NOVEL NEXT 101: Nether Lich's Demesne
101:
“Well, this is it,” Zirel said, his tone deep and gravelly to match the persona of Riven Blackheart. “Any of you interested in backing out?” He asked, knowing that the other dungeoneers in their vicinity, of which there were plenty, were eavesdropping on their conversations.
“You talk like you are stronger than me,” Aleph sniped right back, her tone smug.
“Alright you two, that’s enough,” Tom chided. “If anything goes wrong, you have me to save you both,” Tom joined in the banter, before taking the first step into the Zelez Dungeon’s entrance.
Their jovial mood was only a surface-level attempt to mask the pressure they were all feeling. Their covers were already blown and the Royal Knights would definitely arrange for a blockade the moment their party stepped out. Well, if they thought there was a possibility they could survive the challenge they had signed up for.
That was how deadly the herculean task that lay ahead of them was.
A short twenty minutes later, Tom, Aleph and Zirel found themselves facing an unassuming crevasse carved into the side of a cave wall.
[You have discovered the final sector of the Zelez Dungeon. This sector’s difficulty scales according to the number of people in your party. The names of the challengers shall be announced across all sectors of the Zelez Dungeon.
This is the most difficult challenge the Zelez Dungeon has to offer. Would you like to enter as a party of three?]
“I expected a more grand entrance,” Tom observed, his tone a bit amused.
“It makes sense to me,” Zirel replied. “Better to make it unassuming instead of a grand, ornate welcome that tempts dungeoneers to throw their lives away because of misguided bravado.”
“The crevasse seems wide enough for all three of us to jump in at the same time,” Aleph judged, as sweat beaded her forehead.
The tension was so thick, Tom could almost feel it physically weighing down upon.
“Let’s hold hands while we do it then,” Tom blurted out.
“Really?” Zirel asked.
“While we jump, prick,” Tom snapped back, in an effort to hide his own amusement.
Aleph laughed.
“I guess it’s not a terrible idea,” Zirel conceded after the moment of hilarity had passed.
Aleph offered both of them outstretched hands.
Zirel accepted it.
‘Oh man, I’m so underqualified for this,’ Tom thought as he too clasped Aleph’s palm with his own.
“Ready?” Aleph asked.
“Yes,” Zirel confirmed.
“About as ready as I can be,” Tom replied, as his stomach churned.
It was Aleph who tugged first at their hands and then Tom and Zirel matched their pace to her jogging speed before leaping into the crevice together.
The fall was a short one, disappointingly so. Loud thumps rang out as their feet impacted against solid stone tiles.
All three of them broke formation, retreating in different directions. Tom reached for the jar full of the two-headed drakon’s blood and smashed it on the ground.
Zirel held nothing back as he summoned his Phantom Blade to go with his Blade of Necrosis. His greatest trump card was out in the open, moments into the battle.
Aleph summoned Shardweave Regalia, the armor comprised of crystals that was completed by a crystalline rapier held in her left hand. Of course, in her right hand, she held the newly acquired Rare Artifact she had gotten from the Longstradia Family’s inheritance.
In Tom’s right hand, a dagger formed out of blood of a creature that he had killed, was held clenched. His Uncommon Card, Lifeblood’s skill, allowed him to manipulate the blood of a creature he had recently slain. While it was not particularly high levelled yet, using blood that had paralytic properties gave Tom another edge and his control over the blood would last for twenty four hours.
In his left, he pulled out a dagger out of his inventory that had very similar dimensions, the Netherstride Dagger whose Phantom Walk skill let him imitate the natural movement style of the Bladeswalker. Walking across walls and even the roof was not a battle winner on it’s own, but it would synergize well with Lifeblood’s Augmentation ability.
Of course, that was not all. The mimicked Revenant Claw was equipped on his right hand and it would amplify the effect of any common card he would use.
His preparations weren’t quite up to the mark if he compared them to Aleph and Zirel’s, but when it came to raw statistics, Tom was certain that he had left the two of them in the dust.
[You have entered the final sector of the Zelez Dungeon: Nether Lich’s Demesne. Time till Dungeon Reset: 5D 19H 33M. If you have not cleared the sector until then, it will reset. Cleared sectors are exempt from the Dungeon Reset Timer for an additional week.]
“Terrifying malice,” Zirel whispered, as he remained frozen to the spot he had retreated to. His gaze was directed to the end of the passageway they had found themselves in, his expression looking haunted.
‘Oh right,’ Tom thought. ‘Zirel’s uncommon card lets him passively sense any malice directed to him. That reaction is not good.’
Tom’s gaze turned upwards, only to confirm that their way out had already been sealed by the Zelez Dungeon.
It was Aleph who took a testing step forward, a rapier and a sword held at her either side.
Tom grit his teeth and fought the terror by taking a step forward as well.
“A Nether Lich,” Zirel muttered under his breath. “So this… is a Nether Lich,” He repeated, his visage having gone pale.
“What do you know about it,” Aleph asked.
“Rumours. Some say Nether Liches are summoners, who can call upon other nether beasts to do their bidding. A few say that they are tainted creatures who can use the nether directly in a way few others can. Whatever the truth may be, the fact that it hasn’t attacked us yet means that it won’t until we step into whatever lies beyond that passageway,” Zirel explained.
“What’s our strategy?” Tom asked.
“The best strategy is to go fast and hit hard. We can’t let this turn into a battle of attrition. Hard and fast, kill it before it can use all it’s abilities. Holding nothing back. It’s the greatest chance of success we can ask for,” Zirel explained.
“I had a feeling it would be something like this,” Aleph replied. “If whatever’s on the other side scares you so much, this might be a single phase dungeon. I’ll take the lead, then.”
Zirel nodded at Aleph, seeing the logic in her words.
“I’d normally protest but…,” Tom trailed off, as he took in Aleph’s armoured figure. “You’re the only one out of us that gets a second chance. Depending on how you use it and how long you can hold out before you need to, it might just decide whether we win or….,” He refused to voice out the possibility.
“Or we die in the greatest pursuit of it all,” Zirel completed.
“And what is that?” Aleph asked from behind her crystal vizor.
“Winning,” Zirel replied.