Return To The Forsaken Fort

The party marched out of town, Thordon and Clarissa now in tow to ensure their trip goes smoothly. Through the fields, then the forests. They passed the place they would enter their old camp from, memories of Moze resurfacing fresh in their minds. A short union, but one that left a mark upon all of their hearts. They headed deeper, into the darker reaches of the forests, through the mire, and eventually back into the lands poisoned by the black clouds. Foes lashed out at them like usual, but the party was well used to staving them off in small numbers.

Meanwhile, it was time to allocate skill points. Ember took a quick look at his codex while they traveled along. Though he previously saw it as such an easy skip for more attack power, this time, Ember found himself staring at his middle tree, the one titled Unstoppable. Without Moze, the party was lacking in a proper tank, and all things considered, it was pretty clear whose job it was to take up that mantle. Without hesitation, Ember applied two points into increasing his maximum hit points. Though it was difficult to describe, it was as if he actively felt himself growing tougher with both applications. He then turned his attention to his Berserker tree, his eyes ascending to the next rung. Following Intimidate, the first ability he gained access to Numbed Nerves, which increased defense while Raging, offering more defense the lower his armor value was. The second was Warcry, which increased the attack power of nearby allies temporarily when entering Rage. Tempting as the latter was, he needed the resilience right now.

Next up came his Racial Skills. With only one point, he needed to choose what to upgrade. He had already written off the stealth oriented Mischief tree beforehand, but now it was between Nimbleness and Inferno. The first option for Nimbleness was an ability called Springtail Leap, which would allow him to launch himself into the air using his tail. The first ability of his Inferno tree was Flame Weapon, which would allow him to enchant any weapon he wields with temporary fire damage. For a moment, he was tempted towards the Flame Weapon skill, but as he looked back to Springtail Leap, he recalled that he had yet to place his most recent Weapon point, and among that selection was the skill Meteor Dive, allowing him to strike with increased damage when dropping at least ten feet. Feeling curious, he opted to go with Springtail leap and Meteor Dive. He couldn’t help but feel there could be a synergy there.

When Ember next looked up, he was surprised to see how close the portal to that old castle keep had gotten. It loomed, every bit as imposing as the last time the party ventured here, yet despite the tragedy that had occured behind those walls, there was no fear. They knew what they were getting into now, they knew the consequences for failure, but they were also stronger now thanks to Moze’s sacrifice. This time, it was Ember taking point, marching his party confidently towards the gates. In truth, he didn’t feel like a leader. He knew full well that right now, that role was well beyond him and he would have a long way to go if he ever hoped to match Moze. Still, he had determination. It was written all over his little red face.

Ember reached back and investigated his bag. Within he had Moze’s platemail and the headband he always wore. The stats of the armor didn’t quite interest him. It provided greater defense at the cost of increased stamina consumption. He was also uncertain as to how it might react to Numbed Nerves. If Numbed Nerves could match its value, then the armor would just be a detriment anyway. The headband on the other hand. It offered no bonus stats, but could glamor any headwear it was attached to. As they neared the final few meters between themselves and the gate, he pulled the headband out of his bag and placed it on his head, the new headband taking on the properties offered by his old studded leather piece. The others couldn’t help but notice this, but didn’t say anything. They didn’t need to ask as they already knew what it meant.

“Well, here we are. Guess this is it, we either get in there, drop that monster, and get our answers… Or one of us doesn’t come back at all.” Ember boldly stated.

“Oh cut it Ember. It’s gonna be the former, cause I’m not gonna be the one that has to tell your parents that you aint coming outa this game. Not after your mom dropped so much money to get a headset of her own so she could drag you outa here.” Thordon said with a smirk.

“Heh, yea, good point. Nevermind guys, We’re gonna go in there, drop that monster and get our answers, cause that’s the only way this is gonna go. You got it?” Ember assured them, turning his head and firing off the most confident looking smirk of his life.

The others met his gaze and nodded, their eyes burning with determination as well.

“Heh, we’ve got this. Even if I need to drag your stupid husks through that boss arena with me.” Ruori replied.

“Alright team. No more mess’n around, let’s do this!” Ember shouted before marching himself, Lian, Maggie, and Ruori through that gate.

Emerging on the other side, it was as if the arena had been reset. The place was still dark, still laden with ruins, and the streets still lined with corpses yet there remained no signs of the rain of rubble that accosted them through here like last time. Still, most of them already knew what to expect this time, and to the one who didn’t, Ember turned his head to and spoke.

“Alright guys, we’re just gonna haul it through here. Ruori, what’s about to happen is that in a few moments, a big cloud is gonna form behind us and start chasing us. We’re gonna need to run through the streets as fast as we possibly can. Meanwhile, a giant on top of the keep is gonna huck a bunch of rubble n’ crap at us. We just keep running and dodging. Also, don’t go into the ruins. The soldier corpses are actually weird stomach mouth zombies and they’ll get up if we go into the ruins. About half way through, the ones in the street will also start getting up, so we need to dodge them or knock them out of the way. Last time we did that, Moze and I were able to keep the path clear, but this time, I think I’m the only one who can shove them around, so when they start get’n up, get behind me, alright?” Ember ordered, glancing between his party members.

He was met with nods until he felt a tug on his tail. It was maggy, and she was looking at him with a smile, one that he met with his own. “Oh, another ride huh? Alright, I think I can do that.” Ember replied before wrapping her in his tail which actually felt stronger this time around. With that, the familiar silhouette of the boss made their way to the center of the keep’s roof, its cold gaze descending over the party once more.

“That Aura… The mark… We have met once before, yet you return. I offer you the chance once more to turn back. Even should you defeat me, the land beyond will offer you only greater strife.” The beast bellowed in warning.

Ember and the others were taken aback, looking up at the monster with wide eyes. Even Ruori who hadn’t been here to hear it speak the first time, took full notice of the situation.

“Mark… How does it know about the mark? That and it sounds like this thing actually recognizes you somehow.” Ruori noted.

Ember gritted his teeth and shook his head. “Yea, it’s weird alright, but that doesn’t change anything. We’ll just have to dig out the answers to that as well when we take him down. Plan’s the same, just run!”

With that, the party began their sprint, dashing across the road of bodies once more. Just like last time, the beast heaved slab after slab of rubble, attempting to crush them before they even reached the keep. This time however, they knew what to expect. Ruori easily dodged everything that came her way, while Ember dodged what he could and took the rest of it head on, keeping Maggie held tightly against his back. Lian also managed to hold her own, being clipped by the smaller bits of rubble that rained down, but managing to dodge the larger, more dangerous stuff with Koumei right behind. Eventually, the corpses began to rise once more, prompting Ember to draw his maul. With a fierce strike, he swatted the corpses aside like flies, leaving a clear path behind him for Lian to follow. Ruori however handled the rest in her own way, using her superior agility to dodge around them, roll beneath them, and flip over them.

Closer and closer they came to the open gate of the keep, it too having reset. The rubble that had obstructed it upon their first entry no longer present. Of course, they anticipated full well that the same process would repeat itself once they passed through. It would once more seal them inside the bottom floor of the keep and force them to contend with its guardian. This time however, they were confident in how it would end, after all, the cost of failure was far more than any of them were willing to afford. Before long, they had neared the base of the tower. A rain of rubble collapsing down towards them as the battlements above were smashed. It would not be enough to stop them however, even as the cloud rolled in, even as the horde of undead mutants converged upon them, and even as their stamina meters trickled down to nothing. They continued to persevere until eventually, they charged through the gate to hear the familiar crash of collapsing stone behind them.