Kinto gave Hawke another nod, one of appreciation this time.
I keep my word, he thought but didn’t say out loud. The Hunter seemed to get the message anyway. His Reputation with the Hunter had been increasing steadily; it was currently at 78 (Respected).
“The plan worked,” Hawke told the group. “If we run into three of them, Kinto and I will keep them bottled up. Gosto, root one of them and keep healing us. Tava, wait until they are busy and then do shoot-and-scoot.”
He’d had to explain what the phrase meant, but she had agreed to fire only once before ducking for cover, to avoid getting brained by a thrown club. She smiled brightly at him and he returned the grin, letting his Charisma do its thing. Of the entire family, she was enjoying the adventure the most, and Hawke found himself feeling the same way. Being hurt still sucked, but winning was awesome. Kinto frowned slightly when he noticed them having a moment, but said nothing.
“Let’s see what’s next.”
* * *
They ran into a group of three fourth level Risen and took them down almost as easily as the previous two.
After a brief pause to refill their Mana and Endurance pools, during which Hawke cast his Enlightenment spell to check for hidden treasure – and found nothing – the group moved through the tunnels, once again led by Kinto in stealth mode. He discovered the group of three Risen, the party set up their ambush, and Hawke lured them in with a Hammer of Light. The Undead charged into the narrow tunnel, and the fight was on.
Despite their having to deal with a third Risen, the party did as well as the previous time. Hawke and Kinto got smacked around some, but between the two stacked ‘heal over time’ (HOTs) effects from Hawke’s spells and a few well-timed Nature’s Warmth castings from Gosto, nobody was badly hurt. Hawke was surprised at how quickly he’d gotten used to fighting on despite being in pain from bruises, cuts, and even broken bones. Adrenaline helped, of course, and the healing spells dulled the pain, but it was like he didn’t worry about danger as much as he used to. As the group looted the Troggs’ corpses, he admitted to himself he was looking forward to the next fight.
For slaying your foes, you have earned 300 XP.
Current XP/Next Level: 1,660/2,500
You have found 2 gold, 1 silver, and 7 copper coins.
You have found: Minor Healing Potion (3), Minor Mana Potion (2), Minor Endurance Potion (1).
You have found: Bronze Helmet (Common Quality)
Hawke passed the healing potions to Tava and Gosto but kept the mana and endurance potions as well as the helmet. Finally, some head gear! The Greek-style helm left only his eyes and lower face exposed; a central metal part protected his nose and some of his mouth. Its defense numbers were slightly lower than his breast plate’s, but they were a lot better than nothing, which was what he’d had until then. A club hit to his unprotected brain case was likely to become a critical and leave him dead or unconscious. Having a thick metal surface between him and that possibility made him feel better about the next fight. One or two more encounters and he’d hit level five!
The tunnel began to slope downward once again. They were approaching a new level in the Troglodyte catacombs. That should have been warning enough. New levels always meant tougher enemies. Hawke was expecting something new to show up, but he figured that as long as he could think of a plan, they could handle it.
Instead, they fell into an ambush.
Kinto was up ahead, as always, and reached another room. He paused by the entrance for a few seconds, his head cocked as if he’d heard something. Nothing happened, and he stepped forward.
Long grappling roots, like the ones from Gosto’s Nature’s Grip spell but much larger and sporting long knife-like thorns, leaped out of the ground and grabbed the Hunter. Kinto grunted in agony as the thorns pierced his armor in multiple places. That was when Hawke saw a figure in the room come into view. Another Trogg, but this one had a helmet made out of the skull of a horned bull or bison, and a robe of animal skins.
Risen Troglodyte (Undead)
Level 4 Shaman (Elite)
Health 160 Mana 200 Endurance 160
The Undead Shaman wasn’t alone. As soon as Kinto was trapped, four Risen warriors seemed to appear out of thin air and rushed towards the Hunter, clubs ready to kill.
Twenty-Eight
No time to do anything but fight.
“Stay back!” Hawke shouted as he rushed forward. “Heal! Shoot!”
Kinto turned towards him. “Get out of here,” he gasped.
Hawke ignored him. He wasn’t going to let the Hunter die to save his children. Everybody was going to walk away from this.
He cast Hammer of Light on the move, thanks to Saturnyx’s bonuses, and nailed the closest Risen warrior before he could hit the helpless Kinto. The 40-point energy impact knocked the critter back a pace; a moment later, Tava landed a hit on another Trogg. The attacks slowed the Undead down, giving Hawke just enough time to reach the Hunter’s side, where his Aura of Light could begin to undo the damage the ensnaring spell had inflicted. Kinto needed it; his Health had been 94 to begin with, and it had been reduced to 61 in the scant few seconds since the trap had been sprung. Luckily, Gosto had listened to Hawke and was working to keep his father alive. Hawke couldn’t do any more healing. He had to keep the monsters off-balance.
The Risen recoiled from the bright -and painful – light surrounding him. That let Hawke push past the coiled roots of the spell – the undead roots, he realized when his Aura of Light began to burn them even as it healed Kinto – and stand up to the four Risen warriors. The Shaman stayed in the rear and began to cast a new spell. There was nothing Hawke could do about that, unfortunately.
He blocked a club swing, slashed another club in two – and cut into the wielder’s forearms – and got hit in return by another Undead, a big blow that knocked him back a pace but inflicted no damage, thanks to the Bulwark of Light, which absorbed the twenty-two points that would have hurt him. Gritting his teeth as the Troggs kept beating on him, Hawke cast Consecrated Ground. Then he went into the offensive, slamming Saturnyx onto the ground and activating Elemental Burst. The sword’s Boon burned all four Undead, adding its damage from his ongoing Life and Light spells. The ability didn’t destroy any targets, but it achieved its goal: the Undead didn’t pay Kinto any attention, concentrating on the Paladin that was tormenting them.
The Shaman raised the staff as it mouthed the last words of its spell – and Gosta’s arrow flew right into its open mouth. She’d stacked all her arrow enhancers into that shot: the critical hit didn’t kill the Shaman but erased one third of its Health and ruined whatever spell he’d been about to unleash. Hawke would have appreciated her feat a lot more if he hadn’t been busy fighting for his life.
The four super-Neanderthals’ pounding brought down Hawke’s Bulwark of Light; a club struck him on the side of the head a moment later. Thanks to his Shield of Light and new helmet, only eight points of damage got through, but he staggered and was dazed for a second. That might have ended up badly for him, but Kinto was back in the fight.
The Hunter had broken free and had used his armor’s healing ability to bring himself back to full Health. He speared one of the Troggs through the throat and dragged the still-thrashing Undead closer, bringing the monster into range of Hawke’s Life and Light spells. The unexpected attack also caused one of the other Risen to stumble back, leaving only two free to attack.
Hawke recovered from the head blow just in time to block another club swing. He thrust his sword into his attacker’s face. A critical hit, but not a kill; the blow was still good enough to send the Trogg reeling away, which gave him a moment to cast a Hammer of Light at the Shaman, inflicting 40 points of damage and delaying its next spell by a couple of seconds. Tava sent shaft after shaft at the Undead spellcaster while Gosto used his healing spell as a weapon against the four Risen facing Hawke and Kinto; each hea
l turned into damage against the Undead, inflicting thirty points per casting.
They hadn’t planned for this fight, but they improvised on the fly, with everyone knowing what the others could do, and it worked. Hawke cut down the Trogg facing him a moment before Kinto finished off the one he’d hooked by the throat like a fish. The two of them turned on the survivors. One had lost its club and been ensnared by Gosto’s Nature Grip. It went down just as Tava finished off the Shaman. The last monster had its Health whittled down by everybody in the party and soon joined the rest of its band.
Hawke leaned against the nearest wall and grabbed another water bottle from his inventory, chugging it; the flat boiled water tasted great. His Endurance was in the single digits, and he felt drained even after his wounds faded away. He considered using the Endurance potion he’d found, but decided against it. He was recovering already; best to save the potion for a fight.
That had been too close. If the Troggs had taken Kinto down before he could intervene… He doubted Tava and Gosto would have run away and left their father behind even if Hawke went down as well. Just a second or two, or even a bit of bad luck, might have made the difference between victory and a total wipeout.
Kinto was swaying on his feet; he leaned on the spear like an old man. Like the old man he was, Hawke reminded himself. His children were fifteen and twenty, respectively, but he was old enough to be their grandfather. He got tired like someone half his level. His Attributes were near-superhuman, but he still had no business going into battle.
“I told you to get out of here,” Kinto told him.
“Did you? I didn’t hear you over all the fighting and zombie killing,” Hawke replied, tapping the side of his helmet.
Was that a grin he saw on the Hunter’s face? If it was, it disappeared too quickly for Hawke to be sure.
“If it comes down to choosing between I and my children, you gave me your word you’d do the right thing.”
“I did, and I will. So far, so good, right? Everyone is alive and well. Including you.”
Kinto sighed. “Yes. So far.”
Hawke shrugged. They had won a big battle. Time to count the spoils.
For slaying your foes, you have earned 560 XP.
Quest Complete: Cleanse the Lair.
You have earned 220 Experience (+10% Triune Goddesses Bonus)
Current XP/Next Level: 2,440/2,500
You have found 3 gold, 2 silver coins.
You have found: Minor Healing Potion (2), Minor Mana Potion (1), Minor Endurance Potion (3).
You have found: Greaves of the Warrior (Enchanted Quality)
His first piece of Enchanted gear! Hawke checked his inventory and found a pair of metal shin guards and armored knee pads, looking shiny and new. He mentally ‘clicked’ on the item and got its full description:
Greaves of the Warrior (Enchanted Quality):
Bonuses: +1 to Strength and Constitution
Damage Absorption: Physical 12/30% Elemental (Fire/Cold) 8/10% Elemental (All Other) 2/10%, Stealth Penalty: -10% Speed Penalty: -0%. Durability 30/30. Requires Heavy Armor Skill.
Hawke summoned the greaves and they magically appeared around his lower legs. His three pieces of metal armor looked nothing alike, making him look like he was, an upstart Paladin picking bits and pieces of looted gear along the way. His sword clashed even worse with the rest of his stuff, especially in the too-short scabbard that Hawke still hadn’t replaced. But looks didn’t matter; he was now a lot harder to kill.
The greaves did more than protect his ankles and shins, though. The bonuses to Strength and Constitution weren’t high, but added to Saturnyx’s enhancements, he was now superhumanly strong and durable. He checked his basic stats:
Hawke Lightseeker
Half-Elf (Eternal)
Level 4 Paladin
Health 72 Mana 49 Endurance 43/66
Been here four days, and I’m about to make fifth level, he told himself. Is that a record or something?
Saturnyx’s history lesson deflated Hawke’s ego a little, but he was still feeling good about himself. The Lair minions were tough, but they’d destroyed ten of them already, completing one of their quests along the way. Everyone had gained more experience and a Good or Enchanted item.
Kinto had been awarded a new ring. “It’s a fine trinket,” he said. “Raises my Perception some and will help detect traps. I’ve gained far worse rewards for a quest.”
Tava looked happier with her prize, a set of bracers that raised her Dexterity and gave her a bonus to her Archery Skill. Gosto got the short end of the stick, a pair of boots of Good quality that were better than his old ones but had no magical bonuses. On the other hand, he had leveled up yet again and earned a new spell: Nature’s Sting, which fired a bolt of Life energy that inflicted 10 points of damage plus one extra point per level. Since that sort of damage would be tripled against undead targets, that gave the Druid a good attack with a low Mana Cost and no cooldown. Hawke told him to concentrate on healing and use his new attack when nobody was below half their Health.
“I will do so, Paladin,” Gosto said.
“We’ve almost gotten killed a bunch of times together. Call me Hawke.”
The Druid grinned. “Yes, Hawke.”
They agreed on resting in the room the four Risen had been guarding, taking a break until their Endurance and Mana were back to full. Kinto laid down a cloak he produced from his pouch of holding and took a nap. Hawke killed time by casting Enlightenment and searching the room for hidden compartments. He noticed Tava had followed him.
“I know what you did,” she told him in a soft voice.
“What was that?”
“Father told you to run. He wanted you to lead us out of the Lair while the monsters killed him.”
Hawke shrugged. “I figured we had a good chance of saving him if we stuck together, that’s all.”
Tava nodded, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. “I will not forget this, Hawke.”
She walked away. A few moments later, she gave a squeal of delight that seemed out of character for the tough forest adventurer she was. She knelt by one of the room’s walls and picked up a large white mushroom; several other clusters were nearby.
“Bone-Caps!” she said. “Flava the Alchemist will pay a good fee for them!”
She started picking up the mushrooms, her enthusiasm making her look years longer. Hawke smiled and left her to it, going back to looking for hidden treasure. When he discovered another clump of Bone-Caps, he let Tava know, earning another grin from her.
The sight of the Ranger happily picking up magic mushrooms while her brother watched over her made Hawke miss his own family. His parents, brothers, even his sister before she went to college and went nuts. They’d all stuck together during good times, helped each other in bad ones. Being alone sucked.
Maybe not, Hawke replied.
He glanced at Kinto and his son and daughter. Gosto was telling a joke to her sister while she worked; she mock glared at him before chuckling. As good a family as any he’d seen. He’d be lucky if they would call him their friend. And he had a sword to keep him honest even to himself.
Shrugging aside the feelings of nostalgia, he turned back to the blank walls of the chamber. The room wasn’t just raw earth and stone like the tunnels linking them, but had been built out of rough stone ‘bricks’ held together by some sort of mortar, maybe a primitive version of cement. As he slowly walked along the walls, relying on his Enlightenment spell, he noticed one of the stones near the bottom of the wall started to glow yellow when he came near. Bingo.
Hawke nodded and knelt to examine the spot. Sure enough, a red light appeared
around the edges of the stone, indicating danger. Whatever was under the loose stone was trapped. He summoned one of the Arachnoid daggers he’d looted on his first day in the Realms, put on all his protective auras, and started poking at the edges of the rock with it. He figured that even if he triggered a trap…
There was a blinding flash of light, and he found himself sitting on his ass, his ears ringing with the fading echoes of a thunderbolt; he felt like he’d been electrocuted. His Bulwark of Light had been destroyed and he was down to less than half his Health. He’d figured his defensive spells would keep him safe, and he’d almost been wrong. Maybe he should have tried harder to disarm the trap.
Congratulations! You have learned the Detect Traps Skill at Level 1
You have learned the Disarm Traps Skill at Level 1
“Lightning bolt trap!” he yelled at the Kintes family, all of whom had leaped to their feet at the sudden detonation. “No worries, I’m fine.”
Everyone else just looked at him. They didn’t need to say anything to let him know what they thought. Hawke was reminded an old joke about Polish mine detectors: you sent out a volunteer ahead, hands over his ears and his eyes closed, stomping on the ground every few steps. Good way to find mines, but hard on the detectors. The important thing was, he had survived his stupidity and even learned a couple of new skills, thanks to his Unlimited Potential.
“Sorry,” he told everyone while he healed himself. Afterwards, he removed the loose stone and uncovered a small wooden box inside. “The good news is, I found something.”
Trapped, I know.
He checked the box carefully, but neither his spell nor his new skills found any signs of a trap. It was made of wood with metal reinforcements, and intricately carved with designs that looked a bit Celtic to him, as well as writing in a language that he almost understood – he picked up the word for ‘blood’ – but only almost. Trying to decipher it earned him a level in his Lore skill, though.
Twilight Templar (The Eternal Journey Book 1) Page 16
