Denizens of the Labyrinth

The tomb was huge in design, it was like an ornate and ancient mine that had been excavated and maintained auspiciously. There wasn’t a stone out of place, nor a brick incorrect. Jazmel looked around and couldn’t help but be bewildered by the size of the tomb. He wondered how deep this went but also what they could or would find in this tomb.

His eyes picked up a movement beyond a wall; as they moved down the tunnel he caught movement, a jump of Mana in the wall, he quickly took a backstep and watched as massive axe head fell from the ceiling; straight into the ground. The axe head had been so thin that Jazmel almost missed it, and it fell into the ground seamlessly. If he had not seen the Mana mechanism in the wall. He would have been cut in half. “Traps in a tomb.” He muttered and Sadé and Baek who had been walking behind him listened, but simply grew wary.

More traps activated but his eyes always allowed him to react before they could do any damage. Jazmel was prepared for them and the first three tunnels that descended further into the tomb. The traps stopped abruptly, and this drew his attention. “Keep your wits about you.” Baek whispered to them both and Jazmel knew he was right, something was coming. He could feel it in the air, it was tense, curt, and full of friction. Thumping steps could be heard and as he rounded the corner he was shocked to see a military army. There before him, Sadé and Baek were an army of clay soldiers. Their faces held no emotion, and they stood perfectly in unit and troop formation they were complete copies of each other, the only difference were the arms they carried. Some clutched swords, others spears and behind them in a different unit formation; they were archers. The weapons were not made of clay at all, they were cold clean steel and Jazmel could see that the sword blades were well maintained.

Whirlwind!

He threw into their formation, and it threw them into disarray.

TIER II CLAY SOLDIER X7 DEFEATED

EXP EARNED!

He shook his head and the notification screen disappeared from view. The soldiers were unfazed by the broken clay parts that previously made up some of their formation. They stepped over the broken bodies; some even crushed the broken clay of their one-time army mates without disturbing the formation that stepped forward.

Thunderfire

Thunderbolt

Thunderfire!

Sade jumped into the fray and cast her skills immediately into the formation and the clay was bombarded. She continued to cast her skills about her, volley after volley and the formation units fell beneath her onslaught. Jazmel simply guarded her and for the few arrows that were aimed at her, he cut them out of the air.

She destroyed the three formation units that had attacked them, and she hadn’t even used a kitsune tail or her thunder crown. She was truly growing stronger, he smiled at her, and he waited for her to check her stats, she clearly gained some for the decimation she had just created.

“You have grown strong.” Baek complimented Sadé and she grinned, not shy at all. But happy for the affirmation.

“continue through the tomb.” Baek offered and Jazmel led again, they were mobbed by two more units of three troops. But after figuring out the best way to move forward, Jazmel would draw them in and then Sadé would crush them with her bombardment.

The next formation was different, this group were stronger. The Mana core that Jazmel had spotted imbedded in the chest of every single soldier was much stronger. This one was presenting much more dense Mana; it was complicated in a way Jazmel had seen in few monsters. Only tier III monsters bore this much Mana.

DING!

TIER III CAPTAIN OF THE CLAY EMPEROR HAS APPEARED!

CAPTAINS ENSURE THAT THEIR TROOPS ARE DILIGENT

ALL CLAY SOLDIERS WILL HAVE THEIR STRENGTH BOOSTED BY 15%

The system note tolled in front of his eyes and he flicked it off screen to watch as a clay horseman thrust his spear at Jazmel and Sadé, the soldiers that surrounded the horseman in a defensive shell rushed forward. Emboldened by someone to manage the forces.

Thunder crown!

Sadé was already relentless with her skill, thunder and fire seemed to work wonders on the clay soldiers, they were turned to glass from the high heat of her skills and also some just burst from the pressure of her attacks. She was lethal for them, and Jazmel only had to stop them from closing the distance.

The horseman sheathed his sword and from the saddle pulled a great bow from beneath its thigh. It drew it back and Jazmel could tell how tort the string of the bow actually was. He managed to put himself between the arrow and Sadé. But by the time he recovered from deflecting it, more arrows were flying through the sky.

“Get the captain! I can protect myself for now!!” she told him, pulling the thunder she had imbedded into her crown around her. Great daggers of lightning struck the ground, and the arrows could not get through. Jazmel was moving, quicker than before; his dexterity and agility stats were at a healthy point, and he could feel them pushing his body with its need.

In seconds he was in amongst them, and cutting through the clay soldiers was nothing for his sword. But he pulled his sword free of the bodies and leapt in the air to reach the horseman before he could cast another round of arrows.

Cleave!

He swung his blade, filled with the Mana of his skill, and struck out. But he didn’t manage to reach the captain as he had hoped. In desperation a clay soldier launched its body in the way of the skill and Jazmel crashed through it creating clayed debris all around; he closed his eyes to not be hit with the clay, but he was struck midair and knocked to the ground.

WARNING!

STATUS CONDITION; BRUISED SOLAR PLEXUS

STATUS CONDITION; DIZZY

DEXTERITY WILL BE HAMPERED

The system rung in his head and without his eyes, he saw in his mind the status afflictions he was suffering. But he rose up quickly; he was stuck in the middle of the troop, and he could already feel the soldiers moving on him in masse. But his new clothes held out. The defences holding up and he felt little trickles of his Mana leaving him as it repaired and buffed his clothes from the attack. Rising to a knee, he lazily swung out his skill.

Whirlwind!

As they were close to him, the devastation was wrought. Soldiers flailed around him in the air; crashing into one another and creating an even greater cloud of broken clay and sand.

Whirlwind!

He churned up the debris, creating a massive sandstorm and it began pulling soldiers into its vortex. He moved quickly, moving around it he bounded towards the captain; made of clay as he was and struck him.

Cleave!

He took an arm when he had aimed for a neck. But it would suffice, he cut the bow in half, and he watched as it crumpled to the ground. Broken, and no longer a threat. he landed beside the horse’s head, and it reached out to bite him he dodged and then as it reared to kick him. He cut off its head; it crashed down and as it sunk towards the floor; with a backhanded swing he took off the captain’s head.

DING!

TIER III CLAY CAPTAIN DEFEATED

TROOPS ARE IN DISARRAY

ALL CLAY SOLDIERS WILL BE ENTHRALLED FOR 3 SECONDS!

Jazmel gleefully looked at this notification and taking the time he used his title too. Forcing Mana from his stomach; the spot below it where he knew his Mana resided and drawing it into his eyes. He felt them change in that moment, he couldn’t see them but the way he usually perceived Mana changed for a split second and then he winced from the exertion, the moment changed, and his eyes went back to normal, but his head pounded from the strangeness of what he had just tried to do.

DING!

ENEMIES ENTHRALLED FOR 3 SECONDS

The sandstorm had begun to dwindle but not before Sadé cast her favoured skill on it. the fire melted it and turned it into an artistic creation of burnished glass of clear and ruddy brown in some places. The thunder destroyed it, shattering the towering masterpiece and all the soldiers that had been swept up in it.

DING!

TIER II CLAY SOLDIERS X94 DEFEATED

EXP EARNED

Jazmel had been waiting for that notification and for the moment he settled down and looked at the notifications he had missed.

EXP EARNED!

…

+2 VIT

+2 DEX

+2 AGL

+1 PER

+1 INT

It had been a while since he looked at all of his stats, he raised his screen up and looked.

Name: Jazmel

Level: 53

Species: Human

Rank: Seeker tier III

Class: Sword Scion

Health: 923/1725

Stamina: 540/1270

Mana: 765/1210

STR:70 PER:70

VIT:65 END:65

INT:74 WIL:61

AGL:68 DEX:69

Trait: HEART OF THE SWORD (BORN TRAIT)

Skills:

Cleave (tier I)

Flight of the Blue kite (tier I)

Whirlwind (tier II)

EMPTY SLOT

Title(s):

FIEND BANE (ACTIVE)

GLARE OF THE DRAKE (ACTIVE)

SERPENT SLAYER

Unused Stat points: 0

4X PLATINUM COINS

647X WHITE GOLD COINS

127X GOLD COINS

Item(s):

TIER II 2X COLD IRON ORE

TIER I 1X GREATER GRAVE IRON ORE

2/3 PIECES OF THE PLAQUE

TIER II BRANCH OF A TREE

TIER II SEED OF MIRETE

DWARVEN COIN

10X TIER II HEALTH POTIONS

10X TIER II STAMINA POTIONS

10X TIER II MANA POTIONS

TIER II ARMOUR OF THE STEADFAST

TIER III SABRE OF THE DEADENING

TIER II SHORT SWORD

SHADOW WRAITH

LEVEL 12

PARTY:

5/5

BAEK LVL 113

He drank two potions, a health, and stamina potion. He felt the health potion disperse around his body and the dull ache he felt from his sudden movements and frantic moments soothed. The stamina potion worked in tandem with the potion. Easing his muscles and quickening the recovery his body was working through. His vitality was quite high and so he usually recovered well, but the tomb was filled with traps and soldiers; he wasn’t recovering as quick as he’d like.