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The Human From a Dungeon 79
🕑 Added 2024-11-25 11:29:17 +0000 UTCChapter 79
Nash Alta
Adventurer Level: 9
Orc - Nulevan
"Bored now," Tits said, grabbing Nick. "Let's go."
A whirlwind of darkness and light enveloped Nick and Tits. The maelstrom unleashed a volley of heat which burned my face, but it quickly collapsed in on itself with a cork-like pop. Yulk and I stared, stunned, at where they had just been standing. Mumuldobran and Algebrun let out a synchronous sigh.
"Well, I guess that settles the debate," Mumuldobran said.
"Where did they go?" I demanded.
"Probably close to the enemy encampment, but far enough away to escape notice," Algebrun replied. "I understand your fears, Nash, but rest assured, Tits will not allow Nick to perish."
"Whether or not Tits ALLOWS his death is not our concern," Yulk interjected, a measure of anger seeping into his voice. "Our concern is whether or not Tits can PREVENT his death."
"He's got you there, Algebrun," Mumuldobran chuckled.
"Tits will do everything in their power to prevent Nick's demise or injury," Algebrun said calmly. "Even if their power ultimately fails, we have other measures that can be taken."
Mumuldobran's uncharacteristically jolly face fell into an expression more suited to it.
"Do not make promises that you cannot keep, Algebrun," the King of Arch-Fae warned.
"I am fully willing to explore these measures if the need arises," Algebrun said. "The higher ones obviously have a vested interest here, and the court doesn't hold me in ill reg-"
"ENOUGH!"
Mumuldobran's shout echoed through the trees surrounding us. It stood and marched over to Algebrun until they were face to face. The two stared angrily at each other.
"What are these measures?" I asked once my ears stopped ringing.
"Not for you to know," Mumuldobran said coldly. "It is a secret that you must hope with all your might to never uncover."
"What? Wait, so if it's used on Nick, he'll uncover the secret?"
"What? No," Mumuldobran turned to me with a confused stare. "Mortals aren't capable of observing their surroundings when they're dead. To him, he'll die and then wake up. IF it's allowed."
"It will be allowed," Algebrun said with a serious tone.
"So you say, lesser one," Mumuldobran scoffed and retook its seat. "I have my doubts, and they are far more reasonable than your certainty. Oh, whatever. No use poking at theoretical wounds. Orcs, what are your plans?"
"Plans?" I asked.
"We haven't had a chance to make any," Yulk said with a dour chuckle.
"Fair enough. Algebrun can take you to wherever you want to go and have Nick meet up with you later. Or, you can aid us in our fight and we will reward you."
"Well, that's an easy decision," I replied. "Obviously we-"
"What reward are you offering?" Yulk interrupted.
I turned to him, stunned at his sudden callousness. He held up a hand to reassure me, and then I remembered who we were dealing with. A reward to one can be a punishment to another, and the fair folk are strange ones.
"Oh, good catch," Mumuldobran laughed. "If you had left the reward up to me, I don't know if I would have been able to resist the 'bag of bugs' prank. What would you consider a reasonable reward to be?"
"The aid of the fair folk who reside within the Deepwyld Forest in helping Nick return to his home seems reasonable," Yulk said, turning to me.
I nodded my assent.
"Our goal is to return him from whence he came as if he hadn't left at all, by the way," Yulk grinned as he turned back to Mumuldobran. "Can't have you giving us a way to get him back a few decades after he left or some other such twist of fate."
"Ah, well... I don't know if we'll actually be able to help, but I can assure you that we can certainly try," Mumuldobran nodded.
"The higher ones are offering the same reward to Nick for his compliance with their various... Suggestions," Algebrun added.
"Then they've likely arranged for this discussion, as well," Mumuldobran sighed. "Very well. I agree. If you aid us in this fight, we will do everything within our power to help Nick return to his... Point of origin? Home? Wherever the hells he was before he came here."
"Then it's settled," Yulk said. "Do we need to shake hands or sign something?"
"Nope, just go along with Algebrun and get equipped. I leave them to you," Mumuldobran nodded at Algebrun.
"Understood," Algebrun replied, moving between Yulk and I, placing a hand on each of our shoulders. "Prepare yourselves."
By the time I had registered what Algebrun was going to do, and long before I could have prepared myself, darkness settled over my vision and I once again felt an inexplicable pull. The feeling of Algebrun's hand faded for a moment and then returned, but the darkness remained. It took a moment to realize that I was clenching my eyelids. With a deep, calming breath I opened my eyes and took a look around.
"Interesting," Yulk said. "That wasn't as bad on an empty stomach."
"Yeah, poor Nick," I chuckled.
We had appeared in a clearing that was filled with fae, fairies, and every other variation of the fair folk that I could imagine. There were some that were familiar to me, like the bone and blood fae, and others whose natures I couldn't even begin to guess at. In the center of the clearing were several large trees that were rapidly sprouting massive blueish-green fruits.
One such fruit finished its growth and dropped to the ground, where waiting fairies began carving it into slices with remarkable expertise. The slices were further carved into a transparent square and handed off to a set of bone fae who were attaching handles to them. My jaw dropped as I realized that these were the shields that Nick was talking about, and the wylder had already made hundreds of them. Maybe even thousands.
Bushes surrounding the clearing were also rapidly growing their branches in an obvious spear shape. Wylder were harvesting these branches and passing them out. Algebrun patted Yulk and I on the shoulder and cleared its throat.
"Well, this is where we're equipping everyone," it said. "Get yourself a spear and shield, Nash."
"I prefer my axe or swords," I explained.
"I'm sure your skill with those weapons would serve you well in a one-on-one bout with a vampire or brood," Algebrun smiled condescendingly. "However, this is a full-scale battle and you are at just as much risk as we are. It would be best if you joined the shield line."
"And I will be right behind you," Yulk said cheerily. "Blasting all the vampires that you manage to stick."
Algebrun nodded at Yulk's enthusiasm, and before I could protest he gently guided us toward a line of wylder. They were grabbing one spear and one shield each and moving on. They moved aside as we approached, and Algebrun grabbed a shield and spear before turning back to me.
"Here you go, Nash. Try these on for size," it said, handing them to me.
I examined them, surprised at how light they were. What little experience I had with shields screamed at me that this one was far too light to be effective and that it wouldn't even be able to halt a swiftly thrown rock. It must have shown on my face, though, because Algebrun laughed.
"I assure you, it's quite sturdy. We've already replaced a decent portion of our front with them, and they're holding up nicely," it explained. "That being said, their lightness IS an issue. You won't be able to rely on the heft of the shield to keep the enemy from pushing you back. Instead, we've found success with digging the shield into the ground, where possible."
"Makes sense," I nodded. "Okay, I guess I can work with these."
"Excellent. Alright, this way."
We trailed after Algebrun as it led us away from the fae equivalent of an armory and toward another large group of wylder. I took in some of the sights as we walked, and almost immediately wished I hadn't. Under a copse were several wylder that were in various states of dismemberment.
Half a fairy fluttered around carrying leaves to a fae with nothing but a jaw for a face. I realized that this must be their medical tent, and a shudder crawled up my spine when I noticed how quiet it was. There wasn't a single member of the fair folk beneath that group of trees that shouldn't be in extreme pain, but some of them were actually LAUGHING.
"Don't let it get to you," Algebrun said, either reading my mind or expression. "Our physical forms are only a small part of our being, and we don't feel pain as you do. The injured and dead are the lucky ones, in this case. Those that were captured are bound in iron, which is one of the few things on the mortal plane that can cause us to experience actual physical pain."
"What are some other things?" Yulk asked.
I looked at my brother with an unimpressed expression. Surely he didn't actually believe that Algebrun would answer such a que-
"Truth be told, the world's heart contains a great many things that are hazardous to us. Silver, gold, platinum, and copper are the few metals that won't harm us. Aside from iron, the other metals you know of will hurt us but not kill us," it explained. "Then there's the metals you don't know of, which are just as hazardous to you as they are to us. There's other things as well, but that's a conversation for another time."
My shock at the explanation was short lived, as we then had to follow the arch-fae through a group of wylder. It was difficult, but eventually Algebrun came to a halt in front of a group of bone fae and we followed suit.
"Greeting, King Horth. I trust you're enjoying the fight?" Algebrun asked.
"Indeed," Horth said. "You bring me orcs? For what purpose, a snack? An addition to my collection? Both, perhaps?"
"You forgot us so quickly?" I asked with a laugh.
"Forgot you? When have we... Oh, right, Basinoth's axe," Horth laughed. "Which makes you Nash. And that is Yulk. Yes, yes, I recall. So not a snack, then."
"No, not a snack," Algebrun said. "They're to join you in combat on this day. Guide them well and enjoy yourself, for this may be the last fight we face against this foe."
"Truly? Shame. They're quite strong. Basinoth fell, by the way."
"I know. They'll be back, though."
"Yeah, sadly."
"The King of Blood Fae fell? How?" Yulk asked.
"How did the King of BLOOD Fae fall against a horde of vampire brood?" Horth laughed heartily. "How do you think? They swarmed over Basinoth like a buffet! It was hilarious! I'm never gonna let 'em live it down."
"Oh... Oh dear..."
"Right, well, I leave them in your care," Algebrun said. "I hope to see you again soon, Alta brothers."
We said goodbye to Algebrun, who surprisingly departed on foot instead of through some kind of trans-dimensional portal or whatever, and listened to Horth discuss strategy with some of the other bone fae. Thankfully, there wasn't much to discuss, and soon we formed up and began to march through the forest. I found myself at the front of the formation, with Yulk just behind me. We marched for a while in silence before I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Are you nervous?" Yulk asked.
"A little. You?"
"Nope. I've got you with a big shield in front of me, and all I have to do is cast fireball a few times," he chuckled.
"Lucky you," I said sarcastically.
The march continued until we cleared the trees.
"FORM THE LINE!"
The bone fae next to me halted and I followed suit. The rest of the bone fae in the rear of the formation came forward and stood next to us. With a hint of jealousy, I noted that their spears were way cooler than mine. I glanced back and saw that there were plenty of fae and fairies accompanying Yulk, too. We wouldn't be wanting for firepower, that's for sure.
"MARCH!"
We continued onward until we saw the first signs of battle. Smoke clung to the air, stinging my eyes and throat. A fae standing on a fallen tree noticed us and shouted something, and a bunch of wylder began to run in our direction.
"OPEN RANKS! LET 'EM THROUGH!"
The formation opened up, allowing the fleeing wylder to pass by us without issue. Hot on their heels were a horde of vampire brood. I took a deep breath and steeled myself.
"CLOSE RANKS!"
Our formation closed just before the brood hit us. Remembering Algebrun's advice, I dug my shield into the ground and pushed with all my might. I struggled for a moment, then remembered my spear. I pulled back then thrust the spear forward, and feeling it hit home.
Claws and teeth scraped and gnashed at my shield. The brood pinned against my shield by its comrades was as hideous as it was livid. It had no nose, ears, or eyelids and its gnashing jaws contained sharpened teeth in a proper line like an elf's.
The bones of its fingers and toes were exposed, with the ends of each tapering off into claws. The creature's muscles twitched out of sync with its movements. Piercing red eyes met my own with pure, unadulterated rage as it struggled to find a way through my shield.
Fireballs flew over our shields, slamming into the brood and igniting them. Some of them fled, but others were impaled and couldn't escape so easily. The brood my spear had found screeched and jerked erratically as it tried to free itself from the flames. Once it stopped moving, I pulled the spear free.
The remaining brood had backed up a ways and took a moment to gather themselves. Then, they attacked again, much to the same result. I stabbed but didn't feel anything, so I tried again and again until I got one. More fireballs flew, more brood ignited, and the brood gave ground once again.
"FORWARD! DON'T LET THEM REST!"
We lifted our shields from the ground and stepped over the still burning corpses of the brood to go after their comrades. The brood looked nervous, but before they could flee they were pushed aside by drow. The drow began to charge at us, and it wasn't until they opened their mouths that I realized they were vampires.
"HOLD!"
Our shields slammed into the ground again and I prepared to thrust my spear home. Then, the drow stopped moving and appeared stupefied. Seeing this, the brood panicked and ran in the opposite direction.
"What? Already?" Yulk asked.
Comments
Matthew Brown
ahhhh, now I have to wait again!
Ben Bass
TYFTC! I am glad to hear you are feeling better! I really like how Yulk and Nash are able to work with the Fae here, it is impressive how the shiled line is changing how the war is being fought. Now what has terrified the vampires and the Brood?
David Ellis
"What? Already?" Yulk asked. Three cheers for improving health! And another cheer for early posts!
ItsDirector
My health has improved :) Thank you all for your well wishes. Early post today cuz insomnia lol
