The door slammed closed, echoing in the small antechamber and the grating sound of metal as it bolted shut. Their displays triggered.
Destroy the Geblex birth sacs or perish.
"Well, that is not ominous enough then, is it," Brandon said, reading the message.
"About what to expect in this place," Sniffer replied.
The companions stood ready, waiting for the Geblex. The first one, which had 'hatched' being the only viable word to describe its appearance from the sac, was still moving towards them. The number that was tearing open was starting to be a little concerning. All around the large chamber, the rows of sacs began to writhe as their internal monsters fought to break free.
"How many are there?" Brandon asked.
"No idea, hundreds looking at the number of eggs," Kyto replied.
"If only they tasted better," Tiddles huffed, knowing he would get a mouthful of grotesqueness again for each one he slaughtered.
"You are topped up," Kyto said as he filled his mana pool.
"Thanks," he replied.
Lars stood with a blade in one hand and the club from the skeleton room in his other, so adept at dual-wielding it did not matter what he held. The Geblex arrived at the antechamber. Lars swiftly dispatched it with a club to its face, followed by a knife blade across its throat. It fell at his feet, black blood emptying onto the stone floor.
"You should set fire to me," Tiddles said.
"Brandon, can you light Tiddles?" Kyto asked.
"How exactly?"
"Just pour some of the lantern oil on him," Kyto replied.
Brandon began to fiddle with the lantern to unscrew the oil reserve contained at the base. As he was more Geblex began to arrive, the initial few that turned up were not of any concern, all of them being pretty well seasoned by now concerning dispatching them. It was amazing how quickly Sniffer and Brandon's skills had improved as brawlers since they entered the dungeon. Lars and Tiddles' ridiculous efficiency had reached even newer heights of combat effectiveness.
"Ready?" Brandon said.
Tiddles turned and stepped back towards him. Brandon tipped some of the oil onto his back. "OK. Here goes," he said as he placed the flame from the lantern close to his fur. The flames caressed him like a warm summer breeze on bare skin. It flowed over him, covering his body with his elemental power.
"Here goes," he shouted as he ran into the room.
Sniffer fought off an arriving Geblex as Tiddles began his path of arson. He ran through the room as fast as he could between the rows of sacs. Geblex croaks and wails erupted as he passed them by or took them down with a swift swipe of his claws.
"They are not burning as easily," Kyto shouted over the sounds of their foe.
The companions watched Tiddles. Where he did travel, the sacs smoked but did not burst into flames, unlike the unlucky Geblex that got too close to him. He turned back towards the companions. "It is not working well," he shouted as he neared.
"We can see," Sniffer replied as another Geblex moved to attack him. Tiddles swiped its legs out from under it. Sniffer then pounded its head with a club.
Kyto was watching Tiddles's mana and core run down. "We need boom bottles."
"The only way we will get those is if we all die again!" Sniffer replied.
"I just think they would be helpful," Kyto replied.
"I agree. It is just that I do not fancy dying again." Sniffer stated.
"With this many opponents, I need to watch my mana pool," Kyto said.
Tiddles' core had finally drained as he fought the Geblex approaching the antechamber. His claws tore through the weak-bodied hostiles, quickly dispatching the few that came. The problem the group now had was the volume that had hatched.
Swathes of Geblex had and were still rising from the sacs. "There are too many," Brandon said as he struck a Geblex.
"This is worse than the walls," Sniffer replied.
"Just keep going," Kyto replied.
The wave of enemies attacking them was starting to push into the antechamber. The bodies of the dead Geblex were stacking up and making it more difficult to fight as they were being edged backwards due to the sheer weight in numbers pressing them.
"If we are not careful, we will run out of room," Kyto called.
Lars dispatched two Geblex and stepped backwards as their bodies fell. Kyto placed his hand on his back to make him aware of how close he was now to the entrance. He glanced at him briefly, nodding as he renewed his pushback against them. Tiddles was the only one of the group able to maintain some ground, but that had its problems, as the Geblex were now beginning to attack his side.
Kyto was healing as needed, and his mana was coping well.
Time passed, and alongside the combat fatigue due to the intensity, they had their backs to the wall. Tiddles joined them to reduce the damage he received.
Even Kyto was now fighting more than healing. His knife slid from a Geblex chest as he saw Lars's health dip. He glanced to see that he had lost his footing and slipped, allowing some of the monsters to attack him on the ground. They had no weapons, but their natural claws were sharp enough to penetrate and rip flesh.
"Tiddles. Lars." He shouted.
Tiddles finished biting the head of one before forcing his way sideways towards Lars. His mass made it difficult for them to prevent him, even with the number of Geblex. His improved armour was helping him as the Geblex were struggling to do him significant damage even with open flanks. He reached Lars, struggling with the Geblex, and tore into them with his jaws. Biting two at once and throwing them away. Lars staggered back to his feet as Tiddles attacked the Geblex near them.
Brandon and Sniffer struggled to support each other, and the mass of bodies was overwhelming. Kyto pushed a Geblex away while trying to make healing strands at Lars. It was only at that time he noticed a faint glow. It was coming from his jacket, realising it must be the bracer. He pulled his jacket sleeve up, looking at the bracer where a small screen had appeared on its surface. It had glyphs on its surface, and Kyto had to turn his arm to read them. The top glyph related to charge, and three further spinning glyphs were below it. Kyto had no idea what the three glyphs stood for as they did not translate upon looking at them.
Charge - 0%
"The bracer has a charge," he shouted over the combat as Sniffer attacked a Geblex approaching him.
"What does it do?" Sniffer replied, grimacing as he swung his club, hitting the closest Geblex in its side.
"No idea," Kyto replied. He looked at the bracer and touched the screen surface. A beam of blue light was emitted from the bracer, and as it did, his display was triggered.
Congratulations, you have unlocked the artefact's power. Only through combat trials can the true nature of the bracer be discovered.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Congratulations, you have discovered the Bracer of the Adept. The Bracer of the Adept is a powerful artefact that can support you and your companions during hardship. The bracer absorbs the mana of the dark aligned. The true power of the Bracer has never been revealed, although it can provide moments of clarity.
Kyto turned and aimed his arm towards the Geblex Sniffer fought. As the beam touched the creature, its glow intensified, and Kyto watched as it pulsed. He looked at the screen and noticed the charge indicator increasing.
Charge - 1%
"It absorbs dark mana," he shouted. He swung the beam towards another Geblex as Sniffer felled the one before him. The beam pulsed again as the charge indicator slowly increased. Slowly, as the companions fought bravely, he continued to charge the bracer. On reaching 10%, one of the glyphs lit up brightly on its surface. The group were now trapped in one corner of the antechamber. Kyto stood behind the four warriors, struggling to focus between the bracer and maintaining his healing strands. His mana was slowly running out, continually having to top up the group's health, and he knew it would drain before this battle was over. "My mana will not last the duration of the fight."
Kyto touched the bright glyph. A pulse of blue energy pulsed out as a wave from the bracer. The pulse passed through the companions, having no effect, but as it touched the Geblex, it forced the creatures backwards. They released croaks of frustration as the blue pulse pushed them away from their companions, providing them with the briefest respite. The pulse moved them away by thirty feet before it faded. It was not a violent force but impenetrable for the Geblex forcing them away.
"What was that?" Brandon cried out.
"The bracer," Kyto replied. The Geblex started towards them again. Even though it had been the faintest of breaks in the battle, it had given the companions a moment to gather themselves. As the swarm of bodies came at them again, Tiddles charged. He pounced like a bullet into the mass of bodies, scattering them as a child would, knocking Skittles over. His massive form ploughed through the masses now that he had space to move. He did not attack and just ran, mowing them over and knocking them down as he crashed into them. Lars became a whirlwind of death, having dropped the club, now pulling his second blade instead, and began spiralling into the creatures, slicing and dicing their bodies as he did. Brandon and Sniffer were working in partnership, dispatching the monsters with ease between them. Their adeptness in supporting each other during the combat was now clearly visible, and it was as though they had an instinctual bond in combat.
Kyto watched Tiddles's health slowly drain as he charged through the masses. He focused on pulling more charge from the monsters into the bracer. Tiddles bounded back amongst the companions, nearly colliding with Kyto as he slammed his claws into the ground, stopping his momentum. Kyto pushed healing into him and fed him some mana. "I do not have much left," he said as he cut the feed.
"Take what you need. You do not need to ask." Sniffer shouted to him.
Kyto drew mana from the companions, only enough to bring his mana pool slightly and continued aiming the bracer at the dark aligned. The bracer reached 10% again, and he pressed the bright glyph. The pulse of energy pushed their foes back again. Again, Tiddles pounced into the masses and charged through them, causing chaos before returning to be healed. This process continued every time the bracer charged, releasing its energy pulse and forcing the Geblex from them. The dead bodies of the Geblex were being pushed away as well as the living, and a dreadful scene was developing in an arc around the corner of the antechamber as the bodies mounted up. The attacking forms scrambled over their dead comrades to reach them.
This repetitive approach continued, and slowly, the swarm reduced in number. The stench in the chamber was horrendous, with the black blood and viscera of the creatures covering the floor. Kyto's mana had run out, and he dared not pull anymore from the companions as they were already tired. Looking exhausted from the fight, their pools dim from what he had taken. "I am out," Kyto said.
"Not many left now," Tiddles snarled as he tore the arm off one. They had begun to push forward away from the corner, not too far as they had not wanted to open their flanks to attack, but at least enough to fight without hampering each other.
As the last of the Geblex fell to their attacks, the room became bathed in a brilliant light, and the bodies slowly shimmered out of existence.
Sniffer collapsed to the floor, panting, his face drawn and pale. Brandon was not much better, and Lars slumped his shoulders forward. Tiddles still stood proudly looking into the chamber, although the bodies of the dead had disappeared the sacs remained, and they had not received a notification.
"Shit," Kyto exclaimed as he looked into the chamber, as he noticed one of the sacs beginning to move.
"What?" Brandon asked.
"They are appearing again."
The companions all looked into the chamber and saw the wriggling form of a Geblex as it appeared in a nearby sac. "We have killed them all!" Sniffer said.
"The initial message said to destroy the birth sacs," Tiddles replied.
"Birth sacs need destroying," Kyto replied. He began moving into the main chamber, approaching the nearest sac with a new form. Pointing the bracer at it, its blue pulse grew, and the bracer began to charge. The others started to move forward into the room, scanning for movement. When they noticed a new sac move, one of them moved over to dispatch its contents. The bracer reached 10%, and Kyto used its power. The emitted pulse swept over the sacs but did not harm or move them. He swore in frustration, hoping it would have destroyed those nearby.
"That did not work," he said.
"We have no choice but to try and destroy them," Sniffer stated.
They were Systematically slicing up the sacs they came to, but as they continued into the chamber, the ones behind them began to repair, and a form would reappear. "This is never-ending," Brandon said. Exhaustion was present on all their faces, and even Tiddles was now beginning to slow his movements. Kyto was not feeling too bad due to the broken strands he had flooded his body, but he did not have enough mana to feed the companions and boost their endurance. He kept drawing on the sacs with the bracer, charging it again slowly. This time, when it reached 10%, he did not activate the glyph and instead continued to charge it.
"Left," Sniffer gasped as he staggered toward a newly wriggling sac. The companions were now spread throughout the chamber, responsible for preventing the Geblex spawn from hatching again.
"I am charging the bracer. There are two other glyphs on it I have not tried yet," Kyto called over to him.
"How long? I am unsure how long we can keep doing this," Sniffer replied.
Kyto looked at him, concern etched on his face, knowing he was telling the truth. They could not keep this up forever, and with the sacs not burning or being destroyed by cutting them, they had to find some way to prevent them from reoccurring. The bracer eventually reached 50% charge, and the second glyph lit up. "The second one is lit. I am going to activate it," he shouted.
"Go for it," Brandon called back as he pulled his blade from a sac, and the wriggling contents stilled.
Kyto pressed the second glyph. The air around him began to hum, and it felt as though it was electrified, his hair standing on end as it was drawn towards him. His whole body tingled with the sensation, and pain seared across his forehead, making him gasp. He felt as though his body was being electrified. He had received an electric shock from a generator he had repaired previously, and the sensation was overwhelming as his body began to shake and twitch. Just as he thought he could take the sensation no more, a bright blue pulse emitted as a dome from his body. It was almost instantaneous in its appearance, and as it did, sacs surrounding him were torn from the ground and cast across the chamber, their surfaces glittering with blue electrical veins. The pulse swept past Lars, the closest companion, and Kyto saw his eyes wide in fear as it did so, leaving him unharmed. The bubble had reached fifty feet from him before it dispersed with a crackling sound. His display triggered.
Egg sacs destroyed 7% - 93% remaining.
"Yes," he shouted, jumping in glee.
"What?" Brandon asked.
"7% destroyed," he replied, grinning. "I just need to recharge it again."
The process continued, charging and releasing the new pulse when he could. The fact that the sacs were slowly being destroyed had given the companions hope and renewed vigour as they continued to move around the room, dispatching the wriggling forms before they hatched as Kyto drew the dark mana in. Kyto began to use the pulse systematically so that he was able to limit the need for it. He moved to the corner and worked across the room before turning, creating clear stripes. Once cleared, the only remaining evidence of the sacs was the fried-looking congealed remains frizzling from the pulse. As the pulse dispatched the final cluster of sacs, their System messages were triggered.
Congratulations, you have defeated the Geblex hatchery. You may now move on to challenge its leader.
The door where they had entered unbolted with a sinister clunk, and the companions headed for it. They were shattered. The physical exertion had taken its toll on all of them, and Kyto's head was throbbing and felt as though it was scrambled from the repeated use of the pulse. He had tried pushing the tiny amount of mana he had remaining to reduce it, but it had not helped. It felt similar to his headache when he had initially suffered mana exhaustion. They walked through the maze following Sniffer's directions until they eventually returned to the portal. Its bright orange light never seemed so welcome.
The companions walked straight through before collapsing on the safe room floor. "Let us rest," Kyto said, rubbing his temples. The bracer was amazing, and without its abilities, they would not have been able to complete the room, but the toll on his body was immense. He felt charged and his skin sensitive when he touched it. Kyto checked the timer and knew he should check his notifications but felt too tired. They still had 4 days, 0 hours, and 31 minutes remaining. Kyto was astonished at how long the room had taken to clear. Seven and a half hours, including the two-hour maze trip, meant they had been fighting nonstop for nearly five hours. That was a crazy amount of time and explained why everyone was so tired. It did not take the companions long to fall asleep.
∆∆∆
The Entity had watched the companion's trials in the dungeon and was pleased with the progress. It had also been surprised by the resilience of the Risen, who were not Chosen, and the fact they had remained to fight. All the creatures they had fought so far were only Tier 1, and the boss was a Tier 2. This next phase would prove whether they could stand to the challenge entirely. If they succeeded with this final room, they would be granted a boon of their choosing.