by Ryan Rimmel
“They just beat the dungeon boss,” I said proudly.
“Bully for them,” replied Grebthar. Now that I was close to everyone, I didn’t have to bring up anything to see their Health bars. All of the remaining members of the party were healthy. At this range, I could tell that everyone was right in the next room. I started walking that way. I was anxious to see the Dungeon Core myself.
● Sir Dalton: Knight, Level 26
● Hit Points: 420/420
● Stamina: 400/400
● Mana: 40/40
Sir Dalton stepped out of the Dungeon Core chamber first. He looked around but clearly did not see me. I activated Lore just to see how much he had progressed and was amazed at his progress.
Then Jarra stepped out, her golden hair loose as her helmet had been cast off somewhere. She was radiant. Sir Dalton was waiting beside, trying to talk to her. The healer was smiling and crying, all at the same time. I activated Lore.
● Jarra: Cleric, Level 22
● Hit Points: 280/280
● Mana: 360/360
● Stamina: 63/70
The legends of the Dungeon Core were true after all. She spotted me and called out my name. Jarra started running toward me. I unconsciously took a step toward her, but Grebthar put his hand on my shoulder.
“Let me show you a trick,” he said. He wore the same smile he always had. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.
I would always remember that moment. Jarra seemed to stumble for just an instant, her golden hair flashing in the light of the Dungeon Core. Sir Dalton was still chasing after her. Grebthar smiled wider, and I realized it never quite reached his eyes.
Mainly, I noticed Jarra’s foot seeming to sink into the stone, as a shadow spread from the ground to surround her. Then, in one horrible instant, she was pulled down into blackness, her golden hair the last thing to vanish.
“What I don’t get is why that doesn’t work on you?” said Grebthar, turning to me. His right hand grabbed a hold of my sword, the one that I had buried to the hilt in his chest. His left hand snapped three more times at me. Each snap caused shadowy sparks to flash from his fingers. His face seemed to turn more plastic by the second.
“Why?” I mouthed, wide-eyed with horror. Nothing made sense.
“Because I like fucking with people, especially adventurers,” stated Grebthar. He was still smiling, but the mask had slipped. Dead, black eyes stared at me. “It's the only thing that kept me sane for all these centuries.”
“I’m going to kill you,” I said.
“Please, better men than you have tried,” replied Grebthar. He pushed back on my sword. Despite my massive strength, he had little trouble pushing my blade out. “You don’t even have a magical weapon.”
“You can’t possibly be Grebthar,” I said. “I’ve read the stories. Grebthar is the champion of goodness.”
“I can be a lot of things, James,” said the false Grebthar. “I can be Grebthar the Grebtharian, savior of Ordinal, time and time again. I can be Grebthar the Destroyer, who snaps after defeating the Dark Overlord after battling with him one too many times. Mainly, right now. . .”
Grebthar’s skin seemed to pull taunt and shadows erupted from every part of his body. He continued, “Right now, I think I’ll be the Dark Overlord. I’m about to shatter this entire world.”
Gone was the personification of the hero that had been, replaced by a god of darkness and shadows. A Shadow God.
“I thought the Dark Overlord was reborn after every fight,” I said.
“When you see it happen as often as I did, eventually you figure it out,” replied the Dark Overlord, laughing as I pushed my sword in with all of my might. I focused my Mana, and the blade sprung into flames. That got a reaction. The Dark Overlord snarled and backhanded me hard enough to send me flying through the air like a ragdoll.
● You have been struck for 34 points of Damage. Base 70 - 20 Damage (armor) - 16 Damage Mitigate. All Bludgeoning Damage converted into regular Damage. You have been knocked back 5 logs (12 base - 3 Endurance - 4 Mitigate)
Catching myself as I landed, I rolled back onto my feet and charged toward the Dark Overlord. By this time, the flame of my sword in his chest extinguished. The Dark Overlord didn’t even bother to remove the sword this time. Instead, he moved both his hands together, gathering power for a spell.
I magically yanked hard on my sword, using my Mage Knight’s Summon Sword talent. The weapon tore itself free from the Dark Overlord’s chest, causing him to stumble. Snatching it out of midair, I ignited it and slashed at his exposed neck, before landing behind him. His foot exploded into my chest, sending my sprawling backward. I managed to roll to my feet again and face him.
His head was partially detached, the neck only holding on by a thin sliver of glowing, white shadow. If that bothered him, he didn’t show it. He looked more disappointed than anything else.
“That’s not going to work here,” stated the Dark Overlord, his head snapping back into place. “I’m a god, Jim, with all the perks that implies.” Suddenly, his body seemed to flow sideways, just as Sir Dalton’s massive, lightning-infused Greatsword slashed down in an attack that would have bisected him.
Sir Dalton swung again, and Grebthar casually sidestepped the attack. “Oh, was the blond fool your friend too?” Grebthar taunted Sir Dalton. “It's all Jim’s fault that I killed her. Did you know she prayed to Grebthar that you would let the idea of her go, because she loved Jim? It seems you weren't good enough. Again.”
For an instant, Dalton’s mind slipped away from battle. In that moment, the Dark Overlord struck him in the chest hard enough to buckle one of the heavy, steel plates in his armor. His second strike knocked the Knight’s Greatsword away, sending it clattering to the floor. The third strike landed with a meaty thunk in Dalton’s chest. Sir Dalton caught Grebthar’s fist in his own massive gauntlet, pulling the fallen hero forward. Next, Dalton grabbed his head and started to squeeze with enough force to crush stone.
“Grebthar, give me strength,” screamed the big man, as he tried to crush the Dark Overlord’s skull.
“Denied,” responded his god.
Sir Dalton’s strength seemed to fade, as whatever part of Grebthar remained in the Dark Overlord forsook him. The Dark Overlord continued to look annoyed, even as Sir Dalton brought his knee up to the god’s chin, only to have it casually blocked by a hand formed entirely of shadow. Before Sir Dalton had a chance to do anything else, the Dark Overlord pressed him backward with casual indifference. He brought his hand around and smashed Dalton in the chin, denting his helmet before knocking it clean off his head.
Closing, I activated Hack and Slash and added in Quick Strikes for good measure. Grebthar grinned, his own sword at the ready. He activated his own talent. Our swords flashed between us so quickly that all I could see was a blur. Somehow, each strike seemed to counter the other. Unfortunately, the Dark Overlord was a bastard.
● Dark Overlord: Divine Strikes, Divine Skills: 8 Strikes.
● Jim: Quick Striking Hack and Slash: 4 strikes + 2 strikes. Cost 20 Stamina.
It seemed that when two people used rapid striking skills on each other at the same time, their strikes were compared by the
● Unerring Blazing Force Thrust: 130 Damage, Force point, 15 Stamina, 65 Mana.
My sword plunged into the Dark Overlord’s back, the blue flames searing into his divine flesh. Even with the tremendous amount of Damage in that attack, his body seemed to stitch itself back together almost instantly. It didn’t matter, though.
I thrust the Dagger of Human Slaying into his heart, twisting it as I did so.
For an instant, Grebthar seized up, an expression of even more annoyance than usual on his face. He grabbed me by the arm and flung me into Sir Dalton. He then fired a blast of Force toward us, driving Dalton and I nearly to the door that led to the Dungeon Core.
>
Suddenly Fenris was in front of me, wearing new armor and carrying a new shield. Glorious Robert yanked me up by the arm, with Zorlando doing the same for Sir Dalton. SueLeeta stood off to the side, staring at the few wisps of golden hair that were all that remained of Jarra at the spot she died.
“What is it with everyone and this dagger?” stated Grebthar conversationally, yanking the dagger from his back. “Oh, a Slaying dagger, how cute. Doesn’t work on me. You see, it only works if you are a human and have a heart. Here, let me demonstrate.”
He flung it at a blurring speed, straight toward SueLeeta. Her eyes shot up at the sound, but there was no time for her to move fast enough. I could barely see the dagger, flipping through the air. I felt powerless, unable to do anything to stop it. Suddenly, Fenris was there. The dagger struck his shield with a mighty thunk.
“You are no fun at all,” stated the Dark Overlord.
“I get that a lot,” replied Fenris. He knocked the Dagger of Slaying from his shield with his sword, “Interception perk. Evildoer, beware! You face the might of Windfall. The mayor is a good and honorable man. Yield, and you may live to see another day.”
“He killed Jarra the Healer,” I growled out.
“Oh,” replied Fenris, his eyes narrowing. “Well, then, evildoer, prepare to get thy shit wrecked.”
“It's the Dark Overlord,” I said and actually heard a feminine gasp. . .from Zorlando. That man did not gasp well.
“She was just Jarra now,” stated Zorlando, stepping forward carrying a magical pike, of all things. His movement seemed more confident. “We were both reborn at the Dungeon Core.”
“Are we about to have a boss fight?” mocked the Dark Overlord. “I haven’t had one of those in ages. Might be fun practice.”
“For the forest,” yelled Fenris, rushing forward. Grebthar countercharged and met him in the middle, batting him away like he was nothing. However, that left an opening for Glorious Robert, who smashed him in the chest with his mace, while SueLeeta shot him in the head with an Explosive Shot Then, Sir Dalton hacked off an arm, while Zorlando slammed his new pike into Grebthar’s middle and bore him to the ground.
It didn’t last. Grebthar slid up the sword’s blade, ignoring the fact that it penetrated his body. He batted Zorlando away, as Sir Dalton and Glorious Robert both attempted to strike him with their weapons. Somehow, Grebthar dodged both, despite there being too little space for that. Then, he was through them and charging straight at me.
I leveled my new crossbow at him. He sprung forward, coming to a stop just a few feet in front of SueLeeta. Suddenly, he zipped backward, the webbing I had shot at him constricting, working like a bungee cord. He slammed into the ceiling, the floor, and a wall, in that order. All three looked like they hurt.
“Well, now you did it,” groaned the Dark Overlord, standing up. He had landed next to the sword I’d given him, and he picked it up. “I’m going to actually use a weapon to kill you now. No more Mister Nice Guy.”
He didn’t Dodge this time. Instead, he just appeared, sword poised to strike, right in front of me. I Dodged the first strike and the second strike. The third, I blocked with my bracer. The fourth smashed into my armor. Then, while I was off balance, he smacked me with the flat part of the blade. I was sent flying through the doorway that led to the Dungeon Core room.
He spent a moment blocking two arrows from SueLeeta, before he entered the room. He kicked the massive door shut and turned to me with a grin. “Now, where was I?”
In an instant, he slashed all three exploding poisoned bolts I’d fired out of the air. Thankfully, that had been the point. In the moments I’d had before he shut the door, I’d managed to load the Scorpider venom into the crossbow. That shit slowed you down. I blasted him with another Magic Shot, before he had time to recover. Then, he was back on me.
This time, the Dark Overlord came in slower than before. He made up for it by being more deliberate, though. I was forced on the defensive, trying to get far enough away to shoot him with more poisoned bolts. It wasn’t going well. Occasionally, the Dark Overlord would play along. He would stay out of range and easily avoid my shots. Most of the time, he got in close, just to see how well my Dodging was working out.
As I blocked two more strikes, one with my bracer and one with my shoulder pauldron, I stepped forward. I brought the butt of my crossbow in for a strike to the face. He caught it with his off hand and looked annoyed at me. He kicked me hard enough to send me flying across the room again. Scorpow bounced twice, skidding out of reach.
An instant later, Grebthar was on top of me again. He slashed down with his sword, driving the blade into the space I had just occupied. I twisted and flipped to my feet, narrowly avoiding two more strikes. I brought up a barrier to function like a shield. He hit it hard enough to crack the barrier on the first strike. The second strike to my barrier caused it to shatter. Quite unexpectedly, my leg was out from under me, and I was staring at the point of my old sword.
“You disappoint me, Jim,” stated the Dark Overlord, a look of absolute contempt on his face. I had one trick left up my sleeve, and it never failed.
“Hoopie,” I yelled, dumping every bit of Mana I could into the most powerful Break Wind spell I had ever cast. The Dark Overlord stood there for a long moment, unmoving.
“I mean, you hear about someone stupid enough to learn that spell every so often, but I always thought it was an old wives tale,” stated the Dark Overlord. “I am a god! That spell will not work.”
“Crap,” I muttered.
“Crap indeed,” stated the bored Dark Overlord. “I think this game is just about over.”
The Dark Overlord thrust the sword forward. I grabbed the tip, right before it entered my throat. In theory, I was safe for a moment, but he could have easily pulled the blade from my hand and tried again. What he did was worse. He just started pressing harder. I slid backward, until we got to the base of the Dungeon Core. Its green light made the Dark Overlord look even more malevolent.
He kept on pushing. I could feel the blade starting to slip. It was going to go right through my neck. Even the sensation of holding the blade, while he pressed against it, was making my skin crawl. He was going to kill me with my own weapon. My own weapon.
I concentrated for a moment and realized that the weapon was still attuned to me. I could attune multiple weapons, and, while that attunement would eventually break, it hadn’t done so yet. Grebthar could have broken the attunement, but, to him, it was a non-magical weapon. He hadn’t bothered.
Well, fuck him.
● BioLightning: 180 points of Damage, cost 90 Mana and 90 Stamina
As BioLightning ran through the sword, the Dark Overlord screamed. In one fluid motion, I stood and pulled out my Dagger of Wounding. I quickly used the weapon to slice off two of his fingers, while simultaneously yanking the sword free of his grasp. There was a sharp twanging sound, as my old dagger snapped in half. I summoned my other Soldier’s Longsword from my Dimensional Sheath and executed a Hack and Slash. At the same time, I used my other blade to make a series of Quick Strikes on Grebthar.
I quickly discovered that shadow-infused ichor flew off a god when they became sufficiently wounded. I was using Blazing Sword on every strike. I severed his arm, ruined his head, and Thrust my final strike straight through his body. Then, he kicked me, slamming me against the Dungeon Core.
There was no give to the Dungeon Core, and I was pretty sure I felt my spine break as I slammed into it. From there, I spiraled through the air and slammed onto the ground next to the exit. My head was facing Grebthar, so I got to watch all his wounds seal up instantly. It was like I’d never even hurt him, except for one spot.
“Well, that was interesting,” he began, when five explosions lit him up like the fourth of July. The rest of the party entered the room. Grebthar snarled and stretched out his hand, causing a glowing orange barrier to surround his person. A javelin and several more arrows struck the barrier and exploded into noth
ingness.
“Hey, Arrow Lady, you are really starting to get on my nerves. Let me show you a trick,” said the Dark Overlord, holding up his hand.
The stumps of two fingers that had not regenerated greeted him. I smiled.
Chapter 44: The Vengeance of an Angry Godling
“You had Elder Demon’s blood oil with you?” shouted the Dark Overlord, a slight hint of frenzy in his eyes.
“Doesn’t everyone?” I hissed. Yup, my spine is definitely broken. It was kind of ironic, as I was literally laying next to Jarra's healing kit. She had dropped it inside the doorway, when she tried to run to me. I could see five or six vials of potion, just out of reach. She had been a Cleric. She no longer had any need for potion.
When I’d learned to convert poisons to oils, I’d had a small amount of the Elder Demon’s blood that Shart had gifted me left over. I’d used my Poisoner skill to make it into a poison. I mean, it was already poisonous. I just figured out the correct dosage to make it worse. It had taken a surprisingly small amount, when combined with necrotic healroot, of all things. I’d had just enough blood to make one dose. I’d put that dose on my Dagger of Wounding, because I'd never been able to fix the damn thing. I figured if I could only use it once more, it should be spectacular.
● Elder Demon’s Blood Oil: Prevents all forms of healing or regeneration for a period of 9999 years.
“I’m going to heal you up enough to torture you, after I finish your friends,” stated the Dark Overlord, turning away from me.
“We just successfully defeated the dungeon boss, you false dark overlord,” said Zorlando.
“You killed Jarra and picked a fight with Jim, big mistake,” yelled Sir Dalton.
