The Guild Core: The Complete Saga Boxset: A LitRPG Dungeon Adventure

by TJ Reynolds

  But they didn’t release his arms.

  Instead, each great monster kneeled, pulling the man down to his knees as well.

  “Please!” the man begged. “Please?”

  Only the single word repeated twice. “With such a lack of imagination, there’s little wonder why you ended up here,” Ban said in Greg’s gravelly voice.

  A final time, the man begged. “Please, I…”

  Fear froze the man’s tongue and he trembled, face pale and covered in sweat.

  “It’s all over now,” Ban said with finality. “My friend sends her regards.”

  With that, Ban ordered the final ice golem to activate its skill.

  Slamming both fists to the ground, a gout of frigid Water ether burst from the creature. The ether condensed for a moment before exploding out of the stones as a fan of jagged ice.

  The shards cut the man nearly in half.

  Thank goodness, Ban thought. If I had to hear him say the word please even one more time.

  A deep rumble in the bedrock below the keep caused Ban to shift his focus. The bleeding dead man was no longer important. Whatever had shaken the ground had been absolutely massive.

  Trudging along with Greg’s body, Ban peered out of the hole Hastings had broken in the side of his keep.

  What Ban witnessed below made even the overpowered colonel seem trivial.

  For a creature of darkness itself was forcing its way up through the ground, cracking huge slabs of stone with ease.

  It opened its shapeless mouth and screamed.

  The sound, all endless rage and torment, was nothing compared to the mental attack that followed.

  Clutching his minion’s chest, Ban felt Greg’s powerful legs give out.

  Inexorably, Ban knew, the beast would kill them all with the force of its mind alone.

  46

  Fire to Break the Night

  Kai

  Consciousness arrived with a throbbing head and more than a little confusion. He couldn’t place the sensation that had woken him.

  Subtle at first, and then extreme, it almost felt as if the entirety of the Sunken Keep was moving.

  Then one of the tunnels nearby birthed a horror.

  Kai’s eyes shot open as he stared at the monster that had come from somewhere deep in the earth. Four stout legs spread out at least thirty feet across. Each of its paws was armed with talons as long and sharp as scythes.

  The beast’s form was straightforward, looking almost like a squat dog or badger. What distinguished the creature were the huge, interlocking plates across its back, flexing and contracting to adjust for its every movement.

  Its face was wedge-like, a ridge of armor running down its brow. Oddly, the creature had a beak instead of teeth, and Kai couldn’t make out any eyes on its body.

  Behind its fifth and final back plate, a blunt tail emerged.

  The structure of its huge body was fascinating, but it was the inky mist that clung to it, shifting and warping the air, that gave Kai pause. Black fuzz covered every inch of its hide, the exact same fungus that had taken the spider queen.

  With a jolt of fear, Kai realized this was the intelligence he’d encountered after defeating the infected spiders.

  It had emerged and come for him.

  The monster roared, a terrifying sound, but then a wave of malicious willpower followed.

  Kai grunted as the force struck him. He felt his own will smothered, just as it had been when he’d encountered the queen.

  A foul voice called out to his mind then. Dragon! I have come for the scaled lord who calls this place his home. Unfinished is our business.

  Kai felt the beast’s attention fall on him as he struggled to regain his feet. Instinctively, he started to cast Restoring Tide. And as the horror turned to face him, Kai inspected the ungodly thing.

  Chasm Pangolin

  Abyssal Fauna

  Emerald 3

  Reading the information, Kai felt his hopes drain away.

  His healing spell released, though, and his body was flooded with newfound strength. Not everything is over, Kai. You’re alive, and… He turned to see Rhona and Hastings frozen on the ground together. The monk was caught in some spell, perhaps, but she wasn’t dead.

  The Pangolin took a few steps closer, one of the bridges that spanned the river crumbling into pieces as the mighty beast knocked it over with its tail.

  Again, a pulse of the monster’s will pressed down on Kai. You dared take the many-legged servants from me? But you are so weak. If you were faced with one of my brothers, you would not fare so well, dragonling.

  The sheer size of the monster made it dangerous. Its feet stomped ever closer, and Kai’s first worry was for Rhona. She lay vulnerable, caught in a trance with Hastings. Though the gesture was ironic in a way, Kai turned toward the two and cast one of his newest spells.

  Shimmering Shield Wall charged and still the pangolin drew nearer.

  Hoping to buy some time as well as learn more of this new threat, Kai decided to speak with the thing. You are the weakest of your kin? Is that why you are so spiteful?

  The pangolin opened its beak and chirped. The sound crashed into Kai like a slap to the ears. I am not spiteful. Only hungry. We hunger to taste the flesh that thrives on the surface. Too long have we waited in our burrows.

  Are more of you coming? Kai asked next.

  He watched the black fungus shift suddenly. It didn’t turn its head, but a series of small scales lifted up from its back and turned toward the keep. Each of the scales had an eye in its center.

  Kai followed the thing’s gaze.

  Greg stood in the gap in the keep, forty or fifty feet up from the ground.

  The casting time for Shimmering Shield Wall finished its countdown and he released the spell. A torrent of Holy ether poured out of Kai’s outstretched hand, quickly forming a net. The net grew and a matrix of golden threads stretched.

  Then Kai noticed that the shield flexed slightly, responding to his whim.

  On instinct, Kai guided the shield over to where Rhona and Hastings lay.

  You use your power to protect these? the monster asked, genuine curiosity in its voice. Why? Saving them cannot save you, dragonling.

  Kai ignored the beast and focused. Soon, the shield was molded just right, and formed a dome over the top of the two.

  Having done what he could for Rhona, Kai called out to Ban. Come down quickly! I’ll do what I can to hold off the beast.

  The pangolin chuffed, sending a cloud of dust into Kai’s face. Its throat rattled deeply, shaking the very air with its force. How do you plan to hold me off, dragonling? You don’t even have your wings.

  Clutching his glaive, Kai squared off with the subterranean gladiator. He held up his weapon, and in an act of defiance, activated Flame Spear. The skill erupted from his glaive, splashing across the pangolin’s hide.

  As before, the black fungus burst into flame.

  The monster flinched, then responded by slamming Kai to the ground with its indomitable will. Fire! You use Fire ether against me? You fool!

  Just then, the bulky figure of Ban emerged from the core room, his holy javelin spell already activating. A cloud of golden javelins rose and fell, lancing the monster’s body in a dozen places.

  The pangolin roared again, then attacked in a most surprising way.

  Kai had assumed the beast would simply stomp on them or use its terrifying beak to bite. Instead, cords of Abyss ether rose from its back, forming a thick rope. In a flash, the rope snapped out and struck Greg in the chest.

  In a single blow, Ban’s Golden 3 champion broke apart like an overripe melon.

  Panic threatened to overwhelm Kai, but if he didn’t hold it together, all of his friends were as good as dead. Then he remembered his ascension. Not the Attribute Points or the Mandala that filled his body with more power than ever.

  Kai thought back to his short and moving dream.

  He’d dreamt of a single reality, one he could not
deny.

  I am a shivving dragon, Kai reminded himself. It is time to act like it.

  He closed his eyes and focused, recalling the sensation of owning a body so much different than the one he knew. He recalled the wind over his scales, the muscles in his back and wings guiding his flight. He imagined talons and fangs and a world below as he flew as easy as if he were walking.

  A pain tore at his back, causing him to fall to the ground. Kai’s glaive clattered as he dropped it, and another convulsion shook Kai’s body. His ribs cracked and twisted, and then his flesh ripped in a hundred places.

  The only thing he could do was scream.

  His cry of pain echoed in the chasm. Then it was a roar of pain, a roar rippling outward in a fell wind from a deep and powerful throat.

  Opening his eyes, Kai saw with surprise he’d succeeded.

  His legs stretched out before him, shining scales of every color reflecting the afternoon sunlight. Sweet Briga, Kai thought distantly. Please give me the power to turn back when this is over.

  Roaring back, the pangolin howled in rage or excitement. So, the dragon emerges! Much honor! Much honor and respect for slaying a dragon in the flesh.

  The beast followed its words with a final mental blast. But when the psychic wave hit him, Kai almost laughed. It was weak and distant at best.

  In his dragon form, Kai was apparently immune.

  Shaking his head, Kai lifted one of his forepaws and moved the talons that hung there. I am a dragon, he told himself in disbelief. I have scales and claws. I have wings, he added as he lifted his wings awkwardly above his back.

  I am a dragon, and I am going to kill this nightmare.

  Kai strode toward the pangolin with violent intent.

  As soon as he did so, he nearly fell. Kai’s legs wouldn’t move like he wanted them to.

  Then his wings got caught on one another.

  Come, dragon! Show me your teeth! the pangolin jeered.

  But Kai stumbled again when he tried to walk. Angry and frustrated, Kai taunted the beast in an attempt to get it to draw closer. Are all Abyssal Fauna so cowardly? You’ve come to my home. Attack now or leave this place.

  All too quickly, the pangolin replied. The cords of Abyss ether formed once more, and soon, the pangolin had not one but two deadly ropes writhing in the air above its head. Then, without another mocking word, it attacked.

  Kai flinched as the whips of ether lashed his body. His scales were strong as iron, but the pure Abyss ether cut through them easily. He made an awkward slash with one of his paws, but when he touched the corded ether, it only caused him further damage.

  His foolish plan had been foiled. If only it had come a little closer.

  If only I knew how this body worked! Kai wanted to scream.

  And then it came to him. A flash of insight, clear as a crystal.

  The Path!

  I need to use what I already know of this body, Kai thought as he considered his frame anew.

  Perhaps this wasn’t the awkward form he felt it to be - pitched forward and splayed on his belly like a lizard - maybe it was more familiar than that.

  The image came to him, the sweeping claws of a tiger amidst a field of blood and fury. He’d been the tiger. He had practiced those steps enough times to know how they felt. And he’d learned from one of the most beautiful monks in all of Anvar.

  Kai hunched down under the repeated blows. He ignored the tears in his flesh, the shattered scales blasted apart a few at a time. And he remembered what it felt like to fight with a four-legged stance.

  He lunged forward, adopting Tiger Hides its Claws.

  Though he’d practiced the pose on two legs, its hunched-over and hands-forward emphasis made it less difficult to emulate as a dragon. He modified the pose slightly, but when it came to attacking, a near exactly slashing motion felt natural to Kai.

  Kai focused, and remembering that he’d always had four limbs, even if they were so very different in shape and function, he moved toward the pangolin.

  His adversary refused to let up, and even added a third appendage to its arsenal.

  Kai’s body took the punishment well, his incredible bulk absorbing most of the damage. Yet it came so quickly that the endless reserve of power Kai felt was already diminishing.

  With the first of five stances in mind, Kai discovered he was capable of walking. He held his weight more in his hind legs, using his forepaws to carefully navigate.

  The pangolin radiated its malicious willpower, but in his dragon form, regardless of how close he came, Kai was immune.

  Finally, he was within striking distance.

  Kai thought of how Rhona’s skilled body might perform the technique, and he forced his body to follow suit.

  The massive claws protruding from his hands tore through the pangolin’s hide with ease.

  His foe recoiled, seeming almost surprised to have been physically injured.

  It responded by intensifying its ether whip assault. Moreover, the pangolin turned and lowered its head.

  Then it charged, the massive plates on its back producing a terrible grinding noise as it did so.

  Spinning on his hind legs, Kai avoided the charge and lashed out again as the pangolin passed him. He aimed at the monster’s neck, hoping to cause as much damage as possible. Tiger Slashing Snake emerged naturally, Kai relaxing at last, allowing the movements to come unconsciously.

  The beast roared in pain as Kai spilled its blood. Claws swept through the creature’s flesh like wind through a grassy field.

  It stumbled.

  The horror’s staggering weight shifted slightly, as if the wounds had truly affected it. It dug in its heels, grinding to a halt before turning back to face Kai.

  Wisely, it didn’t charge a second time. Such a beast, with its stone-like plating, and standing at least thirty feet high and the same wide, must have weighed nearly twice as much as Kai.

  His dragon form was long and sleek. He wished he could see himself in a mirror, to study the lines and angles of his body.

  That could come later, but for now, Kai simply knew that if he wanted to defeat this beast, he had to do so expressly by being more agile.

  Too bad this is my first day in this body, Kai mused as he shifted in preparation of the third technique.

  Pouncing in Tall Grass was the most subtle of the first five stances. Attacking from this stance was best paired with a feint, which set up nicely for a brutal and swift attack afterward.

  The pangolin hunched before Kai, its body trembling slightly. Then the ether-forged whips pulled back into its body, wrapping around the beast’s thick torso.

  At last, after some effort, Kai watched as long horns of Abyss ether emerged from the pangolin’s brow and shoulders. Though they were made of energy, each of the six-foot horns seemed capable of tearing Kai open with ease.

  Kai feinted, moving forward and raising a clawed foreleg in an effort to convince the monster he meant to attack.

  The pangolin took the bait.

  It dug in its heels and charged again.

  This time, when it came close, Kai focused exclusively on evasion. His long tail slammed into the chasm wall, and one of the beast’s great horns still managed to tear a long gash down his flank. For the most part though, he avoided most of the damage.

  Then, just like he’d practiced, Kai slashed twice more, Pouncing in Tall Grass opening the beast further. The first tore the flesh across the pangolin’s ribs, revealing gleaming obsidian bones as long as Kai’s new tail.

  The monster swung out its broad tail to counter, and the blunt plates crashed into Kai’s long neck.

  Despite it being a rushed counterattack, the blow still affected him. His throat felt near to collapsing, and he choked, sucking in air in panicked gulps.

  The pangolin pressed the attack, moving its haunch closer and swinging its tail yet again.

  Kai fell into Retreating on the Furious Wind. He retreated slightly, just enough to avoid being crushed by the thick
appendage. Then he darted in to make the beast pay.

  His claws blurred before him, exposing a gaping hole in the side of the pangolin’s belly, low near its hind leg.

  Doubling down on his efforts, Kai took a risk. He surged forward in Tiger’s Hide Bleeds. The pangolin responded to Kai’s rushing attack by falling on its side and flailing outward with all four of its clawed legs.

  The fifth technique was the most devastating, but it left him open.

  Ignoring the pangolin’s limbs, Kai swept his forepaws in a series of fast slashes, each targeting the monster’s soft underbelly.

  His own body suffered as well.

  Long gashes were opened up on his shoulders and chest, one cutting so deeply that he felt his left foreleg go partially numb.

  Kai retreated a distance. His awkward legs moved a little easier than before. It helped to remember that his old body could perform these movements too, even if less comfortably.

  He crawled backward until his tail splashed into the cold waters of the Sunken Keep.

  His foe writhed before him. The pain of its wounds were finally adding up.

  Before any sense of relief or triumph could come, the monster shuddered. Rising to its feet again, the beast’s limbs crackled with Abyss ether as it curved in on itself, arching its back. The monster’s body convulsed once, from its foul head to its stunted tail.

  Then a star made of pure shadow formed in the center of the pangolin’s chest.

  It breathed deeply.

  The air filled with a myriad of the black fungal spores, making Kai squint and shield his eyes.

  At first, Kai thought this might be a counterattack. Despite his fears, the spores didn’t seem to cause his eyes or lungs any pain. Perhaps it was just another benefit of a dragon body.

  But then, as if Kai’s mightiest attacks meant nothing, the beast healed itself, the gaps on its flesh knitting easily.

  A cold pang of fear gripped Kai.

  Rhona was still stuck in whatever trance she and Hastings were in, and the Shimmering Shield Wall protecting them from this behemoth battle would fade soon. Ban’s champion was little more than mist and a spattering of gore on the steps of the Sunken Keep.