NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31: Endearing Idiocy
All important discoveries are made when someone says; ‘This is a stupid idea, but let's do it anyway’.
Most spectacular failures are also predated by these exact words but don’t let that stop you from trying!
The first ‘this is a stupid idea’ came from Leif. The spriggan had, by mostly luck, come to the admittedly correct decision to hope his newly upgraded [The Well Within II] could overpower the rampaging death energy within his body in combination with the conversion from [Blight’s Bounty]. So instead of fighting the power he decided to draw it in.
The closer to his centre of mass the distorted vitality travelled the more at the mercy of Leif’s amber lifeforce it became. It reached a crucial moment of near imbalance, corrupting darkness met a surge of amber life, then its advance grinded to a halt.
Bit by bit the golden energy within Leif gained ground, and as it gained ground it absorbed, then converted the power into amber tinged vitality. And as Leif absorbed more and more [Blight’s Bounty] finally began working as intended.
Gold mixed with sickly dark green in a maelstrom of conflict. Death sought to subvert and decay, Life consuming and springing up from death. With every moment [Blight’s Bounty] grew in strength, for every portion of grim power harvested Leif edged closer to victory.
He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. His vision flickered fitfully as his mind went blank. But only for an instant.
Vitality surged as Leif went from the brink of death to full to bursting with life energy. His wounds began to heal at a visible pace and the deathgrip his body was under had vanished. What was more, his attributes began to soar. From ten percent, to twenty, to the maximum of plus forty percent to all attributes.
As the undead began to swarm him four golden arms burst from his sides with a thrum of power. They were the most solid manifestations the skill had ever produced. As one, they pushed off the ground, Leif kicked up into a standing position.
Far faster than before, he lashed out at the undead, a blade of silver bounced off a manifested shield now empowered by his increased attributes.
The enslaver snapped its mandibles together and lurched forward to attack. It battered aside the smaller undead in an attempt to reach the spriggan. Leif wasn’t delusional, he knew he couldn’t beat the enemy before him.
But for the past he couldn’t remember, and the moments he had lost. Leif wanted to try anyway.
===
Frost built up around the colossal statue that framed the exit tunnel to the chamber. Sieg quickly glanced inside but it was too dark to see anything.
“Marcus!” He roared. “Get into the tunnel! We need to leave!”
The mage blasted the enslaver from the side, but the massive insect didn’t even look in his direction. “Right!” Marcus replied, trading places with Sieg and entering the narrow passageway. The glowing purple of his gauntlet lit up the space beyond.
Sieg cracked his neck and turned to see Leif about to be turned into wood chips. “Oh for fucks sake.” He muttered, parrying an undead's strike and driving it away with a blast of icy wind. “Marcus! Is the way clear?”
“There's a locked door, give me a minute!” The seeker called back.
Am I about to do something stupid? He asked himself. A part of Sieg, a part he had grown to hate, insisted on leaving. On walking out and starting fresh. It was a survival instinct honed over years of mistrust and isolation.
It was a constant battle to not leave everyone and everything behind. Marcus, the expedition, the academy, hells, the empire itself. This instinct had saved him once, but now it was outdated, unneeded.
He swallowed thickly, the spriggan hissed as one of its corporal arms was severed by the wicked mandibles of the undead enslaver. Come on Siegfried, why is doing the right thing always such a burden? He chastised himself.
Then Sieg charged. He only needed a minute.
===
A few metres into the dark passageway were stairs carved out of the stone floor. Marcus had found it fascinating ever since he and Sieg had arrived in the Pherin Mythhold, how this fantastical structure had been built.
He could understand such colossal building projects being undertaken in the empire proper, but out here in the frontier? It boggled the mind. Though he supposed that during the ancient times where humanity was said to have dominated the lands anything could be possible.
The distinct, perfect curvature made by stone attuned mages could be seen in every chamber, but to make something so intricate and detailed so deep underground…
“Structural integrity is fascinating, but let's focus on getting out Marcus.” He said to himself, reaching the top of the short flight of stairs.
Before him was a doorway. Not one of the mana locked archways that the Mythhold had used above, and thank the gods for that.
“Marcus! Is the way clear?” Sieg’s voice echoed through the passageway.
“There's a locked door, give me a minute!” Marcus shouted in reply. And it was true. Finally he could make use of his [Fortune Seeker] class to its utmost. He sharpened his aura, tapped into [Path of Fate] and reached out with his perception.
The door was mechanically locked rather than thaumatically locked. Must have been built later, I wonder where it goes?
He continued to investigate the door, with every moment his understanding of the locking mechanism became clearer and clearer.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he heard the sounds of battle echoing from back in the chamber. Come on, come on…
He felt he was ready, focusing on the locked door he activated his [Create Key] skill. In his outstretched palm a small metallic orb manifested and began to warp into the shape he envisioned. It only took seconds but every instant felt like an eternity.
Finally the magically created key was formed. Marcus grabbed it and pressed the object into the lock. It fit, he turned it… nothing happened.
“Oh, no no no. Come on, come on…” He tried again. Still nothing. He retracted the key and refocused. “The ridges are slightly wrong…”
He returned the key to the lock, this time it half turned. He pulled it out once again. His hands were shaking and his breath came in short bursts. He liked acting calm and collected but these past few days hadn’t been the most relaxing.
Marcus wouldn’t describe himself as a fighter, his idea of a good time involved books and scrolls. He wasn’t incapable, not like he had been, but the changes to his outlook and perspective on life during his time at the Academy weren’t entirely transformative. Nor were they entirely positive.
The key’s shape stabilised, he slotted it into the hole and… “Yes! Finally.” It clicked into place and the mechanism released.
Ecstatic that It had worked, Marcus shoulder checked the door and burst through into a small circular room. It was a dead end. For a brief, horrifying instant the mage thought he’d led Sieg and Leif to their deaths.
But then his mind caught up with his eyes. He recognised the sigils carved into the floor, and he understood what they needed. Marcus swore, then turned and sprinted back the way he had come.
===
Sieg slumped against the shattered remains of a stone coffin. The blow from the giant ant had sent him flying bodily where he had crashed against the solid object. He spat out blood and struggled to his feet. One of his eyes was slick with blood and his arms trembled from the single attack he had blocked.
Without the combat crash course in the statue room over the past few days Sieg suspected he would be dead.
Leif skidded across the thoroughly ruined chamber as the enslaver struck out at the spriggan with one of its front legs. The plant monster had lost an arm and was practically leaking amber liquid from dozens of minor and major wounds.
But he just kept fighting. Sieg didn’t know how it was possible, but he sure wouldn’t complain about it. The remaining six undead with silvery glowing eyes had backed away from the fight as the monstrous ant went on a rampage.
Their behaviour had suddenly changed and Sieg couldn’t begin to understand why. He wasn’t a monster behaviour expert, something he was now regretting. Live at the Academy for over a year, how about you learn something that might keep you alive? Damn fool.
Sieg’s attention shifted to the doorway the trio had first used to enter the chamber. Undead clawed their way inside by the dozen. The horde they had been running from had arrived. And now they were out of time.
Marcus came sprinting from under the statue's legs. “Sieg! I need your mana shards, the ones in your spacial bracer! Leaf! It’s time to go!”
===
It had taken Leif three seconds to lose his arm. Not the best of showings if he was being totally honest with himself. He would have died if Sieg hadn’t arrived when he did. For over a minute the two fought a desperate retreating battle.
With every blow the enslaver grew more and more agitated, Leif’s strikes stole tiny amounts of the dark potential that kept its body animated. Every little bit would slowly add up, but he didn’t have the time.
Even as Leif’s body healed, his soul screamed with skill overuse. He snapped a final feeble shield up around Sieg but it had little effect, the slayer was sent tumbling, his lifeforce flickering fitfully at the corner of Leif’s senses.
“Sieg! I need your mana shards, the ones in your spacial bracer! Leaf! It’s time to go!” Marcus yelled as he dashed back into the room.
Leif nearly collapsed from exhaustion right then and there. But that would have resulted in his almost instant death. Then the tide of undead washed past the monstrous ant. Sieg hobbled towards the exit as Marcus began conducting bolts of purple energy into the swarm of rotting limbs.
With so many targets so close together the arcanist reaped unlife with every attack. Leif abandoned the idea of retrieving his arm. Hopefully it regrows. He thought wearily.
The spriggan arrived under the statue, grabbed Sieg, then hauled the large man up the stairs. Marcus stayed behind, firing off bouncing arc after bouncing arc. “Crush medium grade mana stones!” The seeker yelled over the wailing din of undeath. “Throw the dust into the circle!”
Sieg muttered something but Leif didn’t catch it. Both of them stumbled into the tiny chamber. Sieg practically fell onto the carved floor. One by one he manifested a mana shard from his spacial storage item.
Leif joined him, crushing the shards as quickly as they appeared. The dust touched the sigils engraved into the floor and dissolved with a flash of light. The magic circle flickered sporadically, growing in consistency and brightness with every passing moment.
Marcus screamed something from behind them and Sieg reacted on instinct. Dozens of shards materialised all at once, the northman winced at the massive waste of money. They crushed five more before the circle lit up in brilliant rainbow light.
Both Sieg and Leif vanished before either could blink.
===
Marcus watched the portal flash to life, he was so close. But not quite close enough. A fleshless hand grabbed his ankle as he ascended the final step. He fell to the ground. Boney tips gripped his boots and sunk through the hard leather.
He winced at the pain but pushed forward. Marcus reached back and unleashed everything he could down the flight of stairs. It was a solid wall of writhing limbs and gnashing teeth. He supposed it was partially comforting to finally see undead acting normal.
The mage scrambled to his feet and made for the still glowing portal. His foot gave out beneath him. The undead that had grabbed him had severed muscles and rended flesh.
Marcus let out a wordless scream as he hit the ground. His vision swam and his head pounded. He’d been in rough shape prior to the fight due to the toll [Path of Fate] took on him with every repeated use.
A screech of pure fury came from the stairs and the wall of undeath were knocked off their feet as something large impacted them from behind.
Marcus went ghostly white as the savage mandibles of the enslaver ripped a path forward through its fellow undead.
It can fit into the tunnel? He thought in alarm. I’m so damn dead.
Blades harder than steel and sharper than swords pierced into Marcus from behind. He briefly blacked out from the intense pain. The undead ant thrashed its head from side to side, Marcus’s spine was severed, he was incapable of doing anything.
Everything went dark as death closed in, the rampaging enslaver barreled forward. Forward and into the flickering portal. The mage hit the rainbow light face first and vanished, the portal winked out severing both mandibles and a pair of front legs.