I opened the book but there were too many things for me to go through right now, so I just focused on raising my Create Undead by one and then dropped the book into my satchel.
I changed out my amulet and glanced at the timer. “Shit! Fifteen minutes ‘til respawn, we need to get a move on!”
We left the Sage’s room behind and headed to the altar, putting the last keystone in place with a snap.
The altar started to glow the color of sunlight on a summer day, and with a flicker of light, the four spirits from the trials appeared facing the altar.
The Knight of the Morning placed his spectral hand on the Keystone of Dawn and spoke. “Our strength was not enough to stop he who we once revered. These adventurers have proven themselves stronger, let them now do what we could not.”
The spirit of the woman from the trial of wisdom placed her hand on the Keystone of Midday and spoke, “We failed to heed the warning signs. Our hubris, our pride, and our foolishness blinded us to what was right in front of our eyes. These adventurers have proven themselves wiser than we, let them now do what we could not.”
Sir Tarik the Unbroken placed his hand on the Keystone of Dusk. “We could not defend those who we swore to protect. How does one protect another from the darkness within their own heart? Our resolve was lacking, but these adventurers have proven themselves resolute. Let them now do what we could not.”
“Our eyes trained outwards,” the Sage of Midnight began, placing her hand upon the Keystone of Midnight, “we failed to see what lurked within. Old books and tomes blinded us to the plight of our own brother. All of our knowledge was rendered useless by our own self-indulgence. But these adventurers have proven themselves more knowledgeable. They have seen the truth. Let them do now what we could not.”
The four spirits stood and faced the entryway, watching as a fifth spirit appeared. A tall, sun elf woman clothed in armor similar to the Knight of the Dawn stood before the assembled spirits and spoke, her voice echoing what must have been her message in centuries past.
“My brothers and sisters. I come before you today with a heavy heart. I have concerns regarding Brother Marcus. There is something broken within, and my men have brought concerns to me of his behavior on the battlefield, speaking of a look of enjoyment, of bliss in his eyes as he gazed upon the wounded. A delay in his actions as he heals his brothers, as if to prolong their pain a bit longer. I pray that whatever haunts his soul can be laid to rest, and that the light of the sun once again may shine brightly within his heart.”
The response from the spirits was that of scorn, of affront, and insult. They argued, and taunted, and insulted the woman.
Brother Markus was a favorite of many of the masters within the temple, his skills and demeanor praised by all, and in the end, the Lady of the Dawn walked away, sadness etched onto her face as she slowly faded from view.
The four spirits returned to the altar and faced the north wall, Sir Tarik speaking for them all. “The boy had wrapped us all around his fingers. He learned to mask his true heart with false compliments and flattery, all the while harboring hatred and darkness. When word of the Lady of the Dawn’s death in battle reached us, we thought nothing of it. People die in wars. It was only much later, after Marcus had risen to the rank of High Priest, that his involvement become known.”
“Decades we lived in his presence,” the Sage of Midnight continued, “ignorant to his true goals, until the night of his ascension to the head of the clergy, as High Priest of the Blazing Sun.”
The Knight of the Dawn continued, a heavy expression on his face. “He corrupted the ceremony somehow, inverting the power gathered to bless his station to that of shadow, murdering the assembled high council of our orders.”
The human priestess spoke up. “We four were gathered on the fringes and escaped the brunt of the assault and were able to act. Brother Marcus was also a victim of his own pride and believed his ascension would grant him the power of a god. But it did not. We rallied our remaining forces and cornered him here, the resting place of our faithful.”
Sir Tarik gestured towards the wall opposite the entrance and continued, “And there, we brought him low. Our once-loved brother, now a thing of shadow and darkness. As he lay defeated, ranting of all the wrongs done to him by the order. His parents, soldiers in our armies, dead because of us. A forced life of service. A lack of wealth, lack of power, lack of love… all laid at our feet as he struggled against his bindings.”
All four bowed their heads in sadness as Sir Tarik continued, “Even in his tainted state we could not bear to destroy the boy who was once so loved by many of us, and in our moment of weakness he laid a curse upon us all. A flood of darkness poured from his heart and surrounded the temple, drawing it deep into the bedrock below, forever denying the faithful laid to rest here the light of the sun, the symbol of our faith.”
The sage gestured towards the wall and the stone dissolved into mist, leaving an alcove containing a single coffin. The stone was so black that it absorbed the ambient light.
“Within that prison lies Brother Marcus. We have remained to await those who could finish the task that we could not. Please, put Brother Marcus to rest so that his soul, and all that have been interred here, may finally find peace,” the Knight of the Dawn said as he and the other spirits faded from view.
The stones on the altar started to glow, forming a bright beam of light that shot into the dark coffin and shattered it into a million pieces, releasing a wave of darkness into the room.
Quest Update – The Forgotten Tomb
Quest Timer – Disabled
Brother Marcus has been released, and the guardians of the temple have called upon you to put his spirit to rest.
Criteria: Defeat Brother Marcus (0/1)
Reward: +2000xp
***
56
The darkness swirled and coalesced into a humanoid form as we struggled to get into formation. I summoned my minions, not wanting to take any chances. Whoever had designed the dungeon had put in a hell of a lot of effort, so I wasn’t going to underestimate the power of the boss.
Chief moved forward to stand near Cedric and the three amigos ran over to stand on the raised altar with arrows knocked, ready to take advantage of the high ground.
Kelikk was standing near the tanks, so I dashed over and cast Vampiric Link on his axe and linked it to Cedric for maximum effect. Then, planning ahead a bit, I took a bunch of Laeshhound skeletons out of my bag and placed them around the room to potentially become a flanking force later on.
A piercing cry filled with rage, hatred, and pain rang through the room, the force behind it driving me to my knees in pain.
I looked to its source and saw the shadows had formed into the shape of a man, albeit a man formed of pure darkness, dressed in clothing made of darkness, and wielding a staff forged of darkness. There was definitely a theme.
The shadow’s name appeared over his head in a nice, bright orange.
< Brother Marcus >
There was nothing sane about his expression as he stepped out of the rubble of his prison, scanning his surroundings as if looking for something, or someone.
His eyes locked onto Cedric, clad in the raiment of the Order of the Blazing Sun and his features twisted into a rictus of hate. His eyes began to glow, and seconds later black beams of darkness lanced out and crashed against the knight’s shield, driving him backwards. The beams continued for several second, draining Cedric’s health even more.
I ordered Chief to charge, and my archers opened fire as I cast Cripple on the shadowy boss. The spell seemed to take effect, but I couldn’t be sure since the normal indicators were swallowed by the shadows that swirled around his form.
A trio of arrows blossomed from Marcus’ shoulder and chest as the amigos opened fire, and Chief’s sword lashed out to cut into his shadowy chest.
The beams cut off abruptly, leaving Cedric wounded, but alive, finally letting Leilani’s healing spells get to work resto
ring the health he had lost to the attack.
With a gesture from Brother Marcus, shadows surged from the floor and sent Chief flying through the air to land in a heap, his health down by a third.
Marcus turned his shadowed eyes on Leilani, focusing on her new raiment. The look of hatred in his eyes intensified and they began to glow once again like they had prior to his first laser eye attack.
Black beams shot from his eyes, but before they could connect, a bristling ball of coarse hair, wicked looking tusks, and a giant axe slammed into his side. It chopped deeply into his dark flesh as it screamed, “Don’t”, chop, “touch”, thwack, “my”, hack, “wife!” The last hit was accompanied by a very porcine snort.
Dark black blood started to seep from the shadow’s wounds, turning to mist and then flowing back in to reform his flesh and refill his health bar.
Marcus turned his attention to the were-boar, reaching out with a lightning quick movement to grasp Kelikk by the throat.
I cast Rot on the boss in hopes of negating at least some of his regeneration and the spell took root just as another barrage of arrows lodged in his chest.
Kelikk was lifted from the ground, his health dropping by the second as the boss choked the life out of him.
A bright streak of light flashed across the room and smashed into the boss, knocking him back into the rubble and freeing Kelikk from his grip.
The light faded, revealing Cedric standing there with the boss’ shadowy blood slowly dissolving in the light radiating from his shield.
The shadow’s health climbed back over seventy percent. Each second we weren’t applying more damage allowed him to recuperate further.
Instead of simply standing, Marcus' shadowed body collapsed and reformed upright. His eyes turned toward the party with a malevolent awareness.
Chief rushed in from where he had fallen, striking a quick blow with sword and shield as Kelikk renewed his attack from the other flank.
Abandoning his previous tactics, Marcus lashed out with his staff. His dark form whipped through the air like a Shaolin master, his staff connecting with all three of his current foes while he ignored their attacks. His shadowy flesh seemed more than able to repair what they could dish out.
A vicious thrust of the staff pierced through Chief’s chest plate, dropping his health into the red. A second later a pulse of dark energy ran down the staff and my zombie became a pile of armor pieces and rotten salsa.
Human Zombie Warden (Chief) has been slain. Your bound mana has been returned.
Kelikk and Cedric moved to strike the shadow’s flank, but their weapons passed through thin air as the boss collapsed into a pool of shadows and then exploded in a wave of force that sent them both flying through the air.
Brother Marcus reformed moments later, moving his hands in arcane gestures in time with the casting bar that appeared above his head.
I looked over towards Kelikk and Ced who were regaining their feet and saw wisps of shadows forming around their boots.
“Quick! Move, don’t stand in the AOEs!” I yelled, darting to the side and ordering my minions to do the same.
Leilani looked down and her eyes widened as she jumped backwards just in time. Columns of shadow thrust upwards from the floor, connecting to the ceiling in pillars of dark energy. One of my archers was caught in the blast and transformed into a pile of armor and dust.
Human Skeletal Warrior (Chevy) has been slain. Your bound mana has been returned.
The pillars of darkness dissipated, leaving cracked and pitted stone where they had erupted.
That was close, I thought and turned back towards where the Marcus and Cedric were exchanging blows.
The Knight’s shield was glowing brighter with every hit it absorbed, and Marcus was doing his best to avoid its touch while using his staff like a spear.
Kelikk’s shape-change had worn off, and he was now back to his old dwarven self, his axe chopping, only to be deflected by the spinning staff of the shadow man.
My skeleton’s arrows seemed to be doing very little against the boss, so I ordered them into melee mode, their two handed maces able to serve as a distraction if nothing else.
Necromantic Bolts flew from my hands, and after several passes we dropped the boss back down to where he was before his disappearing act.
Cedric must have noticed something that was hidden to me because as Marcus began to disappear into shadows again, he let loose a bright flash of light from his shield that washed over the boss and forced him to re-materialize where he stood, and for a second the shadows receded from his flesh.
Marcus’ hit points started dwindling quickly under our combined assault, his flesh no longer able to keep up with the damage in the face of the Knight Bastion’s light, but he wasn’t going down gently.
Cedric was getting low on hit points, and Martin fell apart as the boss performed some sort of whirlwind melee attack, striking everyone in range.
Orc Skeletal Warrior (Martin) has been slain. Your bound mana has been returned.
The shadow’s health dropped below forty percent and as long as we could keep going at our current rate we should have it in the bag.
He lashed out again with his staff, and then with a flicker of darkness, collapsed into the shadows again and blasted our melee fighters away.
Human Skeletal Warrior (Steve) has been slain. Your bound mana has been returned.
Instead of reforming near his prison, a shadowy pillar appeared about fifteen feet from Leilani and me and reformed into human shape.
“Shit! Run!” I called and dashed to the side as the boss shot a bolt of black energy at me. I wasn’t quick enough, and the bolt crashed into me, sending me flying. My Dark Shield flashed as the blow hit, absorbing most of the damage but not the secondary effects.
My health dipped down to sixty percent and an icon flashed in my view with the message:
You have been silenced! Duration: 30 seconds.
Turning back, I saw that Leilani hadn’t escaped the boss’ attacks either, but while I’d been targeted with some sort of bolt attack, she’d been hit with something far worse.
Marcus stood facing her with arms raised, chanting in an unknown tongue as tentacles made of pure darkness emerged from the floor and wrapped around Leilani’s body, trapping her arms and legs in a shadowy web.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her health was drained away by the attack.
The others were too far away to help, so it was all up to me, but without the ability to speak I was limited in my options.
I pointed my staff at the two closest Laeshhound skeletons, raising them and ordering them to attack as I charged at the shadow creature, hoping to disrupt whatever spell he was using to keep Leilani pinned.
I dropped my staff and leapt onto his back, sinking my claws into his shadowy flesh and ripping outwards, trying to peel him like an orange.
He let out a howl of agony as his health dipped below the halfway point again and his concentration broke, dropping Leilani to the floor where she silently gasped for breath.
He reached back to pull me off and managed to get a handful of my robes and pulled. I ripped my claws through his flesh one more time and bit the back of his neck, trying to hold on.
I shook my head like a dog with its favorite chew toy, opening a nasty wound that slowly wept shadows.
He pulled me around and held me up by the back of my robes. My feet dangled off the floor as his eyes bored into mine and started to glow with the beginning of his gaze attack.
I gave him a big smile and a look of confusion flashed across his face as I opened my mouth and activated my breath weapon.
Dragonfire gushed from my throat and into his face, burning away his protections and ruining his own attack.
He screamed and thrust me away, sending me spinning through the air with fire streaming in all directions before I was able to end the ability.
I slammed against the altar and fell to the ground, looking up just in time to see t
he laeshhounds pounce.
His staff lashed out, narrowly missing the first hound as it flashed by, boney jaws tearing another chunk out of his shadowy flesh.
The second hound wasn’t so lucky. The boss’ staff crashed down onto its skull and drove it into the stone floor, reducing it to shards.
Laeshhound Skeletal Warrior has been slain.
Behind the boss I could see Kelikk and Cedric running towards us, so I directed the last hound around towards me, keeping his attention away from my closing allies.
The boss reached out and made a grasping gesture with his free hand and the same shadowy vines that had trapped Leilani before snaked around the skeleton’s form. I could hear its bones crack and break as the spell crushed the unlife from it, but it had served its purpose as a speed bump.
Laeshhound Skeletal Warrior has been slain.
With a splash of blood and shadows, the point of a sword exploded from the boss’ chest, dropping his health bar even further as the shadowy tendrils struggled to repair the damage, snaking around the weapon.
Kelikk’s axe chopped into the boss’ shoulder, knocking off even more of his hit points and nearly severing his left arm.
Marcus’ health dropped into the red as my companions ripped free their weapons, and he collapsed to the ground, head bowed.
Kelikk raised his axe and brought it around in a wicked swing to sever the boss’ head and finish him off, but his blow crashed against a shield of glowing light.
“What the hell!” the dwarf yelled and then stumbled back as the spirits of the four guardians appeared around us.
“That is not how this must end, Kelikk Ironside,” the Knight of Dawn said, placing a spectral hand on the dwarf’s shoulder. “We failed our brother once, and we shall not do so again. The shield will soon fail, and when it does, you must harness your strength and restrain Brother Marcus so that he may not escape.”
The spirit of the elven sage gestured to me. “Not all is as it seems, friend Kababala. When your companion has a hold on our brother, you must pierce this shadowy form and reveal his truth. Only then can the light be returned to this place.”
Extra Credit Page 41
