by Paul Bellow
"If that infernal beast flies up out of that pit, I'll give up my leadership of the group," Axelrod said.
We made a simple camp, eating our rations and drinking what water we had left.
Deep down, doom of the impending variety had ahold of me like a grue in the dark that wouldn't let go.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 20 ::::>
Dwarven Magic and Might
ERIC
I watched Sarah walking a few feet ahead of me as we ventured down one of the deep purple worm's side tunnels. We needed a dwarven floating platform, apparently.
With my eyes on her, I listened for anything creeping up behind us. Axelrod had sworn we wouldn't run into anything else, but he'd been wrong multiple times.
No one wanted to talk about what awaited us at the end of our quest, but we had to come up with a plan to defeat the black dragon. We'd almost been killed by a dead worm.
Axelrod stopped. I held up both my blades, peering ahead into the darkness.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Nothing..." Axelrod stroked his beard. "I mean, do you mind if I go MetaToG for a minute?"
"What?" Sarah asked as she made her way to the front of the group.
Every crowded around Axelrod.
"It's a guild on the higher levels," he said.
"We know," I said. "Captain Riggard mentioned it on level one-one. What do you want to talk about?"
"Have you ever found it weird that none of the characters in a LitRPG novel ever talk about the fact such a genre exists? Or do the books not exist with a proper name in the worlds of LitRPG authors?"
I snorted and shook my head.
"You're stopping us for this nonsense?" I asked.
"I'm serious," he said, stroking his beard. "I mean, we're going through a LitRPG-like experience. Why shouldn't we mention the fact we read those types of books in the real world?"
"Maybe because it's not relevant," Ryu said, also shaking his head.
"I want to hear more," Sarah said.
"Me too," Bernard added.
"That's all I got," Axelrod said. "The question. Isn't it weird."
"You're crazy," I said.
His dwarven features turned mean in an instant.
"What did you call me?"
He lifted his axe.
"Whoa," I said, holding up my swords defensively and stepping back.
"Take it easy," Sarah said. "We're all crazy after playing this game so long."
"She's right," Bernard said, bringing the group together as usual. "We need to keep alert and ready."
"There's bound to be more mobs," Axelrod said. "I didn't think there would be, but someone is allowing monsters into the mines."
"Obviously," I said, sheathing my swords.
"I wonder how many other players are in the game," Sarah said.
Axelrod nodded.
"Right? I know of at least twenty-four," he said. "It's probably a lot more."
"We should get going," Ryu said. "I sense danger nearby."
"Nonsense." Axelrod glanced down the tunnel. "I see perfectly, and there's nothing..."
He stopped talking and clutched his shoulder as an arrow whizzed by and landed deep in his skin.
"Positions," he called out, looking around.
I turned in the direction the arrow had come from and saw nothing. Two more arrows whipped by. I dodged at the last moment, almost getting hit.
"Get back," Sarah shouted.
She danced a spell. I expected more lightning lances, but she went with snares of dust. Coughs from several different spots a few hundred feet in front of us gave away the enemy's position.
Who are they? I thought as I ran toward the coughs. Josh, Axelrod and Bernard were right behind me. I turned before we reached the source of the noise and shouted, "Go back to protect the spellcasters."
He nodded and slowed before returning to Sarah and Ryu. We had to be smart about the battle. Was it more undead? Something even scarier? Then I heard two familiar voices – Sylvar and Rizzo the Red.
After a full night of sleep, I felt prepared for anything. Without hesitating, I slashed and stabbed just below one cloud of dust. Both blades connected.
Your slash INJURES [PC] Sylvar the Ranger for 12 damage.
Your pierce HITS [PC] Sylvar the Ranger for 8 damage.
Your Weapon Craft (Dual Wield) Skill has increased.
It is now basic level 4 of 10
Take that, idiot.
Anger and rage burned in my brain as I remembered all the problems he'd caused on level one-one. He screamed out in pain before the clouds of dust dissipated.
"My magic's stronger too," Rizzo the Red said.
I watched as he and the others faded into full view. Rizzo had on deep, dark red robes. Sylvar wore loose fitting leather armor. Four others in their party wore chain mail or better.
"They're tanked up," I yelled then attacked Rizzo.
Your slash HITS [PC] Rizzo the Red for 9 damage.
Your pierce HITS [PC] Rizzo the Red for 8 damage.
That's not gonna do it, I thought to myself as I prepared for whatever was coming next.
Sylvar backed up and drew his bow as the four fighters, all human, rushed forward to chase me away from their spellcaster. I backed up a few steps. Where are the others?
Axelrod and Josh rushed past me, plowing into their front line. I stopped next to Bernard, hoping we had enough to stop the other party before they killed us.
We couldn't lose any other party members if we wanted to kill that black dragon and open the level up for the dwarves again. Not to mention making it to level one-three.
One of their fighters broke through the line. Bernard charged, mace held high.
Come on Sarah, get us out of this. I side-stepped to the left, hoping to get around their fighters in front. The four were giving Axelrod and Josh a run for their money.
I saw two arrows sailing through the air and attempted to dodge, but both hit me in the arm.
[PC] Sylvar's arrow HITS you for 8 damage.
[PC] Sylvar's arrow GRAZES you for 6 damage.
You have 90/104 health remaining.
At least they weren't poison arrows. Pain coursed through my left hand, causing me to drop my secondary weapon. Rizzo and Sylvar laughed behind their tanks.
"Open the line," I yelled, hoping Sarah got the message.
Two lances of lightning shot down the tunnel, barely missing me. Both landed on one of the other party's fighters in chainmail, taking him to the ground.
I used the opportunity to run forward, past the fighters. Rizzo's eyes opened wide as I ran my sword into his chest with a solid hit.
Your pierce INJURES [PC] Rizzo the Red for 13 damage.
Rizzo's face flashed anger before he cast a spell.
What level are they now, anyway?
I had my answer when two lightning bolts slammed into me.
[PC] Rizzo the Red's Lance of Lightning INJURES you for 14 damage.
[PC] Rizzo the Red's Lance of Lightning WOUNDS you for 18 damage.
You have 58/104 health remaining.
This is not going well. At all.
"Healing," I yelled, hoping Ryu heard me.
I swung my sword with my good arm, fighting through the pain.
Your pierce HITS [PC] Rizzo the Red for 10 damage.
The ruby wizard laughed and cast another spell as Sylvar ran up and swung a sword.
[PC] Sylvar the Ranger's slash HITS you for 8 damage.
You have 50/104 health remaining.
Two of their fighters went down, allowing Axelrod to rush Sylvar. He knocked the ranger down with a mighty blow from his battle-axe. I felt Ryu's hands grip my shoulders.
You feel better.
You have 104/104 health remaining.
I couldn't find the sword I'd dropped, so I grabbed my back-up dagger out of my belt. With my off-hand feeling better, I wanted to maximize damage and take out Rizzo the Red
With renewed energy, I leaped across the tunne
l and stuck Rizzo with both my blades.
Your slash INJURES [PC] Rizzo the Red for 11 damage.
Your pierce GRAZES [PC] Rizzo the Red for 5 damage.
That's what I'm talking about.
Rizzo yelped in pain like an electrified puppy as two lances of lightning hit him in the left arm. He collapsed to the stone floor of the tunnel, no longer moving.
I turned and saw Sarah smile.
"I give up," Sylvar said, dropping his blade.
Axelrod moved to kill the unarmed man.
"Wait," I said, reaching to stop him.
"They're behind those dwarven zombies," he said, gripping his battle-axe and not taking his eyes off the shaking Sylvar. "He'll pay."
"We can't take the alignment hit," I said. "Think about it. We're weak enough we might not defeat the dragon at the end of this quest. The game isn't giving us any alignment breaks, but we don't want to make it worse."
"I surrender," Sylvar said, hands up as if they might protect him from Axelrod's blade. "Please spare me. I don't want to be an NPC again."
"Fine," the dwarf grumbled.
Combat is Over!
You get 20,000 xp divided by six party members
You get 3,333 xp
You have 74,558 xp
You need 442 for level 8 Rogue-> Bounty Hunter
So close!
"The others are all dead," Josh said in a matter-of-fact tone as he walked up.
"Everyone okay?" Axelrod asked.
He kept his eyes on our prisoner.
"I'm fine," Sarah said. "I held back some mana in case we run into something else."
"You were so wrong about the mines, Axelrod" Bernard noted.
The dwarf grumbled but said nothing.
"Please let me go," Sylvar said as he straightened up and calmed down. "I'll leave and go back to level one-one."
"Why would we let you run back to Magi Inyontoo and his crew?" I asked, blades still in my hands.
"I'm not with them anymore," Sylvar said. "And they're not on level one-one."
"You're lying," I said.
After our history, I didn't trust a word coming out of his stupid elven mouth.
"I'm not," he said then looked at Sarah. "You trust me, don't you?"
"Are you kidding?" she asked. "You tried to kill us multiple times."
"But back in the forest...we shared those moments..."
"This might be just a game, but I can choose who I trust and play with in it," she said.
A grin slid over Sylvar's elvish features.
"You guys don't know, do you?"
"What are you talking about?" I asked, raising my dagger.
"I'll tell you if you let me go," Sylvar said.
Axelrod shook his head.
"We can't trust this one," he said.
"No kidding," I replied.
"What are we going to do with him?" Bernard asked. "That's the question."
"If we go back to the beginning of the mines, we can trap him in the roguelike game," Axelrod said. "Maybe he can find my other party members."
"No," Sylvar said, a sense of worry creeping into his normally confident voice. "I've heard about that game inside the game."
"We don't have time to go all the way back," I said. "Let's keep him tied up and with us for the time being. Maybe he'll come in handy."
"He'd make good cannon-fodder," Josh said then laughed.
"I can help you guys," Sylvar said. "Let me have my weapon. It's not safe down here anymore."
Axelrod stepped forward and stared up at the elf.
"What do you know about all the monsters infesting the mines?" the dwarf asked.
"Nothing." Sylvar looked down at the ground. "Not much, anyway."
Axelrod grabbed his arm.
"Speak up," he said.
"All I know is that Magi Inyontoo is trying to get rid of all the dwarves. To keep them out of this level, he created undead as tests for level one-three."
"Tests?" I asked, not liking the sound of the word.
"Yeah," Sylvar said. "He's got this new necromancer friend teaching him things. If you ask me, he's way too powerful to be messing around down here on the lower levels of the game."
"Tell me about it," I said. "You're coming with us. Josh, tie him up."
"You got it," the barbarian said, grabbing rope from the sack slung over his shoulder.
"Take it easy," Sylvar yelled. "This isn't lawful."
"Who said we were lawful?" Axelrod asked.
"You better be if you're planning on finding the black dragon. I've heard he won't even show himself unless he finds worthy opponents."
"He's talking nonsense," Ryu said. "I say we kill him and be done with it."
"No," Sarah said. "We're not like that."
"You killed the rest of my party," Sylvar said, spitting the words out as Josh tied his hands behind his back.
"They attacked us first," I said. "You're lucky we didn't respawn you too."
"Please don't," he begged. "I'm obeying your every command."
"That should hold 'em," Josh said, tugging on the ropes.
"Great," I said. "We need to get this floating platform to travel down the Pit of Doom."
"We're almost to the Diamond Sector," Axelrod said. "That's where we'll find it. It's the last mining spot in the game. The rest were destroyed."
"Let's get going," Ryu said. "More monsters might be afoot."
I glanced at the cleric. Afoot? Really?
"Keep an eye on the ranger," Axelrod said then marched down the tunnel.
Josh pushed Sylvar on the back, almost causing him to fall.
"I'm going," the ranger said.
After going back to get my short sword, I jogged to catch up with the others. We walked through the dwarven halls of stone, the only sound our feet on the floor.
The tunnel narrowed to only allow a single-file line. Axelrod led our party into what he called the Diamond Sector. I had no idea what to expect when we arrived.
All I hoped was that we didn't run into any other monsters. The moment the wish ran through my mind, Axelrod yelled out, "Mini Pulgasari!"
What the heck is that? I wondered as the I waited for the others to make their way further down the tunnel. He better bust through so we can fight more than one at a time.
"Untie me," Sylvar said. "I can help."
I pushed him ahead, noticing the cramped hall leading into an industrial mining area long abandoned. Axelrod and Josh were battling what looked like a knock-off Godzilla – only shorter?
That's a Mini Pulgasari? I turned to Sylvar.
"Doesn't look too tough. You'll be fine," I said.
A flash of brightness filled the cavern. I whipped around in time to see the creature bellow a long stream of fire. The flames kept burning whatever they touched, including Josh and Axelrod.
Both screamed. Axelrod dropped to the ground and rolled, but Josh took off running in a random direction, fanning the flames. That idiot's about to get killed again.
"Watch Sylvar," I shouted to Sarah then ran toward Josh to push him over and get the fire out. "And kill that Godzilla knock-off too."
"The Mini Pulgasari is my named enemy," Axelrod said.
I did a double-take then pushed my curiosity aside as I reached Josh and pushed him to the ground. The tall half-orc fell, still burning. Almost all his clothes had burned away.
"Roll over," I shouted.
He got the idea and doused the flames by rolling over a few times. I turned to see Axelrod and Bernard battling the mini-kaiju.
"Ryu! Healing!" I shouted.
Hoping he heard me and came to help Josh, I ran to assist with the monster. Smoke bellowed out of the creature's mouth, filling the air with a putrid Sulphur smell.
The Mini Pulgasari threw back its head and screeched – deep and primal. I froze in my tracks. Did I fail a morale save or something? My knees trembled.
Come on. This will get us killed. Despite my attempts to move closer to the creature, I co
uldn't move. The one time a bard would come in handy, I thought as I watched.
Axelrod and Bernard were working well together as a team, hitting the ten-foot tall creature repeatedly. Nothing seemed to do any lasting damage as it lashed out with its massive claws.
"Get over here and help," Axelrod yelled over his shoulder.
I'm trying, I thought, still struggling to move. After closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I calmed down. Opening my eyes, I ran forward, both swords drawn and ready.
Why isn't Sarah helping with lightning or anything else? Had she been frightened until frozen too? I put her out of my mind as I brought both swords down and hit the creature.
Your slash MISSES the Mini Pulgasari.
Your pierce GRAZES the Mini Pulgasari for 4 damage.
That armor class has gotta be tough, I thought as my first blade clanged and bounced off the tough hide of the creature. Bernard struck after me, his mace harmlessly bouncing off.
"We need magic," Axelrod yelled. "The barbarian rage, too..."
He mumbled something else as he swung at the Mini Pulgasari twice.
The creature opened its mouth to spew fire again. I dodged around and behind, the blast barely missing me. Axelrod wasn't so lucky. Both his beard and mohawk caught fire.
He dropped his battle-ax and patted the fires out as the creature followed up with two hands full of claws. They ripped through Bernard's armor as if it were made from aluminum foil.
I heard his screams as I pounced forward, hoping for a backstab attack. The Mini Pulgasari noticed as I rushed up and aimed the tips of both swords at its thick, scaled neck.
Your back stab attempt fails.
Your slash GRAZES the Mini Pulgasari.for 4 damage.
Your pierce SCRATCHES the Mini Pulgasari for 2 damage.
Come on!
I braced myself as the Mini Pulgasari twisted around, bulbous eyes full of fake rage.
Axelrod and Bernard attacked again, distracting the creature long enough for me to back away. I peered around and saw Ryu whispering into Sarah's ear as she stood motionless.
What's he doing to her? A clawed hand ripping over my chest brought me back into the moment.
The Mini Pulgasari's claw INJURES you for 11 damage.