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

by Troy Osgood

  Skill Gain!

  Identify Rank Two +.2

  Gangori Blooddrinker (Orange)

  The level difference pegged the Blooddrinker as the boss of the dungeon. It looked down at Hall, growling.

  Holding his spear in one hand, Hall pulled a throwing knife from his bracer. He threw it at the Blooddrinker. It raised a large arm, taking the hit. Sparks of power spread around the creature’s forearm, small drops of blood falling to the dais, smoke rising from the wound. The Blooddrinker just snarled, unharmed.

  One of the Bloodsingers shifted, ready to cast a spell on Hall. Bracing himself, Hall took a step back. Flames shot out, splashing into the Bloodsinger. The creature howled, stepping forward, tripping and falling down the steps. Pike dove from the shadows of the ceiling, talons slashing across the other Bloodsinger, pulling up to unleash a bolt of lightning at the Blooddrinker. It growled in pain, swiping a long arm at Pike, who barely managed to avoid it.

  The Blooddrinker was big, but it was also fast.

  Activating Leap, Hall jumped to the top of the dais, over the Blooddrinker. His Leaping Stab slashed across an arm that was fast enough to reach up, almost catching Hall. Landing, he pivoted quickly, using the Attack of Opportunity, slamming the tip of his spear into the Blooddrinker’s side.

  He had meant to hit the creature’s back, but it was that fast.

  The hit did some damage, Hall pulling the Blooddrinker’s Health bar, seeing some red disappear. The large Gangori staggered to the side, swiping at Hall with a long arm. Hall ducked, activating Double Thrust, scoring two quick hits to the Blooddrinker’s side and stomach. Neither was a solid hit, the creature moving out of the way.

  Hall stepped forward, driving the spear ahead of him. He caught the Blooddrinker a glancing blow, slicing a large gash across its side. He didn’t react quickly enough. The heavy arms and long claws caught him in the shoulder. He fell to the side, the fast Gangori stepping forward and kicking out.

  Hall caught a large foot in the shoulder, the already cut shoulder. He flew back, hitting the ground hard, back slamming into the wall. He thought he heard wood cracking, his javelins becoming useless. Somehow he held onto the spear, feeling blood falling from his wounds. Breath was hard to get. Moving his shoulder, Hall winced in pain. Something was cracked or broken.

  He tried to push himself up, seeing the Blooddrinker coming his way. Using the wall, he slid up it, watching the thing approach him warily. He tried to lift his spear, pain spreading through his shoulder.

  Cursing, Hall dropped the spear, the wood clattering against the stone.

  The Gangori slowed, making a weird kind of hissing growl. It was laughing at him.

  Grimacing, Hall pulled another throwing knife, launching it in one smooth motion. It hit the Blooddrinker in the chest, crackling bolts of electricity spreading from the wound. The Gangori growled, surprised.

  It gave him time to draw his sword.

  And Pike to attack.

  The dragonhawk’s talons ripped into the Blooddrinker’s back. The creature howled in pain. It turned to reach for Pike, the dragonhawk flying out of the way, exposing the creature to Hall. Not liking the shorter reach, the Gangori’s arms longer, Hall stepped forward fast. He got within the reach of the Gangori, too close for the claws, and stabbed forward and up with the sword. He caught it just under the arm, pushing the blade high. It turned, Hall pulling the sword out and letting himself fall to the ground, away from the swinging arm.

  Blue-white lightning slammed into the Gangori, smoke rising. It turned back to Pike, but Hall was on the ground, his shoulder throbbing from the impact, not able to take advantage.

  But Roxhard did.

  Reaching the top step, holding his battle-axe in both hands, Roxhard jumped into the air. The axe bit deep into the back of the Blooddrinker. It stumbled forward. Roxhard landed on the ground, pulling the axe-head down the Blooddrinker’s back.

  Hall slid away, standing up.

  Holding the sword in one hand, he waited, watching the Blooddrinker’s arms. It was trying to reach around, to get at Roxhard.

  Seeing an opening, Hall stepped forward, driving his sword straight into the Blooddrinker’s side. The tip pierced the tough skin, driving in the tip and slicing into the Gangori’s heart. The body arced, giving one last growl, before it fell to the ground.

  SLAIN: Gangori Bloodcarver

  +35 Experience (Dungeon Bonus +35 Experience)

  SLAIN: Gangori Bloodcarver

  +35 Experience (Dungeon Bonus +35 Experience)

  SLAIN: Gangori Bloodcarver

  +35 Experience (Dungeon Bonus +35 Experience)

  SLAIN: Gangori Blooddrinker

  +60 Experience (Dungeon Bonus +60 Experience)

  Skill Gain!

  Light Armor Rank Two +.3

  Skill Gain!

  Polearms Rank Three +.4

  Skill Gain!

  Small Blades Rank Two +.2

  Skill Gain!

  Thrown Rank Two +.1

  You have gained LEVEL 8!!

  You have gained +1 Stat Point to spend.

  Your Health, Energy and Vitality have increased.

  Chapter 19

  Hall dismissed the notification. Level eight. He was amazed at what a difference the changes to experience gain had been, and he hadn’t even set the Gangori up as faction enemies for the experience bonus. For the first months post-Glitch, gaining experience had been a struggle. The leveling was so slow, not like the old game.

  Then something had changed, and the leveling had increased. Seo, who kept track of all the data in his notebook, had said the change hadn’t been much. Only five or ten experience points per kill. But that added up quickly. The dungeon and faction enemy bonuses added so much more.

  Getting to level six had taken a long time, and in less time he’d gotten to level eight, even with each new level requiring more experience.

  Leaning against the stone wall, he pulled up his Character Sheet, looking at the gains in his Health, Energy and Vitality. That was something that still hadn’t been adjusted. The gains weren’t the same as they had been pre-Glitch. Slower. Much slower.

  But then he didn’t seem to be taking as many hits in each fight, but when he did get hit, it hurt. A lot and gave more damage, having more lingering effects.

  Less game mechanics and more realistic.

  His last level, he’d put the attribute point into Charisma. He was dealing with people more, and as the lord of Skara Brae, he needed people to like him and listen. It had made sense. This time he decided to put the point in Strength. He wanted to do more damage per attack.

  Satisfied, he closed the sheet.

  Roxhard was peeling the rough leather armor off the Blooddrinker.

  “This is the only loot he’s got,” the Dwarf muttered. “Not the best, but maybe the village leatherworker can do something with it.”

  Hall nodded, stepping over to the steps.

  All the other Gangori were dead, the party pushing aside the bodies to look for any scraps of loot. They weren’t finding any.

  “Everyone good?” he asked, walking down the steps.

  He didn’t hear anyone say they weren’t, so he took that as a good sign. Seo walked up, hands already glowing. Hall waved him off.

  “Leveled up,” he said.

  The process had brought Hall to full Health, Energy and Vitality. Game mechanic versus reality, this one on the game mechanic side. But Hall wouldn’t complain. His many wounds still felt stiff and sore, but a good night’s rest would help that.

  “Congratulations,” Seo said, letting the light fade from his hands.

  “Thanks,” Hall replied.

  Letting the others continue with the bodies, he walked around the room, examining all the corners. In one he found more moss growing on the wet walls. Along the base of the steps, he found more patches.

  SMALL FROST MOSS (repeatable)

  Gather Green Cavern Moss 12/12

  Gather Lavender Shining Moss 10/12
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  Gather Striped Graystone Moss 9/12

  Gather Flowered Gem Moss 0/12

  Skill Gain!

  Herbology Rank Two +.3

  The last type of moss was proving elusive. He hadn’t found any so far. Which was hard. That it was listed in the quest meant there had to be some in the dungeon. But where?

  They’d searched almost everywhere.

  “If there’s nothing else here, let’s see what was in that storeroom.”

  He had been right. Mostly.

  What the Gangori considered food, they didn’t want.

  They wrapped the body parts in some kind of plant. Wide and long white leaves wrapped multiple times around the raw meat. As soon as the remains were revealed, they could smell them. Putrid, rancid, the meat gray. Somehow the leaves contained the odor and prevented maggots and mold from growing.

  Hall tossed the stinking refuse in the far corner, the smell lingering.

  He held up the leaf, examining all the sides. If it had prevented rot, it was strong. Scarlis would be interested in it. But he had no desire to unwrap more of the remains.

  You have harvested:

  Unknown Leaf

  Skill Gain!

  Herbology Rank Two +.1

  Rolling the leaf up, careful not to touch the side that had been around the meat, he took out a piece of the Cavlyn hide. Wrapping the hide around the leaf, he stuffed the bundle into his pouch. No one knew what the leaf was.

  The Gangori had piled bundles of the wrapped meat into sacks, tossing those into the room.

  Some kind of animal bladder contained what Hall hoped was water, but was not going to find out.

  He was starting to get disappointed in the dungeon. There was no loot. That was the whole point of dungeons. They contained high-level loot and a lot of it. Coins, gems, magic items.

  There was none here.

  Shaking his head, the group started to leave the room, when something caught Hall’s eye. There was a glint of metal buried under the pile of bladders and sacks. A Greenfire globe had moved at just the right angle, showing the metal.

  Skill Gain!

  Increased Perception Rank Two +.3

  Hall crouched down, pushing aside some of the sacks and bladders. Wherever the Gangori had come from, they had brought a lot of provisions. Tossing them away, he revealed a knife, the blade between the length of a dagger and a short sword. The blade was thick, the tip with a slight curve. The back edge was jagged.

  He picked it up, holding it toward the light from the Greenfire globes. The hilt was metal wrapped in leather. A small crossguard and pommel, the same metal as the blade. Runes were carved into the sides. Hall realized that it was all one piece of metal. He could feel energy through the knife, faint. An indication that it had some magical properties.

  “That’s not Dwarven,” Roxhard said, leaning in.

  “Not Elven either,” Hall added.

  “Dracon?”

  Hall shook his head. He didn’t know.

  He slid the knife into his pouch. Leaning forward, he pushed aside more of the bladders and sacks, revealing a piece of leather.

  “Help me with these,” he said, tossing more aside.

  Buried under what the Gangori called food, they found more items. Hall thought they had belonged to whoever had given the Gangori the meat. None of it was a style or size that anyone recognized. The leather, torn and ripped, was plain with no ornamentation. It was made for something thicker than a human, but not as thick as a Dwarf, not able to fit either. The size was somewhere in between. Not made for a Dwarf, too small for human. They found legs and chest, all of it useless, but Hall took it anyway, thinking Tusho could make something out of what remained.

  There was another knife like the first, a wooden cudgel, and a pair of metal gauntlets. Like the leather, they were a size that wouldn’t fit any of the party. Only the cudgel and the first knife seemed to be magical, the only pieces with the feeling of energy contained within.

  Hall was still disappointed in the loot from the dungeon. They had moved the entire pile aside, finding just the handful of items. He stood up, brushing his leather leggings off. Next to him, Roxhard picked up the last small sack. It slid in his hand, the contents shifting. There was a sound, rock on rock, as it moved.

  He looked at it strangely. Hall turned at the noise.

  Roxhard eyed the sack, poking it with a thick finger.

  “It’s hard,” he said with some surprise.

  Hesitantly, he slowly opened the sack. No putrid smell came out, so he opened it more, changing the angle so he could look in. The Dwarf’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “I think you’ll like this,” he said, handing the bag to Hall.

  Looking in, Hall let out a low whistle. The bag was filled with over a dozen gems in different shapes and sizes. In the light he couldn’t make out the colors. Some gems would be more valuable than others, but what he was holding in his hand made the dungeon worthwhile.

  He stood up, closing the bag, placing it in his inventory pouch. Hall looked at the pile of sacks and bladders, trying to see if there was anything they had missed.

  “More moss,” Caryn said from one of the corners.

  Hall walked over, pulling his dagger out. Like the other areas in the dungeon where the moss had grown, this one had a leak in the ceiling where drops of water fell, splashing against the wall and forming small puddles on the ground, providing a fertile area for moss to grow.

  SMALL FROST MOSS (repeatable)

  Gather Green Cavern Moss 13/12

  Gather Lavender Shining Moss 15/12

  Gather Striped Graystone Moss 14/12

  Gather Flowered Gem Moss 0/12

  Skill Gain!

  Herbology Rank Two +.4

  He’d gathered more of three types of moss, which should give him bonus experience. But still had none of the last, the Flowered Gem. He really didn’t want to go through each of the rooms again but was afraid he would have to. But he had looked everywhere, every surface he could get to. Looked with his Limited Night Vision and the Greenfire globes.

  There was nowhere else to look.

  He pulled up his mental map; the image appeared in his vision. Hall studied the map, making sure there hadn’t been a room they had missed. There wasn’t. They’d been everywhere.

  But then something caught his eye, a thin corridor appearing off the side of one of the rooms. It ran about ten feet and stopped. It didn’t end somewhere, just stopped.

  Because that was as far as Hall had been able to see.

  The crack out of a room.

  Hall stepped through the crack. It was a tight fit, but he managed. Looking back, he almost laughed. Jackoby stood in the room, one leg through the crack, trying to bend and contort his body to fit. It wasn’t happening.

  The Firbolg growled, stepping back.

  Roxhard tried.

  And failed.

  Short enough, the Dwarf was too wide.

  Caryn stepped through easily.

  Seo started to follow, but Hall held up a hand.

  Motioning Caryn to stay back with the Greenfire globe she held, Hall started forward.

  From the room he had only seen twenty feet or so of the tunnel. Rough, barely wider than the crack. He could only see that far because it turned at that point. Sharply, almost ninety degrees.

  Hall paused at the corner, listening. Twisting, he turned to look down the new stretch of tunnel. Just as rough as the one he was in. The floor was uneven, same with the low ceiling. He’d had to duck to avoid low-hanging pieces of stone. The walls were worse. He had to twist and duck to avoid protrusions. He couldn’t tell if the tunnel was carved or formed naturally.

  He could see down fifty feet of tunnel, maybe a little more. Hall thought the way the shadows gathered at the edge of his vision that it opened into a larger room. He still didn’t hear anything, so he started creeping forward, Caryn remaining further back with the Greenfire globes just at the edge of his vision, providing the ambient light
he needed for his Limited Night Vision.

  Hall tried to move with Stealth, but the uneven floor made it hard. His leather boots didn’t make much noise, but his skill wasn’t high enough for the terrain. He felt that anything waiting in the next room would hear him.

  His guess had been right. The tunnel opened into a larger room. Pausing at the entrance, crouching low close to the wall, he tried to pick up on any potential sounds. There was none. No foot or claw moving across stone, no breathing. It didn’t mean much. The Cavlyns had been completely silent in their movements, no breathing or sounds of any kind.

  From what he could see, and he could see most of the room, there didn’t appear to be anything there. Some odd lumps along the ground. The walls were rough, sloping up to the ceiling dotted with hanging formations. The floor was relatively clear, just the odd lumps. The far wall was a pile of tumbled stone, looking like something had fallen. He could see more detail, shaking his head to clear his vision as the night vision faded.

  Small lights filled the cavern. Two dozen, maybe more.

  Close to the ground, glowing with their own inner light.

  He smiled, glad to have found the last items he’d been looking for.

  By the lights of the moss along the ground, he could see the shapes for what they were. Dead. Wearing leather armor like they had found in the storage room.

  “I think it’s clear,” he called back to Caryn, stepping into the room.

  Hall walked to the nearest of the lumps, poking it with the tip of his ironwood spear. Nothing moved. It was dead.

  The creature lay faceup, throat torn. Hall had to force down the bile, keep himself from vomiting. There was no smell, but the sight was disturbing. The leather armor had been ripped apart, torn to shreds, as had the creature’s stomach.