Denizens of the Labyrinth

Jazmel was happy, he had new clothes, he had sold his items and was expecting more from the final two, also. He checked his stats and was pleased with what he saw, he had grown exceptionally, while travelling alone.

Name: Jazmel

Level: 50

Species: Human

Rank: Seeker tier III

Class: Sword Scion

Health: 1123/1425

Stamina: 1000/1144

Mana: 695/1000

STR:64 PER:53

VIT:53 END:58

INT:60 WIL: 50

AGL:65 DEX:57

Trait: HEART OF THE SWORD (BORN TRAIT)

Skills:

Sever (tier I)

Slash (tier II)

Flight of the Blue kite (tier I)

Title(s):

FIEND BANE

SERPENT SLAYER

Unused Stat points: 0

4X PLATINUM COINS

682X WHITE GOLD COINS

127X GOLD COINS

Item(s):

TIER II 2X COLD IRON ORE

TIER I 1X GREATER GRAVE IRON ORE

2/3 PIECES OF THE PLAQUE

TIER II BRANCH OF A TREE

TIER II SEED OF MIRETE

TIER II WILLOW KNIGHT SEED

DWARVEN COIN

2X HEALTH POTIONS

4X STAMINA POTIONS

TIER II TROLL BONE X3

TIER II TROLL HEART X1

TIER II TROLL CLUB X2

TIER I FOX FUR X2

TIER I FOX MEAT X2

TIER II HAG CORE X1

TIER II FIEND BONE X30

TIER II GREATER FIEND BONE X13

TIER I FIEND CORE X29

TIER II GREATER FIEND CORE X6

TIER II FIEND CORPSE X12

TIER I GREATER FIEND CORPSE X4

TIER I MERMEN PEARLS X57

TIER I ATLANTEAN SWORD X2

SHADOW WRAITH

LEVEL 12

PARTY:

5/5

BAEK LVL 112

He was looking for an inn and soon found one. The ‘Foxhole’ the name was written in gilded golden painting and the door was open, the aroma of meals and drinks could be smelt, and his keen senses told him that sweet seasoning had been used. He stepped in and the inn was already filled, even people were sitting at the counter taking meals. He soon found an empty seat and waved the server over.

“Can I get a meal and something to drink?” Jazmel asked, the server nodded and headed off to make the request. Jazmel sat in his chair and waited, happy to be waiting for his meal. He looked around the room and with his Mana eyes, he could see different fluctuations of Mana. From pure and dense to soft and light. It was interesting to see how Mana functioned in the body and how it sort of told a story of what people’s abilities would look like.

“Here you go. That’s 9 gold coins with the drink too.” Jazmel paid the man, drawing the coins from within his ring and looked over his plate. A thick piece of bread, a thick leg of lamb slathered in a gravy made of rosemary and thyme. Rice with kidney beans in it, something that he hadn’t had before but he tried and to his delight, he liked it. Sipping his drink, he found it a cordial, something that tasted of fruits. A hint of apples and pears bubbled in this mouth, and he liked the taste. He finished his meal quickly, realising how much more he had to eat to keep up his stamina and energy, but this meal sated him; for now. He thanked the server but asked for a refill on his drink, he liked the taste of it.

DING!

BUTTERMEAD CORDIAL

5% PERCEPTION AFFLICTION!

“I want to go out of the city, there are tier II monsters, and their cores or corpses go for a lot in the city.” A stranger said to his friend.

“I don’t want to hunt outside this city, its nothing but Beholders and Stingers.” His friend complained but the first man nudged him.

“Stingers go for big in this city, their poison goes into antidotes. So, lots of merchants are willing to buy.” He confided in him, and Jazmel simply smiled before getting up, he dropped some more gold coins on the counter for the server and asked where he could get a bottle of the cordial for later.

They parted ways soon after, Jazmel with three bottles of cordial and the server fifteen coins richer.

Jazmel stepped out from the foxhole and looking around he decided to head out of the city, not because he cared about the poison or antidotes. No but he did want to evaluate himself against new monsters where he could.

Leaving the city, he didn’t have to pay but the guards made him aware that if he didn’t return within a twelve-hour period, he would have to pay the toll again. Jazmel thanked them for the heads up and made his way outside the city.

Outside of the city was woodlands, forests, and lots of trees. They had been cleared around the city and so Jazmel was surprised at how wild they got as soon as he entered them, trees grew wildly and blocked the sight of any normal bodied seeker. But he simply activated his Mana eyes and began seeing the Mana or the breath of life around him.

He heard a buzzing sound; it reminded him of bees. But much bigger, the sound was like millions of bees or much larger in size. Both options were unfavourable for him, he headed out into a clearing and to his dismay. He had been right, a bee; much bigger than any he had seen before was trying its best to get something inside the broken bow of an old tree. He stepped on a twig and the break drew the attention of the bee. It whirled and the drone of its wings changed in rhythm as it wheeled on him. It rushed at him; its stinger pointed at him. At the last moment it twitched and from the stinger a gob of a sticky toxin shot from the tip. He dodged it and cut through the bee. It was surprisingly soft in the middle, and it died as it crashed into the trees behind him.

“Thanks.” a voice called, and he turned to see a boy or young man ease out of the bough of the twisted tree.

“What were you doing in there?” Jazmel asked and the boy laughed, before going into his own storage ring and pull out two Mana potions and drink them both.

“I was hunting the Stingers, ran out of Mana and then they ended up hunting me.” He explained and Jazmel looked at him curiously. The boy was around Jazmel’s height, and he was slimmer than Jazmel. He was around his colour too, but lighter. As if he lived in the sun but not always in it. he wore a white t shirt, black trousers, and combat boots. But he carried no weapons, Jazmel looked at him and saw that he was filled with Mana, but it was unlike anything he had seen before. It was dark, not evil or death but darkened, as if it were smoke or night. It was interesting, at his waist a gourd bottle hung from it, and it sloshed, but Jazmel couldn’t tell what it was.

“We have company.” The boy said and before Jazmel could even focus, the boy removed the gourd lid and let it spill into his hands. It was black and looked like oil, but the boy did something amazing. He focused some Mana into the oil, and it moulded into a knife, something he clearly had created with his Mana.

But Jazmel had no time to be amazed, he drew his own sword again and three Stingers broke through the woods and rushed him. One was pierced through the head and crashed to the ground immediately. The knife disintegrating after.

The other two rushed him, he drew them both in and making sure not to suffer the sting from their toxic stingers. Instead, he cut them up and they fell from the air, unable to fly and he drove his blade into them while they were on the ground. Quickly and ethically.

“You seem to know how to fight.” The boy said and Jazmel looked at him quizzically.

“Is that oil?” Jazmel asked and the boy looked at the gourd and then at Jazmel.

“You saw that? Well, you have sharp eyes, or simply different eyes. That’s interesting too.” He mused to himself but before they could speak properly, more Stingers came and they cut through them, these monsters were not strong and Jazmel wasn’t bothered, he was bored and was ready to head back into the city.

“Wait, if we follow their tracks. We could find their hive and if we find the honey, it could be good for the both of us.” The boy offered, Jazmel shrugged, and the boy led the way.

“The name is Gilmore, Gilmore Twain. My family call me Twain and my friends call me Gil.” He explained and Jazmel wondered what a stranger should call him.

“I am Jazmel.” Jazmel introduced himself and Gilmore Twain nodded.

“Call me Gil.” He said and Jazmel wondered if he was saying he was a friend. But Jazmel was prepared if he were to do anything.

Meow.

They heard and looking round, Jazmel saw a small black cat bound out of the bushes and Gilmore, kneel down to let it crawl up onto his shoulder. When it did, he rose back up and smiled at Jazmel with his fist out, Jazmel looked at him confused but he motioned for him to copy him. Jazmel did, slowly.

DING!

TIER II STINGERS x13 COLLECTED

Jazmel looked at him.

“This is Bast, she’s a good girl. She collects all my items after and brings them to me.” He said and the cat meowed, purring into the neck of Gilmore.

“Isn’t she just made of your Mana and that oil you carry?” Jazmel asked, his eyes watching the complex mana that made up this little creature.

“It isn’t oil! It is ink, and how can you tell that?? Your eyes aren’t normal, are they? Well, no she isn’t all Mana and ink, she is a little bit more than that too.” He explained but didn’t go on and Jazmel didn’t push.

They soon found the hive and it was buzzing with gigantic bees. Stingers of all sizes and colours. There were more than Jazmel had thought and now he was prepared for a big fight. He steadied his breathing and then drew Hajime, slowly. But Gilmore stopped him.

“Wait a moment, let me do it.” he said and pouring more ink he uttered one word.

“Crows.” From the small pool of ink, a murder of crows appeared, and they veiled both Gilmore and Jazmel. The Stingers saw them and hurried over to the crows, not noticing Jazmel and Gilmore until they were remarkably close. But it was too late, and Jazmel did his part too.

“Slash!” he sent an attack at the unguarded hive and as the stingers tried their best to kill the crows made of ink, he and Gilmore cut them down as they neared them.

“Crow!” Gilmore shouted and the many crows, slowly merged to form a larger one. Not the size of one of the Stingers but bigger than a crow. It flapped its wings and shot ink blackened feathers at the hive and the Stingers, any of them that were struck by the ink fell from the air.

“I added the toxin to my ink a while ago. So, it will paralyse them.” Gilmore explained, he moved around the paralytic stingers.

He pulled large containers from his storage ring and began to fill it with the honey from the hive. He filled five of those containers and then handed two of them to Jazmel, he didn’t complain and took them for himself.

DING!

SHADOW WRAITH HUNGERS

He let his shadow pull the stingers into its darkened maw and he felt it sate itself

TIER II STINGER TOXIN X3

TIER II STINGER WINGS X6

TIER II STINGER X4

He nodded, a good harvest.

“That shadow.” Gilmore said and Jazmel sighed, everyone always said that.

“Yes, people always say that when they see it.” he said, and Gilmore smiled.

“I can imagine, that is very interesting.” He mused and Jazmel simply shrugged.

“We had better leave before more Stingers return. Will you head back into the Arnanthian city?” Gilmore asked and Jazmel nodded.

“Let’s go together.” He beckoned.

They had travelled quite deep into the woods and so back tracking led them to another part of the woods. As Jazmel was using his eyes to look around, he noticed a tree that was billowing Mana. Gilmore must have felt it too because he whistled.

“I haven’t seen one of these before.” He offered and Jazmel agreed.

“What is it?”

“I think it’s a trial gate.” Gilmore said.

“Oh, I did one of those a few floors ago.” Jazmel explained.

“They usually provide good requests. Should we, do it?” Gilmore said and Jazmel nodded.

DING!

ARNANTHIAN TRIAL GATE

WILL YOU TRY IT

DO YOU ACCEPT?

Jazmel nodded and pressed a hand against the bough of the tree, Gilmore did the same and then they both stepped back as the twisted bough, cracked, and twitched as it unfurled itself and opened up to show a Mana gate. They stepped through together and to Jazmel’s surprise it was a darkened gate. Pitch black, though he wasn’t fearful, it was unnerving.