Empyrean 43: Settling Scores (Patreon)

I closed my eyes and braced for the attack of the elemental.

But it never came.

Opening my lids slowly, I saw Adalinda hanging onto the fist of the boss. Her teeth sunk into the gems, I saw some blood trickle from her jaw, and the elemental swinging its arm around to try and get her off.

But the celestial clung on for her life—and mine. Readying light’s fury once again, I pushed all my concentration into the light force and shone it against the elemental once again.

You have blinded a gemstone elemental for 3 seconds.

Time was short, but it was enough to get closer. Still with light’s fury in my hands, I let tendrils appear from my fingertips and pushed them into a bit of flesh protruding from the boss. The light coursed through it, and I watched on as small bits of white shone through the cracks of the boss.

You have critically injured a gemstone elemental!

You have critically injured a gemstone elemental!

You have critically…

…

For as long as I held light’s fury underneath the gemstone armor, it was taking critical damage. I felt sweat dripping down my forehead, and I started letting out a slow scream. I was in agony. My bones had been bruised, and my hands were hot from the energy charge.

But I could not stop.

I felt my eyes almost burst out of my head, my mana draining quicker as I concentrated all of my light force into the body of the elemental. Adalinda, still hanging onto its arm, had managed to climb onto it and started hacking at the gems covering its flesh.

We continued like this for a full minute before the elemental fell to its knees.

But it was not yet dead.

Watching it heave and weakly swing its arms around in a measly effort to attack us, I pulled out my dagger. I walked toward it—slowly, meaningfully—and found the largest piece of exposed flesh. With all the strength I had left, I plunged my weapon into it.

And it crumbled into ash.

You have killed a gemstone elemental.

You have accomplished the feat: Defeat Your First Dungeon Boss. Requirement: Defeat the final boss in a dungeon. As the 1176th player to defeat the boss of the Hatchling Dungeon, you have been awarded the trait: Elemental Adept. This trait gives summoned elementals +10% attack power. Note, the traits you earn from feats are based on the circumstances and manner of your achievement.

You and Adalinda have gained 3 levels and 3 attribute points.

Your summoning skill has increased to level 47.

Your fire magic skill has increased to level 46.

Your light magic skill has increased to level 50, reaching rank 5.

Adalinda’s natural armor has increased to level 47.

Adalinda’s tooth and claw skill has increased to level 49.

As the Game alerts passed through my mind, I felt bile rise in my throat. Not being able to hold it back, I vomited on the floor next to the pile of ash. I wiped my mouth and coughed a bit, feeling slightly better, and looked up to see Soren slowly approaching us.

“Is he dead?” he asked, pointing to Alastair.

“I don’t know,” I wheezed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he confirmed. “Are you? That looked like it took a lot out of you.”

I nodded slowly and started walking toward Adalinda. The celestial was running her tongue slowly along her scales, as if licking her wounds. I sat next to her and laid my hand gently on her back.

“I’m alright,” she said without me needing to ask. “I think some rest will do us good.”

“Agreed,” I said. “Let’s go find that artifact and get out of here.”

I stood up and peered curiously toward Alastair, who had finally managed to sit up. He was holding his palm against his head, and I saw as his eyes were closed up in bruises again. I wonder what curse Arinna cast on him.

“Hey, you okay?” I casually asked.

“Yes,” he said irritably. “I just need another two healing potions.”

He scratched around in his own backpack and pulled out two vials, downing them immediately. As he drank, I watched as the purple on his skin faded, and he returned to a semblance of normality.

“We should get the artifact,” I said.

Looking around the room, I noticed two chests had appeared a little in front of the portal. Without saying anything, I walked toward them and opened the first on the left.

The target is an ability tome: magic grenade. You have the necessary skill: Grenadier, to learn this ability.

The target is 50 gold.

The target is 2 x full mana potions.

The target is a basic Class stone: Archer. The archer is a basic Class that confers a player with three skills: light armor, daggers, and a ranged weapon skill of the player’s choice. This Class also permanently boosts your Perception attribute by +1 and your Constitution attribute by +1.

I let out an involuntary whistle as the Game notified me of the objects in the chest. A Class stone, a new ability, potions and some gold was a large reward for defeating the final boss of the dungeon—but I was happy with what I found, especially the ability tome.

Shuffling next to me snapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked to my right to find Alastair scratching in the second chest. From what I assumed he would probably find items that suited him best.

“Anything interesting?” I asked, if only as a courtesy.

“Nope,” he said simply, grabbing a few things and closing the lid of the chest.

I shrugged and turned my attention back to the items I had found. I took off my backpack and carefully put everything from the chest into it, thinking I would take some time later to decide on what to do with them, specifically the Class stone.

You have been backstabbed for 2.5x damage!

Your witch armor has broken.

Your health is at 25%.

I arched my spine in response to a sudden pain. It felt like I had been stabbed by a dagger, but I could not be sure, and I was mostly in shock. Twisting my head around slowly, I saw Alastair in the corner of my eye.

“That artifact is mine,” he whispered. “And you will die here.”

He gave the final twist of his knife into my back, left it there, and hurried away into the portal.

“Soren!” I screamed. The pain was becoming unbearable, and I could not reach the knife lodged in my spine, even though I was frantically attempting to pull it out.

My brother appeared next to me within seconds, and without hesitating, pulled the dagger from my bones. I fell forward in painful relief as it left, and quickly searched my bag for a healing potion. I drank my fill and stood up.

“I told you this was a bad idea,” I said to my brother.

“I’m sorry,” he said, clearly embarrassed. His hung his head slightly and his shoulders sagged. “I didn’t know he would do that.”

I sighed and put my palm against my forehead, closing my eyes in frustration. “Never mind it now,” I said. “We have to go after him.”

“I’m right behind you,” Adalinda said, reaching Soren and my position. “Could I have a health potion first.”

“Of course.” I pulled a potion out of my bag and handed it to the celestial. While she drank, I walked toward the portal and started to ready a spell. When we faced Alastair, he would have no more chances.

I had had enough.

✵ ✵ ✵

The portal took us into a different room, much smaller than the first. Clearly not an exit portal, I thought.

And, fortuitously enough, Alastair was right in front of us, kneeling to inspect something.

Without hesitation, Adalinda rushed toward him and dug her claws into his back. Not expecting the attack, he let out a small yelp and started frantically twisting his body to try and get the celestial off.

Still chanting to ready my spell, I felt my face heat up at the sight of the player. I was stupid enough to trust him once, and I knew I wasn’t going to do it again. I didn’t care if he came back, he would die here.

Soren rushed toward Alastair and plunged his dagger into his neck, but just missed his target, hitting his shoulder blade instead. The player fell back into the ground onto Adalinda, managing to shake her off at last. He stood up and disappeared.

I turned around frantically looking for where he would appear. As my gaze met Soren’s, I saw the player appear behind him. “Watch out!” I shouted.

Alastair held his sword ready to pierce Soren’s back, but my brother thankfully turned in time that he did not manage his strike. The blade cut through Soren’s clothes and sliced open some skin, but it was survivable.

Alastair pranced around my brother and within seconds, faced him, pushing him to the ground. Holding him down with his legs, he held his sword up high, ready to plunge it into Soren’s chest.

You have summoned an air elemental.

Just in time, my spell was ready, and I refused to watch my brother die. Screaming a command to kill at the elemental, I watched as it twisted into a tornado and flung Alastair off my brother and into the wall of the room.

You have critically injured a level 59 psionic rogue!

Note: Your foe has been cursed by Voice of the Dead. All damage done to this enemy will be 2x more than the normal damage.

I broke into manic laughter at the Game alert. Here we were, fighting a player who was double my level, and yet we stood a good chance to defeat him. This player who had betrayed us.

Who had killed Alon.

The air elemental twisted toward Alastair again, preparing for a slam attack. But, to my dismay, I watched as he rolled out of the way and take no damage.

I held arrows ready and shot them toward the player. Adalinda ran toward the player and stood on her hind legs, opening her mouth. With a breath of fire, she managed to catch the player, and he was set alight.

The air elemental prepared another slam, and this time, managed to strike the player.

You have critically injured a hostile entity.

Adalinda has set a hostile entity on fire.

Your elemental has dissipated.

As the last wisps of the elemental disappeared, I watched as Alastair rolled on the ground screaming. Adalinda did not let up. As long as he was lying there, she was breathing fire in his direction. I continued to shoot my arrows at him and managed to pierce his armor.

Soren, who had been watching the fight unfold, started moving toward the player slowly. Carefully tracing his steps, he held his dagger ready, never taking his eyes off Alastair.

Adalinda finally let up her breath of fire. The rogue immediately lifted himself to his feet and once again blinked out of sight. Holding my own dagger ready, I waited carefully to see where he would appear.

In the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow pass, and turned around quickly.

A psionic rogue has cast mind blast.

You have been knocked prone for 5 seconds. Your health is at 80%.

Without warning, I was flung back into the ground. I was unable to stand again, and I could only watch as Alastair ran toward me with his sword in hand.

But before he could reach me, Adalinda leapt across my body and snapped her jaws shut on his arm. I heard a loud crack of bones, followed by Alastair screeching out in pain.

His sword dropped and I watched—with a sick sense of pleasure—as the celestial continued to hold her bite. Hanging from the rogue, I started to see the flesh of his upper arm tear.

But then he took a dagger out of his back pocket and stabbed her in the head.

Adalinda dropped down immediately and rolled on the ground, unconscious.

Adalinda has died.

I tried to stand and, finding that I finally could, channeled light into my hands. I ran as quickly as I could toward the rogue and grabbed the arm my companion bit, twisting as hard as I could and forcing as much light as I could.

You have critically injured a hostile entity.

I met Alastair’s gaze and saw panic in his eyes. Fueled by anger, I pulled one hand away from his arm and reached for my dagger, plunging it directly into his heart without hesitation.

He coughed out blood and dropped to the floor.

“It is you who will die here,” I said, twisting the dagger deeper into his chest.