Cawthorn woke up to the trickle of water on his beak dropping from the ceiling. He blinked a few times turning to his feet. To the left the skull with a green eye had regenerated a single vertebra. To Cawthorns right Victor, unconscious, face up barely breathing. “MY MAGE!” Cawthorn flapped up and stomped on Victor’s chest. Nothing, he flew up higher and dove down head butting his chest. Once again no response to his effort. Cawthorn reached the ceiling and once more hopeful charged downward crashing into Victors chest. Cawthorn fell to the side dizzy. Victor coughed up water turning over and spitting out water. “MY MAGE!” Cawthorn cried. “I KNEW YOU WOULDN’T DIE!”
Victor smiled at Cawthorn. “What are you talking about Cawthorn? Don’t you know, I’m invincible.”
Cawthorn wrapped his soaking wet wings around his wet clothes. “I KNEW YOU WOULD BE SAFE MY MAGE!”
Victor looked around. The area was completely dark save for the glowing water. To his side he could see what Cawthorn noticed when he woke up. A skull looking at him with a green gem. Victor stood up with murderous intent. “Now, I know what you are thinking. He’s just a skull that tried to kill me. I should kill him while he’s weak.”
“He can read minds Cawthorn. I doubt that will be much help. Let us see how he does against my boot.” Victor took a step forward.
“If you kill me the sphere of undeath in my head will detonate.” He spoke up.
Victor paused pulling out Swordie. “Swordie is what he’s saying a possibility?”
“Yes. He could do that reasonably.” Swordie answered. “Though I am unsure if he did it would be safe to assume he did.”
Victor scoffed and held the head in front of him. “Why did you wait in that room at the bottom of the dungeon instead of attacking us? Any attempts to lie will result in me finding a way to end you faster even at the cost of my own life.”
“I was attempting to conjure a devil to bind to my will and use against you. I failed twice before you reached me.” Jalk answered. “Attacking a group who’s strength is unknown is foolish. I’d like to ask you a question if you’d answer. Why would someone with your skills be in a party that weak?”
“Weak? I was the weakest member of the group. I merely had some help.” Victor shook his head. “Emilie is an exceptional priest, Jenora can take a hit better than the rest of us, Serena is even faster than me at my fastest, and Cawthorn well he’s the greatest bird to ever live. Cawthorn practically speaking saved all of us without him you definitely kill us.”
Cawthorn started sobbing. “MY MAGE IS THE KINDEST MAGE IN ALL VERDAN!”
“Credit where it’s due, you saved me.” Victor nodded.
“CAW CAW HAH.” He hopped to the skull and bent his head down to it. “DO NOT FEEL BAD AGAINST THE GREATEST BIRD TO EVER LIVE YOU STOOD NO CHANCE!”
“No chance?! If one spell hit you I’d have turned you to ash.” Jalk protested.
“And here I stand.” He shit on Jalks head. “Shitting on you just like in the fight.”
“What were those rings? I can ask my book too but I want to hear where you got them.” Victor asked.
“Spell Stones. If you enchant a gemstone with a spell you can raise the rank. This consumes the gemstone and the spell. It’s powerful but costs a lot of gold to do this. Those three spells cost my previous master more than 3000 gold to create. He distributed similar effects along with spheres of undeath to every skeletal mage he created. He created thousands of us seeking to secure the Necropolis and still we knew when that damned paladin arrived we would all have to flee. He was completely immune to us.” He answered.
“Do you know a way out?” Victor asked.
“No. I had no reason to use the river. The previous owner of that lab used it to facilitate his experiments.” Jalk noted.
“Why shouldn’t I keep you and try to kill you as soon as I get out of here?” Victor asked.
“If you take me from this spot I will constantly scream making noise for all monsters in these caves. They will come to kill us both. If you leave me here I will not hunt you merely out of respect. If you are considering think quickly and throw me in one of those piles.” Jalk added.
Victor turned around and began to notice the massive piles of cleaned bones. They washed up in a den. Some creatures feed here. Crushed bones and fragments at his feet as though something large stomped over them crushing them let him know the size of such a monster would need to be at least several times bigger than a human, possibly even the troll he encountered. “Well, Cawthorn this is bad isn’t it.”
“My mage, I believe we are not alone.” Cawthorn whispered. Victor withdrew his hand leaving Jalk floating midair for a moment. A long black toothy mouth consumed Jalk as he fell, like a dog catching a treat. The form stomped toward the two of them. “My mage… I’m scared.” The creature lit up from the detonation before transforming into a young girl.
Skeletal mage 21: Experience Increase 48.2%
Current Exp to level 12 100.0%
LEVEL 12 Reached!
Current Exp to level 13 1.0%
The girl stomped toward them in a thin black dress. She took a step toward them into the light of the pool. Forala Medot stood before Victor once more “Oh it’s you. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
“Oh thank goodness.” Victor could only think to himself. ‘The Luzuzal’s Promise skill is unbelievable.’
“Hopefully that horribly evil skeleton was not a friend of yours.” Forala approached him.
“No. He tried to kill me and my group. I fell in the river.” Victor explained.
“Delightful. If he was despite my deference to you I’d have no choice but to eat you. Such creatures endanger my kind. Although I guess now they endanger me.” Forala turned to the water with a long sullen look and said nothing more.
“Did you find your family?” Victor took a step closer.
“Everyone was killed and eaten. I saw the red drakes destroy everything.” She sat down at the water’s edge. “They’ll come for me too. I’ll kill a few dozen, perhaps more. Then after I am worn out from slaughtering their forces repeatedly for hours one of them worth fighting will arrive and my stamina will be low. I’ll lose and they’ll eat me, and that will be my end. What a pathetic life.”
“Why not just run? You could easily escape with your strength and skill.” Victor sat down beside her.
“Where would I go? No drake clutch would have the half-drake princess of a fallen clutch. I’ve accepted my fate. It’s grim it’s depressing but it’s my fate.” She put her hands in the water and took a drink. Victor noticed her bleeding and handed her his remaining potions. She stopped for a moment and turned to him. “Are you sure?”
“Just take them, you need them.” Victor sat down with Cawthorn who hopped to his opposite shoulder farther way from Forala.
She quickly downed them and wiped off her mouth. “Well I guess I owe you another favor.”
The two shared a moment of silence as the light from the water danced across their faces. “What would you do if you could do anything?”
“Kill every single red drake in this mountain range.” Forala turned to him.
“Lets say you get what you want. You kill every single red drake is dead by your hand you stand atop a pile of their corpses as the crows rip apart their carrion. Then what?” Victor asked.
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“FEAST! FEAST ON THE CORPSES!” Cawthorn insisted.
“After the feast Cawthorn.” Victor’s eyes narrowed.
“Why bother dreaming about a future which will never happen?” Forala asked.
“Isn’t that the point of dreams? Unlikely outcomes that guide your life. It’s what you really want.” Victor sighed.
Mission
Time to accept: 10:00
Inspire Forala Medot: Convince Forala Medot to flee this mountain range and survive.
Reward: Rank up 1 Luzuzal Skill.
Accept Reject
Victor didn’t even need to think. ‘Accept.’ He put his hand on her shoulder. “Consider it my favor, just humor me. What would you do if your enemies were vanquished?”
Forala sighed. “I was searching for a companion. I desired a family, but no drake wants a half-breed. I failed to find a companion capable of producing offspring. Instead I killed my way through thousands of enemies over the years, many of them for insulting me or my mother. My life has been about ending life, not creating it. The end of it won’t be any different.”
“It doesn’t have to end here. You could leave here and try to find a humanoid companion.” Victor noted.
“I’ve lived my entire life as a drake. Why would I change? I don’t even have anywhere to go.” She grabbed Victors shoulder. “I appreciate the sentiment but this is the end for me.”
“Could you escort me to the exit?” Victor asked.
“I guess it would be a nice final act before I’m torn to shreds.” She rose to her feet. “That said I have to ask were you not able to deal with that insignificant skeleton yourself?”
“It was… difficult.” Victor noted.
She sighed. “You’re such a kind human but so weak. Attack me with all you’ve got.”
“Are you sure? I’m stronger than when we last met.” Victor noted.
She smiled. “Go ahead.” Victor activated his speed and prowess boosts, drew his blade, braced his legs and charged straight at her charging a jolt in his blade. She brushed aside his blade as soon as it got in range. She extended her arm and with her applying no force forming a small wall for Victor to collide with, and collide he did. Victor crashed back falling to the ground. Her deep sigh followed by lifting victor up clearly communicated how disappointed she was in Victor like a teacher whose student just did not understand the lesson. “Have you ever had an education when it comes to combat?”
“I only had my first combat a couple of weeks ago. I’ve never had training.” Victor noted.
“What? Are you suicidal?” She leaned forward with a raised eyebrow.
“No! I’m just inexperienced.” Victor replied.
“That is suicidal. If you aren’t experienced in a life and death arena when you step in what do you expect to happen?” Forala asked.
“I don’t know. I guess I just expected it to work out.” Victor noted.
She slapped her faced slowly dragging down her hand. “I’ll help escort you to the exit if you can do 1 damage to me.” She cracked her knuckles.
“Oh come on doing 1 damage to you can’t possibly be that hard.” Victor said as Cawthorn jumped to a rock. “Cawthorn?”
“YOU CAN DO IT MY MAGE!” Cawthorn flew away to a far away rock in the darkness to watch from a safe distance.
She stretched. “Begin whenever you are ready.” Victor opened up with a slash easily dodged by Forala. “Slow.” Victor tried to punch her only for her to catch it easily. “Weak.” Victor tried to dodge her incoming hand as it reached for his neck. It reached his neck and gripped him with ease. “Sloppy. Step back and try again.” Victor stepped back and loosened up. He inhaled and then exhaled carefully and tried again. He approached more cautiously and tried to jab at her head ready to slash at her neck only to find his blade gripped mid air between her two fingers. A deep sigh as she flipped it to the side. “Is that all you can do?”
Victor launched a jolt out of his blade flying past her head and crackling into the distance. “No.” Victor tried to punch her and once again she caught it and again he jolted her hand but unusually he didn’t smell anything from it and no smoke came out from her hand. “What?” She pushed Victor back and motioned with her hand as if to say ‘Again.’ This time Victor charged every motion with a jolt striking first for her neck only for it to be disrupted with a simple finger flick. She tripped him and caught his wrist so he didn’t fall to the ground. Victor panted shocked at just how impossible this felt. “There’s no way. You’re level is just too high. You’re too strong and too fast.”
“Do you think these corpses complained about level in their last moments? They were food, and you would be too if you couldn’t win. Complaints don’t matter when your body is being ripped apart. I cannot escort you to the entrance if you are that weak. You’ll die.” Her words reminded Victor of the cold harsh reality of the pit of bones he found himself in.
This world didn’t value life very highly and those words hung on him as he stood up again. “You’re right. What am I doing wrong?”
“You’re slow and weak yet you are taking the initiative and approaching me. Why? You seem smart enough to know attacking me won’t work.” Forala asked. Victor read between the lines activating his speed boost and backing away blasting with jolt after jolt. “A little better.” She effortlessly dodged each one stepping toward him slowly. Victor continued backing away until he hit a wall. Forala saw him bump the wall and look back. The ground cracked beneath her foot as she leapt toward him. Victor thought fast and jolted a stalactite. It nearly hit her mid air but reached the ground too fast. She burst through the rock and punched the wall behind Victor. “Well at least you learn fast.”
Forala looked down at the tiny scratch on her cheek. Victor had extended his blade after the pillar fell and her momentum scratched her. He felt his arm quivering as though he blocked a brick wall. A single drop of blood fell from his blade. “I’m more impressed the blade and my arm didn’t break.”
She licked her own blood with her long tongue. “I tried to slow down to avoid the blade. It’s a natural reaction to dodge. Honestly that took a lot less time than I thought it would.”
Victor still against the wall decided to ask. “Could you come with us and train me?”
“I like you but there is no way I’m going to protect you while you run around making foolish choices.” Forala shook her head.
“Would you travel with me to a town? You might enjoy interacting with human, dwarves, and the other humanoids who inhabit civilization here. You could train me along the way.” Victor asked.
“You know if I train you as soon as we have a cleric I will beat you to within an inch of your life until you can stop me.” Forala answered
Victor knew he had won. “If that is what it takes fine. Travel with me to a settlement. Decide what to do after you get there.” She tensed as a wall collapsed and a massive earth elemental crashed through it with one arm. Ozrak emerged with Emilie and Serena from the dust. Forala moved so fast that to Victor it seemed like teleportation. “WAIT! THEY ARE FRIENDS!” Forala crashed into the wall behind them flying straight through it like it was made of paper.
Serena ran to Victor. “YOU’RE ALIVE!” She jumped up hugging him. “That was so stupid.” She slapped him then kissed him. Forala appeared next to them. “You again? Where is the skeletal mage?”
“Ah your companion is still alive.” She noted almost disappointed. “I ate the skeletal mage.”
Emilie approached with confusion. “What is this child doing here?”
“Emilie her name is Forala Medot. She is a half drake.” Victor noted.
“A half drake!” Emilie recoiled backward.
‘I swear I wish I had a squirt bottle for her.’ Victor sighed. “She’s going to help us leave this place.”
Ozrak approached. “If that is the case, consider my debt paid. May your path be safe.” Ozrak stomped back to the entrance disappearing into the dark.
“Can we trust a half drake?” Emilie asked.
“Well considering she could kill us all with a single swing of her hand I already trust her.” Victor gave her thumbs up.
Emilie seemed terrified and not at all reassured. Cawthorn landed on her shoulder and whispered. “I’m scared too. She is scary.”
“Cawthorn you’re not helping.” Victor glared.
“Let’s get out of these caves. They will be crawling with red drakes soon.” Forala nodded.
“Drakes? We have to run!” Emilie started scrambling.
Serena shook her head. “You are way too lucky.”
“Well I find the best people don’t I?” Victor smiled.