CHAPTER FIVE - THE PROMISE
New [Optional Task] Defeat [Nau’lok, abyss stalker] (boss monster).
Kill Nau’lok, an adolescent freshwater leviathan, who feeds on those lost in the subterranean maze.
* Reward: 500 fate.
* Reward: [Ability].
Condition: [Hypothermia] has been applied.
[Hypothermia]: Type: Cold. Effect: [Vitality] will decrease by 1 every minute.
[Vitality]: 16/17.
What happens when my vitality reaches zero? I don’t think I want to find out.
And a boss monster? I haven’t seen a monster display anything like that before. This is not good. Not good at all.
It’s so cold. I can’t breathe, my lungs are burning for air but I can’t breathe. I need to slow my heart rate and assess the situation.
Alize is coming, please tell me she’s coming.
Corin closed his eyes, shutting off the cold, dark world around him. The thump of his heart beat slowed.
He opened his eyes and called up his display.
There must be something I can do.
[Ascendant Interactive Display]
Corin Altear
[Race]: Human variant - Astran
[Class]: Unassigned
[Statistics]
* [Strength]: 20
* [Speed]: 22
* [Endurance]: 17
* [Vitality]: 17
* [Spirit]: 22
* [Focus]: 26
[Abilities]
[Inventory]
[Equipment]
[???]
His statistics had all improved considerably since he had first entered the tower. He went into his abilities page and pulled up natural selection.
[Natural Selection].
* Rarity: Epic.
* Type: Growth.
* [Natural Selection] (passive): Ascendant’s statistics improve at an increased rate. The greater the challenge, the greater the increase.
* [Natural Selection] (active): Triggering this ability will double the power of a chosen [Statistic] for 02:00 minutes. When this ability ends all [Statistics] decrease by 50% for 01:00:00 hour. Cooldown: 12:00:00 hours.
The active ability might give me the edge I need, but what statistic should I use? I need to do something soon, at this rate I’ll drown long before the cold gets me. And it's a big risk too, if I don’t kill the beast before the ability wears off I’ll be as good as dead.
Where is Alize?
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Alize was expecting a cold shock, diving into the frigid waters, and was pleasantly surprised to find quite the opposite. The waters were temperate–like a summer dip in the river–her new ring blanketing her in a faint aquamarine aura as she descended, shielding her from the cold and creating a magical supply of oxygen.
She swam after Corin and his captor, its powerful tentacles leaving massive trails of dark bubbles with each flap. She checked her mana display, which she had learned to keep open in a small panel to the top left of her vision.
[Mana]: 140/200.
Seven. She had seven shots with the ring’s ‘hydrolance’. The monster had seven tentacles remaining, she had been sure to count when her withering spell had illuminated it. Ideally, she would save some mana in case she needed to heal Corin, or herself for that matter.
She remembered the potions left sitting in the chest. I really should have grabbed those before diving in here.
She estimated about two minutes had passed since Corin was dragged underwater, she gave him five, maybe six at most before he’d give out.
The beast was retreating faster than she could swim. Taking aim, she unleashed her first hydrolance. The water in front of her ring began swirling together until it formed a spiraling cone of fast moving water. Water rushed in as the vortex grew, wide around her ring, narrowing to a spear-like point.
Alize aimed at the beast and the hydrolance zoomed into the abyss, leaving behind a violent tunnel of eddying water. Alize was sucked in and thrashed around for a moment before righting herself. Looking down she saw the shape of a tentacle floating away in the current, a trail of wine colored mist lingering behind. One down, six to go. I hope I don’t hit Corin.
She pressed on into the deep, firing volley after volley at the abyss dweller.
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[Vitality]: 14/17.
Corin’s limbs felt weak, his entire body screaming for air.
He felt the monster shudder as something hard collided with one of its tentacles in the dark. He saw a faint glowing light descending through a tunnel of churning water. There was another impact as a speeding arrow of white whizzed past his face and collided with the forest of dark tentacles flapping around him. He felt the young leviathan’s grip wane as its limbs reeled from the blow.
Now or never Cor.
[Natural Selection] (active): [Strength] will be doubled for 02:00 minutes. When this ability ends all [Statistics] decrease by 50% for 01:00:00 hour.
Would you like to activate: [Natural Selection]?
Yes/No.
Yes.
Corin felt all of his muscles contract and expand, bulging veins rippling along his forearms and the seams of his tunic straining against his empowered bulk.
He wrapped a musclebound arm around the tentacle he was ensnared in, crushing it with his newfound strength.With the other he drew his scimitar, slicing through a neighboring limb.The beast thrashed and tumbled, trying to shake Corin free, but his grip was solid.
Corin felt strong enough to lift a horse as he wrestled with Nau’Lok, down in the darkness. He slashed and stabbed with blind ferocity at the flailing jungle of tentacles, feeling more than seeing his blade make shallow cuts and deep gashes.
Condition: [Bleed] has been applied.
[Bleed]: A target inflicted with this condition will lose blood at an increased rate. The rate of blood loss increases by 10% each time the [Bleed] condition is applied up to a maximum of 50%.
[Natural Selection] Time remaining: 01:00.
[Vitality] 13/17.
Corin knew he had gained the upper hand but that didn’t stop his body from protesting against every swing. A roaring fire burned in his lungs, his body trembled in the icy cold, and his vision blurred as he willed himself to stay awake. With one final strike he kicked off a lashing tentacle and swam desperately for air. He saw a light approaching him from above.
An angel? He thought, as his strength gave out and the world faded to black.
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Alize fired off her final Hydrolance as she spied Corin breaking free from the monster’s slimy clutches.
At first she thought he would swim up towards her but he stayed, wrestling with the beast. His arms and neck looked thicker and his eyes glowed with a menacing red light.
He hacked at the remaining three tentacles in a frenzy, the hunted become the hunter. His brief surge of fight dwindled fast, and he kicked up into a panicked ascent, mouth opening as he tried to breathe. Steam trailed off his body as his enlarged muscles deflated, his eyes meeting Alize’s as his body began to jerk and convulse in the water.
She sped down to him, pulling off her ring and slipping it on to his gloved pinky. The glowing blue aura that had surrounded Alize during the fight now spread around Corin. Color returned to his skin as she hauled his long and heavy frame towards the surface. The ice cold sting of the water seeped into her muscles, draining her strength, and her legs threatened to give out. With one final kick they broke the surface, Alize gulping for air as Corin’s head hung limply at her side.
She slapped him as hard as she could.
“Wake up! Corin! Corin, Wake up!” She screamed.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She pulled him to the edge of the indoor river before dragging herself out. It took most of her strength to heave his dead weight onto the stone floor. She straddled his waist and bore her weight down through her arms, compressing his chest. One. Two. Three– With the third compression Corin came spluttering to life, coughing up a cupful of water mixed with blood. Alize jumped off him as he rolled over and continued hacking up phlegm.
When his fit was over he lay back on the floor, taking in deep breaths.
“Is it dead?” He asked.
“I don’t know, it looked pretty beat up. I was more concerned with keeping you alive.” She replied.
“But the fate, the ability…”
“What are you talking about?” She asked.
“What? Oh, it’s nothing. My head’s still reeling.”
“Don’t you ever do something like that again!” Alize said, as she fought back tears, a lump catching in her throat.
“Huh? I wasn’t planning on being Kraken food.” Corin said,
“I know, I know, I was just… I was so scared.” Alize sobbed, unable to contain her tears.
What if he had died? What if she had died? What if she had been a moment too late with the ring and he hadn’t made it?
Alize’s mind raced as tears streaked down her cheeks.
Something damp caressed her face, she opened her eyes as Corin gently thumbed away tears.
He smiled at her, “Thank you for saving me, Alize.”
He slipped the ring she had given him off his glove and placed it in her palm. “That’s one awesome ring you’ve got there, keep it safe.”
She nodded, slipping the ring on, feeling its warm aura, before pulling Corin into a tight embrace.
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Corin let his body rest against Alize as she squeezed him tightly. He drew in long breaths through chattering teeth, occasional fits of spasming attacking his limbs.
He couldn’t believe it. The tower, the very real baby leviathan that had almost drowned him, the sensation of power and bloodlust when his ability had kicked in, the overwhelming lethargy now that he was paying the price, he couldn’t believe it; it was real. He knew it in the way his body convulsed against his will, in the burning touch of Alize’s cheek against his neck, in the bone-chilling realization that he had almost died.
A shudder ran down his spine.
Most of all, he couldn’t believe Alize had been willing to give her life for his. Until now, Corin had been ready to cut and run at a moment's notice, keeping a wary eye on his companion and their surroundings. Sure, he had saved her from the centipede, but compared to a shadow panther that thing was child’s play. There was a feeling, a twisting in his gut, something not borne of adrenaline or exposure, but something much deeper.
He felt Alize shake in his arms as she let out quiet sobs.
Corin had seen death before; in the alleyways he had scavenged, in the mines his father had slaved away in, at the hospice where the sick uttered their final farewells, but never had he come so close to experiencing his own.
At first he had been annoyed, waking up on the stone floor with no task reward in sight, but the more he ruminated the more he felt grateful to the elven stranger in his arms. He had intended to keep her alive for the reward, begrudgingly accepting the company of an unknown quantity with charming grace.
He had never been one for group work, field exercises always ended badly when some incompetent decided to do things their way, and life on the streets had always been a one man act. The only person to break that mold was Hakim; affable, generous, competent, but with a sharp mind and wit that played off Corin well. Hakim could see through Corin when others couldn’t, and Corin counted himself blessed to be roommates and best friends with such an outstanding individual.
Alize had proven herself, both reliable and trustworthy, and he would make sure she left the maze alive.
“I hate to trouble you, but it’s awfully chilly out.” He said softly.
Alize startled at the noise, “I’m so sorry, you must be freezing!”
“Hypothermic actually,”
“Wait here, I’ll get a fire started.” Alize said, unnestling herself from Corin before running about the room.
Corin watched as she ran about, collecting up the potions before dragging the chest over.
“It’s still nice and dry, it should burn.” She said, setting off again to grab a torch out of its iron housing on the wall.
Corin struggled with his sopping tunic and gloves. Shaking and groaning, he wrestled them off, revealing an emaciated torso covered in circular red welts. He figured his startling physical change was due to all of his statistics being reduced by 50% as a side-effect of natural selection. Curious, he opened his display as Alize attempted to set the empty wooden chest alight.
Condition: [Hypothermia]: Type: Cold. Effect: [Vitality] will decrease by 1 every minute.
[Vitality] 8/(8)17.
Condition: [Natural Selection] (active): All [Statistics] are decreased by 50% for 01:00:00 hour.
Time remaining: 56:00.
[Statistics]
* [Strength]: (10)20
* [Speed]: (11)22
* [Endurance]: (8)17
* [Vitality]: 8/(8)17
* [Spirit]: (11)22
* [Focus]: (13)26
No wonder I feel like shit.
Corin closed the display as a fire roared into life, casting dancing shadows about the room.
Alize looked up from her work, a wide grin planted on her face. Her eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed a rosy pink when she noticed his state of undress.
Corin moved to arrange his garments around the fire which was no easy task. It felt like someone had dropped a crate of rocks on him and his hands trembled violently as he tried to pick up his tunic, now a wet rag on the floor. Alize hurried over.
“No! You sit still and get warm, I’ll handle it.” She ordered, collecting up his shirt and gloves, arranging them neatly by the fire.
“Thank you, you didn’t find a potion of vitality by chance?” He asked, sitting back down.
“I haven’t looked at them yet actually, you didn’t find a spellbook did you?” She asked, moving to sit next to him.
“Book? Oh you mean the musty old tome we found in the chest, its funny you should mention actually–”
Alize cut him off, “Tell me about it while I get your boots off, you’ll lose a foot if you’re not careful.”
Corin acquiesced, offering her a booted foot. Alize tugged at the sleek-black boots of the shadow panther.
“That’s weird, they won’t come off.” She said, inspecting the shoe.
“They won’t come off? They won’t come off! I’m a fool, I’ve been such a fool.” Corin said, laughing.
Why would I need to take them off physically, when I can take them off mentally.
He brought up his equipment page and imagined the boots moving to his inventory. A shroud of black smoke gathered at Corin’s feet, when it cleared he was shoeless.
“What? What was that? Where did they go?” Alize asked, looking around as if the boots would appear like a card in a magician’s act.
“The display, the inventory, the equipment; in the tower it’s everything.” Corin said, mouth trying to keep up with mind.
A moment later he presented the soaking wet boots in his hands, summoned from a puff of smoke.
“It’s not a habit yet but by constantly relying on the display everything can be done more efficiently.” He said, smiling at his clever observation.
Alize nodded, then tried it for herself, dismissing her staff and recalling it in a swirl of green light.
“It is pretty handy.” She said,
“Handy? It’s more than that Alize, imagine, all of your weapons, your armor, your outfits, your food and water, your research notes and spellbooks, all within instantaneous reach. Summoned from nothing and returned to nothing. It’s incredible.” Corin rambled.
“It’s unnatural, and I don’t like it, but I see your point; learning to use and understand the display might be the difference between life and death here.” She conceded.
“Exactly!” Corin said, beaming a smile.
“Now I know you’re excited, but you need to rest and warm up.”
Corin nodded, and Alize pulled his head into her lap so he could rest in front of the fire.
How long had it been since he had last slept?
As he lay there his mind wondered what the limits of the tower and its interactive display might be. There were still more questions than answers and he was chomping at the bit to ask Hakim what he had uncovered so far. He poured over the contents of his display one last time before drifting off to sleep.
One question stood at the front of his mind; what was a ‘class’?
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Corin awoke to the sound of crackling wood and the comforting smell of a fireplace, a soft pillow cushioning his head. For a moment he thought he was back in his room at the academy, then reality sank in as stoney floor dug at his hip.
Opening his eyes he was greeted by the same stone room he remembered from his dream.
Oh, it wasn’t a dream.
Was it always so bright in here?
Rolling over he saw Alize curled awkwardly against his side, messy brown curls covering her face. He leaned over, grabbing his tunic, toasted warm by the fire, and rolled it into a makeshift pillow, gently sliding it under Alize’s head.
Standing he felt aches and pains along his sides. A panel opened up in front of him.
Condition: [Hypothermia] has been removed. [Vitality] will return to normal at a rate of 1 point per hour.
Condition: [Natural Selection] (active): All [Statistics] are decreased by 50% for 01:00:00 hour.
Time remaining: 00:00. The condition has ended.
You have completed: [Optional Task] Defeat [Nau’lok, abyss stalker] (boss monster).
Congratulations, you have defeated Nau’lok, the adolescent freshwater leviathan.
* [Vitality] has increased by 3.
* [Endurance] has increased by 2.
* [Strength] has increased by 2.
* [Speed] has increased by 1.
* [Natural Selection]: All [Statistics] have increased by 2.
* You have received: 500 fate.
* You have received: [Ability]: [Abyssal Sight] (rare).
Corin’s jaw hung slack. Not only had his bleed condition finished off the leviathan but all of his statistics had taken a massive leap too. And a new ability to top it all off? Corin felt like he had just had the most productive nap of his life. With childish glee he dove into his display, excited to see his progress.
[Statistics]
* [Strength]: 24
* [Speed]: 25
* [Endurance]: 21
* [Vitality]: 12/22
* [Spirit]: 24
* [Focus]: 28
Corin bounced on his soles before performing a brief sword dance with his razor-beak scimitar, the dark blade cutting controlled arcs through the air. His muscles still ached but he moved with the grace and precision of a Yaronese blademaster, a control of the sword he had longed for but only ever glimpsed, now his to wield. Content with his statistical improvements, he sheathed his blade and looked at his new ability; ‘abyssal sight’. He hoped it was as cool as it sounded.
[Abyssal Sight]
* Rarity: Rare.
* Type: Enhancement.
* [Abyssal Sight] (passive): You can see in darkness as if it were well-lit.
* [Abyssal Sight] (active): You can see the magical aura of other living beings, including beings who are invisible or concealed by magic. Cooldown: None. Mana cost: 10 mana per minute.
No wonder the room felt brighter, he could literally see in the dark. Awesome.Corin tested out the active effect on Alize. A display popped up in the corner of his vision as he activated the ability.
[Mana]: 230/240.
I have mana now? It must be because abyssal sight uses mana, but why 240? It wouldn’t be a random value, the magic of the tower is too precise and favors quantifying everything too much for it to be random. My spirit statistic is at 24, it’s possible that mana is directly proportional at a 10:1 ratio with spirit. I’ll have to ask Alize what her numbers are. Speaking of Alize…
Corin dismissed the mana display and observed his draelin companion with his abyssal sight. A light-green field of energy appeared around her, swirling with gentle streams of purple and blue, pulsing gently as she breathed. Looking down, Corin noticed his own aura, a writhing spectacle of red and gold light flowing around his arms, occasionally flickering and licking at the air like a magical flame. Alize’s aura appeared faint and gentle in comparison, a discrepancy in power perhaps? Corin ended the ability, all mages of the first academy knew it was wise to never waste mana.
He considered the combination of items and abilities he had accrued thus far. Abyssal sight combined with bleed and the shadow ambush ability provided by his boots sounded like a real threat.
“Who says you shouldn’t be afraid of the dark?” Corin said with a chuckle.
“Corin? What time is it? How long have I been asleep?” Alize asked, yawning.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“Huh? Oh, you’re shirt. Your skin’s looking a lot better.”
Corin looked down, his corded muscles glistening with a layer of sweat, most of the red welts that had covered his torso, now a light pink. He looked back at Alize who looked away, holding out his shirt.
“Thank you, for the…pillow.”
Corin felt a warmth in his cheeks. He strode over, taking his shirt and pulling it on.
“I should be the one thanking you.” He said.
Alize looked back at him, a look of puzzlement on her slender face, before glancing down at her thighs. The tips of her ears went bright red.
“You're blushing.” Corin pointed out.
“I’m not blushing, you’re blushing!” Alize replied.
“I’m joking, I’m joking, here,” He extended a hand to the embarrassed draelin, “we should get out of here, the fire might have attracted unwanted visitors.”
Alize took his hand, seemingly glad he was moving past her abashment.
“You saved my life Alize, I promise I’ll get you out of this maze.”
“I know you will.” She said with a soft smile.
Nice, she’s just too damn nice, nobody is this nice. I can’t let her down.
“Come, you never told me about those potions, and I never got to tell you about my book.” Corin said, leading the way as they approached the wooden door.