Trapped On A Death World - Chapter 10

Clawing hungry masses of green flesh and yellow teeth hunted him. They moved like a single body blocking off all his exits. A rat leapt from the wall and bit down on his shoulder. Light plates of metal stitched into his jacket crushed into his shoulder. The rat shaved pink and missing the top of its skull bit and incised with its teeth. I snatched the ladder on the tower and began to climb while the rat gnawed on my shoulder. Halfway up the tower, I’d had enough. I grabbed the rat by the tail and ripped it off. Its teeth scratched between the plates cutting through the leather and into my shoulder. I dropped the rat. It fell into a sea of green.

The gate was open and the goblings flooded down the hill. There were so many behind the gate. It seemed impossible that hundreds could have lived behind those walls.

I finished my climb to the top and pushed against the latched door. It wouldn’t budge. “Help they’re everywhere.” I yelled.

“Who are you?” A voice asked.

Ping!

Quest: Get in the Tower House

Reward: +3 Possible Allies, +1 LUK

“He doesn’t sound like one of us. Maybe we should cut the ladder.” Another voice said.

“You don’t want to do that. You won’t be able to get back down.” I argued.

“Don’t worry about us stranger, we have a spare ladder.” I measured the amount of aura I had left. It would drain me, but I could use a couple javelins.

“I understand you don’t trust me but I’m alive while they ones down below aren’t. If you’re going to make a break for it, you might want another body between you and the undead.” I said. I wanted to demand they let me in. Even trying to control my voice was difficult swinging from a rope ladder fifty feet in the air. The undead were piddling with the ladder below. It wouldn’t be long before they figured it out.

“Ok, we’ll trust you. We’re armed, so don’t try anything.” The latch opened and three sets of powerful green hands lifted me through the hatch.

“He’s a darkling, we should throw him back.” A gobling yelled.

A red hair closed the hatch. I tried to catch my breath and leaned against a wall. The guard tower was heavily lived in. Acrid and musty scents lingered in the air aged into the bed, walls, and even the floorboards. There were fresher scents from the three who eyed me like a snake.

If they attacked, I’d defend myself. I adjusted the flail on my back and leaned against the wall. The guard tower swayed gently as hundreds of gobling zombies poured from the town. They must have been bumping up against the tower’s legs. That would explain the relaxing swaying.

“Hey, don’t go to sleep. How did you get that flail?” I looked up at the red haired gobling. She’d be beautiful if not for the tusks protruding from her lips. Her nose was a little too bent for my taste. Then again, my tastes included Gwen, so no nose was better than a bent one.

I was worn out, that last run was all the fuel left in the tank. I’d need a few hours to recover enough to keep fighting. Their confused and untrusting gazes didn’t put me at ease. If I was going to get the rest I needed then, I’d have to give them something.

“I killed the one who owned it.” I said.

“Rat shit, you couldn’t have beaten Gol, he was with old Nal and Sil.” The one who wanted to throw me out said.

“My name is Jacob, I fell from above a few weeks ago. I don’t think any of them were themselves, anymore than those down there.” I said.

“Tol, is my name, the red head is Kor, and Kem is our witch. If you try anything, she’ll curse you.” Tol threatened. I nodded and shut my eyes.

“Things sure have gone to hell, I’ll be happy to hear all about it when I wake up.” I said and felt darkness take me.

Ping!

Quest Completed: Get in the Tower House

Rewarded: +3 Possible Allies, +1 LUK

Luck 34

I walked down the halls of a tower that defied logic. The hallway was longer than what should be possible in a tower of this size. Memories of a tall tower built with materials impossible in this junk yard flashed into my databanks. These images were taken and saved before my mortal mind could forget them. They were a gift.

Eventually, even the usually long hallway came to an end to a cell door. In this place, I was a ghost and passed through the door. Chained to a wall and wrapped in multicolored paper was Gwen. She’d changed a lot in a short time.

Her purple skin had grown shades lighter. She’d gone from a cute 4ft tall to a delightful six. Gwen’s head tentacles were finer, a darker shade of purple, and longer almost reaching halfway down her back. They hung like strands of human hair entwined to increase their strength. There was a shapeliness to her hips that she hadn’t had before. Her chest was still flat as a board. But she wasn’t a mammal and wouldn’t have big titties anyway. She glared at me before turning away.

“Why did you come here? How am I here?” Gwen wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Why did you kill so many people?” I asked.

She was a mass murderer, I knew that but I didn’t care about the goblings. It was horrible, I should care about them but its been too long since I’ve been human. My death could have had something to do with it. I lost a lot to get back to the surface, memories of family, whole sections of my life, and even my last name were gone. I wanted to save her because that’s what I wanted to do. We’d deal with her actions after she was free.

I grabbed an end to her paper bindings. A jolt of electricity shot up my hand and forced me to let go. My fingertips were burnt. It was then that I noticed strands of her tentacles were singed as well.

I felt my fists clenched until they shook. “When I get my hands on Dol, he’ll pay.” Gwen snorted a laugh.

I glared down at her new appearance. She didn’t meet my eyes. “It looks like you managed to rank up in record time. It must have a taken a whole village of resources. You must have ran into some good fortune.” I said.

“They were supposed to slow you down. I was going to kill Dol and come back. Why didn’t you wait for me?” She asked.

“You left to face impossible odds alone. We’re friends, I couldn’t let you die. I wouldn’t let you die alone.” I said. Our eyes finally met. Her tentacles rose and shook.

“I had a plan you pod brain. I used that gobling town in a ritual and ascended to the plebe stage as an ultra-rare. With my power and level intact, I was going to destroy Dol before he had a chance to rank up or recover.” Gwen yelled.

I sat down beside and leaned against her. “What happened, was he stronger than you thought?”

A bucket on the floor leapt up and exploded against a wall. “He pulled a spell out of nowhere. Dol a random Sorcerer in a random outskirt of the Grand Overmind Azex’s territory created a false rank up spell.” If I had any doubts about who used that rank up spell on me, they were gone now.

“Then, I’ll find a way down here and save you.” I said.

Gwen snorted and leaned her head against my shoulder. “You aren’t really here. You’re asleep and I dragged some of your consciousness here. I made a lot of sacrifices and they amounted to nothing.” She said.

“Yea, you really are a murder hobo.” I said. I stood up. Approached the cell door before looking back. “I’m still going to save you. So, don’t give up. He’ll be tired after using the spell. If I rank up, I have an entire army of gobling zombies to kill.”

“No, don’t come here. My people are sending an emissary here for my release. If the emissary sees you, he’ll try to enslave you. I don’t want that.” Gwen said.

“You couldn’t, what makes you think some random diplomat can?” I asked.

“The diplomat will be at least Knight rank. You won’t be able to withstand his mind like you did mine.” Gwen said. A storm surged through me. I grabbed two handfuls of my hair and brushed it back.

With a single breath the waring within settled. “I won’t be a slave. I’ll die before I allow that to happen.” I placed a hand on the door and felt my mind buzz with a thousand thoughts.

I needed a win and to rank up and I needed both in record time. I had ultra rare form but it wasn’t enough. That wouldn’t help against Dol anyway. I was lvl25 last I checked and that would have to do the job. If I had more spells that could change things. I needed more power to save her. Right now, I had a hand full of allies. How I spent them in the next couple of days would mean everything.

Gwen’s tentacles twitched in a way I knew all too well. If I thought this was going to be difficult before, I was about have a rude awakening. “Jacob, I have more bad news. You aren’t going to like this at all.” Gwen said.

I sat across from her on the cold concrete floor of the prison. If I could take a shot I would. Before I’d felt a powerful qi within the town. What I didn’t know was if it was from her or left behind my Dol. Either option was terrible in my opinion.