She used Combat Assessment and was rewarded with more information than she’d expected. Both players were level 10, two levels higher than her, but without the unique class. She could probably take them out, but she was well enough acquainted with player psychology to know where that would lead. They’d come back for revenge, possibly with friends.
She guessed they were probably bound nearby. Otherwise it would be stupid to venture so far. Thinking about those sorts of logistics reminded her that she had no idea what happened to a player’s gear when they died. Her only death had happened at level 1 when she’d been wearing nothing but ratty trousers and a cloth tunic. If nothing else, they might have to come back to retrieve their stuff.
Devon shook her head. She couldn’t take them on directly. How about training a horde of angry monsters down on them? With her Shadow Puppet and her ability to Fade, she could probably get away with it. But again, an exciting fight would only make this area of the world more interesting for them. While she crouched there thinking, the warrior lifted the stick out of the flames. As he held it toward the cleric and laughed, Devon recognized the poor creature they were cooking. Who the hell thought it was okay to eat parrots? Assholes!
The warrior tore the meal in two and handed half to his friend. They ate in silence then stood.
“Should we find ourselves a dungeon?”
“Christ, I hope so.”
As Devon crept along the path they cut through the jungle, she wracked her brain for ideas. The players were already bored by the area. But if they found any of the ruins she knew were scattered through the old vassaldom, they’d probably change their minds. Somehow, she needed to convince them to give up, but she couldn’t do it by fighting. The experience of being in this area had to be obnoxious—apparently more obnoxious than needing to cut their way through jungle every time they moved.
“Hey! Nice! Check it out,” the warrior shouted. Devon’s heart sank as she crept forward. The pair was standing in front of a darkened passage, an overgrown archway leading into a ruined stone building. Judging by the age-rounded carvings on the outside and the lofty dome, spoiled only by a few ragged holes at the center of the building, it looked like an old temple of some sort. Just the sort of place where an ancient civilization would store a relic. She doubted she was that unlucky, but it sure would suck if that were the case. She needed a plan, quick.
Checking her mini-map, she saw that the building was on the edge of the area she’d most wanted to explore. Hazel had marked quite a few sightings of the corrupted animals nearby. Devon had asked the scout to keep track so that, eventually, she could make progress on the “What’s Wrong with the Wildlife” quest.
“Hey, Mark? I gotta log for an hour or two. My mom just messaged me… homework.”
The warrior snorted. “Lame.”
“I know, right? But she’ll take away my subscription if I don’t do it.”
“Yeah, I know. Let’s just clear the first room and logout in there, sound good?”
“What about respawn?”
The warrior shrugged. “The game seems smarter than that, but we could handle it anyway, right? Just more XP.”
“Yeah, good point.”
The pair moved closer to the entrance and peered inside. Muttering something under his breath, the cleric conjured a light that hung just above his shoulder. The pair stepped into the darkness.
Wild chittering erupted from within the temple, followed by a wet thunk.
“Holy shit, dude! That is one massive arachnid.”
“Sweet. Now kill it. Those red eyes are creepy.”
More thuds and grunts and chittering followed.
“Heal, please,” the warrior whined. Devon slipped closer and peered through the entrance. The cleric’s light source washed the stone walls with a silvery glow. Shadows moved wildly as an absolutely giant spider skittered across the room and struck at the warrior again.
“Yikes,” Devon muttered. It was definitely one of the corrupted beasts. The spider was leaking green blood from half a dozen wounds, and one leg lay twitching on the ground. Devon looked down at her shadow, sharp-edged in the sunlight where the temple poked through the trees. She didn’t want the warrior and cleric to receive the same quest she was on from the spider’s stomach contents. Could she steal the kill using only her Shadow Puppet while managing to stay hidden? They definitely couldn’t know there was a player around.
She shook her head. A bad gamble. She’d just have to hope the quest loot didn’t drop. Fists clenched, she watched as the warrior opened the spider’s abdomen with a huge swipe of his broadsword. Ichor sprayed, coating the players. With an enraged roar, the warrior struck again and again, chopping at the corpse even though it was clear the arachnid was dead.
The cleric wiped slime off his sleeve. “Overkill much? Dude, you’re going to ruin the loot.”
The warrior sighed and gave the corpse a last jab. “Sorry man. Hate spiders.”
He crouched beside the remains and activated the decomposition with a poke of his sword. “Shit, yeah, you’re right. We’ve got a mangled spider stomach, shredded carapace, and disgusting goo.”
The cleric sighed and sat down. “I’m sure there’ll be more. At least we finally found something fun to do. Logging now… I’ll text you after homework, K?”
“Sounds good,” the warrior said as he peered through the next door. “See you then.”
The cleric vanished from sight, and a few seconds later, the warrior sat and logged as well. Devon stood. One or two hours in the real world. Two and a half to five in-game. Not much time to think of something, but it would have to do.
Chapter Thirty-Three
A PLAN STARTED to come together in Devon’s mind, but she needed to get back to the camp to put it into action. As she jogged back, she marked time on the game clock. Hazel trotted along behind her, apparently unfazed by all the running back and forth. When they reached the quarry, Devon stopped and planted her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Her fatigue climbed more slowly after the point she’d invested in Endurance, but she could still stand to work on it.
“Mind waiting just past the entrance to the trail they cut?” she asked the scout. “I don’t want it getting overgrown while I’m gone.”
Hazel nodded and hurried back to the path as Devon set out again, bound for the village. When she reached the border of the glade, she shook her head in dismay. Relations seemed to have gone from strained to worse. A pair of dwarf guards that usually patrolled the outer edge of the dwarven camp, watching for oversized wildlife, now stood stone-faced on the unofficial border between camps. Their short swords were sheathed, but their hands hovered close to the hilts. Meanwhile, Greel stalked the perimeter of the tribe’s camp, looking nonchalant. But Devon was sure he had that steel knife tucked into some hidden pocket or another. She gritted her teeth and ran to Hezbek’s hut. The medicine woman greeted her with a worried expression.
“Can you teach me any new spells?” Devon asked. She didn’t think so, but it was worth a shot.
Hezbek’s brow furrowed. “Now?” She shook her head slowly. “You’ll soon be ready to levitate, but you need a little more experience first.”
Crap. Floating around wasn’t going to help her. “Nothing else? What if I power level?”
“Power… what?” Hezbek shook her head again. “In any case, no, it won’t be for a while yet.”
Devon had worried that would be her answer. Stepping farther into the hut, she took the mortar and pestle from Hezbek, set them down, and took hold of the woman’s hands. Hezbek’s skin had the thin crinkling quality that Devon associated with the elderly. Guilt was a cold ball in her stomach. She hated to ask the medicine woman to stray from the path she’d chosen for her so-called retirement.
“Would you do something for me, Hezbek? I will never ask you to harm someone, and I’m not asking that for that now. But I am hoping to scare them a little.”
A look of co
nfusion was followed by a narrowing of Hezbek’s eyes. “So that’s why you wanted more training. You need me to cast a spell that you haven’t learned yet.”
Devon swallowed and nodded. “A couple of them, maybe. But I swear it’s to protect the tribe. I don’t think you’ll regret it if you help me.”
“Perhaps you could explain…”
“I will, but it will take a while, and we don’t have much time. Can you trust me?”
Hezbek slowly withdrew her hands. “Of course, child. I’ll do as you ask.”
“Thank you,” Devon said, straightening. “I’ll explain on the way. We need to hurry. Bring water—it’s a bit of a journey.”
Hezbek licked her lips. “Now, wait. Are we going somewhere? I have a patient...”
Right. Heldi.
“Can Dorden administer the potions?”
“I suppose so.”
“I’ll go talk to him.”
The dwarf stared her down, arms crossed. He wouldn’t let Devon into the hut where Heldi lay sleeping, so she met him in the open air in the center of their camp. She felt dwarven eyes on her and knew they wouldn’t hesitate to attack if Dorden gave the nod.
Devon swallowed. “The agate is yours to mine and sell as long as it doesn’t disturb quarry operations. Do you remember the saying…? No strings attached.”
Dorden said nothing. He continued to stare at her with open distrust.
“Listen,” she said, “I know you didn’t shoot Deld. And I realize that Bayle did send an arrow into your mate’s belly. But it was an accident. She’s inexperienced, and her fingers slipped. I found the arrow that nicked Deld—proof that it didn’t come from Heldi’s crossbow—but surely you can see how the situation might have been confusing. Still, my tribe is at the greatest fault for this terrible accident. I hope the mining rights can serve as recompense, along with my vow to take care of those responsible for the situation.”
He still looked skeptical, but his face was beginning to soften. She knew dwarves were stubborn and plowed on in hopes enough talking would sway him. “I won’t ask for forgiveness until Heldi is fully restored. Even then, you can leave and settle elsewhere, and we won’t touch that agate vein.” She took a deep breath, not eager to speak the next words. “But I need to take Hezbek with me to deal with this threat.”
The medicine woman, fortunately, chose that moment to arrive. She extended a pair of clay pots toward the dwarf leader. “As soon as she stirs, give her one. It’ll put her back to sleep, and I think it will complete the healing. If she wakes a second time before I return, give her the other to be safe.”
After a moment, Dorden reached out and took the pots.
“Do we have a truce for now?” Devon asked.
Dorden agreed with a grunt and a nod.
***
Outside the temple, birdsong filled the forest. Leaves rustled as small animals moved through the undergrowth. Devon approached cautiously and leaned her ear toward the entrance, listening for voices.
The players hadn’t yet returned. She waved Hezbek forward, and they entered the first room together.
“If they arrive early, you know what to do, right?” Devon asked.
The medicine woman nodded. Devon really hoped the players didn’t log back in before she was ready, but it was nice to have a plan just in case.
As Hezbek stepped to the edge of the room and put her back against the wall, Devon cast a Glowing Orb, then reached through the door into the next room and placed it on the wall. Electric-blue light filled the chamber, glowing off the thick cobwebs in the corners. Devon grimaced. She didn’t like spiders any more than that warrior. But she didn’t have time to be choosy. Drawing her dagger, she stepped into the room.
The webs erupted with life as five dog-sized spiders uncurled and clambered down the walls. They rushed across the floor toward her, eyes glittering.
Devon took a step back and swung with her dagger, catching one of the spiders along its right side. Her strike severed four legs, and the arachnid fell over sideways. It squirmed on the floor, alive but neutralized.
Just as she started to get cocky, another spider leaped. It latched onto her forearm and bit down, fangs puncturing her skin.
“Ouch!” she yelled, shaking the thing off. The wound ached. At the edges of her vision, she saw red. Damn, she hated the pain response in this game. She kicked as another spider lunged, knocking it aside but doing no damage.
A wave of nausea hit her. The scene wavered. Shit, poison.
Clenching her teeth, Devon circled around the wall of the room and cast Flamestrike. A burning pillar lanced through the ceiling and sizzled one of the spiders. It shrieked, shriveling as it drew its legs close. The smell of singed hair filled the room.
A poison tick sent another wave of nausea through her. Her health dropped to 75%. Devon backed away, the spiders following her like a pack of dogs. She swung wildly with the dagger and they nimbly dodged back. One spat, and yellow venom splattered on her cheek. Her health dropped to 70%. At the edge of her awareness, she felt the restriction on Flamestrike ease. The spell had a five-second cooldown, and during that time, she found she just couldn’t put her mind through the necessary steps to cast it. Now, though, she took another step back and called down fire. Another spider squealed and died. The poison ticked again, knocking her down to 65% health. As she staggered, one of the spiders lashed out with a leg, slicing her across the shin. She gagged at the pain and limped back.
The sudden eruption of chittering and hissing and clicking feet told her she’d taken one step too far into the next room, the temple’s main chamber. She cast a panicked glance over her shoulder and saw another dozen pairs of eyes glittering in the light of her Glowing Orb. Flamestrike was ready again, and she knocked the life from one of the last two spiders in the room with her then leaped over the other.
She looked at the advancing horde and shook her head. She was going to die here. Might as well try everything she could. Besides, the major point of taking the Sorcerer class was to create new and interesting light sources to exploit her Deceiver abilities. It was a useless choice unless she actually tried to use the combos.
Jaw clenched, she willed her Shadow Puppet to rise from the ground. Edges crackling like black electricity, the dark figure rose. Devon kicked at the lone spider near her, sending its sliding away, then gritted her teeth and forced her shadow to dart into the other room.
Sparks erupted from her puppet, cascading over the herd of spiders. Arachnids screeched and died, falling in concentric circles from the locus where her shadow stood with arms spread wide.
She watched the wave of electricity approach, cringed, stared at her health bar as she braced for the pain. The spider in front of her squeaked but kept coming. Pain lapped up her legs.
It stopped before reaching her knees. In the other room, her shadow fizzled. She sighed in relief as she stabbed the nearby spider through the eyes. It died and slid off her blade.
“Devon,” Hezbek called as another wave of poison shook her. Devon’s health was down to 40% as she turned to look at the woman. Hezbek pulled a pot from her rucksack and tossed it over.
You have received: Jungle Antidote - Minor
The spiders in the other room were advancing, but slowly. Most of them dragged paralyzed limbs and deadened abdomens. Grimacing, Devon uncorked the pot and poured the liquid down her throat. The taste was as foul as Jungle Healing Potion - Minor but disgusting in a different way. Immediately, her vision cleared.
None of the remaining spiders were fast enough to harm her. Devon grabbed the Glowing Orb off the wall and waded into the writhing mass. One by one, she put the things out of their misery. For a moment, the temple was silent until a loud chime shook the walls.
Congratulations! You have reached level 9!
You have gained 4 attribute points.
You have gained mastery in Glowing Orb - Tier 2: 1%
You have gained mastery in Shadow P
uppet – Tier 1: 3%
“You can come in now,” she said as she caught her breath.
As Hezbek shuffled forward, Devon searched the perimeter of the temple’s main chamber. Cobwebs hung in curtains from the ceilings and covered much of the architecture. In a little alcove, there was a stone hatch that probably led to some sort of catacombs. Yet another thing that would interest the players. She gathered some rubble and strewed it over the top of the hatch just in case they made it this far. As she looked back over the rooms filled with nearly twenty spider corpses, she wondered whether she should loot them. Better to leave the bodies, but it was hard to pass up the chance. Still, she doubted she’d get much besides random spider parts. Better to have the plan succeed.
Hezbek crept somewhat tentatively into the final chamber. “It’s been a long time since I was that close to battle. You fought well.”
Devon smiled. “Then let’s finish what we came here to do.”
Hezbek straightened, looking very serious. But the gleam in her eyes made Devon wonder if the older woman was enjoying the adventure more than she let on.
“Don’t we need to group up?” the woman said.
Devon laughed. “You’re right. It’s my own plan, and I forgot that part.” She hadn’t known it was possible to group with an NPC, but she was glad, seeing as Hezbek’s part wouldn’t work on conscious players unless they were part of a group.
The invite popped up in her interface, asking if she would like to group with Hezbek. When Devon accepted, the group interface sprang up, showing her Hezbek’s health and mana. Pretty standard.
“All right. This has got to happen fast. We can’t give them time to pay a lot of attention to me.”
“I remember,” Hezbek said with a faint smile that suggested she didn’t really need the review.
Temple of Sorrow: A LitRPG and GameLit Adventure (Stonehaven League Book 1) Page 21