Path of Dragons

Alyssa stepped through the doors and felt the familiar moment of nothingness before the interior of the capitol building came into focus. Once, she’d visited Washington, D.C., and while there, she’d taken a tour of the U.S. Capitol building. So, the sight that greeted her was easily recognizable.

The expansive lobby was festooned with white marble, with a foursome of comparatively small statues standing before square columns. Behind and between those was the much larger replica of the Statue of Freedom, which depicted a robed woman wearing an elaborate headdress. Behind that sculpture was a pair of identical staircases that met on an elevated platform.

“It looks like the Capitol Visitor Center,” she said once the others had joined her.

“Like, the U.S. Capitol? But that wasn’t Washington, D.C. out there,” remarked Bryce. “I mean, I’ve never been, but…well, I’ve seen movies.”

“It wasn’t,” agreed Roman, clutching his bow while looking around. “I’m willing to bet that the rest of this building doesn’t exactly match up with the real thing, either.”

Alyssa didn’t say anything else, but she suspected Roman was right. The levels for towers could take just about anything for inspiration, so it wasn’t surprising that it had used one of Earth’s most iconic buildings. However she did wonder if it would have presented itself similarly if the tower climbers hailed from another country. If they’d been French, perhaps it would have resembled the Louvre. Or Buckingham Palace for a group of Englishmen.

She shook her head. There were too many possibilities to consider, and regardless of how interesting it was, it seemed a fruitless endeavor to do so. Understanding the nature of towers wouldn’t help them survive what was coming. What could help them, though, was the silver box that suddenly appeared before her.

Alyssa knelt, flipped the latch, and opened the box to reveal a long, thin dagger. She looked at the notification that had appeared directly after she’d stepped into the building:

It was an expected message, though Alyssa had to admit that she felt a sense of accomplishment when she saw that the group had been given a higher grade than after the last level. She wasn’t certain what it really meant, but she suspected that the reward’s power was dependent on their grade.

In any case, she moved to the next notification:

“It’s called a Stiletto of Sundering,” she said, reaching out to pick the weapon up. When her fingers closed around the hilt, she felt a brief jolt of Ethera, suggesting that it was an incredibly powerful weapon. Even her spear, which, according to Carmen, was the strongest weapon created by any of Easton’s crafters, didn’t come with that sort of feeling.

She glanced back at her companions, wondering who should get the item. Verin and Bryce were out, largely because Byrce had no martial ability and Verin favored her morningstar. Alyssa also ruled herself out as the recipient. She could use a dagger well enough due to her Novice level of Weapons Mastery, but she preferred to use the spear. A dagger would only be a backup weapon for her.

But both Roman and Trace could make use of it.

In Roman’s case, he typically used his bow. However, he had a couple of abilities meant for use in melee combat. As for Trace, the Outlaw favored longer blades, but Alyssa suspected that he could use daggers just as effectively as he used his swords.

“I’m thinking it should go to you or Trace,” she said to Roman. “Up to you.”

Without hesitation, Roman said, “Trace. He can make better use of it.”

The Outlaw narrowed his eyes. “You sure, chief?”

Roman nodded. “Consider it a loan. When we get back to Easton, we’ll redistribute these rewards for the greater good.”

Trace shrugged. “Sounds fine to me.”

Then, he accepted the offered Dagger of Sundering, letting out a slight gasp when he took hold of the hilt. He didn’t say anything else, though, so everyone quickly moved past it. Alyssa told everyone what the level’s task was, but no one was terribly surprised. According to the guides they’d all read, most towers required a show of Strength before the climbers could claim the final reward.

After taking a few minutes to collect themselves, they began their progress through the building, using a similar strategy to what they’d established in the city. Trace and Roman acted as scouts, while the others took the only route available to them – up the stairs and down the wide hall. Alyssa noticed that each side of the corridor was lined with paintings, though they’d been slashed to pieces, obscuring the subjects.

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After a few hundred feet – which would make it an incredibly long hall – Alyssa started to notice the blood. At first, there were only a few drops here and there, but soon enough, the group came across huge, standing puddles of red liquid. More, the walls were stained with patterns of splattered blood.

“Okay, this is starting to freak me out,” Bryce muttered, almost under his breath.

Alyssa was tempted to tell him to stay quiet, but she refrained from doing so because, if she was honest, she felt just as uneasy as he did. Still, they kept going, with Roman and Trace periodically returning to report that the way forward was more of the same. Along the way, they passed a multitude of side rooms, but none were occupied.

Not anymore, at least. But judging by the amount of blood in each of what appeared to be well-appointed offices, they once had been. Clearly, the building had been the subject of a massacre of epic proportions.

Gradually, Alyssa led the others down the hall, eventually reaching an intersection. Roman and Trace had already explored all three directions and passed on which way would lead them to their destination, so Alyssa didn’t hesitate before continuing forward. Over the next few hours, they experienced more of the same. Eventually, blood covered everything, and they found themselves walking through what felt like a half-congealed bog.

Finally, Roman appeared before them and whispered, “This is going to be an issue.”

“What is it?”

“You’ve got to see it. I can’t really…I can’t really describe it.”

After being assured that there were no enemies around, Alyssa left the other two behind and followed Roman. The journey took another few minutes, during which they were accompanied by the squelching sounds of their footsteps, but soon enough, they found Trace standing before a pair of massive, wooden doors.

And the Outlaw looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Roman held a finger up to his lips, indicating that she should remain silent. Then, he pushed one of the doors open – just a crack – and gestured for her to take a look. Alyssa leaned forward, pressing her eye to the opening.

Her eyes widened in horror.

At first, she wasn’t certain what she was looking at. At a glance, it looked like a pile of meat, misshapen and with a series of odd bulges. However, after she saw it quiver, Alyssa recognized that some of those bulges were human limbs attached to a bulbous mass of naked fat and muscle.

And it was huge. At least forty feet tall and just as wide. The sight was so grotesque that she almost didn’t recognize the setting. Then, her thoughts caught up, and everything clicked into place.

She pulled away, and Roman gently pulled the door back into place. Then, the trio retreated to where they’d left the other two. When they arrived, Alyssa finally asked, “Was that the Senate Chamber?”

Roman nodded. “Yeah. I think the scale is off a little, but I recognize it from the State of the Union.”

“And that monster?” Alyssa asked.

It was Trace’s turn to answer, and he said, “It’s people.”

“What?”

“It’s a big ball of people. I don’t know if they’re zombies like we saw outside, or whatever. But those are people. I think…I think it’s all the people who were in these offices,” he said. “I…I got close. Closer than I wanted. And I saw them. The faces. The arms and legs. The…t-the everything. They looked like they were in pain.”

“It’s not real,” Alyssa said, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder.

He yanked away. “It was real enough for me.”

She didn’t persist, instead turning to Roman. “How do we kill it, then?”

“Overwhelming force?” he said. “With all the blood, I don’t think we can get this place to catch fire. So, I think we’re just going to have to hack it to pieces. Drop a Meteor on it. That sort of thing.”

“And we think that’ll work?”

“I know just as much as you do,” he replied. “But I don’t think this is the kind of thing we can outthink. If we want to win, we’re going to have to do it in a straight-up fight.”

“Against that thing?” she asked, a shiver of fear traveling up her spine. “We’ll lose.”

“I think you’re underestimating what we can do,” Roman stated. “You destroyed that last monster. Besides, we don’t have a choice. Not unless you can think of a way to make this work.”

Alyssa shook her head, but she didn’t immediately respond. Her first inclination was to set a trap for the thing, but there were two issues that made that impossible. For one, it was so huge that any trap would have to be absolutely enormous. They didn’t have the means to create something like that. For another, there were no materials to construct anything of note. They couldn’t even dig a basic pit because, under all the blood and the floor, they found only concrete.

No - it was like Roman had suggested. If they were going to conquer the tower, they’d have to do so in a straight fight against the abomination. So, Alyssa turned her mind to creating a battle plan where they might stand a chance of survival. She didn’t get far, though, because the reality was that none of them had seen the thing in action, so they had no context for its capabilities. Without that, any plan was largely useless.

Still, they could follow some basic parameters, which she explained to the others. In the end, the fight would likely require a lot more improvisation than Alyssa would like, but that was unavoidable.

She hated going into it half-cocked, but there really wasn’t any choice in the matter. That monster was between them and conquering the tower, which meant that, one way or another, it needed to go down.

So, without further ado, the group set off for the tower’s version of the Senate Chamber. When they reached the double doors, Alyssa once again asked if everyone was ready. They all confirmed that they were as prepared as they could be, so, after taking a few steadying breaths, she slowly pushed the doors open.

“Can you hit it from here?” whispered Alyssa, glancing from Roman to Bryce.

The latter shook his head in the negative, but Roman confirmed that he could shoot the monster from that distance. It was only a hundred yards – at most – so that wasn’t that surprising. Ever since he’d gained his class, Roman’s ability with the bow had grown by leaps and bounds, and Alyssa had seen him hit targets from hundreds of yards away.

“Okay,” Alyssa said. “Start casting.”

Bryce did as he was told, closing his eyes as he mumbled his spell. At the same time, Roman raised his bow, nocked an arrow, and drew it back to his cheek. Ethera gathered as he used some ability. He exhaled, then loosed the arrow.

It flew with unerring accuracy, and when it hit the bulbous monster, it did so with an explosion of force that tore a massive divot out of the bulging mass of flesh at its side. It let loose with a thousand screams, each one loud enough to set Alyssa’s ears to ringing.

Then, it rolled around, and she saw its faces.

Hundreds of them, all connected by flaps of moist skin. Men. Women. Fat and thin. Beautiful and ugly. It didn’t matter. They’d all merged into one. Every eye locked onto the party standing at the open door. Then, it heaved its bulk into motion, rolling across the ground and crushing chairs and desks along the way.

It moved with alacrity that belied its size. When it drew near enough, Alyssa used Bulwark, hoping to trip it up as she had with the previous monster. But it rolled over the shield like it wasn’t even there, the monster’s shapeless bulk conforming to the immovable plane of Ethera with ease.

Alyssa cursed. Bryce was a long way from finishing his spell. He needed more time, and she was the only one who could give it to him.

“Keep me alive,” she muttered to Verin.

Before they could object to the alteration of the plan – which had hinged on them staying safe in the hall while Bryce and Roman peppered it with attacks – Alyssa dashed forward. The plan hadn’t been a bad one, per se. However, the moment it moved past her Bulwark, she knew it wouldn’t work. The thing was like a boneless slug, and it could easily conform to the confines of the hall.

So, it was better that she fight the battle in the open. Hopefully, that would allow her to use her mobility and keep it occupied while Bryce and Roman did their job.

With Heroic Leap, she soared into the sky, hoping that she had what it took to survive.

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