Ludere online

Pag used the hem of the sleeve on his robe to wipe the blood from his nose as he looked out over the vast cavern. There was a narrow walkway that descended out of sight into the darkness, pale witch lights of blue and yellow bobbing here and there illuminating the path or shelves holding moldering books, scrolls, stone tablets and who knew what else. Bits of metal glinted in the faint witch lights, some laying in areas that didn’t look as if they even had accessible paths that could lead to them. The walls were smooth black grey stone with gold and red minerals striations that seemed to dance and shift in the witch lights, never appearing the same even if you stared at the same area. The air was warm despite the frigid out beyond the hole they had used to enter and felt thick with mana.

“Well, It’s out of the weather.” Pag said, finally pulling up his menus and checking his compass skill. He grimaced and waved them away, silently activating his ping skill, sending out a pulse of mana like magical echolocation to check for enemies within the vicinity. “It looks like the storm pushed us a bit off course, we went a little too far to the west. But, the good news is that there doesn’t appear to be any mobs or enemies and it’s quite a bit warmer than it was outside.” Pag said with a weak smile and nervous laugh.

Aviva sighed and rubbed her temples. “It’ll be fine, at least we have shelter. Did you set it as your base?” She asked turning to him.

Pag nodded. “Yeah right after we entered it gave me the option. Is it usually so vague on the details?”

“Only when it’s one that is unique, hidden or extremely high level. This definitely fits at least two of those categories.” She said frowning.

“We have about eighteen hours give or take until the next break in the storm unless this place opens up on the other side of the range we’re going to be stuck here for a while.” Maverick said quietly from beside Toula.

“I’ve never heard of anyone called Dedisco. Wonder if he was an old god or a prophet to some lost cult?” Toula said watching the witch lights as they danced. “You should try to upgrade it enough to increase the lighting.”She said, shaking herself and turning to him.

“How do I do that?” Pag asked scratching his chin as he looked around.

“Toula, word of advice, this dolt hasn’t read any of the game guide or lore so you will have to act as if he is on the slow end.” Aviva said in a stage whisper.

“Well that explains quite a bit” Andromeda snorted as she reached into her hood pulling out a small pale skinned winter apple.

“Pull up your menus” Toula said with a small smile.

Pag scowled, pulling them up. “Ok they’re up.”

“There should be one towards the very bottom marked Mechanics and Lore. Directly below that is the Base menu. Click on the Base menu for now, read the former later when you have a moment.” she waited until Pag gave a small nod indicating that he had the menu pulled up before continuing. “Now there should be an option for upgrades and repairs. You will want to click on that. Ignore the others for now, you probably won’t have the items or funds to do much more than add a little more lighting if even that. This place is likely massive so any changes will be expensive.”

Pag tapped the Upgrade and repairs option, blinking at the long list before him. Most of the options under this menu seemed to be either locked or broken with error indicators rather than titles of their function. He mentally tapped the lights option and blinked. “It looks like the only cost to upgrade the lights is mana but it doesn’t say how much.” He mumbled as he tapped the option.

Pag instantly regretted the action. Mana tore from him in a torrential wave, his mind unable to process anything beyond the pain that wracked his body. It was as if he was being filleted alive, like every inch of his skin torn from him or as if he had been tossed into a river of molten metal. Finally it subsided and Pag glanced at his mana bar that was now empty and took a deep breath. He lay there for a while, breathing labored and saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth.

“Pag?”

Pag blinked, mind registering his name being repeated as someone shook his shoulder. He gave a low groan and rubbed his face with his hand. “Yeah?” He asked slowly.

“Well at least he’s not brain dead.” Andromeda said from behind him. “At least not any more than he was earlier.”

“Were you even paying attention when I said that this place was massive?” Toula asked in a tired voice.

Pag blinked, not responding to them as he stared at the flashing icon in the corner of his vision.

Pag cursed and rested his head in his hands.

“Well, we have light now.” Pag said, his voice muffled as it crawled from between his hands.

“If you keep doing stupid things like this you’re going to need to go to a Carver.” Aviva said.

“What do you mean?” Pag said, lifting his head.

Aviva grabbed his hands and held them up without saying a word. Pag stared at his hands for a moment not sure at first what he was supposed to be seeing. Then he saw it. His right hand up to the middle of his forearm was scared and mottled with rippling waves of flesh. His left arm held odd golden lines that hinted at flames and held a subtle glow that went from his fingertips only fading from sight as they passed his wrist. Pag winced and looked closer, flexing his hands noting that his right hand was stiff and seemed to pull in a strange way.

“I can understand the right hand, that was from spell instability. What the hell is with my left hand though?” Pag asked, turning his hands this way and that.

“That is Mana scaring. It happens when you use Mana in an unsafe or otherwise unstable way. Not even a carver can remove that.”

“What happens when it spreads?”

“You become more like your element as it spreads. Just pray it doesn’t spread too far.”

“Why is that?”

A warm rush surged through him as he cracked the book open, a smile spreading across his face as he read the pop up.

The rift between ‘clasms and genesis. This book is a lore based skill book detailing how a mage type character class can walk the path of a clasm or genesis master in which they can deliver devastating near apocalyptic blows or create elemental golems and heal. This book grants plus one level to an already existing clasm or genesis skill base or unlocks the option for one of these paths if not already accepted. Please select a relevant skill to increase.

Pag looked at the options and tapped the flame shift skill.

“I’m going to look around. Maybe there’s a secondary exit that we can use to get out of here instead of having to wait out the storm and take the long way out.” Aviva says placing a book on a shelf.

Pag shook himself mentally and nodded to her. “Right. Let's save cataloging these books for later. We need to get an idea of what this place looks like and make sure there’s not any hidden traps or monsters lurking in here or that someone won't sneak in here while we sleep and take us out.” he says, placing the book on the shelf. He stopped, glancing at Toula and Maverick. “Maybe it'd be best if you guys stayed here for now while we make sure there's not anything dangerous in here.” He said with a grin.

Toula gave a short nod. “We’ll get something to eat ready.” she said placing a hand on Maverick’s shoulder who just scowled from between the folds of fabric.

Pag turned and followed Aviva through the rows of shelves, fighting back the urge to grab books of shelves for more skills and gains. As they reached the last row of shelves a massive fireplace, obviously at least partially clogged by debris that had filtered down it, greeted them like the gaping maw of a dragon haven eaten so much that the food refused to go past the mouth. The fireplace was literally carved into a dragons gaping maw. The dark stone appearing to be nearly lifelike in its relief. In front of the clogged fireplace the dilapidated remains of low sitting tables and chairs sat sagging to the floor, the cushions of the chairs long since rotted away into moldering fuzzy heaps. A lone metallic cup lay on the floor next to one chair next to a book that had seen better days and likely wouldn’t survive if one tried to pick it up.

“I bet the shelves have an enchantment to protect the books, that’s probably why that one isn’t in good shape.” Aviva says in a quiet voice as she looks. “Looks like there are three doors that leave this room, not counting the one we entered through up stairs. Which do you think we should take?” she said pointing to one on the left hand wall, one set into the same wall as the fireplace directly across from them, and one set into the right hand wall.

Pag rubbed his chin as he considered for a moment before pointing to the left and stepping towards it. The door on the wall to the left of them sat nearly flush with the seam of the book shelf and was a dark wood that nearly blended into the dark stone. Even the grain of the wood lined up with the crystalline striations that ran through the stone. Pag pushed the door open, surprised that no sound uttered from the hinges but even more surprised when the door fell flat to the floor with a thundering clatter. He cringed, gritting his teeth.

Aviva came close behind him, a sigh slipping from her lips as she pointed to the hinges. “Looks like they used leather for them. Leather means a quieter door but if not properly maintained the leather will decay until it won't hold the door anymore. It was probably only standing because it was closed.” She slipped around him and stepped through the door.

After a moment Pag followed behind her.“You really don’t want to see what happens, much less experience it.”

“Why is that?”

“You really need to read the game guide and wiki.” Aviva sighed, shaking her head. “Come on, let’s explore your new base.”

Pag grumbled to himself as he stood and looked around, the area they stood in was about 20 feet wide and extended 15 feet from the entrance in a half circle. The far ledge led to a set of stone stairs that descended at least fifty feet to the floor below. The ground was smooth black grey stone, the odd striations everywhere you looked. Row upon row of book shelves lined the massive cavern room, small arched doorways carved into the stone leading elsewhere. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Pag padded up to one of the closest shelves and grabbed a random book.

Pag blinked and dismissed the option placing the book gently back on the shelf and grabbing another. He had a ways to go before he could switch classes without losing his current class or progress and he wasn't much of a fan of being set back to level one.

He replaced the book and grabbed another, his heart rate accelerating. Was every book in this place a skill related book that could teach him in some form or another?

Pag accepted the quest and replaced the book and looked to the others who were reading various books, scrolls or tablets. It appeared some were also quest related. Interesting. “Anyone happen to notice any rhyme or reason to the way these are shelved?” He asked scratching the back of his neck as he glanced at the spines of a few books, their names not giving much of a hint about their topics.

“As far as I can tell there is none” Andromeda said placing a finger on the Page as she looked up and checked the spines of the books closest to her.

Pag blinked and dismissed the option placing the book gently back on the shelf and grabbing another. A warm rush surged through him as he cracked the book open, a smile spreading across his face as he read the pop up.

Pag looked at the options and tapped the flame shift skill.

“I’m going to look around. Maybe there’s a secondary exit that we can use to get out of here instead of having to wait out the storm and take the long way out.” Aviva said placing a book on a shelf.

Pag shook himself mentally and nodded to her. “Right. Let's save cataloging these books for later. We need to get an idea of what this place looks like and make sure there’s not any hidden traps or monsters lurking in here or that someone won't sneak in here while we sleep and take us out.” he says, placing the book on the shelf. He stopped, glancing at Toula and Maverick. “Maybe it'd be best if you guys stayed here for now while we make sure there's not anything dangerous in here.” He said with a grin.

Toula gave a short nod. “We’ll get something to eat ready.” she said placing a hand on Mavericks shoulder who just scowled from between the folds of fabric.

Pag turned and followed Aviva through the rows of shelves, fighting back the urge to grab books of shelves for more skills and gains. As they reached the last row of shelves a massive fireplace, obviously at least partially clogged by debris that had filtered down it, greeted them like the gaping maw of a dragon haven eaten so much that the food refused to go past the mouth. The fireplace was literally carved into a dragons gaping maw. The dark stone appearing to be nearly lifelike in its relief. In front of the clogged fireplace the dilapidated remains of low sitting tables and chairs sat sagging to the floor, the cushions of the chairs long since rotted away into moldering fuzzy heaps. A lone metallic cup lay on the floor next to one chair next to a book that had seen better days and likely wouldn’t survive if one tried to pick it up.

“I bet the shelves have an enchantment to protect the books, that’s probably why that one isn’t in good shape.” Aviva says in a quiet voice as she looks. “Looks like there are three doors that leave this room, not counting the one we entered through up stairs. Which do you think we should take?” she said pointing to one on the left hand wall, one set into the same wall as the fireplace directly across from them, and one set into the right hand wall.

Pag rubbed his chin as he considered for a moment before pointing to the left and stepping towards it. The door on the wall to the left of them sat nearly flush with the seam of the book shelf and was a dark wood that nearly blended into the dark stone. Even the grain of the wood lined up with the crystalline striations that ran through the stone. Pag pushed the door open, surprised that no sound uttered from the hinges but even more surprised when the door fell flat to the floor with a thundering clatter. He cringed, gritting his teeth.

Aviva came close behind him, a sigh slipping from her lips as she pointed to the hinges. “Looks like they used leather for them. Leather means a quieter door but if not properly maintained the leather will decay until it won’t hold the door anymore. It was probably only standing because it was closed.” She slipped around him and stepped through the door.

After a moment Pag followed behind her, stepping over the door and into the small room. Shelves that reached floor to ceiling held stacks of moldering paper, inkwells that had long since dried, quills, binding glue and cracked rolls of stiff vellum. Pag rounded the corner of one shelf and felt his stomach rise to his throat as his right foot stepped into open air. He tumbled head over heel down a short staircase landing face first in a pitch black room unlit by the witch lights in the room above but for a small swath from the trapdoor he had just fallen through. A silent curse slipped from him and he lay there for a moment trying to re orientate himself.

“You ok down there?” Aviva asked her silhouette dark and distinct against the faint light that trickled down.

“Yep. Just thought it’d be best to just dive right into it. You know get some exploring done.” he said with a huff as he stood slowly testing the aches for possible broken bones. When Aviva didn’t respond he shrugged and pooled the mana into his hand. Or at least he tried to, he flicked his hand and activated his flame shift ability again with no effect. Cursing he glanced back at his status and rolled his eyes.

“Can you find a torch or something for light?” he called up to Aviva.

When there was only silence he looked up to her silhouette and frowned. She sat at the edge of the hole, shaking with silent laughter. Pag stood there, arms crossed, as he stared up at her form until she stood and pulled a torch from her inventory before stepping down to join him still snickering to herself. Pag huffed and shook his head as he looked around, the torch light cutting a deep furrow into the darkness as she descended until the room glowed with warm dancing light. The small room was empty save the remains of a trap door that had fallen from its hinges long before they had arrived and a small huddled form so shrunken and withered it reminded him of a mummy that he had once seen in a book only this one wasn’t wrapped in linens and still wore the clothes it had died in while clutching at a book. Pag blinked and cocked his head to the side as he edged closer to the figure until he was able to reach out and grab the book. With a quick tug the book came loose, the hand clutching it falling from the wrist to the floor. Pag cringed and took a step back turning to face Aviva as he held the book up.

Aviva grimaced and motioned to the stairs with the torch. Pag dropped the book in his inventory to read later and followed her up the stairs then out the storage room. Aviva motioned for him to take the lead again, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as her eyes danced. Pag scowled and headed for the door near to the fireplace and pushed it open, the doors hinges once again giving out as the aged leather crumbled. The door fell straight back with a resounding ka-thunk, dust billowing out around it. The torch in Aviva's' hand behind him once again cut a deep furrow in the inky blackness that seemed to shrink back from them as they entered the dark hallway. Witch lights faintly glowed at odd irregular intervals far removed from those behind them on the other side of the doorway though the pattern seemed to right itself at a snail's pace, the lights slowly intensifying.

Pag approached the first door in the hallway, its door already laying on the floor and stepped in. Inside sat the dilapidated remains of a wooden desk with fragile looking manual's and two rust eaten tables with gears caked in greasy dust. A small violet gem glittered from within a pile of gears on one metal table, odd patterns playing across its surface.

"You check for anything useful while I sweep the next room for enemies" Aviva said, running a hand through her hair. "Until your mana debt is repaid it'll probably be better for me to take the lead unless you have a melee weapon skill?" She asked, frowning when he shook his head.

"Hadn't thought I'd have had to worry about enemies getting too close if I took a dps class" he said meekly as he offered a slow shrug.

"You should probably reconsider that line of thought" she said, her brows furrowing as she turned to move to the next room.

Pag sighed and swept his gaze over the room again, eyes drawn back to the gem. He padded over to the aged and worn table, cocking his head to the side trying to get a better look before he attempted to grab anything. It wouldn't do for him to be sent to re-spawning with this worlds version of tetanus. Carefully he reached out tentatively nudging the pile to get an idea of the weight of the gears piled up and cringing as the pile began to topple. The gears tumbled to the side in a hollow clattering racket, the sound of quiet shuffling feet hurting towards him. He turned with a grimace and smiled weakly at the inquisitive face of Aviva.

"I didn't think they'd be that light" he said with a nervous chuckle.

Aviva rolled her eyes shaking her head before slipping back out of the room. Pag turned back to the table and grabbed a gear, eyebrows arching in surprise as he weighed it in his hand. The gear was nearly an inch thick , the circumference of it larger than his head but it was as if it was a piece of wet cardboard. He carefully placed it on the table, stacking off the other gears on top of it until he was able to clearly see the fist sized gem that sat nestled in an axle shaft, the teeth stripped and smooth only the shadows of the metal hunting at that they were once there. Pag reached down, his fingertips brushing the cool surface of the gem, making sure nothing catastrophic would happen if he touched it before dropping it in his inventory waving away the notification without looking at it. He glanced around the room again. The manual wouldn't hold up if he touched it and nothing else appeared to be interesting so he padded out of the room.

Aviva stepped out of another room and glanced at him. "I didn't see any threats in this room. At least not any that attack. Looks like a break room of sorts."

"Was there a chicken in the wall?" Pag asked with a grin. "Or a pack of bubble gum?"

Aviva arched a brow frowning at him in confusion but said nothing as she turned to the next room.

Pag glanced in the room Aviva had left as he passed it, nose wrinkling as he did, the sight of a hole in the ground with obvious long dried splatters and worn grooves told him plainly this was an ancient toilet much like some of the holes in the ground that could be found in some parts of china. A break room of sorts. He huffed and shook his head. That would definitely need to be upgraded, the thought of putting that hole to use made him feel like the octopus like monster from deep rising would rise from it at his most vulnerable moment, this time reborn of shadows and lovecraftian horror.

Pag hastened his steps, catching up to Aviva and watching as she pushed the door hanging from one crumbling leather strap. The door had no sooner hit the floor, a plume of dust billowing out, than she slipped in. Pags eyes landed on the odd shapes littering the floor of the room. Hulking metal sausages were what initially came to mind but as he followed her in he realized his mistake. They were clockwork crocodiles. Clockodiles. He fought back a giggle as he knelt down to inspect one blowing the dust off of the snout. The metal gleamed from beneath the blanket of dust, no signs of rust or other age related markers present anywhere he looked. Rows of silver blue teeth stared at him in a lazy wicked smile, its eyes closed.

"I wonder what these were used for" Pag muttered to himself as he looked around at the others. They ranged in size from that of a hatchling to a monstrous 15 feet in length.

"Could be defense measures or it could be an infestation that got trapped and died. "

"Infestation? There are mobs of these?"

"You'd be surprised what sort of mobs exist in this world." Her tone was wry.

"You know, I've always wondered what that term meant " Pag said frowning.

"What mobs? Easy, Mana Originating Beast. Most beasts and animals with no mana usually don't attack unless provoked while mobs well they mob." She said with a lopsided shrug.

"Are any of them active?" Pag asked uneasily standing slowly to look around the room.

"Not that I can tell. I don't see any way to activate them either." Aviva said poking one particularly large one on the snout.

"That's probably for the best. " Pag said with a nervous chuckle.

His eyes widened as he watched her pull a long wicked looking serrated rapier made of a pale golden metal from her inventory and drove it through the closest clockodile. The blade ate through it in sharp whining squeals in quick short jabs to the head, spinal column and where a heart would be before cleaving through the tail. When she finished she stood staring at it taking deep breaths as she watched for any possible reaction. Nothing happened. With a shrug she dropped the blade back into her inventory.

"Better safe than sore." Aviva said with a shrug. "If they were active, they could've come up behind us or gone after the others when we left to go farther in." She took another deep breath and padded towards the door.

Pag blinked looking over the clockodiles one more time before turning and following Aviva. They went through another work room with gears and tools, a room with clay pots full of oil and greasy rags, a room with what appeared to be burnt target dummies, a room filled with the rotted remains of scraps of leather, a room with jars filled with odd powders and liquids before approaching the last room before the stairs.

The door to the final room was surprisingly intact. Aviva pushed it open with her foot and it swung inwards silently, the wood splintering into thousands of pieces. Through the shattered fragments of the door a feral face hurtled towards them snarling viciously. Jagged teeth glinted brightly in the low light and pale mercurial eyes burned with hatred. The creature leaped towards Aviva, a hand curled into claws swiping at her face, and she pulled the rapier back from her inventory as she leaped back bouncing off Pag. Pag dove to the side, gesturing with one hand towards the creature and cursing as he remembered the mana debt and, vaguely remembering a tip from the 8 inch thick users manual he had skimmed upon hiring he glanced intently at the creature trying to pull up a name tag. Aviva swung the blade with a grunt, landing a shallow cut to its bicep as it jumped back and a yellow tag popped into Pag’s vision. Before them stood a heaving lesser Hobgoblin, its teeth bared as it glanced between the two of them, its large bat like ears swiveling atop its misshapen head. The creature's body was skeletal, coated in grime and clothed in nothing more than a loincloth. Pale scars stretched over its frame like disorganized spiderwebs.

The Hobgoblin seemed to make a decision, feinted towards Aviva who drew her rapier up in a guard then leaped at Pag. Its claws outstretched and mouth gaping wide it sailed towards him, time seeming to slow. Pag’s heart beat so hard his body shook with each pump, his skin burned as adrenaline tore through his veins. He took a small step to the left, closing his eyes as he extended an arm. Greasy flesh met his palm and he shoved, simultaneously wrapping his fingers tight around whatever appendage he had managed to grab, his weight shifting to drive the weight of the Hobgoblin into the cold hard stone of the hallway floor. Pag opened his eyes in time to see the shocked expression as he drove the Hobgoblin, headfirst, to the ground by the throat. The creature lay there stunned, pat still holding it by the throat. Aviva hurried over and drove her rapier through the Hobgoblins head just between the eyes with a wet schlick, blood droplets splattering up onto Pag's arm and face. Pag blinked and looked up to Aviva his mind still not having caught up to the rapid chain of events.

"Did if get you?" Aviva asked pulled the blade out and flicking the blood off. "Those things can Carry some pretty nasty diseases"

Pag shook his head, trying to swallow around his suddenly very dry tongue, and dissolved into a coughing fit cursing mentally as he remembered his other status debuff. Aviva pounded his back with a hand, the rapier still out, until the fit died down leaving Pag kneeling on the floor with stars dancing across his vision. Pag leaned back on his heels as he took a slow deep breath and stared at the ceiling, the tickling sensation at the back of his throat threatening to send him into another fit of coughs.

"I'm good, I don't think I got hit. You?" He asked, lowering his gaze to meet hers.

" I'm good, but where there's one hob there's usually more. They tend to be an Infestation on par with fleas."

"Lovely" Pag sighed as he looked towards the stairs that led downwards. “On average how many are there in an infestation like this?”

“It depends entirely on how much room is available and what resources are available.” Aviva said, staring at the stairs.

“Well, should we get to it or grab the others?”

Aviva shook her head.” it’d be best if we went ahead and took care of it ourselves. The three of them though skilled are still a few levels below us and since they are NPC’s I don't know if they will re-spawn. Some do but there's a set number of times they can, most just don't re-spawn.”

Pag winced and cracked his knuckles with a sigh as he checked his status sheet, smiling as he watched the timer on his mana debt.

“Looks like my mana debt is nearly paid.”

“How much longer until your mana begins to refill?”

“About a minute. Shouldn't take too long for it to top off.”

Aviva thought for a moment before speaking. “We’ll wait until your mana debt is paid and you have about half of your mana pool filled. That way as long as we take it slow by the time we hit the bottom, even if it's just a flight or two, you should have most if not all of your mana back.” Aviva leaned back against the wall and scratched at her nose keeping her eyes on the stairs. “You take lead when you're ready, you’ve more offensive spells than I do.”

Pag nodded as he watched the timer tick down to zero and his mana bar begin trickling upwards until it hit the halfway mark then wordlessly trudged to the stairs. Taking a deep breath he took the first step, the dim or dead witch-lights of the stairwell slowly flickering to a dull glow providing enough light to see the gentle curve stairwell and the steps worn from heavy usage now blanketed in a thick layer of dust. As they made their way steadily downwards they would descend roughly 6 stairs before the next section of witch-lights began to flicker to life and slowly glow brighter casting ethereal shadows down the steps where they seemed to almost solidify into a wall.

They walked in silence for an hour, their footsteps tossing up small mushroom clouds of dirt as the sound of their boots echoed off the walls around them until the stairway halted abruptly opening up into a massive cavern. A cool blue light blossomed from a monolithic crystalline pillar that grew from the ceiling and hovered mere feet from what appeared to be the dead remains of a small pond in the center of the cavern. The gnarled forms of skeletal trees and shrubbery one breath from crumbling to dust became distinct. Pale white stone pathways embedded in the ground were in stark contrast to the blackened earth and danced across the cavern in intricate patterns coming to rest at seemingly nothing or the pitted remains of stone white benches. A chill shot up Pag's spine as he looked around the cavern trying to imagine what the place had once looked like, finally shaking himself mentally and taking a hesitant step onto the path. He waited there a moment, looking around again for any possible threat before taking another step. Then another, stopping occasionally until it seemed as though no enemies would assault them. There was only one other way in or out of the cavern that he could see, the arching intricately carved door frame made of pure white stone was set into more of the odd black stone, the striations of minerals faintly glistening, a large metal door sitting closed. As they drew nearer geometric shapes and intricate patterns that seemed to almost hold some meaning began to stand out on the metal which looked nearly untouched by age. Odd gouges scored the edges of the door while the loose dirt in front showed frequent, and more importantly, recent activity.

Pag glanced back to Aviva but the look told him she likely shared the same theory he did. The Hobgoblins, if not some other enemy, would be somewhere behind this door. Pag clenched a fist, flicking his wrist, simultaneously igniting a fire ball and his cloak of flames as he reached out with his other hand to grasp the bronze handle. The knob was cool to the touch and clicked as he twisted it, the door sliding soundlessly open towards him as he peered intently into the darkness. His flames threw the shadows into a furious dancing, the light jumping from a dinner table to a hearth to open doorways and scattered empty bottles strewn across the floor. As the pale witch lights winked on he began to notice shards of broken plates, shredded moth eaten fabric that was unidentifiable, books that were tossed haphazardly around the room and toppled chairs. It looked as if a small tornado had been set loose in the room.

They stepped into the room cautiously taking in the full sight of it all. Doorways stood gaping, the doors themselves long since gone with no hint where the doors were, several of which appeared to be bedrooms or storage areas whose contents gutted or gone. Pag peered around the door frame of one room stopping cold in his tracks as he saw a mound of bodies, soft snoring emanating from it. Without hesitation Pag pooled mana into the fireball he had been sustaining and lobbed it at the mound, squinting into the light it created. Ruckus shouts and screeches spilled from the mound, some of the bodies flailing beneath those who made no movement at all. Three managed to pull themselves from the pile the wails pouring from between their blackened and charred lips reverberating harshly off his ear drums as he lobbed another fireball at the trio, knocking them over like bowling pins.

<23×juvenile Hobgoblins (level2) killed. +1576 EXP>

Pag blinked away the notification, whirling around to face the sound of distant screeches and squawking. "Oh gosh darn it."

"Pag. Did that take much of your mana?" Aviva asked, drawing her blade from her inventory.

"Not too much." He said glancing at his mana pool. "It'll top off in a few seconds"

"Quick and precise attacks, focus on one until it's done but try not to let any get too close." She said slipping into a fighting stance.

It felt like an eon passed as the din grew steadily louder, sweat trickled down Pag’s spine and it felt as if liquid fire poured through his veins ready to burst from beneath his skin as he waited. The noise grew, reverberating from within their chests and the stone beneath their feet. As the first of the horde rounded the corner, spilling into the hallway Pag swiped an open palm through the air in a horizontal arc, fire spewing out in an almost liquid wave slamming the front of the horde in the chest and face and they toppled to the ground in a screeching sizzling heap. The next row vaulted over their fallen compatriots before Pag could begin casting the same spell and he lobbed a quick fireball at the closest, Aviva following suit to hit those he hadn't. The vaulting second row landed just beyond the first but didn't get up. A third group roared to the front managing to make it farther if just by a step as they were suddenly engulfed in a roaring jet of flames, the fingers of heat licking up the walls. As the bodies of the third wave fell one managed to make it within feet of them but was halted by Aviva's blade biting deep into his chest with a deep schlick where it halted hitting the spine before she gave the blade a wrenching twist kicking the body off before stepping back beside him. The fourth wave bounded out from behind the corner in over-sized filth caked armor, short spears gripped in their talons, the largest of the group growling and grunting at the others who squawked as they bolted toward them. Pag focused a plum of fire on the one who appeared to be the leader, not stopping until the armor glowed like a miniature sun while he hurled small fireballs in the other faces beneath their helmets. The fifth wave was around the corner before the fourth fell, throwing their spear only to be slapped on the face with a geyser of fire that sprayed across the hall as their spears clattered harmlessly off of a near translucent shield that didn’t even so much as ripple. Pag glanced over at Aviva out of the corner of his eye and saw her holding her free hand outstretched as she muttered incoherently under her breath. The sixth wave rounded the corner, half of them dropping to a knee drawing a bead with their bows as the other half roared towards them.

"Archers" Aviva called to him as she darted forward, her shield shrinking to a facsimile of a tower shield.

"On it" Pag growled focusing in on the five at the end of the hall, he clenched his hands into fists as he pooled his mana hoping he'd be able to manage five fireballs at once and shoved them towards the five catching two in the chest. The third was hit in the knee but the final two fireballs fizzled out and the archers released their arrows. One arrow whizzed past Pag barely nicking the fabric of his robes, the other landed square in his chest and it felt as if he had been mule kicked. The air was drove from him in a single hit and he dropped to a knee.

<”Tombs rattle I” debuff upgraded to “Tombs rattle III”>

Pag squeezed his eyes shut and fought for breath before shaking his head to focus blearily back on the end of the hall. The seventh wave had already been whittled down to only two by the time he managed to regain his breath barely able to process the fight as Aviva danced from one opponent to the next, her blade singing out as she landed hit after hit while her mana fueled shield protected her. Pag slammed his palms to the ground sending racing lines of flame in a v formation to the final combatants as they attempted to flank her. She threw a grateful glance that morphed into one of pain over her shoulder as she backed up to rejoin him noting the arrow sticking from his chest.

"You alright?" She asked, her eyes wide.

Pag could only nod as he gritted his teeth and stood shakily. That sensation you got when you knew you had to cough tickled the back of his throat and he fought to take slow breaths. The final wave rounded the corner and Pag had to blink. A clearly female Hobgoblin wielding nothing more than a plain dull grey dagger stood tall wearing only an odd vambrace that emitted a faint light. Pag swiped a palm at her that had it not been obvious how injured he was would have almost looked lazy and a thin blade of flames shot towards the female Hobgoblin only to split like a hair over an axe head as she held a palm outwards, the vambrace glowing brighter momentarily. Pag hissed and threw a palm out pushing out a continuous stream of flames, putting everything he had into it and he even saw Aviva take a step back beside him as she held an arm over her face, but Pag could almost feel resistance as if the flame were like a water current being diverted. He pushed harder, sweat beginning to trickle down his face as he pooled the mana. This time however it wasn't in his palm, this time he let it slip from his finger along the raging torrent of flames to the tongues as they lashed furiously at the stone around the Hobgoblin. With a thought he twisted the flames inwards yanking his hand back as it formed a fist.

The flames warped around the Hobgoblins shield like a Venus bear trap and tore into her forcing her shield to shatter. He held the spell until his mana pool was empty and he fell to his knees as a coughing fit overtook him.

<6029 exp gained ( 15* hobgoblin fighters + 10* armored hobgoblin warriors + 5 hobgoblin archers + 1 Hobgoblin mage)>

Pag tapped yes and glanced over the items available, barely able to focus; he just grabbed everything that wasn't marked as a trash tier item. He'd sort it all out later. He blinked, brows furrowing as he stared up at Aviva suddenly aware of the cold hard stone beneath him.

"Don't move" Aviva said in a low tone as she glared down at his chest, her hands cupping the area around where there had been an arrow just a second ago.

Pag blinked again and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by another bout of coughing. Avivas' hands stayed firmly in place and she grimaced, when her lips moved he knew she'd spoken but the words never reached him. He swallowed, nearly choking and screwed his eyes shut trying to focus only on breathing. Even though his eyes were shut he still had a perfect view of when his health bar dropped to zero.

<1254 Experience lost.>

Pag cursed and forcefully closed down the mental link taking a moment to reorient himself as the room spun around him. He sat slowly, hands gripping the sheets of his bed looking around. He waited for the room to catch up with his eyes feeling queasy. He'd never been drunk but this is what he imagined it to be like and he did not like it. His hands rose shakily, palms pressed at his eyes until he saw stars then pulled them away relieved to see that his senses were finally synced back to reality.