The cave walls were black with light from the entrance glimmering off chunks of obsidian embedded in the surrounding basalt. The cavern grew darker just a short distance from the entrance as if the shadows were holding back the light or the stone itself was absorbing it.
“We’re going to need some torches, unless you have a light spell,” Jandar said to Nyx.
Nyx shook her head. “I’m afraid my magic is almost exclusively within the realm of darkness.”
Lexon barged to the fore. “Looks like it’s up to me to save the day once again. Illusions are little more than the manipulation of light. Creating simple illumination is child’s play for a master illusionist such as meself.”
“Initiate,” Jandar snapped.
“Novice, but it’s still as basic as your cliché grumpy façade.”
Lexon ignored the smith’s scowl and perturbed mutterings about what he’d like to do to the bard’s façade as he strummed his harp. Light condensed in the air, swirling in a myriad of colors. The glow expanded outward, revealing more and more of the cavern as the form took shape and finally resolved into a foot-tall image of Jandar hovering near the ceiling.
“Damn you, bard,” Jandar seethed as he stared at the ethereal mockery.
The small, floating smith closely resembled Jandar with the exception of being cross-eyed, buck-toothed, and his ears sticking out in an elephantine manner. The illusory homunculus repeatedly bashed itself atop its head with a tiny hammer, breaking wind with every strike.
Nyx bit her lip so hard she nearly drew blood as she tried to stifle her laughter. “Well, it does provide light.”
“And quality entertainment,” Lexon added. “I always give me audience more than they paid for. It’s me hallmark.”
“Your hallmark is going to be a head with a dent so deep you can use it as a birdbath when it rains if you don’t make a regular light!” Jandar demanded.
Nyx asked, “Can you cast a simple light spell?”
Lexon crossed his arms. “I could but I won’t. If he don’t like it, I’ll go back and wait with the lizards. It stays until he recognizes me as a proper member of this group and not some lackey he can order about and abuse.”
“Fat chance!” Jandar snapped. “I’d rather hit myself in the head with a hammer.”
“Can you at least turn off the sound so we can attempt some measure of stealth?” Nyx implored.
Lexon’s head bobbed from side to side as he considered it. “I suppose I can do that.”
The glowing figure continued to beat itself but contained its flatulence. The party crept down the tunnel, following the high-stepping little Jandar. The real Jandar kept his eyes toward the floor, pointedly ignoring the mockery.
Movement at the periphery of his vision caught his attention. He thought it merely the light vanquishing the shadows as they drew near, but as he focused his attention on the path ahead, it became apparent that the shadows were actively avoiding the approaching illumination.
Jandar stopped and lifted one of his hammers over his shoulder. “Wait. I think something is in here with us.”
He had no more than spoken the words when the shadows raced back in, ignoring the light. Jandar cried out when one of the shades passed right through his body. It felt as if his heart had been laid bare and blasted with a freezing wind. He absently glanced at his combat log as it informed him of the damage.
Tormented shade hits you for 23 cold damage. Your movement is slowed by 13% for 9 seconds.
It was not the worst pain he had ever experienced, but it was unique, and he stumbled back. He glanced behind him and saw Nyx was already flitting about almost like a shade herself, slashing with her two daggers. Saefa swung his scimitar in wide sweeps, unable to see the danger until it was nearly on top of him.
Jandar channeled spiritual energy into his weapons for the first time. He swung a hammer at a shade streaking toward him.
You hit tormented shade with steel war hammer for 0 physical (non-magical weapon immunity) and 30 spirit damage. Tormented shade resists banishment.
Tormented shade hits you for 19 cold damage. Your movement is slowed by an additional 11 percent for 9 seconds. Counter reset due to second freezing effect applied before the previous timer expired.
He cursed under his breath, threw both the war hammers down, and unslung his maul. His movements were slow, and he was barely able to bring the weapon around when another shade dove straight toward his chest. The creature stopped dead in its tracks and let out an ear-piercing howl, the first noise any of them had made thus far. Jandar smiled at the damage output shown in his combat log.
You hit tormented shade with Bullard’s Blood Steel Maul of Crushing for 36 physical and 38 spirit damage.
The shade tried to race away, but the attack appeared to have disoriented it or inflicted such unexpected pain, that it panicked. That moment of indecision was all Jandar needed to finish it off with a second hit.
Nyx and Saefa fought together, watching each other’s backs and working to keep Lexon safe, who huddled against a wall and spastically swiped his shortsword around. Nyx was fast, but the shades were faster, and every touch slowed her just a bit more. Her daggers slashed at the incorporeal bodies, trailing black streamers with every hit.
More shades appeared, growing from the shadows all around them. Jandar activated a special attack and struck three of the charging shades.
You use half-Moon Cleave and hit tormented shade with Bullard’s Blood Steel Maul of Crushing for 36 physical and 38 spirit damage. Spirit Touch secondary ability triggered. You banish tormented shade.
You hit tormented shade with Bullard’s Blood Steel Maul of Crushing for 36 physical and 38 spirit damage. (Special attack damage reduction not applied due to target’s incorporeal nature)
You hit tormented shade with Bullard’s Blood Steel Maul of Crushing for 36 physical and 38 spirit damage. (Special attack damage reduction not applied due to target’s incorporeal nature)
“Incoming!” Jandar shouted in a racking cough when the two shades passed through his chest.
He could not spare his companions a look to see if they could handle the additional foes as more shades raced at him from the dark passageway ahead of him. The arcane smith steeled himself against the pain as he let two shades pass through him uncontested before bringing his maul down and smashing it into the floor. A blast of power exploded around him, tearing into the shadowy monsters.
You hit tormented shade with Maul of Crushing for 38 spirit damage. Target immune to earth damage. Target immune to air damage. You destroy tormented shade.
You hit tormented shade with Maul of Crushing for 38 spirit damage. Target immune to earth damage. Target immune to air damage. You banish tormented shade.
You hit tormented shade with Maul of Crushing for 38 spirit damage. Target immune to earth damage. Target immune to air damage. You banish tormented shade.
You hit tormented shade with Maul of Crushing for 38 spirit damage. Target immune to earth damage. Target immune to air damage.
You hit tormented shade with Maul of Crushing for 38 spirit damage. Target immune to earth damage. Target immune to air damage. You banish tormented shade.
He saw the cooldown timer on Half Moon Cleave hit zero and triggered it again.
You hit tormented shade with Bullard’s Blood Steel Maul of Crushing for 36 physical and 38 spirit damage. You destroy tormented shade.
You hit tormented shade with Bullard’s Blood Steel Maul of Crushing for 36 physical and 38 spirit damage. You destroy tormented shade.
You hit tormented shade with Bullard’s Blood Steel Maul of Crushing for 36 physical and 38 spirit damage. You banish tormented shade.
Wheezing and fighting for breath, Jandar stumbled back toward Nyx and Saefa. The walls blackened with encroaching shades, crawling closer and shoving back Lexon’s waning light.
“We have a problem,” Jandar said as he added himself to the small, defensive circle.
“This doesn’t look good
,” Nyx agreed.
“Perhaps we should try to retreat while it is still daylight outside,” Saefa suggested.
Jandar shook his head. “If we do that, then we fail this quest and your people have nowhere to go.”
“If we die here, our spirits might well join the others,” Saefa countered.
Jandar gnashed his teeth. He hated the idea of running, but either choice ended in failure, and one would result in their deaths.
“Damn it! All right, let’s start backing away.”
Lexon’s strumming increased in tempo, and his miniature Jandar began to deflate. It continued to compress, but the light it gave off increased. Within seconds, a brilliant, white ball of light lit up the cavern like a tiny sun. The shades hissed and slashed at the glimmering orb as they backed away.
Jandar watched them retreat and slumped to the ground. “Nyx, any chance you can leech health from them?”
Nyx shook her head. “They have no life nor stamina for me to draw upon. All conscious things contain mana, so I can take that from them but nothing more.”
“Then we shall have to wait a moment for me to catch my breath. How fares you and Saefa?”
“Better than you.”
“I’m fine too, thanks for asking,” Lexon piped in.
“I didn’t ask,” Jandar returned.
“A point not lost on me. How many times must I save your life before you stop being such an arsehole?”
Jandar chortled,” How many stars are in the sky?”
Lexon cupped an ear and leaned in. “Do mine ears deceive me or did grumpy hammer hands just make a joke? He must be in worse shape than we thought. One of those shades must have flitted right through his head. Maybe it decided to make use of all the unused space and rented a room.”
Jandar bobbed his head, too exhausted to banter with the bard. “How long can you maintain the light?”
“Perpetually if Nyx can send me mana. Illusions are usually subtle things and don’t require significant upkeep. Concentrating this much light in a tiny space is much more energy intensive.”
“The shades are hiding just beyond the light’s periphery, but they’re still within range of my spell and don’t seem to notice my leeching,” Nyx said.
Jandar nodded and let the minor healing potion speed up his natural recovery rate. “I need to rest a bit.”
He opened the alerts flashing in the corner of his eye.
Your 2-Handed Bludgeoning skill has increased to Level 7 Grade 2. You cannot manually raise this skill any farther until you reach your next level.
Your Arcane Channeling skill has increased to Level 11 Grade 5.
Your Strength, Body, and Agility has increased by 1.
You gained 7,550 experience points in your latest battles.
Congratulations, you have reached level 12. You gain +1 Strength and one additional attribute point to use as you wish. You gain 1 skill point.
The skill point he would save as higher-level skills and abilities came at ever-increasing cost. He would have to rely solely on manually raising his skills. The attribute point he almost put into Body since the key to surviving was still having health remaining after a battle, but thinking back to his talk with Nyx, he chose Luck instead. Once he allocated his few points, Jandar took a quick look at his character sheet.
Name: Jandar Barati
Race: Human
Level: 12
Experience: 65,780/80,480
Base Class: arcane smith
Subclass: Not applicable
Fame: 1380/1500. Do I know you?
Infamy: 2,486/4500. I don't like that look in your eyes.
Attributes:
Health: 204
Stamina: 288
Mana: 160
Strength: 31 (+4 Lesser Belt of Crushing)
Agility: 20 (+3 cloak, boots)
Body: 24 (+2 from Cloak of the Wanderer)
Mind: 20
Charisma: 9 (+2 from Cloak of the Wanderer)
Luck: 14
Physical Attack: +65.3% 1-hand +68.2% 2-hand
Ranged Attack: +7.3%, +40.2 % Hammer Throw:
Magic Attack: +30.3%, +25% elemental (maul)
Basic Combat Skills:
Throw Hammer: Level 3 Grade 1. Range: 31 feet. Rank: Initiate.
Dual Wield: Level 5 Grade 6. Rank: Initiate.
Bludgeoning, 1-Handed: Level 14 Grade 3. Specialized Hammer. Rank: Novice (+10% attack.)
Bludgeoning, Two-Handed: Level 7 Grade 2. Rank: Initiate.
Shield: Level 5 Grade 6. Rank: Initiate.
Medium Armor: Level 7 Grade 2.
Heavy Armor: Level 4 Grade 7.
Advanced Combat Skills:
Power Attack:
Numbing strike:
Half-Moon Cleave:
Arcane Skills:
Arcane Channeling: Level 11 Grade 5. Rank: Novice, +10% Magical Attack and access to tier 2 spells.
Arcane Spells:
Flame Touch, tier 2 (fire): Causes 10 fire in addition to normal weapon damage. Secondary Effects: Burn: Burn flesh or set combustible material on fire. Burned or burning targets take damage equal to 1/2 the spell effect every second for 5 seconds. May interrupt spellcasting.
Shocking Touch, tier 2 (air): Causes 10 electrical damage plus your magical attack rating in addition to normal weapon damage. +10% attack speed. Secondary Effect: Electrocute. Electrocuted targets are stunned for 3 seconds.
Stone Touch, tier 2 (earth): Your weapon is infused with the power of the earth. Causes 20 earth damage. Secondary effect: Additional 10 earth damage. Increased chance to shatter objects and knock down foes.
Frost Touch, tier 2 (Water): 10 cold damage. Secondary Effect: Causes additional 10 cold damage. May freeze, causing -10% functionality. Frozen target may shatter when struck. Duration: 5 seconds.
Soul Touch, tier 2 (spirit): Causes 10 spirit damage plus your magical attack score. Increased damage to undead and demonic creatures. Secondary effect: (Banish). May banish a summoned or undead creature or instill fear to living creatures. Creatures instilled with fear will have their attack and defense reduced, cower, or flee depending on your modified Arcane Channeling skill, level difference, and target’s skills, abilities, and traits.
Bonded Weapon, Tier 2 (Spirit): Summon your weapon to your hand. Can be directed to strike an enemy during flight. Maximum direction change is your Arcane Channeling skill + Mind score in degrees. Damage is based on weapon attack value plus Arcane Channeling skill. Cost: 10 mana. Range: 37.3 feet (Your natural throwing distance + Arcane Channeling skill.) Cast time: Instant. Cooldown: N/A
Elemental Influx, Tier 2 (Universal): Weapons can now hold a charge for a number of seconds equal to your Arcane Channeling skill after you cease channeling magic into them or it is expended by striking a target. Damage: Your base magic attack. Cost: NA. Cast time: N/A.
Special Abilities:
Advanced Analyze, Tier 1.
Fire-forged, Tier 1.
Noncombat Skills:
Smithing: Level 20 Grade 0 Title: Journeyman. +20% quality. Current maximum metal tier: High Steel
Basic Cooking. Level: 2 Grade 8. Quality of food increased by 2.8%. Rank: Kitchen Porter.
Unused Skill points: 2
After half an hour and several of Nyx’s healing potions, Jandar got back to his feet with a sigh. “Let’s get moving. We don’t have a lot of time, and we need to end this.”
The party moved on, and the shades slinked away at their approach. An orange glow shown ahead. The shades appeared to avoid it as much as Lexon’s light and retreated down another passage as they approached it.
Lunatic mutterings issued down the passageway. The air grew warmer as they drew near until it became oppressive. Sweat poured out of Jandar’s body beneath his armor. Even Nyx and Saefa, who were lightly armored, suffered from the excessive heat. No longer needing the light, Lexon dismissed his spell.
They rounded a slight bend in the lava tube and found the source of the mutterings. The man, if th
e creature could be called such, paced around a pool of molten lava the size of a large dining table. Its flesh was grey, what little of it was visible between the rock and obsidian embedded within it and jutting out like the spikes of a horned-back lizard.
Jandar’s first instinct was to launch a surprise attack, but the creature stopped pacing and muttering and looked up at their arrival. “Ah, you made it past the shades. Good for you. Now go piss off!”
Taken off-guard by being addressed by the hideous thing, Jandar replied, “Are you Halifarn?”
The monster cocked its head. “Halifarn…Halifarn? Yes, I was once called by that name but no longer. Names are transient things. Stone is eternal. Stone is what I have become, and I have no need of such fickle things as names. Now, be gone! The stone holds far more secrets than it is willing to give and I must know everything.”
“The shades were once the people living in the city the volcano destroyed because of your studies!”
Halifarn waved a dismissive hand. “Only the stone is forever.”
“They remain only because you’re still here,” Jandar pressed. “You must let go of this mockery of life. It is time for you all to rest.”
The abomination’s face twisted with anger. “Rest? Stone has no need of rest. You want it for yourself! Well, you cannot have it. It will not listen to you nor will it speak. Only I can communicate with the stone. Only I can command it!”
“You really got a way with words,” Lexon said as the ground trembled and the lava pool began to roil.
The party leapt in different directions to avoid the watermelon-sized glob of molten rock Halifarn magically hurled at them. It struck the chamber wall and splattered. Jandar’s armor saved him from most of the bits of lava, but the others cried out as the liquefied stone rained down upon them.
Jandar charged and flung his hammer. Halifarn made an up thrusting gesture with his hands and raised a wall of stone before him. The hammer crashed into the rock and shattered it into rubble. While the weapon failed to find its mark, Halifarn caught a blast of gravel in his face.
The mountain’s trembling seemed to increase with the insane, undead mage’s anger, and likely was. Rocks began falling from the ceiling. Jandar raised his buckler over his head to protect himself. The falling stone rang against the metal shield like bell clappers. He hurled his high steel hammer and recalled the one he had thrown.
Chaos Unchained- The Mad Smith Page 33
