The kobolds weren’t far ahead anymore, a little less than a hundred paces. Scar ate the ground up as he flew right toward them, barely keeping up with me. The first line condensed and formed a wall with their bodies, but he plowed right into them and discharged his first wave of lightning. The bolts passed through kobolds, popping them like popcorn wherever it passed and lighting them on fire. Not a single kobold ran or retreated; no, they swarmed us like a tidal wave, not afraid for their lives in the least.
I lowered the nodachi just when I was about to come in swinging range, then stopped in my tracks and swung the sword in a circle, cutting through dozens of grays and purples. The elites turned on the center one, but due to the mass of lesser kobolds, they weren’t making good progress.
Three bolts glanced off my Enma Shield, knocking off five points each. The bolts strafed and hit three grays that had gathered behind me. I pushed through the throng of the creatures, slashing at them with my nodachi, and stopped for a second to pull the gladius back out.
The elite was so close I could almost taste its bloodlust. These bastards looked the same, but they were aggressive, not like the ones outside in the streets. That explained why they all attacked me at once.
A second discharge fried several dozen grays ahead of and around me as Scar plunged into them from the side. They pummeled and slashed at him, but the weapons mostly dinged off harmlessly. He snapped his teeth at the purples as bolts of lightning struck anything that made contact with him.
The elite finally came into reach and swung its oversized club at me. I ducked and blocked it at an angle. It lost its grip, and the club went flying over its shoulder and struck a second elite right in the face. I grabbed my gladius at the last moment and attacked.
Damage Notification:
You have used << SPIKE >>.
You have used 40 Enma.
You have inflicted 288 damage to Elite Kobold.
The shield exploded as I felt my Enma pool shrink slightly. I immediately switched to absorbing the surrounding Enma as I darted past the elite. A boom resounded from my right, and a second later I felt an incredible wave of energy pass me from behind. The projectile scorched anything below as it passed in a direct line, struck the elite’s chest, and evaporated into thin air some thirty feet behind the monster.
“Shit!” I cursed as I barely caught myself from falling. “That thing has a wild kick to it!” I yelled over my right shoulder.
I didn’t dare to glance his way, but I knew he’d be grinning. Who wouldn’t? That was just an ordinary attack, not even a skill! Or so I thought.
Scar plunged past me and stumbled accidentally, fell, and was swarmed by a group of purples. I couldn’t help him, or I’d be caught from behind. Two new bolts struck my shield.
Damage Notification:
You have received 15 damage from Golden Kobold.
You have received 17 damage from Golden Kobold.
I was still very safe shield-wise at just over 500 points, but I’d have to start dodging them soon if I didn’t want to get taken out by the long-range fire.
“Scar, do something about the goldies! Chase them around if nothing else!”
A bolt of lightning struck where he lay, sending a wave of lightning flying in all directions, and threw off the pesky buggers. Scar got up and lunged again, biting into one of the kobolds that were hitting him.
“Kind of busy!” he protested.
“Yeah, well, I’m going to be out of shield at this rate!”
A war cry from behind startled me. I knew the voice belonged to Sandro. I groaned as he charged the horde of kobolds. Sure, he had a—no, that was a great thing. He was using a naginata with extremely good reach.
“Sandro! Help Scar with the goldies!”
“Sure thing, boss!” he yelled back and screamed again just as I reached the elite with the cracked shield.
<< SLASH >>
Nothing happened.
<< SLASH >>
Again, nothing happened.
“Stash the second sword or you can’t use the skill, you damn moron! How can someone as strong as you be so dumb?”
Scar wasn’t choosing his words, but now that he said it, the words made sense. If there was a weapon in each hand, it wasn’t clear what weapon to use it with.
I stashed the gladius again and grabbed the nodachi’s hilt with both hands.
Damage Notification:
You have used << SLASH >>.
You have used 60 Enma.
You have inflicted 346 damage to Elite Kobold.
The blade glowed red and started humming as it pulled back on its own, then struck out faster than the eye could follow. A red line appeared where the blade cut the elite across the chest, and grayish blood started seeping out. The kobold cried out in pain and thrashed around, almost kicking me over. Eight to go.
A second boom rang out and struck the elite ahead of me. The bullet stopped for a second as it impacted the shield, but it kept spinning and spinning. The shield cracked and let the bullet through. The third elite’s chest exploded as the bullet disappeared inside.
My ears rang, and I couldn’t hear anything for several seconds. The calm from earlier disappeared, and I felt uneasy again. The weight of the situation landed on my shoulders just as a bolt struck me dead-on, cracked the shield, and narrowly missed me.
Damage Notification:
You have received 43 damage from Golden Kobold.
“Fuck!” I cursed as the shield value dropped under 500. I needed to get rid of them, but there was no way I could do that while fighting so many of these bastards.
“Heads up. The kobolds are spawning again.”
I glanced toward Scar and saw hundreds of gray and purple monsters appear for the second time around, filling the gaps we’d cleared a minute before. I looked up at the potions’ duration.
10:14
10:13
10:12
“Kang! Join the battle and just leave one man behind in case some get past you!”
I didn’t wait for him to respond, and waded through the throng of the small creatures toward the fourth elite. I stashed the nodachi and pulled the gladius out, readying myself to use my shield buster again.
The red kobold’s club swung low, so I couldn’t duck. I jumped over it and stumbled, then fell over a purple as I landed. I cursed inwardly as I got to my feet while enduring hundreds of small blows. I glanced at the shield. Just over 450.
A premonition of danger hit me from the left. I turned my head around just in time to see the boss’s spear flying right at me. Scar tackled me but was skewered by the oversized toothpick. A massive lightning blast shot out in all directions and gathered into a thundercloud overhead. Lightning bolts struck one after the other, ravaging the kobolds below.
A third shot resounded in the deafening storm. Another elite exploded ahead of me, leaving only two on the right and five more on the left. The boss let out another bellow and was followed by a wave of energy that flattened most of the purples and grays. The three goldies hid behind the cluster of five elites, which pulled back to the side.
Damage Notification:
You have received Bellow of Rage debuff from Kobold Lord.
All stats -15% for 60 seconds.
“Be careful! We’re debuffed for a minute!” I yelled over my shoulder and saw Kang, Ang, and Gary kneeling while the rest lay on their backs.
The women still sat in the distance, gathering the energy. Every single one of them had their eyes close, all but Melina. She stared at me in horror, no, not me. At the boss.
My head shot back around, and I found myself looking up at the monstrosity. Shit, when the hell had it moved? Its fist struck out and caught me on my right shoulder.
Damage Notification:
You have received 151 damage from Kobold Lord.
I flew through the air and landed near the heap of decaying corpses. The gut-wrenching stench hit me like a mallet to the face. I reeled and rolled to the side, got up, and ran tow
ard the black kobold lord as I drew on the Enma around me and from the crystal in my hand. My shield recovered barely to 350 points as I closed the distance, running from the death and stench.
All three of the goldies peeked out from behind the elites, pointed their crossbows at the men, and released their skill. My heart stopped and blood froze as dozens of bolts flew straight at Kang and the girls.
“No! No! No!” I cried as a poison-green bolt caught Chang between his eyes.
Time froze as he lingered there for a moment. He had halfway managed to get up just as the bolts came flying, but then dropped to his knees and keeled over. The name Chang disappeared from the party list as he lay there, his eyes open wide. And then Feng. And Lee.
Screams resounded all over as more bolts struck home, but didn’t deal any fatal damage. Keiko and Chiyo got up and ran toward their men, but were struck down, skewered by stray bolts that killed them in a single hit.
“Melina! Get down! Everyone! Down!” I yelled as time started ticking again. “Fuck! What the hell is going on?”
The hair on my back stood up straight, and cold sweat formed on my brow. Fuck, fuck, fuck! That wasn’t supposed to happen!
“Mark! Target those fucking goldies!”
My voice wavered, and I was about to burst into tears. No, this wasn’t happening!
“Twelve seconds!”
I had nothing. I really had nothing that could change the outcome of this battle, but then I caught movement on the far side of the domed area. Sandro. That sneaky bastard had run past them and hidden behind some debris.
I got up and charged the flank. The smaller kobolds hadn’t respawned yet, so my way there was free. The two elites from the right came straight at me while the five formed a wall and pulled back, shielding the goldies. There was no fucking way I could get to them, but I had to do something. Another shot like that and they’d massacre the rest.
A roar from behind startled me. Kang stood there with a bolt in his left bicep, but he held his spear to the side. Gary got to his feet and helped the others stand.
“We’ll take the two on the right!” Gary yelled. “Break that wall! Please!” he cried. “Don’t let any more of us die!”
I stared at his tear-filled eyes as an even greater weight fell over me. What if the rest died? I froze.
“Get your shit together!” Scar hissed in my mind. “You used to be a God! What the hell is going on with you? Didn’t you say you’d protect Melina?”
I shook the fear off and stared at the small group that charged the elites. They were showing some backbone and were willing to put their lives on the line. It gave me the necessary courage to plow on. Yes, I could do this. I could at least save the rest! I had to!
I turned back to the cluster of elites and charged without thinking. The gladius in my hand, I came in from the left to evade the boss’s long reach with the spear it had retrieved by now.
<< SPIKE >>
The gladius sang and struck the elite in its shin, hitting a weak spot and crumbling the shield. The anti-tank gun fired again, and the kobold elite standing between the one without a shield and the projectile put up its club to block, but it was too slow. It grazed its chest and passed through its armpit, only to strike the elite behind him.
<< SLASH >>
Using my nodachi, the red glow enveloped my blade and left a trail behind as it struck the gutted monster. It fell onto its back and pinned one of the goldies behind it to the ground. I darted in low, ducking under a sideswipe, and rammed the gladius in its throat, two times, three times.
Two bolts struck my back, passed through the shield, and pierced my flesh.
Damage Notification:
You have received 74 damage from Golden Kobold.
Critical Hit!
You have received 49 damage from Golden Kobold.
“Aargh!” I cried out as the pain shot up my back and into my head.
I clenched my teeth and rolled over, snapping the bolt shafts as they stuck out from my back, and swept the nodachi at their feet. It bounced off but cracked the closest goldy’s shield down at the heel. My second hand snapped out, and the gladius struck the goldy’s shin. It cried out and chattered with its teeth, then released a crossbow bolt right into my wrist.
Damage Notification:
You have received 45 damage from Golden Kobold.
Excruciating pain shot up my arm, and I let go of the gladius, not able to hold on to it. Sandro charged in, stabbing with his naginata and slashing at the third golden kobold. An elite swung its club around and caught the fool in the side, sending him flying. He coughed and got to his knees, but I knew there wouldn’t be any more use out of him.
Large, strong hands grabbed my ankles and pulled me back. I looked down, afraid they might be black, but they were only red. I kicked out, but it didn’t help. Thirty-two seconds left until I could use << SLASH >> again, but more than half of my Enma pool was already depleted, and the potions were slowly running out.
“Die!” a voice rang out from my left as I dangled by my feet.
Kang’s spear struck one of the elites’ throats, only to come out on the other side. It dropped to its knees and disintegrated. Four more left. Only four more!
A scream sent shivers down my spine. I tried to see who it was. A male voice. And a flying body. Yan’s name disappeared from the party list next as his lifeless body landed near the pile of corpses. I closed my eyes and breathed in and out as the two elites deliberated what to do with me.
14
13
12
“Not like this!” I hissed and swung my nodachi at the one that let go of my hand, probably readying itself to hit me, but it deflected off its shoulder just as Sandro charged the goldy again. The kobold screamed and was followed by another loud thud, the sound of a hammer slamming into meat at high speed.
“Sandro, you fool! Stay down!” I yelled, not wanting to see him die after trying to help me.
What kind of man would I be if I didn’t repay him in equal measure? The boss stepped in and pushed the elite aside, sending it sprawling as its hand moved for the golden kobold. My blood froze as I knelt there, staring up at the hulking behemoth of a boss, knowing very well what it was about to do.
“No, no, no!” I cried. “Stop them! Don’t let it throw the bastard!” I pleaded as the massive black arm moved back and then shot out toward the women. “Han! Stop the goldy!”
Han stood there holding a spear in each hand, but there was no way he would be able to hit the creature while it was so far up. Still, his right arm started glowing as he pulled back the spear, then hurled it at the incoming monster just as its crossbow turned poison green and it released a deadly storm of bolts.
Han’s spear flew straight, gutting the monster in midair, but three bolts struck Han’s chest and neck. The man dropped to his knees as blood spurted from the three wounds. His hand clenched the wound on his neck, and he toppled over, eyes glaring right at me.
Tamako and Mei scrambled to run and were struck in their backs and pinned to the ground while Mai threw herself across Sarah and Laney, protecting them with her body. Four names disappeared from the party, leaving a handful of us in shock and disbelief.
I’d had enough. I couldn’t take it anymore to see my people die. Why did they have to fuck with me yet again? Why was this boss fight set up like this? It should have been only me or the other men dying, not the women as well! Damn it all to hell!
“Again! You’re doing this again! You’re letting innocent people die for the second time while I can’t do anything about it! I hate you! I hate you all!”
I screamed at the sky, at those who were watching this travesty play out from afar. I could feel their presence, but they weren’t saying anything, leaving me to my misery.
Scar’s familiar presence rushed in from the back of my mind, and the lightning wolf appeared right underneath me. He bit down on the elite’s leg, the one still trying to get at me, and sent a current of electricity right th
rough where his teeth had punctured. The kobold’s hand jerked me up and sent me flying right at the boss. His meaty fist, the size of my head, struck right into my chest, slamming me into the hard ground beneath his feet.
Damage Notification:
You have received 113 damage from Kobold Lord.
More thunderbolts rained down on the two elites struggling with Scar, and one exploded. Sandro was there again, barely able to swing his naginata, but he attacked the same elite Scar was tearing at while the one remaining blood-red kobold turned around and started running toward Mark.
Panic washed over me as I looked up at the kobold lord. The tip of its spear was only inches from my right eye.
“Save him! I’ll keep this one off you for as long as I can!” a voice yelled from Mark’s direction.
It was Jin. Despite having lost everything, he clung to what little life coursed through his veins. His left arm hung at his side, mangled and broken beyond repair. What a man, what power, and what character, staying true to his oath to the end.
BOOM!
A single bullet exited the anti-tank gun’s barrel and nicked the spear tip as it came crashing down on me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I pulled the nodachi up toward my head and narrowly blocked the strike. I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder at Jin. Mark was already next to him and fighting the elite with the spear he’d used the other day.
Scar yelped as the elite struck his snout with a fist and hurled him right at Sandro. The tough bastard cried out as the wolf hit him, but dropped backward and negated most of the blow. Who would have thought he’d have such a move in him?
Kang and Gary were there while Ang and Don rushed to help Mark and Jin. I rolled out of the way and climbed to my feet, then threw myself into emptiness. I needed to make some room or I’d be skewered, especially with these bolts still sticking out of my arm and back.
Beginner Quest: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 1) Page 28
