by Jez Cajiao
Level: 7
HP: 40
Mana: 30
Congratulations! You have killed a Scenttal. You have gained70 Exp.
Whatever the hell a Scenttal was, I didn’t know, but it didn’t have the ‘DarkSpore’ identifier, so that was something at least. I leaned my naginata against the wall where I could grab it easily and grinned up at the small evil-looking creatures.
“My turn, you little bastards!” I grunted up at them, holding both hands out and casting one Firebolt after another. The spells flew from alternating hands to hammer into the creatures as they tried to hide. First one, then another, and finally, the third fell from the ceiling and curled up on the floor. They reminded me of spiders in the way their limbs curled up in death, and I saw the skull notification appear each time, cheering me up to no end. The last thing any world needed was more creatures that looked and acted like spiders.
I checked my mana, only to see it drop as Oracle cast another spell somewhere below me. I swore, sweeping up the naginata and setting off running again. I’d barely begun to recover my stamina, but as I staggered down the stairs, it plummeted again, settling as a faint green glimmer at the bottom of the bar as I finally exited onto the floor below. Two of the windows were blown open, and the sunlight glaring in had trapped four undead in the middle of the room, with two trapped at the top of the stairs at the opposite end. Each time they stepped forward into the light, they would scream and jump back, their bones becoming more and more blackened.
Bob stood calmly near me, with Oracle sitting on his head, proud as punch about the way she’d managed to trap them on this floor.
As soon as I arrived, all six shifted to stare at me, and the glowing red in the pits of their eyes flared as they stared. They’d obviously had a change of orders, since they ignored my companions, staring at me with obvious hatred and hunger. I stepped back out of sight and sank to the floor, panting as I tried to recover. My mana sat at twenty-three, and I needed fifty to cast ‘Cleansing Flames.’ It looked like I was in for another stand-up fight, as I couldn’t afford the time it would take to recover that much mana.
I pulled myself to my feet and called Oracle to me, telling her to stay back and be ready with the heals.
“Okay, motherfuckers, let’s do this...” I whispered and sent Bob racing forward. In true rugby style, as he closed on the enemy, he lowered himself and plowed into them, lifting two clear from the ground and knocking the other two aside as he ran at the window. I’d told him to get them through the window however he could, and he did it by sheer power. As he slammed into the far wall, he shoved the first one’s head through the open window and pinned the second to the wall in a patch of sunlight by its throat as it stabbed and beat at him with a dagger. They died within seconds of each other, flames erupting from both as they fell apart, and skull symbols flared to life in my vision.
While Bob was busy immolating those two, I’d followed him in his run, stabbing another one through the chest, before abandoning the weapon and grabbing a fourth by its ankles. It had lost its weapon, and I used my enhanced strength to lift it from the ground as I started to spin. As it struggled against my grasp, I accelerated my spin before letting go and sending it flying down the corridor into the pair that stood waiting at the end in a clatter of bones.
I staggered, dizzy from spinning around, and went back to the last corpse to retrieve my naginata from where it protruded from its chest. I used the leverage to drive it into a patch of sunlight, holding it there while it shrieked and twisted in an attempt to escape. After another second, it was over, the DarkSpore exorcised from its host by the cleansing rays of the sun.
I let the remnants collapse to the floor as I extracted my weapon, kicking the ribcage free and turning to Bob. He picked up his weapons and backed up, at my direction, to stand ready nearby. Oracle fluttered overhead as we prepared ourselves for the next leg of the fight. I stepped forward, moving into the light and angling my naginata blade until it reflected the sunlight straight at the undead. As soon as it hit them, they started scrambling back, trying to hide, and Bob struck. He lunged forward with his spears, punching deep into their ribcages through rotten armor as his swords struck out at limbs. I swept the reflected light across their faces constantly, making them flinch and cower back while Bob dismantled them. In a handful of seconds, both skeletons were stuck on his spears, literally disarmed. I took one spear, and he took the other, as we dragged them forward into the light. They joined the growing bone pile, and we set off again, with me staggering slightly and wheezing, while Bob powered on, the bastard.
The last revolution of stairs passed in a blur as we raced to reach Seneschal’s growing barrier, but at last, it was there before us. I almost collapsed in relief and outright exhaustion. The distance from the top of the tower to this point was only a mile down the outside, but with the constant spirals, it must have been double or triple that. Adding to that the strain of running in full armor and fighting… I was lucky I was still alive.
I staggered over to look at the barrier, leaning on Bob for support. It was stone, or appeared to be, and grew out of the wall on either side of the doorframe to this level, hanging from seemingly solid stone hinges. It looked like Seneschal was creating heavy overlapping stone doors that would swing together and drop into a recessed line on the floor, becoming almost impossible to lift and open from the far side. I watched them grow, struck by the realization that this must be what continental drift looked like. The rock on either side of the doorway wasn’t visibly growing, but by holding something close to it, it became clear that it was moving. It was expanding a millimeter at a time, but constantly growing. I gave it a rough distance of around three feet left to grow until the two sides were complete. As the minutes passed, I finally managed to catch my breath and recover some more mana. As I was about to check my levels, I felt Seneschal reach out to me again.
“The creature has escaped the trap we set, using its lesser minions as shields. I can sense their bodies still. They are twelve floors below you now, and should reach you soon. The barrier will close the stairwell off in thirty-six minutes; you have to hold them until then.”
“How many are there?”
“Unknown. At best estimate, forty, but this does not include the creature that leads them.”
“Forty!?!?”
“There may be more, or less. I judge it on the basis of weight crossing the floors in areas I can sense. Whatever leads them is blocking me from more using my more advanced senses.”
“Forty; seriously? We can’t fight that many!”
“You have no choice, Jax, unless you wish to give up and die?”
“Well… yeah, right. Thanks for the fucking pep talk! Love you too!”
I cut the connection, feeling the sense of his presence recede as I took a deep breath, my heart hammering like crazy. I checked my mana. I had enough for one use of ‘Cleansing Fire,’ but I’d need more than that… I had to come up with something. The only windows on this floor were behind me and wouldn’t help. I looked around frantically as I tried to plan. If only I had another couple of mana potions! With those to refill my mana, I could afford to hammer out some spells to keep them back, but I didn’t have any. The recipes I knew didn’t work for the ingredients I had…. I had only a few minutes, but maybe?
I pulled out the alchemy equipment, setting it to the side on the floor, and frantically laid out the ingredients. I searched my memory, bringing up the recipe for the ‘minor mana potion’.
Minor Mana Restoration Potion
Labian leaves
Manaberries
Clear water
First, boil the water to remove all impurities. Grind the Manaberries into a thick paste and add to the boiling water. Stir three times and remove from heat. Leave to cool to room temperature. While the mixture cools, strip the interior from the Labian leaves and grind into a paste. Add a little of the mixture to the ground leaves as you work. When the paste has reached a thick consistency, sme
ar it on the remaining sections of the leaves and boil for seven minutes before passing through a sieve and cooling. Bottle when completely cool.
I didn’t have any Manaberries, or Labian leaves. Fuck! Okay, okay be cool…
I hurriedly searched through the ingredients I did have before shrugging and pulling out a water canteen. I started picking ingredients at random, grinding them with the mortar and pestle and adding a little water before putting them in a phial, I knew I’d make only the weakest versions of a potion by doing this, but it was all I had time to do.
I could hear the enemy approaching, so I ordered Bob to guard the barrier with his spears. He’d have to hold the line for now.
I had seventy-seven mana left, with the time it’d taken me to make the potions up, and Identify would cost me ten points per turn, so I had to hope I’d managed to make something useful. I could either chug them now, one after the other, and hope for the best and try to save the mana, or I could identify all of them, maybe wasting it, but definitely not poisoning myself. I swore and picked five out of the seven mixtures I’d made and cast on each. Luck, don’t fail me now….
Failed Potion
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This mixture of ingredients holds no known alchemical properties
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Trash
No
100/100
N/A
Failed Potion
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This mixture of ingredients holds no known alchemical properties
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Trash
No
100/100
N/A
Weak Potion of Confusion
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This potion causes the debuff ‘confused’ to afflict its victim, causing slowed reactions, confusion, an inability to cast spells and discern friend from foe for up to thirty seconds.
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Common
No
100/100
N/A
Minor Stamina Boost Potion
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This potion boosts the stamina pool by five percent and regeneration by two points per minute for five minutes.
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Uncommon
Yes
100/100
N/A
Unknown Potion
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
This mixture of ingredients holds no known alchemical properties, yet you suspect it is a potion…or is it a poison?
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
?????
????
100/100
N/A
I didn’t wait. I chugged the stamina boost potion in one gulp, quickly followed by the mana regeneration potion I’d found upstairs. I suddenly felt a coolness spreading through me, and observed an immediate jump in my mana regeneration, with a much smaller jump in my stamina. I took a deep breath in relief. It wasn’t all I’d been hoping for, but just maybe it’d keep me alive.
“Jax! They’re here!” Oracle cried out just as I reached them. I cursed, leaving everything strewn across the floor, and set off running to take my place alongside Bob. The pair of us stood before the doors, his spears lowered, and my naginata ready.
The stairwell was narrow here, and with both of us standing side by side, there was little room, but I hoped it was our best chance.
“Oracle, can you cast ‘Cleansing Fire’?” I asked.
“Yes, Jax. Since we’re bonded, I have access to all your spells.”
“Okay, good. Be ready with it and let me know as soon as we have enough mana again to cast it. Beyond that, don’t cast anything unless I tell you, okay?”
“But… but without mana, I can’t help...”
“Seriously, Oracle, if I need this spell, it will be better if you can cast that than a few Firebolts. Just stay back and wait for my signal, okay?”
“Yes, Jax…” she said dejectedly, backing away from the front line. I heard her muttering under her breath as she went. “One Firebolt wouldn’t make any difference, and he knows it’s what I do best! He’s just no fun…”
I shook my head at the daftness of the wisp, grinning to myself in spite of the danger. I could now hear what had alerted Oracle. A faint sound from below had risen and was climbing steadily. What had started out as a clicking and rumbling had become the sound of bones clattering, metal clashing, and an occasional roar of creatures as they ascended the final spiral of stairs to our position.
Bob and I positioned ourselves in the stairwell, which was wide enough for us both as we stood on the other side of the barrier. I started to spin my naginata end over end, building momentum. Bob crouched, setting himself to receive the charge. The first to come into sight were a trio of skeletons, their bones clattering together as they ran. One with an axe came slightly ahead of its two compatriots, both armed with sword and shield.
I lunged forward, using the fast-moving weapon to slash the axe wielder’s head from its body before spinning around low and sweeping the legs out from under the following two with the butt of my weapon. I stepped back as Bob moved forward, stabbing down with swords and spears and smashing the skulls open to release the DarkSpore. As they started to rise, the inky blots of darkness buzzed in fury and hatred.
Before they could fully form, the next wave charged into the clouds, coating their lower legs and feet like they’d run through oil.
The next pair was another skeleton, clattering away, and what looked like a rogue type, heavily wrapped in the remnants of black leather. Jagged and torn rotten flesh protruding through tears in the clothes indicated that, however the original owner of the body had died, it’d been hard. As the skeleton moved toward me, the rogue leapt into the air, twisting itself around to kick Bob in the face and driving him back as the oily mess of the DarkSpore transferred willingly from its boots onto Bob’s skull. The rogue pushed off, leaping back as Bob staggered under the kick, but before it landed fully, his spears were flashing out to pierce the rogue’s armor. Both spears punched clean through, their tips flashing in the low light of the stairwell. Meanwhile, I was deflecting a thrust from a rusty sword. I knocked it aside, grunting in pain as the skeleton’s bony fingers scored burning lines across my face. I released my weapon with my right hand and grabbed the skeleton by the throat, yanking it forward into a headbutt by reflex. It hurt me more than it could possibly have hurt a skeleton, but as I shoved it back, it lost its footing and tumbled down the stairs, one outstretched arm sweeping a Scenttal from the wall where it was sneaking toward me. I brought my naginata around, stabbing out to catch another of the little bastards as I saw it racing up. The scream of pain and sight of one leg going flying as the rest of the creature tumbled to the ground gave me a sense of satisfaction that was short lived, but welcome nonetheless. I took the time to punt the little shit down the stairwell.
More and more creatures were coming; a mixture of skeletons, a handful of Scenttal, and two bigger undead that reminded me of the adventurer I’d fought before. All of these rushed up the staircase, while Bob repeatedly stabbed into the rogue he had trapped on his spears. As he gradually dismembered it, the transferred DarkSpore seeped deeper into his bones, attempting to possess my creation. Other DarkSpore spread free from the bodies we’d dismantled so far, and the hallway grew tighter and darker. I threw my thoughts to Seneschal, hoping he’d be able to hear me.
“How long until the barrier is ready?”
“Three minutes. It is almost complete, but
I sense something big approaching.”
I struck out, parrying a sword thrust, and backed up another stair. The sheer press of the undead was forcing us both back, step by step. I concentrated on demolishing as many of the undead as I could. Bob threw the ragged remains of the rogue back into the oncoming enemies. He stabbed out with both spears and his swords, cutting and slashing to slow the onrushing tide as I backed further away. A flash of pain made me cry out in both surprise and agony as a claw opened the back of my neck. The blow caught the base of my helmet, tugging it out of place and across my eyes, blinding me. I grabbed it with one hand, trying to straighten it as I lashed out blindly, before giving up and hurling my helmet down the hallway. I dodged one mace as it swung inches from my face, and then a face out of nightmare lunged at me.
It was heavily rotted, flesh falling from it even as its jaws opened wide to tear at me. Fangs unfolded as it lunged and tried to take my entire head into its mouth.