by Jamey Sultan
“James,” Nidra’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Distract him while I charge up a spell.”
James didn’t have time to respond. In one swift motion, the Minotaur swung his ax. A line of silver energy arced off of the blade, and James jumped out of the way. The silver energy left a fine line cut through the sand and glass. James risked a glance to make sure that Nidra hadn’t been hit, relieved to see that it had missed her. She was busy chanting in preparation for a powerful spell. The air around her was tinged with orange and felt charged with energy.
The Minotaur saw his glance and grinned darkly. He swung the ax, this time aiming not for James but for Nidra. Again, the energy built up along the blade. A shiver ran down his spine. If the blow landed, it would be deadly.
He had to act now.
James drew Tyrfing and slashed in one motion.
The Minotaur changed his attack trajectory to block James’ blow, but Tyrfing cut clean through the Minotaur’s ax. The head of the ax clattered to the ground nearby.
The Minotaur’s eyes flashed with a brief moment of surprise, but he reacted quickly and threw himself out of the way. His quick reaction saved him as Tyrfing cleaved through the spot where he’d been standing a second ago. James followed his strike with a flurry of blows, advancing on the Minotaur, but the Minotaur, for all his bulk, still dodged every lethal blow.
By the time they reached the opposite wall, hundreds of cuts had covered the Minotaur. Rivulets of blood ran down his body and matted his fur.
“James, now!” Nidra shouted.
James threw himself to the side.
A pillar of fire erupted from the ground and swallowed the Minotaur.
James breathed heavily. He couldn’t make out anything under the flames. He edged closer, guarding his eyes against the heat.
A shadow moved within the flames, and the Minotaur lunged out, flames trailing behind him.
James grinned confidently; he hadn’t even used his Essence yet. He cast Arcane Teleport. The world froze around James, and he approached the Minotaur. He swung Tyrfing at the beast, timing the blow to land just as the spell ended. The Minotaur reacted faster than James thought possible. In an impressive show of dexterity, the Minotaur slapped James’ blade to the side with one hand and twisted his wrist with the other. He then yanked James down to the ground and rolled on top of him, pinning him to the sand. Pain ran up James’ back as shards of glass dug in.
Thankful for his Essence surplus, James cast Arcane Teleport again. He wiggled, trying to escape from the Minotaur’s grip, but realized, for the second time, a major flaw in his Arcane Teleport spell. He couldn’t move through objects or interact with them. No matter how much he tugged on the Minotaur’s hand, he couldn’t move it even a millimeter from around his wrist. It was magically locked in place.
The Minotaur had trapped him. It didn’t matter how powerful his sword was or that he could freeze time if the Minotaur had his sword hand pinned, and he couldn’t escape the beast’s grasp.
With a frustrated grunt, James canceled the Arcane Teleport spell. The blue grid vanished. Without magic, he only had one other option: a contest of Strength. Luckily, James had Strength to spare. His modified Strength stat was 75 when he took all of his achievements into account.
James grabbed the Minotaur’s hand and tried to pry it off his wrist. The Minotaur’s grip was like iron, and even with all his strength, James could barely budge the beast’s fingers.
Where the hell is Nidra? James wondered. He couldn’t see his partner, but he felt like she should have been doing something.
James reached for the Minotaur’s face in a last-ditch attempt to gouge at his eyes. The Minotaur took advantage of James, letting go of his free hand, and punched him hard in his exposed stomach.
All the air left James’ body, and he gasped, struggling to draw air into his lungs.
Realization flashed behind the Minotaur’s eyes, and an evil grin crept across his face. The Minotaur pinned James’ arms to the ground with his knees. Once he’d secured James’ arms, the Minotaur released James’ wrists and wrapped his meaty hands around James’ throat.
He squeezed.
James’ Mage Armor flashed for an instant, then it popped. He frantically reached for something, anything that he could use. He tried to grab the Minotaur’s face, to push him away, but his arms weren’t long enough to reach. Nothing was within reach.
James’ vision darkened as he struggled to breathe. His mind clouded over. All he could feel were the Minotaur’s hands around his throat, the jackhammering of his heart, and that same sharp pain in his back.
“Hey. Fuck you,” Nidra shouted as she blasted a stream of fire directly at the Minotaur. This fire was blue and much brighter than her usual fire attacks. James could feel the heat through his haze.
James felt his heart lift, but the beast simply let go of James’ throat with one hand and held it in front of the fire while he continued to choke James with his other hand. The fire spread across his open palm and burst apart, barely singeing his skin.
The Minotaur grinned and glanced toward Nidra. To James, his voice came out as if from a great distance. “A fire Elf. How intriguing.”
James couldn’t make out her reply, but he saw the Minotaur’s reaction. The Minotaur growled angrily as his grip tightened on James’ throat. James could feel it; he was going to die. His Essence bar flashed dangerously.
Another sharp stab to his back.
What the hell keeps doing that?
Sudden realization hit him like a hammer.
James used his last vestiges of strength to buck.
Focused on Nidra, the Minotaur wasn’t ready for James’ sudden motion. Off-balance, the Minotaur let go of James to reestablish his base.
James took the opportunity to grab one of the larger shards of glass that was jabbing into his back. He stabbed out with the sharp fragment and jammed it deep into the Minotaur’s eye. The glass shattered in James’ hand, cutting deep into his skin, but he could barely feel the pain as he gasped for air.
The Minotaur roared in rage and rolled off of James. Another fireball smashed into him but still didn’t do much. It didn’t matter. James had already gotten to his feet and retrieved his sword. Through breathless gasps, he swung Tyrfing down, cleaving the Minotaur in two.
You have killed a level 43 Minotaur.
+ 371 experience points
You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Small Blades.
You are now Skill Rank 14.
You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Swordsmanship.
You are now Skill Rank 30.
James stood, breathing hard. There was a second of silence, then the air exploded with noise. The Dwarves screamed in approval at the fight, stomping their feet and chanting his name. He basked in their attention, raising his hands to the sky.
Nidra approached from behind him. “Take a look at that.” She gestured at an area set up in the stands, apart from the others. A royal figure glared down at them from the stands above. Even from the arena, James could see the cold behind his eyes. A shiver ran down his spine. This was not someone to mess with.
“Congratulations to our victors,” the announcer said, his voice subdued. “This was… unexpected. They will now be escorted to their cells to await tomorrow’s match.”
The crowd roared in excitement at the mention of the semifinals.
James glanced at his Essence bar. He only had a hundred left. He’d come closer to death than he ever had before.
Five Dwarven guards entered the arena and roughly marched James and Nidra back to the armory. The Weaponmaster confiscated their equipment. Thon stopped by and gave them each another potion. James drank his right away. His Essence skyrocketed and filled completely.
Once they’d healed, the guards took them back to their cell. Exhausted, James fell asleep before his head hit the pile of straw he was using as a pillow.
***
James woke to the sound of metal ripping. It sounded like the gro
aning of a ship. His eyes flashed open, and he crouched, ready to defend himself.
You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Night Vision.
You are now Skill Rank 9.
Was it Danforth again?
An orange glow sprung to life beside him as Nidra woke up and readied herself.
They waited in the dim light, listening as the shrieking of metal intensified.
“What’s going on out there?” James whispered. “Where are the guards?”
“No idea,” Nidra replied. “I was wondering the same thing.”
The commotion outside the cell didn’t seem to be affecting them, so they approached the bars cautiously and peered out. A guard was staring into the cell next to theirs, her face frozen in an expression of pure terror.
There was an even louder screeching and tearing as if the mountain itself were shifting. The walls around James and Nidra trembled. Clouds of dust popped off in all directions. Then the cell next to them exploded.
The shredded metal door blew outward. It hit the guard in an explosion of red mist, and a shadowy figure stepped out of the cell.
Chapter 7
The shadows cleared to reveal an old man. He was old, older than anyone James had ever seen. His skin clung to him but, at the same time, hung off of his body like a sail. He looked around, the deep bags under his eyes giving him an almost skeletal, hollow, sunken appearance.
James blinked in confusion as the prisoner hobbled toward the bloody mist.
Fear shot through James, an instinctive terror at odds with the prisoner’s not so terrifying appearance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nidra back up, an expression of pure terror on her face. She looked every bit as terrified as James felt.
His eyes flicked up to the text hovering above the man’s head.
Name: Invictus Alleri
Race: Human (Vampire)
Level: 21
Class: Frozen Templar (Corrupted)
As the Vampire stepped into the bloody mist, it created rivulets of blood that flowed unnaturally down his body. Not a single drop touched the ground. The Vampire’s pale skin absorbed the blood, his muscles roiling and flexing under the skin that was tightening against his body.
Above the Vampire’s head, James could see his level rise rapidly.
Then it was over. The mist was gone, absorbed by the Vampire, who stood tall, no longer a frail old man.
Invictus had gained eight levels instantly and taken the form of a level 29 middle-aged Human with slightly greying hair. His eyes reflected the torchlight and glimmered a deep red. With great effort, James tore his eyes away from the Vampire’s.
The sudden jerk back to reality caused him to stumble, and his leg caught on the crumpled blanket, sending him sprawling. The Vampire’s eyes darted from Nidra to James. They widened in shock. “You…” he hissed. “Why couldn’t I sense you?” He let out a low growl and stepped threateningly toward the cell door. “Where’s your Mana?”
For possibly the first time, James was grateful that he was locked in a cell. Not that a cell had stopped the Vampire before.
James gulped. “Uhh, Nidra.”
He glanced at his companion, who’d shrunk into the back corner of the cell, as far from the Vampire as she could manage. She didn’t glance his way, her eyes fixed on the cell door as the Vampire advanced. James realized he’d also been retreating but wasn’t feeling anywhere close to the level of fear Nidra exhibited. He wondered why.
Before James could gather his thoughts, the Vampire cocked his head to the side, listening. The sudden shift in his body language stopped James short. His breath caught in his throat.
A few seconds later, James heard footsteps.
A voice called out from further up the hallway, “Devy, what’s going on back there?”
When there was no response, the guard tried again, a bit of concern tinging his voice, “They sent me to check up on you. What’s going on back there?”
The Vampire’s lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing razor-sharp fangs. His eyes glowed with a cold blue light, the same light as Baradiel’s magic. Ice crept down his arms and formed a mace and shield.
As the guard rounded the corner, his eyes widened, and he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes fixed on the Vampire. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead and into his red beard.
James took a quick glance at the guard’s stats.
Name: Dourg Smero
Race: Dwarf
Level: 56
Class: Prison Guard
What he saw raised more questions than answers. The guard is over twice the Vampire’s level. So then why is he so scared?
The guard bolted, shouting as he did so, “Breach! We have a breach level alpha!” Panicked footsteps echoed down the hallway, fading as the guard put distance between them.
Invictus looked at the spot the guard had just been and let out an amused chuckle. He followed with calm, measured steps as if he didn’t have a care in the world. A gale of icy wind followed a shrill shriek down the passageway, leaving a coating of frost. The scream cut off abruptly.
Then more voices and the sound of fighting.
Howling gales of icy wind accompanied the sharp crack of steel on ice. Each burst of ice dropped the temperature of the hallway and sent the torches sputtering as they struggled to stay lit. A haunting cry echoed down the hallway, filled with pain and madness. A powerful burst of wind blew out half of the torches in the hallway.
There was a brief second of muted darkness, then the torches sputtered back to life, and all was quiet.
Beside him, Nidra breathed heavily.
“What the hell was that?” James whispered.
“Vampire,” Nidra shuddered.
“Why was it so terrifying?”
“I don’t know.”
“What should we do?”
“What can we do?”
James didn’t have an answer for that. He just shook his head. Warm arms wrapped around him as Nidra hugged him. Together they fell asleep, comforted by the fact that they at least had each other.
***
Heavy footfalls rang down the passageway. James blearily opened his eyes, shielding them against the sunlight peeking through the barred window.
Nidra groaned as she woke up too. “What’s going on?” she asked James.
A group of guards, led by Linnaeus, marched past their cell, Arik and Lucien in tow.
“Hey,” James called out. “Where are you taking them?”
Linnaeus smashed his mace against the cell. “Quiet in the cells, prisoner.” The sudden violence and unexpected ringing startled James into silence.
Up close, the commander didn’t look right. His eyes were bloodshot with dark bags underneath. His armor was rusty, and he was missing a finger. James drew his attention to the other soldiers. They were all in equally bad shape with missing limbs, blackened patches of skin, and broken armor. Not a single one was unscathed. He wondered how the Vampire had managed to deal this much damage to a group whose levels were so much higher.
“Did you catch the Vampire?” James asked.
“Shut. Up.” Linnaeus hissed as he took a step toward the cell.
“Relax, man. He was just asking a question,” Arik said, frowning at the commander. “No need for the—”
Linnaeus punched Arik in the stomach. The air whooshed out of the Dwarf’s lungs, and his legs buckled. The soldiers around him kept him from falling as he took in gasping breaths.
“What the hell, man?” Lucien tried to smash his head against the nose of the guard behind him, but the Dwarf simply tilted his head back and chuckled.
“Careful there,” the guard said with a smile as he smashed Lucien’s head against the rough stone wall, “wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself before your fights today.”
The guards all laughed and continued down the passageway.
James swore and lunged at the bars as they left, but the guards didn’t even glance back. James strained, pulling at the bars, but they wouldn’t b
udge. Eventually, he gave up and sat next to Nidra, fuming. “I hate this.”
She nodded sadly. “This is the hardest part.”
James took a calming breath. They needed to trust that Lucien and Arik could handle themselves. Never one for patience, he hated waiting, so being forced to stay in the cell, anxiously running through visions of his companions dying, was challenging, to say the least.
James tried to pass the time talking to Nidra. “So, what did the Minotaur mean when he mentioned Fire Elves were interesting?”
Nidra sighed. “Fire is a common enough affinity for Dark Elves, but Wood Elves are different. Our base affinities are Life, Water, and Nature. I was naturally gifted with a Fire affinity.”
Something about the way she said gifted rang of bitterness. “Is it really that big a deal?” James asked.
Nidra chuckled without humor. “Maybe not for a Human.” Her voice took on a bitter edge. “But for a Wood Elf… well, for a Wood Elf, it’s a huge deal.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s always been that way, though. Children born with the opposite affinities are treated differently.”
James sensed the sadness behind her words and tried to change the subject to something lighter. “What do you want to do when we get out of here?”
Nidra grinned a bloodthirsty grin. “I want to learn as much fire magic as I can. Then I’ll return home and see if anyone wants to try me.” There was a brief lull in the conversation, then she turned to James. “What about you?”
Me? James thought about it. He hadn’t really done anything since he’d appeared in Novis. He’d mostly reacted to things happening to him. He still wasn’t sure what he should be doing, let alone what he wanted to do. “I’m… I’m not sure,” he replied hesitantly. “I’m supposed to head to Fallmire, but… I just don’t know.”