I picked up the Journal, taking a moment to look it over. The Leather that made up the cover was covered in cracks from a mix of dehydration and age, and the pages within were brittle, ready to crack and turn to dust if moved too much. I could hear Jax and Selene saying what they found in the chest as they passed the contents back to Liora who took them and placed the gold in her bag.
"Dude, is that a potion Recipe?"
Jax asked, peering into the chest. A part of me wanted to assume he was messing with me, but another part of me whipped my head around before I could control myself. Sure, enough Jax was holding up a potion recipe for a potion called Iron Flesh potion. Better still it was a D-rank potion. I made my way over to where they held the scroll and threw open my notebook to copy it down on the first page of my D-rank section.
I had divided my notebook up when I was young, 60 pages for E-rank, 30 for D-rank and 15 for C-rank. Currently only my E-rank section had less than half the pages filled. I had only managed to fill 25 pages with recipes I learned from my grandfather, buying the recipe, and more in my 7 years of work. So, the fact that I could finally open up to the D-rank section to add a recipe was rather exciting.
Potion of Iron Flesh(D)
Effect: Reduces incoming bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage by 50% for 1 minute.
Crafting Recipe
Ingredients:
Liquid Crystal (1 vial)
Xosorrel (2 units)
Navouh (1 unit)
Almat Grass (1 unit)
Equipment:
Mortar and pestle
Small cauldron
Glass bottle with cork
Instructions:
Crush Herbs:
Pulverize Xosorrel bark and Navouh petals into a fine powder using the mortar and pestle.
Infuse Base:
Pour the Liquid Crystal into the cauldron. Slowly stir in the powdered herbs while heating gently over a low flame.
Brew:
Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally while adding in Almat Grass flakes until the mixture thickens slightly and turns a faint metallic gray.
Bottle:
Allow the potion to cool completely. Bottle the solution in a glass container with a cork, and label accordingly.
As I finished writing down the recipe, from over my shoulder Kaelen leaned in and asked.
"Who has as part of the instructions to label accordingly?"
"Who knows, but I have a D-rank recipe, I have a D-rank recipe!"
I said in a sing song voice, practically dancing. I put my notebook back, about to turn back to the journal I had found. Across the room from me I saw Thalia rifling through a blanket chest located at the end of the bed before pulling out a scroll and carefully opening it.
"Found a list of soldiers."
She said, rolling the scroll and placing it in her bag.
"W-why are we taking an old list like that with us, won't it just take up space?"
Selene asked, looking to the rest of us as if trying to figure out if she was saying something wrong.
"Historians love this stuff; you can often sell it for a good amount of gold to scholars. Plus, it doesn't take up much room and it's light."
Thalia said, shrugging as she walked over to where Kaelen had moved onto opening a drawer on the central table. As he opened the drawer a system announcement appeared
Party member Kaelen has found one of the dungeon items.
Item: Skillbook - Erratic Charge(E)
We all looked to where Kaelen was now holding a book with copper colored corner pieces made of metal, the title Erratic Charge was written in what looked to be white Ink, contrasting against the Brown of the cover. While the rest of the room was dusty, old, and fragile, this book looked brand new.
"Nice work, any Idea what this Erratic Charge skill does?"
Liora asked walking over. Kaelen held the book out for Liora who took it as a system notification appeared for her. As she read Kaelen said.
"From what it says it's a skill that allows for someone to run around a fight and be harder to notice and hit as long as they keep running."
"Then it sounds perfect for me, how do I use it?"
Jax asked, standing up on his hind legs and holding his paws out to take the book.
"I believe that it would not be as helpful as you think. As one of the primary tanks of this party, if you are unable to be targeted and block enemy attacks, then the rest of us will be vulnerable."
Thalia said matter of factly crossing her arms as she seemed to be thinking about something.
"I thought Selene was our main tank and Jax was more of a half tank half offense."
Kaelen said, shrugging. I turned to Thalia to ask a question, however as I did a system notification appeared.
Zombie Soldiers X 4 have arrived to protect their treasure
Zombie Soldiers X 4 have snuck up on you
Temp party member Thalia has been struck from behind
Temp party member Thalia has taken 6 damage.
Be it because I was next to Thalia when it happened, or simply because my body was humming with energy at the excitement of what we had discovered I moved faster than normal. Spinning around, spear in hand I saw that Thalia bounced against the wall, her cry of pain alerting the others as I saw the zombie, its arm still outstretched where it had struck her in the side. I had expected a terrible smell, or at least some classic zombie moans, and yet they were quiet, staring into the room with a surprising amount of rage on their faces, as if we were marked for death for daring to enter this place. I jammed the spear into the flesh of the zombie, its tip biting into decaying flesh as the opening revealed the putrid smell I had been expecting.
You have attacked Zombie Soldier with Basic Spear(E)
Zombie Soldier takes 4 damage
Thalia took the window I gave her, and flicking her hands out her strings extended. Wrapping around various points on the zombie, she threw her arms around as if swinging a bag to throw it, the strings going taught as the zombie started to be dragged back, but used a decaying emaciated hand to grab the doorway with an amount of strength I didn't think a decaying body could have.
Temp party member Thalia has used Marinetting Fingers(E)
Zombie Soldier has resisted the strings
Jax took this opportunity to Lunge, landing on the chest of the zombie with all 4 paws and jumping he yelled
"IRON PAW!"
Jax leaped from the zombie's chest, and while I expected the zombie to go flying back, it stood as if nothing happened, however its rusty chestplate it had been wearing now sported a very large dent in the center of it.
Party leader Jax has used Iron Fist(E)
Zombie soldier takes 23 damage
Zombie soldier stood its ground despite the odds
"Why won't it get pushed back!?"
Kaelen asked surprised and worried. Over the zombie soldiers back I could see 3 more were making their way down the hallway with the stove, their rusty armor making their eyes seem all the more haunting.
I turned to Kaelen to respond, however a hand grabbed the back of my collar, and yanked me back as I gagged a bit, my top button breaking as I was dragged back behind Selene who slammed her left arm into the chest of the zombie who had lunged at me. The zombie's skull caved in as it went flying back into the hallway, its body seeming to dissolve into sparks.
Party member Selene has used Claws of the Beast(E)
Zombie soldier has been defeated
Where did the body go, what happened to the experience we would gain from killing a monster, ow my neck. All thoughts that flashed trough my mind as I tried my best to rub away the soon to be bruise forming on my neck. Behind me I heard Kaelen chanting quietly as both he and Liora thrust their staffs forward, I grabbed Selene's shoulder and tried to pull her down, and while I wasn't strong enough to manhandle Selene as she could me, she got the message and ducked.
Party member Kaelen has used Condemn the Wicked(E)
Condemn the Wicked failed
Party member Liora has used Wind Blast(E)
Wind Blast has struck a Vital Point CRITICAL HIT!
Zombie Soldier has taken 12 damage
Zombie Soldier has been pushed back into Zombie Soldier
They take 8 damage in the collision
It was a surprisingly good set of teamwork. The zombie seeing the glowing flames igniting on the ground at its feet jumped back only to be struck in the face by the blast of air it hadn't seen coming. The zombie went flying back, bowling over the other Zombie soldier behind it as the two ended up on the floor in a heap. However, one remained standing.
It sprinted for the doorway with surprising speed as it threw its fist towards Thalia who in the tight space hadn't had room to move back. However, as its fist flew, strings went taught around its arm as it suddenly struck the wall, its strike redirected by the shimmering threads. The rotting bone and flesh cracking with a horrible sound as the zombies hand seemingly broke in several places, bits of bone poking through the rotting dried skin.
Temp party member Thalia has used Marionetting Strings(E)
Zombie Soldiers attack was redirected away
The zombie soldier stumbled back as I saw my chance, I stepped behind Thalia, thrusting my spear over her head, however as I did, it ducked its shoulder, the spear getting lodged in the space between the chestplate and its back as it stood back up, the spear was ripped from my hands, and bounced on the wall, however before it could land it seemed to bounce on the air before straightening.
"Borrowing your spear!"
Thalia said as she yanked her arms back, the spear rocketing from where the strings had held it airborne, the spear slamming into the zombies back as it lurched into the room, surprised by the sudden blow to its back.
You attack Zombie soldier with Basic Spear(E)
BAD LUCK your grip slips from your weapon
Temp party member Thalia has grabbed Basic Spear(E) with her strings
Temp party member Thalia has attacked Zombie Soldier with Basic Spear(E)
Zombie Soldier takes 5 damage
Seeing the Zombie soldier flying into the room Jax lunged, his teeth to latch onto the zombie soldiers' arm at the socket. With a brutal ripping noise, the arm was separated from the rest of the zombie soldier as Jax landed and spit the arm out.
"They tathe tho much woth than you think!"
He yelled using his paws to try to scrape off his tongue of whatever zombie flesh had gotten on there.
Party leader Jax has struck Zombie Soldier
Zombie Soldier takes 15 damage
Zombie Soldier's right arm has been torn off
Selene jumped, her hand flying over Thalia as she used her left arm to backhand the Zombie in the face, its facial structure caving slightly as it stumbled back.
Party member Selene has used Claws of the Beast(E)
Zombie Soldier takes 9 damage
Kaelen thrust his staff forward, and despite my expectation that he would use his skill again, he instead used his staff like a makeshift spear, the top of it jabbing into the zombie's neck as the force of its face being broken and the attack at its neck severed its head from its body.
Party member Kaelen has attacked Zombie Soldier with Staff of Serenity(E)
Staff of Serenity has struck a Vital Point CRITICAL HIT
Zombie Soldier has been defeated
The zombie's body dissolved into sparks even before it hit the ground as I stared at Kaelen. Who would have thought an item named the staff of serenity would be used to behead the revived corpse of a soldier. Then again, who ever thought I would be fighting undead soldiers in a dungeon.
Liora held her staff out to fire her wind blast again, but the sparks of the zombies bodies clouded her view as her shot went too high and struck the back wall, the zombies that had been on the floor now scrambling to rush the door again.
Party member Liora has used Wind Blast(E)
Wind Blast missed its target
As the zombies rushed for us, I slammed my shoulder into the still open door. It quickly swung out and crashed against one of the zombies, but the difference in strength was palpable. With just the force of a push, the zombie threw the door open again as I was slammed into the wall.
You have used improvised weapon(Door) against Zombie Soldier
Zombie Soldier took 1 damage
Zombie Soldier has used improvised weapon(Door) against you
You take 3 damage
Your damage was mitigated by skill Mana Strings(E)
I would have taken more damage had Thalia's strings not grabbed the edge of the door and dragged the bed in the corner a few inches to slow the momentum. Jax dove at the zombie, his forepaw coming from the wide in a swipe against the zombie's lower stomach, the torso breaking away as the legs went backwards, and the torso forwards with a snapping noise, the two vanishing into sparks.
Party leader Jax has struck Zombie Soldier
Zombie Soldier has been defeated
Selene Grabbed the door off me with her left arm, and with a savage show of strength ripped it away from its rusty hinges before throwing it spinning at the zombie still rushing down the hall. It bounced off the charging zombie who was slowed down but not stopped, however it seems like the zombie's left forearm was broken as the door bounced off of it and wobbled to a stop beside it in the hallway.
Party member Selene has used improvised weapon(Door) against Zombie Soldier
Zombie Soldier takes 13 damage
A part of me was annoyed that she could just casually throw a several dozen pound door like a Frisbee, but the sound of feet sprinting up the small steps to the room snapped me back to focus. The Zombie rushed to the doorway, not even trying to hold its ground it lunged, diving mouth open at Selene. It was knocked off course, The blast of air from Liora struck it, knocking it back as it bounced, already scraping against the ground to lunge again. It had gotten maybe a step when the gold and white flames ignited at its feet, the flames burning to full form.
Party member Liora has used Wind Blast(E)
Zombie Soldier takes 5 damage
Zombie soldier has been knocked back
Party member Kaelen has used Condemn the Wicked
Zombie Soldier has been defeated
We all took a moment to remain on guard before we let out a collective sigh. I grabbed one of my healing potions from my bag and drank a small amount, handing the rest to Thalia
You have used item Basic Healing Potion(E) on yourself and temp party member Thalia
You and temp party member Thalia have your injuries healed
Taking a moment to feel the stinging feeling of pain that comes with unnatural healing, I saw the yellowing spot on my chest return to its normal color as Thalia chose to be more modest, simply poking at the spot where the zombie soldier had struck her until she was satisfied that the pain was gone.
"That went pretty well considering we were caught off guard."
Jax said, shaking himself off as if trying to ensure there were no zombie sparks in his hair.
We all stared at Jax for a moment before Liora smacked him on the back of the head.
"Dude, you totally just jinxed us."