Octavius yawned deeply as he sat up in the darkness. The first thing he noticed was the silence, and more importantly, the lack of ringing. There wasn’t a hint of light in the pure and utter darkness around him. His right hand fell to his belt, from where he pulled out a cylindrical object. He pressed the rubber button on the back of the flashlight, and a brilliant white light shot across the room.

He flinched slightly and blinked a few times. It was obvious that he was too accustomed to the darkness. Even his chem light was much darker than this. After a moment, he was able to open his eyes and look around. It was strange to see the room in white light instead of the green-yellow he had seen it in the day before.

He pressed the button on the flashlight twice more. The light cycled to a blinding blue-white before changing once more to a warm red color. He nodded his head, I should try to preserve my night vision as best as I can.

He pulled his rucksack onto his lap and removed his last MRE. It was prepared and eaten quickly; omelets weren’t meant to be freeze-dried. When finished, he picked up the used chem light from next to the door and placed it in his rucksack along with the trash from his MRE. He closed the pocket of his rucksack and bent to pick up the Soulsilver spear from the ground.

He exited the room with the spear in his right hand and the flashlight in his left. With the spear resting against his shoulder, he walked on, glad that the ceiling was high enough that he could do so.

As he walked, he looked over the carved reliefs. This time he focused less on deciphering their meaning and more on admiring the craftsmanship that went into them.

His feet carried him to the intersection once more, and he pointed his flashlight down the middle tunnel. He couldn’t make out anything except for the rough stone walls of the tunnel. The mana counter at the corner of his vision made him grimace. He could use the dagger for over an hour with no rest, but the mana usage of the spear greatly overcame his regeneration rate. At the current rate, he guessed he had another half an hour of use before he was out of mana.

He frowned and looked at the spear. It was too large for him to tie it somewhere and expect to be able to draw it quickly. Eventually, he wrapped his forearm around it, clamping it between the clothes on his arm and the strap of his rucksack. This position was unwieldy and uncomfortable, but the gentle white glow on the spear cut out, and he could drop it into his hand at a moment’s notice.

He walked for a significant time, maybe moving about a quarter of a mile before the walls began to become smooth. The hallway he was in was identical to the ones from the other forks in the tunnel, except it was scaled up. This hallway was eight feet across, and the ceiling was high overhead.

Octavius was expecting to soon come upon another set of carved reliefs and was thus surprised when both walls dipped into alcoves. Within each alcove stood a life-sized statue of a fully armed and armored dwarf. Both statues appeared to stand at perfect attention, spears planted into the ground, and shields at the ready.

Octavius was a good two feet taller than each dwarf statue, but he found them intimidating even with his vast combat experience. Another half dozen feet later, the walled recessed once more, and another two statues stood.

He peered into the darkness for a moment before making a snap decision. He held the flashlight on high and pressed the button three times until it cycled from off, to the dim white light, to the bright one. The beam of light illuminated hundreds of statues of dwarvish warriors. Each stood at attention, like guards ready to defend their leader.

Even when the bright light dimmed to nothing in the distance, there was nothing to see except the statues. Octavius turned the flashlight back to the red light setting and continued his walk. He walked past a small army of the silent guards before he reached a door.

His eyes widened when he saw the door was ajar. That meant that if there was anything inside, whatever it was could likely see the red light from his flashlight. He needed to act quickly if he was to catch any creatures inside while off guard. Running to the door, he gripped his spear’s shaft and cycled the light to its brightest setting once more.

He pushed the door wide and ran in, sweeping the light from left to right. The room was massive. Stone pillars rose to support the ceiling multiple stories above. The rows of pillars ended after a hundred feet, leading to a statue that matched the one at the dungeon's entrance. The statue was massive, and even from so far away, Octavius could see the double-bladed axe resting against the floor. The one difference he could make out was that this statue did not wear a helmet. Instead, a crown of three points adorned its head.

Octavius fell into a defensive stance and advanced slowly as he saw the cavern. There were too many spots for something to hide in. He kept his head on a swivel as he slowly made his way towards the statue at the end of the cavern.

Each pillar had carvings of intricate knots connecting the floor and ceiling. The main walkway only had one pillar on each side, but that meant that there could be an apparition hiding behind each pillar.

Octavius didn’t like how exposed he was. He considered moving to have one of the walls at his side, but then he would have to be right next to the pillars. In that position, anything could spring from behind a pillar and only be a foot or two away from him. The silence of the hall was broken by the soft sound of his rucksack being set down.

His footfalls were the only sound in the near-silent cavern until he heard a soft whistling sound behind him and to his right. He instinctively dropped his flashlight and gripped his spear with both hands. The end of the spear rose to defend, and a crisp clang rang out through the cavern before echoing back at him. The light was not pointed directly at his opponent, but its large aperture allowed him to see it.

It was a shorter creature, humanoid and lean. It was similar to the apparitions in its form. The only difference being its size and the fact it was wielding a sword made of the same black mist as its body.

Common Umbral Shade (Lvl 12)

It was only level 12 and common ranked, but that didn’t put Octavius at ease. By now, he knew for a fact that level didn’t correspond to skill with a weapon. He twirled his spear so it was pointed at the shade and fell in an offensive stance.

His spear flicked out in a probing motion towards the shade. The shade batted away the spear and tried to close on him. Octavius retreated two steps to keep the shade from entering his guard and attacked again. This time he thrust forward quickly, and the shade danced back, but Octavius pushed the attack.

He turned his thrust into a horizontal cut, his blade knocking the shade’s own weapon aside. He continued the motion, stepping forward and bringing the butt of his spear around to slam into the shade’s head with a crack.

He advanced, thrusting once more, but his blade was knocked aside by the sword of a new shade. Turning to face this new threat, he rotated his forward wrist, and his spear circled the sword of the new shade. Once the sword no longer blocked his spear, he thrust forward. His spear blade left a shallow wound in the shade’s wrist before he was forced to defend against the attack of the first shade.

He moved to his right slightly, keeping the second shade in front of the first. His spear flickered forward three times. The first two thrusts were aimed at the throat and shoulder of the shade, but he pulled back the spear as soon as the shade moved its sword to parry. His third strike, however, was not a feint, and his spear plunged into the stomach of the shade.

For a moment, the shade froze before bursting into a small cloud of black mist, revealing two shades behind it. The first shade and a new one charged to the cloud that was once their comrade and attacked.

You have killed Common Umbral Shade (Lvl 12) and gained 375 EXP (1/4)(12)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

Octavius fell into a defensive posture, his spear flicking out to catch the wrist or thigh of a shade but dealing no decisive blows. After a dozen seconds, Octavius saw a slight motion in the long shadows against the far wall of the cavern, and another shade lifted itself from the ground and joined the assault on Octavius.

Octavius frowned as he gave up ground to the skilled swords of the shades. It almost seemed as if something was summoning them. Octavius took three steps back and changed his grip on his spear. His hands slid to the bottom of the shaft, increasing his reach to the full length of the spear, and swung the spear in a wide arch.

It was a risky maneuver that left him open to a counterattack, but it served its purpose well. The three shade retreated multiple steps to avoid the powerful strike, and before they could close on him again, he broke into a run. He dashed in between two shades that were slow on their counter-attack and ran for where he saw the motion.

As he approached, he could make out a humanoid shape made of pure darkness. The figure seemed to be darker than the shadows around it.

Rare Umbral Apparition (Lvl 24)

Octavius scanned the window and frowned. This was the first rare creature he had found, and he didn’t know its capabilities beyond summoning shades. As Octavius approached, shades hot on his heels, he could hear a quiet murmuring. It sounded like a dozen voices all whispering in different languages.

As Octavius closed on it, it seemed to pause in its chant and gestured with its hands. Its whispering voice spoke softly for a moment before the shadows in front of Octavius burst into black flames. The flames formed a solid semicircle around the apparition, protecting it from Octavius. The flames were the same blacker than black color as the apparition and were almost as tall as Octavius himself.

Octavius wheeled to the right and spun to face the shades. If he couldn’t get to the apparition easily, he needed a new plan. Even with the weight he was carrying, he was significantly faster than the shades. Over the thirty feet he sprinted to his current position, he increased the distance between him and his opponents.

He quickly moved to one of the pillars, standing beside it as the shades moved forward and engaged him. The three shades moved as if a single being and not three individual ones. It was very rare for them to get into each other's way. This made fighting them a pain for Octavius.

He retreated around the pillar, circling it until the shades were between him and the apparition. He fought defensively, trying to lead them where he wanted. A moment later, he thrust his spear towards the shade on the right. This allowed the shade on the left to move within the range of his spear. It swung at him, and he sidestepped the blade, planting his right foot and jabbing the butt of his spear into the shade’s midsection.

The shade stumbled backwards, knocking over the third shade and giving Octavius time to go on the offensive. He twirled his spear and thrust out at the second shade. The shade sidestepped his strike, and Octavius saw an opening to sweep the legs out from under it. He had to stop himself, I don’t know if I can actually touch these things, or if I’ll go through them like the apparitions.

He fell back into an offensive posture and used his spear to smack the shade’s attack aside. The shade used the momentum from his strike to enter within his guard. The shade cut at him with its sword, and Octavius used his spear’s shaft to catch the blade. When the shock ran down the length of his spear, he dropped his right hand from the spear and to his belt. He drew his dagger from the loop that secured it and thrust it into the shade’s sternum.

You have killed Common Umbral Shade (Lvl 12) and gained 375 EXP (1/4)(12)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

Octavius used the concealment offered by the resulting cloud to take advantage of his increased range. He thrust his spear towards the last known position of the other two shades. His spear met slight resistance, so he stepped forward. A moment later, the black cloud became much denser.

You have killed Common Umbral Shade (Lvl 12) and gained 375 EXP (1/4)(12)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

He wanted to take on the final shade before the apparition summoned more, but he could barely see in the dense black fog. Deciding that he needed more light, he turned and ran towards where his flashlight laid on the ground.

It seemed as though the apparition did not want Octavius to get the flashlight because as soon as he got close, the shadows to the side of the flashlight opened, and eight shades jumped out. Octavius didn’t pause before thrusting his spear forward. The shade he aimed at tried to parry the thrust but didn’t have the strength to do so. It exploded into black mist, and Octavius ran through the spot it had just occupied.

You have killed Common Umbral Shade (Lvl 8) and gained 250 EXP (1/4)(8)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

The shades to either side of it stuck out at him. He managed to block the cut from the shade on his right, but the one on the left scored a hit on the back of his left shoulder. The cut into his skin was shallow, but it managed to sever the strap of his plate carrier. He jarred his leg slightly as the weight on the plate carrier settled onto his right shoulder but carried on.

Even if these shades were weak, there were enough of them to surround him and bring him down. He had originally wanted the light so that he would be able to see better, but the apparition seemed to want to keep it from him. That meant that the light was likely dangerous to either the apparition or the shades.

Octavius scooped up the light with his left hand and turned to face the eight remaining shades. The moment the powerful LED illuminated the shades, they seemed to lose substance. They continued onwards, undeterred, but it gave Octavius hope.

His spear struck out, keeping the shades at bay. However, even with their reduced speed and strength from the light, they managed to push him back towards a pillar. As Octavius stopped his steady retreat, the shades were able to surround him. Only, they weren’t able to attack him from behind; the pillar prevented that.

Octavius’s lips quirked into a smile. Moments like these were what he enjoyed the most; being on the razor’s edge of death, only surviving through sheer skill and ability. He fell into a dance with the shades, moving slightly to either side to prevent them from all coming at him at once. His spear in his right hand whirled through the air, and the flashlight in his left weakened and blinded his attackers.

One fell to a spear thrust to the chest and another to a cut across its head. He continued the deadly dance, and three more fell beneath his spear. No attention was paid to the messages telling him of the EXP he gained as he focused on fighting.

Once there were only three left, they weren’t able to attack him from all sides anymore. With the aid of his flashlight and the fact that two of these shades were the level 8 ones and not the level 12s, he was able to dispatch them in half a dozen precise movements.

Once he was no longer being attacked, he charged the apparition. Even from forty feet away, Octavius could hear the whispers and chants of a new spell growing in intensity. I have to stop it. It is probably gearing up for some massive spell.

In the second it took him to cross half the distance, the air began to feel heavy. The black flames were still dancing from the shadows in front of the apparition but seemed to melt away when Octavius pointed his flashlight at them. The apparition, however, did not seem to be affected by it.

Octavius crossed another quarter of the distance in half a second when the chanting whispers reached a fever pitch. The apparition raised its hands to the sky, and Octavius planted his feet. He drew back his arm and pitched his spear forward with all of his might. The whispers cut off abruptly as the spear entered the apparition before stopping when it contacted the wall. The apparition stumbled slightly and reached up to grab the spear’s shaft with both hands.

The moment the spear left Octavius’s hand, he had drawn his dagger and continued his sprint. He leaped over the black flames as they smoldered from his flashlight and stabbed his knife into the apparition’s stomach. While it was chest height for Octavius, it was the stomach of the apparition, so when he withdrew the dagger and stabbed it again, he aimed higher. He thrust his dagger into the apparition over and over, trying to kill it while it was still stunned from its spell being interrupted by a spear to the chest.

After his fifth stab, the apparition froze in place. Instead of exploding outwards like the other apparitions, this one seemed to collapse inward on itself. It seemed to implode into a single point before that point vanished in turn.

You have killed Rare Umbral Apparition (Lvl 24) and gained 9000 EXP (1/4)(24)(4)(3)(1.25)(100)

You gained a level!

You are now Lvl 10, 373/50000 EXP to Lvl 11

+5 Free Stat Points

You may now pick a class from the options given to you in your status screen.

You have completed the objective : Rid the sacred burial site of all dark creatures that inhabit it.

Rewards:

- Twenty (20) Unassigned Stat Points

The cavern's deathly silence was broken only by Octavius's heavy panting and the clatter of his spear as it impacted the floor and rolled to a stop against his boot. He sheathed his knife before crouching and lifting his spear.

He walked back to the middle of the cavern in a much more relaxed manner, glad that he had finally killed all of the apparitions but was still high strung and on guard for any attack. As the adrenaline coursing through his system faded, the cut on his shoulder began to sting. He would see to it later, for the moment there were more important things for him to do.

Once he reached the center of the room, he walked down it until he could see the area around the statue clearly.

The stone lid of the coffin laid upside down on the floor next to it. There was the decayed corpse of a dwarf a dozen feet in front of the open coffin. The corpse was on its stomach and facing the coffin. This dwarf corpse was the only one Octavius had seen that had any remaining substance besides bone. This set of remains had long gray hair and shriveled skin that clung to its bones. It wore a set of leather armor that was decayed but still in much better condition than any he had seen in the rest of the catacombs.

As he got closer, he noticed that the stone beneath the corpse was stained black. There was also a trail of black stains, clearly dried blood, that led to the decayed leg of the dwarf a few feet behind it.

He walked past the corpse and saw that its hand was outstretched. The dwarf had died reaching for something. He didn't see anything that the dwarf could have been reaching for on a cursory inspection, so he continued to the open coffin.

Inside was the yellowed bones of a dwarf. Conspicuously missing was any hint of a Soulsilver weapon. Octavius frowned slightly. The journal of Harril had led him to believe that all dwarves were buried with Soulsilver, but perhaps whoever opened the coffin had taken it. But that doesn’t explain why the Soulsilver in all of the other coffins was undisturbed, nor the presence of the corpse.

Octavius turned towards the corpse on the floor and inspected it. Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that the dwarf was trying to reach something when he or she died. He followed the line of the dwarf’s outstretched hand. The first thing he saw was an old sword.

The sword had melded into the shadows so that it was near impossible to see when he wasn’t shining his flashlight on it. He bent his knees to get a better look. The sword looked to be an iron-based metal. It was warped, pitted, and covered with a thick layer of red-colored rust. The sword looked so fragile that a small touch would cause it to crumble.

He stood again and angled his flashlight to point farther from the dwarf in case he or she was actually reaching for something else. He was about to turn back to the corpse when the light reflected off a metallic object. Octavius walked over to it and found a small knife.

It was only a few inches long and would probably be of little use in combat. It was worn and old, the wooden handle was rotting, and the edge dull. What stood out about the blade was the metal it was made of: Soulsilver.

The pieces began to click together in Octavius’s mind. The dwarves believed that one must hold a Soulsilver weapon after death to pass on to the afterlife. This dwarf was probably not buried here but died in combat. Maybe he/she was defending the coffin of the crowned dwarf. The dwarf was fatally injured and, realizing that, they tried to reach their Soulsilver weapon that was knocked out of their hand.

Octavius walked back over to the corpse of the dwarf and gently rolled it over. He looked at the dwarf from top to bottom before leaning down and placing his spear into the dwarf’s hand.

Suddenly, the milky white glow of the spear lit up. The light traveled up the arm of the dwarf and enveloped its body. The glow seemed to grow in intensity before turning into hundreds of small white sparks that floated gently towards the roof of the cavern.

When the last white spark left the body, the spear stopped glowing. All that was left of the corpse were the bones and clothes. The sunken flesh and hair had vanished, leaving the bones a pure white color.

You have completed the objective : Assist the Graveguard of King Devron XI to finally rest in peace.

Rewards:

- The dwarf god Nuraic has rewarded you with a gift

Just as the final white light disappeared, the corpse lit up again. This time, however, it was not the corpse that glowed, but the spear in its hand and leather armor it wore. Strands of soft golden light weaved complex patterns around the armor. Slowly, the armor seemed to grow and expand.

When the light died down, the bones of the dwarf only wore the remains of the cloth it died in; beside the dwarf laid the spear and leather armor. They seemed to be returned to their peak condition, and Octavius quickly identified them.

Dwarvish Leather Armor (Uncommon) - This set of leather armor was crafted by the dwarves long ago. It was recently restored to its peak condition. It now offers protection against attacks over the area it covers. The armor is enchanted to slowly repair itself from the ambient mana in the air. The rate of this process can be increased by the user’s mana.

Soulsilver Spear (Rare) - A spear of Soulsilver. An expertly crafted weapon once wielded by a Great Lord of the Dwarves. The spear has an enchantment laid upon it that allows it to split into two parts. It can be infused with the mana of the wielder, making it one of the only known physical weapons that can harm beings of pure mana. Cost(10 mana/minute)

I guess it would be too much to ask for the armor to give me a stat boost, huh. Octavius thought to himself, pleased. He fetched his rucksack and placed the separate pieces of armor inside, and hefted the repaired spear. He took a last lap around the room, looking for a hint as to the final objective that he had yet to complete. Stepping up to the overturned lid of the coffin, he angled his fingers under it. He strained the muscles in his legs and the massive stone rose an inch off the ground before slamming back down. It was far too heavy for him to lift with his stats the way they were.

He couldn’t find any hints of something else for him to do, so he moved to the massive statue. Sure enough, in the same place as the main entrance to the dungeon was another doorway. There was no door inside of it, so he entered and swept his light from side to side. He was in a stone stairwell. On his right, a flight of stairs went up for twenty feet before switchbacking. On his stairs went down for a dozen feet before ending abruptly at a pile of boulders that caved in from the ceiling.

He walked down the stairs to see if there was a way through the boulders. He couldn’t find an opening that he could squeeze through and didn’t want to risk starting a larger cave in by trying to move the rocks. He turned and went up the stairs.

His legs carried him up six flights of stairs before they ended at a large stone door, identical to the main entrance. He paused a moment before dropping his flashlight into a belt pouch and pressing on the door.

You are leaving The Lost Catacombs

You have completed two out of three possible objectives (2/3)

If you leave, you will not be able to reenter The Lost Catacombs

Do you wish to leave? (Yes/No)

He thought for a moment, The rewards have been good so far, maybe I should go and look around again, see if I can find anything. I already checked every room for secret entrances, but it is possible I missed something. However, the dryness in his mouth made him rethink that decision. His tongue flicked out to lick his lips, and he sighed softly. His water bladder was empty and he had already eaten his last MRE. He nodded his head and made his choice.

Yes