The next morning the group cautiously crept up the hill to the camp. Trolls were nocturnal, so as Qara had hoped, eight trolls lay sprawled across the ground, lost in slumber. Just two drowsy guards kept watch on either end of the camp, staring sightlessly at the dense jungles. Silently, she gestured for Rashpa and Ihra to circle around to the guards. They notched their bows, prepared to blast the guards with fiery arrows. Qara waved Jasper over and whispered to him softly. “Alright, now’s your time to shine, fire-boy. Blast the camp with as many casts of sacred star as you can, and we’ll pick up the stragglers.”

Jasper focused himself, feeling a wave of calm run over him. My first real fight - minus the tiger incident. Taking a deep breath, he cast eternal night to boost his fire damage. A slow wave of icy darkness spread out in a circle around him, as if he had manifested the void on earth itself.And then, he let loose hell on earth.

In quick succession, Jasper emptied his essence, casting sacred star thirteen times at the sleeping trolls. At the same time Ihra and Rashpa pelted the two guards with their flame-imbued arrows. The resultant explosion was massive, a pillar of smoke and flame reaching into the sky. For a moment, he thought the trolls had all died. Peering through the flame and smoke, his ears ringing from the force of the explosion, he saw nothing. Taking a shaky breath, he turned to Qara with a yell of victory as three hulking forms, still moldering with flames, emerged out of the smoke. With a thunderous bellow of anger, the trolls charged towards his group. Qara quickly cast three shards of ice at their heads, and one of the trolls fell, the damage finally taxing his regeneration beyond what it could heal.

“Buy me time!” she called to Pa’al, the tank, and reached her hands to the sky as she begin to summon a higher spell. On the sides, Ihra and Rashpa continued to pelt the two guards, who had been out of the range of the explosion with arrows, while the two swordsmen, Heizim and Erebe, kept them occupied. Pa’al moved to intercept the two charging trolls. He blocked the down-swept mace of the first while simultaneously slicing at the hamstring of the second. But his slash at the second troll missed by a hare, and the troll slipped past him, headed straight for Qara.

Jasper didn’t have enough mana left to cast one of his spells, but he threw himself in front of her, spewing a thin stream fire from his hands. The troll stumbled back, bellowing, as the flames ate at his flesh. Flailing wildly, its mace smashed into Jasper’s side, tossing him into the ground like a ragdoll. But he had bought Qara enough time to finish her spell. Glacier. The word hung in the air for a moment, heavy with power. Then the earth around the four remaining trolls erupted up in a shower of icy sparks, as the ice rose to consume its targets. The trolls thrashed and fought but could not escape the icy blasts until at last each was entombed in a frozen pillar.

Slowly, Jasper dragged himself off the ground, a spasm of pain ripping through his chest as he struggled for air. “I think my ribs are broken.”

Pa’al rummaged in his bag, and tossed him a potion. “Thanks for the assist, fire-boy. If that troll had gotten to Qara, this whole situation could have gone sideways.”

Twisting the cap off, Jasper downed its contents in a single go. It tasted amazing, like the best dessert he had ever had. Huh, I guess a spoonful of sugar really does make the medicine go down. The potion worked its magic swiftly, as his ribs popped back into place, each fracture sealed better than before. He hopped to his feet, ready to descend into the city below, but Qara signaled for him to stop.

“Ihra, Jasper, before we head down, you should meditate. I’m sure you both leveled up from that fight, and every level you can get will help out down there. We’ll keep watch while you meditate.”

He sat back down and closed his eyes. I am the river; I flow around all things. I am the rock; all things flow around me. He popped back into the void. He strode forward and grabbed Kas̆dael’s hand, although a shudder raced down his back at the thought of what was to come when he left the void. Steeling his mind, he focused on his stats.

Jasper Welles (14)

Level up available: X6

Exp: 100/400

Health 340

Stamina 580

Essence 760

Heritage(s)

Greater Djinn

Class(es)

Acolyte of the Secret Flame

Titles

The Blood Runs True

Betrothed of Kas̆dael

Stats

Racial Traits

Class Abilities

Weapon Skills

Strength 12

Born of Flames

Sacred Star

Improvised Weaponry I

Endurance 15

Locked

Purge

Slingshot V

Vision 15

Locked

Eternal Night

Glaive IV

Inspiration 24

Locked

Willpower 24

Charisma 12

Jasper eyed the level-ups with elation. Level twenty at last. In Corysthia: Desolyton, every twenty levels came with a random bonus. He hoped it would be good. With 18 points to spend, Jasper decided to dump six each in inspiration and willpower, and threw the remaining three into strength and charisma. Never hurts to have more health.When he finished assigning the last of his points, a new screen popped up.

Reward Box

Please select one current spell to enhance and one of three new spells:

Fire Shackles - Summon up to three fiery manacles, rooting foes in place for thirty seconds. Cost: 100 essence

Sin Eater - Feed on the sins of your foes. When cast on a suitable foe, sacrifice 5% of your mana to restore 10% of your health. Inflicts damage on foe equal to the amount of health gained.

Fiery Charge - Meld as one with your mount. For 1 minute, you and your mount are consumed with sacred flames. Gain +100% speed and +200% charge damage. Cost: 200 stamina

Jasper immediately dismissed fiery charge. While the skill admittedly sounded awesome, and used stamina, which he didn’t have any spells for yet, until he had a mount, it was worthless to him. Unfortunately, he needed something that would help him now. He hoped the skill might be available again later.

The real choice was between fire shackles and sin eater. Sin eater seemed to belong in a similar category as purge. A healing skill would normally be the immediate choice, but like purge, the spell would only work if cast on a “sinful” enemy. He had yet to use purge in battle, because he was afraid to rely on a spell that might misfire. Of course, given the history of Yhar-Khennnor, it was probably a good bet that most of the enemies he would face down there would be considered “sinful.”

Still, Jasper hesitated. In Corysthia: Desolyton, the spells you chose affected the class evolutions you were offered. If he kept taking these spells, he’d probably get offered something like Flame Inquisitor. In Jasper’s opinion, the sort of players who tended to gravitate towards those kind of classes usually had a bit too much darkness in their own hearts.

Ultimately, it was the last battle that made his decision for him. If Qara had taken even a second longer to cast her spell, the battle might have gone very differently. Sometimes, the key to victory was controlling the battlefield. Fire Shackles wasn't the sexiest choice, but it what was he needed. Selecting Fire Shackles, Jasper turned to his limited list of spells. The upgrade choice seemed obvious - Sacred Star was by far his most used spell. Accepting the upgrade, he examined the new description.

Sacred Star II

100 essence

An enhanced version of the spell, Sacred Star II summons five small explosive orbs of fire with improved tracking abilities. Perfect for the aspiring mage who doesn’t want to kill his party.

He took one last glance over his new stats. Not too shabby.

Jasper Welles (20)

Level up available:

Exp: 100/400

Health 400

Stamina 700

Essence 1000

Heritage(s)

Greater Djinn

Class(es)

Acolyte of the Secret Flame

Titles

The Blood Runs True

Betrothed of Kas̆dael

Stats

Racial Traits

Class Abilities

Weapon Skills

Strength 15

Born of Flames

Sacred Star II

Improvised Weaponry I

Endurance 15

Locked

Purge

Sling V

Vision 15

Locked

Eternal Night

Glaive IV

Inspiration 30

Locked

Fiery Shackles

Willpower 30

Charisma 15

Then, with a shudder, he prepared himself for what was to come. Banishing the screen, he was once again pulled into her embrace, as his screams echoed in the void.

Sputtering for breath, he opened his eyes back with the group. Qara cast a quizzical gaze at him - meditation was, after all, supposed to be calming - but said nothing. While he and Ihra had meditated, the rest of the party had efficiently gathered up the loot, at least what was left of it. Jasper’s bombastic spells had left much of the armor melted and warped beyond repair. Once Ihra came out of meditation, the group fell into order and entered the cave.

The descent was torturous. Two hours later, the group was still winding its way down a cramped spiral staircase, carved deep into the stone. Just wide enough for them to advance single file, and so short that even the shortest of the group had to hunch over, their descent was slow and torturous. Jasper could not even begin to estimate how many steps he had gone down - or worse, how many steps he would have to climb up on the way back. His thoughts drifted, and he wondered idly how the trolls could descend into the city - they were much larger than he. Maybe there's an easier entrance?

From time to time, they’d pass a small passageway, branching off into the dark. The passageways were even smaller than the staircase, rising little more than a foot in height. He’d questioned Qara about them when they first saw them, before he got too weary to care, and she’d explained that the Tanin could walk bipedally or quadrupedally. He shuddered as he passed them, an ominous feeling emanating from the dark passageways. He wouldn't admit it to the group, but Jasper could swear he had heard the faint sound of scampering footsteps echoing down their dark depths.

Jasper had begun to believe that the stairs would never end, that they were trapped in an eternal loop, when the jubilant cries of his group told him that they had reached the end. The group spilled out into a large clearing, the ceilings above soaring to unknown heights. The group fanned out in formation, assessing the room for threats. After a few tense moments, they relaxed, the stress flowing off their shoulders.

“It looks clear. Let’s set up camp here and recuperate a bit for continuing on.” Qara spoke softly, her voice just above a whisper. “Remember, no wandering off.” Jasper plopped on the ground, arms outstretched on the stony croppings. While his physical fitness was improving rapidly, he still had a long way to match the other party members. Without meaning to, he drifted off to sleep. Seemingly seconds later, he awoke to Ihra punching him in the shoulder.

“Here” she whispered, shoving something into his hand. “Eat fast, we’re about to leave.”

Staggering to his feet, Jasper took a bite of the hard biscuit, remembering with some regret the soft bread he used to love. Curiously, he walked across the small plateau. A few feet away from where the group had stopped, the ground dropped off into a steep cliff face. Peering down, he could see the city far below. The architecture was strange. Domes littered the ground, here and there broken up by tall round towers, while a thundering river wound its way through the heart of the city. All throughout the city, small lights shone and glittered in the dark.

“Qara, are there people still living in the city? Why are there so many lights?”

Qara shook her head. “Perhaps there are still some Tannin hiding in those god-forsaken passageways, but the city is abandoned. They forged those lights from their victims. Each one is crafted from a trapped soul, set aflame. Those accursed lights will burn for millennia.”

Jasper looked at the lights in horror, the thought of being tortured for practically an eternity opening a gaping chasm of dread in his mind. I guess in retrospect I definitely could have used Sin Eater down here. “Shouldn’t we try to set them free?”

Pa’al was the one to reply, stepping beside Jasper to look out over the city. “There’d be no point. Whatever foul rituals those lizards used, there’s no coming back from it. The souls can’t be resurrected, and whatever sentience they once had is long gone. Now there’s only pain. But their light still serves a purpose; it’s saved many an guilder from a grisly end.”

Packing up their gear, the group began the long descent to the city. There was only a single path down. The trail was just wide enough for them to pass, and it hugged the right side of the wall, purposefully designed to prevent any intruders, most of whom would be right-handed, from having enough space to swing their weapons. Clever, he had to admit, although it wouldn't stop a mage. He kept his eyes glued to the ground at his feet, studiously ignoring the precipitous drop off. Jasper wasn’t afraid of heights, not really, he just had a very healthy respect for them. His mind flashed back to his perilous route across the rafters in the academy. Why does everything have to be so damned high? Couldn’t we get something nice and low to the ground?

When they reached the outskirts of the city, Jasper saw that the domes were actually houses. Drawing close to examine one, he realized that each and every one of them had been carved out of the rock itself, the odd structures resembling giant stone igloos. There didn’t appear to be any particular order to the domes. They were scattered in a haphazard array, some directly on top of each other or fused together, with narrow corridors weaving their way in between. There was something strangely disorienting about the city, and at first Jasper couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Pausing for a moment to take the view in, the reason for his discomfort finally dawned on him: there were almost no straight lines anywhere in the city. All the architecture was curved in one way or another.

Realizing he was falling slightly behind the group, he picked up the pace to catch up when his ears caught the faintest sound. From behind one of the nearest domes, a faint, drawling whisper echoed.

“Jaaassper. Jasper, come here.”

A chill ran down his spine, and he practically hurtled between the domes toward his group.

“Don’t you want to go home?”

The tone was alternatively mocking and seductive, the unspoken promise of the words heavy in the air. Lies, he thought and he ran back to Ihra, gasping for breath.

She glanced at him, taking in his wide eyes. “Did you hear them?”

He nodded silently. No more needed to be said.

They trudged for hours throughout the dark city, no sounds to be heard beyond the rushing of river or the mocking whispers for those who tarried. In the endless dark, it was hard to keep track of the passing time, but when they stumbled past a dome in good shape, lit inside with one of the soul lights, Qara called for a stop. Jasper helped Pa’al carry rocks in to block up the opening, which Qara then sealed further with a thick coating of ice. Satisfied that they were secure, they ate a quick meal and went to sleep.

Jasper dreamed the sky was falling.