Riftside 2 - Chapter 51

With this we are back on track!

Apologies for the delay, and thank you very much for your support :)

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We headed back to the ambush room and started exploring the tunnels, carving firebreaks in the crystals as we went to make sure we had somewhere to retreat. 

Twice we ended up having to backtrack, but we steadily made our way down, all the while slaying Crystalkin. Several groups of three to four Strikers, two teams of Vanguards, Strikers, and the throwers, which my glyph told me were called Sharders, and even a couple of lone Vanguards. But there was no sign of the Weavers. Ming saved her magic, wanting to be ready for when we met them again.

“Enemy buying time with crystal,” Knut said as his mace shattered the last monster in a smaller room, a Sharder whose crystal projectiles had done nothing against his shield. They threw fast and their projectiles were wickedly sharp, but fragile. Anything medium armor or above stopped them cold. Our back line, though, was another story entirely. Even Eryn’s armor wouldn’t stop a shard, even less those of Nabeeh or Ming. 

“What did he say?” Alex asked from the tunnel where he waited with Rowan.

“He said the enemy is buying time with crystals,” Ming relayed, using a ‘repeating stuff to old people who can’t hear well’ voice.

“I heard him perfectly well,” Alex snapped back, “But he’s making no sense!”

“The Crystalkin are trading lives for time,” Nabeeh said as she joined us in the room, nearly stumbling over her own robes as she looked back at the healer.

“Oh,” Alex said. “Maybe. If so, they are doing a piss poor job of it.”

He was getting grumpier the longer we were underground and the deeper we headed. None of us liked being there, but his dislike was on another level.

“Those ranged monsters not moving and throwing at the same time really helps,” Eryn said, swiping up two Sharder carcasses. Arclight had forged arrows from the different types now, and the Sharder ones fractured in the air about two feet from impact, spraying the target with shards. They weren’t very helpful against Crystalkin as they couldn’t penetrate their armor, but against weaker fleshy targets? They’d be amazing later on. 

“Be careful not to count on them being unable to do so,” Edwin said. He stood at the exit to this room, smashing crystals with his shield, and making a firebreak. “Just because they haven’t done so yet, doesn’t mean—”

“That they can’t change their behaviour,” Isaac finished for him, rolling his eyes. “Always assume the enemy will do the unexpected and you won’t be surprised. We know, Edwin.”

I looked at Eryn and we shared a smile as the Commander went on a rant about how this was a great opportunity to share their knowledge with the next generation of adventurers and forcing Isaac to admit that his teachings were indeed correct.

“It’s nice to see them acting human, over.”

“It’s nice to see them acting human,” Arclight repeated.

Eryn and I had agreed on a system to streamline our communication through our soul weapons by adding ‘over’ to our sentences, indicating we wanted the message relayed over to the other. Arclight relayed mine and Roq relayed Eryn’s.

“She agrees,” Roq said. “Though I think she’d rather you kill more monsters yourself. Lead the charge. Use Ironburst every time it is up to claim all the experience. You are really close to level fourteen. And once we get there it’s only a few dozen kills to level fifteen and a new ability! I get to play Ash maker again, and I need that. Do you know how long it has been since I got to make something? Too long! I want to work on refining and remaking you again. Make you stronger. Able to kill faster. So you can get me whatever I need to break through and start growing again!”

The relay system worked better with Arclight than Roq.

“You’re supposed to relay her words exactly. That’s the whole point of the system.”

“Boring,” Roq said. 

“If Roq can’t handle our system, maybe we should let Arclight do all the relaying, over?”

“If Roq can’t handle our system, maybe we should let Arclight do all the relaying?” Arclight repeated, before smugly adding, “And I’d be happy to.”

“No fur-covered stick-thrower is going to take MY responsibilities!” Roq said. 

“Are you sure you can handle it, then?”

“Oh, you just watch me!” Roq said. “I’ll say it exactly as Eryn does, and add my more important comments and thoughts on the matter right after!”

Sometimes, interacting with Roq really reminded me about how it had been to live with my mother and father and younger siblings. I missed the time…in a way, but I was perfectly content right here and now.

Once everyone was ready, we moved on in what had come to be our standard formation. Edwin went first, then me, Ming, and Isaac. Alex walked in the middle, followed by Nabeeh, Eryn, Rowan, and Knut bringing up the rear.

This way we were ready if anything attacked from either side, and once we spotted enemies, depending on their composition and whether they waited, we’d adjust before attacking. When the width of the tunnels allowed. 

Twice, crystalkin had popped out of hiding once we passed by, showing how lethal the Sharders could be, as Alex got a five inch crystal embedded in his back before Rowan could kill it. I’d never heard a certain farm animal referred to in such a unique way as Alex had cursed while healing himself.

The passage twisted, and Edwin, still at the front, rounded a bend then abruptly raised his flaming sword. “Enemies!” he called out, his voice sharp. Even as he spoke, the edge of his tower shield was already scraping along the crystalline growths coating the walls, then the ceiling, then the floor. 

Pieces flew as he carved a jagged firebreak in the formations before he stepped back from it, shield raised and angled.

“How many?” I asked, taking my spot at his side, shield raised as well. The tunnel was wide enough for the two of us side by side, though we’d been walking single file to have more room.

“Many,” he said.

But when none came charging at us, I walked to peer around the corner. 

Before us lay a large, cavernous chamber, not as large as the one we’d seen the giant in, but twice the size of any we’d been in so far. It wasn’t the size of the room that shocked me, but rather small army of Crystalkin waiting for us lined up ahead, almost in formation.

“Roq, how many?”

“Fifty-four. Thirty of those skinny ones, fifteen of the chunky tanky-boys, and nine of those annoying Sharders. Barely a mouthful each. Could be more hiding in the crystal growths along the walls and the ceiling like last time. Still haven’t figured out how to sniff those out when they’re playing hide-and-seek in the walls.”

The chamber was full of heavy crystal growth, thicker here than anywhere else we’d been, and a line of it grew across the floor, like a waist high wall. On the far side, behind the crysalkin, a tunnel gaped. 

“Small army of Crystalkin, over fifty,” I said to the team. “They’ve definitely spotted me, but they’re not moving. They are lined up, almost as if manning a wall. There’s a tunnel behind them. It’s almost as if they are waiting for us to close before doing anything, like in the Twisted Titan moss room.”

“That’s… weird,” Eryn said.

“Can’t see any Weavers from here,” I continued, scanning the crystal-encrusted walls. “But I want to be sure. Edwin, let’s move up. Firebreaks as we go, half the tunnel each.”

He grunted an affirmative, and we advanced cautiously, Edwin’s shield and Roq scraping, carving fresh breaks in the crystal. With each step, more of the large chamber came into view. It wasn’t just a random collection of monsters; the way they were positioned, the sheer number of them, it felt deliberate. Like a guard post, but only Crystalkin style. 

Outcrops of crystal dotted the walls too high to reach with melee weapons. Suddenly, light bloomed within them, and I knew they contained Weavers. Lines of light raced from them towards us.

“Back!” I yelled, and Edwin and I moved behind our latest carved line, shields up.

The lines of light converged on the floor, just on their side of the firebreak. With a sound like cracking ice, a crystalline spike, thick as my thigh, erupted from the floor and slammed into Edwin’s shield with enough force to send him staggering backward despite him holding firm.

I hopped back, distancing myself from the spike.

Edwin grunted as he straightened. 

“I’m fine, Alex,” he called out, anticipating his healer’s concern.

I stared at the spike. It had stopped about four feet past our firebreak. Looking closer, I saw its tip was in constant motion, crumbling and reforming, a slow, grinding undulation.

“Well, well, well,” Ming said, her voice filled with a cheerful anticipation that was slightly unnerving. “Looks like I’m up. Finally.”

“Seems with enough Weavers, they can project past the firebreaks,” I mused, “but only a certain distance before the crystal destabilizes.”

Then, almost in unison, Eryn, Nabeeh, and I added, “Though we shouldn’t assume that can’t change!”

Edwin chuckled. 

“Good. You’re all paying attention.”

“How many lines did you count, Arclight?”

“I counted twenty distinct trails of light, which should lead back to the prey,” Arclight said.

“I estimate twenty lines of light,” I said to the others. “So, at least twenty Weavers hidden in there.”

“Why would they waste a potential element of surprise on such a hopeless attack?” Eryn asked.

“Ash?” Edwin said.

I nodded to myself, pondering. 

“If I had to guess, not assume, mind, it’s the same reason they haven’t charged us yet. They’re being held back.” I nodded towards them. “I think we’re close to the throne room. The giant wants to keep us away. This is a show of strength, but not an overwhelming one. Just enough to entice us to attack.”

“Like snow bears,” Knut said. “Charge, then stop. Try to make us turn back.”

“You assume much thought from monsters,” Rowan said, his voice raspy. “Why do you think so?”

Edwin shook his head, and I sensed a grim satisfaction in his voice as he spoke. 

“This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, Rowan. Proof. Not all monsters charge headlong into battle the moment they spot us. There’s much more to them.”

I nodded. 

“Maybe that’s why nobody has seen the giant for so long? Maybe the Hive Mind doesn’t control it fully?”

Ming sighed dramatically. 

“Oh, please, don’t start with the Hive Mind theory stuff again. I get enough of that from Edwin.”

“It could be that the Hive Mind has less control deep below ground,” Arclight said. “While my memories are still few from before I joined with you, my wielder, I remember having a hide. A lair. A place to rest head on paws with less interruption when my belly was full. Perhaps the giant figured that out and decided to settle here.”

“Does that mean we should leave it alone?” Roq said in his best imitation of Eryn’s voice, before adding, “Absolutely not! We should kill it! Kill it good! Smash it to bits! Think of the experience, Ash! The glory! The materials!”

“It’s an interesting thought, but Roq isn’t wrong. We can’t afford to take that chance. Leaving it might be playing into the Hive Mind’s hands if it has any plans for the giant. Us killing it could screw those up. Secondly, we need to complete this quest. For the reward. Over.”

Arclight had a surprisingly good memory, and relayed it perfectly.

“That’s a good point,” Roq relayed back. “And of course, it’s a good point! It’s from my wielder! Ash is continuously getting smarter by osmosis, absorbing information and knowledge and intelligence and learning by having a brilliant being in his mind!”

“Thank you for the compliment, Roq,” Arclight said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “I am surprised you recognised it, given your intellectual shortcomings.”

“That is not at all what I meant, and you know it, fur-covered stick-thrower! I meant myself!” Roq sputtered.

Edwin nudged me, a knowing look on his face. 

“Plan, Ash?”

Right. I’d gone quiet a bit too long, lost in the soul weapon squabble. 

“Roq, Arclight, quiet.”

“At this point, it doesn’t matter whether the giant is connected to the Hive Mind or not. We’re killing it. And this is the perfect time to—” I stopped myself before talking of our Ming plan, not wanting to give the enemy a hint in case they could understand us. I held a finger to where my mouth would be under my helmet and the team nodded, understanding the need for secrecy.

“I’ll smash the crystal spike,” I said loudly. “Then we charge in, following Ming.” 

I pointed to her then the spike. 

She nodded, smiling eagerly.

I stepped up to the slowly reforming spike, Roq held high, pretending to line up a powerful strike. As I did, Edwin moved forward with Ming, his tower shield covering her as she approached the crystalline protrusion. Ming placed the head of her staff directly against the spike and the light within it.

“Chain Lightning,” she said, and cast her spell.

The effect was instantaneous and utterly devastating.

Where before her magic had raced along the crystal and extinguished the light, when combined with the Weavers magic it all exploded. 

And it wasn’t just the spike that reacted. The entire chamber seemed to detonate as the lightning surged through the crystal network, a visible torrent of white-blue energy that flashed from where the light converged into the spike and along the glowing lines in the walls, floor, and ceiling. It was like watching a trail of powdered Glowcap lit on fire, but one that burned with the speed of lightning.

Each point where a Weaver was hidden within the crystal acted like a collection of Glowcaps. The crystal around them didn’t just break, it erupted, sending shards and chunks of crystal and debris flying everywhere. 

The shockwave threw me, Edwin, and Ming back. I landed hard on my side, the breath knocked from my lungs.

Eryn and Isaac were there in an instant, hauling me up. My ears rang, and the air was thick with shimmering dust. The visibility was so low that for a moment I thought I was looking at a sparkling rainbow within the cavern. 

But as bad as we had it, those in the room would have had it worse. 

I took a deep breath, steadied myself and rolled my shoulders. Everything was still in place.

“We hit them hard!” I said, coughing as I breathed in the dust-filled air, and hurried down the tunnel.

The aftermath of the explosion was as breathtaking as the dust. Bits of Crystalkin, Vanguards, Strikers, Sharders, and Weavers were strewn across the room like shattered statues. Up on the walls, twenty massive, smoking craters marked where the Weavers had been suspended, their magic catastrophically turned against them. 

By Roq’s count of fifty-four melee fighters, only nine Vanguards remained moving,  but they were heavily damaged, their crystalline plates cracked all over. Everything else had been shattered.

I didn’t hesitate and charged into the room, heading for the now chipped wall and vaulted over, landing by the nearest wounded Vanguard. I smashed its skull in before moving to a second. Arrows took down two more as I moved on to the next.

The third vanguard swung weakly at me, but I was faster, hitting the side of its head with Roq, cracking it apart. As the monster died, my legs went wobbly as a surge of energy rushed through me, as if I’d consumed ten mind gems at once, and I caught myself on the wall with my shield. 

I grinned in my helmet as all feelings of fatigue and tiredness evaporated. 

“I just hit level fourteen! Over!”

“Congrats! Proud of you, handsome,” Roq said, then his voice turned smug. “See? Smashing things is always the answer!”

The last of the Vanguards fell easy, with Edwin, Isaac, Eryn, and I each claiming one. Ming and Nabeeh were saving their mana for when we really needed them. 

I looked towards the tunnel up ahead, but nothing moved within, and I waved for the others to join us.

Ming walked slowly into the center of the devastated chamber, a small, satisfied smile playing on her lips as she surveyed the carnage. 

“Well,” she said, her voice echoing in the room. “It seems my magic reacts rather… explosively with theirs.”

“Ash! I’m in love!” Roq said. “She’s magnificent! A whirlwind of destructive beauty! You must steal her away from Edwin’s boring party! We need a fifth, and she’s perfect! Think of the glorious explosions we could create together!”

“And have you cheating on Arclight? I don’t think so, buddy.”

“Huh? What?”