Chapter Fifty-Two: The Silver Mirage
~Run 5, The Silver Mirage, Floor 2, The Fallen Merchant City of Aerlyn~
Before we moved forward, I took a second to look at my inventory. I was out of the Aerlyntium supplies, which probably wasn't a good thing, but I had gained over Twenty death boons from the previous room alone for a total of Twenty-four. I needed to figure out how to get there quickly with a group willing to stay and fight for an extended period.
The next room we entered was surreal. Light shone from an undetectable source amid floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Everything was visible but reflected ten, a hundred, no, a thousand times over. The mirrors reverberated back and forth, creating an illusion of infinite depth. According to Klericho, the room was another maze-type challenge. Seeing my reflection in the mirror was unsettling; the new me looked gaunt and disordered, almost like I wasn’t me anymore.
I was trying to figure out how to navigate the maze since every inch was covered in a never-ending series of reflective surfaces. It looked like there were twenty Aerlyntiums in the room, though I knew there was only one. "What was this place, Thomas?”
"The old room was nothing like this," Thomas replied, shaking his head. There was a ballerina studio with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and a clothing store, but that was it. There used to be a door in the entrance that would take you straight here, but the Djinn’s magic destroyed it." He sounded bewildered, which was odd to me. It shouldn’t have been his first time through, right?
Squinting, I realized we needed a plan. "Any bright ideas for making our way through this room? I'm tapped out."
"I say we just smash the mirrors until we find a path," Thomas suggested. "Yeah, we're already in penance. It's not like seven years of bad luck could make things any worse," Klericho chimed in, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
I stared at my companions, unsure if they were serious. Their images multiplied endlessly in the mirrors. Then I spotted it: the real Aerlyntium. I could tell it was the real deal because it called to me through whatever power granted me the ability to interact with them. Given the room, it had to absorb mirror essence, right? Once again, it was up to me to solve everything. You'd think, with their dozens of runs worth of experience, they'd be able to handle the floors and know what to expect. But it was like their time in the dungeon had run through a sieve, leaving them bumbling through the dark.
"Wait here," I instructed my companions. I approached the nearest mirror and placed a steadying hand on it. "Crystal, I'm going to do something reckless. Can you be my eyes if an enemy appears?"
[Sure thing, Rod. If I had eyes, I would be happy to assist you. But as a floating crystal, I do not have standard senses to help you.]
I rolled my eyes. “I know you don’t have eyes, but you can detect when there are enemies nearby. Just keep an eye out.”
[Again, I am a floating crystal construct. I’m not human, by your words, and do not have eyes.]
“Are you ever going to let that go?” I muttered, more to myself than to Crystal.
[Nope,] Crystal said cheerfully. I shook my head, deciding to ignore her. Closing my eyes, I traced my hand along the smooth glass. Instead of letting the mirrors disorient me, I would let them guide me. As I moved, my hand slid along the panes, bumping off the glass at the joints. I hadn't done something like this since I was a kid. It felt meditative, almost like channeling my inner child—a desperately needed respite. A memory core descended from the sky. It had been so long, that the new light source shocked me, and I stumbled backward. I recovered and grabbed for the core, before stopping myself, hesitating. I gave the core a sidelong glance; maybe if I didn’t touch it, whatever was behind forcing the memories on me wouldn’t be able to…
As if it were reading my thoughts, the prompt came in anyway.
{Memory core 13/???}
{Would you like to view the memory?} {Y/N}
~~~~~~~{Memory Core 13 Start}~~~~~~~
I was a little kid again, transported back to a darker time. The small, dimly lit kitchen seemed foreboding and angry. The chair I had knocked over earlier lay sprawled on the rough, uneven floor, a silent testament to my scared movements. Neither of my parents bothered to fix it, their indifference a familiar sting. At four years old, I lacked the strength and coordination to lift it on my own, so it remained.
Bored and with nothing to do, I began tracing designs on the house's walls with my fingers, leaving faint trails in the thin layer of dust that had settled there. The walls were made of sturdy mud brick, their rough texture a comfort under my fingertips. This material was common in the lower-class hovels that crowded the city, a patchwork of despair and poverty. The coarse, earthy scent of the mud bricks and the faint aroma of the stew simmering on the stove for dinner, a blend of home and hardship.
As I traced the shapes, my mind wandered, imagining elaborate patterns and stories within the cracks and crevices of the walls. The cool, slightly damp surface of the bricks felt grounding, a stark contrast to the instability that seemed to permeate our lives. In that small act of creation, I found a fleeting escape, a momentary refuge from the weight of the world I was too young to understand fully.
I don’t know how long I spent like that, circling the room. But I do know when I stopped. “Rod!” My mother screamed from behind me. She grabbed my wrist, jostling my arm hard. “Look at the wall! You’ve destroyed it!”
I turned to see the wall, covered in finger marks and grooves in the thin layer of dust my parents never bothered to clean. She lifted me into the air and dragged me to the bedroom, reaching for the club she always used to punish me with.
My mother’s grip was tight, her bony fingers digging into my skin as she dragged me through the dimly lit doorway. Her long brown hair, the same shade as mine, whipped around her face as she moved, and her blue eyes flashed angrily. We both shared the same frail, skinny frame, a constant reminder of the poverty that shadowed our lives.
In the bedroom, the sparse furniture stood as silent witnesses to what was about to happen. The small bed, covered in a threadbare blanket, and the rickety dresser with peeling paint seemed to shrink back into the shadows. My mother reached for the club, her go-to instrument of discipline, lying ominously on the dresser. The air was thick with dust and the scent of my fear, mingling with the faint smell of mildew that permeated our rundown home.
As she raised the club, I couldn’t help but glance at the window, its glass cloudy with grime. Outside, the world seemed so distant, so unattainable. The laughter of other children playing in the street starkly contrasted with the harsh reality inside our home. My heart pounded in my chest, and I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable pain.
~~~~~~~{Memory Core 13 End}~~~~~~~
Unlike after most of my memories, the emotions didn’t fade. My hands felt clammy, and I struggled to breathe as I crouched in the dimly lit room. The memory replayed in my mind—Mom's face, a flash of anger, the club, and then darkness. What was that? Had my mom really...?
Crystal's shout jolted me back to the present. [Watch out!] Time seemed to slow as I dodged, just in time to avoid a dagger-wielding ninja in full black garb who slashed the air where I had been. "Scan!" I shouted.
[Ninja Goblin, level 5. HP: 15. Poison daggers,. 40% chance of poison. The Poisonous twin of the Goblin Trickster. Don't get hit unless you enjoy fire spreading through your veins while your organs shut down and you suffer incontinence. What fun! It's a goblin. Weak points: eyes or ears. Some enjoy one weakness or the other, but this one has both. Oh, and it has magic duplication abilities.]
Enemy Entry 0014: Goblin Ninja: Level 5 (The Third Tribe)
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The Poisonous Twin of the Goblin Trickster. Don't get hit unless you enjoy fire spreading through your veins while your organs shut down and you suffer incontinence. What fun! Oh, and he can make copies of himself.
Weak points: eyes or ears. Some enjoy one weakness or the other, but this one has both.
Stat:
Level
Effect:
Health
15/15
Health is burned as fuel to keep you from dying.
Vitality
5
Adds 5 points of health per level.
Defense
4 (8 when guarding)
Blocks 1 point of damage from all physical attacks
Item drops
Amount
Chance to drop
Gold
15-55
75%
Poison daggers
1-2
24%
Antidote
1
1%
As Crystal blathered on, the ninja goblin vanished. One second, there was one ninja and a small crowd of reflections; the next, an overwhelming force was bearing down on me. I started shooting arrows using aim until I was out of stamina. Eight different arrows flew from my bow. Thankfully, the magic of the skill made them hit real targets and not the reflected duplicates. The shadow clones dissipated into smoke as the arrows hit home. None of the targets were the real goblin, so I slung my bow around my back and pulled out my dagger just in time to deflect a dagger strike from the real goblin.
Time hadn’t slowed, but luck had been on my side. I could feel the poison radiating heat as it came close to striking my flesh. I shoved the goblin away with my superior size and strength, trying to repeat the same body move I used on the mages. But the ninja was too fast, dodging my lunge. I rolled onto the ground helplessly, sure I would feel the sting of the dagger in my back, when I suddenly heard a loud roar. Thomas came barreling down the hallway of mirrors, sword held aloft. He jumped, aiming for the goblin, but smacked straight into a mirror.
The distraction was enough. I turned over and kicked the feet out from under the ninja goblin. Leaning over it, I attempted to pin it down, but it struck out with its dagger. Time didn't freeze, and it slashed at me. Though my defenses took no damage from the strike, the poison attack stuck. In retaliation, I plunged my dagger into its eyes over and over until the loot stars appeared above its head.
My head started to fog as the poison worked its way through my body. My arms felt sluggish, and a fire erupted in my chest, radiating outward from where I was attacked. It was like someone had poured alcohol over my body and lit me on fire. My vision blurred, and I couldn't see. I knew this was the end of the run, but I wanted to loot the Aerlyntium, at least before I died. "Thomas, I can't see! Guide me to the orb. I think the poison is going to kill me."
A golden light radiated warmth, starting on my wound and pulsing outward. I could feel Klericho's magic battling the poison, but it was insidious. As soon as the magic faded, the poison rushed back, filling the void. I spasmed in pain, collapsing to the floor as the poison attacked my heart. It felt like I was breathing through a straw.
Each pulse of light brought a fleeting promise of relief, only to be snatched away by the relentless poison. My mind was a whirlwind of fear and pain, but somewhere deep down, a stubborn flicker of hope clung on. I felt rather than saw Thomas drag me through the maze of mirrors. Every movement sent waves of agony through my body. The fire inside me reached new heights, consuming all rational thought. "End it, please, god, end it," I cried, my voice raw with desperation. My skin scraped against the floor, as the fire scraped against my soul.
The reflections in the mirrors showed a distorted, pain-wracked version of myself. I could barely process the sights around me, but the surreal images added to my torment. Barely cognizant, I sensed Thomas grabbing my wrist and pulling my hand out to touch the orb.
[Error! Aerlyntium does not detect enough material to spawn items. Please provide a source of the following material: Wood 0/25, Metal 200/250, Glass 1000/1000, Organic material 50/300]
I screamed in frustration as my body shut down. The last thing I heard was Crystal's cold notification:
[You have died! End of run 5.]
Leather Quiver
Name
Amount
Condition
Stone Arrow
26/26
1/5
Rod - Run 5 Corpse
Gold: 89
Death Boons: 24
Name
Amount
Condition
Effect
Description
Wooden Bow
1
NA
1-4 damage
A simple piece of rounded wood held together with a sturdy string.
Leather Greaves
1
15/15
+1 defense.
A worked and treated pair of leather greaves covering the waist down to the ankles.
Leather Armor
1
15/15
+1 defense.
A worked and treated leather vest covering the chest and arms down to the wrist.
Iron Helm
1
20/20
+2 Defense
A well-crafted iron helm that offers solid protection for the head.
Cloth Sandals
1
10/10
+1 defense
Simple yet ‘comfortable’ cloth sandals that offer minimal protection but great mobility. – “Don’t worry, you’ll miss sewer feet after an hour with these!”
~Photonius
Throwing Dagger
1
5/5
Deals 5-10 damage
A dagger designed to be thrown through the air.
Shark Tooth Dagger
1
20/20
Deals 2-8 damage; 10% chance to bleed.
A serrated dagger made out of the teeth of a giant shark.
Summoners staff
1
15/15
It funnels magical attacks through the staff, changing them into different magical creature based attacks.
This staff has two emeralds at the top, forming an animal head.
~ I wanna be the very best!