(Tuesday. Date: 23-04-2463)

Golem. Archer. Just as I was about to scream out a warning to my party, I caught a flash as something sped off from the Archer, dark and silvery. Then Maggie was screaming, and I spun to my feet to see if she was hurt, but she was alright. It wasn’t her who the arrow had hit; steward was impaled through his neck into the wall by a three-foot long stone and metallic arrow. I stared in shock, Matilda, Josh and the rest ran towards Steward who was gurgling as he kicked his legs frantically. Relief burned like a small pyre in my gut, that it hadn’t been any of my girls.

“Form up!” I shouted and another arrow sipped past me with a blast of air and force. It hit Joshua in the back, luckily the warrior had his shield there. It dented with enough force that he was thrown face first into the ground and sent sprawling. I whipped about to face the shadowed Archer, searching for his name. I raised my hands and formed them into fists in preparations for the next shot. It came as expected, flying out of the darkness it arched for me and I shot it with repel. A palpable wave of force struck out in a wave as the arrow immediately halted its momentum.

With a grimace I searched again, watching, waiting. There! A flash of silver from the dark, I hit the arrow I’d stilled with an attract spell. It flew off in the same instant I dodged the arrow aimed at me and hit it too with attraction. The arrow hummed and buzzed as I brought it towards me. Now in hand I inspected it. [Item: x1 Golem Forged Arrow. Type: Projectile. Mod: +70 Attack. +30 Critical.] So it was none magical which meant I couldn’t use Melody’s Spell Ward. Which meant she could work on Steward instead.

I dared not turn around and watch as they tried to save him.

“Form up!” I growled and was immediately met by the clamber of boots and the hiss of steel as weapons were drawn. Joshua tear streaked face formed up on my left, as Matilda positioned on my right great sword in hand. “Melody’s working on him,” the knight whispered quietly to me. “But it’s not looking good.” I nodded at her words and took a deep breath as Jason walked up to stand prepared alongside Joshua. He gave me jerky nod as he sniffled.

“Amara?” I asked Matilda.

“She’s trying to stop the bleeding,” Matilda replied. That made sense, she was a Blood Witch after all.

“Here,” I said and tossed the arrow to Jason. He caught it and stumbled backwards staring at the long heavy arrow. The act saved his life as another arrow embedded itself in the ground he’d been standing on with a splitting crack. “That… Was… Lucky,” he breathed and fell on his ass in disbelief.

“Josh, protect the others,” I ordered as I eyed Jason struggling to remove the arrow off his lap. “Matilda, you’re with me.” The Knight nodded grimly. We charged and I jumped blasting us both with an attract spell, aiming and willing us to connect with the Archer. We sailed through the air flying towards the darkness. A glint silvery stone and steel as I whipped us to the right as an arrow past us. Reaching back I hit the arrow with Telekinetic Reach and brought it baring down with us in punch as we crashed into the Archer. Matilda hit first, her large great sword held before her like a lance as she struck and pushed all of her weight into the thrust. Then I hit, less gracefully than her, bouncing off and rolling along the Archers body like an annoying insect, scurrying about. My telekinetic arrow then blasted a hole through the Archer’s head.

Rising to my feet and stand upright on the Archer’s lower back, I hit it with an attract spell and rolled. Everything lurched violently as Matilda, the golem and I rushed up to crash into the ceiling. Now this was different than the last time I landed on the ceiling of this chamber, because now we were attached to the archer, where as it was pinned to the ceiling. -28Hp.

I stood and then collapsed as my chest violently constricted in a spasm of pain. “Argh…” I groaned out through clenched teeth. My arm pulsed in pain as well. Pulling up my Status window, I wondered at what was wrong. Mana: 12/760. The numbers were in red, “that is - n’t good,” I wheezed out through another spasm.

“Rhys, you okay?” Matilda shouted, her voice coming from the other side of the Archer.

“Ye – ah…” I replied through a spasm. My vision was starting to bleed red at the corners now. I’d never experienced low Mana before, so I hadn’t expected this to occur. Licking my painfully dry lips, I tried to get my thoughts in order. I couldn’t release the spell. If Matilda killed the Archer right this instance, the spell would be dismissed, and we would fall. Why was everything so dry? Something floated through my mind, two words. They were hazy, and each time I tried to reach for them my hands methodical hands breezed through them, turning them to smoke. I blinked dry eyes and pulled up my window once again. Mana: 14/760. Mana… Mana, that was it! Fucking Mana Potions. skimming through my inventory, I began guzzling lesser potions of Mana until my status hit eighty-nine points.

My chest eased and lightened considerably, as the potions did their work. I was so thankful that using the Magical System hadn’t blocked my inventory access. Standing a little firmer now, I looked up. Melody and others were crowded around a body on the ground. Lights and wisps sprung all about the cleric as she tried—In vain—to heal Steward.

The sight of their slumped and miserable forms made me look away. Climbing around to stand more fully on the pinned Archer, I helped Matilda to her feet. The Knight seemed to having some difficulty with the reversal of things. I didn’t feel any though, for which I was grateful. “Let’s kill this fucker and get back down,” I told her. She nodded and we moved up the Archer’s body to stand before its head.

The arrow I’d flung with Telekinetic Reach had left fist sized hole drilled through the centre of the Golems forehead. The damaging was more staggering in effect, than actual damage. Matilda past me her sword by silent agreement. I phased the great swords tip through and stabbed down into the Mana Core. Light leaked through various chinks and cracks in the make-up of the Archers body. Grabbing hold of Matildas’ waist, we fell as the golem disintegrated into dust, that funnily enough stuck to ceiling even as my spell vanished and we began to fall.

I think I’ll miss on collecting those drops, I thought and shooting my right fist down, I shot an attract spell. We touched down seconds later to the sobbing of Maggie and Jason. Joshua hand rested Melody’s shoulder, gently prying the women away Steward. Nothing had worked. Dead was dead after all. Grief struck my heart like an old friend. Steward no longer had a place in this world. I just hoped that wherever he ended up next, he’d have companions like these.

Joshua stood stoic, above the dead body of his friend. Tears fell freely down his cheeks, and he made no attempt to wipe them away. Matilda clomped past to crowd beside Melody and hug her friend. Maggie wept from Jason’s arms as the sniffling man gave me a silent nod. What surprised me most was Amara. The semi-gothic Blood Witch was curled around herself, hugging her knees tightly as she rocked back and forth. Finally there was Steward. His eyes stared lifelessly up at the ceiling. Eyes that hours ago, had been both afraid yet determined as he fought his first fight to protect his friends.

It was hard to tell his age, as most Gifted didn’t really age at all, but I could tell he was young. Late teens or early twenties. His neck wound was covered by a blood-soaked cloth. His eyes seemed sunken and his skin paled and perspired in sweat. All I could about was Kayla, and if Steward someone at home depending on him. Congratulations [Player] Level up: x 1.

~*~*~*~

Slay the Guardians of Bresacs Tomb: 4/16. Dismissing the prompt update away, I frowned looking out at the last two golem identifiers. Neither had moved yet but I was certain they would. I guessed that once we’d taken the Illusionist down, the Archer had come awake. Sensing what I was doing, everyone except Maggie, got into readiness.

Something jerked in the shadows, one of the golems starting to animate. Activating Magical Sight I scanned their activity and watched as Mana surged to life within the one on the right. Golem. Berserker. I breathed a small sigh of relief; I knew this one golem could still kill any number of us. But it was an opponent we were familiar with. Before I even gave the order, Amara was at my side and as the Berserker stepped more fully into view the Blood Witch unleashed her spells.

A flash of red glyph enveloped her skin to flow easily down her arms as they formed separate shapes. In her left was a triangular pyramid, it bobbed and floated above her palm. Her right held a blood ball, which she crushed in her fist. A spell sprung into formation beneath the Berserker’s next step wrapping around its forward leg. With her left hand, she chunk the pyramid like you would a frisbee. It spun through the air and as it sailed it both flattened and widened, stretching ten feet in diameter.

The spells momentum halted and hung in the air above the Berserker. Amara grunted and fell to knees as the flat pyramid began to ooze and flow down to the cover and envelop the Berserker. I crouched down by the Blood Witch’s side and place a hand on her arm. Her skin was scorching hot and I winced as down a step back. A palpable wave of heat rushed her of the Blood Witch like a gluttonous aura, swallowing everything.

I turned back in time to watch as the Berserker began to thrash not just against the bloody tendril climbing up its leg, but also against the ooze. Yet everywhere the ooze touched it stuck and flowed over and along. Seconds later the Berserker we all gasped as the trail left behind by the ooze on the Berserker simply wasn’t there. Amara blood ooze was digesting the golem, corroding it down and leaving nothing behind. Not even ten seconds later the Berserker was finished, and the ooze pooled on the ground. Amara grunted and rising to her feet, the petite Blood Witch stretched out her hand and twisted as a glyph sprung before her. She was coated in sweat, streams of make-up trailed down her face and neck, like black varicose veins they ran.

The ooze boiled and jumped into the air, where it reformed into a pyramid and turned in on itself, shrinking down. I watched Amara, fascinated as her glyphs blazed across her skin so brightly that I had to squint to see her properly. Red mist coalesced at her palm and went about devouring the bloody pyramid. I saw her grimace and wince as if in pain, but I didn’t disrupt her. Spells when disrupted could sometimes have devasting effects on the caster. So, we waited.

Amara stood a little straighter afterwards, her skin looking far-more-healthier. Somehow her make-up had righted itself, no trace could be seen of the black run lines there previously. But as she turned to us, I took a step reflexively. “What?” she asked me, her lips pouting.

“Y-your uh… your third eye is showing,” I replied to her and swallowed thickly. Her third eye still unnerved me.

“Oh! It is?” She asked and reaching up she covered it shyly with her small hand, a faint blush creeping up neck.

Clearing my throat I decided to change subject. “What exactly was that?”

“What was what?” She questioned, sounding confused and her tilted curiously.

Boy is she strange, I thought. “What you did to the golem,” I told her.

“Ahhh, that,” she replied stressing the word. What in the hells was wrong with this woman? I thought frustratedly. “It was a spell from my grandmothers’ tome, its call Blood Culmination.”

She sniffed and turned away from me to sneeze but didn’t provide anything further. I wrestled with my annoyance, “and what does Blood Culmination do?”

She grinned at me, “you’ll just have to wait and see I suppose.”

“Wait and see? Amara you already did the spe-”

“We got incoming,” Matilda’s voice cut me off and I spun in place to watch as a shield Knight stepped out from the shadows. It was the last of the golems in this chamber. Hopefully the last we’d see for a while.

“Everyone spread out,” I called as the Knight readied its sword against its shield.

“No need,” Amara sang from my right and like clockwork we all turned to stare at her as she formed another pyramid in her left hand. Just how tricks has she got hidden on her, I thought and frowned as she began to manipulate the shape instead of throwing it. Glyph flaring to life, she waved her hand over the pyramid several times as her third eye bloomed in another glyph. The pyramid slowing began to reform into that of a miniature golem, specifically a Berserker golem. “What the…” I trailed as she then placed her blood golem on the ground.

“Amara, I don’t mean to be rude but isn’t it a little… small.”

The half-foot tall blood golem turned around to shake its diminutive fist at me. I cocked and eyebrow at it and looked to the Blood Witch. She was aweing and cooing over the bloody thing. Its small body was looked solid even as the substance underneath its shiny glass-like skin moved fluidly in swirling patterns.

“Oh hush,” she told me, “you’ll see.” She gave the small blood golem a nod and it nodded back. Then it raced off at Shield Knight, small hands flowing into axe heads. I had a sort of surreal moment watching this. A soda can sized figure running, yelling a soundless battle cry as it charged the fifteen-foot tall golem. This is what my life has become, I thought, I’ve officially seen some of the strangest shit ever. The Shield Knight didn’t even spare the little guy a glance as it crushed him and walked towards us.

“Uhhh…” I said articulately. “Amara-”

“Just wait,” she said in a maniacal giggle that sent shivers down my spine. Then all of a sudden Shield Knight’s momentum halted as it tried to step. A blood figure coalesced there, oozing down from the base of the golem’s boot. It manifested into the blood golem, now at seven feet in height. The blood golem held the foot in the air, stopping it from touching down. The shield knight thrown off balance used its sword to stabilize itself by impaling the ground. The blood golem grew bigger, doubling and then tripling in size until it towered at twenty feet. Its head barely brushing the ceiling.

“O-oh Mother,” I heard Jason breathe as we watched the huge blood golem place its axe head hands on its hips, buffing out its chest proudly. I cocked an eyebrow at the blood golem and then at Amara who blushed slightly.

“He’s a little eccentric,” the Blood Witch commented, a note of affection lacing her voice. “I haven’t brought him out in a very long time.”

“You make it sound like you’ve used him before?” I noted. She smiled at the blood golem whose axes reformed into hands, as It began to reach down to grab the Shield Knight leg, then tore it off. In a flash of blinding Mana and a grind of tearing stone the leg broke free. The Mana flash vaporised the blood golems arms up its elbow where afterwards they instantly reformed.

“Oh I have, but that back when Blood Gifted weren’t being culled,” Amara replied absently. Her minion turned back to us and waved the stone and clay leg about in a wave. She waved back.

“It’s been a hundred years, since the culling started,” Melody injected. Amara nodded, but said no more. We looked on as her minion butchered the Shield Knight. Breaking limbs off and throwing them to the side. Sometimes even reforming so that its lower body was a nest of writhing tentacles. They latched around the prone Knight as the blood golem systematically tore its arms off. Thirteen seconds later the Shield Knight was swallowed whole—except for its limbs—by the blood golem.

I shook my head at the ease of which that had happened. “I can see why Blood Gifted were hunted now,” I said softly enough that no one heard me. Having a living Blood Gifted in any situation was going to be a terrible thing. “But I suppose, I amended thoughtfully. “That all depends on whose side you’re on.” To have all that power and live in a city teeming with the bloody batteries you use for your craft, was as bad as dumping a wolf in a sheep pen and expecting the wolf not to eat its fill.

I glanced down at Amara who still stood beside me watching her blood golem miniaturise down into its half-foot form. “How did you not eat your fill, Amara.”

The Blood Witch looked up at me distracted, “Hmm? Did you say something?” Her third eye was gone, I shook my head. “I’ll need to rest a few minutes before we carry on,” she informed me and stooped down as her blood golem ran back and jumped into her arms. She squealed in delight and spun around like a child hugging a new teddy bear.

“What have you seriously gotten yourself into, Rhys,” I said to myself and moved back towards Stewards body. Now to burn a dead companion.

~*~*~*~

“Melody?” I prompted the Cleric, she jolted as if she’d been struck and looked at me. No, I thought, not at me but through me.

“Huh?”

“Do you want to say the words, you are our Cleric after all.”

She swallowed thickly and nodded. In a Gateway death was treated differently. We burned bodies in a Gateway because sometimes the corpse had a way of coming back. Some form of Mana infusion, researchers believe a Gateway uses. Like a bleed off from the environment that seeps into the hallow body filling it. Re-animating it like how a Necromancer would.

We had no ceremonies in a Gateway. Items were collected off of Stewards dead body and I stored them away in my Inventory. Then we gathered around the corpse and stood like silent guardians as one amongst us spoke the phrase. “From the Earth we Awakened. To the Earth we Vanish.” Words with no origin, yet everybody knew them. They were always spoken for the dead. what did they imply? That once we died here on Terra, we would return to Earth. None of it mattered.

Annaleigh had said in no small words that she removed Terra from the Sol System to Janus for a reason. I doubted anyone would be going back. I shook away my morose thoughts and concentrated on those around me. Matilda stood stoically and impassive, and I knew that later on tonight she would cry and blame herself for his death.

Amara held her blood golem tightly in an embrace. Her haunted green eyes never wavering from Stewards body. How many Gateways had she been through? I wondered idly.

Melody was trying to mask her guilt and pain, yet I saw how she hugged herself a little too tightly and clung to the material of her gaudy robe. She breathed shallowly as well, hunching in on herself with every other breath.

Then there was Joshua’s team. They were Stewards friends, family and companions. How long had they known each other. How far could they’ve gone in this business before they would’ve lost one of their number. It was a harsh reality to face, but one that was better faced early.

I moved over to Melody, the sounds of Maggie weeping at she clung to Jason echoed through the chamber like the haunted moans of a wraith. “Are you okay?” I asked the Cleric softly, resting my hand on her shoulder. Sniffling she nodded and then shook her head jerkily. “Shit Melody. It’s not your fault.”

“I did all I could... It was just too late,” she mumbled as I held her. Some it seemed, no matter how many people they lost took their deaths like a conscious weight. A burden they must tow across the fields of their grieving memories. “I couldn’t save Howard. I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t save...” I stroked the back of her red hair and said nothing, it curled and weaved around my fingers.

I thought on what I could say and finally I decided. “If it should be anyone’s fault, Melody. It should be mine. I got sloppy for just a moment, and that moment cost us someone.” My words were sincere, yet they were also hollow. I’d never done anything like this before. Technically this was first official Gateway as a Gifted. Even if I was illegally interfering with a Hunter Guild sanctioned Gateway. I’d only signed on as a carrier after all. A problem for later.

I would take responsibility for Stewards death because I was leading this merry band. I just couldn’t help but feel slightly bitter at the whole situation. Granted, I did take charge even if no wanted or asked me to. My bitterness was also aimed at Steward, Maggie managed to sum the will for a simple flare spell that set Stewards body ablaze.

We all stepped back as the faint atoms of Mana in his dead body ignited. Two minutes later, ash was all that remained. As I steered Melody away, I couldn’t help but wonder who was next.

~*~*~*~

We made out through the corridor at the opposite end of the chamber. Luckily Melody had a light spell that emanated off her staff brightly. It pitched the long columns of pillars on either side of corridor in odd haunting shadows. The dim light emitting from the gems in the scones seemed to drink in Melody magical light and they glowed brighter afterwards.

strange glyph-like writing along the entire surface of the walls as we passed along. Then our corridor came to a dead end, “did we miss a turn?” Amara asked and tilted her head quizzically around, as her blood golem—riding on her shoulder—did the same.

I activated Magical Sight and peered about; the minor amount of night vision it allow me showed that we were in fact at a dead end. I shook my, “I didn’t see other branching paths.”

“Me neither,” Matilda agreed, and Melody nodded. Joshua’s, Jason and Maggie had been solemn since we left chamber, and I couldn’t blame them. But their joyless expressions and the grief that hung in the air around them, made talking aloud difficult. I turned back to the wall before us and noted that flowing glyph-like script ran in wavy lines that, all flowing towards the centre of the wall.

I stepped and reached out, pressing the title there, I felt if give slightly but nothing happened. I pushed several more times until I realised with a cough that it might in fact be a pull. I hit the title with an attract spell and heard the rusted groan as the three feet long title brick slid from the wall and I dismissed my spell. Within the space was an ornate golden wolf’s head, and in its jaws was a crystalline jade key about ten centimetres long.

It glowed softly to my magical sight and I heard the others gasp as they looked on at what I found. I took the key hesitantly and the wolfs jaws closed silently afterwards. Then with a soft grin the ornate wolf’s head slid backwards, further into the space.

I held the key to identify it, when a shockingly loud groan grated across the floor beneath us, “everybody move!” I shouted and sprinted back, away from the moving ground. Several minutes later, the ground where we had stood had partially eclipsed open like a half-open eye. We all approached warily and peered down to see a steps going down.

“I guess that’s our way forward?” Matilda asked with a small scowl. I knew how she felt, I wasn’t exactly a fan of enclosed spaces either. Especially ones that involved winding staircases. A prompt shot into view: Collect the Keys to Bresac Armaments: 1/3. “Huh,” I muttered and informed the others of what the key was.

“I wonder if the keys leads to some vault of treasure or weapons,” Melody mused and wiped the dust that had collected on her hands from examining the wall script on her robes.

“That’s what worries me,” I murmured from beside Matilda. The Knight looked at me questioningly. I made a gesture and she leaned towards me. “I think these key’s may mean more than we realise.”

Matilda looked at me intensely and then down at the key in my hand, her brows furrowing. “You think this vault or armament is important, because whatever we find in there will likely be essential for when we face the dungeon boss. Don’t you?”

I nodded and closed my fingers around the key tightly. It hummed magically in my hand as we started down the stairs. I lead this time, and we stepped lower down into the dungeon—or whatever this Gateway was classified as now—the key’s magical pulse quickened.

I frowned down at the Crystal jade and watched as the Mana within bubbled up on one side, almost like an indication that we were closer to the next key. Or even the door the key was meant for.

There was a change in the air, and I noticed that the length of each step was getting wider and wider, and flatter. “Everyone, ready yourselves,” I whispered back. The air became was cool in my lungs as I breathed it in, yet there was a faint acrid tinge that nauseated me. I trooped up and seconds later, we left the stairs and found ourselves in an oval shaped room. Wooden desks and chairs lined one side of the room on the left. The right occupied by two rotting wooden chests and a few shelfs covered in dust and forgotten cobwebs.

Opposite us, was an iron door with a spin wheel at its centre. A small rectangular slider was half open above the wheel and I swore I saw movement on the other side.

“Fan out but be careful. Matilda, Josh, I want you both on either side of that door.” I nodded opposite us and both of them immediately acted, approaching the door cautiously. “Amara, I want you and your blood golem to keep an eye on our exit, I don’t want to get trapped in this room.” The Blood Witch followed my instructions. “The rest of us, Let’s check the desks. Jason, want to check out the chest for me?”

“Uh- sure, Rhys. I can do that,” the man said, and he took a deep breath. I was glad to see that instead of simply opening the chests, he eyed them suspiciously.

I turned back and helped Melody and Maggie go through the desks. We found several written parchments, logs and a journal in a language I didn’t recognise. That was until I started to skim the leathery pages of the journal and found some illustrations.

“Look at this,” I said to Melody. The Cleric bounced over to me, always fascinated by more knowledge. The depiction showed what seemed to be a red triangular Gateway. Beneath the Gateway, grey-lizard-like-men with odd weaponry marched along in files. Beneath them was drawn a wide landscape of trees and mountains dotted by columns of smoke. The next depiction down, showed a different landscape, this one a desert teeming with pyramid-like buildings and long boats that floated in the air. The strange grey-lizard-men stood over a mass of bowing people from their pyramids. I looked closer and saw in between each of the bowing people, a cord was drawn connecting them.

“Chains,” I said hoarsely and tried to swallow but my throat was incredibly dry.

“Rhys? Are you alright?” Melody asked me. I realised then her hands were on my face and she was looking intently into my eyes.

“H-huh?” I said and licked my lips trying to regain some moisture. “What happened?” I managed at last.

“You called me over to look at something, but all you did was stare intently at a blank page for the last ten minutes. It wasn’t until I took the book from you that actually responded.”

I blinked and looked at her confused. “T-there were images on the page, you saw them,” I said. Yet even as the words left my mouth, I knew that wasn’t true.

“There isn’t anything there Rhys,” Melody said softly and handed me the journal back. I glanced from the leathery cover to Melody, then to the others. They looked at me with a note of concern. I skimmed through the pages, flicking and trying to find that exact page, but found nothing. “I did see something,” I said firmly. Melody crouched down. When had I been sitting? I thought.

“Tell me what you saw,” Melody smiled at me reassuringly.

“I’m not insane,” I scowled at her. She rolled her eyes and gestured for me to spill. So I told her what I saw. Something at the back of my mind tingled inquisitively. A connection I hadn’t spotted, but what? I looked up and caught Matilda eyes, she nodded and as I turned to look back at Melody, but a pair of red eyes peered through the half open slider of the iron door and I froze. Then Jason lifted the second chest and revealed a gaping maw of flesh and teeth and thrashing vine-like limbs whipped out from the sides of the chest and grabbed him.

Jason cried out as the mimic tried to swallow him whole, but he managed to wiggle an arm free and push against the rim of the chest. The mimic growled angrily as Joshua barged into the side of one its long sinuous vine-legs. It toppled as he brought his axe around and cleaved through the limb, hacking it off.

It tossed Jason aside, but his thumb got caught as the chest closed and chomped through it. He howled in pain and rolled away from the mimic. The mimic’s limbs were suckered back inside the chest with a zip-like sound. Like a hermit-crab it hid within its shell. “Matilda,” I called to the Knight as I checked on Jason. “Pry that fuckers lid off.”

“Glady,” she replied with a growl and grinned evilly. With a tearing wrench, Matilda literally dug her gauntleted fingers underneath the lid and tore it completely off with a splintering crack. An inhuman howl rose from the mimic and before it could react the Knight drove her great sword through its mouth to puncture out the other side. A deflated hiss escaped the dying chest monster, and Matilda grunted as she withdrew her sword.

Melody was over by Jason in a flash once the fight was over. Her healing warmth spread out in a glow as wisps coalesced in the air. It was always fascinating to watch the Cleric work her magic. My mind snapped back to the eyes I’d seen before the attack. I spun and stared at the door, there was nothing. No red eyes at least, but like a lone wail drifting on the winds flowed through the slider. The sound caught everyone’s attentions, “did anyone else see the eyes peering through the door?”

Heads shook all around, “I did,” Amara exclaimed. “I saw them just as you finished talking to Mel,” she informed me.

“Same time as me then,” I said and sighed. Something worried me about those eyes, and I couldn’t place why. Maybe it was the fact that they were separated evenly like a humans were. We needed more information. I found the journal I had seen the images in and took it in my inventory. [Item: The Days of Mirasha’s Doom. Type: Journal. Mod: Magical Script.] “So maybe that’s why,” I muttered and planned on delving more into the journal when I got home.

“Let’s move on,” I suggested and looked back at Melody as she and Maggie helped Jason to his feet. The warrior looked a little green form his near-death experience. I imagined the thought of being chewed up and digested by mimic was anyone’s preferred way to go. “Everything all good?” I asked Melody. The Cleric eyed Jason critically as he and Maggie moved towards the others.

“They’re really not suited to face some of things we’ve been facing,” Melody said sternly. I went to reply but she cut me off before I could. “Besides that though, they’re holding up remarkably well considering what’s happened so far. I think it’s likely that Maggie and maybe Jason will quit and work as carriers or miners even for Gateway’s.” I nodded agreeing with Melody held onto my arm as I escorted her to the door. Matilda nodded to Joshua and the man braced himself as he began to slowly spin the iron wheel to unlock the door.

I retrieved my knife form my inventory and waited. The door locks spun and groaned loudly as the metal scraped along. Joshua exhaled a deep breath and heaved the door open. A murky mist of dust and dirt bloomed in the air with each of the Knights booted steps, I followed with Josh covering behind me. A docile quiet filled the area we were in. Three passages spread out ahead of us. The floor was made up of old stone bricks, earth and mud packed the walls tightly interspersed by several alcoves filled with mummified bodies.

The air had the tang of foulness to it and I kept swallowing as my mouth dried up far too quickly. “Anyone have a preferred path?” I asked, glancing to the others.

“Left!” Amara said cheerily. For some reason she seemed to be the most fascinated with the idea of exploring a catacombs.

“Anyone else? No… fine. Left is it then,” I sighed and looked ahead. Melody whispered a few hushed words and the gem on her staff began to emit a green glow. “Why to soften the mood, Mel,” I said dryly. The Cleric just smiled and shrugged.

We moved down through the left passage and turned left as it lead off. More and more alcoves appeared along the walls and were filled to bursting with bodies. Some mummified, but most were not. They hung half in and out, like they had been stuffed away carelessly. A retching creaking moan echoed along the passage from behind us.

The entire party froze and slowly turned back to face the noise. A clicking scrape ratchetted up like dead laugh from a figure that stumbled near the edges of Melody’s light. Desecrated corpse. An orange haze blazed along its identifiers and I slowly backed away, as did the rest of my group. Then another stumbled out and another, and another. There were so many orange names and I had trouble trying to discern if any were different. Sound of a shuffled came from behind us and Matilda spun as I eyed the Desecrated corpse’s. “We’ve a few steering from further along the passage as well.”

“Run?” I asked.

“And fight,” Matilda agreed. We nodded as did the others who overheard. “Rhys, you bring the rear. I’ll lead the charge ahead.” I nodded and a second later we all turned and ran. I’d half expected the undead to shuffle after us, but no they sprinted at full tilt instead.

I shot out an attraction spell and felt the whump of magic as the bolt left my fist. It slammed into the lead corpse and I swung my arm out to the right. The Desecrated corpse ragdoll(ed) off the ground to bash into the right flank of the horde. Then I shot more two more attract spells, hitting the mummified bodies in the stuffed into an alcove and had them eject to slammed into the horde.

I was simply delaying their advance instead of actually dropping their numbers. I was perfectly sure I could fight the horde of Desecrated corpses and survive; I wasn’t as sure on what sort of diseases any wounds they gave me could inflict. Granted I had resistances, but I’d only had the chance so far to test it out against rat men.

“Rhys!” A shout came from behind me and I looked over my shoulder briefly to see that the others had gained quite the distance between us and were leaning out from the corner of a right turn. With a blast of repel I shot into the air and slammed into the ceiling roughly, then with a twist I shot an attract spell down the passage towards my companions. With a wrenching lurked I lobbed down the passage, my concentration wasn’t perfect though and the attract spell was anchored at my waist.

“Shit!” I cursed as I flopped into the stone floor and then bounced sides ways into the wall and rolled along the ceiling. I quickly dismissed my spells and hit the ground in a roll and sprung to my feet. “Keep going!” I called ahead as I saw Amara fidgeting by the corner. She nodded her head and I saw her gaze drift over my shoulder to the army of Desecrated corpses, her eyes immediately went wide and without a reply she darted for the others. I hit the corner seconds later and smacked my feet into the opposite at a run. Shooting a quick look behind, I thought about using the Polymorph spell and caution to the wind. Then I remembered that spells outside of the Magical System had a double cost.

I wondered briefly if the System would allow me to spend one thousand points of Mana, even knowing I was two hundred of forty short. What kind of pain that sort of negative rating would do to me. Would I just simply drop dead? I shook away my musings and concentrated on not getting dogpile by the undead.

A groan echoed down the passage and I caught a glimpse of light other than Melody’s bobbing staff. It the light of fire, and I could make out through the murky dust and dirt being kicked up, Matilda and Joshua pushing against a door.

I my hand and shot an attract spell and just managed to keep my aim steady enough that I clipped the door. I willed it to Jar further open and watched as the others rushed through. A hand smacked into my ankle and I stumbled as I hit the stone rolling. I moved to jump to my feet but before I could the undead were upon me.

I lashed out frantic, burying my knife up the hilt through a pair of chomping jaws and then phased my arm through to impale others. Then I shot several quick blasts of both repel and attract but there was simply too many and I was still cautious about low Mana. -67Hp, jagged nails dug through the cotton of my bottoms and clawed through my skin. -23Hp. -72Hp, gnarl teeth clamped around my wrist and twisted my arm till I felt as the bones of my arm strained and cracked. I punched several time with my knife and realised that even those I’d stabbed through their heads were still alive.

Right, Desecrated corpses need holy weapons or magic to defeat, I though and kicked another in the chest and slammed my knee into an already caved in nose. Then my wrist broke, and my scream was cut off as festering hands clamped over my head and I thrashed. “Get the fuck off-” My shouted was interrupted though as fingers pried my jaws open and I heard people calling my name and suddenly everything was drown as I tried not to gag on the stick foul substance that was being spewed into my mouth.

I gurgled and choked, warning prompts blurring more messages of the damages I was enduring. Resist Disease in affect: 100% and the numbers started to plummet rapidly. Resist Cruses in affect: 100% The message was new and even more startling as it too began to drop so fast, that it was as if I was looking the rolling slides on a slot machine.

I was fucked, but I wasn’t out of the fight. I withdrew my Knife and sent it back into my inventory and with a flick of my wrist I crushed several corpses with Telekinetic Reach and flung them down into the undead pile atop of me. The stack stumbled but overwise remained the same. Closing both hands and shouting internally I shot wave after wave or spells flinging bodies left and right. I managed to wrestle enough space so that I could shoot an attract spell at the ceiling and anchor myself. Smacking face first into the earth and mud had me sputtering as I began to vomit violently over myself and onto the horde of Desecrated corpses.

Then with a wave of my hand I somehow bound the air beneath me slumped into the shield and retched up more foul substance. Something Jarred the shield and I looked through the translucent barrier to see the horde jumping up and trying to knock me out of it.

I gave them the finger and waved my shield in the direction of the still open door, Matilda and Josh were holding. I shot across the distance quickly and slammed into the two. As soon as I hit the other side, I rolled over and shot out both hands feeling my Mana expand and bow to my will. I closed the door shut with a slam and clench my fists and twisted angrily with a growl. Both the doors and walls on either side, crunched inwards, crushed and warped as they twisted in a spiral as I finally released my spells and past out.

I was out for only a few minutes before someone was lightly tapping my face trying to wake me. I groaned as I sat up and felt hands assisting me as I did so. My head was pounding and the light from the brazier in the room stung my eyes and I squinted as I looking around. Melodys sweat streaked face was ashen as she slumped next to me, I could her wisp-like essence of her magic running through me and cleansing me.

She must’ve been exhausted though, and I didn’t need Magical Sight to see that she was running low on her reserves. I pulled several potions out of my inventory and handed them to her. She gulped them greedily and smiled sheepishly at me. “Good, you’re okay,” she said and looked at me for a long couple of seconds. “Good,” she muttered then and climbed more steadily to her feet.

I got up also and gave her shoulder a grateful squeeze. “Everyone alright?” I asked looking them all over.

“Yep!” Came Amara’s reply and everyone nodded in agreement.

“Just run a little faster next time, dork,” Matilda chided. I glanced at the Knight and cocked an eyebrow, “dork? What’re you seven?”

“No. I’m just not entirely fond of being thrown up on,” Matilda said as she and Josh made disgusted noises.

“Sorry. That- uh wasn’t exactly pleasant for me either,” I dry swallowed and was thankful I couldn’t taste anything at all, in fact my mouth felt numb. “Shall we continue on?” I looked at Melody and she nodded; she was better. “Then let’s go.”

We carried on through the catacombs till we came to a rusted iron floor hatch in the ground at a dead end, strange glyph-like patterns spread across its surface. I glanced around frowning, something felt off to me. The images I had seen in the journal, the iron door with the spin wheel, the desks and chairs. Something was decidedly odd about this Gateway. I wondered at how many hours had past outside. My foot banged against something near the wall and I froze, as did the others. The sound crescendo down the passage, bouncing back and forth eerily.

“Sorry,” I mouthed to the others as they assessed the strange glyph figuration on the hatch, trying to work out if it was booby-trapped. I looked down at what I’d accidentally kicked. It was rectangular in shape, with its innards hollowed out. Small flaps protruded along the rim of the rectangle. I felt around the back of the object and found its surface to be cool and metallic to the touch. A mechanical joint for pivoting with a screw wedge to bolt the position in place. My frowned deepen as I found the cord at the back of the object as well the neck that should’ve lead down to a stand.

It was one of those lights that were often used on dig sights, or during road works at night. I wondered at the possibility of a race of people in such a place like where we were in now, having lights and technology. It was obviously plausible yet also strange. The knowledge that Gateways mostly connected to other worlds or planes was common knowledge. But never to a place that had a sufficient amount of technology. The barest glimpse of technology seen has come from Red Gateways, the grey lizard-like men with plasma or energy-like weapons.

Purple Gateways were usually code-named Adventurer Gates, because once they’re travelled through the likely hood of the purple Gateway closing is 99% Those 1% chances though where the gate remains open long enough usually provides guilds and researchers a great deal of information.

Going through runs the likelihood that you’ll be trapped indefinitely on the other side. What if a Gateway though, had two entrances? One in New Eden City and another somewhere else. Our technology has never worked once it’s through a Gateway, so what if someone had found a way.

Why had the small room with the desk and chairs and iron door been so far down and hidden. We hadn’t seen any other sign of someone having spent any time down here. Unless those people were now either the mummified bodies or the Desecrated corpses. “Which begs the questions,” I murmured standing and wiping my hands off. “Are we being deliberately showed this then? And by who? Annaleigh had something along the lines of us not being within her domain hadn’t she. So the Mother is possibly off the list.” I rubbed my chin and made my way back over to the others. Amara was peering intently at the glyphs and her third eyes pupil slid upwards to looked at me as I approached.

Supressing a shiver I cleared my throat, “so how is it coming?”

“Badly,” Melody offered.

Amara scoffed at that and then grinned, “I’ve figured it out.”

“You have?” Both Maggie, Melody and I said in unison.

“Of course,” the Blood Witch chirped and as fast as possible she started touching glyphs the floor hatch. After she touched them they fizzled and became translucent, floating up into the air to fade into mist. Once done the hatch groaned and swung inwards with a nosy whine of creaking hinges.

“Down we go I guess,” I muttered as Matilda grabbed the ledge first and apparently found a ladder there. She climbed down and the rest of us followed into her into the pit.

~*~*~*~

One thing was for certain, the climb almost seemed endless as we took rung after rung on the ladder. Melody had cast her light spell, but the Cleric was a few people above me, and I didn’t necessarily want to use Magical Sight and peer around only to see thousands of sleeping bat’s or something.

We hit the bottom after half an hour had past and touched down on the same stone brick flooring as above. To either side were earthy mound-like structures. We waited as the rest made stable ground and I glanced more intently at our surrounding. What I’d originally first thought as mounds of earth were in fact old crusted bodies. Rotten and decayed to the point that they barely resembled anything human.

“Shit,” I gasped in a hushed whisper and Matilda was immediately at my side. I described to her what I was seeing, as she had no night vision at all. “What’re the bets that there are Desecrated corpses in those mounds.”

“Highly likely,” Matilda sighed, and I bumped her hip lightly with mine, but didn’t say anything. Just as we began to collect and ready ourselves the mound on our right shuffled lightly. I prepared myself for more corpses and was surprised when two very large wolves walked atop the mound and peered down at us. Then a dried-up husk rolled onto the ground from our left and two more wolves stood upon that side as well.

As I looked closer I realised at their faces weren’t anything like a wolf’s at all. The were more owl like with round faces, large eyes and a small beak. They also wore decorated headdresses that wound its way around their heads where it reared up like a striking cobra on top. Golem. Gold Masked Wolf.

This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]