Cyber Mortality

Chapter 48:

A subtle breeze causes the flame in Jez's palm to flicker. Her brows knit together as she concentrates on not losing the flame.

"I think there's a big passage coming up," Rocky says while peering around a corner. "We might be getting close to the center of the dungeon."

A metallic scent permeates from the walls ahead where a thick red goo oozes lazily down to puddle on the floor.

"That's disgusting," Jez crinkles her nose.

"Do you see that?" Vyra gestures ahead with her bow staff.

My eyes train on a glowing red orb sticking a few inches out of the wall twenty feet ahead. We shuffle toward it and then crowd around. The orb is approximately the size of a human and more ovular shaped than we had previously thought.

"Is there something in there?" I question and reach out a hand to touch it. My fingers brush the slimy leathery thing and it feels warm. Every few seconds a small vibration would shudder across the orb.

"Is it an egg?" DeNyle pokes it hesitantly.

The thing on the inside shudders and starts to move.

"Um," I gaze at the moving thing. "I think it's hatching or something."

"Burn it," Rocky commands.

Jez steps forward with the blue flame in hand and gazes at the moving creature for a moment.

"Are you sure?"

"Nothing good can come from something hatching out of that sack," Rocky replies.

Jez holds out the blue flame and grows it in her palm until it is the size of a small bonfire. Her hair floats around her head and the heat of the flame floods the corridor. Jez pushes her palms forward and a blast of fire explodes toward the red sack. The fire laps at the orb and the creature on the inside swirls around in a panic. After another moment the sack pops and red goo flows onto the ground with the dark human sized thing trembling in the flow. As Jez's flames touch the creature a scream erupts from it's lips that vibrates my ear drums to the point I fear they will bleed.

Everyone presses their hands to their ears and Jez drops her flames. The corridor vibrates and shudders suddenly as if something massive has begun to move. A wail with a much deeper metallic sound reverberates through the corridor.

"Oh, I don't like that," Jez shudders after the sound has stopped. She gazes at the now dead creature before her. "I think that was the momma..."

"No shit," Vyra hisses and turns her red eyes on the end of the corridor. "I think she's the dungeon boss."

"So we are close!" DeNyle pumps his fist in the air.

"Don't get too excited," Vyra warns. "A lot of people will more than likely die before we beat that thing."

DeNyle's face drops.

"I know," he sighs. "But it's always good to get pumped up before a battle."

"It's always good to get smart before a battle," Vyra shoots back with fire in her eyes. "Hopefully that thing has a weakness to the blue fire as well."

"That would make things easier," Rocky nods. He raises his hand and equips his full armor. As an archer it is not much. A chest plate and some smaller plates to protect his arms and legs.

I reach for my inventory and equip my ebony armor. I leave off the helmet though so I can have better peripheral vision. Next I call forth my twin scimitars.

As we wait for everyone to finish equipping their gear, the rest of our party files into the corridor to do the same.

"Mind if I call the shots, Pebble?" Vyra shoots Rocky a smirk before continuing without his acknowledgment. "My party of six will go in first. I want archers to fan out around the edges of the room if it is large. Think you can command them, Pebble?"

Rocky rolls his eyes but nods yes.

"Mages, we will need you for mid range support and to assist the archers and long range weapon users. If you can enchant weapons, enchant weapons. Healers stay with the mages and do your best to heal anyone falling back to you. Close range fighters you are with Birch and I. If you get injured fall back to the mages and healers. Don't attack whatever we find in there right away. We need to figure out what it can do first."