Dungeon Dive

by Rohan M Vider

  Lera’s ensnaring arrow has hit Sufalyx. Resisted. Spellcasting interrupted.

  Though the weave failed to entangle him, it did foil his spell and left him exposed to the sylph’s barrage once more.

  Satia’s 6 starburst have hit Sufalyx for 380 damage (divine). Remaining: 700 / 1200 HP.

  He could not take much more of this. He had to flee. Sufalyx dove away again. Rolling out of the dive, he kept running, weaving erratically back and forth as he did so, to foil Satia’s aim. As he neared the chamber’s rear wall, he abruptly spun about and wove his stygian shield in time to stop Satia’s next volley.

  More relieved than he cared to admit, he crouched low behind the shield, and kept a wary eye at the sky and on the advancing Barlax. Having stalled his attackers, if only momentarily, Sufalyx found a moment to think again—and worry. Where are the champions? Why have they not joined the fray?

  He poked his head over the shield to search for them, but a flurry of divine fire along his shield’s rim forced his head back down below. He cursed bitterly.

  That damn sylph.

  He huddled back behind his shield, and backstepped every so often to avoid Barlax, who continued to harry him. There was nothing for it but to wait out the divines. But the tide will change, he thought. Lost in his thoughts of revenge, Sufalyx almost missed the change in the battle’s rhythm. He cocked his head and listened. Silence.

  The sylph’s attacks had stopped. Entangling snares still fell from the sky, but they were no threat, not on their own. Fearing a trap, he peeked over his shield. The sylph was gone. So was the centaur.

  Yes, he exulted, and unbent from his crouch. He let his shield dissipate as he surveyed the chamber. The field of battle was empty, save for the rangers—who even now hurried away from the moat’s edge—and the two champions. One of the champions, the summoner, was at the far end of the chamber, in the midst of a spell. The other, the fighter, stood at the moat’s edge with her sword on guard. She raised her chin in challenge at him.

  Sufalyx laughed uproariously at her impertinence. “I have you now, divine wretches. Tonight, my brethren and I shall dine on your bones!”

  It was time to wipe away the memory of his shameful retreat. Sufalyx charged forward to answer the fighter’s challenge. This is going to be fun, he thought, still chuckling.

  ✽✽✽

  Talia waited at the moat’s edge. Within the bubble of her divine shield, she tightened her grip on Judgement as she watched the demon captain advance at her. At the back of her mind, Eld whispered, “Courage, Talia. Your plan has merit.” Talia nodded, too focused to frame a reply to her God, or even to wipe away the sweat dripping down her brow.

  After she had defeated the minotaurs, Talia had taken up position at the moat’s edge where the demon could not fail to see her. She had entered commune with Eld and began casting avatar’s boon, but she had not completed the spell, nor had Eld left her. Her God remained with her still, a tranquil presence in her mind. He held the weaves of the spell in abeyance, something Talia herself did not have the skill for. Yet just the strain of holding the flow of essence open, and maintaining the commune with Eld took a toll on her. She had no idea how Aveyad was managing to keep not one, but two spells from unravelling. And without any divine assistance either. She blinked her eyes clear, and refocused on the demon. Just a little longer…

  The moment the demon began his charge, Eld would release the weaves back into Talia’s care for her to complete the spell. By then, it would be too late for the demon to back out, and Talia would spring her trap. Aveyad was confident that it would work. Talia was more sceptical, but she was committed now.

  Now if only the damn demon would hurry up and attack.

  ✽✽✽

  Sufalyx hurtled towards the moat. As he ran, his plans for the battle took shape. First, he would charge the fighter, slaying her in passing if he could. But his attack on her would be a feint only. He would leap from her to the summoner, who was the true threat in the battle. Sufalyx was confident that with his chaos orbs and burning blade, he could quickly overload the caster’s shield and kill the wretch before the knocked-down fighter rejoined the fray.

  He approached the moat. It was time to teach these champions what it meant to face a demon lord in battle. He activated demonic charge.

  ✽✽✽

  It was almost time. The demon was nearly at the point at which he would leap across the moat. Her pre-battle nerves disappeared. Calm descended on her as it so often did in battle. Her doubts fled and her clenched grip loosened on her blade. She was ready.

  “Farewell, my Champion. I have faith in you.”

  Absently, Talia nodded in acknowledgement of Eld’s departure. She was too focused for much else. Then she cast avatar’s boon.

  ✽✽✽

  Sufalyx leapt and cleared the moat in a single bound. His eyes were fixed on his target, who didn’t even have the sense to flee. Motionless, she stared at him with the transfixed eyes of prey. He smiled. This might be even easier than he thought.

  In the half-second before he landed, the working of a spell flared to life around the champion, but he had no time to fathom its meaning. His charge reached its climax and he crashed into the champion. And, shockingly, bounced back.

  Sufalyx’s demonic charge has hit Talia. Strength threshold for knockdown of the target not met. Talia has resisted.

  Stumbling away—mostly out of shock—Sufalyx shook his head to clear it of its sudden ringing. He stared at the champion in confusion. What just happened?

  He gazed inwards and checked the Game’s battle log. Comprehension dawned. The champion had cast avatar’s boon. “Clever,” he snarled. “But it won’t do you much good.” The boon blessed was only dangerous if he stayed and fought. As long as he stayed out of her reach, she would be no threat. And once the boon bereaved debuff afflicted her, she would be easy prey. Foolish mortal. He smiled, a grin full of malice, and prepared to leap away.

  ✽✽✽

  Talia raced through the weaves of her next spell. Her gaze was turned inwards, and her concentration absolute, as she pulled together the essence for a casting that she had used only a handful of times—and only during training.

  Vaguely, she was aware that the demon captain spoke to her. She was too focused on her spell to make sense of what he said, but it gave her an immense sense of relief. Good. She needed only a few more seconds to finish her casting and the more time he spent threatening her, the better.

  ✽✽✽

  Sufalyx spun black strands of his essence together, and prepared to charge away. While he did so, he watched the champion warily out of the corner of his eye. She was staring unseeing, her eyes wide and unfocused. Which confused Sufalyx slightly. Why is she wasting her boon and not attacking? He shrugged off the mystery. The doings of mortals were unfathomable sometimes.

  He was halfway through his own casting, when the reason for her inaction became clear.

  Thick strands of purple energy writhed out of the champion and towards him. He danced away from the mysterious energy, but held to his concentration and kept channelling. Whatever spell she was casting, he was not going to let it disrupt his own spell.

  But the purple tendrils were not so easily avoided. They followed him, even as he dodged again. He missed his next dodge, and the pulsating strands plunged into him, not in the least hampered by his runic armour. The tendrils, whatever they were, were not physical. He shuddered, as the ethereal creations bit hungrily into his spirit. He gazed down into his chest at the wriggling mass. What now?

  Talia has bound Sufalyx with caster’s bane (duration: until deactivated, debuff: essence drained, buff: essence filled).

  Drain / fill rate changes as the distance between the caster and target changes.

  Sufalyx is essence drained (-4 essence per second).

  Talia is essence filled (+4 essence per second).

  Sufalyx froze. The strands were siphoning his essence away. He shuddered and involuntarily backed
away.

  Sufalyx’s essence drain rate has been increased (-5 essence per second).

  He recognised the spell now. He had never been subject to it before, but he had heard tell of the leech-like weave. The spell was insidious. The farther he moved from the champion, the quicker his essence would be drained. There was no way to end the spell, short of killing its caster.

  He turned his gaze to the champion and stared at her with near uncontrollable hatred. He had been wrong. The champion was not a warrior—she was some form of mage hunter. Curse his arrogant hide. Why had he not considered the possibility? He had been too sure of himself, he thought bitterly. He probed the champion with insight.

  An inquisitor. Of course. He dropped the forgotten weaves of demonic charge and rushed the champion. He had to kill her and fast, otherwise he would be languishing in the Abyss tonight.

  ✽✽✽

  From the far end of the chamber, Aveyad watched the encounter between Sufalyx and Talia. Lines of strain were written deep into his face, as he struggled to keep the multiple strands of essence he channelled from unravelling. Unlike Talia, he did not have Eld to assist him. The spells he held within his mind were not conduit spells, and outside of Eld’s ability to affect.

  Aveyad and Talia had baited their trap for the demon with Talia herself. Despite Aveyad’s uneasiness with the risk, he had agreed with her that it was the only way. Dry-mouthed, he watched the demon’s seemingly unstoppable charge into Talia’s tiny form. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw the demon bounce back from the impact. The first part of their plan had worked. He had been sure—mostly sure—that boon blessed, Talia would have sufficient strength to resist being knocked down.

  Talia began her second spell. He shuddered as he saw the tendrils of caster’s bane bite into the demon. He had felt the bite of those tendrils once during their training. It had not been pleasant. The spell was deadly against any caster and nearly impossible to escape. But it did have one weakness. The spell’s casting range was only a few feet. If the target managed to move out of range before the leech-like tendrils dug into him, then he would escape the spell’s clutches. That thankfully had not happened here. They had distracted the demon, enough so that he had not realised what they were about.

  The most dangerous part of the plan was over. It was time for the next stage, and for Aveyad to play his own part. While Talia had been baiting Sufalyx, Aveyad had been spellcasting.

  Using dual casting and delayed casting, he had begun two different planar summoning spells and held them in abeyance. Dual casting was an ability normally limited to rank-three casters, but the Spellcaster’s wand had given him access to the ability. It had been dangerous. Tricky. And had demanded absolute focus. But Aveyad had done it.

  And now, it was finally time to release the weaves.

  ✽✽✽

  Talia sprinted to meet the closing demon. Exploiting the speed and strength granted to her by avatar’s boon, she ducked beneath the demon’s whistling blade. Her own blade flicked out in response and swept through the demon’s torso. Judgement’s burning edge slid through the demon’s chaos-forged armour and scoured the flesh below.

  Talia has hit Sufalyx for 70 damage (divine). Remaining 630 / 1200 HP.

  Sufalyx bit off a grunt, but did not otherwise react. He counterattacked, and brought his poleaxe that glistened with venomous black essence whirling down on Talia. Despite her boosted speed, Talia was hard-pressed to dodge the descending blade. She rolled out of its path, barely within time to avoid being cut.

  She sprang to her feet and closed with Sufalyx again. Judgement flashed as she struck at the demon with a flurry of blows. Her blade a blur, she sent it slashing left, then right, and finally forward towards the demon’s face.

  Sufalyx parried every strike. Not easily, and certainly not elegantly, but effectively. She fell back surprised. How is he so fast?

  Out of the corner of her eyes she saw twin portals open behind the demon. Good. Aveyad had managed it.

  Aveyad has summoned a lesser divine: a level 48 young titan (duration: 8 minutes).

  Aveyad has summoned a lesser divine: a level 48 holy knight (duration: 8 minutes).

  She leapt forward into attack again and pressed the demon hard to hold his attention. Talia’s sword slithered forward in a complex series of feints, slashes, and thrusts. But despite her blistering attacks, she managed only to land a couple of glancing blows on the demon.

  Talia has hit Sufalyx for 20 damage (divine). Remaining 610 / 1200 HP.

  Talia has hit Sufalyx for 30 damage (divine). Remaining 580 / 1200 HP.

  Her attacks only scratched the demon but they accomplished their goal. She had kept Sufalyx distracted long enough for the planar summons to sneak up on him.

  The young titan’s hammer slammed almost squarely into the back of the demon’s head. At the last instant, whether by happenstance or ingrained instinct, the demon lord turned away, just enough to slightly foil the blow.

  A young titan has critically hit Sufalyx for 180 damage (divine). Remaining 400 / 1200 HP.

  At the same time, the holy knight’s blade swept a deadly arc down the demon’s back. It was only the chaos-forged armour that prevented Sufalyx from being cleaved in half.

  A holy knight has critically hit Sufalyx for 200 damage (divine). Remaining 200 / 1200 HP.

  Under the twin hammer blows from his rear, the demon fell to his knees.

  The three moved in.

  ✽✽✽

  Sufalyx was furious at himself.

  The champions had tricked and deceived him. He had been outplayed at every turn. Him. By mere mortals. It was a shame too great to bear. There was no way he could win this fight now. With his essence steadily draining and the two planar creatures in the fray, it was almost over. He fixed the inquisitor with a venomous glare.

  But he could take one of his tormentors with him.

  There was one spell that would give him a chance. A sort of last gasp weave that was nearly suicidal to use. But he had nothing to lose now. Abandoning restraint, Sufalyx flung open all his magical pathways, and poured out his remaining essence at the advancing figures in a single violent tsunami of black death.

  Sufalyx has cast last word (length: 3m, damage output proportional to essence invested in the spell, damage dealt: 600 - 1000 HP to all creatures).

  Sufalyx is no longer essence drained, 0 essence remaining.

  The champion and the two planar creatures were flung back, helpless ragdolls in the face of the explosive force. The inquisitor’s divine shield flickered, then dissipated and her health plummeted. The holy knight and young titan were killed instantly.

  Sufalyx’s demonic blast has hit Talia for 700 damage (chaos). Divine shield destroyed. Remaining 200 / 500 HP. Moderate wound (fractured leg) sustained.

  Sufalyx’s demonic blast has hit holy knight for 861 damage (chaos). Holy knight has been killed.

  Sufalyx’s demonic blast has hit a young titan for 961 damage (chaos). Young titan has been killed.

  Sufalyx wobbled and nearly fell, weakened by the sudden loss of his essence. He looked at his foes. The inquisitor had survived the blast. His face contorted in fury, Sufalyx stomped forward to put an end to her.

  ✽✽✽

  Talia was lying on her back. Her leg was on fire, and pain riddled her body wherever the demon’s spell had penetrated her shield. You’re lying here helpless, while the demon is doing Gods know what, she reminded herself.

  Using Judgement to lever herself up, Talia bit back on the agony and dragged herself to her feet. She looked up. Sufalyx’s spell had flung her back a few metres. The demon advanced on her. Tentatively, she tried placing weight on her injured leg. Renewed pain rippled up her body, and only by leaning heavily on Judgement was she able to stay upright. Talia could not depend on the leg in the coming confrontation. She began pulling together essence to—

  Talia is no longer boon blessed.

  Talia is boon bereaved (all attributes and es
sence pools halved, duration: 15 seconds).

  Her boon blessed lapsed and Talia crumpled. The twin afflictions of her injuries and boon bereaved were too much. The pain became unbearable, and her vision began to blacken. Talia fought against it. No, not like this, she thought. It can’t end like this. But despite her best attempts, the darkness claimed her and she fell unconscious.

  Her eyes closed. She could do no more.

  ✽✽✽

  Across the chamber, Aveyad was casting again to bring forth his third planar summon when the demon’s spell hit. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Talia flung back. He felt like it only restarted when Talia picked herself up. She was alive. Thank Eld.

  Then, he saw her fall back down, and the demon bear down on her. “Talia!” he screamed. She didn’t respond. He dropped the weaves of his spell, and scrambled to his feet. Aiming his wands at the demon, he began casting, even as he raced forward.

  But he was too late he knew. The demon would reach Talia first.

  ✽✽✽

  Sufalyx grinned as he saw the inquisitor fall back down. Boon bereaved had hit, and she was helpless. He advanced towards her. An arrow thudded into his back. He glanced behind him. The rangers were firing at him. But their arrows had little power to injure him. He ignored them.

  As he turned back to the inquisitor, he noticed a slew of starbursts heading his way from across the chamber. From the second champion. He judged their flight. They would be too slow, he determined. He would reach the inquisitor first. He stepped forward again.

  Elias has fired a webbed shot (radius: 8m, chance to resist: 13%), Partially resisted (duration of effect reduced, Sufalyx (-90% movement speed).

  Noooo! shouted Sufalyx. His goal was almost within reach. Only a few more steps. Then the starbursts arrived. Sufalyx flinched as the first of the divine projectiles bit into him.