Soul of the Warrior

Chapter 98: Sticky Situation

Reivyn sat up, stretching the kinks out of his body. His head was still fuzzy with sleep as he looked around. He didn't remember where he was, and he couldn't see anything but darkness. He rubbed his eyes to try and clear them, but he still couldn't see.

Have I gone blind? He thought with momentary panic. Oh, wait. I'm in some pitch-black Dungeon in a cave. The panic went away before it could fully manifest, but he still wasn't completely calm from the memory.

Wait a second... I thought Dungeons had ambient lighting to them? Maybe this is a gimmick to this one? Or do they not all have it? Reivyn shook his head. He didn't know the answer, and it didn't really matter.

He summoned a Light Ball in his hand, and he anchored it to float above his head. It didn't make sense for his source of light to be in his field of vision. He didn't want the very tool he used to see to give him a blind spot.

Reivyn tidied up his belongings and headed toward the Dungeon exit that he could perceive existed in the alcove. He walked up to the exit and paused, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. He didn't know what was on the other side, and this would be his first time in a potentially dangerous environment completely alone.

He went to take a step forward, and his Danger Sense exploded. His step stuttered as he hastily drew himself back. He considered the exit for a moment, trying to figure out how to proceed. He glanced up at the Light Ball floating above him.

Hmm, that's a lighthouse pointing straight to me. Probably not a good idea to walk around with a giant "here I am" indicator right above my head.

Reivyn dismissed the Light Ball, and he instead infused the Light Affinity into his eyes. The color faded into varying shades of gray, but he could still see. He made to take another step, but his Danger Sense still screamed at him not to leave the Dungeon.

He frowned as he considered the situation. He dismissed channeling any Mana at all and attempted to leave the Dungeon. His Danger Sense was quiet.

Seems like there's something out there that can detect Mana, even if it's infused within myself, Reivyn speculated. That means I'll also likely have to Sneak around and be as quiet as possible. If my Danger Sense warns me that just alerting whatever is out there is dangerous, it's most likely not a good idea to engage.

Without being able to see anything this time, Reivyn crouched down, sticking his hand against the wall as a guide, and stepped through the exit to the outside world. It was still completely pitch black, but he could notice a shift in the air. It was kind of stale, now that he noticed, in the Dungeon room, but it was cool with a breeze circulating the area.

If there's a breeze in the cave, then there must be an exit.

Reivyn squinted his eyes, trying to see as hard as he possibly could, but so far to no avail. He followed his left hand in the direction of the breeze, keeping to the wall. He made his way through the darkness for several seconds before the breeze suddenly cut off.

The cave grew unnaturally quiet once the breeze stopped, and Reivyn froze in place, afraid he would make too much noise. He just hoped that the breeze wouldn't be absent for too long. After another several seconds, though, the breeze picked back up, though in the opposite direction. A fetid stink accompanied the breeze this time, and Reivyn had to muster all of his self-control to not cough in disgust.

Reivyn was confused about the change in wind direction, but his hand was on the left-side wall, and he had already chosen a direction, so he kept moving the same way. The wall fell off to his left, and he could sense another Dungeon entrance a few feet away.

So I was right, this is a boss Dungeon, Reivyn confirmed. The only question now is if the first spider was the beginning, middle, or end boss.

Reivyn took a few more steps forward until the wall continued, and he moved forward once more. He encountered three more such Dungeon entrances as he traversed the dark cave. He could barely perceive the wall falling away on the last Dungeon, and a Notification popped up as a reward.

New Skill Unlocked!

Tier 3:

Night Vision (0 ->1)

The cave opened up before his eyes, just a little bit, after getting the Notification.

Just on the other side of the last Dungeon room, a giant pillar with spikes sticking out of it rose into the air. Reivyn followed the pillar up and up and up into the giant open area that he could now barely make out, and he noticed that the pillar had a curve to it. His vision continued to follow the curving pillar until it joined a huge, central shape far above. He couldn't make out the shape, just that it was there, and that there were several other such pillars also in the same area.

Reivyn mentally shrugged as he continued on his way. There were no longer any Dungeon rooms to his left as he moved on.

Judging by the position of that first boss room, it's either the first or the last. There might be more rooms on the other side, though, so I still don't know.

Reivyn wasn't obsessed with figuring it out, but it would help him gauge the Tier of the Region he was in if he could confirm it. He wasn't about to go delving into other Dungeon rooms in his current circumstances, though, so guesses would have to suffice for now. Trying to determine the Tier based on the Mana Density was just as much guesswork, as the areas around Dungeons were not the same as the rest of the Regions. The Mana density here, though, is quite large, so it's definitely higher than a Tier 1 Region.

The wind continued to blow against him, filling his senses with the horrific smell, as he made his way through the cave. After another minute or so, the wind once more ceased. Reivyn stood in place again to wait for the breeze to return. The direction shifted once more, and the stink accompanying it was gone.

Reivyn had no idea what was going on, but he trusted his instincts and continued to move at a steady, sneaky pace, only moving when the wind blew and made noise to cover up any slip-ups he might have from his relatively low Skill Levels.

He passed by three more of the spiked pillars, moving in a curved manner around the cavern that was apparently a large circle. He eventually reached another, larger pathway leaving the circular room, and it sloped upwards. Reivyn was relieved to find that there was, actually, an apparent exit away from this area, and he was happy to see that it led upward, and not further into the cave system.

The pathway was fairly spacious, from the shadows that he could see, but it was still just a tunnel. He guessed that it was about half the width of the main thoroughfare in The Capital, and it continued the same curve as it traveled upwards, just at an expanded radius.

He traveled the path, slowly but surely, until the wall separating the path he was on from the central room fell away. He found himself on an open platform overlooking the space he had just come from. He still couldn't make out the full shape of the structure with the spiked pillars. The central portion they connected to was still too far above him.

He continued on his way, and he once more was blocked from the central area by the walls of the cave.

The path continued in this manner for well over an hour. It wasn't nearly as far as the time would make it seem, though, as Reivyn never once relaxed his movements. He only moved when there was wind, and he remained crouched, sneaking along as best he could.

Finally, the walls fell away one last time as the pathway deviated away from the spiral. He had lost count of how many times he had completed a full circle, but he didn't care as long as he could get away from the place that gave him the Sense of Danger.

Reivyn took one final peek over the edge before heading away, and he once more froze in place. His heart thundered in his chest and he nearly gasped as he finally made out the shape now that he was peering down at it instead of from below.

The spiked pillars were the legs of a giant spider, many, many times larger than any living thing he had ever encountered before. Reivyn's eyes were wide with terror as he gazed upon the monster. It appeared to be sleeping or at least sitting very still. He could also finally make out what the wind was.

It was coming from the spider breathing.

That would explain the stink every other time, Reivyn thought. The idle thought brought him out of his fear-induced trance. If I had exited the Dungeon with either the Light Ball or Mana being channeled, and that thing noticed me, I wouldn't have even been a snack to it. There's no telling what Tier it is, but it's definitely higher than anything I can handle.

Reivyn turned on his heels and made his way along the path once more, away from the giant death-beast. He maintained his rationality, though, and kept moving at a slow, silent pace. He was, in fact, even more deliberate in making sure he didn't make any noise.

The pathway continued to move ever upward, and the wind kept its steady cadence. The only difference that Reivyn noticed was occasional pock marks on the walls of the path on every side. Little holes lined the way forward every ten or so yards like a wind-chime, though these ones weren't complete holes, so they didn't create any noise. They were positioned up, down, and all around.

Skill Leveled Up!

Tier 3:

Night Vision (1 ->2)

The path and the surrounding walls became marginally brighter to Reivyn's vision, and he peered into one of the holes as he passed by. Reivyn didn't freeze this time, though he did feel a sharp, cold spike travel down his spine as his eyes locked with eight more on a much smaller spider hunkered down in the hole.

Smaller relative to the giant monster. It was still slightly larger than the boss monster Reivyn had fought. He looked around, extrapolating based on the number of holes he could perceive, the distance between them, and the distance he still probably had to go to get away from this nest.

There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of spiders down here, Reivyn realized. Even if this is the only tunnel leading away from here, and based on the way the cave is set up, it might not be.

If Dungeons are a snapshot in time, then it's possible the boss spider I fought could have been the giant spider thousands of years ago, or one just like it. It had a sac of hundreds of palm-sized spiders in that room, too. If that's the case, then are there other snapshots of the same spider as it grew in size and Level?

Reivyn threw the distracting thoughts to the back of his mind. Ruminating on the possibilities wouldn't help him. The spider that made eye contact with him apparently couldn't actually see, as the tunnel was still pitch black. Reivyn guessed that the spiders had adapted in such a way that their sight wasn't their main way of viewing the world. The Danger Sense from exiting while channeling Mana came to mind.

Another Notification popped up as Reivyn deliberately picked up and set his feet down, trying to make as little noise or indication of his presence at all.

New Skill Unlocked!

Tier 2:

Silent Step (0 ->1)

Reivyn was moving so slowly and deliberately that he didn't notice any change, but he could guess that he would make less noise if he picked up the pace. Now was not a good time to try it out, though.

It took two hours for Reivyn to practically crawl his way to the end of the tunnel where there was another change. His body was aching, and sweat covered his entire body despite there being very little heat. His nerves were shot, and his mind struggled to stay focused.

The holes containing spiders finally stopped appearing, and the tunnel exited into another cave. Reivyn didn't stop right at the exit, though, and he kept moving further in.

He could see stalactites and stalagmites peppering the new room he was in, and he could see the wavering light of some sort reflecting off of one in the far distance. He looked up and all around at every place he could think to search for a lurking enemy, but he found nothing.

He finally collapsed in a heap, on the other side of a stalagmite further into the cave, but still far enough away from the light source in order to not alert whatever that could be.

He rested for close to half an hour, recovering his nerves and eating his last ration for energy to tackle whatever the next challenge would be.

  Now is a good as time as any to check out my Bloodline and see what changed, Reivyn thought as he rested. I was too eager to get started earlier, that I completely forgot to pull it up. And then it definitely wasn't safe to try and do so while on the move. He pulled the Stats part of his Status Page up.

Health: 4,860/4,860 (+310) Stamina: 9,330/9,330 (+410) Mana: 4,580/4,580 (+50) Physical Stats Mental Stats STR: 447 (+10) INT: 455 (+4) VIT: 486 (+31) MAG: 461 (+6) DEX: 447 (+10) CLA: 400 (+1) CHA: 139 (+1) PER: 404 (+1) LUK: 138 (+1) Bloodline: Lvl 1 Unknown 98,913/10,000,000,000  

Experience: 7,919/8,000

No difference? Reivyn frowned at the numbers. There hadn't been any change in his Stats at all. And ten billion Experience to Level it up to the next threshold?! That's ridiculous!

I should now have unlocked the Stat gains per Level associated with a Bloodline, at least, but I won't know until I actually Level up. No telling how long that will be. My plans for forcing a Tier 3 Class transition might be totally screwed up at this point.

Reivyn would have to worry about the implications of his situation regarding his Bloodline and future course of actions after he had gotten into a relatively safer location.

Reivyn once more tidied up and psyched himself to keep going. He resumed his sneaking gait and wandered off to the side of the new cave to explore what could be away from both tunnels. He checked both sides, but there were only two ways to progress or retreat.

He made his way toward the light source to investigate what it could be. He approached another stalagmite and peered around the side of it.

On the other side, a couple of lit torches were attached to the wall, bracketing another tunnel. Two humanoid figures stood in front of the torches. The flickering light put them on display for Reivyn, and he frowned as he gazed at them.

They stood tall, almost as tall as Reivyn, and they were equipped with armor and spears. They were scaled with snouts and tails, though, confirming to Reivyn that they weren't human and possibly another source of threat.

They're some sort of lizard people, Reivyn observed. And they're standing to either side of the only exit. There's zero chance I can sneak by these guys. Teilon might have been able to do so with his Class Skills and higher Skill Levels in Sneaking, but I don't have that option. High diddle-diddle, straight up the middle is the only way.

A strange turn of phrase flitted across his mind, but Reivyn wasn't in any condition to ponder over it. He knew it was most likely a remnant of his dreams.

While Reivyn was considering the lizard people, one of them turned to the other and squeaked something out. The other one replied, and they both turned to face in the general direction that Reivyn was. They extended their snouts, long tongues flicking out.

If they're anything like snakes, then they've probably caught my scent, Reivyn thought with dismay. I guess we're about to find out if they're friendly or not.

One of the lizard people abandoned his position, grabbing the torch from behind while he was at it, and made its way over toward where Reivyn was hunkered down. It walked forward cautiously, and Reivyn had a decision to make.

He could either keep trying to hide, playing cat and mouse. That wouldn't work out in the end as long as the other lizard person stayed where he was.

He could pull out his weapons and assume a ready stance, but that might give the wrong impression if the lizard people weren't inherently hostile.

Or he could stand up and greet them with as friendly a demeanor as possible. That last option was definitely the riskiest one, and Reivyn immediately dismissed it.

Instead, he opted for a compromise. He kept his stance at the ready, and he equipped his shield without drawing his sword right away.

The lizard person inevitably made its way far enough that the light of the torch exposed Reivyn in his hiding spot, and the creature squeaked loudly in surprise. The other humanoid gave a sharp squeak in response, and Reivyn was slightly amused to see the one that had found him slam his mouth shut and cover it with a clawed hand, propping its spear up on its shoulder to free his hand while holding the torch with the other.

All three of them stood in silence for a moment. Reivyn stared at the first lizard person, who stared back at him while maintaining his stance of holding his mouth but otherwise seemed to stare beyond Reivyn. The second lizard person pulled out a contraption that Reivyn recognized as some sort of bell as he waited in silence.

The cave was silent, so Reivyn's Senses were able to pick up the noise before the lizard person in front of him. A skittering sound and hissing reached his ears from behind where he had come from.

Oh, no... Reivyn's eyes went wide and he hopped forward toward the lizard person. The creature in front of him hadn't yet heard the noise, and he misinterpreted the action. It squeaked once more and thrust its spear at Reivyn. Reivyn pulled his shield up and deflected the strike, running past the bipedal lizard while pulling out his sword.

He turned to keep facing the lizard that now had its back to where Reivyn had come from. The light of the torch illuminated its face and body as it continued to squeak at Reivyn, hopping on either foot in agitation. The light didn't extend very far, and it interfered with Reivyn's new Night Vision, blinding him from the approaching monsters.

"Spiders!" Reivyn shouted at the lizard to no avail. It didn't understand him, and it thrust its spear at him once more. Reivyn easily deflected the strike, but he remained where he was this time. He didn't retaliate against the second strike, and he noticed the second lizard person approaching him now that he was out in the open for the both of them to see.

Suddenly, a person-sized spider skittered into the light of the torch, and Reivyn desperately pointed at it, behind the lizard person still wielding its spear at Reivyn. It didn't pay attention to the motion from Reivyn, but the other lizard person saw it.

The spider pounced on the lizard person, and Reivyn heard and witnessed the disgusting scene of the spider biting through the lizard man's head. The lizard collapsed, dropping the torch, and the spider latched onto it, dragging it back and away into the darkness. The second lizard man started shrieking in panic as it rang the bell in its hand. The bell didn't seem like anything great, but the sound penetrated throughout the cavern. Reivyn could tell that it traveled quite a distance.

More spiders made their way into the light, coming toward Reivyn and the lizard man. The two humanoids looked at each other and sprinted toward the tunnel entrance to keep themselves from being surrounded.

Reivyn and the lizard man stood shoulder to shoulder as they occupied the tunnel entrance. A horde of spiders came sprinting at them. More spiders dropped to the ground from the ceiling as they swarmed forward.

The two engaged in fierce combat, warding off strikes from metallic legs and evading thrusts of the spiders too eager to take a bite. The lizard person wasn't as skilled as Reivyn, and his armor wasn't as good as Reivyn's magical Dungeon gear. He accumulated nicks and cuts on his arms and legs as he attempted to fend the spiders off until he eventually slowed from the blood loss to be caught by one of the monsters and dragged off into the darkness.

Reivyn backed up in the tunnel, activating the Spells and Skills he had used against the boss as he steadied himself on the ground as he fought off the spiders with his fire sword.

He fought a retreating battle, occasionally killing an eager spider, but mostly fending them off to avoid the same fate as the two lizard folk. Luckily, the tunnel wasn't as tall as the one the spiders had resided in, and they couldn't overwhelm him by traversing the ceiling. He was also extremely lucky that they didn't seem to use their spinnerets at all, and they simply tried to physically hunt him. His fire would have made it a moot point, but it was one less thing to worry about.

A loud shriek entered Reivyn's ears, coming from behind, and he took the chance to sneak a peek behind him. A stream of spear-armed lizard people came storming down the tunnel, torches flickering to light their way. The front lizard folk gazed at him with hostility as they charged down the tunnel.

Reivyn was confused for just a moment at the looks he received from the other lizard people, but then he remembered that he was the only other person down here fighting off the spiders. They didn't know what had happened to their compatriots.

Oh boy...