Hunter led the way through the secret hallway. Elyndris sat on his head, holding tightly with her wings. Behind them was Zuss and Daggat, side by side. Anath took up the rear. They settled into this formation naturally, no words were wasted.
Daggat directed them as they jogged. Klaw was in danger, and if they weren’t going to save him, who would? On that point, what experiments did the demon have in mind? Perhaps the corpse wood were made through these experiments. They certainly were not natural.
Speaking of corpse wood, they have not encountered any in the narrow passageway. They swarmed the rest on the manor like cockroaches, so why not here?
They followed the green arrow as far as they could before it began to point off to the right. Daggat cursed and they picked up the pace. They turned corner after corner, trying to catch up. Then the arrow started to dip. Klaw was going down.
Another corner turned and they found a set of stairs going up. It was separate from the walls, a metal spiral staircase that seemed to hang down from above, rather than be connected to the floor. Beyond it was a wall.
“Nah, they went down. Must have made a wrong turn.” He said, and then they turned around.
Moments later, they returned to the stairs. How did they get turned around?
“Uh, must have got us turned around… my bad.” He told them.
“Maybe there’s two?” Hunter suggested. Daggat strode forward and withdrew a coin from his pocket. He placed it on the first step, directly in the middle.
“Alright, let’s go!” The crew jogged the way they came. At this point, tracking Klaw was impossible. They were simply looking for a way down. They found a long passageway and ran down it. It led to a dead end.
They turned around to head the other way and found a wall in their path. They had just come from that direction.
“That ain’t right.” Daggat mused.
“What’s going on, Dag?” Zuss asked.
“I don’t know. Someone is fucking with us, that’s for sure.” He had a suspicion of what he would find when they turned around. They did so, walking down the passage with more caution. Anath gasped.
Yep, he was right.
At the end of the passageway that was a dead end before, was the stairs up.
“Three?” Asked Hunter.
“Something is toying with our minds. Or with the secret passages.” Elyndris said.
Daggat leaned down to inspect the stairs. There was the coin. A bit to the left from the center. So it was the same stairs. He growled.
“They want us to go up. Not down.” Daggat kicked the stairs. They clanged like a bell. “But, Klaw is down there.” He pointed down and to the side. Directly towards him.
“So, what will we do, party leader?” Elyndris asked with a cold tone. He sneered at her. She wasn’t stepping up and taking control, so as far as Daggat was concerned, she could stuff it.
He looked at each of them in turn. Hunter had a concerned look on his face. Zuss and Elyndris kept eye contact. Anath furrowed her eyebrows at him. Well, best nip this now.
“I feel as though I made a mistake recently.” He began.
“Daggat, I un-” Hunter tried to step in, but Daggat cut him off.
“No, Hunter, I went too far. I was trying to push you into someone you are not. That’s what I do. It’s my nature. To pluck and pull at people until they fit into my plans.”
The crew shuffled uncomfortably.
“So,” he continued, “I am going to work twice as hard to fix that mistake. You each have something that makes you strong. Me? What makes me strong is all of you.”
“What are you getting at?” Anath asked. Her eyes softened. Good, pulling a few heartstrings never hurt.
“I’m telling you all this so you all understand me and how I grow stronger. Because I am going up there, and I need to trust you guys to find Klaw. You all need to trust me, too.” Daggat needed to regain their trust. How could you trust a leader that won’t do the dirty work? “I’ll go into the unknown. You guys track down Klaw and the demon.”
“What difference would that make? We will still be at the mercy of whoever is messing with our minds.” Elyndris shifted on Hunter's head as she spoke. She looked like a bird nestled into a nest.
“I don’t think you will. Look.” He kicked the stairs. They swung slightly. “The stairs are hanging from above. I think some mechanism is lifting and placing the stairs where it needs to be. I bet the controller can do the same for walls. Maybe even in the rest of the manor. And see, the coin is in a slightly different spot than where I put it. As though it was jostled in movement.”
“So, what, the plan is to go up there and distract whoever is moving these around? Then we can search unhindered, find Klaw, kill the demon, and then get our rewards?” Zuss asked.
“And claim the manor as our proper base of operations, yes,” Daggat replied.
“You’re going to go alone?” Hunter asked. Daggat’s eyes went wide.
“What? Oh fuck no. I’m gonna lead from the front, not go on a suicide mission.” He pointed to Zuss. “Zuss, I need you to join me… subtly. It’s time to put your skills to the test.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Hunter said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“It’s all dangerous, Hunter. But, I think I am best suited to face who I suspect is up there.” He smiled, looking up. “I’m coming for you, Al.”
The stairs shook subtly as Daggat climbed. Zuss had gone on ahead, climbing the side rather than taking the stairs. She planned to find the mechanisms Daggat guessed were there. He could be wrong, but it didn’t happen very often.
Finally, he stepped out into a large room. He must have climbed two stories. The third floor, he had found it.
And it was beautiful.
Lines of shelves filled the walls. Each held over a hundred books. Small notebooks, large tomes, series of manuals for all sorts of trades and skills. Histories, fiction, poetry, and musings. Daggat didn’t know it was possible to store so much power in one place.
His vision blurred. A single tear ran down his face. He was in heaven.
The rest of the large room was equally interesting. A glass dome was centered in the room, where one could see the stars if a giant tree wasn’t in the way. S small replica of the manor sat on a table. Several tomes sat on their own pedestal, given places of honor. On other pedestals were cubes of glass. These had strange, complex geometric shapes made of gold or silver within them.
In the center of the room was a large, comfortable-looking reading chair. Sitting on it, was Alfred Varnsach. He was petting a cat sitting on his lap. Birdy. The little traitor.
The awakened corpse wood was like a child. Small and shriveled. About the same size as Daggat. Its arms were raisin-like twigs and it had its legs folded underneath him. But its head was bulbous. Like a giant tree burl that seemed to drape down its back and over a shoulder. It forced his head into an angle. His mouth and nose were small, compared to the rest of his head. His eyes seemed larger than they should be. Misshapen.
“Alfred,” Daggat greeted him with a nod.
“Daggat. Welcome to my library.”
“Nice place. But,” Daggat spun in a circle to appreciate it. This was going to be his very soon. He could pour through these tomes leisurely. Then he looked at the prodigy square in the eye. “What the fuck do you want?” He said it conversationally.
Daggat was suddenly lifted in the air. It felt as though a large invisible hand had simply picked him up. Alfred had a finger pointed in the air. The faintest trace of geometric shapes could be seen at the tip of his finger. Magic. Birdy lept from his lap and dashed away.
Daggat drifted towards the small mage. A chair drifted through the air just in time to catch him. A table landed in front of them, followed by a stone board and several pieces. Daggat tried to struggle but was unable to break the grasp.
What the hell? Daggat knew about magic in general, but aside from Ivory’s trick with the campfire, he had never really seen it. It was completely alien to him. What was it capable of? Could he just grab him whenever? If so, how could he fight this thing?
He had to fight it, of course. It was loitering in his house. Daggat decided to just ask.
“Neat trick. How many other… spells?” It was spells, right? He thought he saw construct mentioned somewhere. “Yeah, how many spells do you have?”
“Of all of the trespassers, you seem to be the most clever,” Alfred said to him. “I so rarely have anyone to play against. Do you like games?” He took a glance at the board. It held no meaning for him at all. Board games weren’t exactly popular in the mud pits.
Daggat scanned the room for Zuss. She was usually in a corner or something. There were three holes in the ground with railing around them. Above them was a series of chains, pulleys, and weights. It seemed that the stairs could be lifted and lowered into whichever part of the manor below-needed access to the library. It was an unnecessarily convoluted system, and Daggat was already thinking of ways to use it. That alone could maneuver defenders to confuse invaders.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
He spotted Zuss slip out from a hole and immediately hid behind a bookshelf. He needed to message her somehow.
“I love games.” He told the prodigy. Why not play along? “Though, I am not familiar with this one. Care to explain the rules?” The corpse wood spun his finger in a circle. The small replica of the manor shifted subtly. Tiny walls were lifted and lowered into different positions. So that was how it was controlled.
Alfred sighed and began to show Daggat how to play. He ignored him. Instead, Daggat went into his void space.
“Ooh, a game. Will you play, Master? You might as well. It’s not like YOU’RE the one fighting for your life at the moment.”
“Party shop, quickly.” Daggat thought.
“Yes, my liege.”
He had seven points. The messaging system costs TWENTY. That wasn’t going to work. He might have another option. He purchased shared status void for five points.
“Interesting,” Daggat said, coming back to reality. “I’ll let you set the board. Say, what training is your skill at in this game? Could you ENTER YOUR STATUS VOID and check?” He hoped Zuss would get the hint. Alfred lifted an eyebrow at him.
“It is master. But, do not be dissuaded. It is a game of strategy, there are no tricks.” He moved a piece. Daggat’s move. This was ridiculous. But he stared at the board anyway. He wasn’t really looking. Rather, he feigned a thoughtful expression and entered his status void.
There was an option to toggle shared space. He hit it. Nothing changed.
“It seems we are alone, Master as we should be. Let’s kill him and reap his books. Don’t worry about your allies, they are unworthy.”
“Would you stop that? What is your deal anyway?” No Zuss. He hummed in reality, to keep up the charade.
“I just get terribly bored. We need that assistant upgrade badly.” Zuss popped into the status void. She looked around wide-eyed. Her position was roughly the same as it would be in real life. So, the distance was limited. Good to know.
“Welcome, Madam. Can I get you a refreshment?” The eyeless floating head loomed over her. She stared at it wide-eyed.
“Zuss, can you hear me?” He thought. She looked at Daggat with confusion.
“She can hear me, Master. Zuss is very confused. It is quite amusing.”
“Tell her to get ready. Climb a shelf and get ready to attack. I’ll distract it. Also, It can use magic.” His assistant drifted over to her again.
“My… Master,” he said with a tone of reluctance, “wishes to pass on information. Climb like the little assassin you are. Wait for your moment, then slay. Whomever you choose to kill, is up to you.” Daggat didn’t have time to worry about the assistant’s macabre attitude. He focused back on reality.
He copied Alfred’s move and the undead boy gave him a confused expression.
“So, what’s your deal with the demon? You work for it, like the others?” Daggat asked as his opponent made another move.
“He commands us. We are here because of him. I am simply a pawn.” He said. Daggat moved a piece at random.
“That must hurt. I’ve read about you. Prodigy mage. Born genius. No peers. That sort of thing. Were you a variant?” Out of the corner of Daggat’s eye, he spotted a show moving up a shelf.
“One does not need high attributes to be gifted.” Alfred moved a piece, and Daggat moved another at random.
“What do you mean? Surely your intelligence is high.” They made two more moves. Alfred gave a dry laugh.
“All intelligence, as a divine attribute, does is allow you to think faster and hold more memory. In your case, it implanted a large vocabulary to choose from. It doesn’t make you intelligent.” Then why was Daggat such a bloody genius, then? “In the same way, strength only adds to your body's natural strength. Or will only numb the effects of mental assault, but doesn’t give you willpower. Our attributes are tools. They do not define us.” Interesting. Daggat would have to think about that some other time. He studied his foe. He didn’t seem to be weary or feel threatened. Perhaps he was underestimating him, or maybe the undead monster didn’t plan on trying to drain his life. He doubted it.
“Still, it must sting that someone like you has to kowtow to a beast. What happens to you if it dies?”
“If the demon dies, then I will be freed of its influence. I can freely leave this place.” Daggat made another move. “That was an illegal move.”
“Oh, sorry. First time playing.” He chose a different spot, and the game went on. Daggat was absolutely getting his ass kicked in the game, but he wasn’t playing anyway. “Tell me about the demon. What is it like?” Alfred laughed.
“The Demon of Dead Wood. It had dominion over fallen trees. It uses its power well, as you can see.”
“Dominion? What, it can tell dead trees what to do?”
“Reality bends for the demon at its will. But, only when his will matches his dominion. That is the power of the demons, both local and those outside. You have much to learn, a pity you will die today.”
“Who told you that?”
“It is logical.” He sighed. “The game is mine. You are an awful player.” He pointed a finger at Daggat. The shapes faded into view, slightly. Then, invisible hands closed around his throat.
Zuss made her move, leaping from the shadows. She spun, as she did before, building momentum for her stab. Then, she stopped mid-fall, as though caught. Daggat fell to the ground. The prodigy knew she was there the whole time and was just toying with them.
But, he could only hold one person at a time. Daggat grinned. That was a weakness.
“Not only a bad player but also a sore loser.” He flipped the table at the prodigy. Game pieces scattered over him and he protected his face.
Zuss fell to the ground, but she rolled and stood.
“Very well. Let’s end this now, so I can go back to sleep. It is a kinder torment than this unlife.” He lifted into the air, floating as though carried by the wind. “Now, we play the real game.”
Daggat
True Name: Daggat
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin [ 3 Str, 4 Dex, 3 Con, 2 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Regenerating Teeth, Rot Resistance; Tiny Size]
Genbloom: goblin [ +2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, +1 Int, +1 Wil; Scavanger; Small Size]
Monster Level: 7
Attributes (0/6):
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 20
Will: 10
Charm: 12
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Ability: Mighty Intellect
Act: Fledgling Alchemist
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [Layered feats]
Act: Usurper
Act: Touch of Death
Skills(0/3):
Alchemy: 1 [Source: Fledgling Alchemist]
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
System Assistant: 1
Mind Codex: 1 [Synergy: Mental notes + Copy Tome]
Party Leader: 1 [Source: Usurper]
Notable Natural Skills:
Literacy: Apprentice
Biotraits (0/6):
Base size: Small [Source: Goblin]
Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]
Enhanced Night Vision [Source: Gremlin]
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]
Hypnotic Gaze [Mutations: Dominating Gaze]
Temperature Resistant Skin [Synergy: Fire Resistant Skin + Cold Resistant Skin]
Scavenger [Source: goblin]
Death Sight [Source: Touch of Death]
Increased Pain Tolerance
Hypervocal chords
Transformations:
Drakeheart Form:
+2 strength
+2 charm
Extreme Temperature Resistant Scales [Synergy: Fireproof scales + Temperature resistant Skin]
Fire breath
Night Stalker form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
Dark vision [Night Vision Enhanced]
Deepen Shadow
Other:
Variant: +10 Intelligence
Notable Gear:
Strange pure-white sword
Hunter
True Name: Hunter
Soul: Mortal
Genseed: Ogre [ 8 Str, 2 Dex, 6 Con, 2 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Ogre's curse; Large Size]
Hearth Tender Level: 6 [+1 Str, +1 Con, +4 Wil; Invoke Torch, Hearth Fire]
Attributes (1/5):
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 8
Will: 13
Charm: 7
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Vile Concoction
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Act: Slayer
Skills (0/7):
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
Invoke Torch: 1
Hearth Fire: 1
Sacred Flame: 2 [Perks: Debilitating Warmth]
Encompassing Warmth: 1
Brilliant Bash: 2 [Perks: Hearth Flame]
Bounty Hunter: 1 [Source: Slayer]
Seek: 1
Biotraits (0/1):
Base Size: Large
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Vile Concoction]
Other:
Curse: Ogre Curse
Zuss
True Name: Zuss
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin [ 3 Str, 4 Dex, 3 Con, 2 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Regenerating Teeth, Rot Resistance; Tiny Size]
Genbloom: hobgoblin [ +1 Str, +3 Dex, +2 Con, +1 Int, +1 Wil; Nimble Fingers; Small Size]
Monster Level: 7
Attributes (0/6):
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 8
Will: 10
Charm: 9
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [Layered feats]
Ability: Mighty Alacrity
Skills(0/2):
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
Deep Shadows: 1
Path Finding [Type: Climbing]
Notable Natural Skills:
Stealth: Apprentice
Climb: Apprentice
Biotraits (1/7):
Base size: Small [Source: Hobgoblin]
Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]
Enhanced Night Vision [Mutations: Dark Vision; Source: Gremlin]
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]
Improved Body Control [Synergy: Improved Balance + Improved Nerve Conduction + Improved flexibility]
Nimble Hands and Feet [Synergy: Nimble hands + Prehensile Feet]
Cold Resistant Skin
Transformations:
Drakeheart Form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
Smoke Aura
Lesser Wings
Night Stalker form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
Enhanced Scent
Deepen Shadow+, Widen Shadows
Pet:
Name: Birdy
Genseed: Cat
Attributes:
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 4
Constitution: 2
Intelligence: 2
Will: 2
Charm: 3
Biotraits:
Lesser Wings
Anath
True Name: Anathema
Soul: Monster/Mortal
Genseed: Human [ 3 Str, 3 Dex, 3 Con, 3 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Standard Size]
Monster Level: 4
Berserker Level: 5 [+3 Str, Dex Con, -1 Int, Wil, Cha; Berserker's rage, Great Vitality]
Attributes [0/7]:
Strength: 12
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 13
Intelligence: 10
Will: 8
Charm: 7
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Vile Concoction
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Skills(2/8):
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
System Assistant: 1
Skill Boosts: Survival (1)
Savage Legs: 1
Berserker's Spirit: 1 [Synergy: Warrior's Spirit (Burst of Strength + Burst of Alacrity + Burst of Vitality) + Berserker's Rage]
Purge Poison: 1
Great Vitality
Notable Natural Skills:
Survival: Apprentice
Savagery: Apprentice
Biotraits [1/4]:
Disease Resistance [Source: Vile Concoction]
Extra Limb (Arachnid), x4 [Source: Variant]
Venomous Mandibles [Source: Variant]
Multi-eye [Mutations: Magnified, Night Vision; Source: Variant]
Hardened Chitin
Transformations:
Night Stalker form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
Claws
Dark Vision
Other:
Variant: Arachnid Traits
Elyndris
True Name: Elyndris
Soul: Monster
Genseed: Larva [ 1 Str, 1 Dex, 1 Con, 1 Int, 1 Wil, 1 Cha; miniscule Size]
Monster Level: 6
Attributes (0/12):
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 15
Will: 7
Charm: 7
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Act: Blasphemy
Ability: Mighty Intellect
Act: Vile Concoction
Skills (1/3):
Burst of Strength
Pounce
Biotraits (1/6):
Base size: Miniscule
Jaws
Enhanced Touch [Mutation: Tremor Sense]
Complex organs
Limbs [Mutation: Lesser Wings]
Disease Resistance [Source: Vile Concoction]
Transformations:
Night Stalker form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
+2 constitution
Jaws [Mutation: Powerful Jaws]
Other:
Curse: Ungenesis
Which of the Awakened Corpse Wood is your favorite?
