by C E Keene
They could all agree on that. Even Higrem, though his agreement came with the caveat that he still didn't think Eadric was doing anything wrong.
With that settled--for now--they shifted to the main problem they'd been tasked with handling, discussing what they'd need. Zindar suggested a way to draw it out into a clearing, Mira mentioned they might get a device that would make sound and throw off the creature's attention, and Galen said they should gather any information they could about the creature.
In the middle of talking, a tremor rocked the inn room. This time, no one bothered to duck under the table. They even managed to save their mugs, and continued on.
"What about weaknesses?" Higrem asked, looking pointedly at Arheis.
He knew what the man was getting at. Apex employed an elemental rock-paper-scissors system. Fire was strong against nature but weak to water, for example.
This creature ate rocks, gaining its nutrients from the minerals within. There was a good chance it had the same weaknesses as other creatures with rock-like properties.
"I think water's the best bet. It's a shame we couldn't get any parts from the Exsetus…"
"With as many credits as the prince gave us, we might not need the parts," Zindar pointed out.
There was definitely more than enough to pay for supplies, augments, and then some. It was a start, at least, and the five of them agreed to meet up in the market the next day. With any luck they’d get their hands on some supplies, then do some initial scouting on the Petravor.
"You're saying you want to buy my precious stones… as bait?"
Archie's voice was as cheerful as ever, a hint of amusement in his tone. Arheis and Galen had decided to visit him first, once they'd settled on a good way to lure the Petravor into a clearing so they could fight it properly.
"I'm afraid so," Arheis said with a smile, "but we'll pay you well for them."
"Hmm." The scientist looked around at his collection, his gaze settling on the display case. "You know, there are some lovely geodes I've had my eye on for months now, but I haven't had anywhere to put them…"
Galen half laughed, half groaned at that. With a bit more coaxing, they convinced Archie to part with a variety of stones both small and large. Arheis and Galen packed them away, exchanging the credits and leaving as Archie became stuck in his own monologue about all the things he could buy to fill those empty spaces.
"I'm going to hear word he's been buried alive one day," Galen said, shaking his head.
"At least he loves what he does."
The elf laughed. "A little too much. But yes."
He'd tried not to think too hard on the fact that Archie had been involved in the creation of crystals the Crown had weaponized. It was dangerous to give the man the benefit of the doubt, but Archie genuinely seemed enamored with the science more than anything else.
They headed to the market after that to meet up with Mira, Zindar, and Higrem. The latter was purchasing a small selection of explosives from a stand that sold gunpowder, musket balls, and other implements used for exploding things.
"Do you really think that's wise?" Arheis asked.
There were enough quakes. They didn't need to collapse a tunnel and cause another one.
"If you want it to focus on those stones, you're going to have to destroy easier food sources. Besides, it'll be a good way to get the beast over to where we are."
A good way to get trapped under a cave-in, more like. Arheis filed that under the "plans to implement only in case of emergency" category and sought out the other two.
Mira and Zindar had teamed up to buy general supplies--healing potions, draughts to restore stamina, even a potion to increase movement speed--along with a selection of traps that might make the creature easier to combat.
Ideally they needed to get it into a clearing to have any chance, but if they needed to, they could trap it in a tunnel and attack it there.
"This one emits a loud noise that should stop the creature in its tracks," Zindar said, presenting a device that looked like Pruvari tech. "We thought since it's blind, its hearing is probably better than other beasts, and it might be more susceptible to that sort of thing."
"Won't it stun us, too?" Arheis asked.
Zindar shook his head. "The frequency is too high for any of us to hear. The Pruvari use these as a deterrent; they put them out along the perimeter of their camps, and they're barely woken by the sound it makes."
Good enough for Arheis.
"This one's probably going to seem old-fashioned by comparison, but you mentioned water."
Mira hefted something that was fashioned from a barrel, with a spout on top and some kind of strong rope bound around it, creating obvious bulges in between each piece.
"This just needs to be struck, either by a blade, a bolt, or the ground. The water inside is kept under high pressure, and you can heat it from here if you hold it over a fire."
It was low-tech, comparatively, but also a pretty creative trap.
"Both should come in handy," Arheis said. "Did you get everything else we need?"
They went through a list of items, from the potions they'd obtained to the standard fare. Warm cloaks for everyone. Jerky and hard tack, for a burst of energy once they were underground. Plenty of bandages, and a length of rope in case they found themselves stranded and needing to climb.
Apparently they also had a lead on weapon augmentation.
"There's an enchanter just over there." Zindar pointed to a small building that was sandwiched between two larger ones. The sign featured a rune and quill.
"Enchanter?" Arheis asked. "I don't think I've ever visited one of those."
"They're not common in smaller villages," Mira said. "I think we had one in Lacerda, and only for a few weeks while he was traveling."
"They're like temporary augments," Higrem explained. "They can enchant your weapons or armor for a few hours."
Interesting. So like a temporary buff, the kind he'd obtained from potions and food in Apex games of the past. But why enchant when they could just augment their gear?
"I thought this would be better while we're scouting, so we can figure out if the water's going to make a difference," Zindar said.
Right. Zindar didn't have video game logic to fall back on. He did things the old-fashioned way--by trial and error. There was logic in his reasoning, though, and Arheis wasn't going to argue with efficiency.
The five of them visited the enchanter, a stout woman with auburn hair and an almost stereotypical brogue. She seemed so out of place in the city that Arheis wondered if she was from some other region.
"What can I do for ye, then?" she asked, her quill scratching runes into a piece of parchment.
"We're looking to have our weapons enchanted."
"Aye, I gathered that," she said with a minor eyeroll. "Why don't ye take a look at the list and we'll go from there."
Right. He wasn't exactly endearing himself to this woman. As he went to examine the list she'd vaguely nodded to--a piece of parchment flattened out and nailed to the wall--Arheis considered letting someone else handle the negotiations from now on.
Gale - Minor
Novice Enchantment
Applies the force of wind to your weapon. Deals wind damage and has a chance to knock the enemy back.
Duration: 2 hours
Storm - Minor
Novice Enchantment
Applies the force of water to your weapon. Deals water damage and has a chance to saturate the enemy, reducing their armor.
Duration: 2 hours
Inferno - Minor
Novice Enchantment
Applies the force of fire to your weapon. Deals fire damage and has a chance to burn the enemy, causing damage over time.
Duration: 2 hours
Bolt - Minor
Novice Enchantment
Applies the force of lightning to your weapons. Deals lightning damage and has a chance to stun the enemy.
Duration: 2 hours
Rime - Minor
Novice Enchantment
Applies the force of ice to your weapon. Deals ice damage and has a chance to slow the enemy.
Duration: 2 hours
Fissure - Minor
Novice Enchantment
Applies the force of earth to your weapon. Deals earth damage and has a chance to rupture the enemy, causing them to bleed.
Duration: 2 hours
"Looks like Storm is the way to go," Higrem said.
It was a sound pick, and Arheis nodded in agreement.
"Storm for our weapons," he told the woman, then added, "how does it work? Does the duration last from the moment you enchant the gear?"
If so, they'd need to haul ass to get to the caves. The prince had given them details on where to find an old elevator that descended into the heart of the system, but Arheis didn't know if they'd find the beast in time to make use of the enchantments.
"The minor will last for two hours after ye speak the runes, the major five hours."
"Speak the runes…?" he asked, feeling incredibly dumb.
The Apex site hadn't mentioned this feature, though, and it’d never appeared in any previous games. Not even in high level play.
The woman let out a put-upon sigh. "I'll inscribe the runes on vellum, ye read them aloud, and the enchantment will start."
He didn't ask any more questions after that, hoping Higrem would know. Instead he watched as the woman scratched out various runes onto thin, shiny pieces of paper. When she handed them over, he noticed with some relief that she'd written out how to say each rune beneath them.
"What a weird system," Arheis murmured to himself.
"Lot of bitching about it on the QA forums." Higrem kept his voice quiet, but still Arheis looked around, his paranoia getting the better of him.
No one heard. He and Higrem were the last to leave the enchanter's shop, the door blowing closed behind them of its own volition.
Or of the enchantress', more likely.
Folding his piece of vellum with care, Arheis slid it into a new pack--another purchase Mira and Zindar had made for everyone--and met up with the others.
"Is everyone ready?"
There were nods all around, though Mira's came with an apprehensive frown.
"So long as we temper our expectations," she said. "If this creature's eating crystals, it's likely going to be more powerful than the Nepondus Queen."
Arheis nodded. "Nobody take any unnecessary risks. We're going down there today to locate the beast and learn everything we can about it, not kill it."
With their goal in mind, the group headed to the Trade Quarter where Eadric said they would find the elevator. Arheis wasn't sure he would have spotted it if he hadn't been given a description of where it was. The lift was at the end of a series of alleyways, back behind a couple of factories and a bakery. The walk to get there felt like passing through an entirely different city. The upkeep that kept the rest of Iskaral in peak condition wasn't present here. The cobblestones were cracked, there were rats scurrying about, and the smell of urine was pungent in the air.
"Are we sure this thing is safe?" Zindar asked, an arm held up to cover his nose.
The lift was metal, something Arheis hadn't expected. It featured a full cage with a door in the front and a lever within to control it. The whole thing was run on a pulley system, of course, with metal chains stretching down to the lift itself.
Some of that metal was rusted, though, and when Arheis went to open the door, it let out an ear-splitting screech, in bad need of oil.
"I can test it out," he volunteered, already catching Mira's ire. His gaze met hers as he said, "It's the safest way."
She didn't say anything to that, just looked away, drew in a breath, and nodded. The others didn't seem to have as many qualms with him risking his life, so Arheis was able to get on the lift unimpeded while his companions stood outside of it.
The whole thing creaked and groaned as he stepped onto it, then swayed back and forth when he pulled the lever. It lurched, dropping a foot or two and making Arheis grab for the top of the cage to try and keep himself steady. But after that it began to move as smoothly as an elevator could on a rusty chain.
There was no telling how it would respond to five people, but the ride down was easy enough. The lift descended through the rocky tunnel until blackness swallowed Arheis' vision. His eyes had just barely adjusted when it reached the bottom with a jolt, and he looked around a spacious chamber that led to several different tunnels.
All of which were lit with the glow of crystals.
Pulling the lever again, Arheis rode the lift back up and gestured for his companions to come aboard.
"One at a time," he said, "let's see how it handles more weight."
The lift was eager to complain, groaning with every new person that walked onto it, but it didn't buckle or otherwise feel unstable, so Arheis pulled the lever again, and they all descended to the depths of the cave system beneath Iskaral.
19
They traveled in a formation that was similar to what they'd used when trying to reach the Pruvari settlement. Arheis led the party this time, his torch illuminating the dark passageways. Galen was in the back with the other torch, and the other three were spaced out between them. Some of the tunnels were so narrow that they had to walk single-file, and at one point Arheis had to relight his torch with Galen’s after a drip from above put it out.
There was no Pruvari architecture here. No architecture at all save the natural formations of the cave. Gray rock seemed to stretch on endlessly, only occasionally brightened up by the appearance of ore veins, crystals, and various species of fungus.
Chatter was kept to a minimum, and that--combined with the never-changing view--made the whole thing insanely boring. There was a reason most Apex games made the tracking as streamlined as possible, giving plenty of clues before the Hunter reached the beast. It wasn't exactly fun to navigate endless passageways in search of any sign that they weren't just alone down here.
But while it felt like hours of wandering, choosing tunnels at random, breaking briefly to get their bearings in open chambers, it wasn't for nothing. Eventually, Arheis found signs of their quarry.
The gouges weren't subtle. He caught the edge of them even before shining his torch over the cave wall. One continuous, imperfect divot had been carved into the stone, high enough that it was obvious it had come from the Petravor's plating.
> Discovered: Petravor Scrape Marks
The thick armor plating that grows on the back of Petravor is said to be as hard as solid granite. When the beast moves through tight corridors at high speed, the scraping of its plates can often throw sparks.
"Looks like we're on the right track," he told the others, handing off the torch so he could record the marks in his journal.
The next sign of life came further down that same passageway. One branch of it was closed off, the tunnel having caved in on itself. Right before that natural block, though, was a cluster of misshapen stones covered in a viscous yellow liquid.
Arheis approached the rocks, crouching down to take a sample and sketch them. Some of his companions made similar notes, with Galen standing watch.
> Discovered: Partially Digested Rocks
Petravor feast on a diet of rocks and minerals, breaking down the solid matter and extracting the nutrients with the aid of their extremely caustic stomach acid. Some deposits are too dense for even the Petravor to digest, however, and they're often regurgitated at the site of the feast.
Well that was insanely gross, but it might be information they could use. Maybe there was a way to slow it down by feeding it certain rocks. He'd have to look into it.
As they continued, Arheis and his companions found a couple other clues, both of which were recorded in his journal.
> Discovered: Petravor Hair
Petravor are covered in coarse, patchy hair that serves more as a way to keep dirt off of their skin than a means of staying warm. It is beli
eved that their ability to regulate their temperature despite their cold environment comes from the heat caused by their digestion.
> Discovered: Petravor Claw Marks
Petravor use their large front claws to pull their bodies through tight cave tunnels. The muscles in their forelimbs develop at a vastly quicker rate, leaving the back legs inferior and--in the case of juveniles--almost completely devoid of function.
Learning about the ecology of different beasts had always been one of Arheis' favorite parts of the Apex series, and it was no different here. Aside from the looming threat of the Petravor just showing up while he was in the middle of recording information.
He felt a vibration in the ground when he'd bent to examine the claw marks. By the time he was done, it turned into a full-on tremor that began to dislodge rocks from the ceiling of the tunnel.
"Get to the clearing!" he told his companions, fearing a sudden collapse.
It hadn't come, but more than a few of the larger rocks dislodged, stalactites crashing down where they'd just been standing.
"We should probably set up the bait here," Zindar said, his voice echoing in the chamber.
Arheis’ gaze moved over the high ceilings that had blessedly few formations clinging to them, the mold-covered walls spaced far enough to give them ample room. It wasn't the best chamber they'd found so far, but they were getting too close to the beast to risk continuing on.
"Agreed," he said, pulling the bundle of stones he'd gotten from Archie out of his bag. "Let's get this place ready."
Arheis set out the bait, making what he hoped was an enticing arrangement in the center of the open chamber. He surrounded the stones with rocks that Galen helped him move over, just to slow the beast down a bit in its pursuit of the "gourmet" food.
Zindar and Mira placed their traps in opposite tunnels to give multiple escape routes should they need it, or just to catch the Petravor unawares if it came through one of them. Higrem employed Galen's help--and the help of a large mallet he'd brought with him--to destroy any tasty formations nearby, scattering rocks and other food sources as a trail of breadcrumbs that led to the bait.