Book 2. Chapter 43

Book 2. Chapter 43

Brin forced himself to believe they actually had a chance. Despite how much he terrified everyone, Simao wasnt invincible. Actually, if he remembered correctly, Simao was underleveled for his age. The danger he posed to the town was mostly psychological; he was a popular guy, friendly, with a good Class. Seeing him undead was drastically demoralizing for Hammons Bog. It was demoralizing for Brin, to be honest. Hed liked Simao.

Apart from that, most of the danger came from Simaos Bog Standard plate armor, but even then it wasnt insurmountable. In battles Simao had always arrived, taken a cheap shot with his signature Skill, and then run away again. Not exactly the tactics of an unstoppable juggernaut.

He used [Inspect].

Name Simao Fonter Level 26 Race Undead Description Simao was an apprentice smith before his death. The [Witch] who raised him has empowered him to a significant degree. Skills

[Shape Metal] is the base Skill of his Class. Similar to [Shape Glass].

[Heat Resistance] is the same as what you have with Glasser.

[Strike Metal] - Simao has a highly empowered swing when striking metal or using the tools of his trade. This Skill has been upgraded.

This wouldnt be as easy as he hoped. Simaos one day of battle had given him plenty of levels, and he didnt like the look of that detail in the description saying Simao had been empowered. Well, its not like they had any choice. They needed to kill Simao fast and keep moving before he could call reinforcements.

His first plan would be to use the Potion of Turn Undead. If they could get back to Hammons Bog with another ally, then so much the better. But hed only use it if he got a clear shot. Simao would dodge it if he saw it coming, and Brin wasnt the best at moving things with [Shape Glass] yet.

He might have a better shot with the other potions hed taken from Hogg, two explosions and one fire. Hed use them if he got an opening, but he didnt want to waste them.

Hey, look on the bright side. At least you didnt run into a giant, Simao said with a shrug. His face was just as expressive as in life, and it felt wrong. Dead faces should stay still, and Brins mind kept switching back and forth between seeing his friend alive again and seeing a cold, dead thing.

Soften them up for me, Simao said to the undead near him. Im going to see if I can call a giant over.

Come and face me yourself! shouted Davi. His face betrayed a range of emotions, alternating between horror, disgust, and fury. Zilly was pale and tense, like a startled cat.

Right, these two werent used to this sort of thing yet. Theyd faced the undead army, but that was with an army of their own. It was different to be alone and exposed in a dark forest in the middle of the night. He needed to show them the way.

Play my song, Davi, said Brin.

I dont like that song, Davi responded.

Go on. It fits the mood.

During the week that hed had to prepare, Brin had spent several hours practicing music with Davi, and theyd found that Davi could alter the sound of his lute to some degree. He could make it louder or softer to fit the mood. With more experiments, theyd found that he could make it squeal like a tortured animal. After adding a simple drum beat, they had a pretty good reproduction of one of Brins favorite video game themes. Something for extreme, over-the-top violence. Music for defeating abominations that shouldve stayed in hell.

Just do it, Davi. Right now!

Davi played the Doom theme.

The undead soldiers took that as their cue and charged. Brin shot off a quick [Inspect] on all four of them, getting a quick glimpse of their Skills. The System seemed to understand his intent, because it only showed him the most relevant Skill, using concise language.

[Juggernaut Charge] - Fast run, increased force.

Brin planted the butt of his spear in the ground, and then rolled out of the way. The undead soldier slammed straight into it, closing the distance in a blink of an eye. It pushed the spear right through its own stomach, sticking the spear further into the mud and pinning itself to the ground.

Brin ran past, already ready for the next undead holding an axe.

[Quick Chop] - Simple woodsmen skill.

If he didnt know it was coming, he never wouldve been able to dodge in time. As it was, he stepped to the side and felt the rush of air as the undeads axe missed him and slapped into the earth. Brin grabbed the axe, wrested it out of the undeads grip, and slammed it into the monsters neck. It stuck there, so Brin let it go and turned to face the next undead.

[Farmer]. No relevant Skills. High stats.

Brin used his armband to give himself a moment of invisibility. He stepped around the undeads spinning black spear and jumped onto its back, drawing out his glass knife just as his invisibility faded. He probably couldve stabbed it in the heart, but a clean kill like that didn't fit the music.

He sliced the undead [Farmers] throat, and then stabbed it again and again, wildly from every angle, riding it to the ground.

Alert! You have defeated: Undead Soldier [24] Experience shared with your bard.

Alert! You have defeated: Undead Soldier [26] Experience shared with your bard.

Level up! Level 23 -> 24 +5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +2 Magic, +3 Mental Control, +1 Will, +2 free attributes.

Davis music suddenly had a tone of urgency. Behind you! He turned to see an undead with a blacksteel sword, already swinging towards him.

With the two kills he'd gotten, he'd already maxed out [Battle Fury], but even with all his stats doubled, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get out of the way in time.

Zilly slammed into it, using [Dash] to move in and decapitate the undead soldier before it saw her coming. Both its head and sword spun into the air.

Brin turned back to the first undead, the one with the charge Skill, and saw Marksi furiously strangling it with his tail and biting into its neck. The dragonlings flat teeth barely pierced the skin. With another [Dash], Zilly flew over and finished it off.

Alert! You have defeated: Undead Soldier [24] Experience shared with members of your party.

Brin ran over and pulled his spear through and out of the undead. The heads were replaceable, but he needed that haft.

Five more undead came into view, and Brin turned to face them. This time Zilly and Davi looked much more confident. He himself was thrumming with energy from [Battle Fury]. They could win; Brins [Battle Sense] was certain of it, but they couldnt do this all night.

Take them down quick, then we flee. Follow me when I go. Use [Dash] to slow them down and distract them to give Davi and me some breathing room.

Zilly nodded. Got it.

Davi switched his music from Brins theme to something more usual, an upbeat adventure song. That was fine; probably better for Zillys sake.

Brin stepped into the charging undead. An undead soldier with two shortswords ran ahead of the rest, so Brin used his spears reach to safely stab it, detonating the spearhead.

Alert! You have defeated: Undead Soldier [21] Experience shared with your bard.

Brin realized that he knew where they were. Scratch that! This way! he whisper-shouted back.

Luckily, Marksi indicated that Myras scent was in the direction that Brin had wanted to go anyway.

He ran, sprinting as fast as he thought the others could keep up with. Except, every time he sped up, they matched pace. Were they moving slower for him? He went all-out, sprinting for everything he was worth, and he barely started to pull ahead of them. He would feel more enthusiastic about beating them in a footrace if [Battle Fury] hadn't doubled his attributes. He hoped that theyd lost Simao, but he wasnt about to slow down, just in case.

Then they were there, at the banks of a familiar pond. He collapsed on the ground in relief, breathing too heavily for words.

Zilly drew her sword and watched the forest in alarm. Here? Why are we at the snake pond? I figured you had a plan.

Davi held his lute in one hand, his quarterstaff in the other, as if unsure which he would need. He also watched the forest with apprehension.

I do, Brin said when he caught his breath enough to speak. I do have a plan.

Simao walked into view; he mustve turned and followed the real Brin right away. He was flanked by more than twenty undead. A nice trick. Im glad I got to see that. Thank you. But its over.

It is, said Brin.

Zilly closed her eyes, struggling against despair. When she opened them again, her eyes were firm. Ok. Then Ill face it on my feet.

Oh, calm down, said Brin. Its over for him.

Simao laughed. Youre mistaken.

Zilly looked at Brin. I dont get it.

Brin smiled. I got an Achievement once. [Blessing of the Hidden Guardian]. You get it now? Look where we are. You know, at first I felt like I was robbed, because the Achievement didnt give me anything. Shouldnt I get something, like a magical bond to help me communicate with dragons, or a new sense that only dragons have or something? At the very least Id want a couple Strength or Dexterity. I thought the System was being stingy.

Except that wasnt it at all. I think the System was simply recognizing that the acceptance of a dragon is already too much of a bonus.

Brin didnt hear the sloshing of the water as she left her sleeping chamber. He didnt see her rise into the air, so perfect was her control over her camouflage. She made no sound, and didnt so much as disturb the air. The only way he knew she was there at all was by tracing her shape with [Know Whats Real].

She was enormous. She wound up and into the sky, stretching hundreds of feet above him. She curled back, ready to pounce, the same movements hed seen little Marksi do a hundred times back when he was a snake catching bugs.

She struck. To Brins eyes, it was like the entire world stopped being real for a blink of an eye. To the others, it mustve looked like the enemy had simply stopped existing. One second, Simao led his dark band. The next, they were gone.

Silence returned to the snake pond. Brin didnt hear the splash as she flew back under the water; he only saw the disturbance as a disturbance in [Know Whats Real]. He used the Skill to trace the waves until they hit the shore. There was no visible trace or sound of her passing at all. However, because he was expecting it, he thought he felt the shudder of the earth as she settled in.

Zilly collapsed to her knees. What just happened?

Davi looked up into the sky, a mysterious smile on his lips. Theres a song in that, I think.

Brin scratched Marksis chin. That was amazing! Are you going to be that powerful when you get older?

Marksis tail twitched a yes with absolute confidence.

Congratulations! You have upgraded a Title. Survivor of Travins Bog You have survived a fatal wound that stopped your heart. You have come near death on multiple occasions. You are beginning to get a feel for it. Instinctual awareness of attacks that will cause you death or fatal injury.

Congratulations! You have upgraded an Achievement. Blessing of the Hidden Guardian (Rare). You gain further insight into your companions abilities.

The awareness of death might have just pushed [Survivor of Travins Bog] up to being his best Title, depending on how well that instinctual awareness worked. Still, he was more interested in the Blessing of the Hidden Guardian at the moment. He looked at Marksi, but didnt immediately gain any insight that he could tell. Marksi was just Marksi.

One thing Ive been wondering. You said that Marksi told you that Myra got buried underground. How did he do that?

Zilly was still sitting on the ground, staring around in shock. The undead. Theyre gone

Davi answered his question. Why dont you ask him?

Marksi, how did you do it? Brin asked.

Marksi clenched his teeth in concentration, and the color of his scales seemed to whirl. They showed a picture, Myras face maybe, though it was small and blurry. The image zoomed out to show her in a bag carried on another blurry figures back. Tawna, no doubt. Tawna was being chased by black blurry shapes. She threw Myra, and Myra hit the ground, then sank. Down, deep underneath.

The colors went back to the usual rainbow, and Marksi panted with the effort.

Thanks, said Brin. That was certainly a useful ability, and a new awareness of what Marksi could do, but he didnt think that was what the Achievement meant.

He used [Inspect].

Marksi. A dragonling. Marksi is very sneaky, and can use illusion magic to change his color as camouflage. He has near-human intelligence from his draconic heritage, something that will only increase as he gets older and more powerful. He can eat beast cores to trigger evolutions and increase his growth.

Marksi can smell magic.

That line at the end was the only thing new, but that was enough.

You can smell magic? Brin gasped. Marksi twitched a yes.

Is that how you could tell the places where [Witches] had used their magic?

Yes.

And thats how youre following Myra. Can you even smell [Weaver] magic?

Again, Marksi twitched a confirmation.

Can you tell where she is now?

Rather than answer, Marksi hopped down and scampered around the pond.

Right! Myra! said Zilly, coming out of her shock. We still need to find her!