by Aaron Oster
“What’s a Frage?” Arthur asked, his brow wrinkling in confusion as they finally left the arena and entered one of the tunnels leading out.
“A frog Mage, obviously!” Hopps replied with a huff, throwing a glowing lance of green water back at the exit, where a couple of Feline guards were attempting to follow.
The lance struck with an audible boom, before expanding and covering the two guards. It was then that Arthur saw that it wasn’t water, but some sort of slimy substance that clung to the guards, pinning them to the walls and trapping them there.
“What kind of ability was that?” he asked Hopps, as the tunnel closed in around them.
“It’s called Visco-Lance. And it can trap anything for up to five minutes!” Hopps crowed proudly.
“Can we chat later?” Talia asked, taking up the rear. “We don’t know if we’re being followed, and the entire city is in chaos. We need to get out of here fast and talking will only slow us down.”
Arthur nodded as he was reminded of the situation they were in. He might be free of the pits, but he wasn’t out of danger just yet. And then there was White. The Feline was still a mystery to him. Why had he done what he’d done? Why had he stayed behind to die for him? Sure, he’d given his reasons, but they didn’t seem to be good enough reasons to die for someone. He could feel sadness trying to claim him, but the emotion was immediately leeched away, replaced instead by the usual calm.
He was still blinded in one eye, and despite his HP now recovering, since he was out of combat, his vision wasn’t improving. A flashing icon in the corner of his vision told him he had notifications. But he didn’t have the strength to check any just yet. They would have to stop and rest before he could concentrate on anything other than the agonizing pain that had been inflicted unto him.
They came to the end of the corridor, and Talia once again took the lead, turning right and heading down the dim tunnel. She took a few more turns, but after a few minutes, it became obvious that they weren’t heading for the exit.
“Wait a minute, where are we going? This isn’t the way to outside,” he asked, stumbling as they took another turn and only just managing to catch himself on Hopps.
His missing eye was seriously messing with his depth perception. This was the eighth time he’d nearly fallen so far.
“The city is in chaos right now,” Talia replied, taking another right. “White gave me a map of the city’s underground. The arena connects with the palace’s catacombs. It’ll be a perfect opportunity for us to sneak in, especially with all the riots going on in the city right now. There’s a hidden chamber that he marked for us. We can stay there while you recover.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to escape now, though, when the city is in chaos? We will be able to leave completely undetected,” Arthur asked, wondering what his friend’s logic was.
“Not if we still want to kill the Baron,” Talia replied. “And I’m definitely going to kill him, after what he did to you.”
“Yeah! And for what the bastard did to our village!” Hopps said, anger tinging his voice. “He’ll pay a thousand times over for that!”
“Wait. How did you know it was him? And how did you know that it was the Baron who ordered the fight with the Champion?”
Last he checked, he hadn’t told them anything.
“White told us everything,” Talia answered, throwing a worried look back as he stumbled once more. “And our destination is still gonna take quite a bit of time to get to. Do you think you can make it, or would you like some help?”
Arthur shook his head. Despite how hurt he was, he still had his pride. She nodded, and they continued running in silence.
It took them another hour and a half of moving through twisting and dusty tunnels to make it into the palace, and a further half-hour to reach the hiding spot White had told them about, by which point Arthur felt about ready to drop. He now felt very much like an idiot for refusing her offer of help.
Talia slowed to a walk and began tapping the stone along the corridor walls, counting under her breath, while he slumped against the wall, panting for air. They were so deep under the palace that not even a glimmer of light reached them from the outside.
It wasn’t dark, though. The walls were lined with glowing white stones set into brackets at regular intervals. They gave off no heat, just a steady, soft, white light. He was about to ask Talia what she was doing, when one of the blocks she was tapping sank half an inch into the wall with a light click.
She stepped back as a section of the wall swung in without so much as a sound. This surprised him, as he’d expect a door made of stone to make a very audible grinding sound as it opened. Then again, it wouldn’t be much of a secret door if it made noise every time it opened, so he guessed it made sense.
Talia entered first, followed a moment later by Arthur. Hopps took up the rear, and the door swung shut as he entered. The room was fairly spacious and was well-lit by the same glowing stones as the corridor outside. There were two beds against the far wall, a small table, and chairs set in a corner and a box with what looked like dried rations.
It wasn’t a lavish room by any means, but after what Arthur had endured over the last few weeks, he wasn’t about to complain. Staggering tiredly across the room, he sank gratefully into one of the beds, lying down with a sigh of relief. The day had been a long one, and though he’d escaped with his life, his partner in the pits had most certainly perished.
Talia and Hopps both seemed to feel that he wanted to be left alone for a little while, and thankfully, moved over to the other side of the room where they started a hushed discussion. He was tired – so very, very tired. But he knew he couldn’t fall asleep just yet. He needed to look over his notifications. His HP had fully maxed out by this point. And though he was no longer bleeding, he still felt very sore. Not to mention that he was still blind in his right eye.
He finally pulled up the notifications he’d been ignoring. There were several new damage notifications from his fight, and he scrolled through them until he found what he was looking for.
Permanent Debuff gained: Partially Blinded.
You have taken irreparable damage to your right eye. As a result, you will be permanently blind. No healing items, elixirs, or abilities can fix this.
-20% Dexterity, -10% Movement speed, -100% Depth perception
+10% Hearing, +10% Smell, +20% Perception
Arthur felt his heart sink even further as he read the message. It seemed that the blindness he’d been experiencing was a permanent feature. Though he gained some small bonuses, they were far outweighed by the penalties.
He forced himself not to dwell on it. White had managed just fine with one eye, so he would as well. He still had to kill the Baron for what he’d done to him, to White, and to Hopps and Talia’s village. He still had to find Hopps’s mother and his own little brother.
Turning his attention back to his notifications, he continued scrolling down, noting the increased Tier of his Spring bonus.
Tier Rank Up!
Congratulations! Your Racial Bonus Skill: Spring, has reached Tier 2. The Bonus has now been upgraded. Please check your status to see the new requirements.
Spring
Tier: 2
Cost: 10 STA
Cooldown: 5 Seconds
Effect: Use to either close with, or escape from, an enemy
Distance Covered: 15 feet
Tier 2 Effect: +30% Increased damage when attacking with Spring
Requirements to next Tier: Use Spring 350 times - 2/350
It seemed that the bonus had gotten a minor boost, just like his Poison Touch. And, just like with his Poison Touch, the cost and cooldown had remained the same. It wasn’t a huge increase, but every little bit would count. It also seemed that a few of his skills had been improved as they finally made it to level 11.
Congratulations, your Acrobatics skill has reached level 11. The skill has been improved.
+20% Agility when performing acrobatic feats (Improved
from +10%)
Congratulations, your Critical Strike skill has reached level 11. The skill has been improved.
+250% Damage when striking critical points (Improved from +200%)
Arthur was glad that his skills seemed to be progressing. Almost all of them had been improved, and his Perception was halfway to the next threshold. He looked over his status next.
Character Status
Name: Arthur
Race: Humanoid - Poison Frog
Class: None
Level: 16
XP: 3,380/16,000
AP: 5
Survivability
HP: 170/170
MP: 100/100
STA: 370/370
Armor Rating: 0
Attributes
Strength - 5
Constitution - 17
Endurance - 37
Agility - 50
Intelligence - 10
Wisdom - 10
Charisma - 12
Luck - 10
Skills
6/8
Unarmed Frog-Bat: Level 13
Perception: Level 16
Knife Wielding: Level 12
Acrobatics: Level 12
Critical Strike: Level 11
Sixth Sense (A): Level 9
Abilities
5/8
Tae-Frog-Do: Level 13
Frog Slicer: Level 7
Parry: Level 1
Frog-Sassinate: Level 7
Drilling Blows: Level 9
Racial Bonus
Poison Touch: Tier 2
Spring: Tier 2
Arthur noted no sign of any skill or ability pertaining to the strange rage he’d felt during battle. He’d felt it before, and both Talia and Hopps had as well, though neither of them had experienced it more than once, as far as he knew. He wondered if it even was some sort of skill, or if perhaps it was just the world messing with him.
Letting out a sigh, he closed his status and allowed his one remaining eye to drift shut. He was too tired to think about anything now. All he wanted to do was go to sleep and forget the horrors of the day, even if just for a few hours.
The soft murmur of Hopps and Talia’s voices was oddly comforting, and he felt safe in knowing that when he woke up, he would be surrounded by friends instead of enemies. Sure, they were still technically in enemy territory, but still, it was nice to not be alone.
Arthur had nearly drifted off, his fingers growing slack and his body relaxing, when he was awoken by a loud clink. His eyes snapped open, his mind taking a few moments to figure out what had startled him awake.
“What is that?” Talia asked, her voice sounding awed.
Arthur forced himself to sit up, seeing both Talia and Hopps staring to his right. Arthur turned his head, looking down, and finally saw what they were looking at. He’d missed it, since it was on his blind side. A brilliant rainbow-colored light shone from the ground near his bed, radiating out from a small spherical object.
It was then that it clicked into place, and his one good eye widened. How could he have forgotten the item White had given him before he’d fled the arena? He’d literally been holding it the entire time!
Arthur leaned down, holding back a groan as he reached for the item, all traces of sleep now banished from his mind.
His fingers closed around the small object, and he sat up, starting in surprise as he saw both Hopps and Talia both practically leaning over his bed and staring.
“Well?” Talia asked impatiently. “What is it?”
“Yeah, mate, you were holding out on us,” Hopps accused. “It’s so shiny, too. Would you mind if I had it?”
“No!” Arthur said, pulling the item back and staring at the two of them.
The light was blocked out as Arthur clutched it to his chest, and both Hopps and Talia seemed to come to themselves.
Talia clutched at her head, her red eyes blazing with anger, while Hopps just looked confused.
“Um, would either of you mind telling me what’s going on?” Arthur asked.
“It’s an item with some sort of compulsion on it,” Talia replied. “I hate items that mess with your mind. It seems like the light is the trigger, so it won’t be safe for either of us to be here when you examine it,” she continued, straightening up and running her fingers through her hair.
“Hopps and I will go scout out the area and see where it connects to the manor, and you can tell us about the item when we come back.”
Hopps looked between the two of them and let out a sigh.
“Fine, we’ll go. But put on some clothes, mate. Don’t you feel weird sitting in front of Talia in just a pair of underwear?”
Arthur looked down at himself, noting his state of undress, then up to Talia, whose cheeks were now turning a bright red.
“Well, I do now! Thanks for that, Hopps,” Arthur exclaimed, suddenly feeling very embarrassed.
“No problem, mate! I’m here to help,” Hopps replied with a wide grin.
“Your bag is sitting near the table,” Talia said.
She’d turned her back on him, and despite the fact that her neck was hidden by her curtain of black hair, he imagined that it was just as red as her face. She was also standing very stiffly, which signified her discomfort.
“Um, yeah. Thanks,” he mumbled.
“We figured your armor would have been taken. We couldn’t find anything on short notice, but we did get you some clothes,” she continued. “We’ll be leaving now. Hopps.”
“We’ll be back soon, mate. Catch you later!”
And with that, the two of them exited the hidden room, leaving him alone, fighting his own embarrassment.
37
White lay on his back in a cold stone cell. Every bone in his body was broken, his muscles torn, and his skin was covered in cuts and burns. The guards had left him alive, but right now, he wished they’d have just killed him.
Clive was a sadistic bastard, and he knew the evil Feline wouldn’t allow him to get away with killing his Champion and starting a rebellion. His torturers had tormented him thoroughly over the last few hours, and he suspected they’d be back soon enough for more.
The Baron himself hadn’t made any appearances, but that wasn’t a surprise. He’d be too busy marshaling his forces and sending them out to quash the rebellion. He, of course, would remain safe and holed up in his palace, but Boris and his other captains would be sent out into the outskirts, where most of the fighting was taking place.
There would inevitably be fighting in the inner ring as well, but it wouldn’t be nearly as bad – yet. He knew that the citizens in the city far outnumbered the guards. And though not quite as strong, they would eventually overwhelm them, and that was when the real fighting would begin.
In his estimation, it would only take 48 or so hours before they broke through the wall and another 20 after that until they were assaulting the palace itself. There were several powerful fighters among the rebellion, and they would tie up the Captains. And, so long as Arthur’s group did their part, Raya would fall within the week.
Despite the pain, White laughed, blood spraying from his open mouth and coating the fur around his muzzle a deep crimson. It hurt him, but still, he laughed. Even if he didn’t make it, Clive and Raya would fall. He could sense the end of a regime, one that had gone on for far too long. Perhaps Arthur was the one to overthrow it, and perhaps he wasn’t. Regardless, he’d free at least one city.
Raya was an important city for the Felines, as it held their West border and served as a stronghold over the Rainforest. Without the city and its armies, the Felines could be rooted out, and the area would be freed of their influence. Sure, they would still control the entire Southern continent, but their power was largely held outside the Rainforest, in the Savanah, Mountains, and Drywood.
It would take months to gather the support needed to free the city, and by then, new allies could be made. The Felines had alienated everyone, and, as a result, their empire would fall.
A rattli
ng sound in the lock signaled a new arrival, and a moment later, a Feline entered, wheeling in a cart filled with implements designed for torture.
“Looks like you’re still lively,” he said with a sneer. “If you can still laugh, I’m clearly not doing my job well enough. Not to worry, though,” he said, shoving a metal rod into a small box and flipping a lever on the side.
Flames coated the inside of the box, beginning to heat the metal rod. The Feline turned back to his broken body, the fire illuminating one side of his face, while casting the other in deep shadow.
“I’m very good at what I do. And I’ve always wondered how much pain a former Champion could take.”
His face twisted into a malicious grin, showing his large canines.
“I’m sure we’ll have a grand old time finding out together, won’t we?”
White forced himself to keep the smile on his face, even as the glowing rod was removed from the furnace, glowing a pale yellow. No matter the pain, he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurt. No matter what, he would not cry out.
***
Arthur opened his hand, ready to close it again at a moment’s notice if the rainbow light affected his mind. It hadn’t earlier, leading him to suspect that it wouldn’t now, but one could never be too careful.
The rainbow light spilled out as his hand opened. As he’d suspected, nothing happened. He opened his hand fully, revealing the small round object in all its glory. It was perfectly spherical and a bright slivery red in color. The rainbow light surrounded the object, shimmering and flickering around it.
Turning the sphere in his fingers, he noticed that one side was intricately carved with a series of runes, though he had no idea what they said. They were carved into the approximate shape of an iris, and when he looked at it from the front, it appeared to be an eyeball carved from some unidentifiable metal.
He was awed by the eye’s beauty, and the longer he stared into the iris, the more he was sure he could see something. He brought it closer to his eye, trying to get a better look. The eye kept getting closer and closer to his own.