Eden's Gate: The Scourge: A LitRPG Adventure

by Edward Brody

  “Grandsss Fireball!” I heard again, and a gremlin wearing a small black robe stepped forward and repeated the same spell it had earlier, creating a swirl of magic that turned into a massive ball of fire.

  Mordok took a hard step forward, bent his knees, and thrust his hand outward toward the incoming fireball. A blue transparent hand, mimicking his, seemed to rush out a few feet in front of his palm, then grew larger in front of him. When the hand was larger than the magic coming his way, Mordok held his palm out straight. When the fireball hit the open, magical hand, he both turned his hand and closed his fingers, which the magic hand mimicked.

  The fireball seemed to be extinguished or absorbed somehow by the hand. Debris and flames dripped from between its fingers, but when the work was done, the hand disappeared.

  Mordok spun and jerked his arms out to each side, and the orbs around him straightened and flew outward in every direction.

  The remaining gremlins that were rushing for him were toppled by the orbs and lay dying on the ground. Only the most resilient gremlins managed to babble indecipherable words as they passed, but after a few seconds, all of them were dead.

  The orbs surrounding Mordok disappeared. He brushed his shoulders off and slapped his hands together. “I think that’s all in this room.”

  Rithnar and I stepped into the chamber slowly, and I felt weak and insignificant when I saw all the dead gremlins Mordok had taken down single-handedly.

  “Are you sure you need us?” I asked.

  Mordok chuckled. “We’ll see. It’s likely the final room where I’ll need the most help.” He looked to the gremlins on the ground. “Loot if you wish. Quickly… We can’t spend much time here.”

  Rithnar and I began checking the gremlins.

  You’ve received: Opal. Durability: 89/100. Quality: Exceptional. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg.

  You’ve received: Artistic Sculptor’s Gloves. +2 Armor. Durability: 4/10. Quality: Great. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.3 kg. +1 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence

  You’ve received: Eroded Silver Short Sword of Defense. 7-12 Attack Damage. Durability: 4/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 2.9. +1 Block Level. Effective against undead and apparitions.

  You’ve received: Ornate Coupling Dagger. 8-19 Attack Damage. Durability: 8/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.3. +1 Dexterity. Damage is doubled when wielded with another coupling weapon.

  You’ve received: 2,121Gold Pieces

  The large sum of gold surprised me again, and I quickly slid on the gloves and bagged the rest of the loot.

  Mordok looted the gremlin mage, and when he rose, he held up a scroll. “Do either of you have an identification wand?”

  “Pass it over to me,” I said.

  Mordok handed me the scroll.

  You’ve received: Scroll: Blood Instinct. Infused blood rushes to your eyes, nose, and ears, allowing you to see the unseen, hear the unheard, and smell everything around you. You receive damage over time while this spell is active. Requires 30 Intelligence. Blood Magic Level 15. Durability: 8/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.1 kg

  I read the details of the scroll out to them both.

  “How are you able to do that?” Mordok asked. “You didn’t use a wand, and I didn’t sense a spell.”

  “Well, I have an um…” I was about to tell them about my Elven Touch ability but figured it wouldn’t be wise to clue them in to any affiliation I had with the elves. “…just an ability.”

  They both looked at me curiously for a few seconds but didn’t question me any further. Neither of them showed interest in the scroll, so I bagged it.

  We continued deeper into the cave, following Mordok, who killed the occasional gremlin we encountered in the halls before Rithnar or I had a chance to join in. We passed two more chambers, both of which were empty, save for scattered bones and debris.

  “Are you sure this is the right way?” Rithnar asked.

  “I’m doing it by memory, but it’s been a while,” Mordok answered.

  When we approached the next chamber, Mordok noted a large metal rod that had been erected just a few inches before the entrance into the chamber. “Ahhh, yes. This is the right way. I remember it clearly now.” He raised his palm to us as he eased his way past the rod. “Be careful here.”

  Rithnar and I followed him past the rod—which seemed of no significance other than a marker—and stood behind him, right before he entered the chamber’s threshold.

  “This room is a trap,” Mordok warned.

  I looked to each side of the room and to the ceiling but saw nothing other than a flat, dirty floor and rigid, rocky cave walls. “Where’s the trap?” I asked.

  Mordok scanned the floor, looking for something, but when he didn’t find it, he grabbed a sharp protrusion of the wall and yanked on it hard. When a large chunk of stone broke free, he turned back to the chamber, and tossed it inside.

  As soon as the stone hit the ground, numerous long iron poles sped inside the room from the right and left, meeting each other in the center and clanging loudly when they met. The poles sped out first in the area right in front of us, then more poles subsequently sped out further and further into the room, until the whole room was filled with metal poles, each one meeting a partner pole in the middle.

  “Holy shit,” I cursed.

  A second later, the poles started retracting, beginning closest to us then retracting further and further away. They all retreated into the cave walls, and seemed to disappear, sitting flush with the rocky cave pattern as if they were never there.

  “How’d you know of the trap?” Rithnar asked.

  “I told you, I’ve been here,” Mordok said.

  “I mean, the first time,” Rithnar clarified.

  “I didn’t,” Mordok explained. “And I never said I was alone. At least, I wasn’t alone up until this room. I was with another orc—not a mage, but a good friend of mine. He died when he stepped in here, and unfortunately, I didn’t have the ability to revive him.”

  “You didn’t leave and try to find someone else to resurrect him?” I asked.

  “At that time, I didn’t have the skill to cast a portal spell, and it would’ve taken too long to find a healer and climb back up here. Besides,” Mordok explained, “he would’ve wanted me to continue on… My only regret is that I was never able to defeat the gremloyl lord. It was his idea to come. He said he was going to hammer it to pieces.”

  “I’m sure he was a fine orc,” Rithnar said.

  “Indeed, he was,” Mordok said. He turned back to the trapped room. “But enough story time. We have work to do. Each of you grab a rock and watch how I cross.”

  All three of us pried rocks from the side of the cave wall, and like before, Mordok tossed his rock inside the room.

  The poles shot out into the room in the same pattern as they had before, and Mordok waited, until the poles closest to us began to retract. Immediately when there was room to step inside, Mordok walked in, and as the poles continued retracting, he walked further through the chamber.

  When the poles closest to us fully retracted into the cave walls, they immediately shot out again, still detecting motion in the room, and continued further and further in, blocking our view of Mordok. Eventually, however, all the poles finished shooting out a second time and fully retracted, showing Mordok standing safely on the other side.

  “That’s all there is to it!” Mordok yelled. “Just be careful not to move too slowly! Stay as close to the poles as possible!”

  Rithnar and I both looked at each other, and I volunteered to go next.

  I tossed the rock inside, watched the poles slam into each other, and as soon as the first set of poles started retracting, I stepped inside.

  I stayed as close to the poles directly in front of me as I could, and when the poles behind me began shooting out again, I could feel the reverberation of them slamming together.

  Deliberately I stepped, careful not to move too slow, and when the fin
al poles in front of me retracted. I jumped into the hallway in front of me, where Mordok was standing. A second later, the poles where I had been standing boomed together once again.

  I breathed heavily, realizing I had been holding my breath nearly the whole way through.

  “Good work,” Mordok praised.

  “Thanks,” I replied, as I looked up to see a large iron door behind him.

  “Rithnar!” Mordok yelled. “It’s your turn!”

  I turned around and watched as Rithnar repeated the same process—a relatively easy trap to evade so long as you knew it was there, and yet a near impossible trap to survive if you didn’t. I needed to remember that trap for future dungeon dives as a reminder of just how consequential traps could be.

  “Nice job,” Mordok said when Rithnar made it through.

  Rithnar nodded but seemed more focused on the door.

  Mordok turned to the door as well and glanced at both of us before placing his hand on it. “Now is where the fun starts.”

  “This is the final chamber?” I questioned.

  “Not quite,” Mordok said. “But this chamber was challenging for me last time. It could be as hard or harder this time around.” He shrugged. “Or empty. We’ll know soon enough.” He gave the door a good shove, but it didn’t budge, then he turned slightly to put all his weight into it.

  The door broke free of whatever it was caught on, and swung open faster than Mordok anticipated, causing him to stumble a bit inside.

  Directly inside the room were four grey stone statues, resembling gremlins, yet with stone batlike wings jutting from their back and much larger than the gremlins we had seen before—twice the size of me. Two were on each side of the room, spaced a few feet apart, and immediately in front of each one was a small gremlin with what looked like mud or wet clay covering their hands and running halfway up their arms. They appeared to be working on the statues.

  Further back was another iron door with a tall, stained-glass window above it, and in front of the door was a small table, with two more gremlins sitting on it in dark grey robes.

  All of the gremlins turned to us as soon as the door was opened.

  “Intruders comes!” one of the gremlins yelled.

  The robed gremlins sitting at the table jumped to their feet, and the goblins covered in mud ran towards the robed ones as if they were running for help.

  “Kills!” one of the robed gremlins yelled. “Kills!”

  Not wasting any time, I fired an Arcane Missile at one of the running gremlins, and before it struck, I already had my other hand out, firing a Fireblast at another.

  Rithnar pushed past Mordok and I, ran into the room, dropped to his knee, and threw his battle axe. The axe cartwheeled in the air, knocking down one of the running gremlins before landing hard into the chest of the one immediately in front of it. Rithnar continued to run forward to retrieve his axe.

  Both my Fireblast and Arcane Missile knocked the gremlins I had attacked to the ground, but they weren’t killed. They both scrambled to get to their feet, though the one who had been hit by a Fireblast made his way to his feet faster and showed little if any sign of damage.

  The two robed gremlins each turned to the statues, held their hands out, and beams of light shot out from their palms—quick beam after quick beam, alternating from statue to statue.

  Having gathered himself, Mordok held out his hand and cast a strange blast of energy towards the gremlins, like he had in the first room we had fought in. The magic rocketed out of his hand, but one of the mages casting light beams saw it coming, changed the direction his hands were facing, and yelled, “Cancels!”

  There was a strange “Woooomp” noise as if an electronic device had suddenly shut down, and the magic that Mordok had cast seemed to disappear into thin air.

  I cast a Fireblast in the mage’s directions, but like Mordok’s spell, one of the mages turned to the missile as it sped towards them and shouted, “Cancels!” causing my magic to vanish.

  Rithnar ripped his axe from the chest of the dead gremlin and lifted it in the air as he continued to attack. He turned and performed a sudden, athletic leap in the air towards the mages. When he came crashing down on the closest mage, it held up its hand, and a round, white shield of magic appeared above its head. Rithnar was too strong, however. His axe broke through the gremlin’s magic shield cleaving down into its face and chest.

  Rithnar pulled his axe back and to the side, causing the gremlin he had cleaved to be yanked back with it and tossed to the ground. When he took a step towards the other mage, the gremlin thrust its hands out, casting the same beam of light that it had cast on the statues.

  Rithnar’s froze in place, tilted his head back, and his eyes glowed a bright white.

  “Shit!” I cursed, and knowing that the mages could intercept our projectiles, I focused a Fire Curtain over the mage that was attacking him.

  The mage jerked, yelled, and stopped casting as soon as he was afflicted with fire, and Rithnar’s state returned to normal.

  Rithnar shook his head from whatever daze he had been in, stepped forward, and swung his axe hard towards to mage as it swatted flames from its robe, decapitating him in one swipe.

  You have gained 2,400 XP!

  Rithnar swiveled, noticed the gremlin he had cleaved trying to get back to his feet, and hammered his battleaxe down on it one more time, nearly splitting it in two.

  He turned again to see one of the gremlins I had hit but had managed to survive, scurrying away behind us, trying to get away. Rithnar threw his axe and connected with its spine, ending its life before it ever had a chance to launch another attack.

  You have gained 1,700 XP!

  The second gremlin I had hit but hadn’t killed was crouching under the table with a dagger in its hand, about to perform a sneak attack on Rithnar. I held my hand out and cast an Arcane Missile, and the creature was knocked out from under the table by the impact. Rithnar stepped towards it and grabbed it by the throat with his bulky hands.

  The powerful orc squeezed the creature’s neck tightly, roared, then spun hard, throwing the creature stunningly hard against the wall. It fell into a limp heap on the ground.

  You have gained 1,650 XP!

  I turned to Mordok, looking to see why he had been far less help than before, but he was facing one of the statues. His eyes were closed, and his hands were held out wide in front of him.

  Between his hands, a large triangle of light blue magical energy had formed. It rotated slightly clockwise, and on each flat side of the triangle was a sizable, dark blue orb. The triangle spun a bit faster and grew a bit brighter over the next few seconds, before Mordok roared loudly and flicked his hands forward, causing the spinning triangle of energy to speed towards the statue.

  When the strange magic hit the statue, the statue exploded into a million tiny pieces, and the attack even went so far as to tear a deep pit in the stone wall behind it.

  Mordok turned back to us and pointed to another one of the statues. “Don’t let it—” He paused what he was saying when the statue jerked, making a crunching noise as the joints of its stone body began to move and rub together. “Kill it fast!” He closed his eyes, held his hands out, and started to cast the same spell as he had before.

  A triangle of energy formed in front of him, very small at first, but it was slowly growing larger.

  Another one of the statues, directly behind Mordok began to stir and crunch, and no sooner had I noticed the sound than the gremlin-like, gargoyle-like statue—what I could only assume was a gremloyl, flapped its stone wings, and bolted towards the ceiling above.

  Rithnar stepped forward, swinging his axe wildly at the other awakening gremloyl that Mordok was facing. Tiny chunks of stone chipped off of the gremloyl each time Mordok swung, but he seemed to be doing relatively little damage.

  When the gremloyl Rithnar was hacking awoke, I saw its eyes open—its large grey vacancies turning into the same large organic spheres of a gremlin. It seemed to
notice Rithnar hacking at its body, but rather than acknowledging him, it simply flapped its wings and rocketed to the ceiling with the other.

  “Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kills!” one of the gremloyls sputtered in a deep, vicious tone. It opened its stone mouth, and rings of white magic pulsated toward Rithnar.

  Rithnar jumped away as fast as he could, and the magic pounded into the ground, throwing up dust and debris.

  One of the gremloyls flew down towards me, and I noticed then that its hands and feet were equipped with sharp talons.

  I held my hands out, firing both an Arcane Missile and Fireblast at the same time—both of which seemed to have no effect at all when striking the creature. I tried to dodge, but right as I bent my legs, the magic that Mordok had been channeling drilled into the creature, connecting with its body but missing its head.

  The gremloyl’s body was annihilated, and dust flew everywhere. Its head thumped, clanked, and rolled when it hit the ground, its eyes returning to blank stone.

  The other gremloyl flew down the same as the first, heading straight for me, so I grabbed my staff and swung it hard, releasing an Arcane Slash as quickly as I could.

  The magic hit, tearing a stroke of stone from the waist of the creature but not enough that it stopped it from its trajectory. I had to duck and roll in order to avoid damage from its attack.

  The gremloyl’s talons made a gnashing sound when they scratched against the stone of the floor, and I turned to see Mordok thrust both hands out. Long, blue magical chains ejected from his palms, one wrapping around the gremloyl’s leg, and another catching its neck. The orc mage slammed his hands on the ground, releasing the chains from his hands and attaching them to the floor at the same time.

  The gremloyl reared and jerked, scratching helplessly at the arcane chains that were holding down its body. It tried to fly up but lurched back down when it met the end of its chain. It turned to me and fired rings of white energy from its mouth, but I ducked away. It turned to Rithnar and Mordok and tried the same attack, missing each time.