ALL NOVEL Chapter 87 – Floor 9: Part 8
Chapter 87 – Floor 9: Part 8
“Mystic Bolt.” Mathew stated, following up the words with a sharp jab of his finger. A streak of of energy shot across the darkness between him and the Spider Queen.
The Mystic Bolt burned a hole through one of the creature's legs and buried itself into its body. The monster shrieked with rage and pain, but Mathew was already following up the attack with a snap of his fingers.
Tall bonfires sprang into existence to surround the spider and Mathew used his willpower and abundant mana to direct the pillars of fire to collapse upon the trapped creature. It struggled and screamed, only stopping its cries when Mathew fired another Mystic Bolt into it, silencing the monster forever.
Flicking his finger, Mathew smothered the flames and returned the chamber to darkness.
He was deep beneath the earth; the mines had been a confusing mess of twisting corridors and spider webs. It had taken him nearly an hour to reach this point, the deepest section of the mine and the Spider Queen’s lair.
Mathew could feel the weight of the stone above him. It might have unnerved him in the past, but he had been in worse places than this. The ground around him was littered with the bones of dead animals, a few humans, and some other objects whose origins he couldn’t identify.
Scattered tools and mine carts spoke to the chamber’s history, and Mathew suspected that the miners fled in a hurry if they discarded such valuable equipment in their haste.
Mathew breathed in deeply; the spicy smell of Aether had been collecting as he cleared the mine. It had led him deeper, seeming to swirl and focus around the Spider Queen. It had even pushed aside the scent of smoke and burning flesh from his efforts, so strong was the Aether here.
‘Ding.’
The familiar sound rang out, and Mathew checked his silver wristband curiously.
Gained one (1) Reputation point.
Current Reputation 2/5000
Mathew let out a snort over the notification. All that work, and he had only gained a single point of reputation? He felt slightly cheated.
‘Maybe there was something here amongst the debris to make it worth my while?’ Mathew thought before he was interrupted by the Aether swirling madly around him. It was coalescing, and the slightly blue haze curled around his legs as it rushed past.
In moments, a small cube of crystallized Aether shone brightly on the ground beside the corpse of the Spider Queen. Picking it up, Mathew could feel the warmness of the object in his hand.
“One hundred thousand units. Not bad at all.” Mathew muttered, raising the cube to eye level for a better look. It wasn’t enough to purchase anything special, nor could he get a new level out of it. But as a reward, it wasn’t anything to scoff at.
Especially if he puts it to good use in Reesh.
“I wonder… If I clear that camp of vagabonds, will the reward be the same?” Mathew thought out loud. He needed to gain a reputation anyway, and the gains in Aether he was receiving from Reesh were a paltry amount at the moment.
Better to kill two birds with one stone.
Tucking the Aether cube into his inventory, Mathew left the mine.
Page Break
After a shorter period of time than what it took to descend the mine, Mathew was back under the open sky once again. The clouds had cleared, and the sun was high above him. It hadn’t rained in the past few days, and the weather was warm.
It was rather pleasant. He had nearly forgotten how nice a Floor could be when it wasn’t dead, dry and filled with Fiends. Mathew was enjoying his time on the Ninth Floor. He could admit that to himself, especially after playing the role of ‘Villain.’
“Now, Goodwin said the Vagabond was downriver, near the sea.” Mathew spoke to himself. Judging the direction by the sun, Mathew looked toward the south-east. It had taken him an hour to walk to the mine, so it would likely be at least an hour or two to reach the camp.
“I should have thought of this sooner.” Mathew grumbled as he opened the shop and his inventory. Pulling the cube of Aether, he had just received from his inventory, he absently cracked it in his hand as he perused the shop for a method of transportation.
“Ah! This will work.” Mathew exclaimed, his eyes landing on a simple magical object. It wasn’t anything unique; in fact, it only cost fifty thousand Aether. Purchasing it, Mathew held out his hand for the item as it materialized and landed in his palm.
It was a statue of a horse. Made of obsidian, the object was so detailed that it seemed to be lifelike. Mathew could imagine the small horse galloping and moving. He could feel the Aether within it, waiting to be used.
Mathew placed the small horse figurine on the ground at his feet and stood once more.
“Grow, Midnight.” Mathew called the name of the horse as it had been described in the Shop. He had seen other players using similar items, small magical figurines of horses, camels or even flying ships. Mathew had chosen one of the cheapest items to ride since it was only a short trip.
A swirl of mana erupted around the figurine, and it swiftly grew to the size of a real horse. Shining black, Midnight pawed at the ground with its hoof, and Mathew admired the craftsmanship of the item. It looked as real as any horse he had ever seen and even came with a saddle and bridle.
Better than all that, this horse would never tire or require any care on his part. Despite its appearance, it was still a statue after all.
Mathew climbed awkwardly onto the horse. He had never ridden before; he was from Manhattan! He didn’t even know how to drive a car, let alone ride a horse. At least the magical item had a mind of its own and he wouldn’t need any skill to direct it.
“Let’s go to that Vagabond Camp, Midnight.” Mathew ordered, and the horse took off through the trees, with him gripping the reins tightly.
Page Break
“Anything?”
“Nothing. Looks like it's going to be another lean week.” The reply came.
On the edge of the river was a camp with wooden palisades and a collection of huts and tents. What had started as a temporary encampment a few years before had grown. It had started with a group of bandits travelling across the territory, accosting local settlements for food and money before moving on.
They had never taken enough to cause the Lords and Ladies to send a force after them, and they were careful not to linger in a place well protected. Like all the other locations they had been, this encampment was only meant to last for a few weeks.
Until they had an interesting offer from the local Reeve. They could collect a ‘tax’ on the river and split it with him. In return, they could stay as long as they wanted. It had been beneficial to both sides, and the arrangement had lasted a couple years.
But, it seemed like they had finally fished this pond empty. The locals were poorer than dirt and they hadn’t had much luck the last few months. It didn’t help that the camp expanded from a dozen people to over a hundred.
Still, they had a few options left.
“We’ll have to hit Reesh, then move north from there.” One of the Bandits said, looking at a map in his tent while several of his friends gathered around. They hadn’t heard from the Reeve in a while, it was likely the bastard was going to sell them out soon since they couldn’t pay him off.
“Great, we can stock up on potatoes and rags.” Another commented sarcastically, causing a few others to laugh.
“And shit. That place is full of it.” Someone added. The Bandit boss nodded and grinned at the joke.
“We’ll take everything that isn’t nailed down. I know someone in Ackleby who is looking for ‘Labour’ and he doesn’t care where it comes from. We’ll get a few silver from the good ones, but kill the rest. We aren’t looking to feed and clothe them if they ain’t worth shit.” The Boss ordered.
“We get to have some fun, right? He just wants them for slaves, it don’t matter if I have a go?” Another asked, and the Boss nodded. He was about to speak when one of the lookouts rushed in.
“Rider coming.” The bandit scout reported.
“The Reeve?” Boss asked, and the scout shrugged.
“I think so? He’s the only one with a horse around here, ain’t he?”