by Drew Jager
The Party had moved firmly into the room now, and the door behind them slammed shut.
He was wondering why that happened, but she beat him to it. "I know you're about to ask, so I'll tell you. When a Party has committed to fighting the Boss, the door automatically closes on them. It's to prevent Adventurers from killing the Boss from the safety of outside the room."
"Oh. That's useful. For us." He said, imagining the imminent death of the Two-legs.
They had reached the top of the hill, and looked down into the gaping maw that was Grizzly's cave.
"Yeah... There's definitely a bear down there." Lana remarked.
"What gave it away?" Wren asked sarcastically.
"I think the roar did." She said seriously.
"Smartass."
She was about to reply, but Grizzly had grown impatient. One moment, they were staring at a beautiful grassland scenery, intersected by a river. The next, a bear 9ft tall was sprinting towards them from the bottom of the hill. The ground shuddered under his charge, and he aimed to run right through their formation.
"Scatter!" Wren yelled.
Each Adventurer dove in a different direction, and Grizzly missed the ugly Human by inches. He whirled around, now standing on top of the hill, and swiped low towards the fallen Human. She threw herself down the hill, crashing into the mouth of the cave. She avoided the swipe, though, and the spot where she had been was now missing nearly a foot of dirt.
"Keep moving!" Wren shouted. He was a good 20ft away now, and was tossing out as many spells as he could. The Ice shards impacted against Grizzly's hide, shattering into a cloud of icy mist. Each time a spell landed; Grizzly slowed in his charge towards the Party.
When the mist had cleared, everyone saw that the spells had only done minor damage at best. Small patches of blood-covered fur ran across Grizzly's side, but none of the wounds looked to be impairing the Boss.
Lana had hobbled out of the cave mouth now, and stood directly in the path of his Boss. "Come on, you fucker!" She challenged.
Grizzly responded with another war cry, and slammed directly into the Human. She had set her legs firmly into the ground, and had actually managed to stop Grizzly head on. She pushed against her shield with her shoulder, and held the Boss at bay as he tried to bulldoze over her.
"She's using her Affinity to keep herself rooted to the ground." Bel observed.
Will just laughed. The Human had a strong Earth Affinity if she could stop his Boss head on. Unfortunately, Grizzly had only been testing them.
With a low snarl, his Boss reared up on two legs, and slammed into the ground. Grass and dirt exploded from the ground, rippling out from him as if a pool of water had been disturbed. Lana was sent careening away, and the Dwarf who had been casting continuous spells was knocked off his feet.
The ugly Human had actually been hit so far; she was sent flying into the river. Being at the epicenter of Grizzly's attack had the same effect as her spell had had on the female Monkey. Will was certain the only reason she survived was because of her new armor.
Bel was cheering at the top of her lungs, and he couldn't tear his gaze away from the fight. His Boss was everything he had expected, and more.
As Grizzly rumbled towards the fallen Dwarf, mouth drooling, Will laughed maniacally. Grizzly's fangs were nearly as long as the Dwarfs entire arm, and just as thick. He could practically hear the bones snapping in his mind.
Whack!
Grizzly let out a soft moan, as a metal tipped staff smacked against his snout. Blood leaked from his nostrils, but the Boss was otherwise unharmed. Whirling to the side, Michael was standing there with a dumbfounded expression.
"Oh." Was all he managed, staring at the insurmountable wall that was the Boss.
Does this Two-legs have a death wish? Why would he purposefully grab the attention of Grizzly like that?
"Idiot." Bel remarked.
His Boss seemed equally confused by the Cleric's valiant, but foolish, attack. With what Will could only describe as a shrug; Grizzly lifted one paw off of the ground, and side-swiped the Human.
Before his feet had even left the ground, a bloody mist ruptured into the air. He could hear bones snapping after the initial swipe, as the Humans body rag dolled across the room. Once the dust had settled, the Cleric lay there gasping, left side mangled beyond recognition. His side had large furrows gouged into the flesh, and the armor he had previously worn was in tatters.
The distraction hadn't been for nothing. Lana had sneaked up on the Boss while he watched the Cleric fly across the room. She had managed to get within a few feet of Grizzly before he noticed her approach, but he was too large to maneuver out of the way of her strike. Her sword pierced the tendons in one of his ankles. She sawed her blade across the flesh of Grizzly's leg for as long as she could, until the Boss was able to counter.
With a loud roar, he snapped his teeth towards her face, narrowly missing. There was an audible clack as his teeth snapped shut. She pulled her blade free, and tried to retreat. Grizzly wouldn't let her get away so easily, and swiped with his uninjured paw towards her. She readied her shield, and absorbed the blow.
The wood groaned against the pressure, and was smashed to splinters in her hand. The marks the female Monkey had left must have weakened the shield more than she thought, as she had a look of disgust at the now useless board of wood strapped to her arm.
Grizzly looked ready to go for another bite, but attacking with his paw had left him off balance. Trying to stand on his injured leg had only worsened the wound, and he collapsed into a cloud of dust. Lana took this chance, and rushed towards the Cleric.
Another bolt of ice pierced Grizzly's hide as he tried to stand up.
"I can keep him off of you! Check on the kid!" Wren shouted towards the fleeing Lana.
"Way ahead of you, Shortstack!" She yelled back.
Wren looked towards the crippled Boss, and began forming another spell. Grizzly was done laying down, though, and made his move. Pillars of earth ruptured out of the ground in a line, heading straight towards the Dwarf.
I've never seen him do that before.
The structures of earth were over 5ft tall, and looked as thick around as a tree. Each one shot up vertically, but more followed after the next. Soon, a line of pillars was on a collision course for the Two-legs. He dove to the side, but was too slow. One caught his side, and launched him straight into the air.
"Shiii-" He screamed, as he fell back towards the ground.
He landed with a crunch, and Will could tell one of his legs had broken. The Dwarf collected himself quickly, though, and soon had a new spell formed in his hand. It was impressive how quick he responded during the heat of battle. He lay on his back, head lifted up, and arm raised. It was clear he was no longer able to walk, and Grizzly was now stalking towards the prone Dwarf. Spell after spell crashed into the face of his Boss, but Grizzly no longer cared about pain.
The golden eyes looked down on the body of the Dwarf, and Grizzly was standing directly over him. Small droplets of blood leaked from his snout, and fell onto the face of the Two-legs.
"Do your worst, you oversized bastard!" The Dwarf challenged; Will saw the fear in his eyes.
Grizzly opened his maw, and began aiming the final blow.
Bel was shouting now, screaming at the top of her lungs. So was Will, but the Boss was too engrossed in the fight to hear their cries of warning.
Just as the first tooth pierced the Dwarf's flesh, the ugly Human let out a war cry, and a sword was driven into the neck of his Boss. A howl of pain, followed by a low whimper. The Dwarf took the opportunity, and pulled the dagger from his side. He slammed the blade up to the hilt into the eye of Grizzly.
Even with a blade nearly a foot deep into his neck, and another up to the hilt in his eye, Grizzly did not relent. It wasn't enough. Until Michael, now considerably less wounded, slammed his staff against the hilt of the dagger. The force knocked the knife further in, piercing his brain.
Grizzly collapsed directly onto the Dwarf, and would have most likely suffocated him if left there. Sadly, he exploded into a cloud of golden-green mana, removing the weight off of the Dwarf.
All three Adventurers stared at each other. Then Wren let out a small chuckle, which turned into a full laugh. The two Humans joined in, and soon ,they were all in tears. Will couldn't tell if it was tears of sadness, happiness, or fear. He assumed it was a mixture.
"You're still alive." Wren said to Michael.
"Used up my last spell to keep my heart pumping. Consider yourself lucky. If we had been a moment late, you would be dead." He said, clutching his side. Blood still poured from the wounds, but his organs were no longer in danger of spilling out.
Will tuned out their light banter, and looked to his Herald.
She had that look on her face again. The same one she had after Verne had died.
"Don't cry, Bel. He did his best, and next time, he will do even better."
Her head whipped towards his Crawl, and she rubbed her eyes. "Okay. You're right."
While it was a serious blow to his pride as a Dungeon, he now had a begrudging respect for the Adventurers in front of him. They had certainly proven themselves capable, if nothing else. He would not let them leave alive next time, though.
Then he heard the Party exclaim, and turned his focus back to them.
"Don't you even touch it." Michael growled.
Lana's fingers were smacked away by his staff, and she had an impish grin. "Just keeping you on your toes. The stick is all yours, Michael."
Wren nodded at this, and the Cleric sighed. "At least it wasn't a total bust." In his hands was an ornately carved piece of wood, with a fang firmly fused into each end. It made Will think of a double-bladed spear, but he had no idea where it had come from.
"What is that Bel? I didn't make that for them." He would never reward Adventurers with something so powerful.
She had a sad smile on her face. "It's Boss Loot. You remember you couldn't set Grizzly's Loot, right? All Bosses come with predetermined Loot, and it looks like one of Grizzly's drops is a staff. Though, I suppose, it may be closer to a spear."
"Hmph. I guess if any of them did deserve a new piece of gear, it would the one who had nearly died. Oh well, I can absorb it when they die in here during their next visit." He knew they would come back; he could see the greed in their eyes. The look of accomplishment they had plastered on their faces disgusted him.
"Well, now what?" The Cleric asked, hugging the new staff to his chest.
"We pay our respects, then get the fuck out of here. You need to have Holly check you out, ASAP." Wren replied. The Cleric had come up besides him, and the Dwarf used him as a makeshift crutch. One of his legs was definitely broken.
"I won't pass out. At least not for a few more minutes, so let's do this quickly." Michael retorted.
"I'll drag you by the hair, since you like doing that to me so much." Lana quipped.
Michael just shrugged, and moved to cross the river. All three Adventurers were heading away from the now open Boss door, and towards the Crawl room.
Chapter 21 - Until Next Time
Three bloodstained Adventurers slowly made their way towards the door that connected to his Crawl room, though it wasn't nearly as intricate, or as heavy, as the Boss door. It was just to keep the Adventurers from trying to hide in his Crawl room once they were trapped in the Boss room. Now, his Boss was dead. They walked unimpeded towards the most important room of the Dungeon.
The ugly Human was in the lead, slightly limping. Her Serpent scale armor was ruined in certain areas, and the clothes underneath the armor were soaked red, especially on her arm. The Dwarf was covered in small scrapes and bruises, and was using Michael as a crutch. His left leg looked completely broken, and it dragged behind him as he walked. Michael, the dark-skinned Cleric, was the worst of the three. Blood still leaked from the large gouges in his left side, and he looked nearly as pale as Lana did. His clothes were hanging off in tatters, and he was using his newly acquired staff as a cane.
"Why do we have to do this?" Lana complained. "You two are practically dead on your feet. Or foot in your case, Wren."
"Ha-ha. Always so god damn funny." The Dwarf said, making a rude gesture with his hand. "It's tradition to pay your respects to the Dungeon."
"You mean the one that created the bear that broke your leg?" Michael asked.
"We chose to come in here, and it is because of this Dungeon that we have jobs. Without it, we would all most likely be doing menial labor."
"You mean there was another option besides dying in a hole in the ground?" Lana said with a frown.
They crossed the river, and the two men nearly fell into the water while crossing the fallen log. Now, they stared at the small wooden door leading to the Crawl room.
Both looked to Lana, and she rolled her eyes. "So much for chivalry."
"Aren't Fighters supposed to have rules of Honor they follow? I think opening doors for cripples counts." Wren said. Michael let out a weak laugh.
She pushed the door open with a huff, and they walked down the tunnel towards the golden-green glow of his Crawl. The tunnel itself was barren, and the walls were smooth stone. Will thought it looked pretty ominous. Naturally, he loved it.
"Sol, do like we practiced." Bel whispered, slight panic in her voice. They had talked earlier, and decided the Adventurers shouldn't know of his existence just yet.
Sol nodded, hopped up onto one of the shelves, and turned around. The wood of his legs fused together, and his arms melded into his torso. He looked all to the world as a regular tree would, if a tree was just a little over one foot tall. Bel giggled at his transformation, and pushed some of the leaves in his hair around to make him look more natural.
The Party walked into the room, and he was pleased to hear them gasp. They were taking in the many shelves in the room, and the assortment of interesting items he had collected. The mana-light in the top of the ceiling shone down, further accentuating the green glow coming from his Crawl. Bel was invisible to them, so she flew around their heads making funny faces.
"What is all this stuff?" Michael whispered. "Is that... a bed? Why is it so small?"
"In the other Dungeon I dove in, the Crawl room had something similar. Except, it was a tiny hammock, not a bed. It's not uncommon for a Dungeon to have Treasure in the Crawl room. It's a common belief that it is there to tempt greedy Adventurers." He took on a serious look. "Don't forget, do not take ANYTHING from the shelves. The Crawl room is the most important place in a Dungeon. If even one thing is changed, the Dungeon may feel it's being threatened. If that happens, there really is no chance of leaving alive."
Michael ripped his hand back from a small gem sitting on the shelf, and gulped.
Damn. Almost had him.
All three stopped looking around, and focused on his Crawl. They shuddered when they noticed the pillar he was resting on, noting the carvings in the stone.
I'm trying my best! Stop judging me! Stupid Two-legs...
"Do as I do, you two." He said to the other Adventurers. The Cleric let the Dwarf unhook his arm from around his shoulder, and all three Adventurers knelt in front of his Crawl.
They all bowed their heads; similar to how his Monsters had, when they were first created. It unnerved him to see this from the invaders of his home, but it did better his mood. Only a little, though.
"Until next time." Wren whispered. The other two looked at each other, then repeated his words. "Until next time." They said in chorus.
The words settled into his mind, and it made him feel a sense of peace.
Until next time. He thought.
Bel's look of hatred softened at their show of respect, and she was no longer glaring daggers at them from across the room. She flew over, and landed atop his Crawl.
"Next time, you won't get out so easily." She mumbled, and he chuckled.
"It's not over just yet, Sweetheart." After saying this, he flashed an ima
ge of the Dungeon on his Crawl. The Adventurers couldn't see it, but Bel saw just fine. She smiled mischievously, and nodded.
The Party had stood back up now, and were slowly hobbling out of the Crawl room. They had just entered the connecting tunnel when a soft swishing sound echoed through the silent room. All three Adventurers whirled around, weapons in hand.
They looked back into the room, but saw no Monster. Instead, there was a small strip of Silk cloth that had fallen onto the ground. Will's focus snapped to Sol, and he could see his Bound Monster slowly shaking. Bel rushed to his side, and shushed him.
