by A F Kay
Smash turned and looked at Sift, the golem’s mouth turning into a frown. Sift had stopped moving, preparing to run. The Crag Defender, as Ruwen had expected, turned to face the threat in their ranks.
Smash rubbed his head. “Ouch.”
Then the Carnage Golem turned to Ruwen and narrowed its eyes.
“Oh no,” Ruwen whispered.
The Crag Defender struck Smash with his long sword in the leg and Smash pushed the Fighter away without even looking down. Smash’s eyes locked on Ruwen, and the golem used his other arm to reach for him.
“Smash, no!” Hamma yelled, but the golem ignored her.
Ruwen sprinted to the right, away from his group. The Echo Blade had moved to help the Crag Defender back to his feet. Everyone stared at the giant creature, shocked at its sudden appearance. It only took a moment for the Dust Reverend to realize who the golem’s target was, and he laughed as he cast a root on Ruwen.
Thankfully, Ruwen resisted the root, and the three stuns that quickly followed. The Dust Reverend did his best to help Smash catch Ruwen. As Ruwen ran, he took the one second to cast Dig, and then channeled fifty Energy per second to it.
Ruwen, now even with the Dust Reverend and Quake Summoner, used dig to remove the soil under Smash’s right leg. The golem lost his balance and fell, right on top of the shielded Priest and Mage.
The shield flared brightly, and Smash struck at it again in anger. The Dust Reverend and Quake Summoner quickly retreated, and Smash slid to the ground. He pushed himself up and searched for Ruwen.
Ruwen channeled two Energy into Dash, increasing his speed by twenty percent, and tried to circle behind the two enemy cloth wearers. A ten-foot rock wall appeared in front of Ruwen, and he cast Jump for twenty-five Mana, the extra twenty percent making the leap over the wall easy.
Xavier floated on the other side of the fight from Ruwen at eye height with Smash. He sent an arcing bolt of Energy at the back of Smash’s neck.
The golem rubbed his neck and turned, but Xavier had disappeared. Smash looked down at the Dust Reverend and Quake Summoner. “That itchy!”
Smash slammed both fists downward, the shield flaring so brightly Ruwen squinted. Xavier reappeared in the sky, as he stopped whatever cloaking spell he’d used.
The Dust Reverend pointed upward, and a column of stone erupted from the ground, striking Smash in the chin and throwing the golem backward. The Quake Summoner created a ten-foot boar with spikes down its back and a tail with a large jagged ball at the end. The boar rushed Smash, striking him in the knee.
Sift fought the Rift Ghost on the far side, and Xavier and the rest of the group had turned their focus on the Crag Defender. The Echo Blade moved in front of Ruwen and then attacked.
Ruwen had learned most of his Steps from Rami while in the Spirit Realm and had never learned the proper names for the moves. Since then, Sift had taught Ruwen the names of singular Steps as well as the names for those Steps grouped together into forms. While not knowing all the names had helped him discover the hidden form within the Bamboo Viper Clan’s teachings, learning all their names made discussing Step strategy much easier with Sift.
Ruwen used his Bamboo Step training to nullify the aggressive attacks of the Echo Blade. Fighting someone dual wielding weapons had a lot of overlap with battling multiple opponents, and he used a Bamboo Step form called “Gentle Rain at Sunrise” to protect himself.
The Echo Blade had better skills than the swordsman Ruwen had killed earlier. Even with aggressive attacks, the Fighter never overreached or over-committed. Ruwen knew better than to hurry and let the soft Bamboo Steps calm his mind. He tried to touch the blades with every attack, using Melt to damage the swords’ durability.
The Echo Blade tried to stun Ruwen multiple times, but his Resistances were too high. After ten rapid attacks the Echo Blade stepped back and swapped out her swords for new ones, not willing to let Ruwen’s Melt damage her swords further. These new swords were high quality, but inferior to the red and blue ones.
Part of Ruwen enjoyed battling such a skilled opponent, but this fight had already taken too long, so he switched to his Viper Step training.
The next attack came from the right and Ruwen dodged it. But instead of stepping away, he moved closer, striking the Echo Blade’s left wrist and the nerve bundle that controlled her hand.
The blade slipped and the Echo Blade’s Mana dropped by fifteen. The blade rose back into place, and even though Ruwen could see no fingers gripped the pommel, the sword stayed attached to her hand. What a great spell to have, Ruwen thought, as she flicked the blade across his throat.
Chapter 74
The sword damaged but didn’t penetrate the Overseer’s Cowl of Revelation, Ruwen’s buffed Armor Class too much for the non-magical blades to overcome. He didn’t underestimate people anymore, but it was a stark reminder that he lacked the experience to expect such things.
The Echo Blade triggered another ability and the sword at Ruwen’s neck vibrated with such intensity it sheared through the Overseer Armor and into his flesh. His Gold Fortified body resisted part of the attack, but for the first time, he took damage.
Ruwen’s Health dropped by fifty-two, and he rapidly struck the Echo Blade in the neck, lower rib, and stomach. She flipped backward and then hunched over in obvious pain, her Health dropping by seventy-seven.
“Stone lord help me, how did you survive that?” the Echo Blade asked.
Ruwen ignored the question and stepped forward to capitalize on the Fighter’s injuries when Smash slammed a fist down on Ruwen’s head.
One hundred twelve Health disappeared from his bar and a Vertigo debuff appeared, halving his Dexterity, Wisdom, and Intelligence. A moment later Hamma healed him, and the debuff disappeared.
Ruwen immediately leaped to the right, and a second later Smash struck that location. The Carnage Golem had taken significant damage from his battle with the spiked boar, and he now only stood fifteen feet tall.
Before Ruwen could move again, his Bodyguard icon pulsed, and his Health dropped another one hundred eight as Sift’s dropped by seventy-two. Ruwen dashed back toward the group and saw a stone spear sticking out of Sift’s back. Worse, the Crag Defender marched that way as well.
As Ruwen ran, he cast Shed on Sift, and a second later Ruwen’s Mana dropped by fifty, and Sift disappeared inside the ten-by-ten cube, safe for the moment.
Clarysa and Lylan were firing their crossbows at the Crag Defender, hoping to land a critical hit, but the odds were against them. Xavier floated above them, draining the shield around the enemy casters. Tremine and Colyn stood in front of Hamma, giving her protection to heal everyone.
Lylan, throw your voice and insult Smash from behind the casters, Ruwen said in Chat.
“Smash is weak!” Ruwen’s voice said from the casters.
“Smash not weak!” the Carnage Golem roared and turned toward the casters.
Ruwen didn’t realize Lylan could do other voices and wished she’d not used his. Smash already held a grudge against Ruwen, and he didn’t want to make it worse.
From Stone Echo and Survey Ruwen calculated the Echo Blade remained thirty feet behind him. The Crag Defender used his shield to bash on the Shed’s wall, and the Rift Ghost had leaped to the roof, looking for a way in.
Ruwen redirected the three Fallen Heroes to the Echo Blade and then pulled the Heavy Walking Stick from his Void Band. The Rift Ghost saw him and told the Crag Defender, who started to turn. But Ruwen spent twenty-five Mana and used Jump to clear the remaining distance.
The Heavy Walking Stick, buffed with Sucker Punch which caused double damage, struck the Crag Defender in the helmet for one hundred seventeen damage. The Fighter staggered, stunned by the blow.
Ruwen brought the staff around to strike again, but the Rift Ghost threw two daggers at him and he knocked them away instead.
Get ready, Ruwen said to Sift and then canceled the Shed spell.
Sift struck the Rift Ghost as she fell and R
uwen attacked the Crag Defender, who had already been healed back to full Health. The Fighter blocked Ruwen’s blows with his shield.
Smash is gone, Hamma said in Chat.
A crossbow bolt struck the Rift Ghost in the shoulder, but she ripped it out, and was full health before the bolt struck the ground.
Stone mushrooms formed all over the ground, and a moment later they all exploded with soft puffs. A yellow-green haze hovered around each one. Ruwen still channeled Gust, causing the gas to swirl around, and when it struck his eyes, acid burned them.
Ruwen squeezed his eyes shut and stopped channeling Gust. Everyone in the party except Tremine and Xavier took damage.
Back to the group, Ruwen told Sift in Chat.
The two of them retreated and as soon as Ruwen reached his group, he dumped ten thousand cubic feet of cool air he’d collected after returning from gathering oil, forcing the acid away. Everyone’s Health bars stopped dropping and Hamma started a group heal. Xavier landed behind everyone. The Celestial Remnant looked dim, and Ruwen wondered if Xavier might die.
Ruwen turned and studied the elite squad. They looked completely unaffected by everything Ruwen and his team had done. They stood in the same original formation, with all their bars full.
I have one Mana potion left, Hamma said in Chat.
I’ll give you mine, Ruwen responded.
It won’t matter, Hamma said. Tremine has nullified dozens of attacks. As soon as he’s out of Mana, I’m dead. Then we’re all dead.
Tremine frowned but didn’t argue.
Hamma turned and looked behind them. Bliz and his golems were still working on digging through the walls. They are keeping us here for a reason, and when that reason is done, they will kill us all.
I’ll think of something, Ruwen said, give me a minute.
But we might not have a minute, Hamma said. Every minute we’re here helps them.
Hamma locked eyes with Ruwen and put a hand on his chest. Save us.
Ruwen put a hand over Hamma’s but didn’t know how to respond. Hamma was right, they were completely outclassed here. The only thing Ruwen could use was his Spirit, but that would create catastrophic consequences for the entire continent. Worse, he knew he would do it to save his friends. An unbelievably selfish choice that made him feel sick.
Hamma let out a deep breath and then pulled a hand-sized black book from her Inventory. Ruwen recognized it as the prayer book she’d gotten from Blapy when Hamma had become the Custodian of the Chapel in the Black Pyramid. She had used it to perform a wedding ceremony, give last rites to the goblins outside the Mist Wraith Talker’s castle, and provide them a powerful buff that had helped them defeat Talker.
An uneasy feeling churned in Ruwen’s stomach. “What are you doing, Hamma?”
Hamma gave a small smile. “I’m using some Prayer Points I earned with all the stuff you guys make fun of me for taking.”
“I don’t know about this,” Ruwen said.
“You don’t need to,” Hamma said. “You just need to finish this and get us back home.”
Hamma kissed her index and middle fingers and then touched her heart, mouth, and forehead. She opened the small black book, took a deep breath, and then whispered, “Prayer Ten.”
The two words, barely audible, somehow echoed off the walls, filling the entire area with their sound.
The area exploded and Ruwen was thrown backward fifteen feet. He flipped himself to his feet to find the Dust Reverend standing over Hamma, red-tinged energy pouring from his hands as he attacked her.
Hamma remained unaffected, a soft glow around her.
“She’s a Chapel Priestess!” the Dust Reverend shouted.
The elite squad, who had showed no interest in fighting, and had only wanted to delay them, suddenly looked panicked. Hamma became hard to see with the spells and hostile energy surrounding her.
The Dust Reverend turned to Ruwen and screamed. “What dungeon does she serve?”
Hamma’s soft voice echoed off the walls again. Like the first time in Talker’s castle, she chanted a poem only this time the last two line had changed slightly.
Despair, misery, fear, and dread,
Enemies around us, all hope has fled,
Friendship, love, and sacrifice,
Power this prayer, sword of paradise.
Tears streamed down Hamma’s face, as she placed the black book back in her Inventory. The elite squad frantically struck at her, but the glow protected her completely. They stopped their useless attacks and stepped backward, their faces full of worry.
Hamma locked eyes with Ruwen, kissed her index and middle fingers, and touched her heart, mouth, and forehead.
The soft glow surrounding Hamma disappeared, and she fell to the ground, dead.
Chapter 75
Ruwen stared in disbelief. Hamma’s portrait had greyed out, confirming her death. He took a step forward when a thunderclap shattered the stillness.
A white beam of light fell from the heavens, striking Ruwen and freezing him in place. His body grew hot as the energy saturated his body. The elite squad stepped backward again, their faces now showing fear.
The light disappeared, revealing Ruwen’s new armor, white plate that covered him completely. Seven new buffs had appeared.
Shield of Divine Sacrifice: Immune to all non-Divine damage
Boots of Divine Sacrifice: Teleport to any visible location
Sword of Divine Sacrifice: Damage increased by 10,000%
Gloves of Divine Sacrifice: Detect and Root any non-Divine target
Helmet of Divine Sacrifice: Attributes increased by 1,000
Pants of Divine Sacrifice: Regeneration Rates increased by 1,000
Tunic of Divine Sacrifice: Spells and Abilities Instacast
The buffs all had a counter, and it had already started counting down from sixty. Hamma had used her Prayer Points, along with her own life, to turn Ruwen into a god for one minute.
The Crag Defender launched a spiked shield at Ruwen. He willed himself in front of the Fighter, and just like taking a portal in Blapy, he appeared in front of the plate wearing enemy, bypassing the shield attack. Ruwen punched the Crag Defender in the chest, and the Fighter vaporized in a mist of blood and metal.
The counter had reached fifty seconds.
The four remaining elite squad members fled.
Ruwen rooted the Echo Blade, who’d already made it thirty feet. He took a single step and stood next to her. He channeled Energy into Wrath and burst into magical flames, doing ten percent weapon damage. The Echo Blade turned to ash.
Ruwen looked up to see the Quake Summoner riding his Cave Wyvern. Ruwen opened his Void Band six inches, and pushed air out the bottom with a thousand Energy per second. The extra thousand points in Strength kept his arm from snapping, and his increased Dexterity made flying effortless.
In a heartbeat, Ruwen had reached the Mage and slowed the air flow through his Void Band to match the Cave Wyvern’s speed. The Quake Summoner’s Mana emptied, and ten more Cave Wyvern’s appeared, circling around them.
Ruwen channeled Energy into the level five Fighter spell Whirlwind, doing ten percent weapon damage to everything in striking distance. As he darted around the flying creatures, Whirlwind diced them into one-inch cubes. The Quake Summoner died and fell to the ground in a thousand pieces.
The counter slid past thirty, Ruwen had used half his time already. The Rift Ghost lay hiding in the mound of dirt Ruwen had created when tripping Smash with Dig. Short on time and relying on his Shield of Divine Sacrifice to keep him safe, Ruwen increased the Energy to his Void Band to a thousand again, and aimed himself like an arrow at the Rift Ghost.
Ruwen impacted the ground with such force, he created a circular hole twenty feet wide. Glass, formed from the energy released, glittered in the sunlight. No sign of the Rift Ghost remained; her body obliterated by the impact.
The last elite squad member, the Dust Reverend, had fled toward New Eiru, which Ruwen thought odd.
As the counter hit twenty seconds, Ruwen rooted the Priest and then teleported next to him.
The Dust Reverend hissed in anger. “What dungeon offers such power to—”
Ruwen channeled Kindling and used the blade of air to slice the Priest’s head off. He caught the head and body in his Void Band, hoping the Priest would have some equipment upgrades for Hamma.
With fifteen seconds left, Ruwen teleported to the nearest wall that trapped his army. He used his Void Band to hurtle through the air, using his indestructible body to smash through the walls that separated the army.
Time ran out before Ruwen could destroy the enemy army, but they remained trapped in the walls created by the elite squad. Ruwen could come back and destroy them after figuring out what was happening to New Eiru.
Ruwen knelt next to Hamma’s body. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Lir. You’ll be back with us before I reach the city. You shouldn’t have needed to do that. I failed us. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
Ruwen gently slipped his Void Band over Hamma’s body, not wanting her to lose her gear.
Lir, make Hamma’s revival a priority.
I will place her at the top of the queue, Lir responded.
How is the disturbance?
It has increased significantly.
Ruwen spoke to Elder Vachyl in Chat. Inform the Commanders to move the army back to New Eiru. We need to prepare for whatever this disturbance is. There are a few thousand enemy troops trapped here, and we can finish them once New Eiru is secure.
Understood, Elder Vachyl said. Validate primary objective.
Ruwen’s experience at the underground temple of Naktos near the oil lake, made him the only one qualified to confirm the destruction of the revival baths. Striding to where they had fought the elite squad, Ruwen spent thirty seconds searching for Smash. He found the two-inch figure half buried in the dirt, gently dusted him off, and placed him in his Inventory to give to Hamma. He turned and sprinted toward the wrecked tents, his party somberly following.