Aspects could not be summoned too often to the mortal plane, not without risking their dissolution. They needed time between incarnations to reknit their spirits from the damage inflicted by their transition to the physical plane. Given that, and the limited number of aspects aligned with Eld, calling forth on an aspect for aid was always a measure of last resort. While the war raged, the aspects’ services were much in demand by those fighting on the front. Talia knew Eld had been generous with the aid he had provided them in the form of Aralax, Barlax and Satia. It was more aid than they had any right to expect, and she was grateful.
The party gathered before the portal. The two aspects were in the lead, and in the middle were the champions and the planar summons. Bringing up the rear were the rangers and Velia.
“Champions, I am ready to proceed,” said Barlax, his voice booming and eyes alive with anticipation of the hunt.
A step behind him, twirling gracefully, was a dancing spout of water. Satia. “As am I,” she said, her voice an emotionless gurgle.
“Are you ready?” Talia asked Aveyad. Although she looked at him, her eyes were unfocused as she worried over the upcoming battle.
Aveyad nodded sharply. He started to turn away, but swung back. “Talia…” he began, then stopped. Changing what he was about to say, he continued, “Whatever happens, I am glad we faced this together.”
Talia’s eyes cleared as she focused fully on Aveyad. She scrutinised him for long seconds, saying nothing. And just as Aveyad began to shift uncomfortably, afraid that he had offended her somehow, she said, “Me too. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Aveyad’s mouth dropped open in shock. It was the first time he had ever heard Talia express any sort of need. Before he could frame a response, Talia swung back to the waiting aspects.
“Right, let’s go,” she said.
✽✽✽
Exiting portal in 5 seconds. Arriving in Ilenmon dungeon, floor one: final chamber.
The party materialised in the floor’s final chamber. Immediately they deployed into formation. The two aspects surged forward to hold the centre, while the planar summons drifted left and right to hold the flanks, and the rangers backstepped to the rear. Then they waited.
No attacks came.
Behind the party, the gate sealed and its iridescent light died as the portal faded back into dull metal. In the middle of the party’s formation, Talia swept her gaze over the chamber.
The final chamber was huge. Armies could marshall in here, with room to spare, thought Talia. The room was rectangular in shape, and its sides and floors were clad in onyx tiles and flagstones. The walls were ablaze with crimson demonic script around which tendrils of chaos essence swirled. The inscriptions bathed the room in an otherworldly scarlet glow. Talia probed the script but could sense no spell workings hidden beneath. Just writing, she judged.
The ceiling stretched high overhead, its distant heights shrouded in darkness. The planar drake would have plenty of space to fly. The chamber was devoid of any furnishings or cover. Running down the centre of the room, dividing the chamber into two was a lava-filled moat.
On the other side a demon knight and twenty dryad sorceresses waited.
The dryads could have been mistaken for elven maidens save for their bark-like skin and spindly fingers that resembled the grasping roots of a tree. Clothed in nothing more than clinging vines and wielding glowing green staffs, they were arrayed in a neatly ordered line behind the demon knight.
Creature: Dryad sorceress.
Type: Semi-sentient plant (disguised minor demon).
Rarity: Uncommon.
Level: 39.
Health: 350 / 350.
Attack: 60 (acid).
Defences (physical / psi / spell): 39 / 39 / 60.
Special Effects:
Demonic (+100% divine damage, -100% chaos damage).
Barked (-95% piercing damage, -60% slashing damage).
The demon knight was covered from head to toe, in blackened-silver armour inscribed with demonic runes. Grounded in the floor before him was a heavy two-handed poleaxe casually held upright in one mailed fist. Black tendrils of chaos swirled around both knight and weapon.
It was Sufalyx, the floor captain.
Sufalyx’s Profile (Condensed)
Name: Sufalyx. Level: 39.
Player type: Advanced player, demon lord (aspect).
Race: Demon. Health: 1200 / 1200.
Attack: 80-100 (slashing, chaos).
Defences (physical /psi / spell): 100 / 90 / 90.
Class: Demonic knight (rank II, apprentice).
As a non-allied player, all further player data is hidden.
When he spotted the demon, Barlax stomped down on the ground with his hooves and roared a challenge at the divines’ ancient foe. Which Sufalyx ignored. The demon captain appeared completely at ease and unperturbed by the dungeon party’s appearance. Languidly, he strolled to the edge of the moat, and waved his hand airily in the party’s direction.
The dryads responded to their commander’s gesture and, lining up on either side of the demon knight, raised their staffs in attack. A volley of green acidic projectiles hurtled towards the party.
“I’m on it,” said Aveyad. He sent a command racing to the celestial elemental, which raised its head and released a burst of its winds into the volley, scattering the projectiles away from the party.
A dryad squad’s volley has been deflected by a celestial elemental.
With Aveyad seeing to the party’s defence, Talia was free to consider the tactical situation. The demon knight had retreated behind the dryads. He leaned lazily on his poleaxe and watched the dryads at work. He appeared unconcerned that their volleys were ineffectual. Sufalyx, Talia suspected, was playing for time. Why though? Her eyes slid to the planar summons and the aspects. Of course. The summoned creatures’ time on this plane was limited, and while they were here, it suited the demon captain for the ranged exchange’s current stalemate to continue.
She would have to take the battle to the demons. Talia eyed the moat. It was more than five metres wide and filled with bubbling lava. She could make the leap, but the rest of the party could not. She turned to the sylph. “Satia, can you get us to the other side?”
“Yes, Champion,” said Satia, with complete assurance as she began channelling.
Leaving the sylph to it, Talia turned to the rangers. “Lera, Elias, start picking off those dryads. One at a time. Make sure to conserve your essence. We will need it for the demon knight later.”
The pair nodded, and began firing upon the dryads.
Lera has hit a dryad for 0 damage (70 blocked by earth shield). Remaining shield: 320 / 390 HP.
Elias has hit a dryad for 0 damage (85 blocked by earth shield). Remaining shield: 235 / 390 HP.
The dryad sorceresses were protected by earth shields. Each shield would have to be burnt through before the dryads beneath could be damaged. It would be slow going, at least until the rest of the party crossed the moat, and could engage the creatures as well.
“Barlax, when we cross, we deal with the dryads first,” Talia said, addressing the centaur lord who stared fixedly across the moat at the demon captain. She was not sure he had even heard her. “Barlax?” she repeated, louder this time. His gaze finally slid her way. “We deal with the dryads first, alright?” The demigod stomped his feet impatiently and flicked his head, in what she hoped was agreement, before turning back to stare at Sufalyx.
Talia sighed and turned to Aveyad. “Aveyad, conserve your essence as well. Yours will be most critical for the engagement against the floor captain. Unless it is an emergency, don’t engage.”
Aveyad pulled his gaze away from the dryads and nodded at Talia. It was what they had decided upon earlier, before entering the portal. He would hold himself in reserve for as long as possible. “Should I send the drake across to harass the dryads?”
Talia slid her gaze from the planar drake to the demon knight, still slouched aga
inst the chamber’s far wall. “No. Wait. Alone and unaided on that side, he won’t last long if Sufalyx attacks him. When Satia bridges the moat, Barlax and I will charge across. Send Velia, the planar drake, and the holy knight across with us then.”
Aveyad nodded absently, his focus on the sorceresses again. The acid projectiles continued to fall around the party, but the celestial elemental successfully diverted all of them.
Talia hesitated. Something bothered her. She asked Aveyad, “Does anything else seem off about this to you?”
Aveyad’s eyebrows lifted, seemingly surprised by the question. “You mean other than the floor captain’s obvious disinterest in the battle?” He shook his head, face turning serious. “Why? What is troubling you?”
Talia shook her head, unsure herself. “It just seems… too simple.”
Aveyad frowned. “Maybe, but it fits with my theory. I’m more certain than ever that we caught Sufalyx unprepared.”
Talia nodded reluctantly, and turned back to observe the battle, while she waited for Satia to complete her spell.
✽✽✽
Satia has cast bridge of ice (bridge strength: 800 / 800 HP, length: 6m, duration: 8 minutes).
A lava moat has afflicted a bridge of ice with burning (-20 HP per second).
Satia’s spell completed and a span of pure ice rippled across the moat, but almost immediately the icicles that underpinned the bridge began to melt from the furious heat of the lava below.
“Champion, the bridge will not survive long. You must cross quickly,” said Satia.
Talia nodded sharply. “Charge!” she yelled and raced after Barlax, who had taken off the moment the bridge appeared. The centaur lord charged straight for the demon knight while roaring out a challenge. Talia cursed. “Aveyad, Barlax is going after Sufalyx. Send Velia to heal him.”
Talia was torn. She was tempted to join Barlax in his impetuous attack on Sufalyx. But if she did that, it would leave the dryads free to rampage amongst her own party. There were too many sorceresses, and with half the party charging across the moat, the celestial elemental would not be able to protect them all. No, she would stick to her original objective. At least this way, Barlax would keep the demon from interfering while the rest of the party cleared out the dryads.
“Aveyad, send the celestial elemental across the moat as well. The drake and celestial will tackle the dryads on the left. The holy knight and I will handle the ones on the right.” She had planned to leave the celestial on the other side, both to protect the unshielded elves from further ranged attacks, and as a reserve. Something about the battle still had her uneasy, and she would have felt better with at least one melee fighter on the other side of the moat. But with Barlax off script she needed the celestial on this side, to whittle down the dryad numbers as fast as possible. She was grimly aware that time was not on her side in this engagement.
Talia reached the moat, and stepping onto the ice, began to dash across. The holy knight kept pace at her side, and the planar drake flew above, while the celestial elemental lumbered behind. Even though made of ice, the bridge was not slippery at all. Pitted grooves along its length provided adequate footing. Talia could only marvel at the quality of Satia’s spell crafting.
At the bridge’s appearance, the demon captain had nonchalantly kicked off the wall and twirled his poleaxe lazily, while he waited to meet Barlax’s thunderous charge. The dryads had been no less assured in their response. In what seemed a planned manoeuvre, the sorceresses had ceased fire and began an orderly retreat to the rear of the chamber. Their movements were too sure and coordinated. It was almost as if the demons had anticipated the party’s assault. Talia’s unease grew into certain doubt that caused her to stumble in her run. Is it a trap? Her instincts screamed, yes! Something was awry. But what?
Her eyes darted left and right. She spotted nothing amiss. And it was too late. She was already across the bridge, and Barlax was about to engage Sufalyx. Trying to turn back now would be a disaster, and only throw the party into confusion. Besides, she had no idea from where the trap would spring or what form it would take.
The best she could do was to warn Aveyad and be on guard herself. “Aveyad,” she sent through the battlegroup, “I smell a trap. Be careful.”
Trusting Aveyad to figure it out, she set aside her worry, and narrowed her focus onto the coming skirmish.
✽✽✽
Sufalyx was worried.
It had taken all his self-control to feign nonchalance when the party had arrived. The two champions had entered the final chamber with three planar creatures in tow. He had anticipated as much. What had caught him off-guard was the presence of the aspects. That he had not foreseen.
He had expected them to attempt an aspect summoning while in the final chamber. Not before. And he had prepared his ambush accordingly. The aspects’ presence, however, had disrupted his carefully laid plans. His mouth twisted bitterly. Once again, he had run afoul of the champions’ unconventional approach.
He discreetly studied the two aspects from afar. The centaur lord was no mystery, nor any real threat. A typical, bullish divine. Sufalyx was sure he could handle him. The other one though… there was something eerily familiar—and disturbing—about her, but he couldn’t place her yet.
As he watched the centaur charge towards him across the ice bridge, Sufalyx chewed on his lip, and reminded himself that the dungeon was his domain. The divines were the interlopers here, not him. Time, he told himself, time is on my side. The longer this battle went on, the stronger his own position grew. Sooner or later, the divines’ time on this plane would lapse.
Then, he would be free to wreak havoc among the mortals.
Chapter 16
In a duel between apprentice mages and warriors, the warrior can be expected to win, whereas in one between masters, it is the mage who is likely to triumph. A cautionary word however. Mages and warriors do not refer to any one class, but rather a set of classes that focus on either magic or melee close-combat. There will always be specific classes that defy the mould. —Kel Maldax, Game scholar.
“I smell a trap. Be careful.”
At Talia’s mental sending, Aveyad stilled. He had been coordinating the party’s ranged attacks when Talia’s message had arrived. After Satia’s ice bridge formed, the dryad sorceresses had fallen back to the rear of the chamber, which forced the rangers to advance to keep them within arrow-range. Aveyad’s half of the party stood at the very edge of the moat, while Elias, Lera and the sylph fired down on the dryads.
Aveyad himself had not joined in on their attacks, conserving his essence for the latter part of the battle, when it was sure to be needed. Yet the trio fared well enough on their own. Working in concert, the three were able to take down a single dryad within three volleys.
Lera’s, Elias’ and Satia’s 3 ranged volleys have hit a dryad for a total of 840 damage (piercing, divine). A dryad has been killed.
From Aveyad’s perspective the battle progressed well. Which made Talia’s sending all the more disturbing. What does she mean? Before he could question her, her presence withdrew from his mind as she turned her attention to the melee.
He blew out a breath in annoyance. It was a vague and unclear warning, and almost felt like the Talia-of-old had returned to frustrate him. But that was unfair. Talia’s sense of danger had always been more finely tuned than his own.
He glanced her way. He could still reach out and question her, but if she had known more, she would have told him. She was deep in the dryads’ ranks. Best not to pester her for answers that would likely be of little value.
He surveyed the field. Where could a trap be hidden? The ice bridge had melted away, and on the other side of the moat, Barlax engaged the floor captain. Despite furious effort on his part, the centaur made little headway with his attacks. The demon wove, what seemed to Aveyad’s unskilled eye, a near-impenetrable defence.
On the centaur’s left, the celestial elemental waded through the dryads and crushed
them against the chamber’s wall with his winds, while from above the planar drake dived down in attack on any dryad whose shield failed. On the right, Talia was a whirlwind, reaping death as she danced amongst the dryads, while the holy knight stepped in her shadow and protected her back.
As a fighting force, the dryads were nearly destroyed. But nowhere could Aveyad spot signs of a trap. He kept searching.
✽✽✽
Sufalyx blocked again. He kept up his determined sneer and hid the strain of parrying the demigod’s attacks. Barlax’s face contorted with rage as the demon knight denied him once more. The centaur lord knew full well that his time on this plane was limited, and he had not yet landed a single blow on the demon knight.
While his own fight with Barlax fared well, Sufalyx knew the wider battle was not going well. With the aspects to aid them, the dungeon party rampaged amongst his minions. His dryads were dying too quickly.
Sufalyx had done his best, with his carefully contrived disinterest and show of confidence, to spur the champions into acting rashly and attacking him, instead of the dryads. If they had done so, he was sure that he could have held them at bay until the aspects and summons time on this plane had expired.
His expression soured. But he had failed in that too. And soon all of the dryad sorceresses would be destroyed, leaving him to face the combined might of the planar summons, aspects and champions alone. Not a pleasant prospect.
Sufalyx had wanted to wait until the divines returned to Godshome, before springing his trap, but he had little choice now. He could delay no more.
It was time.
✽✽✽
The walls on either side of Aveyad burst open and revealed twenty minotaur knights lying in wait. Aveyad’s eyes locked onto them immediately. The trap had been sprung. Unexpectedly, he felt no measure of panic. Instead, he was preternaturally calm.
Dungeon Dive Page 18