Neverfall: The Dark Path (Book 2): A Gamelit Lit RPG Series

by C. Wintertide

  At that moment, he heard the growls of one of the Ghasts, and something—probably a clawed hand—brushed against his back. He put another burst of speed into his failing legs, and exploded into a clearing. Stunned by the sudden open space, Luke stumbled and fell down to one knee. He ignited Chain Lightning, and twisted around to send the blast at the nearest monsters. He needed time to get ahead of them again. He spun around, and sent a yellow bolt of electricity at the nearest Ghoul. It then shot to two more of its fellows. The three monsters were stunned, not dead. But that was good. He needed them alive.

  “DRAIN!”

  He said that shout as he stabbed Dragon’s Claw into the chest of the first Ghoul. It turned to sparks, and his tattoos filled with energy. But not enough. Nothing like the dragon had given him. It was like an appetizer, and his body needed more. He drained the two other stunned monsters before three more were upon him. One Bone Naga and two Ghouls. He again summoned Chain Lightning. The three were stunned and low on health, but he didn’t have time to Drain them as six more monsters had entered the clearing. He couldn’t even summon Chain Lightning again, before he was surrounded.

  He hacked, slashed, stabbed, and spun. His armor’s shield was smashed quickly, and he felt the claws rake at him. Blood flowed down his cheeks. His body burned with their strikes. But he didn’t stop attacking them. He hacked off one of the Ghoul’s heads. Blood arced into the air. He stabbed another through the gut, and it, too, fell to the ground, gasping and dying. One of the Bone Nagas hissed and flew towards him, trying to bite him with those bony jaws. The others cleared out of its way, which gave him a chance to act.

  “AMPLIFY!”

  Then he used Chain Lightning again. This time, it didn’t hit three of the monsters with its wicked yellow burst of energy. It hit all seven that were remaining. They all arched back, their bodies jittering, unable to move.

  “DRAIN!”

  He stabbed the nearest Ghast, and took its life and energy as his own. Then he did the same to a Ghoul. The Bone Naga he saw jerk like a worm on a hook as its energy became his. The four monsters left--two Ghasts, a Ghoul, and a Bone Naga--retreated from him. Luke laughed.

  “Afraid? Are you afraid of me?” He grinned. “You should be! Amplify!”

  He used Chain Lightning to freeze them in place before he drained each and every one of them. His purple bar was three-quarters of the way filled when he was done. He stood there, in the clearing, surrounded by little piles of coins and a few health potions. He breathed heavily. His body shook. He felt… powerful and weak at the same time. He couldn’t explain it.

  There was a sound behind him. He spun around, extending his left hand towards whatever monster thought to sneak up behind him. He was about to let Chain Lightning loose again, when he saw that it was not a monster. It was a woman. A woman he knew.

  “Amalia?” he gasped.

  The mage he had met in The Drunken Dwarf Inn smiled broadly at him. “Luke, I thought I would never find you.”

  “Never… find me… what?” He gaped at her. “What are you doing here? Why are you looking for me? Actually, forget about it. I’m sorry but I have to go find my friends. They’re in danger.”

  He wasn’t going to run to The Drunken Dwarf. He was going to look for his friends out here. He had to help them. He could help them with Drain and Amplify.

  “You won’t find them. They are scattered to the four winds.” Her voice was gentle. “You’ve grown in power since I last saw you. And I also see, that you have… chosen a path.” Her eyes glittered in the night.

  “How do you know I won’t find them? What do you know? Has Bonecall captured them?” He advanced upon her menacingly.

  But unlike the monsters, she was not afraid of him. She put a finger to her right temple. “None of them have been captured by the necromancer. But if you go after them now, you will be found and caught.”

  Luke growled low in his throat. Dragon’s Claw’s flames grew larger. “I will Drain Bonecall and--”

  “You are not ready,” she interrupted, but not rudely. “But I can make sure that you are, when the time is right.”

  “I have no time to be taught--”

  “Come with me, and you will learn all you need to know to defeat Bonecall, and keep your friends safe,” she again interrupted him. Her expression was certain, and she was terribly calm. “And, impress me, and you will have your recommendation to the Esoteric Order.”

  “My friends--”

  “As I said, they are fine, for now. But if you wish to keep them that way, you need to come with me, Dragon Prince,” she said.

  “You know who I am? Who I really am?” He stared hard at her.

  “I know potential when I see it. I will help you. You will help me. We will help your friends,” she answered him simply.

  He doubted it was really that simple. He gazed back over his shoulder, remembering his friends’ cries.

  “Coming with me, walking the Dark Path, is the only way to save them, Luke,” Amalia told him. “I swear it upon my life. And that is a promise a mage will never break.”

  He turned back to her. “How did you know where to find me? Or that I have chosen the Dark Path?”

  She gestured to the stars that glittered overhead. “The stars told me when the Dragon Prince took his first step on the correct path of power. And I was determined to take you on as my apprentice. That is what you wanted in the inn, wasn’t it?”

  “I… yeah, I did,” he answered her faintly.

  His thoughts were interrupted by her speaking again, “Do you still want that, Luke?”

  He blinked and focused on her. He remembered all too clearly their battle with the queen. He remembered how steeply the odds had been against when they had faced Bonecall and his creatures. He thought of how Christopher had to hurt someone to save him, because he hadn’t been strong enough.

  I can’t have that happen again. I have to grow stronger in the darkness. I think that she will teach me what I need to know.

  “Would you let me be your guide on the Dark Path, Dragon Prince?” Amalia asked as she crossed one arm over her chest, as if it would be her honor to do so.

  Guys, I promise that I’ll find you, save you, protect you, Luke silently promised his friends.. And Bonecall, I promise I’m going to Drain every last ounce of your power for my own.

  “Yes,” Luke answered her, “I will.”

  THE STORY CONTINUES IN NEVERFALL BOOK 3!

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