Nascent (The Stork Tower Book 1)

by Tony Corden

  Sarisin said, “I am not a midget, I'm normal sized, and I thank you for your help.”

  “You two are a long way from home, what brings you here?” Leah asked.

  Yabin smiled and said, “Believe it or not, we are here for love. Lover boy here fell for a nobleman’s daughter. Her father didn't approve, so he granted the marriage if and only if Sarisin here can fulfil a mighty quest. Rather than following my advice which was to kidnap the wench, he decided to chase a centuries-old trail. We took a shortcut through a forest and ended up captured by the lizard-heads.”

  Sarisin interrupted, “Enough, Yabin, less talk, more action, can you break the chain?”

  Yabin looked over at it and said, “I doubt it. It looks sturdy enough.” He looked at Leah and said, “How about you, princess? All that talk of taking anything, you ever picked a lock?”

  Leah took a spider spike out of her bag, walked over to the lock and while looking at Yabin inserted the spike and with a practised twist unlocked the crude mechanism. Then she smiled and said, “I may have!”

  He laughed and said, “Brilliant, you're a keeper you are. Now let's get out of here.”

  Sarisin said, “Yabin, you and I will go first, the girls can follow.”

  He exited the room followed by a Yabin. Leah and Wisp glanced at each other, shrugged and sat down. It was a minute before Yabin and Sarisin returned. Sarisin said, “Is everything ok? I think we need your light; it's dark.”

  Wisp cancelled the light and cast a spell she had bought which gave her eyes of a cat. She then said, “I can see fine. I'm just waiting for the leader I know and trust.”

  Sarisin blushed and stammered, “You don’t think I'm capable?”

  “It's not that; it's just I don't know you. I followed Atherleah down the hole, she healed me, released me, healed and released you both, and she unlocked the chain. You've done nothing yet. If I'm going to follow anyone into the darkness, then it'll be her. Maybe after I see you fight and plan then I'll follow you as well, but not yet.”

  Leah stood and said, “If we go together, we need one leader. Before you assume it is you, we need to talk about it. If we can all agree you lead, then we will follow. But if not we can’t be deciding during a fight or while running from something. If I’m honest, then I would say I’m uncomfortable with your leadership because you rushed ahead without finding out our strengths and weaknesses. For example, we should ask Annairë to cast a spell so you can see in the dark. Did you know she has a spell which will conceal her whole group if you join? We are travellers, and we harvest both experience and weapons from our defeated foes to grow stronger. How do you plan to distribute what is found? There are many issues to discuss before making a rash decision.”

  Yabin sat down and said, “Ok let’s discuss. Come, Sarisin, Sit! Atherleah is right, and you know it.”

  They spent several minutes discussing their respective skills and attributes then Sarisin said, “Atherleah, we will follow you for now. Let us join your group. We will do as you direct. If after a while I think I can do better we will talk. Is this ok?”

  Leah smiled and said, “Yes, that’s fine! If we collect any weapons you can use, they will go to you. All money is split evenly between us four. Everything else comes to either Annairë or me unless you specifically want it, then we will choose by chance. Now I’ll go first, then Yabin, then Sarisin and Annairë. Annairë is to check the rear and right side. Sarisin, the left side and above our heads. Yabin, stay on my right and check ahead and to the right. I’ll check ahead and to the left.”

  She then turned to Yabin and pulled the Amazonian War Axe from her bag and said, “Do you know how to use this or shall I give it to Annairë?”

  He smiled and said, “Princess, for this, you can lead all day. Forget Sarisin.”

  Leah then handed Sarisin one of the Warrant Officer blades and gave each of them a one day’s ration from the Army Ants. “Eat this, and then we must be away. Annairë, please cast Cat Eyes on these two.”

  After everyone had eaten, Leah turned and stepped through the doorway.

  Level 3 Dungeon Achievement: First 1 (3, Ruby)

  Atherleah (Level 26), you have discovered a Level 3 Area:

  Dungeon Experience - Escape the Dark Bukalemun

  You are the first player to access this area. This is your third, 'First 1 (Ruby)' achievement.

  Reward 1: 1000 x 30 = 33150 (+10.5%) Experience Points (19913/26000)

  Reward 2: + 2% to all future Experience

  Reward 3: 3 x 1 Platinum = 3 Platinum

  Reward 4: Increased probability of valuable drop. Luck is increased by 5 whenever you are in this Experience. During your first time in the Dungeon Experience, the probability of all drops is increased to 0.5.

  Fame: 500 Fame Points (3525)

  A Commemorative Plaque has been placed in your bag.

  Note: This achievement will be published on the Dunyanin achievement forum. Do you wish to retain your privacy?

  [Yes] [No]

  “Yes.”

  This dungeon is designed for a group of four:

  Two players and two NPCs. MOBs will begin at least 2 Levels above the Mean Level of the players in your group with the final boss at least five levels higher than your highest member. Currently, this means MOBs are levels 30-36 in this dungeon.

  As well as staying alive you have the task of keeping both NPCs alive. Should one or either of them die or get lost then your experience and reward from completing this experience dungeon will be halved. You only have one attempt.

  Do you wish to continue? Note if you choose [No] you will be returned to your resurrection location with no loss of experience.

  [Yes] [No]

  Leah looked back at Wisp and grinned before leading the group down the dark passageway. They had travelled for several minutes when Leah heard a faint clicking sound coming toward them; it reminded her of the scratching made by the Bukalemun as their feet hit the floor. She stopped the group and then quietly explained that she would go ahead and hide, letting whoever was coming get ahead of her. Annairë would conceal the three of them until the Bukalemun got close enough to attack. Yabin and Sarisin would attack up close while Annairë would step back and fire from a distance. Leah would attack from behind and deal as much damage as she could before they noticed her. Everyone nodded and prepared. Leah ran ahead and then equipping Orumeck’s Hands of the Spider Gloves she scuttled onto the roof and hid behind the Trapdoor Spider Shield. About a minute later she could make out six Bukalemun; all had a spear and a wooden shield. Two had swords in scabbards hung around their wastes. These Bukalemun didn’t seem to have any luminescence quality, or they were consciously suppressing it. They passed underneath without even looking up. She checked, and all were labelled ‘Dark Bukalemun Guard’, the four without swords were Level Thirty, and the two with swords were Level Thirty-two.

  She returned to the floor, equipped her bow and began to follow them. As they neared where the others were hiding, she shuffled even closer to the six guards. Yabin started the fight by appearing suddenly and separating the right front guard from his head. Immediately, Leah shot an arrow through the back of one of the rear-guards and froze the other rear-guard’s head. Sarisin had attacked the other front guard and was finishing it off with the help of several fireballs from Wisp. Leah stepped closer to the two remaining guards and drove a couple of mana spikes through the head of one as Yabin attacked the other. The mana spikes hadn’t quite killed the guard, so she trapped it with a Webspinner Trap and used her knife to finish it off. Yabin was almost done, so she went back and began to harvest the corpses. Each one gave similar loot:

  You have harvested:

  2 Vials of Death Poison*

  1 Bukalemun Skin**

  10 Bukalemun Quill ***

  1 Bukalemun Spear

  1 Simple Wooden Shield

  5 Copper Coins minted with an image of Zerten Zele, Last Overlord of the Bukalemun

  * Note: These are highly prized for u
se by Alchemists and Assassins.

  ** Note: These pelts may be used to make camouflage clothing.

  *** Note: These quills may be used by Scribes

  She was also able to collect the two swords. No one had received damage, so Leah turned and began to move down the tunnel. Yabin turned to Sarisin and said, “Don’t worry I still like your leadership, if you’d been leading it would’ve been more fun, lots of danger and blood. Atherleah makes the fights boring. No one likes boring fights.”

  “I do!” Annairë said quietly.

  Leah surmised that there would be several more groups coming to collect them and she was right, over the next hour three more groups came along the tunnel. The ambush worked almost as well each time. Finally, the tunnel ended and they could see into a large room rectangular room, longer than it was wide. It was a prison. There were cells along two sides with prisoners in each cell. Ten guards were visible in the centre section. There was a door at the far end of the room, with one guard posted beside it. Three guards were sleeping on some simple bedding arranged in a row toward the middle of the room. There was a table, where four guards were seating, playing a game of dice. Closer to tunnel entrance was another table, this one with a Bukalemun strapped on top of it. Two guards were heating a metal rod over a brazier, and it looked like they had been torturing the prisoner for some time. There were burn marks all over its arms, legs and torso.

  Leah motioned for everyone to retreat. In whispers, they devised a plan. Annairë was to sneak through and prepare to take out the far sentry. Leah would start the ball rolling by stepping in and attacking both torturers. Hopefully, this would draw the rest toward her. Annairë would then take out the sentry and hold the door until Sarisin arrived to help her. When the other guards approached Leah, she would cast Disc of Death. She would then cast Rain of Fire and Yabin would attack from the side. Sarisin would be running toward the far end and attack any stragglers. If possible, Sarisin and Annairë would then help with the larger group of guards.

  Everything went as planned with Sarisin also killing a guard who was slow in waking. Yabin took some damage, but he was able to absorb a large amount. His axe skills were well honed, and he never allowed the axe to get caught in the bodies, he brought the blade across the body causing deep slashes to cut arteries and flesh. The only times he brought the blade in full contact was to sever a limb at a joint or to remove a head. Leah was the only other one hurt; she received a spear through the front of her thigh. It bled a lot but was soon healed.

  As soon as the fight ended, Leah went to the prisoner being tortured. The Bukalemun was a female and still breathing. She began to heal her when Yabin came over and said, “Oi! Princess! Lizards are the enemy.”

  “Maybe! But she isn’t, well, not yet. I need to find out more about what is happening. You go check the cells and see who's locked up, try and find out why.”

  She turned back to see the prisoner watching her. Leah was wearing both the Tears and the Sorrow of Göksel-Orman so she reached one hand to the earring and said, “I would like to release you. Do you promise not to fight us, scream or run away?”

  “Promise, I promise.” Leah could hear the thoughts of the Bukalemun as an echo; the echo matched the words.

  Leah released the straps and said, “My name is Atherleah, what may I call you?”

  “Name is Sakin.”

  “Sakin, can you tell us why those others were torturing you?”

  The story as they finally understood it was that the Bukalemun living in the cave system had unearthed the crypt of the dead king Zerten Zele, Last Overlord of the Bukalemun some twenty years previously. Zerten Zele’s reign had brought about the collapse of the Bukalemun civilisation several millennia previously. He had been a ruthless and greedy king, given over to wild excesses and dark perversions, practising necromancy and other evils. In the end, his people had revolted and killed the Overlord and his armies. The survivors gathered everything that might remind them of him and buried it, along with the Overlord and his defeated army in this cave system. They covered it over and sought to rebuild their lives. Too much had been lost and the Bukalemun declined as a race throughout the centuries until they were simple forest dwellers once again, eking out an existence far from the world.

  Unfortunately, the mages who had supported Zerten Zele had cast complicated and powerful defensive spells on him and his guards, and though they could not prevent his eventual death, they did animate it. Over the years, without blood and sacrifice to fuel it, Zerten’s lich had lost power and began to fade. To prevent this, he cast a spell on all with him causing them to sleep, dormant until awakened. When the crypt had been disturbed, one of the Overlord’s mages, Hayalet, had woken and influenced the local chief of the Bukalemun to seek power and fame. The chief began the practices of pain and sacrifice that Hayalet needed to fuel the awakening of Zerten Zale. Every month, four souls were sacrificed to raise the army. Before their sacrifice they were subjected to six months of torture; their pain, agony and screams were siphoned into crystals. It was these crystals that Hayalet was collecting to power the spell needed to raise Zerten Zele. The prison was the place of torture.

  Sakin had been here for almost six months, Leah and friends were to be her replacement. Already two of those who had been offered down the well with Sakin had been taken for sacrifice, and she expected the Head Guard to return at any moment to take her for sacrifice. Sakin had been offered by her chief when she accused him of cowardice for allowing the sacrifices to continue, instead of fighting to stop the rise of Zerten Zele and the Dark Bukalemun. The other prisoners had all been offered as sacrifices over the previous five months.

  Leah sent Yabin to the doorway to listen out for the returning Head Guard. She looted the corpses and released the other prisoners who were all suffering from months of abuse. She gathered them close and with full Mana, gripped one of her earrings and asked if they would accept her help to escape the prison. Listening carefully to their thoughts, she found that everyone wanted help to escape. She asked if they would accept her as the leader during the escape and though most were willing, there were some who thought they had a better chance alone. She took those four aside and said, “You all think you would be better alone than in my group. I accept that although I wish we had your strength with us. All I ask is that you wait until we are ready to leave and then when you head off on your own that it be in a different direction to the one we take. Can you agree to this?”

  Everyone agreed, except for one dwarf who thanked her for the help but said he would do as he wished and was leaving now. As he stepped away, she shot him with Webspinner ring and equipping her bow she aimed it at his head. She commanded two others to drag him into a cell. Closing the door, she locked it and said, “Ok! You can leave when you want to. As we go, I’ll drop you the small spike I use as a lock pick. I don’t have time to teach you how to pick a lock, but I’m sure you’ll work it out eventually.”

  Ignored his cries she set about healing all the others. Altogether there were twenty-one who agreed to follow Leah as the leader: four humans, two elves, five half-elves, six dwarves and four Bukalemun. Leah and Wisp used almost all their Healing and Mana potions, getting everyone healthy. Leah handed out spears, swords and bows as people shared their skills with her. Two of those who were going to try alone were dwarves, they came to her and pointed to the dwarf she had locked in the cell, “Salak was stupid, he’s always been a bit of a jerk. If we promise to keep him here until after you’ve gone can you release him? He doesn’t deserve to die for being an idiot.”

  Leah thought about it and said finally, “I’ll let him go just before we leave. I won’t leave him a weapon as he wants to make do on his own. If he causes us any problems I won’t lock him up, I’ll kill him. Are you ok with that?”

  They agreed and went to tell Salak her decision. Wisp came over and said, “What’s the plan?”

  “I’ve talked with Sakin, and we have two options, we can head to the left and work our
way through the whole dark community, probably having to fight the lot, even the women and children. Or we head right and down, moving toward the Crypt. There is a section where the resurrected army lives and trains followed by a cavern which houses the lesser mages that Hayalet has brought to life. From there we make our way to the surface and escape, or we can enter the crypt and challenge Hayalet. Now I think this ‘experience dungeon’ has four levels, so I expect we have to go all the way to Hayalet. I plan to get the whole group to the mage section and then let them go. You and I and any who want to stay will see to Hayalet. I’m almost certain we won’t have to battle Zerten Zale as this experience is recurring just with different characters.”

  “So, this is the first level, then the barracks, then mages and finally Hayalet. Have we finished this yet or is there more?”

  “More, I expect the head Guard is the mini-boss. How many can you hide in your group gone spell?”

  “As many as are in the group. The time we’re concealed for reduces as the number increases. If everyone crowded around me, then I can probably conceal us all for about thirty seconds.”

  “When we hear the guards returning, you get everyone back in a group up against the wall. I think the left side as that is the way the door opens. Yabin and I will stand near the torturer’s table. If you conceal everyone as the door opens the guards shouldn’t see you and will race toward Yabin and me, I’ll cast Disc of Death, and then you come behind the guards and surprise them. Hopefully, we should be able to deal with them all.”

  “Sounds like a plan. What about those three not in our group? I can’t hide them.”

  “I guess they’ll have to come stand with Yabin and I. I’ll explain the plan to them. You get the others and explain about being still and quiet. Can you also explain to Yabin and Sarisin?”

  It was almost twenty minutes later when Yabin gestured that someone was coming. He ran to join Leah, a half-elf and the two friends of Salak. Soon the door was pushed open, and two guards walked into the room. They had taken several paces and joined by two more when they noticed Leah and the others near the table. They stopped briefly and a Bukalemun, who was more heavily muscled and spiked than the others, joined them. He pushed them forward, and together they all rushed Leah, they were followed by eight more guards. Leah and the four with her spread out across the room, Yabin explained that this would spread the opposing force and allow any attack from behind to have a greater effect. He suggested that Leah not use Disc of Death this time. Yabin and Leah were in the middle, and the Head Guard headed toward them. Wisp and the others came after the guards and attacked from behind. The fighting was fast and furious, but the guards were surprised and overwhelmed. Leah fought against the head Guard and used her spiked sticks while trying to avoiding his sword and claws.