Adam Drake - Blackout

At the right moment, I shifted into Shadow and vanished. Quickly, I moved around to the side of the giant spider.

Mudhoof jabbed his uber ax toward it. “I can’t use my knock-back. It might collapse the ceiling.”

When I was in position, I used my sure-footed ability to help me take several running steps up the cavern wall. Then I pushed off and up.

By attacking, my Shadow dropped, and I became visible again.

The spider caught my movement above it at the last moment and raised its forward legs in defense.

Falling straight down onto it, I plunged my sword through its head. My weapon passed through its body so deep it clinked on the rocky ground beneath it.

I leapt off the body in a mid-air roll, careful not to touch the vile thing.

The huge spider’s legs curled up underneath it in its death spasm and greenish blood oozed from its wounds.

Mudhoof poked at the corpse with the end of his ax in disgust. “Is this thing really dead?”

“Don’t worry,” I said, “It’s been skewered good. Maybe you can build a fire and cook it up.”

The minotaur looked at me in horror, then stuck out his tongue. “Not cool, Vee.”

“Get me out of here!” The little man pleaded from within the cocoon.

“That’s why we’re here, apparently,” I said as Feign and I moved over to cut at his sticky bindings. After a few moments he was free.

“Oh, thank the gods you arrived when you did!” He said, giving the spider corpse a look of disdain. “That thing would have eaten me.”

“Who are you?” Feign asked. “And what are you doing here?”

The little man dusted himself off and pulled webbing from his clothes. “I’m Tress, the town jeweler. I’d come here a few days ago to pick up an order of crystals when things suddenly went very bad.”

“What happened?” I said. Mudhoof had moved in position next to the chamber entrance to post a watch. We wanted no more surprises.

Tress shrugged. “I don’t understand, to be honest. When I arrived no one was at the entrance to give me the jewels as usual. So I wandered in and ventured down to the lower levels.”

“How many levels are there?” Mudhoof asked.

“Oh, I’m not sure,” Tress said. “But I do know the mines extend all the way under the town. That is where most of the deeper digging takes place.” He sat down heavily and pulled webbing away from his neck. It exposed a necklace with a white crystal dangling from it.

Tress sighed. “The miners had gone mad. That would be the best way to describe it. Black lines in their skin, running around screaming and hollering like it was the end of the world.” He shivered. “When it became clear I was in danger, I hid. Took me forever to work my way back up here. Then that thing,” he pointed at the spider, “came out of nowhere and dragged me in here. Never seen the likes of it before!”

I waited a moment before saying, “So you are unaware of what has happened in Ashbrook?”

Tress looked at me with surprise. “No! What happened?”

“The same as the miners, I’m afraid,” I said. “Nearly the whole town has been infected with that black magic, I’d guess you’d call it. Now the Demon King rules it all.”

Tress stared at me in horror. “But, what about my brother? Did he survive at least? His name is Perrin.”

I perked up at this. “Yes, we met Perrin. He was hiding in a house near the town square alive and well. But I don’t know if he’s still okay or not.”

“Oh, thank the gods! He’s the only family I have left,” Tress said looking slightly relieved.

“Let’s blow this joint, Vee,” Mudhoof said, getting nervous.

I pointed at the crystal on Tress’s necklace. “What is that? It’s quite beautiful.”

“Oh, this thing? It’s something Perrin, and I came up with. He’d discovered a good luck chant in some old books he’s always buried in. And I found a batch of these white crystals which can hold the chant indefinitely. Has brought little luck, I’m afraid. But it makes for a pretty trinket to wear.”

“Why are we talking about jewelry,” Mudhoof said, getting agitated. “We need to keep moving.”

Feign sensed what I was thinking. “Perrin wore a crystal just like that,” the mage said.

“Why, yes,” Tress said. “He and I are the only ones at the moment. Everyone else lacks good taste.”

I looked to Mudhoof and Feign. “Perrin was wearing one, and he didn’t become infected by the Demon King. And Tress, here, hasn’t been infected either.”

Mudhoof frowned. “So?”

To Tress I asked, “Do you have more of these anywhere?”

“Why, yes,” Tress said. “In my pack. I dropped it here somewhere.” He looked around and found his pack in a clot of webbing. Feign used his dagger to cut it free.

Tress opened his pack and revealed an inner pocket full of necklaces with the white crystals attached to them. “You can have these if you want,” the jeweler said. “It’s the least I can do considering you saved me from such a horrid death.”

I thanked him and passed one each to Mudhoof and Feign. We all put them on.

“What do you think?” I asked Feign who was scrutinizing his crystal closely.

“I think this is better than nothing. But I’d wager that this crystal, and perhaps the charm within it, negates the Demon Kings magic to some degree.” He shrugged. “Or maybe it does nothing at all.”

I stood and stretched. “Well, we needed to save this guy for some reason or he wouldn’t be here. Let’s hope it pays off.”

Mudhoof said, “Let’s go. I need to bash something before I climb the walls.”

“Tress, you’ll need to hide out somewhere. The entrance has collapsed. Can you manage?”

The jeweler nodded. “Yes, yes. Of, course. There are plenty of places to hide down here. I’ll be fine.”

He wished us luck and the three of us returned to the tunnel and headed back to the main passage.

“I’m not reading anything off of this,” Feign said holding his crystal up as we walked. “Usually the game gives even a basic description.”

“I dunno,” I said. “But let’s hope it doesn’t matter. They’re good luck charms, and we need all the luck we can get. Whether the game describes them as such or not.”

Back at the main passage we paused to listen. Silence, thankfully. We resumed our progress down the main tunnel, Mudhoof at the front, Feign in the middle, and me taking up the rear.

The tunnel eventually opened up into a huge cavern. Rail lines and ore carts lined the walls at different levels which also extended downward out of sight. Fire sconces spaced out along the walls offered the only light.

We stood on the edge of our level and looked down. To the right the tunnel continue on.

“This is huge,” Mudhoof said. His voice echoed loudly off the walls.

“Shh!” I said, with a finger to my lips.

There was another sound, coming from deep within the labyrinth of mining tunnels.

We strained to make it out. But soon it became apparent what it was.

“Screaming,” Feign said, looking worried.

The sound got louder and became more defined. Screaming, and hollering and high pitched gibberish assailed our ears.

“Douse these orbs, Feign! Quick!” I said.

He did as asked, and our ledge went dark. Suddenly, at a level across from us people came running out of a tunnel.

They looked similar to the townsfolk, black veined and disheveled but their clothing was different. Most of them clutched a pick-ax or shovel and were waving them wildly about with no care if they accidentally hit anyone near them.

“Miners,” I said in a hushed tone.

Dozens of them shot out of the tunnel and followed its rail line alone the edge of the deep abyss. They streamed into another tunnel and were gone.