Spellbook

Rockshot

Description: Send stone hurtling at your target.

Classification: Battle Magic

School: Alteration and Evocation

Spell Tier: 2

Ability Rank:

1 – The ability to combine the effects of two spells to produce a powerful attack.

Notes:

A simple combination of two spells but one of devastating effect. This is a highly versatile spell well suited to any wizard with an affinity with earth. Find yourself a pouch full of stones and you will always have ammunition at hand.

They collected torches from the dead kobolds. The improvised lights were made using the same green crystals that lined the chamber walls and glowed with an eerie light. There were more than enough to hand out amongst the villagers, and it saved Hump from having to maintain a light spell all the way back to the surface. After the magic he’d just pulled off, he was certainly glad of that.

Hump felt nervous leaving Vamir and Celaine to harvest the heartstones from those they had slain. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been shorthanded by a party member, though considering how wealthy Vamir appeared it seemed unlikely. Besides, they didn’t have time to wait around. The last attack made a lot of noise. It wouldn’t be long before kobold reinforcements arrived, and when they did, Hump wanted to be long gone. The villagers were in no condition to run; they needed every moment they had to get as far away as possible.

“Best you cover the children’s eyes through here,” Bud said softly when they reached the boiling pools.

Wish someone would cover my eyes too, Hump thought.

The smell was the worst part; it was too similar to a campfire stew. It sickened him to his core. He tried not to pay attention to the tears and sorrow of the villagers as they glimpsed what was left of their friends and families. He tried to ignore the terrified whimpers of the children, each tugging on his heart. Focus on the work, he told himself. Get them back safely. Do your job.

He wasn’t ready for this. For all his training, he felt lost. He’d seen people die, but this systematic butchery was somehow crueller. Every step was long and filled with dread, and when they were finally through the steam filled chamber, the journey upward dragged by at a snail’s pace. Hump trailed at the rear. He’d told Bud it was to ensure that no trouble followed them, but in truth he could barely keep pace with the half-starved villagers. His spell had done the job, but the brute force method of performing magic had a cost. He was cold to the bone and craved nothing more than to curl up beside a hot fire and sleep. There was a long way left to go before that.

The chalk markings Hump had left on the walls on their way down glowed faintly in the dark, guiding their way. They were about halfway back to the surface when Vamir and Celaine caught up, each now carrying a small pouch of heartstones. It was a small thing really, but the reward had Hump excited about something. Even divided amongst the four of them the gemstones were worth more than Hump ever expected to earn in a single trip. The heartstones of common monsters like kobolds were in high demand, vital in everything from the fuelling of artefacts and potion-making, to fertilising fields and essence plants.

“You look awful,” Celaine said, walking at his side.

“Thanks,” Hump said. She had a nasty cut beneath her right eye, still trickling with blood. Even in the dim light he could already see a purple tint to the surrounding skin. “You don’t look so good yourself.”

Celaine snorted. “Just what a girl wants to hear.”

Hump smiled softly. “I tend to put it a little more delicately when I’ve got energy left to think.”

“You did good, Hump,” Vamir said, clapping him on the shoulder. “I take back what I said before. You’re one of the good wizards.”

Hump nodded appreciatively. “Thanks.”

“I’m going to check how things are at the front. Celaine, stay with him. Shout if he falls on his face.” Vamir gave Hump a wink and hurried up the column, checking on the villagers as he went.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Celaine asked. “You look like you’re turning blue. Is there nothing in your potion pouch that can help?”

“Just need to get a meal in me,” Hump said. “I’m not used to controlling so much essence, it took more out of me than I expected.” He paused. “Actually, I do have something.” He opened his pouch and searched for a small piece of cloth and a large vial of translucent pink liquid. He pulled out the stopper and placed the cloth over the opening, tipping out a little of the liquid inside. He held it out to Celaine. “Here. Press this to your cheek. It’s a lesser healing salve. It probably won’t fix up your cheek completely before we’re back up to the surface, but it’ll help.”

She took it. “Thanks.” She pressed the cloth against her cheek and held it in place. “It was quick thinking back there. I thought only Chosen could perform magic like that. I don’t think even Vamir would have been able to keep the kobolds at bay long enough for us to free the villagers.”

Hump grinned. Tired as he was, he always had energy to spare when it came to taking compliments, especially from a girl as pretty as Celaine. He could tell her that he’d simply drawn the runes and pointed them where they had to go, that it was nothing but brute force magic. But alas, that would have taken a more modest man than he.

“That’s the second time I’ve saved you now,” he said playfully.

She scoffed. “Huh. Here I thought I brought down a salamander and half a dozen kobolds. But sure, you saved me.”

“Okay, fine.” Hump smiled. “Maybe I didn’t completely save you. You did well too.” He considered asking her about the abilities she’d displayed in the fight—the blessings. She and Vamir were Chosen, yet they’d not mentioned it. Why?

Now isn’t the time to go prodding for secrets, he thought. But if they were to remain as a party, they needed to know each other’s capabilities. Trust had to go both ways. Though in Hump’s book, their actions today had earned them the benefit of the doubt, at least for a bit. They were good people, that’s what mattered. The discussion could wait for tomorrow, for now, the villagers had to take priority.

Abandoned kobold chambers, captured in previous dungeon raids, marked entry to the dungeon’s outer regions. They were mostly small outposts that had been used as the kobold’s first line of defence, bolstered by barricades and what were now decommissioned traps. Now, under Overseer Oswald’s command, the defences had been repurposed to prevent any attempt at a kobold counterattack, and unnecessary side tunnels had been collapsed.

It was tedious work, but effective. A display of how vital the non-combat teams of the Adventurers’ Guild were. Killing monsters was one thing, but claiming their territory was how to truly defeat them.

As they approached, one of the guards called out to them. “What happened down there?”

“What does it look like?” Vamir said. “Send a runner to the overseer. We’ve got fourteen villagers with us in need of urgent care.”

The guard looked over the group, seemingly only now noticing their condition. “Understood. Anton, you heard the man. Report this directly to Lord Oswald. Not a word to anyone else, you got that?” The younger guard nodded and sprinted down the tunnel on the far side. The guard turned back to them. “You’re safe now,” he said to the villagers. “There are no kobolds beyond this point. You’ll be alright.”

“Thank you,” Vamir said to the guard.

“No need for that,” the guard said. “You’ve done the gods’ work.” He turned to the villages, removing his helmet and clutching it to his heart. He bowed his head. “My sympathies to you all. The Lady’s light upon you.”

From the outpost, it didn’t take them long to reach the surface. It was almost dark out, and a crowd was waiting for them, a team of field surgeons and the followers of Lady Light at the forefront, with seemingly half the encampment behind them.

“So much for not speaking a word to anyone else,” Hump whispered to Bud.

“Why are they all here?” Bud asked.

“Greed, probably,” Hump said. “They want to know where we found the villagers.”

The head priestess stepped forward, wearing a white robe embroidered with gold. She raised his arms up at her sides and began chanting. Light blossomed from her like a warm breeze, and Hump felt it surge into him, filling him with energy and pushing back the icy cold and exhaustion. In it, he felt the love that Lady Light had for all things, her warmth and calm. Around him, the rest of his party and the villagers glowed faintly with the same light. Only when he was finished did the field medics rush forward, handing out drinks and blankets.

From amongst the crowd, a burly man strolled toward them. He had a shaved head and the face that reminded Hump of a wolf, marred with all the menacing scars of a man that had spent his life in battle. A great, white gash split his left eye down the centre and hard turned the iris the colour of cream. Even out of his armour, he struck an intimidating figure.

Hump hadn’t met the man before, but he recognised him from descriptions alone. Lord Oswald Wickes, Dungeon Overseer, stood at the front of a cohort of representatives of the Adventurers’ Guild and party leaders.

Hump gulped. There wasn’t a dungeoneer in the kingdom that hadn’t heard of him. The Chosen hated him, but for everyone else he was a hero. The man was a career soldier, who rose the ranks due to his ferocity and strategy on the battlefield. He was no lord by birth. No Chosen. Yet he had still made the rank of Overseer in the Adventurers’ Guild, commanding dungeon expeditions all over the kingdom. He was an example that everyone could strive for. Proof that one didn’t have to be Chosen to make it.

“Who speaks for you?” Oswald asked.

Vamir stepped forward. “That would be me, Overseer. I’m Vamir.”

Oswald nodded to him. “A pleasure. Could you tell me what happened?”

“There isn’t much to it really,” he said. “My party and I were searching the west tunnels when we came across a kobold chamber with the good people of Hursdale imprisoned inside. We got them out.”

“I see,” Oswald said.

“There’s more of us,” Alison said, shaking off the help of one of the field surgeons and staggering forward. “They took everyone they could, and killed the ones they couldn't. Please, you have to send help.”

“How many did they take?” Oswald asked.

"I don't know," she said. "It was dark, and they split us up. Hundreds though."

“Gods above,” Oswald said. He turned to Vamir. “Did you see any signs of more?”

“No,” Vamir said. “Kobolds arrived before we could look any further. There was a fight. I made the choice to prioritise the safety of those we had and the rest of my party.

Oswald nodded. “The right choice. What’s your name, girl?”

“Alison.”

“We’ll do everything we can to get your people out, Alison. For now, you need medical attention. I’ll be around shortly to ask some questions, until then, please take care of yourself.”

“There’s no time.” She sobbed. “They’re eating us.”

Three words that were enough to silence a hundred hardened dungeoneers. Hump felt sick.

“Alison,” Oswald said. “Every available resource will be dedicated to getting your people out safely. We’re going to need whatever information you can give us to do that. So rest, and we will be with you shortly.”

She nodded.

“Priestess, would you see to her?” Oswald asked, gesturing to one of the followers nearby.

“Of course, milord.”

While the villagers were escorted out of the crowds and to the medical tents, Vamir continued his recount of what had happened.

“I fear the guild may have underestimated the perilousness of this dungeon,” Oswald said. “Thank you. All of you. Your efforts today may save many more lives.”

“We will help them, won’t we sir?” Bud asked.

Oswald held the knight’s gaze. “We will certainly try.” He turned from them and addressed the waiting crowd.

“There’s to be a briefing in the morning where a decision will be made on how we deal with this. All party leaders are invited to attend. Until then, no one is to go near the people of Hursdale but those of the medica.”

There were questions, but Oswald wasn’t having any of it. “Vamir, I’d like for you and your party to be there tomorrow.”

“Understood.” Vamir nodded.

“Thank you,” Oswald said. “Get some rest, I have a feeling tomorrow’s going to be a busy day for us all.”

Hump gulped. A gathering of all the party leaders to reassess the situation, and he had been invited. Everybody in Bledsbury of any importance would be there. Party leaders, guilds, talent scouts. All the people Hump needed to impress if he were to make it as a hedge wizard.

Yet he'd used the guise of an official member of the Adventurers' Guild for the free benefits that they offered to their members, with no proof that the medallion he carried had truly been inherited from his master. It'll be fine, he told himself. You had no choice. Prancer needed stabling which he couldn't afford to pay for. And who wouldn't make use of the discounted prices at the field station?

Hump took a deep breath and sighed. He doubted they'd see it like that.