by R J Triveri
There at the ring of the shadows and light, a figure loomed, snarling and circling slowly around the perimeter where the light was weakest. Without much of a body to speak of, the eyes seemed to twist and turn in a creature made of liquid shadow…
Wait, what are they called again?
As if on cue, his small armored feline reappeared and spoke in a practiced tone, almost serious unless Athos was mistaken.
Master Athos, this is a Shadow Spawn. It’s a rank two, stealth, melee class creature. It is normally extremely hostile towards non-shadow creature classed entities. Beware if they start to gather!
“Thanks, Nekka,” He said staying within the circle of light holding it at bay, “I don’t think Auxi ever got around to explaining what it was.”
At that, Nekka bowed respectably and gave him his an unusually formal salute, Good luck, Athos.
With those words, he was gone as quickly as he came, leaving Athos a little better off than he had been. Shadow spawns were the first thing he had encountered in Incipere, and he did owe them a little payback for almost ending things before they began. Thirty Pyrothium and thirty Sol Arum, so sixty good strikes before he had to turn to the gun. Not the worst odds in Athos’s opinion.
After crossing his fingers, Athos positioned himself directly across from the shadow spawn and grinned. The glow of the red vial blending with the light almost perfectly as the creature watched him, the snarling seeming to vanish as it caught wind of its prey’s plans. A grin grew on his face as the sensation of whatever substituted for adrenaline here coursed through his avatar’s form, and he pitched the vial directly at the creature’s face. His excitement came into a crashing decrescendo though once the spawn melded itself around the vial and harmlessly released it back onto the floor.
“Bastard.”
The shadow spawn’s snicker sounded like nails on a chalkboard as it rolled the vial behind itself towards the furthest wall with a steady, crystalline clinking as it traveled. The spawn was smarter than it looked.
Athos wasn’t defeated though despite the slow progress it tried to make into the light. Okay, so he couldn’t throw it at the creature. The liquid shadow was a little truer to form than he had thought. Well… hoped anyways. Another vial was already in hand as he took aim again, throwing in front of it this time.
Thinking that Athos was attempting the same strategy, it simply stopped and stood there as its drunken firefly cat’s eyes reflected the red flickers of the fire’s glow. For Athos, that moment was too long. The cracking of glass made his heart leap, but a moment later, it was as if the sun had set its gaze upon the dungeon’s chamber. The darkness was eradicated in an instant as fire and flame leapt from the bottle across the floor, consuming anything it could as fuel in a two-foot radius. The piercing scream that follows deafened him, but confirmed that the spawn wasn’t quite the liquid he thought it was. The all-consuming fire devoured the shadow spawn’s integrity in a matter of moments.
Bit by bit, Athos’s vision returned to what the darkness had accustomed him to, and he could gaze on the sludge pile that was left of the creature.
Well, that wasn’t so bad, he thought to himself as he took a few steps forward.
All had gone according to plan… except for one thing. How could he have planned for it? The smell of the burning shadow spawn’s remains was like ozone and sulfur had an unholy child that enjoyed eating far too much spicy food. It didn’t look too far off from that either as the tendrils of its reeking scent assaulted every susceptible opening. In other words, it was completely, utterly disgusting. Thankfully after taking another step closer, his gauntlet pinged softly in his ear to signal the presence of a crafting material and the remains disappeared into his gauntlet’s inventory.
Breathing a sigh of relief was much easier after that, but the path was still just as dangerous before him. Two ways to travel but there were no other sources of light to be seen. Walking out of the light, he picked up his rogue vial of Pyrothium before retreating to its soft, warm glow to think.
The soft drip of some unseen water began to grind on him as his thoughts wandered to what might lay beyond. All he was sure of was that either way he was going to encounter those things. Then again, the more he encountered, the faster his rank would increase, so did it really matter? It was times like this that he wished coin flipping was a thing in Incipere.
Suddenly, an idea sparked at the back of his mind as he remembered one of the Splendor Solis spells he had access to. A smile spread on his face as the spirit of adventure began to take hold again as he pulled out a vial of his Sol Arum and uncorked it. Why guess when you can get advice?
The Eclipsed Arum Pact
Young Alchemist, there are many ways to fix a problem. Whether it is a broken tool, dented armor or something a bit more abstract, there is always a way around a problem. That is, there is a way for those that are willing to pay the price. When your time of need for such a thing arises and you can see no other way, follow these directions to enact the Eclipsed Arum Pact. Be warned, the price may be more than you are willing to accept.
-Exert from page six of Splendor Solis: The Book of the Sacred Magic
Sol Arum was a vicious liquid that, after a short while, would form what could pass as a gel of soft starlight that could, and would, stick to any surface until the reaction time was spent. Carefully, Athos began to pour the contents of the vial onto the floor as his memory dictated. First, a large pool of it oozed from the center until it was perfectly even on all sides. Around it, he dripped the contents out carefully and smoothed it into twenty-four even slats that fed into the larger circle. As that bottle was spent, he pulled out a vial of darkness, Obscurus Arum. Uncapping it, the light seemed to die just a bit as the shadows leaked from the uncorked bottle. This he poured all around the symbol, filling the edges like a moon’s shadow. Carefully, he began to paint the last image in the center: an inverted triangle with ragged edges. It was like some beautiful dance as the liquid light was darkened by the shadows but then raged back like wisps of black fire where the edges met. He couldn’t get distracted now though.
With the final drops, he drew a crescent moon on his right hand and began to speak the words that sealed the final steps of the pact, “Au sein de la lumière, j’ai demander conseil sur ma quête. Je suis dans une impasse et ont besoin d’aide. Envoyez-moi les moyens de réparer mon problème.”
To him, the words meant little. It was simply a language he didn’t understand but that, according to the book, was from the language of one of alchemy’s most powerful masters. The words were not his own but carried with it a simple message to whatever digital deity waited beyond the veil of code. He wanted guidance to fix his issue. Athos couldn’t afford to get trapped or worse. He needed to know what was best.
His vision blurred as the light and the darkness seemed to fight against each other in licks of flaring shadow and light. Athos looked around nervously as the light spread down the halls, lighting each path down to their turn until both arums dissolved into each other.
For a moment, the young alchemist looked around, having expected something to happen, and as if not to disappoint, a small ball of light with wings fluttered into existence at his eye level almost against his nose as it spoke in a quiet voice. “Greetings, Athos.”
He wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen when he enacted the pact, but a floating ball of light was not near the top of the list. “Umm, hello.”
“I am Lillie, Pact Beast of the Eclipse, and I have come to aid you.” When he didn’t answer right away, the fairy-like creature continued. “To be aided, a price must be paid.”
The book had warned him of a price, but it was never really that specific about it. “What sort of price do I have to pay?”
The pact beast bobbed back and forth before stopping. Despite its lack of eyes, he felt as though it was sizing him up, evaluating him for his worth before answering. “Though you do not have much, you have your health. A small portion of your health fo
r my guidance on your quest will be sufficient.”
Athos grew leery at those words and glanced at his integrity. “How much is a small portion?”
“One fifth of your life to be your guide for however long it shall be until the end of your need,” the voice was soft as falling snow but sharp as crystal as the soft words seemed to echo in his ears. “It is a small price for reliable direction, is it not?”
Ninety-four percent was steady at the top of his vision. It would still leave him with quite a bit of his data intact but would that be enough? There was still a boss coming that he knew of and at least a few more of those things. Maybe he could sweeten the deal and make it more worth the effort? “Will you guide me to the treasure too?”
It bobbed again before starting to lazily circle him. “If you wish, but it will be more dangerous. Do you agree to my terms, Alchemist Athos?”
After a moment’s hesitation more, he nodded. “It could be worse terms. I guess, but I accep-”
Before the words could even escape his mouth, it felt as though someone had cut into him again. Not the sudden, manic stab of a desperate man, but the slow, methodical cutting of practiced surgeon that had run out of anesthesia. Each moment the pain grew as his data integrity dropped. It felt like hours, but only a minute had passed before his integrity read seventy-four.
His breathing deepened as he recovered from the shock of the payment and looked at the small ball of light. “That hurt!”
“Payment must be rendered.”
“You didn’t say it would hurt.”
“You did not ask.”
A growling echoed down one of the halls as Athos stopped short of what he wanted to say. Instead, he looked at the pact beast and thought quickly as the sounds of scratching grew. “How large is this dungeon?”
“Three floors. The entrance level, the travel level, and the lower chamber.”
“Can you lead me to any of the treasure chests with something I can use?”
It didn’t take the beast long to answer with another question. “Do you want to encounter the dark monitor?”
The scratching against the bricked, stone floor grew louder. “No.”
A moment of hesitation followed as the pact beast broke its orbit and began floating towards the left passage. “Follow me please.”
The scratching grew louder as Athos followed behind Lillie without another word. The left passage was just as dark as the trip into the travel level but much more dangerous. Despite the guidance of Lillie, shadow spawn still littered the passage towards the next area. With just a few vials of Pyrothium, they weren’t much of a challenge. But the smell! Even with the short time before the purple stone on his gauntlet absorbed them, that stench was almost enough to run him out. It got to the point where he kept an eye on his data integrity in fear that the stench might poison him.
Through a smell best described as burning hair and over-ripened fish, Athos was surprised that when the smoke cleared this time, there was nothing but a dead end. Lillie simply floated as she did before bobbing towards the wall. “I must warn you, this is the only safe cache in the dungeon. The other is guarded by the monitor.”
“The other?”
Without missing a beat, she simply added. “The treasure room is meant for larger groups since they can share the take, but this is statistically the best for a single party due to its small find ratio.”
He thought about asking her where it was, but if this world had taught him anything about the way it worked… “It’s behind the wall isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Do I have to blow it up?” That would be a chore in itself, not to mention the cost of the materials and the sheer volume of the sound he would have to make.
The question seemed a bit more than the beast had expected. “That would be very pointless and cause a constant need for repairs. What purpose would a small room covered in a wall that has to be blown up repeatedly only for the sake of hiding a single treasure do in the long run for the dungeon?”
Embarrassment flooded his face as he answered. “Sorry, it’s just that it’s usually the way things work in a game.”
“This world may have been built on a game’s design, but there are other ways to solve problems than with violence,” and with that, the pact beast flew through the wall. “It is an illusion, Athos.”
Part of him was a little disappointed in that as he tentatively put his hand on the surface. Sure enough, it offered no resistance as the rest of him traveled through into a room no larger than six feet wide by six feet deep. There in the center of the room was his prize, a chest that took up nearly the entire back of the room. Large enough to hold a man and deep enough for a second, it was everything he could have hoped for. “Jackpot!”
“No, Athos. It’s a chest.”
Traps and Treasures
As he tried to open the chest, Athos was slightly disappointed. The chest’s model was never designed to open, and all his efforts gained him was the appearance of the chest’s inventory. Normally, it would have been a disappointment, just another reminder of where he was, but the contents were too good to let it get to him.
Five thousand gleaming bytes were almost good enough on their own. Ten new flasks? Also great. The last thing was what really set him into a happy mood: a small, wrapped scroll named Leritate Omnes in big green letters.
Of course, after transferring the last time, a click echoed through the small room: a loud, ominous click that surprised and unnerved Athos all at once. The clicking continued to move like a spider out of the room as it skittered through the ceiling back the way he had come.
“Master Athos, you might want to leave this area.”
A moment after those words, the room began to shake as the clicking began to escape his ears. Wisps of dust soon fell from the ceiling in rivers as the stones shifted and shook from their places above to fall onto the floor around him; the trap of the room trying to turn the small area into a solid pillar of stone. The bricks and dust falling all around him brought a single thought to his raging mind.
Shit.
Fast as he could, Athos turned tail and rushed back the way he came with the clicking echo losing ground with each hurried step. Despite his efforts, it echoed further and further into the distance as he crossed paths led by the pact beast. As it outraced his ears again, a new sound began to grow down the hall. Scratching, grating, and hissing rumbled as he reached the first crossroad that he had taken to reach the treasure room. The groaning of stones grew as Athos realized what the clicking had been a precursor to, but he arrived just in time to see the final pieces of stone slide into place and block the final passage. His hands didn’t need to touch it to realize it was the real deal this time. Thick, large stone bricks now secured themselves to block his way.
His guide of a pact beast wasted no time explaining the situation to him. “The way is blocked.”
“I can see that. What the hell happened?”
“You triggered an event by opening that chest,” the pact beast paused for only a moment to gather its thoughts before it continued. “To clear the event, the floor’s guardian must be fragmented.”
Damn it! It was too good to be true. It was just too good to have been true. “You said it was safe!”
The creature bobbed violently up and down as it replied. “I did not say any such thing. I asked if you wanted to encounter the dark monitor. You did not, so I led you here. I said I would be a reliable guide, and I have been. I do not have the ability to detect traps or chance events in dungeon areas yet.”
He wanted to be upset with the beast, but it was right. Lillie never said it would be safe. He was still angry, but he didn’t feel justified about it. “So, what’s left on the floor to deal with?”
A moment passed as the beast slowly lurched up and down. “A murder of shadow spawn and the dark monitor you avoided from earlier.”
A sigh crossed his lips as he resigned himself to combat again. “Which way are they coming from?”
“They are approaching you. I suggest preparing to defend yourself.”
“Is there anything you can do to help?”
The pact beast hovered almost to his nose before answering. “I am not a combat beast, Athos. I have no battle skills.”
It was then, not for the first time, that Athos wished he had met another alchemist. For twenty percent of his life, Athos realized that he basically got a GPS system. He was beginning to think that pacts might be a bit overrated as he checked his supplies. Half his Pyrothium was already gone, and a few of his Sol Arum were also lost to the cause. Obscurus Arum wouldn’t do him any good either if he was about to fight Shadow Spawn. If all else failed, he still had the gun equipped and holstered on his side. Despite the turn of events, Athos had confidence that he would be more than able to handle the dark monitor. At least, he was sure until a pair of glowing red eyes running towards him shook that resolve.
As big as the pack animals that pulled Walt’s wagon, the dark monitor lived up to its name. Covered in shadowy scales that only made the red eyes more intense, the creature brought spawn in tow as its eyes landed on Athos. Seeing its prey, the pack of creatures picked up their pace. Small crystal stones on its back threw the light of the Sol Arums that Athos had spread to find his way the first time into rainbows against the shadow spawns. Up until now, the spawns had been spread out, but behind the monitor, they looked like a single mass of shadows and gleaming, swarming eyes. A nightmare given form that now thrashed its way towards Athos.
In a now well-practiced motion, Athos threw a vial at the horde. After a familiar crack of glass, the flames erupted like a wildfire, filling the corridor with light and flame and noise. But, as if being birthed from the flames, the dark monitor burst forth in all its dark, gnashing glory, soon followed by quite a few of the shadow spawns like birthed balls of fire.
Another vial soon followed that and then another, but the monitor kept coming. Fire sang and flames burned, but the monitor continued its march towards him. If anything, Athos had only pissed the creature off that much more than the programming had already made it. From inside of its mouth, a roar erupted shaking his body and blaring in his ears as the heat bound from the fire and collided with his body like a fighter’s punch.
