At some point, Jake discovered a new type of enemy.
Ratman - Spirit Caller - Level 90
Obviously, it was a magic user. The spirit caller was armed with a long staff and nothing else. It occupied the center of a vast but empty room, and there were no more enemies present. Jake came to dislike mage enemies as you could never know what to expect from them. Judging by the ratman’s name alone, it was clear it had the ability to summon entities, which might explain why there were no more enemies around.
He stepped into the chamber, immediately attracting the spirit caller’s attention. The enemy wasted no time launching an attack. Feral Instincts alerted him to a danger just as the spirit caller pointed its staff at him, the crystal at its top sparkling with power. A bolt of lightning shot toward him, but he immediately darted to the side, successfully avoiding being hit. The combination of Feral Instincts and his incredible reflexes worked wonders in avoiding sudden and extremely fast enemy attacks.
Jake was on the verge of rushing toward the spirit caller when it performed a circular motion with its free hand, invoking a summoning spell. Immediately, several ghost-like creatures materialized all around the spell caster. They resembled rats, but were as large as a German Shepherd. Each one was blue, semi-transparent, and equipped with a set of large, sharp teeth. Jake hoisted his battleaxe while they all rushed at him, closing in from every direction. With a mental command, he assessed one of the creatures.
Spirit Animal - Level 85
Jake always carried the battleaxe and sometimes utilized it during combat, although not frequently, as his abilities did not improve with its use. When he chose not to use his battleaxe, he simply dropped it and picked it back up after the fight. He really liked using his natural weapons way more, but he knew he needed to use his battleaxe in order to kill the ghosts, spirits, and other non-corporeal entities. For that reason, he hadn’t discarded the battleaxe just yet. However, as soon as there was no longer a need to use the battleaxe, he was going to get rid of it.
The first spirit rat reached him and lunged, widening its jaws. Jake easily sidestepped and brought his battleaxe down, the blade slicing all the way through the ghost-like neck. It didn’t sever its head, but the creature did sustain some damage, causing its body to be even more transparent than it had been previously. Before the spirit rat could attempt to attack him once more, he struck again, causing the ghost to disappear in a quick burst of light. He didn’t receive any XP for killing the animal ghost.
Jake immediately shifted his attention to another spectral rat, which had just reached him and clamped its sharp teeth around his ankle. Rather than causing physical harm, the spirits could inflict only ethereal damage, so the amulet Jake wore absorbed all the damage, leaving him completely unscathed. He swung his battleaxe at the rat that was gnawing on his leg with all his might, killing the spectral creature in one blow. He instantly turned his attention to another spirit animal.
At one point, while he was still taking on the ghostly rats, Feral Instincts gave him a heads-up about some danger. He ducked down right away, and in the next moment, a lightning bolt zipped over his shoulder with a crackling sound. Jake launched an acid glob at the ratman, hitting it in the face with remarkable accuracy. The acid sizzled as it ate through the creature’s flesh. The spirit caller emitted a mournful howl, desperately clawing at its own face in a vain effort to make the suffering go away. When its fingers made contact with the acid, it stuck to them too, stripping the flesh off in mere seconds, leaving behind nothing more than bare bones.
Enemy killed. +2,500 XP
Even though the spirit caller had just died, the spectral rats it had conjured continued to exist. It didn’t take Jake long to deal with them, though. After the battle concluded, he took a look around. A chest was tucked away in a corner. Since it was a common container, it wasn’t trapped. Inside he found a few lesser mana items and a small vial. He first siphoned the energy from the consumables, replenishing some of his mana.
After that, he took the last item from the chest: the small vial. As it turned out, it contained another ointment that allowed him to attack non-corporeal entities. He applied the ointment to the blade of his battleaxe, extending the remaining time of its effects by six more hours. He now had plenty of time to thoroughly explore the rest of the second floor and then return to the portal to complete the task of finding the activation combination.
Before exiting the room, Jake took a final look around, meticulously searching for hidden secrets. His eyes caught a brick in one of the walls that jutted out slightly. This couldn’t be just an accidental occurrence. Jake approached the wall and pressed the protruding brick. It yielded to his touch like a button, sinking flush with the wall. A small section of the wall then extended forward by an inch and swung open like a door.
Jake reached into the hidden compartment and felt a rectangular object. Pulling it out, he saw that it was another puzzle piece. This piece had a knob sticking out from its upper edge and a round indentation on its right side, which meant it would fit perfectly into the indentation on the bottom edge of one of the two puzzle pieces he had recently connected. The straight left and bottom edges indicated that only one more piece was yet to be found. He placed the newly found puzzle piece in his mouth.
After that, Jake resumed his exploration of the dungeon. For a while, he roamed through the tunnels and chambers without encountering any enemies. Eventually, he stumbled upon a small room. There was nothing inside except for a single door on the opposite side. He approached the door and inspected it. It was heavy and made of metal, with unfamiliar symbols inscribed on its surface. All of them appeared dull and faded.
The door had no handles or locks. To its right, however, was a square indentation a few inches wide. Jake immediately realized it was designed for the key formed from the pieces he had been collecting. He took some time to return to the portal, retrieved the two connected pieces, and then made his way back to the door.
He took the third puzzle piece from his mouth and connected it to the other two. He then inserted the connected pieces into the indentation and took a quick look at it. Sure enough, the key fit perfectly, but he still needed to find the last fragment. Once he located it, he intended to return to the door and attach it to the bottom right corner of the other three connected pieces. When completed, it should power up the door and let it open.
Whatever lay behind the door, Jake didn’t know, but it was clear it had nothing to do with the portal. He had found everything needed to activate the portal, so what was behind the door must be unrelated. Jake was fairly certain this door led to some kind of secret. After all, the medallions required to activate the spirit obelisks were always in plain sight, placed in various chests, while the puzzle pieces were hidden, requiring keen attention to discover them. The access to whatever was behind the door wasn’t supposed to be easily granted, indicating it likely led to a secret area.
Jake took one last look at the door and then left the room. Once he found the final fragment for the door, he would return to uncover what was hidden behind it.