Shardrunes
patreon
[Omen of the Witchblade] Chapter 60 - Disturbed Dead
🕑 Added 2025-01-07 00:34:08 +0000 UTCBefore they had stepped more than a few feet inside the graveyard, Thomas was there. “What did you do?”
“Why do you automatically assume we did something?” Mel asked imperiously.
“Because you’re you. Even if you don’t remember us, that doesn’t mean we don’t remember you. If I put a lock on the most boring book in the world, you’d go through hell and high water just to open it. So, what did you do?”
Mel lifted up her [Ghostflame Lantern]. “I got this from where I…spawned? I don’t know what term you’d use.”
“Apparate.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever. Where I apparated. It was a tomb. I got my first aspect there. According to the–” Mel frowned, realizing for the first time that she felt the overpowering sensation of Legendary titles from not just Gwen, but Thomas as well.
Maybe I should keep that to myself. Not sure how I missed that before.
Gwen peered closely at the lantern. She almost touched a finger to the flames before she thought better of it.
“According to what?” Thomas asked, not nearly as distracted as Gwen.
Mel shook her head. “I was going to say that according to the aspect I received, the tomb seemed to be themed.”
Thomas’ golden eyes studied her for a moment. She felt like he could look into her very soul. He nodded and turned his gaze toward the mausoleum. “That is something we’ve seen too. Not always, but often enough.”
“That’s how I received my Primal aspect,” Gwen said. “A sort of catacomb for ancient beasts.” She punctuated the point by crushing a white animal bone that glowed with an ethereal flame. [Primal Cloak] emerged from her hood.
Much like Mel’s [Sanguine Coat], Gwen’s aspect skill also disappeared when sleeping.
“A shame we’ve all received our aspects,” Thomas continued. “But there is a silver lining.”
They walked through the graveyard, watching the tombstones with apprehension. Mel’s ghostflame flickered violently, sensing all the disturbed dead around them.
“And that is?” Mel asked.
“I believe that if you would otherwise get an aspect gem, the system gives you a kindling branch instead. Perhaps even more useful than aspect gems for Coppers. Not that I understand the economy of this place, though. Aspect gems must have a purpose beyond their use to Mundanes.”
“He’s been obsessed with finding alternative uses for aspect gems,” Gwen explained as they approached the mausoleum. She shouldered the heavily patinaed door open by main force. Dust and flakes drifted to the ground.
The dusty chill air of the interior blew over them as if the small stone building exhaled.
Awakened by the breath of the disturbed dead, the graveyard began to stir.
Thomas looked around, materializing a twisted wand of smooth wood in his free hand with a flurry of golden ash. “It looks like we’ve woken up our hosts. I suggest we get inside.”
“It’s so small,” Mel said, looking at the tiny building. She had figured it would open up into something grander. “We should just turn and fight.”
“You’re telling me,” Gwen grumbled.
“Inside,” Thomas said sternly. “Now.”
Gwen went in promptly, as if he gave a military command.
Mel looked over her shoulder. The 10 monsters she had first seen were now 30 and growing. “Okay, yeah, maybe that’s a good idea.”
She didn’t want to get trapped in a mausoleum with the dead clawing at the doors like some horror movie, but she liked her chances out in the open even less.
They piled inside as Mel swapped to [Gaze of the Serpent]. Gwen turned around and grabbed hold of the ring handles and pulled the doors shut with the finality of a lead coffin lid shutting. She summoned a rusty sword and used that to further bar the door.
Mel turned around, hoping against hope that her enhanced vision would find something her eyes had not. There were three sarcophagi and several plaques along the walls, but nothing that screamed SECRET ENTRANCE.
Thomas, however, was unbothered. He muttered to himself, drawing his wand through the air, forming an intricate series of loops and swirls that burned in the air.
He fished in his pocket and tossed a handful of rune coins into the burning blue sigil. It flashed and twisted around itself until it formed a ball.
Kinda like making a ball out of random bits of lint, Mel thought as the magic coalesced into a shining orb of starlight that hung over Thomas’ head.
Ritual Spell: [Starlight]
He looked at Mel and his shoulders drooped ever-so-slightly. “I take it I’m the only one with human-grade sight.”
They both nodded.
“Lovely.”
“How did you do that?” Mel asked as the doors began to shiver in their frame.
“It’ll hold,” Thomas told them without paying attention to the doors as more undead banged on it from outside.
Gwen eyed one of the sarcophagi like she was considering using it to bar the door as well.
Thomas stepped forward. The ball of starlight stayed in place a few feet above his golden curls. It had no heat that Mel could see, yet she was aware of it all the same in some indefinable way. “An application of knowledge that the system doesn’t intrinsically teach,” he explained.
“That’s the nerdiest non-answer I’ve ever heard, but fine,” Mel said, moving forward to search for a switch or candlestick. “If there was a bookshelf, I’d say we were in one of those cheap horror movies.”
Gwen barked a laugh at that. “Well, I’m not seeing anything. Good to start tearing everything apart?” she asked, reaching for the lid of a sarcophagus. “Or does your magic lantern react to anything else in here?”
Mel hadn’t thought about that. She lifted the lantern up, studying the pale flame. Initially, it danced and shifted toward the graveyard where the disturbed dead were trying to break down the copper doors.
The deeper into the chamber she moved, the more the flame shifted until it pointed directly at the sarcophagus on the left.
Before Mel could say anything, Gwen took out her ball-and-chain. She whipped it through the air with the force of a cannon shot.
Mel threw up her hands to shield herself from the shattering stone while Thomas simply stood there stoically.
He leaned back a few inches as the heavy iron ball passed by his face. It rebounded as if the stone was made out of rubber, and made straight for Gwen.
“Oh shi–” Gwen began to curse before the iron ball hit her square in the chest.
She was blasted back into the wall, groaning and grumbling, but not too hurt. Thomas motioned to the sarcophagus. “Raise your lantern toward it.”
Mel looked over at Gwen, wondering if she was okay, then back at Thomas. His lack of concern meant she was either fine (and had clearly done this before, to no ill effect) or he was an uncaring psychopath.
Upon closer inspection, the wall had taken more damage than Gwen. Which was a bad sign, as withered grasping hands began to claw through the gaps in the stone. A few touched Gwen’s armor, but she shrugged them off and got up quickly.
Seeming to have a complicated relationship with that chain, she kicked in irritation at the iron ball while glaring at it sourly.
Raising the [Ghostflame Lantern], Mel studied the sarcophagus. Hidden symbols and runes appeared under the pale light of the ghostflame.
Thomas knelt beside it and pressed one, then the other, and finally a third. Each one lit up in sequence until the entire series of runes flashed and the heavy stone lid shifted a few inches to the side.
“You can open it now,” Thomas told Gwen.
She looked at him, crossing her arms petulantly. “Maybe I don’t want to.”
He shrugged and shoved the stone lid to the side enough for his lean frame to slip inside. Without another word, he vanished into the sarcophagus.
Mel, who was even smaller than Thomas, went up to the edge and looked into the depths below. Her heat vision illuminated colder metal rungs sunk deeply into the stone. She frowned, unable to see the depths.
“Calling my bluff like always,” Gwen said from behind Mel. “Least I won’t be the first one to trigger the traps this time.”
Mel glanced over her shoulder at her. More of the disturbed dead were digging through the rubble in the corner, making more headway into the mausoleum than at the doors. “Shouldn’t we get a move on?”
“Sure, you first.” Gwen shoved aside the lid.
Mel hopped in and went down one rung at a time, keeping a careful eye on the surrounding dark blues and purples around her. The shaft leading down was cool and dry, with no hidden monsters that she could see.
Mel heard Gwen follow down after her. Looking up, she saw the lid shutting on its own, much to both of their surprise.
“The only way out is through,” Mel said, hurrying down now that there was no other option. If something attacked them, it’d be better if they were on solid ground.
They went down for what felt like ages until finally Mel saw a stone floor with Thomas’ warm tones heating up the immediate space around him.
As he stepped further into the room, his boots left heat prints behind in the shape of their tread.
Unlike Gwen, Thomas’ outfit was not very insulative. It glowed brightly in her infravision, marking him out as easily as if he wore a suit full of LEDs.
Gwen, on the other hand, showed enough skin that she was equally easy to see. Even through the wolf-like cloak that was practically translucent to Mel’s [Gaze of the Serpent]. However, there were several pieces of her armor that were covered in fur, making her silhouette harder to make out despite the fact that she ran so much hotter than any other human Mel had ever seen.
She wanted to ask about that, but it didn’t feel right. Not only because she didn’t remember them, but because that seemed uncomfortably personal.
And when has that ever stopped you?
Mel took a few precautionary steps back from the ladder.
“What’re you doing?” Gwen asked.
“Being prudent.” Mel pointed to the ladder. “If one of those undead find their way in, I don’t want it to fall on me. Dying in battle is one thing. Dying because a random monster fell on you is just embarrassing.”
Gwen’s expression told Mel that she hadn’t thought about that. She took a few careful steps deeper into the room.
Thomas was already inspecting a pair of metal statues flanking an arched hallway leading deeper into the underground complex.
“No traps,” he confirmed, straightening. “No need for you to run in first and trigger them all. Again,” he added, admonishingly.
Gwen half-lidded her eyes at Thomas.
“Are you a Defender or something?” Mel asked. “Obviously Thomas is a Mage, but you tank damage like…well, like Warren did and he was a Defender too.”
“I’m a Brawler actually. Though my specialization has begun to blend between them.”
Mel examined Gwen, not because she didn’t believe her, but because she had nearly forgotten about [Eye for Talent].
[Gwen (Copper Brawler)]
“No shit? I almost picked that class,” Mel said. She was impressed at how simple [Eye for Talent] was to use. No wonder Warren had easily known what her class was.
“So have a few of the others,” Thomas said. “Though predictably a great many of us focused on Mystic and Mage.”
“I read what Brawler was about and I couldn’t say no to the thrill of battle and all that,” Gwen explained with an enthusiastic grin. “I love fighting. I was still tempted by Defender though.”
“Did you just appear in a field somewhere with the Shardscript in your vision, like the rest of the people from Earth?” Mel asked.
They both turned to her, a look of surprise on their faces. They exchanged a look of concern. “Of course,” Thomas said soothingly. “She wouldn’t remember if she can’t remember us.”
Gwen frowned. “Memory loss isn’t too uncommon, and the spell apparently did not go to plan.”
“What’re you talking about?” Mel asked.
Thomas shot Gwen a warning look. “Later,” he told Mel. “It’s a long story, and I think we all would prefer to keep our wits about us in here.”
“I’m not taking another step until you tell me. Make it brief, I don’t care. Just tell me. Did you appear here like me, or like the people of Earth?”
“Neither,” Gwen said. She gave Thomas a stern look. “She deserves to know.”
Thomas nodded, glanced down the hall to check for monsters, then looked back at Mel. “We weren’t brought here. Technically, we brought everybody else. The Magi uplifted Earth, though none of us thought it would work. Clearly, things went wrong. You went missing, among many other things. We appeared first, then the billions followed in our wake. Kind of like siphoning liquid from one tank to the other. Once we set up the portal, the rest followed. It wasn’t our intent.”
“It never was,” Gwen whispered.
Mel stared, dumbfounded. She knew that Magi could do a lot together, but that was…beyond anything she knew possible. Unless…
“How many Magi?” Mel asked, already knowing the answer.
“You already know, I can see it,” Thomas said.
“Tell me.”
“Thirteen.”
Mel didn’t know how to react. Technically speaking, it was their fault that she was here. It was the fault of the Magi that so many people died to beasts and monsters the first few hours.
Sabrina, Shane, Nathan, Maddie, and Bernard were dead instead of enjoying a life of mediocrity because of the Magi.
But there was something even worse that Mel’s mind shied away from out of self-preservation.
If they were right, then Mel was a part of that 13.
She was just as guilty as them.
