Both Michelle and Don had halted their actions only fifty feet into the entrance hall, struggling to see. Eli, who had heightened dark vision because of his racial bonuses, grabbed each by the wrist and began leading them up a small set of stairs in a panic. The jolt of movement caused the troll woman to stumble on the first few steps before she understood what was happening. As she caught her balance, she walked into one of the colorful beams of light. A moment later, the room hummed, crackles of long-dormant energy whirring to life. She had triggered something.
Each of the three stopped, knowing that places of power would likely have defenses in place to stop intruders. To their surprise, the humming grew silent before the entire temple burst into light, bringing a sense of wonder to the three adventurers. There were no torches or open windows, yet flooded with what seemed to be natural light. As the entire room became visible, Eli stared off into a massive expanse of stone, grass, trees, and clouds. The room they were in was impossibly large, so large that it could not have fit inside of the building they entered.
While the Temple was massive from the outside, the interior was more significant than the island it sat on, stretching for miles. Where they stood was an entryway, leading to a massive natural habitat. Polished stone floors shone in the now brightly lit area, the colorful lights making the design of a giant humanoid beast in the center of the entry. Its body was that of a bipedal bull with cloven feet, and five-fingered hands. Its head was that of a lion, spewing flames. On its back were massive dragon-like wings. Turning his attention away from the terrifying image, Eli scanned the walls of the temple.
Fine handwoven tapestries hung to either side of the stained glass windows, depicting scenes of pristine forested landscapes and majestic beasts. The curved stone walls stretched for hundreds of feet before being replaced by walls made of living trees that stretched for what seemed like forever. In the distance, two hundred yards away, Eli saw a small pond in a grassy field. At its center sat a stone archway, shimmering with energy. He could feel something pulling at him, urging him forward. As he moved, he turned to see his companions looking on in shock. As he inspected his surroundings, he stole a glimpse out of a nearby window, then nearly went blind. An explosion so loud that Eli was sure the world was ending followed a flash of light so bright that he was unsure if he would ever see again. The meteor had landed, snapping him back to reality.
“We need to hurry,” Eli shouted, his vision swimming. “I’m pretty sure we need to head into that archway.”
As he spoke, he pulled himself away from the macabre scene before him on the other side of his window. The army of blighted goblins had crafted a bridge from the fallen skeletons and were washing over the island, but they were not alone. In the center of their ranks, surrounded by a massive ring of ivory powder, was a gargantuan golem. The construct was nearly forty feet tall, had stone blades for arms, and was made from all remaining scraps of material that laid about the island. It looked like the earth itself had eaten a city, chewed it up, then spit out an abomination created from its remains.
Eli stared at the strange white powder that now clouded the air with confusion. What is that stuff? Then realization struck him. There were no more skeletons surrounding the building. In horror, Eli turned and sprinted, catching up with his companions at the border of the odd indoor grassland.
“Dude, look up,” Don said while running through the seemingly endless plains.
As Eli looked up, he nearly stumbled, the shock of what he saw throwing him off. Above him was a clear summer sky, filled with flocks of birds and large-winged beasts that Eli had never seen. Some creatures looked like oversized birds of prey; others looked like wolves with massive bat wings, all stared down at them with looks of hunger and confusion. None attacked. Not wanting to get eaten by a flying dire wolf, Eli pressed his legs to work harder. As he ran, Eli felt a familiar sensation in his mind, similar to when Aida would speak to him.
“You must hurry. I cannot keep up these defenses for much longer,” A gravelly voice said, entering his thoughts in a similar way to Aida. “There are intruders. Do not allow them to reach the altar. They have been infected.”
Who are you? Eli asked, Why are you helping us?
When no response came, Eli continued, his mind filled with questions. Moments later, the trio had reached the edges of the pond and stopped to catch their breaths. Eli and Don were both low on stamina, having been running and fighting for what felt like hours. Michelle sat comfortably with half of her stamina bar full, and Eli watched it refill at twice the speed of his own. As the group waited near the pool of water, the center of the archway glowed and filled with magical energy. Green and blue sparks shot together at its center, swirling into a multicolored vortex before stabilizing in a shimmering blue-green field of pure mana.
Eli stared at the mesmerizing display of magic in awe, while Aida spoke in his mind, “It’s a teleportation field. My guess is that you’re supposed to go in there. Something is guiding you, but it’s keeping itself hidden. ”
Where will it take us? Eli asked.
“How would I know,” Aida responded. “But, it’s obvious that whatever controls this place is trying to lead you somewhere, and it used a ton of mana to stop that army from catching up to you.”
After thinking over his options, Eli spoke, “We need to go in.”
“Uh, what?” Michelle shouted, “You expect us to just walk into some field of magical electricity?”
“It’s a portal,” Don said under his breath, knowingly.
“Okay, sure, but where does it go? What’s on the other side?” Michelle followed, not wanting to throw herself into danger.
“You need to hurry. We have but moments,” The bestial voice returned, whispering into Eli’s mind as a second smaller explosion rocked the temple. “I can no longer sustain the exterior defenses.”
A moment later, the doors of the temple shook as hundreds of small hands began pounding at its wooden frame. The three adventurers slowly turned to look towards the entryway, as the sound of cracking wood echoed off of the walls and into the valley. Moments later, the blades of small hatches burst through to the solidly built doors. As the door rattled, the three turned to look at each other, their decision made.
“Fuck it,” Don screamed, before rushing through the shallow pond and leaping into the portal.
“Coming?” Eli asked Michelle, who stared blankly as the thousand-year-old doors splintered.
“Yeah,” She responded in a whisper, fear in her eyes. “No way in hell I’m staying here.”
As the first group of goblins, orcs, and kobolds made their way into the building, followed by a massive ogre carrying a huge axe, both adventurers went silent. Eli stood, staring at the creatures as Michelle ran into the portal. Each of the mutated figures had pus-filled boils covering their overstretched midnight black skin. Their grey and black eyes were blank, and their mouths foamed as they ran towards Eli with single-minded determination. The shimmering portal wavered as the troll warrior vanished, followed closely by a slowly moving Eli. Behind them, the army of blighted creatures howled as the portal darkened and disappeared, then the beasts overhead attacked.
Traveling through space so quickly should have been jarring. One second, Eli was facing down a horde of hive-minded mutants; the next, he was standing in a library. Instead, he barely noticed the transition, only feeling slight weightlessness for the briefest of moments. On the other side, Don and Michelle had taken up defensive positions as they waited for an attack. When Eli appeared next to them, stepping from a stone doorway as if through it, they nearly attacked.
As he appeared, the wall behind him swirled with energy, then faded to lifeless grey stone. The three watched the faded portal, expecting to fend off waves of enemies, but no one followed. Not seeing any threats, the party searched their location for anything of importance, including an exit. Bookshelves made of tightly laced branches lined the wood, each packed with ancient-looking tombs. It was as if their c
reator's hand wove them, using living trees. Whatever it was, William was hinting at was most likely hidden somewhere in this room.
Eli weaved between the seemingly endless maze of tomes that stretched from floor to ceiling, seeing nothing out of place. As he searched, he heard muffled footsteps echoing off of the walls. Something was heading in their direction. With a wave of his hand, he signaled for his companions to be quiet.
“What is it?” Michelle asked, her voice carrying.
“Don’t you know the hand signals?” Don asked, before shushing her.
“Quiet. We’re not alone.” Eli whispered, jabbing them both in the ribs before drawing his hand axes.
As the group quieted, three distinct sets of footsteps grew louder, followed by the voices of two men bickering in common. One voice was high pitched, nasally, and sounded somewhat like a child. The other was gruff, arrogant, and sparked Eli’s memory.
“Something’s here. I know it.” The whiny voice of a goblin called out from the opposite side of the extensive library.
“You’re just hearing things. We’re the only ones to step foot in this place since the game started. There would have been a notification or something.” The deep, grave voice of a Dwarf followed, causing Eli’s blood to boil.
Don and Michelle both looked to Eli to decide, a look of concern on the Turta’s face. They were players. It was apparent by their conversation. Their levels and abilities were unknown, and they had at least three people with them. He didn’t want a fight but seemed to have no choice. Michelle’s face lit up with excitement at the sound of the nearby enemies. She lived for close-quarters combat. They had nowhere to run. Eli’s choice was simple. It was fight or flight, he would choose fight, especially if the voice was coming from the man who killed his wife.
Eli looked at the two adventurers, sitting across from him, on the other side of an opening in the bookshelves. He nodded and made a small hand gesture, signaling his plan. He wanted to wait for their enemies to pass before ambushing them.
“I still don’t know what you mean, you know,” Michelle whispered to Don, barely loud enough for Eli to hear.
Don sighed, “He wants to ambush them. Be quiet.”
“Stupid hand gestures, this isn’t the marines.”
“What was that,” The goblin asked, as the sound of footsteps came to a halt.
“I didn’t hear anything. You’re fucking crazy.” Let’s just find this book and get out of here.
“Just shut up and listen.” The whiney man replied irritated.
Silence filled the room, everyone holding their breath, waiting for someone else to make noise. Suddenly the sound of books falling from shelves, breaking the eerie quiet, and causing Don to shift in place. As the tombs crashed to the ground, a raven made of smoke flashed through the small gap between Eli and his friends, staring at them.
“Gotcha.” The goblin shouted, just before a massive skeletal figure burst through the opening, swinging a giant meat cleaver straight for Eli’s head.
Eli rolled backward, his back slamming into one of the sturdy shelves. The knife clanged against the wood where his head had been. Rather than getting stuck, a shimmering field protected the books and repelled the attack. The sudden shift of momentum caused the hulking seven-foot-tall skeleton to stumble. Eli took advantage of his enemy's momentary opening and kicked its knee. Bone cracked as the monster shambled forward, catching itself on the ledge of a shell.
Don and Michelle launched to their feet, rushing to help Eli fight off the skeleton. As they did, the gaseous raven circled back, flying between them and their ally, before exploding. Toxic smoke followed a small burst of mana that stunned the trio of adventurers. While notifications flashed in their vision, and debuffs appeared next to their status bars, the Skeleton stood and raised its weapon.
What was that, Eli asked Aida in his mind, while he coughed and wheezed.
“That was a necromancer’s familiar. It can be sacrificed to use a skill called Poison Cloud. It lowers visibility, has a short stun, and adds a stack of poison every second.” She responded, the spell's information passing into his mind.
Michelle was the least affected by the explosion, having learned the skill tenacity when she first started playing the game. The stun effect had downgraded to a daze, lasting less than one second. Locked in place, putrid smoke forced itself into Eli’s lungs. Trying to regain focus, Eli saw the large troll woman regain movement in her limbs. A second later, he saw the skeleton swing its jagged cleaver straight for his neck.
“Move,” Michelle shouted, closing the distance.
Eli rolled again, this time to his right, as the timer on his stun expired. Beside him, the two large bodies smashed into the wall sending chips of bone into his face. Out of harm’s way, he leapt to his feet as the stacks on his poison debuff increased. Noxious gas-filled most of the room and he had trouble spotting the other two enemies. In the distance, he heard someone chanting before a neon green light flew through the air.
Seeing the familiar necrotic bolt hurling towards Don, Eli jumped. He impacted his friend, throwing him to the ground. Pain exploded in his back, and his vision blurred as the blast of eldritch energy grazed him. With a flash, Eli’s health had dropped by twenty percent, and he screamed out in pain. The poison debuff flickered and grew.
Status, Eli yelled into his mind, prompting a response from Aida.
“You have four stacks of poison. And you’re suffering from a necrotic burn. You’re losing about ten health per second. Nine if you account for your natural regen.”
“Necromancer, kill the Necromancer,” Eli shouted as Don regained his footing.
Don placed a hand on Eli’s back, healing him, before nodding and turning the corner to find the caster. A moment later, he flew back through the opening, followed by a stout man in black chainmail armor, carrying a mace and a shield.
“Fuck,” Don shouted, wincing in pain.
“Oh, you guys are done. I don’t know why you’re here, but you’ve walked into a world of hurt.” The gravely dwarven voice called out as the man charged forward, shield raised.
Noticing the charge, Don sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the reckless attack. The Dwarves’ momentum carried him forward as he smashed into a bookshelf, bringing forth another flickering barrier that lit up the room. Seizing the advantage, the Turta threw several quick jabs. Fists slammed into the Dwarf's shoulder, staggering the man further, but caused little damage. His armor was far too heavy, and Don’s strength was too low. At the sight of the Dwarf, Eli’s vision began fading to red, as his rage skill took hold.
As his need to kill grew, the memory of Don lying on the ground bleeding from his attacks flashed in his mind, and Aida called out to him, “Not now, control yourself. If you lose it here, you’ll cause more harm than good. This is your skill; make it your own.”
The tide of rage washing over Eli crashed against a barrier as Aida’s words reached him. He would not let this unwanted skill control him. It would ruin their chance at success and put his friends in danger. Fighting his urge to attack the Dwarf, Eli forced himself to turn the corner, looking for the Necromancer. If he could not fight, they would die. If the Necromancer were not defeated, the cloud of poison and skeletal bodyguard would kill his friends. Stopping him would cause those effects to end. It may also stop whatever undead still stood outside of the temple. Don and Michelle had their opponents. He would find his.
Turning the corner, Eli saw nothing but the dense poisonous fog. He heard chanting, but could not determine where it was coming from. Words echoed off the maze of walls and bookshelves around him, and the sounds of battle rang out from behind. While inching his way forward in the direction of the eldritch bolt, his foot met a pile of books, starling him. For a brief moment, his attention was drawn to his feet. In that instant, the chanting ended, and the pristine stone floor beneath him turned to churned earth. Glowing skeletal hands erupted from the ground, clawing at his legs in an attempt to pull him under.
/> “Gravediggers Requiem. Damage over time and movement speed debuff. Aim for the hands, or force your way free. Don’t just stand there.” Aida's forced the information into Eli’s mind, replacing the flashes of notifications and allowing him to focus on combat.
Unable to move his legs and his health bar steadily emptying, Eli hacked at the skeletal hands attempting to free himself. New words of power began spilling into the room, followed by the glow of a staff. Eli chopped at the claws holding him in place, a battle axe in each hand, destroying them with ease. With each hand he destroyed, a new one would shoot from the earth to grab him. There was no end to them. Suddenly the chanting stopped, causing Eli to look in the glow's direction, an orb of eldritch energy forming in the air like a miniature green sun. Then the ball shot towards him.
Rather than flying through space, the large orb of death moved rather slowly, growing in size in its approach. Peeling his attention away from the attack, he focused on freeing himself. In one quick action, he forced one leg free, while chopping at the claws grabbing at the other. After momentarily escaping the strange spell, he pushed forward. With his life hovering above half, he dove, landing on the floor underneath the ball of energy. With a quick roll, he was behind the orb, avoiding collision. To his shock, the attack slowly stopped before changing direction.
Terror gripped Eli’s heart as he stood and ran towards the necromancer. The globe of necrotic energy had grown in size, then started to follow him. With each breath, the attack grew in power, nearly filling the room. As Eli approached, the necromancer grinned and raised his staff before firing several small bolts of energy from its tip. Four small holes appeared in Eli’s body, two in his stomach, one in his left shoulder, and one in his leg. His body faltered as agony tore through him if he were made of paper. Behind him, he heard screams of pain. His friends were in trouble.
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