Pendrackon

by Aaron Oster

  Then he blasted her in the face with his Mage Bolt. The lightning-shaped mana shot through her, crashing into the walls and arcing to the ceiling. Four more of the Rogues were caught in the attack, stunning them and giving the others an easy victory.

  38

  “Was that the last of them?” Sam asked, pulling the dagger from his side with a grunt and using Recovery.

  He was running low on MP, due to not being able to use his staff. He’d found that the combination of the Flintlock and casting without the staff was far more effective down here, and even though the weapon didn’t cost him any MP, that was mitigated by the increased cost of his abilities.

  “I think so,” Emma said, sheathing the pair of daggers she’d been using in place of her sword.

  She’d discovered, after taking a swing and having her sword bounce off the ceiling, that it would be better to use daggers instead. She was just lucky Barry was close by to drive the Rogue off, otherwise she’d have been wide open to the Rogue’s most dangerous attack, the Flurry Dance, as it was called.

  It was a move where their entire bodies would glow red, and they would turn into whirling machines of death, their daggers moving too fast for the eye to follow and dishing out ever-increasing amounts of damage. Sam had been caught by the first one and had it not been for his Mana Flare and Recovery, he likely would have died from the rapid and massive damage.

  “Do you think we’re getting close to the exit of the catacombs?” he asked, looking himself over and wondering if they’d even be able to defeat the Boss when they reached her.

  If the minions on the bottom level were this tough, then he feared what she’d be like.

  “I really hope so,” Emma replied.

  “There is no need to worry, for I, the noble Sir Spearlittle, slayer of a thousand demons, shall protect thee! Huzzah!”

  “Kill me now,” Sam muttered, collecting the few items dropped by the Rogues and heading further down the hall.

  The hall was narrow, and the ceiling was just barely above his head, making the area feel small and oppressive. Had he been back on Earth, he’d likely be in the midst of a panic attack, but in Somerset, his skills helped mitigate any adverse psychological effects, such as from murdering people or burning them to death, or any number of other things he’d done since coming here.

  I’d be in prison for ten lifetimes for all the shit I’ve done if I’d been back on Earth, he thought mildly. Somerset really was a Land of Mystery and magic — as in, it was a mystery how people can get away with this shit.

  “Is it my imagination, or is there daylight up ahead?”

  “No, I think you’re right,” Sam replied.

  Emma, as usual, was correct. Though it wasn’t immediately obvious, the light bouncing off the corridor walls was becoming brighter and had nothing to do with the flickering torches. Just a few minutes later, Sam finally spotted the end of the tunnel. A staircase stood at the opposite end of a small open room, with daylight streaming down from an opening at the top.

  He couldn’t make out anything past that, but it was a sign that they were getting close to being able to leave this damned underground death-trap. However, things never went smoothly for them, and as soon as Sam entered the small room, a soldier appeared in the doorway atop the stairs.

  “Well, it looks like we found the first-level Boss,” he said as the others filed into the room.

  There was no question in Sam’s mind that this woman was a mini-Boss. Dressed in flanged, blueish-gray armor, and carrying a sword larger than Sam’s entire body, the knight was truly an intimidating sight. Green mist hung around her green eyes, and her red hair spilled freely down her back, framing her pale, freckled cheeks. When Sam Inspected her, he started to have second thoughts about fighting.

  HUMAN

  Name: Sir Dianna “Shitface” Drunkstien

  Gender: Female

  Class: Paladin-Knight-Strong-Warrior

  Level: 47 - HP: 3,220/3,220 - MP: 5,180/5,180 - STA: 2,900/2,900

  Status: Bewitched

  Greatest Threat: Meteoric Slash

  Highest Attribute: Strength (522)

  “Holy fucking shit!” Sam whispered, eyeing the woman dubiously.

  Several things were made clear very quickly. One was that this was one of the Knights of the Oval Cushion. The second was that this was someone Spearlittle would definitely be fighting. The fact that she wasn’t labeled as a Dungeon Monster or Boss meant that she wouldn’t target them unless Spearlittle fell. There was also the fact that on Earth, the female equivalent to a knight was a dame, but there seemed to be no difference in the title here.

  Sam had never seen a Strength attribute, or any attribute for that matter, that was so massive. He could now understand the vast gap in power between him and someone of her level. It now made perfect sense why his attack on More Dread had done such a pitiful amount of damage. If he’d had attributes this high, he could probably level an entire town with one attack.

  He was honestly surprised that he was able to get so much information on her. Sure, his Inspect skill had gone up in rank, but after he’d failed to properly examine Merr Lynn, he’d thought he’d need a higher level-skill. Apparently not, though, seeing as Dianna’s information, including her most dangerous attack, was available to him.

  One thing was the same, no matter what the person’s level was, and that was the ridiculous naming scheme. One might think that a hot redhead with the power to wreck cities would have a cool nickname. ‘Shitface’ was not something he’d have chosen.

  “I see the witch hath gotten to thee as well, Sir Shitface! Not to worry, I shall free thee from her wicked clutches!” Spearlittle roared, charging straight past them, lance raised.

  The lady-knight didn’t say a word, merely swinging her sword into a fighting position and meeting Spearlittle’s attack head-on.

  “Well, who does that leave us with?” Emma asked, watching the two exchange a flurry of blows that were too quick for them to follow.

  “Maybe we can just head up to the next floor?” Sam wondered.

  However, the moment he said that, another shadow appeared in the doorway, revealing a hulking man dressed in overlapping plate-mail. He carried a morning star in either hand, the heavy spiked balls swinging lightly, as though they weighed nothing. As he descended, Sam’s eyes widened as he realized how massive this man was. Nearly eight feet tall and with smashed, brutish features, it was a creature unlike anything he’d seen before.

  BOSS MONSTER

  Name: Rior the Massive

  Gender: Male

  Level: 27 - HP: 2,400/2,400 - MP: 200/200 - STA: 2,200/2,200

  Status: Hostile

  Greatest Threat: Whirling Destruction

  Highest Attribute: Constitution (240)

  Rior the Massive is a Captain in the East Kingdom’s military. Born with the Giantbone curse, he was shunned in his village but found a place as a master of death on the battlefield. His massive power and vitality have been further boosted by an Enchantress, making him even deadlier.

  “Well, the name’s a bit on the nose, but at least it’s accurate,” Sam said as he dismissed the notification. “You think we can take him?”

  Emma dropped her daggers and removed her sword from its sheath.

  “I don’t see that we have much choice. Let’s just hope Spearlittle doesn’t get in our way.”

  “Oh, I doubt that very much,” Gordon replied. “In situations such as this, with two simultaneous battles, the two fights, while still visible to one another, are held in different dimensions. It is all quite fascinating, really…”

  “Gordon! No time!” Sam yelled as Rior began spinning his morning stars, the air thrumming with their movement.

  “Of course, you are correct. Neither of you will be able to interfere in the other’s battle. In other words, should you collide, you will pass right through each other without affecting the fight.”

  “Great,” Sam muttered, stowing his Flintlock and unslinging h
is staff.

  “You know what would have been useful right about now?” Emma asked as the wall of muscle and steel charged.

  “A fucking tank!” Sam yelled, aiming his Over-Burn and catching the soldier in a conflagration.

  You deal: -62 Damage to Rior the Massive (Over-Burn +6 Burn Damage).

  “Yup!” Emma replied, dashing forward with Gordon and Barry to meet the oversized brute as he exploded through the wall of flames.

  His armor must have had a massive rating to soak up so much of his Over-Burn’s damage. The minimum damage that Over-Burn would inflict, between the initial attack and the subsequent burn, was 49 points. Add to that the minimum 22 damage of his staff and the 10% increase to monsters on top of that, and he should be dealing 78 points of damage, at the very least! The fact that only 6 of the minimum 19 burn damage had affected him meant that Rior had at least…

  “Shit, this math is hurting my head,” Sam muttered as he lost his train of thought.

  A lot, okay?! He has a lot of fucking armor!

  Emma dashed in, her blade glittering as she cut a line across the man’s thigh, and the shriek of metal on metal grated against Sam’s ears. Gordon came in next, narrowly avoiding the whirling monstrosities the man was using as weapons and tore into the plating on his left leg. The Boss’s HP barely budged and Sam winced at the minuscule damage they were inflicting due to the armor.

  He aimed a careful Mana Shot, trying to hit the man’s head, but at the last moment, he moved to the side, so the attacks impacted against the heavy shoulder plates instead of his exposed skin. And though Sam did do some damage, it wasn’t nearly what he’d been hoping for. Gritting his teeth, Sam slung his staff over his shoulder and drew the Flintlock.

  “Get down!” he yelled, clutching the Hand-Cannon with all his might.

  What he was about to do would cost the weapon some Durability, as well as make it unusable for the next few minutes, but if he could tear some of the man’s armor away, it would be worth it.

  Emma dropped immediately, as did Gordon, but Barry wasn’t quite fast enough. Rior, seeing that an attack was incoming, had swung for who he thought would be the weakest in the group. Barry managed to avoid one of the spiked metal balls but didn’t quite manage to get out of the way of the other.

  The heavy weapon tore into one of his wings, pulverizing it in an instant and sending the bird spinning away, more than 80% of his HP gone in that single brutal attack. Sam didn’t have time to check on the injured bird right now, so he yelled for Emma to go after him but stay low. Quickly, he used his Flintlock’s Multi-shot ability and pulled the trigger.

  A spray of red beams flashed from the muzzle with such speed and velocity that Sam had trouble keeping it aimed at the center of the giant. The man managed to get his arms up in a cross, but not before his breastplate was nailed by six heavy shots, each leaving notable indents where they’d impacted.

  Sam had never used this function of the weapon before, so he really had no idea what to expect, or how long the attack would last. All he could do was continue to hold down the trigger and keep the weapon leveled.

  Blast after blast rocketed from the barrel, the Flintlock acting more like a machine gun than the ancient firearm it appeared to be. But, unlike a machine gun, the power it packed was completely off the charts. After around twenty shots, pieces of armor began tearing away from Rior’s arms, and after the fortieth, he was forced to drop them as they were bare, bleeding, and on the verge of cracking completely.

  Unfortunately, only a few more shots went off after that, all slamming into the same spot on Rior’s center and punching several holes in the thick breastplate. Then, the Flintlock went silent. The barrel was glowing a cherry-red color, and Sam carefully placed it on the ground behind him, unwilling to place it in his belt.

  He’d had no idea that the Flintlock would pack such a punch. His arms were both numb from the force of those shots and his wrists hurt. The term Hand-Cannon now made a lot more sense than it had before, and he looked over to assess the bleeding and clearly enraged brute.

  That single attack had knocked off over 300 HP and had the armor not been in the way, Sam thought it might have been more. The shot total was somewhere around fifty per attack, and he guessed that each shot, while powerful, would only pack about 10-12 points of damage each. However, Sam now knew how to apply the Multi-shot correctly, which was a huge plus.

  Sure, he could use it on a group of people if he was being overwhelmed, but the power each shot packed seemed designed to destroy armor. He had his Mana Shot if he wanted to target several people at once, but this attack would need to be saved for special occasions such as this one. It was then that he decided that he had to find more weapons like this one, no matter how hard he had to look.

  He had the requisite skill to wield them, and it cost him no mana. It was perfect for a Mage like him who couldn’t use knives or daggers as a backup. It would have been ideal for him to be able to wield both the staff and Flintlock at once, but unfortunately, even if he were to acquire a Dual Wielding skill, the staff was a two-handed weapon.

  Maybe if he found another Hand-Cannon, he could gain a skill like that. He knew he’d need to raise his Strength and the skill level some more before he could do that, as the recoil was too much for him to handle at any distance with just one hand.

  Up close, he could risk the Flintlock bucking, as he’d still hit his target, but once he was more than ten or so feet out, he’d undoubtedly miss more than he hit.

  The whole attack, while feeling like forever, only took roughly ten seconds to complete, in which time Emma managed to crawl over to the downed and bleeding bird and fed him a Healing Herb. Even as the bird was recovering and Sam was setting the Flintlock down, Emma was already dashing towards the off-balance Rior, sword glowing a bright red.

  Sam did not envy that man. Emma was pissed, and he was in for a bad, bad day!

  39

  “Die, motherfucker!” Emma yelled, slamming her glowing blade down on the man’s crossed morning star handles.

  Rior, despite his injured arms, had managed to raise the weapons in a defensive posture. However, Emma’s overwhelming Strength, coupled with his injuries, assured that the defense did not hold up. There was another loud shriek as Emma’s blade tore into Rior’s armor, but this time, instead of glancing off, her blade cut through the damaged plates, cutting deep into his flesh.

  Rior roared in pain, swiping at Emma with one of his oversized morning stars. She danced back out of range and Gordon blurred in, sinking his jaws into his exposed arms and managing to tear a nice-sized chunk out of it. Blood splattered to the ground as the dog pulled back and Rior’s arm dropped to his side.

  Emma’s blade whistled through the air, slashing the tendons at the base of his shoulder, and the weapon finally dropped from his hand. She’d made a mistake and gotten in too close, and the Boss’s other weapon came flying in on a collision course with her head.

  Sam’s Mana Shot slammed into the giant’s exposed head just in time, four shots hitting his left ear and staggering him. Emma ducked down low, the weapon clipping her shoulder and shaving off a small sliver of health. The attack wasn’t nearly the devastating and crippling one it would have been, and she took the chance to hack a section of armor from his knee.

  Emma rolled away, and Sam’s Mana Burn sank into the exposed area, burning the man’s flesh.

  “Oh, that’s unpleasant,” he said, nose wrinkling at the smell.

  Rior tried desperately to get in an attack, but they were relentless. Even when he tried to gather his wits for an AOE attack, they interrupted him, slamming into him from all sides. It seemed that none of them were too happy with how he’d nearly killed Barry, and they were determined to see him pay for it. Finally, the finishing blow came.

  Rior swung at Emma’s shoulder from his prone position on the ground. Gordon intercepted by extending his claws and batting the spiked ball away. Emma dove in, skewering him through the throat, twisting
the blade and ripping it free. She danced back as an explosion of flames engulfed the man, bringing him almost all the way down to zero.

  “Eat shit, motherfucker!”

  Rior looked up, his body a charred mess, to see a colorful bird dropping a white wad down on his face. The explosion threw him clear across the room, where his body lay, smoking and still.

  BOSS DEFEATED!

  Congratulations! Your party has defeated Rior the Massive!

  Rewards: +8,344 XP, Giant’s Hammer, Giant’s Shoulder Guard, Massive Expansion Ability Scroll, 50 Gold Coins

  Sam slumped to the ground, grinning widely at their defeat of the oversized brute.

  “Nice shot, bird,” he called to the green and yellow parrot, who was doing a little victory dance in the air.

  “You bet your ass it was. That motherfucker had worse coming for him. He was lucky I let him off so easy!”

  “Yeah, whatever you say,” Sam replied, reaching for the now cool Flintlock and sliding it into his belt.

  Spearlittle and Shitface were still going at it, the woman’s skill thankfully assuring that the knight kept his dumb commentary to a minimum.

  “Guess we should see what we’ve gotten as a reward for toppling that brute,” Sam said as he eyed the glowing chest that had risen near the fallen man’s body.

  “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” Emma said, moving tiredly over to her chest and popping the lid.

  Despite Sam not taking any damage, the fight had been a stressful one. Their teamwork and coordination had been amazing, but had they been even a second off with their timing, the battle could have gone very differently. It drove home just how dangerous their opponents were becoming. Sam really wished that for once, he could fight a Boss weaker than him or at the same level as he was.

  Why did it seem like they were always facing enemies that could flatten them in a single blow? He was getting sick of it.