Rune Waker

by Jamie Hawke

  “How do we kill it?” I asked Varena.

  She looked my way, pouted, and said, “Dear, that’s what you’re supposed to find out. You want to ruin the fun?”

  A glance back at the monster wasn’t necessary to remind me how this thing was not about to be fun.

  I put my hand to the amulet. “Varena, tell me its weakness. Now.”

  This time, she actually turned to face me, likely to allow me to better see her smirk. My eyes darted from her to the creature as Arturo and Brad met it in combat. Each attacked, each meeting empty air and finding strikes throw them to the opposite side.

  “Ah, see,” Varena said with a subtle arch of her eyebrow, “I’m not your slave, and you are in no way my master.”

  “I—I hold the amulet!”

  “Not a genie,” she said and laughed. “And you, sir… had better get to fighting or end up dead. I’d hate to see the latter happen, honestly.”

  A flurry of black cloak snapped out at me, and in that moment I saw other worlds, and pain… suffering. Three women nailed to a wall, a demon moving among them, skin covered in sleek red. The monster was almost on me before I’d even managed to pull myself out of the stupor those visions had left me in.

  Behind it, Arturo came in with a flying strike of his staff, explosions like sunbursts hit as he struck. None of that mattered. The monster kept coming. Brad had no better luck, and in fact his strikes made the monster stand a little taller, move even faster.

  My first instinct was to run, but upon seeing what was happening, I had an idea. If it was powered by strikes like those from Brad—whose power was based on death… if I could harness another power, maybe link to another world, something could work. Varena had to think I had a shot here and would figure it out, right? She’d been too helpful so far to be okay with the idea of me dying.

  Up to now I’d only leveled up once, and had, per her guidance, gone for the blue path. Considering that she had a blue tint to her, though mostly purple and black, I had to wonder if that somehow helped control the monster.

  It came at me with claws that emerged from the darkness. My sword knocked them aside, but another strike sent me flying back.

  My back hit the wall and I decided it was as good a time as any to experiment. Varena smiled when she saw I was going for it. I lifted my free hand, focusing on my shield—only, instead of focusing on it going over me, I adjusted my focus onto the monster.

  Sure enough, a blue glimmer of light around the shadows showed a change. When I leaped forward and thrust, my sword made contact with flesh. The monster’s horrible screech filled the halls, and Varena turned away as if she couldn’t handle seeing this.

  I stabbed again, then pulled back for a finishing blow. Only, it spun, lashing out with all it had. Black tendrils and claws mixed, and the only thing I could do was dive out of the way. As it pulled back to strike again, the other two attacked and landed blows, thanks to me and my psychic shield. Another claw came at me, this one the size of a short sword, and it only missed because Varena thrust out a hand that sent a wave of energy to pull me toward her and out of harm’s way.

  “I didn’t think you actually meant it,” I admitted, looking up to see the struggle in her eyes.

  “Meant what?”

  “That you’d hate to see me die.” I smiled wide. “You actually care.”

  “Ah, what do you know. Go fucking kill it already, but when you do…” She put her hand over the amulet. “Offer it up to me, as you would a sacrifice.”

  Now it was my turn to arch an eyebrow, only I’d never really learned how. As my face contorted trying, she got the idea.

  “Just do it, if you want me to have the power we’ll need to get out of here.”

  “Roger that, my goddess.” I had meant the words to come out sarcastically, but it didn’t actually sound that way, and as she smiled it made me think she’d taken it as sincere.

  Whatever. I turned back to the monster, ready for more. A strike from Arturo bounced off, so I used my skill again, noting that my mana bar appeared to show me that I was using the last of it. We had to make this moment count.

  “Now!” I shouted, charging and knocking aside a blow before thrusting. The other two were quick to attack, and soon we had it on the defensive. As Arturo hammered it with an explosion of light, I slammed my sword into its chest and turned as I withdrew it. The adrenaline of the fight coursing through me, I wanted to jump up and cheer at our victory.

  Only… it didn’t die, exactly. Those dark eyes glowed red, then its head turned to Varena before returning to me and bowing its head. Was it asking permission?

  “Please,” Varena said.

  I nodded, not sure what I was doing but focusing on the monster, my sword, and the amulet. Varena must’ve been holding my hand here, because the darkness suddenly swelled, expanding through all of us, and then swept up and in through my blade, into me, and then to the amulet.

  A gasp sounded from Varena and then she was reaching out, a hand to the wall, and she grinned.

  “What… just… happened?” Arturo asked, eyes wide.

  “Some of my connection to the black world has returned to me,” Varena replied. “It took a lot of my power to create my friend there, and if I hadn’t perhaps I never would have been defeated. Call it hubris, call it narcissism… whatever you call it, it’s over. Thank you.”

  “To be clear here, what you’re saying is… you basically…, I mean,” Arturo scratched his furry chin, “that was your baby?”

  She laughed. “No.”

  “We killed your baby, you consumed it, and you’re thanking us?”

  “How do you know this guy?” I asked Brad, motioning toward Arturo, jokingly.

  “Actually, he just kinda tagged along with the other guys,” Brad admitted, then turned to Arturo. “And how’d you know them?”

  “Didn’t,” Arturo replied with a chuckle. “Started tagging along one day, and it just kept happening. After our first raid, I was one of the crew.”

  “Damn, I love gaming.” Brad nodded to Varena. “Fine, we go your way.”

  “Very well.”

  The next passage was as dark and eerie as it had looked from the entrance. As we were walking, a thought hit me. “You say you used to be in charge here?”

  “Yeah,” Varena replied in a whisper, so I lowered my voice, too.

  “So you ran the dungeon. I mean, you were the dungeon master.”

  “I guess so…”

  “Wicked,” Brad said.

  But I wasn’t done with the question. “Who’s the DM now?”

  “DM? Oh, dungeon master.” She glanced back, her eyes flaring orange for a brief instant, before returning to their soft blue glow. “Let’s just say we’ll want to avoid him.”

  “And if he doesn’t want to be avoided?”

  “Keep your eyes peeled for a cute little bunny.” She shuddered at the words.

  “A… bunny?” Arturo asked.

  “That’s right. It’s how he tricks you. Even when I knew he was one of the most dangerous sorcerer demons around, he still managed to get inside my head, convince me I was wrong on so many levels, even down to my hair choice.

  Her hair, mind you, was the strange horns, like diamond icicles. Even I had to wonder about that, now that she had referred to it as a choice. It was hot in that ‘demons are hot’ kind of way, but more than a tad out there, for sure.

  “Okay, so if we see a bunny hopping around along dark passages, run,” Brad said, trying not to laugh. “Noted.”

  “We’re not talking the type with batteries and banging on a drum, right?” Arturo asked. “Just to be clear, because that would freak me the hell out.”

  “You’re safe, there.” She kept moving now, but was visibly slower, maybe even shaking. “Oh, and if you see him hopping… it’s probably already too late for us. Or would’ve been, if not for getting my powers back.”

  “So you’re restored?” I asked. “Fully?”

  Her lack of response
told me that was a big, fat no. She gestured to the right at the next fork in the road, leading us to a series of what looked like prison cells on each side. Two of those zombie-looking sleepers were there, one moaning in the corner, the other continuously bumping her head into the bars.

  Arturo held up his staff and whispered, “Better to put them out of their misery.”

  But before he could get the spell off, Varena placed a hand on his forearm and shook her head. “It is far better to let them wake when it’s their time to do so.”

  He didn’t say another word, but looked at them hauntingly as he moved on. I’d had my fair share of nightmares, and now had to wonder how many of them were spent in places like this, other worlds where demons and the like would have their fun with me. Maybe even the good ones were spent in other worlds, replicas of our own or worlds that created enough similarities to sometimes make them feel on the cusp of being real.

  At a point where we had gone up more stairs and were forced to cross a tight ledge, she paused halfway across, eyes flickering to orange again. Finger to her pouty lips, she gestured down.

  Following her gesture, I realized how far the fall was. Seeing the darkness give way to torches along the stone walls far below, a sudden dizziness took over, accompanied by the taste of bile and churning of my gut. What she had signaled though, wasn’t about the fall or the torches. Far below, barely noticeable in the dim light of the torches, was a pure white shape.

  The white bunny.

  Whispering carried up, along with the scent of cardamom. Woody and sweet. Shadows moved, and it was clear there were more forms down there, but forms we couldn’t see.

  A glance back at Varena showed her form had taken on a black shadow. I looked down to see that I too had the shadow over me, and at first started to panic. Her hand reached back, too far too touch me, but the shadows rippled and I could feel her soft touch against my cheek. As her lips moved, I knew no sound was coming from them, but heard the words, “It’s my doing. Stay calm and we might make it through this.”

  I nodded, then turned back to Arturo and Brad. Both were still against the far wall, waiting for us to give them more room. Arturo was leaning forward though, looking down with a smirk on his face, staff gripped tightly. Subtle sparks began to emanate from his hand on the staff, floating out, and I cursed under my breath.

  Shaking my head, I caught his attention.

  He smiled again, shrugged, and then hissed, “I’ll see if I can take him out. You all make a run for it.”

  “Don’t be an idiot,” Varena’s voice sounded in my head, so I assumed in his, too.

  But it was too late. He was already over the edge, half falling with his cloud that appeared beneath his feet to slow the fall. The edge of his staff lit up, and it was clear that if we didn’t move, we’d soon be spotted.

  I was up and running as fast as I could without risking falling over. Varena led, darting around a corner ahead and into another dark room, Brad joining a moment later.

  “We can’t leave him!” Brad hissed.

  “If we go after him, we’re all dead. They’ll know we’re here, raise all the alarms. The bunny, he wants me… he wants me bad.”

  It was too odd of an image in my head—the thought of that little white bunny taking control of her—but I nodded, following her out. Arturo had made his choice, and as much as I wanted to go back and help him try to fight a little bunny, we would then be risking the mission, abandoning Katie. If Varena was this worried about it, I had to imagine she had good reason.

  15

  The danger of this place was feeling more real now that we had a face to put to it. Not that a cute little white rabbit face was exactly terrifying, but I’d seen Gremlins and whatnot, and knew that looks could be deceiving. Oh, and don’t bet me started on the Monty Python stuff… or Banicula. In this case, it was likely some sort of crazy magician or demon who had chosen that form because it had this confusing effect.

  A glance at Varena made me wonder—was this her actual form? Could she actually be some horribly ugly demon, but using this nearly-nude succubus form as a way of luring me into helping her? In part, I wouldn’t put it past her. But I’d seen how she seemed to form as her power increased, and had to believe this was her true self, that she hadn’t had the power to put on a mask when first released from the amulet.

  “How…” I leaned in closer to her, so Brad—who had taken the lead again—wouldn’t hear. “How did the amulet end up where I found it?”

  “As I was trapped within, the best I can do is speculate…” She glanced over, a hint of playfulness in her eyes. “Fine, you caught me. I might have had some influence in the matter.”

  “Meaning?”

  “As long as you wear the amulet, I have some sway over you. I can get into your head, sort of push thoughts your way.”

  “Shit.”

  “But…” She ran a hand up her exposed thigh, winking. “I’m sure you can agree the benefits far outweigh the costs.”

  I couldn’t answer, too busy trying to pull my eyes away from her ass. Finally, I blinked and shook my head clear of the perverse thoughts taking over. “You… convinced him to leave you behind?”

  “I wish it were so simple. No, drove him mad.”

  “You… you wouldn’t do that to me though, right?” I grabbed her by the wrist when she didn’t answer. “Right?”

  She laughed, causing Brad to glare back our way before motioning for us to keep up.

  “You’re much stronger-willed than he was,” she replied in a whisper again. “You have a mission, one that keeps your mind focused, less subject to my influence.”

  “You tried!” The words blurted out.

  With a shrug, she grinned wide again. “Had to try, didn’t I? It was when you first released me, if that makes you feel any better.”

  “I… guess?” For a moment we walked as I processed what she was saying. “And if I had been susceptible?”

  “That’s a tough one. See, we’re actually on our way out of this dungeon—so what need would I have had to alter your course? The other guy, he wanted to use me to take the dungeon for himself, to get all dungeon mastery on me. He never would have released me, never would have thought of me as anything other than his slave, a tool to get more power…” She noticed my eyes moving over her body and voiced my thoughts. “Now, wouldn’t that have been a shame?”

  “Or you could argue that she succeeded in mind-fucking you,” Brad interrupted, and I glanced up to see that he’d stopped and was watching us with curiosity. “It’s entirely possible she wants out of here and is using you to that end.”

  “Except no amount of mind fucking would be necessary for that,” Varena countered. “He already has his goal in mind.”

  “True.” Brad’s eyes narrowed. “But, did you ever tell him that controlling the dungeon was even an option?”

  “Brad,” I started, but he held up a hand to cut me off.

  “Think about it,” he said. “We could own this place. Make it our bitch, bro. Get all dungeon master on it.”

  “Not interested.” As soon as the words left my mouth, the affection in Varena’s eyes flamed up, her hint of a smile showing what she’d love to do to me in that moment. Or maybe it was in my imagination, me putting that on her? Either way, it was the truth. My mission lay outside the dungeon. Even if it didn’t, I couldn’t see the appeal of being stuck in this dark, dank fortress longer than necessary.

  “Well, if you ever change your mind.” He winked.

  “No,” I replied flatly.

  “Sure, just saying. If you do.”

  With a nod toward her, he turned and kept on walking. Varena considered me a moment, then asked, “How much do you like him? I mean, on a scale of ‘kill him’ to ‘we can ditch him somewhere soon.’ Where would he fall?”

  I chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, okay? You and me—how do you say it? We have a bond.”

  She stepped closer, hand on my upper arm, eyes focused on mine, intently
. “And when this is over? When you have your Katie?”

  “You’re free to go whenever you want.”

  “Even now?”

  I frowned, glancing around. “Considering that you’re my best hope of getting out of here, am I an ass if I say we have a deal? You get me out of here, help with the tracking spell you promised, and then you’re free to go as you please.”

  “It is what we agreed on,” she admitted, and nodded. “And there’s the pesky nature of that amulet, and me being nowhere near strong enough to break the curse, yet. So… lead on, master.” That last part she added with a wink that I took as her way of mocking Brad.

  With a chuckle, I went ahead, sword at the ready in case we came upon any more vile creatures. The nice part about having a toothbrush that’d been magically turned into a sword? It didn’t weigh much at all. Enough to give me proper balance and allow for powerful swings, but not so much that my arms grew tired carrying it. After a longer period of time I imagined it would become cumbersome, but so far it wasn’t an issue.

  The passage came to stairs that led up but then stopped at a dead end. Varena motioned us aside and moved up to it, her mostly-exposed ass almost in my face, her scent like sage or spearmint gum, subtle but very much there. As she ran her hands along the stone, I had to turn away lest my mind wander where it had no place going.

  Brad moved back a few paces, and nodded me over.

  “What happens if she’s part of the whole thing?”

  “Like part of the dungeon?”

  He nodded. “Leading us into a trap. Could be she’s still in charge of the place, and wants to, I don’t know, tie us up and fuck us while draining our life force.”

  “Brad, you know you’re my boy. But… shut the fuck up.”

  “I’m serious.” He was whispering, but not nearly quiet enough.

  “And I’m serious. You sound like you’re telling me your fantasy, not expressing a worry.”

  “That ass, though.”

  Varena cleared her throat, glancing back, but didn’t say anything. She simply gave me a knowing look, then returned to checking the stones.