But the doors held.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bookworms
They took a minute to get their breaths back. The Upper Library was still and silent. Far below them, they could hear the infected.
Zack walked over to the railing that ran around the giant open air circle in the center of the room. This whole level of the Upper Library was nothing more than a twenty-foot-wide walkway where one could gaze out over the levels below it.
Peering down, Zack was surprised to see how high up they were. Several levels of the library went below ground level. The bottom floor was filled with study desks and piles of books. The levels above it were much like the one Zack and the others were on, which meant he couldn’t see where the infected were.
He could only hear them.
“I don’t see a staircase leading down,” Holly said from behind him. “Kinda lucky, I guess.”
Anita shook her head. “Even if they can’t get up to us, we’re trapped in here.” She inclined her head toward the door where they had come in. “The whole city probably knows we’re here now. I’d say, we’re royally screwed.”
Missy strummed a hopeful tune on her guitar. “Never give up. There is hope here, in this place of ancient books and parchments.” She joined Zack at the railing, her fingers working the guitar strings. “I hear the music of ages past, can feel the spirits around me. They sing to me.”
“What the hell are you on about?” Anita lifted her faceguard, exposing her sweaty face. “All I hear are hungry fucking monsters trying to find a way to come up here and kill us.”
Zack put his hand on Missy’s shoulder. There could be something important in her words. After all, memories had come back to her when Zack and his harem had needed them.
The tune of her music became more intense. “After we get what we have come for, we must find a waygate portal at the very top of the library. It will take us to the lowest level below us.”
“So what?” Anita said. “Those things can jump over the railing and get us. Even if they don’t, how are we going to get out of the city?”
Holly nodded in agreement, her eyes darting down as one of the infected let out a hideous shriek.
“Worry not.” Missy went over to Anita and kissed her cheek.
Anita frowned. “You’re messed up in the head.”
Missy chuckled. “So are you. Now listen to me, after we have passed through the waygate portal, there will be a door that will lead us to a kitchen where the servants used to boil water for tea. The spirits sing to me and their song tells me that there is an entrance to a sewer.”
She came over and leaned against Zack, peering up at him, her eyes bright. “And it will take us out beyond the city’s edge.” Her guitar fell silent.
Zack kissed her on the lips. “Great, we have a way out of here. Now let’s find what we came for!”
“There it is,” Holly said, pointing at the Golden Tome Malghana asked her to find. Reverently, the apprentice walked up to the ancient book that sat on a lectern at the back of a room full of dusty maps and scrolls.
Zack and Anita both stood guard at the door while Holly and Missy had searched for the item. They could still hear the infected below them, their sounds becoming more frenzied.
“Now for the Mistletoe.” Holly led the way outside.
They climbed another flight of stairs to the level above. “It should be here somewhere. Search for the Herbalist archives.”
After a few minutes of searching the doors leading from the circular landing, they finally came to the right one. Zack shoved open the door, his shield raised, just in case something waited for him inside. It would be no surprise to him if the thing was guarded. The developers had to make things difficult.
The room was empty of anything but books, scrolls and to one side, tables with dusty jars. Moving around the table stacked with books in the center of the room, Zack headed for an item sitting on a podium draped on a dusty black sheet. He held the torch out and Missy took it from him.
Stopping before the podium, he took a deep breath. This had to be it. The second part of his cure. He slowly reached out to pull the sheet back, his heart pounding with excitement, his fears dashed away…
“Hurry the fuck up,” Anita snapped.
“Go to hell,” Zack replied, then tore off the sheet.
A golden glow made him avert his eyes. When he could bare looking at it, he turned and gazed upon the eternal wonder of… a dead branch with withered leaves in a glass container, bathed in magical light that was probably meant to keep the plant alive in ages past.
“Well, that’s a letdown.” Was all he could get out.
Holly stared at it. “I expected it to be alive.”
Missy burst into tears and buried her face in Zack’s shoulder. “My love, my sweet song, what are we going to do?”
He absently put his arm around her at a loss for words. I’m a dead man. We came all this way for nothing.
Anita shoved past him, smashed open the glass container and grabbed the Mistletoe. She placed it into Zack’s Inventory. “Can we go now?”
His mouth fell open. “It’s… It’s dead.”
“Did the quest say the fucking thing was alive? No, it didn’t. Just because it’s dead, doesn’t mean it won’t cure you.”
Missy looked up. “The mummy wrapping belonged to a dead thing. Maybe the Mistletoe being dead doesn’t matter.”
Zack thought about it, then grinned. “You’re right.”
CORE QUEST COMPLETE
Objective: You have (so far) protected your escort and found the second part of your cure.
Rewards
+5000xp
CORE QUEST
Objective: You must escape the Deep and return to Lord Gwynn the Scaleless with the second part of your cure. Only then, will you be cured of Cave Blight.
Rewards
+8000xp
43 Hours until death!
“One last item to find, then. Any idea where it is?” Zack asked.
Now that he had the second part of the cure, he wanted to get the hell out of there and get back to Gwynn.
Holly led them from the room. “I think it will be near the top of the library.”
“The waygate portal is on the top level,” Missy reminded them.
They went up three more levels, hurrying through each to see what they contained, before moving on. The Platinum Devi was a holy item and unlikely to be found in rooms labeled ‘Research: Metallurgy’, ‘Research: Carnal delights’(if Zack had time, he’d have totally checked that one out!) nor ‘Population statistics’. That last one sounded boring as hell. Numbers did his head in.
Finally, they came to a door labeled ‘Research: Spiritual and Arcane.”
That sounded promising.
They entered and found a room full of chests. Holly raced over, searching one after the other. Most contained a mix of religious symbols made out of metal, others ancient tomes and others still random items with garbled item information.
“I’ve never seen that before,” Zack said to Anita.
She lowered one of the items, glancing at Missy and Holly as they searched the huge golden chest at the far end of the room. “Maybe they were never meant to be usable items or maybe they are meant to be broken because of their age.”
Zack lifted a heavy silver sword from the chest. The metal gleamed in the torchlight. “Damn shame, this thing is beautiful.”
On a whim, he tried to put it into his Inventory to use as a bit of decoration for Missy’s palace, but a warning message came up.
Item 3325T## Corrupted.
Data report sent
Player name and location recorded
“Well, the devs know we’re here now,” Anita said, seeing the same message. “Fucking basement dwelling male lowlife scum.”
“They have women working for them too.”
She rolled her eyes. “Internalized misogyny. Look it up. Those women are only there for men to objectify them.”
He grinned at her. “I totally objectified you last night and it felt real good.”
Her eyes narrowed, then she chuckled. “You’re the only male allowed to objectify me and only when we make love. I got off on it more than you did, anyway.” She glanced down at his crotch. “You know how to use that thing, unlike most pea-pecker, teetotal, soy boys.”
“What’s your problem with soy?” Zack hadn’t eaten the stuff in years.
“Go fuck yourself.” She crossed her arms. “You have your petty puerile psychotic hatreds, and I have mine.”
“Men who eat soy beans. Right then.” Zack turned away and had a sudden thought about something the G Man had said. The developers weren’t able to watch Zack all the time, as they didn’t control the Underworld. What would they do now that they had been sent a message saying where he was?
Perhaps nothing. Perhaps, if the Janitor was working with the devs, they would help Zack and the others escape so they could keep carrying out his assassination missions. Or…
“Found it,” Holly said, racing over and handing Zack the Platinum Devi. He glanced at the shining silver item of a beautiful, naked woman with long hair and a perfectly smooth body. Damn, that chick’s hot. Too bad she’s made of metal and only a foot tall!
“I bet the priests used to get off on that thing,” Anita said.
“More likely, the Priestesses.” Zack laughed. “That ghost said nothing about men serving in the temple.”
Zack slipped it into his Inventory. “Let’s get to the portal.”
They left the room and climbed to the top level. The staircase deposited them into a huge expanse lit by magical lights hanging from the domed roof. The portal sat in the center of the room, half the size of the one he had traveled to Middle Underworld in.
Anita and Holly where about to step out into the room. Zack grabbed them both and dragged them back. “Wait, this doesn’t feel right. This place looks like a boss room.”
The orc woman scanned the area. “I think you’re right. But I don’t see anything.”
Zack leaned out and peered up at the domed roof. He could see nothing up there. There didn’t seem to be anything over the other side of the room except massive shelves full of books.
Maybe it was just a big room. Nothing to worry about.
He lifted his shield. “Keep your eyes and ears open and stay behind me.”
Zack stepped out onto the marble floor. After several steps, nothing had happened and he began to relax. He strode toward the portal, the three women just behind him.
They paused not far from the swirling purple void. Something moved within it.
Suddenly, a figure stood before them. A giant gray metal golem.
“Unauthorized use of this portal is forbidden. Turn around or I will be forced to execute you for violating the library rules.”
The damn thing sounded just like a cyborg cop out in the real world.
Zack lifted his sword. They couldn’t go back the way they’d come. There was no way out of the windowless Upper Library other than this portal.
The golem’s metal feet clanged on the marble as it took a menacing step toward them, its eyes simply two rounded forged metal orbs with black dots painted on them to look like pupils. “Leave. Now.”
“Get out of our way—or die.” Zack started forward.
Nothing would stop him from getting back to Gwynn and curing his Cave Blight.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Deep Ones
“Go around him,” Zack roared to the three women. He unleashed his Commanding Taunt, getting the aggro from the golem. “I’ll hold it off so you can escape.”
“No,” Missy cried, already buffing him with Song of Fury and putting her healing over time spells on him.
Anita didn’t move either.
Only Holly seemed to be in agreement. She moved around the golem, heading toward the portal.
As the golem bore down on him, arms raised in the air, ready to crush him, he raced forward and slashed it in the metallic gut with Demon Strike.
Inflicted 24 damage
Damn, the thing has a lot of armor!
The giant fist came down just behind him, the impact shaking the floor and cracking the tiles.
Leaping left to avoid a vicious backhand, Zack used his shield’s special ability. Undead hands reached out of his shield, clawing at the golem.
Yet they too did little damage to the metal being. Distracted by the arms, the golem did not see Zack move in. He got in a quick Devastate, then a Criss Cross. Even with the armor reduction of Devastate, he still inflicted pitiful damage.
Inflicted 37 damage
Anita charged in, using her trinket’s Raid Slayer buff, her Rage Storm DPS boost then Ferocious Strike, her two-handed sword faring little better than Zack’s. The golem pounded Zack’s shield, driving him back, and deadening his arms.
-49hp
Zack avoided several more punches, moving away, trying to draw the golem as far from the portal as he could. Anita was going nuts on the thing from behind, but none of their attacks were doing much damage. Holly was already nearing the portal. She stopped and turned, calling to Missy and Anita to come with her.
“Go,” Zack ordered them. “I’ll hold it off. Get out of here.”
-54hp
Another massive blow had struck his shield, this one almost knocking it aside and exposing him. Zack leapt out of the way of a giant overhead two-handed attack. The golem’s fists slammed into the ground, shattering the tiles in an explosion of sharp marble shards.
-27hp
Zack got in a quick Demon Strike, before moving out of the golem’s reach. Missy was finally heading for the portal, though her eyes never left him, nor did she stop her healing. Once the women were all at the portal, he would pop Rapid Advance and escape the golem. If it followed them through, hopefully they would be able to find the entrance to the sewers and escape.
If not… Then they would have to find some way to kill it. Their normal damage sure as fuck wasn’t going to save them.
Not a good plan, but about all they had, he reckoned.
The golem lowered its shoulder and charged at him. Zack dived to the side, but the metal construct slammed into his legs, swinging him about. He landed hard on the ground, his digital skeleton shuddering from the impact.
-156 hp
He was on his feet quickly, slamming back a Restoration potion. Anita raced past him, going after the golem who smashed into the far wall, its momentum carrying it well beyond them.
“Come back,” Zack roared, going after her. He glanced over his shoulder and found Missy standing at the portal beside Holly. They were heading outside of her healing range! “Anita, get back here. Get to the portal.”
This would have been the perfect opportunity to escape—had Anita used her freaking head!
He caught up to her just as she slammed into the golem, unleashing some of her most destructive abilities. It barged past her, racing at Zack.
Companion suffered 98 damage
He smashed it with Shield Slam, before it brought its fist around to punch him in the side. The blow knocked him flying. Before he smacked into the ground, he used Shield of Stone to reduce the damage.
-155hp
Zack rolled near a dozen times before he came to a stop. Looking up, he saw the golem barreling toward him. Fuck this.
He got up, popped Rapid Advance and headed straight for the portal. Anita could stay there and die for all he cared. If she had damn well listened to him…
The golem’s feet thundered after him, drawing ever closer. Zack glanced over his shoulder and found it doing its charge attack. He dodged to the side, and it flew past him, its course taking it just to the right of the portal.
Missy and Holly both moved away, watching the golem as it crashed into the wall at the far edge of the room. “Get in the portal,” Zack cried, getting back to his feet and racing on. His Rapid Advance ran out, and his pace slowed.
To his relief
, the two women disappeared into the portal.
Zack got there five seconds later and without hesitation immersed himself in the purple fog.
Next thing he knew he was stumbling outside the other end.
Only to find Holly and Missy standing right in front of him, their eyes locked on something ahead. His heart sank. Across the large open room from them, were a dozen infected, shattering furniture and scattering books as they hurried forward.
Shit.
A moment later, Anita burst out of the portal and slammed into him. She grabbed him and dragged him to the side, calling for Missy and Holly to do the same.
Just as the two women started moving, the golem burst out of the portal, charging forward, smashing through the tables, chairs and mounds of books and right into the infected.
The metal giant crashed into a stone column, shattering it to pieces. Then it turned and grabbed the nearest infected and crushed it in its huge fist. “Die, trespassers.” It punched another infected in the face, sending its body flying.
Zack raced up to Holly who watched the fighting. “Find the sewer entrance. Now!”
She snapped out of her daze, and raced around the edge of the room. Zack went to run next to Missy, holding his shield up, ready to protect her.
Most of the infected were focusing on the golem, but a few moved to intercept them. Holly shouted something, pointing to a door in the wall. Zack motioned her to open it, his eyes only briefly leaving the approaching infected. Anita came to stand next to him, sword drawn, faceguard lowered.
Once the infected were almost on them, Zack slowed, letting Missy enter the door. Anita stood to his left. “Get in there,” Zack snapped, then unleashed Commanding Taunt to get the three infected on him.
Raid Slayer 2 Page 13
