Like a ninja
1691 Words
Nashoba was first to follow Aaron’s example, along with his son. Only Zach and Mawanko remained with their torches still burning.
“Mawanko, do as the boy says,” Nashoba ordered.
“But chief, we can’t see anything in this darkness. What if there are traps ahead?”
“I’m with the hunter guy,” Zach chimed in. “This does not sound like a bright idea. For all we know, Gilbert might have altered the inscription to screw with us.”
“You can’t keep assuming everything is a trap,” Aaron retorted. “I am the leader of the group and I will take full responsibility for leading us to the Dark Orc Camp. But, you have to trust me.”
“I trust you, bro, but not Gilbert,” Zach huffed, plunging his burning torches into the ground, one after the other.
With no one left to take his side, Mawanko too gave up and blew out his torch. As the flames were put out, the tunnel was instantly plunged into blinding darkness. Aaron asked the others to hold their ground, as a gust of cold wind brushed against their bodies.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble and the ceiling of the tunnel began to c***k. Little chunks of earth fell from above, soiling their clothes.
“I don’t like this one bit! I told you it was a trap!”
Zach was thrown off his feet by a violent jerk, and he landed right on top of Mawanko. They expected the entire tunnel to come crashing down at any moment, but suddenly the tremors stopped and the entire passage went silent. A portion of the ceiling collapsed in front of them and a dim blue light lit up the path ahead.
The section of the tunnel on the left had been blocked by the cave-in, leaving only the right path open. Aaron looked at Zach, his face illumined by the blue glow. “You can’t go wrong if you go right,” he sniped.
“God, your lame puns are gonna kill me before Gilbert.”
The two friends broke into a light chuckle and made up for their little disagreement. Aaron led from the front, using his Pyro Vision skill often to check out for any hidden arachnid burrows and bug nests.
They kept following the trail of light, keeping their distance from Aaron. Before long, the quest marker on the map was almost within their reach.
“I see a ladder up ahead. That must be our way out.” Aaron ran towards the exit, and before he realised what was happening, little circular vents opened up below him. “What the he—”
All 30 vents activated at once, spitting out pillars of flames which roasted Aaron’s leather armour and set him ablaze. Zach was about to step right into the kill zone, when Nashoba pulled him back. Just like Aaron, he too had let his guard down at the wrong time.
The flames continued burning for a whole minute, while everyone on the other side watched in horror as Aaron’s clothes melted away. When the fire eventually died out, Aaron was left standing buck naked, with nothing but his rare accessories equipped.
“I guess...playing a Pyromancer does have its benefits.”
“No shit...” Zach exclaimed, catching his breath. “If it had been any of us, we would’ve been toast by now.”
“My bad, my bad...I should have been careful,” Aaron piped feebly, still shaking from this sudden shock. He was so shaken up, that he didn’t even feel embarrassed being naked in front of complete strangers. His heart was still pounding inside his chest.
It took Aaron a while to get over this sudden fright. Nashoba and the others stood absolutely still, almost too afraid to even lift a finger.
“I think the trap is out of fuel,” Aaron said.
“Are you sure?” Zach asked, still doubtful about it. “You know, we aren’t fireproof like you.”
Aaron moved away from the vents and stood on the other side before calling out to Zach again. “Okay, just to be doubly sure...” Picking up a rock from the ground, Aaron tossed it over the open vents. Despite being triggered, this time nothing happened.
Led by Zach, the group slowly made their way across the traps.
Kawasha breathed a sigh of relief as he reached the other side. He swore to himself that he would never set foot inside a secret underground passage again.
When Aaron reached the end of the tunnel, a glowing white metallic chest appeared before him. As he approached it, the lid popped open automatically to reveal the bountiful rewards inside.
[*Uncommon Loot Chest opened!*]
[*1 Apprentice Karategi Acquired!*]
[*1 Apprentice Headband Acquired!*]
“Auto equip!”
The quick command helped Aaron get dressed in the blink of an eye. The Karategi consisted of a white, loose-fitting set of long trousers and a long robe secured at the waist with a yellow belt. It was the perfect outfit for swift movements, though it offered little protection against attacks. As for the headband, it added 0 defence points, but provided Aaron with a small buff which increased the accuracy of all his basic attacks.
“Thank goodness. I thought I’d have to stare at your butt all day long.” Zach looked at Aaron and gave him the sly nod. “I’d give you a 5 outta 10.”
Tying his headband tightly on his forehead, Aaron smiled, “I feel like I’m finally ready to break some bricks.”
“With your head, no doubt,” Zach chuckled back.
Aaron smiled back and shook his head.
Having reached the end of the tunnel, Aaron allowed everyone to have a breather. After they had rested for a minute, he asked them to get ready. They were now directly below the quest marker.
Aaron checked his surroundings carefully before beginning the climb up the ladder. Once at the top, he found a wooden trapdoor with two little latches on either side. He gently pressed his ear against the door. There weren’t any voices on the other side, but only the muffled cawing of crows.
With a gentle push, Aaron lifted the trap door and climbed out. He emerged right under the boughs of a great chestnut tree on the other side.
A cold chill ran down his spine as he looked up. The enormous tree was completely leafless and each of its barren branches had a dead man hanging from it. Aaron didn’t even want to imagine how they had ended up over there. He looked around to make sure no one was nearby and then gave the green signal to his group.
Zach and the others quickly climbed out into the open and they all had the same reaction on seeing the dead bodies hanging from the tree. Zach realised how different it felt to see dead bodies from up close, instead of looking at them through a screen. The game felt a lot more unforgiving now.
“So, this is where the Dark Orcs bring their prisoners,” Nashoba exclaimed, gawking at the tree. Most of the men who were hanging from it were Nagochi warriors, but there were quite a few Cayuga hunters as well. To the Dark Orcs they were all just the same—weak and defenceless humans who had no right to live on this land. Nashoba had heard tales of Orcish brutality from the village elders, but this was the first time he had witnessed something so gruesome in person. He couldn’t bear to look at the horrific sight anymore and turned his back to the tree.
Aaron motioned Zach to be ready and quietly peeped from behind the chestnut tree. On the other side, he saw the large circular tents made of animal hide. The camp was teeming with hundreds of Dark Orcs and as many Hobgoblins. They had managed to reach the quest marker with 30 minutes remaining on the quest log. Both their Z-bands started beeping at once and several new notifications popped up on screen.
[Dark Orc Camp discovered!]
[+2000 XP!]
[Achievement Unlocked: Tunnel Run!]
[+3000 XP!
+5000 Sky Gems Earned]
[Level Up!
Current Level 15!
All stats increased
2 Skill Points Available
Tier 2 Skills Can Be Learned Now!]
[2 New Abilities acquired!]
[1. Zen Focus: Quickly replenish all EP and refill the HP bar to the max. It can be used once per day.
[2. Blade Dash: Deliver a quick s***h attack with a bladed weapon. The user can dash across a medium distance to close the gap. The ability can only be used when there is an enemy to target. It can be used once per day.]
Zach too acquired 2 new abilities as he finally hit level 10. And he also gained one additional skill point. Now both of them had access to the special player inventory and could share their loot automatically.
Aaron’s group gathered under the tree, hidden from the Dark Orcs and Hobgoblins on the other side of the camp.
“So, what’s the plan?” Zach asked.
“There is no way we can take on an entire camp in a head on battle. But, we can use stealth to take out our targets without direct confrontation,” Aaron replied.
“I really hope you aren’t suggesting knifing them one by one.”
“No, that would be impractical. I have a much better plan. Each one of us will have a role to play. And your role is the most important, bro.”
“Say the word, bro.”
“You are a level 10 wizard now. I want you to use your special recon ability and give me a clear picture of this camp. Once we know what we’re up against, I’ll chalk out a plan of action. They’ll never know what hit ‘em.”
“Ninja run?” Zach asked, his lips curving into a grin.
“Ninja run for the win!” Aaron affirmed.
- Writer
