The labyrinth, p.12
The Labyrinth, page 12
part #2 of The Gods' Game Series
Commander: Kyran.
Player 1 (Emerald thread): Adra, vassal.
Player 2 (Cobalt thread): Gaesin, vassal.
Active Effects:
None.
With Adra leading the way the party navigated the tunnels. Her stealth and night vision made her an excellent choice for the position. The tunnels branched and re-joined in a crazy network that bewildered and confused and yet at each branch Adra showed no hesitation. At first Kyran tried to verify her choices, awkwardly unfurling the map at each crossroads, painstakingly finding their new position and carefully tracing their path to confirm that it was indeed the correct fork. After the fifth or sixth such attempt, he gave up. It was impossible. Even with his own player’s map he could not pinpoint their position on Aveyad’s map, much less figure out which way to head, not without laboriously tracing each individual route. Without Adra, the party would have been lost.
The party made much better time without him double-checking Adra. At every intersection, Adra would wait and direct them down the correct branch. For hours, they travelled without mishap. But just as Kyran started to believe that the journey would be easier than expected, the party encountered their first kobolds.
They were in the tunnel ahead, on a collision course with the party. Adra detected the kobolds well in advance and alerted Kyran telepathically. “There’s six, moving slowly towards us. As narrow as the tunnel is we cannot avoid them on our current course. Do we fight or retreat?”
He wanted to avoid confrontation. At least until they were left with no other choice. “No, let’s retreat.”
Adra acknowledged the order and the party retraced their steps to search out an alternate route, with Adra on point again. But a few minutes later he received more bad news. “There is another kobold party approaching, twelve strong. We’re trapped between.”
“Damn,” he said. Just their luck. He weighed their choices. They were sandwiched between the two patrols and he couldn’t allow any of the kobolds to escape, not if he didn’t want to alert others nearby. And he was sure there were more. The kobolds travelled in large packs.
He glanced at Gaesin, who hovered anxiously next to him. “You ready for this?” Gaesin gulped nervously but nodded his head all the same.
Kyran clamped him on the shoulder and then projected over the battlegroup, “Hurry back here, Adra. We deal with the smaller patrol first. We finish them off before the second gets wind of us. None can be allowed to escape, so let’s get as close as we can before springing our ambush. I’ll initiate with confusion and then teleport into their midst.
“Gaesin, cast ice wall to prevent their retreat. Adra, hang back and pick them off as quickly as possible. Warn me as soon as the second party is alerted. Understood?”
Gaesin and Adra gave short, terse nods.
The trio hurried back to the first kobold war party, Kyran hidden by blend, Adra by stealth and Gaesin who had no concealment abilities of his own, hanging back until the ambush was sprung. As they neared the kobolds, Kyran projected over the battlegroup, “Ready? Here we go then. Three… two… one…”
He cast confusion, his gathered will arcing into the oblivious kobolds, piercing their minds and implanting false thoughts.
Kyran has cast confusion (radius: 20.4m, chance to resist: 5%, duration: 3 minutes), 6 kobolds confused.
Not delaying to observe the effect, he teleported into their midst. He ran through the first, who appeared dazed, ignored the second who attacked its fellow and cut down the fourth who turned to flee.
Kyran has killed a feral kobold with a vital strike.
Kyran has killed a feral kobold with a vital strike.
From the corner of his eye, he saw an arrow thud into the throat of the fifth and an ice wall appear, cutting off the escape of the fleeing sixth.
Adra has sniped a feral kobold, killing it with a vital strike.
Gaesin has cast ice wall (Wall length: 12.3m, Wall HP: 123), 0 kobolds frozen.
They mopped up quickly. Gaesin pelted the two engaged in combat with each other with magic missiles until Kyran moved to finish them while Adra slew the fleeing one with an arrow in its back.
Gaesin’s 8 magic missiles have hit 2 kobolds for 38 earth damage.
Kyran has killed a feral kobold.
Adra has killed a feral kobold with a vital strike.
Kyran has killed a feral kobold.
And that quickly the first kobold patrol was defeated. “Well done, people. Now let’s go get that second squad.” The party regrouped and with Adra taking point again, they rushed forward to meet the second kobold patrol.
They had not proceeded far before Adra shouted over the battlegroup, “The second kobold party has detected us, they are fast approaching!”
Kyran acknowledged her response and calmly ordered, “Adra, hurry back to us. Gaesin, when she reaches you, cast slippery ice behind her. Then take up position on the edge of the ice field and fire on the enemy as they appear.”
As his companions moved to comply, Kyran activated his buffs—boost speed, mind over matter, barkskin and fire shield—and taking up a position a few steps behind Gaesin, blended out of sight, waiting.
Active Effects (Kyran):
Mind Over Matter (+16 to each body attribute).
Boost Speed (+16%), 16 minutes remaining.
Barkskin (+13 Natural Armour), 4 minutes remaining.
Fire Shield (255 damage blocked), 4 minutes remaining.
Blend (invisible), 3 hours remaining.
Truesight (18m), 2 hours remaining.
While he waited, he observed Adra’s emerald thread overlaid on his vision, its far end extending beyond his sight to her. As she raced to their position, the thread thickened and pulsed in time to her exertions but thankfully maintained its healthy sheen indicating her lack of damage.
Behind Adra came the kobolds. All twelve of them. Good. He crouched, poised. As Adra passed his position, Gaesin released the essence he held in readiness, casting slippery ice. The pursuing kobolds, caught off guard by the ice field’s sudden appearance under them, slipped and stumbled.
Gaesin has cast slippery ice (radius: 12.3m, chance to resist: 63%, duration: 2 minutes), 6 kobolds slipped.
Adra swivelled, bent down on one knee and began rapidly unleashing her arrows, finding her marks with unerring accuracy. Gaesin joined her, releasing a flurry of magic missiles.
Gaesin’s magic missile has hit a kobold for 5 earth damage.
Adra’s focused shot has hit a kobold for 16 piercing damage.
Gaesin’s magic missile has hit a kobold for 3 earth damage.
Adra’s focused shot has hit a kobold for 18 piercing damage.
With the kobolds fully engaged and thoroughly distracted by the storm of missiles heading their way, Kyran joined the battle. In rapid order he cast grasping roots, earth tremor and poison ward on top of the kobolds and ice wall behind them.
Kyran has cast grasping roots (radius: 17.9m, chance to resist: 35%, duration: 3 minutes), 7 kobolds entangled.
Kyran has cast earth tremor (radius: 9m, chance to resist: 35%, damage: 9 HP per target), 5 kobolds knocked down.
Kyran has cast poison ward (radius: 1.8m, chance to resist: 35%, damage: 90 HP over 10 seconds), 2 kobolds poisoned.
Kyran has cast ice wall (Wall length: 17.9m, Wall HP: 179), 0 kobold frozen.
Trapped between the ice wall and the companions, and mired in the area of effect of four different spells, the kobolds were outmatched. Kyran joined Gaesin and Adra at the ice field’s edge, and added his own mind shocks to the barrage. In complete disarray, the kobolds were mercilessly cut down, none even managing to reach melee range of the party. In short order it was over.
Battle Log (Kobold encounter)
The battle has ended.
Combat Results
Creatures bonded: 0.
Hostiles killed: 18.
Party XP gained: 86,940 XP.
Level Gains
None.
Party Status
Kyran Seversan:
HP:
S:
W:
E:
Adra Maeko:
HP:
S:
E:
Gaesin Illineiros:
HP:
S:
E:
As the last kobold fell, silence reigned as the party savoured its first victory. Kyran glanced at his companions, both looked a little ill at the carnage they had unleashed. Remembering his own first such slaughter, he hurried them, not giving them time to dwell on it. “Let’s move,” he said. “From here on, we are going to have to hurry. We have to assume that the patrols will be missed and these bodies discovered.”
And with that the party turned their backs on the bloodshed and pressed on.
Chapter 9
09 Augi 2603 AB
The party fled. Adra no longer waited for them to catch up; instead she directed the pair to the correct path over the battlegroup. They continued in this manner for the rest of the day and encountered no further patrols.
Despite their exhaustion they pushed on well into the night. Kyran wanted to put as much distance as possible between them and the site of the skirmish. Close to midnight, weary and spent, the party made camp and lay down for the night.
On first watch, Adra stared thoughtfully at her new lord… Kyran. She did not know what to make of him. The tale of his summoning and the gods had been fascinating and… disturbing. Was Myelad really a prison? The way he had spoken of the gods, dismissive and irreverent, making them out to be squabbling children, had been distressing. Adra was a daughter of the forest, a follower of Auriel. Not particularly devout, but faithful nonetheless. And now she was pledged to her goddess’s self-confessed enemy.
Was Kyran lying? But what would be the purpose? To deceive one nameless follower? That made little sense. She had never—until now—questioned the benevolence of her goddess. She flickered her eyes over her player data, dwelling on the aspect that most concerned her.
Hidden Trait: Daughter of the Forest (pledged to the service of Auriel).
Hidden Traits are visible only to the player and hidden even from one’s pledged lord.
What was she to do? Where did her duty lie? With her god or her new lord? Troubled, Adra stared morosely into the fire.
✽✽✽
In the morning the party resumed their journey but at a much slower pace than the flight yesterday. Their misadventure of the day before had them strung up and at first, they remained on high alert, travelling in tense silence but after countless hours of empty tunnels they lowered their guard and relaxed.
The day passed uneventfully, as did the next few. They encountered no more kobolds and the trio quickly fell into a routine. In the day, they travelled and at night, they studied the Champion’s Handbook. Gaesin in particular, eagerly soaked in everything he could of the game, Adra less so. Kyran noticed a certain reticence on her part but did not question it, assuming it to be her nature.
Three days out from the East Core, the party encountered another kobold patrol. They easily avoided it. They had little further to go. Adra believed them to be almost at the North Core and Wyvern Peak lay just beyond. But as the day wore on, the patrols thickened. Eventually, the party’s progress was halted altogether.
From up ahead, Adra messaged, “Kyran, stop. We have a problem.”
“What is it?”
“You need to see this for yourself.”
“Hold on.”
Kyran activated the commander shared sight ability; He had unlocked it at the East Core and over the last few days, had experimented with it but this was its first practical application.
Ability: Shared Sight
Skill: Commander.
Description: This spell shares a minion’s sight with the caster. The spell is cancelled if hostiles enter the presence of the caster.
Rank: Novice.
Cost: 40 Essence.
Execution time: 60 seconds.
Range: Maximum distance of 100m x skill.
Duration: 10 seconds x skill.
He separated his consciousness and directed it along the spirit link to Adra, where he stepped into her mind, which was open to him by virtue of the vassal bond. Keeping tight rein over his self to not spill over into her mind, he peered through her eyes and beheld what she saw.
Adra crouched twenty metres from the entrance of the North Core. It was guarded by four kobolds. Unlike the previous ones, these were armoured in bronze half plate and armed with spear and shield. Adra was concealed just outside their large detection cones. The guards were vigilant and alert, eyes constantly scanning, and weapons held ready.
Behind them, stretched across the cavern’s entrance was a palisade wall and gate, which from the upturned soil and debris, looked to be recently constructed. The gate hung open and beyond it was a tented military camp which filled the entirety of the cavern. Kobolds wandered about or sat idly around camp fires. In the depths of the cavern, at its other entrances, he spied more guards posted. In the middle of the camp were elaborate white tents, encircling a much larger red one and beyond were two large cages. From this angle, Kyran was not able to make out the cages’ occupants.
He counted at least fifteen kobolds with a further unknown number hidden within the tents. “What level are the kobolds,” Kyran asked. Adra applied her insight.
Creature: Feral Kobold Fighter
Type: Semi-Sentient (Savage)
Rarity: Uncommon
Level: 15
Health: 220 / 220
Attack: 20-30 (piercing)
Defences (Physical/ Psi/ Spell): 15 / 15 / 22
Special Effects:
Resistance to Fire (-50% fire damage).
Description:
Feral Kobold fighters are the warrior caste of the kobold tribes and front-line troops of war.
The kobolds were level fifteen warriors, stronger than the previous ones he had encountered. “Can we avoid them?” he asked.
“No,” Adra replied. “The only route to Wyvern’s Peak lies through this cavern.”
He had known that already but wanted confirmation. “I wonder what the kobolds are doing here,” he murmured to himself. The encampment was not shown on Aveyad’s map. It did not matter; they would have to deal with it. He withdrew his consciousness from Adra and said, “Come back, we are going to think this through.”
✽✽✽
The party retreated and huddled a safe distance away. “So, what is the plan?” asked Gaesin.
Adra replied, “We saw at least fifteen fighters and there were at least that many more hidden beyond sight.” Looking carefully at Kyran, in case he found fault with her conclusion, she said, “We stand little chance.”
Kyran nodded. “I agree, although I would put their numbers much higher and would hazard that the tents, the red one at least, contains their shamans.”
“So, what do we do?” asked Gaesin.
“We find reinforcements,” said Kyran.
Baffled, Gaesin and Adra stared blankly at him. “Let’s go. I’ll explain on the way,” said Kyran.
✽✽✽
A little while later, the party squatted behind an outcropping of rocks at the entrance of a foul-smelling cavern, observing the scorpion lair before them. They had backtracked three hours to reach this lair. It was one of many marked on Aveyad’s map. Kyran hoped to find within it, the means to break through the kobold camp and what he saw thus far was promising.
In the lair were six giant scorpions, each at least three metres in length. Five were mottled-brown with oversized pincers and tails that curled back and dripped venom. The last scorpion was twice as large and coloured jet-black but otherwise no different. The lair was littered with bones and puddles of bubbling venom. The smell of rotting flesh permeated the air. The five scorpions patrolled while the larger one rested in a pool of its own venom. Kyran inspected each of the scorpions in turn.
Creature: Giant Scorpion
Type: Beast
Rarity: Common
Level: 20
Health: 210 / 210
Attack: 10-20 (blunt) + 40 (poison damage over time)
Defences (Physical/ Psi/ Spell): 20 / 20 / 20
Special Effects:
Venomous: Immune to poisons (-100% poison damage).
Poison Sting: Poisonous melee attack.
Description:
Giant scorpions are mutated horrors of their smaller kin. They are highly aggressive and territorial.
Beast Bonding Probability:
You have a 39% probability of forming a beast bond with it (an effective skill level of 17.8 against a giant scorpion’s psi defence of 20).
Creature: Empress Scorpion
Type: Beast
Rarity: Uncommon
Level: 22
Health: 250 / 250
Attack: 10-20 (blunt) + 60 (poison damage over time)
Defences (Physical/ Psi/ Spell): 22 / 22 / 22
Special Effects:
Venomous: Immune to poisons (-100% poison damage).
Poison Sting: Poisonous melee attack.
Venom pool: Creates a venom pool around the scorpion.
Venom spray: Launches a spray of poisonous projectiles.
Description:
The empress scorpion is the dominant female in a nest and is vigorously defended by all its members.
Beast Bonding Probability:
You have a 29% probability of forming a beast bond with it (an effective skill level of 17.8 against a giant scorpion’s psi defence of 22).
The five scorpions were level twenty and the large one, an empress scorpion, was level twenty-two. Perfect. The beast bonding probability was too low though and he raised it, investing his remaining points in the skill.
Base skill in beast bonding has increased to 10. Effective skill: 25.4.
You have a 77% probability of forming a beast bond with a giant scorpion and 67% with an empress scorpion.
