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Chapter 3: The Tower III
🕑 Added 2024-07-22 13:44:55 +0000 UTCChapter 3: The Tower
III
Creak. I held tightly onto the Ice-pike’s tooth, ready to cast a flame spell at the slightest provocation. The door swung open to reveal… an empty entryway with another door three paces in. Both myself and my impromptu bear companion let out breaths neither of us knew we were holding. I couldn’t be certain but I had a growing suspicion this body was having an effect on the way I thought and behaved.
Beary stepped in first and I followed. On closer inspection there wasn’t as much nothing as I had thought. Two sets of eyes, one human one beastkin, tracked the blood trail that was visible on the front door. It led across the floor of the entryway and continued behind the closed door ahead. Scratches made with scrabbling fingernails marked the stone floor, to do that whomever was dragged across here must have been desperate.
“Blood’s dry, been here four or five weeks. Most likely those village boys.” Barely analysed in a professional manner.
“You a tracker?” I asked, more to break the building unease I felt.
“Hunter.” Beary answered, simply. He then proceeded to stalk forward on silent paws, I stood behind, spell ready. He placed his hand-adjacent appendage on the knob. There proceed another spine tingling creak as the door swung to. There was no sudden attack.
The opening revealed a bare stone room with no furniture. The hexagonal chamber was large but empty, save for a chandelier twenty feet above alight with magestones and a statue half again as tall as Beary. The figure was what took both of our attention for although the stone gargoyle, a sculpture of a demon footsoldier, stood stock still and gave no signs of life; its clawed hands and feet were caked in dried blood and rotting viscera. The bodies were nowhere to be seen.
Beary grasped his woodaxe tightly and steeled himself to enter. He was about to set his foot across the threshold when I stopped him with a tug at his fur.
“Let me check for traps.” I offered, he stepped aside to oblige me.
“Knew you were a thief.” he murmured but I didn’t acknowledge the remark with a response.
A may not have been a traps expert during life, though I had researched a number of magical ones, but my attention to detail had saved me a number of times from what would have otherwise been disaster.
I found the remnants of a tripped tripwire, one half of the line on each side of the entrance. As far as I could tell it was connected to a series of holes in the ceiling above, I thought perhaps arrows flew from them. Examining the floor I could indeed make out corresponding divots which may have come from arrows. The evidence was again lacking however.
“See anything?” Bear asked, tersely. I was about to answer in the negative when something caught my arcane eye. Ever since I had consumed part of my own soul to cast a spell my magical senses had been dimmed, even so this would have been hard to notice.
A mana network, much like that of a golem’s, ran through the floor. No, now I could see it, mana pathways ran everywhere throughout the structure. But like looking at a letter through a murky pond it was impossible to tell what it said. If mana were running through it that would be a different story. An idea formed, maybe not the most ethical, but it would allow me to study this design.
“All clear.” I finally said to my newest ally, deciding not to share the discovery. I stepped aside and gestured him through. Again he hoisted up his courage by its bootstraps before charging head long into the room.
I hadn’t been expecting the sudden assault and clearly neither had the designer of this defence as the demonic golem was slow to activate.
I saw mana rush through the pathways and towards the statue. I took out Hal’s notebook, I hadn’t read it out of respect, and skipped to a fresh page. Frantically I scribbled out the mana network with charcoal. Instead of trying to draw every detail, which would have been impossible in the brief time it took to activate, I noted down sections of the magical circuit I recognized: Switch rounds, thump overs, and T flip flops to name but a few.
Most of the required mana had entered the Golem and it was beginning to move, as if breaking free from ice, when Beary ran it over. Given the size difference I expected him to bounce off like hitting a brick wall, or a giant stone statue, but instead he was able to bowl it over. Not all the mana had moved into the golem and its wings, not reinforced with mana, shattered against the stone floor. The excess mana that had been sent to the guardian now rushed back along the mana pathways to wherever it was stored. Unable to waste the opportunity I frantically added to my notes leaving the giant bearman to grapple with the infernal statue.
While I was frantically scribbling I saw, from the corner of my eye, the two wrestling on the ground. Beary tried to hold it close and negate its strength advantage, his axe discarded to one side, as he struck tight blows and chipped the stone. He wasn’t able to keep it up however, the golem got a clawed foot between the two pushing Beary away. The beastman managed to spin, avoiding the full force of the attack, still he received a gash to his right flank. As he rolled across the floor he snatched up his axe and held himself in a readied crotch, one hand covering his wound.
For a brief moment they tested each other with tentative strikes while circling, then the creature seemed to remember it was a construct that couldn’t feel pain so it stole a page from the Hunter’s playbook. Charging before the big man could react, the Golem took its turn to knock his foe over. I heard something snap as Beary struck the ground, the stone giant on top. I wanted to help, but I wanted more to jot down all of the mana network that I currently retained, mana had only passed through it for seconds but much was still imprinted in my mind and I didn’t want to lose it.
Beary was clearly an experienced grappler and slippery enough to avoid any puncturing fangs or claws but injured as he was he took a good few concussive elbows and knees. Perhaps forgetting his opponent Beary tried to bite it about the neck only to recoil in pain. The gargoyle took advantage of the lapse and grabbed the Beastkin’s neck in the crook of its arm.
“Little help?” My pal half growled half wheezed from his choke hold. I took a final note before setting aside the book and rushing to his aid.
With one spell on my mind I ran up, and, speaking the arcane words, cast my fire spell through the fire attributed ring. The Ice-pike’s tooth being consumed in the process.
Congratulations:
You have learned the Flame spell
Fire sprayed from my open palm engulfing the golem’s head. I didn’t expect the flames to do anything to stone, they weren’t hot enough, though it was always good to test one’s assumptions. No, I used this attack because I could see the glowing mana network within the creature and whoever had designed it had made a mistake common amongst golemancers - the visual mana nodes were placed in the eyes (I preferred putting them in the nipples, no one expects it).
Unable to see, the golem acted as any living creature might and blocked its face with its arms, releasing the nearly unconscious Hunter in the process.
He gasped for air as he scrambled back. I waited until he looked mostly hail before releasing the spell.
“Can you keep its attention?” I asked, a plan in mind.
“Yep.” Beary affirmed, shaking himself out for round two. He took the fore, and I stood behind waiting for an opportunity.
The Golem swung a haymaker. Beary caught it close to the body with his forearm, clearly paining the broken appendage. Still he took advantage, swinging the blunt side of the axe round, causing it to chip the well sculpted abs. It stuck out its maw and tried to bite him but missed as he slipped out of range.
Frustrated, it tried a once successful tactic again, charging in head first. Beary had been expecting this, he spun out of line and landed a 360 blow on its exposed back.
With the thing over extended and off balance I took my time to aim. A Rock Throw focused on speed zipped forth and smashed against the mana node in the knee. This was just the push it needed and it collapsed to its hands and remaining knee.
Beary didn’t waste a second, with the head now in range he brought down his axe in an overhead strike, pushing his broken arm to the limit. The skull and axe met in a cacophonous boom. The head snapped off the axe and went flying, the gargoyle's head cracked in two. A glowing earth mana stone fell out, leaving the body nothing more than inanimate stone.
Beary, not knowing this, stood on guard for a moment longer. When he was sure it wasn’t going to get back up he spun to face me.
“What was that?” He growled, teeth clenched in pain.
“A golem?” I tried innocently.
“You know damn well that’s not what I’m talking about.” He snarled. “I didn’t expect much from you but those spells were good. Would have been a great help if you didn’t space out for the first half of the fight.”
“Sorry, I just wanted to examine the building's magic.” I said, pitiably. Beary only growled a warning in response.”Sorry.” I said again looking down at the ground. This seemed to be enough and he spun to look for his axe head. I stuck my tongue out at his back. He seemed to sense something and turned only to see me in the same position as before. I laughed internally as he returned to his search. There was no doubt about it this body was having an effect on me, either that or I was still incredibly childish.
☠
Beary retrieved his axe head, poketing it away. He used the broken handle and rope to splint his arm and bandages he carried to fix his side then he came over to see what I was doing. I had collected the mana stone for later use. Feeling I ought not be selfish I offered it to the Beastman but he refused, saying I should have the magicy stuff as he couldn’t use it. I was still selfish enough not to tell him exactly how much a stone like this would be worth and just took the gift.
“The rain’s not stopped.” Beary remarked, poking his head outside.
“This isn’t all the tower has to offer, this is just the front door. That's why I needed to examine the mana network in use.” I added, covering for myself. The Hunter didn’t seem to follow so I walked over to the centre of the room. Where the Golem had started there was a heavily engraved silver disk embedded in the ground.
“This acted as a mana conduit.” I said pointing at the thing. “Most of the time the earth mana the golem’s core constantly produced went to power other things in the tower; I don’t know what. But when there are intruders it redirects power back into the guard, giving it a jump start.” I explained.
“How will that help me dispel the storm, it clearly wasn’t powered by the golem’s core.” Beary asked, genuinely interested in the mechanics of it.
“Like I said, this is just the front door.” I replied, looking around at the six walls. “If someone comes in here who the building doesn’t see as an enemy then they have to recite the entry phase, best as I can tell they get three chances before the defences activate.” I examined my notes which informed my answer.
“So we just have to stand her talking till it opens?” He asked looking up.
“We could.” I allowed, “But there should be a better way.” I said absently as I kneeled down before the silver plate. After some umming and ahhing, going back and forth between two symbols, I took Hal’s knife to one of the runes. The mage lights above brightened. Nothing more happened.
“I don’t think that was right.” Beary remarked. I returned to my notes looking them over one more time. After a moment I let out a sound of realisation.
“Good job I didn’t do the other one or we would have been trapped in here whilst the place floods.” I said flippantly as I got rid of the correct symbol. Beary laughed as if it were a joke and I chose not to correct him. The room shook and, as I expected, three of the six walls began to lower revealing two doors and a communicative room, separated by a powerful ward. Beary hadn’t expected it, probably because there wasn’t room for all this on the first floor of the tower we had entered. He jumped and readied himself for another brawl. I chuckled under my breath but my laughter was short-lived.
“Hello! I say, hello! Great Scot! People, real actual people. Can you hear me? through the ward I mean.” A four foot gnome dressed in a black three piece suit with matching top hat ejaculated from the other side of the magical separation, gesticulating wildly at us.
Comments
Inanis
absolutely not, it means to shout or say something suddenly. That and the common use of the word makes me laugh.
fity0208
I want to believe that a gnome ejaculating from the other side of the barrier is a typo
