by Troy Osgood
That confused Hall. Druids were the healers in Sky Realms Online. No party of any size would ever go into a dungeon without at least one. But that had been the pre-Glitch game. It seemed odd that experienced adventurers, even ones who were technically NPCs, hadn’t had Druid healers in their adventures before.
“Always too busy pruning their trees,” Garrick said, glancing at Bealee, who gave him a sharp glare. “No offense.”
She turned her back on him. Hall saw him smile, holding back a chuckle.
“Okay,” Hall said, raising his hands in defeat. “You three take the top one. The rest of us will take this one,” he finished, motioning to the last home.
Brandif didn’t bother to respond. The three older adventurers walked the short distance up the mountainside, disappearing into the home.
Hall waited a couple of minutes and then signaled to his group. “Jackoby with Caryn, me, and Bealee. Sharra and Roxhard in the rear.”
There were nods from the Breakridge Irregulars, only Pike squawking in protest. Hall ignored his dragonhawk. Pike was upset because he was being made to wait outside, the same with Talon, until they knew what kind of space they were going to be in. If the dragonhawk couldn’t fly, it made no sense to take him inside the tunnels.
Like the Druids in a party, not having dungeons or tunnels made for a dragonhawk to fly in was strange. So much had changed post-Glitch. Before there had been a lot where the developers had chosen game mechanics over immersion. Now it seemed that immersion, making the game world truly seem real, was winning over mechanics.
Hall pushed those thoughts away, concentrating on the tunnels and potential dangers ahead.
Chapter 9
The first room opened to a tunnel. What had been a corridor in the other homes in this one was a ten-foot-wide-by-ten-foot-high tunnel carved from the stone. Not smoothly either. Done quickly, just what was needed to make the tunnel.
Had it been a mine, the entrance replaced with the single room?
Hall ran his hands across the wall. There weren’t any dig marks from a pickaxe, nothing on the ground to indicate there had once been rails.
It was just a tunnel carved into the mountain. Running straight. There was a slight downward slope as they walked.
Dark, no light penetrated this far.
Caryn pulled one of the new Greenfire torches from her pouch.
The dungeon of Greenfire Depths had been well lit by glowing crystals set into the walls. The sconces had been embedded in the stone, not able to be removed. Each of the crystals glowed with an inner fire. Part of the treasures found in the Depths had been chests full of the globes. All different sizes, all producing much better light than torches. Each of them possessed two of the torches that Tunwell had made, figuring out a method to attach the globes to metal rods. Some had been given to the merchant Dyson to sell, and most were safely back in Skara Brae.
With the crystal torch out, everything took on a green tint. The light was steady, not flickering like that of a torch. It was bright enough to see details, but diffuse and not spreading beyond the radius. Someone further down would see a light green glow, not a steady bright light like that of a torch. It didn’t spread as far as torchlight.
If they had gotten nothing else from Greenfire Depths, just finding the crystals would have made the trip worth it.
They moved slowly, Caryn shining the light around the floor and ceiling, checking for traps.
Hall moved to the side where the crystal light wasn’t as bright, letting his racial vision adapt. He studied the walls where they met the floor and ceiling in a rough arc. There was no seam or angle, confirming that it had been carved out of the mountain, no more work done. Whoever had made the tunnel had done just enough to get through and no more.
It was a long tunnel. About a hundred feet in, Hall started to notice a slight angle. It was still sloping down slightly but was now turning to the north. Nothing changed, Hall only noticing as he kept checking the map he was making. All the players, and even the NPCs, had mental maps they could access, only showing the areas they had been.
Thanks to his Cartography skill, Hall’s had more detail and the ability to add more to it. He could make notes, measure distances, and Bradberry had assured him that at higher ranks, there was so much more he could do.
Skill Gain!
Cartography Rank Two +.2
He noted where the tunnel had started to turn, able to see it on his map. Without a point of reference, there was no way to note how far they were descending. Was the other tunnel doing the same? If so, Hall’s group would be behind the other group, who would be higher.
The tunnel grew brighter, not much but noticeable. There was a light source ahead, about two hundred feet further down. A bright glow filled the far opening. The pace became slower, the group putting more distance between them. Another hundred feet and the Greenfire torches were put away.
Hall stepped in front of Caryn, his Limited Night Vision picking up the details of the tunnel. With Jackoby, they crept forward, Roxhard coming to stand in front of the others who couldn’t see as well. Hall started to hear voices, rough and coarse, words that he knew were in the Duntins’ language. Multiple voices, one louder than the others. The light grew brighter, orange and red casting flickering shadows against the walls.
Gorid had explained that the Duntins had evolved differently from the Dwarves. The two races were similar in their shared ancestor race but had changed significantly over the millennia. Where Dwarves had a dark vision that allowed them to see light produced by ore, the Duntin had nothing. Not even a Limited Night Vision like Hall’s, granted by his Elven heritage. Unlike the Dwarves, the Duntin lived aboveground.
Signaling Jackoby to wait, Hall crept forward, crouching low.
The noises got louder, the light brighter. Hall had to blink, trying to deactivate the night vision. The flickering flames were making odd shadows, the Limited Night Vision having a hard time adjusting to the movements. Opening his eyes, he saw in the normal spectrum again.
Stopping at the edge, holding tight to the wall, he leaned out.
The crossbow bolt snapped against the rocks just above his head, sending small shards blasting into his skin. Wincing in pain at the sharp stabs, Hall pulled back into the tunnel. More bolts hit the wall, some skidding along the floor and ceiling of the tunnel, one snapping in half against the far wall.
Hall took a deep breath, bringing his heavy breathing under control. That had been close. A couple of inches lower and the bolt would have shot straight into his forehead.
The noises had fallen silent.
Everyone had crept up, staying tight to the wall, staying far enough back on the other side to avoid being hit by the crossbow bolts. The Duntins still shot, but delayed between.
“I couldn’t see much,” Hall said in a whisper, hoping his voice wouldn’t carry into the room beyond. “Rough circular chamber, a hundred feet, maybe more. Large well in the center, maybe ten feet in diameter. Another tunnel off the back side. About a dozen Duntins.”
He paused, letting the others absorb the description. They all looked, waiting, knowing he wasn’t done. The plan to enter would have been relatively simple. They were still outnumbered by the twelve Duntins, but it wasn’t drastic, and no one was worried. Except Hall hadn’t started with the tactics, so there had to be more. Something that would make it harder.
With two Wardens, every fight started the same. Battle Rush was an ability that let the Warden charge across the ground, closing the distance between their starting point and the target in seconds. They moved incredibly fast, magically aided, their momentum being increased by the speed so when they hit, the crash was mighty. The target could be knocked to the ground, stunned, or take a large amount of damage. The Warden was unharmed and ready to start attacking.
With two opening Battle Rushes, the only question was if both would attack the same target or multiple. Most often it was multiple, the two tanks using their Warcry ability to draw the enemy
to them, holding their attention.
That couldn’t work this time. Hall was forced to change up his tactics.
Skill Gain!
Strategy Rank Two +.2
He still didn’t know what that skill was or what it did. Even Brandif and Bradberry had never heard of it. One of these days, he’d have to figure out what exactly it did. Just one more item on the ever-increasing list.
Flames poured out of the tunnel, Sharra standing in the middle of the opening, one hand held palm out, the other holding the caged Tulla aloft. Purple light glowed from the fairy, pulsing in time with the flickering of the flames. Orange and red streaked out from Sharra’s hand, a purple glow swirling around it, mixing with the colors of the fire.
Hall felt bad for Tulla, being trapped in the cage. The Desmarik Republic had tortured her, forced her to use her powers for them. Now she did so willingly, using her magic to make Sharra’s spells so much stronger.
He could feel sweat forming on his forehead, beads dropping down his back. The heat was intense where he stood next to Sharra.
The flames weren’t meant to harm any of the Duntins; they were too low for that. It was a distraction.
Sharra let the flames stop, lowering her hand, Tulla’s glow less bright.
Hall didn’t even wait for the flames to dissipate. On the other side of Sharra, neither did Caryn.
Both ran as fast as they could. He could feel the heat against his skin, painful, but he ignored it.
Once clear of the tunnel, Hall activated Leap as Caryn dived, tucking into a roll.
He couldn’t spare a glance for Caryn, concentrating on the scene before him. Keeping the height low, Hall increased the distance of his jump. The cavern spread out before him.
The well in the center, a low worked stone wall around it, had nothing visible inside. The Duntins were arranged around the room, the crossbowmen in the front looking up, trying to fire at him, as he streaked by overhead. The ramp that circled the wall met the other tunnel across the way at a landing before continuing to the floor of the chamber, which was at least ten feet lower than the entrance tunnel.
The reason why the Wardens couldn’t use Battle Rush without a clear path between them and the target was the Warden’s feet had to be touching something for the ability to work. Jackoby and Roxhard would have had to run around the entirety of the room before hitting their targets. It would have been too far to go.
Hall landed past the line of crossbowmen. Landed facing a surprised Roc Reaver Berserker. The axe wasn’t quick enough to block the thrust of the spear.
Skill Gain!
Identify Rank Two +.2
Roc Reaver Berserker (blue)
The tip of the spear caught the Berserker in the shoulder. The Duntin twisted, pulling his shoulder off the spear. Growling, he tried to swing at the spear, trying to knock it out of Hall’s hands. Hall lowered the spear, letting the Berserker’s own momentum carry him off balance.
Pulling the spear back, Hall twisted it around his body, slamming the butt end into the Berserker’s side. The Duntin cursed in pain as the tip penetrated the leather armor, cutting deep into his side.
Hall pulled it back, resisting the urge to look behind him. He had to trust in his friends. He didn’t know about any of the other Duntins, but the Berserker was a couple of levels over him, stronger than anything he’d faced outside.
Sliding his spear back, Hall kicked out. He slammed his boot into the Duntin’s side, pushing the heavy Red Cap back a couple of steps. Spinning the spear around again, he jabbed out. The Duntin recovered, slamming his axe into the spear, knocking it aside. The Berserker smiled, wicked and cruel, expecting that his sharp axe had cut through the shaft of the spear.
The smile faded, seeing that not only was the spear intact, but that Hall had used the momentum of the axe swing, added to his rotating body, to spin the spear around. The tip drove straight into the shocked Duntin’s throat.
Falling backwards, arms reached for the spear. Hall quickly pulled it away, stepping back as the dying Duntin hit the ground, axe clattering on the stone floor.
He could hear fighting behind him but couldn’t turn to look. Two Duntin raiders charged at him.
Leaning forward, extending the spear, Hall activated Sweeping Strike. The tip sliced across the Duntins’ legs, just above their heavy boots. Blood trailed the tip as it arced. At the end of the swing, Hall halted the weapon, shifted his body, adjusted his grip, and slammed the tip into the left Duntin’s shoulder. He pulled it out, rotating it crosswise across his body and catching the right Duntin’s descending hammer with the shaft.
He wasn’t able to get it up in time to deflect the left raider’s hammer strike. Metal solidly hit wood, sending vibrations down the shaft. Hall felt it through his gloves, hands going numb. He tried to grip tighter, hoping he was.
Hall stepped back, holding the spear crosswise across his body, pushing the ends out and in, keeping the Duntins back. He leaned forward on the right side, pushing the butt end of the spear harder at the Duntin. The raider stepped back, and Hall shifted, pulling the spear to the right and around his body quickly, jabbing it at the left raider. He caught the Duntin in the other shoulder. Pulling the spear back, he lowered the point, driving it forward and into the Duntin’s stomach. The raider fell back, landing hard on the ground.
Hall felt the hammer slam into his side. He fell to a knee, hitting hard and then letting himself fall completely, turning it into a roll. His other side was still sore from a hammer blow on the mountainside, now this. The Duntin followed quickly, not giving Hall the space he wanted.
The hammer fell. Hall heard the whistling through the air, feeling the air displacement. He couldn’t get his spear up, raising his arm to try to block the weapon.
He felt the impact shooting through his arm. No crack of bone breaking. Just sharp stabs of pain shooting through the arm and into his shoulder. He heard the clash of metal on metal, a sharp tug on his arm as the hammer slammed into the small buckler he wore. The metal disc vibrated, straining the leather straps holding it tight to Hall’s arm.
Cursing, the Duntin raised the hammer to strike again. Hall dove forward, hearing the weapon slam into the ground. He rolled, getting up, pushing forward with the spear, catching the Duntin in the side. He pushed himself up, driving the spear in deeper. The Duntin lost his footing, pushed to the side. Hall twisted, knocking the stuck Duntin back, slamming him into another of the raiders. Tangled up together, Hall yanked his spear out of the raider. Stepping forward, he drove the point down into the Red Cap, pushing through the top body and into the one underneath. He had to pull hard to get the spear free. The Duntins both grunted as the tip was yanked out. Moving to the side, Hall stabbed down into the bottom raider.
Hall turned, looking for more Duntins, but there were none left. His companions had finished off the last of their foes, leaning heavily on weapons or the wall.
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+40 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +40, Dungeon Bonus +40)
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+40 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +40, Dungeon Bonus +40)
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Raider
+35 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +35, Dungeon Bonus +35)
SLAIN: Roc Reaver Berserker
+50 Experience (Faction Enemy Bonus +50, Dungeon Bonus +50)
Skill Gain!
Light Armor Rank Two +.2
Skill Gain!
Polearms Rank Two +.4
Skill Gain!
Shields Rank One +.5
He was surprised that the cavern complex they were in was classified as a dungeon. Surprised but glad. The extra experience was a huge bonus. Electronic Storm had said they were tweaking experience gains. It appeared they still were. Gaining levels had been slow post-Glitch, and while it still wasn’t as fast as it had been pre-Glitch, this was a huge improvement.
Experience: 2,165/3,500
There was a chance he could hit level eight just from the figh
ts coming up.
Jackoby had walked up the ramp to the next tunnel, watching down it. Hall felt hands lightly touching him, glowing yellow, a warmth spreading through his body.
“Thanks,” he said, nodding to Bealee.
She moved on to Roxhard, who was busy searching the dead bodies.
Hall held up his arm, moving it to get rid of the stiffness. The hammer blow to the buckler hadn’t done any damage to his arm, but the vibrations had somewhat numbed the arm. The buckler itself was bent on the lower edge. Not enough to make it useless. It had saved his arm from being shattered or at least broken. He had to be using it wrong, though. Jackoby had never complained about numbness from hits against the shield. Of course, the Firbolg never complained about anything. Or praised anything. Even after all this time, Jackoby wasn’t one for talk.
Maybe once we’re back home, I can get some pointers from him, Hall thought, giving his arm one last shake and stretch.
“What do you see?” he asked Jackoby, walking to the far end of the round room.
The landing was only about five feet up at this point, the ramp curving around the wall on both sides. Carved out of the stone, the surface was relatively smooth, the side wall rough with a slight slope down.
“Nothing,” Jackoby answered. “It goes for another hundred feet before I can see no more.”
Not standing on the landing, his head a foot above the surface, Hall could see down the tunnel. There appeared to be light coming from the far end, the tunnel in shadows but not complete darkness.
“Caryn,” Hall called out, waiting for the Duelist to come over. “Think you can scout down there a ways?”
She climbed up onto the landing, taking a couple of steps down the tunnel.
“Doesn’t look that bad,” she answered, starting to walk further down the tunnel.