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HTN 5-50 A useful combination
🕑 Added 2022-03-15 17:00:30 +0000 UTCHeather straightened her yellow dress as she walked back to the party with Webster and Blackbast. The cat woman was aggravated that Heather was partaking in this foolish game, but Heather stayed the course. Alura and Maline had put them in a bad position, and refusing to play would only lead to questions and insult. Besides, if there was a book related to the necromancers, Heather considered it worth the risk. However, she would rather have taken the risk alone. But thanks to Skullman, Breanne was now entangled in this, and there was no way to get her out. Hopefully, the dungeon wasn't too hard, and even if they did die, they would respawn. Blackbast wasn't so sure, citing that her race was effectively that of a monster player. If Heather died while wearing that crown, she might very well reset. Even worse, she might lose the crown and the bracelet, leaving them behind where she fell.
Heather remembered that Alura said their gear would be returned but was there a chance she might reset? She believed that she was still technically a hero player, but there was no way to be sure. The only way to be sure was to die, but testing that now was too big a gamble. Blackbast pointed out that even if she didn't reset, she would respawn without the crown and be human again. How would they explain Heather's appearance while they recovered it? Heather had to remind her that she had a word of recall spell on the crown and could summon it to hand, avoiding the need to reveal her true class.
Despite these facts, Blackbast insisted she not take anything she didn't have to into the dungeon. This meant removing the greenstone bracelet and emptying her pouches of all but a bone chip and the small serrated dagger she took from the hag weeks ago. She considered removing the ring, but Blackbast suggested she keep it because it aided her disguise. She could access her panel with the ring like a hero player did, avoiding giving away that she was chosen. Heather nodded and began to wonder if the ring would behave like a panel and respawn with her if she died. The question was one she wasn't ready to test, and time was quickly running out. The event was ready to start, and Alura was already waiting in a room known as the gateway. There was no going back now, but as they approached the door, Blackbast gave her some final advice.
“Remember, others will be watching from magical windows in the upper hall. Mind what you say and be even more careful about what you cast. People will be scrutinizing you, and if you give away, your secret Maline will not hesitate to cash in on it.”
“I understand,” Heather said and looked down to Webster, who was skittering along near her feat. “Are you ready to go on another adventure?”
He bounced with a chirp, giving her a sense of confidence that somebody she could trust would be by her side. With a final nod to Blackbast, they threw the door open and entered an octagonal chamber with a single black spiraling hole in the center. Pairs of people in shining armor or fancy robes stood about the room, talking anxiously as they waited for the event to begin. Heather quickly picked out Alura and made her way over with a sinking feeling inside.
“There you are, Alura said with a wide smile. “I was afraid you got lost.” She looked over Heather’s yellow dress and made a funny expression before asking what she was wearing.
“It’s my favorite dress,” Heather replied and flared out the skirt. “Is something wrong with it?”
“You don't wear armor?” Alura asked her expression one of disbelief.
Heather realized what she was getting at and quickly explained that she could call on a type of plant armor as good as anything else she could wear. Otherwise, she wanted to be light on her feet and able to move, preferring to avoid being hit altogether.
“Ah, I suppose that is a good idea for a flower singer,” Alura nodded. “But am I correct in saying you won’t be able to access your full power with that collar on?”
“I told you that already,” Heather sighed. “It locks my devil class to a very low level and limits my powers.”
“Hmm,” Alura smiled as if this wasn’t a bother at all. “Well, then we shall see what a flower singer can do. I will tank the monsters as best I can while you support me with spells and heals.”
“If you want,” Heather agreed and shook out her red hair. She looked across the room to see Breanne twisting nervously beside Skullman as he smiled at her tension. Heather excused herself a moment and rushed to her side, confronting the smug paladin in the process as he folded his arms.
“Come to wish us luck?” he asked.
“No,” Heather protested and lowered her voice so nobody else would hear. “I cam to ask you why you’re playing this game?”
“It's just a party game,” he insisted as if he didn't understand the question.
Heather wanted to slap him, but she kept calm and locked his gaze. “You know what I mean. You're the one who suggested we team up and practically trapped us in this nonsense. Whatever you're up to, I hope you don't get us all killed.”
“I am up to something?” he laughed. “The last time I saw you, you were in the back of a wagon on your way to being reset. Now you look like an infernal, and Breanne could pass for a lunar elf. You're hundreds of miles from where I saw you last and wearing slave collars belonging to some sex priestess.”
“We needed the disguise,” Breanne interjected as her face flushed red.
“For what?” he pressed with a funny smirk.
“It's a long story,” Heather sighed and double-checked to make sure they were speaking privately. “But I asked you a question first. Why did you pull us into this?”
“Consider it payback for getting me killed while saving you,” he replied with a glare.
“I didn't mean for you to get killed,” Heather sighed with a hand over her face. “Look, I made some bad decisions, and I got you and my friends hurt. I am very sorry, but pulling us into this was a mistake. We are trying to keep a very low profile and sneak through the north unseen.”
“Where are you trying to sneak to?” he asked with a curious expression.
Heather realized this was going to be too difficult to cover up, so she explained it as basically as she could. She owed another player a favor, and that player asked her to return a magical egg to its owner. She was provided with a magical device that pointed the way but said nothing about how far it was yet. For all she knew, they would be walking for the next five years, but the path was taking them further and further north. This meant they needed to pass through densely populated lands, and it became necessary to have a disguise. Blackbast offered to help them by using her collars to alter their appearance and provide a cover story.
“So all this is a ruse?” he asked as Breanne quickly nodded.
“We aren’t actually acting as her slaves,” she was quick to add. “We don’t do the things she does.”
“And you need to go further north?” he pressed, but all Heather could do was shrug and say that was where the compass pointed. “Then you were smart to use a disguise. I doubt you would make it much further if people could see what you really are.”
“Which you have put us in jeopardy of revealing,” Heather insisted and gestured to the room. “What if we die in there?”
“You respawn?” he questioned as Heather pointed to Breanne.
“She isn't a hero player. If she dies, she will reset,” Heather whispered in a harsh tone.
“I have seen Breanne handle dungeons,” Skullman said with a smile her way. “She and I have soloed one before.”
“That was a long time ago,” Breanne insisted nervously. “I haven't spent any more points on the bow since then. I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“Well, we can't back out of it now,” Heather groaned. “Maybe we can find each other inside and work together.”
“I agree to that, but I think that will be unlikely,” Skullman said and explained that even though he'd done this before, Maline frequently altered the dungeon. He did warn that there would be traps in unlikely places and that nearly every room would have a danger of some kind. Just as he was about to describe some of the ones he'd seen, Maline arrived to announce the time had come. Heather rolled her eyes and hurried back to Alura, her stomach twisting in knots.
She picked up Webster and held him under one arm as Maline explained that they needed to hold hands and step into the black void in the center. Each pair would arrive in a random location in the dungeon but equally far from the exit. She went over the rules and encouraged them to seek as much treasure as they could as the winner was the one with the most when the time was up. With that, they looked around the room and then told them to begin stepping through.
Heather took Alura’s hand and got in line as half the room went through the portal before them. When it came to their turn, she closed her eyes and stepped into the dark light, feeling a sensation of blowing wind then nothing.
“We're in some kind of storeroom,” Alura said, prompting Heather to open her eyes and look about. She was, in fact, in a small room made of stone bricks. It was packed with crates and barrels along the walls and had a single door to mark the exit. She set Webster down and blinked in the dim light; grateful her devil race gave her excellent night vision. Alura looked about some of the boxes but found they contained moldy foodstuffs and long dried-out water skins. The only thing of interest were bolts of colorful cloth leaning against one wall as if recently placed there.
“So this room is safe?” Heather asked as they approached the door.
“The arrival points always are,” Alura replied. “Usually, they contain something useful to the dangers ahead, but I don't see a use for moldy food.”
“Well, let's get treasure hunting,” Heather urged and immediately called on her plant armor. She then held out a hand, and with a single command word, her scythe materialized out of black smoke. Alura questioned the odd choice of weapon, but Heather explained it as fitting the flower singer's agricultural theme.
“Ah, you are committed to playing up the class,” Alura laughed. “I admire your dedication to such an odd combination.” She approached the door and drew her sword, tapping at the wood and handle before taking the risk of grabbing it. She instructed Heather to stand back and quickly threw the door open to reveal the dark hall beyond.
“You never can tell if it's trapped,” Alura said and stepped out, peering into the shadows as her eyes glowed with blue light. “I don't see anything that might attack.”
Heather stepped through with Webster at her side. He looked through his eight eyes, watching in nearly all directions as they ventured deeper into the hall with careful steps. Alura took the lead, testing the floor and watching for tripwires. There was little of interest in the hall itself, but near the far end were a pair of doors. One of them went left, and the other right, but carved on their surface were words of warning. The left door said not this way, while the right one said to consider your options carefully and choose the right door.
“Go right,” Heather said with a smile.
“But it says to choose carefully,” Alura argued.
“No,” Heather said and stepped up to point at the words. “It says to choose the right door. The left door says not this way.”
“So it does, Alura said with a smile. “You are rather good at this.”
“I like puzzles,” Heather agreed as Alura tested the handle then opened the door. They were rewarded with a square room in the center of which was a low table. A small pile of golden coins glinted on the table where they spilled out of a leather sack.
“Our first treasure,” Alura said with a pleased tone but didn't immediately approach the table. She searched the floor around it for a bit, testing the stone to see if they would move. Heather waited patiently, watching as minutes passed before the angelic woman approached the table.
“Is every room going to take this long?” Heather asked as Alura reached for the bag with the tip of her sword. The angel said it was better to be safe than sorry, but Heather started to do the math. If even empty rooms took ten minutes to clear, they were going to find very little treasure. She asked Alura to step back then held up a hand as she chanted the spell for grasping vines.
Vines suddenly grow with alarming speed around her waist and across her shoulders. They raced around her outstretched arm in the blink of an eye and then grew beyond it. Heather had a four-meter long rope of vine that twisted and moved to her command. She used to wrap around the bag of coins and yanked it from the table. As soon as the weight was gone, the ceiling above the table came crashing down. Stone sand dust crushed the table and would have killed anybody standing beside it.
“Huh. It was trapped,” Heather said as she dropped the bag in her other hand.
“That is a neat trick,” Alura said as she fanned the dust from her face. “I will keep that in mind to save some time.”
Heather held up the bag and gave it a rattle prompting Alura to laugh and take the lead, heading across the room to another door. She tested the handle and threw it open, revealing a second slightly larger room with a four-armed zombie-like creature lurking on the ceiling. Alura rushed in with sword held high as the beast crawled above their head like some horrid spider. Two of its arms were slightly longer and had three segments ending in a trio of sharp claws. It used these to lash at Alura while the other limbs gripped the ceiling and shuffled around to avoid her strikes.
Heather stayed back and let the angel do the work and was impressed at how quickly she cornered the monster and ended its life. There was a small pile of rocks in one corner, inside of which were a few dozen more coins. Heather gathered these up and added them to the bag before turning to look for the next path.
This room had three open halls that led in different directions. None of them looked more inviting than the other, so Alura picked the center one and quickly took the lead. The hall opened into a vast vaulted chamber with piles of rubble from collapses in the ceiling. Water dripped from a dozen places echoing in the darkness and allowing a faint mustard-colored fungus to grow.
“Can you fly?” Alura asked as she looked across the carpet of fungus.
“Do you see wings?” Heather asked as she poked her head into the room.
“You can't step on this,” Alura said. “It's called blood blight, and it will infect you with spores that rot your skin at an alarming rate. If you had good boots on, we could risk it, but with bare feet, I am afraid we will have to go back.”
Heather leaned closer with a smile as a simple solution came to mind. She sang a little song as her feet glowed with natural magic, then without a care, she stepped out onto the fungal carpet.
“What are you doing?” Alura cried, but it was too late. She watched in surprise as Heather floated an inch above the carpet, her feet refusing to contact the plants.
“I can walk over plants,” Heather said and came back to pick up Webster. “If you want to fly over it, I will walk.”
“So the flower singer isn’t so ineffective after all,” Alura said as she unfurled her feathery wings.
“It has its uses,” Heather replied as she studied the carpet beneath her feet. She wished there was some way she could get a sample of this fungus. She could think of a lot of good uses for so dangerous a plant. Alura took the air and flew to the middle of the room as Heather strolled across with Webster in her arms. She found a chest near the side of the wall, but it was coated in the dangerous fungus. She tried to use one of her vines to open it, but it rotted away seconds after touching the lethal plant.
“Well, that’s annoying,” Heather said as she pondered her options.
“We will have to leave it behind,” Alura suggested, but Heather had another idea. She was an infernal, and that gave her an ability that was somewhat detrimental to plants. With a smile, she cupped one hand, filling it with fire and then throwing it at the chest. Alura laughed as Heather tossed a dozen balls of flame until the whole area was engulfed, burning the dangerous plant away.
“I knew you would make a good partner,” Alura said and then cast a spell of her own, dousing the area in a magical rain to put out the flames before the chest burned with the plants. Heather then used a vine for safety and pried the singed chest open to reveal a treasure trove of coins, gems, and jewelry.
“We are doing so well!” Alura exclaimed as she hovered overhead, observing the haul.
Heather was grateful that she emptied her pouches before coming in and began to stuff them full of coins. When she ran out of space, Alura took over, adding the rest of the treasure to her pack. Weighted down, she found it harder to fly, but they quickly headed across the room and exited the tunnel on the other side.
The tunnel was too small to fly, so Alura resumed her place in the lead, walking with sword raised as Heather followed behind.
“I bet we already have more than all the others,” Alura laughed. “Nobody else could have looted that room.”
“Too bad we're already full,” Heather replied as she clinked with every step. “I don't think we can carry any more.”
Maybe we will find more bags,” Alura suggested as Heather considered using the fabric in the starting room to sew more bags. She shoved the idea out of her head a moment later when she realized she had no needle or thread.
The next room was all fight, as a goat-headed beast with a long serpent-like tail charged them. It breathed a yellow gas, but Alura used her wings to fan the gas away and met the beast head-on. They collided in with a crushing bang, the angel sliding back but staying on her feet. Heather cast a pulsing heal on her immediately and then used her vines to grab hold of the monster's tail when she noticed a poison sting. Unable to maneuver, the monster was easy prey for the angel who hacked and slashed until it finally rolled over and died.
This monster had a modest scattering of coins hidden in a pile of bones, and they took a few minutes to hunt for all they could find. Her bags were stuffed to capacity, so the coins went into Alura's pack as she joked that soon she wouldn't be able to fly.
“Thankfully, most of these rooms are too small to fly in any way,” she said as they arrived at an intersection in the tunnel. She tapped at the floor in the intersection before daring to creep out. Once in the center of the room, she went to look down the left hall, but Webster began to tap at Heather frantically.
“Hold up,” Heather called to bring Alura to a halt. She knelt to the floor and looked Webster in the eyes to ask him what was bothering him. He chirped, and she heard his voice, quickly understanding his concern. “He says the floor is crooked that way.”
Crooked?” Alura asked and studied the hall. “It looks fine to me.”
“He said from his perspective, it leans to one side,” Heather added as she came closer and looked into the hall. “But you’re right. I can’t see it either.”
Alura looked at the spider and then knelt, bending to lower her head so she could look down the hall from the spider's point of view.
“Wait, I see it,” she said and reached out a hand. She pushed at the floor, and it suddenly rolled over on a pivot, revealing a dark pit underneath.
“Why not put that trap in the middle of the room?” Heather asked in confusion.
“Because most people would have looked for it there,” Alura said as she got back up. “This was meant to catch the unwary as they figured the trap would be in the room, not the hall.”
“Hmm,” Heather said as she pondered a thought. “Do you think that door was slightly out of place because somebody already fell down it?”
“It's possible,” Alura said as she leaned over the shaft. “But the bottom is lost in the darkness, and it's too narrow for me to fly.”
“I know somebody who can climb down and take a look,” Heather said as she looked to Webster. “What do you say, little buddy?”
He bounced with a chirp and scurried for the edge, attaching a silk before climbing over the side. Heather smiled as Alura shook her head, marveling at how useful Heather was proving. Heather closed her eyes and looked through the eyes of the spider as he descended into the dark and, after nearly two minutes of climbing, finally arrived at a round chamber with no exits. Four bodies lay broken on the floor, killed in the prolonged fall. Two of them looked long dead, but she recognized the other two as people from the party.
“There are bodies down there,” Heather said as she witnessed it all.
“Do they have any treasure?” Alura asked.
Heather silently instructed Webster to poke around in their bags and was rewarded with a pack full of coins. She briefly considered how they would get the coins out, but Webster had the solution. First, he worked the pack off the body and then dug anything of value out of the others, using his silk to glue it to the pack. Next, he attached a new silk to the pack and then trailed it behind himself as he climbed back up. Moments later, he came over the edge with a ready-made rope so they could hoist the bag up and claim the reward.
“I have to admit I questioned your choice of pet, but I see you chose wisely,” Alura laughed as the bag came over the lip.
“Webster is the best friend a girl can have,” Heather said and gave him a pat. She suggested that Alura let her wear the pack as she already had one. Alura agreed, and Heather shouldered the burden, adjusting the weight before trying another hall. This led to what appeared to be a natural cave system populated by a dozen short blue humanoids with large noses and thick black hair that went all the way down their backs. They screeched in loud wails and threw darts as they attacked from behind piles of stones. Alura shined in this form of combat, her sword glowing with light to blind the creatures. She swung in arcs that created a shock wave, blasting the barriers apart and scattering the beasts. In moments three were dead, and she was pressing the others back, giving them no time to recover. Heather used her plant armor and even called on a barrier to protect her and Webster from hurled darts. To help Alura, she summoned a thorn whip plant that rapidly began to hurl darts of its own at the feisty creatures. Minutes later, they were all dead, but a new problem arose when the thorn whip turned on Alura.
“I am so sorry,” Heather said as she dispelled it. “I forgot we're technically not on the same side.”
Alura pulled a dart out with a smile and called on a small heal to mend a wound. She suggested Heather add her to her companion's list before they pressed on, nearly causing a disaster. On instinct, Heather went to reveal her tattoo but remembered Blackbast's words at the last second. She turned to the ring, causing it to glow as the interface appeared in the air. She did her best to stand directly over the screen, obscuring the data from prying eyes. She had no idea what the people outside the room could see and didn't want them to read just how many classes she had.
“Why is she leaning over the interface?” Quinny asked as they watched Heather from the party hall. Each of the room's towering windows was now a magical screen, tracking the progress of a different group and going dark when they died. Those screens were then attached to the more popular groups as people laughed and cheered at their exploits.
“She doesn’t want people to see her character sheet,” Frank said as he looked to Blackbast. “It would give her away in a heartbeat.”
“I am glad she is thinking,” Blackbast said with ears pinned back. “But she is quickly becoming the favorite to watch.”
“It looks like they have her on three screens,” Legeis commented. “I bet half this room is watching her.”
“She is handling this too well,” Blackbast groaned. “People are delighted to see how a flower singer is so easily navigating the dungeon. Even if she makes it out alive, they are going to swarm around her and ask how she learned to play so well.”
“She doesn't think like a normal player would,” Frank said. “Even with her plant walk ability, a gamer would have been afraid to cross that fungus. We would have assumed the fungus was only the first layer of danger and wouldn't want to risk the encounter.”
“And who would have thought to send Webster down a pit to look for treasure?” Quinny asked. “Most people would have seen a trap and just gone around or over it.”
“Webster's point of view is so close to the floor he can see when it's slightly off level,” Legeis added. “She isn't likely going to fall into pits.”
“All of which is making her popular to watch,” Frank sighed. “I hope she’s careful about what she’s doing.”
“I want to strangle that Maline,” Blackbast growled as her hands twitched in anger. “She said nothing about an adventure party. She made it all sound like we were just some unusual guests to gossip about.”
“People are always looking to work their skills and get more points,” Legeis said as one of the groups opened a door to a pack of flaming dogs. Their screams echoed in the hall as fire engulfed the magical viewer, and moments later, it went dark. People laughed and cheered while money changed hands as guests lost bets.
“That’s half the groups dead in just over an hour,” Quinny said as she twisted nervously. “This place is designed to kill people.”
“Yes, because hero players will respawn locally, but will Heather and Breanne?” Blackbast grumbled as they watched the screen intently.
“Quinny or I should have gone. At least we have dungeon hearts,” Frank said nervously as Maline suddenly stood in the center of the hall and threw up her arms.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” she called with a booming voice. “Now that half our teams are gone, I thought it would be interesting if we changed the rules a bit. When I clap my hands, a special event I call the doom sequence will begin, where the dungeon will fill with monsters and traps as it changes around our players. This will force our contestants to run for their lives while driving them toward the exit and conflict with each other. I assure you that only the quick and the bold will make it out alive,” she added with a wide smile. “Now, place your bets and cheer for your team because the doom sequence begins!”
She clapped her hands in unison to the gong of a large bell that echoed throughout the hall. The people cheered and began to call out their bets as Frank and Quinny turned on Blackbast.
“What do we do?” Frank demanded.
“There is nothing we can do,” Blackbast replied in shock. “We cannot interfere with the game, or we risk spoiling Heather’s mission in the north.”
“Well, we can’t just stand here and do nothing,” Quinny insisted as she looked about nervously but realized there was literally no way to warn Heather or Breanne. With hearts full of dread, they turned back to the magical viewers and looked on in shock as the dungeon came alive.
