Attempted Adventuring (The Attempted Vampirism Series Book 2)

by L. G. Estrella

  “I sensed several branches in the passageway,” Blue Scales added. “It would be incredibly easy for the enemy to surround us and cut off both our advance and our retreat.” He frowned as another group of adventurers strode past them. “I think they’re going to risk it,” he said quietly.

  Sure enough, some of the other adventurers were preparing to dive into the flooded passageway. Like them, they had probably received maps to plan their route. The passageway offered the quickest route to the lower levels where the sword was sighted. At least these adventurers appeared to have invested in charms and other devices to help them breathe underwater. Hopefully, Blue Scales’s fears were unfounded, but Miles had never known the merman to be careless with his words. If Blue Scales said something was dangerous, then it was dangerous.

  “We should try a different route,” Blue Scales insisted. “There is a difference between courage and stupidity. Ambushing people in flooded passageways is something my own people would definitely do in this situation, and the creatures that destroyed the dwarves had to be aquatic in nature too.”

  Aria nodded firmly. “Okay. There should be several other passageways connected to this hall. We can check to see if any of them are free of water.”

  Several minutes later, Miles could only shake his head. They were out of luck. The other passageways were all flooded as well. Worse, some of their fellows had already gone into the water. None of them had returned, but the steadily growing pool of red that floated toward the surface of one of the passageways was hardly a good sign.

  “I think it’s safe to say we should avoid that path,” Miles said grimly. He watched as a shredded piece of clothing made its way to the surface. “It would seem that prayers are in order.” The other adventurers had perhaps been a bit foolish, but death was hardly a fair punishment.

  Aria winced. “I’ll do it.” A brief prayer was all they could spare, and as a former paladin, she was the one best suited to give it.

  “If we’re not going into the water,” Jonathan said. “What can we do? All of the passageways are flooded.”

  “I could try to clear one of the passageways of water,” Blue Scales said. “But there is… something in the water. It is already under someone else’s control. If I was to use my Words on it, we could easily awaken the very evil we are hoping to avoid.”

  “We could climb,” Susannah suggested. “I remember the map. If we climb up to a higher level, we could work our way back down using another path that might not be flooded. I still don’t understand how the dwarves kept areas free of water, but some of their works are still supposed to be active. At the very worst, we could use one of the emergency shafts that descend straight to the lower levels. If we’re going to swim down a flooded passageway, we might as well only do it once, right?”

  Aria pulled out a copy of the map. They gathered around it, and Susannah pointed to where she thought they could go. As far as Miles could see, it wasn’t the worst idea. Climbing at night wasn’t ideal, but the outside of the mountain was probably safer than the inside of a flooded passageway. His master agreed – not least because swimming was not something vampires were known for due to their weakness toward living water. True, the water here was weaker in that regard than most places, but it would still be a terrible handicap for his master if they were attacked. His brows furrowed. The climb would be interesting. They would need to climb at least a hundred feet. However, distance aside, it shouldn’t be too difficult. It was more a question of strength and endurance than technique.

  “Before we get started,” Aria said. “Does everyone here know how to climb?”

  “Couldn’t Eileen carry us up?” his master asked. He was eyeing the bloody water, which was getting redder by the second. He gulped and took another step back. It was a good idea. Whatever horrors had slain the other adventurers might well be able to leap out of the water. “It might take us several trips in her eagle form, but she could definitely carry at least a couple of us at a time.”

  “That would be easier, but I’m not sure it would be a good idea.” Aria pointed to several spots on the map. “See these? There are roosts there. I was hoping the map might be wrong, but Eileen noticed them on our way in. They’re supposed to belong to drakes. Now, to be fair, we didn’t actually see any drakes on our way in, but they could easily be the kind that hunt during the day and rest at night. As long as we avoid them, they’ll stay in their roosts. But if they notice a giant eagle flying around…”

  Jonathan gulped. “Then they might take exception to it.”

  Eileen held up a sign and used one claw to gently ease Aria further away from the water. Like Jonathan, the bear had noticed its increasingly grim state. I’m good in the air, Jonathan. But against a group of drakes, I’d be hard-pressed to fight them off – never mind worry about passengers as well. Roger could go up with me to blast them, but that might only make things worse. Climbing will be slower, but it should be safer, so long as we avoid the roosts.

  “I suppose we’ll be climbing then.” Jonathan sighed. “I can’t say I’ve climbed much other than the occasional tree or bookshelf.” Miles grinned. He could remember the latter. His master had broken the ladder he used to reach the higher shelves in his library, so he’d been forced to climb up the shelves instead. It had taken him several falls before he’d gotten the technique right.

  Roger puffed out his small chest and struck a pose before signing to Jonathan and making encouraging sounds.

  “Ah, of course. I’m sure you’re an excellent climber. If you don’t mind me following in your footsteps, I’d be happy to tag along.”

  Miles put one hand on his master’s shoulder. “Do not worry, sir. You are more than capable of making the climb from a physical standpoint. We simply need to be mindful of disturbing the drakes.”

  The other adventurers didn’t hesitate to show their contempt as they headed back outside. Muttered accusations of cowardice were joined by glares and looks of disbelief, but Miles and the others steadfastly ignored them. More than once, Aria tried to explain their plan, but she met with about as much success as he expected. Veteran adventurers were stubborn folk. Only one group – the one with the woman who’d picked a fight with Aria at the docks – listened although they chose a different part of the mountain to climb. Still, Miles couldn’t help but wonder if there were dark powers at work within the halls of Mordrath – dark powers that stoked a person’s greed and brought out their avarice. Even he had baulked at leaving for a moment, a vision of the riches the fallen kingdom contained and what they might do for his master filling his mind. He shook his head. Wealth was all well and good, but it could not help his master if his master was dead.

  Out in the cool night air, they took several minutes to examine their possible route before they began their ascent. The outside of the mountain could easily have changed from the map due to landslides, storms, or simple weathering. As a boy, Miles had enjoyed climbing. At first, it had been trees, but part of his training with the man who’d been his father in all but name had involved climbing sheer cliffs and other obstacles. Not only would he improve his physical strength but he would also develop a keen, observant mind that could stay focused under immense and prolonged pressure. He could still remember some of those climbs. Hundreds of feet above the ground with no rope, a single mistake or moment of inattention could have meant death. Yet he had come to love those moments. It was pure in a way few things outside of combat were – only his strength and wits against the unforgiving wind and a pitiless climb.

  This climb would be far less challenging, albeit still stressful since they were all wary of drakes. Miles was a formidable fighter, but their odds would be poor indeed if they were attacked while they were still climbing. At least they had darkness to conceal them although drakes were said to have good night vision. Hopefully, the drakes were the kind that preferred to rest at night.

  “All right,” Aria had given her armour to Eileen’s shadow imps. The little creatures took it and disap
peared. They’d give it back to her later since climbing in full armour would have been extremely difficult. His master had done the same. Even with his vampiric strength, the armour would slow him down too much. “Roger is probably the best climber here, but we’re not all raccoons. We may not be able to follow the route he takes. Instead, we’ll be following Eric. He’ll try to pick a relatively easy route for us.”

  “Relax,” Eric drawled. “Just put your hands and feet where I do, and you’ll be fine.” He grinned. “And if you fall, try not to scream. It might rouse the drakes.”

  “Please, don’t say that,” Jonathan grumbled.

  Eric chuckled. “Like I said. Relax. We can do this. You can do this. You just need to calm down, watch closely, and keep up.”

  “Right.” Jonathan took a deep breath. “Shall we get started then? All this waiting around is making me nervous – well, more nervous.”

  They started the climb with Roger and Eric leading the way. The raccoon was their scout. If they got too close to any of the roosts or some of the drakes started to stir, then he needed to warn them. In the meantime, the rest of them were following Eric. The werewolf was clearly a skilled climber, and true to his word, the path he’d chosen could be followed without too much difficulty. Had he been human, his master might have struggled due to a lack of skill, but as a vampire noble, his strength and endurance were greater than those of any normal human. It was not enough to make the climb easy for him, but it was enough to make it possible.

  As for Miles, he focused on making sure his hands and feet were well positioned. It had been some time since he’d climbed like this, but his old instincts were coming to the fore. The rock here was good – solid and sturdy – so they didn’t have to worry about it giving way beneath them. There were also plenty of clefts and cracks that could serve as handholds, which made the climb much easier. Looking up, he caught sight of Eileen. The shape-shifter had adopted a vaguely reptilian form, something between a snake and a lizard, and she pushed ahead of even Roger. She paused frequently to taste the air before several of her shadow imps scampered further ahead. Every now and then, one of those shadow imps would retreat back to Eric. If he had to guess, Eileen was helping Roger keep an eye out for any roosts or drakes.

  Aria was keeping up as well, but the ascent was not as easy for her as the others. She had used Words to enhance herself, but from her expression of intense concentration and the awkward way she positioned herself, it was clear she wasn’t an experienced climber. Then again, how often were paladins expected to climb cliffs? Blue Scales, for all his bulk, was actually doing quite well although he was careful to test any handholds and footholds before committing his full weight. Having sparred against him, Miles knew the merman was at least twice the weight of a normal man.

  Roger was the most comfortable of them although Susannah wasn’t far behind. As they got closer to their destination, the ranger had moved ahead of Eric to keep up with her friend. Miles bit back a smile. From the grin on Susannah’s face, she and Roger must have climbed together many times. Abruptly, Susannah stopped and leaned away from the mountain. Her entire weight was supported by one hand as she hauled herself up an overhang and then peered upward and away.

  She grimaced. “I think we have a problem.”

  “What is it?” Aria asked. The former paladin looked up, but her sight was not as keen as the ranger’s, and Miles wondered again how Susannah could see so clearly in the dark.

  “You know how Roger and Eileen haven’t seen any drakes yet? I think I know why. They’re all staying put because they’re worried about something – and that something just showed up.” She paused. “It’s a bone drake.”

  Silence greeted her words. Miles’s jaw clenched. A bone drake? This was terrible news, but at least it wasn’t a bone dragon.

  “A bone drake?” Jonathan squawked. “Here? Please, tell me you’re joking.”

  “Nope.” Susannah shook her head. “It’s not easy to see since it’s flying quite high, but it just passed over us. I’m pretty sure it saw us.” Her brows furrowed. “The ledge we need to reach is only another fifty feet or so. We can fight the bone drake off, but not if we’re stuck on the mountain when it comes back.”

  They redoubled their efforts, but Miles could already see they weren’t going to make it in time. A stray shaft of moonlight illuminated the large, skeletal form of their enemy. His master gave another strangled squawk and upped his pace. It would have been an admirable display of strength and agility if it hadn’t been motivated by pure terror.

  “Eileen,” Aria shouted. “It’s definitely heading back toward us. Take Roger and try to hold it off. Once we reached the ledge, get back down to us. We’ll fight it once we’re on solid ground.”

  Eileen flung herself off the mountainside. Her scaled serpentine form gave way to feathers and the sleek, deadly body of a giant eagle. Roger took a second to judge the distance and then leapt after her, his robes billowing wildly in the wind before he landed on her back. His wizard’s hat had somehow managed to stay on his head. Either he was exceedingly lucky, or he was using magic to keep it on. Some might have called that a frivolous use of magic, but he was a war wizard. He could spare the magic.

  “Come on,” Aria growled. “We need to move!”

  As they hurried upward, Miles was vaguely aware of the battle going on above them. A piercing cry split the night – Eileen – and was answered by a roar that sounded more like an avalanche. Bolts of lightning, fire, and ash crackled through the air only to be met with a hailstorm of bone shards. The trio crashed into the side of the mountain above them. Eileen was quicker and more agile, but the bone drake had more than twice her wingspan and far more than twice her mass. A blast of ash knocked the monster back enough for Eileen to break free, but chunks of rock tore loose and toppled toward them.

  “Roger!” Susannah shouted.

  The raccoon turned and flung another bolt of lightning at the bone drake before jerking one paw in their direction and using [Shattering Spree]. A bolt of destructive magic leapt from one rock to the next and reduced each boulder-sized slab of rock to little more than powder and pebbles.

  Sweat trickled down Miles’s brow. He was not a young man anymore, for all that his training and Words made him stronger. Still, he pushed on. They were close to the ledge now. As he reached the top, his master ahead of him, Eric turned to help pull both of them up. The ledge was actually a ruined balcony of some kind, and there was an entrance that led back into the mountain.

  “Eileen!” Aria yelled. “We’re up. Get back here!”

  Roger let loose another bolt of lightning, and then Eileen turned and fled for the safety of the balcony with the bone drake hot on her heels.

  “You know, I’m not sure that was the best idea,” Eric murmured. Eileen was a lot closer now, but the bone drake hadn’t slowed down at all.

  “It means to catch her and crush us,” Blue Scales said.

  “Run.” Aria grabbed Jonathan by the wrist. “Get into the mountain!”

  They ran for the entrance. Eileen switched into her bear form just before she hit the ground. The shape-shifter wrapped herself around Roger and rolled to take the edge off the impact before falling into step beside them. The bone drake’s only response was to speed up. Miles grimaced. It really was going to try to crush them with its bulk.

  They had barely managed to rush through the entrance and into the hall beyond when the bone drake hit the mountainside like a giant sledgehammer. The balcony gave way beneath it, and the bone drake smashed right through the entrance. Shards of bone, rock, and stone flew every which way, and the force of the impact hurled them off their feet. Miles managed to turn his fall into a roll, and he was up on his feet a moment later – and just as well. By some ill fortune, his master had ended up only inches from the bone drake’s snapping jaws.

  “Ah!” Jonathan screamed as he somehow managed to contort himself enough to avoid being bitten in half. “Help!” He drew his sword and swung, but t
he weapon simply bounced off the bone drake’s skull. “Someone! Help!”

  “Get back, sir!”

  Miles bounded forward.

  [Iron Fist].

  [Shatter].

  [Pulverise].

  He layered the three Words on top of each other with as much power as he could manage in the heartbeat he had to respond. His fist struck the side of the monster’s head. The attack would have shattered the skull and pulped the brain of a real drake, but this creature had no soft tissue to speak of, and its skull was covered in additional layers of bone reinforced by necromantic energy. Instead of killing the bone drake outright, his attack ripped its head clean off its neck.

  Eric cheered. “Not half bad, old man.” He grinned at Aria. “See? That wasn’t so – ah!” He jumped back as the severed head spun across the floor and snapped its jaws at him. “What? Shouldn’t it be dead?”

  “It’s a bone drake,” Aria shouted over the din of collapsing masonry. Without its head attached, the bone drake’s body was thrashing around wildly. “It’s not like a zombie – those are reanimated flesh. A bone drake is a necromantic construct in the shape of a drake. It doesn’t need its head attached to survive. As long as its core is intact and it’s close enough to draw energy from it, it will keep fighting.”

  “Give me a second. I’ll use my magic to find –” His master stopped mid-sentence and flung himself to the ground as the bone drake’s barbed tail whipped through the air. The attack ripped a gash in the pillar behind him, and he scrambled to get clear. “I think we made it mad!”

  “Get back!” Susannah said. “Miles, grab Jonathan.”

  Miles nodded and helped his master retreat to a safe distance as Susannah loosed an arrow. This one had a glowing arrowhead, and it exploded on impact. The explosion knocked the bone drake’s body off its feet, and Eric and Blue Scales rushed forward. As Eileen grappled with the bone drake’s tail – a task made more difficult by all of the barbs and spikes attached to it – the pair rained blows down on its body, doing their best to avoid its flailing claws.