Dread runners a litrpg u.., p.16
Dread Runners: A LitRPG Urban Fantasy Dungeon Crawler, page 16
“If I add new attributes to my stats, will I have them beyond the dungeon?”
Rita shook her head. “No. Added attributes only affect you in the dungeon. But any new abilities you gain for being down here do remain with you when you leave the dungeon. Those cannot be taken away.”
“Please bring up the stat list, and my own attributes.”
Information appeared on the screen.
Stat Ranks
1 to 3: Feeble -1
4 to 8: Moderate 0
9 to 12: Potent +1
13 to 15: Formidable +2
16 to 19: Mighty +3
20: Imposing +4
21: Colossal +5
22: Supreme +6
23: Titan +7
24: Ascendent +8
25: Eternal ???
Attributes
Strength: 16 (Mighty +3)
Intelligence: 15 (Formidable +2)
Dexterity: 15 (Formidable +2)
Will: 20 (Imposing +4)
Influence: 11 (Potent +1)
Simon looked over his stats, and the stat list. With only two points, he weighed his options. He was already at Formidable with his intelligence, and his dexterity. One point each would put him at Mighty, earning an extra bonus for each. Putting the points anywhere else would only move him closer to the next bracket level, but if he put the points in his Will, his willpower would be unstoppable.
We need some other boss fights to increase my already high attributes. For now, increasing my dexterity will make me almost as fast as Val. Increasing my intelligence will aid us against anything else we may encounter.
Simon considered it for a moment, before mentally adding points to his attributes.
Intelligence and Dexterity increased to sixteen each, adding another bonus to each.
Attributes
Strength: 16 (Mighty +3)
Intelligence: 16 (Mighty +3)
Dexterity: 16 (Mighty +3)
Will: 20 (Imposing +4)
Influence: 11 (Potent +1)
Simon held the leather armor in one of his hands. He lifted it up, seeing a leather cuirass, pauldrons, and rerebraces. The armor covered his upper torso, but did little in the way of protecting his legs, and forearms.
Information filled his gaze.
Leather Armor
Common
Armor: 2 (+3 from Dexterity)
Use: Protect the heart so it may continue to fight
“Better than nothing,” Simon whispered to himself, seeing his Armor go up to five on his stat screen.
The darkling started putting the armor on, but his mind wandered to the page he had acquired.
One step closer to my goals.
Chapter 18
Avast!
Simon made his way down the stone steps. He was leading the group, the rest following him with alert senses.
The last six levels colored the darkling’s mind. Their group had fought all manner of creatures, from groups of gnolls to giant slime cubes. The gnolls were nasty, hyena type humanoids. The moment they caught a sniff of the Odd Bog team, they came barreling toward them, snickering, and shouting like crazed animals. Simon felt nothing as he, and the others of Odd Bog, slaughtered them by the dozens.
After each battle, the team grew a little worse for wear. They all noticed it, the stench of gnoll blood on their clothes and skin was noticeable. There was little to do for the stench, but they moved on, looting their bodies for small amounts of coin.
Simon’s brow wrinkled at the thought of the large slime cubes. The few they ran into were difficult to bypass. They were the height and width of corridors. Skeletal remains of gnolls were inside them, almost fully digested by the odd slimes.
Fire was the only way to fight them. Transparent tentacles would shoot out, trying to grab anyone in the group, and the tentacles could only be fended off by fire. Even with Simon’s unusual blood, it didn’t give them much of an edge in those battles. Torches were enough to fight the odd slimes, but the whole team often had low hit points afterwards. Fire was dangerous to the slimes, and many in the team.
Once the slimes were defeated, much like the gnolls, Odd Bog carried on.
Simon caught sight of the next level at the bottom of the stairs. He glanced at the “Level 17” carved into the very stone. He smiled, and glanced back at his haggard team.
Val made her way down the stairs, a small darkness under her eyes. The vamp normally spoke often, but said less with each level down. Simon knew she was using a lot of energy in the fights, and she was weakening after every battle.
Tara looked the same as when the darkling first met her. She had a hard brow, and a look of determination, but there was a change. Simon noticed she always had her hand on her sword pommel. It was as if she couldn’t bear the thought of not being armed.
Simon wondered if the fight with the necromancer dwarf had shaken her. She didn’t let it show, but Simon knew the edges of sorrow and madness when he saw it. It was something all darklings knew on sight, or felt in the presence of others. It was the gnawing feeling of something dark eating a person from within. The wight was not impervious to emotions. She simply hid her scars from all. But when she confessed what happened, there was a sliver of desperation, as if to gain some kind of penance from those she began to respect.
Simon walked up to the level entrance, knowing, with each battle, their team grew closer.
The darkling reached the entrance and stared out at an immense cavern, and a deep crevasse.
The level was divided into two rocky sides. The crevasse ran down the middle, the darkling standing at an entrance. When he turned his head, he saw rocky spires stabbing upwards with heights of six, to twelve feet tall. They ran down the length of the cavern.
Clumps of glowing moss covered the ceiling, giving the entire cavern adequate light. But Simon’s eyes caught something strange, across the yawning crevasse. He stared across it, and a few hundred feet away, he glimpsed another corridor entrance on the other side.
“What do you see?” Tara asked.
“A long cavern, with a wide crevasse, but there is another corridor entrance, with stairs leading down to this very cavern.”
Simon looked over his shoulder to the pale wight. “Why is there another stairway leading down here?”
“The dungeon sometimes splits the runners. If there is another stairwell across the way, that means another team is coming down, or they are already here,” Val said plainly, without any sarcasm, or witty remarks.
Tara nodded gravely. “This may be a team versus team level.
“The exits to the lower level will be at the other end. We will have to run for it,” Roma said with tired eyes.
Simon turned his body, his gaze locked on the witch. Roma was exhausted. It wasn’t just from battles, but from using her magic. Much like Val, the witch was using every drop of her mana for each fight. She didn’t regenerate like the dead, or darkling. She was still human, despite her mystical powers.
Bridget put her hand on the witch’s shoulder, concern in her eyes.
Much like Simon and Tara, the flesh golem didn’t tire as quickly. She had been conversative with her electrical power, and only used it when needed.
The witch looked at the tall flesh golem, and smiled. “I’ll be okay. Maybe on the next level, we can get some real rest.”
Tara moved to the level entrance and looked out with stern eyes.
“We don’t know if either of the other teams passed through, are hiding, or on their way. It looks still, but we must be very careful. The longer we’re here, the greater the chances we will run into another team.”
“How likely will they attack us?” Simon asked.
“Very,” Val said with shadows under her eyes. “It’s not just about reaching the bottom, but eliminating the competition.”
Simon moved to Tara’s side, and poked his head out. He looked to the left, seeing the cavern extend on into shadowy darkness.
“This will not be a fast run. The thick spikes are meant to give us cover.”
Simon pulled his head back in, and turned slightly to Tara. “What’s your order, Team Captain.”
The wight turned to the darkling, her blood red eyes filled with her thoughts.
“There is no way around this. We must run the gauntlet. If we stay here, the other team, or teams, may appear, and start shooting from the other side. The crevasse is wide, and deep enough to prevent anyone from either side from making it across, but that won’t aid us with ranged attacks.”
Tara turned to the group with determined eyes. “Gather your strength. We will make the run. If we are attacked by monsters, or another team, we hunker down. Who has ranged attacks?”
“I have my lightning gauntlets,” Bridget spoke up.
Val moved to her friend’s side, and handed her the lightning wand.
“I can’t hold my swords, and the wand. It may be better with you, so you don’t tire out your energy,” the vamp said with a mild smirk.
“Thank you,” Bridget said with warm understanding, her friend giving her more to defend herself with.
“I can use frost, or fire magic,” Roma said with tired eyes.
Tara stepped to the witch, and stood before her.
“You are not to expend any more of your mana unless absolutely needed. That means for defense, or healing,” the wight ordered.
“Tara, I can help with ranged attacks,” the witch said sternly.
“No,” the wight said with understanding eyes. “Everyone in this team is important, and we can’t lose anyone. Turn into your cat form. It will aid with your speed, and your small size will make it difficult to hit.
“I know you can’t use other spells in your cat form, so only return to normal when behind cover, and if needed.”
Roma stared into the wight’s eyes, before she looked away and nodded.
Tara turned to Bridget as Val moved to Simon’s side, and out of the wight’s glare. “You will be our ranged DPS. If we run into an opposing team, or a monster we cannot take on with melee attacks, we will be relying on you to keep them busy as we all make our escape. Understood?”
Bridget stood a little taller, and nodded.
Tara turned to Val and Simon. “I want you both to stay low. Make no attempts to cross the crevasse. Aid in defense.”
“You can count on me,” Simon smiled.
“Sure,” Val said with a tired edge.
“I’ll lead the way. Stick together and keep moving,” the wight said before she turned to the entrance of the level.
The group moved with her. Simon stared past the wight’s shoulder, a whisper touching his mind.
“They lurk.”
Simon’s eyes widened as he reached out, grabbed Tara’s shoulder, and pulled her back.
In that split-second, there was a flash of smoke, and an ice shard crossing the crevasse. It struck the edge of the level entrance, and exploded into smaller shards of ice, and mists.
The group moved to the sides of the small chamber.
“Come out sea slugs,” a voice echoed through the cavern, followed by a laugh.
“Shipwreck team,” Tara growled.
“That was your warning shot. We could have waited until you were all out, and blast you out of the dungeon, but I am a fair, and just captain.”
“Great! Those fucking elves all have magic, and mana pistols,” Val hissed.
Simon listened intently, and a plan formed.
“I can create a large, wide shield. I can guard us as we run,” he whispered.
Tara shook her head. “No. You’ve done enough for us when we fought the dwarf necromancer. I have another idea.”
The wight turned her head and looked at Val. “Use your mist ability to give us cover.”
Val shook her head. “If I use that ability, it will weaken me more than I am now. If they use magic, or fire, it will further weaken me. I need blood.”
“Val, you could have fed on the gnolls,” Bridget said harshly.
“No, I couldn’t. They are wild creatures, and their blood would have influenced me. It is why our kind feeds mostly on humans. The blood of other humanoids can cause a kind of violent madness, and I might have turned on all of you. I honestly believed I wouldn’t be so taxed coming this far. I can last several weeks between feedings because of my age, but this dungeon is pulling at my very sanity. If I didn’t know any better, I swear it’s draining my power a little at a time.”
“You can feed on me,” Roma offered.
Val looked at the beautiful witch, and gave her a sardonic smirk.
“Yes, I can, but you would be too drained to continue. I don’t require much, but even taking a little would weaken you. Thank you, Roma, but I will not endanger you with my hunger.”
“Come out, come out, my little sea slugs! Or there may be more nasty surprises,” echoed from the cavern.
Simon turned to Bridget. “You and I can defend the team. I will protect you as you fire back at them. This will distract them as the rest of the team makes a run for it.”
“Simon,” Tara said with a hard tone.
The darkling turned to the wight with a blank, unfeeling look in his eyes. “We both know this can work. Everyone runs as Bridget and I hold them off. This will be our only chance to get all of us, or most of us to the exit.”
“We will,” Tara was cut off as a strange, misty orb struck the edge of the entrance, and exploded.
Green mist flashed, and flooded the area. The moment it touched everyone, damage registered.
Status attack! 1 acid damage.
Armor: 5
Hits: 8/9
Simon instantly knew that this mystical attack bypassed his armor.
“Go!” the darkling shouted as dark blood poured into his hands.
There was no time for debate. The group charged out of the level entrance, and into the cavern. Tara, Val, and Roma, darted for several small spires as bolts of ice and fire shot across the crevasse.
Shadow blood poured out from Simon’s hands, and arms. It all combined and reformed into a large black shield, enough to protect two.
“Keep going!” Simon shouted as Bridget moved behind him.
Time sped up as the Odd Bog team charged into the chaos as an acidic mist filled the level entrance.
“Swim little fish!” a blue-haired elf in pirate garb swung out from behind a spire on the other side of the crevasse with two arcane pistols, and began firing.
The elf’s mad laughter echoed through the cavern as the team ran.
Roma whispered a magical word, and her body shrank as she ran. Fur sprouted, and soon she was on all fours, darting quickly from rock spire to rock spire.
Val darted in quick blurs, her swords sheathed behind her.
Tara pumped her legs, but was nowhere near as quick as a cat, and the speedy vamp. Where she lacked speed, she made up for in courage, making sure there were spires in her way as she listened to the attacks, and where they were coming from.
Simon watched it all as he and Bridget ran. Different elves rushed along the other side of the crevasse, each one firing across with different attacks. A red-headed elf used a fire bow, unleashing flaming arrows. She laughed like a crazy person with each twang of her bowstring.
The captain of the Shipwreck team fired off spell shells, each one lighting up the area.
A tall, wide, sea elf, moved at a hulking pace. He had a long thick spear in his webbed hands. His black gaze watched and called out targets.
A dark-skinned elf with white hair unleashed a barrage of ice spells.
The last elf of their team had pale skin, blonde hair, and a look of shock and horror as he ran, clutching a staff to him. He was wearing a black and white robe, like a priest’s robe.
A dread fell over Simon, the moment an ice-shard struck his black shield. The shard shattered, but he felt the tingle of mana push against him. He didn’t take any damage, but he knew, if a fire arrow, or fireball struck it, the damage would sink into him.
Bridget pointed her frost wand, and unleashed ice-shards of her own.
Ice shards from Bridget’s want struck the other side. Magic surged as ice spikes stabbed up from each impact, nearly impaling a running shadow elf.
“Keep moving!” Simon said as his legs moved.
The darkling and flesh golem stuck together as they ran nearly sideways. Simon kept up his shield as the area around him flashed with ice and fire explosions. Pieces of rock were blasted off spires, only his shield knocking them away.
Both sides ran as fast as they could, firing at each other.
“Allies.”
Simon gritted his teeth as explosions caused him to stumble. He heard the whisper, and looked to his teammates. They were already far ahead.
The darkling didn’t understand the whisper as he ran for his life.
Bridget kept unleashing frost bolts from her wand. After a hundred feet of running, the wand went dark.
“The wand is out,” the flesh golem said as she slid it into her belt, and lifted her fists.
Electricity crackled as she aimed her gauntlets, Simon giving her cover.
The darkling braced for his shield to be struck dead on, but as they ran, it didn’t happen. Explosions rippled around them, causing debris to bounce off his shield, but there was no direct damage.
Simon lowered his shield just enough to look past it.
Time slowed down as everyone was running. The darkling made eye contact with the leader of the other team. The beautiful blue-haired elf stared back at him with a wicked smirk, and a mana pistol in each hand. She kept her hypnotic gaze on his eyes, her pistols having the darkling’s shield in her aim.
The elf’s smirk stabbed deeper into her cheek, as she moved her aim slightly, and pulled triggers.
Ice bolts struck a nearby spire, a small explosion causing Simon to stumble again.
Bridget aimed at the elf leader across the way, energy charging to fire.
They’re not trying to hurt us. They’re testing us, to see if we will hurt them or not.
Simon stood up as he used the edge of his shield to hit Bridget’s gauntlets.
The flesh golem’s eyes widened as two bolts of lightning fired, and streaked upwards.
An explosion high over the elf captain caused her to laugh.
