Leaping From The Tower

    The door flew off its hinges and slammed horizontally plugging a gaping hole in the tower.  A terrible lurch crawled through the tower before the door snapped.  Two halves of the doors flew out of the tower while we crawled inside.  Books flew off their shelves and flew out the doorway.  Amulets, swords, and ink pots followed the books draining the formerly sealed room of its contents. 

    We raced up through the doorway to the final room of the tower.  Beyond the library where Dol's secrets sat on shelves lay a final room.   Strangely colored pills of various sizes and shapes rolled across the floor while more of the tower crumbled.  Doppel raised her hand and a purple barrier covered the doorway.  

    Gwen turned to the shelves and I watched her raise her hands high.  Sections of shelving tore away while she focused.  "What can I do?"   I asked.  

    "Be quiet we need to concentrate; we only have one shot."  A sigh escaped my lips while Doppel shook in her exertion.  

"Maintaining cabin pressure must be difficult."  I muttered.  

There were a lot of rules to telekinesis that I wasn't aware of.  From what I understood, the larger the object the more concentration a caster needed.  Higher concentration required a caster to remain still.  Stillness was often death in a fight.   

    I was aware that my thought traveled to a weird direction.   Doppel's barrier weakened, a swipe at her back would kill her.  If I did it quickly Gwen wouldn't have time to react.  I crossed my arms and leaned against a wall.  

They needed some protection.  Automated protection would be best.  If they were focused only on a single thing partitioning some focus wasn't possible.  Their barriers were weaker, I could sense it.  Before I wouldn't have been able to notice the difference.  

Ping!

Quest: Create Automated Protections For Gwen and Doppel

Reward: +10 INT +10 PER

    My fight with Dol was coming up.  I was certain we'd fight before a chance to duck out of here came.  If I was him, I'd race up here to secure my stuff.  Was he aware of the surface?  

That's another thing, how were we going to survive on the surface.  How well would Mind Flayers and a spiderling deal with an ice age?  

    For some reason, I wasn't worried about myself.  I spotted a bottle of wine on a rack and a few clean glasses.  Well, if we were going to die in the snow at least we could die drunk.  I snatched the wine and glasses before storing them in my ring.  

    Diabla appeared and couldn't meet my eyes.  "What with the long face?"  I asked.  She hands shook before she looked away.  

    She looked up at me with tears streaming down her eyes.  "I need more power.  Don't treat me like some cheap weapon.  Fill out my skill trees, I can take it."  I pulled her from my back and channeled her flames with greater ease than before.  

With a single hand, I wielded her better than I ever had with two.  She seemed to vanish from site as I swung her with maddening speed.  Her flames glowed like blue lasers dancing in the air.  I thrusted forward.  Flames rippled before sweeping the air in front of me like a dragon's talon. 

    "You weren't the problem.  I wasn't able to wield you like you deserved.  That changes now.  The second things start to relax, I'll train with you every day."  She turned her head away from me.  

    "How arrogant, I only wanted you to make me stronger so after Dol kills you he'll pick me up."  Diabla said.  I walked up to her and rubbed her hair.  

"Our next fight won't be the same.  I'll force him to use more of his power.  He might end up killing me by accident if I don't give it my all."  I said.  

    Her face scrunched up.  "All the better reason to invest more into my skill trees.  You have the funds, pay to win."  Diabla said.  

    I looked down at her while Gwen and Doppel worked to seal the room.  The more skill trees I invest in the more pressure will fall on Diabla.  How much could she take before she broke?  Was it worth the risk?  

Diabla Skill Trees 

Crimson Cowl X – Envelopes the user in a demonic cloak.  +5x STR/CON/DEX 

Cost: -1000HP/SEC

Frayed Hunger X– Frayed tendrils from the Cowl impale enemies and drain HP restores User HP for every HP drained.  

Blood Banked X – Store +100x of User HP

Demonic Interest X – Regenerate or store +10%HP/MIN

Demonic Shareholder X – Gift Blood to other creatures to regenerate their HP and Improve their highest stat by 100 or 1% of blood infused, whichever is higher.  

Demonic Dividends X – 10% of Blood infused stats go to user if they die if their stat was at least 25% of the Users stats.

Addiction X – Enemies who get away have a 10% chance to be inflicted with Blood Thrall Mutation 

Blood Shield X – Stored blood is used in place of HP until exhausted.  While using stored blood take 2x Fire/Holy/Decay DMG

    Crimson light enveloped Diabla's blade before it shot into me. I felt it through our link a new power that could easily become a curse.  She shielded me from the worst of the effects.  This crimson cowl she offered me in the form of a skill tree upgrade could easily become a prison.     

    Just to use the skill properly I needed a shit ton of Constitution.  I hadn't even dug into the Crimson Cowl combat area of the skill tree.  That cost HP and I didn't have plenty of that to spare.  My system calculated things based on my own HP and AP.  UDW didn't cost nearly as much as it used to.  At the same time my control over those flames felt tighter.  

    I needed a test run.  The cloak gathered around my body until I was swallowed up by it.  In a mirror propped up against a shelf, I stared at myself.  The cloak had swallowed my body whole.  I had become a crimson creature wrapped in living cloth holding Diabla's blade.  

    An intense pain swept through me as thousands of tiny threads rippled through my body, empowered me, and draining my health.  The cloak vanished in a puff of demonic light and I returned to my normal appearance.  Tiny pinpricks covered me from head to toe.  

    "That power," the words tasted bitter on my tongue.  "Are you ok Diabla?"  I asked.  She stared at me.  

    She clutched at her chest and nodded slowly.  "I'm not some cheap piece of tin remember.  I'm a one-of-a-kind legendary demon blade.  I'm ready for the next one.  We need more power."  Diabla said.  

    "No, I think that was enough."  I said.  

    She shook her head.  "What are you talking about?  Most of that skill tree is useless without numbers to sacrifice.  You'll need much more health to feed it yourself."  Diabla said and looked away.  "The higher skills cost a lot more HP."  I shook my head.  

    I winked at her and placed her on my back.  "I think if we keep it to short bursts we can win.  There are still some medical pills in my ring.  Don't worry so much."  I said.  

    Diabla glared at me.  She wasn't going to back down until her blade cracked.  For now, she was fine, I couldn't feel any weakness in her.  That didn't make her ok.  Hiding her injuries didn't make her healthy.  

    A large mass of wood slammed on the ground.  Doppel fell back and I caught her in my arms.  

She turned to look at me.  "Are you ready?"  A smile spread across my face.  

I wiggled my eyebrows at her.  "We should steal Dol's bed and use it at our new hideout on the surface."  I said.  Doppel snorted.  

"That's not what I meant.  Are you ready to fight Dol again?"  Doppel asked.  

I looked up and met Gwen's eyes.  She pursed her lips.  "I know I'm asking a lot, but could you steal back my eye too.  Being at a quarter power sucks."  I nodded slowly.   

We approached the doors to the sanctum, and they open when we approach.  A large spider woman with midnight black hair and pale almost white skin smiles at me.  Her crimson eyes are all Star.  A smile spreads across her face as we stepped through the gateway and it slammed behind us.  

Despite the short time we've been apart it felt like years.  I quickly wrapped my arms around Star and hugged her.  "I missed you."  I said.  

"We can all have a reunion later.  There isn't much time and I need to explain some things."  The tower began to shake as the giant's grip increased.  "We don't have much time.  When the giant pulls us to its face it'll eat us and there is no surviving that for us.  The only way to survive is to jump at the right time."  

Star looked between the three of us.  "Then let's go."  She said.  

Gwen shook her head.  "If it were that easy, we would have sent you a message and jumped while Jacob was ranking up.  No Dol would have followed us and the giant would have followed Dol.  We have to trap Dol here before escaping."  Gwen said.  

I raised an eyebrow. "Then the three of you should escape.  I'll stay here and fight Dol."  I said.  

A low whistle sounded behind us.  "So, there's no point in jumping.  I'm screwed either way, huh.  Oh well, it looks like you managed to kill me like you wanted Gwen."  I stepped forward.  "Sorry buddy, no more free shots."  

His sword moved like lightning.  Crimson Cowl appeared around me between every swing.  Our swords moved in three exchanges.  I swiped at his belly, he leapt in the air and aimed to slit my throat, and I placed another hand on my blade and swiped up to split open his groin.  In between each swing my cloak appeared and disappeared.  It only wrapped around me when I absolutely needed it.  

With every exchange, I buffed with haste and ramped up my Aura Rush to max.  Sparks shot off our blades with every exchange.  The edge of my blade lifted and nearly slashed his throat only for him to dodge at the last second.   I felt the cold tip of his blade only to shift to the side like a boxer and return with a slash.  

My HP was on the decline while I hadn't touched him.  Our blades smashed into each other's and we pushed.  Crimson Cowl covered me, and I pushed against him with all my might.  5x after normal stat calculations was a massive boost.  Still he was a Duke.  A direct clash was never a battlefield I could win.  I dropped the red cloak and pushed myself backwards.   

With everything else that increased so too had my spell arsenal.  One of the spells I'd been formulating had finally panned out.  I felt ready to use it and this Dol was the perfect test subject.  

"I don't know about this.  I'm stronger than you, I've used magic longer than most lings have lived, and I have more aura than you.  Are you sure you wouldn't rather a painless death?  I'll make it quick, what do you say."  Dol asked.  

Vast amounts of aura erupted around my body.  A black ball gathered in front of my palm with a golden light at its core.  "No, you aren't doing that right.  Let me show you.  We say the names of our spells instead of silent casting them for a reason."  

The room was bathed in the golden light of my spell with only the black outline of the ball containing that light to be seen.  "I think, I finally figured out what your problem is."  I said 

A green outline appeared in the golden light.  It raised its hand before a frown appeared on its face.  "I think the pressure is getting to you, I don't have a problem."  Dol said.  

A smile spread across my face.  Black lightning spread out through the golden light while my spell matured.  It needed a bit of time to solidify.   

"You have all this stuff and lived like a king, but it never made you happy.  Then you tried to make your people rebel with experiments, torture, and finally a great sacrifice.  Ranking up didn't make you happy.  I think you're apathetic."  Dol's eyes widened before narrowing.  He wasn't attacking, powering up or doing anything crazy.  That was a good sign.  Did I hit something or was he confused?  

Dol's hands shook and his teeth ground together.  A look of astonishment appeared on his face before a look of loathing replaced it.  "Jopedoiden," a mighty green ball appeared in front of Dol's hand.  In moments he'd fire a shining green beam of aura.  

"Revelation," I called and pushed my hand through the ball.  The orb deformed before wrapping around my hand.  It was an enchantment, an artefact, and a creature rolled into a single devastating form.  Truthfully, it had a range of abilities that wouldn't go into effect until applied to another spell. 

"Field On," I called channeling my aura through Revelation. A barrier made of golden particles appeared around me.  Before when we fought my barrier couldn't stand up to his attacks.  A crack appeared in my barrier and the green light faded.  

"Is that it?  You made a stronger barrier."  Dol asked.  The barrier shattered and the particles flowed into my gauntlet.  Revelation needed a few more spells.  

"Did becoming a Duke make you happy?"  A frown spread over Dol's face.  "I slaughtered your friends, your children, and your citizen, but you seem more interested in Revelation."  I held up my gauntlet and showed him the eye in the palm.   I learned an interesting black spell.  

"You like interesting spells, well let me show you my arsenal."  Blue and white mana gathered around Dol's hands.   I raised my left hand and twelve massive flaming wyrms shot out of my aura.  "Fell, D Rare, a blue and white wave shattered the wyrms and crawled across the ground.  Everything magical from pills to tomes were turned into aura and flowed into Dol.  

    "What's wrong, I thought you figured me out."  Dol laughed as his barrier sucked the aura from the room.  

    I laughed with him and stepped forward.  I placed my gauntlet on the barrier and watched the entire spell chain ripple.  The barrier turned purple, then red, and finally flames erupted and the barrier shattered.  

    "Have you figured out what I've done or do want to try that again?  I thought you were a sorcerer for longer than I've been alive.  You must have been too busy making bat creatures to focus on spell craft."  I said.  He glared at my gauntlet.  

    "This place was a chain holding me back.  I'm sure you'll experience that someday if you beat me.  I have one more spell and it's a doozy.  Well buddy, let's see how you handle my ultimate spell."  Green light covered Dol's body.  Vast amounts of aura congealed around him while a green crown appeared on his head.  In his offhand a rolled-up scroll appeared.  "Wilving Coostidrowson," green light radiated off of Dol in vast amounts.  

    My eyes widened.  The gauntlet wouldn't have any effect on it.  Dol swung his sword and the ground separated.  Pieces of the tower began to split away.  Frigid air rushed in and ice crystals formed in the air.  A single breath nearly froze my lungs.  Dol's already insanely high stats just got an increase.   

    There were no similarities between Wilving Coostidrowson and any spell I knew.  I couldn't mutate the effects of Dol's spell or add new spells to the existing spell chain.  

    Crimson Cloak covered my body, and I released a Heaven's Balance, but it had no effect.  Dol's spell gave him immunity to either all curses or my enchantments all together.  I stretched my hand out and called upon my most devastating spell.  "Cur," Three black mystical circles appeared in front of my hand and spun around.  Thousands of rounds of javelin's fired and Dol stood in place.  He simply twirled his sword and deflected the javelins while charging towards me. 

    I touched Cur with my gauntlet.  Flames covered the spell while the javelin's dispersed into red aura.  Wyrms fired from my aura changed by the gauntlet.  Still Dol slashed them to pieces before the red aura suddenly converged on the last one.  I knew I couldn't inflict Volcanic Volatility on Dol.  His ultimate spell was too powerful. 

    A grin stretched across my face before Dol crossed his arms and grinned back at me.  The spell released an explosion like 50 fireballs going off in a single spot.  I had mutated Cur with Creeping Flames to gathered enough red aura to inflict Blaze after Volcanic Volatility.   A tall green figure stood in the flickering flames.  Not a scratch on his green body.  

    "Dawn," I called and felt Diabla match Dawn's holy energy with her demonic.  Particles of the clash of holy and demonic radiated from my blade.  This time I only felt a little discomfort.   The gauntlet shattered on my hand when I grabbed ahold of Diabla.  

    I had 1 second of Crimson Cowl in this state.  Dawn increased Diabla's power by at least 10 times.  "Let's end this in one clash.  That should give me enough time to escape."  Dol said.   

    I snorted.  "You won't beat me I'm going to leave here with Gwen, Doppel, and Star.  We're going to make a life out here on the surface."  Dol shook his head.  

    "If you live, you'll know how I felt."  Dol said.  The Crimson Cowl covered my body and I dashed forward.  Ice stretched quietly into the sanctum.  Temperatures continued to drop while we charged at one another.  The world itself was desperate to kill us.  

    My blade cut through something solid and hit something soft.  I felt something bump into me too.  When I stopped, my cloak dropped, and I fell to my knees.  Blood oozed from a wound in my side.  It closed soon after.  A small smile crept over my lips.  

    I heard a thump and saw Dol lying on the ground.  Blood oozed from his body and froze on the ground.  That had been too close.  Spirit Link faded from my blade.  

    "I don't understand.  When did you apply that spell?"  Dol asked.  

    His armor cracked while I pried it open.  Within glowing purple was a box holding Gwen's eye.  "That doesn't belong to you."  With my free hand, I yanked the box off of him.  

I stood up and walked across the ice where Doppel, Gwen, and Star waited for me.  Gwen yanked the box from my hand and it quickly glowed a bright purple.  The light shot out of the box and flew into a slit just above her eyes.  

Rocks crashed from high above and through the darkness, I saw the face of the giant.  Its mouth alone was larger than the tower.  On its head were twelve glowing ice blue eyes.  Its skin was a tight white over its mountainous frame.  We were close to its mouth.  

I looked back at Dol as we approached the edge of the tower and jumped off together.  He began to slide back toward the creature's mouth.  Blood smeared the stone floor as he rolled.  Crystals of crimson grew as he collided with the wall.  I hoped this was the last we'd ever see each other.