Fractured Spirit (Alpha World Book 5)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Gerald pulled something from his small pouch at his waist. The pungent item started to glow as he rubbed it on his shield. The shield started to glow, the light enough to let them see several feet. “Pablo told me about these, Glow Bags. They leave behind a glow for an hour and are good for three uses.”

  “I didn’t notice those. I’ll see about picking some up,” Alburet said, seeing their usefulness. “Not that we hunt after sundown much, or at least we didn’t use to.”

  “Just the once, as I recall,” Karen recalled with a smirk. “The ruins, first night hunting together.”

  “Oh yeah, good times,” Alburet agreed.

  The light given off by Gerald’s shield was faint but effective, though it only worked in the direction he was facing. “Gerald, let Tiny and TJ rub it onto their shields, too,” Marysue told him, touching his arm. “Please.”

  Gerald held out the pungent bag, “Tiny?”

  “Yes,” Tiny took the item and applied it to his shield before handing it off to his Copy to repeat the process.

  The ruins brightened with all three shields now illuminating the area. Marysue breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Didn’t know you were afraid of the dark,” Karen mentioned.

  “I’m not,” Marysue retorted. “It’s just… I have bad memories involving horror movies, and this looks like one.”

  “Fair enough,” Stacia commented as she patted Marysue’s shoulder. “Luckily ya protector be here, along with me own. We will be fine.”

  Marysue looked away from the Succubus in human form, “Of course.”

  “Nightlight should be up soon, which will help,” Fluffball reminded them.

  Alburet snorted, “I forgot about the name of the moon.”

  “It be a good name,” Stacia frowned. “It lights the night.”

  The others all looked away with a few coughs. Alburet patted her arm as he spoke, “You’re right, but on the other world we have items called nightlights. They’re mostly used to help children with a fear of the dark.”

  “I see,” Stacia nodded. “Ya laughter be over the similarities between the names?”

  “Close enough,” Gerald cut in. He quickly redirected the conversation, “We haven’t been attacked and I haven’t seen anything about this area being phased.”

  “We should look around,” Fluffball said, her eyes scanning the darkness. “Maybe we have to enter the structures that look to still be mostly intact?”

  Moving as one, the group headed towards the closest of the structures. As they approached it a pop-up appeared for each of them.

  Ruins of Lament

  You have started the event to clear the Ruins of Lament!

  Find the six unburied remains of those left behind and pray over them.

  “Well I guess that answers the question about what we need to do,” Gerald snorted as he stepped into the structure. “Found the first one,” he called out as the others followed him into the room.

  Marysue stepped over to the bones that were almost completely obscured by moss. “I’ll start,” she told them. Closing her eyes, she began to pray, “Justice, God of the Empire, hear my voice and look upon the dead that has been left here. Let them not linger without your light any longer. Shine your light upon them so they may find peace once more.”

  As she finished a beam of pure, soft, white light appeared over the bones. After a moment the light began to rise up, carrying the ghostly image of a little boy with it. The ghost smiled at them, before it and the light shot upward at tremendous speed.

  Everyone watched the light vanish with a faint sense of awe. That moment was broken by the sound of a sword being scraped across the ground outside.

  “First customer up,” Karen said as she stealthed and followed Gerald out of the building.

  A Furious Dead lurched around the corner as Gerald stepped out. He slammed his shield into it as the others started to surround the mob. “Tiny, TJ why don’t you two take Marysue to the next building? We’ll be right behind you guys.”

  With a quick glance at Alburet for confirmation Tiny replied, “As he commands.”

  Marysue started to follow Tiny while biting her lower lip. “Shouldn’t I heal?”

  “We got this one. We might want to clear the remains as fast as we can though, before they start showing up in groups.” Alburet told her as he summoned a Fire Blast. “I’m worried the mobs will start doubling or tripling up with each set of bones we clear.”

  Gerald called out, “He’s right, go on.”

  Marysue followed Tiny without looking back again. The rest of them did their best to kill the Furious Dead as quickly as they could. They endured the stun and the Whirlwind attack by the mob before they finally cut it down.

  As they started towards the next building a light appeared above it then zipped up into the sky. They had just reached the door when Marysue came out behind Tiny and his Copy. “That was two,” she said.

  “Start towards the third,” Gerald told her, interrupting the spell she started to cast. “We don’t know when the next Undead will appear.”

  “Okay,” Marysue said, and followed Tiny and his Copy to the next building.

  “This can’t be done without a Priest?” Karen frowned.

  “That wouldn’t make sense,” Fluffball murmured. “Maybe you just need a person who can heal?”

  “Mayhap I should try at one of the bodies?” Stacia suggested. “I can heal, even iffin it do be just the one Ability.”

  “Worth a try,” Alburet said. “Head towards the fourth ruin.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when two Furious Dead appeared out of the ruins near them. Gerald intercepted them just as Marysue entered the third structure. “This is going to suck,” Gerald muttered. “Maybe stand back until they stun me, then draw them off?”

  Alburet drew his weapon, silently casting Demonic Retribution. “I’ll do my best.”

  “We’ll keep them busy until she gets done,” Karen added as she waited for mobs to use their stuns.

  Gerald took the brunt of the attacks while they waited for the stuns, concentrating on parrying and deflecting as much of the assault as he could. Since Gerald wasn’t damaging the mobs, Alburet was able to pull the first Furious Dead off of him after it used its stun. Karen and Fluff watched Gerald’s health dropping with frustration while they waited for the other mob to trigger its stun, which it finally did just as the first one wore off.

  They barely managed to peel the second mob off of Gerald, leading it a few feet away. Gerald downed a potion when the second stun finally wore off, bringing his health back up to almost full. The two mobs triggered their Whirlwind attacks, causing Alburet, Karen, and Fluff to dodge out of the way.

  Gerald used his area taunt to pull both of the mobs back to him. As they converged he used Ground Stomp, slamming his foot into the ground, to stun both mobs. A beam of light formed above the ruin Marysue had gone into, again zipping off into the sky. A second later another beam, this one darker, shone above the building Stacia was in.

  “That’s three and four,” Alburet called out as Marysue rushed out of the building.

  “I’m healing, then. We can have Stacia trigger the rest of them,” Marysue said as she landed a critical heal on Gerald, replenishing most of his missing life.

  “Stacia,” Alburet began, but cut off when he caught the feral gleam in her eyes. “She’s been taken by a spirit,” Alburet spat just before he dismissed her. Stacia vanished, leaving the spirit floating in the air with a puzzled expression. He summoned Stacia back to him quickly.

  Appearing in her usual puff of smoke, Stacia, in all her Infernal glory, snarled. “Ya did nay want to do tha’,” she hissed at the Spirit as she started towards it with anger in her eyes.

  “Stop,” Alburet told her. “Focus on the two Furious Dead.” He turned his attention to Tiny and TJ, “Get ready to stop possessed people.”

  Karen turned from her target as the Furious Dead fell, spinning to attack Marysue. Her bla
des were batted aside by Gerald, who used Intervene to stop the blow from landing as he came between the two women.

  Tiny and TJ snagged Karen before she could slip away. “We have her,” they said in unison.

  Fluff, Bob, and BJ finished off the second Furious Dead. “What about the fourth wave?” Fluff asked. Her face took on a sneer as she spun on Alburet. “Die mortal,” Fluff hissed with an eerie voice.

  “We have two of the Spiritual Takers,” Alburet called out.

  “This is going to be bad,” Marysue yelled back. She focused on Fluff first, since the Destroyers were able to hold Karen. “At least they don’t seem to be jumping hosts.”

  “Stacia, hurry off to the furthest ruin,” Alburet told her. “Wait for me to call out then pray over the body.”

  She seemed torn for a moment before she nodded, “As ya wish.” She sprinted away from the group.

  Gerald slammed into Fluff, stunning her with his shield. As he did, the Spirit left her body and hung in the air for a second. “Stunning the host will drive them out.”

  Marysue frowned in concentration as she cast a healing spell on the spirit. “They take more damage out of a body. Tiny, as soon as we deal with this one I will want you to use both of your stuns in succession.”

  “Yes,” Tiny rumbled as he fought to hold onto Karen. Only his increased stats, mirrored in his Copy, allowed him to maintain his hold on her.

  The spirit vanished into Gerald, who spun to attack Marysue. Alburet called out, “Tiny, stun Gerald, TJ, stun Karen. Fluff, potions ready. One of them is liable to get Marysue.”

  The fight was a continuous chaotic mess until they dropped the first spirit. As the second one dropped Marysue drank a mana potion, having tapped herself out of mana by using her most expensive heals during the conflict.

  “That wasn’t-” Marysue started to say when the sound of snapping branches could be heard from the forest surrounding the ruined village. All heads turned to look at the noise, only to see four Furious Dead and six Broken Dead coming out of the forest towards them. “Oh, that doesn’t look good.”

  “We rush the fifth remains,” Alburet told them. “Stacia is at the sixth set. We can get them both, then deal with the fallout.”

  “Better than seeing what the next wave will be,” Gerald agreed.

  The group started running away from the Undead, only to hear a cacophony of voices howl behind them.

  “Run faster?” Karen asked.

  “Run faster,” Alburet agreed. “Tiny, TJ, delay them for us. I’ll unsummon you once we get there. Don’t die, just hold them off as long as you can. I’ll resummon you when we start the prayer.”

  “For the master,” Tiny rumbled as he and his Copy spun back towards the horde.

  “Never thought you would sacrifice them like that,” Gerald panted as they ran.

  “Strategic withdrawal. Besides, as long as they don’t die it’ll work out fine,” Alburet huffed back.

  They made it to the next building. Marysue rushed inside as the others all leaned against the wall, panting for a moment. Alburet unsummoned Tiny mentally, then yelled as loud as he could, “Now, Stacia!”

  He summoned Tiny back, hoping his plan had worked. Tiny reappeared next to him, bleeding, his life under a quarter. “I cut that one close. Sorry, buddy.”

  “We live to serve the master,” Tiny rumbled with a bloody grin. “I held them.”

  Using Demonic Vitality, Alburet started to heal the injured Destroyer. “You did good.”

  “Glad you made it,” Bob called out from the edge of the ruined building. “They’re coming fast,” he advised the group, as he had the height vantage to see the horde of Undead.

  A white light appeared next to them, hovering over the building they were in front of. “She got the fifth,” Gerald muttered as he squared his shoulders. “Time to deal with this horde.”

  A darker light appeared further away from them, over the last semi-standing building. “Stacia got the last,” Alburet grinned.

  The Ruins of Lament have been cleansed!

  Escape the wave of undead or fight them.

  Bonus rewards available: Kill the undead and look for clues behind the undead plaguing the forest. Take your findings to the Keep of Lament for a special bonus.

  “We fighting or running?” Alburet asked as he swiped the pop-up away.

  “There are ten of them,” Gerald reminded him. “It will be tough as hell to beat them all.”

  “We can do it,” Marysue said calmly. “Use your health and mana potions.”

  “We got this,” Karen agreed as she vanished from sight.

  Alburet renewed Demonic Vitality on Tiny, which brought him to half health. He Copied the Destroyer just as the undead rounded the corner of the nearest building. “Tiny, TJ, play it smart. I’ll do my best to keep you two healed.”

  “I will be helpin’,” Stacia added as she came running towards them.

  “I’ll pull the Furious Dead to the right,” Gerald said as he charged into the oncoming horde. As soon as he slammed into the first three he stomped the ground, stunning the whole group of undead. “Tiny, be ready to peel the Broken Dead off me. We need to kill the Furious Dead first, everyone focus on my targets.”

  “Time to light them up,” Bob said with a cackle as both of his hands began to glow. “I don’t get to use this spell much.”

  “Gerald, I’ll be with Tiny, I can use my Fire Burst with him. I’ll chug my mana potions to down them as quick as I can.” Alburet went to follow after Tiny who had started to taunt Broken Dead out of the stunned group.

  “Take another,” Marysue said, holding out an extra potion. “You don’t carry more than two normally.”

  Alburet grabbed it, then took off to catch up with Tiny. “Let’s do this.”

  The exchange of mobs got a little messy but soon they were divided up as they should be. Fluff and Karen were staying as far back as they could while still hitting them, ready to back off when a Whirlwind or Stun was used.

  Tiny was looking worried as he dragged his three Broken Dead off to the left. “I will hold them,” Tiny rumbled as he focused on mitigating the damage that was coming in at him. TJ held the other three next to Tiny, nodding grimly.

  Alburet let the spell wash through his mind, a bloom of fire erupting around the undead and the minions. The Destroyers ignored the flames while it ravaged the undead. Stacia darted in to use Comforting Touch on Tiny, giving him back half of his missing life. She then slapped the closest Broken Dead, her Essence Drain siphoning 5% of its life away. She pulled her blades out, adding her melee attacks to the Broken Dead.

  Another wave of fire washed over the group as Alburet cast Fire Burst again. While Tiny and TJ held the Broken Dead, Alburet continued to unleash Fire Burst every two seconds. On the fourth spell, Tiny had to use Savage Roar to stop the mobs from going after Alburet.

  “You are pulling them,” Tiny rumbled with a frown.

  Downing a mana potion, Alburet hissed to himself. Over two thousand damage done and the Undead were still looking pretty lively. He would need at least another six blasts to finish them off and that would probably mean he would need another potion.

  “I have them all, and TJ will taunt them off,” Tiny rumbled, “keep going.”

  Alburet resumed casting Fire Burst at Tiny’s words. The second Fire Burst pulled the Broken Dead off of Tiny again. TJ gathered them up with his Savage Roar. Two more Fire Bursts had the Broken Dead coming after Alburet yet again. Alburet downed his second mana potion and fired off one more Fire Burst. He sagged with relief when the Broken Dead collapsed into piles of broken bones.

  Heart racing, Alburet looked to his friends who were dealing with their own issues. Gerald was down to half life and only one of the four Furious Dead were down. “Tiny, TJ, taunt one each. TJ, if you have to, lead it away before you drop. Tiny, no dying,” Alburet told them. “Stacia, go join the ladies in killing the one they’re currently focused on.”

  Pulling the two
Furious Dead away from Gerald was enough to allow Marysue to catch her breath. She’d been having trouble keeping up with the damage being done to him by the mobs. “Thanks,” she called out as a breath of relief rushed out of her. “Good timing,” she added as she downed her second mana potion.

  “I’m out of mana,” Bob announced as he landed on the skull of the Furious Dead Tiny had just taunted off Gerald. His claws dug into the metal helm the mob wore as he tried to peel it off. BJ landed on the one TJ was facing, copying Bob’s attempt to peel away the mob’s helm.

  “We got this,” Karen panted as she slammed one blade into the leg of the Furious Dead, planting her other where a kidney should be.