by Phoenix Grey
Messily, he drank down potion after potion. The tingling sensation in his arm was akin to having a part of his body fall asleep. The extreme buzzing was almost maddening. While physical relief was nowhere in sight, psychological euphoria began to take over whenever Azure noticed that something was happening at the end of his arm. Like watching a 3D printer, layer after layer of bone and muscle and skin was slowly being restored.
“Oh, thank God,” he breathed.
A yelp of pain stole Azure’s attention away from his arm, and Janine’s Health bar was immediately chopped in half in his peripheral vision. Glancing in her direction showed the mimic clamped down on her left leg, its teeth sunk in deep as it pried flesh and muscle away from bone with a violent shaking motion. Lonnell was striking the mimic over and over again with his staff. Once it had rent a banana-sized piece out of Janine, it let her go, turning to bare its teeth at Lonnell. The sight of mixed body parts in its open mouth made Azure nauseous, but his concern for their new party member usurped his sickness. Janine had fallen back onto her ass, scooting away from the mimic as quickly as possible before it had a chance to attack again.
Azure watched from several yards away as she reached into her bag with unsteady hands. He tried to crawl over to her, forgetting his own injury, but as soon as he put pressure on his arm stump, pain shot through him so intensely that he blacked out.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE REALM – Day 75
Pain. Sharp pain. Not to be confused with the unbearable agony of his hand being bitten off or the irritating buzzing of the regeneration. No, this was different. Rhythmic. Stinging. And there was a chant that went along with it.
“Wake up.” Sting. “Wake up.” Sting. “Wake up.”
The voice was familiar. Masculine. Annoying.
Azure’s lips moved, his throat forcing out words before he was even fully conscious. “I’m awake.”
There was a brief pause, and then another sting. “Wake up.”
He opened one eye, feeling like he had a sunburn on his right cheek. Lonnell’s hand was poised to hit him again.
“Fuck’s sake, I said I’m awake!” Azure winced and leaned away before the palm had a chance to strike him.
Lonnell straightened and sighed. “Good. We don’t have time to dawdle around here.”
Azure’s eyes flew over to where he had last seen Janine. She was resting against the wall looking absolutely exhausted. Her pants were torn away where the mimic had bitten her. The chunk of skin it had taken had been restored, but a gnarly scar was now in its place.
Azure looked down to see that his left hand had suffered the same fate. While it had fully regrown, it wasn’t smooth like it had been before. Clenching his fist made his new skin pull tight. It was unpleasant, but at least his hand was functional.
Azure’s next concern was the mimic. Letting his gaze shift, it landed on the lifeless chest laying several yards away. Once again appearing completely innocuous, the mimic was on its side, mouth wide open, bloody coins and severed body parts spilling out. Azure cringed at the sight of his gnarled dead hand. The smell of copper filled the room, and it wasn’t from the coins. Blood splatters and puddles littered the floor every few feet where he and Janine had traveled. It was not a pretty sight.
“We survived,” he said, sounding surprised.
“Thanks to my pendant.” Lonnell’s fist clasped around the pendant.
Maybe it was fate that the Pendant of the Adept had ended up with Lonnell. If Azure had been wearing it, he still would have lost his hand, freaked out, and been useless. With Lonnell and Janine both being much weaker than him, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against the mimic.
Lonnell knelt, moving the chunk of severed flesh and Azure’s detached hand aside to start scooping up the coins. “You get half,” he told Janine with barely a glance.
She nodded, clearly still shaken. “Push my coin out onto the floor. I know it’s dead, but I don’t want to get anywhere near that thing.”
Lonnell dumped the chest over. Hundreds of coppers fell to the floor, most piling, some rolling in different directions. Janine looked all the part of the greedy dwarf as she crawled over to collect them, ever keeping a wary eye on the mimic.
“Well, I’ll definitely be much more cautious next time we encounter a chest,” Azure commented as he pulled himself from the floor. “Sorry that I passed out, by the way.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand. “I was trying to get to Janine to help her.”
“It’s fine.” She shook her head. “We all made mistakes.”
“Again, thank the Gods for that pendant,” Lonnell reiterated.
“You do owe me some healing potions though.” Janine eyed Azure seriously once she’d finished collecting her coins and joined the rest of the party near the door.
“Eh, yeah.” His supply was quickly dwindling, and there was no sign of them being anywhere near the end of the dungeon. They were currently on level five. There could be five more floors to go. “Might I interest you in monetary compensation? I’m running a bit low on potions right now.” He gave her a pleading look.
“I just collected over four gold from that chest.” Janine thumbed back at the mimic.
That was her answer. She didn’t need the money, but she did need the potions.
With a sigh, Azure reached into his Bag of Holding and pulled out three Potions of Minor Healing. Before handing them over, he informed her, “This only leaves me with five, just so you know.”
“Then we best all try not to get injured again.” She placed the potions into her bag, her eyes never meeting his.
“We only have two more doors to go,” Lonnell told them as he peered out into the hallway.
“Let’s try the one that doesn’t have the fog streaming beneath it,” Janine suggested. “This was too close of a call. Hopefully, there will be nothing inside.”
None of them argued, diverting to the less nefarious door. Lonnell took point, opening it to reveal another statue. This one seemed to match more closely to the statue blocking the door at the end of the hall. Instead of a sword in its right hand, it held a wooden club covered in nubs. Its left hand was raised with an apple resting atop its palm. As with the previous statue, one of the eyes was carved of marble while the other was a gemstone—this one red instead of blue.
“I think the child version was bigger.” Janine snorted as she stared at the statue’s exposed genitals.
“Don’t you start.” Lonnell gave her a warning look.
“I hope the fact that they don’t match doesn’t matter.” Azure gazed up into the statue’s eyes.
“There’s only one way to find out.” Lonnell closed the distance to pry the statue’s eye out. It gave him about as much grief as the first, but eventually it surrendered, popping out with an audible click this time.
For a few moments, they kept vigilant of their surroundings in case there was some kind of trap, but once again, nothing happened.
“Do we even want to bother going into the other room?” Janine asked. “We got what we need to open the door.”
“It depends. Do you want the experience from whatever is in the other room? It’s probably going to be another ghostly skeleton.” Azure could feel apprehension radiating from her. The encounter with mimic had been traumatic for both of them. But being afraid of everything wouldn’t get them through the rest of the dungeon. Stronger enemies definitely lie ahead.
Janine shifted her weight. “I suppose we could open the door, and if it’s something we can’t handle, we could just close it again.”
“Yes.” Lonnell nodded. “From what we’ve experienced thus far, I’ve gathered that most of the monsters in this dungeon are confined to their own rooms and floors.”
“Let’s do it, then.” Azure clapped his hands together. The skin of his regenerated hand felt strange and smooth against his normal one. Briefly, he wondered if it would ever heal completely.
They used
the same formation as last time. Lonnell counted to three and flung open the door, at which point Janine instinctively used the amulet on what was inside, wincing back as she did while Azure Analyzed the threat.
Level 9 Ghostly Skeleton.
“I might need an assist,” Janine called back to them as she rushed in with her ax.
This particular skeleton was wielding a morning star. It was clear that the dwarf didn’t really know how to approach the weapon when she took a hit to the shoulder as she was coming in to slice at the skeleton from the side. Both opponents stumbled back to clutch at their injuries, though the skeleton recovered much faster, moving in to attack again only seconds later.
Azure debated on giving aid, but Lonnell took the decision from him by pushing through the door, brandishing his staff and delivering a quick jab to the head of the skeleton. The butt of his weapon caught in the skeleton’s empty eye socket. Janine took advantage of the monster’s blindness to cleave it in half at the stomach, being careful not to overswing and hit Lonnell. Bones piled at their feet, topped by the morning star.
“Son of a bitch,” she cursed as she reached into her bag for a Potion of Minor Healing. “That was a bad idea.”
“You killed it, didn’t you,” Lonnell said.
“Yeah, but I got hit again.” Janine sounded more annoyed than hurt.
The blood pouring from the torn flesh of her shoulder quickly coagulated from the effects of the healing potion. If Azure was being honest, she looked beaten the fuck up. Neither of them had fared very well on this level.
“Let’s descend. For not seeming particularly difficult, this level has been hell.” Azure glanced around the hallway as if they might have missed something.
“I second that.” Janine pushed past him, grumbling under her breath.
“Give me a second, guys. I leveled up.” Lonnell was standing staring off into space, clearly analyzing his stats.
“Congrats!” Azure told him with a smile. The second the words left his mouth, Lonnell was done and ready to move on. “Damn, you’re fast.”
“It’s an easy decision since this pendant has me so buffed up.” Lonnell wrapped his hand around the figurine hanging from his neck.
They walked together down the hall to the statue. Azure had his reservations, but as soon as Lonnell had forced the gems into the statue’s eye sockets, it began to move aside.
“Oh, thank God.” Janine breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Yeah.” Azure mirrored her sentiment. “That was almost too easy for comfort.”
“Don’t question it. Let’s just go.” She motioned for them to follow her down the new set of stairs.
When they reached the bottom, there was yet another hallway with more doors. Instead of being in pairs, there were two doors on one side of the hall, one door on the other, and a final door at the end. Each door lining the hallway had a small silver emblem affixed to it. The door at the end was much wider than the rest, with large indentations of weapons carved into the wood.
“Another puzzle,” Janine said what they were all thinking.
“To the end first.” Lonnell led the way.
Azure’s gaze flitted from door to door as they passed by them. On the first was a symbol of a tiny metal sword. The second door had a staff. And the emblem on the third was of an ax. When they reached the door at the end of the hall, they found that the indentations matched up with life-size versions of the same weapons. There was no door handle.
“How do we solve this one?” Janine looked to Lonnell.
“I don’t know.” He shook his head before pushing on the door to see if it would open. Of course, it didn’t. Then he tried reaching into the indentations and sliding the door aside as if it might move that way. Still nothing.
“The doors with the symbols clearly have something to do with it.” Azure turned to look back down the hall.
“Clearly,” Lonnell agreed.
“So I guess we should start with the first one.”
“Sounds good to me.” Janine nodded.
As soon as they began walking back, the little girl and boy who had haunted the second and third levels suddenly appeared in the middle of the hall. Their forms materialized within a fraction of a second, their faces expressionless as they stood side by side holding hands.
Janine gasped, griping at her chest. Turning, she clutched onto Azure’s arm for support and hid her face for a moment. “That about scared me to death!” she seethed at the two ghosts.
“Calm down. It’s okay. I don’t think they mean us any harm.” Azure grinned at Janine, patting her hand until she released him.
“Your mortal weapons will not work on what lurks below,” the little girl spoke, her voice wavering like her form.
“What do you mean?” Lonnell asked.
“Airian the Undead.” It was the boy who addressed them this time. “He is the protector of the graveyard. The protector of the items within.”
That tells us nothing, Azure thought but didn't bother saying it.
“If you pass without the right weapons, you will join us,” the girl told them.
“You will join us,” Gallus parroted.
Janine shivered, drawing closer to Azure. “I don’t like this.”
“First you must possess the scroll,” the girl said.
“Airian’s Demise Scroll,” the boy clarified.
“The one before you went without and perished. He will be one of us soon.” The girl didn’t seem displeased or excited about the news she delivered.
“The one who went before us?” Lonnell cast a quick glance in Azure’s direction before returning his attention to the ghosts. “Do you mean Radclyffe Smithe?”
“That one did not have the scroll,” the girl said.
“Or the weapon.” Gallus shook his head.
“Well, we have the scroll,” Azure told them. “So what you’re saying is that we need to go into these rooms and retrieve the weapons?”
It seemed simple enough.
“One weapon for each.” The girl held up a finger. “One you must retrieve on your own.”
“Should you perish, all of your belongings will be claimed by the dungeon,” the boy told them.
“And you will join us,” the girl added.
“Yes. You will join us,” Gallus parroted almost as if the thought excited him.
Lonnell raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying that we each have to enter the room marked with our weapon symbol alone?”
“Yes.” The girl gave a quick nod.
“Good luck,” the boy said, and then both ghosts began to fade away.
“Wait!” Lonnell reached out to them, but they were gone almost before he was even able to finish the word.
Janine shivered again, still clinging to Azure’s side even though the ghosts were gone. “Good riddance,” she mumbled.
Azure sighed, looking to the door with the sword symbol. “Well, I suppose there’s no mystery as to which door we’re each supposed to enter.”
“No, there is not.” Lonnell blew out a slow breath. “But I don’t like this. It reminds me of the lesser demon dungeon.”
“Lesser demon dungeon?” Janine looked up at him.
“Yeah. It was the first dungeon I’d ever been in,” Azure said, drawing Janine’s attention back to him. “There was a part where we had to face our own demons. This is a bit different, though.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Lonnell assured her, realizing that he was only making the situation worse by being apprehensive.
“It has to be. That’s the only way we’re completing this dungeon.”
“So should we each go in one at a time and wait for the others outside just in case they need aid?” Janine glanced from Azure to Lonnell.
“We couldn’t offer aid if we wanted to. I think the ghost was pretty specific in that we each have to face our room alone,” Lonnell said.
“I mean in case we need extra he
aling potions or something afterward.” Janine pinched her eyes shut.
“No. I think it’s best if we all go in at the same time. We’ve made good time today. From what the ghosts said, the boss is on the next level. We might be able to finish this dungeon today if we’re quick enough. Then we can have a much-needed rest in the mansion and return to Squall’s End tomorrow.”
“Ohhh, a bed.” Janine’s focus was instantly redirected. “That means we’d all get to sleep in beds.”
That prospect excited Azure, too. The mansion was super cushy. It would be nice to sleep in the lap of luxury for once. “I am totally on board with this idea.”
“Yeah. Let’s finish this today if we can,” Janine agreed.
“Whatever is in these rooms will probably not be easy to defeat. We should all heal up before we go in.” Lonnell was already reaching into his bag for potions.
Janine nodded and began to do the same, but Azure simply stood there thinking about his nearly depleted supply. It may be a dumb move, but he’d rather consume his potions as needed. There was no telling how many would be required for the boss fight. Running out prematurely would put him at a disadvantage moving forward.
“You’re not going to heal up?” Janine gave him a queer look.
“Nope. I’m good,” he insisted. “I’m stronger than both of you. Well, was stronger than both of you.” Azure’s gaze shifted to Lonnell’s pendant. “I’ll be fine.”
Lonnell didn’t seem so sure. “You might want to at least top off your Health. You know that whatever is in that room will probably be a higher level than you.”
“I’ve got this.” He pressed his lips into a line.
Once the rest of the party had finished healing up, they all stood there staring at each other for a moment.
