Rook explained his entry into the chamber, the illusion, and Teru’s statue, then how his body seemed to move on its own. Reina seemed stricken with worry, and Al just listened intently. I think I’m growing on him. The two sets of thoughts, memories, and who Demarcus was.

  “You got a vision scroll for the Sacred Cipher.” Reina’s mouth gaped open.

  “I didn’t know you humans were aware of the Sacred Cipher. I went on a hunt for it not long ago,” Al spoke for the first time in a while. “It was for my Lord.”

  “What is the Sacred Cipher?” Rook asked.

  Reina shot him a glance as if he had blurted out her thought.

  “The Sacred Cipher, supposedly, is the secret to immortality, infinite knowledge, and the power to level mountains. There are eight Vision Scrolls that you must find. I know of two.” He paused, “Well, now three that have surfaced. One with the Dawndrasil, one with the neutral Kingdom of Berg and the last you found in Teru’s Library.”

  Quest Updated

  Find the Sacred Cipher 1/8

  Travel to Dawndrasil Kingdom 0/1

  Travel to Berg 0/1

  Find more about the locations of the scrolls 0/1

  Ensuring his mace was equipped, he rested his hand on the rough wooden hilt as they descended the sharp stairs. After what must have been ten minutes, the steps opened into a cavern, with multiple branching tunnels to the right. I’ll have to. The left was a floor-to-ceiling rock face. Rook pivoted to see back up the stairs, and the path was sealed by a wall, as if it never existed.

  “I guess there’s no more getting his body,” the enhancer said with a frown, looking at their predicament. “Lost Jody, lost knowledge in the library.”

  There was a long, silent moment.

  “Yeah, shame. You know what I miss only slightly more than a dusty library? Sunlight.” He tried to make the situation just a bit lighter, despite his own pain.

  Reina shot him a glare. “That library is not just dusty books–you got a Vision Scroll of the Sacred Cipher. Which, until a few minutes ago, I thought was a myth.” She patted her travel pack.

  “We have uninvited company,” Mara said, unstrapping her greatsword.

  The space was quickly filled by the incredible bulk and his two frankenforcers. The dog handler with the skin toupee yanked the chain attached to Raccoon’s neck, forcing Rook’s eye to twitch. Rook’s eyes rolled up and down the ogre; his fat, pale body was covered in deep, bleeding wounds. Clear fluid leaked from his eye like a seeping fissure.

  “You kill many Thunderfist tribe. You make me use Black Dagger scum.” The ogre pointed at the cowering mass of goblins clad in the mismatched black armor. “You leave me only escape guards.”

  The black daggers’ naked weapons were low and unthreatening. They stood behind the enforcers, awaiting command, some shooting nervous glances at Raccoon. The ogre’s dirty lid opened and shut over his weeping, bloodshot eye.

  “Kill the humans!” The Ogre’s voice roared in the enclosed space.

  They nervously shuffled past the enforcers, past the over, and towards Rook and Reina.

  “Any ideas, Rook?” Reina asked, guiding herself behind him.

  “Yeah. Kinda.”

  Past Life Proficiency activated: Demarcus

  New ideas flooded his mind; somehow, he knew that goblins could be threatened with violence. When facing an enemy, though they could be ferocious, or rallied as a leader. He jerked his head towards Raccoon. He stood next to the enforcer, no worse for wear for someone who was beaten like a side of beef. His sad eyes met Rook’s gaze, and he winked again. I’m going to get you out of this. Then his eyes shifted to the chain collar. He was confident he could unlock the collar, just like he did with the manacles on his wrists.

  “Listen up, Black Dagger goblins. I was with Sergeant Rix when he died. He wanted Raccoon to be the next leader of your tribe. Do not let the great Chief’s son down!”

  Command Presence- Silver Tongued Bastard- Diplomat activated

  “Rix? Rix. Rix.” The goblins chanted, beating their shafts into the ground. Drumbeats echoed through the chamber, creating a chaos that the Thunderfist were not ready for.

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  With a practiced motion, he reached the echo on the lock attached to the collar and pulled. The metal padlock shattered with a shower of sparks, and the metal was sent flying. Raccoon fled from the enforcer and was quickly engulfed by the Black Dagger crowd. Lost to the captors.

  Alderion Kai bared his teeth and growled at the Ogre’s Thunderfist guards. The pale blue elf bellowed an incoherent war cry as he shuffled towards the left enforcer. Mara focused on the left enforcer as well, running him through like a shishkabab. Her greatsword narrowly dodged Al. We’re going to have to work on that.

  Shaking his head, Rook focused on the right enforcer. The large steroid junkie goblin gripped an angry-looking polearm, which was obviously taken from a Soldier or guard. Like all great Army leadership, the ogre lazily crossed his arms and watched as his subordinates did all the work.

  A Thunderfist enforcer from the crowd charged Al. With extended fingers, he drew his hand back and shoved the knife hand directly into the big goblin’s throat. Keeping the momentum, Al summoned the dawn blade and pirouetted like a figure skater, spinning in a low crouch and cutting through the enforcer’s knee with his blade of light. The goblin cried out in pain as he fell to his ass. Al continued his spin and roundhoused the goblin in his fathead.

  “Damn!” Rook said, glancing at the elf. “In theory, this should work.” Rook focused on the spear tip of the other enforcer as he rushed towards Al.

  Rook forced the tip down. The spear drove into the cavern ground, bending at the shaft and catapulting the enforcer up and over the elf.

  “By the dawn!” Al watched in amazement.

  Before the goblin touched the ground. Rook grabbed the goblin’s boot and held him in the empty air. The enforcer thrashed around, making Rook chuckle; a giddy feeling sat in his stomach. The goblin felt as light as a small rock with the increased skills and the mana crystal buff… A sharp, needle-like pain stabbed into the right side of his head, indicating that maybe holding a couple of hundred pounds was a bit foolish. He wiped at his nose with the back of one dirty sleeve, and it came back red. He’s too heavy even though I am maxed?

  “Stop moving!” Rook grunted. “I can’t. hold you,” he said as the goblin maneuvered upside down and growled at him.

  “Down, down!” The enforcer bellowed at him.

  Gravity peeled the toupee off his bald goblin head. Rook had to stifle the urge to puke despite his passive. Okay, down it is. Rook willed the enforcer to the ground. What he didn’t account for was the full extent of the newfound power. The goblin slammed into the ground like a crashing elevator. An audible crack echoed through the chamber as the steroid junkie’s neck jerked violently to the side.

  There was no gurgling, no coughing, just death. He stared at the ogre’s unblinking eye, then took a step back towards Reina, who held her rapier ready.

  “I did not mean to do that,” Rook said, letting out a breath. “What you got there, big guy?” Rook backpedaled until he nearly knocked Al over.

  “Watch your step, human. What’s the issue?” Al asked, leaning forward as if he was straining to see.

  The ogre’s fat face grimaced, revealing a smile full of rounded and chipped teeth. The teeth of someone who chews on hard bones every day. He reached into his loincloth and rummaged around. Oh God. Rook began circling around towards the tunnels, pulling Al.

  “I think he’s about to pull something out that we don’t want to see. It’s a good day to not have eyes.”

  “I can fix that,” Mara said, aiming the greatsword at the ogre’s loincloth, intent on charging.

  “Not a good idea,” Rook responded, pushing her back with a stiff arm. “We should go.”

  “You die now, humans!” The ogre produced a small avocado-sized rock from his pouch. Which quickly grew into a boulder the size of a dumpster.

  How did we not see that coming?

  “It’s a green smoking rock. Should we be worried? Cause it looks like the ogre wants to throw it.”

  “Yes. Run.” Al stated, before sprinting towards the spider web of tunnels.

  Using Attramancy, Rook shoved Reina and Mara towards the tunnels and pivoted to run when an explosion erupted from behind the cavern. The force of it all sent his body forward into the dark, bringing his vision into black. What happened? He rubbed at the side of his head and winced.

  He stirred within the inky abyss and coughed. Each breath hurt as he inhaled the nickel-scented cloud. He tongued the inside of his cheek, frowning at the strong taste of copper. Well, I wasn’t much to look at anyway. Squinting, he felt around the cavern floor for Reina and the elf. His eyes teared at the burning cloud.

  “Reina! Mara!” Rook called out. He couldn’t hear anything, not the ogre and not his friends. “His hand touched the fabric over a stretched-out leg. “Reina?” He moved his hands up to her shoulders. “Please be alive?” He shook her and placed two fingers on her carotid.

  “Get up, human, we must leave the smoke.” Al’s voice rang out within the smoky cave. “Grab her left arm. I found a room over here.”

  “You grab her, I’m going to find Mara.” Rook searched around and found the thick torokin slumped on the wall. “Mara.” He bent down and picked up her bulk. “I got it.” He strained, even with the effigy of strength and the other boosts; she was heavy as a cow.

  Rook nodded. The smoky air filled his lungs with each straining breath, and he focused, straightening his back. Rook pushed himself to his feet. With a grunt, he dragged Mara’s limp body to a door. He checked his map; they were on the tenth level within the earth. How in the hell are we going to get out of here?

  His shoulder pushed against something hard, something hollow. “Open up,” Rook said through a coughing fit. “Argh!” Rook smashed into the door, again and again. “Don’t be a bit-,” Rook said as the door flew open with a crash.

  Al slammed the door behind him. Rook lay on the cool dirt, desperately sucking in air. Clenching his jaw, he flipped on his back, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. As his breathing steadied, he sat up and took in his surroundings.

  “Reina is going to be okay,” Al said through wheezing breaths. “The blessing of the Dawn will suture her wounds.”

  “I’ve got potions, you may need that magic,” Rook said, handing Alderion two. “Use that one on Mara.”

  He knelt beside Reina and propped her head up. Gently, he tilted the red vial into her mouth, letting the liquid drain down.

  That spell is really taking its toll. Rook thought about the gas grenade the ogre threw into the corridor they hid in. These bastards knocked Reina and Mara out cold. He periodically checked on her health; he could see her health physically draining away. Each passing moment her complextion worsened.

  “Where are we? It smells like manure.” Rook stared around the space. It looked no different from any other corridor they passed through on the way here.

  “I don’t know. Before, when we explored this place, we didn’t know how deep this dungeon went,” Al responded.

  “I’ll go on ahead. Can you watch over these two for a bit?” Rook asked, not willing to settle for no.

  Alderion nodded. “I’ll keep them safe.”

  Rook continued down the orange crystal-lit corridor and entered a space with a fork in the road. One side led upwards into the darkness, while another led deeper into the tunnel. So it seems that this place had a crystalmancer. So far, places with orange crystals meant that they weren’t the first ones here. A quick check of his stats gave him pause. No experience was gained from the enforcers they just killed, meaning that they were still in combat. I gotta make this fast.