Dungeon Noble 2: Knight, page 49
Jake stopped and listened, realising immediately that Nepthys was right. The fighting outside should have been relatively quick, with the toughest resistance here in the main building. Instead, it sounded like the fighting was actually escalating outside.
Cursing, Jake realised their mistake. “Kirn, the ritual site is in one of the other buildings!”
Not waiting for the Hunter to reply, Jake called for his companions and raced back the way they’d come.
Bursting out into the dimly lit interior of the outpost, Jake saw the telltale flash of purple and black energy of Skryx, the tainted magic of the Corrupters. Following it back, Jake saw a resistance fighter crumple to the ground, half of her body melted away by the beam of magic.
All around them, Jake could see their forces being hard-pressed by an organised counterattack of Corrupters and Fatesworne. There weren’t many of them, maybe a score in total, forming four squads of five.
The squads had clearly been training together for some time, however, and their teamwork was far beyond the slapdash unity of the loyalist and resistance fighters. The raw lethality of the Corrupters didn’t help either.
“They’ve hidden their magic,” Nepthys said quickly, taking in the scene at the same time. “The fighting has weakened it, though, and my Ability is sensing a lot of Skryx, Jake. Whatever they’re doing, it is happening right now.”
The squad of Corrupters saw them and rushed to engage, making further conversation impossible and causing Jake to grimace. Purple and black magic was streaming at them, only to crash into and be consumed by Nepthys’s shields as the two magics destroyed each other.
Jake had time to use Lesser Wyrd Manifestation on both his sword and wand, imbuing them with the essence of the Mighty Drake, and then the fight was on in earnest. A smoky lash of corrupt magic coalesced in the hands of the leading Corrupter before it came whipping at Jake’s face.
Dodging aside, Jake heard the crack of the lash, his wand coming up as he fired a slew of icicles back at the Corrupter. Moby’s essence had interacted with the ice to make the icicles longer and more jagged. They had a slight silver sheen to them now as well, which his sword had gained as well.
The Corrupter that had targeted Jake had moved away from the rest of the squad, abandoning his team to fixate on him. The lash of smoke whipped out again, moving unnaturally fast and catching Jake on the shoulder.
It felt like acid dragging across his flesh, and Jake could feel his skin blistering as it reacted to whatever corrupt magic had been used to make the whip. Grimacing in pain, Jake fired his wand again and tried to close the distance with the Corrupter.
The whip-wielder dodged all but one of the icicles, the last of the volley slicing past their ribs and tearing through the dark tunic they wore. In the dim light, Jake couldn’t tell if he’d drawn blood, but the anger of his opponent was clear as they conjured a second whip.
Jake barely had time to realise what was happening before he was diving aside. A pair of cracks echoed in the air as both whips cut through the space he’d been in a moment before.
“I will reap your life, Dungeon Noble,” the Corrupter called out in a sing-song voice before giggling as Jake dodged another attack by the skin of his teeth. “The rewards I will gain with your death will be enough that I can finally take control!”
A flicker of motion was all the warning Jake had before the lash struck him again, this time striking his armour directly. The infused material sizzled and melted beneath the corrupt magic’s touch, giving off an acrid stench that turned Jake’s stomach.
At least the armour stopped it, but Jake doubted it could take many hits before it was destroyed. He needed to close with the Corrupter and end this as quickly as he could.
Dashing forward, Jake spent his Wyrd freely to unleash a torrent of icicles at the Corrupter as quickly as he could cycle his power through the wand. He wasn’t completely sure how long the Wyrd Manifestation would last, and he wanted to make the most of it.
Jake also activated his Hunter’s Grace Boon, giving him a slight boost. This was the time to use his Boons, after all.
The abrupt change in Jake’s speed caught the Corrupter by surprise, and Jake ducked past the next strike with ease, closing the distance. All the while, he kept up the pressure on his opponent, forcing them to evade his attacks as best he could.
A dark shape moved in the sky behind the Corrupter, and the corner of Jake’s mouth curled up as he shifted focus from closing the distance to evading those smoky lashes. He just needed to wait for the right moment, and then act decisively.
A near miss from one of the lashes was returned by a solid blow to his opponent’s thigh, and in that moment of distraction, Moby struck. The duck’s metallic feathers glinted slightly as he silently swooped down to slam into the Corrupter’s back.
“What… get off!” The Corrupter shouted, losing control of his lashes as he tussled with the oversized duck, whose talons and bill were sharp enough to rip and tear. Moby was undoubtedly the most dangerous waterfowl Jake had ever met, and the Corrupter should have taken him seriously.
Instead, the brief tussle ended with Moby being thrown to the ground and the Corrupter screaming in pain, clutching his face. The moment Jake had seen the duck stooping on his prey, though, he'd been sprinting at the Corrupter.
Every moment of distraction let him close the distance with all the speed he could call on, his Boon granting him speed as he ran down his prey.
Whirling on Moby, the Corrupter held out a hand to conjure a long whip of purple and black smoke that roiled with barely restrained malevolence. Regaining his feet, Moby flared his wings and visibly swallowed something before hissing at the enraged Corrupter.
“Fucking duck!” The Corrupter roared, too enraged to realise what was going on around them. The whip came back, ready to strike down at Moby, before dispersing and fading into nothingness as he coughed out a spray of blood. “No…”
Jake twisted the sword he’d buried into the Corrupter’s back while conjuring an icicle into the back of the Corrupter’s neck at close range, silencing him permanently.
Pulling his blade free, Jake knocked the dying Corrupter to the ground, noticing absently the ruined mess that had once been the man’s left eye. The tainted classer was choking on the icicle that had impaled his throat, and Jake was about to walk away when he saw flickers of Skryx around the edges of the wound.
It was beyond Jake’s expectations that someone could survive being impaled through the chest and neck, but a final stroke of his blade ensured he wasn’t leaving any living enemies in his wake.
With the grisly deed done, Jake turned to the aid of his companions, but they had the matter in hand. Ari, Kirn, and the rest of the assault squad had emerged to support them, and while a squad of Fatesworne had been drawn in as well, they had a defining advantage.
Namely, Kirn and Ari.
Kirn’s deadly speed and ability to turn even the slightest of wounds into a threat made him a priority for the enemy. The Hunter clearly had several stealth-related Abilities, however, and was making good use of them to harry the enemy.
In contrast to Kirn’s probing attacks and harassment, Ari was a relentless attacker who relied on a highly aggressive style of fighting. The heavy two-handed sword that Ari carried around never stopped moving as the veteran classer ploughed through the Fatesworne. He had been withdrawn and unusually quiet in the buildup to this assault, but none of that showed in how he was fighting.
A caster who was too slow to back away from the whirlwind of steel lost an arm to a deceptively slow swing of Ari’s huge sword, before being immolated by Gargan as he recoiled in pain and clutched at his stump.
Satisfied that his friends had matters in hand, Jake turned his attention to the outpost and the overall battle. The fighting was still fierce, but with two of the reinforcing squads dealt with, the loyalist and resistance fighters held their own.
Relieved that he didn’t have to choose between helping them or finding the ritual site, Jake eyed the other buildings. They didn’t have the time to search all of them, so he needed to pick right the first time.
Light was spilling from the windows of all the buildings now, making it easier for him to see the details of the outpost. Pausing, Jake turned back to one of the warehouses at the rear of the outpost, remembering that it had already been lit up when they’d arrived.
“Jake?” Nepthys called out, jogging over to join him, the rest of the group following along behind her. “Why did that Corrupter go right for you? Are you hurt?”
“Nothing too bad,” Jake said, waving aside an offered potion. “They knew what I was, somehow—I’m guessing some sort of inverse to your Ability.”
“Ignore the fighting for now. We must search the other buildings,” Kirn said, talking over whatever Nepthys had been about to say. “Do your Abilities give any guidance?”
“Nothing useful,” Nepthys said, her attention staying on the fighting around them. “There’s something going on here, but they’ve masked it from my Abilities. I couldn’t even sense it outside of the outpost.”
“Perhaps that is the aim of this ritual,” Kirn said before pointing to one of the longer dormitory buildings. “We will start there.”
Jake held up a hand to stop the Hunter before he’d taken more than a step. “No, we should start with that warehouse. The lights were on when we arrived. That could be a sign.”
Kirn turned to face him, a muscle jumping in his jaw as his gaze bored into Jake for a long few seconds. He began to speak before pausing as Ari moved up to stand next to Jake, his face studiously neutral. Eventually, Kirn nodded. “Very well. Lead the way.”
Despite his words, the Hunter didn’t move, forcing Jake to step around him to head for the warehouse. The Hunter made no overt sign of displeasure, but Jake could feel the weight of Kirn’s gaze on his back. Despite their shared enemy, Kirn hadn’t quite let go of his anger.
It was hardly their fault that his grandson had died, but knew that appealing to Kirn’s logic would do no more than it already had. Thankfully, Jake doubted Kirn would let his emotions interfere with what he saw as his duty.
What would happen after they won was another matter, of course. Well, assuming that they won, and that they all made it out alive.
Shaking off that cheery thought, Jake gripped his sword tightly and picked up the pace to the warehouse, hearing his allies do the same. A large set of doors at the entrance stood slightly open, letting out a thin slice of light into the gathering darkness.
To Jake’s surprise, no one emerged from the warehouse, and there was no sign of activity or movement from within that they could see. Part of him wondered if they were wasting their time here and were simply giving the enemy the time they needed to finish their ritual.
Pushing down his unease, Jake slowed as he reached the doorway, glancing back to make sure everyone was with him. Satisfied that they were ready, Jake inched forward and peered through the doorway.
The interior of the warehouse was mundane, to say the least. Infused torches burnt on the walls, giving off enough light to illuminate the space and highlight the lack of any ritual. As far as he could tell, this was a perfectly normal warehouse.
Frowning, Jake inched inside, moving quietly and carefully into the warehouse as he peered about for any sign of movement or activity. Nothing.
“This is clearly the wrong place,” Kirn said, his voice shattering the quiet as he turned to leave. “We’ve wasted enough time here. We need to move on.”
“Wait,” Gargan said, stepping forward and cocking his head to one side as he stared at the far end of the warehouse. “This place is more than it seems. My bond to my Patron is reacting to something unclean.”
“What do you mean?” Jake turned to the caster when he saw a faint flicker of motion at the far end of the warehouse. Twisting back, Jake stared at the shelving and crates that cluttered the area. He was sure he’d seen something then.
“Lady Napthir, guide my aim,” Gargan said in a soft, almost reverent tone. Lifting his wand, he pointed straight down the centre of the warehouse and fired a single streak of flame.
The flame struck something invisible just short of the far wall, sending out ripples in the air like a stone dropped in a pond. As the ripples moved, they shattered the illusion they’d been facing.
Jake’s breath caught as he saw the true state of the warehouse. Gone were the shelves and crates, replaced instead by a large hole in the ground, stairs, and an occult symbol daubed onto the wall in blood.
“By the Three….” Kirn’s voice was filled with the same revulsion they all felt as they saw the bloody symbol on the wall. “What foul magic is this?”
“Skryx,” Nepthys said flatly, even as Gargan lifted his wand and sent a second, larger ball of flames at it.
“Don’t burn the place down!” Jake hissed, caught between wanting to see the symbol destroyed and needing to use the warehouse for more than the next few seconds.
“My flames will not spread,” Gargan said simply, nodding in satisfaction as the flames struck the symbol and burnt it away in a bright flash. “My Lady guides them.”
Kirn and the other trikes bristled slightly, yet another reminder of the unavoidable differences between them, but they said nothing. As reactions went, that was probably the best they were going to get.
“Well, at least we know the way now,” Aspen said, spinning his spear with a slightly manic smile. “After you, Jake.”
Jake rolled his eyes at Aspen, but led the way through the warehouse, nonetheless. Everything had been building to this moment, and he was as eager to see it through as he was nervous about what they’d find.
Keeping his sword at the ready, Jake moved carefully over to the hole in the warehouse's floor, doing his best to ignore the bloody symbol on the wall as he went. Peering down the hole, he saw a set of roughly hewn stairs leading down into an underground cellar of some sort.
Glancing back to share a worried look with Nepthys, Jake kept his weapons at the ready as he moved down the stairs. Despite their best efforts, the sound of them walking down the stairs echoed slightly, but Jake quickly realised there was something else as well.
After another two steps, he heard the distant echo of voices from somewhere deeper underground. Whatever this place was, it was far larger than the cellar he’d been expecting.
Just how long had they been planning to do this ritual?
Doing his best to leave that question at the back of his mind, Jake steadied his breathing as he reached the bottom of the stairs, finding himself at the threshold of a dimly lit room. Leaning forward to get a better look, he saw what seemed to be a bunkhouse in design.
A dozen or more bunk beds lined six rows, and each of them looked well lived-in and used. Thankfully, they were all empty at the moment, so Jake could quietly move further in.
The only other exit from the room was a half-open door that stood near where he’d entered, so Jake moved on immediately. The voices were louder now and seemed to rise in both pitch and intensity. They had no time to waste.
“Jake,” Nepthys said in a breathy whisper, touching his shoulder before he could push the door open. “I still can’t sense the Skryx properly, but it's easier down here than before. There’s at least two large sources through here, one to our left and the other straight ahead.”
“Got it,” Jake said, glancing back to nod in thanks before pushing the door open and flowing through, ready to fight. Instead of the enemy he’d expected, he found only a long corridor, dimly lit with smokeless torches.
There were three doors along the left wall, one on the right, and the last at the far end. The chanting seemed to come from further down the passage, but the echoes made it difficult to know for sure. Remembering Nepthys’s words, Jake moved to the closest door on the left and tried the handle.
The door swung open to reveal a pitch-black room, with not a trace of movement. Relaxing, Jake was about to stow his wand and get his torch out when Gargan stepped in and held out a hand. A six-inch flame appeared above his palm, looking for all the world like he had just taken from the top of a candle as it danced in place.
“By the Three…” One of Kirn’s companions muttered as they saw the interior, a sentiment that Jake could fully understand.
Someone had carved a circle into the floor and lined it with symbols, staining it the color of dried blood. Whatever had happened here, it was the same sort of foul magic that had hidden the entrance.
“Is this what you sensed?” Jake asked softly, glancing over at Nepthys as she shook her head.
“No, it must be one of the other two doors.”
Jake nodded, giving the dried blood in the carved channels of the ritual circle a last look before moving back into the corridor. Kirn had already moved on to the next door and opened it as they moved to join him before recoiling at the smell. Jake caught the edge of it and gagged at the foul stench wafting from the room.
Whatever was in there, it was thick with rot and decay.
Kirn swiftly shut the door, his face pale in what little light they had. “There’s another circle in there, but there’s something on top of it.”
“A person?” Jake asked with a sinking sense of dread. Part of him was hoping that the material used for these symbols was animal blood, but he knew that was unlikely.
Kirn nodded, his disgust evident, and they moved on without another word.
“Here—it's in here,” Nepthys said as they reached the third door. “I can sense it even through whatever they’ve done to the world. It's foreign and corrupting. We need to deal with it.”
Kirn hesitated, so Jake stepped past him and opened the door, stepping through with his sword at the ready.
The room stank of blood and death, but it was the shrine that took Jake’s breath away. It was made of wood and bone, but somehow Jake knew exactly what it was without ever having seen it before. He was left with little doubt, however, as the System immediately spoke to them all.
