by Tao Wong
Gifts
Martyr’s Touch—The caster may heal oneself or others by touch and concentration, sacrificing a portion of his life to do so. Cost varies depending on the extent of the injuries healed.
Daniel could not help but sigh at his points. It was obvious he had lost quite a few points due to the use of his Gift on himself and Omrak, memories that pulled down his skill levels. He could not, for the life of him, think of why else his skills had not progressed further considering the volume of fighting they had done in the last few days. After a moment, he dismissed his usual lamentation and focused on his available Skill Point, curious to see what he would be offered.
First up, were his old choices.
Power Strike
Powerful single strike that causes additional damage to an opponent.
Skill: Active
Effect: User’s Power strike does 50% more damage + 2% per level of Club skill.
Cost: 15 Stamina
Martyr’s Strength
A unique skill brought about by the ongoing usage of Martyr’s Touch on the individual’s body. Combines an innate understanding of the owner’s body with the user’s unique Gift to increase regeneration rates.
Skill: Passive
Effect: User has a permanent increase of 10% to Health and Stamina regeneration.
Cost: N/A
Then, of course, were the upgrades to his existing Skills and to his Spells. But his eyes were drawn to two new options:
Titan Shield
Enhances an existing shield, expanding its size and density while reducing actual carrying weight of the affected shield. Titan Shield will also negate any single strike.
Skill: Active
Effect: Increase size and weight of existing shield by 20%. Shield may block one active attack without fail. Cooldown on active block – one hour.
Cost: 20 Stamina + 10 Mana per minute of activation
Seeing the name, Daniel could not help but sigh with envy. Titanious Domak, the great Titan. One day, Daniel swore to himself, he too would make Erlis acknowledge him and name a Skill after him.
Moderate Healing (I)
Heals minor and moderate wounds on touch.
Effect: Heals Intelligence + 2 * Healing Skill level of wounds
Cost: 30 Mana
Both new options greatly intrigued Daniel. His previous other major option, Martyr’s Strength, seemed like a good choice at first – and might even be in the long-run. But on a more immediate contribution to the strength of the party, it did little. After all, a ten percent increase in regeneration might reduce the length of a bone break by a week, but it did nothing if he was bleeding to death.
On the other hand, Titan Shield gave him a significant upgrade to his protection. A twenty percent increase in shield size and weight did not seem like much, but the increased surface area would make covering himself easier. The increased weight would also make his Shield Bash skill more powerful while the single, active block option could save his life at a critical moment. As monsters grew more powerful and gained the ability to use Skills or powerful attacks, a Skill that could unerringly block those attacks made sense. Daniel could even envision how, through use of the block, he might be able to bring a badly positioned shield back into play over the long term.
But it was costly in terms of Stamina and Mana. As their healer, Daniel needed his Mana for casting spells. In fact, the Adventurer was almost afraid of running out and being unable to heal someone in need. Add the fact that a larger shield would require an adjustment in his fighting style – if nothing more than to ensure he didn’t hit his own defense – and Titan Shield seemed like a Skill for another time.
Moderate Healing was almost a given that he needed to learn. Among other things, the significantly better healing ability meant that he could pull someone like Omrak back from death more quickly and efficiently. Of course, being the first level of the spell, it was touch based, unlike his upgraded Minor Healing II. It would require that Daniel stick closer to his party than ever to make full use of the spell during combat. But, as a Skill-developed spell, Daniel would automatically gain full mastery of the spell, allowing him to quick cast it even in the heat of battle. A not insignificant benefit.
His choice made, Daniel mentally selected the spell. A warm glow infused his mind as knowledge entered it, his Mana draining away during the process. When his Mana was half-empty, Daniel felt the drain disappear along with the knowledge gain. In his mind, now, was the full spell. With a slight flexing of his mind, he conjured the spell in his mind, watching the Mana flow to his hand and wait before he dispersed the spell. After all, no one needed healing right now.
“Daniel?” Rob said curiously, staring at Daniel’s hand.
“New spell. Moderate Healing. Touch based,” Daniel said then shot Omrak a grin. “I’ll be able to fix up this lug faster.”
“Ah. Complications?” Rob said.
“The usual. Don’t use it too much. The spell can lead to Mana poisoning from overuse, greater resistance to healing in the future and healing-specific illnesses, diseases and mutations,” Daniel said with a shrug. “It’s slightly better than Minor Healing for side effects but, obviously, worse than Healer’s Mark.”
“New Skill. Cripple,” Asin piped up, flashing a grin at everyone.
“And I too,” Omrak said. “Bones of the North. It’s a defensive Skill which makes it more difficult to injure me.”
“Won’t that affect your rage Skill?” Daniel said with a frown.
“It will,” Omrak said. “But the combination is quite common among my people for it allows us to last longer. Our Skill is not only dependent on the wounds we receive but time.”
“Oh,” Daniel said, acknowledging Omrak’s explanation. He glanced at the team, not feeling the need to get further explanation from Asin. Her Skill choice was a common one among fighters who had high Agility and Perception. And really, unlike Omrak’s flowery Skill names, Asin’s Skill described what it did perfectly. “If we’re ready then, we should do this.”
Moments later, the group stood up, ascending the hill while Asin and Tula scampered ahead to find an appropriate location.
Much like the previous time they were on the second ‘floor’, the group lured out a patrol to deal with first. This time around, the Orcs had sent their Raptor Riders out in an attempt to run down the Tula when she fired her arrows at the archers. Luckily, Asin had been around to ambush and divert their attention, giving Tula time to make her way to the group. After that, the ambush had gone off without an issue, leaving the fort bereft of their cavalry.
Rather than repeating their mistake from earlier, the group had altered their plans for dealing with the fort. The fact that Omrak had nearly died - and quite possibly, more of them would have if he had fallen - meant that they needed to change their plans. This time around, Tula and Rob worked together to launch his enchanted poison spheres into the fort while the rest of the team waited for a reaction. They soon received one as another, larger group sortied out to chase the pair.
Rather than face the much larger, more dangerous group directly, the team continuously fell back, allowing Daniel and Tula to pepper their opponents at range. Of course, this time around, the Orcs had brought their Archers as well to the fight. Luckily, neither the Archers, Sargent or Spearmen had shields to stop the Adventurers from doing significantly more damage. Which, of course, led to them chasing the group into the waiting trap.
When the Orcs finally stumbled into the waiting Ice traps, the rest of the team attacked the broken line. Omrak charged from the side, his great sword smashing into armored torsos and leaving a trail of painful, open wounds. Asin, appearing from behind, used her Backstab Skill on one of the Archers before turning to the next and triggering her Cripple Skill. A last flurry of attacks left the Sargent reeling as she smashed the hilt of her dagger into a raised shield, cracking the shield as she triggered her Bonecrusher skill. Meanwhile, Tula an
d Rob peppered the front ranks of the Orc sortie with their ranged arrows and spells. It was only Daniel who worked to load his crossbow that did not contribute directly to the fight.
“Break!” Daniel called out as he gauged that the Orc team had recovered from their initial surprise. Asin and Omrak immediately broke from the group, Asin using her greater Agility while Omrak just hopped back before turning and running. Even as the Spearmen aimed at Omrak, Tula sent an Arrow Storm at his attackers, forcing them to flinch and pause. As they recovered and the Sargent barked an order to his men, Rob threw a sphere at them, this one exploding in a radiant display of colour and sound.
In moments, all but Tula and Daniel had vacated the surroundings, leaving the Orcs the choice of rushing after the fast-moving Adventurers and splitting up their group further or charging after Daniel and Tula. Both of whom were calmly loading and sending additional ranged projectiles at them.
The Sargent growled at the pair, his eyes swinging to his men as he noted that both Omrak and Asin had focused on injuring and crippling rather than killing. Other than the unfortunate Archer that Asin had backstabbed, none of the Orcs were dead. Yet.
“Go!” the Sargent yelled, pushing on the back of one of the Spearmen. In moments, the Orcs charged forwards. A moment later, the Sargent glowed and a pale-yellow light washed over the group. As a whole, the group suddenly sped up, catching Tula and Daniel by surprise.
Fortunately, the team had planned for this and a last line of defenses sprang to life. A moment later, the sped-up Orc Spearmen found themselves stumbling as the ground beneath their feet opened up, a shallow pit forming with magical speed. Rather than take advantage of the group’s momentary surprise, Tula and Daniel took off, intent on leading the group to the next series of traps.
It was only a minute later that they realised that the Sargent had faked them out and pulled his people back. The moment the pair noticed this, the pair began to rush back. Even as Tula split off from Daniel, heading for a high spot that overlooked the path, Daniel could not help but grimace as he ran. Smart monsters were annoying.
Luckily, the Orcs weren’t that smart. If they were, they might not have fallen for the initial provocation. As he jogged, Daniel could not help but wonder if it was a case of a racial issue – Orcs, even in the world above, were not known for their wisdom – or if the Dungeon itself crippled its denizens. Certainly, for a second floor of an Advanced Dungeon, these Orcs were difficult.
Idle musings were cut short soon afterwards as the Adventurer reached the quickly retreating squad of Orcs. Bending his knee, Daniel paused for a second to steady his breathing and aim as he brought the crossbow up. A cry of warning from the Orc Sargent alerted his men, but none of them stopped retreating – even when Daniel’s bolt flew across the intervening distance and plunged into the leg of one of the Spearmen, hobbling him.
“Lucky.” Daniel exhaled. The fact that he had been aiming for the Orc to the right of the one he hit and for a chest shot said it all. Even as he finished, Daniel reached for another bolt from the small quiver he had hung from his belt to find it empty. Unlike Tula who carried twenty arrows in her quiver, his much smaller quiver held five. After brief consideration, Daniel took the few seconds required to focus and placed his crossbow back in his Inventory before readying his hammer and shield.
“Time to get dirty,” Daniel said softly to himself as he jogged to catch up. Soon enough, he saw Asin and Omrak return, the pair joining him as they raced to catch up with the group. They swiftly dispatched the lamed Orc Spearman that had been left behind, Daniel catching the Orc’s spear on his shield while Omrak finished him off.
“Where’s Rob?” Daniel said.
“Catching up,” Omrak said with a sniff. Of course, the Enchanter, with his lower physical attributes, would be unable to keep up with the pace being set. As it was, even the three Adventurers were finding the pace set by the Orcs tough.
“Where is she?” Daniel breathed. Clad as he was in plate armor and having already run for a bit, the Adventurer found himself flagging. If it was not for the use of Healer’s Mark to wash over some of the building fatigue, he would have fallen behind by now. As it stood, the last curve before the Orcs would be in sight of the fort was fast coming up.
As if summoned, a flock of arrows fell from the sky, landing among the surprised Orc squad. Surprised by the sudden attack, the remaining Archer fell to the ground, an arrow embedded in his shoulder. Another Orc Spearman stumbled, a pair of arrows embedded in the back of his armor. The Sargent snarled as he grabbed and shoved his men, pushing them to start running again. They took another few steps before another arrow flashed through the sky, embedding itself in the Sargent’s chest armor, its tip glowing with power.
As the Sargent pitched over, the previously disciplined Spearmen stopped, their morale crumbling. A couple threw away their spears, leaving the Sargent and the remaining Spearman alone. With a yowl, Asin took off at a sprint, scrambling sideways and upwards the steep hill while Daniel and Omrak continued on the deer track. Soon, the pair found the remaining Spearman and the injured but recovered Sargent facing them.
Daniel could not help but grin, seeing the odds turn so much more favorably in their favor. Skidding to a stop a short distance away, he hefted his shield and attempted to catch his breath. His opponent saw no reason to let him rest though and shouted in anger as he rushed forward, spear levelled. Even as the pair squared off, Omrak did the same with the Sargent.
As Daniel casually blocked the spear thrust, he could not help but grin in anticipation. This was too easy.
Chapter 10
Three days later, the group stared at the imposing fort from the cover of the copse of trees. Clearing out the second fort after they had finished the squad had been simple. Their numbers significantly reduced, the group re-enacted their earlier, brazen, attack on the fort’s front gate. Instead of meeting the team at the gates, the remaining Orcs had chosen to have their last stand in the fort. In either case, it changed the result very little. Once again, the party found nothing of interest in the fort itself once it was cleared, leading the group to leave and journey to this third fort.
“Anything?” Daniel asked Tula. From their vantage, they could see the way the fort front door was open and what little of the ground, empty.
“No.”
“Strange,” Daniel said, rubbing his chin. He looked over at his team, the group of them significantly dirtier, more tired and smellier than before. A torn sleeve here, a deeply stained pair of leather armor there were all clues to how hard fought the last few days had been. As the group journeyed deeper into the Dungeon floor, the greater the number and the fiercer the battles with the raptors had become.
And now, this.
“What do we do?” Omrak asked, fingers tapping on the hilt of his great sword.
“Scout,” Asin said.
“We could use my spheres,” Rob said. “I have modified the poison spheres to work with my ice enchantments. It might not be as effective, but it will still injure.”
“Quiet,” Asin rebutted.
“Yes, we know it’s quiet,” Daniel said. “It’s why we’re –”
“No. Quiet,” Asin said, interrupting Daniel. She tapped her ears and repeated. “Quiet. Scout.”
“I believe Asin speaks of her greater senses,” Omrak said. “I too agree. This seems different.”
“As if you can tell,” Rob said with a snort. “But far be it for me to stand in the way of our suicidal scouts.”
Asin flashed a tooth-filled smile at Rob before she stood up and slunk over to the fort. A long tense half hour passed before the Catkin finally made her way back.
“Gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” Daniel said.
“Gone.”
Daniel sighed at the lack of information but stood up to get a better view. Seeing no reaction, he waved the group to follow. As Asin blatantly strolled forwards without a care for stealth or de
ception, Daniel found himself following the brazen Catkin. It did not take long for them to arrive at the empty fort.
“Frost damage,” Rob said as he crouched near the gate, eying the damaged wooden posts. He tilted his head to the side, peering within and staring at the scorched posts within the fort itself. “Fire damage. Looks like a decently sized Fireball spell.”
“Casey,” Tula said softly, holding up the end of a broken arrow for all to see the fletching. Daniel glanced at the arrow, seeing the colourful fletching at the end and just nodded in acceptance. It was not as if he knew the difference, but obviously, the Ranger had paid attention to their rival archer’s arrows.
“Magic?” Daniel said, frowning. The Fallen Leave’s original team composition had not included any mages. Recalling the scene at the square in front of the Adventurers Guild, Daniel confirmed with himself that the Fallen Leaves had actually added another three members for the Dungeon. Obviously, they’d managed to fill the spots even at the last minute.
“This has been cleared by the Leaves?” Omrak said with a frown. “But why would the Dungeon send us to a cleared fort?”
“Perhaps it is not able to tell?” Tula said as she walked around the fort, eying the damage within a practised eye.
“Most likely,” Rob said. “There are likely to be a set number of such forts within the second floor. One of which will contain the stairs down. It seems that it will be a matter of luck to locate the correct one.”
“And it seems it takes the Dungeon some time to spawn new Orcs,” Daniel said. It only took a moment’s more thought to realise that it made sense – after all, Artos always closed after a period of time when the Adventurers tasked with clearing it had completed their tasks. It took years before it opened up again. If the Dungeon spawned monsters at the usual rate other Dungeons did, the Dungeon would have had an outbreak every time it reopened.