Standing outside the cage, Kuzai folded his arms over his chest, glaring at us. “Guess ye been saying the truth all‘long,” he grunted. “I still ain’t trustin ye greenskins, but I reckon greenskin beats demon so we’ll play nice. Fer now.”
“How did you come to be imprisoned?” Hoshisu asked.
Kuzai glanced at his downed kin behind him, then back at us. “Ain’t no time fer that now. Me brethren be near death and I can’t help ‘em. I already lost too many to them damn demons.” His fingers clutched at his throat as if grasping for something. “If only I had me ruddy amulet!”
I exchanged a glance with Hoshisu. We both knew what that was leading to.
“Can we offer our help?” I asked.
The dwarf looked at me, barely hiding his sneer. “The day I be accepting a goblin’s help …” He trailed off then shook his head. “Will be today. Them demons took away me holy amulet. It be me link to Durang’s divine power. If ye can find me amulet, I could help me remaining kin. Help me save them and in return, I’ll help you.”
You received a new quest: The Holy Dwarf 1
Kuzai has asked you to help save his people. First, find his holy amulet which was taken by the demons.
Quest Type: Advanced, chain
Reward: Varied, depending on number of surviving dwarves: 18/18
“Crap.” I looked at Hoshisu. “We can spend days crawling around this dungeon looking for his damn amulet. We might as well be looking for a needle –”
I paused mid-sentence, staring at the golden chain dangling from Hoshisu’s fingers. “Is that what I think it is?”
She nodded, smirking.
“Where did you get that?”
“While you and my dear brother were off looting the corpses, I noticed the remains of a demon corpse behind those crates. I thought it was worth a closer look. The remains were badly burnt and this little jewel was hidden under a pile of ash. I’m guessing that for a demon, holding a holy item isn’t a great idea.”
“Hey, that be me amulet!” Kuzai blurted, noticing the item Hoshisu was holding.
“Yes, I just found it. Here you go.”
Taking the amulet from her hands, Kuzai reverently placed it around his neck. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. I could see golden-bright ribbons of mana flowing into his body from the bauble. He was obviously dependent on his amulet to regenerate his mana.
Standing straighter, with one hand over the amulet, Kuzai looked around at his people, his expression stern. He gestured with his other hand, muttering something in Dwarven. Golden light spread out from his hands, illuminating the entire cage. The beaten dwarves touched by the light suddenly looked better. Those who were a step from death opened their eyes and sat up. Festering wounds closed and the stench of death and decay lessened.
At that exact moment, Malkyr logged back in. Materializing out of thin air, he stared in bewilderment at the much livelier dwarves. “That was quick, sis.” He looked at the dwarven priest. “Your people seem better.”
Kuzai nodded, his eyes troubled as he took in the sight of his feeble group. “They still be weak. They be needing yer help getting to the surface. Would ye offer your help a second time?”
The big man shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Quest updated: The Holy Dwarf 2
Kuzai was able to use the magical amulet to stabilize his dying people. Help them escape the fort and reach the surface unharmed.
Quest Type: Advanced, chain
Reward: Increased. Varied depending on number of surviving dwarves: 18/18
I wrinkled my nose. Great, just what we needed, more time with those stinking dwarves.
Not to me, I grumbled mentally.
“This way.” Hoshisu motioned the dwarves to follow her and moved toward the exit.
“Alright everyone, huddle together,” Malkyr instructed. “We’ll take point. In case we’re attacked, stay back and let us do the fighting.”
“I’ll help,” Kuzai declared with a ring of finality. “But I be needing a weapon.”
“Sure thing, buddy.” Malkyr retrieved a standard hand axe from his inventory and offered it to the dwarf. “Here you go.”
“That’ll do, fer now. Ye don’t happen to have a shield on ya too, do ya lad?”
Malkyr grinned and produced a wooden shield from his inventory.
The dwarf grunted. “Ye ain’t so bad, son. For part greenskin, that is.”
“Thanks, old timer,” Malkyr chuckled.
We led the way back out into the main corridor, moving carefully, keeping our eyes and ears peeled for any possible danger.
We were halfway to the pit leading out when Bek stopped, causing the dwarf behind him to bump into him.
“Stupid vermin,” the dwarf mumbled.
“What’s wrong, Bek?” I interceded, giving the offending dwarf a withering glare.
The small goblin pointed a finger at an empty room to our left. “Door close on way in. Door open now.”
As if affirming his words, a loud howl pierced the air, carrying a whiff of magic with it. The weakened dwarves grasped each other in fright, seeming unable to move.
From the shadows all around us, a pack of wolves stepped into view. At least, they looked like wolves. Their fur was so dark it blended perfectly with the shadows around us, and their eyes shone red.
“Demon wolves!” Kuzai spat, stepping forward to face one.
Three wolves closed in on the siblings at the front, snarling. Five more circled the exhausted dwarves.
Demon Wolf
Level: 6
HP: 65/54
Attributes: P: 5, M: 0, S: 1
Skills: Bite 12, Demoralizing Roar 6
Traits: Demonic
Resistances: Fire 100%, Armor: 12, -50% holy
Buff: Alpha aura (+11 max HP)
Description: Demon wolves roam the open plains of hell. Though weak individually, as a pack their strength increases exponentially, especially when led by an alpha.
The wolves at the front charged the twins and the rest fell upon the unfortunate dwarves. Kuzai managed to hold one of them at bay, but the rest of his people fared much worse. The other four wolves clawed and bit, diving deep into their ranks. Still, they were dwarves, and even at death’s door, some fought back. Those who weren’t debilitated by the effect of the howl used their bare fists to attack, but there was no question as to whom was better at fighting unarmed.
Hoshisu left her brother to fight the three wolves and jumped into the band of dwarves in a vain attempt to protect them.
“Do something!” Malkyr yelled at me between axe swings.
I shrugged. “The wolves seem to do well on their own.”
“I meant help the dwarves!” he almost screamed.
I remained in place, absentmindedly picking at my nose, staring straight into the eyes of a wolf that paused as it considered me for his next target. Realizing they were probably an easier prey, it pounced on another dwarf.
Oh right, I almost forgot. In that case… With an offhand flick of my mind, I froze the three wolves who were rampaging unopposed among the defenseless dwarves. For some reason, these demons were infused with Dark Mana. Combined with the bonuses I’d received from wielding my magic in a dark environment, that made them especially susceptible to my control.
I thought about using my daggers to sacrifice the frozen wolves, but with the dwarves being pressed so tightly, I risked hitting them as well. So instead, I simply left the dwarves to dish out the damage and finish off their immobile enemies with kicks and punches.
Two seconds later, Malkyr dispatched the last of his three opponents, sustaining only a minor bite mark on his forearm. Hoshisu and Kuzai seemed uninjured. Both had also downed their opponents.
Hoshisu made her way toward me. “What was that?” she demanded, glaring at me.
I shrugged. “I like them about as much as they like us. That said, I would like to point out that I did help.”
“Three of the dwarves are dead,” she hissed. “Lucky for us, Kuzai and the others were too busy to notice your behavior.”
I winked at her, “Luck is what I do.”
Lucky Bastard skill level increased to 27.
Right on time.
A growl sounded farther down the hallway. A large wolf twice the size of the others stepped out of the darkness. It was black as night with glowing red eyes. Two long horns curled back from its skull. I could sense it teeming with Dark Mana. It was a beautiful creature.
Tempest, Demon Wolf Alpha
Level: 16
HP: 154/154
Attributes: P: 15, M: 0, S: 1
Traits: Demonic
Skills: Powerful Bite 22, Alpha Aura 11, Sprinter 25
Resistances: Fire 100%, Armor 27, Holy -50%
Description: Demon wolves roam the open plains of hell. The alphas are among the strongest of their kind. Strong, fast, and smart, an alpha can use his aura to increase his pack’s strength, allowing them to hunt prey much tougher than they normally could.
Raising his Axe, Malkyr prepared to strike the magnificent beast.
“Wait!” I shouted. “He’s mine!”
I moved forward, putting myself between the man and the beast.
Giving me a weird look, Malkyr relented and stepped back. The alpha approached me carefully, as if not comprehending why the powerful enemy was replaced by one seemingly weaker. I could almost smell dark energy coming off him with every step he made. It drew close, snarling and baring his fangs. He was nearly two meters away, tensing his muscles, ready to pounce.
What I was about to do wasn’t supposed to work, not on a named mob, but the dark essence of the wolf resonated with me. I knew it would work. I held up one hand, channeled my mana into the beast’s mind and commanded, “Stop.”
The wolf stood still.
I took a step closer. My mana was absorbed easily, taking control of muscles and mind alike. By the time my hand reached its head, the domination was complete. He was mine.
You have successfully dominated a free-roaming demon.
You may choose to banish Tempest to his home plane or assume permanent control.
Note: Assuming control will require a continuous draw of mana to keep the demon anchored on this plane, resulting in a permanent 5% reduction of your maximum MP.
Well, with all the recent level-ups, I now had over a thousand MP. Losing five percent wasn’t such a big deal.
I grabbed at the data stream that said ‘control,’ wrapping my thoughts around it, pulling it to me.
You have gained a new Companion: Tempest, demon wolf alpha
Tempest knelt obediently, maintaining eye contact. I reached out my hand, and he licked it. I grabbed his mane and climbed onto his back, projecting my intentions at him. The great demon wolf rose up and took a few measured steps down the hallway.
I looked back at the gaping mouths and astonished faces and simply asked, “Coming?”
We made it to the bottom of the pit with no further encounters.
Tempest climbed out with ease, his claws grabbing at the sloping walls. Once back in the main hall, I fed the rope in my inventory to the party below.
Hoshisu came up first. Malkyr stayed behind, helping the dwarves by lifting them halfway through the pit. Though they were on their last legs, they were still dwarves, and with a bit of assistance, they all made the climb.
Kuzai climbed last and looked around the hall full of debris with distaste. “That what you be getting after a thousand years if it ain’t built by dwarven builders!” he grunted.
That gave me pause. So, a dwarf builder would be superior to a goblin builder, hmm … So I only need to find a clan of dwarves, eradicate them, then I’d be able to summon their workers.
Just thinking a little out of the box here, Vic, no need to get all worked up. Yet.
“This way,” Malkyr motioned, leading the dwarves toward the exit.
We arrived at the outer courtyard and a few moments later came out into the open mountain land.
“We made it,” Kuzai said softly. Looking at the three dead dwarves his people carried with them, he added bitterly, “At least most of us did.”
“Now what?” Malkyr asked.
“Now me people be finding another tunnel and be on their way home. Meself, I have an obligation to our dead. I’m gonna find whoever summoned the sons of bitches and make sure his head won’t ever again be anywhere near the rest of him. Will ye help me, lads?”
Quest updated: The Holy Dwarf 3
You helped Kuzai rescue his men, although a few were lost. Follow Kuzai down to the depths of the fort and help him vanquish the source of evil that permeates the ancient place.
Quest Type: Advanced, chain
Reward received: 1,500 XP (100 XP per surviving dwarf), Kuzai joined your party.
Reward pending: Improve reputation rank with the BoulderBelly clan, open trade options.
The XP boost was nice. It was almost enough to push me to the next level. Cascading streams of information surrounded Bek. The small goblin had gained another level. He was level 16 already, same as Rhynorn. By the time we got back, he might very well be twice that Ogre’s level. I snickered at the mental image of Bek kicking the brute’s ass, riding him around like his own personal pony.
“‘Course we’ll help,” Malkyr responded for all of us, breaking me away from my reverie.
I wasn’t so sure I wanted to party up with a stinkin’ dwarf, but I kept my mouth shut. If my vision was any indication, we were heading into a large pile of trouble. Come to think of it, it might not be such a bad idea to bring along some dwarven fodder. I gave the dwarf a big, ear-to-ear smile. “Sure, sure, glad to have you with us, Kuzai.”
He eyed me suspiciously.
The other dwarves picked up their meager possessions and their dead. After exchanging a few words with their leader, they started walking away. They soon crossed a mountain ridge and were out of sight.
We went back into the ruins. I rode Tempest and the others walked. We encountered no further enemies on our way to the pit.
“Where to now?” I asked as we stood at the main basement hallway.
“Let’s head to the prison cell again,” Hoshisu suggested. “We skipped a few doors on our way there. Better check we didn’t miss anything important.”
“Yeah, like more loot,” her brother added.
“Precisely. Then we can check out the other side of the hallway.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed.
Malkyr and Kuzai took point, followed by Bek and Hoshisu, while I brought up the rear. Halfway down the hall, we found another closed door that I hadn’t noticed before.
“I’ll check it,” Hoshisu volunteered. She inspected the lock carefully, tapping it a few times with one of her daggers, then nodded. “All clear.”
The door opened into another large storeroom. The place looked like a storm had come through it. Crushed boxes and pieces of broken items littered the floor. Two Ogre zombies rose to engage us.
With Malkyr and Kuzai, each tanking a different opponent, the fight was easy. Boring almost. I cast drilling arrows over and over again until the two were down. Kuzai displayed some interesting powers during the fight, at one point raising his pendant and showering a zombie with golden light that melted away half his torso. Priests were well-suited to battle the undead.
I managed to get a killing strike with my dagger on one Ogre, adding 14 FP to my total and gaining another level 14 void crystal.
Searching the dropped loot, we recovered three more Viridium ingots and one heavy maul.
Kuzai belted his hand axe and hefted the maul instead, holding it with both hands, testing its balance. The thing must have been considered a light weapon for an Ogre, but at ten kilos, i
t looked quite intimidating in the dwarf’s hands. “That be a good knee buster,” Kuzai declared, shouldering the weapon. “What do ye plan on doing with those?” he asked as I put the Viridium in my inventory.
“Malkyr can forge them into something useful,” I said nonchalantly. “Then I’ll see how good those things are at holding enchantment.”
The dwarf shook his head. “That metal be damn hard to work. Only Master Smiths can make something worth a half-damn out of it. There be other, better metals ter use fer weapons or armor. But what can ye expect of metal borne by magic?”
“Borne by magic?” I raised a brow.
“Aye, it be normal metal at first, then transmuted by some magic user with too much time on ‘em hands, usually hob shamans. Hard ter make, too. My people don’t waste their time on such trivials.”
“I think I’ll keep it all the same. Maybe I’ll find some other use for it later.”
The dwarf shrugged. “Suit yerself, don’t say I did’na warn ya.”
“Man, there’s nothing valuable in here,” Malkyr complained, getting up after rummaging through broken boxes. “What a colossal waste of time.”
“I dunno,” Kuzai said. “That secret panel behind ya looks promisin’.”
“What?” The big man turned to inspect the wall with bewilderment.
The dwarf chuckled. “Here, lad.” He walked next to Malkyr and tapped his maul lightly on a small brick in the wall. An audible click sounded and a piece of the wall in front of Malkyr opened up to reveal a hidden compartment.
Malkyr carefully emptied its contents, laying them out on the ground for all of us to see: a pair of exquisite boots, a couple of parchments, and a stack of gold coins.
Boots of Swiftness
Description: Made from blue dragon leather, the fastest of their kind. There’s a saying that whoever wears these boots will be quick enough to dodge lightning.
Life Reset: EvP (Environment vs. Player) (New Era Online Book 2) Page 23
