by Phil Tucker
They both nodded grimly, and then Falkon lit a torch and stepped through the undulating black curtain and into the keep. I fought to steady my breathing. This was it. My first real attempt to rescue Lotharia. I wasn’t going to mess this up. I gave Falkon enough time to clear the doorway, and then stepped in right after.
It was unlike the shadows I had grown used to. Instead of a welcoming, velvety embrace, this darkness was cold, shockingly so, reminding me of nothing so much as the frigid depths of the lake I’d swum across in Australia once when I was young. It shocked my mind into a state of utter clarity while numbing my extremities, so that when I emerged on the far side into a short hallway, I felt at once clumsy and alert.
Darkvision was still in effect, and it allowed me to see past the radius of Falkon’s torch into the large room beyond. No movement. As promised, the entrance to a stairwell opened up on my left, and a quick glance in and up showed that it, too, was empty. Falkon gave a small shrug as if easing his armor into a better fit, and stepped forward just as Michaela emerged, her staff raised, a nimbus of green light floating about its top.
None of us spoke. We listened, but all was still.
“Feels abandoned,” I whispered.
“Let’s find out.” Falkon stepped to the entrance of the large room beyond and raised his torch. Warm, dancing tones of crimson and yellow lit up what had once been a kitchen; three large tables ran down its center, while others were set along the walls, broken up only by massive ovens, open grills, and copper-topped fireplaces on which empty pots now stood.
The withered remnants of bunched vegetables hung from the rafters, while more pots dangled from hooks along the walls. It was huge, and no doubt had once been able to feed hundreds, but now it was abandoned and covered in dust.
Where might danger lurk? Counting on my Astute Observer talent I studied the corners, peering into the darkest shadows, which revealed their secrets to me. I crouched to peer under the tables from where I stood, then cast Detect Magic once more. Nothing glowed.
“Looks suspiciously empty,” I whispered.
“Agreed,” said Michaela. “Shall we press on?”
Falkon gave a slow nod and stepped inside, then moved between two of the long tables, casting long, deliberate looks all around him as he went, fully expecting an ambush.
Michaela and I entered right after him. My breath puffed out before me in the gloom. The overlapping play of Michaela’s green light, Falkon’s rosy torchlight and my own Darkvision over the walls and furniture made for an eerie combination. I listened intently. Surely the keep wasn’t actually abandoned? At the very least Lotharia had to be in here, right?
“Something’s coming down the chimney,” said Michaela, turning toward the massive flue. Her voice had gone taut with tension. “I hear claws.”
Silence. Falkon cocked his head, face blank. Still, I immediately oriented on the large fireplace, summoning my Death Dagger as I did so. It coalesced in my palm, icy cold and reassuring, its blade undulating to an icicle-like point and edged in burning blue.
Falkon leapt up onto the table that separated him from the fireplace, boots crashing down on the wooden surface, then stepped down to land on the far side, blade held up before him. I slid Dukes of Hazard-style over the table before me and fell into a crouch. Michaela moved back, staff held high.
Something emerged from the chimney, but I couldn’t tell what it was. It was plain to see, but it failed to resolve itself into an easy category like goblin or spider or slime. Instead, it was an amalgam of them all, its skin oily black and gleaming, its head bursting with eyes like a dollop of caviar, twin ant-like pincers bracketing its mouth, its back hunched, dozens of claw-tipped legs emerging to grasp the interior of the fireplace and hold the creature in place as it stared at us.
At first, I thought it the size of a small dog, but as more of it emerged from the chimney it swelled in size, growing to that of a small pony, filling the large fireplace completely. The iron pot on its tripod fell over with a clatter.
“Level twenty!” called Falkon. “Retreat!”
But it was too late.
Everything happened at once. Michaela sent a bolt of screaming green fire from the tip of her staff into the fireplace, but the creature was gone; shards of stone exploded from the now-empty fireplace as Falkon twisted violently, swinging to his left where the creature had just appeared, its pincers slicing deeply into his thigh.
I Shadow Stepped, sinking into the shadows all around me and emerging under the table behind Falkon, swiping out with my Death Dagger at where the monster had been moments ago. My blade cut through empty air, and then some sixth sense warned me to move and I threw myself forward just as claws swiped through where I’d been crouching. I rolled back out into Falkon’s torchlight and came up and around to stare under the table – but it was gone.
Michaela screamed and a sphere of swirling green light slammed into existence around her, knocking the monster back. It retreated, stepping away and then sliding up onto the ceiling as if gravity had simply plucked it away. It crouched there, between the rafters, and its eyes were actually bubbling, rising and falling as if its head was a pot of soup. Foam emerged from between its pincers and dripped free, but instead of falling to the ground the foam floated away in the air.
“Come here, spawn of darkness!” Falkon’s yell cut through the air. “I challenge you to a duel, to show what worth you have, be it none or less than none! Come meet my blade!”
The creature shook and emitted a high-pitched keening sound, which I realized to my horror was laughter. Then it vanished.
This time I was ready. When it appeared behind Falkon I threw myself at it, intercepting its lunge by slamming my shoulder into its goblinoid body and slashing with my dagger. To my horror, it wrapped its spider legs around me and sucked me into darkness just as Falkon wheeled to strike.
It was like Shadow Stepping, but infinitely worse. My mouth filled with bile, my stomach tried to turn itself inside out, and then I was inside an incredibly cramped space, arms pinned by my side, darkness above me, trapped and abandoned as the monster disappeared once more.
Darkvision revealed a shaft of dressed stone rising straight above and opening to other fireplaces on the higher floors; it had transported me into the chimney flue and left me firmly wedged.
Bastard. I immediately Double Stepped back down into the kitchen, where I appeared crouched beside the fireplace. Falkon had just tipped over one of the long tables to charge at where the monster was assailing Michaela’s forcefield, so I used the second half of my Double Step to cross the room and appear beside the monster, where I stabbed my Death Dagger deep into its side.
It squealed as I tore it open, and a torrent of steaming blood burst free in ridiculous quantities to knock me to the floor, pouring over me like a firehose. What the hell? The blood scalded my skin then cooled far quicker than was possible, turning into a rigid substance like rubbery cement in seconds. Like that, I was locked in place, frozen in my attempt to climb to my feet.
Falkon slammed his blade into the monster with such force he lifted it clear off the ground and sent it flying against the far wall; it never hit, but disappeared into the darkness and then fell on him from above, driving him to the ground.
Once more I Shadow Stepped out of the binding goo, emerging under a table. The monster was savaging Falkon’s armor with its pincers, scoring deep grooves in his breast plate as my friend sought to bring his pinned blade to bear. Green worms of electricity suddenly flickered into existence around the monster, dancing over its body and causing it to screech; it fell off Falkon, skittered away, and then disappeared.
I rose to my feet, breathing heavily, and stepped over to give Falkon a hand. “What was that?”
“Wither: Intermediate (I),” said Michaela, also panting. She let the forcefield fall as she turned to scan the room. “Should have killed it, but somehow
I don’t think it did.”
“We should go,” said Falkon. “Regroup.”
I checked my mana. I’d already burned half my supply. I’d be in dire straits already were it not for my mana marble. “Good call. Let’s—”
The monster burst through one of the far doors, leaping up onto one of the long tables and racing down its length toward us even as a second emerged above us to fall upon Falkon once more. A third emerged from the chimney, looking warped and desiccated, and then all hell broke loose.
I leapt forward, moving to intercept the first, and cast Ebon Tendrils, willing an arm of shadow to emerge from under the table and wrap around the beast, lifting it up into the air. It screeched in fury and I somehow felt it try to escape, only to be held in place by my spell. Shadow magic neutralizing shadow magic? I’d no idea, but I drew one of my daggers from my belt and hurled it at the monster’s head, activating Uncanny Aim and Distracting Attack at the same time.
My blade sliced through a number of its eyes, causing them to pop and release puffs of black vapor into the air, and the monster ceased trying to escape and instead lunged at me, pulling at the tentacle that held it in place. I leapt up onto the table, then activated Expert Leaper at the last moment to somersault right over the creature, ordering my tentacle to drag it down just as it spat out a mass of hissing fluid. I lashed out with my Death Dagger as I passed over, cutting deep into its head, and the blue flame of the blade caused a dozen more eyes to pop.
I landed and was immediately knocked off the table as a second spider goblin launched into me out of nowhere. Before I could hit the ground I Double Stepped, appearing back on the table where I’d originally been, only for the same spider to slam into me again from the same angle, an exact repetition of what had just happened. Again I flew off the table, and this time I used the second half of Double Step to appear under the table beneath the trapped spider goblin. It fought my Ebon Tendril, seeking to tear itself free and into the shadows. I activated Adrenaline Surge and a terrible burst of power flowed through me, and with a cry I slammed my Death Dagger straight up even as I ordered my tendril to press the spider goblin to the table.
My Death Dagger cut cleanly through the wood and punched into the spider goblin’s gut. Again that boiling blood came bursting out, but this time I was ready. I leapt out from under the table, backpedaling as I took in the rest of the room.
Crap. Michaela’s forcefield was flickering as she fought off two more of the monsters, both vaulting toward her over and over again and then disappearing moments before her Necrotic Bolts or Wither blasts could catch them. Falkon had been backed up against the wall, his left arm pinned to his side by the blood cement, numerous wounds cut through his chain.
“Retreat!” I screamed. “Michaela! Drop your forcefield! Kill your light! Falkon! Charge your way out!”
Michaela snapped her head around to stare at me wide-eyed, and for a second I thought she’d refuse, but then her forcefield dropped, her green light extinguished, and I Double Stepped to her side. I immediately summoned another Ebon Tendril, which I swung so it batted away the spider goblins. Then I grabbed hold of Michaela.
Taking a deep breath, I used Shared Darkness to drag her with me through the second half of my Double Step, through the shadows and out of the kitchen altogether. We emerged stumbling beside the stairwell just as Falkon let out a roar of anger.
“For justice! For glory! For the king!”
My skin prickled with awe at the sheer ferocity of his yell, then he was charging our way, blasting right through the last standing table in a cloud of splinters. Headlong Charge, maybe? A spider goblin phased into existence right above him, but Michaela was ready: she threw a Necrotic Blast at it at the same time I hurled my last remaining dagger. I’d activated Uncanny Aim, but the monster flicked away into the shadows mid-dive just before either of our attacks could hit.
Falkon burst into the small hallway, literally scooped us both up in his right arm, and carried us through the swirling portal and back out into the evening calm of the bailey.
We fell with a crash to the ground and just lay there, tangled up and panting, our limbs intertwined and our minds spinning, Falkon’s armored weight pinning us in place. After a moment he rolled off with a groan and I sat up, only for Adrenaline Rush to expire. I fell back with a convulsive shudder.
“That… that was insane,” said Michaela. “Five level twenty monsters at once?”
“No wonder Mogr boarded up the doors and windows,” said Falkon. He tried to sit up and then let his head sink back down.
“Not like boards would stop them if they wanted out,” I groaned, turning onto my side. I fucking hated Adrenaline Surge. I felt like an old man, muscles all cramped up, joints aching, stomach filled with acid and my head pounding. “And that was just the kitchen?”
“We’re going to have to come up with a better strategy,” said Michaela, climbing stiffly to her feet. She brushed at her crimson dress, tugged it into place, then knelt by Falkon’s side. “How badly are you hurt?”
“It’s not good,” he said. “But with Barfo’s special soup I’ll be fine.” He hissed. “Mind grabbing it for me? My left arm’s kinda trapped.”
I watched as Michaela scowled and cut through the black rubbery blood till she could reach his belt and pull free the small wineskin. She unstoppered it and held it to Falkon’s lips, raising his head with her other hand. He gulped it down eagerly and then laid his head back with a sigh. “Ah. Damn, that’s good soup.”
The worst of my Adrenaline Surge faded away. I sat up and rubbed the back of my head. My pulse was only now starting to slow. “You guys ever heard of anything like those things in there?”
“No,” said Michaela.
“Nope,” said Falkon. “I couldn’t even get a good look at them. They wouldn’t stand still long enough.
“I did,” I said. “Darkvision for the win. They were pretty ghastly. Like, take a black goblin, explode its head into a mass of bubbling eyes with wicked pincers, then add twenty or so spider legs coming out of its back.”
“Did we even kill any of them?” asked Michaela. “I believe I hit one square on with my Wither spell, but I’m not sure I killed it.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “I hurt one badly at the end there with my Ebon Tendrils and Death Dagger combo, but even then… no XP.”
“Shit,” said Falkon, sitting up and wrapping his arms around his knees. “This is going to be much tougher than I thought.”
“Let’s list their powers,” I said, refusing to give in to despondency. “They can Shadow Step, and unlike me, I don’t know if there’s a limit to how many times they can do it. If you cut them, they eject a black superglue blood.”
“They spit some kind of acid,” said Michaela.
“And their jaws can almost cut through plate armor.” Falkon rubbed at the deep grooves in his breastplate. “And they make short work of chain.”
“Worse, they can transport you when they Shadow Step,” I said. “One of them tried to trap me high up inside the chimney. If I hadn’t been able to Shadow Step right back out, I’d have been screwed.”
Michaela and Falkon stared at me, eyes wide.
“I know. Not fun. But I did discover that my Ebon Tendrils can nullify their Shadow Step ability. Maybe my Night Shroud would have the same effect? But if I cast it, you guys would be blinded.”
“True, but if that works maybe you could function as crowd control,” said Falkon. “Use your spells to trap them and hold them back while Michaela and I focus on killing them one at a time.”
“Yes,” said Michaela, leaning forward. “My Wither spell definitely had an effect. Perhaps you could trap one with your Tendrils, and then I’d hit it with Wither while Falkon attacks it with his blade.”
“Yeah, that might work. Falkon, maybe you could even lure one into the hallway with your Challenge Foe abilit
y, and I could block the kitchen with Night Shroud. We could use that natural bottleneck to control their ability to rush us.”
“Smart,” said Falkon. “That way, if things get dicey we can simply back out into the bailey again.”
Michaela smiled at us both. “I like the way you guys think. Spending time with you might not be quite as painful as I’d feared.”
I grinned and rubbed my palms on my thighs. “So here’s the plan. We’ll step inside. Michaela, you and Falkon stay by the doorway. I’ll enter the kitchen, get the attention of one of them, then retreat to you both. We all stand inside your forcefield – that seemed to work at keeping them out – and Falkon, you use Challenge Foe to bring it at us. I’ll snag it with my Ebon Tendrils, then you both lay into it while I keep the others out with Night Shroud and more Tendrils.”
Falkon grinned at me. “How did I go from super bummed out to cautiously optimistic so quickly?”
I grinned right back. “It’s gaming 101. When you’re underpowered, you never go toe-to-toe. You retreat, think up a new strategy, and try to work the terrain to your advantage. Bottlenecks, pinning – even a level twenty sucker’s dead to rights if he can’t get away, attack, or get reinforcements.”
For a moment we simply smiled at each other, and then I stood with a sigh. “For now, we just need to focus on recovering our mana and healing up. Let’s grab some dinner and crash. Michaela, we both sleep in the goblin tower – they’ve got this funky tent city going on in there that allows you to easily make a private little room of your own. Want in?”
“It’s a long trek down to Feldgrau,” she said, “and I’d rather not return until I have something positive to report. Sure.”
“Great.” I grasped Falkon by the forearm and hauled him up. “Then let’s go see what wyvern steak tastes like.”
5
I was awoken by a chorus of shouts and yips and trumpeting from outside. Startled, I leapt to my feet, pulling my tent compartment apart around me, and then ran to the goblin tower door to stare out into the bailey.