"Val?" Val nodded at the unspoken question. "The crystals overhead give plenty of light. I'll scout ahead," he said, doing his best to keep to the shadows, knowing somehow he had lost an old knack but was still as stealthy as most people trained in infiltration. If he was lucky, only the observant looking his way would spot him, and preferably not until he had already gotten the drop on them.
He kept his breathing slow and controlled, for some reason comforted by the crystals shimmering with obsidian gold fire that provided dim illumination overhead. His heartbeat raced with adrenaline, but he kept a tight focus on getting a feel for the terrain ahead. Hearing the faint shouts and arguments of alarmed men, tasting sweat and fear and a stink almost like cordite and cinnamon, and of course, the stench of blood post-explosion, even this far down the corridor. Val nodded to himself as he came upon an excellent ambush spot for the group behind him, before drawing up abruptly with a hiss.
Just barely seeing the faint strand of twine across the hallway, finally thinking to look up, noting the tiny hollowed pits of shadow in the brilliantly sparkling crystals above him, perfect for setting traps to rain death upon whoever was foolish enough to stumble upon them, like he almost had.
Flashing a feral grin as he made out the telltale flicker of arcane magics crackling in the air, all but tasting the Elementium in the flask above him. Gently, he closed his will upon the flask, ready to carefully slip it free when only reflexes honed in the arena of combat allowed him to escape near certain death, jerking back abruptly as a crossbow bolt twanged from the bow of a man thirty feet ahead, guarded by a natural rock barricade, who had been watching Val's position with the same eagle eye that Val had once used to take so many men down.
And Val hadn't sensed a thing.
30 Hit Points damage! Severe wound downgraded to flesh wound as the song of your own existence rails against the everlasting dirge of Oblivion. Well done! Maybe you'll start to pay attention, Val?
Val gasped as he was rocked by a sudden bolt of pain, a wicked triple bladed bolt cracking a pauldron far better suited for deflecting laser fire than crossbow bolts that once upon a time had evolved to pierce even steel mail armor. Fortunately the bolt just nicked him, kissing his shoulder with a flash of ripping pain, his skin savaged, muscle underneath intact.
Fast as thought, he followed through on his instinctive dodge, rolling further to the side and summoning his Synergized Ward, shouting "Shield!" to further focus and speed the summoning.
Just in time for a second bolt fired from the double shot crossbow to clang against it, most but not all of its power absorbed, inertia sufficient to smack against his helm with force sufficient to sting and no more, pinging off his armor without cracking it, and Val knew how lucky he was even as he jerked out his arm just past his shield.
"Glacie Pilum!"
His enhanced Ice Spear roared from his hand, tearing through the air, blasting through the open-faced helm of the crossbowman only now reaching for a sword at his belt, hand suddenly flopping as lifelessly as his body collapsed, his skull deforming and rupturing an instant later under the force of the massive shard of ice that had just torn through it, quivering as it lodged into the far stone wall.
"Val, what the hell!" Dirk's angry voice, surging through his Soul Link, Val suddenly certain the man had not needed to say a word aloud. Val felt the sting of his rebuke. "Keep your shield up at all times. That man could have killed you! And why the hell aren't you hasted? I taught you that spell just for situations like this!"
Val flushed, swallowed, forcing himself to breathe, taking a few moments to spin that pristinely beautiful weave around him, the captain's voice going from hyper to normal in the span of seconds, Val realizing they were now both hasted.
"Good. Chris is coming to your position. We're right behind."
Val's eyes widened. "Shit!"
The trip wire.
"Trap!" He screamed through their Spirit Link, Chris blinking in surprise as his foot caught the wire, and it was only thanks to Val's suddenly hasted form that he was able to lurch back enough to slam Chris out of the way even as he clamped his will hard on the flask tumbling down from the ceiling.
Finesse check made! Greater Alchemy check made! Congratulations, you have caught the Elementium infused Silbion without exploding to smithereens!
Chris's sudden flash of anger turned immediately into an apologetic smile as he gazed down at what Val was holding, even as Val clamped and locked his will upon it before storing it away with the others in his now cloth-lined belt satchel, courtesy of attire ripped free of a corpse that would hopefully keep his flasks from bursting unexpectedly.
"Jeezus, Val. I almost blew the both of us both up, didn't I? Shit. I'm sorry man. I know better, I swear."
Val nodded. He got it. "We don't think of landmines and explosive traps, stuck in a game where swords and magic are the rule. But these assholes have upped the stakes. It's time we treated this just like an overseas engagement, and I know you know just what I mean."
Chris nodded. "Damn right I do. And you're talking fast, so I know you hasted. Good. Keep your shield up at all times, battle brother. These bastards sniping with crossbows at short range will kill us just as quickly as a fifty cal at long."
Val nodded. "Feel that?" he said, ear momentarily on the ground, including the others as they approached. "We got company coming. Better we make a stand here, where the sloping terrain and the turn ahead works for us. We'll snipe them as they come around the corner, and we'll let them trip over themselves hopping over this crack in the tunnel floor."
Dirk frowned.
"It's a good plan, Captain," Chris insisted.
"I know," Dirk said. "Alright. Let's do it. You and me, crouch and shield. Blasters then blades. The rest of you, spell shields or real shield. Yin, take your shots with blaster or magic, and for fuck's sake, don't hit us!"
Val nodded, coming to Chris's left.
"You want to stay behind us, Val," Chris insisted.
Val shook his head. "We need three in a row to block this corridor, and my shielded side now guards the outside. Let me try something, make sure I'm not playing the fool."
And very slowly, very carefully, he summoned an Ice Spear that whistled down the corridor before slamming into the far wall hard enough to crack stone before bouncing back, not shattering, for all that it was supposedly just made of ice, his PRM skill now tightly containing the magic strands and conserving his magic so efficiently it would soon be automatic.
Yin whistled. "Just how cold is that spear? Ice near melting point should have shattered faster than glass, hitting the stone wall that hard."
"From what I can tell, it's not that far from absolute zero," Julia whispered. "I think maybe the spell gains some of its force by converting temperature to momentum, but I'm not an arcane physicist, so that's just conjecture. And I don't think it's just made out of H20 anyway. It uses Earth and Water both as its base arts. It might be some sort of composite material. Think concrete, but ice."
Yin frowned. "I've never heard of an ice concrete."
"That's because there's no point to it, where we're from, but once upon a time, the Brits wanted to use an iceberg as an aircraft carrier."
Yin whistled "No kidding."
Julia grinned. "Ice itself was far too weak for their purposes. But if you mix in a small amount of wood pulp, it suddenly starts gaining the properties of concrete and melts a lot slower than normal ice. If you shot a bullet at a block of ice, it would shatter. If you shot it at a block of pykrete, which is 14% wood pulp mixed with ice, it would pit without shattering. Just like Val's ice spear."
Yin couldn't help grinning. "Wow. Where did you pick that up?"
Julia smirked. "Mother was a military history buff, once upon a time. She's had me study all her old papers and sources as a way to train my brain and distract myself while I've been, well, healing. Even her silly alternate history essays."
12-4 = 8 mana spent! Adept level Ice Spear successfully cast.<
br />
Val nodded with a certain amount of satisfaction. Though it had felt momentarily weird making sure the magic followed the flow of his finger more than his whole jutting arm, he had managed to cast the skill even with his Synergized Ward pushed in front of him like a legionnaire shield, still able to aim the Ice Spear with the tips of his fingers jutting just past the shield, his arms otherwise unexposed. It was not quite as accurate as if he had jutted out his whole right arm like a rapiersman's lunge, but it had worked. It wasn't marksman quality shooting, but it was good enough.
Just to make sure he had the knack, he cast it four more times using his wrist and hand alone, just under or just over his shield-like ward, just as if he was a legionnaire thrusting with his gladius around his shield, Ice Spears slamming into the curve of the far stone wall that would serve as the choke point as their enemies rounded the bend. Surprisingly, none of the spears shattered on impact, all of them either lodging into the wall or bouncing off the stone with a metallic clang, as if they truly were comprised of some odd amalgamation of material as Julia seemed to think.
Val gave a satisfied nod, stopping only when they could all clearly hear the enemy approach.
Dirk gave him an odd look. "Val?"
Val flashed a cold smile. "I'm ready."
The older man blinked, gazing at Val for a long moment before shaking his head. "I'll bet you are, at that. Now let your damn mana recharge fully!"
Val nodded. In fact he had paused and shot at the rate of one every six seconds. Three to carefully cast the spell from an unorthodox shieldman's stance, three to recover the mana. He was actually at full, but said nothing, only turning to a wide-eyed Yin and intently gazing Julia.
The approaching band of enemy troops could be heard, roaring and firing themselves up for battle.
"Are you guys ready?"
Yin trembled and swallowed, jerking a nod, holding her blaster tightly.
Val frowned. "Yin?"
"Yes, Val?"
"Put down the blaster. The way you're holding it, you're just as likely to shoot us in a panic as actually hit the bad guy."
Yin's eyes widened. She suddenly looked close to tears.
"Val!" Dirk's voice. Pissed at Val giving orders under him.
"You know it's true, Dirk. Yin. Remember the wand I gave you? Pick one guy, and pour all your effort into killing him, if it comes to that. Remember, this one is directed by your will. Your hate. Not the steadiness of your trigger finger."
Yin blinked, swallowed, forcing a smile. "I... yes, okay, I'll do that!"
Almost with relief, she pulled out the wand Val had given her.
"That's dark magic," Julia hissed. "How the hell did you get that, Val?"
"No time!" Dirk roared. "They come!"
And in a heartbeat, they were there. An entire squad of roaring, frothing berserkers with swords and reflective shields charging around the bend, racing towards them
"Glacie Pilum!" Val roared, taking advantage of the distance while he had it, his boosted Ice Spear catching one combatant in the throat, just above the reflective shield that had warded Chris's blaster fire, dropping the man instantly even as the spear plunged into the skull of the man behind him who immediately fell to the ground frothing and spasming, eyes rolled back, blood and brains leaking forth, only to be trampled by the horde of men rushing past him.
"Impulsa!" Julia shouted, lashing out with another burst of lightning that sent three more foes crashing to the ground.
And then the crowd slammed into dwarven shields and Synergized Wards alike, knocking Val's party back with the force of their blows, and it was all Val could do for an endless moment to center himself and pivot, shield hand leading forward, desperately blocking half a dozen frenzied strikes, made more with fury and abandon than clever serpentine skill.
Mob strikes shield! 20 points of damage above free absorption point! No severe blows penetrate! 10 mana spent.
And then Val was one with that mad frenzy of strikes and blows, his magic coalescing with one half of his mind as the other parried with the grace of one who instinctively understood the dance of combat, fingers jutting forward just at the lip of his shield as a snarling foe attempted to crash into him, his massive arm wielding a wicked looking war hammer ready to wrap right around Val's defenses and pierce his spine from the back. And Val could sense all that in the heartbeat it took him to finish his spell.
"Glacie Pilum!" Val hissed, the massive bear of a man lurching back as a spear of ice punched through his polished breastplate, Val's would-be killer spraying the still charging crush of men with his arterial blood as he shrieked and collapsed to the ground in his death throes.
And even as Val pivoted to dodge a slash for his feet while slamming back against the crush, he caught sight of Chris gasping, a bronze-tipped spear bursting through the cracked Dominion Trooper leggings, biting into his thigh.
"Glacie Pilum!" Val roared in the pair of seconds it took him to summon forth a second Ice Spear, racing through the complex matrix of power so fast in his mind he would have miscast it were he not already an adept, the triumphantly hooting spearman blinking strangely as Val's spear blasted through his cranium and bursting out the ear of the man directly to his left, both collapsing in death.
Empowered Ice Spear cast! 15 mana base cost! L2 Spellboost = 150% damage for 250% base cost! = 37.5 mana! - 20% for adept spell = 30 mana! L9 PRM = -4 cost = 26 mana spent! Congratulations! Your spear has fatally wounded two combatants with only reflective helms! 2 For the price of 1!
The quantized calculations blazed through his mind as fast as thought, background static as his focus honed in on the mad melee all about them, Dirk now taking the offensive, Val feeling the sudden pulse of magics as he caught sight in that moment of his companion's glowing blade slicing through his foes as easily as Val could tear his 1796 through warm butter. Beautiful and deadly, Dirk's furious barrage of attacks into his foe's momentary pause forced their enemies back, screams of fear and fury a dark counterpoint to the fountains of blood from cleaved limbs and disemboweled bodies collapsing before Dirk's deadly blade.
"Glacie Pilum!" Val roared, snapping out with Ice Spear after Ice Spear, blasting right through the patchwork armor most of their enemies wore, Val's enhanced spells sending even elite foes fully decked in shimmering steel armor crashing to the ground as if they had been struck by a charger's lance, and those seconds of stunned confusion were all Dirk needed to lash out with his glowing dwarven blade, blasting through even the best steel helmets of stunned, fallen knights as if they had been made of thinnest tin.
And suddenly the seething storm of blood and battle broke. What had seemed an endless horde were now just a paltry handful of disoriented, broken men, fleeing like the disorganized rabble they were.
"Impulsa!" Julia cried, lightning shooting out from her fingertips, lancing into the closest trio of fleeing men, dropping them, two clutching their chests as they fell.
Yin's eyes were filled with shock. "Julia, they were fleeing!"
"Glacie Pilum! Glacie Pilum!" Val roared, the final two fleeing men falling over in piteous screams as ice spears tore through their torsos, Val having aimed for center body mass, his only concern that none be allowed to escape.
Yin's eyes grew ever wider as Dirk and Chris, his vicious two-hander now in evidence, cut down every foe who appeared still or was actively backing away, mewing piteously for mercy. And Val's crew showed them none.
"But, why?" Yin choked out after the final begging man, pleading in a language Val alone could understand, was cleaved free of life and his head with a single swing of Chris's terrible sword.
"Because these men came here with one intent. To kill us," Dirk said, pinning Yin with his gaze. "Because they knowingly allowed innocent women and children to be tortured and sacrificed, screaming their lives away, in far more pain than these monsters ever were." Dirk spat upon the recently decapitated corpse at his feet.
"Because every man that can report back informs our ul
timate enemies of our strengths, perhaps our limitations as well," Val quietly explained. "Because every man that flees in terror now could attack us yet again, courage renewed, comrades by his side. No matter how much they screamed and begged, Yin, they would have happily killed you if the tides had turned, laughing at your own pleas for mercy." Val's solemn gaze caught her own, his fingers absently stroking her cheek. "Do you understand?"
She hitched a sob, grabbing his hand, and before he knew it, she was sobbing in his arms. "It was so terrible, Val! I thought it would be exciting and it was, oh god it was, but I was frozen, I couldn't move, I couldn't act, I, I couldn't even use the wand! And then when it was over, all I remember is the screams."
Val patted her back. "It's okay, Yin. Our first blooding is one of the most difficult trials we will ever face. We're going to get through this, we're going to stop the bad guys, save whoever we can, and you, Yin, are definitely a part of this tale."
Yin braved a tentative smile. "Really?"
Val smiled into her eyes. "Really. When this is all done, we'll spend lots of hours in mock formations, reliving this engagement, and before you know it you'll be shooting over our shields with a marksman's eye, or blasting them just as skillfully as Julia did," Val assured, nodding to his friend, surprised when Julia frowned and looked away.
"So just be brave, keep focused, and remember your flame spell. If anyone creeps up on Julia, your shield and flame just might be what saves her."
Yin smiled. "I, okay, that makes sense. Thanks, Val."
Dirk caught Yin's eyes. "You did good, kid. We all survived our first engagement, and we're mobile and ready to carry on." He then turned his gaze to everyone else. "We all ready? Good. Let's get a move on. Val? You're point."
Val nodded. It was a role he knew well.
But first, to spring any would be traps.
He flashed a few hand signals to Dirk whose eyes widened before giving a quick nod.
Val loped to the bend ahead, readying himself, pivoting 90 degrees and jutting out his right hand alone around the corner.
Endless Online: Oblivion's Price: A LitRPG Adventure - Book 3 Page 28
