SAFE ZONE
[Time Remaining: 6 hrs]
“It’s worth it.”
“It’s never worth it.”
“How do you know?”
“I’m the Archon. I know.”
“You can’t be 100% sure.”
“Wanna bet?”
Ethan sat with Tara against the vine-covered wall of the Twilight Sepulcher’s castle foyer, hearing nothing but the creaking of floorboards and the intermittent cracks of corrupted lightning flashing outside. In this environment, drenched in darkness, they’d been surprised to find a designated safe zone – especially considering the fact that they’d just fought through a horde of zombies to reach this place. But, according to Klax, that was just the way of the Delves. They operated on their own sense of logic.
What was far more interesting to the two companions who were currently awake was the dim treasure chest in the very end of the room.
Object: Chest [Rare]
Contents: ???
The group had debated opening the thing ever since they’d found it – Ethan and Klax insisting that the thing had to be an obvious Mimic-trap, while Tara ranted that her impeccable feline senses could avoid the trap even if it was one. Fauna, meanwhile, just wanted some rest. She couldn’t be blamed.
“Sometimes taking a chance is worth it,” Tara was saying – waiting for the moment when Ethan finally succumbed to sleep or let his guard down so she could pilfer the chest. “I thought you of all people would get that. You took a chance in coming to this world, right?”
“Actually, I never had a choice in the matter.”
“But you didn’t wanna stay where you were, right?” the Minxit asked coyly. “You wouldn’t have come here if you did.”
“Maybe,” Ethan replied.
“Come on, Ethan,” Tara chuckled, taking the time to get in a liberal stretch of her lithe, feline limbs. “Admit it: this world shits on the one you came from.”
“True. Though that’s not saying much. And, to be honest, they aren’t as different as I’d have thought.”
Tara glanced at him, her long lashes flickering for a moment.
“I heard you ‘n Klaxy had a bit of a chat about that.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. And, just so you know, I think it’s a dumb idea.”
“What? Talking?”
“Finding Jun’Ei,” she yawned. “Rewriting Kaedmon’s Law. It’s a pretty dream. But dreams don’t go far in this world.”
Ah! A creature after my own heart!
Ethan ignored Sys’s interjection.
Tread carefully, Ethan, he told himself. This cat’s on your team, but she’s more bloodthirsty than the rest.
“You’d prefer extermination, then?” he asked her. “Going village to village, town to town, and killing every human you could?”
“It ain’t a matter of what I prefer,” she said. “It’s them or us. That’s just the way it is.”
“It’s not the way it has to be. C’mon Tara, you must think Kaedmon’s Law is just as bullshit as everyone else does.”
The catgirl sighed as she rose, taking up one of her stilettos and twirling it in her fingers. As she spoke, she focused on the glinting tips of the weapons with as much care as if they were her own kittens.
“We’re at the end,” she said. “End of the line. Totally. The humans have driven us to a glorified hole in the ground, burned our homes, butchered our families. Maybe someone like Klax can forget all that. But I can’t.”
A bloody speck of purple shone in her eye for a moment, and she stopped her playful twisting of her knives to stare at her own reflection on the thin, deadly surfaces of their blades.
“You think re-writing the Law of some uncaring God’s gonna change anything? Soon as Kaedmon’s Law is binned, there’s just gonna be some other reasons the humans make up to hate us. They’ve been hating us all this time already. Because we’re different. Because we want more than the scraps they throw us. Some of us, like Klax, would settle for ‘equality’. Me? I stopped believing in that when I was still a kitten.”
Ethan watched as her expression changed to one of barely repressed rage, snarling at the sight of her own animal eyes.
You’ve gone through some shit in this world too, haven’t you? Whatever made you this way… I probably don’t have any right to judge.
So, instead, he decided to try a different tact:
“Isn’t it better to take the chance, though? Some of those humans – a lot of them, in fact – probably feel the same way you do. They probably feel that it’s either you or them. Killing them all? Sure, that would solve one problem. But it won’t solve the big one.”
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“Which is… what?”
“That none of you feel like you’ve got a choice.”
“That’s because we don’t.”
“But you could. Maybe you can’t imagine what the world would look like if everyone did, but isn’t it worth finding out?”
The Minxit returned her gaze to him before sighing again and slumping down beside his gargantuan spider-form.
“…Nah, Ethan,” she whispered as she sheathed her blades. “Not for me, anyway.”
The Archon decided that, for now, he could let the matter drop.
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The end of their respite came when Ethan opened his eyes and felt the miasma of creeping shadow begin to creep back into the castle foyer. He rolled over on his side and decided to spend the Spirit Cores he’d accumulated in the last fight on a few much-needed upgrades. He had only one Delve left to solve after this one, and so he focused his attention on those skills which he’d had since the start. Getting them as close to S Grade as he could made sense.
Spirit Cores: 485
Let’s see…first up, Hide, from my old friend Theo.
Hide (Grade C -> B)
Spirit Core Cost: 100
Hide now confers a temporary boost in speed to all those affected – allowing for multiple attacks from the shadows without breaking cover.
No. of attacks without enemy detection: x2
Nice – the bonus from my sneak attacks is not only applied to the group thanks to [Mass Hide] but now we can double our damage further with a second attack from the shadows.
Upgrade: Complete!
Next: Roar, from my angry cave-troll compatriot, slain by the Lightborn:
Roar (Grade D -> C)
Spirit Core Cost: 200
A successful Roar now lowers enemy armor rating, cracking through weak spots and exposing their vitals.
Debuff applied: -50% armor strength.
The Greycloaks are gonna be armored with the finest gear this world probably has. If I’m gonna go up against the God of this world, I’m gonna have to go through them, and their goodie-two-shoes Lightborn. I need to break ‘em where it hurts.
Upgrade: Complete!
Lastly… Wing Buffet. You know, I’m actually super curious about that. Haven’t used it in a while... Will Rachneros actually sprout a set of spidery wingy-wings when I activate it?
Wing Buffet (Grade E -> D)
The effect of Wing Buffet now becomes a 50ft AOE [Repulsion], affecting all enemies around you.
…making this just an all-round better form of crowd control if the enemies fail their Strength checks, Ethan thought with glee. Hell yeah. Gimme.
Upgrade: Complete!
Spirit Cores Remaining: 125
That’ll do it. Priorities going forward should be finishing up Hide’s upgrade path and then focusing on my single-target DPS skills… depending on the Boss of this Delve and what powers he’s packing. With Rachneros’s HP, I’m a pretty solid tank, but what I’m really lacking is magic. If I ever go up against enemies with huge physical damage resistance, I’m gonna be up shit creek…
“HELP!”
Ethan whirred, his new insect senses tingling, and readied his dripping organic blades, only to realize too late what the problem was.
“H-hold still, Tara!” Fauna was shouting at a certain Minxit girl stuck in a Mimic’s salivating mouth. “Fighting’ll just make it stronger!”
“YOU TRY HOLDING STILL!” came Tara’s frenzied reply. “GET A BLOODY MOVE ON AND BLAST THIS FUCKER OPEN! IT’S DARK IN HERE! AND…OH…OH SHIT…I THINK…I THINK I CAN SEE ITS TONGUE…”
The sounds that then emanated from the catgirl’s throat were not those which should ever be repeated.
Ethan looked to Klax and Fauna as they tried to yank Tara out of the chest, Klax simply shrugging his shoulders when Ethan caught his eye.
“Taking a chance, huh?” Ethan smirked as he ambled over to help the trapped kitty. “Hey, I did tell you: some risks are better than others.”
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[Mass Hide: Activated]
The darkness within the Twilight Sepulcher's castle was oppressive, an ancient and malevolent force that seemed to seep into the very stone. This did, however, make it perfect for Ethan’s newly upgraded ability. He and his companions moved carefully through the winding corridors, their footsteps echoing in the silence. The only light came from the faint glow of Fauna’s magic and the occasional torch flickering with pale blue flames. The walls were adorned with twisted, decaying tapestries, and the air smelled of dust and rot. This was a place untouched by time, a tomb for the forgotten and the damned.
“We’re getting closer,” Fauna whispered, her rabbit ears twitching nervously. “I can feel it. There’s powerful magic ahead.”
Ethan nodded silently, his crimson eye scanning the gloom. His limbs moved silently across the stone, and every step felt like walking into the maw of a beast waiting to swallow them whole. His senses, sharpened by the body of the Pale Lord, tingled with an ominous warning.
Klax growled softly. "The stench of death is thick here. Whatever we’re about to face… it’s not going to be pretty."
Tara unsheathed her blades, her feline eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. "When is it ever?"
They pushed onward, descending deeper into the castle’s depths. The walls grew colder, the air heavier with magic. And then, as they rounded a corner, the hallway opened up into a massive chamber. The ceiling stretched high above them, lost in shadow. At the far end of the room stood a tall, imposing figure, cloaked in living shadow.
[Enemy Identified]
[Nether Lich: Level 35]
HP: 195/195
WILL: N/A
It stood hunched over, its skeletal form adorned with a dark robe that seemed to flow like liquid shadow. In one bony hand, it clutched a staff, the head of which glowed with an eerie purple light. Its hollow eye sockets burned with a malevolent energy as it regarded the intruders with cold disdain.
“A Lich…” Tara groaned. “Of course. The Delve had to throw one of the most annoying of all enemies at us.”
“Lemme guess,” Ethan whispered. “Summoner of Undead, right?”
“An expert summoner,” Fauna nodded. “Liches can call up legions of Undead in a matter of seconds. Even worse – when they die, their soul instantly inhabits their nearest minion so that they might rise again at full strength.”
OP as hell… Ethan thought. What I wouldn’t give for that little ability…
“Options?” Tara asked.
Ethan tensed, his limbs twitching in anticipation. He knew that fighting a Lich wasn’t going to be easy, especially not in a place like this, where the very air was infused with dark magic. They were on its home turf, alright. And judging by the mounds of bodies surrounding the creature, it would have no shortage of ammunition against them.
“Speed,” Ethan stated. “We strike hard and fast, get in a preemptive butt-kicking that knocks the thing down and stops it from casting. Take its HP as low as we can. Then we exhaust it. Once it’s got no mana left, and no more corpses to raise, we rush in and take it out.”
The group nodded. It was as good a plan as any, and Ethan could tell that the three of them were finally starting to see him as more of a leader now.
“No objections, Klax?” Ethan asked the venerable grey hound. “This is a pretty reckless plan. Thought you might have some reservations?”
Klax smiled in the shadows of the Sepulcher's castle walls.
“There is a time for patience and playing the long game,” he growled. “And there is a time for kicking ass. Now is the time for the latter.”
“Klax!” Fauna chuckled.
“I’m with the Hopla,” Tara said. “Who are you and what have you done with our lovable wolfboy?”
Ethan bid the team stick together as he gave the signal to move out. Now, more than ever, he needed them to stick together. And maybe, by easing the burden of leadership off of Klax, he was managing to do just that.
“Alright,” he whispered as his eyes met the dark voids of the Lich’s face. “Move out!”