Alex withdrew deeper into the hedge.
The leaves and branches welcomed him like one of their own, shrouding the last of his presence. Save for a Truthglimpser, he was confident no one could detect him. Not even Asire. The sounds of Dusk and players dying drew closer and closer, until the last of the pursued Darkblessed fell dead with an arrow of ice piercing through her skull. Alex brushed his hand against the wood of his crossbow. They’d taken the bait. There was only one guild that could push so deep into Darkblessed territory and only one reason they would. An artifact.
Asire and three more members of Sunlight reached the clearing and stopped dead in their tracks before the massive hedge maze. It was much less than what Alex had prepared for. The battle of dusk must have turned bloody. “Shit,” he mumbled. “They won’t attempt it today either.”
He could see them now, through the foliage. If they drew a little closer he’d be able to hear them as well. One was injured in the battle, grasping his sides. From the gear, he’d guess a mage. The second, a burly man wielding a warhammer, seemed only grazed. Asire was leaning over to whisper into Nee’s ear, and she nodded in response. Sunlight’s vice guild leader stood taller than him, somehow, and her massive, roughed up plate and scarred face made her an intimidating force. She could prove a problem.
Come on, Alex prayed in his head. You know you want to find out what’s inside before the other guilds can claim it. He’d spent way too long on his creation, making it as realistic as can be. It even turned out a little bigger than he planned. But in the end, who in their right mind would think that a player built all this? They’d suspect Kosmos, and that’s where Alex’s trap lay. Getting the right words to leave trusted mouths had been difficult and costly, but Sunlight wouldn’t chase after simple rumours of an artifact. Each day for the last two months, he’d expended all his spells and skills to create a setting that would lure them in and even out the playing field.
Nee took the first step toward the maze, hilt in hand, and the rest of Sunlight followed right after her. Alex clenched his fist in silent victory and watched greaves and gauntlets pass right next to him.
“I still think we should burn it all down,” said one of the men trailing behind Asire.
“And risk damaging the artifact?” Nee sneered at him. “Just stay vigilant. We don’t know what monsters could hide here.”
They ventured deeper into the maze and Alex lost sight of them. For now. He smiled as he went through the list of skills that were off cooldown.
Name: [Create Hedge] Description: Channel your magic into the ground and cause a 10x10x10 hedge of your choice to sprout forth and occupy the selected area. The plants move out of your way when you pass through them and regain their shape after you leave. Prerequisites: 10x10 feet of soft soil, at least 3 feet deep.
Cooldown:
12 hours.
Duration :
Until Destroyed.
Class Modifier : Shrouding spell
While in the area of effect of a spell you cast, you gain the effects of the Obscured status for the spell’s duration
Class Modifier : Silent spell
The casting of this spell produces no sound.
Alex pressed his hand against the ground and the plants sprung to life, vines and branches coiling around his arms softly. He checked to make sure there were no gaps left, before casting his last spell that was not yet on cooldown.
Name: [Shifting Hedge] Description: For the next hour, you can will any bushes or shrubs you have created to move up to five feet every thirty seconds.
Cooldown:
3 days.
Duration :
1 hour.
Class Modifier : Silent spell
The casting of this spell produces no sound.
“And to think people give Gardening the cold shoulder.” Alex chuckled to himself as he cocked his crossbow. Most thought those spells useless, but to him they were a perfect tool. “Ambush time.” He could hear Asire’s party nearby. The early parts of the maze were made windy intentionally, to give him time to prepare, and walking quietly in plate was next to impossible.
Alex ran through the hedge, crossbow at the ready, until he caught sight of his targets. They walked in formation with Asire leading the way, radiant sword in hand and shining light down the rambling paths of his maze. Nee had her back turned to the rest of them, but followed closely. Playing rear guard, huh? Wise, but ultimately useless. Alex held the crossbow up with both hands and took aim at the empty corridor in front of him. Then he waited.
“This place is massive.” Nee said from the path right behind him. “Makes sense though, considering the treasure that it’s hiding.”
Good. They had moved as expected. Asire rounded the wall of green and Alex made the hedge shift to cut off the route they’d just used. For the next part of the plan to be successful, the magic user had to die. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, but his hands were steady. Asire walked right past him, followed by the hammer wielder. The tip of Alex’s bolt peeked out into the thin moonlight, inches away from the caster’s face.
Here goes nothing.
With a twang, the bolt met bone, brains, branches and soil.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
[Critical! You have dealt 512 damage.]
[You have killed player character ‘Altexa.’]
Alex widened his eyes and pulled back on instinct, right as Asire’s sword carved through the section of the hedge where he just hid. Branches smoked from red glow where they’d been cut.
“Enemy!” Asire bellowed. A shining plate appeared on his body, one that Alex had never seen before. The three Sunlight members got in formation as Alex retreated back into his labyrinth.
More distance next time, he reminded himself, then stifled the chuckle rising to his throat. Asire was a damn monster. It took him less than a second to pinpoint the source of the arrow and counterattack. Alex loaded and cocked his crossbow again. They’d be wary now. No more free shots. He brought up the system’s countdown.
[23 minutes and 34 seconds left until the battle of Dusk is over and the barrier reappears. ]
Plenty of time to play it safe. Alex moved swiftly through the hedge, making sure to make no sound and always stay out of Asire’s reach. Even if he couldn’t tank a single hit, he was confident he could escape. Asire’s group ahead of him moved slowly, with shields raised and their backs to one another.
“What do we do?” Nee growled at Asire. “That was a bolt. This ain’t no mob. A Darkblessed is here. Probably after the artifact.”
“We should leave,” said the burly man. “Can still make it out.”
“It won’t be that easy.” Asire lifted his hilt and shone the sword’s light on the hedge. “The plants moved. The path we used up to here has already been sealed off.”
“What?” Nee almost yelled. “This fucking game, I swear. We should just cut it down then.”
Asire shook his head. “We don’t have that much time. If we still had Altexa with us, perhaps. But with physical attacks it would take too long, and we’d leave ourselves open to attacks.” He turned and gazed at the path ahead. “Let’s keep going.”
Nee groaned and hefted her mace. “I’ll squash that little garden variety rogue.”
Alex smiled and drew a little closer as they started moving again. If everything went according to plan, she wouldn’t even see him. They were closing in on the centre of the maze, where Alex had spent most of his days and spells. His heart beat with nervous anticipation as he got into position right by the entrance of the small, grassy clearing. Still shrouded by the hedge, he lifted his crossbow and aimed at the very centre, where a chest sat on a stone pedestal. Fake, of course.
It wasn’t long before they arrived.
“The artifact!” Nee made to run, but Asire held her by the shoulder.
Smart man. Alex’s eyes shone red as he confirmed the positions of his traps. Inert glyphs carved in the stone hidden beneath layers of soil and grass. To him, their creator, they shone with a faint red outline.
Name: [Firestorm trap] Description: Channel your magic into wood or stone, causing magical glyphs to manifest on the material. Whenever a creature other than you steps over the trap, it triggers, sprouting a flame tornado that deals 350 fixed fire damage to all creatures in the area and ignites other traps within range. If the glyph material used is wood, the trap deals 450 fixed fire damage. Prerequisites: 5x5 feet of wood or stone, at least 3 feet deep.
Cooldown:
24 hours.
Duration :
Until Destroyed or Triggered.
Class Modifier : Shrouding spell
While in the area of effect of a spell you cast, you gain the effects of the Obscured status for the spell’s duration
Class Modifier : Silent spell
The casting of this spell produces no sound.
Two months worth of spells. A little over 20000 fire damage in one magnificent, explosive burst. He’d never used so many before. Alex chuckled to himself and tilted his head to the side to take aim. Let’s see Mr. Dawntouched try to survive this.
“What’s wrong?” Nee asked him. “What are you looking at?”
Asire simply knelt by the entrance and picked up a small rock, then threw it onto the grass. It rolled all the way to the pedestal before stopping. Alex would have scoffed. Checking if his traps were that simple was plain disrespectful.
“Looks safe,” Asire said. “But don’t break formation. We have ten minutes until nightfall, but we might have to fight that Darkblessed for it.”
Alex shifted his aim slightly, to account for the raised shields as the members of Sunlight got in position. Just walk forward now. Don’t do anything stupid. Asire took the first careful step towards the chest, unknowingly following the path Alex had set up. Alex focused on the man’s feet as he walked towards the chest. They were right in the middle of it all now. His heartbeat slowed as Asire’s boot touched the trap’s outline. He’d won.
[A chain of traps has been triggered!]
With a deafening burst, the night sky turned red. The brightness forced Alex to shut his eyes, and the shockwave slammed into him moments later. The suffocating heat on his chest and lungs was one of victory.
[You have dealt 350 damage.] [You have dealt 350 damage.] [You have dealt 350 damage.] [You have dealt...
System messages flooded the side of his vision, but his breath caught in his chest.
[You have killed the player character ‘Nee.’] [You have killed the player character ‘Robin.’]
The messages stopped there. With most of his cover aflame, Alex stepped out into the red light. The last wisps of windblown fire thinned, leaving only ash behind. Through them, Alex saw Nee standing upright. No, being held upright. Her body fell and collapsed onto charred coal. Behind her, the white light that surrounded Asire faded, leaving the man panting and bleeding.
Alex snapped the crossbow up to his shoulder and fired.
Asire twisted his body and deflected the bolt with the edge of his blade. It found the man’s chestplate instead of his throat. Alex could see the rage in his eyes, burning even brighter than the fire had. They sat there in silence for a few moments, staring at each other. Gauging.
Asire straightened his back, exhaling light through clenched teeth. The blood painted his hair red and made it stick to the side of his head. His white armour had been burned black and heaved whole with each of his laboured, pained breaths. These were more wounds than he’d ever suffered.
But he was dangerous, more than an animal backed into a corner. Alex knew it, almost instinctively. His pride made his hand itch for his dagger, but his experience tempered the need. The mission had been a failure. He backed away and let the shadows swallow him.
“This is my world!” Asire screamed at the darkness. “And as long as I live, you will cower before its light!”