Runeguard 019

It was a good thing we were ready.

The moment the doors opened, a carpet of green and brown streamed into the room. Urgh. Snakes.

I slammed my shield down in an attempt to block the reptiles’ passage. It slowed the influx into the room, but didn’t stop the slithering creatures altogether. 

Behind me I heard the others’ shouts of alarm. 

“They’re level five!” Jorge shouted.

“Flames, Beth,” ordered Bayan. “Gavin, funnel them to her.”

I had no more attention to spare for the Paragons. They would have to handle the snakes that made it past me. The serpents facing me were crawling over my shield, open mouths and fangs darting towards my face. If I wasn’t careful, the whole writhing mass would overwhelm me with numbers alone.

Having overcome my initial surprise, I studied the creatures closely. The serpents were not normal creatures. Monstrously large, they studied me through red-slitted eyes that seemed to glint with predatory cunning. 

Slashing my sword through the air, I cleaved a leaping snake in half. Thankfully, it died easily enough.

A snake, more agile than the rest, darted out of the mass and latched onto my neck. I wrenched it free, but not before it released its toxins.

I cursed and began chanting the opening stanza of my lesser heal spell. Another serpent clamped down on my leg, and I felt its fangs pierce my leather pants. More venom pumped into me.

“Back, Dace,” Beth ordered. 

I had no objections. The serpents were both too numerous and agile for me to handle.

I staggered backwards with a whole host of snakes still clinging to me. I felt pinpricks over my body as they bit down, sending more toxins coursing through me.

“Leave, Dace, Beth. We’ll see to him,” I heard Bayan say. “Torch those at the door.”

“Dace, your health is dropping quickly,” Adi said.

I would have chuckled if I could. I didn’t need Adi to tell me that, but my mind was already fuzzy from the glut of toxins suffusing my body, and I couldn’t string together a response.

I fell to my knees and lost the thread of my lesser heal spell altogether. I felt wind and flames scorch past as if from a firestorm. But that could have been my imagination.

My vision blurred and the figures in front of me transformed into shadowy blocks. My body was still wrapped in slithering forms though, and I didn’t need to see them to know where they were. Dropping my sword and shield, I drew my daggers and hacked at myself.

Distantly, I felt a stinging pain in my shoulder. What was that? It didn’t feel like a snake bite. 

Cold suffused my leg, and I sensed the snakes there fall off. Wind tugged at my arm. Then pellets rocked against my body. It was annoying but seemed to bother the snakes more than me. 

I kept slashing and smiled toothily. Or I thought I did. I was no longer sure if my limbs obeyed my commands.

A hand clamped down on me. “Stop, Dace. It’s over.” I couldn’t make out the voice.

“My god,” whispered an awed voice. “How is he still alive?” That voice I recognized. It was Gavin.

“He really is a tank,” Jorge said with grudging respect.

“Stop nattering, you fools, and give him a healing potion,” Beth snapped.

I felt something dribble into my mouth. I tried to swallow, but I felt as much of the liquid dribble out of me as in me. Nonetheless, new waves of vitality crept through me.

My mind cleared, and I wiped a hand across my eyes and dashed away the tears. 

“Bloody hell, that hurt,” I groaned.

A startled silence.

Lauren barked out a laugh. “Damn, Dace, it did a bit more than that.” The blonde woman’s amusement released the tension, and relieved chuckles filled the room.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder. “Well done, Dace,” Bayan said, his voice serious. “You held them long enough for the rest of us to get our act together.”

The best I could manage was a nod before slumping to the ground. Closing my eyes, I let unconsciousness take me while my body restored itself.

✵ ✵ ✵

I awoke with a pounding headache. Clutching my head, I moaned.

“Feeling better?” 

I opened my eyes to find Beth kneeling over me and holding out a canteen.

I drank greedily. “Thanks,” I gasped when I was done. I looked around. Beth and I were alone in the entry chamber. “Where are the others?”

“Keeping watch in the corridor.”

I nodded. “How long was I out?”

“Ten minutes, maybe,” Beth said. She looked at me in concern. “How are you feeling? Have all the toxins been flushed?”

“Adi?”

“Your health has been fully restored, Dace.”

I glanced at Beth. “Yep,” I replied.

She frowned.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Not that I am not glad you’re better,” she said. “But there is no way you should have recovered on your own so quickly. We didn’t manage to get any more healing potions into you after you collapsed.”

“Ah,” I said, understanding her confusion. “I have the life skill, restoration.” I chuckled grimly. “It has proven its use many times over already.”

“Life regeneration?” she asked, eyebrows flying up. “That would explain it.”

“What happened?” I asked. “How did we win?”

Beth shrugged. “I was forced to use a fire magic scroll to wipe out the snakes. There were too many to handle otherwise.

I pursed my lips. So I had not imagined the firestorm. “You’re a fire mage then?”

Beth nodded. “It’s my primary Essence.” She rose to her feet and held out a hand. “Let’s rejoin the others. Bayan wants us to keep moving.”

Clasping her hand, I let her pull me to my feet.

✵ ✵ ✵

The entry chamber led out into a narrow corridor that continued unbroken for a few dozen yards. From what Beth had said, its entire length had been filled with snakes.

I shook my head in amazement, picturing it as the two of us walked down the passage. “They must have yielded a fair amount of loot, at least,” I said with a grin. “I imagine the Weavers will be swimming in snakeskin for the next few days.”

“Sorry, Dace,” Beth said grimly. “There is no loot.”

I stared at her, not understanding. Bayan and I had not discussed how we would split the spoils, but I assumed I would at least get my fair portion. “Look, if you guys want to keep most—”

Beth held up a hand. “That’s not it, Dace. There was no loot.”

I stared at her blankly. “No loot?”

She nodded.

“Adi?” I queried.

“Dungeon creatures don’t generate any loot, Dace. At the end of each stage, a treasure chest will drop for each party member.” 

“Damn,” I whispered. “I’m liking this dungeon less and less.”

We walked the rest of the way in silence, and found the others crouched in front of another barred cast-iron door.

Jorge was the first to spot us. He tapped Bayan on the shoulder and the others stepped away from the door to join us.

“Dace,” Lauren greeted. “You’re up quicker than we expected.”

“Restoration skill,” I said.

The others’ faces went momentarily blank—no doubt querying their personal administrators—before refocusing on me. 

“That’s a nice skill to have,” Gavin said, sounding jealous.

“It is, isn’t it?” I said with a slightly malicious grin.

“Dace, you ready to tackle the next chamber?” Bayan asked before Gavin could respond.

I turned my gaze to the Paragon leader. “I am. What’s the plan?”

“Same as before. Open the door, but don’t enter. If you’re attacked, retreat. We’ll use the corridor to funnel their attacks.”

Nodding, I moved forward.

✵ ✵ ✵

Pulling out the wooden bar, I slowly pushed open the door. I was ready for anything this time. 

Except nothing.

Which was exactly what greeted me. Nothing.

I waited for a beat, then another. Then another, letting the moment draw out into a long, tense minute. 

Finally, I peeked inside the room. The chamber was dimly lit from the torches set in the ceiling, but the expanse of space yawning open before me was too large for me to make out the chamber’s far ends.

Anything could be inside. Or nothing.

“Dace, what’s going on?” Lauren called out in a loud whisper. The others were huddled a few yards behind me. 

I glanced over my shoulder. “Nothing by the looks of it,” I replied. I hesitated. “I’m going in.”

“Wait, Dace,” Bayan said. He crept up to my side and peeked inside the room himself. But he seemed no more able to penetrate the room’s murkiness than me. “Alright,” he said after a moment. “But be careful and head back the instant you encounter anything.”

I grinned. “Yes, boss.”

Not waiting for his response, I slipped into the room. I didn’t draw my sword and shield. If I had to retreat quickly, they would only slow me down.

The room was large. Cavernous even, and despite my best efforts, my steps echoed loudly in the quiet.

Ten yards into the room, I stopped and spun about in a slow circle. I couldn’t make out anything about the room’s contents. Was it empty? From where I stood, I could clearly make out the corridor from which I had entered. If anything was in the chamber, surely it would have attacked by now?

I shrugged. Turning around, I kept going—only to freeze a moment later as a System message opened up before me.

Your sneaking has increased to rank 8.

The message could only mean one thing. I was not alone in the chamber. My skill would not have increased otherwise.

I debated heading back to the others, but after only a momentary hesitation, decided to forge onwards. I still didn’t know what inhabited the room. Slowing my pace to a crawl, I padded forward.

After another ten yards, my sneaking skill increased again. I strained my eyes to pierce the murky darkness. A few yards ahead, I thought I could make out a humanoid shape… 

But it was unmoving. A statue?

I edged closer. The form resolved itself more clearly. It was humanoid, brownish in color, and roughly my own height. 

Next to it was a second shape, nearly identical to the first. I stood stock-still and studied the pair. The figures looked like rough-hewn figurines, cut out from blocks of sand and stone. And if not for the fact that my sneaking skill was still ticking up, I would have pronounced them statues.

Yes, they were clearly something other.

Letting my gaze linger on the two, I waited until my insight skill triggered.

Your target is a level 8 mud golem.

I chewed my lip. What is a mud golem? And how dangerous is it? I had no idea, but the Paragons might know.

But before I could return to the party, I had to finish my exploration of the room.

Retreating silently from the golems, I turned my attention to the rest of the room.