And so, as soon as my eyes saw the inside of the coffin, I activated the Greater Shield of Shadows, surrounding myself with an impenetrable screen capable of withstanding ten million hit points of damage.
Without delay, I threw open the lid, jumping out with Aelmaris like a jack out of the box—there was a small chance that one of the Pandas had been standing close enough to me to get into the shield.
However, I was lucky. Several spells immediately splashed against the shadow dome, reducing its health bar by a hair’s breadth. When the rainbow vortex dissipated, I squinted, almost blinded by a bright light and barely managing to make out the dark silhouettes around me.
Three...five...seven! The Pandas and their pawns surrounded me from all sides, some just a step away and some aiming at me from behind the ship’s armaments. Several dazzling Circles of Light were aimed at the patch where I was standing.
I looked around, ignoring the arrows bouncing off the shadow shield. I was on the long narrow deck of an oblong ship that didn’t resemble the Abyssal in the slightest; vicious broadside curves, a sharp bow in the shape of the fanged maw of a fish. Was it the famous Barracuda? We were above the surface, and despite the blinding light, I could see the black mirror of water overside.
It was time to begin. I aimed my blade at a large structure with two Pandorum pawns sitting behind it and activated Flaming Bolide. So you wanted a battle? I’m going to smash your ship into atoms!
An orange-blue ball rapidly swelled on Aelmaris’ tip, gaining power, and finally broke away, shooting a fiery bead at the target. I expected an explosion, screams, and bodies rolling down the floor, but instead, the Bolide bounced off the structure and flew back. A flash and a roaring fire made me stagger back, and shadow shield’s health bar decreased by several percent at once.
Flaming Bolide was reflected by Mirror Skin!
All right. So the Pandas had prepared a surprise for me? I had never heard about any Mirror Skin! I quickly searched the Net and froze—there were almost no results, only two lines mentioning some kind of legendary archetype. I had no time to study and analyze it, as Yota came closer to me. It seemed like he wanted to talk.
“Surprised? Did you think you would come out and crush us with your miracle sword?” He grinned. “No dice. There are many things in Sphere you have no idea about. Say, this.”
He showed me a small green pyramid with weird symbols on its facets. They reminded me of Kann-Elo, the language of the Ancients.
“See? You can find unusual stuff in Ancient caches. This one, for instance, can resurrect a player right after death, not letting him respawn. You could play with your victim for a while, killing him time and again before he drops all of his loot.”
I carefully examined him, ignoring the spotlight effect that the Pandas had tried to create with their Circles of Light. A strange glowing veil covered the bodies of Yota and his team, shrouding the entire ship. Was it Mirror Skin? True Fire couldn’t be stopped or resisted, but it didn’t mean that it couldn’t be evaded or reflected with unknown magic. A loophole, like the Magister had told me. Pandorum analysts had done their job studying my abilities.
“Ninety-six percent chance of reflection,” Yota said as if reading my thoughts. “True Fire cannot help you. You’re stuck here.”
The son of a bitch was right. I frantically went through my remaining options. I couldn’t escape into the Shadow Plane—too much light everywhere. My trump card was the avatar of Blazing Warrior, but it could only be used in melee. The Pandas probably expected it and wouldn’t let me get close to them.
So what was I to do? My Plan A was using the shadow shield and kicking the enemy’s asses with Flaming Bolides while trying to avoid damaging the shield. I didn’t like Plan B, but it didn’t seem that I had a choice.
“An unfortunate situation, isn’t it?” Yota concluded. “I honestly have no idea how you can escape this. So sad.”
Why was he telling me this? If the Pandas simply wanted to reskill me, talking would be pointless. However, it really was an unfortunate situation, and they were quite capable of making good on their threats. Even if I logged off, my avatar wouldn’t disappear immediately during battle. I would also lose my buffs, get killed, and they would follow me to the resp point via a Long Jump or another trick.
“However, there are two options. Option one: you die as many times as we want,” Yota continued. “Option two: we make a deal. Fifty thousand ransom, we cut off your ears ten times or so, and you give us complete and reliable information about your sword. Then we turn off the stonejammer, and you can return home.”
And another team of hunters will take care of you, I finished his thought. What a tantalizing offer! Out of the blue, I charged at them, trying to knock down the seemingly relaxed Pandas, but they effortlessly dodged my attack. However, my maneuver was worth it—I was standing right next to the water. The shadow sphere had eight minutes remaining; I had to hurry. I climbed over the railing and froze, teetering on the edge, the black water glistening just a step away.
“Do you want to take a swim?” Pinprick snickered. “Go on then! See you at the next resp point!”
“Swimming? I don’t mind, but only in company,” I replied and raised my left hand, drawing their attention.
“Listen up, Pandas! Option three: each of you pays me fifty thousand, and I let you go. Ten seconds to decide!”
“They did tell me you were cocky,” Yota said, nodding. “Too bad, you don’t have the speed to match your wit.”
I wasn’t going to fight them or test out Mirror Skin. Plan B that Thrainul had affectionately nicknamed “Lunacy” had been born only a short time before and was pure madness. However, I had wanted to do it ever since seeing the Guardian.
I stepped back and fell down, barely making a splash. The black water burned me with icy cold but only for a few seconds, as after that, an Air Bubble helpfully provided by Fayana surrounded me.
The dark malachite waves closed up above me, and I slowly sank, hovering in the deep while blanketed by two spheres—the shadow shield and the bubble that allowed me to breathe.
“What is he hoping to achieve?” Pinprick said derisively. “He’ll die as soon as his invincibility wears off.”
“He wants a beautiful death,” Ran Dom said, snickering.
“Maybe he’s going to swim beyond the stonejammer’s range,” Yota observed, thoughtful. “But we’re ready for that. Tell Mancurt to submerge!”
Impenetrable darkness surrounded me. Deep in the Sea of Terror, visibility decreased to several feet in front of me. I had to activate Shadow Sight to see anything at all. Everything around me immediately cleared up, and I was falling through grey mist thick as oatmeal. A giant crinkle loomed far below, almost out of my sight. Something stirred inside of it, and my gut told me that it was one of the canyons that the locals called chasms. That’s where the Guardian came out of last time.
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? I drew Aelmaris and fired two Bolides almost straight down toward the spot where I had sensed movement.
Fire and water were opposing elements. An ordinary fireball would have immediately died out, but True Fire was the quintessence of pure all-devouring energy. Leaving a vapor trail behind them, the bolides flew toward their target, and I watched them leave until their bright sparks disappeared in the dark.
A large shadow descended on me from above—the Barracuda was rapidly descending in my wake. Hadn’t they smelled the trap yet? It was high time to vamoose.
Something flashed in the chasm, momentarily illuminating the dark cliffs of the gorge. The bolides had reached their target. I held my breath—the next minute would decide the success of my enterprise.
Yes! Giant yellow eyes lit up in the depths of the underwater rift, and writhing tentacles appeared on the edges of the fault. Dread increased by two points. The disturbed Guardian was rising from the chasm!
They still had a chance to survive if Mancurt had the sense to feign being a dead piece of iron li
ke Thrainul. Or did they? Glowing rays beaming out of the squid’s eyes ravenously scoured the expanse like two giant searchlights. Time moved with agonizing slowness, and at last, they reached the Barracuda, which was drilling through the water, headed down. As soon as it saw its prey, the Guardian leaped out of its chasm, swiftly closing in.
Six minutes. Nine-plus million points of damage. That’s how long the Shield of Shadows would withstand, and I hoped that it would be enough to survive the Guardian’s attack.
It was impossibly, inconceivably big. It was hard even to imagine a creature of such size. Next to him, Mancurt’s submarine was a sliver, and I, an unimportant speck of dust. I saw the Barracuda turn around, ignite both engines, and try to escape. So it had finally sunk in! A trail of water rose behind the aft, but it was too late. The Guardian’s colossal tentacles connected, cutting off the escape path, and a few of the smaller tendrils coiled around the metal hull, crumpling the armored plates like playdough. Deformed and mutilated, the Barracuda couldn’t last longer than ten seconds in the ghastly knot of the tentacles. The Guardian easily tore it into several pieces and hungrily sucked the water into its giant maw, swallowing the remains of Pandorum’s ship.
A powerful current swept me up and pulled right into the monster’s maw, which reminded me of an entrance to a railway tunnel. The debris of the hull, parts, and human bodies swirled next to me. Some of them were surrounded by protective spheres and air bubbles like mine, still hoping to survive.
Four minutes! The crimson wall of the pharynx flew past me, studded with rows of translucent teeth, each the size of a cliff. The monster slugged us down like plankton unworthy of being chewed. Unable to resist the furious current and surrounded by pitch darkness, I fell inside the Guardian.
Chapter 15
I WAS ABOUT TO LEARN what the monsters of Sphere looked like from the inside. I couldn’t say that being there was especially exciting, but the creators of the Guardian, whether Svechkin himself or the procedural AI, had done their best to make everything look realistic. The swirling current dragged me down a crimson ribbed tunnel, spitting me out into a cavern full of thick viscous liquid. It was dark, stuffy, and foul-smelling. Water, debris, and screaming invisible enemies kept falling on my head from above. Howls of pain, splashing, hissing...
Messages about acid damage flooded my combat log as each second brought in even more of it. Had I reached the monster’s stomach, swimming in its digestive juice? Thankfully, Air Bubble and Shield of Shadows protected me from the corrosive liquid.
A Circle of Light sprang up right next to me, illuminating folding walls of pink flesh, quivering tendrils, and a lake of colorless fluid with several figures stuck there waist-deep. Like me, they were protected by Air Bubbles and various magic spheres. That said, those didn’t hold a candle against my shield, and their health bars rapidly dwindled.
The Pandas were tough bastards! My enemies were frantically trying to survive, feeding mana to their shields and using elixirs, but none of that really helped. The acid DOTs combined into thousands of damage over several seconds—no laughing matter.
I stepped forward, making a wave with my barrier. It still had nine million durability with more than three minutes remaining; not bad. It should be enough to loot their corpses. Players with red karma always dropped more stuff—I expected 2 or 3 items from each.
Staying away from the Circle of Light spell, I watched them, gloating a little. I had no idea how they had survived inside the crushed Barracuda, but here, inside the Guardian, nobody would remain alive without a protection comparable to the Shield of Shadows.
Yota was the closest to me. The protective sphere around him burst with a loud pop, and the Finn’s health bar floundered into the red zone. He immediately restored it in several ticks—clearly a powerful regenerating effect. Yota struggled with all his might, but the incoming damage was too high, as we were floating in the sea of digestive juice while more corrosive liquid rained on us from the ceiling.
All done! Yota folded in half, dying, and his body slowly disappeared in the viscous paste. I immediately rushed there, entering the lit area. The Bubble traveled with me, creating a gap in the lake and exposing the quivering pink floor. Three items lay there, left by the Panda leader: a scroll, epic-level prayer beads, and a small green pyramid, the one Yota had used to threaten me with reskilling. I sent the scroll and the bracelet into my inventory and fiddled with the pyramid, trying to study it.
Resuciato
Quality: rare. Material: Ancient Alloy. Durability: 345/500.
Resurrection: resurrects the target after the fatal blow, restoring 10% of health. Remaining charges: 11/100.
It was an auto-healing item similar to my Soul Forge Gem. However, the latter could only resurrect its wielder and had a 30% chance of working, while this thing could raise other players. Still, it had limited charges, and they were running low. It clearly had never occurred to the Pandas to use it to resurrect their own fallen during raids. I felt a pang of gloating delight—so Yota’s promise of only cutting off my ears ten times didn’t mean anything; they couldn’t do it any more, anyway. Eleven charges. I rubbed the neck scar I had gotten after the duel in the Stone Forest. Well, ladies and gentlemen of Pandorum, how about you take a sip from your own cup?
Yota’s companions were holding on for dear life. Pinprick was clearly powering her sphere with mana, but how long could it last? Ran Dom was protected by his solid black armor, and he kept trying to break away from the slush, only surviving thanks to his impressive regeneration. Both of them clearly were on their last legs. I aimed the pyramid at them and activated it, marking them as targets for resurrection. Incredulous anger and a stream of curses that even my multi-language pack struggled to translate were the best reward I could hope to get. It was odd how frustrated people could get if they fell into the pit they had dug themselves.
“Don’t be so rude! Respectable people will watch this vid!” I tried to interrupt the flow of expletives but only provoked Pinprick into shooting me with a Great Lightning. The Shield of Shadows wasn’t even scratched, but the Guardian clearly didn’t like it—the stomach walls shook as they contracted, knocking the Pandas down and dousing them in the corrosive lake. It was the last straw, and they died almost at the same time thanks to the acid DOT. At once, Resuciato started glowing in my hands, and thin green beams pulled toward the ghostly silhouettes, depriving them of the ability to respawn.
Resuciato held the soul of Ran Dom! Do you wish to restore them to life? Yes/No 59…58…57…
Resuciato held the soul of Pinprick! Do you wish to restore them to life? Yes/No 59…58…57…
Just a second! I quickly ran to their bodies and looted them. Whoa! Elixirs, scrolls, a harness, a skillbook, a portal token, three pieces of epic-level gear... The Pandas had deep pockets! I scooped it up and sent it into inventory without looking and loudly said, “My offer still stands! Fifty thousand per player, and I let you go. Five seconds to decide! Five! Four! Three!”
No money came to my account five seconds later, and ghostly Pandas kept flipping me off and writing various indecent things in chat. My clients were yet to be convinced. Fine, then; I would continue working on them. I activated Resurrection, and Pinprick and Ran Dom arose with ten percent of their health. This time, they died immediately, almost one-shotted by the acid—I barely had time to mark them for another resurrection.
“Go on; your pain is so sweet!” I smiled when I saw the latest outburst in my personal messages. They had switched from insults to threats, unusually colorful and diverse.
The second portion of loot was just as yummy: a captain’s spyglass, a scroll case, a marquee, more potions, a clan gonfalon, a glaive, Pinprick’s mantle and cloak, and Ran Dom’s helmet, part of a set. I started to doubt whether I could carry all of that. Once again, I addressed my test subjects,
“I hope you can count. Eleven charges mean five deaths for each of you, plus a bonus one. Enough to undress you completely, I think. Do you hav
e legendaries, I wonder?”
In truth, I was bluffing. The Greater Shield of Shadows had less than a minute left, and as much as I would have liked to, I couldn’t make good on my threat. They, however, didn’t know that.
Ran Dom: How can you guarantee that you won’t stand us up? You’ve already swindled our clan once!
Apparently, one client was ripe for the picking. Maybe his set armor wasn’t bound to him, and he didn’t want to lose it. I told him the truth—I would let him go but couldn’t give any guarantees—and started the countdown once again. After “two,” I got fifty thousand gold transferred to my account with a crude comment in German. Being an honest merchant, I resisted the temptation to cheat him and clicked “No” in the Resurrection menu, releasing his soul to respawn. Pinprick was silent, her head haughtily tilted back. Oh, so she was a big fish swimming in a puddle? Well, that puddle was about to eat her alive. It was time to get this over with. I raised her and cheerfully watched her once again die in the lake of acid. Considering that all deaths in the Hole always left scars, this meeting was bound to become a memorable one for the bounty hunters’ team.
Shadow Seer (Rogue Merchant Book #3): LitRPG Series Page 19