by Galen Wolf
Gearhart, Level Sixteen Brigand
Bilbo, Level Seventeen Rogue
Morrigan, Level Seventeen Necromancer
Maligon, Level Twenty Death Knight>
It’s a Fangs of Koth group — a guild loyal to the Evil One Satanus. They’re not here to play the dungeon. They may take the loot, but they’re here to break things. This is a Level 5 Dungeon and they’re all above fifteen. No, they’re here to get us. We beat them last time they entered, now they want revenge.
‘It’s the Fangs — Maligon and his gang,’ Tye says. He looks worried but he’s attempting to stay cool.
I switch out of Observation Mode so he can see me and I nod at him. ‘You stay here. Keep out of their way.’
Tye gives a low laugh. ‘I’ll stay here, because this is my Level. This is my place. But I won’t keep out of their way. If they come here, I’ll fight.’
‘You’re Level 7, Tye. These guys will fry you.’
He smiles wryly. ‘It’s just a way for me to get mega XP fast by killing them.’
Lancelot comes out of Observation Mode too. I see him standing there. He’s put his armour on. His shield has his coat of arms — three bends gules on an argent field — but his visor’s still up. He’s smiling approvingly at Tye. ‘The kid’s good. I like his spirit.’
I frown. ‘You don’t know these guys. They are merciless.’
Lancelot says, ‘That’s why we’re the good guys, and they’re the bad. Will you lead me to them?’
I nod grimly. ‘Of course. Let’s go. Thorvald, come with us, we’ll try to get you past them safely.’
Facing the Fangs
We hurry the way we came and soon we’re going up the slope out of the Gas Room. Ahead is the so-called Spooky Corridor. It’s dangerously close to the dungeon entrance. I check the blips on my schematic and see they are still in the first Ruined Chapel room. It’ll only take them two minutes to come into the Tapestry Room which is where we’re headed. I’d expected them to be faster but I guess they can’t resist looting everything in sight, even though they don’t need it.
I put my hand up for Thorvald to wait behind as we get to the mouth of the passage. The Tapestry Room with its ruined wall hangings is just ahead. I see two Fire Elementals flare up in front of me, triggered by the advancing adventurers. We don’t have Observation Mode on so both Lancelot and I are visible, as is Thorvald, still hanging back in the passageway. He’s not a coward, Thorvald. I can see from the glint in his eyes that he would fight them, but I can’t risk that. He’s a Level 16 Miner. No way can I squander that skill level. Plus I like him and I don’t want him to die.
‘Okay,’ I hiss. ‘Come on.’
As we go left to the connecting door, I sneak a glance right. I see silhouetted figures battling the fire elementals. It looks like they won’t take long to defeat them either. It’s the Fangs. ‘Go!’ I whisper. We run left across the open ground in the Tapestry Room. I hear a shout behind. They’ve spotted us.
‘Damn.’ The last thing I want them to do is see us go through into the Silver Mine settlement. Worse still to catch us with the door open. They don’t know about the settlement so they won’t be looking for it, but if we let them through. Then we’re done. I run as fast as I can across the Tapestry Room floor. Lancelot stands rearguard. We’re at the entrance to the connecting passage. Down here is the entrance to the settlement. Thorvald is at my shoulder as I fumble in my inventory for the key that will let us in and save Thorvald’s life. He knows what’s going on. He says, ‘Don’t risk the settlement. It’s better I stand and fight.’
And die, I think. From the set of his face, he knows that too.
I shake my head. ‘No. Come on.’
I hear a yell from behind. ‘A Knight of the Round Table no less! We were hoping to find some of you scum in here.’ I recognise Maligon’s voice, but he’s talking to Lancelot not me. I hear the metallic snip as Lancelot pushes his visor down. He’s not going to waste many words on these people. I shove Thorvald before me and we get to the connecting door. I put the key in the invisible lock. Invisible to everyone who doesn’t have a key that is. The door slowly cracks open and I hear the rumbling of stone. They could see down here if they only looked. They’d see the door opening because there is torchlight behind it, brighter than in here.
Maligon is talking. I can’t make out every word. ‘Scum,’ ‘Arthur,’ ‘Cowards.’ The usual then.
Lancelot’s voice is cool. ‘I am Lancelot of the Lake, loyal knight of King Arthur. Surrender your weapons.’
The door is so slow.
Thorvald is staring at me intently. ‘Close the door, sir. Let’s face them.’ He wants to fight but I can’t let him.
I hear Maligon laughing then a female voice, probably the Morrigan. ‘It is Lancelot. The real Lancelot.’ There’s six of them and one of him, but I can almost feel Lancelot’s ice-cool from here. One day, I’m going to be like him.
Then the door is open wide enough for Thorvald to get through. He hesitates. He doesn’t want me to think he’s running out on me. I thrust him through, then turn the key again and the door begins its slow close.
This is infuriating. I’ve never noticed how slow it is before. Thorvald’s just staring at me through the gap.
More laughter behind. They wouldn’t be laughing if they’d ever seen Lancelot in action. He says, ‘I’ll give you one more chance to surrender.’
The door still isn’t closed. I can’t turn until I know it’s shut. What if it jammed open? What if it suddenly stuttered and stopped and they could get through. I know it won’t happen. It’s not likely. I don’t ever remember it happening but I can’t even take the slightest chance they could get through to the settlement. If they did, they’d slaughter everyone.
Then Fitheach appears at the door beside Thorvald. ‘Gorrow? The adventurers — they’re the Fangs of Koth.’
His pale face and long white hair is visible through the closing crack in the door. I can leave him to guard it. Relieved I turn.
‘Gorrow!’ Fitheach shouts.
I can’t wait. I shout over my shoulder. ‘Fitheach, just stay there. Make sure the door’s closed.’
Then I turn and hurry down the corridor until I’m by Lancelot’s side in the Tapestry Room. I’ve still got my darned green disguise on, but they know who I am anyway.
‘Another one!’ Maligon says. ‘I didn’t know there were two!’
’It’s Gorrow,’ Reza says.
‘Two for the price of one then,’ Maligon says. ‘Get them.’
I snap down my visor and put up my sword. Lancelot and I stand angled to each other like an arrow-head so we can take them on obliquely.
I look out through the slit in my helmet, seeing them arrayed against us. In the middle are the Death Knights, Maligon and Reza. Flanking them are the Heretic Elizabeth Bathory and the Brigand Gearhart. Standing back behind them are Bilbo their rogue and Morrigan, their Necromancer. I hear her mutter syllables and six armed skeletons spring up from the scattered teeth she’s strewn on the floor. Bilbo goes into a crouch then disappears. I guess he’s going to try and flank us and get a backstab in.
‘Ready?’ Lancelot mutters through his helm.
‘Yes.’
‘Go for Reza.’
I nod and we run across the dusty floor. They had expected us to stand and wait for them to attack us, but that’s not the style of the Knights of the Round Table. I hear Lancelot grunt as he jabs and lifts his shield. I’d expected him to go for Maligon but instead he slices at Elizabeth Bathory who grunts and steps back startled to see the blood oozing from the hole Lancelot has made in her chain vest. But he’s fast as lightning because with his back hand he strikes Maligon as well.
I’m facing Reza. I shield rush him, and send him staggering under my assault.
He’s got a Death Knight’s Aura now so whenever I’m close he’s going to burn me with it. I see the black flames flickering a
round his black armour.
As he stumbles I jab and jab. I get a Doublestrike.
I do a swift calculation. He’s now Level 15 so he must have 850 health at a minimum, but with trinkets and suchlike it’ll be higher. Still, I’ve hurt him and I see him scrabble for his potion and glug it back.
I strike again but he blocks me and all I get for my trouble is a burn from his aura for another 15.
Then I see a black shadow out of the corner of my eye to the left. I’m just quick enough to swing my shield round and block the backstab, badly executed, from their rogue Bilbo.
But moving my shield left exposes my body and Reza lunges.
I sip a Health 200.
And I push Bilbo out of my way. I’m going to finish him so I can focus on Reza. The rogue tumbles in the shadows as my shield mashes his face and I run and grunt and strike down.
That’s better. Then two of the Morrigan’s Skeleton Warriors attack me.
Reza follows up behind them. This is getting ugly.
I can’t lose my focus on Bilbo. He’s panicking trying to roll out of the way. I follow up and get hit by a skeleton again for another 100.
My sword slices down into the rogue and it gets a crit.
I pivot and defend against the skeletons. Just in time because I blow a blow from Reza as he smashes down on my shield. I’ve got 20% Shieldwork so I block one in five. This is one of those lucky times.
Then I hear a cry over my shoulder. I can’t see who it is but from the sudden explosion and flash of fire, I realise it must be Tye run up from his chambers lower down in the dungeon. And from the clamour, he’s brought his Fire Dwarves with him.
I smash down a skeleton to my right, turning so my shield faces Reza. The skeleton’s down and Reza is thrown into sudden silhouette as another fireball explodes taking down the rest of the skeletons. They stagger back on fire until they collapse. I kill mine for 100xp and I see and hear Lancelot’s cry of victory as he cuts Maligon down.
Our enemies start to waver.
There’s a fracas at the back of the hall. Reza’s matching me blow for blow and I can’t push him back. I manage to sip Healing potion between the blows, but he’s gotten better since he levelled to Death Knight and his aura is nipping away at me. I can’t see what’s going on but I hear Tye cry out once and then again. Elizabeth Bathory and the Morrigan must be onto him because Lancelot’s now fighting Gearhart.
Reza hacks at me and gets through.
Curse him. I counter attack and get a blow in. I sip health, then Tye dies. I see him die clearly like a scene from a movie over Reza’s shoulder. Elizabeth Bathory kills him. Bitch. At least he’s bound at Silver Drift now. Then she’s free to turn back and join her friends. Lancelot’s engaged with the Gearhart still but I see the Morrigan coming at him with a dusk-blade from behind. I yell out a warning, but he turns too late and the deadly blade scores a critical on him. He kills Gearhart with a single thrust and turns to face The Morrigan, but he’s hurt and he doesn’t heal up before she hits him again and then a buzzing ray of necrotic energy zaps out from the hands of Elizabeth Bathory to strike Lancelot and send him reeling back. I’m still fighting Reza and I can’t afford to lose focus.
He strikes and I strike back. I’m wearing him down.
I hear and smell the dark energy as it smacks into Lancelot. Morrigan summons a ghoul that scratches and tears at Lancelot with its diseased claws. Then there’s a holy radiance as Saint Fitheach enters the Tapestry Room.
Lancelot turns to see who’s come in, just in case it’s another enemy, and Morrigan sweeps her dusk-blade up and it penetrates his breastplate with its foul energy. Lancelot coughs and sags. He reaches for a potion but the Morrigan knocks it from his hands and the blue liquid goes smashing on the floor.
She jabs him again and he slumps. He falls to his knees and Reza slams his sword down, beating my shield.
I sip a health and get a double strike on him.
I see the Elizabeth Bathory fire another bolt of dark energy at Lancelot and Morrigan finishes him with her dusk-blade. The Knight of the Round Table collapses and his ghost emerges from his corpse. The Morrigan killed Lancelot. I can’t believe it.
The sight of it enrages me and I’m filled with a cold calm energy as I lunge and jab and block and lunge and jab and block and push and push and Reza falls back then I hit and I crit and I hit again and I Doublestrike and Reza jumps back, grabbing a health potion.
There’s a bright chord of music and Fitheach raises both hands and the Tapestry Room is bathed in bright light. I see Reza and Elizabeth Bathory and the Morrigan. I sip health but I’m only at 305 still.
‘Gorrow, come!’ Fitheach is holding out a hand. I back off towards him, still dazed from Lancelot’s death. We back into the passage that leads to Silver Drift. I see what Fitheach’s doing. He wants to save me, and I half go along with him. Then, when I’m two thirds of the way down the passage towards the connecting door I stop. ‘No, Fitheach. They can’t know there’s a door here.’
He winces. ‘I just thought…’
He doesn’t have to say it. He wanted to save my life. I turn, put my shield up. ‘We’ll face them here.’
He nods grimly and heals me up to full with his light magic.
We stand waiting for our enemies. We have a good defensive position down here. They can’t flank us.
We wait, but they don’t come. I look to Fitheach but he’s as puzzled as I am. Then I realise they’ve gone deeper into the dungeon rather than coming after us.
Fitheach looks at me. ‘Bernard?’
‘Yeah, he’s down there. We can’t leave him to them.’
‘No,’ he says. ‘Let’s follow them.’
Following the Fangs
We run into the Tapestry Room but the Fangs have already gone.
‘We can’t let them get Bernard,’ Fitheach says. ‘They’ll slaughter him.’
I twist my face. ‘And steal the magic mirrors. Come to think of it I don’t want them getting the Level One loot either. They’ll get a 150 skill point stat tome each, and there’s no way they deserve it.’
He nods and we start off after our disappearing foes. They have the Morrigan and Elizabeth Bathory and of course Reza the cruel. We killed Maligon and Gearhart and their rogue Bilbo, and they got Tye and Lancelot.
We hear them ahead. There’s flare of fire as they trigger traps but the traps on this level are only Level 6 so even if they crit, they’ll be a nuisance only. I hear them thump their way through and down the corridors then I see down the passage they’ve fled down, lit luridly by the dying fire traps. They’ve ignored the alcove with the crush trap and are heading straight down to the slope to the door they can open with the key they retrieved from the Ruined Chapel room.
Why aren’t they fighting us? They know we’re here. But I don’t have time to ponder this. Fitheach and I are pretty close behind them as they enter the Gas Room. None of them are carrying any naked flame so it doesn’t ignite and they’re through the next door into the Room of Statues.
We enter as they’re halfway down the room. They’ve sensed or located all the traps somehow and are jumping over the pressure areas that would set off more fire jets. Then they’re at the far end and we’re on their tails as they burst through into the Fire Dwarf region. Tye brought most of the Fire Dwarves with him, and like him they were sla
in by the much more powerful Fangs of Koth players.
Tye should be resurrecting now at the Silver Drift village centre stone and knowing him, he’ll be back in here as soon as he can to help. Lancelot will be bound in Caer one a hundred miles south east. He won’t be back in a hurry.
I see Reza slaughtering the dwarves as they come out to fight him from their chambers and their workshops. Elizabeth Bathory fires a ball of Leprosy at the NPC engineers standing by the work benches, raising their hammers to fight off this intrusion. They go coughing back and their skin turns green and falls from their faces and hands before they slump dead to the floor.
‘Hey!’ I yell. ‘We’re here. Come and fight someone your own size.’
Reza looks over his shoulder and grunts but he doesn’t come back. I know he’s a coward but that isn’t what’s driving him on. They’ve definitely got a mission.
The Fangs push deeper into the dungeon and Fitheach fires a bolt of holy energy at the last of them, but Elizabeth Bathory disappears round a corner and it hits the wall in a fizzle of white light. They head down the passage leading to Tye’s quarters. The Morrigan turns and almost as an afterthought mutters words of summoning and a crazy Nosferatu vampire appears out of the deepest shadows and runs at us, sapphire eyes full of hate, fangs wet with spit and claws ready to rend and tear. Then she summons another. I put up my shield and stand, ready to fight them, but I’m with the right man.
Fitheach raises both hands and there’s a chord of holy music and both vampires disappear with a popping sound. ‘Turn Undead,’ he says. ‘I was a priest before I became a saint.’
‘Come on.’
We run after the retreating Fangs. They get to Tye’s chambers with all its luxury. I know he had Geraint the Blacksmith stuff it with treasure and Bernard made him the 150+ Stat Tome as level loot, but they don’t even stop to look for that. They don’t ransack anything, heck, they don’t even stoop to pick the golden bowls and candlesticks. Instead they go straight on.