Party Hard

by David Petrie

  As if in answer to his suggestion, a long foreboding creak groaned through the air, like the sound of metal tearing under a tremendous strain. Suddenly, the chains that held the bell tore from the ceiling, sending the huge object crashing to the floor. The deafening volume of its fall ripped through the cavern as the object landed, vibrations pulsing through the floor so strong that Max could feel them in his teeth. Rocks clanged against the bell's surface as they fell all around it, pulled free from the ceiling above. Shafts of moonlight shined down through cracks above as it rocked back and forth, almost falling over before settling into a stable position. The din subsided, and Max looked around the party, each still hunched and cringing from the noise. He turned back to the bell, something inside him telling him that more was coming. Silence set in again.

  Then it started.

  Max spun around just in time to see the floor beneath Corvin and Farn crumble away, surprise and terror filling their faces as they dropped through. He shot Kira an urgent glance, unable to form the words fast enough. It was enough. She nodded and dove after them with the precision of a competitive diver. He hoped she might be able to save at least one. Then the holes grew wider. It wasn't over. The ground continued to collapse everywhere, starting at the edges of the room and moving inward, forcing Max and the remaining party members to run toward the bell like their lives depended on it.

  He sprinted away from the crumbling edge as it gained on them with unyielding momentum. He looked back at Ginger as she trailed behind due to a late start. The floor beneath her feet fell away as she jumped with everything she had. She landed, solid ground meeting her feet only to fall away once more. She jumped again and again as the ground beneath her lost its form with each leap. Max slowed hoping that he could do something to help, but his options were slim as the rumbling sound of pure terror bit at their heels. Then Ginger’s luck ran out.

  She pushed against the loose debris, but her foot passed through it, making it impossible to get enough momentum to bridge the ever-increasing gap.

  As if part of some cruel joke, the collapsing floor stopped, leaving Max safe as he watched her disappear through the ground a few feet behind him. He threw out his hand, but she was already gone. He leaped toward the edge anyways hoping that maybe the fall wasn't that far, that maybe she might survive it. His heart sank as soon as he looked down, molten rock and fire filling his view. Then he heard a small pop.

  "Oh, crap." Max blurted out as a grappling line flew straight at his head causing him to dodge on instinct and roll to one side. He let out a short, "Nice," and pumped his fist as he watched the line soar into the air, knowing full well that Ginger was on the other end. The hook flew straight up, and then it stopped. "Oh, crap," he said again, realizing that she must have fired it blind while falling as a last-ditch effort not to die. She hadn't actually aimed at anything. "Oh, crap," he said yet again as the line began to fall back down without hooking on anything. Then he reached out and grabbed it.

  Max knew it was a dumb thing to do. He knew the weight of the falling Coin at the other end was far more than he could hold. But the stupid part of his brain, the one that had seen too many movies, had told the other parts of his brain, the ones in charge of reason and math, to kindly sit down and mind their own business. The line cut into his hand as pain surged up his arm, challenging the game's system to dull it back down to a manageable level. It whipped him forward, almost yanking him over the edge and forcing him to let the line slip through his hand to slow it rather than stop it all at once. Thinking he might as well go all in, he grabbed it with his other hand, noting his health dropping on the status readout displayed on his wrist. After a few uncomfortable seconds, it stopped, the line holding steady in his hands as they glowed bright red with damage. He took one breath and shouted over the edge. "You might want to climb back up now!"

  Max glanced back to Kegan, finding him standing at the ready with his bow drawn. He didn't blame the Leaf for leaving him and Ginger behind. It made more sense to have someone to watch their backs. After all, there was probably a Nightmare lurking around the chamber waiting to ambush them. If he was honest, he felt a little better knowing that Kegan was ready to fight. Well, at least, he did before the floor in the center of the room collapsed all at once, leaving nothing left of the ground but a stone ring a few dozen feet wide floating in the massive space, Kegan standing on the edge.

  He fired an arrow by accident, sending it off at an odd angle. If he had been a few inches back, he would have plummeted to a fiery death. Even as it was, the collapse left him flailing his arms like a cartoon as he struggled to regain his balance, looking like he might fall anyway. A string of expletives erupted from the elf, and Max assumed the guy would be fine.

  Finally, Ginger appeared, her arm reaching up over the edge. Max grabbed it, helping her to her feet as they both regained their bearings.

  "That sucked," the Coin said, half shouting.

  "Tell me about it!" Kegan shouted back from where he stood on the other side of the stone ring.

  Max raised his arm to check his party status, hoping to find Kira and the others alive and well, but before he could look, a realization hit him like a truck. If the center of the room had collapsed, then why was the bell still there, floating in mid-air. He could practically feel the color drain from his face as the massive object began to rotate, a glowing circle on its surface like an eye.

  "IT'S THE BELL!" he yelled to Kegan who was standing with his back to it.

  The Leaf reached for an arrow as a beam of golden light erupted from the Nightmare that had been hidden in plain sight. It swept across the ground where he stood, a trail of explosions in its wake. Then, he was gone. Just gone. It happened so fast.

  Max froze, still holding up his arm to check on the others. His eye dropped to his stat-sleeve. Kegan was dead, and worse, he wasn't the only one.

  The glowing circle on Famine's surface turned as if searching to find more targets.

  Ginger looked to Max for what to do next.

  He swallowed, then gave the only order he could, "Run!"

  Chapter Sixteen

  The floor crumbled as Kirabell hurled herself downward, parting ways with Max as he ran with the others toward the bell. She flew as fast as her wings could take her, the trail of sparkles behind her flaring as if ignited by the heat below. She was like a comet streaking toward her two friends who were helpless in free fall. She just hoped that Max and the others could keep their feet on the ground. She had to focus on the two that were already in danger. The others would have to wait.

  Of course, her first thought was to somehow cast Flight on both Corvin and Farn, but the spell took too long to activate, and she only had seconds. She would have to grab someone with the hope of slowing them long enough for her dust to take effect. At best, she could save one. The thought of it bit into her as soon as it entered her mind. She had to let one of them die.

  Kira had dived through the same hole that Corvin had fallen, which set her closer to him. Her eyes, though, shifted between him and Farn. She shoved her feelings to the back of her mind, sweeping them into a closet and shutting it tight like a lazy child cleaning their room. She had to think about them as a team, not friends. Her mind raced through the variables of the situation as she weighed her options. What would the boss be like? What would they need? The room lacked one thing, cover. And lack of items meant they needed to conserve their health and resources. The result, they needed protection. In the end, there was only one choice.

  She looked down at Corvin, his one good eye locking with hers. The closet door in her mind rattled, threatening to burst open. She clutched at her chest, shoving an imaginary chair up against the door to hold it in place. She hated it. Kira wasn't one of those Breath mages that withheld healing out of spite. No, she loved healing, and she was good at it. Letting him die went against everything she was. Not to mention that he was her friend, and he deserved better. Even if none of it was real.

  It didn't matter, s
he told herself. She had to make a decision. If she didn't, she might lose them both, and then where would she be? Nowhere, that’s where. Flares of pixie dust flowed out of her. She wasn't even doing it on purpose. She felt like she was going to explode. Then Corvin smiled.

  Kira's eyes welled up, and she fought to hold back anything more. Corvin was smart, so of course, he had worked out the choice that had been thrust upon her. He must have known what she had to do just as well as she did. He nodded, giving her another smile and making the decision for her by folding his arms around himself. It hurt, but she nodded back anyways, forcing a cheerful smile as his robes ignited.

  Kira's throat felt raw as her friend's name vanished from her skin. Then, without wasting any more time, she darted toward Farn who was almost out of time, falling face first.

  The Shield held still, as if trying to make herself easier to catch. Either that or she had made peace with her fate. Kira wasn't sure which. Although, she seemed surprised when Kira caught a strap near the back of her armor. Not that Kira could see much with her eyes shut tight as she struggled to slow them down, hoping to save at least one of her friends. She didn't have anywhere near the physical strength to carry the Shield; she knew that much. Instead, she just dumped half her mana's worth of pixie dust on the woman.

  The scorching heat licked at the bare skin of Kira's feet and back, and she let out a small yelp. She didn't have to look to know that her bone charm had already been sacrificed to the flames. If it wasn't for the healing effect of her dust keeping her meager health pool full, she would have burned up long before. Her fingers slipped, and she spat out a frustrated growl in protest, clutching her friend tighter. Finally, the pair slowed to a stop, her dust taking hold.

  Farnsworth floated up beside her as soon as she was able. Kira panted from the continued effort of keeping them both alive.

  Farn smiled at her. "Max was right. You really are good at being there when someone needs you."

  Kira shook her head between gasps of air. "Not good enough." She pointed to the space on her wrist where Corvin's name should have been.

  Farn’s smile fell as she said a quiet, "Oh." Before she had a chance to say more, she was interrupted by a flash of light from above followed by the sound of explosions.

  Kira's mouth dropped open in horror as Kegan's name vanished from her party list as well. She looked to Farn, her face conveying everything she was feeling. They had to get up there.

  The pair had only been separated from the Max and the others for about a minute, but in that time, everything had changed. So much so that Kira could hardly believe what she saw when they made it topside. It was chaos.

  Bursts of what looked like golden lasers streaked across what was left of the chamber's floor, even hitting the walls in the distance. A massive stone ring floated in space, the bell at its center. No, Kira thought. That thing was no bell. It was a dungeon boss. Actually, it was THE Dungeon Boss.

  Kira took a moment to spot Max and Ginger through the madness. Once she had, it didn't take long to see that they were screwed. In fact, it seemed the best they could manage was a frantic run for their lives. Kira motioned to fly toward them, hoping that she could help, and help she did. Just not in the way that she intended.

  Famine turned, giving Max and Ginger a moment of peace as Kira found herself in the line of fire. Golden light cut a wide swath through the air, nearly blinding her. She would have dodged, but she wasn't ready. She'd thought she was out of range. She wasn't.

  The world spun, a blur of gold and fire. Then strangely, she heard herself let out an embarrassing, "Oof," as she impacted with something soft. It was Farn. The Shield had yanked her backward by her foot and shoved her to one side before taking a direct hit to her gauntlet’s barrier.

  Kira righted herself in time to see her friend slam into the wall at the far end of the chamber. A glance at her health showed it drop nearly a quarter even with the damage absorption of her active shield gauntlet. Her first instinct was to get close and start healing, but then she remembered that Famine was still aiming at her. She turned, another beam streaking toward her. This time she was ready. She dodged, her maneuverability proving to be just enough to keep her breathing. That's when she realized that she might be more useful as bait. She couldn't stay airborne forever - not with her mana below half - but she could buy time for the others to figure something out. Even if it was only a little.

  Below her, Max ran, firing an occasional shot in Famine's direction, causing a minuscule amount of damage to the enormous health bar that now ran along the side of Kira's forearm. At least that’s something, she thought as she dodged another beam that tracked her movement, coming uncomfortably close. The air crackled in its wake.

  It was only a matter of time until the boss switched targets to one of her friends, and there was no cover to hide in. Max looked like he could stay ahead of things for the moment, but Ginger was starting to slow down.

  The Coin seemed to come to the same conclusion, firing her grappling line straight down into the stone ring and leaping off the edge in a dramatic swan dive to find safety dangling against the side.

  Kira breathed a little easier. It might not have the bravest thing to do, but for a Coin, it was the best option to get out of the fight. At least, that was what Kira thought. Famine had other plans.

  The enormous bell turned, seemingly fed up with firing at a fairy that it couldn't hit and fired at the ground. The beam cut across the ring near where Ginger hung, as if it knew right where she was. It couldn't hit her through the solid rock of the floating platform, but it didn't have to. The line supporting the Coin snapped as the golden light sliced clean through.

  Kira's heart sank when she realized what had happened. She reached out, catching a glance of her mana in the digital ink of her stat-sleeve. Only thirty percent left. There wasn't enough.

  Ginger fell, her body bursting into flames moments before she hit the lake of molten rock below. Her friend’s name faded from her arm. Half the party was dead.

  There wasn't time to process what it all meant, but Kira knew they didn't stand a chance with only three remaining. They had to retreat. Below, Max ran toward the edge of the ring. Ginger had had the right idea. Over the side, there was cover. She just didn't know the Nightmare would hit her grappling line. If Max could reach the edge and climb down, he might be able to find somewhere to wait for the others to get back online. If he could make it, that was.

  Famine turned as Kira tried to get its attention. It ignored her, letting off one beam after another in Max's direction. Her heart slammed against the wall of her chest as she watched, flying above him. He moved in an irregular pattern, keeping his path from becoming too predictable to help avoid the constant blasts as explosions trailed behind him. Splash damage ate away at his health.

  Kira threw out a couple of Pulse spells in a desperate attempt to pull the boss’s attention away. They may as well have been gentle kisses for all the good they did. Max’s progress slowed, Famine cutting off his path to the edge as if it knew what he was trying to do. Then it happened. A beam clipped his boot.

  The resulting explosion hit Max from behind, throwing smoke and debris all around him as it tossed him into the air like a rag doll. Kira lost sight of him for a moment until he fell to the ground hard, rolling to a stop where he remained motionless. She glanced at his health. There was still a hair left, though he lay on his side as if dazed by the impact as the bell fired another beam. It was a direct hit. At least, it would have been if Farn hadn't dropped in. She slammed her gauntlet against her chest plate and shouted the words, “BLOOD SHELL!”

  The beam struck her like a freight train, but unlike Famine's previous attack that had sent Farn flying across the map into the wall, she took this one without flinching. Kira checked her health. There wasn't even any spillover damage. Instead, the shaft of energy simply bounced off her, reflecting up and at an angle. It hit the ceiling with a crash, sending bits of rock and pieces of the mountain falling as
the entire chamber rumbled. Kira ducked her head on instinct, feeling like the place might come down around her. As it was, a column of moonlight pierced through from the outside. She turned back to Farn, her mouth hanging open in shock. She wasn't sure what kind of ability the shell was, but it couldn't have been anything ordinary. She shook her head; it didn't matter now, and she wasn't going to question it.

  Kira dropped to the ground, landing next to Max inside the strange protective barrier and gave him a small heal to get him back in the game. She would have done more, but she was running on fumes.

  Max rolled back over and pushed himself up with his hands, stumbling a bit as he did. "I lost Ginger and Kegan." His voice sounded crestfallen.

  Kira lowered her eyes. "I know. I lost Corvin."

  "Yeah, but you're both still breathing." Farn looked back over her shoulder at where Kira knelt on the ground. A crimson glow emanated from her fingertips creating a shell around them.

  Kira felt her mouth open to silently form the word, "Wow." She couldn't ignore how impressive the ability was, not to mention how cool Farnsworth looked holding back one blast after another, her figure silhouetted by golden light.

  "This is a contract ability. It can shield us like this for one minute," Farn explained before glancing at a timer nestled into a pattern of heavy Celtic line work that stood out on the dark skin of her wrist. "Umm, actually, make that forty-five seconds," she added, sounding a little less cool.

  "Okay, let's make the most of it." Max turned to Kira. "That hole in the ceiling that Farn just made, do you think you can get out through there?"

  She looked up at the shaft of light shining down. It seemed pretty wide. "Should be able to."

  "Nice. As soon as Farn's shell drops, get to safety. We don't really have time to come up with a strategy to fight this thing now, so I want you to regroup with everyone and figure out a plan. I don't care how crazy it is, just come up with something."