Why didn’t they turn everyone into Eternals? Hawke wondered after he left the corridor and the magic door became a stone wall again. They either can’t do it, or are afraid to. I think it’s the first option.
They used them up, then. Which would explain why they had to take people from other realities every once in a while. Something else to think about when he wasn’t leading a bunch of people into danger.
The first thing he did after he left the Labyrinth was to use his new Leadership level to purchase Generalship II. That raised the effective level of everyone in his Party by two. The ability still didn’t provide most of the bennies from actually leveling up but the extra Health alone might make the difference between losing more people and everyone surviving.
The exit led to a natural cavern filled with much cooler air than the hellhole they had left. There was a stream from above that filled a small pond, and everyone filled their water containers gratefully, pausing only to let Egg bless the water with a purifying spell that would remove any microbes, parasites, or toxins from it. Hawke refilled all his old water bottles, feeling almost nostalgic. They found a tunnel leading out, built in a style that Hawke was familiar with; a simple ramp that went up in a spiral, without sharp corners and curving left as you went up. Arachnoid work; he had become quite familiar with it during his first day on the Realms.
The tunnel led to a large cave filled with the remains of an arachnoid town. Most of its buildings were just like the one Hawke had seen when trying to escape the catacombs: homes built into cave walls, fire pits in open areas in the center, right below openings in the ceiling that allowed the smoke to filter out, and wide entrances but no windows. It was larger than the village he had seen, however, with a large building that was clearly a fortification, surrounded by a ceiling-high reinforced wall and plenty of slits for missile troops to shoot from. A main gate built of some sort of plastic-looking substance instead of wood had covered the entrance, but it had been broken into pieces that were covered in centuries worth of dust.
Nobody had been there in a long time; everything was covered in dust, most buildings’ doors had been smashed open, and a few structures had collapsed. The tunnel continued up, but the group took a break there and Hawke did some exploring. As he walked around the edges of the village, looking for more ways out, his Enlightenment spell noticed a glowing yellow patch of wall between two of the largest houses in the town.
He didn’t find any traps, and his Mana Sight didn’t spot any suspicious mana concentrations. Some prodding and poking revealed the wall was a façade hiding something behind it. There once had been a mechanism of counterweights to make the hidden door swing open, but time had rotted it away. Hawke had to use every bit of his superhuman strength to push it inwards.
“Need any help?” Tava asked behind him.
“I would have, a moment ago,” he admitted as he caught his breath. Moving a ton of weight, even though it had been balanced on hidden rails, had been a workout.
“You don’t have to do things alone, you know. We all want to help.”
Hawke shrugged. “I don’t think about asking, I guess. Used to doing things myself.”
“Now you sound like Father.”
“Just what every guy likes to hear. Well, let’s see what we’ve got here.”
The hidden door had covered a passage leading to a large room. The place was filled by the mummified remains of dozens of Arachnoids and the rusted remains of weapons and armor. From the looks of it, they had been standing shoulder to shoulder when they died, packing the passage and the entrance to the room.
“What happened here?” Tava asked.
“Looks like they all stuffed themselves into this passage and waited there until they died of thirst. Crazy.”
Marko brought a few people to help out, and they cleared the bodies out of the passage. Most of the weapons and armor they found had decayed into uselessness, but a couple of swords were Enchanted Quality weapons that had survived the centuries unscathed. They weren’t better than the gear the experienced members of the group had, but Hawke handed them out to a couple of new Adventurers who could use them, after promising Korgam that he would pay the Dwarves their share of their cash value when the expedition was over.
After Desmond, I want to make sure everyone gets a fair deal.
Eventually, the path to the room was opened, revealing a single Arachnoid, bigger than the Warriors who had tended to it, sitting alone. It wore a silken cape covered with gold embroidery, a small jewel-encrusted golden helmet that would have been useless for anything other than as a decoration, and a silver scepter with a giant sapphire, cut into the shape of a spider, mounted on its head.
“The Last Emperor,” Crommen said. The Bard explained: “The Murk Folk once held sway over a vast empire spanning the Dragonback Mountains and beyond. Its last ruler disappeared many centuries ago, defeated by Stygian Troglodytes and their Fae mercenaries.”
“Those are the enduring symbols of the Empire’s power,” Egg added. “Bound with powerful enchantments to enforce its ruler’s will over the Murk Arachnoids.”
“Ye can keep those trinkets, yer holy eminence,” Korgan said. “Cursed they must be, and tainted by the spiderlings’ foul spirits.”
Hawke pictured himself, wearing the crown, scepter and cape, as he led an army of Arachnoids against the Necromancer. I can’t be that lucky, can I?
Do you think I can put that stuff on and become the new Emperor?
He examined the items with his True Sight:
Mantle of the Spider Emperor (Legendary Quality, Cloak or Cape slot)
Level Fifteen (Minimum Level Ten). Part of the Vestments of Spider Emperor Set
Attribute Bonuses: + 5 to Intelligence, Willpower, Spirit
Defense Bonuses: +10% versus Elemental (All), Higher Forces (All)
Special Abilities:
Last Stand: Once per day, if struck a mortal blow or wearer’s Health drops below 10%, the Vestment will heal half of its wearer’s Health instantly.
Ruler’s Voice: Once per day, wearer can speak to every loyal member of the Empire for up to five minutes.
Set Bonuses: 2-pieces: +100 Mana; 3-Pieces: +100 Reputation with all Arachnoids, +200 Reputation with Murk Arachnoids (only applicable to members of an Arachnoid species); 4-pieces: Once a day, can assume the form of an Elf for six hours. Alternatively, an Elven or Fae wearer can assume the form of a Murk Arachnoid for six hours.
Okay, dibs on the cape. Or maybe give it to Nadia as a mistress gift? Hawke thought as he took the crown to get a good look at it. There was a moment of resistance, followed by a whirring sound. Dust billowed out from under the golden helmet and when Hawke pulled it loose from the mummified Emperor’s head, he saw a drill disappear into the inner side of the metal hat. The crown had been screwed onto the Emperor’s skull!
That’s a big nope from me, dawg.
Crown of the Spider Emperor (Epic Quality, Head Slot)
Level Fifteen (Minimum Level Ten). Part of the Vestments of Spider Emperor Set
Attribute Bonuses: + 4 to Intelligence, Willpower, Spirit and Perception
Defense Bonuses: +15% Resistance versus Elemental (All), Higher Forces (All)
Mana Storage: +250 Mana
Special Abilities (Must be connected to wearer’s brain to a
ccess):
Speed Casting: -2 seconds/-20% to both Casting Time and Spell Cooldown.
Spell Empowerment: +5 to effective wearer’s level to determine spell effects.
Summon Spiders: Once per day, summon six Spiderling Hounds with a level equal to half the wearer’s level. The Spiderling Hounds will follow mental commands for six hours or until destroyed.
Damn, this is almost worth getting your head drilled into.
He examined the scepter last:
Scepter of the Spider Emperor (Legendary Quality, One-Handed Weapon)
Level Fifteen (Minimum Level Ten). Part of the Vestments of Spider Emperor Set.
Damage: Strength +1-10 (Physical), 1-10/Level (Darkness).
Attribute Bonuses: + 8 to Constitution
Defense Bonuses: +5% versus Elemental (All), Higher Forces (All)
Mana Storage: +50 Mana
Special Abilities:
Command: Can issue orders to all Murk Arachnoids within earshot, at the cost of 10 Mana per Command. The listeners must obey the commands even unto death.
Power Efficiency: Reduce Mana costs by 4 or 40%, whichever is better.
Speed Casting: -2 seconds/-20% to both Casting Time and Spell Cooldown.
“We’re missing a piece for a full set,” he grumbled before he remembered the trapped box he had found at the Arachnoid ruins in the Highlands Forest. It couldn’t be that easy, could it? He removed the box from his inventory. With a little help from Alba and his Mana Sight, he disarmed the traps and opened the box. Inside, he found a dozen large gold squares, stamped with a spider symbol, that were probably worth several hundred regular gold denars, and a ring that matched the set:
Ring of the Spider Emperor (Legendary Quality)
Level Fifteen (Minimum Level Ten). Part of the Vestments of Spider Emperor Set.
Attribute Bonuses: + 3 to Intelligence and Spirit
Defense Bonuses: +5% versus Elemental (All), Higher Forces (All)
Mana Storage: +50 Mana
Special Abilities (Must be linked to wearer’s mind to access):
Aura of Shadows: Creates an energy barrier around wearer that absorbs up to 20 points of damage per level of the wielder. This is a spell, costing 10 Mana and requiring 5 seconds to cast.
“No way this is a coincidence,” he said. “Somebody just dropped all this stuff in my lap.”
“Dibs,” Nadia said behind him. “I want it. I’m close to hitting level ten, and then I can claim the whole set.”
“You did read the part about getting the crown nailed to your skull, right?”
“It will hurt. So what? I used to live with neuropathy. Shooting pains through your feet that hit you without warning, usually at night. That sucked, and I didn’t get any special abilities in return. I’ll get my head drilled to become Empress of the Spider People.”
“I don’t think the title comes with the gear.”
“That’s fine. I don’t want to be the ruler of a bunch of cannibalistic were-spiders anyway. But I can probably keep them from attacking us.”
Do you think whoever made sure we found this stuff wants one of us to take over the Murk Arachnoids?
That doesn’t mean we have to play into it, Nadia said mentally; Saturnyx had been including her in the conversation. But life in the Realms revolves around power. I think I finally understand that. And I’d rather be one of the people with power than their victims.
“Okay,” Hawke said. Even without the head drilling, claiming the Vestments would open a whole can of worms. Maybe sharing that sort of mess with someone else was the way to go. “All yours.”
He handed her all the pieces, which she stored in her inventory. After figuring out that the oversized gold squares were worth about a thousand gold denars, Hawke shared them among everyone else, including all the Volunteers. Nobody seemed to be upset about him handing Nadia the magical items. Maybe they figured that he had found the stuff, so it was his to do as he wished with it. And if Nadia didn’t mind paying the price, that gear would make her one scary Sorceress when she hit tenth level.
“We found another set of tunnels,” Tava announced. She and a couple of Dwarves had kept looking around.
“Okay. Let’s end this once and for all.”
Forty-Two
“That’s them,” Nadia said, two days later. “All those poor people.”
That was how long it had taken them to reach the place where Hawke’s journey had begun. They had explored multiple tunnels, with Hawke and Alba invisibly scouting ahead, found more empty ruins, and used Tunnel spells to reach other open spaces the Dwarves had been able to detect. The last magically-dug opening had led to the corpse-strewn chamber where Hawke had started his Eternal Journey.
Everything looked the same, including the smell. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Gnomes, Lizard Folk. All naked, lying where they’d landed after being tossed through the holes in the ceiling like so much garbage.
“Shouldn’t they be… I don’t know, more decomposed? It’s been weeks since you were here,” Nadia asked him as they examined the bodies.
It wasn’t the most sensitive question, but she was right. “Yeah. The bodies at the bottom look a lot like the ones I saw. The Arachnoids were mostly grabbing them from the edges. They have been there for months and only look a couple days old.”
“Arcane Cooks know simple preservation spells,” Tava told them. “Father paid to have one placed on our cellar, to help keep meat fresh.”
“Makes sense,” Hawke said.
He turned on his Mana Sight, and, sure enough, he saw several spells surrounding the four piles of bodies. And inside many of the corpses, he also saw glowing multisided shapes, like jewels made of light, located at their Chakras.
“Jesus. I think they are still alive!”
Saturnyx said.
Nadia went pale. “That’s horrible!”
“He keeps them down here until the Arachnoids eat their bodies, steals more power from them when they Reincarnate, and sends them back down. Until their Identity zeroes out and they’re gone for good.”
“How could he do that?” Nadia asked. “He’s one of us!”
“I gotta tell you, I’m not going to take the time to ask him any questions,” Hawke said. “I’m just going to kill him as many times as it takes.”
“Okay. We disable him, find his respawn area – or, worst case, we drag him into the Labyrinth so he has to respawn there – and then we kill him.”
Nadia nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Okay, we’ll figure something out.”
Hawke looked at the stacks of bodies. I’m almost there. His gaze went towards the ceiling. The holes appeared to go up a long way, and were smooth and hard if not impossible to climb. I could probably get up there by myself, using my short-ranged teleports. But could he take on the Necromancer by himself?
“Fine. We’re going to have to do this the hard way.”
* * *
They headed up the ramp leading to the Arachnoid village, with Hawke scouting invisibly in front. They were about halfway there when he spotted a party of Arachnoid Workers coming the other way. It was déjà vu all over again. The first-level creatures looked almost identical to the group that
had almost killed him on arrival, except for minor differences in their features that, after seeing several dozen of them, Hawke was beginning to recognize.
He could have killed them all with a single spell or a couple of seconds of sword work. Instead, he dropped his invisibility and yelled at them in Common Fey: “Run!”
Saturnyx had told him the Arachnoids had been bred by the Fae as servants, and knowledge of the Fey tongue had been hardwired into their brains. The terrified workers ran away, chittering madly in alarm, except for one who was dumber or braver than the rest and came at him with its trident. Hawke chopped off the weapon an inch away from where its hand gripped it, lightly slapped the were-spider in the face with the flat side, dropping its Health to below half, and repeated: “Run!” That time it turned around and followed its buddies.
Saturnyx commented in her usual dry tone.
“I guess I didn’t think it through. I don’t want to kill a bunch of helpless workers,” Hawke said out loud as he ran after the spiders. Even if they were preparing to have his fellow Eternals for dinner. It just didn’t feel right.
Tava, bring up the vanguard. I’m hoping to clear out the Arachnoids without a fight, but get everyone ready, Hawke sent out mentally as he buffed himself.
Not very subtle, my love, Tava sent back. But such is your way.
Hawke could have easily outrun the fleeing Workers but instead stayed right behind the last one, shouting loudly and hoping they would spread out panic among the rest of the village. By the time he reached the small settlements, it was buzzing with activity like a kicked anthill. He didn’t see any of the small children he’d glimpsed last time. Instead, a line of a dozen Warriors was forming up in front of a Shaman. None were above fourth level, and most were second and third. As the terrified Workers ran past them, the Warriors stepped forward, their heavy chopping swords at the ready.
Lord of the Dead: A LitRPG Saga (The Eternal Journey Book 2) Page 24