left them one last option. He focused internally, pulling on his Gift and sending it coursing through his body. He felt his memory, his experience, slip from him as he washed the fatigue away.
Refreshed, Daniel walked over and placed a hand on Omrak’s shoulder. A quick assessment made him blink—he had not even noticed the broken rib. That the Northerner had managed to walk and fight so long without complaint was amazing. Focusing, Daniel patched the rib and then cleared the chemical fatigue from Omrak’s body, before doing the same for Asin.
“We good?” Daniel asked, stretching slowly. The physical exhaustion was wiped away, though the mental tiredness was still there, if lessened. A few more hours. He could do that, Daniel told himself.
“Aye. Thank you again, Hero Daniel,” Omrak rumbled, and Asin nodded in agreement. Together, the trio stood and walked forwards into the darkness, a single light illuminating their way. In the clatter of their footsteps, Daniel wondered what new memory he had lost.
Chapter 12
“A Labyrinth.” Daniel exhaled, staring at the maze that sprawled in front of them. As he had thought, it had only taken them another few hours to find the way down. However, as they poked their heads out of the entranceway of the staircase, all they could see was the start of the maze, its stone passageways spread out before them.
“This is what has held the Crimson Elms behind then,” Omrak stated.
“Maze.” Asin walked forwards, sniffing and eyeing the innocuous stone walls. Her fur ruffled slightly, and she paused before she took the next step, crouching and holding her hand above the gap between the two stone slabs on the ground.
“Trap,” Daniel said before she could. He reached into a pouch and pulled a weighted ball, showing it to the Catkin. Asin quickly stepped back, nodding to Daniel. With an underhand toss, Daniel landed the ball on the stone slab, which flipped itself around, exposing a pit for a brief second.
“Seesaw trap,” Omrak said, walking forwards and prodding the trap again to set it spinning.
“Yes,” Asin said as she slowly moved along the edges of the trap to test the next stone piece. This one did not move. “More?”
Daniel frowned, mentally weighing his exhaustion. “No. We should go back.”
“Test more,” Asin said, moving forwards slowly as she prodded. “Extent.”
“Not a good idea,” Daniel said. “We’re tired.”
“Faster. Learn now.”
“Daniel is right, Hero Asin, we are all exhausted,” Omrak said.
“Asin …” Daniel started.
“No.” Asin turned and glared at the duo. “More coin.”
“Why, damn it?” Daniel stepped forwards and found himself stopping at the last second when he remembered the trap.
“Need,” Asin said.
“So does Omrak. He doesn’t even have armor and takes more damage than any of us,” Daniel growled. “And he’s saying we should go back.”
“Show. Later,” Asin finally huffed. “Test now.”
Daniel gritted his teeth and then finally nodded. Fine. They would test the area for a bit, learn a little more about the labyrinth. But he wanted an answer.
“Tripwire. Darts.”
“Deadfall. Spikes.”
“Minotaur. Yours.”
“Pitfall.”
“Pressure. Fire.”
A good hour and a half later, Daniel raised his hands as he called out, “Enough, Asin.”
Asin paused, staring at Daniel, before she touched the pouch by her side. The Minotaurs were not particularly numerous, but it seemed the longer they stayed in the Labyrinth, the faster they came, tracking the group. Still, they were definitely more profitable with properly sized and lustrous Mana Stones. As for the traps, they had not found a new one recently.
“Okay,” Asin relented, her tail no longer waving, her fur wilted.
“Finally,” Omrak muttered, shaking his head as Daniel led the group back. Asin’s ears twitched for a brief moment but stilled, the Catkin prowling behind the group as the trio edged around the marked traps.
“We coming back tonight?” Daniel asked. Inside the Dungeon, it was hard to tell the time, but it had to be early morning. By the time they had slept and woken up again, it would be late afternoon at best. Thankfully, the Dungeon made no difference if it was morning or evening.
“Yes.” Asin nodded. “Need gear.”
“We’ll take some of today’s earnings for the trap finders and more rope,” Daniel said.
