by J. T. Wright
Where was Tersa? With her Strength and Constitution, while she might not be a match for the creature, it still wouldn’t be able to toss her around the way it did Trent. Together, they could push the Warden a few more feet, and Orion would end this fight!
Tersa was trying to do her part. It was just that nothing was going right for her. First, that ridiculously bright light had hit her with a startling blindness. When her vision began to clear, she started running towards Trent, but with her vision still blurry and her being in a hurry, she missed the door. Running into the iron bars had hurt! Her vision, which had been clearing nicely, was suddenly filled with stars.
She cursed and rubbed her head with both hands. The realization that she was using both hands freely shocked her out of her daze. Where was her mace? She had dropped it when Dawn Breaking had assaulted her face, and it was still lying on the ground where she had dropped it.
She hopped over and grabbed her weapon, scolding it internally. Out loud, she called to Trent that she was coming and rushed to help him. Well, she tried to! She ran into the cell’s bars again, and her vision darkened with tears. Damn it that hurt! Did the door move? Was the thrice-damned, stupid, jerk face Trial messing with her? Why were things like this happening to her, and no one else? At the very least, Trent should run into a door once or twice. He was the one that came up with this crappy plan!
Trent jumped back again, this time with a kick that landed solidly on Krip’s side, but it failed to move the Terror in the slightest. From his cell, Orion watched helplessly. The boy and the monster were so close, but still several feet away from his outstretched hands. He had already formed a Spell and was lacking only the trigger and a target close to hand. Where was that annoying redheaded wench? If Krip broke his bonds and regained his feet, this situation could turn ugly fast.
The fight between Krip and Trent paused momentarily as a thunk, followed by a sullen “oww" rang out. Krip paused in the chaos, not knowing the cause of the sudden noise, and Trent stopped because he knew exactly what had happened. He grimaced but resumed kicking, refusing to look in the direction of the sound.
Krip jerked back from Trent’s foot, and Trent grunted in excitement. The Undead was inches away from Orion’s fingers. Just a little bit more… he lashed out again, but Krip didn’t move this time.
He didn’t move because his jerk back had been a reflex. The fact was, this little twerp couldn’t hurt him, and there was no need for all his thrashing around. He ignored Trent, who kicked out futilely at him again. Krip turned his attention to the Spell that was binding his arms and legs.
Looking at it, he didn’t even think it was a tier 1 Spell! If it was a Charm, then how could it hold him? The answer was, it couldn’t. The burning rope only caused the slightest bit of damage, but with his weakness to fire, he had given it more credit than it deserved. Left to their own devices, the ropes would last another half hour at most. If he exerted a little more pressure, they would hurt more, but they would also ultimately break.
Trent watched horror-stricken as Krip flexed his chest and arms. The first rope broke and faded. The Terror pulled forcefully with its legs. The second rope snapped and fizzled out. Krip was free. Trent swallowed hard and drew Sorrow and Strife as he watched the Terror flow to his feet in a disturbingly boneless manner.
They’d been so close! Axes in hand, Trent thought his chances of pushing the creature back a few inches to Orion were slim. With its lanky frame, the Terror didn’t look like much. It looked like if the creature took a step outside, a slightly strong breeze could lift and carry it away. But Trent knew, from his ineffective kicks, that that fragility was a deception.
Krip’s too-wide mouth and too-thin lips pulled back into a snarl. His sunken eyes flashed with anger as he drew in a lung full of air to spit. “I will eat your heart while the Al’rashian watches, Insect,” he hissed.
Trent didn’t know what to say to that. He wondered what Tersa would say if she was in his place. Probably something like, “All you’re going to eat is my mace with a side of smashing, Jerkface!” Trent didn’t think he could manage to say something like that, even if his embarrassment would be hidden behind his mask. Now would be a good time for Tersa to jump out and say it herself. Where was she?
He shifted his feet and raised his axes. A putrid smell and a green haze were starting to be emitted from Krip’s body. There it was! Poison! Tainted Terrors could use poison in their attacks. Even separated from his knife, Krip had the means to kill.
Of course, the Undead didn’t need poison to deal with a low leveled Adventurer. By themselves, his hands and teeth were quite deadly, but after being burned, pulled around, and kicked, he had some venting to do. His poison meant a slower death, and that was just what Krip had in mind.
The Terror’s arms lengthened as he drew forth all his power. His nails thickened, grew, and blackened, and his eyes sunk into hollow pits. Krip's basic form was human, but there was no humanity in his features. He hissed and stretched out a single finger lazily.
Strife slashed to block what Trent thought was a probing attack. The blade of his axe never came close to the black fingernail, the claw, that reached for him. Even as Trent shifted his feet to follow up his first attack with a slash from Sorrow, the black nail, which dripped a sickly green fluid, pushed through his hide armor. The nail touched his chest, and Trent was flung backward.
That seemingly slow, powerless strike sent Trent flying. With jarring force, the back of his legs caught on the table, and he tumbled end over end until he struck the wall. Trent felt a sharp pain in his arm, side, and skull where they had made contact with the stone. This pain only grew sharper as he slid to the ground, headfirst.
His axes fell from his hands, and he almost lost consciousness. It was over. Their plan had failed utterly and completely. The Terror was not an opponent for Orion if the higher leveled man had been free of his cell, but Trent was also no match for Krip. Oddly, Trent felt worse for Orion than he did for himself. They had given the man hope, and now he would still be stuck behind those iron bars. All he would have is the memory of two people dying in front of him.
“Hey, Fuck All. You leave my friend alone, only I get to hit that jerkface!” Trent thought he imagined the shrill and belligerent cry at first. Two people dying… that’s right, there were two people that weren’t locked up here. Only, hadn’t Tersa brained herself before ever getting into the fight? Even if she was still up, what could she possibly do?
More than Trent apparently. With a bellow, Tersa heaved her mace at the Terror. The heavy iron club struck Krip squarely between the eyes, and the Tainted Warden rocked back on his feet.
If Trent had been in any condition to comment on this action, he probably would have asked Tersa what she thought she’d accomplish by throwing her weapon away, but Trent wasn’t in any position to question her actions, and Tersa wasn’t exactly thinking clearly.
The Guard Recruit surged forward, barehanded and furious! Krip thought it was laughable. The female’s mace had stung a bit, but the woman herself was shorter and slighter than himself. This wouldn’t be a long fight, and it wasn’t either, though not exactly in the way Krip expected. Tersa devoted most of her free Attribute Points to Strength and Constitution. She wasn’t big, and she wasn’t fast, but she was solid. She hit the Undead Guardian like a battering ram and drove him back until they slammed against the bars of Orion’s cell.
This was the right move, and later, Tersa would claim it was intentional, but really, she just wanted to bash and smash this smelly jerk that had hurt her friend. Her tiny fists struck out, hitting areas where a living opponent would be very sensitive. On an Undead Terror, they did little besides holding him in place and enrage him. Her strikes also had the effect of poisoning Tersa herself, but the redheaded warrior was beyond caring about that.
Krip snarled and lifted a hand. He was about to pierce his poisoned claw directly through Tersa’s eye when an arm snaked through the bars behind him and wrapped around his
throat. Chokeholds were another tactic that was not very effective against the Undead, but Krip’s eyes still bulged with panic.
The arm that wrapped around his throat like a vice belonged to Orion. Before he had been bound to the Trial, Krip would have found Orion’s Level 27 strength laughable, no more threatening than Trent’s Level 1. Now, however, with his own Level currently limited to 15, he found falling into the warrior mage’s hands terrifying.
Scratching at Orion’s arm desperately, Krip forgot about killing Tersa. It was useless. Orion was not a high leveled Mage, but he was a talented one, and with his Warrior’s Strength and a Spirit Summoner’s concentration, his arm was staying where he’d put it.
“Cleanse and Bind,” Orion hissed the triggers to his spells in much the same tone that Krip had used to whisper threats at him for the last few weeks.
The Terror’s body tightened in pain, and he ceased all movement. He was only capable of whimpering brokenly. Tersa redoubled her efforts, oblivious to the fact that it was Orion’s spells and not her punches that were causing the Terror’s distress.
Orion’s Dual Cast Skill and Fast Casting Ability had never been so handy before. His path had wandered away from that of a pure Mage, so he had a narrow selection of spells, but they were all suited to confronting an Undead in close proximity. He also cast Minor Heal, Cleanse, Water Shackles, and other Light Element and Water Element spells in rapid succession. Two at once, the drain on Orion’s Mana pool was significant, but not nearly as significant as the hit Krip’s life-force was taking. It wasn’t long before Tersa was hitting a lifeless corpse held up only by Orion’s arm.
Orion released the Warden who hadn’t disappeared, only because Terrors could be Harvested. The body slumped to the ground, and to Orion’s disbelief, Tersa followed it as she continued to pummel the unresisting corpse.
“He’s dead. Nameless female, you can stop!” Orion had to shout before Tersa realized he was talking to her.
“I knew that.” Tersa popped to her feet and glowered at Orion as she caught her breath. She pushed her hair away from her red and sweaty face. “Who are you calling nameless female? I have a name! It’s…”
“Proper introductions can wait.” Orion knew Tersa’s name, but since she’d never given it to him and had insisted on calling him names like murderer and criminal, he refused to use it. “You should see to Trent. Wait, first.” He cast Cleanse on her to dispel the poison she’d picked up touching Krip. Tersa didn’t even offer him a thanks before scurrying off to check on Trent.
Trent had pushed himself into a sitting position. He leaned back against the wall and took shallow breaths. He tried not to think about the pain in his ribs and the pounding in his skull. The Secondary Attribute, Endurance, was supposed to make him more resilient, but being thrown into a wall by a monster fifteen times his own Level was beyond his limit. He was in a world of hurt right now!
He hurt more when Tersa roughly grabbed hold of him and pulled him to his feet. He would have lost consciousness, but she started forcing him across the room towards Orion, and the intense pain kept him awake, to his dismay. No enemy had caused him quite as much pain as what his friend was putting him through.
It was a different pain than the Burning Lake had caused. Trent absently wondered how many types of pain there were in the world. Being shoved roughly to the floor in front of Orion’s cell was a new kind of hell. The nausea that he experienced could have been from the poison, his head wound, the constant pain, or a combination of the three. But at this point, Trent’s curiosity abandoned him, and he couldn’t care less about causes.
Tersa stared impatiently and expectantly at Orion. Orion returned her look with one of disbelief. How could she treat an obviously wounded friend so roughly? But he knelt and fulfilled her expectations anyway.
He cleansed Trent of poison and began the slow healing process. Orion was no true Healer; he had merely learned a few basic spells while studying various types of magic, but he knew enough to get Trent moving again. Not moving fast or freely, that would take more time and Mana than Orion currently had, but Trent could think and stand again.
He also had enough range of motion back to Harvest the Terror. He tried to hint that maybe Tersa could handle it, but she wasn’t volunteering. The relevant bits of a Terror were its fingernails, eyes, and Core. Tersa turned and spun away when she heard what was required to get those parts.
Once Trent had finished, the Trial reclaimed the body of its minor Guardian and left them with the loot. A shield, a sword, a staff, two Skill Stones, and a key, not a bad haul though Trent was mostly interested in the key. It fit neatly in the lock of Orion’s cell, and a single twist had the door swinging open freely.
Orion stepped out carefully as if he couldn’t quite believe he was free. A slight smile lit his face as he turned to the cell door and closed it firmly behind him. The smile grew larger as he regarded his two saviors, and with a small bow, he reintroduced himself.
“Orion Embra, Kin Slayer.”
It was an opportunity for the three of them to start fresh. They still had a long way to go to leave the prison and would have to work together. He and Trent had formed a bond over the last few hours, but Tersa stood frowning with one hand on her hip and the other hand swinging her mace casually. Either she didn’t recognize the peace offering for what it was, or she had no intention of getting cozy with a professed murderer.
“Trent, just Trent. Servant of Lady Kirstin Al’dross,” Trent supplied awkwardly in Tersa’s place.
Orion nodded gratefully at the boy, but, inwardly, he had a mixed reaction to Trent’s introduction. It was sad that the young Survivalist had no surname and claimed no home. Orion was an exile, but at least he had a family name.
Orion’s ears also perked up when Trent mentioned his master. Humans tended to add the “Al” prefix to their names when they were the product of a union with an Al’rashian. If this Kirstin Al’dross was present in the Trial, she might prove friendly, at least she might if she knew anything at all about her heritage.
Tersa’s frown grew deeper as Trent reaffirmed his relationship with the criminal Orion, but after enduring the stares of the two men for a while longer, she finally huffed and said, “Oh fine! I’m Tersa Cromwen, of Al’drossford, a Recruit in the Duke’s Guard. But I am not pleased to meet you!”
Trent and Orion both nodded and gave internal sighs. With the basic courtesies out of the way, they could deal with more important matters. For Trent, that meant the completion of his Quest.
You have rescued the prisoner. Quest Complete. Reward: 2000 Experience Points, 2 free Skill Points, 1 Free Attribute Point.
Trent now had enough Experience, XP, to level up and was only lacking a single Level in Create Traps. The free Attribute Point and free Skill Points were also a welcome reward, or they would be if he knew what Skill Points were used for.
Tersa’s jaw dropped open, and Orion’s eyebrows rose when Trent revealed his Quest rewards to them. Tersa grumbled quietly, something about a “lucky bastard,” and left it to Orion to brief Trent about Skill Points.
“Skill Points can be used to level a known Skill or learn a new one. They are very rare, normally one only earns them for clearing a difficult Trial. I’ve never heard of them being offered as a Quest reward.” Orion kept his voice on an even keel, but it was hard. Skill Points were a highly sought-after reward. For two to just fall into Trent’s lap…
“They can be used to level Skills? Great!” Trent spoke excitedly, feeling closer to his second Level than he thought possible.
Before he could put his reward to work, however, Orion stopped him. “That is one way if you have hit a plateau in your training, but among my people, it is said a wise man uses them to gain new Skills. Skill Points can be used to acquire rare and powerful Skills not found anywhere else.”
Trent’s brow furrowed doubtfully, behind his mask. “How do I use them to do that?”
“Simply concentrate on them, and it will become cle
ar.” Orion was hesitant to offer too much advice; it wasn’t his place, but teaching the young was a responsibility all held, and he did not want to see this young man waste an opportunity.
Trent followed the Al’rashian’s instructions and was nearly overwhelmed by what followed. A huge list of Skills and Spells appeared before him. Active and passive, offensive and defensive, all possible Skills available to him seemed to be listed. The list alone was more than he could read or study in weeks. How was he supposed to choose? Also, why were some of the Skills black while the majority were listed in grey?
When he posed these questions to Orion, he was told that the grey Skills would only be available once he had the proper Level or Class to support them. That left Trent very confused. Now he really didn’t know how to use these Skill Points. If he waited, more powerful Skills would become available, but what if there was one the group needed now?
“There is no hurry, young Trent. The Points won’t disappear. I believe we have other considerations.” Orion gestured to the equipment and Stones left by the fallen Terror. “If no one objects, I will claim the staff. I believe the shield is for the unreasonable fe… Tersa.”
Tersa’s jaw tightened, and she glared at Orion, but he merely passed the medium-sized round shield to her and took up the staff for himself. Lastly, he gathered up the sword and offered it to Trent. “I believe the Trial means for you to have this, Trent.”
Trent shook his head. It was a longsword, and it looked to require two hands. The blade alone was almost three feet long. His only sword training had been with short blades. He checked the weapon Skills he could learn with his new Points. “I don’t have that Skill and its greyed out in the Skill list.”
Orion’s eyes widened. “Never use a Skill Point on a basic weapon! This can be learned through training or a common Skill Stone. To use a Skill Point…”
Trent flinched. Orion was practically yelling. It wasn’t like Trent had done anything!