Sro 04 greenfire, p.29
SRO-04. Greenfire, page 29
part #4 of Sky Realms Online Series
SLAIN: Blackgrowl Caste Ragestalker
+25 Experience (Dungeons Bonus +25 Experience)
Skill Gain!
Small Blades Rank Two +.2
Skill Gain!
Thrown Rank Two +.1
THE DESMARI’S FODDER
Kill ten Desmari Warriors 9/10
Free twenty Desmari Prisoners 5/20
Hall slid the point of his sword under the Desmari’s chin, lifting it up, a small line of blood dripping down the warrior’s chest.
He now knew how to find where the rest of the Desmari and their prisoners were.
The Desmari growled, spitting on the floor, glaring at them all with hate and murder.
He was tied up, arms and legs bound separately. Another length of rope looped around his wrists and ankles, tying them together. Thrown in one of the guest rooms furthest from the gathering room, the prisoner had been tossed into the corner.
Roughly.
Jackoby had moved the Desmari until he was sitting up, uncomfortably, staring at Hall and the others.
The first question had gone unanswered. The fourth had caused the Desmari to spit.
Sharra shook her head, looking at Hall. She was in front of the Desmari, out of reach if the warrior tried to lunge forward. Hall was on one side, Jackoby on the other.
“He will not answer,” she said.
“We will make him,” Jackoby rumbled.
“Not yet,” Hall said.
The Desmari laughed. A harsh sound, like rocks grating against metal. He growled something in his language. Sharra, the only one who spoke it, winced. Hall didn’t need it translated to understand the meaning.
“He just said he’d kill us and insulted us,” he asked, more of a statement.
Sharra nodded.
“His boasts mean nothing,” Jackoby said.
The Desmari focused on the Firbolg, the only one equal in size. Eyes measured Jackoby, studying, finally laughing. Hall glanced at Jackoby, expecting to see the proud Firbolg bristling at the obvious insult. Instead Jackoby stood calmly, eyes watching the Desmari.
“Ask him what his name is,” Hall said to Sharra.
He watched the warrior carefully, seeing his eyes widen in surprise. He had suspected the Desmari knew Hall’s language, the common tongue of Hankarth. The look of surprise just confirmed it.
Sharra started to translate, but Hall held his hand up, stopping her.
“I know you can understand me,” he said.
The Desmari smiled.
“I wondered how long it would take,” the warrior growled in the common language, the words thick and heavily accented. “This tongue is weak,” he grated. “I despise speaking it.”
“Don’t really care,” Hall said, crouching down so he was eye level with the warrior. “I only care about the location of your prisoners and Borsark.”
The Desmari laughed. “Why should I tell you that?”
Hall picked up his spear from the ground at his feet. Holding it in one hand, he slowly moved the tip forward until it was resting against the Desmari’s cheek. With a slight push, the tip penetrated the green hide, drawing a small amount of blood. The warrior winced but did not say anything. Hall pulled the spear back.
“I will just yell and bring all of the Blackgrowl Caste down upon you. The great Borsark will summon the Dharvu and they will rip you to shreds.”
Dharvu, Hall thought, must mean demons in whatever language the Desmari speak.
He shifted to the side so the Desmari could see behind him. The room was lit by torches, providing enough light to show the opening to the corridor beyond was blocked. Stone, dirt and bits of root filled the space, blocking it completely.
“I don’t think anyone will hear you.”
Chapter 29
I should have known. Could have saved some time and effort, Hall thought as he crouched behind the wall, peeking his head out the opening that had been a window. The Desmari had finally broken, revealing the location of the Republic expedition’s leader. Borsark was on the top level in the central collection of rooms. It had been the former Dwarven outpost’s throne room and palace. Not that those words were accurate, but they were close enough.
“I only tell you because Borsark and his Dharvu will kill you all,” the Desmari had said as he lay bleeding from multiple puncture wounds and slashes.
Hall had not wanted to resort to torture, he had hoped for some gaming mechanism to take over, but in the end he’d had to harm the Desmari to get the warrior to talk. Not something he was proud of. But then the Desmari were slavers. They didn’t deserve Hall’s guilt and remorse.
He had granted the warrior a swift death instead of letting him bleed out. That was more than the slaver deserved.
In any game Hall had ever played, the boss of a dungeon was either in the furthest room on the top level or the furthest room on the bottom. In the outpost of Greenfire Depths, the Desmarik Republic’s commander was on the top level.
Now they just had to make their way there without being detected.
He had no idea how many demons the Runespeaker could summon, but according to Sharra and the warrior’s threats, it was a lot. The Jaden Shaman didn’t know all the details about how the Runespeaker’s summonings worked, but she knew enough that once a demon was brought over through a portal, they were on this world until dismissed or their own internal energy ran out. Which meant that over time, Borsark could summon more and more demons, replacing those that faded away and increasing the ranks. There was a limit to how many he could summon in a period of time, but no one knew that limit. Sharra didn’t know how long a demon could stay on this world before having to go back to their realm due to lack of energy. There was a crossover between the two times, but it would still allow a great many demons at once.
Hall didn’t want to raise an alarm and have to fight through an army of demons every step of the way. They were on the second level, needed to go to the sixth, and weren’t able to count on any internal stairs. It was all going to be outside. Exposed.
He listened for any noises in the cavern and the levels above and below. The sound of footsteps, claws scratching against stone. Anything. Breathing or metal tapping against stone.
Skill Gain!
Increased Perception Rank Two +.1
Nothing.
With silent hand signals, Hall sent Jackoby and Caryn through the window opening. Caryn moved silently, making no noise. Jackoby, not so much. The large Firbolg grunted as he pushed himself over, his wooden shield tapping against the stone jamb. Hall grimaced, expecting to hear the sounds of alarm.
It was silent and he let out a breath, relieved.
He went next, followed by Roxhard. The shorter and bulkier Dwarf had a harder time, but managed, making almost as much noise as Jackoby.
Hall crouched on the landing, the edge of the tier only ten feet away. No railing between it and the drop to the next level down or the hard cavern floor. He scanned the cavern, looking for movement. Looking up, he tried to see the shadows of Desmari or demons moving above them. He couldn’t see or hear anything. The tiered design of the Dwarven hall had them at a disadvantage. They couldn’t see anything above them, each level further back. But those above had a much easier time seeing them. That would continue all the way to the sixth and last tier.
There was nothing they could do about it.
Sharra and Seo came over the windowsill, and Hall motioned to Caryn. He didn’t like the idea of the Duelist going first. She was fast and had the highest rank in perception, but she wasn’t the strongest. Jackoby or Roxhard should have been in front, but they were the noisiest. They had to go last.
Caryn stepped toward a set of stairs carved out of the wall. The same sandstone material as the rest of the dungeon, no railings on the side. Hall followed. With his Leap class ability, he could jump over Caryn to confront enemies if required. Pike stayed on the ground, talons clacking against the stone as the dragonhawk shifted nervously. Hall could feel the bird’s anxiety through their bond. Pike wanted to be flying overhead, scouting out the enemy locations. Hall would have wanted that as well, but Pike would immediately draw alarms and any scouting wouldn’t matter.
Skill Gain!
Strategy Rank Two +.1
Hall dismissed the notification. He still didn’t know exactly what the Skill did. There was no bonus or benefit applied to other skills or actions, not that he could tell anyways. The gains were slow, only coming when he came up with a great plan. He’d gotten the Skill as a quest reward, along with Increased Perception. That Skill had a tangible effect, but Strategy didn’t. There had to be a point to the Skill; otherwise why would the game have given it to him?
He pushed the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand. Staying crouched as tight to the wall as he could get, he followed Caryn up the stairs. Glancing back, he saw the others in a long line, tight to the wall, an unhappy Roxhard and Jackoby in the back. Caryn almost lay down on the stairs, keeping her profile low. Moving one at a time, taking a step and stopping to listen.
Skill Gain!
Stealth Rank One +.2
Looking up, Hall watched as she got closer and closer to the edge, stopping when her head was only a couple of inches below the next level. She hesitated, reaching up to the top of her head. Pushing down on her hair, trying to flatten it, Caryn lifted her head up.
Hall held his breath, waiting to hear her yell.
Instead she looked in both directions and then up, making sure no one was looking down on them. Seeing that it was clear, she quickly hopped up and onto the third level. Hall followed, darting up and moving to the right, as Caryn had gone left. Hall saw more of the same as below.
Openings, no wood or glass in them anymore, that at one time had been doors and windows. Almost every inch of the walls was carved. Dwarfs fighting, crafting, drinking, living life. The long lists of what Hall could see now were names in Dwarven script. Family trees written out on the walls. Above each obvious door was a small clan sigil, marks of which family lived in which dwelling. Most of the carvings were faded, worn away with time. Some just dull lines. He could barely make out the sigil above the nearest door, only a couple of feet away, so worn was it. A square shape with a long and skinny one behind it. The square might have been an anvil, the other a spear or axe. Next to the sigil were two small holes. Hall wondered what they had been. Attachment points for signs?
The others made it to the landing, moving quickly to hug the wall, trying to stay out of sight from those above. Pike flew above, wings flapping as the dragonhawk tried to stay low to the stone floor, flying just inches above until he flew a little higher to settle on a windowsill. Caryn passed Hall, moving quickly for the next set of stairs up. With one last look at the upper tiers, Hall followed.
Chapter 30
Hall stood on the fourth level, against the wall, feeling the many carvings against his body, giving the stone a rough feel. He held his breath, eyes looking up. He couldn’t see the Desmari, but he could hear them.
Two, maybe more.
They talked low in their rough tongue. The words were sharp and harsh. He knew they stood near the edge, not too close with no railing. An arm, with a long finger, appeared, pointing into the cavern. There was a questioning tone, a sharp and angry retort.
Wondering where the patrol was.
More words were exchanged followed by the thwack of a hand striking flesh. A Desmari grunted, raising a voice in anger. Another, somewhat calmly, barked what had to be an order. The other didn’t respond.
Turning his head, Hall looked down the line of his friends. They all looked up, hands tight against weapons, holding them steady but ready to attack. Each breathed slowly, making no noise. None moved.
Hall prayed the Desmari would move. The stairs up were only a couple of feet away, Caryn already had one foot on the first step, ready to rush up.
There was the sound of feet shifting, steps against the stone. Then a new sound. Metal against metal, the clank of a chain as the links shifted against each other. The chains made a sharp noise, a Desmari growling. A new voice came, speaking the Desmari language, but not one of them. Hall recognized the accent. It was the same as Sharra’s.
The Desmari had a prisoner.
He glanced down at Sharra, Seo between them. She was looking up, one hand held against the wall, her arm tense as if she were going to push herself off. The other was lifted, fingers outstretched as she got ready to cast a spell. Her dark eyes were hard.
Quickly, hoping it was silent, Hall reached out. His arm slapped against Seo, the Druid muffling a grunt, and tapped Sharra’s arm. She glared at him. He returned the stare. Sharra took a deep breath, tension leaving her body, visibly relaxing. She nodded.
The heavy steps of the Desmari moved further down the level, away from the stairs.
Hall nodded to Caryn, who started her slow walk up the stairway.
Caryn’s head peeked above the floor of the fifth level. She looked first in the direction they had heard the Desmari walking and then the other, making sure there were no surprises. Her head didn’t lower, telling Hall the Desmari and their prisoner were either far away, not looking toward the stair or both. She pushed herself up, darting to the left, the direction of the Desmari.
Hall followed, rushing up the stairs. He tried to stay quiet, but it was impossible. He was moving too fast, almost reckless to get on the level. His scabbard bounced against his leg, the long shaft of the spear in the harness on his back sliding against the stone wall.
His head poked above the level, looking to his left. Caryn was a couple of feet away, both of her long thin swords drawn, in a defensive crouch. Down the level, about twenty feet away, were two Desmari. They were turning, surprise on both faces. One held a ring, a length of chain running from the ring to the collar around a middle-aged man. Dressed in torn clothing, head hanging, body sagging, the man was Jaden. The same as Sharra. He didn’t bother looking up.
Pike shot up, flying onto the level, following Hall’s mental command. The dragonhawk flew straight for the two Desmari, not screeching.
Stepping onto the landing, Hall pulled a throwing knife from his bracer. He wished he still had his javelin, but it had been lost in the attack on the patrol. The end had broken off, leaving the short shaft useless. Not taking the time to aim properly, Hall threw the crackling knife. It flew across the short distance, just behind Pike.
Sharp talons leading the way, Pike pulled up at the last second as the Desmari lifted an arm, trying to turn his shoulder with the sharp spikes. Pike circled in frustration, angry to have missed the attack.
Hall’s knife didn’t.
It struck the upraised arm, sticking into the unarmored flesh. The small blade erupted, lightning circling the Desmari’s arm, the smell of burnt flesh in the air.
Caryn quickly covered the twenty feet. The Desmari dropped the chain, growling at the quick Duelist. She dropped to the ground, sliding under the swing of the Desmari’s heavy sword, between him and the wall. Coming to a stop behind the Desmari, she used her own momentum to stand up, turning and swinging both swords. High and low. Sparks erupted as the twin blades slid across the strange pitted metal of the Desmari’s armor.
Hall activated Leap, covering the distance, drawing his spear. He kept his arc low, trying not to go above the level of the next tier. Not knowing if he succeeded, Hall stabbed down with his spear, catching the Desmari’s still-smoking arm. The creature roared in pain, twisting painfully as Hall’s spear stuck in the arm, the Skirmisher’s momentum pulling the Desmari with him. He landed on the floor, spear slicing out of the Desmari’s arm. Pivoting, Hall used the Attack of Opportunity to stab with the spear, catching the Desmari low in the stomach, just below the armor.
Putting his weight behind it, Hall pushed the spear in deeper. The Desmari grunted in pain, free arm reaching for the shaft, the other trying to swing his sword, but Pike’s appearance prevented it. The dragonhawk swooped down, talons raking across the back of the Desmari’s head, drawing thick lines of blood.
Instinctively, both arms went back to try to bat Pike away, leaving Hall the opening. He pulled out the spear, ducking low and stabbing up. The tip penetrated the Desmari’s neck, the point erupting out the back. Blood leaked from the Desmari’s open mouth, eyes wide in shock, as the warrior gurgled his last breath.
Holding the spear, keeping the body upright, Hall slowly moved forward. He adjusted his angle on the spear, lowering the body to the ground. It joined the other one, already dead, bleeding from numerous cuts across every exposed inch of flesh.
SLAIN: Blackgrowl Caste Ragestalker
+35 Experience (Dungeon Bonus +35 Experience)
Skill Gain!
Polearms Rank Two +.1
Skill Gain!
Thrown Rank Two +.1
THE DESMARI’S FODDER
Kill ten Desmari Warriors 11/10
Free twenty Desmari Prisoners 5/20
Hall could hear sounds behind him. Shuffling of feet, clanking of chains, low breaths. The prisoner now noticed that his captors were dead. Caryn whispered, trying to get the now agitated man to calm down.
Looking up at the next tier, the highest one, Hall tried to ignore the man. He concentrated on anything coming from above. They had to have been noticed. The attack had been swift, the guards killed quickly. It hadn’t been loud, but there had been noise. Anyone on the upper tier had to have heard them.
But so far no one appeared.
Further down the tier, the others ran off the stairwell, flattening against the wall. Except for Sharra. She rushed down to them, ignoring the bodies, moving past Hall. Her voice, speaking her native language, replaced Caryn’s.
