Chapter 104: The Laboratory
Langston and his team landed in what looked like a creepy entrance hall. It was a huge room that seemed like it was meant to hold enemies before sending them into the portal behind them. The walls stretched high and curved inward, glowing with red veins that pulsed like they were alive. The air smelled awful, like rotting garbage and something burned, and the silence was broken by the sound of scraping along the walls.
Shambling wights lined the edges of the room. Their twisted, puppet-like bodies moved unnaturally, their joints bending in wrong directions. Some wights shuffled slowly along the walls, but others twitched violently, darting forward before jerking back, as if something invisible yanked their strings. Their glowing, empty eye sockets locked onto the team, unblinking.
Sasha wrinkled her nose and stepped closer to Langston, her hands glowing softly with her magic. "These things are just wrong," she said, sounding grossed out.
Langston fiddled with his gauntlet, scanning the wights with its glowing display. Numbers and symbols flashed in front of him, and he frowned. "They're powered by something called death magic," he explained. "It works like glue, holding their bodies together by making them rot. It's messy, but it gets the job done."
Sasha tightened her glowing fists and said, "What can I do about it?"
Langston glanced at her, his tone serious. "You're their weakness. Life magic rebuilds and heals, which is the opposite of how they work. When you hit them, it disrupts everything holding them together. It's like ripping out the seams of a badly stitched doll."
Scotty smirked, lifting his flaming saber. "Looks like Sasha's the hero of this one. Let's make sure she has a clear shot."
Euphrates nodded, keeping her mist spell swirling around the group like a protective fog. "Stay near us, Sasha. I'll slow them down so you can hit them cleanly."
The wights' heads jerked in unison toward the team. Their guttural groans echoed in the room as they moved forward. At first, their steps were uneven and awkward, but suddenly they sped up, lunging with frightening speed. The air seemed to drop in temperature as they closed the distance.
Langston raised his gauntlet, wires snapping to life. "Sasha, take the lead! Scotty, cover her!"
Sasha stepped forward, her glowing hands steady despite her pounding heart. She extended her arms and fired a burst of regenerative green light at the closest wight. The energy struck its chest with a crackling sound. The wight froze mid-step, its body convulsing. A moment later, the death magic holding it together unraveled, and the creature fell apart, the death magic animating it disintegrating.
Scotty stepped in as another wight lunged at Sasha. His flaming saber cut through the creature's torso in a clean arc, fire eating away at its rotting flesh. Euphrates swept her hand upward, the mist around her forming a barrier that slowed a cluster of wights advancing from the left.
One wight darted through the mist, its limbs flailing wildly. Langston's gauntlet snapped out golden wires that wrapped around the creature's legs. He yanked hard, pulling it off balance, then drove another wire through its head, lashing around and liquifying its brain.
Sasha blasted two more wights in quick succession, her magic brightening with each attack. The creatures disintegrated instantly, their groans turning into hisses. "They keep coming!" she shouted, her voice tense but steady.
"They're drawn to your light!" Langston called back, his gauntlet sparking as he whipped another wight apart. "Use it as more than a weapon! Try making it an aura, center it on yourself, like a lightbulb!"
Sasha's eyes widened at the suggestion. "I've never done that before!" she shouted back, hesitation creeping into her voice.
"You can! Just focus! Let it spread outward like a ripple," Langston urged, deflecting a lunge from another wight with a swift snap of his wires.
Taking a deep breath, Sasha planted her feet and brought her hands to her chest, palms outward. The glow of her magic began to intensify, the greenish light spreading out from her like a shimmering bubble. Sweat formed on her brow as she gritted her teeth, concentrating on maintaining the steady expansion.
As the aura grew, the effect was immediate. The wights nearest to her slowed down, their twitching movements becoming sluggish as they tried to push forward. The light from the aura seemed to burn them, wisps of dark magic unraveling from their bodies as they groaned and faltered.
"It's working!" Scotty shouted, cleaving through a stumbling wight that staggered into his range. Euphrates sent her mist swirling toward the slowed creatures, locking them further in place.
Sasha groaned as the effort began to take its toll. Her shoulders shook, and the glow around her flickered. "It's hard to hold!" she gasped, her voice tight with strain.
"You're doing great!" Langston encouraged. "The aura's helping us too, don't stop!"
Indeed, the soft, pulsing light from Sasha's aura seemed to reinvigorate the team. Euphrates stood taller, her movements sharper as she directed her mist. Scotty grinned as his saber burned brighter, slicing cleanly through several lethargic wights. Scotty was having fun, practicing some new sword arts he learned from Moira's magical enhancement system.
Sasha focused harder, forcing the glow to stabilize. Her heart pounded, and sweat dripped from her temple, but she held on. Another wave of the light pulsed outward, and the remaining wights collapsed, their bodies falling apart as the life magic overwhelmed them.
Sasha nodded, stepping forward again. She raised her hands high, the glow intensifying, and sent a wide arc of light at a group of wights. The magic took the form of a blade and struck them like a wave, unraveling their twisted forms and leaving nothing but ashes behind.
Scotty moved to her side, deflecting a charging wight with a quick slash of his saber. "Keep it up, lass! We've got your back!"
Euphrates created a swirling vortex of mist, trapping three wights and freezing them in place. "Sasha, over here!" she called, pointing to the trapped creatures. Sasha turned and fired a precise burst of light into the vortex. The wights disintegrated, the mist clearing to reveal empty space.
Langston scanned the room, his eyes darting between the remaining wights. "Almost there, don't let up!"
The final wight lunged directly at Sasha, its clawed hands reaching for her. She sidestepped quickly and twisted, slapping it hard on the back with a palm full of life magic. The wight shrieked and crumbled to the floor, its body breaking apart into dust. With the final wight defeated, Langston, Sasha, Scotty, and Euphrates all swelled with inner strength as their mana cores took in the free aetheric energies released from their foes. Each one of their crystals glowed with a fresh infusion of M-Power.
The room fell silent except for their heavy breathing. Sasha lowered her hands, her glow fading to a restful state. "That, that was intense," she said, catching her breath.
Langston adjusted his gauntlet, his expression calm but approving. "You handled it well. One thing is for sure: against such creatures, you might be the best fighter here, even more than me." He added that last bit on, just in case anyone forgot how arrogant he is. Langston would never let anyone think he wasn't the best.
Scotty grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. "Aye, that was impressive. If we're ever surrounded by pesky puppet people and putrid undead again, you're officially in charge."
Euphrates scanned the room, her expression stoic. "This was just the first room. If this is the warm-up, we'd better be ready for what's next."
Langston straightened, his wires retracting into his gauntlet. "Agreed. Everyone take a moment to improve your abilities."
Each of them took a few moments to commune with Moira and discuss with her ways to improve their magic. As Langston mouthed words silently to himself, he focused his energies on lightning, lifting it to the peak of its power before evolution was possible. He was offered a choice for his lightning discharges. He could choose between an empowered lightning bolt that did more damage to a single target, a burst area of effect that was short range but could strike everything around him for moderate damage, or one he found fascinating, a static electricity crawler. He could flood the floor of a room by constantly burning his mana to create crawling webs of electricity that would bounce off of each other in unpredictable patterns. Anything that couldn't fly could be struck countless times just by standing in the room he was electrifying. He noted that it would drain his energy quickly and was good for an initial attack or keeping enemies off balance, taking advantage of their distraction trying to avoid deadly shocks.
Scotty really was enjoying his saber and wanted to have a fire-and-forget type of spell. He chose to create a targeting spell that would zero in on selected foes. He imagined phosphorus rounds, a type of ammunition that, when fired, could burn through nearly anything. He told Moira, thinking out loud, "Yes, perfect, the name is Phospho. Long-range attacks, right. More shots, more mana, got it." Langston mentally noted his words, considering the tactics his new skill could provide.
Sasha was always happy to talk to Moira. But she was able to create a new skill based off her previous actions. Moira was proud of her efforts and made her smile. She could now create a life domain spell for herself. Moira helped her fine-tune her mana usage so it wasn't so difficult to maintain. She had begun the path to being an area healer. Her chosen class name is Priestess of Moira. It was a private joke between them; she refused to tell anyone. Her own little treasure of friendship to Moira. As a priestess of Moira, she could now channel magic into life elements with superior efficiency. Her life auras could restore allies quickly over time, keeping them topped off and healthy. It also had the added ability to "Turn Undead," as many popular fantasy games refer to it. They must flee from her aura or take massive damage from her presence.
Euphrates, however, did something unexpected. She chose quickly, and as the others finished, she got their attention. "Moira said my control over water just shot way up. I took a weird skill too, watch this." For a moment, her form shimmered like liquid, then she collapsed into a splash and reformed behind Langston, sticking a wet finger in his ear. Langston yelled out, "GAAH!!" She splashed again before he could retaliate, appearing beside Scotty as he started to laugh, but she grabbed his sword with both hands, extinguishing his flame in steamy smoke. "HEY! Come on, man!" he cried, shaking it dry. She reformed next to Sasha, smiling warmly. "Hey."
Giggling, "Hey back," Sasha said.
Langston, still trying to wipe out his ear, grumbled, "Okay, okay. Enough of that. Come on."
They ducked behind rotting crates and broken barrels scattered along the walls of the corridor. Each of them moved silently to avoid drawing attention. Langston crouched low and silenced his gauntlet, thumbing the control until its glow vanished completely. Euphrates pressed herself against a moss-covered wall, her misty barrier shrinking to a shimmer around the group.
The growling of the Cu Sith grew louder, their claws scraping against the stone floor in a rhythm that sent chills through the team. One of the massive spectral hounds stalked into view, its glowing red eyes sweeping the hallway. The group held their breath as the beast sniffed the air, its hackles rising. For a tense moment, it seemed to stare directly at their hiding spot, its nostrils flaring as it growled low in its throat.
Just as Langston began to calculate whether they should strike or hold their ground, a piercing whinny echoed from deeper within the hallway. The Cu Sith's head snapped toward the sound, and the heavy clatter of hooves followed. A Kelpie burst through the shadows, its slick, waterlogged body gleaming as it raced past them. The beast's black mane rippled like liquid, and droplets of foul-smelling water sprayed from its legs as it galloped. It didn't pause as it leapt into the portal with an unnatural grace, vanishing in a ripple of dark energy.
The Cu Sith growled again, then bounded after the Kelpie. Their claws clattered on the stone as they disappeared into the portal. The hallway fell silent once more, save for the drip of water from the Kelpie's passage.
Langston exhaled quietly, his breath visible in the cold air. "Close call," he muttered, glancing at the others. "We move when it's clear, no mistakes."
They crept into the next room cautiously, the air growing heavier as they advanced. This chamber was larger, with strange vats of chemicals arranged in uneven rows. The liquid inside each vat bubbled and glowed, casting an eerie light across the room. Inside the vats, half-formed Cu Sith twitched and jerked, their incomplete bodies pulsing unnaturally as magical conduits fed a sickly aura into the liquid. It was as if some mad scientist had taken to creating undead versions of the spectral hounds.
Langston's gauntlet flickered as he scanned the vats, his frown deepening. "They're trying to engineer them, undead Cu Sith, enhanced and more unstable."
Euphrates shuddered. "That's disgusting."
Sasha's eyes narrowed as she spotted a large summoning circle on the far side of the room. The runes etched into the floor pulsed with power, and a dense mist of dark magic hovered over the circle. Standing before it was a vampire, his back to the team. His arms moved in complex gestures as he chanted, his voice low and guttural. The mist within the circle began to solidify, a Kelpie slowly taking shape from the dark magic.
Scotty leaned closer to Langston and whispered, "What's the plan?"
Langston didn't answer immediately, his gaze locked on the vampire. "We can't let him finish that summoning. Take out the vats first, disrupt their operation. Euphrates, can you deal with the conduits?"
Euphrates nodded. "On it."
"Sasha," Langston continued, "keep that aura ready. We'll need it if things go south. Scotty, you're with me. We'll handle the vampire."
Euphrates crouched low, disappearing into a shimmering cascade of water and reappearing behind a cluster of vats. Her water teleportation skill allowed her to move fluidly and silently, her form briefly becoming a splash of liquid before solidifying in a new position. She paused behind a larger vat, her fingers brushing against the magical conduits as she searched for a control center, her sharp eyes scanning every detail.
Sasha followed Scotty and Langston, her hands glowing as she assumed her position behind one of the vats closest to the summoning circle. She crouched low, peeking out just enough to watch the vampire's gestures. Every time he moved, the air thickened with smoke-like magic. Threads of it drifted toward her, curling like fingers, weaving into her thoughts.
Scotty had taken up a sniper's position behind a desk cluttered with stained scrolls and the rotting remains of a dissected Cu Sith. Half its head was intact, its exposed brain decaying under the weight of neglect. Scotty's lips curled in distaste as he began gathering fire magic, the flame coalescing into a brilliant white heat within his hands. He muttered under his breath, testing out the Phospho spell, his eyes never leaving the vampire.
Meanwhile, Langston crept closer to the summoning circle, his wires dangling loose from his gauntlet. They shifted color as he moved, transitioning from copper to a gleaming silver. Some books said vampires are allergic to silver, he thought, his confidence bolstered by the versatility of his gauntlet. Only metals he had previously touched with the gauntlet could be used for the wires, and his arsenal now included iron, steel, copper, silver, and gold. The possibilities flickered through his mind even as he crept closer, his body low and his movements silent.
Langston's focus snapped back as he reached a range where he could strike. The vampire's chanting grew louder, the Kelpie in the summoning circle almost fully formed, its skeletal shape glistening with dark energy. Langston lifted his gauntlet slowly, the wires dangling loose before snapping into motion. With a sharp jerk, two silver wires lashed out, wrapping tightly around the vampire's wrists. The sudden contact made the creature shriek, its voice sharp with terror and fury as the silver seared its undead skin. Langston leaned back, pulling the wires taut and forcing the vampire's arms backward at an unnatural angle.
With a grunt, Langston twisted the wires, forcing the vampire to face him and Sasha. Its face was strangely perfect, smooth and sharp in a way that didn't feel human. Something about it made her stomach twist. Its large, deep brown eyes held a flicker of fear, but as they locked onto Sasha, that fear twisted into something darker, a calculated expression, full of charm and intent.
Sasha froze, her glowing hands faltering as the vampire's gaze pierced into hers. Every time he moved, the air thickened with smoke-like magic. Threads of it drifted toward her, curling like fingers, weaving into her thoughts.
The vampire's voice slithered into her mind, low and soothing. "You're so powerful… so radiant. Surely one such as you can see the beauty in creation, even in something like me."
A weird sense of sympathy crept in, like maybe he wasn't the enemy at all. Her chest tightened, pulse slowing, breathing shallow, as her will wavered.
Langston's desperate voice cut through the haze like a knife. "Sasha, focus!" She almost obeyed, but fell into his gaze once again. Scotty fired, three sharp blasts shot out like gunshots, blistering pinpoint bullets of superheated light racing toward the vampire with unerring accuracy. Langston's surge froze him. Scotty's shots did the rest. One between the eyes, and two in the vampire's heart. The vampire gasped in shock as Sasha's mind was suddenly set free. She screamed in anger, "You bastard! DIE!" The summoner obeyed and expired. His body began to dissolve into ash, with no heart or mind, and electrical current coursing through his form, he was hollowed out by heat and light. Gradually there was nothing left of him, or the dark magic he was using. Even the kelpie had faded into wisps of nothingness.
Just as they began to smile at one another, and Langston began to vandalize the summoning circle, a small voice called out in warning. It was Euphrates. "Uhm, guys, I think we need to run now."