Jenora lead them to the metal gate taking a deep breath she pulled off the spears and flung the doors open. Before the party a long hall with six pillars that have long since broken chains stretched before them. 6 of the dull glowing torches dotted the pillars. Stretched out in the distance with long shadows a skeletal creature with the hooves of a horse and head of a bull held a massive axe in skeletal humanoid hands. On the legs six flailing chains clattered around it. A massive skeletal minotaur with horns large enough to hit the entire party should it hit dead center lowered its head. Her shield raised high immediately shouting “Barrier Shield!”
Victor tried to help out. “Barrier Shield!”
Emilie Added on. “Shield Sphere!”
Serena had already disappeared from the group by the time Emilie cast the sphere. The skeletal minotaur barreled at them. Jenora knelt and braced her shield with both hands. The minotaur cracked one barrier, then another with no effort. The last seemed to finally slow it down as the skull pierced through stopping on her shield. Victor took this opportunity to use vitality boost and slashed at the creature’s neck combining his strike with a jolt but it didn’t even chip the bone. The beast thrashed its horns knocking the three aside before taking a swipe with its axe at Jenora. Victor crashed into the wall nearly catching himself with one leg.
-22 health
The axe rose high above the cleric cowering behind a shield half the size of the axe to the sound of “Barrier Shield”. As the swing reached the apex Serena landed on the flat of the axe with such force it nearly dislodged the axe from the creature’s hand. Victor immediately used speed boost and followed suit. As Victor lands the axe completely flies out of the minotaurs’ hand causing his bare fisted slam to be blocked by Jenora’s shield spell, though cracking it. The axe embedded itself into one of the pillars.
-9 health
Just landing at that speed with the strength he had hurt his leg. Emilie in the corner was healing herself and as Serena and Victor landed on the same side she ran past hitting both of them with a “Regeneration!”
Regenerated 10 health
Regenerated 10 health
Regenerated 10 health
Regenerated 10 health
The minotaur turned to the three of them. Jenora took a swing at one of the legs barely missing as it took off toward Emilie. The minotaur charged smashing into the wall behind where Emilie stood less than a second ago. Emilie found herself in Serena’s arms at the far end of the room. After putting her down Emilie angrily added. “Strength boost, speed boost.”
Serena gripped her mace in both hands taking off as the minotaur turned to her charging her head on. Serena’s mace connected with the left horn cracking the tip off. Her foot landed on the skull allowing her to flip to the ceiling. Without missing a beat she launched herself to the ground hitting its leg. The charge failed miserably colliding with the center left pillar. A section fell on the ribcage slowing it down. Emilie released her two boost spells. Serena backed away panting as Jenora and Victor darted in. “LEGS!” Jenora’s shout as she connected with the same leg resonated. A hairline crack formed on the leg which Victor pierced with a resonating Jolt traveling through his blade which buried itself in to that crack.
The beast roared knocking back everyone and turned around reaching for the axe. It tore it out of the black stone pillar crushing a second light. It seemed the creature was ready for the attack. Serena pressed her back against the wall panting desperate and careful waiting for the dodge. The creature’s axe came down with such might it cleaved into the wall behind her slowing it down just enough for her to dodge to the side. Jenora came up behind once more. “Strength boost!” She connected with the same cracked leg once more widening the crack further.
Emilie started moving around the room as the minotaur turned back to Jenora again. The wide sweep was met with a quick “Barrier Shield!” The axe tore through the spell breaking it in an instant. The shield dented from the mighty blow but intact barely. Jenora coughed blood as she remained pinned to the pillar. “Regeneration.” She futilely swung at the cracked leg a breath out of reach. Serena finally started to move again.
Emilie Recast “Strength boost, speed boost, Regeneration.” on Serena who went for the leg once again. The minotaur began to wind up another swing as Serena brought it to a knee. The crack spread up the bone.
Victor reached the leg in the instant after Serena finished her hit. His Jolt traveled through the leg finally cracking it just above the hoof. The short back handed swing from the minotaur finally connected cleanly across Serena’s chest. She flew back to the wall. Fortunately the bleeding stopped instantly thanks to regeneration ticking down. Serena once again on the ground could only look up as Emilie placed her hand on Serena’s chest. “Regenerate”. Victor interposed himself between the two.
The creature hobbled forward swatting away Victor away. The minotaur once again lifted the massive axe high into the air half covered in shadow. Jenora leapt “Barrier Shield”. Victor outstretched his hand “Barrier Shield!” Emilie leaped to Serena “Shield Sphere!”
The barriers cracked, one, two, three impacting Jenora’s now dented shield with a decidedly faint clang. Jenora smashed the creature’s wrist with a quick return blow causing it to reel backward. Unable to maintain its balance it fell over. The beast fell into the darkness. Fell without it axe. “SCREW THIS!”
“Strength boost. Speed boost!” Emilie tapped Victor darted across the ground with both speed boosts on him. He gripped the massive axe and spun fast. As he released the axe it flew spinning out of the room. Victor realized he couldn’t move.
-12 health
Exhausted: Exerting yourself could cause you to take damage. Your speed is reduced.
“Vitality boost.” He recast Vitality boost ready to take a hit, and take a hit he did as the intact hoof slammed him back into the wall knocking the breath out of him. His body felt crushed seeing the creature stand back up and lower the horns.
-61 health
Emilie started to panic and ran toward him. “Regenerate!”
Regenerated 10 health
Regenerated 10 health
The skeleton charged immediately met by a “Barrier Shield!”
Followed by “Shield Sphere!” but it would not be stopped. A horn pierced through Jenora’s armor. She screamed in pain. “Jenora!” While the minotaur’s horn pierced her she brought her mace down on the skull forming a hairline fracture. The skeleton destroyed one of its legs almost entirely in the charge, shredding what bone remained there. The moment it recoiled her hand extended “ INSTANT SPELLCASTING PURE HEAL!” Her desperate voice signaled the turning of the tide as the minotaur struggled to stay upright. Serena stood up and looked to Emilie with a knowing nod. “Strength boost, Speed boost, Regeneration.”
Regenerated 10 health
Regenerated 10 health
Serena wound up her arms and flexed as she braced her feet against the wall. “Double Dash!” Her swing connected perfectly along the fracture shattering the skull too fast for any of them to see what she did. She collapsed to her knees breathing deep. “Please tell me it is dead.”
Swordie spoke up. “It lost its head.”
“Not a yes or a no.” Serena panted.
“THE STARS OF VERDAN ARE THE BEST PARTY IN THE WORLD!” Cawthorn declared from above.
“Please lock the door.” Victor looked at Serena with both of them completely out of stamina.
Jenora hobbled over to the door pulling the axe and spears into the room before slamming the doors shut with an echoing clang. “Regenerate.” She healed herself.
Emilie began healing both of them until they recovered. “Regenerate. I can’t recover your stamina unfortunately. With as much speed as you were using your stamina ran out fast. Good grief we just made it by the Goddess grace.”
Jenora picked up Serena and brought her to the wall
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Victor sat back to the wall. “That healing spell of yours is preposterously strong.”
“Normally it costs a huge amount of gold. Instant spellcasting is even more incredible than most people think it is. If you use it for a spell that requires a material like melted gold before the point you’ll have to use the material you don’t need the material.” Emilie smiled. “I’m incredible, and a rare commodity.”
“OUR PRIEST IS THE BEST PRIEST IN VERDAN” Cawthorn proclaimed in the dark and empty room.
She sighed and took a deep breath. “That’s not always a good thing. When I went to my home right after the nunnery sent me on my pilgrimage some things happened that really made me reconsider what group to join and if I made the right choice using my gift as I had.”
Jenora added. “Do you really want to tell them?”
Emilie nodded. “After a fight like that you deserve it. Besides we’re going to be here until that recharges so an hour at least.”
“Serena also used Double Dash. It will be a while.” Victor noted.
Minotaur Skeleton 15: Experience Increase 19.5%
Current Exp to Level 11 48.3%
“It’s a rough story so forgive me if it takes some time.” She paused almost as if to think about if she should speak at all. “After I left the nunnery I traveled toward my home after so many years. I joined a group that seemed great at the time, and on our travel toward my hometown we defeated a group of bandits. All seemed well until one of my group, Chris lost a hand. I had hoped not to show off my instant spellcasting skill but if I didn’t help him after his shield hand was sliced off he’d have lost his head. I’ve told you this before but it doesn’t cost gold to cast Pure Heal this way. Pure Heal normally costs proportional to the lost limb, broken bones, or other pieces missing. So in that moment I made the choice to save him. It was the worst mistake of my life.”
“But you saved him, weren’t they grateful?” Victor asked.
“He was, for a day. The next night we encountered some more bandits but this time they didn’t want to fight, and they came in much, much greater numbers. Surrounded the bandits made a proposition, hand over the priest and they could live. It took him 3 seconds looking at me then looking back to the 30 or more bandits to make his choice. They threw me to the ground in front of the bandits in the grass. I screamed as 3 of them pulled me away. Seconds later as I lost view of the campfire I could hear the four of them scream. Every one of them died, slaughtered despite betraying me. We could have fought. If they fought it might have been possible to win. We definitely had a higher level than the level 4 to 6 bandits.” She sighed.
“I can’t see how someone could just abandon their compatriot.” Victor reached out his fist to her. “Where I’m from some people tap fists as a sign of trust.” Emilie reached out and tapped his fist.
“I know you wouldn’t. If there was even the slightest chance you would I wouldn’t let her be in a group with you. I am pretty good at reading intention.” She glared at Cawthorn. “The bird and the book are the only two I wasn’t sure about.”
Cawthorn proclaimed. “SHE IS THE WISEST CLERIC!”
Swordie added. “The holy warrior is prudent. I appreciate her desire to protect a smaller weaker mortal.”
She laughed nervously. “Yeah.”
“Hah! I’m clearly not mortal. Cawthorn has proclaimed I’ll live forever.” Emilie joked.
“SHE SHALL LIVE FOREVER WITH YOU JENORA!” Cawthorn insisted.
“It’s a nice dream to live with someone you love forever.” Jenora sighed.
Emilie laughed. “It would be a shame if only one of us were immortal, so I’d have to find a way for you to follow in my footsteps.”
“Yeah.” Jenora continued to answer nervously.
Emilie got quiet before beginning to speak again.“That said the story continues and somehow it does get worse. The bandits drug me off and beat me nonstop healing me up with their own clerics until I couldn’t take it anymore to come up with the answer to one question. ‘Where are my parents?’ While innate spells are not explicitly genetic it’s not uncommon for an innate spell to be the same innate spell their parents had. My parents did not have such innate spells. The massive force of bandits finished making their way to the remote farm house my parents lived in. They broke in with me in tow. They wanted me to watch nothing but sadists, but when they kicked in the door the floor was already covered with blood. I’ll always remember the drip of blood on my cheek as a single drop of my father’s blood fell on me from the ceiling. His dead corpse in the hands of a vampire who’s form stood much taller than anyone else. It fell on the man holding me.”
Serena nodded. “That sounds like the worst day of your life. I can relate.”
“It got worse too!” Emilie said with a cheery broken smile. “He looked straight down at me and with black red eyes he issued an order ‘Don’t move’. The vampire slaughtered and drank from the bandits. Their screams seemed almost like karmic justice for what they had done, but I was not saved. I merely escaped the shark to be devoured by the heron. I heard the voice of a woman speak ‘Emilie?’ My mother yet lived. I tried to move but the paralysis prevented me from even speaking much less moving my head. Staring at the ceiling as the vampire stomped back toward me metal clanking on his long black robe.”
She changed her voice to be deeper. “You may move your head my dear.”
Emilie resumed. “I panicked looking around to see my mother in the same position on her knees. ‘Mom are you okay?’ she couldn’t answer just crying. She turned to him and begged for my life. Yet he just reached out with his long sharp nails, protruding fangs, and pitch black eyes.”
Her voice resumed the deep dark much more convincing this time. “I’ve come for a bride. While I could take two brides that would be bothersome. I do however, enjoy suffering and great failures especially those that try to surpass their betters. I know! I will turn one of you now and the other will come to save her in the future only to fail and join me as a bride. Both mother and daughter oh I do enjoy the thought of your suffering knowing you couldn’t save each other.”
She stopped. “He then offered my mother the opportunity to sacrifice herself for me. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. ‘I offer you anything. Everything for her. Please spare her.’ He sank his fangs deep in her chest wrapping his arms around her as he did. He left her alive and she slowly changed. Her skin grew pale. Her eyes flashed black before returning to white. She fell to the wooden floor gripping it and cracking the boards beneath her. Finally her fangs extended.”
Her voice shifted. “Stand and kiss me, my new bride.”
She shook her head. “She obeyed, completely mind controlled. The vampire walked up to me and cupped my head in his long sharp hands. He asked me my name and I answered.”
She changed back. “I am Vampire Lord Novoraz, King of The Isle of Troval, Lord of the Dark Seas, and Exalted of Kokoxol. Throughout my 5000 years I’ve taken many brides but never have I kept more than 3. If you want revenge come and kill me. I will be waiting and hoping to replace another bride. Enjoy your life, for soon enough I will enjoy your unlife.”
She returned. “With that he left as did my mother leaving me completely alone and covered in blood. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t sleep that night. I know rescuing my mother is impossible too. The Golden Goddess cannot tolerate undead, and when she was turned she stopped being my mom, but vengeance and justice intertwine here.”
Victor took a deep breath. “I’m just going to ask you first. If your mother could be saved and made human again would you want her to be human again?”
“She can’t be made human again. Undead can never regain the Goddess’s Grace.” Emilie shook her head.
Victor pulled out Swordie. “You know the question Swordie.”
“Clearly I do not sir.” Swordie sarcastically answered.
“At what level can you return undead to life?” Victor asked.
“Level 91. Tier 10 magic is required.” Swordie answered.
Emilie flung her head back laughing. “TIER 10! ONLY TIER 10 MAGIC?”
Jenora put her hand on Emilie’s shoulder with a chuckle. “Well if I’m supposed to reach level 100 I can save your parents.”
“I’m not sure if she should be saved even if she could be.” Emilie shook her head. “She’s no doubt drained dozens, if not hundreds of victims in the two years since then.”
“Is a slave really responsible for what they are forced to do?” Victor asked.
“Is she not free to starve?” Emilie asked.
“Not if he instructs her to feed.” Victor countered.
She shook her head. “That choice will never reach us, and it hurts me to think of it. Killing him is far more in reach than that.”
“Thank you for sharing. I can see why you are so cautious about group members and hate undead so much. I’m sorry I can’t tell you everything about me to pass the time.” Victor added.
Serena noted. “It wouldn’t make a difference to who you are Victor. You’re a man who wears his intent on his sleeve.”
“It’s fine. I’d say we’re even. She won’t even tell me her past.” Emilie pointed to Jenora.
“It’s not important to who I am now.” Jenora shook her head.
“That’s true. You’ve proven you care about me. One day you’ll tell me.” She kissed Jenora on the cheek. “I trust you.” Jenora sighed and wrapped one arm around her.