Chapter 178: To the Victoes the Spoils

  The goblin y sprawled on the ground, its belly bloated and drooling in its sleep, blowing grotesque bubbles of saliva. I assumed it could finally die happy with a full belly. The goblin had tossed everything out of my pack, scattering it across the room. I thought briefly about killing the small, unsightly creature, but it had saved my life in its own way. It seemed too cruel to kill my beor in its sleep. I moved as quietly as possible to recim the spear and make sure it had no access to any ons. I would let it fend for itself in the dungeo woke.

  My veins and arteries still burned with every beat of my heart, warning me against using any more aether. Oher hand, I had three powerful potential essences in this room. I would not risk perma damage by returning the goblin to my dimensional space, but I could at least cim the essences as that should just require a tiny amount of aether.

  I felt a sense ency to catch up with the others, as Castile had the Kettle of Souls. I started by searg the mage, no longer squeamish about looting the dead. The robe I had used t him to the safe room seemed to resist staining—even the pools of blood from his neck had not soaked into the fabric. It robably an artifact, so I s in the air, rolled it up, and stuffed it into my vely emptied pack.

  He wore a single shiny, untarnished g on each finger. Both were definitely dungeon artifacts. His eborate bck belt had six small sewn-in pouches, three on each hip, each just big enough for a hand. I checked them, but they were all curiously empty. Maybe he had used everything. I coiled the appealing utility belt and added it to my pack as well.

  A heavy gold and silver medallioed around what remained of his neother artifact, and possibly simir to Castile’s aether shield amulet. I had depleted his aether shield during the fight. I put it in the pack for now. His boots were nice, but they were far too small for me. There was not much else of use here, so I assumed the summoner had left his pack elsewhere.

  I strapped my bck bde and the magebane bde to my pack, shouldered it, and carried the spear as I left the room. The walk to the owlbear room seemed to take forever, but I was rewarded with a room filled with tall grasses and dark berry bushes. I quickly located the untouched reward chest for defeating the owl bear. Without hesitation, I shattered it and was relieved to find the greater healing potion I was hoping for. I drank it immediately, the multitude of injuries fading like a bad dream.

  I had not realized how injured I truly was until the warmth of the healing potion washed over me. I could have waited hours and healed myself with my spell form, but I o catch up with the others, so time was of the essence. I packed away the silver s and a sed potion. A quice at the runic script told me it enhanced one’s strength when ed. I pulled the collector from my dimensional space, my aether els fring in protest at even this smallest of aether expenditures.

  I sidered my armor for a moment. It was in terrible dition, with multiple holes in the resin-infused hide from the powerful are missiles. I unbuckled it, discarding the pieces on the floor. Even my clothes underh had numerous holes. Feeling much freer in my movements, I returo the safe room. The goblin was still sleeping, with a rger puddle of drool beh its . At least, it seemed to be having pleasant dreams.

  I used the collector on the owlbear first, wing at the effort of eling even a wisp of aether into it. As the disc pulled the rich blue smoke, I worried it had been too long sihe creature’s death to yield anything, but I was rewarded with a modest dark purple sphere—a major strength essehe summoner was . I pced the collector on his chest, anticipating something substantial.

  I jumped when the gobli out a loud ftule was an attack, just not a physical one, as the foul cloud reached me. I covered my nose as I eled my aether despite the persistent pain. I was rewarded with an apex essence, a lumi pearl for increasiher pool capacity. I thumbed the sphere in appreciation—this was much better than the magic affinity I had expected. I wao e it immediately, but I was still rec from my st earth essence, and my aether els were still on fire. The burn was so bad I was sweating.

  The headless drake in the corridor was the st potential essence. I packed the apex pearl in my pad moved to where the drake y. It really was a beautiful creature when it was n to kill you. I ran my hand along the scales, which were silky smooth and cool to the touch. If Maveith were here, he’d probably be upset that I was not w hard to harvest the creature properly. I bahe collector on its body and ehe increasing pain. The rich blue aetheric smoke formed quickly. A dark blue aquamarine sphere formed—an apex water affinity essence. I was slightly shocked but appreciative. I packed the esseh the collector in my bag.

  With the bck bde and the magebane bde strapped to my pack, I shouldered it. Ohe aether burn lessened, I would store the entire pack, but for now, I o avoid further damage to my els. I prepared to exit the dungeon, carrying only the spear. The goblin chose that moment to stir, panig when it saw me. I held the spear in a non-threatening manner, resting the butt on the floor. The goblin scurried into the wall.

  “I’m sorry, but I ot take you with me. No more free rides. Best of luck, little guy.” I saluted the petrified creature and stepped into the oily portal, leaving behind the terrified but satiated goblin.

  The bright snow momentarily blinded me as I exited the dungeon. It was midday, the brilliant sun refleg off the snow. I swung the spear in a defensive arc as my eyes adjusted. Red splotches filled my blurry vision, and soon, I could see the legion armor and blood-stained snow. No specters in sight. Further away, he colpsed tavern, y a troll with a legionnaire’s body pinned beh it.

  I inhaled deeply, sav the crisp, cool air, finally free of the stale dungeon atmosphere. I sighed as I saw no sign of the pany. It should not have been more than two hours sihey had fled ahead of me. The hearth tree’s green opy extended high above me. I took a quice at the branches, looking out for the giant eagles, but saw none. I assumed the wyverns had fihem off. Still, it would be a shame to fall prey to an attaow that freedom was so close.

  I rexed slightly, and I surveyed the area around me. No specters were in sight. On iion, I reized the body uhe troll as Lu, the horse master. I closed his wide, shocked eyes and whispered, “Thank you for sharing your wisdom about horses.” I sighed, recalling our time in Formica.

  Anionnaire y withiavern wreckage, a bow still clutched in his grasp. I assumed it avel, but I did not veo the debris to firm. Beh the tavern rubble were runic armor and a great sword. But this was not the time to retrieve them.

  The courtyard where the dungeorance y acked with snow. The tracks showed the pany sg the wall to my right sihe entrance had colpsed. I picked up a legion helm—red hair spilled out, and as I tur over, Remus’s frozen head rolled out. His milky eyes stared up at me from the iow. My own indiffereo his lifeless face surprised me. My helm was the only piey own armor left. I still had the full set of armifted to me by the duchess, but I would not be able to retrieve it for some time.

  The torn bodies of three legionnaires y scattered and pressed into the snow. This firmed that the wyverns had killed the entire group: Soren, Cyrus, and Remus. I started pieg together a set of armor. Cyrus had been short but barrel-chested, and his upper body armor would fit me well enough. Soren had been taller, and his greaves should work for me. As I dug out Cyrus’s body when a familiar voice called out, “Eryk!”

  I spun to see Maveith standing in front of the dungeorance. “Maveith, did you all go bato the dungeon?” I looked at the wall the pany had climbed, then back at Maveith.

  Maveith’s voice echoed too loudly, “No. I have been searg the dungeon for you! I have been going in and out, hoping to find you!”

  My throat tighte the loyalty and friendship he showed. “Thank you, Maveith. For having faith. What about the pany?”

  “They went over the wall. They po find a building to access the uy,” Maveith replied, but his booming voice dreecter through the wall. I grabbed my spear, and a siab dispersed it. The spear must have been strohan my bck bde si usually took more tharike with the bde to finish a specter.

  Maveith rushed to my side, ready to help. I whispered, “Keep your voice down, Maveith. Keep watch while I salvage some armor.”

  “I am sorry. I was just so happy to see you alive. What happeo your armor? Is the summoner ing?” He asked much more quietly while standing over me as I worked.

  I growled unhappily as I pulled the body from its icy grave. “The summoner destroyed my armor. I don’t think he’ll be joining us.” Maveith grunted but did not ask further questions.

  Maveith excimed, as quietly as a goliath could, “I almost fot. I have words from Castile. She asked me to tell you that you should stop pying the hero.”

  I ched my jaw as I heard Castile’s message, and my hands were soon numb from the cold as I cimed the armor from my fallen rades. Legion armor recisely fitted to each person. I knew I would get some chafing from wearing this armor, but it was better than nothing. “All right, Maveith, let us get out of here.”

  The pany had packed snow and debris to create a small ramp up to the wall. It was just over te high, and I mao pull myself up. Maveith handed me the spear as I surveyed the city from the top of the courtyard’s wall. He climbed up to join me. Half of the buildings had colpsed over the turies, but some remained, some still reag several stories high.

  It seemed like the weeks ent in the dungeon had pacted the snow somewhat. The bluish heads of several specters were visible above the snow, indig that the depth was around four or five feet. The pany had broken a path through the snow to a building across the street.

  “Wyvern, Eryk,” Maveith whispered, startling me, and drawing my attention behind us. In the distance, a wyvern circled far away from the city. It must have been released from the summoner’s trol wheered the dungeon and had yet to wander off.

  “We o reach the uy and catch up with the others. I see dozens of specters down this street.” I dropped the spear and lowered myself onto the packed snow. Maveith nded with a thud beside me. I barely had time to grab the spear before the first specter emerged from the snow around us.

  A quick upward ssh dispatched the specter. “Move, Maveith!” I hissed as I followed the path the pany had cleared. The narrow el through the snow was dangerous, as specters could appear right o us. The spear proved invaluable, easily dispersing specters with orike. Reag the building door, we found it had been smashed in.

  I stepped over the threshold, looking around. “Maveith, do you have ylowstone?” He entered behind me, and I turo defend the door while Maveith retrieved it. I avoided retrieving my own glowstoo spare my els further strain. By the time Maveith retrieved the glowstone, I had already cut down two more specters.

  The building appeared to be a shop, though its dispy cases were loroyed, and its furniture had colpsed. Drifts of snow had gathered through broken windows, but I could see multiple footprints in the dust and snow. “Find where they went. I’ll hold the door.” As Maveith followed the pany’s tracks, I cut down three specters. The otion would definitely draw more.

  “Over here, Eryk!” Maveith finally called. I retreated after dispatg another specter. The specters would reform in about half an hour, and I was eager to put some distaween us. At the back of the shop, Maveith found stairs leading down into the uy. Clear footprints in the dust showed the pany had gohat way. “Go!” I urged the goliath.

  I followed Maveith dowairs. Once we reached the nding, we saw tracks in the dust leading bht a. “Which way?” Maveith asked, fog on a specter approag from the left.

  I uzzled by the tracks—it looked like the pany had split, with half goi and the other half going right. No, this had to be Konstantin ying a false trail for the summoner. If I were Konstantin, which path would I choose?

  ? Chted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne

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