:: System: 56 minutes, 51 seconds.
Harry was trying not to check every thirty seconds. The waiting was worse than the work.
Earlier, at the thirty-one minute mark, Toby and Jo finished mixing the fever remedy. The cup gave off a faint herbal smell as Toby set it beside Harry.
Harry pushed it aside to cool. “Good. Now sterilize one of the small scissors from the kits,” he said. “And start heating a cleaning solution, water and whiskey, half and half, with salt and willow bark.”
Stan heard Harry’s instructions and barked out a laugh. “Gonna add a bit o’ spice?” He lifted his injured leg a few inches and let it fall back to the pack. “If ya lop it off, don’t go cookin’ it. Don’t wanna smell meself roasting.”
At around thirty-six minutes, Harry began flushing the wound. Warm liquid ran down Stan’s calf, turning red and washing onto the stone beneath him. Harry worked the scissors in with careful pressure, snipping away ruined flesh.
Stan flinched hard, his hand clawing at the stairs even through the whiskey. A strained groan pushed through his teeth as Harry reached deeper. “Ah hell, Harry,” he muttered, voice tight. “Feels like you’re diggin’ clear to the bone.”
Harry kept going, jaw set. “I know. Hold still. I need all the dead tissue gone.”
"Reminds me of me mate Olly. Broke me nose in a brawl, didn't I? And Olly kept tweakin' it every time I nodded off." The thought set him rambling about their old adventures. Turned out Olly’s full name was Oliver Wendell Rudge, and he had not been a nice person.
Toby crept closer, watching over Harry’s shoulder, worry tightening his face. He asked if they shouldn’t wait the full hour before cleaning the wound. That earned him a short lecture from Harry about the power of positive thinking, something Martha had always sworn by. Toby and Stan took to the idea immediately, nodding along like it made perfect sense. Jo looked doubtful, and Cedric, surprising no one, dismissed the whole thing as nonsense.
At forty-one minutes, Harry started working half the fever remedy into the wound. He handed the other half to Stan to drink, but Stan took one sip and shoved it back. Harry passed the cup to Jo and put her in charge of making him finish it. She made steady progress, getting him to take small sips with a mix of dares, challenges, and well-placed insults.
Just past fifty-two minutes, Stan began sweating, wiping at his forehead and muttering that he was getting hot. He tried to pull at his shirt, asking for help getting it off. The wound had started to swell, a thin, clear fluid leaking from the edges. Harry had Jo lean in and smell it. She did, nose close to the skin, and straightened. “Nothing,” she said.
Toby looked over. “Is that bad?”
Harry let out a breath he had been holding. “No, it’s good. It’s great news. Fever and sweats are symptoms of Necrotic Fever. And don’t help him get that shirt off. Cedric, grab a blanket and help Toby wrap him up.”
Stan fought the blanket at first, grumbling and pushing weakly at their hands, but once they got it around him he settled. After that they gathered close and waited, sitting quiet and tense, some of them maybe praying to whatever gods claimed this world.
System how long?
:: System: 1 hour, 3 minutes, 12 seconds.
Harry let his shoulders ease and looked around at the gathered faces. “I think we’re out of the woods, but we’ll wait another ten minutes to be sure.” Jo rubbed a hand across her face and gave him a tired grin.
Toby dropped backward onto the cold stone. “I haven’t been so scared since Blue Bell had a hard time birthing her last calf.”
Cedric rolled his shoulders, stretched out his arms and slumped onto the steps beside Stan.
Stan snored softly, he’d long since fallen asleep.
After the ten minutes passed, they agreed to call it a day. Cedric suggested they move back up to the entrance room, but Harry didn’t want to move Stan that far. They pulled out blankets and bedrolls and set up camp at the foot of the stairs. It took Harry, Cedric, and Toby working together to shift Stan off the steps and get him laid out. Harry flattened one of the packs and slid it under Stan’s leg to keep it elevated. They pulled the two nearest torches from their sconces to cast their corner in comfortable darkness.
After a short discussion, they settled on keeping a guard. They did not expect anything to attack, but no one wanted to take the chance. Harry took first watch and promised to wake Jo after a few hours.
The rest passed without trouble. During his watch, Harry checked his messages and saw he had gained fifteen experience for each of the Desiccants, except the angel of death, which granted thirty.
One thing did nag at him. He had no idea if it was day or night.
System, outside I could tell when the sun was going to rise and set. In here I don’t feel anything. It’s like the sun doesn’t exist.
:: System: Affirmative. Time passes at the same rate, but you are removed from the outside world.
Where are we?
:: System: Accepted doctrine is that dungeons exist in a unique pocket dimension.
It’s magic, Harry. Try not to think about it.
After four hours, he woke Jo and told her he was going to look around for a moment. He stepped away to drain a few more rats, topping off his health and vitae. Judging by the threads still moving in the walls, he’d removed about half of the rat population.
Orkin’s got nothing on me.
When he returned, he lay down on his bedroll, the events of the day circling through his mind. He was certain he wouldn’t be able to sleep, right up until Toby shook him awake.
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They packed away their gear and got ready.
Toby glanced around the group. “Feels weird to wake up and not need breakfast.”
Stan stretched and rubbed at his bandaged leg. His fever had broken in his sleep, the poultice doing its work, but Harry still snapped at him to leave the wrapping alone. Stan grunted and complained, "I could put away a bloody steak or 'alf a dozen eggs, easy."
Cedric turned his dagger in his hands. “That is only habit speaking. In here you do not need it.”
Toby packed away his blanket. “I’ve heard…” He glanced up and went quiet when he saw everyone watching.
“Go on, Toby, what have you heard?” Cedric's voice was quieter than usual.
Toby swallowed. “Some people say it’s not your real body in a dungeon.”
Stan poked at his wrapped calf with a grunt. “Feels real enough ta me.”
Jo shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We can still die. Everyone ready to start?”
They gathered their spears and shields. When they moved into position, Stan tried to stand to join them.
Jo crossed her arms. “Stan, you've got one arm, half a hand, and a leg held together by hope. Sit down.”
“She's right,” Harry said. “That leg needs time to knit. Push it and it'll tear open.”
He finally relented but insisted Toby strap his shield to his arm “just in case,” promising he would stay on the stairs.
Once they were finally sorted out, Harry grabbed his pack of rocks and headed toward the last two sarcophagi that still held Ancient Desiccants.
The one on the right wore long black robes. Harry studied it as close as he dared, searching for wings or any other surprises. He saw nothing that stood out.
The one on the left looked like a dwarf straight out of a movie, rusted full plate armor and gauntleted fists wrapped around the haft of a very large hammer.
System, is that a dwarf? Like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?
:: System: The corpse before you is a dwarf. Based on the style and markings of the armor he appears to be from Clan Underwyck. I have no record of a Snow White.
Harry called back to the others. “It looks like we have a dwarf in armor with a really big hammer and another one wearing robes. But the robes are black this time.”
Toby pointed to the left. “I might pick the dwarf. It’s probably easier.”
From the stairwell came a loud clang, the sound of a shield hitting stone.
Jo scowled at Toby. Harry gave a small shrug. “Dwarf it is.”
He tossed the pack but overshot the chest and landed it on the head, the Desiccant began to move.
Harry bolted back to join the others.
This time the creature did not clamber out of the sarcophagus or charge. It climbed out slowly, marching forward at a steady, deliberate pace, shifting the hammer from hand to hand.
Jo loosed an arrow at its head. The dwarf lifted the hammer and blocked the shot cleanly.
Lightning crackled across the hammer head, dancing along the metal with no effect at all.
“Damn.” Jo moved fast to the wall, dropped the bow, and grabbed her spear.
The dwarf stopped about ten feet away, head tilted as if studying them.
Harry braced his spear. “That’s not good.”
Toby tightened his grip on his spear. “Spears are going to bounce off. Aim for joints and openings.”
The creature rushed.
Harry and Jo jabbed in together, but their spears slid off the armor. Toby drove his point into the narrow place where the chest piece met the arm, trying to slide between the plates.
The dwarf turned and swung the hammer at him. The blow caught Toby square on the shield and sent him flying backward across the stone.
Harry stepped in, trying to tangle its feet with his spear.
The dwarf brought up a boot and kicked him square in the chest. Harry stumbled back with a grunt.
Jo crouched low, and when it swung she drove her spear into an armpit, trying to drive it in with both hands.
The creature spun with the hammer extended, making her jump back.
“The knees,” Cedric shouted. “Look at the armor, gaps behind the knees.”
Harry dropped his spear and pulled his dagger. “I got it.” He focused on his vision, watching the creature slow. He added speed and, when the hammer passed again, slid in on his back, wrapping himself partway around one leg and jamming the dagger behind the knee plate.
The creature stumbled.
Toby rushed in again and slammed his shield into its chest.
The dwarf toppled backward.
Jo jumped on the hammer arm, trying to pin it.
The creature flung her aside, sending her out into the crypt room. She hit the stone with a sharp cry and scrambled back.
It tried to rise, putting weight on the good leg.
Harry kept working the dagger into the same knee joint.
Half upright, it raised the hammer to swing down on him.
Toby charged in. "Harry!" He smashed his shield into it again.
The creature stumbled back, tripped over Harry and crashed down, this time losing its grip on the hammer.
With it flat on its back, Toby jammed his spear into the gap between the helmet and the chest plate.
Harry slid up beside its head and grabbed the helmet with both hands, trying to widen the gap for Toby’s spear.
:: System: Use skill [Frenzy]? (Y/N)
No.
Toby worked his spear back and forth, driving it deeper.
Jo jumped on the right arm again, wrapping both of her arms around it and bracing her boots on its body, trying to hold its hand away from Toby’s spear. “Do it, Toby. Do it.”
The creature’s left gauntlet closed on the spear shaft, forcing it back out.
:: System: Use skill [Frenzy]? (Y/N)
Not yet.
The creature had pulled the spear free. Toby strained against it. “It’s too strong.”
Jo hung half in the air, straining to keep its right arm pinned.
Harry pulled at the helmet, pumping in strength, muscles shaking, vaguely aware of voices arguing.
System, use…
He cut off at a sudden yell, a raw battle cry.
He looked up. Cedric was coming fast, the dwarf’s warhammer lifted high over his head.
“STEFANYA!” Cedric roared.
Even in slow motion Cedric’s swing was a blur.
The hammer crashed down on the center of the chest plate.
A loud booming clang followed, like the world’s biggest bell struck right beside them.
The chest plate crushed inward.
Cedric raised the hammer again. Jo and Toby scattered back out of the way.
With another yell, Cedric brought the hammer down. The chest plate collapsed completely. The creature’s arms fell motionless to the sides.
Cedric let the hammer drop and backed up toward the corner by the stairs where Stan waited.
Stan clapped him on the back with his shield arm. Cedric only stood there, breathing hard, staring at the corpse.
Everyone else collapsed where they stood, sitting or lying back on the stone floor.
No one spoke. The only sound was their breathing.
Jo pushed herself up. "One more."
Toby sat up, and crawled to where his spear had fallen, “Can’t be worse than that, right?”
***
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