I finished the rest, and we came in at twenty-nine people together with Scar. I had no idea why it worked with the wolf, but it did. The biggest problem was sending the kids an invitation until they accepted. I let out a deep sigh once we were done, and itched for a good fight.
“Anyone else have more ideas?” I asked and glanced over the group.
No one said anything, but I could see they were happy with the result. This way we had everyone in one place, and I could even see who was who and use their names. Until I remembered them without cheating.
“We need to get out there before the others get stupid ideas,” Scar said and started walking toward the dome wall.
“You’re right, big guy. What do you think about the elite’s throw?”
He made a disgusted face and shook his head as if not wanting to think about it. “Hard. Very hard. It felt as if they were about to rattle my bones.”
I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. A pair of arms embraced me from behind.
“Vik,” Melina whispered from behind me, “be safe, alright?”
I looked back and nodded, then kissed her one more time before I followed Scar.
“Talk to you soon? I think we should have a heart-to-heart once I’m done here,” I called over my shoulder.
And be safe, huh? I didn’t think anyone could be quite safe when it came to life-and-death battles like what was about to follow. She flashed me a smile and nodded as she held the tetsubo in her hand. My warrior goddess. How fierce and wicked she was.
The group of kobolds swarmed us the moment we came into their range. Scar lunged into their midst and released a wave of lightning that stunned them momentarily, all but the two big ones. I drew my nodachi and charged, swinging in a horizontal motion. The sword’s blade passed through necks and bodies alike until it caught on the purple kobold’s shield. They didn’t use clubs; instead, they fought with short-swords and shields. The big ones, on the other hand, used something similar to Melina’s tetsubo. Thick metal rods with sharp ends, but at least two to three times longer than the one she used.
The elite kobold swung the weapon in a wide arc, hitting two of its own as it came racing right at me. I dropped low and put up my sword at a slight angle. The mass of steel met my blade and bounced off slightly, but still managed to graze my arm.
Damage Notification:
You have received 41 damage from Elite Kobold.
I gaped at the notification for a single breath before I slid it aside and frowned.
“Don’t let that thing hit you, or you’re dead! It just did forty-one damage with a glancing blow!”
I pushed off the ground and darted to the opposite side of where its weapon swung, to get in from behind, but the bastard did a full circle and came flying right at me again. Scar jumped past me on top of its back and released a mass of lightning-infused Enma. It crackled and exploded, but it didn’t do much to hurt the monster. The only difference I noticed was the crackling shield.
The little less than two dozen smaller kobolds attacked us head-on. Mark bolted around them and lunged behind the playground tower, then climbed up to the top. My head snapped back and focused on the same elite monster. The other elite just stood there as if it didn’t have a single worry in life. Well, fuck. Monsters equally underestimated me just like humans did, almost as if I were a nobody. Fuck that!
“Scar, keep it busy! Mark, shoot the bastard the moment you have a clear line of sight!”
The wolf didn’t need to be told twice as he tried to pull the monster to the ground along with him, but the elite kobold’s free hand shot over its shoulder and grabbed Scar’s neck, then threw the wolf into a thick tree stump. He exploded in a shower of sparks and thunderbolts that homed in on the monster and struck him, paralyzing his body for the moment.
A deafening boom resounded from behind just as something struck the monster’s chest. The elite stumbled backward and dropped on its ass. The second elite didn’t look so amused anymore as it scanned the surroundings, and its eyes landed on Mark.
“Get out of there!” I yelled as it made its first step.
I put up my nodachi and placed myself between the elite and Mark, who was fumbling with his sniper rifle, but it didn’t even seem to care. The enormous club came crashing at me as the kobold moved in Mark’s direction. I dodged to the left and rolled past it, then drew my sword and sliced cleanly through the backs of its kneecaps, but not before its shield protested.
“The shields are weaker from behind!” I yelled, thinking this an important revelation.
The elite let out a deafening bellow as it staggered and dropped onto its face. I turned back to stare at the one that still sat on its ass, only to see all ten of the cousins charge the elite. Their weapons started glowing as they struck the monster. Some passed right through the shield barrier and drew blood, but most attacks were deflected.
I pulled my nodachi back and stared at the creature, then used << SPIKE >>. Nothing happened. I tried again, but again, nothing happened.
“Fuck!” I cursed and tried to activate it a third time, but nothing happened.
I opened my skill window and read the skill description again. It was still the same as when I read it the first time. There were no restrictions that I could see. But why was the text gray?
“Try the other weapon,” Scar said calmly.
“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”
“I am, but just because I can’t take a physical form doesn’t mean I’m as useless as you are.”
I rolled my eyes as I dropped the nodachi and regretted it immediately. One shouldn’t abuse their weapon or mistreat it. I’d have to remember not to do the same thing again, or at least do it with more respect. Now that it was already done, though, my hand slid around the gladius’s handle. I pulled the blade free and stared at it in awe. Shit, it was just pure beauty.
I shook my mind free from the compulsion and stared at the skill window. << SPIKE >> was lit up now. What the hell? So there were hidden requirements, huh? Very well then. From now on, I wasn’t going to rush into battle without knowing the full extent of whatever new stuff I’d gained previously. Or at least I’d try to.
I darted at the bruised and half-beaten elite and swung my gladius. It bounced off lightly, but the barrier surrounding it shattered anew. It must have regenerated just a small amount of points over the last seconds. The cousins had already retreated and were darting about, circling the creature and taking potshots while fending off the common and uncommon kobolds. It was more than enough to keep it off balance and the shield down.
A new wave of the smaller kobolds, both gray and purple, appeared around the elites even before they were all killed, and instead of one more gray, there was a golden, shimmering one rising to its feet. It was taller than the purple ones, but still half the size of the elites.
“What’s with goldy locks?” I yelled as the little monsters charged us.
Monster Scan:
NAME: Golden Kobold
RANK: 3, Rare
HEALTH: 400
ENMA: 200
SPEED: 1.4
PHYSICAL ATTACK: 110
ENMA ATTACK: 70
DEFENSE: 10
ENMA SHIELD: 150
The newcomer stood there for a long moment before it pulled out a crossbow, notched a bolt, and fired it right at my chest. I brought up my gladius but failed to deflect the shot. The bolt passed through my shield, cracking it partially, and struck my left shoulder.
Damage Notification:
You have received 31 damage from Golden Kobold.
“Boss!” Gary yelled as he charged the shooter and slashed across his shield with the guandao. The blade sent sparks flying in all directions as the kobold deflected the surface using one of its bolts and then jumped back before it started running.
“I’m fine!” I cursed as I got up. “What a damned clusterfuck!”
“These things are stronger than they used to be!” Han yelled.
“Hold on
and push them back! Focus your attacks!” Kang roared as he kicked a purple in the side of its head, sending it crashing into another purple.
I pulled myself together and charged the still-dazed elite, ramming the tip of my blade right up its armpit. The shield crackled but then gave way as I cut through. I didn’t wait for it to respond and used the one game changer I had available to me.
Damage Notification:
You have used << SPIKE >>.
You have used 40 Enma.
You have inflicted 146 damage to Elite Kobold.
The gladius grew hot and glowed with a blue and purple hue that ran along the two edges. My sword arm pulled back over my neck, and I grabbed hold of the handle with my free hand before ramming the blade down the elite’s chest. It dug in deep and elicited a wet gurgle as the piece of steel slid into its flesh.
The elite exploded in gore and ichor but then dissolved while still in the air. A fist-sized crystal dropped from the elite. It glowed red and gave off a pretty strong heat wave. I stepped back and grabbed it and swiped the notification away, then turned on the second red kobold. The club crashed right into my side, breaking the shield and mangling my sword arm as it screamed and spat, probably even cursed. I couldn’t even understand the shit it was saying, but I could see the damage notification.
Damage Notification:
You have received 174 damage from Elite Kobold.
Critical Hit!
Kang jumped in and cut into its legs, eliciting a howl, and was rewarded with a backhand to the face for it. He went flying and crashed into the slide near Mark.
“You alive?” I yelled as I held my arm tight. Damned thing hurt like a bastard.
A second boom resounded in response, and the elite’s head rocked forward as the bullet tore through its shield and the back of its head, only to come out at the front and strike me in the chest.
Damage Notification:
You have received 200 damage from Mark McGregor.
Critical Hit!
I dropped on my back without so much as a grunt. I couldn’t even breathe or speak, as the bullet knocked all the air out of me, effectively taking me out of the battle. I struck the pavement with my back and head, sending stars spinning around me.
I looked up at the sky. There were a couple of clouds gathered right above this place, but nothing serious. A drop of rain struck my forehead. Then another and another. Shit, was a storm going to hit this place again?
“Kill—them all!” I wheezed as I tried to push myself up. “Kill them all and… loot their bodies!”
You could almost call it a tropical rainstorm what followed next. The wind picked up, and lightning flashed across the sky as thunder resounded all around the city. Why? Did something happen to warrant such a change, or was it just the Gods playing games?
The kobolds died within seconds as my group charged them, all but the golden one. It kept dodging and jumping out of the way with incredible tenacity. Mark missed a shot, and every single one of our attacks missed as well, even the skills. I steadied my breathing and observed the monster as I sat there on the ground.
“Box it in!” Kang snapped.
“Yeah! Push it to the middle!” Lee added.
I didn’t think it would work. It was almost as if the thing knew where the attack was coming from. Could it read movements? Or our minds? It was only then I noticed the odd glow in its eyes, just when it looked right at me and fired off another bolt.
I rolled out of the way and barely dodged the projectile, got up all pissed, and stormed the nasty sucker as I held the gladius with my left hand and the nodachi with my right. True, it was a bit heavy for one hand, and I was a mess, but I wouldn’t want it to sit out the battle.
“Here, here! You little shit!” I yelled, trying to draw its attention.
There was a glimmer of something in its eyes that just wouldn’t let go. It was way too smart in comparison to the others, especially when goldy pressed the crossbow against its shoulder and it started glowing a poisonous green. A wicked grin crept up to its face just before it released the trigger, and a mass of bolts flew in all directions.
“Get down!” Kang roared as he ducked for cover.
Bolts struck the trees, the walls of nearby buildings, the ground, and us. Splinters flew everywhere, even hitting some of the balconies and the ryokan’s dome.
“Everyone alive?” I yelled as I pushed myself off and charged the shiny bastard.
“More or less!” Mark yelled back.
He had the high ground, so he was able to see better than me. Good. I’d had enough of the nasty sucker despite the pain I was in. My nodachi slashed wide and slammed against the tree it hid behind, but I followed up with my left arm. The sword darted out as if my life depended on it, slithering toward the kobold.
<< SPIKE >>
The shorter sword sang and passed right through the tree, slamming into the shield that surrounded goldy. It let out a maddened screech and tried to pull back, but Gary was there and blocked its retreat with a wide slashing motion. The kobold jumped upward and landed atop his guandao, but I grabbed its foot as it was about to lunge at the man.
“Oh, no you won’t!” I hissed as I used all my power to slam the creature against the ground.
Its head struck a large rock and snapped back, dissolving as I still clutched its leg. Some of it dropped into a pile while the rest drifted off with the wind and left a bittersweet feeling behind. A small pouch formed where the remains fell, glowing and drawing me to it automatically.
“That’s a pouch of holding,” Scar whispered. “I feel a pocket-space inside. It’s as large as a bigger room in the ryokan.”
“Oh? It can hold quite a few things, then?”
“Yeah, it can, but you’d better hide it from them for now.”
I got up and tucked it into my jacket’s pocket before anyone could get a better look. Letting out a sigh of relief, I turned to Gary, who looked at me strangely, but he didn’t say anything. I offered him my hand, and he took it, got up, and then slowly walked over to the rest.
“Anyone need first aid?”
A chorus of no’s followed, and I was relieved that we’d survived the first encounter with no casualties. If we hadn’t been able to beat the elites or goldy, how would we be able to beat the big boss? Shit. If the boss was so much stronger and we barely managed to do these, then I wasn’t so optimistic about our survival anymore.
I heard Mark drop from the tower roof and run over to us. The bag he held in his right hand struck his leg repeatedly, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Now that was quite a difference in power,” he muttered. “Those things were tough.”
“Right about that,” I hissed. “That bastard crushed most of my shield with a single strike.”
“Yeah, I saw. Did we get anything from them?”
I turned back to the group that was getting to its feet slowly. “Did anyone get anything special from the battle?”
Gary walked back over and handed me the gem the other elite had dropped along with two ordinary crystals. The big one was blue, unlike the first one, which was bright red. This one gave off a cold, blue hue.
“Only this, boss.”
“You keep the ordinary ones,” I replied as my hand wrapped around the blue crystal.
Notification:
ITEM RECEIVED:
NAME: Blue Gem Rank 1
QUANTITY: 1
STAT: +20 Health, +5 Defense
DESCRIPTION: Used to slot armor.
I lost my breath for a single moment as I read the notification. Armor? I had no armor, but was there a chance to get some from them just like in games? Remained to be seen.
“Everything good?” Kang asked as I spaced out.
I nodded. “Yeah, sorry. Anyway, keep the ordinary crystals but share among yourselves. Everyone gets the same amount, and if there are some left, keep them for Sandro and Melina. If we still have some left after giving them their share, you can give them to your ladies.�
��
Their expressions turned from gloomy to elated after hearing my words. Why would a boss care about their families, or want to make sure everyone got a fair share? It was something they surely hadn’t seen before.
“Here,” Gary replied with a nod and handed one to Mark.
The moment was awkward, and it almost looked as if he was about to pull his hand back, but Gary went through with it and gave him the second crystal.
“Thanks,” my shooter replied and wrapped his hand around the glowing piece. “I’ll repay you in the future.”
“Fair enough.” Gary laughed. “We’re in this together, aren’t we?”
“We’d better be. You’ll be at the front line, so I need you all strong and healthy. Even more important, I want you all breathing with a single soul, not every man working for themselves.”
They whispered their approval and then started chatting among themselves as Kang, Gary, and Mark huddled around me.
“Anything else for now?” Kang asked.
I shook my head. “All I want is a cold drink and—”
A scream carried from down the street. Everyone tensed up and looked my way to see what I’d do or say. But I didn’t do anything. At least not something I might regret.
“Go to your families. Mark and I’ll check what’s going on.”
“Are you sure? We can still fight!” Kang replied proudly.
He didn’t seem in bad shape now that his shield had regenerated and the energy inside his body had worked on his wounds.
“If you can, keep this area under control. If elites or a goldy appear, pull back and protect the girls. We’ll be right back.”
Chapter Sixteen
The street was mostly empty up to the main road. I stopped and looked for the source of the screams, but I couldn’t find anything.
“Scar?”
“What? You want me to find the source?”
Beginner Quest: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 1) Page 18
