Soulcatcher

by Sergey Zaytsev

It took us a few seconds to dash out of the room, as we tried to get as far as possible from the "Oasis", so as to avoid meeting the "inspectors". The patter of hundreds of insect legs chased us from behind, freezing the blood in our veins…

  Chapter 20

  ''The final straight''

  Loading time: 05.37

  Having thrown the sword onto my back, I stopped next to Grant, wearily watching as he, kneeling, took care of Red. Glutton hobbled over to its master, sat next to him, and pulled its burnt paws into its shell. The doctor would tend to it later; the girl had to go first. My heart was still thumping like mad after the battle, my hands were shaking, and the adrenaline was still rushing through my veins, encouraging me to go and kill someone.

  Foxy was lying on her back, on the smooth slabs of black obsidian, looking at us with eyes full of pain. Her breathing was sporadic, and pained. Grant brought the flask with "Monastic Potion" to her bloody lips and forced her to swallow. Then, near the shaft of the arrow that had pierced her under the right breast, the mage cut open the reddened shirt with his dagger, and splashed the exposed area with the healing liquid. He gently took hold of the arrow itself, and finally got the damn thing out of her. The mage's fingers shone with a soft green light…

  ''I have no idea how you intended to kill 'The Destroyer' as a duo,'' I shook my head and sighed heavily. ''The five of us barely defeated this thing.''

  ''You keep forgetting that the difficulty is much lower when there are only two players,'' Grant frowned, not moving his hands from the girl's chest. ''Bosses are weaker, and there are less mobs. Yeah, and remember what Cavalier told us. Defeating 'The Destroyer' is easier than getting to him. The 'Lord of the Dungeon' is not much more difficult than the 'Drider'. And we know all of his techniques in advance, so cast your doubts away, bro Wise. We're perfectly prepared,'' the healer's bearded face turned to me. ''Stop interfering, you're distracting me. Don't embarrass Red. Go and take care of the items.''

  I nodded and turned away, instinctively glancing round the "Drider's" hall.

  It was a spacious room, around a hundred feet in diameter, illuminated by the light passing through a lens placed on top of a tall, dome-shaped roof. The floor and the walls were made of black obsidian and were entirely decorated with artfully carved bas-reliefs depicting bloody ritual sacrifices. In the center of the room was a spacious sacrificial altar. The boss fought on it until it died.

  Gramps, leaned onto his hammer, stood at the altar and glared in our direction. He didn't like the way Grant performed his sacraments under Foxy's shirt, sliding his hands over her bare breasts. The cleric was smart enough to understand that it wasn't the time for jealousy, so he kept quiet. Owl was sitting leaned against the wall, cross-legged and hunched with a haggard look in his face. His staff lay nearby.

  The ''Drider''…

  The minute long fight got almost everyone killed. That's what happens when you underestimate the enemy.

  The ''Drider'' had no level. All we knew about it were its name and that it had a "solar crown", a circle with a lot of rays, which indicated its strength, around its icon. The dungeon's mini-boss was much smaller than the statue. The half-elf, half-spider was the size of a bigger dog.

  As we found out from the first seconds of the fight, his size was misleading. The "Drider" proved highly resistant to magic and stuns, and kept away from both me and the ''Turtangle''. This creature was a test of strength and coordination for our group. It struck us with lightning, paralyzing one or another, and cast wide fire circles, so called "Fiery Kisses", that caused the obsidian floor to boil. And, at equal and fairly frequent intervals, hid itself in a protective magic cocoon, which looked something like Glutton's advanced "Ultimate Shield". The damn cocoon was able to reflect damage back at those who had inflicted it. That is, us.

  It's one thing to be told about tactics, and quite another to feel it on your skin in a real battle. No one is immune to mistakes; moreover, mistakes are inevitable. Foxy fell first; the ''Drider's'' shield arose when the arrow had already been released, and it was impossible to interrupt the shot. The reflected arrow hit its owner with absolute precision and at full force.

  We survived the fight thanks to Gramps' divine skills, as only his "Lash of Pain" hit with absolute chance. Thirty seconds of cooldown, then a shot, which caused three-second paralysis and the subsequent two-second disorientation. In fact, during the battle, the cleric managed to cast the "Lash" three times; and in those precious seconds, while the ''Drider'' was paralyzed, we were able to beat it to death. Sword, hammer, spells, the ''Turtangle's'' ramming charges – we went all in. The rest of the time we had to dodge the ''Drider's'' lightning strikes and jump out of the fire circles. Because the girl had almost died, the creature's death did not bring us much joy. All our hope was riding on her avatar's vitality and Grant. But, if we had to, we would carry Red in our arms until she had recovered enough to move on her own. Hell, we were ready to carry her even now. After all, we couldn't stay here for long.

  Grinding my teeth, I went to the mini-boss' body.

  The heat of the slowly cooling floor could still be felt through the soles of my boots. Frozen bubbles burst with every step, popping subtly. I hadn't managed to move away from the boiling floor just once and my boots were still smoking, burned in many places. They will fall apart if I don't replace them soon, and I would have to continue barefoot. What an unpleasant thought.

  One more step, and I stopped near the ''Drider''.

  Twisted, clawed spider legs were tucked under its belly, and the torn humanoid torso was drenched not in blood, but in some oily liquid. Unable to restrain myself, in disgust, I kicked the creature's already dissolving body. Recollecting myself, I glanced toward the entrance and waved to Tinnie. The fairy had nothing to do in battle, so I had ordered her to stay in the hallway and stay out of harm's way.

  Having received permission, Tinnie eagerly rushed to me.

  I turned to the altar again.

  The ''Drider's'' body had already crumbled to dust, leaving behind only the "Dark Amulet of Intellect", which granted 50 mana and 10 intellect points, and boosted the effects of healing spells by 5%. Gramps swore at first, annoyed by such modest loot, but uttered a muffled exclamation after seeing the stats, picked up the amulet and hurried over to Grant. .Smart move, that amulet would be most beneficial to the healer.

  Tinnie, like a shining dragonfly, buzzed around the center of the altar, where an image of a sphere emitting wavy rays had been carved into the stone. Had she found something again? Making sure she had caught my attention, the fairy landed onto a barely noticeable bulge near the bas-relief and stomped it. I touched the specified place with my fingers and pressed. Nothing happened. Tinnie immediately stomped on the neighboring ledge. It turned out that there were exactly three corners of an isosceles triangle, with sides about three feet long, placed around the image of the sphere. After the fairies lively pantomime, it became clear to me that all the tabs must be pressed simultaneously. I had to get Owl to help me solve the puzzle.

  ''I hope this is not some awful trap,'' the mage muttered as soon as we did that. The altar shuddered, and began to go down. Its thin, glass center cracked and something rounded appeared.

  The altar hadn't yet stopped moving, when Owl, with a surprised shout, caught Tinnie's booty with both of his hands.

  "Hand of Fate"

  Magic sphere, long ranged weapon.

  Type: rare

  Durability: 190/300

  Damage 90-120 (magic)

  Concentrates magic energy and amplifies spells.

  Built-in ability: "The Last Argument" (deals 10,000 points of air damage)

  Charge 0/1

  Recovery.∞

  Restriction on use: "mage" class

  Cannot be used, as the object is soulbound to the ''Drider''.

  ''This... This is fucking amazing!'' joyfully cried out Owl, staring at the magical contraption with bulging eyes. ''Guys, can I have it?! Guys, please, don't be so mean…''
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  ''Hush, hush, Owl,'' I soothingly patted his shoulder blades, which were protruding from his skinny back. ''How will you use it? It is soulbound to the mini-boss...''

  He looked at me blankly for a second and then squealed so loud, that we feared he had suffered a nervous breakdown. Pops and Grant, examined the finding in amazement. Owl refused to let go of it, and jealousy glared at both of the eligible "candidates". The ''Dark'' amulet was already around the healer's neck. I anxiously looked at the girl who still lay motionless. Grant caught my gaze and nodded understandingly.

  ''She's all right. We'll be able to leave in ten minutes.''

  ''Take it,'' said the cleric, having had a closer look at the sphere. ''It's not for my class anyway.''

  ''I don't mind,'' said the healer. ''Wait, you're gonna bind it?''

  ''Of course!'' Owl shook his head so fast and with such vigor that he looked like one of those bubbleheads. ''You're getting the 'Soulcatcher' anyway. I need something to replace my staff. It's an option, isn't it?!''

  Owl fell to his knees, carefully lowered the sphere to the floor, frantically searched his bag and put next to it a smaller white ball – the ''Duplicator''.

  ''Hey, Owl, wait,'' Grant tried to stop him, concerned about his haste. ''Are you sure about what you're doing? You won't be able to change it…''

  ''The sphere deals more damage now than my staff will deal on level ten,'' the mage peered at us patronizingly, as if he was explaining the obvious to some kindergarteners. ''If I am not getting the 'Soulcatcher', this will do just fine…''

  We fell silent, and Owl activated his ''Duplicator'', starting the process. A dim glow broke through the porous gray surface of the ''Duplicator'', making it look as if it was shrouded in fog, which then moved toward the magic sphere, enveloping it. Then it began to drain its mass, and the sphere slowly melted, decreasing in size while the ''Duplicator'' grew. It was the first time I saw it happen, and it made it very clear why the thing had such a name.

  When the process ended, only the exact replica of the sphere remained in the place of the ''Duplicator''. I remember wondering why don't players just make a copy of the ''Soulcatcher'' for everyone using the ''Duplicator''. Then everyone would be happy. Yeah, that's me, an ambitious smartass. Alas, the original gets destroyed upon duplicating.

  Owl picked up the "Hand of Fate", jumped up joyfully and began to dance. He was barely breathing. Where did such vigor come from? He then pushed the object through the air with his hand. The sphere hovered, without support or problem, over his right shoulder and lit up from the inside with iridescent flashes of a battle-ready magic weapon. I looked at the description and saw that something had changed.

  "...Charge: 1/1

  Cooldown: 24h

  The item is soulbound to the player 'Owl'."

  Loading time: 06.46

  The sound of five pairs of footsteps and the heavy clatter of the ''Turtangle'' broke the silence. Tinnie's dimly burning "flashlight" flew a few feet ahead, barely piercing the pitch darkness. We intentionally extinguished all the magical glows of our weapons, as too much light might attract unwanted attention. But since it was impossible to move in complete darkness, Tinnie had to work, and so far she was coping perfectly.

  The oppressive atmosphere was nerve wracking.

  A humid breeze blew the "delicious" aroma of sulfur and rotten eggs toward us and stirred the silk like layers of intertwined cobweb adorning the walls of the tunnel, making it seem as if it were alive and breathing.

  We expected the eight-legged inhabitants of these tunnels to attack us at any second. We even found a corpse of one such spider on the way; it was dried and fragile, the size of a furster. So we tried not to touch the web. Whenever the thick, grayish-yellow threads blocked the passage, we tried to either crawl under them or climb over them, and to somehow get around it without disturbing their "owners". Tinnie once got stuck on one of these "strings'' due to an unsuccessful maneuver, but I noticed it in time and quickly released her from captivity. I put her on my shoulder, away from harm.

  A few more steps and our group had to stop.

  The tunnel ended abruptly, revealing a kingdom of darkness and webs. The hall wasn't as huge as the caverns where we had crossed the bridge, but the creepy contents made it seem much bigger and imposing than it actually was. Web was everywhere; it was on walls and pillars, hanging from the ceiling and covering the floor with a thick, lumpy blanket. There was no way to cross it without getting entangled.

  But we weren't going to advance headlong.

  We had agreed about the tactics in advance, so words were not required.

  As soon as I got out of the dungeon, I would treat Cavalier a round of beer. A smart man, he was, and I didn't know what we would have done without his detailed instructions.

  I raised my hand, giving the signal.

  At the back of the hall, where Tinnie's light couldn't reach, massive bodies stirred. The web flinched. They smelled danger, but it was too late. The "Fortune Hunters" have come for your spider souls!

  Taking one step back and one to the side, I let Glutton go ahead. Its "Ultimate Shield" was ready for activation. On the way to there, during one of the skirmishes, Grant found a new way to use this ability. Cavalier advised us to begin the fight from afar, but we had another plan ready.

  Looking back at my companions, I saw their focused faces. The ''Hand of Fate", floating above Owl's shoulder, smoldered barely noticeably. Red was holding her bow at the ready, the tip of her arrow glowing, accumulated attack points ready for a ''Split Shot''. Gramps buried the shaft of his hammer into the floor, gripped it firmly with both hands and pointed its head upwards, prepared to demonstrate, once again, the ''Portable Torture Chamber'' that would clean this room of its inhabitants' corruption. Grant smiled encouragingly, meeting my stare. The pommel of his staff glowed with poisonous green; his life spells perfectly able to sow Death.

  Everyone was ready.

  The giant, furry creatures were already running toward us, deftly, and almost silently, slipping between the sticky nets. The sound of insect legs multiplied and grew.

  I abruptly threw forward an open palm.

  The "Flamespear" brightly cut through the darkness, igniting the nearest spider like a torch and burning a hole in the web behind it. The rest of the party joined immediately, using up their entire arsenal - there was no need to hold back. Owl's spells were now being channeled through the sphere. Reinforced forked lightning bolts melted columns, forcing the spiders to become paralyzed and writhe in pain. Foxy's bow fired a volley of glowing arrows, piercing through several shaggy beasts at once. Grant didn't miss his chance to show off, too; "Ravenous Ivy" and "Corrosive Spores", all of his spells were put to good use. A thick layer made of the remains from the previous victims created a "fertile" basis for his spells, and a whole devil's playground. The cleric debuffed them with "Condemnation" and threw devastating DoTs[6] like the "Heretic's Bane" and "Torture".

  Real hell reigned under the hall's dome; everything was burning, melting and sparking.

  The inhabitants of the cave fell into their own trap, as the fire spread fast along the webs. Having swallowed the spiders, the fiery wave flowed to the both sides of the hall, like a tsunami.

  One more second, and it would have overwhelmed our group.

  That's when Glutton's "Ultimate Shield" got activated and clogged the narrow corridor, like a giant, impermeable bung. A few long seconds later, the flame devoured the cave, beating powerlessly against the shield. Once it died down, Owl, Gramps and Foxy were highlighted by characteristic flashes, indicating that they had leveled up. They were all level eight now. I had a bit more left till level eight, since I was sharing experience with Tinnie and Fury. Grant was confidently rising to level nine.

  Congratulating each other, we scattered through the smoldering ashes.

  The air, soaked in cinders, was making our throats sore. Only the charred spider corpses and a heap of stuff remaining from those who had carelessly wa
ndered in here in search of adventures before us remained. Those piles were our goal. Cavalier advised us to inspect them thoroughly. The battle in the spider's lair was the easiest one so far and it gave us the most items. All one had to do was reach it.

  Ten minutes later, loaded with gear, we reached the next ''Oasis'' and dumped all kinds of jackets, robes, boots, shoulder pads, belts, bracers and greaves onto the floor. Here, in the relative safety of the ''Oasis'', we could afford to play dress-up.

  The first thing I replaced were the ruined boots. I then pulled onto my hands a pair of thick leather bracers with silvery metallic overlays. Not quite meant for a warrior, but it would do. There was a light metal helmet in there for me, too; black, with a visor stylized like a spider, its legs hugging the face. It looked like the helmet that one of the guards at the beginning of the dungeon had. It was a little damaged, but still usable, with 35 out of 45 durability points, and defense of 105. At the same time, I changed the old belt to a new one; silvery, made from several layers of strong, stitched leather, it had a lot of convenient loops and hooks and wrapped around my waist like it had always belonged there.

  I glanced at the "Nine-tailed Grapnel". I never did find a use for it and I wasn't really sure why I was still carrying it. Maybe I should have left it with Cavalier. Half of things on me now were black, and the other half was silver. And although that entire hodgepodge didn't look nice, it would do well against "The Destroyer". There is no such thing as too much armor for a warrior. Having finished with the inventory, I picked up five more pieces of wood under the altar and sat down near the spring, feeling like a man who had done a good job. I slapped the leg of the prisoner stone statue, from whose wound ran a stream of water. Hang in there, buddy. We will avenge you, and, as Cavalier had put it, bash "The Destroyer's" teeth in.

  This ''Oasis'' was no different from the previous one. Flower beds, shoots of climbing plants, a spring, and the soft light shining from the ceiling lens. Even the pedestal under the statue in the center was the same. Only the statue itself was different. Instead of the ''Drider'', a more frightening creature adorned the pedestal – the ''Krazard'', ''Lord of the Underground Waters''. That one was not going to be as small as the ''Drider''. But since we worked so well together and understood each other perfectly, I didn't doubt our powers.