Chapter 85 – Old Enemies

Mastery Downgrade

Dexterity

Adept-Low 🡪 Apprentice-High

Jack frowned at the notification. It popped up pretty much immediately after he dumped the remainder of his points into Dexterity, bringing him to a cool one-hundred. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Maybe an achievement, or an award. Instead, he got the downgrade.

Jack supposed it made sense, considering he had been sitting around forty-five Dexterity before the swarm of levels and skill points. Now he’d literally doubled his point total. It would take time to remaster his newfound speed. Jack found himself annoyed that getting back to the level of Adept would likely require more training. Something which he was morally against.

“Whatever…” Jack grumbled to himself. He looked to the woods, trying to orient himself in the unfamiliar terrain.

“Should be this way.” Jack said, picking a direction and bending down into a running stance.

He let an explosive tension build in his legs as he steadied his breathing. He watched a leaf fall from the tree above, floating gently back to the earth.

The second it touched the ground, Jack took off, launching himself forward in an explosive burst of speed. The forest grounds hardly made for a good running track, but he didn’t care. The surrounding trees became nothing but a blur as Jack pushed his legs harder and harder. With his upgraded body, his stride felt better, more efficient. It felt as if his body had been rebuilt for speed, and Jack couldn’t help but smile.

The wind ripped in Jack’s ears, and his new piece of armor slid off from his bracer and wrapped itself around his head, turning into what Jack hoped was a helmet. Whatever it did helped block out the noise as the helmet desperately clung to his head.

Jack spotted Hannah a moment later, deeper in the forest, leaning against an enormous stone door that seemed wholly out of place in the middle of a forest. The dungeon entrance.

Jack tried to stop, but it was clumsy, and he tripped on a tree root. His stop turned into more of a hectic barrel roll of bouncing and pain as he tumbled across the forest floor, slamming to a thud against the stone door Hannah was leaning against. She cocked an eyebrow at Jack.

“How fast was that?” Jack asked, voice both excited and exasperated.

“I wasn’t timing you…”

“You weren’t? So why the hell did I just sprint across half the dungeon?”

“I have no idea. Nobody told you to do that. You just said, ‘time me’ and ran off without any explanation.” Hannah said with an eye roll. “Now, if you’re done messing around, let’s get the hell out of here.”

Jack nodded at Hannah, standing up off the ground and taking one last glance at his temporary home. He wasn’t one to get sentimental, so he didn’t. He would not miss this place in the slightest. He had wanted to leave immediately, but Hannah was insistent we should check every nook and cranny for loot as well as take as much time to recover as they could.

There wasn’t much else to loot that was better than anything they already had. Jack had fed every piece of armor he got his hands on to his new shadow pet thing until it flat out refused to eat anymore. He was up to two pieces of armor that it could actively maintain at once, and that was only after feeding it what felt like half a dozen sets of common and uncommon armor. He was a little annoyed that none of the pieces with stats seemed to transfer over, but maybe that would come with time. Or maybe it was just the price to pay for sentient armor.

He looked at the black bracers that were currently the chosen form of the shadow armor. They didn’t quite look like any armor he had absorbed. It looked like maybe the shadow was capable of combining different types of armor and coming up with styles that suited Jack. The bracers were leather at the moment, with a sleek metal plating over the top. All black, of course. Jack was going to have to do something about that. He preferred vibrant tropical colors.

Hannah had found a fair amount of precious gems and metals, some known, others unknown. Jack had never heard of things like mithril before, but Hannah assured him it was important. Aside from that, Jack did find the upper limits on just how much a void sack could carry. He dropped a finger inside his bag and got the impression of a small room filled to the brim with casks of alcohol. Gurthok’s cellar had been impressive, to say the least. Hannah was thoroughly annoyed that Jack dumped everything out of his void sack and gave it all to her for safekeeping.

Now Jack’s void sack gave him the impression of an alcoholic hoarder’s wet dream. Whatever magic powered the void sack simply refused to let him put anything else in unless he took out a barrel.

I’m going to have to find a second void sack. Jack mused, still staring at his portable bar.

“Jack.” Hannah snapped in his face. “You ready?”

Jack looked at her and smiled.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.”

They both placed their hand on the giant stone door.

[Exit the Secret Dungeon of Gurthok? Y/N]

Jack selected yes, and the world went black for a brief moment. It quickly rebuilt itself around him and a moment later Jack found himself standing back in the mountain cave, cold mountain air batting against him as it winded through the cave.

Achievement: Oathbreaker

You have survived the consequence of breaking one’s soul oath.

+1 Token of the Oathbreaker.

A silver coin materialized out of the air the size of Jack’s palm. He watched as it dropped to the ground. The world started to immediately warp and bend around the two tokens, as though they were sucking up reality itself. Jack and Hannah stood back, staring at the phenomenon.

“Shit.” Hannah said a second later. Jack inspected the token from their now blocked off path as the two tokens pulled in more and more of the cave.

Token of the Oathbreaker

Type: Single Use Item

Tier: Ancient

Enchantment Slots: 24/24

[Oathbreakers Favor - 24 Slots]

The Tower will shield you from the effects of breaking a soul oath.

Even the dastardly deserve an award.

[Warning: Insufficient mana, item degrading in…]

[10…]

[9…]

[8…]

Jack and Hannah sat there staring at the tokens as they pulled more and more of reality in around themselves, desperately trying to sustain themselves with the weak mana provided on the first floor.

The timer ran out, and the coins disappeared, crumbling to dust as reality repaired itself.

“Did the Tower just-“ Hannah started to ask.

“Taunt us? Give us an awesome prize only to take it away a second later because it’s a massive bag of dicks? Yes. Yes, it did.”

To add insult to injury, two small chests appeared a moment later, dropping to the ground in front of them.

“Motherfucker…” Hannah growled as she inspected the chest.

Ancient Mana Locked Chest

Type: Container

Tier: Ancient

Enchantment Slots: 24/24

[Mana Storage - Natural Enchant]

Allows the user to store mana within the item which can then be used to power the item's functions.

[+3 Sustain - 24 Slots]

Uses the mana stored in the chest to sustain itself in harsh environments.

This chest isn’t where it should be…

The two stared at the chest, anger burning deep in their hearts. Hannah was the first to pick them up.

“Don’t take them! The Tower wins if we take them!”

“I’m not just leaving them here. They might be useful if the Tower ever pulls this shit on us again. Why do you think it did that, anyway?”

“I dunno. It’s probably annoyed that we survived. Maybe it had to reward us but didn’t want to? So, It fucked with us instead?” Jack mused, before looking angrily up at the ceiling. “This won’t stop me, asshole. I’m going to keep breaking soul oaths, and now I’m going to do it even harder!”

“What does that even mean?”

“The Tower knows what it means, and that’s all that matters.” Jack grimaced, storming off down the tunnel, his good mood ruined.

Jack walked through the long winding tunnel, chewing on his cheek deep in thought, thinking about all the ways he was going to break the Tower. He spotted daylight spilling into the tunnel and picked up the pace, only for Hannah to grab his arm.

“Someone’s out there.” She said in a whisper.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Who cares? We’re super strong now.” Jack said.

“You’re right.” Hannah said, a look of realization on her face. “Still, I’ll hang back a bit in case we need to get the jump on whoever is out there.” She said, Jack nodded and pushed toward the exit.

Jack emerged from the tunnel onto the cold mountainside. He looked around at a camp turned shanty town. There was a smattering of pieced together wooden walls, and canvas and tarp hanging across them, blocking the winds. A large bonfire burned in the middle of it all. Jack looked around at a group of people all going about their business, completely oblivious to the new arrival.

Jack looked at one of the men sitting closest to the fire, cloak pulled up tight around his body, two enormous saber toothed tigers cozied up next to him. The man had long black hair and a scraggly, unkempt beard. He cradled a spear in his arms.

Why do I know that guy? Jack wondered to himself.

“Hey! Intruder!” someone screamed to his side. Jack glanced over to see a woman who had a sword leveled at him. Jack looked back to the fire. The tigers were gone, but the man was walking towards him with a large smile on his face.

“My friend. I’m glad to see you’ve survived.” He said, approaching Jack with slow, tentative steps. Jack felt his hands fall to his daggers, rhythmically tapping against the handles.

“Do I know you?”

“Have you forgotten already? We came to blows in the town below several weeks prior. It’s me – Jimmy.” He said with a placating smile.

Jack squinted at the guy. He honestly had no idea who the hell he was.

“Hey… pal.” Jack said awkwardly. “Any reason you have this tent city set up outside the dungeon?”

“I’m simply waiting for my turn to get inside. I’m glad to see you made it out safe. We had little hope. I don’t see your friend with you?” Jimmy asked, curiosity on his face.

“She died inside.” Jack shrugged.

“So, it’s just you?” Jimmy asked. Jack squinted at the man and the dangerous grip he held on his spear.

“Afraid so. I was hoping my other friend might be out here. You didn’t happen to see him, did you?” Jack asked, preparing himself to kill everyone here if he didn’t get the answer he wanted.

“Ahh, the fellow who teleports no? I did, in fact, see him-“

Jack withdrew his daggers and stepped inside Jimmy’s defense in one uncatchable motion. He had both his daggers held at the ready, pressed to the man’s throat. The entire camp both sprung to life, the five people surrounding Jack leveling their weapons at him.

“This is going to go one way. You’re going to tell me everything you know about Sam and where he is. If you say anything I don’t like. Everyone dies.” Jack said matter of fact.

Jimmy took a gulp, and then nodded.

“As I was going to say,” he choked out as Jack pressed his daggers harder to the man’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood. “The U.F.E. took him!” he stammered. Jack squinted at the man, still not lowering his daggers.

“Explain.”

“Just that. The U.F.E. was camped outside, just as we are. They eventually left and took your friend with them.”

“Why?” Jack demanded, daggers biting a little deeper into the man’s throat.

“I don’t know! I don’t! I swear!” Jimmy pleaded. “I’m not on good terms with them so it’s not like I could stop and ask them.”

Jack nodded sharply, letting the man go and sheathing his daggers. Jimmy let out several gasping and choking sounds.

“So, what now?” Jack asked, staring around at the group of people who still had weapons pointed at him.

“Whatever do you mean?” Jimmy asked, pushing himself off the ground.

Jack remembered the stories Sam and Hannah had told him about groups waiting outside the dungeon to attack unsuspecting targets. It’s half the reason they spent the entire three days recovering inside the dungeon before the system closed it on them. They figured there would be someone out here waiting to kill them.

“I mean, who attacks first? You’re clearly not going to let me leave here alive.”

“Well. You are right about that. Typically, we like to get you before you even have the chance to talk, but someone wasn’t keeping proper guard, so now we’re in a bit of an awkward position.” Jimmy said, taking a tone of chastisement as he looked over at a man with a bow who was staring pointedly at the sky now.

Jack squinted at Jimmy. He just had the man practically groveling a few seconds ago, now though he had shifted back to calm, cool and in control, sending half a dozen hidden signals to his surrounding team. Jack watched as they fell into a subtle formation around him.

This guy might actually be dangerous. Jack thought to himself. In his experience, the snakes who would do whatever it took to survive usually were.

“I’d really prefer you not do whatever you’re thinking about doing. You might get a few of us. But you won’t get us all.” Jimmy said matter of fact. “I’m a reasonable guy. I can be negotiated with.” He finished with a wolf-like smile.

“What is it you want?”

“Just leave us with all your equipment. I’ll leave you with your levels and your life. I can tell your strong. You’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

Jack nodded along at Jimmy. Well, not really at Jimmy. He was more focused on the small glob of orange energy that was now forming in the sky.

Guess that’s my signal.

Jack smiled at Jimmy, and then sprinted directly past him in a burst of speed. He heard Jimmy scream something from behind as he bore down on his target – the healer.

He watched as the poor man’s eyes went wide, raising his staff seconds too slow as Jack charged him at breakneck speeds.

Jack slipped on the snow, tripping forward across the ground. He was an awkward position to get off an attack, so he opted for the reliable old shoulder check into the healer’s chest. He heard the snapping of a chest plate as the man’s chest caved inward. Jack watched as the healer flew back and slammed into the mountainside wall, dropping to the ground unmoving.

Jack quickly reoriented himself on another mage who was standing there. HE lashed out with his daggers, only for the mage to turn to a pool of liquid, reappearing aside Jimmy, who hurdled a green spiky blob into the air. It exploded, raining down hundreds of tiny green caltrops all over the area.

Jack froze, staring down at the spike covered ground.

“Smart. After the first time you escaped my caltrops, I set out to upgrade the ability. You’ll find these a lot more unforgiving of… well… any movement at all.” He shrugged. Then he hurled his spear at Jack.

Jack easily avoided the attack. What he did not easily avoid was the spear turning around in the air behind him and coming at him from his blind spot. He grimaced as he took a glancing blow to the back of the spear.

The only reason he didn’t get run through is his shadow armor flared to life, moving off his wrist and forming a carapace on his back which narrowly intercepted the spear.

“Nice job buddy,” Jack found himself saying. He wasn’t sure if he was going insane again, but it felt like the armor buzzed in excitement at the praise.

Jack stared down at Jimmy and the mage standing next to him, suddenly remembering the guy.

“You’re that asshole that attacked us!” Jack said, pointing an accusing finger at Jimmy.

“Yes? We already went over this, didn’t we?” he said, confusion plain on his face.

“Jimmy, look out!” Came another voice from one of the bow wielders behind Jimmy. Two large crystal arrows came ripping out of the tunnel and slammed straight into the orb of mana, which had grown to roughly three times the size of a basketball. Jack watched in excitement as it exploded. It rained literal hellfire and destruction as fragmented crystal shards exploded outwards, cutting through anything in their path. That was only the herald for the true destruction that followed.

Globs of fiery liquid rained down from the skies as Hannah’s napalm mana covered everything in sight. The mage next to Jimmy threw up a barrier of water, shielding the two under an umbrella. The mage grimaced as Hannah’s mana mixed with the water and quickly set the whole barrier aflame. Both men separately cast their movement abilities, finding refuge away from the fire.

Jack watched as the fire took shape in front of him, revealing two very on fire sabertooth tigers stalking towards him. Their slow prowl quickly turned into a panicked charge as a literal fire was lit under their ass. Jack spared a glance for the warrior and the archer walking towards the tunnel to attack Hannah.

Good luck charging down an archer at the end of a long, narrow hallway. Jack grinned to himself as he launched forward at the tigers.

He winced in pain as any movement over a certain threshold seemed to activate the tiny little caltrops. In seconds, the caltrops covered his legs, and he felt the sickening feeling of poison running through his veins.

His movements became immediately sluggish as he rolled out of the way of one of the tigers, delivering half a dozen cuts to in the process. More of the green caltrops attached themselves to Jack, and he felt his legs go wobbly and his vision go hazy.

Focus. A voice rang out and Jack grit his teeth in frustration against the poison coursing through his body. The amount of times Rodeo poisoned him before sending him out on a job had him used to this shit. He could fight through it… probably.

The two sabertooth tigers flared to life with mana, ice forming over their bodies extinguishing Hannah’s flames, covering them in an icy armor.

Jack only had a second to assess the situation as Jimmy’s spear came in for another attack, followed by a jet of water mana from the mage that cut through everything it passed through.

Jack groaned in annoyance as more caltrops clung to him and the tigers repositioned themselves, one launching in the air to attack from above, the other approaching from the ground.

Jack just sighed and fed a mana drop to his [Lightning Centipedes Bite]. He was hoping to save this, but any more of the poison caltrops and he was in trouble.

Jack ripped through both of the tigers; his massive fangs wreathed in lightning, leaving nothing in their wake as they obliterated everything in front of him. He panted heavily, feeling his channels burn as they tried and failed to heal themselves. Jack only had one drop of mana prepared, so there wasn’t anything for his berserker channels to use.

Jack looked over at Jimmy and the mage, both staring at him, dumbstruck.

“I surrender.” Jimmy said matter of fact, dropping up his spear and holding his hands up.

“You think I’m falling for that shit?” Jack said, walking towards Jimmy.

Jimmy just grinned, his spear launching off the ground at Jack.

Jack caught the spear, ripping it out of the air. Then the spear exploded, knocking Jack back a dozen feet. He rolled onto his back, coughing in pain as he felt down towards tender, likely broken ribs.

He let out a long sigh, reaching down into his void sack. Only to remember that in order to make room for all the alcohol, he had to give Hannah everything inside his void sack. His potions had been a subset of everything, and he could remember Hannah calling him an idiot for not at least keeping one on him.

He pulled out an unmarked bottle of liquor and chugged that instead. This is just a different kind of potion. Jack mused to himself as the burning, almost flavorless liquid poured down his throat.

“Are you my good friend, vodka?” Jack asked the bottle, before plugging it back up and sticking it back in his void sack.

The explosion knocked Jack backwards down the steep path that led up to the dungeon. He got to his feet and looked upward at Jimmy and the mage cresting the path above, staring back down at him.

“Sorry, I should have warned you. Bianca doesn’t like it when other people touch her.”

“Of course you named your weapon Bianca.” Jack said with an eye roll, cranking out his shoulder and pulling off caltrops stuck to his body.

The poison was still in full effect and Jack likely only had a few more minutes to do something about it before things took a turn for the worst. It did feel like maybe his rare body had dramatically slowed the effects of whatever was happening, which was nice. He closed his eyes, letting loose the tension in his body, shoving down the pain, trying to steady his breathing through broken ribs. Then Jack felt water running across his feet.

The mage above had sent a river of water trickling down the slope towards Jack. A second cast from his staff and the river turned into a sheet of ice. The mage smirked at him.

“Such a dick.” Jack grumbled as he gave a test step on the slippery ice. If my fucking mastery didn’t downgrade, I could run up this easily, he thought to himself. This is not how this fight was supposed to go. Jack then spared another thought for Hannah, hoping her fight hadn’t gone south as well.

“Stay down there as long as you like. We’ll finish up with your friend and come get you last.” Jimmy laughed from atop the path, almost reading Jack’s mind. Jimmy punctuated his thoughts by spreading more caltrops down the frozen path.

Jack stood there wobbly, mind racing for a solution. He stumbled forward as more of the poison coursed through his body and stepped on another caltrop. He grimaced in pain and lifted his foot to pull it off.

Then an idea struck him.

Matching his thought process, he watched as the shadow armor crawled down his body and fitted over his boots. Then a hundred tiny little spikes erupted from the soles. Jack took a few tentative steps, easily piercing the ice and gaining traction.

“So what’s it going to be?” Jimmy called down to Jack.

Jack just grinned at the man, who squinted at him in confusion.

Jack disappeared in a burst of speed, pouring every ounce of strength he could muster into his legs as he flew up the ice-covered path. Jack planted his daggers firmly in the skulls of Jimmy and the Mage.

You Have Slain Climber Jimmy

+985,000AP

You have Slain Climber Ivan

+750,000AP

Jack grinned at the notifications, and then his eyes went wide as he rolled out of the way of two more large crystalline arrows.

“Jack?” Came Hannah’s voice a moment later. Jack let out a sigh from his spot on the ground. Whatever poison was inside his body seemed to dissipate as soon as Jimmy died, leaving him with mostly just his broken ribs to worry about.

Hannah walked into his line of sight, staring down at him with a smug expression.

“Told you to keep a few health potions handy, dumbass.”