BAM!
THUD!
“Aldrin! Are you ok?” Evie screamed through the chaos as she threw an explosive runestone at the nearest Enchanted Toad Golem, shattering it into small boulder sized chunks.
Aldrin groaned as he lay flat on his back, “I’m fine!” he wheezed, black dots filtering in and out of his vision. Three explosive arrows peppered the nearest Enchanted Toad Golem that threatened to smash Aldrin.
System Notice!
Blood Aura (Passive): Some Vampires crave violence and feed off it, letting their bloodlust exude through their pores.
Level 1: 3% damage boost and chance to stun enemies when fighting five or more enemies
He rolled away when the smoke from the explosives blinded the Toad. He got up, whirling around with his blade, scratching the Toad Golem that was going to smash him into paste. Eight of the golems were left as Evie’s runestones had destroyed one; and another that was missing its front leg limb from Jared’s opening explosive shot. Aldrin dashed forward, transforming into a swarm of bats. At the last second before coming head to head with the nearest Toad Golem, he transformed back, activating Cleaving Strike, making his dull great sword glow dimly yellow. He slashed across the Toad Golem, causing a deep gouge that made it reel back on the defensive.
He glimpsed at the blade, amazed that even when dull, it could cause decent damage to things. However, as these were stone, he wasn’t sure how much damage it could do on an actual flesh being. Focusing back on the fight, the Toad Golem retaliated by lunging one of its stone forelegs at Aldrin, knocking him back again. The pain was a dull thump sensation. It didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would, nor did it cave his chest in thanks to his Undead Body skill, being resistant to blunt attacks.
With no time to let out a grunt of pain, he got back up and waded into combat with the Toad, using Cleaving Strike whenever it came off of cooldown. Out of the corner of his eye, Pierre weaved in and out, using himself as a distraction, since his two daggers were of no use to him. Then whenever he could, Pierre used Pierce to cause a crack at a key moment that the others would take advantage of to cause more damage to it.
Jared fired off his Explosive Arrows as much as he could as he was being chased by a smaller Enchanted Toad Golem that lunged and hopped after him. Evie stayed as far back as possible, using one of her carved runestones to keep a shield up, keeping an eye out for any of them taking serious injuries while occasionally using a stun runestone to blind one golem when an opportunity arose. She hoped she would not have to intervene unless it was absolutely dire, since she wanted them to get the experience of fighting together.
She kept a watchful gaze on Aldrin as he rolled away from one strike, then came to a stop, slashing at a weakened spot on a nearby golem, causing the crack to grow bigger. “I’m a terrible match up against these Golems!” he lamented as the Golem wound up for a counterstrike. He turned into a swarm of bats, flying high above the golem, forming back and letting himself freefall on top of the Golem.
On top of it, he saw a jade stone in the center of its head. The Golem he was on tried to buck him off. His instincts took over, enabling the use of the next level of Vampiric Agility, allowing him to stick to any surface. He held strong, unsure of how he could.
“Guys! There is a jade stone in the center of their heads!” He called out, the Toad Golem trying its best to get Aldrin off its head. It began to roll to the side, but Aldrin ran counterclockwise to the roll, keeping perfect balance.
Once it was right side up, he angled his sword and plunged it into the Jade Stone. Emerald cracks appeared all over the Toad Golem, making it screech like grinding two stones together, then it exploded into small shards of stone. The abruptness of it all made Aldrin jump away from it, landing back into the waist high pond. All the Toad Golems looked at the pieces, angling themselves toward Aldrin.
They inhaled, making their bellies grow with emerald light, then exhaled, belching flaming stone spikes at Aldrin. Quickly reacting to it, he turned into a wispy black fog, letting the flaming stone spikes pass harmlessly through him. He reformed, quickly patting himself down, “Ok, that was weird to actually feel it,” He said to himself.
He looked to see where the flaming stone spikes had embedded into a nearby tree, lighting it in green flames. “Evie! Jared! Go for the stone if you can! Pierre, keep distracting them!” Aldrin shouted, before wading into battle with the next nearest Golem. All of them battled for what seemed like hours but was only minutes after Aldrin had found their weak spot.
Congratulations!
9 Enchanted Toad Golems Defeated!
Loot Gained:
18 Jade Dust
1 Silver, 33 Copper
Miniature Jade Toad Statue
Congratulations!
Level 22 Race: Vampire Progenitor - 5 Skill Point(s) Gained
Level 22 Class: Night Reaver - 3 Skill Point(s) Gained
Level 26 Profession: Lore Seeker - 1 Skill Point(s) Gained
Total Skill Point(s) Gained: 9
Aldrin read them, letting everyone else recover. Pierre sat on the remains of a Golem. Sweat matted his hair to his head as he wiped his brow. Jared was busy gulping down water from his refilled waterskin. Evie was beginning to set up a fire as the sun began to crest the horizon. Nervousness wormed its way into Aldrin’s psyche, wondering what the night would entail inside the Dungeon. One other dungeon monster was active and had yet to be seen. Still, he clung to their prize.
“Anyone else gain levels?” Aldrin asked.
“I gained one in my class and close to another level in Race. God, I need to hurry and get my Profession as a Beast Tamer,” Jared came back, wiping the little droplets of water from his chin onto his sleeve.
Pierre focused his gaze on his notifications, “One and one for me.”
Evie shook her head, only pinching her fingers together to show the miniscule amount of experience she gained. Aldrin shrugged, “Some is better than none,” He said.
They moved to the campfire that kindled to life as Evie placed a runestone inside the ring of rocks. She sat close to it, sorting through pebbles and rocks from around the riverbed, then began to inscribe them with magic. She whispered words of power that took the shape of a runic language Aldrin assumed to be Giantese.
“Your Class, does it require something all the time?” Aldrin asked as he came closer and sat near the fire.
Evie paused, “No, it was a Skill I got once I reached Tier 4 and chose my specialization branch.”
“It’s the same as your father, right?” Pierre interjected.
A ghost of a smile crested Evie’s lips, “Yes or at least I am on the same path as him. Once I reach Tier 5 I might choose to go a different route if a choice is offered.”
“Anyone hungry, though?” She asked, changing the subject, taking out small rations meant for Dungeons. “I have some leftovers from-” she trailed off, a distant look mirrored in her eyes as she stared into the fire. “Well, I had some leftovers, but it doesn’t matter now. I’m sorry guys,” she quickly recovered.
Pierre grunted in response and waved her off as he began to empty his Inventory of rations. He passed them around to Evie and Jared. Aldrin didn’t partake, knowing full well it wouldn’t sate his new appetite that was still distant.
Jared glanced at Aldrin. “Are you feeling thirsty or hungry? Or actually, what does it feel like?” he asked.
“A bit of both, honestly. My throat feels like sandpaper after not having water and then my stomach has sharp pains, like it's being stabbed from the inside out.” Aldrin answered. “But no, I am not at all, which is strange. I could hunt for animals and see how that would work as I haven’t tried that yet. I know you guys kept me fed in Lor-Vold, but I don’t know what we are going to do here.”
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He stood, dusting his hands off, “Better yet, no time like the present since night time is coming.”
“Good luck!” Jared called out to Aldrin’s retreating back as he ventured off into the dense part of the jungle.
Away from the fire, Aldrin’s night vision took over, allowing him to see in perfect clarity. His senses sharpened to inhuman heights, taking in a lungful of air he tasted for anything that would whet his appetite and slake his thirst. He tuned his hearing for the smallest pinpricks. The jungle had quieted down in his presence once its denizens realized there was a predator in their midst. Letting himself cut loose of the tight control he had over himself, he let his Vampiric features show, thus marking the start of his hunt.
He flitted through the dense jungle, his eyes scanning every which way for prey. He blinked, letting himself see the white silhouettes of life with his predator vision. From the distance up above in the vines that crisscrossed the trees, he saw a gathering of white blobs. Making his way closer until he could make out what was causing the white blob, he came upon a group of the sleeping six-legged lemurs he saw earlier. He tried to Inspect them but nothing came up as they weren’t classified as a monster or a sentient being. Which meant he found his food for the night.
Carefully climbing up the nearest tree on all fours, he practiced sticking to the surface, feeling like a certain hero from Earth that had a similar ability. Once he was high enough and poised to strike at the group of sleeping animals, he pounced, snatching at one of the bigger ones before the rest realized what happened. The lemur squirmed and screeched in his grip as it tried to break free, but Aldrin sank his fangs into the body of the animal, silencing its resistance altogether. Unfortunately for the lemurs and fortunately for Aldrin, draining one lemur didn’t subside the hunger that was threatening to become a problem, but it had the desired effect.
He dropped the dried and bloodless husk of the lemur before looking back up at the other lemurs that stared wide eyed and frozen at the predator. Bloodied, he grinned and licked his lips, then showed his fangs, feeling the blood slightly rejuvenate him.
Out of the stupor from his action, the lemurs bounded away in different directions, screeching in fear. Unable to pick which direction first, Aldrin zeroed in on a group of three that dashed away. With a small smile etched onto his face, he turned into a swarm of bats, chasing after the group.
Feeling the encroaching death, the lemurs broke apart again, but Aldrin had already picked the next one as he caught up to it, reforming in mid air, letting the momentum carry him forward as he grabbed up the lemur. Once again, he quickly drained it, then bolted off after another, zipping from tree to tree in pursuit of his prey. He continued through the night and early morning before the sunrise, hunting down lemurs and practicing with his powers with reckless abandon.
Returning to the lake, he stared at his reflection. His bloodied mouth and the front of his leather armor began to dry and cake from the hunt. Disgust no longer invaded his thoughts, but the reality, as this was who and what he was now. It felt like a part of him had awoken while another part had officially died. Shreds of his humanity remained, but not the parts that were revolted at what he had become. Just the parts that kept him tethered to remind him of who he was; his family and his friends, both old and new.
He unequipped his armor and clothes before stepping into the lake to submerge himself, letting the water clean off his body before he scrubbed away, then grabbed the rest of his armor and clothes to wash them. Once done with scrubbing as best he could, he reemerged, feeling refreshed. Along the shoreline, he saw Evie staring at him. She was still a mystery to Aldrin about what exactly she wanted, but she had been helpful so far, nonetheless.
“Is everyone ready?” He asked when he got closer, still partially submerged in the water up to his bellybutton.
“What’s it like?” she responded, intently focused on his eyes.
Aldrin’s brows furrowed, “What’s what like?” Letting his hands sway in the water.
“Being what you are? What’s it like?” She clarified.
His brows raised to his forehead this time before the shock of the question wore off, “I don’t know how to explain it.” He looked down, staring at his hands that he pulled up from the water. “It’s both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. A whirlwind of emotions, honestly.” He quietly answered before staring back into her eyes.
“Mm,” she said before turning on her heels, “Well come on then, we are ready.”
He waited until she was gone, then got out, putting his clothes and armor into his Inventory, then pulling them out, freshly dried and ready to go. He trailed after her after putting his pants back on, then put his shirt back on and equipped his armor. “Do you want to be one?” he awkwardly asked once he caught up to her.
She lightly laughed then shook her head, “It’s not for me. The Earth puts us all here for a certain amount of time to do what we need to do before we must return to her embrace. I have no desire to be here longer than I have to,” she sagely replied.
“Then why ask?” he said while looking around and feeling for any more Ambushers since he found it odd he did not find any during his hunt.
She stopped to turn around to face him, her jaw set and her gaze intense, “Because you are starting to become more comfortable and we need that if what Waesmenor said about you being a foretold event is true. I do not know what we will face in the coming days, but Demons don’t get mixed up in this Plane’s affairs unless something big is bound to happen.”
He avoided her gaze, “Do the Fae count as another red flag? Just asking for a friend,” he sheepishly said.
Her eyes went wide as she opened and closed her mouth. All the intensity she had doubled “THE FAE ARE INVOLVED TOO?” she said through gritted teeth.
Aldrin held up his hands in defense, quickly backpedaling, “Only one I know of has visited me!”
Evie whirled around, throwing her hands in the air, then running them through her hair, “Only one, he says. Just one! HA!” she stormed off.
Even more confused than what he originally started with, he chased after her. “Wait! Evie! So that’s a yes?” He caught up with her, putting a hand on her shoulder to slow her down, but she overpowered him and kept moving like he had barely touched her.
“The Fae haven’t been seen on Grenora in about a century. Maybe a century and a half, according to some of my kind.” She continued walking, “Aldrin, if they are involved and they have specifically revealed themselves to you, then this is bigger than all of us, especially with whatever is happening behind the scenes.”
Exasperated, he ran his hands down his face. “I don’t even know what’s happening to begin with! I feel like I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time when all of this happened.”
“Yet to others, you were at the right place at the right time,” she countered.
Before he could ask anymore questions, they arrived back at their makeshift camp. Pierre was grilling some kind of meat over the fire that Jared had presumably gone to hunt, as he was busy cleaning the fur of what looked like one of the six-legged lemurs.
Evie clapped her hands together, garnering the attention of the other two, “New plan gentlemen! We are going to get you all to level 30 so you can gain access to your Tier 3 Class upgrade.” She then turned to Jared, “Jared, we can find you a Beast tamer in the upper city somewhere, probably after we turn in your quest, since that would give you a new avenue to a branch option for you when you level up. I personally recommend gaining a Beastmaster profession, as that would allow you to harness the abilities of the monsters you tame. It’s an upgraded version of Beast Tamer.”
Jared saluted with a goofy grin on his face. “Arcane Archer with a Beastmaster profession. I can’t wait until Tier 4 then!”
“We will be a bit late, but the combination with those two plus your Servant title should give you access to something unique at Tier 4 hopefully.” She answered, giving him an encouraging smile.
“Pierre, I am assuming with your Alchemist profession, you should gain access to a few branches. Do you know what you actually want to focus on?” she shifted her focus.
Pierre thought for a moment, “I don’t know what comes after Tracker, but I am assuming it could be either a Trapper, Assassin, or Poisoner? If that was the normal without having Servant as a title.”
Evie frowned, “Well, we will figure it out as we go along and that’s ok! New Classes are always fun to figure out too! Anyway, after we get you three to level 31 for some spare Skill Points, we are heading to Ebira to charter a ship across the Lywyen Sea to get to the Forbidden Continent.”
“Couldn't we just go after this dungeon, though?” Jared asked.
“At the minimum, to barely survive the Continent, you need to be at least level 45. However, since Aldrin has a quest that leads there this early on, then there must be something achievable. That being said, we are going to hire mercenaries and charter a ship from Ebira.” Evie stated.
Pierre looked at Aldrin, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, “What happened?” he cut in. “Why the sudden sense of urgency?”
Evie took a deep breath to calm herself, “Because!” she jutted a thumb back at Aldrin, “He is the key to something big and whatever it is, the Fae and Demons want in on it and Grenora knows when those two want something of the same then it definitely is going to alter the course of this Plane.”
Jared huffed, “So basically he is walking around with a larger target on his back than we originally knew.”
“And by extension, that means us, too. His quest all points to heading to the Forbidden Continent to get to the bottom of it!” Evie finished.
Aldrin stepped forward, “I think we will find the Vampires there. Vampires that can probably teach me things I haven’t figured out yet.”
“And if the Vampires are anything like the tales from Earth, then you know they won’t be too happy with an upstart claiming to be the leader of them all,” Jared said.
“Or they might immediately start to worship him,” Pierre argued back.
“Or they might kill me, hoping to take power for themselves,” Aldrin added.
Evie stomped her foot, causing a minor tremor of vibration to be felt. “Vampires are hierarchical. They respect power and authority and Aldrin here has both; being what he is. He will be an honored and welcomed guest IF they do reside on the Forbidden Continent. Sure, they may be a few that won’t like it, but we can’t always please everybody.”
“Alright, so Operation Power Level is commencing then?” Jared attempted to lighten the mood, which earned smiles from all.
“Yes,” Evie said, a determined fire blazing in her eyes.