Val frowned, now genuinely curious. “Okay, I think I taste something in the air… but why here? I’ve delved in other caverns before. Some quite deep. But none would short out a blaster unless you were casting spells.”
He could sense Crystal’s smile as the other players snorted or chuckled softly. “Believe it or not, this is a good thing,” she explained.
“How so?”
“It means the rumors are real. It means that at the end of this power channel, there really will be a lost dwarven city to explore.”
“And treasure!” an excited Eric declared. “Elementium deposits for sure!”
Mick nodded. “Do you know the stories around the dwarven cities, Jager?”
Val shrugged. “Don’t they reset or something? So even if you enter the ruins, survive any surprises, and pick the place clean, you can come back the next month and all the treasure is restored as if it was never touched. And all the mechanical sentries you thought destroyed are upright once more, the traps reloaded and waiting to kill you, same as before. That’s the rumor, anyway.”
“Yup!” Jiu snorted. “Just like a game. Because reality doesn’t actually work that way, but a top secret biofeedback program enticing gullible kids like us to risk their lives playing just might.”
Mick just sighed and shook his head. “Anyway, the story goes that the dwarves had such fantastic tech that the Dominion was terrified of them, so they used their massive death cannons from space to blast all their cities to hell. Only thing is, the dwarves had halfway expected Dominion treachery. So they gambled with tech we can’t even begin to fathom to somehow protect their cities. And it did. Sort of.”
Val quirked an eyebrow. “If that’s so, how come I’ve never seen a dwarven trader offering exotic gear for us players to purchase?”
“Because the cities got caught in an infinite duplication spiral,” Crystal explained. “They were still destroyed, and all the dwarves were still wiped out. We think. But the cities themselves were duplicated through infinite parallel universes. As if 4-D space was nothing but a million sheets of paper, and all the cities got endlessly xeroxed, one on top of another. All that pressure causes reality to warp and shift, as if the dwarven cities were like black holes, but not really, and the event horizon is like a field of magic so dense that your equipment frags, your spells get boosted, and horrible things that don’t belong can slip in the cracks between dimensions.”
Val nodded. “Like a Greater Mana Warping, but only within the confines of the tunnels leading from the multidimensional city back to the surface. I’m guessing whatever horrors leak between the cracks in reality are also confined to these tunnels, since we don’t hear about wild horrors running amok in the cities of Jordia.”
Jiu frowned. “How the fuck do you know about all that, if this is your first dwarven city delve? Half the idiots who make these runs professionally don’t know anything more than ‘loot is good’ and ‘jump when I get that feeling of pressure.’”
Crystal smiled. “See? He’s not completely clueless. Anyway, as soon as one city is raided, destroyed, or whatever, it’s replaced with a shiny new one, which I'm sure confused the hell out of the dreadnought that blew them up in the first place.”
“But not instantaneously,” Mick clarified. “It can take days, weeks, maybe just hours. It’s not exactly, well, stable. And it’s why the Dominion isn’t absolutely swimming in Elementium artifacts.”
Bill chuckled softly, voice both bemused and mocking. “Do you understand, newbie? Why every administrator or merchant’s home isn’t filled with exotic toys from dwarven ruins?”
Val smirked. “Sure, Bill. Anyone brave or stupid enough to dare dwarven ruins without a Terran’s ability to level up and instantaneously port out is likely to get killed, especially if his equipment frags and he’s not used to fighting with swords, shields, and spells. And if the city they are looting has a fast reset time, they’d be lucky to survive a single run.”
Contest of skills! Psi-Sense vs Shadowmind: Success!
Val blinked as the shadows ahead seemed to meld and shift around a void of blackness, soft whispers Val could just hear to his left.
Mick suddenly raised his fist, everyone going deathly silent as the corridor turned. He frowned, nodding slowly, everyone instantly readying themselves for an attack.
“Trouble, just ahead! Horrors,” Bill said. “Keep your ward up, newbie. These fuckers are no joke.”
Crystal trembled, a far cry from the confident girl she had been just moments ago. “Oh god, I don’t want to face horrors. Ramos promised he’d get us past them. He promised!” She seemed on the verge of tears.
“Hold it together, girl. We need you.” Bill’s voice, an odd mixture of anger and concern, seemed to do the trick, her whimpers turning to ragged but steady breathing.
“A million dollar prize and bragging rights with all the bitches in our school,” Jiu whispered, clenching Crystal’s hand. “And we’re going to go hang out at the mall and shop til we drop, just like we always promise each other we will, and we don’t care who puts two and two together. Let’s just get through this, okay?”
And then they took the turn, the light from Val’s ward alone filling the massive half-flooded chambers with a soft glow. Stalactites overhead dripped mineral-laden water into the rippling pool by their feet, and Val could sense the presence of something Other coalescing in the puddles as the water suddenly began to roil and boil before their eyes. A massive bubble was forming as if a steam vent about to pop, but it steadily increased in size.
Perception check made! Quickness check made! Syergized Ward absorbs 80 damage and Heavy Wound! 0 Damage bleeds through!
“Look out!” Val roared, his shield blazing to fiery life as a massive tendril of water and slime crashed into it, slamming him back as he braced himself against the barrage, caustic fluids hissing and vaporizing against his ward.
Crystal screamed.
“Duck!” Eric roared, all of them crouching as smoothly as an orchestrated dance as Val felt a sudden surge of intense heat forming above his head before a stream of fire roared from the ball of pulsating flame above him and into the watery foe they faced before erupting in a massive explosion of flame, expertly controlled so that only the tail end of the ball of flame licked against the paladin’s group wards while the abomination shrieked and screamed, bubbling away in the brilliant light of Eric’s spell.
“Take that, motherfucker!” Eric hooted as Val felt the arcane web containing the creature’s essence begin to frazzle and fray.
Before it lashed out in a mad frenzy, as if determined to kill anyone it could before its matrix could be entirely ruptured.
Quickness skillcheck made! You’ve successfully parried multiple attacks!
Val grunted as massive limbs of acidic water blasted into his armored knees while warding the streams of slime aimed for torsos and heads. Since they were as much autonomous limbs as spells, there was only so much EM Mastery could do.
Armor absorbs partial damage! You have taken 30 damage and 1 Light Wound! Basic finesse and strength checks effortlessly made! The stream of caustic slime does not slam your leg back with so much force that your knee cap snaps in half!
Mick suddenly crashed to the ground, holding his leg and screaming before caustic slime rose up around him and attempted to flood his mouth.
“Glacio Congelo!” Jiu roared as an otherworldly howl cut through the air. A furious whirlwind of ice crystals and unspeakable cold was focused on the pile of sentient watery slime, Eric’s spell cutting out the same instant, and the entire massive body of water seemed almost to snarl before being frozen to perfect shimmering crystal, the massive chamber suddenly silent of the howl and fury of splashing water and storms, pierced only by Mick’s awful screams.
“I’m here!” Crystal soothed, her hand glowing softly over Mick’s twisted leg bent horribly in the wrong direction, the young man’s screams of pain turning to whimpers and soft sobs before long.
V
al crouched down on his knees, quickly shattering the last of the now frozen limbs of caustic watery slime that had been pinning Mick, before handing him a potion. “If you want one, just say the word.”
But Mick’s awful whimpers had already faded to ragged breathing, then a relieved smile. Val helped him to his feet, whereupon he gave a suddenly flustered Crystal a heartfelt hug. “Thank you so much, Crystal. My god, what would we do without you?”
“Suffer?” the girl smirked back with a wink, her twinkling eyes and smile making it clear she very much enjoyed being his hero.
Mick chuckled ruefully. “Damn right I would.” He winced. “And here I am, caustic glop all over me, and no fucking way to wash it off.” He winced. “Glad my buffs are giving us slow regen, but this is gonna be agony.”
Val caught his gaze. “Permission to do my thing, fearless leader?”
Mick furrowed his brow. “Do I even want to know what it is?”
Val grinned. “Water Spout!” he said, drenching the younger man in a geyser of crystal clear water.
The crew laughed as a completely drenched Mick sputtered in outrage before suddenly laughing, clapping Val on the shoulder. “You know what, Jager? I think you’re going to fit right in.”
Eric glared at the still frozen monstrosity as Crystal healed their nicks and bruises while Val washed off the last of the caustic slime. “Is it even a Horror? Not an Elemental?”
Jiu shrugged. “Does it matter? Either way it’s dead. And Jager? You’re totally teaching me that cool water spell, even if it does zero damage. I should know my own freekin’ element.”
Val gave an agreeable nod while Eric slowly shook his head. “Sorry, Jiu. Most of those strands are still very much alive. We have to sear through every arcane cord binding it tightly together. And the water will serve to dampen most flame and disperse most electricity. Whoever designed this Horror was a real dick.”
Bill scowled. “So what the fuck should we do?”
“I don’t know!” said an exasperated Eric. “Maybe you guys can use your professional football ranked strength to shatter this fucker and bring the pieces outside? Once it’s out of this high mana area, it will start to come apart. And we’re pretty near the desert, besides. Once it dries out and dies, we should get a tidy sum of experience.”
“You’re fuckin’ kidding me!” snapped Snipe, his twin brother Reed wearing a matching scowl. “That’s complete bullshit. We’ve been hiking for over an hour already, and we don’t have time to drag out every fucker we see! We need this thing dead, and to keep our asses moving!”
“Come on guys, we have to push on,” Mick said as Ramos took the lead once more, after having done nothing to assist in their battle. Then again, the brothers hadn’t had a chance to make use of their electrified tridents, which, considering the watery nature of their last foe, was probably a good thing.
Mick grimaced, tenderly putting weight on his right knee even as Crystal tutted him, assuring him it was fully healed.
Val frowned, gazing carefully at the massive pillar of ice that had been a horror moments ago, putting his hands on the surface.
Greater Abjuration Successfully cast! Silent casting penalties negated by slow casting time! You have successfully abjured Lesser Abomination! Experience earned!
He turned around and frowned at Eric. “Are you sure that thing is still living? I’m not sensing anything, not that my skills are necessarily a match for yours,” he hurriedly assured the scowling young man who whispered a few angry words before the frigid mound seemed to collapse in on itself in a shower of brittle ice, lonely fragments all that remained of the ton of horror that should have been present.
Bill blinked in disbelief. “Damn, I feel the juice! That thing held a lot of power in its core. Now it’s ours!”
Snipe smirked. “Nice casting, Jiu. Any more water slimes? You freeze those fuckers.”
Jiu beamed a grin. “Sure thing!”
Ramos chuckled softly. “You ladies finished? Alright, I’m scouting ahead, same as before.” He frowned, a flicker of concern coming over his features. “I think we’re getting close to where we want to be, but we might have some more hostiles to deal with. I’m putting my life on the line here, so if enemies break my cover, I’m counting on you kids to come to my rescue.”
Bill frowned. “What’s up with the drama? Shit gets too real, just ‘chute out, man, you know the drill.”
Ramos smirked “Easier said than done in the heat of combat. Just look at Mick.” He shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen. I get my throat torn out out, right? Good to know my teammates have my back.”
“Fair point,” Mick conceded. “When my knee got blasted, I had been out of my mind with pain, too stunned to do anything more than scream. If it hadn’t been for you guys, I’d already be dead.” He winced in remembered pain, Crystal gazing at him sympathetically. “Alright, Ramos. You made your point. Shit gets too real, you scream, we’ll come running.”
“Thanks, boy scout. Not that I’m so pathetic that I think I’ll need your help, but with the stakes this high...”
Bill rolled his eyes. “Yeah, we got you covered. You done preening and whining? Get scouting.”
“Your wish is my command, oh warrior of grace and virtue.” Ramos gave Bill a final mocking bow before spinning on his back foot and slipping back into the shadows and gloom.
“What an asshole,” Bill muttered, the rest of the group chuckling as they made their way forward, and for a time, everything went as smooth as clockwork.
Ramos would appear from the shadows with a quick report of which fork in the ever-winding tunnels they should take, always happy to describe in exacting detail the nasty surprises waiting just around the branching tunnels he avoided, should they dare to deviate from his chosen path. Val frowned at the inordinate amount of pleasure the rogue got out of describing all the horrific ways they could have been killed if he hadn’t been there to guide them past folly, but as long as the man did his job, Val would let it go. For now.
A final bend and they were greeted by a smug-looking Ramos beaming their way, leaning against a limestone stalagmite, gesturing to a fresh tunnel entrance, the deliberate arch and smooth, polished stone making it clear that sentient hands had carved this passageway into what had been a natural series of tunnels and caves. “I think this is it, my friends. If my guess is right, the entrance to the dwarven ruins is just down this tunnel. I’ll take a quick peek, make sure the way is clear, and then we’ll be swimming in Elementium before you know it.”
Jiu squealed in delight. “Ooh, we are so close! I can almost taste the loot.”
“Fantastic!” Snipe said.
“My man.” Reed gave Ramos a high five.
Ramos’s cold smile grew, though it never reached his eyes. “So are we all agreed that my irreplaceable scouting skills have earned me a double share? A share and a half?” The party’s enthusiasm and cheer immediately died, Ramos earning nothing but icy stares. “No?” He shrugged. “Oh well, never hurts to ask.”
Mick sighed. “Just do your job, Ramos, and enough with the jokes, alright?”
Ramos chuckled softly, raising up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, darlings. Wait here, I’ll tell you when the coast is clear, and with any luck, we’ll all soon be rich as lords.” And without another word, he faded into the shadows and gloom once more.
Bill smirked. “Cat’s got a fucked up sense of humor if he thinks we’re going to joke about our money.”
Even Crystal nodded at that.
And that’s when they heard the screams.
The desperate cries of a man fighting for his life.
Bill’s eyes widened. “That fool spoke too soon! Shit. Come on, man, let’s go!”
As one they raced down the tunnel, feet splashing in puddles of water that quickly became yet another flooded tunnel, though thankfully it was only a few inches deep. Still, it was a complication they didn’t need, and Val feared another horror might be lurking in its dept
hs.
Yet what they ended up facing was so much worse.
“Guys, look out!” Val snapped, catching sight of what was waiting for them around the bend.
Eerie, high-pitched moans washed over the group as a handful of corpses half-submerged in the water lurched upright from their watery graves, pale dead flesh sloughing off their bones, their bodies crawling with ebony currents that burned like dark fire, as did their eyes.
“Prey.”
A single word uttered in unison from what were now a dozen upright revenants, icy stares pinning the party of Terrans before them, mouths opening wide in horrific smiles as flesh cracked and tore, revealing shark-like teeth. The air suddenly filled with the carrion stench of death.
“Burn, motherfuckers!” Eric roared.
Quickness skillcheck: Success!
“Duck!” Jiu hollered as a panicked Eric screamed out a battle-spell, Val catching sight of a stunned-looking Crystal, yanking the beautiful girl off her feet as Eric launched a crimson storm of fiery death over the horrors, who began to shriek and burn.
“Yeah, baby, yeah!” Eric howled, exhilaration mixing with his horror, the air stinking of death and fear.
Two revenants collapsed in piles of ash. The rest charged as one, howling for blood.
“Freeze!” Jiu screamed, taking advantage of lowered heads as a second frigid gale washed over the corridor, freezing four more of the revenants in place, one falling over as its leg snapped and tore free of its body, the rest charging for the party like starving wolves eager to bring down their prey.
Song of Battle in effect! Dwarven blade catalyzed and boosted! 3 Psion spent! Shieldbash successful! You have critically struck your enemy with your blade!
Val wasted no time, roaring and charging, slamming his shield at the lead undead, his 21 strength and a berserker’s fury sending it flying.
His humming blade cleaving through the skull of the shambling husk just behind it, putrid brains spraying the stone corridors as it collapsed in final death, the cords of undeath holding it together completely secured.
And Val did not stop to pause or consider as the wave of enemies washed over him, roaring and striking at a frantic pace, blade snapping over braced shield in a casting blow that shattered yet another skull before pistol grip shifted to hammer grip and Val smashed into a revenant trying to flank him before cleaving completely through the monster with a spinning backhand slice, the air suddenly ripe with the stench of putrid entails spraying everywhere.
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