Denizens of the Labyrinth

The last night came with an eerie feel. The fiends came in greater number than any of the other nights. Their shrieks and screams drowned out the commands and shouts of the soldiers on the walls. During his rest after the second night. Jazmel had gone around the keep of the castle and realised that the soldiers were not Seekers, but inhabitants of the quest. Creations for the trial much like the monsters had been made for the same task. He had tried to speak to the captain, but he literally saw through him when he asked him anything aside from about the castle.

Sadé explained that this was how it was sometimes, the labyrinth would create a scenario for a quest to be completed and would create residents for the floor to make sure the Seekers could gain some information from them, if they had a need.

“ARCHERS READY.” The captain bellowed. Jazmel could see the fiends in numbers due to his keen sight. The Mana flames that resided inside them, which gave them their ability to cling to life looked like a candle flame from afar. In the dark of the night, it looked like thousands of candles in the night and as they neared. Their numbers still grew.

“Tonight, is going to be a dangerous one!” Jazmel called and Sadé came closer to him. They would fight together tonight.

SURVIVE THE NIGHT

GREATER REWARDS AWAIT YOU

The system chimed in his mind; he did not flinch this time. He was getting used to its mental invasion. But he did wonder what exp he would earn tonight. He held his sword aloft. Willing the ability to survive the night.

The fiends rushed them, and Jazmel was taken aback by the ferocity of this night, the previous nights they had not been this aggressive. Tonight, they seemed in overdrive, and they attacked with a contempt for the defenders of the wall. He slashed and struck with his sword, and it was not long before dismembered bodies began to pile up around him and his part of the wall.

NEW SKILL LEARNED

SLASH tier I, you have swung your sword hundreds of times and now your sword remembers how you move. A slash with a little wind behind it.

The system hummed in his mind, and he was grateful. It was his first attack skill and he others were passive, and he had been wondering about how to use them effectively. Even now, sword sense was helping him defend and strike. But he needed something that would create damage and give him more time to damage more enemies. With his title, this attack would strengthen his

As soon as there was room, he struck!

Slash!

He shouted and as the system stated, he swung his sword and a wind blade propelled fiends back over the wall. He smiled to himself. He used it repeatedly, growing a little more comfortable with the move with each use. But each time he used it, he realised he could feel the ebb of Mana. The cost was wearing on him, and he was feeling it. Then he noticed Sadé doing the same with her own skills. On the previous nights he had heard her use her own skills. She was quite skilled in using both her sword and her skills. She had clearly been prepared for the labyrinth. Something Jazmel found himself rueing again. He wondered why Tango had not taught him anything regarding the labyrinth.

A scream ripped across the battlements, and it tore Jazmel from his thoughts. He could worry about Tango later, he had to survive the night first! A fiend had made it atop the wall on the other side of where Jazmel and Sadé had been. Even in the dark of the night, Jazmel could see excellently. His eyes were picking up the Mana inside the body of the fiends and as he searched for the surroundings, he saw what he was looking for.

NEW CREATURE

The system chimed in his mind, and he rushed through the throng of fiends and soldiers towards the creature. It stood taller than him, easily nearing seven feet. It was broad shouldered and while it was not muscular, its limbs were firm. The teeth were pointed and grim, it bit into a soldier who screamed from the pain. It threw him over the wall and his piercing cry could be heard like a horn over the wall. The creature turned to look for its next victim then froze before slowly turning to look at Jazmel.

NEW CREATURE CONFIRMED

GREATER FIEND; after consuming its fair share of life force. This creature has evolved to cling greater to life.

Great, it had evolved. Jazmel struck the fiends that came close enough for him to strike as he moved towards the great fiend. It stalked towards him, and he felt an intense pressure before him, but he did not balk. He was one with the sword and something told him, if he had a sword in his hand, he would find a way.

The greater fiend struck first. Swinging a clawed hand towards Jazmel’s head. He parried, deflected it, and sliced the wrist of the creature. It snarled, but it did not stop attacking him and now he was being pushed back. He fought back when he could, but the strength difference was considerable. Another swinging clawed hand caught him on the shoulder and while it did not tear his flesh. The weight of the strike bruised him greatly. He winced beneath its strength.

Slash!!

He cried, and his skill thrummed through his blade, striking the chest deeply. It back stepped; shocked by the attack. It rushed him now, scared of other attacks even though he had none. But it did not know that. It grabbed him in both hands and its long tongue grazed his face.

DANGER!

MANA CONSUMED

He felt it as the system said it, the great fiend was draining him of Mana. He tried to break free, but it had a great hold of him.

Thunder!

He heard, and the fiend shrieked as a bolt of thunder struck it from behind. It dropped him and he landed badly on top of the corpses of both fiends and soldiers. He looked through the legs of the creature and saw Sadé preparing to strike with another skill again.

He rose and as he prepared to run towards her the captain of the wall ran past him. Slashing the Achilles of the creature, it cried aloud, and Jazmel winced. But it was not done, the sword of the captain broke, the blade weak from constant trauma. The fiend grabbed him and like Jazmel, began to drain the captain of his Mana. But Jazmel was already ready, he rushed up. Badly bruised and aching from his Mana loss. He jumped, just enough that he was level with the eyes of the great fiend. It was so focused on the captain it had forgotten him.

Slash!

From his closeness and strength, he took the head from the great fiend. It flopped to the ground without its head and the captain crashed onto the flood too. To his own shock, the sword he had been using broke. The blade already worn against the tough bodies of the fiends. Jazmel wondered if the greater fiend had just been too much for him and his body began to break apart, as did the defeated of the labyrinth. Jazmel fell to one knee and wobbled due to the lack of Mana.

“Thank you!” the captain coughed, and Jazmel pulled him to his feet before smiling.

“We will survive.” He said and already was moving past the captain to check on Sadé. She was already fighting again, but this time he was with her.

They fought hard and the night was grim, much longer than the previous nights. But to Jazmel’s relief no other great fiends showed up on this night. He was aching and feeling a little sickly from the drain on his Mana. He worried about that, what would he do if other creatures had that ability. How would he protect himself from it again.

He sat on the ground, back-to-back with Sadé as she and he both rested from the night. He wondered if she felt like him, he trusted her and was comforted that she let him lean on her for respite. The horn finally sounded, and Jazmel could not help himself this time. The cheer that rang out, he joined too. Proud to survive the night.

Before he could check his stats and rewards. He noticed the captain of the wall making his way over to him. He rose to his feet and the captain flashed a smile, letting him know he came in peace.

“Please, rest friend. You deserve it.” The captain said to him and in the glow of the dawn he realised that the captain was quite young, he was covered in grime and his armour was dented and dulled from the constant battle he fought atop the walls.

“Thank you for saving my life, I owe you a service and while I have nothing worth a life. I have something for you.” He said and Jazmel stood before him, interested.

The captain handed him, his broken sword. Though the blade had been broken in half, the hilt was ornate in design and the grip was comfortable. He took it a little confused but not wanting to offend he smiled.

The captain also handed him a pouch, it clinked in the exchange and Jazmel realised it was coins. He put both gifts in his storage space linked to his pack and thanked the captain.

“The sun is high today; I think it will hold for a while. You can head north to the next town, and you should not come across anymore fiends.” The captain offered and Jazmel thanked him again. Something told him that, that was the confirmation of the quest for the first floor. He turned to Sadé who had been standing beside him waiting and she was nodding, thinking the same thing.

“Let’s check stats and then we can decide what our next steps are.” Jazmel advised and Sadé agreed.

He willed the system to show itself and it popped into his mind.

QUEST COMPLETE

CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING THE QUEST OF THE FIRST FLOOR

YOU SURVIVED THREE NIGHTS ATOP THE WALL

EXP EARNED

…

KILLED GREAT FIEND

+3 STR

+2 PER

+2 AGL

EXP EARNED

SAVED NPC’S LIFE

+2 VIT

+2 INT

EXP EARNED

Jazmel wondered about that; he knew that like the creatures of the labyrinth. Sometimes beings were created for the sake of quests too. Did he gain exp for saving someone others might have not deemed worth it.

REWARDS CALCULATING

The system chimed as it calculated.

ACQUIRED ITEMS

500X GOLD COINS

This piqued Jazmel’s interest. The broken sword that the captain had given him, held value to the system. Before checking his stats, he checked the item.

BROKEN ORNATE SWORD, after defending the walls for many years, the sword now carries the shadow of the fallen soldiers of the wall. Wraith tied to the sword to be consumed.

Consumed? Jazmel was worried by that.

WILL YOU CONSUME THE SHADOW WRAITH?

The system dared him, and Jazmel did not know what to do. But he considered that the captain would not give him something dangerous.

He accepted and the system went to work.

ORNATE SWORD CONSUMED

…

SHADOW WRAITH ADDED TO SHADOW OF THE SEEKER

SHADOW WRAITH, a wraith has linked with the shadow of the Seeker. If it consumes creatures, it will grow in power and intelligence.

A shadow?? Jazmel was astonished. This was like a second life; he had not heard of anything like this before and he did not know what to do but follow the hints and tips of the system. He looked at his stats now and was happy at the improvement.

Name: Jazmel

Level: 7

Species: Human

Rank: Seeker

Health: 150/150

Stamina: 125/125

Mana: 89/135

STR:16 PER:17

VIT:14 END:17

INT:16 WIL:16

AGL:15 DEX:16

Skills:

Sword sense (tier I)

Slash (tier I)

EMPTY SLOT

Title(s):

EMPTY SLOT

EMPTY SLOT

Unused Stat points: 0

His stats were balancing out, he needed to figure out something for endurance. It was lagging and needed to catch up to the others, and he had finally filled the empty slot that his slash skill now sat in. he was now level 8, and he could tell it was harder to level up as his level grew higher. He had jumped from level 1 to 5 before but on this final night, he had gone up another three levels even after killing the most dangerous creature on the wall.

He had gained the title fiend slayer and he figured he would need to kill another hundred of anything before he gained more, but he would ask Sadé. Maybe she would know what to do.