by Jamey Sultan
“Woah, what’s the big deal?” James asked. “He tried to stop me, but I didn’t listen.”
“Did you tell him?” Arik said, glaring at Danforth.
“Tell me what?” James asked nervously.
“The same person has won every year for the past fifty years. A hundred and tenth level Soulsmith!”
“So what?” James said. “I can just forfeit if it looks like I’m going to lose.”
Arik put his head in his hands. “The fights are to the death, and you aren’t allowed to forfeit.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?” James asked Danforth angrily.
“I tried to warn you,” Danforth snapped. “But no, why would you listen to me, the Dwarf sent here to guide you, when you could be listening to a sleazy merchant.”
“Well, can I get out of it?” James asked.
Arik sighed and shook his head. “No, you can’t remove your name once you’ve signed up. You’re going to have to fight.”
“Well, the fights aren’t for a month and I have a bunch of materials. Can you make me some gear?” James asked Arik.
“I’ll do my best, but it won’t make enough of a difference to win. If you don’t cheat somehow, you won’t win against the champion. The level difference is too high.”
James nodded, but he didn’t like his chances. He didn’t even have magic to back him up. This would be difficult.
The rest of the month was spent preparing for the fight. James trained constantly with his new sword, fighting against Lucien, Nidra, and any Dwarves Danforth could recruit that wanted to beat up on a Human. The night before the Colosseum, he was battered and bruised, but had managed to raise his Swordsmanship to 29. He also raised his Unarmed Combat to level 21, his Knife Throwing to 14, and his Small Blades to 23.
In a flash of Dwarven ingenuity, Arik had used the Cave Spider Matriarch Carapace, Lion Fur, and Rocksilk to create a nice set of armor for James. Each piece in the armor was crafted from shining black carapace plate and lined with lion fur, but the best part was the breastplate which had the Monster Core (Earth) implanted in its center.
Spider Carapace Breastplate of Stone:
Rank: Uncommon
+ 10% armor weight
+ 50% durability
A strong breastplate crafted from the carapace of a Cave Spider Matriarch. This armor has been enchanted with a weak Monster Core (Earth) to harden it.
The extra weight wasn’t great, but James would trade some mobility for a huge boost to his survivability.
In addition to the breastplate, Arik had also managed to craft bracers and greaves.
Spider Carapace Greaves:
Rank: Common
Greaves crafted from the carapace of a Cave Spider Matriarch.
Spider Carapace Bracers:
Rank: Common
Bracers crafted from the carapace of a Cave Spider Matriarch.
None of the items by themselves were amazing, but when James equipped all three, he got a new notification.
You have equipped (3/5) pieces of the Spider Carapace Armor set
Spider Carapace Set (1/5):
+ 10% defense against Beasts.
Spider Carapace Set (3/5):
+ 15% chance to detect traps.
Spider Carapace Set (5/5):
+ 20% damage against Beasts.
The bonus was a worthwhile upgrade. He was happy to get rid of the ratty leather bracers and pants. Looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t help but feel powerful and ready to take on the arena.
That was when the shouting started.
Dwarven voices echoed outside the inn, shouting, “The King is a coward! A Human-loving coward!”
James snuck into Nidra’s room, where everyone else had already gathered.
“What’s going on?” he whispered.
“It’s a revolt,” Danforth said shakily. “This was the worst time to let you go free.”
“What do you mean?” James asked.
“The King’s wife is pregnant,” Danforth said, as if that explained everything.
“So what?”
“I told you, the King’s decision to bring you in was unpopular. His youngest seized the opportunity to voice his dissent. It seems people are starting to listen.”
“So, what do we do?” James asked.
“Well, if the heir is successful, then you’re going to get thrown back into the prison.”
“Then we need to get out of here,” James said, his voice tinged with worry.
“That would be smart.” A heavy banging punctuated Danforth’s point as the angry mob outside attempted to get into the inn.
“We know you’re in there!” a voice called out from the street.
James looked around, frantically searching for an exit. “Where should we go?”
“I don’t know, but we need to go now,” Nidra said.
Another loud knock on their door startled them, but when James peeked out, he saw only the innkeeper. He gestured for the group to follow him and brought them to the kitchen. “Quickly,” he said, lifting a section of the wooden floor to reveal a hidden passageway. James hesitated, but climbed in, his companions not far behind.
They crept under the floorboards, bits and pieces of the innkeeper’s conversation floating down to them. He was arguing with several people, explaining that he had no idea where the Humans had gone. There was a heavy thud, and a cheer went up from the mob. James stopped and looked back. “We need to go help him.”
Nidra shook her head. “They’ll kill us.”
“He saved us.” James argued quietly. “We owe this to him.”
“We don’t have time to argue,” Danforth said. “James and I will attempt to rescue the innkeeper and we meet up with you three later.” He tossed Nidra a smooth silver marble and handed James its twin. James rolled the marble around in his hands, examining it. It was a solid ball of silver with no blemishes or obvious marks. “This is a Seekstone”
Seekstone:
Rank: Rare
This stone will always point the way to its partner.
“So how does it work?” James asked.
Danforth plucked the stone from James’ hand and closed his eyes, concentrating. Nothing happened for a second, but then the stone started glowing on the side, pointing to Nidra. Danforth moved the stone around, but the light stayed pointed to Nidra. “Just concentrate and push your Mana through the stone. It’ll light up and point the way to your companions.”
“That’s great, but I can’t use my mana.” James said.
“Don’t worry, I can.” Danforth grinned. I’ll use it when we need it. He pocketed the stone and gave James a wink.
And so, against all common sense, the group split into two. Arik lead Nidra and Lucien through the escape route, while James and Danforth turned back to help the innkeeper.
Back at the entrance to the tunnel, James could hear talking above them. “What’s the plan?” he asked Danforth.
“You stay down here, and I’ll sneak up there. Cover me as I retreat.” Danforth said. “Will that work?”
James nodded and watched as Danforth ascended the ladder and paused, listening to make sure there was nobody above. He gave James a thumbs up, pushed open the trapdoor, and clambered out of sight. There was a murmur of voices, and then a figure dressed in black-hooded robes jumped down and faced James.
Name: Kiri Alline
Race: Dwarf
Level: 61
Class: Priest of Sytar
The Dwarf, Kiri, was already chanting as she fell, violet light writhing around her fingers. By the time she hit the ground, she’d finished casting and a bubble of violet light shot towards James’ chest. He tried to dodge, but wasn’t able to get out of the way in time. The spell impacted his arm, and a notification quickly flashed by.
You are [Silenced].
Silenced:
For the duration of the effect, you will be unable to make any noise.
James tried to call out to his party, but noth
ing came out. He slammed his sword against the wall but, again, no sound came out.
James charged at the Priest and slashed at her with his new sword. She smiled and released the spell she’d been holding, and James was blasted backwards, silently slamming into the wall of the cavern.
Stunned, he slid down to the ground. He tried to get up, but three more Dwarves hopped down, led by Danforth. One of the Dwarves dropped a sack into his hand and patted him on the back. “I appreciate your work. I’ll let you know if I need you for anything else down the line.”
Danforth bowed to the Dwarf, who appeared to be the leader.
Name: Demi Hearten
Race: Dwarf
Level: ???
Class: Priest of Sytar
“Any opportunity to serve.” He turned to James, flashing a cruel grin. “Goodbye, Human. I’ll be looking for your friends next.” As he spoke, the words above his head changed.
Name: Danforth Sand
Race: Dwarf
Level: 49
Class: Assassin
“Why?” James groaned; his voice barely audible as the effects of the debuff wore off.
“Money, mostly. But honestly, getting rid of Human trash is enough for me.” Danforth punctuated his words with a gob of spit to the ground next to him.
“Bastard,” James whispered, trying to push himself to his feet.
“None of that now.” The leader, Kaster, waved his hands, and James collapsed into unconsciousness.
Chapter 38
James woke up, groaning when he tried to move. Everything hurt. He was alone in a well-lit room with walls made from reddish-brown stone blocks, each about the height of a Dwarf. Torches lined the walls, tipped with glowing crystals that emitted bright white light. Marble sarcophagi lined the walls, and a sinister stone basin sat in the center of the room, slowly bubbling with a deep amber liquid. Other than the low bubbling sound, it was eerily quiet. There was no sign of the priests who had knocked him out. Frantically, he patted at his belt, making sure that his pouch was still there. He breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar feeling when his hand touched it.
But then, where am I?
Maybe reviewing his notifications would help give him a clue as to what happened?
Entering the Dungeon: Prison of the First
Recommended level: 100-250
James’ eyes widened when he saw the level requirement for the dungeon. There was no way he would survive it. Maybe there was something in here that could help him. Perhaps a hidden exit. At least the fact that he was dumped alone in a dungeon meant that the priests probably weren’t watching him.
James brushed himself off and got up. He needed to explore this room before he could decide on anything.
He approached a sarcophagus and examined it. It was a rectangular block of dark marble with a lighter marble lid. James traced his fingers along a few scratches in the lid which created a long streak along the dust-covered marble. One of his fingers caught in a slight cleft in the stone and he followed it, stirring up ancient dust.
He blew away a cloud of dust from the surface. When it cleared, he was disappointed that the lettering on the lid had faded well past the point that he could make out individual letters. He thought about opening the sarcophagus to see what was inside, but this was a level 100+ dungeon. He wasn’t that dumb. Based on how things had been going for him lately, a skeleton would jump out and slaughter him or he’d unleash an undead plague.
Instead, he moved on to examine the basin, bubbling peacefully in the center of the room. There was nothing unusual about it, except for a silver cup bobbing around in the liquid, tempting him. He thought about ignoring it, but couldn’t. It was like leaving a big red button with “Don’t Push” written on it right in front of him. Of course he was going to push it. Besides, it wasn’t like his chances of survival were high at the moment. He’d die in this dungeon the second he encountered an enemy.
James knew what he was about to do was stupid, perhaps one of the stupidest things he’d ever done. But still, he dragged the cup through the liquid and brought it to his lips. Before drinking, he took a deep sniff of the liquid. A sweet earthy scent suffused his nostrils, rushing straight to his head, and setting it spinning.
James smiled and took a long drink of the liquid. It was sweet, but burned as it went down. A rumbling filled the chamber, clouds of dust coming out of the walls. The basin sunk down into the earth until it vanished, leaving a bare floor. The rumbling stopped.
Achievement Unlocked: Why not?
Why Not?:
+ 1 Luck
- 5 Intelligence
You thought it was a bad idea, but did it anyway. Why not? This seems to be a pattern with you.
James ground his teeth in annoyance. His Intelligence was really taking a beating from all of these stupid decisions he kept making.
His annoyance lasted until he got the next prompt.
You have gained the ability: Blood of the Mountain
Blood of the Mountain (1/1):
+ 100% base defense
+ 25% mental defense
The blood of the mountain flows through your veins, reinforcing your body and mind.
James could feel the liquid burning as it raged through his body. A red flashing in the corner of his vision indicated that his health was dropping precipitously. James realized that he was going to die if he didn’t heal immediately, so he dropped to the ground and started meditating. His accelerated healing competed with the liquid in a desperate tug-of-war for his life.
Time stopped as James focused on his breathing, ignoring the pain as the strange beverage ravaged his system, occasionally flaring up and sending him into fits of pain so severe that he almost lost control of his mediation. But by controlling his breathing, James was able to keep his meditative state active and his health up.
The damage finally stopped, and James collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. He lay there panting for a while, unable to move as he tried to ease away the tension in his spasmed muscles. His stomach growled, and, agonizingly slowly, he forced his muscles to move. His hand crept towards his pouch, reaching for food, but just when he was getting close, the world faded to blackness and he sunk into unconsciousness.
James woke up with a start, swinging his head around wildly.
Where am I? Are there enemies around?
Then he remembered. He’d been captured and tossed into a dungeon. He really needed to stop falling asleep while defenseless inside dungeons. Almost as if to punctuate that point, he got a new notification.
Achievement Unlocked: Dumb Luck II.
Dumb Luck II:
+ 2 Luck
You really never learn, do you?
Well, at least it didn’t take away from his intelligence this time.
James sat up; his motion accompanied by a popping sound as his body adjusted itself. He had to stop sleeping on the ground like this. He always felt awful the next morning. Mentally chastising himself for dropping his guard in a dungeon yet again, he started to stand up, but before he could, a rumbling from his stomach reminded him just how hungry he was. He searched through his pack and wolfed down some rations.
The room had two doors, one made of stone and the other of black marble with ornate golden patterns. The pretty one probably led deeper into the dungeon, so James decided to try the stone door first. It might lead to an exit. But there was no obvious handle, and when he tried to push the door open, it didn’t budge.
James sighed, resigned. It looked like he’d have to delve deeper into the dungeon in search of an alternate exit. He was going to kill that Dwarf. Well, probably not. There was a huge level difference. But he would be very angry.
James examined the ornate door. It was divided into three parts that depicted a mythological scene. The top square showed an army of winged figures surrounded by light, fighting against a force of dark, twisted creatures. The middle square had one of the light figures turning on its comrades and attacking, devastating their r
anks. The final square had a circle of the light creatures surrounding a dark creature, weaving a net of gold around it.
It was stunningly crafted, but James didn’t have a clue what it was referring to.
James dropped into stealth and opened it a crack, peering down a completely empty corridor. The door opened quietly, and with the fountain gone, there was no sound whatsoever in the dungeon. It was eerie. As quietly as he could, James slipped through the door and snuck along the corridor. He was very careful where he put his feet. He scanned the ground for anything that looked suspicious, which is why he spotted a slightly elevated floor tile seconds before his foot hit it.
James crouched down to examine the tile. At first, he had no idea how to disarm it. He searched for a button or hole that would allow him to interact with its internal workings. Eventually, he spotted a thin gap underneath the tile, so he slid his Orichalcum Dagger of Weight underneath. At a snail’s pace, he lifted the trigger tile and set it to the side, revealing a spring mechanism. A quick flick of his dagger severed the springs, and he received a notification.
You have disarmed a Flashfire Trap.
