Elsewhere

As it turned out, Duke and Baslin worked extremely well together in the training area. While Baslin re-tuned his spells, spells that he had not really used in decades, Duke worked on his sword fighting. To call it sword techniques would be insulting to sword techniques. He tried every move he could remember from all the cheesy sword and sorcery movies he watched growing up. The practice dummies were not impressed. They didn’t say so, but Duke could somehow sense it in their emotionless stares. He blasted one to pieces with LIGHTNING and felt better.

Baslin didn’t consider anything other than using spells. That was what he used exclusively and, after Duke’s frustration with the sword led him to start slinging magic, they practiced together. For hours, they traded magical attacks and defenses, Baslin held back most of the time as the majority of his spells were at the Master rank, with many even beyond. Using them offensively on Duke would probably be too much. It had been decades since he had really used any offensive spells and it seemed that he was more than a bit rusty with them.

One thing that did become evident during their practice was that they used magic very differently. Baslin cast Spells. He had Abilities that modified his spells such as SPEED CASTING, but even Spells cast that way had some form of Spell delay. Duke’s Abilities did not. It made little practical difference as their power levels were so far apart, but Baslin could see the potential beginning to be realized. Duke could sling magic at about a 7/5 ratio against Baslin despite Baslin’s Abilities. If they were the same power level, Duke would win the exchange, especially with his potential versatility and his TELEPORTATION Ability. It would be a long road, but he was willing to walk it alongside his first friend in ages.

Eventually, they both took a collective break to catch a few hours of sleep. Duke woke up last of the group and filtered through his notifications quickly. He received increases to Skills and Abilities but nothing earthshattering. Still, progress was progress. He quickly left his room to join the others, hoping that Grat and Elaine had come around. The most amusing thing to Duke was that the 5,000 bonus experience for completing the level was all the experience he received and it was enough to get him to level two. It seemed the experience meter started over again after a tier. The first few levels were going to fly by!

When he emerged, he saw all three of them sitting around a table, eating breakfast. Where did that come from? Duke pulled up the last chair and joined them. “Good morning, everyone.”

“Good morning. And thank you for not freaking out when we went off to discuss things.” Elaine greeted him. Grat nodded along.

“Wouldn’t have done anyone any good freaking out. Either you would come to the same conclusion I…we,” Duke included Balin in his gesture, “did. Or we would have more to discuss this morning. Which is it, by the way?” Duke asked bluntly, wanting to get things straightened out before the group headed further into the dungeon. Especially after what happened last time on the second floor.

“It was our shared PURPOSE that helped us get there.” Grat explained. When we realized that Baslin had been fighting for his freedom and it resonated so strongly with our PURPOSE, it brought some clarity. We knew the capital was a horrid cesspool of humanity and it was entirely due to the leadership of the city and the kingdom as a whole isn’t far behind. It was a hard answer to wrap our heads and hearts around, but we see it more clearly.”

Elaine added, “It’s much easier to see with our heads than our hearts. But, yes, we understand. Good enough?”

“Good enough.” Duke answered. “We can spend a few more days here training or we can head right in for the second level. What do you think?”

“I think we should hit the second level today and then spend some time training. Grat and I are both level 19 now and we should be better prepared for the giant golems since we know their tactics and risks now.”

Duke agreed. “And maybe this time, I won’t try to be Conan and take the thing down with a sword.”

Baslin raised an eyebrow. “Conan? Another odd phrase. What does it mean? I can guess from context but better to know than to guess.”

“Not quite an idiom, I guess. Conan was a fictional character that was immensely strong, not that smart, and fought with a great big sword. I think. At least that’s how I remember him from the movies. Probably smarter in the books. Never read them so I’m not sure. Had a bodybuilder playing the role in the movie. Really big guy. Massively muscled. But there is a photo of him dwarfed by another person from one of the movies.” Duke rambled a bit but stopped as the rest got that “glazed over” look. “Anyway, yeah. I’ll keep from using the sword against the big ones.”

“A fine plan.” Baslin responded. “Shall we?”

“Oh, gods, yes. Let’s go.” Elaine got up from the table with Grat and Baslin quickly following. Duke sullenly joined them as Sam opened up the portal to the second level.

Entering the second level was largely anticlimactic. The structure hadn’t changed in any significant way from the previous times Duke had run through it – right down to the lone spear trap. The Red Dwarves were no stronger than they had been on the previous run and tried the same formations again and again. In short, it was boring going through the first sections. Duke and Baslin again sat back and let Grat and Elaine work their way through the ranks of regular dwarf constructs. Occasionally, Baslin would cast a spell for fun. One in particular got Duke’s attention.

The spell caused one of the constructs to collapse into a condensed ball of matter the size of a fist. Duke immediately questioned Baslin on it. “What spell was that? That was cool.”

“That’s a basic Implosion spell. You like it?”

“Are you kidding? That’s balls-to-the-wall awesome.” Duke enthused.

Baslin chuckled. “Another idiom, I presume? Anyway, I’m sure I have it in a spellbook somewhere here. Maybe you can learn it.” Baslin proceeded to pull out a single book that he flipped through for several minutes before landing on the page he sought. He then proceeded to rip the page from the book to everyone’s horror.

“What?” Baslin asked when he realized they were all staring at him.

“You just tore a page out of your spellbook!” Grat responded.

“Oh that?” Baslin shook his head chuckling. “I suppose that is how it looks. Funny that I never noticed that before.” He took the torn page and waved it in the air several times rapidly. When he was done, the page had turned into an entire book of its own. He handed the new book to Duke and held up the original. “Infinite Spellbook. My favorite item of all time.”

“Thanks for this, and you have some weird but awesome shit.” Duke responded, thumbing his way through the new spellbook until he found the spell in question. He read and re-read the spell, trying to learn it while the rest of the group dragged him along.

Grat and Elaine consistently dispatched the Red Dwarf constructs throughout the floor. As a group, they had decided to clear the entire rest of the floor before moving through the teleporter and facing the giants and boss. They continued through several rooms that they had not entered previously, finding it rather monotonous. Duke was glad he had this new spell to learn and keep his mind occupied.

He was wondering how long it would take to learn when he was greeted by a system message. That was actually pretty quick. Loving it!

*** You have absorbed the Headband of Communication. This was a magical item of significant power and you have developed an ability similar to its effects.

New Ability: CLARIVOYANCE

This Ability allows you to see areas outside of your line of sight. The Ability is enhanced when you look upon a familiar place, person, or entity. At higher ranks, you will be able to hear as well as see and eventually be able to communicate through the Ability.

Due to the strength of the item absorbed, your Ability starts at the Initiate rank. Good luck! ***

Baslin is going to kill me. This is the second Headband of his I have lost. But what a cool Ability. There’s so much potential. I’m going to use this thing like constantly. It’s not like it even dips into my Mana regen.

Duke quickly went back to studying the spell in the spellbook, not at all looking guilty. Nope, not at all. He really hoped nobody noticed.

Everyone noticed him looking guilty, but no one said anything, figuring if it was something Duke wanted to talk about, he would. For the most part, they continued on as they had been with Grat and Elaine focused on killing the Red Dwarves and Duke and Baslin mainly staying back to prevent themselves from reducing the experience the couple received.

After hours of carving through dozens of ranks of the Red Dwarf constructs, they had finally cleared everything but the final fights. As they approached the teleporter, Grat and Elaine grew ever more agitated. Elaine had transformed back to human form so she could more easily fit on the teleport pad with the rest of the team and the look of worry on her face was evident. She had her arms crossed as if hugging herself with her knuckles whitening with the grip. Grat carried a look of dread that aged his much younger face significantly. Duke felt it and knew it was time to step up and be a leader.

“Grat, you have two choices here. The first is to step back from the pain and suffering you endured at the giant construct’s hands. It very nearly killed you the last time you faced it. This is the instinctual reaction. This is what every person wants to do after being hurt so badly. This is what every animal will do in this situation. It is the natural reaction. The second choice is to put the past pain aside, to know that you are more than you were then. The second choice is to accept that you are not a fixed point. To know that you are still growing in mind, body, and power. The true choice is to accept that you have far more power over your life and your future than you could have ever imagined. Choose to live not in fear of past failures but in the glory of learning from them and conquering that which defeated you in the past!”

Three sets of eyes all turned to Duke in wonder. They had never heard nor expected anything like that from the man who casually joked near constantly. This was different. This was leadership. Grat’s spine straightened. and his eyes turned hard and determined. He looked each companion in the eyes, finally returning his gaze to Duke. “I choose to conquer. I choose to make my own choices and not be held to the constraints of the past. My path is freedom!”

Duke felt the flare of his PURPOSE hot in his chest, the warmth suffusing his body and enhancing it. There was also an echoing of PURPOSE in both Grat and Elaine. They both smiled and Elaine likewise unclenched her arms and straightened up. Baslin, for his part, did not fully understand the circumstances but he could easily read the reactions. Pride swelled in his chest as he felt the energy of his companions grow.

Baslin grinned. “Shall we show these simple constructs that they can't stand between us and glory?”

“Let’s go!” Grat’s exclamation was suited to action as he hopped up onto the teleportation pad. The other three followed, practically glowing with power. The pad activated and they were elsewhere.

The intersection looked no different than last time but the true difference now was that they were ready for what was to come. Duke pointed down one corridor and pointed at himself. Elaine pointed down another and pointed at herself. Grat pointed down a third and pointed at himself. Baslin shrugged and pointed at the last corridor and then at himself. The other three all shook their heads and pointed at the floor. “You stay here for now and aid anyone who needs it. That path takes us to the boss and we’ll wait for that until after the giant constructs are dealt with.” Duke instructed.

“You could have said something, you know.” Baslin grumped while pointing in random directions while pulling a face. That got a chuckle out of the rest before they set to their paths.

Duke charged down his path, his hands wreathed by FORCE energy. He couldn’t remember when he had learned to hold the energy of an Ability in his hands but it was quickly becoming his favorite approach to fighting. This had absolutely nothing to do with his track record with handheld weapons. Definitely not. Fucking swords. The giant golem thundered down the hall to meet him and Duke engaged his favorite new Ability. He FLEW at the construct at full speed, slamming his heavily OVERCHANNELED, FORCE-enshrouded fists into its chest. He burst out the other side in a shower of sparks, gears, and shattered metal parts. The construct teetered for a moment before collapsing to the floor in a destroyed heap.

Elaine’s bear form had been growing the more she used it and the more she leveled the Ability. Her ability to fight in the form had likewise been increasing. Those two facts combined with the extensive recent practice with fighting constructs spelled doom to the giant golem she faced. She charged in, reared up to gain the attention of the construct, and slammed down to smash through its legs. It quickly unbalanced and toppled to the floor. She proceeded to tear pieces off it until it stopped moving. She turned and charged back to the intersection.

Grat strode down the passage, waiting for the giant construct. He proceeded himself with handfuls of seeds, tossing them as far down the hallway as he could manage. It did not take long before the giant golem appeared and began its charge towards Grat. His body wanted to turn and run, shivering with the remembered pain. His mind, however, was stronger. He stood, ironshod staff firmly planted on the floor as he focused. Every pounding step of the golem was faster than the last. The ground shook at its passage, dust filling the hall as it was shaken from the walls.

Duke, Elaine, and Baslin all stood in the intersection fighting against their instincts to leap in to help Grat in this fight, yet they all held steady. This was his demon to face. The golem was now mere steps away from Grat when he held a single hand upturned towards the golem as if reaching out to it. It crashed forward, thundering now that it had reached its full speed.

Duke took FLIGHT and prepared to meet the monstrous charge. Elaine transformed, pushing Duke higher from her greater bulk. Baslin prepared a spell of Annihilation. It was a mere two steps away when Grat finally acted.

Grat’s upheld hand clenched into a fist as he shouted a single command that echoed down the hall equally loud to the cacophony that the construct created in its charge. “GROW!” The golem stopped in mid-stride, frozen in its motion as plants sprouted from every joint and opening stopping every motion. It pitched forward, its individual motion stopped but overall momentum still intact. It was still going to land on top of him and crush him again!

Duke surged forward, gaining speed as fast as he could but not fast enough. Elaine launched her massive bear’s bulk, faster than any human, but still even slower than Duke’s flying. Baslin focused his spell, cursing at the added delay a spell of this power required. He knew he would not be in time.

With a tremendous creaking sound, the golem suddenly came to a halt inches from Grat and began to swing backwards, pulled by vines as massive as tree trunks. Duke crashed into the now retreating form of the golem a moment before Elaine leaped her bear form over her husband’s head also catching up to the golem – the golem that vanished into dust a second later.

Duke slammed into the wall at the end of the corridor. Elaine tumbled but was slowed by carefully grasping vines. Baslin began to chuckle at the sight.

Grat, for his part, seemed a bit crestfallen. “You know, after that big motivational speech, Duke, you could have trusted me to handle it. All of you could have. I had it beaten – and with style! But no, all three of you had to jump in and mess it all up!” He paused, then really looked down the corridor and saw Duke suspended by an ankle, upside down by a vine, and his wife likewise held. He tried to appear indignant but couldn’t hold his laughter as Baslin burst out behind him. He released the vines allowing the two to fall to the floor.

When they were all composed again and Duke’s REGENERATION had fixed him up from his “encounter” with the wall, they turned to the final corridor and the level boss. Elaine, Duke, and Grat all exchanged looks and nods. “Baslin, why don’t you take care of the boss this time. We’ll sit back and enjoy the show.” Duke smiled as he saw Baslin’s eyes light up at the suggestion.

Baslin grinned. “Oh yes! This is going to be fun.” He paused for a full minute, flipping through his spellbook trying to decide on the perfect spell to use.

“You know we have three more levels after this one, right? You’ll get the chance to use whatever spells you like as we continue. Just blast the thing with fire or ice or make it rust or melt or whatever. Just get on with it or we will go on while you sit here vapor locked.”

Baslin looked at Duke confusedly, shook his head, and muttered. “Damned idioms.” He then proceeded down the hall and on to the boss’s chamber. He strode in and cast a single spell at the boss before it could even move. “Decay!” Baslin announced forcefully.

The boss rapidly crumbled to pieces, falling apart across the floor. Then the pieces continued to fall apart into smaller and smaller pieces. In a matter of seconds, all that evidenced the boss’ existence was a scattering of orange-brown dust on the floor.

*** Congratulations! You have completed the second level of the Lake Front Dungeon. You have one hour to collect whatever loot you may find before you must decide whether to continue or to leave the dungeon. When this hour is up, you will be transported to a safe room where you may recover for up to one week before proceeding to the next level or departing the dungeon. Rewards will be distributed upon your decision. Dungeon restrictions have been temporarily lifted. ***