Switching my steady jog into an all-out sprint, I closed the distance between me and the force dome, seeing several more orbs emerge from within as I ran. Fortunately for me, however, all of the new orbs of magic were far enough away from me that I didn’t have to adjust my angle of approach. With my free arm outstretched, I thrust it into the shimmering dome of force the moment that I came close enough to do so, feeling a torrent of energy shoot up my arm. But instead of passing through the dome of force as I had expected to, I felt the shield under my hand bend and deform as a veritable torrent of mana surged into my body, making me feel as if I had tried to take a drink from a firehose.
“Whoa!” I couldn’t help but gasp under the sheer quantity of energy surging before me as the Sentinel’s force dome absorbed all of my momentum and left me standing in place with my hand slowly being pushed out of the slight depression that I had managed to make.
I can’t absorb enough of it fast enough! I thought, for the first time realizing just how much power was surging through the magical barrier before me. All I had managed to do was slightly weaken a small portion of it, but it hadn’t been anywhere close enough to allow me to break through it. Remembering that the two orbs were still hot on my tail, I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the pair speeding towards me at high speed. Shit! I have to move!
Reacting at the speed of thought, I picked a spot directly behind the two orbs and triggered Blink Step, my vision blurring out of focus as I teleported. Reappearing at the very edge of the range that I could manage, I heard a loud thunderclap of magic echo through the chamber, prompting me to immediately spin around and look back at where I had just been standing. Gone was any sign of the two orbs that had been chasing me, replaced with a large cloud of rapidly fading magic.
Those pack an even bigger punch than I was expecting, I thought, seeing the force dome ripple from the blast, the energy swirling through it appearing to grow slightly dimmer in my augmented vision, making my eyes widen in surprise. Wait! That blast affected the barrier!
Focusing my attention on the magic forming the dome, I watched it gradually regain its former intensity, the whole purpose of the encounter suddenly crystallizing in my mind. We need to lead the orbs it spawns back into the barrier! If we can get enough of them to hit it at the same time, then maybe we can bring it down or weaken it enough so I can break through!
“The only trick now is getting enough orbs following you and surviving long enough to lead them back to the barrier,” I said to myself grimly, glancing around to see if there were any party members nearby, my eyes landing on three sprinting figures that happened to have seven orbs trailing closely behind them. Breaking into a run, I waved wildly at the trio, recognizing them as Lazarus, Halcyon and Drace as I got closer.
“Hey!” I shouted in between steps, seeing each of their heads swivel in my direction. “I need you guys to lead your orbs to the dome!”
“You need us to do what, Lyr?” Halcyon answered first, panting heavily as he ran.
“I need you to lead your orbs to the dome and cause them to crash into it!” I explained, falling in line with the trio. “It should either destroy the barrier or weaken it enough so I can get through it!”
“Are you sure that’s going to work?” Lazarus asked, barely sounding winded from the run. “Getting close is one thing, but getting out…”
“It’ll work!” I affirmed. “I just tested it with two orbs, but it wasn’t nearly enough. I’m hoping the ones following you three will work.”
“Lyr,” Halcyon gasped. “I have four of these things gaining on me, and I’m already running as fast as I can! There’s no way I’m going to make it all that way, let alone out!”
“Hal—” I began, in an attempt to reassure the mage but found myself interrupted by Drace.
“Don’t worry, man; you’ll make it.” He grunted while glancing over at Lazarus with a meaningful look, who nodded and then shifted his positioning until he was a few steps behind Halcyon. “One way or another at least.”
“Huh?” the mage grunted, his hand clutching at a stitch in his chest as he tried to look over his shoulder. “What is that supposed to mean?!”
The words were barely out of the man’s mouth before Lazarus came rushing up from behind Halcyon at a full sprint, a palpable red aura hanging around him in my vision. Without breaking stride, he effortlessly scooped up the running mage in his arms with one smooth motion and threw him over his shoulder.
“Heeeey! What are you doing?” Halcyon yelled, sheer terror tinging his voice. “Stop! Put me down!”
“I’m sorry, Hal. I’m afraid we can’t do that right now,” Drace replied, a note of humor evident in his voice. “Just enjoy the ride, and maybe cast a Force Shield if it looks like we’ll need it.”
“Uh, wait, you’re not going to—” Halcyon began to protest just as Lazarus’s words cut him off.
“Quiet!” The half-giant barked with barely restrained rage, the aura around him flaring brightly. “We’re going! Follow me!”
Without another word, Lazarus took off like a gunshot, pulling ahead of both Drace and I as he sprinted directly towards the dome.
“I hope this shit works, Lyr!” Drace shouted a heartbeat afterward as he too put on a burst of speed to keep up with the enraged half-giant.
“It will!” I told the warrior, simultaneously crossing my fingers where he couldn’t see. “Just be ready for whatever happens afterward!”
“Yeah!” I heard Drace call back as I split away from him, mindful of the fact that I needed to arrive after the orbs trailing him impacted the dome, or be caught right in the middle of the blast that I was trying to cause.
Taking several steps away from the line that Drace and the others had been following, I slowed just enough for the seven rapidly accelerating orbs to fly past me, using the opportunity to check and see if any newer orbs had managed to lock onto me in the meantime. Thankful to see that nothing had targeted me, I turned my attention back towards the dome, just in time to see the first of the orbs slam into it.
Immediately, everything in front of me vanished in a bright azure light as orb after orb collided with the dome and subsequently vented their fury onto the magical barrier that the Sentinel had created, filling the air with a palpable haze of mana. Rushing in half-blind on the heels of the blast, I threw any semblance of caution to the wind and charged forward with my free hand outstretched once again, ready to try and break through the barrier for a second time.
Plunging my hand into the swirling maelstrom of energy, I once again felt a cool wave of energy shoot up my arm as I began to absorb the mana powering the dome. This time, instead of it resisting my attempts to push through it, it dissipated under my touch, the multitudes of impacts from the orbs having weakened it past the point of resistance, allowing me to pass straight through it as if I were parting a curtain.
It worked! I exclaimed mentally, feeling a surge of elation course through my body as I rapidly brought myself to a halt, gazing up at the Sentinel’s back as it maintained its grip on the two Æther Crystals, completely oblivious to my presence. Casting a glance behind me out of reflex, I saw that the barrier behind me had already sealed and was rapidly regenerating in strength with every second that passed, effectively trapping me inside the dome with the Sentinel. Glancing around, and then up at the construct, I suddenly felt a surge of doubt shoot through me as I considered what to do next. Well, I wanted badly to get in here, but what the hell am I supposed to do now?
Staring at the Sentinel for several seconds as I considered the options before me, I weighed the prospects of trying to climb it, then stab it, in what I hoped would be a vulnerable location, such as the one remaining eye it had, or coming up with an alternative solution. Shifting my gaze off the construct and onto the Æther Crystal, I carefully inspected the object, noting once again that it was perfectly identical to the crystals that we had seen earlier in the ruins, right down to the rings encircling it.
The rings, I n
oted with excitement, recalling the metal fragments that we had recovered in the first chamber. The rings are somehow important to the Æther Crystals. Maybe if I broke them…
Decision made, I sprang into action, grabbing hold of Splinter with both hands as I crossed the short distance between the closest Æther Crystal and me. Timing my attack for when the two rings descended to the lowest point of the crystal, I lashed out with Splinter, chopping the Æthertouched blade into the ancient metal with all the strength I could manage.
Which in hindsight, I later recalled, had been completely unnecessary on my part.
Both of the rings shattered violently under the impact of my blade, exploding into countless metal shards as if they had been wrapped around a stick of dynamite. Pain flared as several of the ring’s fragments sliced exposed skin, forcing me to take a step backward in reflex and belatedly shield my face. Before I could even begin to voice a curse at what had just happened, a loud cracking sound filled the air before me. Pulling my hand away from my eyes, I glanced up at the Æther Crystal that I had just tried to sabotage, my mouth falling open as millions of tiny cracks began to snake through it. Reacting quickly, the Sentinel took its hand off the Æther Crystal and twisted its head down to look towards me, the energy powering the dome fading drastically.
“Shit! Time to go!” I said to myself, tearing my gaze away from the Sentinel as it reached out towards me with its now free hand, prompting me to turn away from the rapidly destabilizing crystal and trigger Blink Step, reappearing right beside the other Æther Crystal with Splinter raised high in the air.
Without a second’s hesitation, I slashed out with my sword once more, catching the two rings on the second Æther Crystal as it came into range. This time ready for the blast, I made sure to turn my face away as I connected with the rings, feeling them too practically explode from the impact, several of the shards finding their way into my flesh. But despite the pain shooting through me, I couldn’t help but smile as another loud crack filled the air, echoing in sympathy with its twin.
Almost instantly, the dome of magic surrounding me vanished, leaving me staring out into the cavernous chamber and at several orbs still floating through the air as they chased their respective targets. Twisting back to look over my shoulder as I forced myself to run away from the two now damaged Æther Crystals, I saw that each of them had violently begun to shatter, the energy stored within them roiling as it refused to be contained. Shifting my glance ever so slightly, I caught sight of the Sentinel still standing directly between the two Æther Crystals as it slowly turned on its bad leg in an attempt to see where I had gone.
Taking my eyes off the Sentinel, I put on a burst of speed as I tried to put as much space between me and the crystals as possible, having a strong suspicion about what was going to happen next. Sprinting as if my life depended on it, I put every iota of strength that I had into my legs, watching the cavern blur by.
Then without any warning at all, everything suddenly went white, followed by a massive wave of force that swept me off my feet. I felt myself soar through the air for a distance spinning wildly without control, before I crashed back into the ground heavily, sliding until I struck something hard. Stunned from the impact, I lay completely insensate for a time, until my brain finally finished rebooting itself, leaving me staring upwards into a now pitch-black chamber, seeing a single azure orb sail through the corner of my vision.
“Lyr! You’re up!” Drace greeted wearily as the Sentinel drunkenly twisted to take a swing at Freya. “Great, we might just have a chance now.”
“Is this all of us that are left?” I asked, checking Party Sense and suddenly realizing that Caius was no longer nearby and had respawned with Constantine back in Aldford.
“Pretty much,” the warrior grunted. “Sierra, Myr, Abaddon and Halcyon are all down and seriously injured with Theia tending to them. All the others are dead.”
“Shit,” I replied, letting out a deep sigh before realizing that there was a name missing. “What about Alistair?”
“Bringing the last orb in for a final pass,” Drace told me. “We’re hoping to use it to take down the Sentinel, but we missed the last time. This is our last chance with it.”
“Okay,” I acknowledged, turning my head until I spotted Alistair’s sprinting figure in the distance. “Just one more time.”
Nodding in wordless reply, Drace, Amaranth and I took several steps forward towards the Sentinel joining the rest of the group in keeping it distracted. One by one we then took turns stepping in close to the Sentinel, getting in close enough for it to attempt a swing at us, only to back away from the damaged construct, and forcing it to shift its attention to the next person in line. Watching carefully out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alistair close the distance between us, the azure orb glowing brightly just over his shoulder as he approached.
We had purposefully timed our turning of the Sentinel so that its back would be facing Alistair when he arrived, random chance allowing it to be my turn to distract the construct when he finally made contact, giving me the perfect view as he ran straight in between its legs and dove to the side, a heartbeat before the closely following orb slammed into the back of the golem’s leg. Detonating, the orb consumed itself in a magical conflagration of energy, going as far to blow the Sentinel’s leg clean off its body and sending the mechanical goliath crashing down onto the ground.
Sensing a chance to finally put an end to the battle, we all surged forward with a primal roar and charged the fallen Sentinel. The scream of metal drowning out our cry as we all began to chop, thrust, or smash our weapons into the construct, rending apart the armor that hid the delicate machinery within. With every attack that landed, the Sentinel’s movements gradually began to slow, smoke and sparks billowing out from within.
But for all the damage that we had caused, it wasn’t until Alistair, recovered from his desperate sprint, brought his axe down on the golem’s melted head, splitting it nearly in two, that the Sentinel finally stopped moving, all signs of life fading away, prompting a set of rapid messages to appear in my vision.
Alistair has slain a [Nafarrian Sentinel]!
You gain Party Experience!
Congratulations! You have reached Level 15!
You have been awarded one Class Skill Point!
Chapter 39
“Well, I don’t think I’m going to forget that fight anytime soon!” Thorne’s voice echoed out through the cavern as we all struggled to catch our breath from the battle, watching the Sentinel’s body dissipate into nothingness to be replaced by a large loot bag. “An old Nafarrian robot was the last thing I would have expected to find down here.”
“Didn’t the security system warn you?” I asked while exhaling in a controlled manner, hoping that by slowing my breathing I would be able to calm my still rapidly beating heart. Hitting level fifteen had done wonders in healing all the wounds that I had suffered
during the battle, but now that the fighting was over, I had to find my own way of calming down.
“Not that I know of,” Thorne replied with a shrug. “Ransom and Zethus were the only ones that made contact with it, and they didn’t mention anything.”
“Hrm,” I grunted, matching the dwarf’s shrug with one of my own before turning my head towards the sound of approaching footsteps.
“Please tell me the Sentinel is dead,” Sierra called hopefully as she and the others who had been seriously wounded towards the end of the fight rejoined us.
“It’s dead,” Drace affirmed turning around to face the approaching group. “And from the looks of it, I think most of us just leveled up.”
“About time too!” Halcyon agreed with excitement on his face, nearly everyone between the two parties nodding enthusiastically, save for Alistair and Lazarus.
“Still have another quarter to go,” Lazarus commented wistfully.
“And I am literally twenty experience short of level fourteen,” Alistair added with frustration. “So close…”
“Oh shit. We got a class skill point this level!” Thorne said suddenly, his demeanor shifting to one of all-out joy as his eyes glazed over while he focused on a menu in his vision. “I completely forgot about that!”
“That’s right!” I said enthusiastically, seeing all the other surviving guild members do the same as the dwarf as they looked to see what they could spend their new skill point on.
Casting an understanding look at both Alistair and Lazarus, the pair shrugged at me in response before turning to walk towards the Sentinel’s loot bag, content to busy themselves with looking through the spoils while the rest of us adjusted our character sheets. Not wanting to seem rude, but also eager to see what new abilities I had available to me, I waited until the pair began searching through the bag, then brought up my ability list, immediately seeing a prompt fill my vision.
Legacy of the Fallen Page 52