The safe room named by the System had stayed the same. The same glowing glyphs on the floor where they had been resurrected. Brandon was visibly nervous walking with the companions down the corridor, and it was strange how they did not even consider stepping into the room now, even after being here so few times. The bonus this time was that they were all holding lanterns, which lit the room more brightly than Kyto's familiar had managed to. They removed their backpacks and placed them against the chamber wall, stripping off any extra equipment they were carrying, only opting to take one lantern with them just in case, leaving the others behind.
"Everybody ready?" Kyto asked, looking around the group.
They all nodded, even Tiddles, who then turned and began to walk down the corridor that led to the doorway. It did not take them long to arrive at the door, and Kyto opened it again before continuing inside. "The first room is just up ahead," Kyto whispered to Brandon, who was following behind him. He held a knife in his hand, and Kyto could see Brandon's white knuckles. He was gripping it so tightly. Sniffer had also switched to a knife after the first visit because the machete could not be wielded in close combat. Neither of them had bothered to draw their pistols this time.
Kyto waved his hand to slow their passage as Tiddles moved ahead, triggering his skill. They had only brought one lantern with them, and as they entered the corridor leading to the room, the hood had been closed. It gave off minimal light, only creating enough to allow them to see where they stepped. Tiddles arrived back a minute later.
"17, " he whispered to Kyto. " No fire this time. They are just resting in two groups, one left and one right. The right side is playing some game with bones. If you call the croaking they make talking, the left side are sitting talking."
Kyto relayed the information, and they continued to the entrance. They stood in the dark shadows of the corridor and peered in. Lars indicated he would go left again. Kyto tapped Tiddles and pointed right. The left group were more spread out than the right, which would be better for Lars but not Tiddles, who could quickly attack two at once. The right group were hunched over, watching as they threw bones on the floor, croaking in excitement at the results. Kyto again signalled the countdown.
5
4
3
2
1
Tiddles's bullet form sprung instantly, and Lars sped towards the left group. Sniffer and Brandon split between them. Kyto moved into the middle, monitoring his display for damage while watching for any attackers. The Geblex croaked in surprise as Tiddles smashed into the rear of the gathered group. He sent two sprawling out of the nine and continued his rampant attack. He was tearing and ripping into their weak bodies, spraying his surroundings with their foul blood. Brandon followed behind him, knife in hand, and lunged at one of the Geblex attempting to gather its weapon. His blade pierced it in its throat. It let out a gurgling croak as it fell forward, clawing at its punctured neck while Brandon stepped back, turning to the next creature in range.
Lars was like a scythe quickly cutting through the eight on his side. He had dispatched half of them. Within seconds of reaching them, his speed was a blur as he struck with his dual knives. Sniffer followed him, providing support, ensuring those who had fallen were dead. The fight lasted no more than a couple of minutes. The Geblex were not ready or waiting and unable to gather their weapons, trying to defend themselves with their clawed appendages before they were silenced. It had been a much cleaner fight than the first time. As the combat had begun, Kyto had unhooded the lantern, allowing its light to bathe the room. Now its light shone brightly on the tattered Geblex remains lying all over the right side where Tiddles had torn them to pieces, Lars's side looking virtually spotless in comparison, with only the pools of the Geblex's dark blood leaking into the hard-packed earth where their bodies lay.
Brandon was wide-eyed with adrenaline, visibly shaking, and his breathing rapid.
"Take some deep breaths and calm yourself," Kyto told him.
Brandon looked at him and began forcing himself to breathe slower, his complexion improving and his shaking calming as he did.
"Sorry. My first real fight," he replied.
"Do not apologise. I am just as new to this as you are." Kyto replied.
They searched the bodies, finding nothing of value, their discarded weapons being of crude construction and not viable for them to use. The companions stood looking at the three doors which offered them a choice.
"Which door?" Kyto asked.
"Not the left," Sniffer said, laughing nervously.
"Middle, or right?" Kyto said.
'Middle' Lars signed.
"Ok. Middle it is." no one else suggested which to try. Kyto walked to the door, gripping the metal ring, lifting the latch, and pulling the door inwards. It groaned as it opened, revealing another corridor just like the one they had previously come down.
"Here goes. Tiddles, you are leading?" Kyto asked.
Tiddles activated his stealth and again disappeared into the darkness. The companions started to follow him, but this time, they were much slower than before, the reality of the last corridor ever being present in all their minds. Brandon looked around him, checking the walls and ceilings as he walked along.
"Wait," he said, coming to a stop.
"What is it?" Kyto asked, turning back to look at him.
"There is something wrong here." he pointed to the stone wall.
To Kyto, it looked like a plain stone wall. "What do you mean?" Kyto asked
"It is laid differently. It is not as flush as the others." He brushed his hand across its smooth surface. "Here, see," he said, indicating a small crack in the stone. He used his knife and slowly pried the stone loose. It came away easily in his hand, and he investigated the hole. He then reached into it and pulled it back out, holding something. He turned to the group and opened his palm, revealing a green crystal. It was about three centimetres in diameter and seemed to glow in its core.
"What is that?" Sniffer asked.
"No idea," Brandon replied as he handed it to Kyto.
As the crystal touched Kyto's hand, his display was triggered.
Power crystal 1 of 10 discovered. Power crystals can be combined to create a permanent power source.
"The System says it is a power crystal of some sort, and there are supposed to be ten in here," Kyto said to the others.
"What do they do?" Brandon asked.
"Does not say, just that they can be combined to create a power source," he replied.
Tiddles arrived back at that moment, entering the lantern light. "Anything?" Sniffer asked.
"Another chamber with a chasm in the middle and then two doors on the far side," Tiddles said.
Kyto relayed his reply and then asked. "Chasm"
"Yeah, nothing seems to be in there, just the chasm about thirty feet wide."
"We cannot get across that," Kyto said.
"I can," he replied
"No, we are not splitting up. You do not know what is over there. We will go back and try the other door first." Kyto said.
"What is that?" Tiddles asked, seeing the glow in Kyto's hand.
"A power crystal. Apparently, there are ten in here," he replied.
"Let’s head back up and try the other door. We would need equipment to try and get over the chasm Tiddles mentioned," he said to the group.
The companions moved back up the corridor, Brandon continually scanning everything around him as they walked.
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On returning to the Geblex room, Kyto immediately walked to the right door and pulled it open. A breeze immediately blew a fine mist into the room, making them all shiver, bar Tiddles, who did not feel the cold.
"Damn," Kyto said, feeling the fine mist particles on his bare skin. The mist slowly began seeping into the room, clinging to their clothing as they stood there. Tiddles's body heat was enough to make the droplets evaporate when they landed on him, making him appear steaming.
"Let me go first," Brandon said.
"Tiddles can hide, though," Kyto replied.
"I know, but he didn't see the stone difference, and if there are more crystals or traps, I may see them beforehand."
None of them could argue with his logic, not even Tiddles. Tiddles was perceptive, but Brandon had an unnatural ability. "Is it a skill?" Kyto asked.
"Is what a skill?" Brandon said, frowning.
"Your ability to spot things."
"I have several skills related to tanning. One of them is called flaw detection. It allows me to see material weaknesses, so it would always allow me to use the best available leather for products, even if they do not necessarily look the best. Over time, I have learned to appreciate that it works on all materials." he replied.
"That explains it then. I could not see anything different on the stonework where you found the crystal."
Brandon shrugged, smiling slightly, and his nervousness seemed to lessen now that he felt more confident about bringing something to the party. He stepped into the corridor; the breeze was damp and biting and had not stopped from the moment the door was opened, the mist continuing to roll into the room, almost filling it now. The breeze was bitterly cold, like they were walking through a cold fog on a winter day. It was not long before his teeth began to chatter, and he pulled his jacket up around his neck. They had moved briefly when Brandon stopped and looked carefully, squinting at the ground. The corridor floors had all been hard-packed earth, and he bent down, leaning forward to look at the patch of earth more carefully. "There," he said, pointing to a spot a short distance from where they stood as the mist rolled over the area.
"I cannot see anything different," Sniffer said, bending and looking where he pointed. The mist partially obscured the corridor's surface, not making it easy to see where they were stepping. Sniffer was a skilled tracker and would typically be able to see the marks of passage by most things.
"The earth is not hard packed like the earth around it, and then a little further on, there are more patches." he pointed further ahead. He slowly leaned forward, reaching with the point of his knife, and scrapped at the earth’s surface. They all saw the glint of metal in the lantern light as he dug the earth away. He continued to clear around it until it was clear that it was the top of an evil-looking serrated spike. The thought of standing on the spike made them look at each other nervously. "There are more up ahead." Brandon took a step forward, making sure not to be near the one he had identified, and again leaned to reveal another offset on the other side of the corridor. He continued the process for several minutes, cautiously moving from one to the other until he stopped again.
"There are too many," he said, looking back at the group still waiting for him to finish revealing them. The shining metal spike tips were visible as the mist cleared.
"How many?" Kyto asked.
"Too many further on to be able to work through easily. They are spaced much closer together, and one wrong step would mean a skewered foot by all accounts."
They were all shaking from the cold, and Brandon struggled to keep his hand still while carefully identifying the spikes. "I have an idea. Lars, come with me." Sniffer said, turning and heading back up the corridor.
Lars followed, and the companions turned and watched as they walked off, returning a few minutes later with the form of a dead Geblex between them. They all knew what Sniffer planned on doing, and they moved to where the spikes started. Brandon was ten feet further on and moved back, allowing Sniffer and Lars to step in the tracks he had left. They lugged the body carefully, following Brandon's tracks, pausing between the rolls of mist until they reached where he had been. "How far?" Sniffer asked.
"Five or six feet in front of where you are. They form a mesh looking at the ground."
"Ok, then here goes," Sniffer said as he and Lars began to swing the Geblex's lifeless form between them before releasing it to arc forward to land where Brandon had indicated. As it landed, the corridor erupted in noise. Multiple hissing sounds were similar to a blade when drawn from a scabbard, and the spikes flew upwards. They rose from the floor about three feet and skewered the Geblex's body. It was held in the air with its grotesque punctured form dripping its black blood down the spikes. The spikes that Brandon had found behind them also spring into the air.
"Shit. I was not expecting that. I was going to use them as steps to get over the area." Sniffer said. The tips of the spikes were visible above the low-hanging mist covering the corridor floor.
"Glad I was not leading. I don't fancy being turned into a kebab again." Tiddles huffed, his exhaled breath forming clouds in the corridor.
"There has to be something down here if they are going to this much trouble to stop people," Kyto said.
"You say that, but look at the other two corridors. It could just be another dead end." Tiddles replied.
"Maybe, but without checking, we will not know."
"They are retracting," Brandon said as the spikes slowly lowered again.
Brandon ran. He dodged around the first couple he had identified, and then before the others retracted fully, he weaved through their tight, close-knit pattern and jumped forward before the last one sunk again into the earth. He turned, looking back at the group, standing staring at him in disbelief.
"I will check ahead," he said, looking back to the group.
"You have no light," Kyto said, holding the lantern up.
"Fuck. Didn't think of that," he replied, dropping his head. They were now a few metres apart, and Kyto called his familiar. He hooded the lantern, and then slowly, he began to swing it backwards and forwards. As the lantern reached the front of his swing, he released it, allowing it to carry across the distance to where Brandon stood. He could not throw it high due to the ceiling restricting the height, and as the lantern sailed through the air, it began to fall short of the target.
Brandon stretched forward, flailing to grasp the lantern, not wanting it to fall onto the spike-covered floor. He managed to hook it just before it impacted with the ground, balancing on one leg and leaning over at a precarious angle. He could not maintain his balance and hopped forward slightly. The sound of the spikes being triggered again filled the corridor, followed by Brandon's howling pain. The spike erupted from the earth, puncturing the sole of his boot, and easily pushed through his leg, coming to protrude out of the top of his knee.
All the companions winced at the spike shooting up through his leg. Brandon continued to howl in pain, leaning back as far from the spikes as he could. He could not even attempt to move his leg from the spike. There was no way he could lift his pierced appendage from it. Lars moved before the others reacted. He sped through the spikes and launched over the mesh, landing behind Brandon, grabbing him under his arms and hauling him upwards. The corridors filled with his screams as his leg was torn from the serrated edges of the spike, spilling his crimson blood onto the earth.
They fell backwards as soon as his leg was clear, and Kyto immediately pushed his strands at Brandon. His pool began to fall as his strands reached him and began their work repairing his leg. His screams died away as the healing took effect, and the injuries were healed within moments. Kyto's display triggered, as usual, ignoring it.
"Are you ok?" he called.
"Yes. Thank you, and thank you, Lars." they watched as the spikes retracted into the earth again. "Could do with new boots, though," he said, lifting his foot, showing the large torn hole left from the spike puncturing it.
They spent the next few minutes repeating the process with another Geblex corpse, Kyto and Sniffer, throwing it to activate the spike trap. On this subsequent activation, they all ran and weaved through the spikes. Tiddles was the one who would have struggled to get past the spikes safely. He could easily jump the distance they covered, but he could not get enough height in the confines of the tunnel. Once they were safely past the trap, Brandon continued down the corridor again, constantly checking the floors, walls, and ceiling. It took time to navigate the rest of the corridor, not because of any more traps but because of how cautious they were. It took them at least an hour in the cold, damp breeze to safely get near the end of the corridor, and as they did, they could see a pale green glow ahead of them. Kyto hooded the lantern and dismissed his familiar as they approached.
The cavern they were confronted with was like looking out over the lake on a winter's morning, mist gracing its surface and swirling with a preternatural breeze. It was a couple hundred feet long and a hundred across, standing nearly as high. The unnatural luminescence in the chamber came from mosses on the cavern walls and ceiling, casting everything with a pale green glow. The cavern was full of water, and the mist gave it a ghostly feel. As the breeze blew, it created a fine spray in the air and small white-tipped waves. Throughout the chamber, they could see various areas of raised earth as breaks in the mist formed.
"What the hell is this all about?" Tiddles asked as he looked into the space. He stood unaffected by the cold and damp, and his three companions were shivering and rubbing their hands together, trying to keep warm next to him. Their clothes were now soaked from the fine misty droplets.
Lars suddenly pointed out towards the middle of the chamber. They followed his gaze, staring in amazement at what they saw. The creature that appeared resembled a colossal serpent, swimming in the water, part of its body visible as it broke the surface, its head visible above the mist bank. It had a large-scale covered body, and even at the distance they were, it looked large enough to swallow them whole. They could not tell its actual size, though, the bulk of its body hidden in the mist or still submerged. It ducked its head back under, then appeared again. Its large head broke the surface, and two jets of water were thrown into the air as it exhaled through what must be its nostrils. The spray froze in the air and dropped back down as fine ice particles.
The moving form of the creature formed a wake which spread across the water's surface as it swam. It moved like a snake slithering on land when they glimpsed its body. The pale green light glinted off the creature's eyes. It reminded Kyto of the Gatorthon's body but on a much larger scale. The mist broke, and they could see across the chamber as it did. On the far side, a golden glow appeared before the mist hid it again.
"I wonder what that is?" Sniffer asked.
"I hope something worth getting wet for," Kyto replied.
"How the hell do we get by that thing, though?" Brandon asked.
"I think the only option is to fight it," Tiddles said.
"You would fight everything if you could," Kyto replied.
Tiddles shrugged in agreement. "True."
The only ranged weapons they had were the two pistols. Lars drew his pistol, getting ready, and Sniffer did the same. The creature was coming in and out of sight, as either mist obscured their view or disappeared under the surface.
"We don't know how deep the water is," Kyto said. The creature was large, and he looked at the small knife. The axe he had kept from the previous battle had been lost when trapped in the cave-in. After seeing the serpent's form, he wished he had a larger weapon.
Lars indicated he would move into the room and try to approach the first island. It was about thirty feet away, and he signalled Sniffer to join him. If they could get near enough to it, they may be able to shoot it with the pistols they carried. None of them fancied attacking it in the water. Ideally, they needed to reach dry ground. Lars stepped into the room, his foot sinking to his calf in the cold dark water, and all their displays triggered.
Dungeon Boss Level 1
Kill the Prequice to progress to Level 2.