Staring at the room for a long, long second, my mind raced. The mage and archer stood in the back with both the warriors standing almost directly in front of them, making it incredibly difficult to attack them. The three regular skeleton’s I mentally dubbed One, Two, and Three and noted they were the ones moving forward to attack me first.
Kicking off as hard as I could, I surged forward into a sprint. Using my new dexterity to it’s fullest, I slammed Gae Bolg into One’s skull, killing it instantly. I managed to use the butt of the spear to knock Two off balance before I had to leap back from a swing made by Three. As I did, I narrowly dodged both an arrow and a sharp icicle as they flew through the space where I was.
My eyes flicked over towards the remaining skeleton’s and I grimaced as I noticed the mage and archer getting ready for another shot. The Two had recovered by then and made a vicious downwards slash towards me. I dodged to the side, making sure that Two and Three were between me and the ranged fighters.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then in the next, an icicle blew Two’s arm off at the shoulder, and an arrow shattered Three’s collarbone. Taking advantage of the staggering skeletons I managed to thrust forwards twice, short and vicious lunges easily piercing their skulls.
I threw myself sideways as soon as I heard the bowstring release, barely managing to dodge the two projectiles again. Looking forward again, I saw the two warrior skeleton’s start charging towards me. I smiled grimly as I named them Rib and Femur in my head.
I threw myself back to avoid the first slice and hurriedly raised the spear to parry the second and Femur lunged forward. I stepped back again as Rib thrusted straight towards my chest, slamming Gae Bolg into it’s outstretched arm, but not quite breaking it. I had to lunge sideways to avoid an attack by Femur.
My eye’s widened as I realized that the ranged attackers could fire at me again now that the two warriors weren’t blocking their shots. The warriors seemed to be the only allies the mage and archer avoided hitting.
I ducked to avoid the icicle that was soaring towards my chest, but I felt a sharp shooting pain burn my side as an arrow ripped a bloody furrow across the flesh, not a direct hit but still brutal. I ignored the failed bonus objective prompt and swung Gae Bolg in a wide sweeping cut. Rib attempted to block the heavy attack, but it’s cracked arm broke as it did, forcibly disarming it.
I used the same sweeping motion to block the attack from Femur, deflecting the sword into the ground. Seeing Femur’s guard open from the deflection, I surged forward and managed to pierce it’s skull, making the skeleton drop down, dead.
I let out a loud gasp of pain as Rib used the chance to punch me in the side with it’s remaining arm. I coughed for a moment as I leapt back to recover. Again, I dodged another barrage from the mage and archer. Using the free moment after, I stepped forward and pierced Rib’s skull as well.
With the last warrior dead, I waited for a moment and dodged the ranged attacks again. This time, I rushed forward, my dexterity letting me close the distance quickly. The archer fell easily, Gae Bolg slapping away the bow and stabbing through it’s skull.
As I turned towards the mage, I yelled in surprise as an icicle slam into my thigh. Cursing loudly, I lunged forward and stabbed the mage with a vindictive smile.
I stood there, breathing heavily, for a long moment and looked around the room, eyeing the bones scattered here and there. After a moment, I felt a wet trickle on my leg. Looking down, I could see the icicle start melting far faster than normal, water seeping down my leg.
With a grimace, I limped towards a wall and let myself slide down it into a sitting position.
Quest Completed!
Ambushed!
Reward Obtained: 1,00 Lien & Leather Armor
Bonus Reward: Objective Failed!
I let out a rasping laugh, feeling the currency and armor appear in my inventory. “Gods, I wish I had that armor before this fight..” I let out another short laugh. “Well, that definitely feels like life telling me that was enough for today. Also a very good deterrent to leveling addiction,” I muttered the last part to myself as an afterthought. Wearily, I summoned my status window up.
Name: Cato Emrys
Title: None
Race: Human
Class: Fighter 18/50 [3%]
Level: 18
Health: 392/500 (0.20/Sec)
Mana: 165/165 (1.20/Sec)
Str: 20
Dex: 25
Con: 20
Vit: 20
Int: 11
Wis: 12
Cha: 10
Lck: 10
Free Points: 6
Apparently, those special skeletons were worth more than regular, because I’d somehow leveled up twice, even it it looked like it was only barely judging by the 3%. Thinking over the fight that had been my toughed by far, speed had been my best asset. The hardest thing had been paying attention to everything at once, which was supposedly increased with wisdom. Nodding slowly to myself, I split the six points, half to dexterity and wisdom each.
With that done, I laid my head back against the stone and tried to ignore the pain as my passive healing slowly sealed up my injuries. After almost ten minutes, the wounds were fully closed. I frowned as I did the math and noticed that my health regen should have done it in around nine minutes instead. After a few moments thinking about it, I decided that I was considered full health when my injuries didn’t impede me in any way. So while they may have been there, they didn’t actually affect my ability to fight or move, so it was considered at full health. It only took the full minute to heal back until it looked like normal.
I shook my head, forcing the math out of my mind. I had already decided to be done with leveling and fighting today, the rest of the day was to be spent getting what items I’d need to live, like a toothbrush and more clothes. With a heavy groan, I forced myself back onto my feet.
“ID Destroy,” my voice was tired but firm. As soon as the shimmering portal formed completely, I walked through, emerging into my hotel room once more. Gae Bolg shimmered and disappeared as I stored it.
After stretching for a moment, I exited the room and started making my way down to the lobby. Coming into the lobby, I noticed a few people scattered around the room, sitting in chairs and reading magazines. Making my way to the counter, I quickly paid for an extension on my room. I’d managed to convince the receptionist that since I had a day already paid for, I could use the lowered rate to pay for another six days since it came out to a week. Leaving the hotel, I felt a little more secure in having relatively secure lodgings for the next week or so.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Looking at the sky, I judged the day to be a little farther than half over, giving me more than enough time to find all that I needed.
The day slowly came closer to night as I went on a shopping blitz. Buying all the essential items, a half dozen outfits centered around dark green and black, and a scroll. I couldn’t help the small grin that had spread across my expression when I finally held a scroll.
When I finally got back to my room, I spent a hurried few minutes putting everything in it’s place before excitedly booting up the scroll. I rolled my eyes when I had to go through a dozen identity questions and terms of use agreements, apparently those are trans-universal. Finally, I set it up fully and started browsing around.
It turns out, Remnant’s internet was surprisingly similar to Earth’s. Sure, overall it seemed a little more purpose driven with a lot of service sites and informational sites, but you could find the same kind of nonsense and online hilarity if you went looking for it. IT was only after a few hours of browsing around that I eventually calmed down and started looking up some more important things.
I started writing in a notebook I’d bought as I read through as many entries on the grimm as I could find, listing down behaviours, weaknesses, and characteristics to be careful of. I made sure to find all the entries on the grimm I could remember, Beowolves, Ursai, Deathstalkers, Nevermores, Goliaths, Creepers, so on. What I took even more notes on though, were the grimm that I couldn’t remember. LIke the Webstalkers, which resembled giant spiders that I hoped never to meet, and Stalkers, panther-like grimm that liked to stalk and ambush their targets. I was just starting to slowly dry up the well of information on them when I looked at the time with bleary eyes and saw that I’d stayed up until one AM. Shaking my head slowly, I let out a long yawn and collapsed backwards and into the bed, preparing for the next day mentally.
The next day began with the sunlight nearly blinding me as it lanced in through the window I’d forgotten to shutter, “Ow…” I lifted an arm to block the light as I squinted around me. Finding only the same room around me.
Slowly rolling over to look at the time, I groaned. Fighting through, I levered myself to my feet and got ready for the day. I quickly devoured some of the food I’d purchased while out the day previous, sating my morning hunger. After I was finished and fully awake, I spoke to myself quietly, “Dungeon time…” I mentally pulled my new leather armor from my inventory and watched it appear in my hands within a polished wooden chest. Setting it on the floor, I opened it and began putting on the armor. After almost thirty minutes of puzzling out the straps and buckles, I managed to put it on. Looking into the small mirror in the bathroom, I had to admit I did feel better protected than the day before.
“ID Create,” my voice was more confident than the day before, no doubt an effect of having armor in addition to Gae Bolg in my grasp. Emerging from the portal once more, I stepped into the familiar damp stone room, facing a single skeleton.
Skeleton - Lvl. 1
“Ah… That’s mildly annoying that I start over each time…” I muttered to myself. I quickly burst forward and killed the skeleton faster than it could react. I tilted my head to the side, “Then again, if I ever want to level other’s I guess I wouldn’t want them to be thrown in at the deep end…” I shrugged after a few moments, “Oh well, think about it later.”
The same rooms that had given me trouble before, were almost laughable to me now. I made sure not to get too arrogant, as I’d read far too many examples of what that sort of thinking will do to you, but I did enjoy the ease with which I killed the skeletons.
I was just finishing the last of a small group of level nine skeletons when a new window appeared in my view.
Skill Improved!
[Fighter] Spear Mastery (Apprentice): You have begun to learn the art of wielding a spear. The basic manuevers and forms that were all you could understand, are now a foundation. Your skill has grown and the you have begun to understand the spear.
+20% Damage with Spears
I blinked in surprise at the improved skill before grinning. I could suddenly feel that the description of the skill was right, I noticed that I was slowly improving and even branching out from the basic attacks and defenses I’d started with. “Slowly,” I murmured, “Bit by bit, I’ll get there.”
When I reached the door to the final level ten room, I took several deep breaths and got myself ready to move quickly, just in case the same enemies were there again. The quest that I’d gotten last time made it seem like it was out of the norm, but I wasn’t about to get surprised if I didn’t need to be.
Stepping through and scanning the room, I felt my shoulders relax a small bit as I saw seven level ten skeletons like the dungeons pattern would normally indicate. Then I felt myself frown as I noticed a small silver ring with an opal laying on the ground behind the skeletons. I backed away from the skeletons, giving myself a little more time to think.
Eventually, I realized that the ring was laying where the mage had been during the ambush. “Holy shit, is that my first drop item?” I said out loud, too surprised to catch myself. Before I could get too caught up in my thoughts, I forced myself to focus on the skeletons. It took me a few moments to quickly pierce the skull of one before spinning Gae Bolg as I pulled it out, simultaneously knocking away an attack from one undead while disarming another, quite literally.
Jumping back, I quickly lunged to the side and scored another quick kill befroe taking advantage of the disarmed skeleton and killing it too. I used the butt of the spear to knock away one skeleton before using all my dexterity to quickly whip it around to parry another attack. I could see a third attack from the corner of my eye. Using Gae Bolg as a lever, I heaved the skeleton in front of me into the path of the attack.
Backstepping to get back out of the immediate range, I looked them over again. Three untouched skeletons and one injured. I took a few breaths before surging forward again, quickly killing an untouched skeleton. I deflected an attack from one of the others before parrying and stabbing the third. I grimaced at the heavy impact of a bony fist against my back as the injured skeleton managed to land a hit. Fortunately, the blow was too weak to hurt me through the armor.
Taking a long stride forward, I slapped aside a sword stroke from the last untouched skeleton before spinning around and killing the injured one. With only one skeleton left, I easily dodged a the usual sloppy cut and killed it.
Looking around for a moment, I calmed my breathing before nodding to myself. I walked over to the ring on the ground with a curious frown on my face. I Observed it as I scooped it up from the ground.
Ring of Mana Storage [Ring: Uncommon]
This ring holds a specially and magically prepared opal, used as a battery to store mana. The ring is not a particularly powerful medium of storage, but remains useful.
Mana Storage: [23/100]
“Huh…” I turned the ring over in my hand, examining it closely. The silver was simple and unadorned, but the opal shined and glittered a little more than I thought was normal. I shrugged and put it down as the result of being a storage container for mana. Slipping the ring on, I felt it resize itself to fit perfectly at the same time as I suddenly knew exactly how to use it, both store mana in it as well as take and use mana from it.
“Oh what the hell,” I muttered before dumping my mana into the ring until it was filled. Looking over at my status, I watched my mana slowly tick back up, bit by bit. “I doubt it will hurt to have a little extra mana at hand. Even if I can’t use it right now.” Shrugging again, I firmed my grip on Gae Bolg and entered the next room.
This room was different. It had the same damp stone making up it’s walls, floor, and ceiling, but it was far smaller than the usual great halls. This was barely fifteen by fifteen feet. Sitting along the sides of the room were long padded benches, with what looked like a washing basin in one corner. And sitting right in the middle of the strange room, was a large, wooden chest.
Immediately my eyes narrowed. Without hesitating, I lunged forward and Gae Bolg pierced through the top half of the chest. Leaping back, I waited for a moment. Nothing happened. Slowly, I lowered Gae Bolg and looked at the hole in the chest, seeing just that, a hole punctured through wood.
“Ah… Could’ve sworn it would be a mimic…” I murmured, my cheeks growing red as I was glad no one was there to see my mistake. Coughing into my hand, I stood up straighter, doing my best to ignore the large hole in the chest as I walked up to it.
Looking around the room, I scratched my head. “I guess it is kinda… A rest room? Or something like that?” I had to admit, it was a nice reprieve from the almost constant fighting against skeletons. And if I’d need to do the same thing everytime I entered the dungeon, it would be nice to have something to look forward to.
Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I reached down and threw open the chest. Looking at the contents, I scratched my head in confusion for a moment. Resting on a velvet liner, was a small cloth wrapped package with a stylized image of a bow on it. A I Observed it, I made a noise of comprehension.
Dungeon Reward!
Zephyr Greatbow
The Zephyr Greatbow is a more a weapon of power, compared to other bows finesse. The Greatbow is used to bring down great enemies from a distance, the lance-like arrows being fired with immense force and penetrating power.
Zephyr Winds: This Greatbow channels the strength of the very winds themselves. Upon drawing the bow, a great arrow forms from the very winds themself, making a maelstrom of cutting wind.
“Oh holy shit!” I exclaimed. That was… That was really good. The bow would give me a range that I frankly just didn’t have at the moment. Gingerly, I reached down as touched the small package. As I did, it glowed and dissolved away. At the same time though, I felt the bow appear in my inventory.
Quickly taking it out, I looked it over, impressed. The Greatbow was almost six feet, with a small spike on the bottom of one end, presumably so it can be planted into the ground for stability. The actual bow itself was a beautiful green wood with carvings of jungles, winds, and storms all across it. The string was a thick, tightly spun cord. Experimentally, I tugged on the string. I could only pull it back half way, making my mind boggle at the presumably forty strength I’d need to actually use the thing.
Overall, the greatbow was a thing of beauty. “Well, well, well, that solves one problem I was having,” I murmured, while admiring the weapon. Almost reluctantly, I stored it once more.
I glanced around the rest stop, “While nice… I don’t think I need a rest for now.” Bringing Gae Bolg out of my inventory again, I entered the next room.