In the tranquility of our camp, let us take heed to guard against the loquacity of certain individuals. It falls to the sagacity of their sergeants to guide them, to curb their excessive chatter. If it proves beneficial, let the threat of prolonged service in the most-humble of our duties, the digging out the latrines, be employed.

Remember, idleness breeds folly. It is incumbent upon us to keep our men engaged in purposeful action, not languishing in idle pastimes like dice, nor the rough company of the women of the camp. Beware of those who cast a shadow on the minds of their comrades, disseminating disheartening thoughts in the midst of our campaign. These are they who pose the greatest threat, bringing with them the poisoned cup, veiled in the guise of a companion. They, the bearers of ill sentiment, are the true enemy within. To confront this enemy is not only our duty but our responsibility, for it is upon our resolve that the spirit of the army depends.

- The Principles of Conflict by General Damien de Savant circa 234 AC.

With Death on my heels, I faced another dark chapter in my life—literally. My latest triumph brought me some much-needed gain to my power.

You have learned Power Strike (lvl.4)

You have learned Hammers (lvl.3)

You have gained 1 Strength.

It was much appreciated, but would it be enough to overcome the new threat that I knew was approaching? Another note of worry clouded the back of my mind, I had received no notification of the metal skeleton’s death and the expected reward of experience.

The struggle against fighting just one Praxis Guard had been very real, and I was still panting heavily from the strain. It had not just been a physical toll—my hand still trembled from the encounter. They say that facing your fears and overcoming them makes you stronger, but I held a different view. Confronting that undead creature only reminded me of what awaited without the Grace of the despised Goddess.

Looking around me, I was determined to find out just exactly what sort of place this was. Hurriedly, I turned around and went back in the general direction of where I had been initially deposited, looking for an avenue of escape. Something told me that I should be careful of my footing, and I looked down. Here the floor was mostly gravel and sand with the occasional broken tile. The air was stagnant and still, and before me was a deeper darkness, more ominous than the general gloom that pervaded the area. I felt, more than saw, that to proceed further down in this direction would spell my certain death. The deep darkness called to me, like the song of the high perilous ledge, daring me to jump. The music of the sands was strong here, wanting to drown me in its embrace.

There was a real temptation to remove my helm. The feeling of claustrophobia here in the deep underground was threatening to undo the vestige of calm I had attained. I made a compromise and lifted my visor, but the overall improvement to my vision was minuscule.

More precious seconds passed, the sounds of the approaching creatures growing louder, with their slow and deadly purpose. If I was to have a fighting chance, I would need more light. It was more of a miracle, really, that I had been able to fight the metal skeleton. I could only conclude that it was thanks to one of my newer skills, Blind-Fighting, that I was able to prevail under such disadvantageous conditions.

Regardless of my new Skill, I really could have done with one of the flaming torches my companions had on them, I bitterly thought to myself. Inwardly chastising myself, I pushed past this extraneous line of thinking and focused on the needs of the now. Bitter regret was ever just a useless old friend, and a poor companion.

My mind wracked itself looking for a solution. As I went through the list of options, which stupidly included hammering out some of the veins from the wall, a voice called to me, like a long-lost distant friend. And the solution came to me. Holy Aura.

I would shine like a bright torch. Perhaps that would more easily draw their attention to me, but did these things even have real eyes? I listened, truly listened, to the quiet voice, promising salvation. Entropic Aura bellowed in disagreement, snarling like a feral beast, wanting more time upon this plane of existence.

Entropic Aura had grown powerfully loud, but the voice of Holy was insistent and filled with the authority of the moment. I found myself casting the spell, the notes of purity threading their way through my voice. Light filled the room, for I could see now that it was indeed a room, and the energy of the spell lifted my spirits even as it healed my body. It was by no means as powerful as my Heal spell, but I could feel it, a constant pulse of divine energy that invigorated me.

My instincts had been correct. Illuminated by my spell, I saw that the deep darkness had, in fact, led to a sharp drop. A cavernous expanse was before me, streams of sand trickling down the rock walls in an almost mesmerizing fashion. A few paces further and I would have plummeted further into the dark bowels of the earth. A fall I am sure I would not have survived.

There would be no escape in that direction.

Buoyed by the light of my Aura, I turned around. Such thoughts of escape were beneath me, for that was not how a hero acted, after all. Resolution’s mantle settled on my shoulders to do Her will. If this was to be my end, I would face it like a man and take as many with me as I could. The paradise of Heaven awaited those who did Avaria’s work.

There were two exits from the room, both of them led into bored-out circular tunnels with tiled stone floors. From the left came the sound of yet new foes, the tread of their feet slapping against cold stone, and I yearned to do battle with them.

These thoughts were not my own, I realized with growing horror. Insidious, they were, like herself. After all this time, was she still trying to pull my strings? Working to influence me through the very magic she had gifted me?

I would not yield to the Divine whore’s influence. My will, my powers, my strength - all of these were mine and mine alone. Other, darker voices chittered their agreement, as the flames of rebellion purged the foreign thoughts from my mind.

You have learned Holy Aura lvl.3

Control was restored to me. I jogged, rather than ran, to preserve my Stamina. I went down the right exit, the sound of my armor echoing loudly in my ears as I made my escape. As I continued down this path, the roughly-hewn stone gave way to smoother walls and paved floors. I took a left fork, followed by a right. This will be easy to remember, should I need to retrace my steps, I thought to myself. For several more minutes, I paused to recuperate my Stamina. My heart beat wildly in my chest, my lungs working like heavy bellows.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

There was a pervasive silence that filled the tunnel - now corridor. I waited there, as still as could be, my Stamina slowly recovering. Not wanting to simply stand there, I reviewed my Status in this little interim.

[STATUS] Calling: Gilgamesh lvl.12 Paladin/Reaver

Strength: 29

Dexterity: 25

Constitution: 41

Intelligence: 21

Wisdom: 22

Charisma: 14

Luck: 21

SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES

Pain Nullification (lvl.3)

Power Strike (lvl.4) 10

Endure (lvl.4)

Stealth (lvl.1)

Rest (lvl.3)

Backstab (lvl.2)

Dodge (lvl.3)

Polearms (lvl.3)

Dual Wield (lvl.2)

Critical Hit Mastery (lvl.3)

Improved Unarmed Combat (lvl.1)

Hammers (lvl.3)

Flails (lvl.3)

Maces (lvl.3)

Shields (lvl.3)

Medium Armor (lvl.3)

Heavy Armor (lvl.5)

Axes (lvl.2)

Daggers (lvl.4)

Throwing Weapons (lvl.2)

Double Throw (lvl.1) 5

Shield Bash (lvl.2) 10

Riding (lvl.2)

Dash (lvl.1)

Swords (lvl.2)

Crossbows (lvl.4)

Blind-Fighting (lvl.1)

Rush Strike (lvl.1)

Tracking (lvl.1)

SPELLS & MAGIC

Heal (lvl.5) 5

Rust (lvl.4) 2

Identify (lvl.3) 1

Silent Casting (lvl.2)

Mana Regeneration (lvl.2)

Purify (lvl.2) 3

Greater Heal (lvl.2) 10

Holy Aura (lvl.3) 2

Decay (lvl.1) 1

Drain (lvl.5) 2

Entropic Aura (lvl.3) 2

Inferno Bolts (lvl.1) 2

GIFTS

Curse of Entropy -20% to all starting attributes.

Mark of the Paladin 10% resistance to Dark/Holy magic. 5% resistance to Physical.

Touch of the Void 10% reduced resistance to Holy/Fire magic, 20% resistance to Mental Effects, 15% immunity to Mental Effects.

Experience to next level 192/891

Health: 258/333

Stamina: 8/68

Mana: 10/14

I was not in the best of states, but neither was I the worst. Thanks to my Aura spell, my Health was slowly ticking up, and so too was my Stamina. I had enough Mana to cast a few healing spells, but decided to refrain from such actions, and I let my heal-over-time spell do its work.

As for my inventory, I had more than half of a flask’s worth of water and some travel jerky. These I would have to ration out, for I had no idea how long I would be stuck here. I had lost my quiver of bolts and my shield, which limited some of my fighting options.

Wherever I was, I knew for certain it was the product of civilization. The paved floor and uniformly smooth-cut walls spoke to this obvious truth. I saw what initially appeared to be a fork in the path. Thinking to throw off the pursuit, I quickly veered into it, only to find that it was, in fact, a side room. With no other options, and needing a less-exposed place to rest for a while, I decided to explore further within.