Brandon and Janet scoured the hillside. They had spent the afternoon descending from the mountains to a flattened cove between several peaks. They followed the map to the single butte in the middle of the forested area. Brandon and Janet scoured the massive pillar of lone rock, searching for the small insignia described in the mission.
“It is around here somewhere,” said Brandon.
“Read me what it said again,” yelled Janet from behind a tree in the distance.
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Mission: Setting things right
Description: Something isn’t right in the forest. Go and check it out.
Reward: Unknown – Dependent on the level of fulfillment
Step 1: Go to the location indicated and investigate
Step 2: Track down the insignia listed below, use the scroll to open the door, and gather the shard inside”
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“Sometimes I swear they are making it hard on purpose,” grumbled Janet.
Brandon did not mind it so much. He could still remember going to the forests outside his hometown and geocaching. Although, when he used to geocache, the coordinates were a little more precise than this.
Where Janet had been slowly working herself up without being able to find the insignia, Brandon found the whole process calming. After the last few days of running around and everyone trying to kill him, the quiet forest and simple yet challenging task were something he enjoyed.
In the past when he used to go geocaching; he would turn around or give up if the goal was too far out or the description was not precise enough. Now it was a welcome challenge. Brandon began to wonder how much he differed from his old self as a glint of something caught his eye.
“I think I found it,” he yelled as he scrambled his way up a shear wall of gravel to a human-sized boulder. He brushed pebbles from the etching at the base of the rock. The slight glint of something shiny mixed into the rock’s etching had caught the sun just right to draw his attention. Brandon tried to brush the gravel from the diagram but was unable to. Each time he tried, the sediment was replaced when he moved his hand away.
“Finally,” said Janet, her natural agility showing as she made her way to him. “Consequences be dammed, I was going to leave you here on your own to finish this before much longer.”
“You still have not told me what you are getting for helping me out,” said Brandon as he leaned down to touch the scroll to the insignia. Janet grabbed Brandon’s arm before it was halfway there.
“We need to prepare before you do that,” said Janet. “No idea what will happen once you activate it, so we need to be ready. If there is one thing that will get you killed other than your inexperience, it is your haste. So take time to set yourself up for success.”
Brandon was startled by the abruptness of Janet’s statement. Until now, Janet had seemed not to care if Brandon survived. He made sure to internalize what she was saying as he nodded, and began to get ready.
It only took a moment this time to summon Bee. After taking her body from storage, he selected her name in his interface, and she was up and running around as if nothing had happened since he dismissed her. She raced around and sniffed the boulders near them. Brandon wondered how much of her personality had been his intent when he initially summoned her and the thoughts of his old dog running through his mind.
Brandon held one of the daggers Bert had given him in the sewers as he eyed Janet readying her sword and round shield. He disliked the dagger. Getting in close and dodging every attack was not a pleasant idea to Brandon.
Every time he had to fight, he had to resist the idea of disengaging and getting some distance between the enemy and himself. To be sure, he did a quick scan of his spells and everything in his inventory, hoping to find something he could use at range. Without seeing anything, he reluctantly accepted the dagger as his weapon for anything that came.
He looked at Janet’s armor and weaponry, then down at his tattered clothes. He turned his stone armor on and off on his forearm but vowed to get something more to protect himself before going on another mission. Maybe getting some armor will help, he thought to himself.
“Let’s do this,” said Brandon, as he tapped the scroll on the rocky design. He knew just waiting around would make all those feelings worse.
A pressure wave exploded from the insignia. Brandon felt the power as it passed through him; at the same time, a high-pitched screeching sounded. He closed his eyes and jerked back in pain. He barely had time to wonder if his ears were bleeding when the sound stopped.
When Brandon opened his eyes, a large archway stood before him, directly where the design once stood. He returned the scroll to his inventory and stared at the large stone doorway. Smooth marble arches lead into the butte. The arc showed no sign of wear and appeared freshly built.
Brandon expected stairs to lead down into the rock, but he could only see a short hallway leading into some larger room. There is no way that room is where it’s supposed to be, Brandon thought. He fought with the idea of what the archway was showing him and his understanding of the physical world. He concluded that the archway had to be a portal to somewhere else, not just a doorway into the rock that appeared out of nowhere.
“We don’t have time to stand here,” said Janet. “Anyone within a few miles will have heard that and be on their way.”
Brandon could feel the now familiar tingle of magic when he touched the archway but pushed it from his mind. “You are right,” said Brandon. “Might as well get this over with.”
They walked through the portal into a large domed room. Runes covered every wall up to the ceiling, that glowed with a faint white light that gave the pair enough light to make out the details around them.
“Shit, not good,” said Janet.
A single figure stood in the center of the room. Behind the creature was a stone pillar that ended at waist height; a crystal shard floated above it. Brandon looked at the creature before them.
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Minotaur: Wild Monster
Level: 11
Description: With the body of a man and the head of a Bull, Minotaurs are masters of close-range combat. Hand to hand or with a weapon, you don’t want to be within range of these monsters.
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The monster stood eight feet tall from foot to the top of its horns. Fur seamlessly melded into pail skin at the neckline, merging the human half with the bull. It had a broad double-bladed axe resting on one shoulder. A kilt covered its lower half was the only thing it wore. The creature stared at the two of them without blinking.
“Maybe we can just go around him,” said Brandon nervously. Without looking at the things level, he knew that the large axe could chop him in two with ease.
“Worth a try.”
Brandon was surprised at how Janet could stay so calm. He had to consciously force the slight tremors that were starting in his hands to stop.
The three turned to the right and circled the outside of the room. The minotaur slowly shifted, always between them and the pillar.
Sweat began to bead on Brandon’s hands. Brandon knew he was under-geared and under-leveled for what was about to happen. If I survive this, I swear I am going to better prepare for the future, he thought to himself. The light crunch of gravel under their feet was the only sound in the large room.
Without saying anything, Brandon stopped and started to walk in the opposite direction. Brandon thought he could confuse the monster.
The monster roared in anger and rushed, head and horns down as it prepared to gore them, and a massive axe held out to the side. Brandon expected strength from the monster, but the speed that it used to close the distance surprised him. It moved so fast that he could barely register its movements as it closed in. Before he knew it, Janet was in front of him, shield raised, blocking a downward swing from the minotaur's axe. She was able to catch the swing just in time, but she was knocked backward several feet from the strength of the blow.
Brandon jumped back away from the creature’s next wild swing. He looked down at his dagger, wondering how such a simple thing could help him. Not for the first time; he wished he had some sort of ranged ability. Janet rushed back in after regaining her footing.
Even Brandon could tell Janet had difficulty blocking the massive blows raining down on her. Brandon considered jumping in for a quick slash and jumping back out, but he was more worried about breaking Janet’s stride than anything else.
“Not good,” said Brandon.
“You think?” huffed Janet.
From out of nowhere, Bee rushed in behind the minotaur and snapped at its ankles, razor-sharp teeth gouging flesh. Knowing he would not have a better moment, Brandon lunged in as the creature roared in anger and tried to stomp down on Bee. However, the dire-rat was quick enough that she dodged as the giant foot attempted to flatten her.
Janet lunged in for a slash on the creature's right, and Brandon stabbed it once on the left. The minotaur slashed back at the pair, massive axe whistling through the air. Janet caught the blow on her shield and deflected It slightly. But Brandon, who was much slower and nine levels lower, was not fast enough. In a reaction that was more panic than planning, he used Stone Armor on his right arm as the axe collided with him.
Rock chips ripped from his arm and scored lines into his face. Even though the spell, he could feel the crack of one of his ribs as blood began to flow down his arm. Pain blinded him as he staggered backward. Brandon had been cut and bitten in the sewers, but this was on a different level. His vision narrowed. He saw his mana bar flash red as he stumbled away.
“Idiot,” said Janet between labored breaths. “You think a level two could take this thing head-on.” She gave a slight hiss as the axe cut a thin line across one of her legs. Bee continued her assault on the creature's ankles. Her unrelenting attacks did little damage but made openings for Janet to counterattack.
“You need to stun it for me,” said Janet, her breath labored.
It took Brandon a moment to process what Janet had said as he wrapped a bandage around his arm to slow the bleeding. Maybe an overcharged Static Shock spell can stun that guy, he thought. “I’m low on mana; I need a minute to refresh.”
As Bee attacked, Janet switched up her movements; she fell back and pulled something from beneath her jacket. Then, in one fluid motion, Janet tossed a blue vial and continued her fight. Brandon caught the vial and inspected it.
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Item: Lesser Mana Potion
Description: Overcharge a portion of your mana to be used immediately. Overcharged mana will take longer to restore naturally for a short time.
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Without thinking, Brandon pulled the cork and downed the potion. A taste Brandon could only describe as a cool breeze and static electricity filled his mouth. In the corner of his vision, he could see that his mana bar not only filled past the 50% that Bee was reserving, but filled completely. As soon as it maxed out, it began to tick down slowly.
Not one to waste time, Brandon took the next available opening. Bee and Brandon lunged in for an attack as a pair. The minotaur was able to read their attack and changed its tactics. It smashed down on Bee with one boot and caught her directly in the back. At the same time, it used the butt of its long axe handle to bypass Janet's shield and jab her in the stomach. Brandon heard her grunt as all the breath left her.
Committed to the attack, Brandon lunged in as the creature stared down at him. As it began to bring its axe around to finish him off, Brandon did not attack this time with his dagger but pushed everything he could muster into his palm. Brandon concentrated every ounce of his mana into his left hand. Lightning danced between his fingers as he lunged at the monster towering over him.
Brandon could see the massive blade hurtling toward him as his hand touched the creature; he pushed everything he had into his attack. The creature froze as its muscles tensed and contracted as electricity raced through its body. Brandon could see Janet recovering, getting ready to counterattack.
Brandon was not one to waste an opening, and with his other hand, buried his dagger down to the hilt in the monster’s chest. A line of electricity jumped from its arm to the dagger handle as he jumped back to give Janet the opening she needed. Brandon had a second of disappointment that he was not on the other side to hit the creature’s heart.
The minotaur blocked Janet’s next attack, but it was clear that the creature was injured. It had slowed and was wheezing heavily after Brandon’s attack. It only took Janet another minute to finish it off.
“I like your enthusiasm,” said Janet breathing heavily. “But just jumping in and slashing is a good way to get yourself killed.”
“That is what you and Bert taught me to do when I was in the sewers,” said Brandon.
“That was yesterday. You need to use your head. Quick thinking with the attack combo-”
“Squeak”
The pair turned to the noise of Bee wiggling near the minotaur. She could only waddle as she had been flattened in the middle by the minotaur. Brandon and Janet gaged and leaned back from Bee as she slowly scurried toward them.
Bee appeared to not be in any pain. And she seemed to deal with her circumstance more of a nuisance than an injury that would have killed any normal monster. Brandon reluctantly dismissed her, storing the body in his storage once again, thankful for the first time that she was an undead minion and not a live creature.
He knew that healing Bee’s stab wounds had taken him time. He did not want to think how long it would take to repair that many broken and flattened bones, or even if he could. If we run into anything new, I can get her a new body, Brandon thought. Or, maybe I can use one of the other two dire-rat bodies I have stored.
On that thought, Brandon walked over to the minotaur and tried to pick it up and put it in his storage. After only being able to lift two of the monster's legs, he gave up, defeated. Thoughts of the massive creature following him and dealing damage to his enemies made him giddy. But since he could not pick up even half the monster, he pushed the idea from his head. Instead, he picked up the creature's massive double-bladed axe and stored it without inspecting it. He wanted something for his troubles.