Part Two - New World - Chapter [053.4]
Arslan and Gangplank walked through the darkness with just a small lit spell that Gangplank had managed to cast. In illuminated their path just enough for them to see in front of them. However the darkness crept just inches from their feet. They had to take the downward incline ever so slowly, but as they pushed onward, it felt ever more oppressive. Like how a diver would feel the water pressure on his body as he dove deeper into the ocean. It was like that - except miasma hit their core.
Gangplank had also managed to get a mask - no one would survive down here without some kind of air purification method.
Ideally one would venture into the under-dark with some kind of crystal that could purify the miasma for them, and would also get a convienent helper that would carry said crystal and follow them around.
But there was no time for such a thing, instead Arslan had to dive with little to no protection. Knowing the mask could fail at any moment.
Before they knew it they were making their way through a series of intricate tunnels. For the first time Arslan felt lost.
However Gangplank was taking the lead - something Arslan was more than happy to oblige.
Arslan was versatile like that. He never took anything to heart and knew when overcompensating was gonna do more harm than good.
"Hold on - " Gangplank said pushing Arslan back with his hand - trying to protect him. Even if just a little bit.
"There's an undead up ahead," said Gangplank, his voice in a whisper and quivering just a tiny bit.
Undead are the worst - unless you have someone in your party that can cast holy light - or a white magic spell, then the undead, skeletons, ghouls and vampires alike where of no match. Even the strongest vampire would fear healers for this exact reason.
With a simple wave of his wand Aiden could easily destroy everything in the under dark. However Aiden was not here and so Arslan knew better than to charge head first into a fight with an undead.
As a warrior Arslan was going to have a lot of trouble dealing with it.
"Comes on - this way - and don't make noise-" before Gangplank could even finish that sentence, a branch broke beneath his feet and made a cracking sound. It made them both freeze - but that was enough to alert the the undead and make them charge towards them.
As the moving corpses locked eyes with them, they heard a chilling scream and it was like their bodies froze solid.
Frenzy had been inflicted upon them both and they couldn't move.
Arslan and Gangplank wiggled until they broke free from it and managed to leap out of the undead's way just before it lunged at them.
"Pirate's Fire!" Shouted Gangplank and threw a fire spell at the undead.
It torched him.
But his skin was already purple, it started to burn even more - like burn chalk.
It smelled worse than dead.
Arslan and Gangplank caught a whiff of it through their masks.
"That's putrid!" Arslan mentioned.
"Dam right it is - now if you have an ace up your sleeve now would be time Arslan boy," said Gangplank.
Arslan promptly remembered he indeed did have another holy item give by Shepard's command.
A fire lantern.
"What about this?" Arslan mentioned.
"This is perfect!" Said Gangplank.
"Give me a moment to cast divinity - it should be enough to kill them twice!" Gangplank boomed with his voice.
With his right hand he concentrated and it glew with magic - much like the Shepard - Gangplank had a divinity spell that could be used on magical items and such to bring their divinity power up. Making them holy items.
Gangplank doesn't really like talking about how he got this skill - it involved a part of his life he rather forget.
Arslan did as he was told and jumped in front of the undead - gaining his attention quickly.
"Come on you ugly looking bastard - I'm the one you want!" He shouted and casted a silent spell named 'Bringer'
It was one of the few Tank spells Arslan knew - it forced enemies to pay attention to him and only him.
A couple more undead suddenly rose in the back of this chasm, having been woken up by the allure Arslan set up.
"Shit!" He said under his breath and started running opposite of Gangplank, trying to bring all of this undead to the same place.
He knew he needed a place where all of them could gather in one place.
The under dark had a pattern to it - even though it was - well - completely pitch black. For some reason the landmarks where the same as the one's above ground.
If anything Arslan knew the grasslands of Eldoren quite well.
And L'reu was the city he had grown up in. So of course he knew it like the back of his hand.
So he lured all of the undead to one specific point. A canyon that had formed naturally, the city had been built on top of it.
Once all the undead had fallen to their unwitting demise.
Gangplank seemed to have finished putting divinity on the lantern.
Arslan used his thunder boots to swish so fast out of there he actually managed to climb the walls, zigzagging up towards the top and finally reaching Gangplanks side.
Where Gangplank threw the lantern into the air and Arslan jumped to reach it and hit it like a baseball and into where the undead had unwittingly gathered.
The lantern exploded like a thousand suns illuminating the whole of the under dark.
Arslan then saw it - a massive tunnel like an upside down tower all in the middle of intricate entwining caverns, the tunnel seemed to go on forever. And there was a mysterious glow coming from it.
Diving deep into that part of the under dark was strictly prohibited - but if Arslan knew anything was that - this was the place where all of the miasma was gathering.
This was the place where it was coming out of and spreading into the land.
He knew he and the Shepard would have to eventually go down there - that is if they wanted to beat the 4th miasma monster - the one they called Summer.
"Good going!" Said Gangplank and threw a high five to Arslan.
Arslan reciprocated and all was well.