Dream Drive Ch. 10

It had a hole torn in the bottom from his spear, but it was definitely a hell of an item. Jackson drew it around his shoulders. "Analyze."

Rune-Woven Cloak of Minor Physical Protection
A black cloak woven with fibers imbued with essence and shaped into runes. Given energy, they automatically protect the wearer from physical attacks.
- Rune Slots: 3
- Durability: Moderate

Satisfied that his newest treasure didn't involve human sacrifice, Jackson tied the cloak in a loose knot around his neck. An alert flashed in front of him; he flinched.

New Message from Rachel Ransfeld
Need backup NOW!!111!!1!

The ground shook beneath them. The lights in the tunnel flickered. Shaka and Jackson exchanged a glance. "We need to end this, quickly," she said. "Two others passed by. The gateway into the mountain isn't open anymore, but they can't be doing anything good. Perhaps they think they can force their way in."

"That's what I was thinking," Jackson said, "but there's hundreds of them outside. Chaki and Rachel are blocking them off, but they need help."

"Rachel?"

"She's like me," Jackson said. "The girl I met in the rattok caverns."

Shaka made a hum in the back of her throat, then rubbed her cheek. "I'll go to Chaki. Together, our magic can empower this Rachel even further." She looked at him. "You know this enemy better than I do, but can you defeat them alone?"

The lights kept flickering. Something was drawing on the power keeping them lit. Jackson glanced back at Shaka. "I've got a lot of essence left. I'll make it work."

She clasped Jackson's shoulder. "You've saved my life again, Jackson Vedalt. I am proud of you. May the Earth Mother guide your feet."

And with that, Shaka strode toward the cave entrance. Jackson watched her leave, wondering about the warm feeling in his chest that seemed to brush away all the worry.

And then the worry came back. Jackson wove runes to heal himself back to full, then trudged deeper into the cave.

Strength - 600 +60 (+10%)
Vitality - 185 +19 (+10%)
Agility - 50 +3 (+5%)
Compulsion - 0
Persuasion – 0
Spirit - 544 +136 (+25%)

Health – 248/248
Essence – 726
Carry Weight – 28.4/134.5

Jackson moved forward at a slight jog. He kept his feet close and his spear tight.

The tunnel was pocketed and rivuleted, as if a backhoe had bitten chunks out from the rock one at a time and no one had bothered to smooth the walls flat. The floor and ceiling were devoid of dust or cobwebs. Jackson's moccasins squelched on the floor. Jackson smiled to himself at the idea he was ruining perfection.

Idly, he glanced back over his shoulder, and then he stopped. He peered where the ceiling lights illuminated the black floor. No footprints.

Jackson rubbed his shoe across the floor. The cloth mushed against his skin, somewhat waterlogged, but it left nothing behind. No water, no mud. Nothing.

Jackson bent down and wiped the top of his shoe with his hand. It came back with clods of dirt stuck to his fingertips.

Jackson turned back toward his goal and jogged a little bit faster.

The passage angled back and forth, but overall it was a straight shot down. Jackson kept his eyes peeled. He tried not to think about why outside mess seemingly vanished when it came in contact with the floor.

Mauve lights flashed at a corner ahead, mixing with the pale white from the ceiling lamps. Jackson trotted to a stop and peeked his head around the corner.

The central cavern was lit in dark red and white stretching to a distant ceiling. Sharp outcroppings hooked over the center of the room. A complex weave of runes was spread over the center mural of the giant tree. Shadows flickered as the runes were modified. Hale was probably trying to force open the gateway into Dis.

Hale himself stood alone near the center of the cavern. He walked amongst his runes, head bowed, rubbing at his chest and analyzing his work. The four stone golems at the corners of the room towered over him in disapproval.

Jackson waited for the right moment. He brought the hood of his cloak up and drew it tight around his head. He didn't want it flopping around during the battle.

After a few moments, Hale had his back turned to the entrance. Jackson stepped into the cavern, keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible.

"What happened?"

Jackson froze. There was a person to his immediate right – the old man with a wooden collar around his neck. He leaned against the cavern wall, arms folded.

"Hildan, you're back." Hale had turned away from his runes and paced toward them.

Jackson's mind roiled in confusion. It hit him. The cloak. They can't tell I'm not that mage.

"Did you stop them?" Hale asked. He stopped a few steps away. "Why the spear?"

There was a long, awkward quiet. Jackson had half a second before they figured out it wasn't him.

Jackson lunged with a Power Thrust. His weapon smacked against a white shield-rune powered by Hale's robes. Hale flinched back in surprise, then reached into his robes, pulling out an ink-black cube.

"Tell'ad!" Hale shouted. Jackson was already moving away from the slave behind him, but he needn't have bothered. The man didn't move from his spot on the wall. "Tell'ad, attack him! Now!"

"Make me," the old man growled.

Jackson whipped his head between the collared slave and his master. Tell'ad – that was the name of the second man he was supposed to kill. But it looked like Hale and Tell'ad weren't exactly on the same side.

"If you insist," Hale said. He began to draw runes.

Tell'ad sprung off the wall. Sensing an opportunity, Jackson followed right behind. Tell'ad began a kick, and then he collapsed to the floor, screaming. The white shield repelled Jackson's spear.

Hale stretched out a finger and pointed at where Tell'ad lay on the ground. Something lept from Hale's finger to Tell'ad, splashing on his skin as dark ooze. It vanished.

Tell'ad's scream turned into a low, feral growl. He flipped over onto his stomach, going up on his hands and feet. His clothes tore open as his muscle and bone contorted and grew rapidly. Fur sprouted at the back of his neck and spread down his back.

Hale drew back. "What you fought earlier was a shadow of what you're about to see," Hale said. "This is the power of a true high-order matrix."

Jackson didn't wait for the man to brag about his accomplishments. He used Lunge, leaping over Tell'ad and thrusting down at Hale. His spear slammed into the shield rune.

Hale, undaunted by Jackson's proximity, began drawing the runes for another spell. Jackson wasn't finished. He activated Power Thrust, then used Triple Thrust. Every strike bounced off the shield.

Jackson went for broke, activating multithrust. His arms were dragged into the attack by the essence. His speartip turned into a steel blur. Energy and afterimages of his attacks slapped themselves into the shield, but it held against every challenge.

Hale's spell glowed. Lightning crackled. Jackson shut his eyes tight and braced himself.

His hand numbed, and his health dropped by a few points. Surprised it wasn't more damage, Jackson opened his eyes.

His spear was destroyed. A segment of the shaft, protected by his palm, was the only portion that survived. The speartip and the rest of the weapon were smoldering bits strewn across the ground.

"I learned quite a bit from Rachel," Hale said. "I might not be able to harm you in the short run, but you're not half as strong without your chosen weapon. A crippling over-specialization, as it were." He glanced over Jackson's shoulder. "But I think you'll find you've got larger problems."

Jackson had seen that trick one too many times to fall for it; he didn't look away from Hale. He balled his hands into fists. If he couldn't stab the shield, he'd punch his way through it.

And then Jackson was flying through the air.

He hit the wall of the cavern and went down face-first. His chin slammed into the stone. His vision swam. His chest felt like it had been hit with a cinderblock.

A roar echoed across the room. Jackson pushed himself up against the wall. A huge rattok was pacing towards him, even larger than the beasts he'd seen before. Even as he watched, more fur sprouted from between the remains of the clothes the man was wearing; muscles trembled and swelled up. It looked less like a rat and more like a huge wolf.

Hale nodded to Jackson, then paced back toward the center of the cavern. The beast pawed its way toward Jackson on all fours. Black eyes watched him at the back of a snout filled with dagger-fangs. Its claws clicked and scratched on the floor.

It leapt, opening its jaws. Jackson jumped away. The rattok tore through the spot he'd been standing an instant earlier. Its claws screeched as they cut thin lines in the rock.

Jackson landed on his toes and skipped back to bleed off his momentum. The rattok pushed off the wall and ran straight at him.

Jackson glanced at his health. He was at 211. He could probably take a hit. He cocked his fist and ran to meet the beast.

The thing opened its mouth wide, ready to snap forward with its jaws. Jackson tried to duck to the side and punch its snout. His fist struck a glancing blow. The beast's jaws engulfed his head and chest.

Jackson flailed wildly. The beast's teeth sawed at his shoulders and neck. Jackson's cloak protected him for a few moments, and then the energy was used up and the shield failed. The tongue slapped itself against his face, coating him in spittle. His health bar blinked wildly, dropping in chunks.

Jackson dug his hands onto those teeth, ignoring the sharp stings of pain. He pried its mouth open. As soon as it was wide enough, he slipped out, but his hands were stuck on its teeth. It swiped him with a claw, so he took a few steps back, keeping his body as far out of its reach as possible.

Jackson stood at an angle, feet propped against the floor, holding the jaws of the monster open. It whipped its head side to side, but Jackson held firm. Jackson pushed harder, stretching the mouth wider, past the point where it would close easily.

The beast pushed forward. It outweighed Jackson easily; he was driven back, his heels sliding across the stone. His back hit the wall, and his lost his leverage on its jaws. He ripped his hands free just before they snapped shut.

He was pinned and the beast was out of his grip. Jackson saw its shoulder move. He ducked away from the incoming claw. The monster's hand smashed against the stone, spraying Jackson with dust and debris.

Jackson backed off a few paces, confused. Before, its claws had only scratched the stone. This time, it ripped right through it. His eyes flicked up. They were near one of the golems – the claw had torn a bit of the statue's leg.

Jackson jumped back toward the statue, dodging another blow from the rattok. Jackson bent his knees, then leapt straight up as hard as he could. He grabbed the statue between its arm and its torso and hauled himself higher.

A claw ripped at his leg, tearing his moccasin away and knocking his health down to 138. Jackson climbed higher, out of reach of the monster. Compared to scaling the side of the mountain, this was easy.

Jackson sat on the golem's shoulder, some 25 feet above the ground. The beast roared and raged below him, scratching the walls and carving stone from the statue's feet. It circled the base of the golem, eyes on Jackson, waiting for its prey to come back down to earth.

Jackson looked at the head of his savior. The golem's face was flat and grim, a caricature of a vigilant sentinel. Remembering the time he'd talked to the statue back on the plains, Jackson tapped on its neck. "Hey buddy. I could use a hand." He pointed at where Hale stood in the center of the room. The red lights were increasing in intensity. "Now's the time to be a guardian, or whatever. Anyone home?"

The golem remained stony. Jackson sighed. He hadn't really thought that would work in the first place.

Another roar caught his attention. The beast had propped itself against the golem, but its head only reached above the sentinel's waist. It snapped and pawed at him. Jackson took the opportunity to wipe some of the rattok's spittle off his clothes and neck.

He caught a flash of brown in the grey fur. Jackson squinted. The monster was still wearing the wooden collar.

The observation began to shape up into a plan. Jackson checked his essence. It was near 650 a moment ago, but it had suddenly started increasing, jumping up twenty, then thirty points. Shaka must be helping Rachel rack up the kills. He wasn't sure how long they'd be able to plug up the tunnel alone, but he was confident Rachel was up to the task.

He glanced down. The rattok was still staring up at him, waiting. Its jaw foamed with exertion.

Jackson was happy to watch it tire itself out with its pacing. The gargoyle had been far worse. It was intelligent, and it could fly. It would have gotten Jackson off his perch a long time ago. This thing was just a mindless monster.

Jackson looked over to Hale to gauge his progress. He was ignoring their battle, entirely focused on the runes. The maroon light was starting to get stronger, but Jackson remembered that it was fully red when the portal was open. He wasn't quite there yet.

Sometimes the winning move was to wait, and Jackson decided to do just that. He'd overestimated his strength trying to take the rattok head on, so he happily ignored its continued roaring and raging. Once his essence got to a certain point, he'd overflow, and that would definitely help his situation. He swung his legs on the statue's shoulder, watching his health bar. It took a lot longer to recover during a battle, but he gained a few health points back.

"You seem quite comfortable."

Hale's voice was cold and stern; it echoed above the growls of the rattok. He was looking up at Jackson's position, arms folded behind his back. Jackson waved at him. "Yeah, it's alright. My ass is starting to fall asleep a little."

"Weren't you trying to stop me?"

"Your spell isn't finished yet. I've got time."

Hale glanced at his runes, then back. "A minute or two longer at most. Perhaps faster. I've been making adjustments."

A flicker of light and shadow underlined his words. The red light flashed brighter. Jackson checked his essence. Rachel must have eviscerated the army, because he was at 1150, but the decrease was starting to drop off. He had to be getting close to overflow. "You don't seem worried about me hanging out," Jackson said. "What if I've got something planned?"

"What if I do?" Hale said. "You don't really think my dog has been scratching around down there for nothing, do you?"

Jackson stiffened. Hale smiled.

Several things happened at once.

Hale pulled his arms out from behind him, revealing a condensed set of purple runes swirling around a black cube. The rattok smashed itself into the statue, and the golem began to pitch over, crumpling in at its chewed-up shins. Jackson's essence surged over 1200, and his skin began to glow as he overflowed with energy, the Spirit Surge notification blinking under his health bar.

The golem creaked as it fell down. It shattered on impact, covering half the room in a rolling wall of dust and debris. Hale's lightning spell blasted through the cloud and exploded across the floor, generating a mini-thunderstorm with his foe at the center. The rattok stalked in behind the magic, hunting through the mess in case Jackson was still alive.

Jackson was very much alive, because he'd jumped off the statue's shoulder and clung to a carved stalactite on the ceiling – something he would never have been able to do if he was his old self.

He waited until the beast was underneath his position, sniffing along for his scent, then let go. Jackson bent his knees just slightly and kept his feet together. He slammed down onto the monster, driving it flat to the floor. Jackson threw out his arms for balance, bending low to absorb the impact.

He leaned forward and grabbed the rattok's collar with both hands, digging his fingers between the wood and the fur. He braced his knees against its back and pulled.

The rattok, scrambling to get its paws back under it, started coughing and spluttering. It made a weak cry against the pressure on its throat. Jackson pulled harder, but the collar refused to break. It didn't matter either way - if he couldn't rip the collar off the beast, he'd strangle it instead.

Despite Jackson's efforts, the creature got itself up again. It shook its back, trying to throw Jackson off, but his Strength held firm. It spun around, then ran headfirst into a wall. Jackson was shifted, his side hitting the stone, but his leverage on the collar held him to the creature's back.

Jackson heard the crackle of lightning. He leaned over. Hale was ready with a spell. Jackson unleashed a Piercing Howl, aiming it straight at Hale's face. Hale's hands flew to his ears and his lost his grip on his runes. The lightning fizzled out.

Jackson was distracted by the rattok trying to turn over onto its back. Jackson squeezed harder on its collar and ground his knee into its spine. They flipped over, and Jackson was enveloped beneath it.

Jackson grit his teeth. The air was being crushed out of his lungs. His throat burned. His left ankle burned. The beast writhed and shrieked on top of him.

Jackson twisted under the fur. He leveraged himself in one direction, then pulled back on its collar. When its legs twitched into the air, he used Cyclonic Shockwave. The blast of power lifted the rattok into the air. Jackson immediately shot out a second shockwave, pushing it onto its side.

The essence cost Jackson his Spirit Surge, but the creature was starting to weaken. He was at risk of the thing rolling back over, so he used one elbow as a hammer, battering the side of the creature's shoulder to keep it in position. He kept the collar tight on its windpipe by propping his other elbow against its back. Its claws scratched feebly.

Its breathing slowed. Its arms slumped. Jackson kept his hands in place, unwilling to let up until he was sure it was down.

Violet lightning burst into life on top of him. It burned across his back and up his neck. Jackson screamed and released the collar.

The lightning swirled around him, sparking, striking. It struck at the monster, too, searing through fur and leaving charred flesh behind. The monster howled and twitched. Its arm hit Jackson's ribs. He tried to crawl away, but another shot of lightning took him in the chest and slammed him down to the ground.

Jackson's vision was red. The pain lingered on his chest, hot and spiked. His health bar throbbed at him. It was empty. Not good.

A boot slammed into Jackson's cheek. He sprawled back, facing the ceiling. Hale leaned over him. "Looks like you've run dry."

Hale caught Jackson in the face with his fist. His head snapped to the side.

It hurt – really, really hurt. He remembered defending himself in the school's courtyard, taking their punches one after another until he couldn't see straight. And then they left him in the corner, alone, until someone found him.

"You've given me quite a lot of trouble." Hale grabbed Jackson's face in his hands. "I'm going to go help myself to the power in the mountain, and then I'm going to come back and collar you. And you'll serve me all the days of your life, Jackson, until your hope finally runs out, you mind hazes over from the pain, and you forget who you even are." Hale shoved Jackson back to the floor and left his line of sight, but he could still hear Hale's voice. "This is it, Jackson! You'd be surprised how hard it is to find real power, but this is it."

Jackson dragged himself toward the source of the light. He could see bright burns on his chest and stomach; his hide jacket was blackened by the lightning. He ignored the needles and burns and pushed himself up on his feet. He propped himself up with his hands on his knees, heaving his breaths.