by Paul Bellow
Leena stood off on her own to the east of camp. I didn’t see Raven anywhere.
“Morning,” Bernard said, looking up at me.
I nodded my head.
“Morning,” I said. “Where’s Raven?”
“She’s scouting ahead again,” Razzo said. “Didn’t want me to come along.”
“You fart too much in your sleep, man,” Bernard said with a chuckle.
“I do not,” Razzo said, also laughing. “Is that why I’m not allowed to join your party?”
Bernard laughed even hard then looked up again, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand.
“What about it, boss?” he asked. “Are we going to let him in now?”
“I don’t care,” I said. “We’ll ask the others.”
“About time,” Razzo said.
“Just stop with the sleep-farts, man.” Bernard smiled. “That’s all I’m asking.”
I walked around them and over to Derringer and Josh.
“We ready to go?” I asked as I bent down to get a granola bar.
“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Derringer said then frowned.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He nodded his head toward the fire.
“Razzo,” he said. “I don’t think we can trust him. Back when I was with Magictology, he did some messed up stuff to other players who wanted out.”
I glanced over at the red-robed wizard then back to Derringer.
“Like what?” I asked.
“He told me,” Josh said. “It’s bad.”
I nodded, wondering what to do.
“We need him to clear the tower of bones,” I said.
“But what if he attacks us during that battle?” Derringer asked.
He raised his eyebrows as he stared at me, waiting for an answer.
“I don’t know,” I said. “He wants to join the party.”
“No,” Josh said. “I’m against it.”
“Bernard’s getting along with him,” I said. “Maybe we need to give him a chance.”
“We should still keep our eyes on him.” Derringer glanced over at the fire again. “Something about him is off big-time.”
“No worse that Leena or any of the rest of us,” I said. “Honestly.”
Derringer smirked.
“Yeah, I guess so…”
His voice trailed off as Raven walked up.
“We should go,” she said, always business.
“Everything clear?” Josh asked.
“I didn’t see anything while scouting, but the closer we get to the tower, the more likely we’ll be attacked.”
“We’re leaving,” I yelled.
Bernard, Razzo, and Leena walked over.
“How about getting me into the party,” Razzo asked.
“Not yet,” I said.
His smile faded.
“Come on,” he said. “Why should I stick around?”
“To prove yourself worthy,” Derringer said. “You don’t recognize me, do you?”
“I have no idea who you are,” Razzo said. “But whatever. I’ll prove myself again because I don’t want to go back to those nuts in Magictology.”
We all stepped aboard the floating platform. Josh got us into the air and moving toward the mysterious tower made from bones we’d heard so much about.
The side-quest xp would be helpful before we traveled to Gracoria. I wondered about the higher levels in the game as we floated north. Raven kept an eye on the ground ahead.
* * *
We stopped around noon to eat some rations and hydrate.
“The tower is three miles to the north,” Raven said. “We shouldn’t stop long.”
“A few minutes won’t hurt us,” Leena said a few feet away from the floating platform.
Raven walked away.
“I’m going to watch from that hill,” she said over her shoulder.
Once she was out of earshot, Leena said, “She’s got to go soon.”
“Why?” I asked, watching her response carefully.
“She’s no good for the party,” Leena said.
“What did you work with my father on?” I asked.
She looked at me, but I saw no emotions on her face.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Quit asking.”
Raven whistled a few hundred feet away. I looked over and saw her running back.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“A horde’s coming this way,” she said.
“They must’ve heard we’re coming,” Josh said. “Zombies or bones?”
“I couldn’t tell,” she said. “They’ll be upon us soon.”
“Maybe we’ll kill them all before we even reach the tower,” I said.
“Not likely.” Raven turned to Josh. “Go with your sword.”
The half-orc grinned, always ready for a battle or challenge.
“We need to conserve our magic,” Leena said. “For whatever’s at the tower.”
“Or the bone tower will animate and attack us,” I said, offering my theory out loud for the first time.
“Remember the worm,” Bernard shouted.
Leena shook her head.
“Grow up,” she said. “We need to be ready.”
“You worry too much,” I said.
Derringer pulled his black, glowing sword.
“Maybe you’re the one who needs to leave the party,” he said.
Both Raven and Razzo turned to look at me. I avoided eye contact, drawing my own weapons. I loved both the Scimitar of Speed and FAST sword equally.
“Let’s move,” I said, walking north.
A few hundred feet down the road, I heard and saw the horde rushing toward us like a wave of mutilated flesh and bones. Both skeletons and zombies ran toward us.
Bernard, Derringer, and Josh lined up next to me, weapons at the ready. Raven and our spellcasters retreated to the high-ground behind us. I prepared myself for the battle.
“I bet I can take out the most with one swing,” Josh said.
“You’re on,” Derringer replied then closed the visor on his black, metal helmet.
“More importantly, let’s stay alive,” I said.
The undead horde rushed closer. I braced myself, ready to lash out and attack as soon as they got close. Two bolts of white electricity arced through the air toward the creatures. It struck, chaining from one to the other. Over a dozen bodies dropped to the ground, but the masses of undead continued forward, the edges flanking to surround us.
“Form a circle,” I said. “Hold the line.”
Three skeletons and two zombies reached close enough to attack. I swung with both swords, hitting three times. Two skeletons and a zombie fell to the ground.
Derringer to my left, and Josh to my right, both attacked. Bones and body parts piled up on the ground in front of us, but the undead kept coming.
“I’ve had enough,” Josh yelled.
He screamed. I glanced over and saw foam coming out of his mouth as he plowed forward into the lake of undead washing over us. That two-handed sword of his gleamed in the sun as it swung around.
“I think he won the bet,” I said then dodges as two skeletons and a zombie attacked.
The skeleton HITS you for 8 damage.
The zombie MISSES you.
The skeleton MISSES you.
You have 162/170 health remaining.
I swung my swords, taking out three zombies easily. Derringer did the same. Bernard managed to take out a few on his own. Josh danced through them like a hover-mower.
The bodies and bones continued piling up. A fireball flew toward the mass of undead, landing and exploding near the back. Burnt pieces of flesh and shards of bone blew outward.
As I fought beside Bernard and Derringer, I concentrated on the excitement of the battle. We had a chance if the tower of bones only produced low-level undead. A skeleton hit me.
The skeleton warrior HITS you for 9 damage.
You have 153/170 health remaining.
>
I pushed forward, stepping over lifeless corpses to get at more of the creatures. Their numbers dwindled as everyone worked together to take them out.
We whittled them down one after another until none remained.
Combat is Over!
You get 13,650 xp
You have 6 party members.
You get 2,275 xp
You have 185,070 xp
You need 34,930 xp for
Level 12 Rogue -> Bounty Hunter.
Raven, still atop the hill, yelled, “Heal up if you can. There’s another wave coming.”
“We need to march north,” I shouted.
She nodded then joined the rest of our group.
“Keep fighting until we reach the tower,” I said.
In the distance, I heard Josh screaming as he continued attacking in a rampage. Had he received some new barbarian bonus or skill to allow his rage to last longer?
“Time to shut down this scourge,” I said.
Everyone marched north. Derringer, Josh, and me in front; Bernard, Raven, and Razzo followed in a line close behind; Leena brought up the rear.
As we neared the next wave of undead, the stench of death and destruction filled my nostrils. I fought the nausea and continued forward.
The dust cloud behind the advancing horde enlarged as the skeletons and zombies came into view.
Where had they gotten all the bodies to raise?
“Look alive,” Raven shouted. “Keep moving north.”
Three skeletons reached striking distance. Big mistake. My blades made short work of their brittle bones, cracking them in half. All three fell to the ground.
I noticed thirty or more had surrounded Josh. He valiantly fought, swinging his massive sword like Arnold auditioning for King Conan. His desperation and rage appeared to be working. I focused on the task at hand, killing as many of the rotten, stinking undead as possible. My swords sang a song. Two zombies and another skeleton hit the ground. I marched over them, pushing the horde back as it tried to overwhelm us.
Leena and Razzo cast short-range offensive spells. A dozen of the bodies caught fire. They did even more damage as they ran around, setting more of the creatures alight. Smells I’d never forget hit my nose, causing me to cough and gag.
I battled forward, taking down three every round. They got a few hits in, taking twenty-one health from my total. With one hundred and thirty-two remaining, I didn’t worry about it.
Derringer and Leena both had healing magic, not to mention the potions and other devices we had with us. As the grind wore on, we moved forward half-a-mile. Undead streamed at us.
“We need a break,” I shouted.
Bernard, next to me, bashed in the skull of a humanoid zombie. The brains and blood splattered on the ground. I sent a blade through the throat and into the skull of another.
“Tell me about it,” Bernard said, not stopping.
I’d lost count of how many skeletons and zombies we’d killed, but I’d bet on over a hundred. We gained ground slowly, fighting our way north on the road.
“They’re thinning out,” Raven shouted from nearby.
“Josh is running out of steam,” I said then attacked a single skeleton.
It crashed to the ground as a pile of harmless bones.
Derringer ran toward Josh. The barbarian collapsed before he reached him. I saw two zombies shuffle closer, their arms outstretched.
“Kill them,” I shouted, hoping Raven or one of the spellcaster answered.
Two golden bolts shot through the air, hitting both zombies in the head. Their brains exploded, and they crumbled to the ground a few feet away from Josh.
Derringer stopped next to Josh and knelt beside him. He fumbled with a few gems then pressed his metal gadget against the half-orc’s massive arm.
I saw a lone skeleton remaining, and as the others wandered over to Derringer and Josh, I rushed forward with my swords drawn. The boney creature had no choice as I struck.
Combat is Over!
You get 16,500 xp
You have 6 party members
You get 2,750 xp
You have 187,820 xp
You need 32,180 xp for
Level 12 Rogue -> Bounty Hunter
“They must know we’re coming,” Raven said. “We should retreat back to Organaar.”
“And have the undead follow us?” Josh asked. “No thanks.”
“I agree,” Derringer said. “We should take the battle to them and stop the undead production on this level.”
“Do you really think Magi Inyontoo would leave everything up to a single source of undead?” Leena shook her head. “I’m really thinking about leaving the group.”
“Fine,” Bernard said. “Maybe you should.”
“No one’s dropping out right now,” I said. “We need to clear the tower of bones.”
“Can I join party?” Razzo asked.
“No,” everyone shouted in unison.
He slunk away to the floating platform, which we’d been pulling behind us. In the distance, perhaps a mile away, a huge tower stretched toward the sky.
“On the platform,” I said. “We’ll get as close as we can before the next wave comes.”
Josh walked over to the most useful magic item we’d acquired—at least when it came to travel. He brought it down so we could all get on. After we did, it levitated up then headed north.
I noticed the bones of the easily three-hundred foot tall tower as we got closer. While it’s an evil location we needed to destroy, I admired the beauty that had gone into building it.
The Four Wizards had built their own towers and we’d gotten our own structure with Fort Sumter on this level, but I wanted to build something bigger and more permanent.
“Activity at the tower entrance,” Raven said.
I saw two towering gates made of bones open. All manner of nasty creatures, none of them fully alive, swarmed from the building. They fanned out as they ran toward us.
“Take us closer to the tower,” Raven said. “Fly over their heads.”
“Sure,” Josh said.
He tapped his foot, sending us another twenty feet into the air. I glanced over the side as hundreds of zombies and skeletons stopped and clawed the air for us.
“This is great and all,” Leena said. “But it’s not going to stop them.”
I followed her finger pointing and saw two figures emerge from the tower and fly into the air.
“Bring us down on the back side of the tower,” Raven said. “Hurry!”
Josh maneuvered so tightly, Razzo the Red almost fell over the side.
“Watch it,” he said.
I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to the center. The floating platform descended near the rear of the tower. A couple more figures had flown into the air.
“There’s too many,” I said. “We’re in trouble.”
“Shut up and fight,” Josh said, hefting his sword.
I reached for an Everlast potion.
“Not yet,” Leena hissed. “We don’t know what else is coming.”
I frowned, knowing she was right. The flying figures circled far overhead. We had one heck of a fight facing us.
I thought about Sarah and battled on.
Chapter 21
Another Horde Rises
Eric
We needed to get out of the open. An idea came to me.
“Josh, can you break some bones to make a way inside?” I asked.
He looked at the walls made from bones of all sizes.
“They’re thick, but I can try,” he said.
“Do it now,” I said then looked up again.
A figure in black dove toward the ground. Two-hundred feet up, he stopped and pulled out a crossbow. A volley of five bolts rained down, I dodged. They landed deep in the earth.
“Hurry, please,” I said.
Josh hollered and hit the outer wall of the bone tower.
“We’ve got company,” Derringer said. He ran forward as dozens of
skeletons came around from behind the tower.
“More on this side,” Razzo said.
Leena cast a wall of flame, protecting us on one side. As Raven drew her bow and shot an arrow at the flying creature, I glanced over at Josh to check on his progress.
“It’s too tough,” he said, becoming enraged.
“Control your temper,” I said. “We need our wits about us.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” he shouted.
Five more wooden bolts rained down. Two of them hit Josh’s shoulder.
“Aargh,” he screamed as he ripped them out.
I looked up and noticed the bones were further apart higher up.
“Cover me,” I said, hoping someone heard me.
With my Ring of Spider Climbing, I easily scaled the side of the bone tower. Climbing higher, I glanced down and saw skeletons and zombies surrounding the others. I stopped in a comfortable spot and turned to see the flying creature. Was it a vampire? How’s he out in the sunshine without dying?
Four bolts whizzed by, missing me, but a fifth skinned my shin.
The crossbow bolt GRAZES you for 5 damage.
You have [127/170] health remaining.
I should’ve grabbed a healing potion or two from our gear before we landed. Ugh. The regret faded as I scurried upward, grabbing ahold of one bone then another on my way up. I reached an opening and slipped inside the tower. Five more bolts hit the outside.
Scanning the room, I noticed a lich on the other side of the room peering at me with glowing red eyes. The rusty crown on his leathery head had tilted to the left.
“Get him!” the foul, rotting creature hissed.
Out of the darkness, four wraiths floated out. Their tattered purple robes hung loosely off their unhuman, glowing bodies. I pulled both weapons, hoping for the best. As the shouting from the others below intensified, I rushed forward and attacked the nearest wraith. The lich left the room, disappearing deeper in the tower as I attacked.
Your slash INJURES the wraith for 12 damage.
Your pierce WOUNDS the wraith for 18 damage.
Your slash INJURES the wraith for 15 damage.
