Floor 2: Goblin Infested Plains
Threat Level: H - H+
To advance to the next floor, defeat a tribe and use their totem in the Chieftains Hut to advance to the next floor.
The darkness slides around me body, pulsing in time with my breath, my eyes open as I come across the increase in level to [Ancient Steps of the Dark]. I turn my eyes to the darkness around me, slowly swirling, the memories of the first time come back to me.
--- The Depths of Karthis ---
"Who has called us.. awoken us...?" the voices from the dark whisper. Tendrils of pure darkness reaching out to my flesh, probingly. "Human? Yes.. We know your kind.. Fear us they do.." my body shakes as the Dark touches my skin. "Fear is not what I have for you." the shaking of my body stills, "Worship?" shaking my head in denial. "No, all I have is sadness.." slips from my mouth. "Sadness?... PITY?! WE ARE PRIMORDIAL, WE HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE THE BEGINNING!" The Dark roars out, the tendrils grasping at my limbs digging into me, yanking me into the air. My body begins to feel the weight of the Dark. The pain bringing clarity. "No not pity.. Sadness without Pity. No one has walked alongside you for so long, you know nothing different." my body bleeding and breaking apart from the Dark. "Will you join me on this journey?" The Dark is silent, the pain lessons throughout my body, unconsciousness pulling at my mind. "Why are you different than those before you..." the whisper comes from around me. "Why is your soul as such, for what burden did it take..." The darkness around me pulses, writhing, a mass of pure true black reaching out to my suspended body. Darkness claiming my sight, and me, "We will see by your side of the changes you will bring."
I see myself from overhead on a battlefield all directions are enemies, wielding the shadows surrounding me shadows, the darkness an extension of myself but not simply an extension, the embodiment, my form morphing twisting, not becoming one with it but being as one, walking the path together.. Swords of shadow manifest in my hands, spears of darkness from below, beings of darkness rising up grabbing and attacking my enemies. Dissolving them into the darkness fuels it more, pushes it further.
--- Floor 2: Tower of Alabaster ---
Breaking from the memory, "Welcome back, old friend." I greet, as the Dark churns around me.. letting out a breath, the darkness dissolves to the normal eye, but I see it, all around me. Like a comforting blanket. With instinct, and thought a spear of darkness bursts from the ground five feet from me. The dark sheen pulling in the light, the spear bursts into motes with but another thought. The amount of energy that should have used, I feel no strain, 'Odd, I should have noticed some use of my own energy in direction of the.. ah. So that's what [NETWORK] meant naturally adapting to all forms of energy in this world.. some more attuned than others, so no drain on myself, but the natural use of the energy within the world.. owned or unowned..' The motes swirl around me spinning churning, faster and faster becoming a streak of black that forms a ring around me, the ring shoots into the ground merging into my shadow causing it to darken. Standing from my spot next to the campfire, I test my body limits once more. 'No physical changes.. yet, though if the past repeats, my body will take on characteristics of the Dark once more.' 'No, changes, already, done never needed again...' the words come unbidden from the shadows. Nodding my head while a thank you comes from me. Eyeing my health and body.
Health: 84
'Good. I can proceed on my way then.' standing from my spot at the campfire, I walk to a tree near small tepee hut that i set up. Marking the symbol of The Guild into the tree with a dagger from my belt. A simple circle with the letters TG is in the center, a simple symbol for Climbers to use to mark territory. 'Though I don't want to have to deal with people, we will see if i even come back to this campsite.' Looking around the small campsite shaking my head. 'Probably not.. Climbing above my tier.. with the Dark beside me should be easy, power, strength, levels, figuring out the issues at hand and lastly the one who called to me now.. who are they.. Someone I met the Tower itself manifested? Can't know for certain, sealed memory portions would probably point me in the right direction' shaking the thoughts out of my head for the future. I start walking away from the campsite, putting the place from my mind.
My footsteps light, the darkness below me eating away the sound leaving nothing, my passage through the forest with not a sound. The darkness shifts around me, I look up as it warns me, a goblin dropping from a tree branch begins shrieking at me, "EEEEEEE!" the darkness below my feet surges. Pulses, then shoots up in a wave, a film of the darkness covering the goblin, its shriek turning from maniacal to terror, then utter silence returning to the forest as the dark wave drops back to the ground leaving nothing behind. "Heh.. hungry?" the darkness below me churns before calming. Disappearing to the normal eye. I look around myself, if I wasn't aware of the Dark then all I would notice is that my own shadow looks a touch darker than any others. Even then I wouldn't put much notice into it, would probably miss it.
Combat Log
Goblin Ambusher(Lvl:???) has been devoured by the Dark.
Experience Earned: 13
Tower Coins Earned: 4
'On higher floors it will be a lot harder.. and I will have to become stronger to do something like this..' rolling my shoulders as I continue on my way to the forest edge. 'There was a village close by to the other one I raided first. Time to go for round two. Arrogance, and ignorance will lead to death. Push yourself as you always have.' Taking the shortest route towards the village, coming across two scouts, who shared the same fate as the ambusher before it.
Combat Log
Goblin Scout(Lvl:???) x2 has been devoured by the Dark.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Experience Earned: 16
Tower Coins Earned: 5
Coming to the edge of the village after some minutes of walking. I don't rush out this time, 'Slow and Steady.. emotions have certainly made me act recklessly before.' remembering the goblin alchemist for a moment, I walk slowly around the perimeter of the village that is facing the forest edge. I found that most of the goblins I can see are moving around the 5 huts that make up this tribe. A stray goblin walks along the perimeter. Noticing me standing by a tree, my form shrouded by the tree line as it squints its beady eyes. Raising a hand for gesture alone, the shadows from the huts behind it pull away wrapping around its mouth as it goes to scream. A clench of my fist and the goblin vanishes into the shadows. 'Strain none.. adaptation must have been excessively high for Dark to be this malleable.. Counted 11 goblins total, 3 warriors, 2 archers 4 regular... 1 ambusher.. and what should be the chieftain.' A smile graces my face as I walk through the space between two huts, the darkness feeding me information, telling me what is where.
'Range is 10 feet in all directions.' throwing a look to the side as one of the reguler goblin steps out of a hut near me. A shadow lance shooting from the ground through the back of the goblin causes it to shriek in pain and thrash about. Letting this go on for a moment the shrieking from other goblins in the village begins to echo. The lanced goblin's shrieks becoming weaker and weaker.. and finally dying out as goblins surround me from all sides. An ancient looking goblin walks forward, "Human meat walks into our village a Sacrifice?" "gyahahaha" the goblins around me all laughing and sneering. [Inspect].
[Inspected: Goblin Chieftain]
System Status
Tier: H+ Class: Chieftain Level: 5
Health: ??? Energy: ???
Strength: 7 Endurance: 5 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 12 Perception: 10 Intelligence: 11 Wisdom: 7 Charisma: 14 Luck: 4
Resistances Physical Defense: 2 Elemental Defense: 0 Mental Defense: 0 Soul Defense: 0 Immunities: N/A
Skills
Name Grade Level Description Leadership [Uncommon] 1 Through leading and organizing of those under it, whether through force or brains, it has gained the basics of leadership. Inspect [Common] 1 Through continuous use of your perception and analyzing your Foes and Items you have wielded you have unlocked a basic Inspection Skill. Growth of this skill dependant on Perception, Usage, and Knowledge.
My lips quirk in a smirk as I stare at the status of the Goblin Chieftain. 'That is a normal one, damn variant alchemist decided to throw me for a loop earlier.' the goblin chieftain goes silent as the other goblins start to become quiet. An unnaturally air swirling in the village. "Perceptive bunch you are.. however. I must move on. Don't know if I am on a time limit." raising my arms outwards, the goblins shriek wildly, the goblin chieftain, pointing a bony finger at me, "Get him.. flay the flesh from his bones!" as the chieftains words fall all the shrieking goblins wildly rush forward at me. a primal growl responds from the shadows below me. 'Let us grow once more.' throwing my outstretched arms up into the air. Weapons of all types made of darkness come from the shadows in the surroundings, piercing flesh, grinding bone, the wild shrieks from the goblins turn to terror. The goblin chieftain standing in the back, eyes wide, "How.. wha-t... are you.. human.. no human can do that?!" Shaking my head to that, "Not sure on that.. the world is vast. But you will be a stone upon which this life's future will be built." the goblins around dying quickly in succession, I point a hand at the goblin chieftain, my hand in the shape of a gun. "Bang." There was a blur of black that explodes from over my shoulder that impacts the goblin chieftain shattering its chest. "Worlds of technology. Guns, aerodynamics.. the free manipulation of the Dark. Possibilities are endless in use."
The chieftain drops to the ground lifeless, the rest already having bleed out, or died quickly. A simple word escapes my lips, "Devour." the darkness writhes below my feet surging forth covering the corpses of the entire village, they sink down into the dark. 'Growth, is growth, stability that will be gained from levels will be soon enough.' gains, gains and more gains.
Combat Log From Goblin Slaughter
Goblin Warrior(Lvl:???) has been Fatally pierced by Dark Lance.
Goblin Warrior(Lvl:???) has been Fatally pierced by Dark Arrows.
Goblin Warrior(Lvl:???) has been decapitated by Dark Sword.
Goblin Archer(Lvl:???) has been Fatally pierced by Dark Spear.
Goblin Archer(Lvl:???) has been Fatally pierced by Dark Javelin.
Goblin(Lvl:???) x4 has been Fatally Bisected by Dark War Axe's.
Goblin Ambusher(Lvl:???) has been decapitated by Dark Scythe.
Goblin Chieftain(Lvl:005) has been Fatally shot by Dark Bullet.
Experience Earned: 209
Tower Coins Earned: 43
Goblin Chieftain has dropped a [Gob Chief Necklace].
Goblin Archer has dropped [Goblin Wood Shortbow].
Goblin Warrior has dropped [Iron Leggings].