The answering cry froze Liam in his tracks for a moment before he collected himself and ran back to the forge. He quickly donned the Armour of the Harbinger, leaving his faceplate on the anvil. Hefting the Volcanic Hammer over his shoulder, Liam approached the mouth of the cavern.

Over the last three years, Liam had done considerable work within the cave. He’d expanded the entrance and boarded it, so that any rockfalls would not collapse the entrance. Further, he’d installed a crossbeam and pulley system to haul his ore and waste material to the surface.

Around the entrance, piles of gravel he’d excavated now lay ten meters high, some even spilling into the waters of the river–although he’d been careful to ensure that only the larger rocks fell in. After all, if he muddied the waters too much, he’d have a difficult time fishing or bathing.

Another roar sounded from far below.

Cautiously, Liam peered down into the gaping pit. The darkness within the cave seemed restless, even though he knew the troll was still some distance away.

He shouted out a wordlessly into the void, only to have it answered once more by a hate-filled roar.

From the way the sound came back, Liam could tell that the Troll was deep within the cave network.

At least, he hoped the echoes hadn’t created an illusion of distance.

He paused, thinking a moment about what he should do. Time in the dungeon was running out. Time he'd need to work out how to forge the Aesium and implement the design he’d made. He was confident that making his design would boost him to level ten in Archimancy and Magismithing, as the design alone had given him more experience than he’d received making a dozen Mythril items.

Perhaps I should just design more Aesium items? That with the Mythril crafting might allow me to level in time! Liam thought. But then, I’d have to deal with the troll anyway, and I wouldn’t have the Aesium item.

The trade-offs were annoying. Still, he knew that without risk, there was little reward.

He planned as the stoics did; by considering the worst-case scenario of entering the mines. As he crafted his scheme, Liam spent some time Channelling Magic into his core. He’d emptied most of it as he finished his crafting, and now was possibly the best chance he’d have of recharging his magic.

As he finished, he considered the worst case he could envisage.

If he successfully mined the Aesium, the worst case he could think of would be if the Troll were to discover him while it was between him and the surface. If that happened, he’d have to contend with the monster while trapped, giving it a significant advantage. Worse, it could simply escape and collapse the tunnels, forcing him to dig his way out before facing the creature once more.

For now, time was almost as valuable to Liam as his own safety. To fail the dungeon now would be a difficult failure to accept.

Fortunately, Liam had a solution in his dirk. Camwennan would allow him a thirty second period where he could hide from view mostly unseen. His experiments with the dagger in the woods had shown that even in direct light, he could hide from view.

This meant he could sneak past the monster it if things came to a head.

From there, he could regain the surface and find some way to collapse the tunnel. Trapping the creature beneath the surface.

Made bold with what he believed was a solid plan, Liam scrambled down the rock face and into the caverns.

He cast Flame so that he could see and moved slowly, listening carefully for any further sign of the monster. He suspected the beast had found itself trapped within the tunnels when the dungeon had activated, and only now had dug through the rock to his mines.

Liam almost felt sorry for the creature. It had been alone in darkness for the entire three and a half. Liam at least had the sun and his Spirit Guardian for company!

Even if David has been bitter recently. He thought grumpily. He still didn’t know why the change in attitude had occurred. Perhaps when he reached the surface once more, he’d confront the spirit.

Liam walked through the caves. His months and years of mining had widened many passages to the point that he could comfortably walk them even with his evolved, and much taller frame.

The narrower the passage, the safer Liam felt. He suspected that the only tunnels the troll could navigate would be the larger shafts. These side shafts should be safe.

Liam quickly found a vein of Aesium and activated his Hammer’s tool ability, forming it into a pick. He immediately noticed his magic drop by 25%.

You have unlocked a tool variant: Volcanic Pick-axe.

He had seen no cost associated with the ability, but then he also hadn’t inspected it, being too busy celebrating his success. He estimated the cost of transforming the Volcanic Hammer to be about three hundred and seventy-five magic. Almost as much as the cost for a simple Inspired Design.

It is still worth it! He grinned. Better see what this can do!

Liam swung the pick down.

With no sound of impact, the pick slid off the material as though it were a file skating off hardened steel. Liam tried pressing the pick into the material to make a scratch, finding his effort repulsed. He couldn’t even force the tip of the tool against the surface of the vein.

It wasn’t as though he’d moved back, rather the head of the pick was being pushed away.

Aesium seemed to resist all force!

How in the heavens am I supposed to forge this?

Liam gave up and started mining out the rock face around the vein, hoping that it could shatter the ore if he could exert enough pressure. The rock chips flew from the pick faster than ever before, the Mythril allowing him to break huge chunks of solid rock off with each strike. Soon the vein ran through the two meters of space he’d carved around it.

Inspecting the material, it surprised Liam to see that his Identify ability activated.

Aesium Ore Vein

Aesium Ore is a magic infused ore created from subatomic interactions between high density magical fields and super-heated material in a planet's core. Brought close to the surface during system activation, it is most commonly found near dungeons.

Properties:

Aesium holds a repulsing Magistatic force which negates the incoming force of any other objects.

The Magistatic force attracts magic to the ore, allowing it to be manipulated for a variety of uses.

Liam grinned. He knew exactly how he would extract the ore.

He closed his eyes and reached out with his mind to feel the currents and eddies of the ambient magic around him. As he extended his senses to encompass the ore, he found that the magic lay in a dense cloud around the Aesium vein. It seemed to ripple, as though moving along the vein. As his mind touched it, it the magic changed, solidifying into something that felt almost physical.

Another vision appeared before him, and he knew what it was before he even read the words.

He hadn’t been playing any music when he reached out with his mind. He read the words before him, smiling at his discovery.

You have upgraded your ability Mana Sense (Passive)

into the ability: Magic Attunement (Passive).

Magic Attunement (Passive)

You can now sense the surrounding environment through its interactions with Magic. As you already have the Spell: Telekinesis and Magic Sense (Passive) you can now sense and interact with objects at a greater range based on your Will.

Where 1 Will = 1 yard.

This was amazing. He hadn’t considered that he could use Telekinesis beyond his Forge. Now he knew he could use it anywhere. Better, its range had increased significantly.

Liam opened his eyes in shock as he felt the solid mass of magic surrounding the Aesium, and as he did, he remained connected to the flows of magic around him.

Liam gaped as his mind flooded with understanding. He saw the world as it truly was for the first time.

Despite the darkness of the cave, Liam could see clearly the walls and floor around him as though it were midday.

You have gained the spell: Magic Sight.

Magic Sight Level 1

You can now see the flows of Magic around you. When active, Magic Sight will show you the world as it truly is. Hidden doors, concealment spells and hidden abilities now have a higher chance of being detected.

Magic cost: 100 per minute

Magical essence flowed over the floor and walls in a moving patchwork of colour, from deepest blue to bright yellow, while the miasmic presence of magic around him glowed faintly, moving with the air currents.

The Aesium, however, shone a radiant white, so bright that it almost hurt to look at. Liam could see that the magic that clung to its surface was moving slowly along it, heading deeper into the earth.

He reached out once more with his mind and found he could still move the magic as he did when drawing magic into his Nexus node. Liam approached the vein of ore and mentally reached out, finding that the solid presence gave way the longer he pulled at it.

He mentally shaped the dense magic around the Aesium until it formed a sharp edge and gently lifted it away from the ore. As he began to bring its edge down upon the ore, the magic dissipated, being absorbed back into the rippling mass around the Aesium.

Liam tried again, shaping the solidified magic once more, only this time, he did so around the Mythril Pickaxe. He turned the pick so the axe blade was indexed to the ore, and with magic coating the blade, he swung it at the ore.

With each blow, Liam could see that the magic was heating the Aesium rapidly, and the air above the cut soon shimmered with the heat-haze of the cut. Soon he was through, and he allowed the magic to disperse once more.

He stepped closer to examine the cut, careful to avoid touching the substance. He could see that the cut was clean, and the Aesium seemed to have cooled.

He reformed the magic into a blade again and cut once more. Now the Aesium was free, it dropped to the floor of the tunnel.

Only it didn’t touch the ground, rather, it hovered a foot above it.

Well, that makes it easy to move! Liam thought as he ushered the floating piece of magical rock towards the cave mouth. It moved easily with each gesture and push of his telekinetic will. Every time he seemed about to touch the ore; it would float away.

It surprised him how easy it had been to cut the material after he shaped the magic around the Mythril. Despite the ease with which he’d sourced the ore, he was grateful that at least this part of the process had been easy.

As he walked the ore out of the tunnel, he heard a scraping sound from the main shaft.

He froze. A snuffling sound followed by grunts and another series of scrapes came from the chamber up ahead.

Cautiously, Liam approached the area of the tunnel that turned into the chamber beyond. Slowly, he peered around the stone until he could see into the enormous cavern.

The smaller of the two trolls had somehow made its way into his mine. He thought several curses at the beast before he once more looked around the stone wall into the chamber.

Liam had excavated the region beneath the tower for nearly four years, and his enhanced strength, skill in mining and magical gear had allowed him to remove a massive amount of material, most of which he’d piled in large spills near the entrance of the mine.

Over time, he’d mapped out the tunnels that pre-dated his arrival. He went further than his predecessors, creating a series of high-ceilinged chambers in which he could store material and ore. Many of these were full of the less useful ores, like Gold, Silver and copper.

The troll now stood sniffing the air in one of the larger chambers. Its grotesque face contorted as though it were trying to place a long-remembered scent.

Liam knew instinctively that it had found him, and his thoughts turned to escape.

But he knew there would be none. The Troll was trapped in this dungeon with him. Liam looked carefully at the creature. Its body covered with almost four years of filth and dirt. Somehow, the monster must have dug its way through the rock with its bare hands.

Liam didn’t want to think about how much strength that would require, or the amount of pain it would have had to endure. He saw it reach down to a bag at its waist and pull from it a chunk of moss. It devoured the foul looking mass and returned to sniffing.

Now at least Liam knew how it had survived.

If eating lichen for years can be called surviving. He thought, wondering what kind of powerful intent drove this creature. He wasn’t sure if he’d have been able to survive a similar ordeal.

He pulled his head back once more as the Troll turned in his direction, still sniffing at the air.

Moments passed and Liam heard the Troll stalk away, clearly mistaking the direction he’d gone for the scent trail to the mine exit.

Liam breathed a soft sigh of relief. He needed to come up with a plan to kill or trap the beast, but for now, he’d need to run and hide. He recalled that the larger troll had been a level forty-eight creature, and that had been his level goal since he arrived. He hoped that whatever level this creature was now; he was its match.

Liam had to find out more information, and so cautiously he crept toward the sound of the retreating footsteps, leaving his Aesium prize behind. He withdrew Camwennan from its sheath on his hip, remembering his earlier plan. He was considering slipping into the shadows and escaping the caverns, but his curiosity overcame him.

I’ll inspect the creature before I decide how to proceed. At least then I’ll know for sure what threat I face.

He’d already lost sight of the troll, now relying on its heavy footsteps to gauge the distance. The tunnels were not all smooth either, and he found the echoes confusing.

He slowed his pace, thinking that discretion was wiser than brashness, and soon lost all track of the creature.

Ahead was another chamber with multiple exits, and Liam knew he’d likely lose the monster. He hurried into the chamber. He could see the troll's tracks clearly lead down one of the side-tunnels and considered whether he should follow.

It seems prudent to investigate. He thought. If I can track it down and find its level, I can decide whether I collapse the tunnel and try to craft my way to Journeyman tier, or come up with a plan to fight the beast!

A noise from behind interrupted his musings.

A growl sounded and Liam threw himself forward as a massive hand swung stone sharpened talons towards him. Sharpened claws caught his back, but the Armour of the Harbinger withstood the damage easily. The force was far harder to negate, and it sent Liam crashing into the wall of the chamber, hitting his head on the stone.

Again, the Armour of the Harbinger helped to prevent his skull from fracturing, his open-faced bascinet taking most of the impact. Still, he had to take a second to recover, and he rapidly retreated from the advancing troll to do so.

Shaking his head, Liam identified the creature.

Kgorel

Cave Troll, level 33

Health: 1408

The monster still had a massive health pool compared to Liam’s.

Briefly, Liam wondered why so many of the beasts he’d encountered seemed to be far more resilient than he and other humans. He suspected it might be because of their evolutions into higher tier creatures, or from some kind of class skill he didn’t know about.

Either way, he thought this creature might be a manageable foe for his new skills and racial attributes. He felt sure as he looked at the creature, it would be an easy victory.

Choosing to ignore his earlier plan of retreat and escape, Liam re-sheathed Camwennan and readied himself for a fight.

Never without his harp, he strummed the strings as it hung on his belt and cast his hand forward, shooting Flame into the creature’s face. He would have cast Inferno, but it involved a longer song, and he needed space.

The Flame shot towards the creature and splashed against its hide. Strangely, it didn’t burn, but fizzled against the monster’s skin.

Damnation! Liam cursed the creature. Its hide is so filthy with its own muck that Flame can’t find a purchase!

Liam stepped back and cast ward, just to ensure a small damage reduction were it to hit him again. He darted forward, swinging the Volcanic Hammer at the Cave Troll’s ankle. He watched in horror as the monster deftly lifted its leg. He had no time to react as sent its foot forward in a front kick that smashed into his chest, sending him flying across the cavern.

Once more, his armour saved him from a significant injury, while Ward mitigated the damage so that Liam only lost a couple of points of health. As he got to his feet, he saw the Troll was chuckling at him. It hadn’t even bothered to pursue him to seize its advantage.

Well, we’ll see how you like this! Liam cast Inferno. He willed into a single point of flame, ensuring it would cause as much damage as possible. When it was as small and hot as he could make it, Liam sent the white hot flame shooting at the Cave Troll.

The flame was no larger than Liam’s head, and flew towards the Troll’s midsection, slamming into its lower right abdomen.

This time, the spell's effect worked, burning a hole through the hide and into the creature. It screamed shrilly as flame and viscera sprayed out from the wound. It clamped a hand to its side and leapt forward, causing Liam to release the channelled spell to dodge. Fortunately, his flame had caught in the creature's flesh. The painful spell slowing the monster just enough that Liam could dodge its attacks.

It moved much faster than he’d expected a beast its size could be able to achieve. Recalling the fight between Lord Douglas and the spearman, Liam could see that he was restricting himself if he continued to use the hammer.

Liam had an idea and tried to re-form the hammer through its tool function. As it slowly melded in his grip into a two-handed sword. He lengthened the blade so that his reach increased by a good meter beyond the sword’s guard.

The sword gleamed with a fell light. Small flames danced along the blade as though the heat of Liam’s intent had found a home in the Mythril. The sight of the fiery long-sword caused the Troll to pause a moment. It watched the blade warily as a vision appeared before Liam.

You have unlocked a Tool Variant: Volcanic Hammer == > Volcanic Longsword

He grinned. The system once more proving that it rewarded innovation.

With one hand firing Flame spells at the monster’s wounded flank, and the other wielding a long sword in one hand, Liam set about the Kgoral’s demise. He ducked a pained swing of taloned hands and swung up at its wrist from a low guard. The Volcanic blade cutting a line across troll-flesh that did not immediately heal.

Using the blade’s momentum, Liam recovered as he’d trained and thrust the blade forward from the Ox stance towards the Troll’s thigh. His goal now was to cut the beast down to a size that he could strike deep into its vital areas.

Its other hand descended, and long claws parried the thrust aside, turning Liam almost fully around.

Every treatise said to never turn your back, or spin, but Liam was not facing some Sword-Master of Human strength. He’d have to discover what worked and what didn’t on his own.

Still, he supposed as he threw himself forward, many of the principles remain the same!

He turned the momentum from the parry into a forward roll and twisted as he escaped to come up once more a few meters away facing the troll, his sword held in a high guard, just in case the monster pursued. While the move was inelegant, the manoeuvre provided a way for Liam to reset the combat.

The significant increase in his strength also gained him a few meters of space and, thus, time to think. He wondered briefly if he should jump at the monster’s head and try to strike from an unstable position.

Liam discarded the idea as soon as it came.

To commit to some heroic leap would only see him swatted from the air like a fly.

No, I need to stay grounded and work the problem before me. He thought.

He cast another Inferno towards the creature, this one it slammed into Kgoral’s shoulder, scorching the flesh there and setting a flame burning once more.

The troll, knowing that magic was by far a greater threat had already closed the distance. Ignoring the burning of its own flesh, it slashed up and over its head. It’s claws digging through the rock of the ceiling, ripping free a shower of fist-sized gravel that flew towards Liam.

It felt like a meteor-shower struck him, and he knew that despite the Mythril Armour of the Harbinger, he would have significant bruising should he survive this battle. Worse, one stone passed between the gorget of mail and his Bascinet. It smashed into Liam’s jaw, dislocating it and preventing him from casting any spells.

The pain stunned Liam a moment, and he backed away, blinking through sudden tears.

Liam knew that if he were to defeat this troll, he would need his physical strength and all the luck he could muster.

He closed the distance as the troll patted out the flame on its shoulder, each step sending bolts of pain through his face. The troll roared and swung its clawed arm once more, and Liam parried high, pushing his enhanced strength into deflecting the blow over his head.

He used the momentum of the parry to cut up. The blade sinking deep into the nearest leg of the monster. The sword almost stuck in the sizzling flesh. The Volcanic nature of the blade sticking to fat as it made contact, but Liam twisted the blade and it pulled free.

He noticed that the wounds from the flames had not healed and felt sure that he’d discovered the weakness of the Troll’s regeneration. Liam’s momentary triumph was cut short as he desperately parried a punch the monster sent towards his face. The unexpected move put him off balance once more, but this time, before he could raise his guard or escape, a massive paw grasped his leg.

Liam screamed as the crushing power of a level 33 Cave Troll became apparent. The buckle holding his Mythril greave gave way, turning the armour itself into a vice that crushed and pulped Liams leg.

The troll lifted him from the ground and smashed him bodily into the wall causing Liam's knee to buckle backwards exposing a gap. The troll tightened its grip and sharp talons, once rebuffed by the Mythril plate now tore his leg off in a shower of gore.

Liam couldn’t scream as his dislocated jaw caused as much agony now as his missing leg. He sobbed and let out a piteous moan. He’d dropped the Volcanic blade as he’d hit the wall, and now reached for it desperately.

His searching hand only found the Troll’s clawed foot. It lifted him again and hurled him across the chamber, its chest rumbled with a sick bubbling laughter.

Liam knew he was about to die. But his spirit refused to give up hope.

Fighting the pain that threatened to paralyse him, he extended his consciousness as he activated his Magic Sight. The world burst into colour. Above him, Liam could see how the magic interacted with the stone. Stone that he’d carved and hewn to create this cave, stone he knew.

Stone he knew was unstable.

He looked up at where the Cave-Troll's claws had excavated the rocks that had showered down to dislocate his jaw, seeing that a large section of cracks had formed.

A cave-in was imminent, if only Liam could somehow trigger the event before the Troll finished him. Liam groaned and lifted his head, grasping at the surrounding magic. He only hoped to survive. His fumbling mind could not grasp the ethereal, and all the while, the troll stalked closer.

He needed time.

His mind stretched, seeking any purchase in the rock that he could use to pull upon. He pushed harder, and his mind flowed through the stone, finally touching something powerful, something that pulsed with a mighty energy, and Liam pulled upon it with all the will his mind could bring to bear.

A large crack appeared just as the troll crossed the centre of the chamber. Trickles of dust and rock pattered off its thick skin. It looked up in confusion, just as the first cart-sized boulder smashed down, its jagged surface smashing the Kgoral’s head to pieces before eviscerating the rest of its body.

Liam sighed as his body glowed as he gained new levels, but his respite was short-lived as more and more rock broke off, causing a general collapse of the chamber’s ceiling. Liam rolled himself against the wall he’d so recently been flung against and covered his head with his hands.

Darkness swallowed his vision as the rending crashes of thousands of tonnes of stone buried him beneath a crushing weight..