We had gathered in the tunnel that led to the next chamber. A turning to the left would put us in the opening to the next group of bandits. This is where the Party had failed previously, and I was intent on that not being a repeat for them.

Daniel had explained it as a layered incline where rows of short wooden walls had been erected. Fortifications that resemble trenches, but each row raised above the next to allow three rows of archers to assault us at once.

There was murmured voices within, but they tried to remain quiet in expectation of our assault. They had been warned of our presence, and thus it was fair to assume that the fortifications now had as many fighters as they could muster standing ready with primed bows or crossbows.

The difficult part, I had been assured, was getting to the middle level. Our spellcasters wouldn’t be able to assist without stepping into the opening at that stage, which had been their prior undoing. We needed to make ourselves as big a problem as we could to distract away from our softer companions.

I was ready and waiting to be a big problem.

On my wrist, the tube clicked to signal that it had recharged and I would be able to use <Flame Enchant I> again. However, I did not intend to use it for my sword. Near the entrance, I could see Daniel tense, awaiting either the courage or some prompt to dive out into the coming hail of arrows and bolts. He hadn’t even asked me to do so first, despite my shield and otherwise less-fleshy composition.

I reached a hand out and tapped him on the shoulder. “I have an idea,” I said, in the lowest tone my vocal box was able.

It was but a minute before I returned, a lack sack in my arms. The orc tilted his head in question, but a light had bloomed in the eyes of the half-elf. A recognition of my intent. Drawing a dagger from my belt, I sliced through the rough sack labeled ‘flour’ to reveal the white powder within.

With my gesture, Manny withdrew an arrow from his quiver, and I held it between fingers. <Flame Enchant I> lit the metal tip in a glowing fire. Imbued by some manner of magic, it would not extinguish so easily. I handed it back to him and passed Daniel my shield.

At first, he feigned moving into the entrance, withdrawing immediately. It was enough for a handful of bandits to release their shots prematurely - their time spent reloading lessening what we would have to weather.

Then he stepped out proper. Visor down and shield up, a protective spell from the Cleric circling his body. It was my turn next, and I stood out behind him, my arms already back behind me with the payload.

I launched it as my ocular sensors took in the room. It was mostly as Daniel had described. There was a first layer about fifteen feet in front of us that rose with a slope to a second barrier made from ramshackle pieces of wood. A third was even higher and protected the exit in the top right of the chamber.

[Five Humans (2)]
[Eight Humans (3)]
[Three Humans (4)]

Sixteen in total, the tougher or more experience opponents seemed to be higher up.

As the split bag of flour arced through the air dispensing its payload, the bandits not currently in the process of reloading in shame fired off their attacks.

Most clattered against the orc, the shield and his armor deflecting or absorbing the blows. A couple remained impaled in the wood of the shield. Three struck me. One glancing from my left upper arm, a second to the middle of my torso, the third struck the frame around my face. Or at least what humanoids would deem my face.

Minimal damage. With the bandits all but spent, the bag of flower struck the edge of the second line of fortifications, bursting fully open and sending a cloud of fine powder into the air.

Manny stepped up beside me, the two of us providing enough cover just in case. I could sense the flame of the arrow beside me, even though my peripheral vision was rather limited due to having a flat face.

And then it was off.

We swiveled back on our footing to hide back in the tunnel, just before the flash of amber light pulsed heat back down our corridor. Just as soon as it rocked the chamber, Daniel passed me the shield and was off. I was soon behind him.

A cloud of smoke and dust now filled the room. Disorientated and dazed bandits were now caught flat-footed and weakened.

Daniel barreled through the closer barricades on the right, a yell of anger enveloping him in red light as the wood split from his twin maces.

I leaped the short wooden wall, bringing the edge of the shield down on the bandit to my left as I slashed into the face of the one on my right. A follow-up went across their raised arm, then I jabbed down into their gut. Turned to push the other bandit up against the rising slope, pinning them against it with my shield as they were stunned. Sword up beside it and into their undefended neck.

From my left, a man brought a crossbow up to bear. My shield raised to block it and then he dropped down ready to engage me in melee. Stopped in place, however, and didn’t come and closer. Lore had him stuck in place, right before an arrow struck the bandit in the side of the head.

I couldn’t fault him for stealing what should clearly have been my soul to claim. We had to work for the good of the party as a whole, and the sooner that I was up to the fabled second level, the easier and less risky our progress.

Out to my side, Daniel bashed the head of one of his opponents, their skull cracked open and brain spilled on the floor. He had two others to contend with, but seemed capable.

Judging the angle of the incline, I stepped sideways and upward, dropping the shield so that I could grab atop the edge of the fortifications and pull myself up. For my efforts to rush our victory, I received a dagger into my shoulder from a waiting evil human. A chip in whatever material I was made of that threatened to become a crack.

My legs swung over as he backed away, clearly unsure as to what I was. I knew that in my reading of Goreblaster, it was not uncommon to say something witty of humorous when about to murder someone, but I hadn’t really the necessary life experience built up yet to come up with something on the fly.

He backed away, knife back up at the ready. He had allies to my right, four of them about to clamor toward me. I stepped up to him, his attack faltering, and I grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt.

“I hope your death is uncomfortable,” I told him. Then I turned and pushed him over the fortification. Either he could barely oppose me due to my higher strength, or my words had weakened his resolve. I chose to believe the latter.

A sword swung toward me and I backed away to parry it, the first of the quartet eager to mash me into core component parts. An arrow struck the bandit just behind him. Below us, the growl of the orc signaled that he was coming up the brief slalom of the angled pathway to meet us on the second level. Right behind the two, trying to jostle to be next in line. There were four or five still remaining in the upper row, and we’d need to be cautious of their shots.

Or would we? I knew that just behind me was the start of the pathway to the precipice, yet I couldn’t abandon my position and allow Daniel to pick up the slack. I blocked another swing before a third. This was one of the power (4) humans. The way he moved and attacked did signify that he was more competent than the others.

His follow-up was a wide backswing. Something either desperate or intending to create space. Not such luck as I struck his sword as it passed, pushing the opening wider so I could move forward and shoulder-barge him. He almost kept his footing, before stumbling over his fellow bandit, who had been slain via arrow. In saying this, another arrow zipped overhead to strike at the ones at the top.

I stepped on the ankle of the fallen, twisting his foot away in a manner than brought him pain. Enough to dropp his guard and I kneeled down upon him, bringing the end of the sword down between ribs and into his heart.

Daniel had made it up to this area now, and was a torrent of ferocity. His armor dashed with blood and hammers covered in pulped gore. It was a stark contrast to his normally charismatic and calm self. A bandit turned to him and the last leaped toward me.

I stood from the corpse, leaving my sword in the wound to draw both daggers. My opponent was similarly armed, albeit their daggers were of a longer design. A first slash clattered down my forearm, drawing a silvered line amongst the dark metal but dealing no true damage. I blocked the other attack and lashed in with my own. Too quick for them, the slash across their neck came as a surprise.

It took three more strikes for them to drop to the ground, and I immediately spun to head for the ramp to go up. Another arrow and another bandit dead. The ones still breathing turned to run toward the exit in seeing me approach. I stopped at the top floor and watched them vanish into the darkness of the tunnel.

With a growl, Daniel pushed the broken body of the last standing enemy off of himself and onto the ground. Panting heavily again, his helmeted eyes glared around the room to see if there was anyone remaining.

“Fuckin’ good job, guys,” Kate called from the bottom.

The three of them started to make their way up to us, looting and ensuring that our foes were definitely fallen.

Daniel popped his helmet off, his face covered in sweat. By instinct, he looked up toward the exit to ensure there wasn’t anyone waiting just for that momentary vulnerabilty. Satisfied, he turned to me and gave me a nod and a grin.

“Yeah,” Lore began, picking up from where the Cleric had left off. “I think the momentary stun really turned that to our advantage. Smart thinking, Port.”

I started back down toward the middle. “Every advantage is worth its weight in blood.”

“Ah,” Manny wrinkled up his face. “See, that was much cooler sounding that what you said to that bandit.” He gave me a wink.

“You heard that?” My invisible brow furrowed, causing my eyes to change shape.

“You’ll get better at it.” Daniel gave me a pat on the back. “You already have this adventuring stuff down, so some time on your soft skills and you’ll be golden.”

Gold was a soft metal, and seemingly relegated to being currency, so I was unsure what comparison he was making. Unless he was alluding to my figurative worth. I nodded before looking at the mess we had made.

“Daniel, why are bandits evil?”

He raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”

“They are similar to adventurers in appearance. We have invaded their nest to snuff them out, but what have they done to deserve this?”

The orc grimaced. “Ah, the morality of it? In truth, a lot of bandits, thieves, or other outcasts causing problems for the Crown are doing so out of necessity. Poverty and desperation.” He rubbed at the back of his head after resting his hammer on the ground. “Crown doesn’t usually request extermination, unless the crimes are high enough to warrant it.”

“Like cutting out a cancer,” Kate offered. “Lose one of two shites and the group still carries on. Different faces, sometimes different asshole in charge. Burn them to dust tho, the fuckers won’t be coming back.”

Lore nudged her out of the way with a sigh, as if jostling for center stage. “High Crimes usually involve murder, kidnapping, or destruction of Crown property. The reason this place was created as a dungeon is this group had been hijacking trade routes and killing couriers and the like.”

I nodded slowly, taking all this information in. “Like the goblins.”

Daniel rolled out his shoulders. “Right. Except the goblins were affecting our actual world. The consequence of what we do here is only what sticks with us.”

How strange. In a way, this was no different from the training that Father and I performed. Higher stakes, and more realistic, but ultimately just a way to stretch our combat muscles and try to grow stronger.

I looked down at the caved-in face of one of the men we had slain. Killing was in my nature, but even in this fabricated existence, doing things for the supposed right reasons, it brought me some discomfort.

Perhaps I could return here someday, to one of these shards of reality and figure out the root cause of why these simple humans deserved all this.

Maybe I could break the cycle and erase the evil throughout every world.