Legend of the Spellthief

Chaos reigned on the battlefield that was the Frost Monarch’s Cavern. Araxie and Fleur had been crushed by massive walls of ice that erupted from the floor to the ceiling, a finale attack of the yeti-golem amalgamate monsters. Logan had used his penultimate teleportation to reach Marcus, his ally of over a month and a man with whom he had become so close, hoping he could at least save his friend.

Almost stabbing his own palm with his fingernails, Logan gripped onto Marcus’s robes tighter than anything in his life. His mouth uttered the incantation that would save his and his ally’s life, but each syllable brought with it the deathly cracks of the ice beneath them that signalled the rising of another wall of cold death.

While his mind was full of his thoughts Logan was unable to hear the raging sound of a lion and rushing wind to his side, a massive yellow mirage depiction of the canine held within it a charging Kreya. The same skill that Marsh Quay had used so long ago, General's Charge, was this time being used to push an ally aside rather than to push a foe down.

Logan’s arm was the first thing to be hit by the force, pushing it into his side. The rest of the yellow aura picked up Marcus with it, the trio charging far off, away from the wall that emerged and caught their feet as they went tumbling to the floor with Kreya in tow. Rolling and bouncing upwards, they just barely avoided a crushing death into the ceiling.

The Spellthief rolled around and spun to his feet, his left arm entirely numb from the bash he just received, and his staff at his feet. Kreya stood next, a battered shield on her arm and blood dripping from beneath her armour.

“Logan, get us out of here!” she yelled at her leader.

Raising her shield reflexively to her head she blocked another blow from the right yeti, the floor beneath her cracking under the force as her shield shattered into three pieces. With the remaining portion Kreya pushed upwards to remove the arm from her head, spinning around she threw her mace at the head of the yeti and dealt a solid blow to its chin, swerving its head back as saliva flew from its maw. Kreya’s mace flew back to her hand whilst coated in a yellow aura.

Logan’s numb arm was unusable so he quickly threw his staff into his inventory, ignoring any repercussions of such. “Flame Shot!” he yelled as he threw his good arm down the hallway. A fleeing ball of fire shot across the room to the hallway, but was blocked by another crashing wall of ice.

Marcus had stood by that point and began to heal both Logan and Kreya so that they could get the rest of the party out of this situation.

Then, an inhumane yell was followed by yet another crunch and tearing of flesh, though this time it was Tsuker who had avoided a wall of ice only to get grappled and torn in two with his arms and legs caught in the hands of the left yeti. Blood sprayed across the room as the insides of the Rogue leaked onto the floors and into the yeti’s open mouth.

“Fucker!” Cerall yelled as he swung out at the left yeti, displays of red, blue, and yellow blinded the Fighter against the yeti’s attempts at defence. “Die! Die! Die!” the Fighter yelled as his combo attack assaulted his foe.

“Logan! What is the hold-up?” Kreya shouted as her shield was backhanded away by the right yeti. Forming another, smaller, one to block the following strike showed her lessening defences.

“I got nothing left, fuck!” Logan cursed as he looked around. His 2 MP wasn’t going to save the party, barely even himself. He needed 2 to teleport. “We need to make a run for it, I can’t teleport us out of here ‘and’ destroy the wall outside.”

“Uhnarr, Cerall! You guys got a clear line to the exit?” Kreya yelled as she forcefully hit her shield against another jab of the right yeti.

“Give. Me. A. Minute”, Cerall called out between hits and parries against his foe. Looking to the side quickly he gave a response, “Yeah, but they got Uhnarr too!”

Logan scanned for the gashriek, but all he saw was another pool of blood and the slumped mess of an upper body that cleared the wall.

As Kreya continued to defend and retaliate against her own monstrous foe Logan saw her shield breaking once again. Throwing his arm out he incanted, “Necromantic Skystrike”, to which tendrils appeared at the back of the yeti and pulled at its reared-back arm.

This gave Kreya enough time to detach her current shield and summon up another. “I got one left!” she informed the party.

Staring daggers at the two large foes before him Logan had no choice but to delve into his potion reserves, ignoring any factor of hiding his abilities any longer. Hitting his hand into the space next to him, several green cubes of data and static electricity appeared and absorbed his hand into nothingness. Pulling out of the spacial tear, Logan drew out two spell slot potions.

Gripping the corks with his teeth he tore the vials open and downed the purple liquid. His system updated telling him he could apply the effects to any first-level spells he had prepared, selecting Flame and gaining two new uses for it.

“Flame Shot!” Logan called out twice, aiming at the left yeti that was dealing hefty blows to Cerall who barely stood. Two streams of fire came hurtling from Logan’s palm towards the large foe, and since it was preoccupied with the Fighter the blasts hit true in its chest.

The yeti faltered to a knee, showing the wounds it had suffered to this point being just enough to bring it low. Cerall swung his blade back into a reverse hold and leapt upwards, slashing with a spin his blade carved through the yeti’s throat and out the other side. A large decapitated head smashed into the icy floor, denoting the felling of the first foe.

Dragging a further three vials from his inventory, Logan downed his last spell restoring potions. He hadn’t planned on using them so early, but it was either victory or retreat with them, or certain doom without them.

“Cerall, move to the exit. I’ll get us-” Logan started to command before he saw the yeti turn and aim its paw, “Dodge!”

Cerall had already begun his run before hearing the latest command, rolling to the floor he was just barely able to avoid another ice spear skewering his chest, instead hitting his leg and pinning it to the floor. The Fighter yelled out in pain yet again as he began to cut at the ice to free himself.

“Marcus circle around to the exit, Kreya try and keep focus. I’ll get Cerall”, Logan commanded as he turned his head to his allies. Running over to the Fighter he shot another Flame at the spear to melt it quickly, sliding to Cerall’s side to wrap his arm under the Fighter’s and pick him up.

“Can’t do this forever!” Kreya returned as she parried with her mace and blocked with her second to the last shield.

Cerall hobbled to one foot, the other leg barely being attached and slowly reforming to have any use. The healing was similar to what Logan had felt in the past, it would be useable but heavily scarred unless it was fully removed in which case he’d require regeneration magic.

“How many… teleports you got?” Cerall breathed out.

“One”, Logan replied solemnly.

Cerall titled his head downwards at the painful response. “Fuck… go.”

“What?”

“You can’t get us all out with that. Get your friend and leave.”

“I can’t-”

Cerall pushed Logan off of him, putting all of his weight on his good leg. A circle of wind flowed towards his final foot as the Fighter ducked down, “Get out!” he shouted as his body rushed backwards a final time as he spun in the air, pushing Logan to the side a bit more. At the end of his Rush, Cerall jumped again with the aid of his skill and planted his sword into the cheek of the yeti, using his body’s weight to swing around and rear its head back with a backflip.

Marcus had made plenty of distance already and shot another Heal at Logan and Kreya, the Knight running away as she saw an opening appear.

The right yeti grabbed hold of the Fighter who had planted its weapon deep in its face, a tight grip crushing Cerall’s armour into his body. Blood splattered outwards as the yeti dragged the body to its front to investigate it.

“Flame Shot”, Logan called out again, blasting the final yeti in the hopes of freeing Cerall. Grabbing his periapt of mana he blasted another two times thereafter.

A blast of fire or three did little to interrupt the monstrous foe as it smashed Cerall into the ground, planting his upper body beneath the ice. Another red x signing his death to Logan. Leaving Logan, Marcus, and Kreya as the final party members.

“This is just like the other oracles, just like Ahren!” Logan thought to himself in horror.

“Come on, around the wall!” Logan commanded as he darted to the left.

Marcus and Kreya followed suit as they rounded the wall of ice that had frozen the dripping blood from a previous ally. On its other side they saw the hallway that led to the outside, blocked by icicles that Logan was sure a single Flame would remove. All they had to do was get a sightline and they could teleport out of there.

A now focused yeti would not let their escape be easy however, icicles shattered the floor in front of them to create another prison that exploded forth the yeti whose skills seemed endless. Rearing back its fist, the yeti’s limb started to glow red.

“Logan!” Kreya yelled as she saw the attack aimed at the mage.

Jumping to the left she planted herself in front of Logan with her shield raised high. The yeti’s fist collided with it, and without any skill usage due to them all being on cooldown Kreya took the full force. Several cracks and bending of metal were heard as Kreya was sent flying backwards, hitting Logan, and both crashing through the wall of ice behind them.

Logan rolled on the floor as he was flung half the room away from the exit, pushing his arms against the floor he was able to stand himself back up. Eyeing up Kreya he saw her meekly rise, her shield having imbedded itself into her chest and face, her bones having snapped through her arm, a dainty hand dangling over her left shoulder.

Kreya’s voice was a mess of moans and cries, she fumbled with a satchel at her side but her obviously disorientated state made it hard to find purchase of a potion. Logan skipped to her aid, grabbing a vial and pouring it into her opened mouth.

“That bastard won’t let us leave here alive”, Kreya coughed out.

“Marcus!” Logan yelled over to his ally as he noticed he did not get flung with them.

A muffled voice returned as Logan could only eye so much through the partially destroyed wall, but he saw the shifting legs of his ally and heard a menacing smash as the Devout was flung into the floor on his back. Marcus was unconscious at -4 HP.

“Fuck!” Logan yelled. He had to resort to his final measure, and cursed he hadn’t done so earlier. Punching into his inventory he dragged out the bastarn coven heart he had prepared so long ago, Kreya was totally confused at the inventory system as she finally saw it.

Hesitating a second, Logan shoved the beating vessel into his mouth and gorged on it. His mouth felt like it was on fire as the blood seeped into the gaps of his teeth, his throat a lake of lava, and his stomach an inferno. The pain brought him to his knees as his humanity was battered by the terrible forces of a demon.

Kreya stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Hey, Logan. What was that?” she asked, perplexed at the heart he had eaten.

A window appeared to inform Logan of his new development.

“You have reached Demon Stage 1, you are now eligible to cast any demon-clan spells that you know. Your attributes have all increased by 1. You have unlocked the skill Bloodcasting.”

With the increase to his Constitution, Logan had gained just enough health to return the use of his left arm. He didn’t have time to fully read his new skill, but he knew he could spend HP for MP with it.

“A new power”, Logan responded as he stood back up.

“What’s the plan?” Kreya asked.

Logan looked over the Knight, her shield was planted into her and her right arm was useless. Even with his new powers, he was wary if he could take down the yeti. The only option was a retreat.

“We get the fuck out of here. Ready yourself.”

Logan placed a hand onto Kreya as he eyed up the yeti. The beast, now out of foes, made his own way through the wall of ice, bashing through it with its arm. Looking to the space behind the foe Logan spent his final 2 MP, “Dimensional Jaunt”, warping himself and Kreya to the yeti’s flank.

Darting his head around, Logan got a glimpse of Marcus and ran towards a slide to grab onto his unconscious friend. “Flame Shot”, he called out to blast into the face of the yeti that turned to face them. The flames circled around the considerable foe, igniting his fur as he finally failed a saving throw against the burning effects of the spell.

Through the flames came another icy spear from the palm of the yeti, this time piercing through Logan’s chest near his right shoulder and pinned to the floor behind him. Blood danced in the air from the attack as the man yelled out in pain just like the others had. Logan had all the luck in the world with the spear missing anything too vital, or parts that would not close up on their own with his classed status.

“Fuck off!” Logan yelled as he grabbed onto the icicle, “Flame Grasp”, he incanted through gritted teeth pouring out blood. Flames wrapped around the spear and shot across its length, hitting the hand of the yeti again as it cauterized the hole that produced the spear. The fire cascaded out from the palm of the yeti and surrounded it fully, filling the room with steam.

The flames eating away at the yeti also produced a beautiful array of red and orange colours across the blue designs of the chamber. Flickering lights danced across the blood that covered the floor, changing a somewhat slippery surface into a sticky one. Logan held onto the spear for dear life to let the spell finish completely.

Picking up Marcus with one arm, Logan stood weakly as his own health was getting low. Kreya now in front of them could at least block a bit of the next attack, which she had to do almost immediately.

Punching through the flames, the yeti aimed to finish off the caster but was met by Kreya. Letting loose her own left fist she cried out a skill that had just come off of its cooldown or Kreya was saving in reserve, “Hard Skin”, she called, her body being enveloped in a red shield coating.

The meeting fists rebounded off one another as Kreya winced at the force of an arm over twice the size of hers. Any follow-up would miss, however, as Logan placed his hand on her back and creaked his head to the hallway. “Dimensional Jaunt”, he commanded, his blood coming to a boil as he Bloodcasted away his HP to warp far from the foe.

Now within the archway that led to the hallway the trio were almost out of the danger zone. The yeti’s fist went wide as he narrowly missed the teleporting force and careened his fist into the air. Smashing the ceiling it tore out an ice stalactite and threw it toward the trio. Kreya bashed her bad shoulder into Logan to push him to the side, the stalactite piercing her skill through her good shoulder, picking her up with its velocity, and pinning her against the wall far away from the pair.

“Kreya!” Logan yelled as he looked at his ally a good thirty feet away.

“Get… get out of here”, she weakly replied.

“Wait, I’ll get you-” Logan continued as he began to run to her side, but was cut off by the heavy stomps of a charging yeti.

“...Come. Forth!” Kreya yelled as she activated her skill once more. The charging changed into a leap as the yeti jumped over Logan and landed between him and the Knight. Countless icicles broke apart from the yeti’s head.

“Fuck. Fuck!” Logan cursed in his head. Darting his head down the corridor he chanted, “Dimensional Jaunt”, as he lessened his HP a further 20.

Landing with his foot on the icicle wall Logan blasted it apart with a Flame cast, the ice exploding out into the wilderness, letting a rush of cold air shoot out with it. Running and jumping through the gap, Logan landed with Marcus atop him, the ice forming behind them both.

The loud thud of the ice blocking the entrance was followed by the faint muffled sound of crunching in the dungeon. As Logan pushed Marcus off of him he stared bloody tears at his party menu that was full of bloodied Xs. His stomach lurched as he had cast over a third of his health away, but the worst pain was when he double-checked his list of allies.

“Marcus? Marcus!” he screamed as he clambered over his ally. In a vain hope, he dragged out a potion from his inventory and poured it into Marcus’s mouth. “Come on buddy, wake up”, he pleaded as he noticed no movement from his friend. Trying to perform CPR he breathed into Marcus’s mouth and compressed his chest.

“Wake up, come on. Don’t leave me!” he shouted at the body, continuing to press down.

“This wasn’t meant to be how it ended”, Logan spoke as he looked at Marcus’s face, “I was sure we’d be fine”, he said as he glared at the entrance. After repeated attempts at revival, Marcus’s body lay still. “Marcus. I’m sorry”, he continued as he leant back on his knees.

With his head tilted to the sky, Logan let out a long shout, echoing into the distance. Falling to his forearms he punched the floor over and over, bloodying his knuckles further and creating a crater in the mud. “Fuck!” he yelled, over and over as he cursed the outcome of his actions.

“Is this meant to be the end for all oracles? What is the point!?” He cried out with his head against the floor, the earthen colours mixing with the blood that covered the Spellthief.

“Vokka! Is this what you want? Tell me!” Logan yelled skyward, his pleas for an audience with his kidnapper declined yet again.

The only response he got was a hidden away experience reward for the lieutenant frost his party had defeated and a twenty-four-hour timer attached to Marcus.

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