:: System: You have completed level four of The Chamber of Attrition and advanced one level.
:: Class: Vampire Level 3 (4,001/9,000)
For half a heartbeat he only stared at it.
Level three.
Heat rushed up his neck. His jaw tightened.
System? I was this close to being able to heal?
:: System: Affirmative. The Blood Mage subclass is now available.
Behind him, boots scraped stone. Jo and Stan stopped short. A second later came the drag of Stan’s bad leg shifting position.
Harry turned.
Stan had his spear leveled, body angled back down toward the wide platform, ready for another attack that wasn’t there.
“Harry, what is it?” Jo asked. “Do you sense something?”
He shook his head.
“No… No, I leveled up.”
Jo’s expression shifted fast. Surprise. Understanding. Anger.
Stan lowered the spear. He turned back slowly, letting the shaft drop until he could lean on it. “Healing?”
Harry’s fists tightened on the shaft of Cedric’s hammer. His jaw locked so hard it hurt. He turned away from them and raised the weapon, arm tensing as if he meant to smash it into the stone at his feet.
The mountain wind hissed past the cliff edge.
He stopped.
The hammer hovered for a breath. He lowered it slowly and dropped to his knees at the edge.
Jo stayed frozen where she stood. “It’s not your fault, Harry. It’s this dungeon.”
He looked back at her. The anger had drained out of his face, leaving it drawn and hollow. “No? What are we doing, Jo? You and Stan are barely standing. I almost attacked you. And healing, now, after Cedric is already gone."
“It’s this dungeon, Harry. Not you.”
:: System: Harry, if I may interrupt.
“I was so close,” he said. “I could have rushed ahead.”
Jo stepped forward and lowered herself beside him, legs dangling over the drop. “How could we know?”
:: System: HARRY! You could not have saved Cedric.
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Harry’s head snapped up.
What?
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jo’s gaze go unfocused. Her lips parted slightly, listening to something only she could hear. He glanced back at Stan. The same distant look. Olly.
:: System: Like every other ability, healing will have levels. At level one, you could not have restored that kind of catastrophic injury.
A long, shuddering breath left him.
What good is it?
:: System: You could use it on most of the injuries currently sustained by Jo and Stan.
Harry’s eyes flicked to the corner of his vision.
H: 65 | V: 25 | TM: 77%
My vitae goes up?
:: System: You are currently down 85. That will not change. However, your base Vitae pool will increase to 200. Meaning you will have 115 available.
Harry’s attention was drawn by Stan shaking his head and moving to ease himself down with his back against the mountain wall, as far from the cliff edge as he could manage.
“Olly says we couldn’t do it.” He hesitated. “His… apparent injuries was too bad.”
Jo’s gaze focused again. “Nema says… if Toby had been here there would have been a chance.”
Harry only raised his eyebrows.
“If he had leveled up his Healer’s Lullaby,” she added. “Then maybe.”
System, is that true?
:: Scanning…
:: System: At level two, Healers Lullaby has a small effect on direct healing. Initial analysis indicates it would not have been enough.
Harry stared out over the drop, jaw tight.
“I miss the boy,” he said quietly. “But I can’t say I wish he were here.”
Jo’s shoulders dropped. “Me too.”
Harry shifted and lowered himself beside Jo and swung his legs out over the edge. The wind tugged at his cloak. The drop fell away beneath them, empty and hard.
“How many came before us?” he asked. “Two hundred? All of them watching their friends die only to be killed themselves.”
Jo nodded. “This dungeon.”
“Aye,” Stan said. He slapped a palm against the ground. “This dungeon is the weapon. But it’s Zinkle’s hand that wields it.”
“Zinkle.” Jo said, low and rough.
“You’re right, Stan,” Harry said. “Zinkle needs to pay.”
Jo shook her head. “They say he’s level twenty. Nothing we could do.”
“What about the king?” Harry asked. “What about Cedric’s father?”
“Baron Whitehall…” Jo said. “Maybe.”
Stan made a small dismissive wave with one hand. “King Darius is far away. We’d have to bring solid proof of Zinkle’s corruption.”
“Whatever it takes,” Harry said. “Zinkle pays.”
“Alright, Harry.” Jo drew a slow breath. “If… when we get out of here. I’m with you.”
Harry turned and met Stan’s eyes.
Stan lifted one shoulder. “I got nothing else ta do.”
Harry grunted and nodded. “Alright then. Three against the world. I like our odds.”
“Four.” Jo cut in. “Don’t forget Toby. He’ll want to help.”
Harry gave a small smile. “You’re right. Four. So, what’s our next step?”
“You level up,” Jo said.
“Level up, boss,” Stan added.
“Oh… Right.” Harry pushed himself up from the edge and crossed to the wall, lowering himself beside Stan. He leaned back against the stone. “This may take a few minutes.”
“Go ahead,” Stan said. “We’ll keep watch.”
Alright, System. Let’s get started.
***
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