Fragment of Divinity

by Jamey Sultan

  Plague Rat (Level 24)

  Each was covered in a coat of dirty grey fur stained rust-brown, with patches of skin that peeled loosely off of their bodies, revealing sections of bone. Yellow pus dripped from numerous sores all over the Plague Rat’s bodies, sizzling when it hit the ground. James was pretty sure he could get smallpox just by looking at them.

  Disgusting.

  “Lucien get behind me. Nidra behind Arik,” James said, drawing his sword.

  “But I can fight,” Lucien said, surprising James.

  “Can you?” James asked. All he had seen of the teenager fighting so far was his awkward flailing with the spear against the Goblins.

  “With a dagger I can.”

  “How about the one I gave you, Nidra?” James asked. “Since you don’t really do close combat, anyway.”

  “Good idea.” Nidra tossed Lucien the Orichalcum Dagger of Speed.

  He caught the dagger effortlessly and slashed at the air a few times, judging its weight and speed. Nodding in approval, he said, “This’ll do,” and thanked Nidra. By the way he moved, it was clear he knew what he was doing.

  James almost smacked himself. He had known that Lucien was a Blade, and he probably should have thought to ask if Lucien wanted a dagger. James wasn’t sure exactly what a Blade did, but it sounded like the type of class that would use a dagger.

  “Okay, so Lucien and I are under-leveled. Can each of you handle a rat while Lucien and I team up against the third?” James asked Nidra and Arik.

  Arik nodded, but Nidra took a while longer to decide. She thought for a second and shook her head. “I’m going to need someone to distract it while I cast. I don’t do well in one-on-one fights.”

  James remembered her trying to fight the Goblin without being able to use Mana and realized his mistake. “Right. Lucien and I will each distract one while you deal damage to them.” He turned to Lucien. “Focus on defense. We don’t need to hurt them, just distract them until Nidra can burn them up.” He then addressed the whole group. “Everyone cool with the plan?”

  Arik nodded, cracking his knuckles. “I’m always down for a good fight.”

  Nidra gave him a thin-lipped smile and stepped back, conjuring her mana.

  Lucien spun the blade around his hand dexterously and grinned. “With a dagger I am!” James hadn’t seen him show this much emotion since before his brother died.

  Together the group moved into formation. James, Lucien, and Arik each targeted a rat while Nidra chanted, orange light bathing the group. But before any of them could attack, each of the plague rats breathed out a cloud of noxious green fumes.

  James stumbled back, holding his breath as he tried to escape the cloud, but he ended up inhaling a lungful.

  James vomited. He’d thought that nothing would be worse than the smell of a decomposing body, but he was wrong.

  You are affected by [Bile Plague]

  00:00:30

  - Fever

  - Nausea

  - Malaise

  The cool air of the tunnel grew uncomfortably hot, and beads of sweat dripped down his body as James’ skin grew flushed. It felt like a molten ball of lead had appeared in his stomach, and he collapsed to his knees in agony. Through his tears he saw Arik collapse next to him, also vomiting. Nidra was luckily outside of the range of the attack, and Lucien was somehow still fighting, advancing on one of the Plague Rats with a quick series of dagger strikes.

  James’ chosen Plague Rat was advancing on him, but a wall of fire sprung up, sending the rats into a panicked retreat. James used the opportunity to vomit profusely. It helped a little, and he was able to return to his feet as the fire died down and the Plague Rat started advancing again.

  Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, James met the Plague Rat’s gnashing teeth with his sword, preventing what would have probably been an incredibly painful and necrotic bite. Antibiotics probably didn’t exist in this world, and James didn’t want to lose an arm, so he didn’t try to attack the Plague Rat even when it gave him an opening. Instead he focused on defense, blocking its attempts to bite and scratch while he waited for Nidra to cast.

  You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Swordsmanship.

  You are now Skill Rank 25.

  Congratulations! You have reached Journeyman rank in Swordsmanship. :

  As a Journeyman, you may choose one of the following bonus abilities

  Heart of the Sword

  Your sword is reinforced by your own iron will and will never shatter.

  Spirit of the Sword

  The power of a sword’s past owners flows through you, giving you guidance as you fight.

  Body of the Sword

  You and your sword are one. Metal Mana flows from the sword into your body, reinforcing it.

  James barely had time to read the notification under the onslaught of attacks from the rat, but he managed to skim over the notifications and consider his options. Heart of the Sword was the same as Stronger Shadows. Both skills strengthened his sword, and there was probably a limit to how strong a sword needed to be.

  He absentmindedly parried another lunge from the rat. With that option eliminated, he debated between the other two. Body of the Sword sounded interesting; James would love to have impenetrable metal skin, but it also sounded similar to his Arcane Armor ability. Spirit of the Sword, on the other hand, was nothing like any ability he already had and would probably be useful to him if he had to fight other humans. On the other hand, Spirit of the Sword was the only skill that had an ill-defined bonus.

  What exactly did guidance mean? Was I going to become a Grandmaster of Swordsmanship overnight?

  He wouldn’t know unless he tried. James picked Spirit of the Sword.

  Journeyman Swordsmanship Bonus

  Spirit of the Sword:

  Every sword has a story to tell. Starting with the first beat of the blacksmith’s hammer, the saga evolves every time it changes hands. Each chip on the blade is full of the hopes and dreams of its previous owners, and now you are able to glean a small piece of their understanding, so listen well. You may be surprised at what you learn.

  With a start, James realized that his grip was slightly off. He adjusted his grip and tested its weight, noting that it was slightly off balance. He didn’t know how he knew, he just did. When he moved to block the Plague Rat’s next strike, his movement was more fluid and more self-assured than it had been before. It was nothing major—he still didn’t have enough skill to attack the creature, but it was gratifying to feel adept while fighting instead of feeling like he was on the edge of dying every time he was attacked.

  A fireball passed over his shoulder, snapping James out of his daydream. It slammed into the Plague Rat, igniting its oily fur. It screeched in pain and convulsed, trying to paw the flames away. Its health plummeted as the flames consumed the creature until it collapsed, burnt and unrecognizable.

  James waited for a notification letting him know the creature was dead, but nothing flashed across his vision. That was odd. He should have at least gotten some experience. He walked up to the corpse of the Plague Rat and poked it with his foot. It didn’t move. There was no tag above its head letting him know what it was. All the signs pointed to dead, so why hadn’t he been notified?

  “Focus, James!” James snapped back into the present in time to dodge an errant strike from the Plague Rat that was fighting with Lucien. The Plague Rat seemed to have noticed James’ inattention and tried to take advantage of it by clawing at him while his back was turned. Unfortunately for the rat, its strike opened it up to Lucien’s blade, which slashed across its side with a lightning-quick series of cuts. He ended the combo by sinking his dagger deep into the Plague Rat’s side.

  Trying not to repeat his last mistake, James turned to help Arik only to find that the Dwarf had made short work of his Plague Rat and had been about to join their fight. Now that everyone had finished, James approached Nidra to ask her about the experience.

  “Hey, Nidra?” James called.
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  “What?”

  “How come I didn’t get experience or a notification from the Plague Rat we just killed?”

  She raised an eyebrow in annoyance. “Seriously? How don’t you know that?”

  James scowled at her. “I had a sheltered childhood. Please.”

  Nidra sighed, then proceeded to speak slowly, emphasizing words as if talking to a simpleton. “Only the person who kills a creature gains any experience from it. If someone else helps you kill the creature, then the experience you get is reduced proportionally.”

  “But why?” James asked

  “You really didn’t know,” Nidra realized. “But everyone knows. It’s a rule.”

  James realized that Lucien and Arik were listening closely. He turned to address the group. “Look, there are a few things about me I’m not ready to talk about, but for now, let’s pretend I know very little about the System. Just answer my stupid questions.”

  Nidra gave him a suspicious glance before eventually acquiescing.

  “So anyway,” James said in the silence. “Is there a way to share experience?”

  “Yes.” Nidra sighed. “You need to hire a life-mage with the Create Party skill, but most people won’t go that far.”

  “That doesn’t sound too bad,” James said.

  “I don’t understand the magic behind it, but it’s difficult, and extremely hard to undo,” Nidra said.

  James nodded. “Thanks for the information.”

  “You know, you’re going to need to explain yourself if you want me to keep helping you.”

  “I know.”

  A sparkle inside one of the Plague Rat corpses caught James’ attention, and he bent down to pick it up, taking care to avoid as much of the creature’s fluids as possible.

  Cursed Soul Gem:

  Rank: Rare

  A black gem crafted for an unknown purpose. You can feel the evil energies swirling inside.

  James picked up the familiar black crystal from the center of the Plague Rat and showed it to his companions. “Has anyone seen anything like this before?”

  Arik and Lucien shook their heads, but Nidra took a step back and made an odd sign with her fingers as if she were pushing something away.

  “Nidra?” James asked.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know what that is, but I can feel the malevolent energy inside of it.” She shuddered. “Get rid of it. It has the touch of madness.”

  “Madness?” James asked.

  “One of the Vile magics. Dangerous and evil,” She replied, shuddering, “only used by the Fallen and Dark Elves

  James nodded. “Then I’ll get rid of it somewhere safe, not here where anyone could find it.” He slipped the gem into his pouch and examined the other two Plague Rat corpses. He found a Cursed Soul Gem in each one and slipped it into his pouch before motioning to Arik to proceed.

  As they continued through the dungeon James scouted ahead, trying to spot more Plague Rats. This time, he paid much more attention to the noises around. They were coming up on an intersection in the tunnel when he heard the click of nails on stone. Shrinking against the wall, he waited to see how many Plague Rats were coming. This time, almost a dozen Plague Rats crossed the intersection, scampering past James without sparing him a glance.

  You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Stealth.

  You are now Skill Rank 14.

  James breathed a sigh of relief when the Plague Rats were out of sight and turned, creeping back to his group.

  Back with his companions, James expressed his worry that there were too many rats in the dungeon. The group couldn’t take them all on.

  “Don’t worry,” Arik assured him. “We aren’t here for the dungeon. We’re here for something else.”

  “I’d still like to know what we’re looking for,” Nidra grumbled good-naturedly. She had grown to accept the mystery of it all and was as excited as everyone else was for the grand reveal.

  “We’re not far,” Arik assured them.

  “You’ve been saying that forever,” Lucien pointed out.

  “Listen to the water,” Arik replied. “That’s our destination.”

  “Do you have a boat waiting for us?” James joked.

  Arik winked. “Something like that.”

  That didn’t inspire confidence in James. He spent the next half hour imagining various water-themed roller coasters as they delved deeper into the tunnels.

  Chapter 31

  Everyone but Arik stared at the underground river far below them as it cut across the cavern, creating a deep furrow in the solid stone wall. Fresh water sprayed upwards with enough force to reach the group, soaking them even though they stood at least twenty feet above. Nidra opened her mouth to speak, but all sound was drowned out by the crashing of the waves against rock, so she tried again, shouting to be heard over the roar.

  “Is that water travelling uphill?”

  “Good eye,” Arik shouted back.

  “How is this possible?” Her voice conveyed amazement even through the shouting.

  “Welcome to the Aqueduct, pride of the Dwarves.” Arik called back, puffing out his chest.

  “How did you do this?”

  “Runic script.”

  “Runic?” Nidra gasped. “How old is this?”

  “Over a thousand years,” Arik said.

  “What’s runic?” James asked, butting into their conversation.

  “A lost form of magic,” Nidra answered.

  Arik nodded sadly. “A loss as great as any.”

  “So where to now?” James asked, looking around for the path. As far as he could tell, there was nowhere else to go from where they were.

  Arik gestured for the group to follow him as he made his way to the edge of the tunnel overlooking the water. Carefully, he grabbed on to something under the lip that James couldn’t see. He turned, slowly lowering his foot over the edge. Then he was gone, followed by Lucien, then Nidra.

  James gathered his courage and crawled to the edge of the tunnel, peering over the ledge to see how his friends had descended. Thick iron bars had been pounded into the stone in the shape of a makeshift ladder that ran down the cavern wall to a thin walkway next to the river. His three companions were waiting for him on the walkway, holding on to a thin chain as they braced themselves against the spray. Suddenly, the world tilted and James felt like he was falling, his body pitching forward. Hands shaking, he quickly crawled back from the ledge.

  “I can’t do this!” James shouted down to Arik.

  There was a muffled reply from his companion, but he couldn’t hear it over the water. Cautiously shuffling closer, James lay on the ground about five feet behind the ledge and stretched his neck out. “I can’t do this.” He repeated. “I hate heights.”

  This time he was able to make out the Dwarf’s reply. “We all made it.” Arik shouted back. “It’s either this or the rats. Your choice.”

  James looked back down the tunnel. He could probably make it back to the entrance if he stayed in stealth the whole time. The only question was whether the door would let him exit or not without Arik’s metal magic. While James was debating whether to go down the ladder or not, a lone Plague Rat passed by the passage entrance. It stopped, sniffing the air for a second, before turning to see James standing by himself with no way to escape. The Plague Rat squealed in joy and advanced on James. Two more rats joined it.

  There was no way out. James doubted he would have been able to fight off one Plague Rat without his magic, and now there were three advancing on him. He sighed. He knew what he had to do.

  James turned and bolted for the ladder, the Plague Rats close on his heels. James tried not to look down as he launched himself towards the ledge, sliding across the slick rock. Just as he went over the ledge he spun his body in midair and grabbed the first rung of the ladder.

  James hung by one arm for a second, breathing heavily while he listened to rats angrily complain about losing their meal. One of the rats cautiously made its way to t
he edge and tried to bite at James’ fingers. The creature’s needle-like teeth closed on air, barely grazing the hair on James’ knuckles. James grabbed the next rung down.

  Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Don’t look down.

  James climbed down the ladder, muscles trembling in fear. Suddenly, with a screech, one of the rats launched itself off of the edge. As it fell, it swiped at James with its claws, cutting a wide furrow across his back.

  You are affected by [Sepsis I]

  Sepsis I

  - 5% to max HP

  - 2 Strength

  - 2 Constitution

  - 2 Endurance

  - 2 Dexterity

  The infection in your bloodstream is spreading. Your debuff [Sepsis I] has upgraded to [Sepsis II]

  Sepsis II:

  - [Delirious]

  - 15% to max HP

  - 8 Strength

  - 8 Constitution

  - 8 Endurance

  - 8 Dexterity

  James groaned in pain as he felt the infection spread from the burning wound on his back. His grip weakened marginally, and he felt heavier on the bars. Black veins angrily swelled to the surface of his arms, carrying death throughout his body.

  The Plague Rat plummeted into the river, its joyous screeches turning into terrified squeals as it struggled to stay afloat in the rapids. Another Plague Rat launched itself off of the edge, this one missing its target, plunging straight into the river. It splashed into the water and thrashed around, using the drowned corpse of the first Plague Rat to hold itself above the water. The third Plague Rat followed the first two, again missing James and landing in the river with the others. Mechanically, James climbed down the ladder, dropping the last few feet onto the path.