Haeros Dungeon - Chapter 40 preview (Patreon)

I hate it when I’m right. At least, when I’m being my cynical best and am right.

The ranged fighter with the ambiguous skill snuck up on the watering hole in the twilight hours of the day, that time when the crystals above dimmed and eyes strained to see, even as complete darkness and the flowering glow mosses that lit up the evening failed to show up.

Not that there were much of those, not on these levels, not with the tarzaks around. Damn creatures ate everything including the mosses and the crystals, if they couldn’t find anything else.

In the twilight, the shimmering, twisting form of the ranged fighter was almost impossible to spot. I would never have seen him at all if not for the fact that he left a clear trail of footprints behind.

Silly, to forget something like that, but I don’t think he expected to be watched from above.

The fire I had started and the propped-up cloak I used to play me would not have fooled anyone who got too close or even at a distance in proper daylight. In the dungeon gloom and half shadows when I had set up the body, it was convincing enough.

For all that they were trying to kill me, I had to give it to the kid. He had enough patience to wait and watch for a while before waving the rest of his team forward. Once they closed in on one another, they leaned in and started whispering.

Another amateur move, the whispering. Whispers carried further than just talking softly, but I wasn’t going to tell them.

“Told you he was a loner,” Elois said.

“I said you probably were right, I just wanted to check.” Scar Cheek muttered.

“So, we going to do it?”

“Of course. Did you see what he had? We could sell his equipment for quite a few orbs.”

“I don’t know. He was pretty good…” Frik said hesitantly.

“He punches things. We can just kill him at range.” A bow was raised, the nocked shard arrow waving, only for Elois to shove it down and hiss.

“Idiot! Your arrows will destroy his equipment. No, we kill him normally.”

They argued a little more before a plan of action was put into place. Once I was clear what they were up to, I slipped down the half-hoodoo I had climbed on carefully, making sure I made no noise. Knowing that it would take time for them to get into position.

The girl was the one who took on the kill, the two ranged fighters spreading out to ensure they had good angles for cover. Frik stayed back, his skill covering Elois, and watched just in case my “party” actually did arrive, though he was paying attention to the fight more than their rear.

Good call, overall and a decent plan.

Too bad it also meant that they were split up, making them easy pickings for me. I would have felt bad for them, except the group were here to kill me, so yeah, no. With their focus entirely on the unmoving figuring of “me,” the cloak occasionally billowing up and shifting thanks to being close to the fire and a little dug up wind tunnel, it looked to be somewhat human.

Didn’t think it would last forever, so I made sure to close in on my target as far as I reasonably could, matching my movements to Elois. When she triggered her skill, skimming over the ground, I moved forwards as fast as I could.

She passed across behind my figure, coming in on a sideways angle and dodging the big rock that was in the way, slamming into the boulder and cloak. She cried out in pain as the swinging weapons and her body jerked to a stop, one sword chipping heavily as it struck stone. The next surprise triggered almost immediately, as the curshavy vines that she had skimmed over in her attack wrapped around her legs, tugging her in.

Frik grunted, as the transfer of energy struck at him, but it did little to stop the creature. It kept pulling on her legs, tugging one foot out from underneath her and then wrapping tendrils around the arm she utilized to break her fall.

Bad training, to use her arms like that. Could have broken her elbow or dislocated a shoulder, but she had bigger problems to concern herself about as she was tugged into the shadows, Frik letting out shouts of warning.

My target was smart and fast; he was already turning when he realized what had happened. As though sensing me. I still managed to reach him in time and put my gauntleted, spiked fist into his face, killing him immediately and letting him crash to the ground.

It was only as I was racing away that I realized how lucky I had been, since he’d fallen on the other side and not onto the quiver full of explosive shard arrows. If he had landed on that, it could have been the end of me. I bound across the space and an arrow glided past my face, the hiss and snap of the fading projectile disappearing as I raced over.

The kid was good; he managed a second shot and held his third until I was nearly on him. Forced me to burn some momentum to jink to the side abruptly when he released, the slight tell of his widening eyes enough to give me warning. As it was, the arrow still bounced off my pauldrons.

After which, I was on him. He managed to break his bow on my shoulders as I punched him in the side and then, turning him sideways, put the spike into his neck and tore it out. He bled to death, while I stalked over to Frik.

I found him crying, stumbling towards Elois and the curshavy. He refused to let go of his skill even as the screams – the high, shrill screams – of Elois filled the air, as the monster tried to eat her and he blocked it. He was probably doing more damage than good now, since it was drawing out her death, but he seemed unable to let go, even as wounds criss-crossed his body in replica of hers.

He didn’t even notice me, as I slipped up and kicked his feet out from under him and put my spike through the back of his head. Executed him, and by extension, Elois.

I did, however, avenge her afterwards. After all, the damn curshavy had deployed all of its vines, and thus getting in, killing it and tearing it apart – especially with a handy maul available – was easy. No reason to leave the loot behind.

Though I might have thrown up on seeing what had happened to Elois. Even I hadn’t hardened up that much by that point.

Not yet.