But Death is Not Forbidden

by Kip Terrington

  They slowly made their way down the ridge and across the flat land. As they came to the edge of the water Spooky channeled her magic through Obsidian One and cast a spell. The eight-fingered hand of Obsidian One pointed at the water where Spooky believed the monster was resting. A dark shadow glowed around the automaton’s hand, and then struck out at the water. Spooky had cast a Level 3 spell called Increased Viscosity. This spell strengthened the bonds in any liquid, creating a more viscous fluid. Spooky was aware that this spell would not damage the monster, but she hoped it would make it harder for it to breathe underwater. For a moment, nothing happened. The water stayed still. Then the green hippo-like creature began to come on shore, shaking the sticky water off of itself. Its three small eyes, set in a triangle, were blinking rapidly as it attempted to rid its eyes of the uncomfortable viscous water. Its long snake-like tongue licked what appeared to be gills on its sides. Spooky clicked on its properties.

  Level- 23

  Monster Type- Amphibious Gurkin

  Mana- none

  Hitpoints- 219

  Known attacks- Tongue punch, Fly snatch

  Current status- Panic

  Spooky instructed her angels to fly behind the gurkin, so that it could not retreat back into the water. Once the spell wore off, the monster might try to fall back into its preferred terrain. Both Moes and Spooky began casting at the same time.

  Moes’ spell hit first. It was a Level 4 spell called Made Masochist- this spell caused the target to interpret pain signals as pleasure. Spooky’s spell hit right after. It was a Level 5 spell that caused damage over time (DOT), called Iron Lung.

  Instead of a violent reaction, the monster purred, enjoying the now pleasant pain as its lungs bound together. Obsidian One stepped forward and brought her fists down hard on the mouth of the gurkin. Both bone and teeth broke in the amphibious creature. Spooky did not stop with the one punch, as she continued to pummel the large creature. At the same moment, her flying angels attacked the rear. This overabundance of stimulus broke the spell that Moes had cast and the gurkin began to truly feel the pain. Too late, the monster attempted to flee back into the water, but Moes cast a Level 3 spell called Confusion. The monster hesitated, unsure of what to do. The confusion spell was apparently unnecessary, as the gurkin had already lost too much blood and been unable to resist the Iron Lung DOT. Its lungs filling with blood, the monster seized up and died. Grork began the skinning process before the animal stilled.

  Target defeated. You’ve received 45 XP.

  Loot gained:

  Gurkin Pelt

  Silver Crowns- 5

  Spooky performed a quick after action report and noted that they had received no damage. She commended Moes on his smart choice of spells. Then she acknowledged that Grork had done the right thing in staying back as the secondary tank. This battle, unlike their last, had been well executed.

  Diligently, they made their way around the swamp using the spell, Increased Viscosity, to force monsters up on dry ground where they could be engaged. Every gurkin they encountered was between level 21 and 26. Unfortunately, not all battles went as smoothly as their first. Moes’ spell, Made Masochist, was not a sure thing and failed about half the time. Fortunately for Moes, Obsidian One was strong enough and dangerous enough to hold the attention of the monsters. After traversing a large distance and killing multiple gurkins, the group found themselves back at the entrance to the third level.

  “Flaming void! We went in a big circle! I guess you're not as good at directions as I thought. Apparently, you can't even go in a straight line,” Moes grumbled.

  “Do you sense any monsters nearby?” Spooky asked.

  “No. The last one I sensed was the one we just killed, about a click back,” Moes said as the UI translated the distance.

  “Good. Then we've cleared the outer edge of this floor. We will move further in, than take another circular route. By using the circular search pattern, we can maximize the amount of loot and XP we obtain on each floor. My sense of direction is more precise than you could possibly imagine,” Spooky said.

  “You know, you always seem to have an answer for everything. And I'll give credit where credit is due. Your explanations always seem completely and utterly plausible, only they always come after the fact. It makes me wonder what you would have said if your course had taken us directly to the boss. Would you then have said you're maximizing the amount of loot and XP we obtain per minute in the dungeon?” Moes asked.

  “Why is it that you feel the need to whine? From what I've gathered so far, it seems to be your defining characteristic. You don't need to understand why I do what I do. Instead, just recognize that I'm in charge and that I’m effective. It doesn't matter if it's not done the way you want, it's getting done. There may come a day when you choose to become a citizen of this kingdom. At that time, you may be leading the group in this dungeon. I hope, at that time, that you're able to make good decisions. More than that, I hope your group takes your lead. During this raid, you have done an admirable job in fulfilling your role, but at the first sign of something you don't understand, you've questioned my leadership. It's not helpful, Moes. You should have waited until we were out of the dungeon before holding us up with complaining. Are you going to go back to fulfilling your role admirably or are we going to have a problem?” Spooky asked.

  “Burnt bushes! I was just commenting on the way things were. I'm not trying to usurp your authority. I'm just here to level up. I'll follow your lead,” Moes said, waving his hands like it wasn't a big deal. Without words, they moved further in on the third floor and began their circular search pattern.

  Os had to admit, she really did enjoy watching this group. Sure, part of it had to do with her missing being able to watch sentient individuals interact. She liked the way the whiner one seemed to talk. He was very expressive, with his burning bushes and dark stars. It was all very extreme. He definitely didn't understand, or at least didn't respect, how a group was supposed to work. The leader helped facilitate the success of the group. This was especially the case in a new group. If the followers weren't willing to follow, the group failed. Though the whiner had brought up a good point, but a time for questioning the leader was never on a mission. Os couldn't blame Moes. The dark fairy’s leadership style was not the most effective, but it wasn't going to matter on this floor. Its boss was not strong enough to defeat the dark fairy in her obsidian armor. It still bugged Os that the dark fairy had brought in that armor. It felt like she was pushing the limits of the rules. Though in that thought, if the dark fairy could push the rules, so could Os. If the dark fairy gets to wear armor, shouldn't everyone get to?

  On Floors 1 and 2, the stairs to the next floor down had been at the far end. On the third floor, the stairs down were on an island directly in its center. For this reason, it took the group hours to find the bridge that led to the island containing the stairs down to the fourth floor. Os noticed that all group members had gained at least one level to make it this far. This idea of levels was fascinating to her, a way to quantify one’s strengths and weaknesses in a novel and enjoyable way. It was off-putting, though, that the adventurers were able to become noticeably stronger after each level gain. It made her think that maybe she could justify meddling just a little bit extra to counter this effect. Os became aware of a little message, more felt than seen.

  Plus 1 to Chaos points.

  As the group approached the long truss bridge, their eyes were drawn to the oddly fast-flowing river below it. If they fell in that water, the current would not let them go. Stopping just before the bridge, Obsidian One knelt down to assess the situation.

  “Are you positive you don't sense any monsters?” Spooky asked.

  “None that are conscious or have an active spirit. As far as I know, all living things have a spirit,” Moes said.

  Spooky moved closer and gripped one of the lower trusses of the bridge. In a smooth movement, she swung over the side of the bridge and hung from its underside lik
e an orangutan. From this vantage point, she could see a wooden platform suspended from the bottom of the bridge. Lying flat on the platform was a ten-foot tall, heavily armored figure. She mind-clicked it.

  Unanimated spiritless troll.

  Almost immediately after she had assessed the lifeless husk, a mist began to coalesce around it. Quick as an indrawn breath, the white mist flowed into the mouth and nostrils of the troll. It sat up and almost hit its head on the underside the bridge. Spooky mind-clicked once more.

  Dungeon, Floor 3 Boss

  Level- 27

  Monster Type- Swamp Troll

  Name- Kuro

  Mana- none

  Hitpoints- 232

  Known attacks- none

  Known defense- Regeneration

  The troll was brought to life right before her eyes. If Obsidian One had had eyebrows, they would have been scrunched low in frustration and disappointment. Spooky did not move from where she was hanging, but instead began to speak quietly. It was not loud enough for her companions to hear over the rushing water, but Os could hear.

  “I'm disappointed in you. There's no way the changes you have made are above board. I see the armor that the troll is wearing. Its appearance looks strikingly similar to the color and texture of the golem I am riding in. That could be a coincidence, and I hope that it is. If it's not a coincidence, you added it in order to counter what I brought in. I didn't think that I was breaking the rules. If you thought that I had, you should have dealt with it immediately. I am perfectly willing to follow the rules which you and the UI set, though if you're going to constantly change them while we are in the dungeon, then there are no real rules. You can't be a covenant dungeon without rules. If it was just that one infraction, I wouldn't make an issue of it. I did come in the dungeon inside of a golem. Only, that wasn't the only infraction. In order to circumvent Moes’ ability to sense the mind and spirit of your monsters, you tried to pull a fast one. You waited to fully create your troll until I discovered it. What's worse, you would have waited until we were just above it. Your surprise would have been deadly. That's playing with loaded dice. You are a magnificent entity, but you're not following by your own rules. If you have no code of conduct that you're willing to follow, what does that make you? For one thing, it makes you a threat to the castle and the kingdom above you.

  “Our covenant is newly-formed, Os. Don't break it because you feel slighted. I'm going to rejoin my group and we're going to fight whatever you have planned for us. When I win, I expect the reward to not only meet the level of difficulty, but also to show your repentance and penance. In the future, when we encroach upon the boundary of the rules do not deal with it in this manner. Instead, drop a note on the first floor, showing the rules the party is breaking. If the party does not rectify their error, then feel free to give them appropriate consequences. I, for one, will acknowledge I encroached upon the limit of the rules. From now on, I will count Obsidian One as a party member. I hope that you will accept my de-escalation, and do the same. For now, though, my group will deal with what you have set in motion,” Spooky said.

  Then Obsidian One began to swing back and forth and gain enough momentum to throw itself back on top of the bridge. It landed in a gorilla crouch and Spooky spoke to her group.

  “Look alive, people. An armored troll is about to pop up from under that bridge.”

  “Trolls don't wear armor! They regenerate, even if a limb is torn off. We’re in trouble. I hate trolls, they always eat goblins. Hey! Why is my voice so high?!” Grork asked in the mocking falsetto voice he had used earlier. Moes smiled, but then got back down to business.

  “Don't worry, your voice is coming through loud and clear. One thing I don't understand is how I didn't sense the troll, but we can't worry about that now. It's not alone. There are two other beings approaching from behind us,” Moes said, turning to look.

  A loud creaking sound was heard from the middle of the bridge. When the party looked back to see what it was, they saw the armored troll being raised on a platform. Kuro, the Swamp Troll, was covered from head to toe in thick black armor. In each hand, he carried a black curved scimitar. Standing at ten-feet tall, his scimitars were only five-feet long. Without the swords in his hands, Obsidian One would have had a longer reach then him.

  “Swords? Trolls don't use swords,” Grork said, back in his normal voice.

  “Then this should be easy, let's all move on to the bridge. Same formation as before. I'm in the front, Grork you're in the rear,” Spooky said. The group obeyed her directions, but Moes couldn't help but voice his concerns.

  “With the troll in front of us and two unknown monsters approaching from the rear, we will be trapped on the bridge. We will be attacked from two sides,” Moes gasped, already short of breath from the excitement.

  “Better two sides than three or even more. When all you have are bad options, you're forced to take the least objectionable. The important part in that is to choose one. Every second you waste in hesitation, your options worsen. As of this moment, we are halfway between the troll and the other end of the bridge. That means there's no more questions, only obedience. In order for us to survive this, you're going to need to focus and do what I say without one moment of reflection. Prepare yourselves,” Spooky said.

  Moes’ pulse increased when he saw the two monsters approaching the bridge. They were identical shiny black-scaled snakes. Moes felt his stomach drop. They had to be over twelve-feet long. Their diamond shaped heads were clearly large enough to swallow the halfling whole. Even though he knew he would be reborn, the idea of being inside one of those snakes nearly made him wet himself.

  Spooky quickly mind-clicked the snakes.

  Level- 24

  Monster Type- Black Boa

  Mana- none

  Hitpoints- 185

  Known attacks- none

  Level- 23

  Monster Type- Black Boa

  Mana- none

  Hitpoints- 179

  Known attacks- none

  The snakes paused before the bridge and lifted their heads, allowing themselves to be fully seen. For a moment, stillness came over the whole area, and even the water rushing below became quiet. Slowly, the two snakes began to move forward onto the bridge, than they went in opposite directions, going over the sides of the bridge.

  “Apparently we are still going to be attacked from three sides. Moes, if you can tell where they're coming from call out their direction on the clock. I'm designating the troll as 12 o'clock,” Spooky said. Moes nodded, too afraid to confirm with his voice. Moes had had more experience with snakes than he would care to admit. This was a different experience than the monsters they had faced earlier. The gurkins were scary, but he hadn't had time to really develop a fear of them. His fear of snakes, on the other hand, had had time to ferment into a full-blown phobia. With his hands shaking, he tried to follow where, under the bridge, the snakes had gone. The armored troll began to step forward and the stillness was broken. Its walk was not graceful, but it was as persistent as Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash. Spooky’s two angels took flight, though the ceiling was only thirty-feet above them. Spooky faced the troll as it made its steady walk across the bridge.

  “Snakes coming at 8 and 4!” Moes yelled. Grork turned to meet the snake attacking from 8 o’clock.

  “Got 8,” Grork pierced in falsetto.

  In the same moment, Spooky announced, “Got 4,” as Obsidian One back-flipped over Moes, twisting in mid-air and catching the snake that had been aiming for the halfling. The snake attempted to wrap around Obsidian One, but it was overmatched. Her hands were too strong and her arms were too long.

  Grork was not having nearly as easy of a time. He had been able to stop the snake from getting to Moes, but was not able to hold on to his pick. The snake disarmed him and then quickly wrapped itself around him. Grork tried to bite into the snake's flesh, but his teeth couldn't penetrate the armored scale. He felt his green blood rushing to his head. He knew he couldn't take t
he constriction for much longer. Suddenly, it felt like he was being pummeled, only the blows weren't quite reaching him. The snake’s grip loosened a bit and he could see both of Spooky’s angels hitting the snake with their weapons. Unfortunately, the short swords were not penetrating the scales.

  This left Moes, who turned to face the steadily approaching troll. The troll's dark green eyes focused on the little halfling. Moes had never felt more alone. He held his hands together and spoke the strongest words of power that he knew. As he pulled his hands apart, he held a crackling blue ball of mind energy in each palm. Throwing both hands forward and up, he sent the energy straight into the approaching troll. He had cast a Level 10 Master Psi Blast spell. The spell had used a full third of his available mana. He had been preparing to cast it since before they had stepped onto the bridge. As the mind energy hit the troll and began crackling over his armor, Moes got a message from the UI.

  20% effective: Armor negates 80% of all magical damage.

  The spell had made the troll stop and shake his head for a moment, but it was only a moment.

  “Help!” Moes yelled as he began scrambling backwards. The troll brought both scimitars high, obviously intending to use them more like clubs. A snake's tail whipped above Moes’ head causing him to duck down. The tail flicked the exposed face of the troll, causing it to drop one scimitar to check if it had lost an eye. Before it could recover, Spooky had jumped back over Moes and picked up the fallen scimitar. She quickly raised it over her head and blocked the downswing of the now-recovered troll. Its dark green eyes glowed with a new intensity. Moes, who had fallen on his backside, was shocked at what he saw in front of him.