Not a barrier. I thought as I felt the cool stone of the door handle on my palm. With a light push, the door swung inwards.
Warning, you have entered a region of high ambient mana.
Mana regeneration increased by 15.7x
We stood at the edge of a large circular chamber. Grooves set with gold and brimming with almost unfathomable arcane mana snaked and twisted across the floor. Each strand of gold originated from one of hundreds of small circular holes around the room’s edge and ended at a raised dais in the center of the room. Here, two conical spikes of black stone rose from the floor and descended from the ceiling to meet in the center of the room where a silver sphere hung suspended in the air between them.
I didn’t need a skill to see the quantity and complexity of mana passing through that sphere. The light emitted by the raw mana alone was enough for me to squint my eyes
So enraptured was I with the sphere, that I almost missed the large squelching thump sounding out from nearby. My eyes followed the sound down to the base of the pillar where it hid the bulk of a large bulbous shape that wobbled into view.
Greater Arcane Slime: level 19
Fight or run? I thought as I watched the slime hop in a random direction, seemingly oblivious to our presence. I glanced to Autumn who nodded and lifted her strung bow from her shoulder, before smoothly reaching back for one of the few arrows in her quiver. Of course we would fight it. Letting my backpack fall to the floor, I reached in to remove a small red gem, a gift from Wolf, and a block of wood. I placed the gem atop the wooden surface and activated it with a little prick of my mana. Within a heartbeat, the gem grew hot and the wood began to smolder. I gave Autumn a nod.
The sek’heli drew back her bow and sent an arrow speeding towards her target where, with a faint plop, the arrow breached the slime’s thin membrane and buried itself up the base of the fletching. The slime’s movements slowed as it seemed to flatten itself against the ground. Autumn drew her second arrow.
With a burst of speed, the creature launched itself across the room towards Autumn who released her second arrow with a shout and danced aside. I heaved my chunk of wood into the slime’s path and activated my shape flame skill, the smoldering wood bursting into black flame before striking its target.
The chuck of wood fell back to the ground, leaving only a small charred patch in its wake.
That didn’t go as I expected. I thought, drawing my daggers. Not that Autumn was doing much damage either. “I don’t think poking it with arrows is very effective!” I yelled as Autumn’s second arrow lodged itself into the blob.
“We don’t have many other options!” She yelled back. “Do you think you can keep wood burning if it’s lodged in a slime, or do you need air?”
“How would I know? I’ve only used the ability twice!” I shouted, running after the slime as it chased the much more nimble Autumn across the chamber. With a slash of my weapon, I tore open a thin line across the membrane. A puff of purple mist shot out of the wound before the surface closed once more. Anticipating the sudden movement of our quarry, I sidestepped as it charged me and I reached out to slice the slime again as it passed.
“I hate endurance fights.” I grumbled.
“River! I need a light!” Autumn shouted. I turned to see her holding an arrow near the still burning stump, the metal tip wrapped in a length of cloth. With a thought, the flame leaped to the cloth and Autumn drew back her bow to send the arrow flying towards the slime. The flames spread to the wooden shaft just before the entire projectile pierced the slime’s membrane to join the other two. The flames winked out.
I dodged another attack, focusing my attention on the still glowing embers on the embedded arrow. I pushed hard with Shape Flame, willing that ember to grow and burn. Something resisted me. My mana ticked down one by one. I pushed harder, dodging another strike as my mana began to tick down ten by ten. Finally the wooden shaft burst into black flame. I pushed harder again, the last few dregs of my mana feeding the flames that ate and consumed the purple mist from within.
My mana winked out. I stumbled, nauseous for a moment as the world tilted. Before the slime could charge me again, Autumn dropped her bow and leaped upon the target with her own daggers held in each hand. The slime wobbled as she tore into its surface before it popped like an over filled balloon. Purple mist engulfed the room and Autumn’s three arrows clattered to the ground.
Level up! Shadowflame Trickster has increased to level 1.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Attributes:
+2 Dexterity
+2 Intelligence
+1 Spirit
+2 Free
Level up! Vul’heli has increased to level 11.
Attributes:
+1 Intelligence
+2 Free
I dismissed the notification and blinked blearily around the room. I could see my mana ticking up before my eyes.
“Nice.” I nodded. Of course we won. Why wouldn’t we? A small voice in the back of my head screamed that I was being stupid, but I pushed it aside. We were here to explore after all.
“Yeash.” Autumn said, her voice strangely slurred. “What’s that?” She pointed to what looked like a cloth-wrapped figure previously hidden behind the black pillar. Beside the corpse a small crack crossed the lines inscribed into the chamber floor. Arcane mana flowing through the gold gathered at the gap in the stone and it leaked out as a viscous fluid across the floor. Even as I watched, the mana coalesced into a tiny purple blob.
Arcane Slime: Level 1
I squished the slime with my paws as I walked over to stop at the feet of the corpse. It was sek’heli skeleton clothed in ancient blue fabric which was embroidered in silver threads. It wore a pair of inscribed spectacles on its bony snout and clutched an ornate staff carved from ebony in its skeletal arms. Gold-filled inscriptions swirled in comprehensible patterns up the length of the staff. At the top, branch-like protrusions encased the clearest quartz crystal I’d ever seen.
I reached down to pick it up.
“Are you sure you should be doing that?” Autumn asked in a tone that almost made me pause. She swayed a bit where she stood. “I feel like I should be worried, but I’m not. I think something weird is going on.”
“It’s fine.” I said, wobbling as I grabbed the staff. A jolt of mana ran up my arm as my fingers closed in on the polished wood. I pulled the staff from the skelton’s clutches. The polished wood felt heavy in my grasp. I placed the butt against the floor and steadied myself.
“Um, River.” Autumn said, the concern in her voice drawing my attention back to the floating silver orb in the center of the room. Shadow and light flashing across the orb’s surface. The staff began to grow warm in my hand.
“Do you think it’s the wardstone?” I wondered aloud, but Autumn shook her head.
“I don’t know. Maybe we should go.” She said, taking several unsteady steps backwards to support herself against the wall. “Something’s not right. The room is spinning. It’s like I’m drunk, yet not. I don’t understand.”
“In a moment.” I said. “Lets see what this orb-” My words cut off as the silver sphere began to expand, growing larger and larger until it consumed much of the black stone. Black text styled after the system’s interface began to flash across the surface.
Initiating startup…
Scanning system…
Warning! 122741 critical errors detected…
Isolating effected areas…
Warning! Wardstone not detected…
Warning! Mana reserves at .00134%...
Warning! Mana replenishment at 3.27%...
Warning! Available Mana manually prioritized to critical systems…
Finalizing system startup…
Detecting…
Warning! Vul’heli user not recognized…
Scanning…
A tendril of arcane mana reached out to touch the quartz crystal of the staff. My muscles seized as a sudden electrical jolt surged through my body. Then it was gone, leaving me shivering where I stood.
Vul’heli of the Shadowclaw Tribe detected…
Path Arcane Initiate detected…
Path acceptable for Keeper initiation…
Information: Keeper authorization required for initiation. Would you like to proceed?
“What is all this?” I mumbled. “A keeper?”
“We should really go.” Autumn said again, glancing towards the entrance. I made to turn towards her only to find myself frozen in place unable to move anything but my head. For the first time I felt concern worming its way into the strange confidence infused throughout my thoughts.
“I can’t move.” I said, hearing a slur to my words I’d not noticed before. “Maybe we just need to say ‘no’.”
As soon as the word ‘no’ left my mouth, new text appeared on the sphere.
Information: User not recognized as authorized Keeper…
Information: Awaiting Keeper response…
“How can we await ‘Keeper’ response?” I shouted. “They all died millenia ago, you useless sphere!”
Calibrating time keeping device…
Information: 4342 years since last system activation…
Calculated probability of Keeper survival: 0.000000000000002992%
Conclusion: Keeper is deceased.
“No shit! Their skeleton is right here!”
Overriding Keeper authorization…
Beginning initiation procedure…
Calculating…
Please state your name…
“I explicitly said no. Just let me leave.” I pleaded. It was getting harder to think. I needed to leave this place.
Please state your name…
“Don’t answer it, I’m going to help you.” Autumn said, stumbling towards me as the line of text repeated itself. I glanced from her to the sphere in panic. If Autumn wasn’t able to move me, then there was only one way out of this.
“Dancing River.” I said.
Welcome, Dancing River…
Please hold still while Keeper initiation is completed.
“River, you idiot!” Autumn shouted.
The sphere pulsed, and an unfathomable amount of mana began rushing out of the floor along the strands of gold towards the sphere. Power pooled within the sphere’s depths, growing stronger with every passing moment. It pressed against me, magnifying the overwhelming power saturing the air.
Something far beneath us pulsed with power. Something incomprehensible. Something that terrified me through my addled thoughts.
A wave of pure magic power tore up through the conduits and exploded out from the sphere, striking my chest hard enough to lift me from my paws and send me flying backwards through the air. I struck the unforgiving stone wall.
My vision flickered and the wave of mana carried my consciousness away with it. Visions consumed me.
**********
Atop the plateau, even the strongest members of the shadowclaw expedition staggered beneath the sheer quantity of raw mana that surged out from beneath them. Rain looked to the tower with worry etched across his features.
Fifty miles to the north between the jagged peaks of the Dragonspine Mountains, an army of Orcs flinched as a wave of mana pulsed through them. Above them, a great beast paused in its assault and looked to the south.
A thousand miles to the west, in the far reaches of Kroll, nine Keldani council members paused in their meeting as an undeniable wave of mana brushed against them. Together they looked to the east. Soon, hushed words filled the silence.
Two thousand miles to the south in the States of Dorin, an archmage glanced up from his studies. He felt something: a call of foreign mana against his skin. He dismissed the feeling, only to glance up in shock as a strange music filled his ears, for the first time in four thousand years, the great wardstone began to sing.