[Dungeon Interface - Active]
[The Hanging Gardens]
[Restore the four Aspects of Vitality - 0/4]
[Find and eliminate the source of the undead invasion - 0/1]
Our view from the platform was absolutely breathtaking. The forest canopy was a myriad of vibrant greens and yellows. The magical device took roughly a minute to bring us up to the dungeon. I braced as we approached, shield ready, just in case there was some monster waiting at the top to knock us off the platform.
Nothing had been waiting for us when we entered the Burrows, but that didn't mean every dungeon would have a safe entrance. We crested the top of the central platform and were greeted by an army. Undead creatures of various shapes and sizes shuffled around aimlessly. The sight of rotting corpses walking around was horrible to behold, but the smell was exponentially worse. Even this far away, it overwhelmed all other senses and made my stomach turn. Ruined stone buildings and broken statues littered the central platform, which led me to believe it had been some sort of temple before the invasion. The entire outer rim was a lush jungle growing out of rectangular beds. A lone building still stood in the center of the circle, entirely surrounded by the undead.
Thankfully, none seemed to notice us as our ride continued higher into the air and began floating away from the army. I held my breath until I was sure we were well out of range. The group exchanged concerned looks as we drifted toward the southernmost platform.
"How are we supposed to kill an entire army?" Cass whispered.
"I don't think we need to. The objective states to restore the four aspects and find the invasion's source. It doesn't say we need to defeat everything in here," I quietly responded.
"Let's hope so. We could not overcome that many enemies. We would die," Jen stated bluntly.
Our mobile platform slowly lowered us toward the inverted pyramid, which was thankfully clear of the undead. A massive statue decorated the center of the garden, while a lone bridge in the distance connected it to the central platform. Well-kept shrubs and bushes made clear walkways along the inner section of the platform, while the outer edge was primarily trees and vines. The platform itself was small, the size of a large warehouse. In the exact center stood a massive statue surrounded by flower beds. Further north, I spotted the lone bridge connecting the pyramid to the circular platform in the center of the Gardens where the undead army was.
After a blinding flash of light, Brunhilda appeared and waited for us at the edge of the garden. Jen immediately knelt before the Herald, prompting Cass and Leo to mimic the gesture. My teammates quickly dragged me down onto one knee.
"Stand," the Herald commanded. Her voice alone seemed powerful enough to make me want to comply with her orders.
"Welcome to The Hanging Gardens," Brunhilda declared with a grand gesture to our surroundings.
"I did not expect the undead army, to be honest. I was certain we'd be fighting sentient plants," I told the Herald, causing Jen to gasp.
The Herald chuckled before responding, "The Goddess and I are quite proud of this rendition. In my opinion, the undead horde lacks the passion of the demon army, but they make up for it in their determination."
"Rendition?" I questioned.
"Oh, yes. Every three months, the enemies in the Gardens are replaced. Each group of enemies is more difficult than the last. In two months, the demon army will replace the undead. That will make the dungeon more suitable for Level 30 and above adventurers," the Herald continued.
For a moment, Brunhilda reminded me more of a proud architect than the overpowering harbinger of a goddess. When talking about the Gardens, she seemed an entirely different person. Her smile only widened as she described that the layout and buildings even changed with each enemy, though the primary objective remained the same. However, she deftly avoided mentioning any hints on how to complete the dungeon.
"What happens to the old enemies when it's time to switch?" I asked curiously.
"They're manifestations of Freya's power and mana. She just reshapes them into whatever she needs," Brunhilda explained before continuing her lecture about how damage to stonework could tell you what type of foe you faced. I listened intently to every word in case the Herald offered any hints or help. Teos sent me wave after wave of boredom, which I had no intention of acknowledging.
At the end of her speech, Brunhilda offered me her hand. As I reached out to grab it, power flooded from the Herald and into each of us. I dared not activate mana sense this close to Brunhilda, but I could physically feel the energy radiating out of the woman.
[Brunhilda's Blessing - Experience gained while inside The Hanging Gardens increased by 50%]
"See you at the end, Champion," was all the Herald said before vanishing in a flash of light. She was still smiling as she disappeared. Something had changed. The hostility I encountered yesterday was gone entirely. Freya could have simply ordered her to be nice, but the incredible blessing seemed to indicate she was being genuine. We began approaching the center warily.
"You speak to the Herald?" Jen asked, breaking the silence.
I turned toward the team, "Am I not supposed to?" I questioned.
"She is the voice of the Goddess. Meant only to be heard, never questioned," the elf answered.
I shrugged, "That is probably pretty boring. Imagine existing for epochs, but nobody will speak to you."
As we approached the center of the platform, I noticed that the statue I had spotted earlier was not a statue at all. It was a giant man wearing green robes. His skin and hair looked to be made of grey stone. The man was kneeling, with three small floating crystals surrounding him. I activated mana sense and immediately identified the problem. The crystals were suppressing his mana, health, and stamina. I held up a hand for the group to stop.
[Boro, Aspect of Vitality - Level 20]
Health: 1%
Mana: 1/1000
Stamina: 1%
"This is one of the Aspects. There's no further information, but his health, mana, and stamina are at 1%. I'm guessing we need to destroy the crystals and heal him. Whoever or whatever did this to him will probably notice and send something after us the moment we do," I told the others.
"Leo, how close do you need to be to heal someone?" Jen asked.
"Forty to fifty yards is the maximum range," Leo answered.
I followed the ranger's gaze to the single bridge not far from us. We had already scouted the entire platform, and there was no sign of enemies behind us.
"They'll most likely come over the bridge. If that's the case, we need to be up there defending it. It's a natural choke point." Jen added.
"And if they can fly? Or teleport?" Cass questioned.
"It's a risk. Cass, stick with Leo until we're certain nothing will come from behind. Jen can aid you from a distance, and I can hold the bridge alone for a short while if need be," I declared. Cass nodded and moved next to our healer.
"It will only take a few seconds to heal the Aspect. I'll be ready for whatever comes after," Leo added.
We all agreed the most likely scenario is that a boss monster would cross the bridge or teleport in after Leo tried healing the Aspect. Caution would only get us so far in a dungeon, though, and we decided to go for it. I let out a War Cry as the others applied their offensive and defensive skills.
I approached the bridge with Teos. It was made from beautiful interlocking stones in contrasting colors and was only about as wide as most two-way streets. A layer of fog in the distance prevented me from seeing anything further than the halfway point. I turned back and nodded to Jen. The ranger loosed an arrow at the first crystal, shattering it into a mist of green, blue, and yellow. She repeated the action on the final two crystals, and Leo immediately began casting.
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The Aspect's health jumped to 46% from Leo's heal, and a debuff appeared over the giant man.
[Healing Sickness - Cannot be healed. 90 Seconds Remaining.]
The worst part was that the debuff lasted an entire minute and a half. I instantly heard rumbling and shuffling across the bridge, and I turned to ready myself. A few seconds passed before I spotted any movement in the distance. Shapes were now coming through the wall of fog. Reanimated corpses slowly made their way toward us, carrying rusty weapons and wearing tattered armor. The zombies groaned and growled at me as they approached.
[Draugr Footsoldier - Level 13 Undead]
Health: 100%
Mana: 150/150
Draugr are the reanimated corpses of fallen soldiers. Although physically weak and slow, they typically attack in overwhelming numbers. Draugr are particularly weak to blunt damage and fire magic.
After reading the brief description, I quickly swapped to my warhammer and relayed the information to my teammates. I readied my shield and took a few steps forward, preparing myself for the first wave.
Arrows and chain lightning crashed into the zombies as they reached me. I went to work blocking and parrying as many as possible, then smashed the closest one back with a Shield Slam. Its body fell apart as it flew into the others behind it, staggering them and buying me precious seconds. Teos clawed at any who came too close to my flanks, expertly dismembering the Draugr long before they could react to his swift attacks. His fire magic was deadly against the undead, and he kept a constant stream of fire up to pressure the encroaching army.
Dozens of undead were slain in the first few moments, but dozens more immediately replaced the fallen. Rusty swords and chipped axes repeatedly bounced harmlessly off my armor or shield, but many other strikes found the gaps in my defense. I was bleeding from countless tiny cuts and scrapes as my health slowly drained from the onslaught. Cass had already joined the fight, quickly hacking apart undead with her axes and relieving some of the pressure on me.
Any misgivings I had about Jen joining the team were eroded quickly by the ranger's performance. She consistently killed the draugr just out of my range while weaving healing spells between her arrows. While not as potent as Leo's, her healing spells could typically cover me well enough that he could focus on someone else or even attack. Leo healed in large chunks, closing wounds and severe injuries in the blink of an eye, but Jen's healing initially only restored small amounts of health with a nice long healing-over-time effect. She quickly picked off any enemies that strayed past me or the others, nullifying the threat of being attacked from behind.
I smashed my armored foot into the ground, casting War Stomp. I followed up with another Shield Slam, sending four or five zombies flying backward and using the space it created to cast Provoke.
[Augment Rune: Guardian has reached Level 6 - Expert - You may now choose an upgrade for 'Titan's Favor.']
[Prime Rune: Ironwall has reached Level 9 - Master - An ability has been upgraded.]
I grinned. Titan's Favor was one of my most powerful skills, and I could now choose an upgrade for it. Regrettably, that would have to wait until after this battle. I lashed out with Devastate, crushing one draugr after another. With each kill, the ability's cooldown reset, and I would immediately use it again. For the first time, I had to actively watch my mana usage. Most of my skills cost so little or had such long cooldowns that I stayed above 50% mana, even during more prolonged battles.
Every few strikes, my hammer would explode in a flash of jagged ice, killing most of the enemies near my target. It was my only real method of area damage, but it was entirely random, so Leo and Jen did most of the heavy lifting. Cass focused on killing or funneling enemies on the right side of the bridge to me while Teos kept our flanks clear. We did make a few minor mistakes at the beginning, such as me stepping into Jen's firing lanes or using control spells too closely together, but after some time fighting together, we fell into a rhythm.
[You have reached Level 16.]
Moments after Leo healed the Aspect a second time, something hit my ribcage with a sickening crunch. Leo reacted quickly to the attack, and I was healed before I even stood. I felt my ribcage reform from the magic, and I could breathe normally again. The force of the blow sent me sprawling backward, and I scrambled to my feet to spot the attacker.
[Draugr Commander - Level 15 Undead Elite.]
"New enemies! Elites!" I shouted to warn the others.
My shield arm was numb, and even as Leo healed the damage I had taken, the Elite quickly closed the distance. It brought its huge mace in a brutal overhead swing, and it came crashing down on me like a meteor. I rolled at the last moment, letting the mace smash into the stone floor. Leo had warned me about elites before our first dungeon. They were stronger and faster than a standard enemy. While not as dangerous as a boss monster, elites were serious threats in their own right.
Draugr still attempted to rush around me, and quite a few had made it through when I had fallen. I was about to yell to Leo when he read my mind. A wall of stone erupted from the floor a few feet in front of me and completely blocked the bridge. Cass and Teos used the chance to regroup on me as I kept the Commander busy. The wall wouldn't hold the zombies for long, but seconds on the battlefield may as well be days. Jen and Leo expertly eliminated any normal draugr behind us while Cass and Teos butchered any on my flanks.
Now able to focus entirely on the elite, I let out a War Stomp and swung my hammer at its head. My strike connected and staggered the undead, but it remained standing. I activated Frenzied Strikes, then lashed out with Crushing Blow. I used the brief stun to hit the zombie with Devastate, but it dodged at the last moment to avoid a killing blow. My hammer still crunched into its chest and brought it to one knee, however. Cass immediately took advantage and rushed forward with a Scissor Strike, decapitating the elite just as the stone wall crumbled.
We only needed to hold the bridge for one more minute before the Aspect would be fully healed. Two more elites had joined the battle. Both were Draugr Commanders, but one wielded a pair of short swords, and the other had a massive single-bladed axe. Jen fired a silver arrow at the axe wielder, pinning him in place for a few seconds and letting the rest of us focus on the other. I immediately rushed the first elite and hit it with a Shield Slam. It raised its sword to block, but the force of the blow was so powerful that it slammed the zombie into the ground. The Commander showed no signs of pain or injury as it rose to its feet and began unleashing a flurry of sword strikes at me. My shield met most, but a few slipped under or around my defenses, leaving nasty gouges in my armor. One managed to slice my forearm deep enough that I lost feeling in my right hand. I hopped backward out of range as Leo quickly healed the wound. Cass chopped away at the undead's flanks and rear, landing deep wounds from which thick, black blood poured. Teos managed to blast it with a fireball, causing it to stagger forward. I used the opportunity to deliver a powerful overhead swing, and my hammer slammed into the warrior's shoulder with a satisfying crunch.
Only fifteen or so regular draugr remained, so I shouted for Leo and Jen to pick them off while Cass, Teos, and I dealt with the two elites. The one with swords was nearly dead, but the axe wielder was quickly closing the distance. I slammed my foot into the ground with a War Stomp and followed up with Devastate. My warhammer slammed into the Commander's head with a loud crack, and the undead warrior crumpled to the ground. One down, one to go.
[You have reached Level 17.]
That bonus experience was tremendous. A few regular draugr shambled their way toward us, but most were quickly killed by lightning or arrows. I used Devastate on a few nearby before turning my attention toward the remaining elite. It rushed me with its two-handed axe raised above its head, poised to strike. The axe came rushing down, and I brought my shield up to block it. The force behind the attack sent waves of pain through my right arm and shoulder. I heard Leo shout that he was healing the Aspect for the final time, and I readied myself for what may come after. The elite swung its axe in a horizontal arc, my shield barely made it in time to block, but the strength behind the attack let it deflect off my shield and into my right thigh. I screamed in pain as I felt the axe bite deep into my bone. Cass and Teos rushed in, clawing and slashing at the elite even as it ripped its vicious axe out of my leg. I had the distinct feeling that without my insane Vigor, that attack would have completely severed my leg.
I struggled to stand as Jen launched healing spells at me, but the elite didn't drop its focus on me. I had to scramble backward away from another overhead strike. Every instinct told me not to use my right leg, but I knew Leo and Jen would have it back in working condition in no time. I got to one knee, grunting from the pain, and raised my shield to block the follow-up attack. The force knocked me onto my back, but I felt the familiar warm feeling of healing magic flow into me the next second. I used Shield Charge before I was even standing, which sent me flying toward the elite with my shield raised. I smashed into its face with tremendous momentum, and the draugr stumbled backward, right into Cass's waiting axes. She delivered an overhead swing that buried both her axes into the neck of the sole remaining enemy.
I let out a sigh of relief when I saw the powerful monster fall but continued to survey the battlefield. I wouldn't relax until I was sure nothing else would come over the bridge. A few minutes passed without any sign of more enemies approaching. I turned and walked to the Aspect, who was on one knee and panting. He was fully healed, but his mana and stamina were still very low. He picked his head up and met my gaze.
"Thank you, warriors. You have saved my life. Please, take these as a reward," he stated as a large chest materialized in front of him.
Leo opened the chest and laid out the items for me to inspect.
[Gardenweave Leather Pants]
120 Armor
Rare Medium Armor - Legs
+20 Strength
+20 Dexterity
+20 Vigor
+10 Regeneration
[Sharpshooter's Grips]
90 Armor
Rare Medium Armor - Hands
+30 Dexterity
+20 Vigor
+10 Intelligence
+10 Regeneration
Equip: Damage with bows increased by 5%.
It looked like there were no upgrades for Leo or myself, but each of those would greatly benefit Cass and Jen. I wasn't worried. There were three more Aspects to help and presumably a final boss.
"I must rest for a while, but I will join you for the final confrontation," the Aspect stated.
I was hoping the Aspect would help us on the next platform, but his aid in the final battle was certainly welcome. The team sat around me as I set a blanket on the stone floor and removed some water for everyone.
I walked over to the corpses of the regular draugr, but was once again unable to loot them. The basic leeches in the Burrows hadn't dropped anything either, so I guessed that dungeon mobs couldn't be looted. I assumed it had something to do with them being a direct manifestation of a deity. The elite zombies did drop a few Gold each, which was better than nothing. I went back to the team and sat down next to them.
"Well fought, everyone," Jen stated proudly.
"Agreed, that was epic," I added while grinning.
"You nearly lost a leg. How was that epic?" Leo asked.
"Oh, that was nothing! I love dungeons. All of the thrill, none of the guilt," I replied, laughing.
Jen and Leo just shook their heads, but Cass echoed my feelings. Dungeons were excellent for training. That previous battle was an amazing exercise for defending an area from a larger enemy force. I had to remember that, although it was technically training, it was potentially deadly.
"What's your class ability, Leo?" I asked the mage once I spotted his new level.
He pulled out his tome and inspected it before replying, "It's powerful. It lets me fully heal an ally instantly every 24 hours. It also cleanses any and all negative effects. Unfortunately, it costs 90% of my current mana to use."
I let out a whistle at his description. I knew that being below 20% mana could cause headaches and even loss of consciousness, so that would be a last-ditch save if we needed it. If Leo had low mana, on the other hand, that spell would cost almost nothing. It would still probably take him out of the fight, but one full heal could quickly change desperation into triumph. Cass and Jen had reached Level 18, and Leo was now Level 16. Teos hit Level 15 during the battle. The bonus experience was amazing for our progression. We decided to rest here for a while before moving on to the next platform. Lunch and meditation would go a long way toward preparing us for the next challenge. I quickly dove into my interface to inspect my new upgrades.
Titan's Favor - (Passive) Every time you block or parry an attack, you gain an instance of Titan's Favor. This ability may stack up to 12 times. - [Titan's Favor: Increases your strength by 2% for 2 minutes.]
[Please choose an upgrade for 'Titan's Favor.']
1) Titan's Favor - (Passive) Every time you block or parry an attack, you gain an instance of Titan's Favor. This ability may stack up to 12 times. - [Titan's Favor: Increases your strength by 2% for 3 minutes.]
2) Titan's Favor - (Passive) Every time you block or parry an attack, you gain an instance of Titan's Favor. This ability may stack up to 12 times. - [Titan's Favor: Increases your strength by 3% for 2 minutes.]
3) Titan's Favor - (Passive) Every time you block or parry an attack, you gain an instance of Titan's Favor. This ability may stack up to 6 times. - [Titan's Favor: Increases your strength by 4% for 2 minutes.]
I didn't need much time to decide. The third option was tempting, but I typically never struggled to reach twelve stacks. The first option was useful, but it was already a long buff at two minutes. I mentally selected option 2, then moved on to see what had been upgraded from my Ironwall Rune.
Reflection - Send projectiles and magic attacks back at enemies for 6 seconds. Cooldown: 40 seconds. Cost: 15 Mana. (Upgrades: 1)
Reflection was an awesome ability and really let me stand against powerful magic users. Now, the duration lasted an extra second, and the cooldown was reduced by twenty seconds. I pulled out lunch from my Cache and set up an impromptu picnic for the group. After eating, I settled into a meditative state, preparing myself for the subsequent trial.