Main Character's POV
*Drip*
We trudged through the lab which has been reclaimed by nature, the once sterile environment was now a dying ecosystem.
The floor is covered in a thick layer of moss, soft and spongy underfoot, while water pools in the low-lying areas, creating small marshes where reeds and cattails grow.
The walls are streaked with green, and plants burst through the cracks in the floor, their roots winding around lab tables and chairs.
Tia hugs Griffin's legs, with Griffin accepting this as he doesn't want to let Tia out of his sight. The light was dim with it only coming from the overhead lights that constantly blinked in and out.
*Drip*
Griffin still holding the bronze shield now lead our little brigade. His complexion was still pale from the loss of blood in the last hour. Thankfully I saw Tia's fairies almost knowing her intention without her needing to speak to them was healing Griffin.
His skin was now returning colour to his face. The glittering fairies provide some extra illumination however it was negligent with most of the surroundings a mess with windows cracked open and a small fog filtering through the area.
*Drip*
I was in the back looking through the windows when I could, staying silent as I look for the chemical storage room.
It should contain a multitude of different chemical concotions that would be able to boost stats, and it has a healing potion that would be need for Griffin's transplant.
*Drip*
*Drip*
*Drip*
*Groaning*
Griffin positions his body towards the noise, making sure he stands between Tia and whatever was coming towards us.
"Please help me, they killed everyone. Is someone there please help me? I'm injured I need help." The voice cried out one of desperation, it sounded on its very last leg, fully out of breath. It was dying.
Griffin starts to slowly walk towards the noise. His steps echoing across this empty environment. "We're here we can...". I quickly put my hand on his shoulder and cover up his mouth, as well as gesturing to Tia to be silent.
I whisper to him, "There is no way that this is a person is alive. Think about it what kind of person would call out for help in here, we could be bog bodies and yet he calls out so easily."
Griffin understood immediately, he braced his arm. His body was tense, his muscles were full of power now.
Then a head came round the corner. However it was hollow, the sockets once filled were now taken as an illumation came from them. The mouth moved on its own.
The neck that once connected the head and the body was now gone, with it now being held up by its hair. The hand that grasped the hair was a wrinkly old hand, not like a bog body, but simply just old.
The figure crosses around the corner with its form shrouded in tattered robes that seem to merge with the surrounding mists. Its face, gaunt and hollow, is barely visible beneath a hood of darkness, with glowing, hollow eyes that pierce through the gloom.
I knew what it was.
It was a Marsh Shade, the elite monster of this dungeon.
The Marsh Shade is a master of shadow magic, capable of fading into the darkness. Its controls the very essence of the marsh, summoning spirits of the dead to do its bidding and manipulating the murky waters to entrap those that enter its domain.
Its skin is pale and thin, stretched tight over brittle bones, giving it an almost skeletal appearance. Long, claw-like fingers extend from its hands grasping the decapitated head like a jack o'lantern.
A dark aura shoots out from its hand moving the mouth of the severed head, with it connecting with it, speaking all the words that the Marsh Shade wanted it to say.
It was using this to lure any players into its trap. When the player would get close it would use the puddles that have formed to trap and hold them in place while sending a signal to nearby bog bodies.
It rounded the corner fully knowing that the jig was up. It tied the head to its leather belt using the head's hair.
Griffin stood at attention looking everywhere for anymore suprises. I knew there would be none at the moment, but the Marsh Shade would have sent a signal to the Bogwarden to send out the bog bodies to hunt.
"We have to end this quickly, charge towards it and try to hit it back. Watch out for any puddles, it can use it to hold you and try to attack you."
"Alright protect her while I charge."
He started charging like a bull that just saw red. The ground underneath him start to crack as he poured everything he had into the charge making sure to avoid the pudddles on the way.
'His footwork needs some improvement but its fine for now. Unfortunatley [Fae Ward] won't work on a Marsh Shade. He needs another blessing to compensate for his missing arm.'
I shoot my gaze towards Tia, fairies sprout out from her all different colours, with most being a more dim pink.
I quickly go up to Tia, "Tia, you will need to use your power again."
"My head hurts I don't know if I can." She rubs her head.
"I only need you to do this one last time then we can take a rest." I look towards her sympathetically. 'I need her too do this even if she collapses, else we die.'
Her head hung, tiredness creeped over her face, clearly almost fainting. However she activated her active skill [Devoted Servants], before passing out, with me catching her.
This was the actuve version of her passive skill [Personal Servants], for in exchange for more magic power the once dull coloured would burst with colour and do their job a lot faster than they did before.
Many of the dull pink fairies now turned a bright orange. A stength improvement, they quickly gravitated towards Griffin, he was still mid-charge. His muscles then were filled in a orange aura. This filled the room with light, blinding the Marsh Shade.
'This will stop that annoying ability.' What I'm talking about is when a Marsh Shade is in danger it will leave through a puddle and appear behind the party killing the casters in the back while the frontline force is the furtherest it could be.
The Marsh Shade now blind couldn't use its ability as it couldn't see where it wanted to go.
The blinding caused its face to scrunch up into an even more disgusting face, almost into a spiral like pattern.
However the blind effect soon disappated, but it was too late.
Griffin crashed into the Marsh Shade, making it bounce back into the rubble around it, the bronze shield still standing strong. Griffin was tired, sweat dripping from his face.
The Marsh Shade was however still alive, twiching I put down Tia next to Griffin, with him now having to sit down from exhaustion.
Tia's [Personal Servants] were no longer actively healing him and stopping his exhaustion.
I move towards the twiching Marsh Shade. Its hand was trying to move towards a small puddle next to it. The head around its waist was now a smooshed mess.
I grab a large rock beneath my feet and move closer towards the Marsh Shade it wrinkled face one of panic. It tried to stretch its boney, long fingered hand to stop me, with dark magic radiating out from it.
However I easily knock it away, it was still reeling from the hit by Griffin. I quickly start to bash the rock against its head.
*Smack*
Its dark sticky blood, started to fill its face, however there was still a long way until it was dead.
*Smack*
*Smack*
*Smack*
The stench of its blood filled my nostrils, a purtried smell, one of a rotting corspe. It took me a full minute extra to kill it. I was without a proper weapon and my stats were low.
[XP Aquired: 500]
[Final Blow, Skill Aquired: Dark Vision]
It was an active skill that you had to pour a small amount of mana to work, at higher levels of the skill you wouldn't have to pay anything for it and it would turn into a passive.
I quickly used it, the dark becoming bright like the day to me, and spotted the chemical storage room, more steps could be heard bouncing off the walls.
I quickly picked up Tia and told Griffin to follow me. Although I was tired I ran as fast as I could with Tia in my arms and ran into the room, letting Griffin in and shutting the door.
The footsteps finally got to where we were, sounded like over ten of them. I blocked the door with a heavy box nearby, using most of my remaining strength.
However out the corner of my eye I saw a pleathora of different coloured potions.
"Time for an upgrade."
End Chapter