…
What about the Secret of Forest Hill?
I quickly scrolled through the system messages, then checked the traveler’s diary. Not a word about the main quest!
Fine. I picked up the staff and examined its characteristics.
Shadow Staff. Cursed product by an unknown craftsman.
Charges remaining: 15 out of 200.
Available spells:
Aura of the Abyss (primary effect — damage to all living things according to the formula: ten times the owner’s current level of Intellect. Secondary effect — summoning of creatures who have previously died and whose remains are in range of the aura).
Aura of Petrifaction (effect — enemy immobilization; duration: 1 second per 1 staff charge spent).
Aura of Fear (effect — enemy cannot attack you if they have a lower level than you; duration: 1 second per 1 staff charge spent).
Recharge: kill any creature that is under the influence of auras to restore some of the staff charges.
Permanent effect: Dark regeneration.
Restricted for use only by cursed beings.
…
Hmm...
My fingers began to tingle unpleasantly, so I hurriedly put the staff away in my inventory. When I was buying scrolls at the Mage Guild, I saw special tubes and cases for storing dangerous artifacts. I would have to purchase one.
I gathered Havl’s loot.
The sword was easy to take. The lizard didn’t drop anything but I noticed a thin chain hanging around his neck and poking out from under the armor. I pulled on it and gaped in shock.
A Soul Crystal dangled at the end of the chain!
Unlike mine, this jewel was filled with darkness and the black flame of the Abyss flickered inside.
Who was he?!
I would probably never know the answer. The Shadow Warrior’s figure began to fade away. I looked at the time. A little more than twenty minutes had passed since our fight.
But mobs respawned after four hours! Did that mean he wasn’t an NPC?
My guess sent shivers down my spine. No, I couldn’t believe it. It was surely a glitch. It was a very odd instance, after all. The potions went bad, Havl disappeared...
I had to go and see if the entrance to the hill had finally opened.
* * *
Before returning to my dig, I carefully inspected the enormous (by human standards) blade.
…
Sword of the Shadow Warrior.
Forged from meteoric iron by one of the Guardians.
Damage 30-35 with scaling according to Strength and Intellect.
Permanent effect: gives the owner the ability to use Crushing Roar, which destroys the durability of enemy armor (50 hit points per use, cooldown/recharge 10 minutes).
…
A very unusual weapon! It was the first time that I’d seen an unenchanted blade with Intellect scaling. But most of all, I was surprised and alarmed by the mention of a Guardian who had forged the sword.
Aren’t the mysterious Shadows their polar opposites? Although the lizard could have found the blade, bought it or obtained it in battle...
Right. Like the Soul Crystal. And then Havl became petrified and turned into a guard for this hill?
Deep in thought, I returned to the narrow manhole. The stone slab was still there, blocking the way. My crystal remained transparent and I could see a normal flame burning inside, only slightly edged in black.
I touched the precious stone. It was fixed firmly in its recess.
I tried to turn it like a combination lock on a safe, but nothing happened.
What was I supposed to do? Why wasn’t I provided with any clues?
What if I tried this? I pressed firmly on the jewel and a grating sound suddenly came from inside the hill.
I quickly removed the Soul Crystal from its recess, noticing that the stone slab was slowly moving upward and rivulets of black sand were cascading down the archway.
The barrier shifted about a meter and stopped. The rumble died away.
Crouching down, I squeezed through the gap with some difficulty. The air was stale. I couldn’t see anything in the darkness, only the pale outline of another archway far ahead.
My inventory contained a rope, a torch, a hammer and metal pitons with eye holes. I had come to the instance thoroughly prepared, although I had very limited knowledge of caving.
Special skills weren’t required at the start, however. I lit a torch and discovered that I was in a tunnel made of roughly hewn stone blocks.
The walls and ceiling were thick with cobwebs and a layer of dust lay over the floor. I couldn’t see any side tunnels.
I walked forward slowly, my shield on my back, the torch in my left hand and the sword in my right.
Every step raised a cloud of dust.
I supposed that I should be careful of traps. It was a shame that Jeb and Weasel weren’t with me.
I saw a square hole in the flickering torchlight. One of the floor slabs was missing. I could see rusty spikes at the bottom of the stone well, with ancient bones scattered among them.
I wondered who had been here before me. I immediately remembered the three broken statues at the top of the hill, and the scratched inscription about the position of the sun.
There had probably been numerous attempts made to get inside the hill but none of them had ended well.
* * *
The short passageway strained my nerves.
Twice, I inadvertently stepped on trap triggers, hidden under the layer of dust. First, I was nearly crushed under a pile of rocks. I jumped back just in time, as soon as I heard a suspicious screech. The next time, a slab dropped treacherously underfoot, but the rusty falling grate became jammed and slipped down only a third of the way.
A little further along, crossbows were mounted behind narrow slits, but fortunately, someone had already unloaded them.
A thick layer of cobwebs covered the archway where the dim light was coming from. I guessed that the creature that had spun them was long dead for the sticky threads were decorated with a fringe of the ubiquitous dust.
Tearing down this heavy curtain, I found myself at the threshold of a spacious dome-shaped hall. Its roof had cracked and partially collapsed.
The floor was powdered with ash and broken in the center. The walls were covered in a strange pattern of lines, geometric shapes and strange symbols. The ancient frescoes were seriously damaged by the traces of a fierce battle, with gouges and scorch marks visible everywhere.
The light source turned out to be a respawn circle, located near the entrance. The far side of the hall lay in darkness.
Something wasn’t right. My path inside the mysterious construction had been too simple.
Yes, the fight with the lizard hadn’t been easy. But it felt like the rest of the way had been prepared for me. I couldn’t forget what kind of world I was in. Where were the innumerable enemy NPCs, where were their bosses and why was this place so desolate?
The respawn point was very strange. It was formed by two intersecting circles. The distorted runes were barely smoldering...
All of a sudden, a gust of wind from the tunnel behind me swept away the layer of dust, disturbing the years of oblivion, and an incredible sight opened up before me.
It turned out that the floor of this huge room was made of a clear, glass-like substance, with a landscape visible in its depth, as if I was looking at the world from above!
A mountain range ran beneath my feet, a plain visible a little further on with lakes, rivers, forests, towns, villages, roads, many portals, respawn circles, and the tiny figures of people and animals.
I took a few steps forward, admiring the realism of the panorama enclosed in the glass, until I saw a network of cracks that gradually widened and ended at the jagged Edge of the Abyss — a gap full of tangible, swirling darkness.
A feeling of icy hostility emanated from it.
I drew closer and brought my arm with the torch forward, hopin
g to dispel the gloom and see what was hidden in the breach in the center of the hall. The uneven light couldn’t penetrate down far enough but I could clearly see that the well of darkness exuded a blue-gray haze that was slowly eroding the edges and destroying the glass-like material. Right before my eyes, a piece at the edge collapsed, and the tiny figures of people, animals and plants fell into the Abyss together with their part of the firmament.
I hoped that the sinister processes taking place here didn’t reflect reality.
I didn’t dare to come any closer. The cracked surface didn’t inspire much trust.
What else could I do? Explore the hall’s perimeter in the hope of finding a way deeper into the strange structure?
Yes, this was probably the most sensible option.
* * *
The torch crackled, dispelling the gloom only slightly. A thick layer of ash shifted underfoot. The gust of wind had blown away only part of it, revealing a tiny fragment of the virtual world.
A smoke-blue haze trickled out of the Abyss breech.
Motes of dust swirled in the musty air.
I walked slowly along the wall, stepping over cracked and collapsed columns of green marble. I was hoping that the other side of the huge hall would contain a door or a corridor that would lead me to other rooms in this mysterious building buried beneath the hill.
Nobody blocked my path, which continued to unsettle me. I was expecting a trick.
The strange geometric pattern and the inscriptions in an unfamiliar language peeked disturbingly out from under a layer of soot. They bore no resemblance to known runes or magic symbols, but I didn’t think that the frescoes were there just for decoration.
The wall curved gently. I could see the vague outlines of some shapes up ahead.
I nearly tripped over the edge of a wide step protruding from the ash. The shallow staircase led to a group of statues on a separate platform.
There were four sculptures, arranged in pairs, with a huge archway visible behind them, sealed by a shimmering barrier.
I ascended the steps, keeping the torch in front of me so as not to miss a single detail.
The statues seemed to be people. Two men in armor and two women in loose-fitting robes. Their faces had been obliterated and their arms were covered in slashes - a clear act of vandalism, mixed with fear and hatred.
As I had already seen, some statues could come to life!
I approached cautiously.
The mysterious hill had taught me to be careful. I was Level 30 now and wore good-quality armor, but I was out of healing potions and my sword left a lot to be desired. Common sense dictated that I needed to return to town, thoroughly prepare again, and only then try to pass through the magic barrier inscribed with a glowing string of unfamiliar symbols.
I took another few steps and found myself between the statues.
A book lay at the base of each sculpture! I could swear that they had been hidden under the ashes a moment ago, but had suddenly and inexplicably rose up, as if an invisible force had pushed them out of oblivion.
Without touching the books, I read the names stamped on their leather bindings:
The Carver of Magic Runes. A Skill Book.
Wow! I shifted my gaze.
Blade Master. A Skill Book.
I turned slowly.
High-Level Magic. A Skill Book.
And finally, the fourth one.
The Portal Wanderer. A Skill Book.
What was I supposed to do? It was possible that they were activated by touch so I had better not be hasty. How could I check? I couldn’t develop all four skills, especially since two of them required a very high level of Intellect and I would ruin the character if I got too greedy. It made more sense to take them with me and use them as necessary, but was such a thing possible?
I could use the Blade Master book, and the Carver of Magic Runes wouldn’t hurt either. I’d certainly do well in the Edge of the Abyss with a profession like that! There must be countless faulty portals, respawn circles and other devices around that needed restoration.
Which one to choose...
Either way, I had to take a risk. If just touching the book didn’t activate the skill, then I would place all four volumes in my inventory and use them wisely as needed.
I approached the statue of a warrior and touched the Blade Master book. Nothing happened. The ancient manuscript was safely transferred to my inventory, followed by the others.
The system messages window popped up at once.
The Secret of Forest Hill quest has been updated.
The quest status has changed from personal to group/clan. Level 50+ is recommended.
You have stopped at a magical barrier. To open it, you must recreate what was lost. Discover the identity of these four and most importantly, what happened to the artifacts that they were holding.
You will able to proceed further only after you find the four items and return them to their place.
…
I had mixed feelings about this, to be honest. The skill books were cool, of course, but after everything that I had been through, the mysterious hall made me feel melancholic. Or was it the tiredness talking?
I studied the statues again. Who were they? I couldn’t see any obvious clues. Someone had tried very hard to de-identify them. The inscriptions on the pedestals had been erased.
I took detailed photographs of the sculptures in the torchlight so I could show them to Jeb and Sasha. We’d ponder the mystery together.
I couldn’t cross the magical barrier. A force pushed me back gently.
Well, it was worth a try... Or maybe not! I suddenly heard distant footsteps in the gloomy depths of the hall.
I turned sharply.
The steps came closer and closer. A large mob was approaching, without even bothering to hide its presence.
Havl. Shadow Warrior. A creature from the Abyss. Level 32.
No way! I had dispatched him!
The lizard was unarmed, not counting the sharp and steely claws that the beast had used to nearly send me into respawn.
I stuck the torch into the compressed ashes and prepared for battle.
I had no intention of retreating or running away. We’d see who got whom! Without the auras that the sword and staff had produced, he was just a thick-skinned, strong and incredibly dangerous animal.
I had no healing potions left but Havl could no longer use Dark regeneration.
His eyes were bloodshot and there was a gaping hole in his helmet.
The clang of armor, the nervous tapping of the spiked tail, the metal plates dully reflecting the light of the torch — he was barging at me like a tank…
I brought up my shield, watching my opponent carefully.
Havl stopped abruptly and wheezed, “Give me back my sword!”
“As if! Maybe you want the staff back as well?”
“I do not need the staff anymore. You have lifted the curse. I am thankful for that!”
He wasn’t going to attack me? Did he come to say ‘thank you’?
“Please, give me back my sword.”
“First tell me, what is this place?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He sank down on a dusty step, wrapped his spiked tail around his legs, demonstrating his peaceful intentions, and growled, “A long time ago, I took an oath and made promises that I once broke, for which I was cursed. I do not intend to repeat my mistakes. If you return the sword to me, I will stay here voluntarily, guarding the hill against robbers and rogues.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re a Shadow! A creature from the Abyss.”
The lizard fixed me with an unblinking gaze. “And you are a human!”
This was turning into a bizarre conversation. We were both hiding something.
“Are all humans the same?” Havl asked hoarsely.
“Of course not,” I smiled crookedly.
“Then do not judge! Shadows are different too. It is up to you. I will no
t beg. If you change your mind, you will find me at the top, by the wrecked statues.”
He stood up and walked away, his head drooping.
* * *
It was evening when, tired and hungry, I finally reached the inn where Jeb and I were renting a room.
Edge of the Abyss (Respawn Trials Book #1) LitRPG Series Page 30