Warfang: (Sky Realms Online Book 5): A LitRPG Series

by Troy Osgood

  While he had been skinning the creature, Jackoby and Caryn had scouted ahead. The Duelist had disarmed another trap similar to the first. They had stopped at the first fork. The main tunnel had turned to the right, a slight angle. The left tunnel was a sharper turn, heading almost perpendicularly away.

  Hall opened his map. The left branch went another hundred feet before opening into a large room. Continuing down the right brought them to more tunnels and the main complex. Brandif had described the large room. The layout had stayed the same in the previous visits, just the occupants changing.

  “Left,” Hall said after describing what was ahead to the party.

  Jackoby and Caryn again took point, using the Greenfire globe attached to the Firbolg’s shield to check for traps. Bradberry hadn’t noted any, but Hall felt it better to be safe. They moved slowly down the new tunnel, the construction matching what they had seen so far.

  Hall wondered who had built the dungeon originally. It wasn’t Caobolds, the work too smooth for them. Dwarves? There were no Dwarf halls on Edin. At least not in the old game. In this new version? Possible. But Hall didn’t think so. The tunnels were missing something. He couldn’t describe what was missing, but there was just something not-Dwarf-like about them.

  He’d only been in Axestorm Hall and Greenfire Depths, those two drastically different. There was no reason that he could think of that this complex couldn’t be Dwarven; it just didn’t feel right.

  Ahead he could see the opening, a dark void in the relatively lighter dark of the tunnel, the Greenfire light not reaching it. He reached out, tapping Caryn and then Jackoby on the shoulder. They stopped, looking back. Hall motioned to the light on the shield. Nodding, Jackoby tapped it, turning the globe off.

  Hall moved past Caryn, moving forward, holding the heavier and louder Jackoby back. Pike hopped off his shoulder, settling onto Caryn’s.

  If there were more Cavlyn ahead, the light wouldn’t alert them, but the noise would. If there was something else, they would see the light. Hall moved forward on silent feet, being careful how he placed his weight.

  Caryn was the stealthier, but she needed light to see. With the Greenfire globes held by Seo and Sharra further back, Hall had just enough ambient light for his Limited Night Vision to work. The couple of times that Brandif and the others had come through the dungeon, the first time just the Skirmisher and Garrick, they’d had no Greenfire globes, and both were human. A Gael and Storvgarde. They must have carried torches or had some magical means that Hall didn’t know about. Bradberry was Arashi, and Scarlis a Storvgarde. Neither of them had dark vision either.

  Skill Gain!

  Stealth Rank One +.5

  He stopped, trying to slow his breathing, only twenty feet from the others. There was a dark patch against the tunnel wall just ahead, right before the opening. A Cavlyn? He held himself still, not even looking back at the others. Only his eyes moved as he tried to decipher the patch.

  Slowly, barely an inch at a time, he reached for the bracer on his left wrist. The Quickdraw Bracer of Sharp Teeth contained two small throwing knives. When launched, they turned into bolts of lightning, doing elemental and regular damage. There was a chance of a critical hit, adding a lot more damage for such a small weapon. Each knife would reappear in the bracer after the cooldown.

  Grabbing one of the blades, he slowly pulled it out, the metal sliding against the leather. The noise wasn’t loud, but he immediately stopped. Had the patch moved? Twitched? He was sure he had seen it.

  With a quick pull and flick of his wrist, Hall sent the knife across the short distance. It slammed into the dark patch, sparks erupting on impact, small bolts of lightning spreading out across the black. A critical hit.

  The Cavlyn fell from the wall. He was amazed how such a large creature could hold itself still and flat against the wall. There had barely been any shape to the patch. Some kind of magical ability.

  It landed on its side. Quickly, hopping back up, the Cavlyn turned toward Hall. It paused, head tilting. Without light, Hall was able to make it out, the catlike shape a darker black against the shades of gray he saw with his night vision. He held himself still, watching the creature’s movements.

  Skill Gain!

  Stealth Rank One +.2

  Its head snapped to the side, focused past Hall. One of the others had moved. The catlike creature crouched, ready to pounce.

  Hall stepped forward, pushing his spear ahead of him. It slammed into the side of the Cavlyn. Without a sound, the creature was pushed against the stone wall, pinned by the spear. It thrashed, the heavy body threatening to pull the weapon from Hall’s hands. It slashed out at him with a long paw, the sharp black claws slicing through the air. Hall took a step to the side, twisting the spear. The Cavlyn tried to bend to get at him.

  He pulled the spear out, activating Double Thrust. Two quick strikes, two different areas of the Cavlyn. Blood leaked from the creature, dripping onto the stone floor. Adjusting the spear’s angle, Hall thrust it forward into the Cavlyn’s neck. He twisted, ripping apart the creature’s insides.

  With one last spasm, it fell limp.

  SLAIN: Shadow Cavlyn +35 Experience (Dungeon Bonus +35 Experience)

  Skill Gain!

  Polearms Rank Two +.2

  Skill Gain!

  Throwing Rank Two +.1

  Pulling his spear out of the body, Hall twisted to face the opening, settling into a defensive crouch. He’d heard a soft sound, something striking stone. Hall got his spear up barely in time.

  The heavy body of a Cavlyn slammed into him.

  He fell back, feeling the claws tearing at his shoulder, digging deep. Hall bit back a cry of pain. He moved his head to the side, the silently snapping jaws of the Cavlyn barely missing. He felt the air move, smelled the stinking breath of the creature, felt the hot breath against his neck. His arms were pinned under the weight of the cat. Breathing was hard, the pressure pushing against his chest. He struggled to free his arm, trying to keep his head away from the jaws.

  To the side he saw two more patches of pure black run past, the Cavlyns rushing to attack the party. He couldn’t even shout a warning.

  Blue-white lightning flashes—incredibly bright in the dark, causing him to close his eyes—slammed into the Cavlyn. The weight crashing down onto him. Through his bond, he felt Pike’s talons tear deep furrows across the Cavlyn’s back. It fell off Hall.

  He scrambled to get away from it, gain some space so he could recover. His shoulder throbbed. He could feel blood dripping from the wound. Glancing at his Health bar in the corner of his vision, he saw an icon next to it. Some kind of bleed debuff.

  Pike, who had a form of dark vision, was diving at the Cavlyn, talons ripping the creature’s hide to shreds. The dragonhawk attacked, flying away just as the wounded Cavlyn tried to counterattack. Hall wondered which would be faster, the dragonhawk or a Cavlyn that wasn’t wounded. Taking a step forward, ready to stab the Cavlyn, Hall faltered as the creature’s head snapped to him. The mouth opened in a soundless growl. It crouched, ready to pounce.

  Another bolt of lightning struck it. The Cavlyn fell to the ground, body spasming in pain and shock. Hall took the opportunity. He stabbed down with the spear, piercing the Cavlyn’s shoulder, finding its heart.

  It still twitched for a couple of seconds, the electricity coursing through its body.

  SLAIN: Shadow Cavlyn +35 Experience (Dungeon Bonus +35 Experience)

  Skill Gain!

  Light Armor Rank Two +.3

  Skill Gain!

  Polearms Rank Two +.1

  Hall gave the spear a final twist before pulling it out of the Cavlyn. The tip snagged on a bone. Placing his foot on the creature’s neck, he pushed with his leg and pulled, freeing the spear. With a thought, he ordered Pike to watch the opening, turning his attention back to the party down the tunnel.

  Greenfire globes plus Tulla’s light purple glow lit up the tunnel, showing the two dead Cavlyns on the ground.

 
Hall wanted to ask, make sure they were all fine, but didn’t want to make a sound. His shoulder hurt, the deep cuts burning. He didn’t think they were still bleeding, but it still hurt. His arm was stiff. Just moving it caused the wound to flare up.

  Pike settled down on the dead Cavlyn, claws digging into the flesh, his sharp eyes watching the opening into the large room. Connecting with the dragonhawk, Hall felt Pike’s thoughts pushing at him.

  There were more creatures in the room. They weren’t moving, but Pike’s sharp eyes could just make them out. Not all though, just those that were closest. At least six. All the same size as the creature they had just killed. But beyond, there was one bigger.

  Activating Shared Vision, Hall’s own view was replaced by that of Pike. He saw what the dragonhawk saw. A circular room, at least from the construction of the walls just inside the opening. A large column in the center, the roof of the room lost in the shadows, as was the far wall. Even the amazing eyes of Pike couldn’t see past the column.

  The large shape was just to the side, hard to see, as it was lost in the shadows beyond the column and the column itself. Twice the size of the Cavlyn they had faced. Arrayed in front of the column were four Cavlyn, Hall just able to see the blacker patches against the slightly lighter stone ground. Pike turned his head, first to the right and then to the left. Hall could just see the front parts of the other two Cavlyn on either side of the opening. Just close enough to be visible.

  There was no way to tell what was beyond the column.

  Hall broke his connection, feeling the momentary dizziness as his consciousness fell solidly into his own body. In the darkness he didn’t have the blurred vision as his eyes refocused. He thought about the room ahead, how to approach it.

  Quiet as possible, the Cavlyn wouldn’t sense them unless they made noise. That eliminated the Warden’s Battle Rush ability. Their charging footsteps would be heard instantly, the creatures quick enough to dodge. Starting the fight with range made the most sense. But how would Sharra and Seo do with targeting their spells in the dark? The light from the Greenfire globes wouldn’t extend too far into the room.

  An Archer would have been nice.

  So would a Skald and a Witch. He was missing the buffs and debuffs those classes offered.

  But they had what they had.

  Tulla could offer some buffing and debuffing, but doing so tended to cause her pain. The cage was built to augment her abilities, allow her to strengthen the holder of the staff, but at the cost of pain. They were hesitant to use them. No one wanted to cause Tulla any more pain.

  The tunnel opening was a good place to face the Cavlyns, keep the numbers down, control the crowd. Even if the spells missed, the Cavlyn would attack and get jammed up at the opening, where the casters would be able to see.

  It was a workable strategy.

  Moving backward, keeping an eye on the opening, Hall returned to the party. He quickly outlined his plan as Seo healed his wounds.

  Chapter 16

  Jackoby and Roxhard stood on the ends, Caryn and Hall in the middle. They crouched, weapons ready. Hall could sense movement inside the room. They had been as quiet as possible moving to the opening, but the metal armor that Roxhard wore and Jackoby’s heavy footsteps couldn’t be quiet. The negative in Hall’s plan.

  But the Cavlyn didn’t attack. They waited, hoping to ambush the intruders.

  Behind the line were Seo and Sharra, Greenfire globes at their feet to provide illumination. Jackoby’s, mounted to his shield, was again turned on. Unlike a flame, staring into the Greenfire didn’t create afterimages or cause blindness. It was a bright light, but not painfully so. The green glow was even, not flickering, not distracting.

  Hall looked over his shoulder. Pike sat on Seo’s, the Druid wincing as the sharp talons dug in. Sharra held the staff out, Tulla’s cage dangling from the end. The fairy kept her glow dim, just a purplish outline around her form. She leaned forward, gripping the bars with her tiny hands.

  They were ready.

  Hall nodded.

  At the motion, Caryn extended her arm, letting a globe roll from it. The small Greenfire globe made noise as it bounced across the stone floor. It started to glow, the green light shining and revealing more of the room. It came to a stop about twenty feet in, motionless. Beyond its light, Hall could see the dark shapes of the Cavlyn, a much larger one behind.

  The creatures’ heads were all turned to the sound, trying to puzzle out what it was.

  It had been Caryn’s idea, the addition to Hall’s plan. With the globe in the room, there was just enough light to make out the catlike creatures. Enough light for the casters to target their spells.

  Hall felt the air move as dozens of tiny wood chips shot past his head. They streaked across the space, slamming into a Cavlyn. Sweat beaded on his forehead, dripping down his neck, as the stream of fire flowed overhead, flying across the room, adding light to the scene, creating flickering shadows. He smelled burnt flesh.

  The ground shook, the stone floor shifting. Before him, about ten feet out, a four-foot-high wall of stone appeared, shaped from the rock itself. Seo’s Wall of Earth created another barrier, forcing the Cavlyn to come at them from the sides where the Wardens were.

  Knowing their ambush had failed, the Cavlyn charged.

  There was a sickening thud, something solid hitting flesh, Jackoby’s hammer finding its first target. Next to him, Hall saw Caryn’s blade dart past Jackoby’s thigh, cutting into the Cavlyn. Hall knew she felt limited in this fight. Like him, all her abilities were based on having space to move. Where he jumped around, evading attacks and dealing damage in the air, Caryn’s fighting style was a dance. Ducking and weaving around the target, dealing dozens of small wounds. Neither of them could bring their full abilities to bear on this fight.

  But the Wardens could.

  Both activated their Warcry abilities, dealing more damage and giving a small debuff to the enemy. There was no true aggro component in Sky Realms Online, not like other games. It was a way to make the game more realistic and immersive. Most players, when they had come from other games, it took them some time to get used to it. A Warden could hold a monster’s attention, but that was just through dealing damage, but the enemy would still take a chance to attack another party member if it made sense.

  A Warden was still a tank. Just a different style

  He pulled his concentration back to the fight, thrusting his spear over Roxhard’s shoulder, catching a Cavlyn in the shoulder as the creature tried to slash at the Dwarf. The battle-axe swung up, the head biting into the Cavlyn’s side.

  More spells flashed past Hall, fire from Sharra mostly, as Seo concentrated on keeping his Wall of Earth up and healing the Wardens.

  Hall’s spear caught a Cavlyn under the head, piercing the tough hide, entering the neck. The dying creature fell back as Roxhard pushed it out of the way. The head of the spear pulled out, spraying blood across the Dwarf.

  “Yuck,” Roxhard growled, his axe catching another Cavlyn in the shoulder, driving the creature to the ground.

  Hall pulled his spear back, changing the angle, and slammed it into the creature, ending that one’s life. He didn’t know how many were left. They’d killed at least four.

  “Look out,” Seo called. “The wall.”

  Turning, Hall saw Cavlyn paws reaching over the top. The head poked up, head tilting as it listened. Snapping forward, hearing the air whistling, the Cavlyn caught a spear tip to the face. It fell back, the spear caught against the skull. Hall was pulled forward, managing to twist the spear and yank it free.

  Another Cavlyn landed on top of the wall. Hall swept his spear to the side, the shaft hitting the heavy creature. He knew it wouldn’t take the creatures long to figure out they could jump the wall. The barrier had served its purpose, was still helping.

  The Cavlyn batted at Hall’s spear, the impact of the thick paw almost knocking it loose. Hall could feel the vibrations running down the shaft. He loosened his
grip, not completely, but enough that vibrations didn’t run through his arm. The spear slid through his hands, Hall grabbing it harder. Holding a smaller length, Hall jabbed it forward, catching the Cavlyn in the shoulder. The creature slipped, but didn’t fall from the wall. Activating Double Thrust, Hall scored two more hits, shoulder and flank, before the Cavlyn could recover.

  Twin blades stabbed into its other side, the creature falling from the short wall. Caryn twirled her blades, happy to have some space, quickly slicing them through the air in an X pattern. A Cavlyn’s head fell to the ground at Hall’s feet.

  Splinters shot past, disappearing further into the room. Flames streaked between Hall and Caryn, narrowly avoiding each. He could feel the heat against his skin.

  Roxhard and Jackoby had stepped away from the opening, facing the Cavlyn fully.

  “Here comes the big one,” Seo exclaimed.

  Hall looked into the room, seeing the much larger shadow at the edge of the Greenfire globe’s light. From what he could see, it looked like the other Cavlyn, just bigger. Much bigger.

  Skill Gain!

  Identify Rank Two +.1

  Shadow Cavlyn Alpha (blue)

  The alpha was a mini-boss. Only a couple of levels higher. With a command, Hall sent Pike flying off Seo’s shoulder. The dragonhawk made a circuit through the room, eyes scanning everywhere, counting Cavlyns. There was no exit to the room, not that Pike could see from his altitude, which Hall knew from the map. He wasn’t sure how the Cavlyns had gotten in. Aside from the alpha, there were four more of the creatures behind him. Only four more facing off against Roxhard and Jackoby.

  Pike watched the alpha’s head turning as he flew, the larger creature following the slight noises the dragonhawk was making. Hall could feel Pike’s eagerness to attack, to blast the alpha with lightning, but Hall forced him to hold off.