Fragment of Divinity

by Jamey Sultan

  James wiped the sweat off his brow and reached into the hole, pulling out a small vial of orange fluid that glowed with a soft light.

  Flashfire Vial:

  Rank: Epic

  - 200 Damage per second while ablaze

  Smash this bottle to release the fluid trapped inside. The Flashfire will stick to an opponent’s skin and burn far longer than any normal fire should.

  Very carefully, James slipped the Flashfire into his pouch. The insanely powerful magical napalm would have killed him in two seconds. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to use it, but if he absolutely had to encounter an enemy, then it might come in handy.

  James continued down the corridor, moving with a glacial slowness. He didn’t see any more traps, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. He made it to the next room without incident.

  It was empty, too.

  What kind of dungeon is this? I should be encountering enemies left and right.

  He was about to take a step into the room, when an overwhelming instinct strongly suggested he didn’t. James took a closer look at the room. Everything seemed fine until he examined the doorway. A small gap between the stone blocks housed bits of iron that, when he noticed it, took on a distinctive red hue. James wasn’t sure what would happen if he stepped over the threshold, but he knew it would be bad.

  He needed to figure out a way to trigger the trap from a safe distance. With that in mind, he pried one of the torches off the wall and broke the glowing crystal off the end. He walked all the way to the other end of the corridor and threw the marble as hard as he could, so that it passed over the trapped door and into the next room. It flew through the doorway and hit the floor with a sharp crack, but nothing triggered.

  James wondered how else he could trigger the trap, but realized that he was asking the wrong question. It wasn’t how the trap was triggered that he really needed to know, but how it detected a person passing through. He retrieved a second crystal. On a hunch, he pricked his finger and dribbled some blood on it.

  He hurled the bloody crystal, holding his breath in anticipation as it crossed the threshold, but again, nothing happened.

  He was becoming annoyed. Maybe it was a mechanical trap and would go off if he hit a tripwire. He examined the bottom of the doorway and found a razor-thin strand of reddish wire that blended perfectly with the background.

  Grinning at his genius, James jumped over the tripwire and into the room, but his elation lasted approximately a half second. Metal grates slammed shut on both exits with echoing thunks.

  Then, silence.

  He was trapped.

  Chapter 39

  James swore under his breath.

  Of course I end up trapped in a dungeon! God forbid something good happened to me. Wasn’t my luck supposed to be high?

  At least there weren’t any enemies around, but now he had to figure out how to get out of here. The room was small, probably ten feet square, and had two doorways, both obstructed by metal grates with wide-set bars.

  James pressed himself against the bars and sucked in his stomach, trying to slip through them, but they were slightly too narrow for him to fit. He looked around for other ways out but couldn’t find anything. There wasn’t anything else in the room with him. But something about the wide bars gave him pause.

  He spent a while thinking about the bars, but still didn’t have any ideas. He reached for his pouch, and his hands brushed against his belt.

  The Slick Goblin Skin Belt!

  He’d received a spell from it that let him coat himself in a slippery substance. It was a bit of a gamble because of the injuries to his Mana channels, but maybe since it was an item-based spell it wouldn’t be affected.

  Concentrating, James felt the Mana move through his body and he focused on the Slick Skin spell. He could feel the Mana surge through his body, picking up speed, but the second the spell attempted to activate, everything went wrong. Pain racked his body, and he fell to the ground, unable to move. It felt as though liquid nitrogen was traveling through his Mana channels, burning him with icy fire.

  The next thing James remembered was waking up with his face pressed on the cold stone of the dungeon floor with a splitting headache, with no idea of how long he’d been out for.

  James groaned as he sat up, head in hands, and rubbed at his temples. “Not doing that again,” he muttered to himself, trying to relieve the pain in his head. Then he noticed the thick oily substance coating his whole body. The spell had worked!

  James tried to push himself to his feet, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his balance with the slick substance under him, so instead he grabbed the bars and used them to pull himself along the floor and, with a bit of effort, through the gate.

  Once he was outside of the trap room, James realized he wasn’t sure how to get rid of the goo covering his skin. That would be a problem, because he straight up couldn’t stand with it covering him. It felt like he’d just taken a bath in a tub of Astroglide.

  With no other options, he pulled the bedding out of his bag and wiped himself off with a blanket. He tossed the dirty bedding back into the pouch—he’d wash it the first chance he got.

  James continued down the passageway, still wary at the lack of enemies. He shrugged and continued. Maybe luck really was on his side this time.

  Up ahead, the tunnel branched into two passages. There was no noticeable difference between them, but James stuck by his left turn role for mazes. After all, it had worked so well back in the spider cave.

  James continued on until, for the first time in the dungeon, he heard a noise. It was a faint rattling sound that sent shivers down his spine. He knew he should probably retreat, but he wanted to see what type of monster inhabited the dungeon. Just a quick peek, then he would try the other passageway.

  Making sure his stealth was still active, he crept towards the rattling. As he sneaked, he tried to stay close to the walls of the dungeon instead of going down the middle of the passageway. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt like there would be more traps in the middle.

  You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Stealth.

  You are now Skill Rank 15.

  When he reached the doorway to the next room, James peered around it. A hulking skeleton patrolled the area, marching around the room, which was empty except for an ornate chest in the back.

  Defiled Skeleton (Level ???)

  The Defiled Skeleton was a terrifying sight to behold. It was composed of a variety of bones, clearly taken from many different races, haphazardly arranged in a bipedal shape. Every step the creature took made another rattle as bone met stone.

  James was about to retreat when the Defiled Skeleton’s patrol took it right up near the corner he was hiding by. Trying not to breathe, James pressed himself into the wall and prayed for the skeleton to move on, but it stopped and raised its head as if it were sniffing the air. His muscles tensed, and James prepared to bolt, but after a few seconds the Defiled Skeleton kept moving as the rattling of its bones faded away into the distance.

  Almost as if to punctuate how close his call had been, James got another couple of ranks in Stealth almost immediately.

  You have gained 2 Skill Ranks in Stealth.

  You are now Skill Rank 17.

  Heart beating rapidly in his chest, James peered around the corner again. The room was empty. The Defiled Skeleton must have moved on to another part of the dungeon for its patrol.

  James wanted to leave, he really did, but the thought of treasure in a level 300 dungeon hidden underneath a Dwarven city made him pause. He needed to know. Besides, he’d hear the rattling noise if the Defiled Skeleton returned. With a greedy glint in his eyes, James crept across the room to the chest.

  It was built from the same stone that the dungeon was built from, and was unremarkable except for a polished golden keyhole. James looked closer at the keyhole and saw tiny holes lining it, each glowing a dim red.

  You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Traps.

  Y
ou are now Skill Rank 3.

  If he tried to pick the lock, he’d probably get stabbed with a poisoned needle or attacked with poisonous gas. It was so obvious that the keyhole might not even open the chest. James focused on the chest itself, feeling around its edges for anything abnormal.

  He discovered a triangular indent on the side of the chest, about a quarter inch deep. He tried sliding his dagger into it, but nothing happened.

  On the other side of the chest he found a piece of stone that stuck out slightly and wiggled when he touched it. He pulled it out, revealing a triangular cut of stone, perfectly shaped to fit the indent on the other side.

  James lined up the two parts and pressed the triangular bit in until he heard a click. The stone key spun in place and with a barely discernible whirring, the chest opened, revealing a black swath of fabric, but nothing else. James picked it up to reveal a cloak that was so black it seemed to absorb the light.

  Eses’ Cloak:

  Rank: Legendary

  This cloak belonged to Eses, god of the night. If you are in stealth while wearing the cloak, you will become invisible. It also has many pockets, as all good cloaks should.

  This was probably the coolest item James had ever seen. He might survive this dungeon after all. He took off his Cloak of the Forest and donned the new treasure, fastening the star and moon clasp at his neck. He watched as his body immediately faded away, leaving only a faint outline around the edges of his body. When he waved his hand in front of his face, he saw only a blur in the air. The invisibility wasn’t total, but it was amazing.

  The rattling of the Defiled Skeleton approached again, and James realized that he didn’t have enough time to make it back to the hallway. He immediately shrunk into the shadow of the chest, as he didn’t have enough time to make it out of the room. He hoped that the cloak would be enough to hide him from the Defiled Skeleton. It didn’t have eyes, so he was worried that it would detect him with magic.

  As the Defiled Skeleton paced around the room, seemingly unaware of him, James noticed a second triangular indent in the wall by the edge of the chest. If he hadn’t been staring hard at the wall, he wouldn’t have noticed it.

  He knew it was risky, but once the Defiled Skeleton finished its patrol, he pulled the key out of the chest. It emitted a loud shriek, and he heard the Defiled Skeleton rush back to the room.

  James realized that he had nowhere to retreat and, in an attempt to silence the shrieking, he jammed the key back into the small hole.

  Blessed Silence.

  Unfortunately, the Defiled Skeleton was almost to him, and he still didn’t have anywhere to go. Hopefully, the cloak would prevent it from noticing him if he stayed still and quiet.

  With a click and a soft grinding, the entire chest popped off of the ground and swung to the side, revealing a ladder leading into a hidden tunnel.

  With the Defiled Skeleton almost on him, James grabbed the first rung and descended without hesitation. Above, the chest swung back into place, cutting off the light.

  His feet hit the floor, and James stayed quiet, listening, but nothing stirred in the darkness.

  Where was he? Was this still part of the dungeon?

  James wasn’t sure, but he needed to be careful. He placed his hand against the wall of the tunnel and slowly crept forward in stealth, listening for the slightest bit of noise. His thoughts drifted to his party. He’d worry about finding them if he survived. Hopefully, they’d managed to get away from Danforth.

  After a half hour, James realized that the tunnel was sloping sharply downward, which worried him because down usually didn’t mean exit. He’d avoided thinking about it, but there was a real possibility that he was just in a more dangerous part of the dungeon, and not in a path leading to the exit.

  After what felt like hours of walking, James reached the end of the tunnel. A thick metal door blocked his way, engraved with a winding series of spidery letters that covered every inch of available space. As James watched, the letters seemed to flow across the door, undulating like a living thing. He slowly reached out a hand and brushed it softly against the door, causing a ripple of rainbow light to pulse out from underneath his fingertips. It was beautiful.

  Before he knew what he was doing, James retrieved a piece of parchment and a quill from his pack and sat in front of the door, copying the lettering down. He felt the Mana in his body stir and pick up speed, but not enough speed to hurt him. It was hard to describe, but when he cast a spell, it felt like a raging torrent of energy going through him. This felt more like meditating, a calm river flowing through his body and energizing him. But instead of continuously swirling around inside, the river flowed through the pen and onto the paper.

  When his last stroke ran across the paper, it burst into flames. His quill exploded, sending bits of feather everywhere. James dropped the burnt remains and cursed, wafting his hands through the air as he tried to cool his burnt fingertips.

  What the hell just happened?

  You have gained the skill: Runic

  Runic (Skill Rank 1):

  Some say the pen is mightier than the sword, and for you it’s true. By writing in the language of the Elder Races, you can imbue permanent magical effects with your writing. But beware, mortal. Runic magic can be dangerous.

  Achievement Unlocked: Ancient Mysteries

  Ancient Mysteries:

  + 10 Intelligence

  + 10 Wisdom

  You have taken your first step on the journey to unlocking the power of Runic Magic. Usually this takes years of study and hard work, but you seem to have a way of avoiding that.

  Your parchment doesn’t have the Mana capacity to support Runic magic.

  Your quill doesn’t have the Mana capacity to support Runic magic.

  A burning word appeared in the air before James, the one he’d been copying down on the paper before it exploded. It hung in the air for a second before fading away, but he knew he’d never forget it.

  You have learned the Rune: Xydyl - Binding.

  You have been given an open quest: Language of the Gods

  Language of the Gods: Learn the Runic Alphabet (1/5739)

  Suggested level: N/A

  Reward: Knowledge is its own reward. But there’s also a reward.

  Penalty for failure or refusal: none

  James took in a sharp breath. “What the hell just happened?” he said, this time out loud.

  He remembered Arik telling him about Runic magic one night when he was explaining how enchanted weapons work. It was one of the four ascended branches of magic the Elder Races used. Enchanting used to be done through Runic magic back when the Elder Races still existed, but after they disappeared, Runic slowly started to fade away. The Dwarves tried to find it but couldn’t, and eventually created their own method of enchanting weapons, using monster cores. But it was just a cheap facsimile of Runic enchanting.

  Eager to learn more Runes, James pulled some more paper out of his bag and was about to copy the rest of the Runes on the door, when he realized that he didn’t have anything to write with because his quill had exploded. But this could be his only chance to ever learn Runic.

  Carefully James went through his inventory and searched for anything that he could use, but he couldn’t find anything. When he was about to give up, James realized that he did have one more option, but it would be dangerous. He shrugged. Everything he did was dangerous, and this would be way more beneficial than the last few times he’d done something stupid.

  He studied the script, wanting to make sure he understood how Runic worked. At first glance, it looked like hundreds of different Runes crawling across the door, but after carefully studying the language, he realized that it was the same five runes repeated over and over with slight variations. He wasn’t sure what the variations meant, but he was able to figure out the base runes for each one.

  James pricked his finger with his dagger and, using his blood as ink, sketched out other four runes. Each sketch was accompanied by a fla
sh as the paper burned, but there was no issue with him using his blood to write.

  You have learned the Rune: Vydir - Strengthen.

  You have learned the Rune: Heiye - Repel.

  You have learned the Rune Artyn: - Drain.

  You have learned the Rune: Kyros - Harden.

  You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Runic.

  You are now Skill Rank 2.

  Each time he learned a rune, James felt the power burn into his brain, strengthening him. He wondered why those specific runes were on the door. His best guess was that they were there to keep people away, or to make the door stronger. Either way, it was time to see what lay beyond.

  James placed his hand on the door and pushed, expecting to meet resistance.

  It opened smoothly and silently.

  Chapter 40

  James stared into the room in shock. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this.

  You have entered the Hidden Area: The Library

  Recommended level: 500+

  He gulped. He was standing at the entrance to a brightly lit library, but that wasn’t what worried him. Whatever was in this area was much more dangerous than anything above, but he couldn’t back out now. There wasn’t anywhere to go. He hung on to the hope that this hidden area would have an exit he could take. Besides, how bad could a library really be. Books were awesome.