Felix pulled away slightly and brushed her hair aside, wiping away a tear with his thumb, “It’s fine. We didn’t know that mimics could stop healing. Now we do for the future.” Felix activated more Elixirs from his inventory. Three Anima, the last two Vigor, and two Health.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/tqmNHhwq/55-1.webp]
“Here, let me help.” Felix put his hand onto Tinuriel’s wounded side. He activated Heal for 110 Anima, and then used another two Anima Elixirs to put himself into a decent place on that resource bar.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Kx2QxS0P/Heal.webp]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/4f3QM882/55-2.webp] image [https://i.postimg.cc/x0nRGjL2/55-3.webp]
“Almost out of Health Elixirs,” Tinuriel commented. “Thank you.”
“Aww, such a tender display.” The Lich-Lord’s voice emanated from around them.
“Oh, will you just piss off and die!”
“I did once. Hence my current state. Nice try though, you only destroyed one phylactery!” The voice cackled all around them. “You’ve still got more Dungeon to clear for this level. Who knows, maybe you’ve already passed my other phylactery’s location?”
Felix groaned and Tinuriel looked at him quizzically. “That acrid-smelling hallway when we first came here? We went left towards the musty smell instead.”
Tinuriel cursed, “That’s clever.” She led the way back through the mimic hallway, up the ladder from the bug-room, through the room with sarcophagi, flew over the pit trap, and they went down the other hallway from the entrance. She let out a curse as the hallway turned a sharp corner and dead-ended into a small fountain with a brackish-green liquid emanating from it. “He tricked us.”
Felix went forward and saw the golden spindle appear. Following the golden line of thread, he found a hidden button on the underside of the fountain. He disabled the trap through the video-game-esque interface and pressed the button. The fountain slid aside, revealing a skull with emerald eyes. He picked it up and held it at face-level. “Is this you?” There was no response. Felix tossed it to Tinuriel, and she smashed it into thousands of tiny pieces against the wall.
“Ahh…true death.” The Lich-Lord’s voice said as it slowly faded.
“I don’t trust it,” Tinuriel stated.
“Neither do I. Detect Object.”
image [https://i.postimg.cc/JRtgPNNm/Detect-Object.webp]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/4JP1WC1h/55-4.webp]
They followed the golden line back to the throne room where the large chair-mimic was defeated. They passed through the purple film and entered a vast, black space. A slow slope descended into darkness that even his dark vision did not pierce. “Can you see anything?” he asked Tinuriel.
She shook her head, “Nope.”
“This Lich guy is really a pain in the ass. False phylacteries, mimics all over the place? A real sadist made this place.”
“And worse; he fueled it with the deaths of those in his charge.” Lucifer’s voice exuded raw hatred, and that bled over to Felix because of their connection. Felix really wanted this Lich to die in the worst way possible.
“Hellfire Wick,” Felix said.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/fDqqtV6P/Hellfire-Wick.webp]image [https://i.postimg.cc/QjLStJtV/55-5.webp]
The mote of black and crimson flame did nothing to pierce the darkness. “Neither of our dark vision works here. And this light source isn’t doing anything, despite it working like that previously.” Felix let the effect fade. “Tinuriel, take the lead, and use the tip of your sword to poke around.”
“Understood.” She put a hand on his shoulder and navigated in front of him. Felix put a hand on her back, and she used the two-handed sword like a navigation aid for the blind – tapping ahead as they slowly made their way into the blackness. Glancing back, Felix could see the purple film covering the prior room – but nothing else. Tinuriel stopped, “There’s a hole in front.” He heard her tapping to the right and she led them around a corner.
“A maze in total darkness. How original.”
“Why not just use Detect Object to find the path?” Tinuriel asked.
“We only have four Anima Elixirs and two Health Elixirs. I want to save the Anima for healing effects.”
They spent a full hour slowly navigating the space. The only sound was their breathing and the tapping of Tinuriel’s sword. “We have reached a dead end,” Tinuriel stated.
“What? Really?” Felix cursed under his breath. I wanted to save Anima, but this is ridiculous. Detect Object. He focused on the end of the Dungeon.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/JRtgPNNm/Detect-Object.webp]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Kmnfg3kf/55-6.webp]
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The golden line shot out from in front of him – past Tinuriel and the gap she stated was present – and further into the darkness. “Looks like we’re flying,” Felix muttered.
“We don’t know if there’s anything in the way,” Tinuriel stated. “Flying blindly into the dark seems like a recipe for disaster.”
“What do you suggest then?” Felix asked. Only silence answered him. “Then I’ll use Fallen Flight instead of these wings we’d have to flap. That way, if we run into something, we won’t fall.”
image [https://i.postimg.cc/CSn6WjP4/Fallen-Flight-WEBP.webp]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/np90pPn6/55-7.webp]
Felix picked up Tinuriel and flew after the line. They went forward in silence, both listening for any indication of something out of the ordinary. The line took a sharp, sudden, right turn and Felix followed it, feeling something sharp brush against his elbow but not pierce his armor. The path twisted – if he was not able to perfectly maneuver by will alone, and was reliant on his flight with the wings, he would have been injured and probably fallen.
“Ow!” Tinuriel yelled as a loud bang echoed from her armor impacting something solid. “That’s a platform.”
Felix flew up slightly before hearing Tinuriel’s booted feet touch down, and he gently lowered her until her full weight was on the platform. He landed behind her and she continued tapping the ground along the golden line.
“It widens here,” She stated as she continued forward. Both squinted and blinked as some unknown light source activated. When their vision normalized, they could see another purple-film-covered passage in front of them. Looking back, Felix saw a deep, fifty-foot pit with a bubbling pool of bright-orange acid that sizzled and popped. There was a series of metal platforms that were floating in a maze pattern, and a large gap between several sections where hanging, spiked walls were suspended. Flight was mandatory to clear the room.
Felix flew down to the acid, “Aggressive Alchemy.”
image [https://i.postimg.cc/xYDwnpm4/Aggressive-Alchemy.webp]
Five glowing globules of orange rose from the acid and landed in his palm, and he deposited them in his inventory before flying up to Tinuriel once more. He gestured to the film, “Ladies first.”
Tinuriel nodded and hefted her blade on her shoulder as she walked through with him a step behind.
----------------------------------------
A ceremony room was the best description Felix could come up with to describe the chamber. They were standing on a stone platform that ringed the room. Six massive chains extended from anchor points on the walls all around and descended toward a suspended, hexagon platform. A large sarcophagus was in the center of the platform, and far below was a bubbling pool of lava. Seeing that sent shivers down Felix’s spine – his last encounter with the substance having blown off his foot and part of his leg. The golden line ended at the sarcophagus.
“The objective indicator is showing me that the Boss is either that coffin itself, or inside of it.”
“I don’t want to fight over lava,” Felix stated as he walked towards one of the chains. It was massive – a single link the size of a small car. “Time to think outside of the box.” He reached into his inventory and pulled out one of the globules of acid. The smallest point of connection is… He cocked his arm back and – thanks to his Agility – threw with incredible accuracy as the orb splashed and sizzled against the point where two of the chains linked together near the wall-anchor. It ate halfway through before the acid faded. It’ll take me a few more. He repeated the process, using a total of three of the acid spheres before the chain began to warp and bend. With a loud snap the chain gave way and the center platform bounced and dipped slightly as the weight pulled on the remaining chains.
“If you go back to the pool, you can repeat that a few times.”
“Right, and with the lights on it’ll be much easier.” Felix walked back through the membrane, took flight, and descended to the orange acid pit once more. He went back and broke the second chain. This process was repeated several times until there were only three chains remaining as the center platform listed to one side, the sarcophagus sliding down and plummeting into the lava below. Tinuriel stood with her sword ready, and Felix switched to his bow and pulled back, preparing a hardlight arrow.
The stone began to boil away, and the sarcophagus lid slid sideways as a mummified figure sat up before immediately catching fire, screaming in agony as the superheated air instantly ignited the ancient bandages and wrappings. “You cheated!” echoed up to them. The Lich’s voice. Felix loosed the hardlight arrow and it thudded into the creature’s head – the frost combining with the flames and engulfing it in a cloud of steam. There was another shriek before the sarcophagus completely melted away and the screams were no more.
“Dungeon Cleared!”
A treasure chest appeared next to them, and the lava below vanished as a purple film covered the space. Felix activated For the Hoard! before he looted the chest.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/ZZMM7fcR/For-the-Hoard-WEBP.webp]
image [https://i.postimg.cc/X3zsMb6f/55-8.webp]
[Experience Awarded = 150]
[Experience Bonus from Execution alike Stacking Skills = 25]
[Congratulations! You have reached the Experience threshold to level up! Speak with your Versewalker Core when you are ready to Choose your next Class.]
[Loot Obtained]
· 12,500 VC
· Death Dungeon Core
· Loot Forge Essence – Acid
· Loot Forge Essence – Undeath
· Loot Forge Essence – Death
[Loot Bonus from Execution alike Stacking Skills]
· Necroshade Ring
· Mimic Coating
[Loot Bonus from For the Hoard!]
· 2,500 VC
“You got enough Experience to get to level 22. Back to the VBV?”
“Yeah,” Felix replied as he looked over at Tinuriel. “Restock Elixirs again, level up, and use the Loot Forge.” As Lucifer started the four-hour process of opening the VBV, Felix set to identifying the various items.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/WT5CGWJX/Detect-Properties.webp]
[Item Description: Necroshade Ring]
[The wielder appears to be undead if being observed by any method of detection. Will be treated as a non-hostile by undead.]
[Item Description: Mimic Coating]
[Applied to armor, this enables the armor to blend in with an environment (if moving) or appear to be an object native to that environment to all senses (if still).]
That would come in handy when I Respec and go more into the rogue type Classes. Still need to find someone to function as an Animancer Escort.
I don’t know if you’ll find that in this ‘Verse. They don’t seem like the combative types. That other ‘Verse though – Astragos – that had a huge two-empire war on the verge of beginning. You’ll probably find plenty of combat capable folks there.
Felix sat down and leaned back against the wall alongside Tinuriel. But it is also about the connection with the person. Tinuriel and I grew to enjoy each other’s company naturally as we traveled. I can’t just show up, find someone skilled and say “Hey, come with me.”
Why not?
What, just rip someone away from everything they know?
No. You’re a Versewalker. If you wanted, you could hold a trial or tournament to find the best candidate. I’m sure people would sign up.
That’s…not a bad idea. “Tinuriel, what do you think?”
She looked down at him, “About what?”
Felix sighed, “Right, you’re not in those thought conversations. What do you think about holding a tournament in a Magic rich ‘Verse to try and find an Escort to fill the Animancer role?”
She grinned, “A competition would be a fine way to find candidates. If you can remove their Escort status at will – some may try to abuse it for their own gain.”
Felix nodded, “Right, which I can. So that’s not an issue.”
“Three hours and forty-five minutes until we can go into the VBV.”
“Then, we level up,” Tinuriel said with enthusiasm. “So many Class choices…”