by Jez Cajiao
43/100
I quickly moved to the door and listened, confirming nothing was coming, I ducked back inside and dropped to the floor, hammering out a series of burpees that would have made my trainers proud. I checked my endurance and strength and found they’d both gone up by ten points towards the next level. I resigned myself to doing a round of exercises each night and morning I couldn’t do much with Charisma out here for the time being, but the rest were all fair game. I could see my Intelligence and Wisdom had gone up almost the same amount, which would be the spell’s effect. Spotting the alchemy ingredients in the Sporelings’ corpses probably did boost my Perception. Agility would be fighting and running, same with Dexterity, but adding in crafting, Constitution would be a slow one to level, as I’d need to let myself get injured for that.
“Yeah, that one I’ll just build up from investing points, I think…” I mused aloud. Luck would be another difficult one. Maybe I could find a casino?
I moved out to the corridor again and looked down into the depths of the tower. “Hell with it,” I said aloud. The Sporeling couldn’t have gotten far, but if the SporeMother could ‘puppet’ the possessed creatures, it knew I was there now. I set off running down the stairs again, scooping up my Naginata. which had fallen a few revolutions of the tower down until it had finally been ejected from the creature’s wounded leg. I swept it up and continued down, crossing the next few floors until I reached the floor where I’d met the three Shir. Continuing down the hallway and finding more of the same: a single corridor with rooms on either side, the occasional blood or ichor smear telling me know it was still ahead.
The distance it’d managed to cover stunned me, but at least it was a hell of a lot easier going downward rather than up.
After two more revolutions down into the tower, I finally found what I had been looking for. The floor had grown much wider, and rather than a small level, the stairwell opened onto a huge single room. The vaulted ceiling overhead was supported by dozens of carved stone pillars, and the borders of the circular room were punctuated by ten alcoves. Each alcove contained a single altar, and huge windows in the middle of the walls on either side led out into gardens. The windows on my left had been broken at some point, and trees had grown inside, twisting away some of the supports for the glass as they grew larger. I slowed, amazed at the verdant garden that was slowly overtaking a space reminiscent of a cathedral nave, and then movement caught my eye. Off to one side, hunched down as low as it could get, was the Sporeling. It cowered from the fragments of light that leaked in. Whatever the creatures had done to block the light and cover the windows on higher floors had clearly failed here. I moved closer to the injured beast and cast Identify.
Injured Sporeling
This creature is the larval stage of the SporeMother. While it does not have the ability to create possessed slaves at this stage, its claws, poisonous bite, and innate cunning have still been the end of many travelers.
Level: 3
HP: 11
Mana: 0
I grinned and was about to end its life with a Firebolt when I realized it was trapped. It had known I would kill it and had been forced to try to cross this open floor to escape. The light of the rising sun had cornered it, obviously due to its fear. I decided to wait and see what would happen. I settled back, watching as its beady eyes shifted from me to the windows.
After a few minutes, sunlight began filtering in, and a ray touched its skin. It howled in agony and tried to escape, pressing itself down behind the bench it was attempting to use as a shield. It must have decided I was the easier foe to face, as it suddenly bounded upright and scuttled toward me. I’d been waiting for it and blasted it full in the face with a Firebolt before it had crossed a fraction of the distance. Half of its face had been missing already, and the impact of the spell finished it off, sending the corpse sliding across the floor to rest in a patch of sunlight. Immediately, it began to smoke, the skin blackening and curling up as the sun burned the creature. I probably should have pulled the corpse out of the light, knowing that I could have harvested parts of it, but I just stood there, mesmerized by the sun as it ate away at the creature. In a matter of seconds, all that remained were smoking bones, until they too blackened and collapsed to ash, blowing away on the light breeze.
I now understood why the Sporelings‒and presumably the SporeMother‒wanted the windows covered. The sun was anathema to them. I had a new weapon against them; a much more powerful one!
Chapter Eleven
I stood there for a few seconds, catching my breath, before realizing I’d been caught in a daze considering the potentials of using the sun as a weapon. Shaking the thoughts away, I abandoned the corpse dust and emerged into the sunshine. I had to clamber through the warped remains of the window frame, since the remnants of doors had been half-hidden by trees, bushes, and mounds of earth that had grown in around them.
Brushing myself off, I surveyed the tangled mess of what had once been a garden. It extended out from the tower, forming a half circle that was easily two hundred feet across. Ornamental stone planters had gradually shattered as the trees outgrew them, while more than a thousand years of shed leaves and dead plants had turned this place into a primeval forest. Pushing my way through the bushes and various trees that stood tall and proud, I found a pool in the center. The melodic sound of birdsong filled the air, and I could see fish flicking around in the water’s depths as tiny insects buzzed from flower to flower. It was a small piece of paradise, I thought with a smile.
I sauntered on, circumventing the edge of the pool and continuing out until I reached the edge of the balcony. Here, the stonework was crumbling, worn away by wind, rain, and questing roots, but I stood transfixed.
I could see for miles in all directions. To my left were snow-capped mountains marching away behind the tower, re-emerging on the other side to disappear into a glistening sea in the distance. I marveled at the beauty of the verdant valleys and hills before me, overgrown with trees. Small streams and wide rivers ran into one another and led out to the sea what seemed like hundreds of miles directly ahead. Everywhere I turned, the world was teeming with life, while the sun shone with a welcoming warmth.
In the distance, I thought I could make out signs of civilization. As high as I was, I could see a surprising distance; nearly a hundred and fifty miles, I guessed, but it could have been a thousand for all I knew. I’d never tried to estimate like this before. Here and there were what I could only assume were small villages or towns, judging from the smoke rising from them, although there were none nearby. A city lay far to the east, and I wasn’t sure, but I was almost certain I could see things that were circling above it, tiny dots that moved slowly. There also appeared to be another substantial city on the coast, far to the southern horizon.
I remembered a comment I’d overheard from Xiao about the ‘wonders of the lost realm.’ She’d been talking with one of the Baron’s servants, and had said something about defensive enchantments… Some locations were built with incorporated spells, defending them from assault by making them invisible beyond a certain distance, or reinforcing the walls to make them harder than steel, or…I couldn’t remember the rest. There’d been a number of things they had discussed, mostly about what they’d do to their own castles if they had them. Magical traps they could watch being activated seemed to make up most of the conversation, as I remembered. Sick bastards.
The Tower I was standing atop was hidden deep in the forest, easily seventy or eighty miles from the nearest settlement, maybe more. Judging from where it stood and its proximity to the enormous mountain range that ran behind me, I could only guess that its location would deter potential explorers, especially when the forests that surrounded the area were so extensive.
I stood lost in thought for what seemed like mere seconds, but was probably closer to ten minutes. Eventually though, I pulled myself back together and savored the gentle breeze and the fresh air before turning back to the garden. I picked my w
ay through it carefully, finding fruits I recognized, like apples and pears, and others I didn’t, like a bright red thing that floated by the edge of the pool and resembled a melon, and a tree laden with small white bulbs reminiscent of heads of garlic. I cautiously bit into one of the bulbs and was relieved to discover that it tasted of honey. I checked my notifications, finding that, for each one I tasted, I gained an alchemical ingredient usage. God, I loved this world! I quickly ran through the descriptions of the rest of the ingredients I’d gathered and found that many of them were immediately useful in one way or another. Several gave a stamina boost, and I resolved to try making a potion or three as soon as I’d settled myself somewhere safe. Perusing their details, I memorized their uses.
Crab Apple
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This fruit is fresh and full flavored. It also has alchemical properties if used in the correct manner.
Uses Discovered:
1) Alertness
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Junit berries
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
The tartness of these berries is similar to lemons and other citrus fruits. They also have alchemical properties if used in the correct manner.
Uses Discovered:
1) Cure Poison
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Beetroot
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
These common plants are easy to prepare and go with many dishes.
Uses Discovered:
1) Restore Health
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Sweet Thyme
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This herb gives off a relaxing aroma. It may also have alchemical properties if used in the correct manner.
Uses Discovered:
1) Paralysis
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
H’vart
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This star-shaped fruit tastes like melon but gives you odd feelings.
Uses Discovered:
1) Fortify Perception
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Alairt
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This egg-like plant tastes like rubber. Perhaps it would be better cooked?
Uses Discovered:
1) Restore Stamina
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Jarrin Tuft
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
These thin, hair-like strips give off a pleasing aroma and are fought over by the birds, so they can’t be that bad for you, surely?
Uses Discovered:
1) Speed boost
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Gotang
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This strange bulb leaks an orange fluid that fizzes pleasingly on your tongue.
Uses Discovered:
1) Restore Health
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Orut Fruit
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
These low-hanging fruits are appetizing to many creatures due to the flavor, intense sweetness, and the supposed boosts received from consuming them.
Uses Discovered:
1) Stamina Boost
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
White Grapes
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
These grapes are sweet and remind you of summer days. They also have alchemical properties if used in the correct manner.
Uses Discovered:
1) Charisma boost
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Pergola
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
These long tubers have an earthy taste but are oddly satisfying.
Uses Discovered:
1) Sleeping potion
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Blood Oranges
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
These sweet oranges remind you of your youth.
Uses Discovered:
1) Stamina Boost
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Ginseng
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This root has many uses. Perhaps further investigation is needed?
Uses Discovered:
1) Cure Disease
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Feverfew
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
The seeds of this flower have many undiscovered uses.
Uses Discovered:
1) Tranquilizer
2) ?
3) ?