- Large ghostly crystal (6).
- Ephemeral Backpack of the Twilight Warrior.
More loot? I wonder what the vampire lady shared with me.
- Ephemeral Backpack of the Twilight Warrior.
- Type: Magical object.
- Rarity: Epic.
- Effect:
- + 10 ephemeral inventory slots.
- Items may be stored 2 times as long.
- Carried items weight 2 times less.
- Note:
- After equipped, becomes part of wearer until death.
I took the strange glowing item out of my knapsack and twirled it around in my hands.
- Attention! Would you like to use item: Ephemeral Backpack of the Twilight Warrior?
After I gave my agreement, the uncanny bag dissolved into thin air, and a new message appeared before my eyes.
- Tab created: Ephemeral Backpack of the Twilight Warrior.
Spellbound, I open the new tab and see ten empty slots. And below them is a list of items I can place into these slots. And wouldn’t you know it, all my stuff is there. For curiosity’s sake, I choose one ess and move it into an empty slot. I look into my knapsack and one ess is gone. It’s like it just turned to smoke!
Hm... One more... Two down in my knapsack, but plus two in one of the backpack slots... It suddenly started to reach me just what kind of item had fallen into my hands...
Overjoyed, I moved my most valuable stuff into the ephemeral backpack and breathed a sigh of relief. Just try and rob me now!
* * *
After I finished sorting through the drop, I walked up to the portal. Redtail was right. The fissure seemed to be gradually closing. The black ooze turned to viscous tar right before my eyes, then that tar at some point turned to stone. Seemingly, the ancient evil would cease to exist in just a tiny bit.
I took out all my crystals right away. After killing the vampires, I had twenty-one. The small puddle, now more like a spot of tar, gave a slight vibration when it sensed the magic of the crystals I dropped into it.
At first nothing happened. I had already started thinking it was time to get ready for the next incursion when suddenly the fissure went into motion and started to contract.
I ran a few steps back, my heart aflutter and watched the jagged cliff edges join together as the disgusting ooze turned to black steam. A few heartbeats later, the ancient portal, which had served as a passage for all kinds of horror over the millennia, ceased to exist.
I glanced at Gorgie and, in a quavering voice, said:
“That’s all, buddy... We did it... Time to get out of this place...”
Chapter 23
- Attention, Hunter! For valor displayed in combat with ancient evil, your reputation with the Order of Monster Hunters will be increased by 2000 points!
- Current reputation: 3280.
- From now on, you will receive a 50% discount on all items available in any of the order’s arsenals!
- From now on, the brothers of our Order regard you as a Hero!
- Congratulations! You receive:
- Monster Hunter token (500).
I SCRATCHED the back of my head, baffled. To be frank, I was expecting something more significant. I mean really, no matter how you slice it, we vanquished an “ancient evil...”
I think if some other hunter were in my place, this process would have taken much more time. I don’t believe my predecessor was getting showered in crystals at the same rate as me. Sly himself was constantly hinting at that in our conversations.
And well really, what good was so much reputation with a dead order? It also left me with a large number of these tokens... Heh... Discounts are sweet, no doubt. But what’s the point if all the goods have turned to dust? By the way, I shouldn’t forget to grab all the Fury scrolls from the arsenal before I leave. With my new reputation, they would run me five tokens a piece now.
There was one part of the messages that had me confused — “in any of the order’s arsenals.” Does that mean that Stonetown isn’t the only place the monster hunters lived and worked? If that’s so, where might the others be? And importantly, what condition are they in? Honestly, to be perfectly frank, I did not want to fall into the hands of another Sly Redtail just yet... Although I would be happy to dig around in the other locations’ arsenals.
The Maps tab was blinking, which drew my attention. Let’s open it up... Woah! Look how much stuff! Up until then, there were only trap markers. Now all the main city buildings were labeled. Almost all of them were on the central square. There’s the statue of Gunnar the Destroyer... There’s the arsenal... There on the outskirts is the temple... The portal, by the way, is no longer there. Wait... What’s that? My heart started beating faster... Bank? Ba-a-ank!
“Hrn?” Gorgie was surprised to see me start my fast-paced duck-walk toward the central square.
“Old buddy!” I shouted as we went. “If even a tiny bit of what should be in that building is still there, we’ll be set for life!”
I’ll admit that, for the last few days, never losing hope that I’d find something of value, I had rigorously checked every building in this little town. While Sly was with me, I tried to find out where the former masters might have hidden their things, but the ghost refused to help in any way. His argument was that stealing would be disrespectful to his fallen friends and brothers in arms. And that, by the way, just served to convince me even more that this little town was stuffed to the gills with valuables.
And alas, all my attempts to convince him such as: “I might find things that could help in battle with monsters” had no effect on the tricky foxman. He just laughed his crafty laugh and told me that traps are the best way of vanquishing otherworldly creatures. Well that and “quick thinking and valor...” May the abyss take that little geek!
Still, I can’t say my searches turned up nothing... Many times I discovered very simple safes and hidden wall niches but, alas, there was nothing in them except dust.... Beyond that, I saw a few traces of prior looting. Clearly my predecessors, luckier and with higher Observation or Treasure Hunter levels, had already checked these places. Honestly, it makes me wonder... If they died in battle, where did the valuables they found wind up? Heh! More questions... I guess I now have more than I did before I came here.
And now the map gives me a long-awaited hint! Stonetown had its own bank! Wonderful news! I’d even say stupendous!
Just imagine how many hunters once lived here... And where must they have kept all their trophies? Correct! The bank!
In school, we were told that bankers used special gnomish magic to keep their depositors’ valuables safe and sound. Maybe this bank was the same? The perspective of it made a chill run over my skin!
When I reached the central square, opened up the map and found the place where the Stonetown bank should have been - I wanted to rip my hair out.
The only thing there was a big hill of giant stones overgrown with a thick layer of green moss. The shapes of the stone fragments hinted at some particularly long stalactites. I looked around, as if seeing the square again for the first time. The town hall, bank, temple, and another dozen or so buildings were destroyed and buried under gigantic rock fragments. Only now I noticed that almost the whole city was in good condition, except for the most important structures. It was as if someone was intentionally using destructive magic to make the hanging rocks fall off the ceiling.
Hmm... I looked in disappointment at the piles of rock and, rubbing my chin, thought. With my current figures, I wouldn’t be able to clear these hills even if I had several lifetimes. I was reassured by the fact that the map still showed active blue points under the rocks. That must mean the ancient hunter traps are still active. So the bank safe must be on a lower level. I really want to believe that something is still down there...
Hmm... Despite the oath I swore to myself never to return here, I have to admit — this place doesn’t want to let me go. When I get stronger, I’ll have to come back.
The foxman did keep his word in the end - the Door let us leave! When I got outside, it felt like a stone had fallen off my shoulders...
We’re free!
The overload of feelings made me hug the harn’s armored neck. He immediately licked my face all over, also glad at our deliverance...
It’s funny to think how hard I’d have laughed if some joker told me just a month ago that I’d be happy to find myself on level seven of the caverns of the Crooked Mountains.
Filling my lungs with air from the caverns which now felt like home, I turned and looked back at the closing Door. I have mixed feelings about leaving this place. Disappointment — I didn’t find what I was secretly hoping for... Joy — we survived and escaped the trap... Comprehension — the only place you can find free cheese is a mousetrap... Next time, I’ll think twice before I decide to enter some ancient location...
* * *
It’s been five days since we left the ancient city. Yesterday we got past the pond where the eel used to live. We still didn’t enter the cave. We were avoiding it. The harn told me that, despite how many days had passed, it still holds the smell of rot. There must have been a pitched battle for the bodies of the tusker and eel and, ever since, there had been more squabbles over the bodies of the losers.
On our way, we did get some hunting in. We ended up with a big reserve of fangbloom stems. For the record, after the flavorless satiety potions, I was shoveling them down like the finest delicacy known to man.
And the harn was able to treat himself to some viper meat. Two times even. Beyond that, we took down a small flock of four megabats and one vile coldune.
Gorgie was improving gradually, and I played no small part. By amicable arrangement, we invested all silver tablets in his magic supply. We were gradually improving the other characteristics the natural way, but Intellect needed a bit of a kickstart.
And the battle with the vampires proved that every point of Intellect could be very important. That day, in just two thorntail jumps, the harn had practically emptied his mana supply, by the same token giving the vampire lady a window to take me down... Now though, he has twenty-six points — enough mana for five jumps.
My thoughts had returned to that memorable tussle on a few occasions. I took some time to think over the vampires’ strange behavior and came to the conclusion they were fighting each other for the right to kill Gorgie and I. One of them was going to have to disappear so the other two could acquire bodies.
And that led me to the conclusion that these beings must have their own code of honor. What was stopping the mage from quickly cutting me down when he realized that there were just two of us? Then he could have just watched his two companions hack each other down for Gorgie’s body. But he didn’t... He first announced the news to his friends, then the whole scuffle started...
The “odd man out” scenario was also supported by the fact that, as soon as the mage died, the other two stopped fighting.
My father once told me that sometimes it’s useful to look weak. He said it could be a way of gaining an advantage. The true meaning of his advice only reached me now. I was lucky that the twilight warriors underestimated the nulled “worm” and his level-six pet.
Overall, I’d basically cracked it. But now the question: “How did those freaks get into the city?” remains open. I definitely remember the portal closing after the Ysh died. That means the vampires didn’t come from its world like the snow ghoul had, jumping in after the icy rover. There was definitely something more at play here... Something the damn foxman never warned me about...
I have a few guesses, one more unusual than the next. I’m inclined to think the twilight vampires have a way of controlling portals. When Sly was describing the Potions of Satiety, he mentioned that hunters could travel to other worlds. That led me to a logical conclusion — sentient otherworldly creatures must be able to do the same thing. All that remains is why I never sensed the portal opening. Maybe I didn’t have enough of the foxman’s precious reputation?
“Hrn,” Gorgie distracted me from the heavy thoughts.
“Yes, you’re my pretty boy,” I whispered into his ear and admired his now higher figures.
- Ferocious Harn.
- Name: Gorgie.
- Level: 6 (13600/27000).
- Status: Loyalty to master (permanent).
- Mind: 1/1
- Strength: 48/90
- Agility: 55/90
- Accuracy: 5.8/90
- Intuition: 6/6
- Wisdom: 5.8/12
- Animal instinct: 8/12
- Speed: 49.1/90
- Flexibility: 41/90
- Intellect: 26/60
- Mana supply: 310/310
- Health: 60/60
- Endurance: 49/60
- Life supply: 650/650
- Energy supply: 540/540
- Scale armor: 30/30
- Defense: 300/300
- Damage: +140.6…+451.4
- Bite: 30/30
- Paw swipe: 30/30
- Pounce: 6/6
- Animal regeneration: 10/12
- Hunter: 21.8/30
- Fisher: 12.8 / 30
- Resistance to Hexapod poison: 7 / 30
- Thorntail’s jump
I glanced into my ephemeral backpack.
- Experience essence (59660).
- Stone tablet of Mind (24).
- Clay tablet “Herbalism” (110).
- Clay tablet of Mind (110).
- Gold tablet of Intellect.
- Monster Hunter Token (505).
- Hunter’s Fury (19).
- Blot (15).
- Small potion of satiety (18).
- Ferocious Harn summoning amulet.
After we took down our first viper after leaving the town, I noticed something strange with the backpack. And to me, it was cause for celebration. First came a message asking whether I’d like all new loot to go into my new backpack from then on. I agreed to that with pleasure, forgetting that all the ephemeral slots were already occupied. I recognized my mistake when a new item dropped. I quickly opened the backpack tab, but froze with my mouth wide open. Now there were eleven slots?!
After that, the overexcitement behind me, I was able to think normally again and realized what was going on. Everything I put into the ephemeral backpack was labeled “Weight: None. Takes no space.” So in other words, I have ten more ephemeral slots!
I just left a bunch of junk in the old knapsack as a diversion. If someone else got their hands on that, it wouldn’t be so bad.
“Hrn...” Gorgie told me quietly.
“Yes... I taste it too...” I whispered.
The thing is, on day five of our journey, my mouth filled with the familiar bitter saliva... First I couldn’t believe it, thought it was just in my head, but the harn confirmed — there’s something evil and ravenous lurking nearby. However, Gorgie didn’t call this unknown creature “scary.” He must have tussled with one before.
And now we’re sitting fifteen feet off the ground on a wide ledge. We’re waiting to ambush the offspring of an otherworldly creature that acquired a body and escaped to freedom.
Below us is a large and damp ovular cave. The walls contain a few cave worm burrows, but they’re practically choked with green moss. The cave is surprisingly humid... But how could the air be so moist without a water source? There isn’t even a little puddle...
Suddenly the scales on the nape of the harn’s neck started vibrating... Aha... So the unknown animal was coming to pay us a visit. At first I tasted bitterness, then a hint of decay.
First I heard a loud gurgling breathing, then some pattering footsteps. The first thing that came to mind was that the unseen creature was not used to walking on land.
A few moments later, the monster app
eared from a gap in the opposite wall. Heh... So, looks like it’s a muckwalker! I myself had never seen one but, based on the distinctive features Miri told me about, this must have been one. I just don’t understand one thing — what is an aquatic creature doing so far from the putrid waters it calls home?
I took a look. The thing was like a big old toad, or maybe a fat lizard. The skin on its body was all cracked, even broken in a few spots. On its right side there was a deep scratch that oozed with thick green slime. Ha! Looks like this thing is injured!
Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains Page 30