Scourge of Souls: The Realms Book Four: (An Epic LitRPG Series)

by C. M. Carney

  Fine. Whatever. You two talk but be quick. I'm already bored.

  Hello Gryph. Thank you for freeing me from Ouzeriuo.

  You’re welcome, Gryph thought. You can return the favor by helping me get the information I need.

  Simon has told me you seek to use the Port Gate network.

  Yes. I need to get somewhere and quickly.

  Then you are in the right place. This room beyond the silver barrier contains Ouzeriuo’s library and likely a record of anything he knew about the gate system. Though I cannot say what he knew and did not know.

  So, all we need to do is defeat the black ooze and hope the knowledge is in there? Gryph asked.

  Sounds easy peasy, Simon said. Disagreement pulsed through the mental link. What, it’s just a big blob?

  That attacks and dissolves anything it touches. Gryph tried his best to scowl though the mental link when a memory returned to the fore of Gryph’s mind. During the battle with the Barrow King, he, it, vomited a smaller version of the ooze at me.

  Yes, they are a residue of his feeding process.

  Gross, Simon mentally gagged. Like vomit poop.

  Simon, Gryph scolded, trying to push the image from his mind. He turned his attention back to the Barrow. If he made them why couldn’t he control them?

  He was too weak. By refusing to bond with me he doomed us both to half-lives of weakness and starvation. He refused to share power, dooming us both to slow, inevitable degradation. Because of this he could not master the dungeon. The wyrmynn, the Gray Company, the arboleth, and the black ooze grew beyond his control. So he trapped the black ooze behind the circle of silver to guard the only thing he treasured apart from his own miserable half-life.

  Knowledge.

  Yes. As you have seen, he was a man capable of great evil in pursuit of powerful knowledge. You now possess a power that came to the Realms because of such evil.

  The Barrow was talking about Gryph’s Soul Magic skill. It was his highest level skill, one he’d Assimilated from Ouzeriuo after killing the revenant. Sadly, Gryph did not possess a single spell in the sphere. That was not surprising since it was one of the rarest skills in all the Realms. I wonder if there are any spells in the library?

  Simon’s angry thoughts pushed Gryph's thoughts to the back of his mind. That dick knocker got his power by torturing and murdering me, Simon said, fear mating with anger in his tone.

  I am sorry for that Simon. It was a horrific fate, the Barrow sent.

  You saw him die? Gryph asked in shock.

  I feel all that Simon was and is.

  It's less creepy than it sounds, Simon mumbled.

  Gryph let the comment pass. So what I need is in there?

  If it is anywhere. And no, I have no ability to defeat the black ooze, apart from sending the dread knights in as fodder. Yet I owe you a debt, so I will offer any aid I can.

  Debt?

  Had you not freed me from Ouzeriuo I would have soon gone dormant. While not a permanent death, it is unlikely I would ever have awakened.

  Why not?

  Dormant dungeons require a massive infusion of life energy to re-awaken, and sentient life is the most powerful of all.

  You’re talking about human sacrifice, Gryph sent, alarm in his tone.

  It is the most potent source.

  Can I let this entity live? Gryph thought to himself. Could I kill it if I wanted to? Gryph looked at the black ooze and wondered if it contained the knowledge of how to achieve that herculean task was also hidden in the room. Then another thought occurred to him.

  You said I was lord of this dungeon. What does that mean?

  You have full access to my interface and as long as I have enough power to sustain myself, you can spend my dungeon points as you see fit. Dungeon Points are used to generate creatures and treasures, to upgrade the rooms of the Barrow and to unlock new powers and abilities.

  So you can feed on more life?

  Yes, the Barrow said with no hint of apology. My purpose is to live and expand, same as all living creatures.

  It isn’t as evil as it sounds, Simon promised.

  Evil and good are mortal concepts. I feed because I must as do all living things. However, since bonding Simon has nudged me in a more ‘moral’ direction.

  Cuz I’m a nice boy, Simon sent.

  Yes, you are. There was no hint of jest in the Barrow’s tone.

  Tell me this, why shouldn’t I force you to starve until you go dormant?

  Because life is conflict. I provide a place for life to evolve, improve. Yes, some will die, but those who do not will grow stronger, become better. It happens in the wider world every day. Dungeons simply focus the intensity of that evolution. There are other rewards I can grant when I am able. You carry these benefits with you even now.

  What do you mean? Gryph asked.

  You’re only here because my pal the Barrow helped you, Simon said. First, he gave you all that sweet swag, like that breastplate and those bracers. Second, he weakened the arboleth and then the Barrow King so you’d stand a chance. You didn’t really think you were that badass, did you?

  Gryph said nothing, but he didn’t need to.

  Ha, you did. Wow man, please tell me you aren’t that much of a noob still. You’re likely to get yourself killed, and that wouldn’t be all that great for me and Barry here.

  I told you not to call me Barry, the Barrow said in the first angry tone Gryph had heard from the Barrow.

  Fine, whatever, you grumpy old hole in the ground.

  Gryph’s chuckle did little to ease his concerns about the predatory dungeon. But the Realms was a tough place, and the Barrow could help his people to become stronger, and therefore safer. He needed to know more and opened his Dungeon Interface.

  The Barrow – Sentient Dungeon - Lord: Gryph .

  Master: Simon

  Current Tier: 2

  True Tier: 8

  Status: Hungry

  Health: 22,567/86,890

  Life Essence Points: 1,687

  The Barrow is one of the most ancient sentient dungeons on all Korynn, but years of neglect have left it starving. Now that it has bound itself to a host it can consume energy and experiences.

  He clicked on the Life Essence Points tab and a slew of information popped into his vision. It mainly covered creatures he could spawn with Life Essence Points, but also had several grayed-out areas that detailed other creatures, rooms, expansions and abilities.

  Why are some of these functions grayed out?

  Since I degraded, I have lost many of my capabilities. I will need to earn back my tiers to regain those abilities.

  Gryph nodded and focused on the creatures they could spawn. There were barrow rats and wyrmynn, baalgrath and dread knights. He also noted that Dirge and several of the other members of the Gray Company were on the list. Dirge cost ten times the Life Essence Points as his fellows.

  Is Dirge so much more expensive than the other humans because he is sentient?

  Yes, my supposition was that because Ovrym destroyed his soul, his intellect had nowhere to go, so it remained with his body. When I assimilated his corpse the coding for his sentience was still present. But sentience costs power.

  Gryph nodded and returned to the list. That is when he saw something that truly terrified him. Arboleth? Seeing the aetherial demon's name on the list shocked him. The cost to generate one was staggering, but Gryph would not allow another one of the aetherial daemons to be born into this world.

  Yes, its corpse was still here after I bonded with Simon, and despite your thorough dissection, I was able to assimilate its pattern and its energy.

  I am officially banning either of you from ever spawning an arboleth.

  A wise course of action, the Barrow sent.

  Gryph gave Simon the mental equivalent of an expectant stare and the ageless teen agreed the way only a teenager can. Fine. You’re no fun.

  Gryph thought for a few moments and then decided.

  I will allow
you to continue to exist, to feed, but there will be rules you must follow. Anyone who enters here must do so of their own free will. You will vet them before they do and turn those with no chance to survive away. We will not prey on the weak. You will abide by my rules, and Simon’s moral compass. Do you understand?

  I do.

  Gryph waited for Simon to agree. He felt the mental equivalent of a nod and Simon said he ‘had a guy’ who could help with the vetting process.

  If I learn that you have violated the terms of this agreement, then I will not hesitate to shut the doors, bury them and let you both starve. Is that understood?

  It is.

  Simon?

  Yes Dad, Simon said in the exasperated tone only a teen could muster.

  Good, now let’s get back to the others.

  Gryph ended the conversation, and he was back in the hallway outside the library. He and Simon had been moved around the bend in the hallway. Tifala was tending to a wound on Ovrym's arm.

  “Have a nice chat?” Lex asked with venom.

  Gryph was about to ask his taciturn NPC why he was so grumpy when a blob of black ooze splashed against the wall near the bend. It sizzled as it consumed the moss that clung to the walls and then fell to the ground and pulled its way towards them. Vonn stabbed into it with a dagger that glinted in the dim light of the Barrow. The black ooze shriveled and smoked and then dissolved under its touch. Gryph stared up at him in surprise.

  The rogue shrugged, answering Gryph’s unspoken query. “It’s silver. I lifted the pair off this noble twit back in Harlan’s Watch. Always meant to sell them. Glad I didn’t.”

  “So am I,” Gryph said and then turned to the others. “Why is the black ooze pissed off enough to throw bits of itself at us?” It was no surprise that all eyes turned to Lex.

  “What? I only threw one.” Lex hefted one of Ovrym’s silver bombs. “It got grumpy.”

  “If the ooze can toss bits of itself over the barrier, why doesn’t it move over it?” Gryph asked, eyes passing over Tifala, Ovrym and then Vonn. All three shrugged.

  “Yeah, don’t ask me, the Master of Analyze,” Lex said with a pout. Gryph turned to him and after a moment under the intense gaze the pout disappeared. “Fine. Silver doesn’t just dissolve its body, it tears away its sentience. The little blobs are like you and I casting off skin, but if it tried to move over the silver, it would become an instinct driven blob again and not this wannabe, semi sentient Oozeriuo clone.”

  “Did you change the pronunciation to ooze?” Vonn asked.

  “Yeah, pretty good, huh?”

  “Actually yes, yes it is.”

  Gryph looked at Lex. “Do you know how to beat it?”

  “Maybe, but you’re not gonna like it.”

  28

  “I thought NPCs are supposed to aid and assist, not suggest slow and painful suicide,” Gryph grumbled after Lex had explained his plan. The NPC shrugged staring at Gryph with neither humor nor remorse. Gryph poked his head around the corner, his gaze falling on the black acidic ooze whose mocking humanoid form was somehow more disturbing than its original had been.

  A blob of the acidic muck flew towards him and he ducked behind the wall a moment before the acid impacted. Vonn lashed out again with his dagger and the ooze smoked and disintegrated.

  “I did say you wouldn’t like it,” Lex said.

  “This plan is the worst plan ever planned,” Vonn said, earning a ’come on dude’ look from Lex.

  “Yes, this plan is very, very bad,” Tifala agreed.

  “Errat like plan. It is unlikely to work and therefore very sneaky.”

  “Well, is it my fault you built an Adventure Party without a full-fledged fire mage,” Lex whined. “I’m the only one who has any fire magic, and that’s a base tier spell. I mean who does that?”

  Gryph inhaled deeply, trying to ease his mind. Lex’s brilliant plan was to slather themselves and their weapons with the colloidal silver solutions. In theory, the black ooze would be unwilling to touch them. The solution would also protect them from acid damage once they did engage and their weapons would deal silver powered damage. On the surface it seemed a sound plan, but both Gryph and Ovrym had seen the black ooze in action and doubted such paltry defenses would last for long.

  Ovrym tried to communicate with the creature, but only anger and pain pulsed through the link before Oozeriuo went on the offensive. The xydai collapsed to one knee and Tifala rushed to his side, healing light flowing around her hands.

  “There has to be another way,” Tifala said, as Ovrym’s shaking eased.

  “Lex, bring up your Analyze window.” With a nod Lex shared his Analyze screen through the link.

  Oozeriuo - Behemoth Black Ooze (Aberrant Soul Remnant)–Level: 56.

  Health

  Stamina

  Mana

  Spirit

  2,200

  4,044

  1,574

  0

  Black oozes are sentient aberrations born from the misuse of soul magic. They start off small, but over time they can grow to be incredibly large and deadly. They are intelligent, but alien and have no sympathy for any other beings in the Realms.

  A memory echo of the revenant known as Ouzeriuo inhabits this black ooze. It has limited access to the revenant’s spell casting abilities and memories.

  Strengths

  Immunities

  Weaknesses

  Acid attack. Replication. Regeneration.

  Resistant to: Electrical. Cold. Blunt Weapons.

  Immune to: Acid. Death Magic. Slashing Weapons.

  Silver. Fire.

  Gryph scanned the creature’s strengths, immunities and weaknesses and scowled at its resistance to electrical damage. That reduces my spear’s effectiveness, he thought with a scowl. “So, we can’t slice it, smash it, freeze it or fry it with electricity, and it can regenerate and replicate. Any idea what Replication is?”

  “All it gives me is some Oxford dictionary definition, so not really.” Lex said. “My guess is it can make copies of itself. How it does that, I got no clue.”

  “You have nothing helpful then,” Vonn said. “Quite the repository of knowledge you are.”

  “Come on dude, is it my fault I cannot remember?”

  “You were frequently drunk in Harlan’s Watch.”

  “I was in a time loop so that doesn’t count.”

  “Moving on,” Gryph muttered. “Any idea why the ooze’s level is so much higher than the Prime ship’s, but it has way less health and stamina?”

  “Ha. That I do know,” Lex said standing tall attempting to reclaim some status. “A creature’s level is not an absolute descriptor of power, but more a measurement of that creature’s growth and development. From what you’ve shared I imagine the Prime ship is not only huge, but inherently powerful. So though its relative level is lower than Oozeriuo here, it would likely trounce it in a heads-up fight. Imagine it this way, while a level 100 fly would be the king of its species, it would still be little more than an irritation to the level ten wildebeest.”

  “That is a well thought out theory,” Ovrym said.

  “Thank you,” Lex said. “But do you have to sound so surprised?”

  “Yes, yes he does,” Vonn said. “However, there is more to it.” All eyes turned to Vonn, but the half-elf rogue gave all his attention to Gryph. “I know that the players who helped the Pantheon conquer much of Korynn believed the Realms were a game. It was an easy sell, even we natives refer to the organizing principles of the Realms as the Game Mechanics. Only the Source knows why. But, all rules have nuance and can be manipulated through knowledge and understanding, especially rules as complicated as the Game Mechanics. The ability to apply intellect and creativity to those rules is the true source of power. This is something you excel at. It is what makes the smarter sentient beings among the most powerful in the Realms.”

  “Compliments aside, what are you getting at?” Gryph asked.

  “To defeat the revenant o
oze, we need to outthink it,” Vonn said. “We play on our strengths, minimize our own weaknesses while attacking the ooze’s weaknesses directly.”

  “Apart from fire and silver, this monstrosity has no weaknesses,” Tifala said.

  “Like I said before, only an idiot forms an Adventure Party without a fire mage,” Lex said with a pout.

  “There is a reason few mages use fire magic,” Ovrym said. “It is unstable, addictive, destructive and the weak of mind can easily succumb to it.”

  “Well sure it has its drawbacks,” Lex whined. “I wish Arno the crazy pyromaniac was here.”

  “Quit whining Lex.” Gryph said.

  “I wasn’t whining, I was complaining,” Lex said in a whiny voice. “Damn, my voice sounds really whiny.”

  “We should set ourselves on fire,” Errat said in an eager voice.

  The group stared at him as if he were insane and Vonn gave voice to their reaction. “I was wrong earlier, that is by far the worst plan ever planned.”

  “Maybe not,” Gryph said, drawing all eyes to him.

  “I am not lighting myself on fire like some insane war protestor,” Lex said.

  Gryph smiled at him before turning to Simon. “How many dread knights can the Barrow make?”

  Simon’s jaw hung open and Gryph realized it was Simon’s macabre way of smiling. “Maybe ten, including the four we already have. Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

  “I am,” Gryph said.

  “Ooh,” Simon said and clapped his skeletal hands like a teenage girl at a boy band concert. “Time for a zombie bonfire.”

  “Don’t forget about Dirge,” Ovrym said, eyeing the undead assassin who remained uncharacteristically silent.

  “You sir, know how to hold a grudge,” Lex said, clapping the xydai on the back. “I like that.”