Book 3: Chapter 34: Obby Inc
Chapter34: Obby Inc
Alex skid across stone, his palms scraping raw before he rolled hard and came up crouched. His chest heaved and coughed, his lungs full of both water and blood. Behind him, the waterfall hammered the cavern wall like a ballpeen on a sheet of silver steel. The sun crystals of the mountain outside still pierced the water somehow, casting the chamber in shimmering light. The cave, not at all surprisingly, was damp. Moisture clung to his skin, icy cold and heavy, but at least it wasn’t drowning him anymore.
Holly staggered a few yards away, coughing water as well. Her hair was plastered to her neck and back. Eric was there too, doubled over with a hand on his knee, sparks still twitching across his knuckles. Henry and Lance climbed up from the edge, both dripping, but each was standing tall.
Beyond them, Alex caught sight of the raft—or what was left of it. The boat had been reduced to pieces against the cavern wall, with the planks and vines scattered in a soggy heap. One by one, the others pulled themselves free of the wreckage. Garret cursed loud enough to be heard over the roar of the falls as he dragged Peter to his feet with a bruised arm. Allie leaned heavily against the cave while still cradling Tom-Tom in front of her. The little kobold was spitting water out in long, wheezy huffs. His ladles clattered in his claws as he shivered.
They were all beaten up something fierce. Faces were pale, blood trickled from cuts and gashes, and bruises were already turning yellow and purple. No one had escaped the lake crossing unscathed. But as Alex scanned the chamber, adrenaline still surging through him from his last flare-boosted kick, the realization hit like a bell strike.
They were alive. Every single one of them had made it.
Alex straightened up slowly, pushing back damp hair as water dripped from his scraggly bearded chin. He needed a shave soon, he'd have to remember to do that at some point. His muscles still burned from channeling too much power too fast. His soaked clothes clung to him like a second skin, the ache in his arms and legs was a reminder of what it took to push through this far. But seeing the team on their feet, even Tom-Tom, a wild grin spread across his little face as Allie held him, Alex was proud of his team.
The roar of the falls filled the cavern, but beneath it Alex caught the sound of something else, the shifting splash of water outside. The guttural bellow of the crocodilian chimeras regrouping. His skin prickled at the thought of those beasts getting into the cavern. They wouldn’t stop at the barrier of water. Not now, not after the taste of blood they just had.
“Move, back of the cavern, now.” Alex shouted.
No one argued with him. The party stumbled together across slick rock, footfalls almost in unison. The far wall loomed out of darkness, and cut into the stone was the black maw of a tunnel. A way out, or further in. Holly ducked in first, her sword at the ready, Eric right behind her. One by one the others poured in, weapons clutched tight. Alex brought up the rear, scanning the water just in time to see two dark shapes crest the surface near the cavern mouth.
“Seal it!”
Lance and Garret slammed their palms against the stone the moment Alex slipped through. The air rattled with the grind of earth as the two of them erected large, thick slabs of stone and the tunnel mouth was sealed shut. The barrier wasn’t pretty, but it was thick and solid. If the beasts wanted in, they’d have to smash their skulls against a wall of mountain.
Then there was nothing, only silence, and a pitch-dark stretch of tunnel swallowing them whole.
“Allie,” Alex whispered.
“I’ve got it.” Her hands glowed a soft gold, light pooling between her fingers and forming a floating orb. Beside her, Peter raised his spear, coaxing a second globe of pale-white luminescence into being at its tip before it was sent drifting off. The twin lights floated ahead, illuminating rough stone walls veined with dripping mineral deposits.
The group moved quickly but carefully, boots echoing off the narrow corridor as the tunnel sloped deeper into the cliff. The air was cool, damp, heavy with the scent of moss and iron.
It wasn’t long before the walls widened, stone peeling back into a naturally carved chamber. A hollow bubble of earth, big enough to fit them all comfortably.
“This’ll do,” Henry muttered. A moment later he was lowering himself to the floor. He set his halberd beside him while vines shifted around his wrists restlessly.
“Sit, heal, and cultivate. Patch yourselves up.” Alex was terse, but no one complained.
The raid party collapsed into the cavern with the sound of tired bodies creaking in their flesh packaging, groans echoing all around. Corks popped as healing and stamina potions were passed around, the distinct tang of alchemical brew filling the space. The glow from Allie and Peter’s lights cast their tired, pale faces into sharp relief. Alex saw cut faces, bruised arms, and raw skin. But already, wounds began to knit under the care of Allie and the liberal use of potions.
Alex dropped onto a low ledge of stone that jutted from one of the walls, every inch of him aching. His heartbeat was still hammering, the echo of the final chimera’s charge replaying in his mind. He reached for his own potion and tipped it back, letting the warmth of relief wash through his sore muscles, though it did nothing for the strained aether channels.
For now, they were safe, but only for now.
Alex quickly brought up his attributes on his status screen to check his progress;
Name: Alexander Pierce Experience: 18,740
Stolen novel; please report.
Attributes:
Strength: 19 (64.7%)
Agility: 19 (65.1%)
Vitality: 22 (91.2%)
Wisdom: 21 (28.7%)
Intelligence: 21 (76.0%)
Willpower: 30 (42.9%)
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