Behind the chapel was an unassuming wide trap door.
When the pastor opened it, fresh dust puffed up. Yes, fresh dust, as in either intentionally created or planted for cover. Not a natural decaying occurrence of time. Under it was a bolted-in rusty metal ladder. Slick with the moisture of the earth. Rune grasped the top rung and swung over, sliding down the ladder.
Tracked in dirt, dust, and other particulate matter rose in a dust cloud, covering Rune’s knees. The pastor closed the trap door after Rune gave him a thumbs up. Inspecting the near claustrophobic setting, food and drink were stored here. Mold clung to the cracked stone walls, where the ground seeped through. With it came sludge water, however, no bugs were to be found.
Surveying more critically, Rune found three bare shelves pushed up against the most well-maintained wall opposite the stored perishable items. Skid marks gashed the rotting wood floorboards.
Bingo.
Having sniffed out the trail, Rune roughly felt around the three shelves. Eventually, he found a latch, pulled on it, and the sounds of mechanical grinding clang in the chapel basement. Stepping back in anticipation, the three shelves swung open like a door, all as one piece. Revealed behind the hidden entrance was a near cavernous opening. The previous stone walls turned into a natural cave. Air rushed in, producing a faint whistle.
An underground cavern?
Leaving the curiosity aside, Rune scurried on. The three shelves creaked shut, ending the air draft. Except for the beginning of the cavern, the rest of the brown stone was dry. Jagged stalactites decorated the top, and the ground appeared to be flattened by the unnatural efforts of man. Rune tapped on Lilith. The recent display of her mastery in the shadow affinity got him thinking.
Was he using Lilith, or mentally he should still refer to her as Sooty, effectively? Rarely did he ever use her to scout ahead. His companion was, normally, a shadow-hopping flying crow. Of course, in the mask form, she was…different. Annika had certainly not pulled her punches in creating the black metal mask. He emoted to Lilith to cling to the cavern’s shadows and scout for him.
Lilith floated off his shoulder and vanished. Through the faint visibility, Rune saw her reappear on the opposite side of the cavern before jumping to another shadow. Rune bided his time. The wait was short. Lilith tugged on their spiritual connection. According to her, three men kept watch next to a red crystal and blue stone door. No other threats were around.
After sending a short praise to Lilith, Rune sneaked up to a corner before where Lilith hid. Along the way, he thanked his lucky stars for Whispering Edge’s 50% cut in noise passive. Rune was not the type to move noiselessly. Trusting his senses, Rune overhead three faint voices trading in conversation.
“Not sure why boss always has us on rotating watch. Only things that ever passes by is merchandise.”
“Another faction could find us. Those Peach Ghouls have been eyein’ for our territory.”
“Bah, those runts were worse than the Green Vipers. With that ‘Rune’ going around wiping out gangs without respect to the big three, they’d best stay put until the three kill the Rune bastard.”
“Always politicin’ with you two. Can’t you be normal and talk about Martha’s sweet ass? The Red Light zone is waiting for my fattening wallet.”
“If you always think with your little head, Bert, you’ll lose your big one before you know it.”
That’s why people don’t go around wiping out these smaller gangs. Go too far, and it’ll get the big three involved. Too bad for them, the die has been cast. I’m not stopping. Don’t fuck with my family.
Rune emoted to Lilith, asking if she could get the jump on two of them without being noticed. After an affirmative wail, Rune told her to strike right before his Essence Lance would skewer whichever of the three he targeted.
Double-checking the changes to Essence Lance, Rune pulled the ability up through the Interface.
[Essence Lance Tier 1]: Reaver creates a focused lance of essence. Multiple effects dependent on use. Upon impact, the lance pierces through 55% of the target’s armor and resistances, damage scales to intellect and essence control. Inflicts a 50% slow on affected target, reducing movement and attack speed for 12 seconds. Targets slowed have a 3% chance of suffering stat-steal per second. Three ice shards rotate around the lance, each detonates to either accelerate the lance or alter its direction based on user’s will. Cost 30 Essence.
Cooldown: 24 Seconds.
Out of all the abilities Rune upgraded recently, he believed this one to have grown the most. It gained the ability to strike critically, and the three shards would be perfect in this scenario. If there were a straight shot to the three lookouts, Rune would rapidly detonate the shards to rocket the lance at them before they knew what hit them.
Rune kept back from forming Xera into a wand, if at all possible, he wanted his public identity to be the only one that did this. Only to add an additional layer of mystery. If people figured out Rune was Luke, any future use of having another identity would go down the drain.
This time, he drew out Whispering Edge with his left hand and conjured an Essence Lance with his right. A shadow bolt rotated peacefully, with three smaller shards protectively orbiting the ability. Casually stepping from the corner, Rune waved, acting like he belonged there; the three watchmen rubbed their eyes.
A last mistake, as Rune hurled the readied Essence Lance and accelerated the trajectory by consuming the three shards in succession. The bolt beheaded one watchman, and Lilith ambushed another, rotating her abilities at maximum speed to garrote the man. Rune used Wraith Wail on the last obstacle, abusing the horror mechanic.
While running to close the gap, he threw Whispering Edge, skewering the thug placed in horror through the neck. Blood bubbled up from his mouth, eyes wide. Lilith had her target nearly fall apart, and he fell to the floor, dead.
Rune placed a hand over the dying man’s throat and used ice to seal his vocal cords. After shuddering in resistance, his eyes rolled back, going into an unconscious state he would die in. Three bronze flashes entered his Inventory. Rune waved his hand, and the three bandits’ valuables came with him. Perhaps Rune was picky, but trying to salvage near-ruined and poorly maintained uncommon items didn’t seem worth his time.
Instead, he nicked a ring each man wore. He dragged the bodies back behind the corner, freezing a thin spot before the steel door to prevent any blood from leaking in. With the preparatory clean-up completed, Rune waited until every ability had refreshed its cooldown.
Whispering, he spoke to Lilith, “Ready?”
Lilith droned on lowly, sounding similar to a faint screech. Xera also answered, “Any time.” She had the awareness to keep her normally boisterous voice low-key. Judging from the three lookouts he slaughtered, Rune assumed this group was only one notch above the Green Vipers but perhaps in operation for longer.
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Pulling out Xera, Rune grasped the door’s handle and heaved. The heavy door slid open after Rune poured in his strength stat, he overdid it, and the hinges partly busted.
The sound of warping material attracted attention from the inside. Rune set his eyes on a very displeasing interior. People, children and companions in cages, collars around their necks. Filth was everywhere, and thin light made everything seem grey.
Several cabals of rough men stared at Rune. From the moment of surprise, there was silence.
Rune’s voice echoed throughout the cistern, “Disgusting.” At his command, Lilith melded into the shadows, lurking toward the men in the far back. The dead eyes of captives in the far back, kept in rows of cages, sealed the fate of these criminals.
Compared to the Green Vipers, the Purple Emperors had two advantages. One, their numbers, and two, they had a more competent leader.
“Sharpshooters, get to work, blast this freak with spells and arrows. Rest of you lot form up and block the paths forward. Lenny and Kenny, back here with me, keep whoever he targets alive. Bastard’s a dangerous one, I can feel it.” A man in purple-cloth robes spoke. The air coming off him felt the same as it did for Kelic.
A tier one at level fifty.
The various groups of exclusively humans and monics scrambled to form up. Rune took this as his best chance to disrupt things. He informed Lilith to get rid of Lenny and Kenny’s brain matter. The two appeared to be healers, judging by the leader’s words. He made clear she needed to use Shadow Wing to keep the leader off her back for long enough.
In the middle of the cistern was a shallow water pool. Rune let Frost Fall Reaver rip, and the thin water pool froze over, becoming his ice.
And his ice was hazardous to be around. Rune placed Essence Bond on the leader, weakening him and awaiting Lilith to spread it with Essence Screech whenever the opportunity arose.
While building frost on Xera and Whispering Edge simultaneously, Rune fulminated the ice pool. The shards pierced into the majority of the Purple Emperor gang. The worst hit turned into a sieve, pooling blood immediately.
A wave of arrows and spells rocketed in the air to shower onto Rune. He attributed Essence Fissure, and a shadowed imitation ripped open at the top of the cistern while forcing down all the projectiles. Frost grew with the chilly pressure blasting from the Fissure.
The two healers, Lenny and Kenny, started to form a radiance, and light settled on the injured. Their leader had protected them from Rune’s frost, but that came at the cost of ruining his posture and situational awareness. Lilith came out of Kenny’s shadow, and Talon Striked him at the back of the neck, following it up with a Reaver Beak, killing the man with the combo, in conjunction with the vulnerable area and ambush damage bonus.
Lilith Essence Screeched, spreading Essence Bond but also disorienting Lenny and the leader. Taking full advantage, Lilith brought out her Shadow Wing, having it protect her while tag-teaming the last healer.
Rune jumped up and blasted the frost underneath his soles, crossing his two blades. Timing it, he sliced off two heads before losing momentum. He created temporary frost armor on his vulnerable sides. Maces, axes, and swords smashed down, cracking his ice, and multiple damage chunks popped up. Sharp pain shot through his chest.
Child’s play. Rune thought.
No stranger to pain, Rune stayed silent. He formed an Essence Lance while aiming toward the floor, once it fully formed, he imploded it. A new round of ice shards shredded the bandits near the point of impact. The recoil blasted Rune back away from the next set of melee swings. Whirling the two blades, he diced through most of the remaining rogues nearby. An arrow pelted through his shoulder, and a firebolt sizzled against his ice.
Across from him, over the cistern pool, the other half of the Purple Emperors sprinted to close the distance between them and Rune. Unperturbed, Rune used Wraith Wail on the group, slowing them significantly, on top of what already affected them from the ambient frost. Speaking of frost, a thick layer had accumulated on the small group of archers and mages trying to pelt him with their attacks.
Sending a mental command, the ice fractured and tore off their skin and muscles. The archers immediately lost their grip and aim. The mages, however, finished their spells. But, their aim was piss-poor, only landing partial attacks on Rune. Rushing in, he whirled through the ranged group, sinking them into the afterlife. He checked in on Lilith. His companion struck tendrils through both of Lenny’s eyes. The leader was furiously trying to prevent Lilith from murdering his last healer, but the shade from Shadow Wing heavily limited his options.
Making a snap decision, Rune bolted toward the leader, activating Temporal North and Polar South. He wrought the leader down with a new Essence Fissure, slamming the healer and leader to the ground. Lilith struck Lenny in the back of the head, killing him. The Reaver and Crow pair rained attacks down on the leader. The bastard was challenging, however, with the maximum level suppression effect on his side. By the time the two finished him off, his lackeys pile-dived onto Rune, trying to save their leader.
Alas, they were too late.
Their weapons crashed into Rune nearly all at once. The layered frost protection cracked, and Rune fell back to where the pool in the cistern formerly stood.
Bandits and captives screamed.
“Kill them, masked man. Free us.” A captive begged.
“Avenge the boss! This fucker has to die. Kill that shadow blob or whatever in the five thrones it is.” A raging bandit commanded.
Rune created distance and stayed in the iced pool area. To him, he’d lose no posture or mobility. To any of the brawler types heading this way, they’d be at his mercy. While they cursed and spat at them, frost only built further.
Do these idiots not realize the frost on them is the same as a ticking time bomb? Or are people at this level of elementalization control that rare?
The last remaining seven thugs kept together, advancing as a rough-shod unit. One had a mana rope shoot from his hands, attempting to constrain Rune. He sliced it to pieces. The unit lurked around him, slipping and sliding on the ice. Lilith crashed onto their party, and the men lost all semblance of balance. Gliding on the ice, Rune skied around the seven, and their heads shot up after each maneuver.
A terrain advantage could easily even the odds. He put up Whispering Edge and Xera. After flicking a hand, all the blood froze over, including that which soaked his clothes. Once the ice absorbed the majority of the blood on his person, Rune shed the ice. He wasn’t exactly sparkling clean again, but far closer to his get-up before the bandit bloodbath.
Lilith floated over, staying behind his back by an inch or two, barely in Rune’s periphery. Now with no aggressive thugs trying to chop him into pieces, Rune scrutinized the cistern. There was one door further into the compound and stacks of boxes reeking a horrible smell in an alcove behind where the gang leader previously stood. Cages contained a dozen captives.
After a short assessment, Rune found two adult men and three adult women, three children, and four different companions. They broke out into a cacophony, each yelling over each other, begging for salvation.
Rune noticed the cages each had locks. Venturing close, he asked, “Where are the keys? Do any of you know?”
A haggard-looking human man pointed to the door off to the left, “If that ‘Purple Emperor’ horrible man didn’t have them on him, then they can only be in there.”
“I’ll search it.”
Pushing open the door, discarded mutilated and partially cannibalized carcasses of the four races nearly made Rune vomit.
Were they eating people or torturing for fun?
A bloody key ring softly rested on a stopper nailed to the wall. Rune snatched the keys and began to free the captives one at a time. The children sobbed and could not be consoled. The adults tried to restore order, and one tried to prevent Rune from opening the doors holding the four companions.
Rune only gave a silent glare, and the person stepped aside. Rune spoke to Lilith, “Can you speak to any of them? Where are their masters?”
Lilith floated through the air, coming up against the iron bars. After making various disembodied noises, she returned to Rune and tapped him on the mask.
“I see, all dead.” Tapping a foot, Rune deliberated, “People, I know what to do with. What do you do with companions? They’re nearly wild.”
Rune spotted a sloth bear cub, giving him big, wet eyes. Giving into his soft spot for companions, Rune asked Lilith, “Do you think you can make them listen and follow?”
Lilith waved a tendril and saluted with it. She wailed out to the companions, lecturing them while pointing back to Rune every so often. Once the message got across, Rune opened the four cages, and the four obediently lined up behind Lilith.
Noticing the people and children all awaiting his words, Rune said, “Wait by the door, I’m leaving a message.”
Gathering up the bodies of each Purple Emperor member, he froze them into one big heap. Before that, he looted each as best he could. Unfortunately, his method of combat destroyed most of their gear or ruined it enough to the point they were worthless. The only ‘prize’ he could procure was an exquisite two-handed axe the leader formerly owned.
Rune deposited the axe into his Inventory. He carved into the solid ice with a finger, writing ‘Rune’ onto the center of the frozen-together heap. Leaving no stone unturned, he came to the reeking boxes in various corners. From what Rune could tell, they were drugs and contraband. He froze each set and shattered them.
Coming up to the waiting gaggle of people and small group of companions, Rune said, “You’re free to go.”