Soulcatcher

by Sergey Zaytsev

  Just in case, I checked if my auras, "Tempest Blade" and "Wind’s Breath", were active. Both were now rank two and their abilities had increased when I had hit level seven. I then briefly checked the auras of my companions. Grant had "Lifegiving Shroud" which allowed him to use his damage abilities to partially heal up to five members of his party; Owl had "Static Flow" which increased the damage of his combat abilities by 10%; Gramps had the "Shield of Piety" and his physical defense was increased by 10%; and Red had "Jagged Arrows" and her critical strike chance for long-range weapons was increased by 50%". In addition to their combat skills, almost everyone had something that caused stun. Skills like "Windspear", "Life-giving Trap", "Treacherous Gust", and "Lash of Pain" were crucial for any battle.

  However, to have the ability and to be able to use it were two different things. The first fight would separate the wheat from the chaff.

  "Ready, guys? Don't forget about the stuns, but don't use them all at once."

  We also agreed on the stun rotation. However, fights were unpredictable and intuition was just as important as calculation.

  Tinnie flew forward, her small silhouette disappearing into the twilight glow of the columns. I still couldn't figure out why her one and only talent, "Firefly", didn't work. It would have been useful there. Crouching down and lowering my sword, I quietly went after her; crawling, I was ready to dive behind the nearest column at the slightest sign of danger. I really hoped that there were no archers or mages hiding behind the embrasures. Especially that there were no mages. I wouldn't want to lose Tinnie in the first skirmish. I hoped that the fairy was too small of a target for our enemies and that she drew no attention.

  There were only ten steps left, and it was still dead silent; there were no sounds or movements. Maybe Tinnie mistook the stone statues for enemies? Where did they all go then?

  Five more steps. The darkness oozing out of the embrasures was breathing down my neck. The fairy dove right into one of holes, like into a bottomless whirlpool.

  However, no matter how much one anticipates an attack, it always happens suddenly.

  They jumped right through the walls; lean silhouettes about my size, clad in smoky grey armor, with round black shields in their left and broad short swords in their right hand. All of them were level six. Visors of their helms, stylized in the shape of spiders, embraced their faces with eight legs. A reddish flame burned through the narrow holes of the "spider eyes", and snow-white hair streamed over their shoulders from under the helms.

  The first three "Dark Guards" were coming straight for me. The united attack was fascinatingly beautiful, but this was not the moment to admire it. Steel-bound boots rattled as they landed onto the dusty stone floor. All three of them raised their swords at the same time with the intent of chopping me into pieces.

  I had no time to cast magic, and I barely managed to bounce back. The sword's tip of the central warrior flew to the side, steel ringing loudly as it hit the stone, ignited by the "Searing Flash". Immediately, the other two attacked from the side. Precise and calibrated moves felt considerably trained. They were incredibly fast.

  "Dive!" Red shouted, voice piercing the air.

  I threw myself onto the floor and rolled backwards.

  With a clang, the enemy's sword hit the granite column directly overhead, showering me with sparks. Arrows whizzed through the air, followed by the buzz and flashes of combat magic.

  A sparkling ball of lightning collided with the breastplate of the central warrior, causing him to recoil and become numb for a short moment, snake like magic discharges dancing on his armor. The second managed to dodge the attack and swiftly deflected Red’s arrow aimed at his eyes with the shield. The third one was less lucky and got hit by the cleric's "Lash of Pain". The guard arched, howling excruciatingly, and dropped his sword. Throwing his head back, he lifted the lower edge of the helm.

  With a nasty crunch, the arrow pierced his bared throat. One down.

  However, with a shrill battle cry, a second trio rushed to aid the first. Two more powerful warriors jumped out of the darkness. They were stocky and broad-shouldered, with long heavy spears clenched in leather gloves with steel plates. Spearmen, level seven. Somebody will not have a nice time. I hoped that that wouldn't be me.

  Grant cast "Life-giving Trap" in front of them. However, nothing happened. Dammit all! I thought he knew! The ground was made of solid rock, and his spell needed earth to work. Well, you live and you learn.

  With a rebound I moved right. Squatting and dodging a blade that whooshed over my shoulder, I found myself next to another guard. I didn’t miss the chance. I lunged and the "Uniq" cut into the knee joint of the armor. Dark blood splattered the ground, and the warrior roared in pain and fury, hitting me in the face with his shield. The powerful blow threw me onto the wall, and that moment of disorientation almost ended me. The guard didn’t have the time to land the final attack, as three simultaneous hits, Red's "Spectral Shot" glowing energy arrow, Owl's blue "Forked Lightning", and Gramps' bright yellow "Heretic's Bane", killed him on the spot.

  A smoking body fell next to me. Two down.

  Rolling to the side, I attacked from the ground. A five foot long, fiery spear manifested from my left hand, and hit, with a buzzing flash, one of the spearmen running through the crowd. It was a crit! His body flared up, fire and smoke billowing through the joints of his armor. But the warrior, as if charmed by my gesture, roared fiercely and continued charging towards me.

  I tore the shield from the fallen warrior next to me, jumped up and deflected the attack of the last soldier. I attacked with the "Uniq" and steel cut steel. "Ice Squall" got triggered, and the "Guard's" eyes widened, stunned, as the cold invaded his body. He froze for a moment, and Foxy cunningly used the chance to plant an arrow into the helm's slit. The dead man’s burning stare faded. Three down.

  At the last moment, I deflected the spear from a thug that had come up from the side with my shield. The monstrous recoil made my shoulder crunch and my hand become numb, but I managed to stay on my feet.

  "Move it, Wise!" Grant’s voice broke through the clang of the swords and the buzzing of magic.

  And then, Glutton rammed into the thick of the battle with the activated "Ultimate Shield". I saw everything in slow motion. The spearman, colliding with the "tank" pet at breakneck speed, flew into the air and got imprinted in the ceiling. He fell back, already dead, all bones broken.

  Four down.

  The edge of the shell deafeningly grinded against the iron; hitting the legs of the guards, it tore and crushed the greaves, throwing the drows to the side. Two swordsmen didn’t have the time to move away and got thrown at the walls. The third got crushed under the "Turtangle", who, without stopping, quickly turned around and stomped back. The spearman fiercely beat it from behind and got disarmed. The tip of the spear got stuck in the thick shell and pulled out of the hands of its owner.

  I rushed forward, trying to stay close to the wall and away from the spells and arrows of my companions. The stomped guard rose with difficulty, blood dripping from the cracks of the crumpled armor. A flash of lightning struck his helm, causing his head to recline. I lunged with the "Uniq", but the warrior, noticing the movement with the corner of his eye, managed to recoil. A miss. The sword met granite with a clank, and the warrior suddenly hit it with his elbow and "Flame" fell out of my numb hands. Glutton came to the rescue and jumped onto the enemy, instantly turning him into a bloody steak.

  Five down.

  The remaining three, realizing that luck was not on their side, tried to retreat. I reached for the "Uniq". Red's glowing arrow, having accumulated attack points with simple shots, hit the fleeing spearman under the shoulder blade, finishing him off. The warrior fell down with a roar. The back of the second flashed, hit by the ball of lightning, which burned a hole in his flesh and armor. Glutton stepped to the side and with a clang pulled the last enemy towards the column. Releasing his sword, the "Guard" growled furiously and tried to free himself
, but his gauntlets only glided over the smooth shell of the lake monster.

  In the last few seconds of the hand-to-hand combat Gramps dove in, swinging his warhammer full force and delivering the death sentence to the final warrior. The flattened helm flew off the drow’s head, revealing a crushed skull; bloodied bone bits mixed with brains could be seen through the hair. Glutton backed down, releasing the body. The warrior’s corpse slid down the wall, and slumped onto the floor.

  The end.

  We gathered near the corpses. The excitement of battle and victory rushing through our bodies, we exchanged triumphant smiles and militant stares. But, there was no time to relax. I returned the "Uniq" to its place on my back and examined myself, assessing the damage. Adrenaline numbed the pain, so in the heat of the battle I might have missed something. Surprisingly, I was intact, except for the bloodied, chapped lips and an aching nose. The shield hit me well, and speaking of which… It was a good, solid shield; around sixteen inches wide, black as coal both from the inside and out. The surface was chipped, covered in scratches, but without any holes. I couldn’t understand the material, but it was as light as tin, with two leather straps for the arm. I read the stats.

  "A Small Warrior’s Shield"

  Used for protection against melee and ranged attacks.

  Durability: 15/30

  Defense: 45

  Restriction on use: "warrior" class.

  When I looked up, Grant was already busy with Glutton; the greenish-yellow glow flowing from his fingers caressed the spear-damaged shell. The "Turtangle" anxiously shook its heads, its black eyes staring at its master. It stood still, withstanding the procedure.

  Owl vomited next to the corpse of the last victim, as the view of the crushed head didn’t leave his stomach indifferent. It was understandable. There was no sign of Gramps, who had left his warhammer leaned against the wall and went into the guard post to search it for useful items. We heard him swearing, which implied that there was not a thing there.

  Red needed to collect her arrows, and Grant took care of "dispelling" corpses which dissolved slowly and turned to dust. It was impossible to tear off their armor. Our loot consisted of whatever remained after they had dissolved. Otherwise, I would have dressed myself in full plate armor, as befitted a warrior. But the eight bodies left us only five grayish "socs". Even the helm ripped off the last guard’s head had disappeared.

  Tinnie landed onto my shoulder, and I sighed in relief. Having managed to hide somewhere when the battle had begun, she remained unharmed. After the fight, she received her rightful 15% of my experience, but remained far from level two. Having finished collecting the arrows, Foxy sadly shook her head – of a dozen released only six remained intact. Her final "Spectral Shot" was impressive; the energy arrow pierced the armor and did not require ammunition. But before it could be activated, the archer had to score five attack points with ordinary arrows, accumulating the vital energy of her victims. If we don't meet any enemy archers, she might have a problem, as there was no other way to replenish arrows. Lack of ammunition was one of the archer's weaknesses. On the other hand, enemy archers themselves were a serious problem. One single arrow crit to the head was, most likely, more than enough to kill any of us, and only the residual "Shield of the Novice" could slightly reduce this probability.

  Tinnie noticed Foxy bending down to pick up the last "soc", and suddenly took off of my shoulder and landed onto the crystal. Clasping her hands around it, she flew up with some difficulty and, buzzing like a bumblebee, dragged it to me. Unable to watch her struggle so hard, I raised the shield horizontally, allowing her to land onto it like onto a helipad. Carefully, I took the crystal with two fingers.

  "Thanks, Tinnie…"

  The fairy took a step back, glancing angrily at me.

  "What's up, little girl? Do you need the crystal?"

  She nodded hurriedly.

  "What are you going to do with it?"

  Having received my formal permission, the "Treexie" immediately demonstrated why she needed the crystal. The matte hexagon in her arms flashed brightly with amber light and began to melt, rapidly decreasing in size. It disappeared after a few seconds, but its light was not lost. Overjoyed, the fairy herself was shining like a little sun. I gave out a surprised "hmm". Tinnie's experience bar filled up for three hundred more points; just a little more than after the fight.

  That was how you raised her.

  I realized that the shield was still on my arm, and that it hadn't disappeared. "Did Cavalier not say that you should remove items right from the enemies during battle?" I asked no one in particular.

  Gramps peeked out of the embrasure. Owl forgot about his nausea. Red straightened up in surprise. Grant moved away from the "Turtangle". Everyone looked at me in a puzzled silence.

  "So, we’ll try it next time," I concluded with a hopeful grin. "By the way, Owl, congrats on the level seven. What's new with the spells?"

  "Congratulations from me also," nodded Gramps. "One can skip many things in the heat of the battle. Why didn't you tell me you were almost level seven? Would have gotten you leveled before the dungeon."

  "A min," replied Owl; studying of stats always required attention. Then, the weathermage’s thin lips stretched into a delighted smile, and his bony face almost became cute. "Hell yeah! Now we’ll be bagging and tagging everyone!"

  "Don’t torment us," Red playfully patted him on the shoulder. "It'll help all of us."

  "I got 'Ice Vortex'. Its casting time is two seconds. It's an AoE water damage spell, which reduces enemy damage by 25% and slows attackers down by 20% for 16 seconds," Owl rubbed his hands excitedly. "And the cooldown is not that long – just a minute!"

  "Now we’re talking!" Grant grinned approvingly and smacked Owl's skinny shoulder, causing him to slightly falter. "Now let's move before we get bagged and tagged."

  Loading time: 01.42

  "Holy shit!" exclaimed Owl as soon as the next, seemingly endless tunnel, ended and a giant cavern opened before our eyes.

  Gramps gave Owl a smack on the head, and the mage, catching our condemning stares, made a sour face. Cavalier specifically warned us to not make a sound near the first bridge. If one was quiet, there was a chance of passing through the area without disturbing the guards. He strongly advised us not to fight.

  But it was really something incredible, and Owl’s reaction was understandable. Cavalier had told us that all of it was, in fact, just a series of natural caves within the mountains, connected by a complex transition system. But until one sees it firsthand, one can't get the full picture.

  So we stopped, impressed by the sight.

  Twilight reigned here, and our weapons, although working to their fullest intensity and strenuously spending "socs", still had difficulties pushing back the immense darkness. Stretching around the rocky plateau, and piercing the darkness every hundred to hundred fifty feet, were giant columns, thick as trees. Somewhere up there, at an unattainable height, they supported an invisible dome. Behind the second row of these columns was a path blocked by a wide, and seemingly bottomless, transverse cleft, over which was built a hanging bridge. The supporting stone pillars erected along the edges of the pit were connected by four ropes, each one as thick as an arm. The two bottom ones had wooden flooring, the two on the top served as handrails.

  I gestured to get everyone’s attention and cautiously moved forward. Tinnie, bright as a firefly, flew ahead. I mentally told her to keep close, and she obediently maintained the distance. There was about sixty feet to the bridge, and just as much across it to the other side. A short jog after the bridge and we'd be in the tunnels again.

  A piece of cake, it would seem.

  Owl’s "Ice Vortex" worked wonders. We shot down the guards as if we were on a shooting range, hitting them with whirlwinds and freezing them to the bone. Glutton and I had almost no work. Successfully cutting down three more guard squads on our way, our group remained unscathed.

  However, we didn't receive any ite
ms. We had no luck with the prisoners. The first guard, which we tried to capture to acquire his armor, was too wounded, and the "Lash of Pain" killed him instead of immobilizing him. Gramps and Owl, taught by the bitter experience, managed to twist the second guy's arms. But even that didn’t help. He cut his throat on my sword which we had put against his neck in order to scare him. Grant’s healing spell that tried to save him had the opposite effect, and the guard died quickly and painfully. After that, we came to the conclusion that we were being smartasses, and that the system did not like that.

  So we didn’t play games with the third group, and simply destroyed them.

  I turned around, checking on the others.

  The "Hunters" moved in a straight line. We agreed in advance to cross the bridge one by one to produce less noise. Red went right after me, followed by Grant, as we tried to keep the healer in the middle to protect him from both the frontal and rear attacks. Owl and Gramps followed. Our main rear cover was Glutton. No matter how hard it tried, it still stomped loudly, attracting attention. Being heavy as it was, the bridge might not withstand it. Also, we had made sure that stray arrows were not a threat for Glutton. We came across an archer in the second group of guards who, got "aggro'd" by Glutton. Foxy quickly proved to the enemy that such a mistake was fatal, and took a posthumous gift from his corpse – a spare quiver full of arrows, and a tuft of hair from a mangy mare.

  Surrounding us were a lot of bones, broken and gnawed clean, and very human looking, fractured skulls. We had to keep our eyes open and be careful not to step onto the remains and disturb the peace of the dead with the crack of breaking bones.

  Ok, now – the bridge.

  Tinnie was again the first to rush forward, followed by me, holding the sword and the shield at the ready, and looking carefully at my feet. As we moved, Tinnie’s light sometimes illuminated the chipped, worn out by many soles that had crossed them, but still strong-looking, boards. It would be good to avoid getting your boot stuck in a gap…