Nicholas swung a fist through the air, almost striking Orrin. He felt the air rush by his cheek. [Camouflage] was still running, but after he’d hit the younger Wendeln, the man had an idea of where Orrin was.

Orrin backed away and put his back against one of the pillars holding up the house. He checked his mana.

He’d cast [Increase Willpower] at level three, with a base of 28. Two point eight times the plus four of a level three [Increase Willpower] gave Orrin an extra 11 Willpower per cast. He’d only increased it once, trying to save his mana for the needed [Teleport].

He’d also cast [Utility Ward] at level two. That had increased his Willpower by another three point nine times the plus two of a level two spell, or an extra eight Willpower points. Except [Utility Ward] was for the maximum possible increase. Five casts for the price of one. An extra 40 Willpower, Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence had been added to Orrin’s stats.

Seventy-nine Willpower gave him a lot of mana. 890 MP to be exact. Of course, the initial costs of casting a few spells had driven his overall amount down but with a quick math check, he didn’t need too much to get the DeGuises and himself out of here using [Teleport].

My Intelligence is up to 51, so my spells should cost about forty percent of the normal cost. Orrin hoped his on-the-fly math skills would hold up because he was planning on doing some heavy lifting with [Inverse] to debuff this goon.

Nicholas hadn’t followed up after his single swing, instead focusing on his book and low chanting. Orrin knew he was casting a spell of some sort but Nicholas wasn’t even looking at him. He was focusing on a spot in front of the little girl.

Orrin peered around the corner and almost used [Inverse] with [Increase Dexterity], as he’d done before against others, but switched it to [Increase Intelligence] on a hunch. It was Nicholas’ highest stat after all.

Nicholas had finally finished his long drawn-out casting. A section of the floor between him and the huddled women had turned inky black. A darkness so deep, Orrin’s mind saw it more as purple with streaks of murky blue. Nicholas smirked and rounded in the general direction Orrin stood, preening in triumph.

A red, three-clawed arm reached out of the growing hole and scrambled for purchase on the stone tiles. The room was filled with nails grating, as the claws scratched for a grip. The silence when the arm found a hold on a small crack in the tile was deafening.

A second arm reached through the dark chasm, followed by a third.

With a name like [Beastmaster], Orrin had thought the man would control wolves or horses. He had a slight idea that Nicholas was trying to summon something but what crawled from the pit was more terrible than anything he could have imagined.

More arms joined the first two, as a red insect-like form pushed his body out of the ground and stood tall. Two legs held wide over the gaping hole that was slowly disappearing supported the main body. It would almost look human, except it turned at the wrong angles. Three sets of arms situated evenly up the torso broke at two points before ending in the three-clawed hands that it had used to pull itself from hell. It stood stooped slightly, too tall for the room. The multi-jointed monster-like monstrosity moved its head slowly around, taking in every detail around it.

Orrin couldn’t look away from its face. An open gash split vertically where a mouth and nose should be. Hundreds of tiny pincher-like teeth slid in and out of the hole. Arranged around the top of the head in a halo, eyes opened and blinked against the few lights in the basement.

Orrin cast his debuff spells five times, ripping away large chunks of Wendeln’s son’s Intelligence. Orrin expected curses. He waited for threats. He didn’t anticipate fear. Nicholas paled with the first decrease of his Intelligence and his face morphed to terror as his stat continued to plummet.

“What did you do?” Nicholas asked quietly as flipped through the pages of his book frantically. “Stop! I won’t be able to control it anymore. You’ll kill us all. It only responds to me.”

Nicholas stopped on a page and began whisper-muttering again. A second smaller hole began to appear a few feet from the first.

Orrin weighed his options. He’d taken away Nicholas’ Intelligence, probably the stat he needed to control whatever he’d just summoned. The man did seem terrified and shook as he tried to talk faster than before.

I could increase his stats back up...

The beast didn’t give Orrin a chance to react. It darted at Nicholas in a flash. The man screamed and tripped backward. A flurry of striking claws in a rushing crescendo that felt vindictive sent blood flying with every slice. The walls were covered with dripping blood in seconds.

“No. No! You are mine to command. Stop! ...please no... I am your master!” Screams and pleas came from under the carapace. It bent back on two sets of limbs and screeched into the air, its mouth opening and sending an image into Orrin’s mind that he knew would haunt his dreams. The pincher teeth wiggled in sync with its upper arms. Three forked lizard tongues flicked out before the beast struck down over and over, biting Nicholas on his chest, his neck, and finally his face.

Orrin stood frozen. He raised his sword to strike at the distracted beast but paused. Instead, he tried [Identify].

[Level 39, Summoned Beast] HP 300/300

Nope. I can’t even read what stat to debuff. Running time.Orrin scurried around the side and up to the women. Jude’s niece had stretched her body to hold on to her mother.

“Shh. It’ll be alright, sweetheart,” Jude’s sister-in-law whispered to the child.

Orrin dropped [Camouflage]. “I’m here to save you. Let’s go, quickly and quietly while it’s distracted.”

His increased Strength pulsed as he grabbed the metal manacles about her head and yanked them out of the stone. He quickly did the same to the girl’s chain.

They hugged fiercely and then the mother pushed her daughter behind her. “Who are you?”

Orrin’s stomach turned as he answered. “Jude sent me. Do you know where the teleportation ward is?”

She shook her head. “I’m Joyce, this is Mira. Where is Jude?”

“Later.” Orrin sidestepped that minefield. “We need to get out of here first.”

Orrin needed more time to find the ward. They were not going to be able to fight their way out of the keep.

A chittering scream sent chills down his spine. Orrin turned and saw the Summoned Beast was done with Nicholas. All that was left of his body was a red sludge and the hints of a chest. The Beast had eaten his summoner.

Orrin had no plan ready for this fight. He held his sword up and placed himself between the girls and the red spider monstrosity.

The monster’s eyes blinked. Every eye in the circle opened and closed one at a time in a perfect circuit. Orrin felt his nerve fading and fingered that switch in his mind for [Mind Bastion], ready to start cycling if he needed it.

Instead, the beast clicked its teeth and scuttled out of the room. Orrin listened to the fading sound of its multiple limbs hitting the steps.

“What was that thing?” the little girl behind him asked.

“Nothing good,” Orrin replied. “Do either of you know what a teleport ward looks like?”

Joyce shook her head again but Mira nodded. “I heard one of the men who brought us food talk about turning it on. There’s a real-life [Hero] in Dey! They were worried about him for some reason.”

Orrin began to kneel but saw that Nicholas’ blood was seeming into the grout in every direction. He squatted instead. “Please tell me you heard where they keep it?”

Her toothy grin was full of Jude’s mischief. “Of course.”

Orrin spent a single [Heal Small Wounds] on each of the kidnapped girls. While not physically hurt beyond the single slap that Nicholas had thrown at Joyce, both were a little malnourished. Joyce had picked up a few different hand axes and tested their weight before settling on two she liked. She’d gently taken a hammer out of Mira’s hands.

“I need to protect you,” the child had cried. “It’s my job.”

Joyce rolled her eyes. “Your job is to stay behind us and run if there is danger.”

Orrin coughed and pointed. “Behind her back.”

Joyce spun her child and tutted as she pulled a small dagger from her other hand.

Mira threw a look of betrayal at Orrin. “Now I’m not going to help you.”

Orrin groaned.

After some negotiation, Mira led the way up the stairs, holding a training sword. It was wooden and held some weight but at least the kid wouldn’t cut herself with it.

Orrin felt like a fool letting a little girl of eight take the lead, but she’d smooth talked her way through rapid fire concessions with both him and her own mother. Joyce mouthed ‘sorry’ as the child climbed the stairs.

As they entered the ground floor again, Orrin could just make out the sounds of an ongoing battle outside. Daniel was still holding up well hopefully. Maybe Brandt had arrived with reinforcements.

With the distraction at the front gate, they ran into no guards or even staff. Likely all the cooks have run or gotten themselves to safety.

Mira walked the halls as if she knew exactly where she was.

“You do know where you are going right?” Orrin whispered.

He received a disdainful and uninterested face in response. “Of course. The guard said he had to go back to his room to set the ward. Guards sleep on the ground floor nearest the door for quick response time. What kind of adventurer are you?”

Orrin raised a hand in defeat. “Not as good as you are going to be.”

Mira smiled. “Damn right.”

“Mira! Language,” Joyce chastised from behind Orrin. Mira ignored her.

Orrin followed back to the exact hallway he had started to follow Nicholas from.

Mira pointed across the hall at a door Orrin had missed when he came in. “There.”

“Stay here,” Orrin commanded. “I’m going to disappear and break the ward. I’ll be right back.”

He turned on [Camouflage] and Mira gasped.

“Shit. What’s the ward look like?”

Mira and Joyce shrugged in unison.

He shook his head and crossed the hall, catching a glimpse of more than one person fighting outside. A full-out brawl was happening.

Orrin slipped into the room and looked around. A half-dozen bunks were set up down the left side, with racks for storing weapons and armor on the right. The room was empty and the racks were bare.

Nothing stood out. There was no magical box or stone. No big switch or magic writing on an item he could see. Each bed had a small footlocker, but he didn’t have time to search every one.

Orrin pulled up his [Map]. He tried to ignore the dashing colors and focus on the room he was in. Surely, they would have some protection for something so impor- Yes! There.

[Trap View] pinged off a table at the end of the room. He hadn’t even given the simple wooden circle a second look. Now he approached it carefully. Orrin crouched and found what he was looking for almost instantly.

Without knowing to look, he would have passed over the slight outcropping that was just a bit thicker than the rest of the table. He found the keyhole on the back of the small block and did the most expedient thing he could.

He slammed his sword down on the table right as hard as he could. The wood splintered and the box fell. Orrin cheered just as the box let off a click and several small darts sprang out in random directions.

[Side Steps] activated and Orrin’s leg moved an inch to the side.

Too close. Orrin stomped on the box until it broke and a small metal circle fell out. He picked it up and inspected it. Runes ran in small curls around the edge of the bracelet-like device. This has to be it.

Orrin ran back to the door and opened it slowly. Mira and Joyce looked at the invisible door opening and Mira waved.

He hurried back across to them. “I think I’ve got it,” he said, dropping his spell and holding the metal circle up.

“If you can [Teleport], break it and get Mira out,” Joyce said quickly. “Please!”

“I’m getting us all out of here,” Orrin responded and tried to bend the metal with his hands. It barely moved but small flecks started to appear in the runes. “This is strong.”

“Here, hit it with this,” Mira pulled a small hammer, not even a real weapon, out of her boot.

Orrin shook his head but took the tool. He placed it on the floor and brought down the hammer.

The circle bent at one end and the metal shimmered once before blackening. For good measure, Orrin hit it again and then snapped the circle open with his hands.

“Ok. Let’s get you out of here.” Orrin sheathed his sword and took a hand in each of his.

We did it, he thought as they teleported away.