The worm shrieked and swung back, knocking Alejander off his feet. He hit the ground, winded for a moment, and pain shuddered through his body, back and chest aching. He coughed, dust billowing up in front of his face.
You have lost: 25HP
Alejander grabbed for the daggers on his belt, and as he twisted up and around, he plunged the daggers into the worm’s neck area, driving down. It was difficult to cut through the flesh, but he’d managed to wound it. Hera’s back legs were bent, her mouth tearing at the worm’s skin. And as she rose up on her back legs, claws digging into scale, she was almost hanging from the worm’s body, doing her best to rip away parts of the worm’s outer membrane.
Alejander had an idea. “Keep going, Hera.”
Almost with renewed enthusiasm, Hera detached herself, dropping gracefully to the floor. She took a moment to let the worm shriek and twist, trying to get its body on or around Hera. She darted away, dancing onto the back of the worm, jaws snapping and scraping at the worm. Alejander jogged backwards, nocking another arrow. It took him longer than he’d like, distracted as he was with trying not to fall. As he lifted the bow, arrow aimed for one of the broken patches of skin, the worm contorted, sludge spraying up into the air. Hera howled as some of it landed on her fur, but she kept her grip on the worm’s neck.
Alejander let loose the arrow, watched it thud into the exposed skin. The worm rippled, almost guttural noises of pain erupting out of its mouth with another burst of sludge. How much of that stuff could the worm even produce?
Arming another arrow in quick succession, Alejander shot it into another patch of exposed skin, heart pounding. The worm lunged and dropped, hitting the ground hard enough that Alejander stumbled. There was a yelp and a howl, and Alejander couldn’t see Hera anymore. His pulse was quick, and he could barely breathe, hoping that Hera was alright.
The worm twisted back towards him, and Alejander was already partway through pulling on the string to release another arrow. The sludge caught him directly in the chest, the material of his shirt melting beneath the ooze. Alejander let out a startle cry, trying to shove at the sludge. It only made his hands burn and he shuddered, letting out a pained yelp as he clutched at the bow with a burned hand.
You have lost: 30HP
Alejander needed to get this over quickly. The worm started to crawl towards him and Alejander was almost afraid to think about where Hera was. He shook it off, no time to dwell on it, and dodged out of the way of another burst of sludge, landing on his shoulder and using it to roll into a crouch. The worm shrieked, and finally there was a flash of grey above the worm’s shoulder and Hera was leaping onto its back. She was less graceful, one of her back paws obviously damaged, but it gave Alejander the time he needed.
You have used: Spectral Agility.
He waited a beat, then a few more before sinking into the shadows. He pictured the tunnel behind him, enough space for him to get away from the range of the sludge. As he materialized into the space, he nocked an arrow, waiting until the worm opened its mouth, body rippling. Alejander let the arrow loose, praying that it would find its way to the target. It landed on the bottom jaw of the worm, embedding in the soft skin, and Alejander cursed. The worm slammed itself down, the arrow ripping through skin and jaw to drive itself further into the worm’s mouth.
The noises were ear-splitting. Alejander winced, then fumbled for another arrow. He didn’t bother to try and dodge away from the blast of one, two, three spurts of sludge. The worm was clearly hurt, not getting the same distance on its attack as he had before. Two landed safely between them, but the third reached Alejander’s leg.
You have lost: 25HP
He ignored the pain, concentrating on the arrow. Hera’s attempts to keep the worm occupied weren’t doing much to distract it, but Alejander had no doubt that she was doing enough to deplete the HP of the worm that Alejander’s shots were making huge dents in what was left. They really did make a good team.
This time, when he held the bow aloft, his hands had stopped shaking. It was almost as if he could center himself around the pain, stare into the mouth of the worm as it contorted into another pre-sludge motion. Taking a breath, Hera’s claws planted on top of the writhing worm and well out of the line of fire, Alejander waited until the mouth was wide open, teeth white and dangerous, the shaft of the arrow protruding from the lips, green with blood.
When he let the arrow fly this time, it hit the target; directly into the mouth of the worm and down the throat. The worm screamed, tossing Hera from its back and writhing and thrashing on the ground. Alejander was thrown off his feet, staying on hands and knees as the worm’s noises died down.
Trunk worm (lv 9) has died
You have earned 1600 experience points. Congratulations!
You have used 5 stamina
Alejander was breathing heavy, and there was still corrosive sludge on his leg. He rolled over until he was sitting, taking off his cloak and using what was left of it to wipe off the sludge.
You have lost: 10HP
Satisfied that there was nothing left, Alejander resisted the urge to splay onto his back and take his time. There was no doubt that the worm’s noise would draw attention to him soon. He let out a slow breath when he saw his satchel was still intact and dug around until he could find a healing potion. He drained it in one go, which meant he only had one left. Wrinkling his nose, he climbed over the form of the worm, feeling bile rise in his throat at the smell of blood and whatever it was the acidic stuff smelt like.
Hera was on the ground, stomach heaving, tongue lolling out. Alejander grabbed for the last potion, pouring it into Hera’s mouth. She whined, lapping at her mouth, and Alejander watched her throat work as she swallowed it down.
“There you go.”
It wouldn’t be enough to get her back up to max HP, but he could sit here a while to give her a minute or two to collect herself. Now that they were out of potions, they would just have to be careful about how much damage they took. They had the transportation stone if things got desperate, but Alejander didn’t plan on using it. They could both do this.
The potion gave Hera enough strength to get to her feet, and Alejander kept a hand on her neck while he gathered himself. Wiping his bloody daggers on the discarded cloak, he slipped them into his belt and collected the arrows he could. He wasn’t about to take the one out of the mouth or the lips, but he managed to collect those that came out of the scales easily.
When he was ready, Hera was licking at her fur, shaking it out. She looked back at him, blood still matting her fur and muzzle, but Alejander didn’t bother trying to do anything about it. She would only get dirty the next time they ran into something else.
Starting off down the tunnel, Alejander let Hera take the lead, knowing that she would alert him to something wrong in the front. Though he knew only the entrance was behind him, he couldn’t help but keep looking over his shoulder. The worm had been beneath their feet and Alejander wasn’t going to take a chance on getting caught unawares.
The tunnel split into two. Alejander didn’t have a map, couldn’t tell which way would give the greatest bounty. He sighed, gesturing for Hera to take the lead. She sniffed at the ground, whuffing in her throat and then darted off down to the right. Alejander followed, now conscious that there were two directions from which something could come. He could see the benefit in people teaming up to run dungeons like this one. Not that traveling in a group was something that Alejander particularly wanted or liked to do, but it would have been helpful when it came to enemies attacking from multiple directions.
There were a couple of tunnels branching off, though they didn’t seem to be pathways themselves, as they led into little alcoves, almost like a burrow. Alejander peered into the first, Hera pressed to his leg. It was empty. “Let’s hope there’s something in here.”
Hera padded away, over to the alcove on to the opposite side of the tunnel. This one a makeshift bed – some ragged sheet
s and a pillow - in the corner, a desk shoved haphazardly against the far wall, and a few sacks and bags. Alejander shifted into the alcove, keeping his back to the wall. It didn’t look like anything was in there, but he couldn’t be too careful. He hadn’t heard anything in the game about being able to turn invisible or having the ability to hide in plain sight. Then again, he could melt into the shadows and then appear at will in line of sight with whatever he was fighting, so it wouldn’t do to get complacent.
He kept low to the ground, kicking at the sheets. The bed was empty, and as he slipped over to the desk, he could hear footsteps outside of the room. He was glad of the darkness of the alcove, and had a hand on Hera’s neck, not wanting her to give them away before he was ready.
Hackles raised, and teeth bared, Hera’s back and legs were rippling, ready to pounce the instant she needed to.
When familiar bony legs came into view, Alejander’s eyebrows scrunched. Unlike the drowskells he had battled in the last dungeon, this one had a cloak and belts on, hilts of what were clearly daggers poking out from scabbards.
Drowskell Assassin
Level: 5
Description: Raised from the dead, these former humanoids have all the bravery of a creature that’s experienced its doom – with stealth and deadly accuracy to boot!
Hit Points: {unknown}
Damage: ? {knife}
Reach: Close
Alejander pulled his own daggers from their sheaths, trying to remain as quiet as possible. The drowskell plunged into the alcove, growling something out in a language Alejander didn’t understand. He darted forward, not wanting to let the drowskell get to his weapons first. Hera was just as fast, leaping from far enough away that the drowskell stumbled, dagger almost slipping from his grasp. He was quick though, getting a hold on it and slashing down at Hera. It grazed her head just as Alejander’s own dagger cut neatly between the arm of the drowskell and its shoulder, severing whatever was holding the bone together. Alejander didn’t understand the science – or magic – behind the construction of a skeleton in a game like this.
It was easy enough to get his whole weight into a shove, tumbling both himself and the drowskell into the tunnel. They wrestled, the drowskell trying to get purchase with his dagger, and Alejander trying to avoid the jabs and get his own to find something. The last time they had been in a situation like this, he had to sever the neck or hit it with something hard. Alejander didn’t have enough strength to shift a desk, so he’d have to abandon his daggers like he had done before and use his bare hands.
Hera was with him this time, grabbing the drowskell’s arm in her jaws and shaking. There was a satisfying pop as it released from the skeleton and the drowskell screamed something else, before sliding his dagger into Alejander’s stomach.
You have lost: 35HP
Alejander grunted, shoving away from the drowskell. Damn that hurt, coming from a simple level 5! He climbed to his feet, letting Hera snap and bite at the drowskell. Alejander had yet to test his hand-to-hand combat, always so adept at using his weapons. He had already managed to obtain one of the drowskell’s dagger, however unconventionally, and knew he should probably pull it out and use it, but he wasn’t planning on bleeding out. Leaving the dagger would dull most of the bleeding. He dove forward. He didn’t want to give the drowskell any time to get at the second dagger.
Diving forward, he tried to be mindful of his wound – and the knife still protruding from it – and grabbed hold of the drowskell’s legs, giving Hera the time to clamp her jaws around the drowskell’s neck. It gave an involuntary kick, knee hamming into Alejander’s stomach – and plunging the knife further into his body.
You have lost: 20HP
Almost an expert now at ignoring pain, huh. Alejander didn’t want to consider that for too long, and he held on despite his wound, despite worries over the damage being done. The drowskell raged, twisting and writhing in Alejander’s hands, but he had nowhere to go with Hera squeezing like a vice around his neck. With a vicious shake and a tug, the drowskell’s neck snapped and Alejander let go, immediately shoving back into the wall, sliding to the floor.
Drowskell assassin (lv 5) has died
You have earned 800 experience points. Congratulations!
He was bleeding a lot from around the knife, part of the hilt buried in the wound, and he knew pulling it out would probably not help. He wanted to be somewhere sanitary, and not in the middle of a dungeon when he did it. Gathering up his daggers – and the two daggers from the drowskell – he fumbled in his satchel for the transportation stone. He didn’t know how it worked.
Hera came over, attempting to lick his wound, but he kept a hold of her neck, hoping that just being in proximity to him would transport her as well. He really needed to get back into the room and see whether it held anything of interest, but he was injured and needed to sort himself out. There would be time enough to get what he needed elsewhere.
The transportation stone started to glow and Alejander thought of the camp outside, where he had last seen Greta and the gnome. In an instant, he was back outside, still slumped onto the ground, but this time almost right on top of the black panther.
“Oh!” The gnome said, startled. Then, “oh, that’s not good.”
Alejander blinked and found himself face to face with the gnome, who was staring down at the wound, brow furrowed. When he looked up, he gave Alejander a shrug with a wry smile.
“I’m a cleric. Healing’s what I do.”
Pressing his hands to the wound, the gnome muttered something under his breath as he took a hold of the hilt of the dagger. His hands were glowing blue, and Alejander felt a tingling in his stomach, spreading down to his toes. He sucked in a breath as he felt the knife being pulled out, the tingling expanding into a dull throb as he watched the wound knit itself up as the dagger was pulled free.
“That’s amazing,” Alejander said, the pain receding into a pale awareness of having had a wound, but it not being there anymore. It was a bizarre feeling, a phantom pain almost.
“You’re welcome,” the gnome said, even though Alejander hadn’t actually said thank you. “Good as new.”
You have gained: 50HP
It was almost enough to put Alejander back up to full. “I can see why it might be difficult to get through.”
“Yeah,” the gnome said with a shrug. “The worm gets most people.” At Alejander’s look, he snorted. “Wouldn’t be fun if I told you what you might run into, would it? Besides, a worm appears in every cycle for a reason. Might wanna be a little higher before going back there.”
“Thanks,” Alejander muttered.
“The name’s Regel,” the gnome said cheerfully, standing up and holding out a hand. Alejander let him help until he was back on his feet, stomach twinging but otherwise good as new. His stamina hadn’t returned, so he still felt the twinges everywhere else, but it wasn’t overwhelming.
“Alejander.”
Regel held out his hand. Alejander knew it would make them friends, but he only had two – and having a cleric on hand would probably be a good thing.
[REGEL, cleric, WOULD LIKE TO BE FRIENDS > ACCEPT?]
Accepting the request, Alejander grinned as they released hands. “Want some company for tonight?”
He didn’t know what made him offer, only that after the disaster of that dungeon, he needed some company that wasn’t animal. Though, with a horse, a panther and a wolf, it wasn’t as if they weren’t going to be completely animal free.
“Sure,” Regel said affably.
Alejander offered to put up his shelter, to give them a bit more privacy and protection, and though Regel offered to help, Alejander was adept at making a good shelter. Hera had planted herself on the ground next to the panther, sniffing and nudging until the two of them had worked out their pecking order. Alejander had a feeling Hera wasn’t at the top. Greta was happily snapping at the grass, nudging him as he passed.
It would be a good nig
ht’s rest and tomorrow a new day; there would be a whole host of ways Alejander could gain experience without having to face another dungeon.
Chapter Sixteen
“Morning,” Regel said.
Alejander had been up for a couple of hours, replenished in HP and stamina, and though he had contemplated for a while the thought of going back into the dungeon, he would return once he was slightly higher in levels. “Morning.”
“Do you have breakfast?”
“I can make it,” Alejander said, waving some of the meat. “Afraid I’ve only killed meat-producing animals so far.”
“We eat what we can.” Regel planted himself on the log next to Alejander, stretching out his shoulders. “This ground is not kind to my body.”
Alejander stared at Hera, who was currently trying to climb on Greta, who seemed less than enthused. “I think I’m getting used to it.”
They lapsed into silence as the meat cooked. Grabbing the map from his satchel, Alejander spread it out on his knee. He hoped that somewhere there would be a map letting him know the best places to find high level monsters, because knowing the terrain didn’t give anything away.
“Alright,” he said. “I think I’m just gonna head towards the next town and whatever I run into, I run into.”
Regel was staring down at it, brow furrowed, and touched the map, tapping a small icon of a town. “That one’s got a trading post set up with an auction house, if I remember right. Probably do you some good.”
“Thanks.” Alejander frowned down at the name – VARDIGA TOWN - and made a mental note of it. It was worth a try, and between the dungeon and the town, there was a small lake and what was marked as a desert but looked more like a huge patch of dirty terrain. Perhaps the deserts on this world were as rocky and stony as the mountains and some of the hills seemed to be.
Rogue Games Page 18