by Taj McCoy El
“Oh, thank god!” Mo let out a breath that he didn’t realize that he had been holding and put a hand to his chest. “Thought I was in a cult or something.”
“That may still be the case.” all the knockers gave Mo crazy smiles.
“Yeah not falling for that again.”
The fun and games were interrupted by the sound of a tree limb snapping and a chicken shaped shadow slinking out into the open. Tendrils of shadow rolled off it like the shadowsaurus they had fought yesterday. But not as deeply. There a few white feathers interspersed with the black ones making it look speckled. It turned its head and surveyed the area towards the farm and continued to creep.
Of course, Ziggs and Mephi picked this moment to hop the fence. The chicken zeroed in on them and crept towards them like a like a stealthy ostrich. Every few steps it would step into one of the goph’rin holes
Chonchaise, Portquise go!” Bonkers hisspered “Mo warn yer friends.”
Mo looked at his interface and when he looked back Bonkers Davemarth and Grimsaw were gone. Treegan just stared at him with that goofy smile.
“Hey bud” Mo quickly turned back to his interface and began typing.
Booms: get ready there’s a shadow chicken gunning for you.
A few seconds later his teammates pulled up short. Mephi armed his staff and staff and a green light formed at the tip. Ziggs scanned and locked on to the chicken placing herself between it and Mephi. The chicken was bearing down on them, and then flared its wings.
A flashing strobe exploded into the darkness Making a shadowy imprint of a dark phoenix in Mo’s eyes. He was almost blinded at the distance he was from the chicken and his friends were mere yards away the strobe chicken when it happened. His night vision was destroyed, the enemy marker was …missing?.
You can lose an enemy once it’s marked? Shaz!
He broke cover and ran for his friends. If they were going to fight blind, he needed to be there. With spots in his eyes he ran for his friend’s markers. Only the map of the field kept him from falling into the holes
He smelled Mephi and pulled his mask down and kept running. Mephi was great for AOEs but his direct attacks stunk, pardon the pun. For now, Ziggs was a high durability box that acted like a sentient shield. Mo was the DPS of the group. Without him the synergy broke down and enemies would wear them down.
As he approached their markers he yelled out to make sure they didn’t attack
“Booms, where are you?” Mephi yelled.
“Over here man.” He raced over to the sound and searching hands found each other. Mo’s eyes still had spots in them, and it was hard to see.
“What’s going on with you? Where’s Ziggs?”
“I’m blind for the next four minutes. And Ziggs chased after that thing.”
“C’mon. Let’s get you back to the farm.” He pulled up on the Skunkman’s arm.
At that moment another flash happened in the direction of the farm. This time Mo was debuffed.
You have received a Debuff
Flash Blindness
Vision is 0%
Timer 5:00 minutes.
“Shazzit and shamrocks,” Mo yelled. It took my map, my markers, and my vision.
There was the sound of deep booming impacts and the loud KA-KAAAAAW of a giant chicken. Mo listened again. And her the sound of knockers yelling in the distance.
The booms are probably Treegan and the yells are the farm. That’s where we gotta go.
Ziggs: I could use a little help, guys. Everyone else is blind.
Booms: so are we. we’re headed back as fast we can.
Mephi: if you can lead it to Booms, he can fight it even though he’s blind. Can’t ya Booms?
Booms: More than likely.
Ziggs: I’ll do what I can.
“Meph, use your ears and listen for the farm that’s where we’re going
“Okay got it.”
They walked together feeling the ground in front of them and hearing the fighting continue. The counter ticked down to 1:30 as they hit the fence and climbed over it. The sounds of battle moved back and forth in front of them.
Booms: Ziggs what’s going on?
Ziggs: I see you. Keep coming. We’ve surrounded the coops and keep fighting this chicken off when it runs in. it keeps avoiding me because I can see it, and it’s faster than me. Besides the flare attack it has a shadow thing that makes hard to see even for me for a bit after. It’s making it hard to track.
Booms: once I get there, I’ll be the perfect man for the job. You spot’em and I drop’em.
Ziggs: Got it.
They got close enough to hear Ziggs voice. She would call out a knocker’s name, and they would holler ready with a few people around them, and then Mo could hear a clash and loud yells then silence again.
Ziggs: It’s got two patterns. Flash, attack then disappear or attack, flash then disappear.
Booms: Got it. Debuff ends in 20 seconds. I should have markers then and be able to see its position as long as you can track it.
Booms: Mephi keep your eyes closed so the debuff doesn’t stack on you.
Ziggs: Mephi get to the position I have marked and get ready to hit this chicken with everything you got.
Booms: I have markers. Going in.
Mo could see his markers, maps, and notifications again which brought him a little relief. He quickly zeroed in on the luxumbradae activated speed and tripped when something tangled between his legs at high speed.
Booms: Ziggs update the map please.
Ziggs: sorry I thought you could feel stuff.
Booms: I was standing right next to it and fell on my face. Not enough warning.
Ziggs: There you go.
Mo could now see the shovel he tripped over.
Let’s try this again.
He activated speed, and drew his kukris heading for the enemy markers. When he got close enough, he cast grease at where the bird should be. And received a message from Ziggs
Ziggs: Right in its eyes. Light it up.
Mo continued his forward run and electrified his blades. He held them close together so the energy would arc back and forth between the blades. He pointed them straight ahead and made them the point on a Mo shaped spear. He leapt through the air and missed the chicken. But then he felt his electricity arc as heat washed across his side and heard the squawk of the luxumbradae as it ignited. Mo chanced opening his eyes, got a bead on the bird then closed his eyes again.
He activated God arms and swung both kukri at the leg of the chicken slicing over and over until the chicken tumbled to the ground. The timer on grease was almost over.
“Ropes!!!” he yelled. He pulled the rope from the bag and started locking the wings down to avoid that flare attack. He kept one eye closed. The chicken sensing this was its only chance to escape tried to use that same attack again.
Knockers who had regained their vision cried out as they lost it again. Mo kept working as he was blinded in one eye, but he kept the other eye closed.
He kept yelling over the squawks.
“Keep one eye closed if you get your sight back!!! Bring ropes over here! Follow my voice.!”
He was hit in the face with a few ropes and continued to drag them all around and entangle the chicken. He felt hands working around him doing the same.
“It’s bagged someone yelled.” And the luxumbradae went still.
Everyone opened their eyes or tried to.
“Kwaad!!!”
“Over here!” he yelled from behind a building. Fix this rooster up. And get it stowed. We got two more to get.”
“Knockers who can see, on me. Everyone else, get your sight back and protect those coops.”
Mo headed out towards where the knockers were handling the other roosters quickly followed by a trail of others. He saw a dust storm up ahead and wondered what was going on. With a quick check of the logs he found that Davemarth and Grimsaw were battling an air and earth chicken. They too were having visibility problems.<
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“Ziggs get in there with sensors, update the map for them. Anyone with goggles or that can handle those conditions back them up. If not use ranged and wear it down.
He turned and continued to run to where he heard the booming sounds coming from. Black smoke was pouring from the forest and Mo slowed down to check his logs before he ran in blind.
“Fire, air, and shadow? How does that work?
“Any one with water or earth spells we need you. Wet some handkerchiefs and cover your face to keep the smoke out,” he bellowed over the crowd and pulled down his mask.
Four knockers followed him. And they raced into the woods approaching Treegan’s marker. He pulled up to a stop when he saw a rooster twice as large as all the other chickens. At a glance he almost missed the flaming balls of fire floating around the chicken because they were black as shadow. He saw three of them fly off and just barely miss Treegan, who nimbly leapt out of the way.
The rooster exhaled the black smoke and an air current spun the flames into two more floating balls of flame. Mo looked around for Bonkers’ marker and didn’t see it.
Don’t tell me they got Bonkers!
“What’re you lot doing ’ere?” A voice said in his ear Making Mo jump.
Mo reached out to hug the man in spite of his fear. "I thought you were gone.”
As his arms almost closed around the man Bonkers disappeared and reappeared on the other side of his approaching men.
“No toime for your affections, lad. We gots foighting to foight. Now quit your loafing and lollygagging you lazy layabouts. get in there!”
The knockers ran at the rooster. Sparbald tossed an earthgrab on its foot making it stumble a bit but the rooster was strong enough to break right through. It turned and swung a wing level Mo and the knockers. The wing didn’t come close to them.
You have been attacked
Gallus Aerignunmbradae
(Triunal Mutation)
Level 17
-72DP Air Blade
273/345HP
A slice of air hit Mo in the chest, and he wound up on his back. He quickly rolled over and checked the other knockers who hadn’t gotten to their feet. The Aerignunmbradae was focused on Treegan and was sending waves of air at the nimble giant. Treegan was bouncing off trees and flipping through the air avoiding all the attacks but couldn’t get in close enough to strike a blow.
In a flash of silver that looked like solid moonlight, Bonkers hit it with a stealth attack.
You have attacked
Gallus Aerignunmbradae
(Triunal Mutation)
Level 17
-234 Silver Slash (sneak attack)
1351/2139HP
Mo activated speed while the rooster was still reeling for the hit and dove underneath the bird. He activated god arms and used his kukris on the leg supporting most of the weight. He focused his blows in the same spot in the back of the lower leg. A quick mental thanks went to Grandpa Ugo for eating chicken feet which allowed him to know that’s where the tendons were.
You have attacked
Gallus Aerignunmbradae
(Triunal Mutation)
Level 17
-180 Slice (15x12)
-63% movement reduction of the right leg
1171/2139HP
Treegan took this opportunity to jump into the fray and slam a giant fist into the bird’s breast hard enough to sit it on its butt.
You have attacked
Gallus Aerignunmbradae
(Triunal Mutation)
Level 17
-342 Punch
829/2139HP
The other knockers shot arrows and spells. A fireball hit it in the face as the bird was climbing to its feet. Treegan was flying in for another hit when a wave of shadows rolled out of it and knocked everyone back and left everyone surrounded by a cloud of darkness.
You have received a Debuff
Shadow Blind
Vision is 0%
Timer 1:30 minutes.
Again?
Mo called out to the knockers. “Everyone, follow my voice. I can sense it when it’s close. If I can hold it in combat, you might be able to see it’s marker.”
Above him he heard a fluttering of wings and felt a pressure about to crush him.
He activated slide and ducked. The rooster’s impact forced him into a roll. And he turned around and ran right back to the bird.
Something fast was aimed right at his chest and he flipped over it and felt the wave of air just miss as it passed under his head. Another pressure came towards him midair. He tried to twist out of the way but couldn’t avoid it.
You have been attacked
Gallus Aerignunmbradae
(Triunal Mutation)
Level 17
-50DP Bitten
223/345HP
The chicken let out a burst of shadow fire that crisped his arm. The pressure of the bite increased, and the rooster snapped it’s jaw shut. Mo screamed as he felt the bone beneath his bicep snap, and then nothing but pain. He fell to the ground landing in another bolt of pain.
You have been attacked
Gallus Aerignunmbradae
(Triunal Mutation)
Level 17
-82DP Shadow Fire
123DP Severed arm
141/345HP
You have received a Debuff
Severed Arm
Right arm functionality 3%
18/345HP
He had just enough time to read the notifications before he faded into blackness.
✽✽✽
Oh, my god!” Mayah said as she sat down on her fabric palette. “It’s definitely time for some sleep. Riker Deanna you did good protecting us. You’re both above level 5 and we have a perk to choose from. I’ll assign your points in the morning, after we get some sleep.” The rötten climbed on her lap seeming content.
“Those levers in the shed. Do you really think they do something?”
“I’m pretty sure they do. it’s probably an Easter egg or something. Might even find a treasure chest. It’ll probably take all three of us to get it done in any reasonable amount of time. But it’s only 512 combinations.”
“512?”
“Yeah each switch only has an on off so that makes it a binary system. Each wall has 3 levers which means there are nine position. Each position you add to the first just squares the number of possibilities.”
“So, 29 ?”
“Yup.” Mayah pulled her fabrics over herself and got comfy.
Margaret chewed her lip. “So, how long will it take to go through all 512?”
“If we say ten seconds per change then roughly one hour and 25 or 26 minutes.”
“That’s not long.”
“And we don’t have to do it tomorrow either. I just think we should clear it before we do the keep. We may be forced out as soon as we finish and I want everything this dungeon has to offer.”
Margaret chuckled. “Yes, I bet you do, dear.”
“So, it’s almost 2. We need to get to sleep so we get a full six hours and we’re ready to go tomorrow.”
“You did great today.”
“So did you, Mags. Sorry you didn’t see much action on the temple defense.”
“Not a problem, dear.” Margaret strode over and tucked the blankets around Mayah and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“Sweet dreams, princess.”
“Sweet dreams, Mags.”
Mayah snuggled in and closed her eyes.
Margaret walked over and lay down on her makeshift bed roll and shirt pillow and lay down on her back to stargaze for a bit. She heard Mayah’s soft snores before she faded off herself.
✽✽✽
Malcipher was astounded by the operation that lay in front of him. In this underground warehouse lay crates and crates of materials stacked all the way up to the ceilings which faded into the shadows. Zhi'Zhu hugged his arm daintily as they walked through the space.
“We could stay locked in this bunker for years before anyon
e would starve,” Zhi'Zhu whispered in his ear.
Several large men, each muscled well beyond belief carried several bags strapped crisscross to their bodies.
“And these men can carry everything in here?”
