Deserts Of Naroosh

by Bradford Bates

  Doctor Zacharias sprang from the circle of columns and slammed into the party, sending them flying apart like bowling pins. Tim didn’t bother to stand as he sent out the next wave of healing. All that mattered now was killing the boss before he could hit them with another of his massive attacks.

  As the boss’s health approached twenty-five percent, Tim called to the group, “Give it everything you’ve got. Don’t stop until he’s dead.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Cassie snarled as she took a slash from Doctor Zacharias' claws across her shoulder.

  Tim tried not to laugh at her pain. He knew how much being hit hurt, but he also knew he could make that pain go away damn near instantly. “I don’t hear you complaining about the free beer you get for being the damage sponge.”

  “It's like death by a thousand papercuts.” Cassie grimaced. “That shit stings.”

  He wasn’t going to laugh this time. Instead, Tim focused on getting Cassie back to full health. Behold My Power wasn’t active to cast again, and using Divine Light seemed like an expensive treat when everyone wasn’t nearly close to full health. Healing Storm took the edge off the worst of the damage, but he felt like he was falling behind.

  What the fuck is happening?

  Doctor Zacharias’ health dipped under twenty percent, and he let out another of his pitiful cries. The damage the party was taking increased again. Tim looked around for the source as he cast a quick round of Healing Orb on everyone.

  “This is getting ridiculous.” Tim cursed as his eyes moved from person to person.

  What was causing all the damage?

  The realization hit him like a meat tenderizer to the knee. The boss reflected a percentage of their damage at them, and as his health got lower, the feedback received was worse. Tim was tempted to tell everyone to stagger their DPS to make his job easier, but he also didn’t want them to get hit by another round of what he called the Column Smash.

  Keeping up with the healing at fifteen percent was pretty easy, but his mana was depleting rather quickly so he started to conserve it where he could. Tim reapplied Curse of Giving and cast Who Needs a Shield on Cassie for the final push. Right before they hit ten percent, he used Healing Storm to top everyone off.

  A bubble of dark purple energy surrounded Doctor Zacharias as he moved back toward the altar for healing. The amount of damage the party was taking doubled again.

  “Don’t kill yourself by being too aggressive,” Tim shouted as he sent out the next round of healing.

  It felt like his every moment was dedicated to healing now. There wasn’t time to think. All he could do was fire off the next spell to stay ahead of the spikes. It was too bad his cleansing spell wouldn’t work on the boss.

  Wait. Would it work on the boss?

  Tim didn’t remember the spell specifically saying anything about it working only on allies, and in some games taking buffs off a boss was a mandatory part of a fight. It might be worth a shot if one extra cast wouldn’t kill anyone.

  He sent out the next round of Healing Orb, then cast Cleanse on the boss before reapplying Curse of Giving. Tim watched to see if his spell did anything but the dark energy around Doctor Zacharias didn't appear to fade in any significant way.

  It was worth a chance, but now they had to really push it.

  “Finish him!” Tim shouted in his best Mortal Kombat voice.

  The boss hit five percent, and Tim fell to his knees and lifted his hands to the heavens. Healing Storm took effect, and he pushed all his remaining mana into channeling the rain. The group’s health slowly ticked down, but the doctor’s went down faster.

  Cassie used her chain and hook to pull one of the doctor's legs forward while ShadowLily slashed at the other from behind. Zacharias stumbled and dropped to one knee. Lorelei rushed forward, dodging a swipe of the boss’ razor-sharp claws before flipping into the air. Somehow she pulled the doctor's head backward, exposing his throat. Tim knew this was it. ShadowLily was going to end it.

  “Nooooo!” Doctor Zacharias thundered.

  Maybe Tim shouldn’t have been surprised when JaKobi ran toward the boss to end the fight, but he was. His friend had grown a lot since the first day they met him, and he was proud of him. Seeing him fly through the air and slam a ball of flames down into Doctor Zacharias’ mouth was the latest highlight in their adventures together.

  The rest of the group backed away from the boss, and Tim was about to tell them to keep going when a light went off inside the boss’s stomach. Before he could duck out of the way, the doctor’s midsection exploded.

  The fight was over, but Tim’s mouth was full of Zacharias.

  The boss tasted about as good as one would expect an exploded person to taste. In short, it was easily the most disgusting thing he ever ate in his life. Even worse than kale juice. Tim would have gladly slurped down nothing but kale for the rest of his days if he never had to taste exploded Zacharias again. He spat out what he could, used his robes to wipe off the worst of the mess, and placed them in his inventory.

  When Tim pulled his robes out and equipped them, they were spotless, and he felt better for having something clean on. When they got back to the farm, he would drink as much beer as he could find to wash the taste out and hopefully pass out early. Food felt like something that might be a no go until he could forget about the horrible aftertaste.

  The rest of the party was covered in goo but not nearly as bad as himself. It didn’t look like any of the others had been forced to enjoy the Zacharias sampler so he was a little bitter about it. All he wanted now was to get the loot and find something to wash his mouth out with properly.

  The body disappeared in a brilliant flash of swirling golden motes, and as they faded a golden chest appeared.

  “I think Timibal Lector should go first.” Lorelei snorted with laughter.

  Tim grinned as he approached the chest. “You don’t know. Doctor Zacharias could have been delicious.”

  Just saying delicious almost made him barf.

  Screw that guy, he was dead, and there was loot to be had. The glittering chest in front of him consumed all his attention now. Tim rested his hand on the chest and stepped back to see what he received.

  Item Received: Spell book of Disturbance

  Do your enemies have buffs you wish they didn’t? Then the Spell of Disturbance is just what you need. Remove one friendly or beneficial spell from an enemy. Not all buffs or spells can be removed.

  “Sweet! I got a spell that can remove buffs from enemies.” Tim almost couldn’t believe his good luck.

  “Dude, that’s awesome.” JaKobi clapped him on the back before placing his hand on the chest.

  A new hat appeared on JaKobi’s head. “Wizard's Hat of the Unquenchable Flame. The item adds duration to my damage over time spells.”

  “Don’t hog all the good stuff.” Cassie laid her hand on the chest. “Seriously, Bootlaces of Recklessness?” The tank glared at JaKobi. “You're lucky I like all the benefits.”

  “I like them too.” JaKobi gave her a sly grin.

  Lorelei stepped between them on her way to the chest. “Can’t let you two have all the fun.”

  A lopsided grin spread across the ranger’s face. “Quiver of Poisonous Intent. Gives my arrows a small bonus to any piercing damage done. It’s pretty freaking awesome.”

  Cassie mouthed to JaKobi while holding up two strings, “Bootlaces.”

  Last to step up to the chest was ShadowLily. She reached out and laid her hand on the chest before stepping back. “Trinket of the Leaping Leopard. Apparently, I get a bonus for jumping and damage while airborne. If you see me jumping around during fights you know why.”

  Lorelei jumped from spot to spot on her way to the door. “Don’t worry, guys. I’m doing a lot of damage, I swear.”

  “Be happy I’m not jumping on you,” ShadowLily quipped with playful menace.

  The ranger laughed as she turned to wink at her. “Better ask your man first because I might kinda like that.�
�

  Tim moved forward and slung an arm around Lorelei’s shoulders. “Maybe we can work something out.”

  “Fuck off,” Lorelei and ShadowLily said in unison.

  He couldn’t help but grin as the two women chastised him. Tim held up his hands defensively. “Okay, okay, farmgirl for Lorelei, and the bestest most wonderfulest woman I know for me.”

  “Bestest most wonderfulest is kind of weak, don't you think?” Lorelei smirked.

  ShadowLily removed Tim’s arm from the ranger’s shoulders and replaced it with hers. “And what if I wanted the farm girl?”

  “You really stepped in it now,” JaKobi chided as he passed the stunned healer.

  Cassie picked Tim up and tossed him over one shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve always wanted brother-bands.”

  “Is that like sister-wives, but for chicks?” JaKobi sounded appalled.

  Cassie slapped her hand down on Tim’s ass so hard he squawked. “Looks like it’s you and me then, big guy.”

  Tim jumped off Cassie's shoulder and sprinted toward ShadowLily. “Save me! I don’t want to be a bro-band.”

  JaKobi jumped and landed over Cassie’s shoulder with a grin spreading across his face. “Some guys don’t know how to be grateful. Carry me to bed, woman.”

  Tim didn’t see JaKobi land on his ass, but he heard it just fine as they kept walking. He loved his friends so much he couldn’t imagine his life without them. It was time for them to start a new adventure in a new land. He didn’t know what awaited them in the desert, but he was dying to find out.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The party going on downstairs was in full effect, but as usual, Tim was late.

  Everyone downstairs would have to be content to wait a while because he’d been covered in boss and wasn’t getting out of the tub until he was one hundred percent sure he was clean. Getting bathed in blood really made a person rethink how many baths were appropriate to take in a day.

  While he didn’t enjoy baths nearly as much as showers, he had to admit they were kind of relaxing. They were also the perfect place to go over his stats. Tim had a couple of pending quests to turn in, and he hoped they’d be enough to give him his next level. Then he would have two skill points to spend.

  There was no time like the present to determine if he earned enough experience, so Tim selected the first quest he wanted to turn in.

  Quest Complete: Harpy’s Got the Blues

  Reward: Five gold coins

  You received an item from every single boss. You should be happy to get anything from this quest besides experience.

  It was true that he’d picked up some great new gear and a ton of experience in the dungeon. Not every quest had to be for the most epic piece of loot. Sometimes the small upgrades and experience were even more valuable. Right now, Tim wanted to hit level twenty. He was getting so close to his next class change he could taste it.

  His next quest also wouldn’t offer any additional rewards, but the smile on Jessi's face when they told her she was right about the harpy was worth all the gold in the world. The young acolyte was excited enough to be correct, but she was over the moon when Brother Colton promoted her.

  Not a bad result for the young lady considering the look on Brother Colton’s face when he saw Jessi sprinting toward their party. Their rotund friend had been so concerned that Tim had thought the young woman was trying to attack them. It was funny how a chance encounter ended up with them saving a farm and helping a lot of hungry people.

  Questing always felt rewarding when there was good loot, and they got to help someone. It was time to turn in his next quest and see if it was enough to get to his next level. Then Tim could review his skills and join the party downstairs. A beer sounded pretty good, and if he didn’t get out of the tub soon, he would have prune hands for the rest of the night.

  Quest Complete: Farm to Table

  You slew the harpy and saved the farm. Not only that, but you uncovered a much larger threat to the kingdom and handled it as well. You’ve earned the respect of Brother Colton and Jessi and increased your group’s reputation in The Etheric Coast. As a bonus, you have been rewarded with five gold coins.

  System Message: You have gained a level.

  Sweet!

  Tim was level sixteen now, and he could almost taste his level twenty class change quest coming up. Getting the next boost in skills and power was going to be awesome. He’d been lucky enough to get to skip over all the work the others had to put into their class change missions the first time so it was a pretty good bet he’d have to go through it this time around.

  Nothing worth having came without hard work.

  That was one of the things his parents always ingrained in him. They reminded him ever so gently that you could blame the world for where you started or how hard your life was, or you could work to better yourself and those around you every day. It was a lesson that wouldn’t have meant much if he hadn’t seen how hard they worked. Watching his parents get up with the sun and go to bed long after it was down every day without complaint was what got him to college.

  Then I got a job and a girlfriend.

  It was funny how life had a way of changing when you didn’t expect it. He’d always wanted to be a famous singer but had a voice even autotune couldn’t correct. He could hold his own when it came to sports, but making it big was a pipe dream. Sadly, there wasn’t a future in smoking weed and playing video games so he picked business.

  Numbers always made sense to him in a way that words didn’t. Kinda funny how his love affair with numbers found him living inside a game instead of placing market orders for a brokerage firm. Not that entering the game was exactly risk-free, but it was better than being trapped in a cube. It boggled his mind why these companies kept huge offices when many people could do the same job from home.

  Whatever. Even working from home sucked when the other option was slaying monsters for a living. Especially when there was a new land on the horizon, one filled with new possibilities and rewards, it was time to stop stalling and get to the desert.

  Sadly, they wouldn’t carry him there in the tub so he had to move things along himself.

  Tim pulled up his status menu and quickly allocated his two unassigned skill points into intelligence, bringing his total to thirty-five. There was a moment where he debated putting them into endurance to get closer to the twenty percent threshold, but the mana regeneration supplied by his intelligence was key to his success. As soon as he got his secondary stat over forty, he’d make sure to hit twenty endurance next before building his wisdom again.

  The fights wouldn’t last long if he couldn’t survive a single hit.

  With his stat points out of the way, Tim turned his attention to his skill sheet. It was amazing how many notifications one could let pile up when they didn’t look at them for a long time. At least he didn’t have to acknowledge the messages to receive the benefits from his upgraded skills, but he liked to read them anyway to make sure he didn’t miss any new developments. Plus, the game’s AI put a little snark into the comments so it almost felt rude not to read them.

  Skill Increased: Behold My Power

  Rank: Apprentice level four

  You really like using this spell to kill things. Now that you’ve reached the apprentice ranks, the spell’s cooldown has been decreased by a small amount. This reduction doesn’t come without a cost. The spell will now take 1.15% of your group's health every second for ten seconds before delivering the total damage to the boss and applying the debuff.

  Debuff: Powershock

  Powershock increases the damage the target takes from all sources by five percent for ten seconds.

  It was nice to get this skill into the apprentice ranks finally. The only thing that had been holding Tim back from using it more often was the cooldown. Right now the spell was normally only good for once a fight unless everything went perfect. Now he’d have to see if he could use it to increase the DPS’ opening burst and again to close ou
t the fight. There still might not be enough time, but he’d never know if he didn’t try.

  The trick would be making sure he had enough mana to heal through the damage the spell caused to the party while they were taking additional damage from the fight. It wasn’t impossible but using this spell was always heavily situational.

  Skill Increased: Small Blades

  Rank: Apprentice level seven

  When in doubt, grab a knife and start stabbing. That’s exactly what you did, and it helped your group. Continue introducing others to the sharp end of a small blade to increase this skill.

  Tim didn’t get a chance to use his daggers nearly as much as he liked to. That was the rub when he picked a support class. Not being a damage-dealer didn’t mean that he couldn’t get stabby. It just meant he had to pick the right moment to do it. Plus, it was nice not always getting blood on his hands.

  Skill Increased: Dodge

  Rank: Apprentice level five

  It’s funny how getting hit by things doesn’t feel good. Fortunately, you seem to have a knack for avoiding damage, even if it feels more like luck than skill sometimes. Keep dodging attacks to increase this skill.

  Tim wanted to be offended, but the update was pretty accurate. He didn't dodge things as much as run away and hope they didn’t hit him. If he kept his dexterity stat up and flying objects kept missing him he might start to dodge things on purpose someday.

  Skill Increased: Flame Burst

  Rank: Apprentice level five

  When you call upon them, the flames will burst from your hands and incinerate your enemies, or the spell would if you used the skill a little more often. Hopefully a good singeing is all you need it for.

  Hey, that was a little unfair.

  Tim might not be the best at using this spell, but at least he could use it for more than a distraction now. Who knew? This might be more of his go-to at the next rank, but for now Divine Light packed a little more of a punch although the mana cost was higher.

  Skill Increased: Healing Storm

  Rank: Apprentice level five