Aiden burst forward in a daring rush towards the three horrific monstrosities in the courtyard in front of the ruined villa. It took all the strength he had to defy his own sense of self-preservation, which was shouting at him to put as much distance between those things and himself as possible.
The creatures were charging towards him, their serrated, spider-like legs scraping across the ground, tossing up loose stones and dust behind them.
As both sides met, Aiden gritted his teeth, gripping his crude wooden club tighter. He lunged toward the lead creature, swinging at an exposed joint of one of its spindly legs. The impact landed with a dull thunk, but the creature didn’t so much as flinch. Its leg and entire lower half appeared to be a reinforced exoskeleton, and was as hard as iron.
“Of course,” Aiden muttered, preparing himself to dodge more incoming attacks, “Why wouldn’t they be armoured?”
In response, Aiden was greeted by an attack from the same creature. He dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding the strike. Its blade-like appendage carved a deep gouge in the stone where he’d been standing, the force of the impact rattling through the courtyard.
He looked up at the looming creatures and, now that he was standing right next to them, realised they towered nearly two metres in height.
To make matters worse, text now appeared above the head of each creature.
Nyxborn Lurker - Level 4
Just as the monstrosities poised themselves to retaliate against Aiden, a burst of flame erupted, striking the central creature head-on. The fire spread across its jagged exoskeleton, illuminating the courtyard in flickering light. It staggered, its hollow, echoing hisses reverberating through the air.
Aiden risked a quick glance at the health bars hovering just below the creatures’ names and levels. The bar of the burning creature had shifted, and a small amount was missing, proving that the fire had been at least partially effective.
As the burning condition inflicted by Winterhell's celestial ember ended, the Lurker shook off the flames, its armoured body slightly burnt in places. After it recovered, its movements resumed, deliberate and menacing, as it led a charge towards Winterhell.
Aiden activated his Sonic Blink, the air around him distorting in a brief ripple of sound and light. His body blurred for the shortest of moments, and with a sudden burst, he appeared next to Winterhell, the space he left behind shimmering faintly before settling into stillness.
She startled slightly at his sudden arrival, her focus breaking for a fraction of a second. “I hope you’re here with a better plan this time!” she said, firing another two celestial ember spells toward the advancing creatures in quick succession. The bolt struck the nearest Lurker square in the chest, momentarily staggering it as it was set ablaze yet again.
“Focus your spells on their upper bodies,” Aiden said quickly, his breathing heavy. “I’ll try to keep them bunched together. If you can use your mana intensive version to hit more than one at a time, maybe…just maybe we'll manage to make it out alive.”
Winterhell nodded, her expression grim but determined. “Got it. Don’t get yourself killed out there.”
Aiden managed a wry smile, already preparing to Blink back into the fray. “No promises.”
He looked at the oncoming monsters, and could see that the main creature had around 80% of its starting health left, as indicated by the percentile being visible within each individual health bar.
The air where he had been standing crackled faintly, the ripple of energy fading as he reappeared mid-air, right next to the lead lurker, just high enough in order to be able to strike the creature’s head. With a wild swing, he struck. The effect would have been more impactful had his feet been firmly planted on the ground, but since the goal was to gain the lurkers’ full attention, he deemed it a success.
He didn't have time to congratulate himself for his efforts, as a fury of attacks came at him the moment he landed on his feet, and he found himself surrounded by the nightmarish lurkers.
Aiden ducked under the first strike, the jagged limb slicing just above his head. Another lashed out from his side, but Aiden managed to raise his club in time to deflect the blow, the force of it rattling his arms. The third attack however came faster than he was able to respond. A serrated leg slammed into his chest with brutal precision, sending him sprawling backward. Pain exploded through him as the jagged edge tore right through his linen shirt, leaving a savage cut that burned with each ragged breath.
He hit the ground hard, the wind knocked from his lungs. For a moment, his vision blurred, and all he could hear was the echoing hisses of the Lurkers closing in, their legs clicking ominously against the stone.
Nyxborn Lurker has afflicted you with Ebonshade Venom.
Ebonshade Venom has taken effect.
Aiden blinked out of harm’s way just as another explosion announced Winterhell hurling another celestial ember into the middle of the Lurkers. He reappeared next to her and discovered the small icon of a sickly-green skull on a black background at the bottom left corner of his field of vision, just above his health bar. A countdown timer starting at 5 seconds above the icon indicated the duration of the effect.
While the attack had already dealt more damage than Aiden was wanting to take from a single blow this early into the fight, it was the poisoned condition caused by the venom that was gradually draining even more of his remaining health that made him worry. By the time the venom would wear off, he guessed that he would only have 76% of his total health remaining.
In the brief moment during which Aiden considered his current situation, he could see the Lurkers charging not towards him, but towards Winterhell. At that moment, he was struck with an idea.
“What if the creatures weren’t targeting Winterhell?” he thought to himself. “ What if they were reacting to her last attack?”
His mind raced back to the moments before: each time He or Winterhell had landed an attack or a spell, the Lurkers had faltered and changed whom they were targeting.
“They only retaliate against whoever hit them last,” Aiden whispered to himself.
Then without losing any more time, he blinked to intercept the Lurkers from reaching Winterhell. He didn’t have to deal a lot of damage. All he had to do was connect one hit against each of the monsters and blink as far away as possible without it being considered a disengagement. Then he'd have to wait for Winterhell to hit them with her spells, and then repeat the process until they all died.
For the first time during this fight, Aiden was excited. He felt like he'd cracked the code. With this strategy, they had a realistic chance to cut their way through these horrible creatures and then make their way back towards the Evergreen Glade.
Unfortunately, the only part of the plan he managed to convey verbally to Winterhell were the words, “not intelligent! The scrubbers only react to being aggroed!” while jumping up and down to gain her attention.
Then as quickly as he was able to, he took a swing at each of the Lurkers, hitting one in the arm, one by the leg and the last in the stomach. Aiden had guessed correctly that they would need a brief moment to change their target before attacking, so he took a look around his surroundings and blinked to the opposite side of the courtyard, away from Winterhell, giving her as much time as possible to launch more spells towards the Nyxborn Lurkers.
Luckily for Aiden, Winterhell had caught on to his meaning and waited for the Lurkers to almost be on him before she unleashed another barrage of spells.
While onlookers would have immediately been able to tell that Aiden's plan had been entirely improvised, and that Aiden and Winterhell were both new to using their abilities as well as to working with each other, it was clear that the plan was working.
The execution of Aiden's plan was crude and lacked the coordinated finesse that came as a result of hundreds of hours of team training sessions and strategizing. Winterhell had cast her spells late on two separate occasions, causing Aiden to get struck by the Lurkers two additional times, bringing his total health dangerously low. Aiden on the other hand had failed to blink to intercept the Lurkers by teleporting to a wrong location, almost causing Winterhell to be surrounded and trapped by the hideous monsters.
***
At the end of the battle, they were standing side by side, gazing at the smoking remains of the Nyxborn Lurkers. Winterhell’s fair skin was pale and clammy, her hair dishevelled and clinging to her damp forehead. She was bent forward, her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath.
Aiden wasn’t in much better shape. His chest rose and fell heavily, each breath sharp and uneven. Blood trickled from cuts on his arms and chest, staining the remains of his torn linen shirt. He wiped his face with a trembling hand, smearing a mixture of sweat and soot across his cheek.
“Well,” Winterhell finally said, her voice hoarse but laced with her usual sarcasm, “that sucked.”
Aiden let out a strained laugh, leaning against the broken remains of the courtyard wall for support. “I’d like to find a silver lining,” he muttered, wincing as the movement pulled at the gash in his side, “but yeah, it really sucked.”
He risked a glance at his health bar. The faint sliver of red was barely reassuring, while his stamina and mana bars were equally depleted.
“How’s your mana?” he asked Winterhell between heavy breaths. While she hadn’t taken any damage from the Nyxborne Lurkers, he guessed that her stamina and mana were equally depleted as his.
“I’m all tapped out,” she said while wiping a strand of hair from her face.
“That’s just how close we were to losing that fight,” Aiden said. “Once casters, especially healers, are out of mana, that’s how you quickly enter TPK territory.”
“A total party kill….” Winterhell whispered, her voice laced with fear as she realised just how much of a close call the fight really had been.
For a moment, neither of them spoke, their gazes lingering on the blackened stone and smouldering ash that marked the site of their desperate struggle. Their silence was interrupted by a number of system notifications.
You have defeated Nyxborn Lurker!
You have defeated Nyxborn Lurker!
You have defeated Nyxborn Lurker!
Loot has been automatically distributed to all party members.
Loot acquired!
You have received:
* Recovery potion (small)
* Worn leather boots
All looted items have been added to your inventory.
Without hesitating, Aiden opened his inventory and retrieved the newly acquired recovery potion. A small circular vial appeared in his hands. Its colour was that of a deep violet with tiny amber flecks that swirled lazily with each gentle shift.
Aiden popped the cork with practised ease and poured its content into his mouth. The taste hit him like a slap. It was sharp and metallic, with a strange revivifying heat that burned its way down his throat. For a moment, he felt as though he’d licked a live battery, his tongue tingling with a numbing, electric buzz. Beneath that was an earthy, rancid undertone, like wet moss mixed with something faintly sulfuric. He gagged, his face twisting into a grimace, but forced himself to swallow, the potion’s unpleasant aftertaste clinging to the back of his throat like bitter resin.
He glanced over to Winterhell. While her face was less pale and more lively than it had been moments ago, her expression was that of deep regret and deeper concentration as to not be sick where she stood.
He glanced at his health, mana and stamina bars told him that each had slightly recovered to around 35%. While it wasn't a miraculous full recovery, it did change his current situation from everything around him definitely being able to kill him, to that of most things only probably being able to kill him, which in his mind, was an improvement.
With a mental prompt he selected one of the dead Nyxborn Lurkers which was followed by a system prompt.
Nyxborn Lurker - Level 4 (deceased)
You are able to inspect Nyxborn Lurker.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Inspect Y/N?
He gave his mental consent and a window appeared in his field of vision.
Creature: Nyxborn Lurker
Level: 4
Abilities:
* Shadowmeld
* Effect: ???
* Chitinous Bulwark
* Effect: ???
* Venomspike
* Effect: ???
* Umbral Dread
* Effect: ???
*Warning! You do not meet the needed requirements to obtain detailed information.*
“Huh,” Aiden wondered to himself. “I wonder if it's a level gap issue, or an ability that I'm still missing.”
He looked over to Winterhell and saw that she'd just equipped a pair of black leather bracers, which he assumed was her share from the loot distribution.
With a thought he opened his inventory and inspected his newly gained boots.
Item: Worn leather boots
Rank: Common
Effect: None
“I once complained about not having any shoes, then I saw a man wearing these….”
With a thought he equipped the boots and they vanished from his storage and appeared on his feet. They weren't particularly fashionable and had seen heavy use, but Aiden knew better than to expect anything special after their first random low-level encounter.
“Aiden, look!” came Winterhell's voice, catching his attention.
He turned his head towards her and saw that she was pointing towards the remains of the Nyxborn Lurkers. As he followed her gesturing, he saw black smoke rising from their lifeless remains, curling and twisting into the air. There was an immediate and overwhelming stench. An acrid mix of burning sulphur and decayed flesh that crawled into the back of Aiden's throat. The smoke lingered briefly, clinging to the space before dispersing and leaving nothing but the sound of Winterhell's retching while Aiden did his best not to follow her lead.
While Winterhell was recovering, they were both greeted by another system prompt.
Secret quest discovered!
New quest available - Guildhall guardian
You have attracted the attention of a guildhall guardian by killing some of its minions.
Objective: Defeat the guardian
Duration: One hour
Reward: Guildhall raid key
“Queue the boss music!”
Just then, fast-paced metal started to play, coming from nowhere and everywhere. The deep drums and heavily distorted guitars were backed by a full symphonic orchestra and a choir chanting rhythmically in a high pitched staccato.
“Oh this is bad,” Aiden said, his voice tinged with sudden panic. “We need to come up with something quick, or else we're completely buggered.”
A dark portal appeared in the middle of the courtyard. It looked more like a circular hole in the universe than a gateway to or from anywhere.
Aiden and Winterhell felt a strong and sudden wind picking up. They could see dust and small pieces of debris being pulled towards, or rather sucked into the portal.
The wind intensified, howling as it whipped through the courtyard. Aiden shielded his face with one arm, squinting against the sudden torrent of debris. Winterhell’s hair whipped wildly around her, her eyes fixed on the dark portal as it grew larger, its edges rippling like the surface of disturbed water.
From deep within the void came an ominous rumble, low and guttural, vibrating through the very ground beneath them. Then, with a sound like tearing fabric, something emerged.
At first, it was difficult to make out, a shifting mass of shadow and violet light that seemed to defy definition. But as it stepped fully into the courtyard, its form solidified, revealing a menacing figure that would haunt their nightmares.
Before them stood a figure very much like the Nyxborn Lurkers, it had the same spidery legs with a grotesque upper body rising out of it. There were however a few notable differences. It had violet cracks running along its dark exoskeleton, and instead of a face, there was an endless void, not unlike the portal it had just stepped through. Its form was asymmetrical, with one arm ending in a massive, serrated claw and the other in a long, bladed whip-like appendage.
“Maybe we can try the same tactic against this thing?” Winterhell said, her voice trembling. “You keep it busy while I cast my spells?”
Aiden who felt an ice cold shiver going down his spine tried to give her a confident nod. Just then, the menacing figure gave a terrible guttural howl that caused Aiden and Winterhell to freeze where they stood.
Umbral Sentinel has afflicted you with Nightmare Howl.
Nightmare Howl has taken effect.
An icon appeared above Aiden's health bar. It was that of an eye its pupils fully dilated on a red background. The icon represented the fear debuff, causing any action against the manifested creature to cost more mana and more stamina in addition to slowing down one's movement and reaction speed.
A large health bar appeared above its head, followed by its name and level.
Umbral Sentinel - Level 6
The Umbral Sentinel wasted no time. After the howl faded, it dashed forward in a blur of dark energy, closing the distance between itself and Aiden in a heartbeat. Aiden tried to raise his club, but the Sentinel’s serrated claw struck first, sending him sprawling backward. His health bar, already uncomfortably low, dipped further into the red.
The Sentinel lunged forward in an attempt to follow up with another attack, but Aiden used his Sonic Blink and moved out of harm’s way. He reappeared on the Sentinel’s exposed right side, and swung his club with as much force as he could muster.
Before Aiden was able to blink to safety for Winterhell to start her fiery barrage, the Sentinel turned towards him and swung with its bladed whip, aiming for his chest. Aiden raising his club to block the attack was more a matter of luck than skill, and his club burst into tiny splinters on impact.
A heartbeat later, Winterhell unleashed her arsenal towards the Umbral Sentinel, chanting the incantation as quickly as she possibly could, while remaining comprehensible. Aiden appeared next to her as her second spell struck home.
“I need to borrow your club,” he said, while dropping the remains of his ruined club, which only consisted of the handle.
“Am I going to get it back?” she said in between casting more spells.
“Probably not?” Aiden answered, “but you might live to complain about me owing you a new one.”
Without losing much time, she withdrew her own wooden club from her inventory and tossed it over to Aiden.
Aiden caught it and blinked back towards the Umbral Sentinel, which was rushing towards Winterhell. Aiden glanced at his mana and stamina bars and saw that he had precious few blinks left before he would run out of both. He practically threw himself in the way of the onrushing monster, and with a wildly uncontrolled swing, he struck the Sentinel in the stomach.
The monstrosity came to a halt and after taking a moment to target Aiden, it swung at him with its serrated claw. Aiden brought his borrowed club to intercept the attack, which just like his own, was shattered with a single blow.
Aiden had precious few options and none of them included going hand to hand against the Umbral Sentinel, so he did what he thought was a really good idea.
He ran away.
He didn’t blink to safety, or anything sensible of that sort. He turned his back to the Sentinel and burst into a dead sprint, in the attempt to put as much distance between the creature and himself.
For a brief moment, both the creature and Winterhell were caught off guard by Aiden’s unexpected actions. It was the Sentinel that recovered first and it dashed towards him, its serrated claw ready to strike.
“Aiden watch out!” Winterhell shouted at her companion who seemed to have temporarily lost his mind.
Aiden glanced over his shoulder and saw the Umbral Sentinel charging towards him. He didn’t have much time, and probably only one shot at testing out his theory.
“Fast thing in….” he said, as he jumped off the ground with as much strength as he could gather, and then blinked away just in time for the Sentinel’s attack to miss him.
Aiden appeared high above the ground facing downwards, his momentum having been carried with him as he blinked upwards. He instantly started to fall towards the ground, gathering more and more speed.
Winterhell stared upwards, trying to make sense of what he was doing.
Just before hitting the ground, Aiden blinked again, reappearing right next to the Umbral Sentinel. He appeared, practically shooting into existence with speed that reminded him of his original descent onto Mythendel. Then right before hitting the Umbral Sentinel, he threw his horned head back and prepared to strike.
The air was filled with the sound of a sickening crunch followed by a thump and a loud and audible moan coming from the ground.
The Umbral Sentinel stood in the middle of the courtyard, stunned, confused, and frankly feeling slightly offended by what had just happened. It had a number of large cracks on the side of its head, its neck was bent at an angle from which it would likely never recover again.
Aiden was laying on the ground at least a dozen meters away from where he had struck the Sentinel. Moaning painfully as he rubbed his forehead with both hands.
“Fast thing in…” he said, taking a deep breath, then continued, “fast thing out.”
He looked up at the victim of his aerial assault, and saw that its health had fallen down to 42%. He then looked at his own, and saw that his health bar was flashing angrily at him, indicating that he was below the 10% mark. He tried to get back to his feet but failed. He looked up, only to discover that the Umbral Sentinel was walking towards him, its head still tilted at a sickly angle, making its sight all the worse.
“Aiden get out of there!” came Winterhell’s voice, breaking the silence. “By the light of creation, let fire be born!” she shouted, and fire erupted all around the unsettling figure steadily approaching towards her friend.
She fired at it one more time.
For some reason, it stopped reacting towards being hit.
“Why is it not coming for me?” she muttered to herself, her voice filled with angry panic. “Come at me you coward!!” she screamed, but nothing happened.
She fired at it two more times.
Three more times.
And then, she fell to her knees, her arms trembling. She had nothing left. No mana, no weapons, no abilities that could save Aiden. As the monster approached her comrade, with slow deliberate steps, Winterhell realized just how much Aiden had shielded her during not only one but two fights, taking hit after hit, while she’d remained unscathed.
She could have run away. She knew it. She probably would have gotten away had she tried to, but instead, she charged towards the Umbral Sentinel, tears building up in her eyes, wondering what she’d done to deserve such loyalty. She knew that she wouldn’t make it in time, but it didn’t matter.
The Sentinel didn’t even turn to acknowledge her. It had reached Aiden and was now poised to strike. Taking its time, enjoying the moment of the kill, its prey too weak to resist, too tired to fight.
Winterhell heard herself screaming, “FOR DEATH AND GLORY!” Then after a deep sob she continued as loudly as she could, hoping against hope to gain the Sentinel’s attention, “AND FOR CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!”
A deep, resonant voice filled the air, louder than thunder yet carrying an undeniable strength. “I AM HONOUR!” it roared, shaking the very stones of the courtyard. A blinding beam of radiant light descended from the sky, engulfing the loathsome Umbral Sentinel and freezing it just moments before it struck,