Denizens of the Labyrinth

Jazmel, Sadé and Bannerman had crossed the desert after nine full days, it would have been ten. But the gate was at the bottom of a dune, they literally slid down and then fell through into the next floor. Immediately grateful to be out of the blaring heat of the sun. they stored all the attire from the desert. Not for the first or second time, Jazmel realised he needed to buy some clothes on his next time in a town. This gate had opened into a darkened cavern, cold and lifeless. Immediately Jazmel’s eyes flashed and the Mana around him felt murky like the taint from the wolves. But a little different at the same time.

“Let’s get out of here immediately.” Sadé said and Jazmel agreed. Bannerman took point, his eyes, and senses better, even then Jazmel’s Mana eyes. Skittering whistled through the tunnel they were moving through.

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Bannerman said, sharing the thoughts of everyone else. They hurried now and following Bannerman he led them through an array of tunnels. It was not long before they had reached a higher connection of tunnels, but Bannerman led them deeper still. Lower and deeper to where the tunnels were wider and colder. Descending under the world. Jazmel ran with his sword in his belt. Majime was sheathed but he clutched it at the ready. Something told him he would be fighting, what it would be, was still a mystery. But Jazmel could feel the pressure of this floor. Something dark was harbouring here.

The skittering was heard again, and this time Bannerman stopped. Crouching.

“It is spiders.” He told them both and Sadé shivered. They looked at her and she huffed.

“I don’t like spiders, which is perfectly normal for anyone.” She said and Jazmel ducked his head to hide his smile, but Bannerman just stared at her shocked. Jazmel had not seen a spider in the labyrinth before. But the way Bannerman and Sadé were reacting, told him everything he needed to know.

“There are many, they are weak. But they can overwhelm. So, strike and strike fast to reduce their chances.” Bannerman warned.

“They are extremely flammable; I will use fire to burn the bodies and the webs.” Sadé explained and Jazmel merely nodded, he held a sword and that was enough for him.

Bannerman grunted and then after a breath darted out, Mana claws created and slashing the spiders. These were not what Jazmel was expecting, they were massive! The spiders were the size of goats, and their thick hairs were protruding all along their legs.

When Bannerman struck, they hissed and chittered with their fangs amongst themselves before quickly rushing. Jazmel was there, striking with his sword. They were cut to pieces immediately but there was no respite. For as soon as one fell, three returned. They were in a nest.

Foxfire!

Sadé said and blue orbs of flames hurtled past Bannerman and Jazmel hitting spiders crawling down the walls and descending on web strands. They burned brightly and created light in the dark tunnels. Jazmel went to work, cutting and slicing any that neared him. Bannerman was slashing and crushing any that neared him. His claws deadly and his power imbued with his own Mana.

The spiders died quickly, and Jazmel realised they had killed around thirty.

“This is a nest.” Bannerman said.

“Wherever there is a nest there is a queen.” Sadé said. Jazmel merely sighed.

“We keep going.” He said and Bannerman did that, leading from the front again. Jazmel felt the system ping and yet he did not check it, it was too dangerous right now.

He did let his shadow consume the spiders that were not too severely burnt. The shadow hummed but he could tell it did not like the spiders. It did not feel happy like when it fed on the wolves.

They continued to head deeper, and some spiders rushed them, and they killed them. Sometimes they let them pass without a fight. This happened a few times before they came to the largest tunnel ever. It was so big that Jazmel had to use his Mana eyes to see the top of the ceiling. This was an entrance and Jazmel shuddered, shivering wondering if this was the way to the spider queen.

As if on que.

DING

…

NEW QUEST

…

DEFEAT THE ORBWEAVER QUEEN!

The system sung into his mind, and he kissed his teeth, Bannerman snarled. Sadé sighed and Jazmel knew they all heard the same thing.

“Let’s get ourselves a queen.” Bannerman huffed and Jazmel followed him, sword raised. the cavern was huge. Bigger than any space that Jazmel had been before. The ceiling was riddled with web like a grotesque chandelier and Jazmel shuddered at the thought of what made that.

A screech rocked the room and Jazmel readied himself. A small figure came running into the room with a chain in one hand. She threw it and lodged it into a wall high above her and used it to swing out of reach of a giant spider leg. While it was a leg, it really looked like a black scythe the carapace of the spider was ink black and not for the first time, Jazmel shuddered.

The Orbweaver queen was bigger than Jazmel had expected or assumed. Her bulbous body was held up by sturdy legs. But it swayed on them as she swung her eye riddled head as she tried to catch the person.

Jazmel realised it was a woman, trying her best not to die under the legs of the queen.

“Let’s go!” Jazmel shouted and Bannerman and he ran forward while Sadé followed. The woman saw him and using her chain again, she swung herself to land beside Bannerman.

“We need to take out its eyes. I took two already, that is why she is so in love with me.” The woman said and Jazmel was in awe of the joke she made as she was facing death.

“Well let me go and see if she can love others.” Bannerman said, with a growl and springing off, he ran on all fours like he did, bouncing off broken rocks and other pieces in the craggy cavern.

“What is he a dog?” the woman asked and laughing she threw her chain into the wall again and swung before flipping in the air and swinging it again to try and land atop the queen. The queen was watching her, and Jazmel could see it was going to try and bite her straight out of the air.

Flight of the blue kite!

He uttered and with a slash, filled with Mana. A blue hawk flew directly into the awning mouth of the queen. She roared in pain and swung her head down to see Jazmel. “Don’t just stand there, run!!” the girl said, she had landed on the head and with a boot knife, she was stabbing at the eyes while she could. The queen did not get to attack Jazmel as she now was trying to shake off both Bannerman and the woman with the chain as they attacked her eyes.

“Move!” Sadé shouted and Bannerman and their new friend, both jumped out of the way. A huge fireball of blue flame hit the queen. Her face and mouth scorched. She roared and cried in pain and Jazmel was the first to hear them.

“She has called for reinforcements!!” he bellowed as loud above her own screams as he could, and as sure as he was. Many spiders crawled into the cavern to rescue their queen.

Slash!

“Kill her and kill them!” Jazmel shouted, Bannerman leapt into the air and forming a mighty wolf’s head. He hit the spider queen in the face with full force. She fell and her front legs buckled beneath his force. She went to stab him through the back, but Jazmel was there, both swords in hand now. He deflected two legs and parried another. Just in time to see the woman hanging from the ceiling and dropping from it.

Chain drop.

She shouted and her chain grew red with heat as she hurtled and slammed into the head of the queen. Spiders rushed them but Jazmel struck first. Cutting and slicing them with both katanas in his hand. He was moving smoothly and in unison, stopping at nothing to diminish the threat to his friends. The spiders began to fear him and then he willed his shadow wraith to consume them all. Hands pulled them down into the shadows and he felt its energy grow.

LEVEL UP

LEVEL UP

The shadow had grown in levels again.

The queen was hurt badly. She crooned now and yet no more spiders came. They had decimated them, killing as many as they could. Jazmel could tell Sadé had killed a great deal more than any. Her hands were shaking from Mana deficiency, and she was struggling now, withstanding up on her own. Jazmel lent her his shoulder, handing her a Mana potion. He let her drink it while she rested.

“Well thanks for helping. It was fun was not it.” The woman said and now that they were close Jazmel could tell she was a human, petite and nimble but human still.

“Thanks for the support.” She said and she made her way to a webbed bundle that had been propped up away from the others.

Using her knife and a flint piece. She burned the webs away and an unconscious man fell out of the bundle. She fed him a health potion and though a little colour came to his face, he was still hurt.

He rose up, without noticing the others he used the woman’s shoulders as a crutch and he stumbled over to the queen, without a word. He formed a Mana sword in his free hand and stabbed deep into her skull. She crooned quietly before dying and they all sighed with exhaustion.

“Thanks…” the woman said but was stopped by Bannerman when another group of Seekers entered the room. Jazmel stiffened and he felt Sadé stiffen beside him. She had drunk a Mana potion, a stamina and health one. She was waiting for them to kick in but when she saw this second group she stood, ready for anything.

“Katie! You survived!!” the lead man shouted.

The girl growled as if she was going to attack, but the man leaning on her. Held her back and the leader smiled at him too.

“Patton, I see the poison has not killed you. We went to get help.” He explained.

“You woke the queen and ran off, leaving us to die!” the man growled, and Jazmel and Bannerman slowly stood off to the side, trying to make themselves not seen but ready to react or act, if needed.

“I heard that the Orbweaver queen drops lots of good things. Want to share them with your party?” the man said, and Jazmel could tell, this was not an offer at all.

“Go to tell Finn.” The man who Jazmel now knew was called Patton.

“So be it then, we will take it and everything you have.” He rushed them both but not before he was struck in the face by Bannerman. An archer was aiming at Bannerman, but Jazmel took his bow, cutting it in half and then took his hand too. The archer screamed out and before he could do anything. Sadé stabbed him in the chest with her own sword. Jazmel leapt in the air and with no delay struck again.

Flight of the blue kite!

The Mana bird at the tip of his sword, soared into the back of the man called Finn and drove him to his knees. The girl called Katie struck him cold in the face and the man Patton drove his sword deep into the stomach of the man. The Mana sword flickered but stayed translucent and pure.

“Never leave your team.” Patton whispered into the ear of the other man. A girl who had not reacted at all stood off to the side, and when she saw she was alone. She cried, begging for safety.

Katie slapped her and she whimpered, now quiet.

“Thanks for the save there, we didn’t think we would survive that.” The man called Patton said. He offered his hand and shook Jazmel, Bannerman and Sadé’s hands. Katie merely saluted them, Jazmel snickered at her personality.

“You guys are cool.” She said and that was it.

“What will you do now?” Patton asked.

“We keep going, we collect our rewards, and we keep going.” Jazmel explained and Patton nodded.

“Can we tag along? I am in a bad way, and I do not think I can protect myself or Katie for now.” He asked.

“Sadé what do you think?” Jazmel asked.

“Katie is good in a fight; I don’t know about you yet.” She said and Bannerman laughed at that.

“He is stronger than me!” Katie said and Patton merely rubbed her back affectionately.

“I will earn my keep. But I promise, it is too hard to cross these gates without a party.” He offered and Jazmel nodded.

“No wolf leaves an injured wolf alone.” Bannerman offered and Jazmel nodded.

“Welcome to the pack.” He smiled and Patton smiled back.

They did the hands atop one another thing again and the system hummed.

PARTY MEMBERS INCREASED

5/5

EXP REWARDS GIVEN

The system had given them rewards for filling their party. But Jazmel was not shocked.

“Collect all you can from the Orbweavers. They sell for a pretty penny almost everywhere.” Patton told them and this led to the group beginning to pick through the corpses for whatever they could find.

15X ORBWEAVER WEB GLANDS

7X ORBWEAVER CARAPACE

4X ORBWEAVER POISON FANG

1X ORBWEAVER QUEEN CARAPACE

Jazmel took his fill and wondered what he could get for selling these items.

When the corpses were picked clean, and the group were ready to move on. Jazmel hesitated before asking.

“Nobody wants anything else right?” the group shook their heads and shrugged.

He willed the shadow wraith to consume, and his shadow span out startling everyone. The spiders were pulled in and even a huge leg of the Orbweaver queen was pulled into the recesses of his shadow.

The girl who was still alive screamed and Katie pulled her to stand next to her.

When the shadow had eaten its fill. It slipped back to normal, and they all looked at Jazmel questioningly.

“I will explain when we are out of here.” Jazmel said and the group simply agreed to wait.

They left the spiders nest, the Orbweaver queen’s corpse had broken down the wall into another cavern and this cavern was where the gate was. They went in. one by one, and Jazmel was the last in.

He chose now to check his stats and rewards.

DING!

The system status board opened in front of his eyes.

Name: Jazmel

Level: 14

Species: Human

Rank: Seeker

Health: 190/220

Stamina: 225/225

Mana: 267/267

STR:20 PER:21

VIT:24 END:19

INT:22 WIL:23

AGL:21 DEX:22

Skills:

Sword sense (tier I)

Slash (tier I)

Flight of the Blue kite (tier I)

EMPTY SLOT

Title(s):

FIEND SLAYER

EMPTY SLOT

Unused Stat points: 5

250X GOLD COINS

STORAGE SPACE:

10X WOLF LEATHER

15X WOLF FANGS

15X ORBWEAVER WEB GLANDS

7X ORBWEAVER CARAPACE

4X ORBWEAVER POISON FANG

1X ORBWEAVER QUEEN CARAPACE

ATTACHMENT(S):

SHADOW WRAITH LVL 7

NO SKILLS

PARTY:

5/5

He had levelled up well, in one more level he would need to do his tier tribulation. He would ask Sadé about it when he they exited the gate.

He used his 5 stat points and raised his vitality. His health rose with it, and he smiled to himself. Exiting the gate, he needed to prepare.