Knives & Levels - Chapter 99

The biggest and most immediate concern in Colt's mind was the cold. The way it pressed against his skin and seemed to leech strength was an unexpected and terrifying aspect to this dungeon. Outside it, in New Nashville, the mist merely stole warmth, but here it drained something more vital.

His reactions slowed, muscles weakening with each passing minute exposed to the frigid air. The obsidian spires of the Frozen Academy loomed far below through gaps in the swirling white, a stark contrast to the blinding ice that surrounded them on the mountainside.

"Do you guys feel weaker?" Colt asked.

They looked among each other… Sarah concentrated, Nate stretched his muscles… One by one, they nodded, confused confirmation in their eyes.

Enough to be confident that the effect of being here in this world seemed one of attrition. The cold, the mist, and the Edicts therein were leeching away something precious. Just like those phantoms had been drawn to the soul and eager to leech away from the user they attacked, here, it seemed, that the environment itself was primed to weaken anyone within its confines.

"Shit," Colt said, knowing that, out of everything, this was the worst-case scenario for them.

It meant they would want to hurry through here and deal with the bosses. But, at the same time, they had to balance the need for caution, given that they were likely under-leveled for the monsters here. It would be a balancing act, then. On one hand, he would need to be careful. On the other hand, they needed to rush forward before too much of their strength had been leeched away by this mist.

"Wait a second," Julia said. As she worked, her fingers and staff glowed, and a thin water membrane appeared around them. It was a thinner barrier than she normally used, and much weaker. It wouldn’t stop an army of stars collapsing on them at only about a single inch in width, unlike with Csaba.

But the bubble had an immediate effect.

First, the cold and wind vanished from hitting Colt. Second, that feeling of losing himself and his strength faded away, and he felt his limbs warming and reactions increasing incrementally.

Colt felt warmth returning to his limbs. At the edges of the bubble, parts of the water were starting to freeze over. But when it looked like the bubble was freezing over and turning into a full sheaf of ice, more water surged to replace it.

Julia shook her head. "This is about the most I can maintain. It will leech my mana while doing it, so constantly..." She trailed off.

“Recovery and preparation, then. Good thinking and forward tactical skills. This is our shelter, and a way to rest and recuperate. Well done.” Nate concluded.

It was a fine summary of their situation. Now, they had a tool to deal with this particular threat, but it didn't necessarily elevate or remove all their concerns.

 Colt asked to confirm. "Can we move with this?"

"No," Julia said.

As expected. She was maybe the most advanced water mage in the world as far as he knew. But they were still limited, and it was demanding to fight against the wind pressing at them. 

"I wonder if we get in a cave, if it will be easier to maintain," Colt said, looking down at the slope below. There had to be hidden crevices and nooks amid all of those sharpened ice spires. Somewhere down there would be a place to rest and recover. He knew that just as surely as he knew, too, that somewhere down there were monsters.

Julia let the water barrier fade away. "If anyone feels the cold getting too much, let me know. I can give you a few minutes of relief, but it costs me."

Colt nodded, instantly feeling the way that the wind, ice, cold, and mist rampaged against his skin without the water barrier. It seemed that because she had some sort of Edict over water, it was enough of a contest to stop the mist directly.

For the rest of them, though, he couldn't think of anyone with a matching skill set to make this work. He felt grateful to have Julia in her company, knowing that in this particular dungeon, her mastery of water and how it interacted with this place would be invaluable.

"Well, there's no use waiting around, then," Nate said, staring below. "We must march, and at a rapid pace. Or risk getting bogged down by the leeching effects."

This much was true. And so, taking the lead, Nate began to stride down the slope. It was a careful affair as the rest followed. 

Moving down, you had to test each step. Some parts were condensed snow, making it easy and fine to take a step. Boots could find grips. And one could move forward without the risk of tumbling and falling on one’s face, and then inevitably sliding down and getting skewered by one of the many spines of ice. But, in testing every single step, it was a slow procession. One could only move so fast when you couldn't trust the ground beneath you.

Several times, too, Nate or Sarah almost slipped from a misstep. Their foot caught ice instead of snow, coming out from under them, only to be grabbed by someone nearby. Julia remained in the back, knowing that with her level of dexterity, it was much better to let those who had more go ahead.

Colt and Nick had the most of them, so naturally, they eventually overtook Sarah and Nate. Then between the two of them, they too led as they went step by step down the mountain.

The mist began to pick up as they moved, covering them and leeching away their strength. Several times, Colt lost sight of the Academy far below, their obsidian landmark.

As they kept going, eventually, Colt heard a noise—a low, rumbling sound. He paused, raising a hand for everyone to quiet down. Nate joined him, moving ahead to get closer, his feet kicking up snow as he crouched next to Colt, listening.

There was a grumble like that of a wild animal. This time, it was more clear. Low. Threatening. Vicious. Something that spoke of hunger and cold lurked hidden in the frozen tundra not far away.

Nate's eyes narrowed. “Found our first monster,” he whispered, gesturing ahead.

“Sure, it sounds like it," Colt answered, pulling out his knife. The weapon gave a beat in his hand as he stared in the direction of the noise. The mist and snow had kicked up into the air ever further. Now it was impossible to see just what lay in that direction. Almost as if the environment itself were conspiring against them, doing its utmost to lead them into the jaws of a cold death.

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything to be done about that. Except to accept it, move forward, and hope for the best.

"This is the opportunity we were waiting for," Nate said, keeping his breath low. "We’ll determine how strong it is, and then we can play the rest of our expedition based on that."

And then they'd know just how long they were trapped in this dungeon. But, whether it would be a slow, month-long affair of playing hide and seek with the different monsters inside here. Or, one giant slog fighting remained to be seen. It all hinged on just how powerful these monsters were.

Nate gave a quick signal and then moved back to tell the rest of the group what they had found. Colt heard very low voices.

The last thing they wanted to do was to attract the attention of whatever beast lay hidden in this white abyss of mist and snow.

Seconds later, and with Nate quickly confirming that the vital information had been communicated, Colt snuck forward in the direction of the monster. He kept himself low to the ground, his body slick as he moved. His knife felt warm in his hand despite all the cold that leached the muscles from his skin and bones.

With each step closer to danger, his heart rate picked up. That excitement, that knowledge that they were about to encounter a foe that would test him and let him refine his edge even further, was intoxicating. This was his chance to improve himself and to give them a running chance. Improves himself and gives them a shot at actually completing this dungeon. It all just hinged on what this enemy was.

With Colt at the lead, they kept going.

Finally, Colt saw a shadow in the abyss of white.

Each step brought him closer; the snow crunching as he walked, making him tense.

The shadow stopped moving, and Colt waited, his breath caught in his throat.

Once it began to sway again, he went forward. More came into view. There was a cave dug into the side of the glacier, and at the entrance was a massive white wolf. Its crimson eyes were down, and its muzzle was buried in what appeared to be a pile of penguin corpses.

Colt instantly activated Inspect.

———

Frostbitten Wolf - Level 83

Description: This is a frozen wolf who makes its home on the outskirts of the Frozen Academy. It's a hard life out in the spires of ice. It's been harder ever since the ceiling of the celestial steed within. Life has been reduced, falling to the inevitable, undying inhabitants of the academy below. Those that survive here must be tough of soul and of fortitude. This wolf has both.

Noteworthy Skills: 

Consume [Uncommon] - Level 27

Icy Pelt [Rare] - Level 28

Inspect (Intermediate) has gained a level!

———

Colt took in the information. Level 83, huh? That put this thing a grand total of 23 levels above him. This meant that, with each level getting harder, this would be a hell of a battle.

Given things were the way they were, it was just as much as he could ask for. They hadn't encountered the boss yet. This was a good indication of the type of monster that they might face here. And, it was five against one monster.

He still felt fairly strong, after half an hour of fording the cold, only a minor part of him had been leeched away.

This was the best shot they had. Colt withdrew and told his allies, and they withdrew further…

There was a brief discussion after everyone was on board, mostly about tactics.

All of them knew what this monster represented. Each of these early beasts they managed to take down and encounter made it all the more likely that they would succeed in this dungeon.

Based on the logic of some of the other dungeons he'd been in, Colt figured that the closer they got to the academy, the more difficult the battles would be. It was just a conjecture, a guess, but that meant that this wolf was amongst the easiest enemies they might face here.

Colt spun his knife in his hand, looking at the wolf as they all took their positions.

He waited. Watching as the different small figures of darkness and the swirling mist and snow took positions, the wolf, content to eat its food, was unaware that it was suddenly about to go from predator to prey.

There was a flash of light, an arrow headed outward, streaking out and splitting into four separate shades of color before slamming into the side of the wolf. Nick had the first shot, and with the flash of light, it meant the fight was on.

The monster let out a howl, blood spilling across the blanketed snow. In a second, it flipped around and faced whatever had dared attack it on its home territory.

A second later, the snow around its paws melted, grabbing on and solidifying as the water froze to the cold. The wolf stumbled as it could no longer move unimpeded. More grasping tendrils of water formed around its ankles and yanked at the wolf’s paws. Julia.

My shot. Colt thought, feeling the thrum in his chest, feeling his Edicts respond to him.

There was a shimmer of ice in front of him as the wolf’s fur began to solidify. Defensive skill. At a high level, that would be trouble.

Colt zoomed forward, channeling his Movement Edict to accelerate his body directly in front of the monster. When he arrived, his knife was coated with golden threads from his Cut Edict.

He sliced down with the weapon, not wasting a second. It collided with the fur, then stopped with a clang. Even with Movement enhancing his speed and Cut empowering his blade, the monster's defenses held firm.

Damn.

Different tactic, then. Colt released his grasp of Movement and instead focused on Momentum—a different application of his Movement Edict that traded speed for raw force.

His knife rebounded off the ice, and it blazed with the same golden light as he brought it down again, this time multiplied with a force far beyond what he could have thrown before.

The wolf’s knees buckled under the blow, and with the insecure footing, it collapsed to the ground as Colt carried through with the attack, feeling his blade break through the icy barrier and carve beneath. A flap of skin and meat came loose, flapping in the arctic winds.

The wolf howled and snapped at Colt; yet once more, he switched flows, dropping his grasp of Momentum to use Movement instead. With a swift jerk, Colt tumbled to the side and avoided the wolf biting where his jugular had been a second before.

This was how he had to fight with his two Edicts. As the two weren't willing to cooperate with each other, they withdrew from each other before using the other. There wasn't a smooth transition between them and no synchronization in their powers, but he did what needed to be done.

Just as Colt was evaluating which angle to reengage, Sarah rushed the wolf with Nate. The soldier’s metal hammer morphed into a sort of gag that he shoved into its snapping jaws; as soon as it bit down on the metal, it melted, forming around into some kind of muzzle that Nate held onto, trying to wrestle the beast and keep it on the ground.

The wolf howled, a sound that echoed across the frozen landscape and sent vibrations through the ice beneath their feet. Sarah followed up with the opening Nate made, her fist slamming into the wound Colt had created. The red cloth wrapped around her knuckles hissed as it made contact, releasing its corrosive poison into the wolf's flesh.

In rapid order, she punched, twice, thrice—each hit accompanied by the sickening crunch of breaking bone and steaming blood on snow. The fourth hit cracked a rib with a sound like breaking ice. The fifth hit drove deeper. When she landed the sixth, she caved in half the monster's chest, sending a spray of warm blood into the frigid air where it immediately began to crystallize.

Unwilling to die, the wolf snapped its jaws through the metal, as if its teeth were made of diamond. Nate pulled back with a curse as bits of his broken hammer fell to the snow below. Sarah tried her luck for a seventh hit, but her opening was spent.

The wolf sprang back to its feet; its bulk smashing into her and sending her stumbling away as it swayed in its spot.

With its lungs open and its chest heaving… The monster was still willing to fight. Damn. Colt thought. Monsters on this level were a different breed.

Julia slammed a bolt of water into it, stopping it from biting Sarah and trying to knock it over, but the Wolf withstood even that. Not even the arrow of light piercing its flank brought it down.

Fine, let’s bring this to the finish line.

Colt was there in the next second, gathering Momentum with every step as his knife flared a brilliant gold. He brought it down, slashing at the caved-in gap Sarah left behind, only with the force of a truck behind the cut.

The weapon and the edge crashed through, severing its vulnerable insides and spilling a geyser of hot blood onto Colt. Steam rose from him as the insides and blood evaporated due to the freezing weather around them.

The wolf stumbled back, eyes wide, and then collapsed to the ground.

———

You have defeated Frostbitten Wolf - Level 83

Olympic Physique (Intermediate) has gained a level!

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

You have 9 Stat points to spend. You have gained 3 points of Dexterity and 3 points of Soul.

———

Blessed levels. Each one would go a long way here.

Colt wiped at the blood. The cold seeping into him as it began to freeze; the mist and frost nearby pouncing on it like a predator. Julia was there in a second, splashing him with water… Then pulling it away, leaving him dry.

It splashed to the ground, leaving a puddle of viscera.

"Holy shit," Sarah said, looking down at the dead wolf corpse. "That was just a basic monster?”

"We have a long way to go," Nate confirmed, staring at the being they had just slain. "But what we've done here is proven: if we take the proper steps and show caution, this is possible.”

All of them stared at the corpse. The entire fight had been on the edge, their teamwork had given them just enough to let them live… But Colt knew a single bite of that wolf could have been the end.

This place was harsh, cruel, and dangerous. And exactly the environment to push to an entirely different level.

The rest of his group cheered and celebrated. Nate stumbled through the snow, trying to fish out his metal… The rest were simply happy to be alive. Next, though, Colt knew, they would have to find more monsters—as many as possible. Because somewhere out here, was a Yeti.