The Piercing Strikes stopped as Fluff did what the two Rage Claws had done, using Wild Charge to instantly get to the attackers. Her fur flushed red, similar to the two Rage Claws, as she began attacking the one Gerald had been focusing on.
Both Alburet and Karen were still closing the distance on foot, since neither had an ability to close ground instantly. Bob and BJ took to the air and began casting Fire Bursts down onto the two Rage Claws.
Kitten focused on the Rage Claw Gerald hadn’t been hitting as much and sang at it. The Rage Claw stopped attacking as its eyes glazed over. “Attack ya old friend for me,” she yelled at her new minion.
The mind controlled Rage Claw did as it was bid and began attacking its old ally, causing the one being focused on to snarl in anger.
“Master?” Tiny called out, wanting to join the fray but staying back near Marysue.
“Stay back just in case,” Alburet said as he finally got close enough to the fight to swing his flaming maul.
Shifting in place, Tiny watched the fight in frustration. He wouldn’t disobey Alburet, but his natural instinct to always be in the fight was making him antsy. Tiny became even more frustrated when the Rage Claw started to Whirlwind, but Gerald Shield Bashed to stun the beast, stopping the Ability.
The fight had raged for a bit, when the mind controlled Rage Claw shook its head and let out a loud roar. Before anyone could react, the mob used Leap to launch itself from the melee and landed right in front of Kitten.
Tiny took two steps and slammed his shield into the monster before it could land more than a single attack on the Copied Succubus. “Finally, you are mine,” Tiny growled as his axe came whistling around to hack at the mob with all his pent up anger.
The group quickly finished off the one Rage Claw and turned to help the others. Gerald Charged, closing the distance in an instant. Fluffball used Leap, much as the Rage Claw had, to get there a fraction after Gerald. Bob and BJ peppered the mob with Fire Blasts, while Karen and Alburet ran back to help. Pulling up short, Alburet began to lob Fire Blasts as well, as it was already pretty crowded in melee.
When Tiny’s stun wore off, the Rage Claw began to Whirlwind, but Gerald was ready with his Ground Stomp, using the stun to stop the Ability short. “Ha, teamwork,” Gerald laughed as the group quickly dismantled the second Rage Claw.
Once the second mob died, Marysue let out a deep breath. “Al, can you drop BJ for TJ? It might be best if we had the extra tank again. You can keep Tiny back with me, and TJ can go forward to help Gerald so he doesn’t get focused as quickly again.”
“I was fine—” Gerald began.
“I had to use two cooldowns for trash mobs. That means it wasn’t fine,” Marysue said firmly, cutting him off.
“Ahh, okay,” Gerald said. “Thank you.”
“I won’t let you die if I can help it, but both of them ignoring 50% of your armor was a bit much,” Marysue said softly. “Now that we’ve seen two of the three types, we can plan for them accordingly.”
“The last ones are the ones I don’t want to fight,” Fluff murmured.
“We’ll be right with you,” Karen told her. “If they bring Possessive Spirits, Marysue will get them down quick.”
“I will, but it will be faster if Stacia and Kitten can help with that.”
“Aye, I will be keepin’ me Comfortin’ Touch ready,” Stacia told the healer.
“Onward to complete the quests?” Alburet asked as he watched the sun sink lower in the sky. “Maybe we’ll finish before night fall.”
“Tha’ would be good—we have plans,” Stacia said with a Cheshire grin.
“Now that smile worries me,” Alburet said. Gerald nodded in agreement.
“Ya worry too much. It be Marysue’s plan, nay mine,” Stacia chuckled.
Marysue smiled at Gerald. “Let’s keep going.”
With a worried cast to his eyes, Gerald nodded. “As you wish, Mary.”
Chapter Twenty
The group ran into two more sets of Rage Claws and four solo Shadow Terrors, easily killing them, before they found their first Spirit Corruptor. Walking around a boulder in front of the others, Gerald screamed in sudden agony.
Rushing forward to see what the problem was, the group found a Spirit Corruptor with its staff extended at Gerald, beckoning with its left hand. Mouth locked open in a now silent scream, Gerald was frozen in place, a ghostly white version of him being slowly pulled from his body by white chains.
TJ took the four running steps needed to slam his shield into the Corruptor—or at least, he tried to. A black bubble sprang up around the Corruptor, who never took its eyes off Gerald. “The barrier needs to be broken,” TJ rumbled as he slashed at the barrier.
Fluff was airborne in an instant, landing atop the dome, her claws flashing as she used Alacrity to increase her attack speed. Karen had only been two seconds behind TJ. Her blades seemed to carve gouges out of the bubble, only to have them healed in an instant. Tiny hesitated, not sure if he should go to help, or stay near Marysue to guard her. Bob tried his Burning Cleanse to see if that would stop the Soul Trap, but it didn’t work so he went with Fire Blasts.
“It’s not a debuff,” Bob told them as he continued throwing fire.
Alburet hissed, having expected Bob to be able to break it. “Tiny, get in there and help TJ. Stacia, Kitten, you’re on guard duty.” Not waiting for a response from his wife, he rushed forward with Tiny to help attack the barrier, his maul covered in flames as he joined the melee.
“Hang on, Gerald,” Marysue whispered as she watched the group, unable to do anything to help.
With the group all focused on helping Gerald, they missed seeing the Callous Spirit that rose up behind Stacia. Kitten called out for help as Stacia reached for the blades at her waist.
Marysue, given a target and realizing what it was, used her best heal to try driving the Spirit from Stacia. Before she could do more, Alburet dismissed Stacia, leaving the Callous Spirit without the host it had been using. Marysue’s normally friendly smile went feral as she shoved her hand into the wavering Spirit as another heal went off. With a warbling scream, the Spirit’s health bar was almost halved.
“Not today,” Marysue snarled as she used her instant heal to inflict even more damage.
Alburet left Stacia unsummoned as he went back to damaging the mob, keeping an eye on Marysue. Stacia’s healing was dark aligned, which wouldn’t hurt the bodiless spirit, but might if it inhabited Marysue. The Spirit, reeling from Marysue’s onslaught, was shredded by her next two heals. With the Callous Spirit gone, he resummoned Stacia and Copied her again, even as he kept his maul swinging.
The spirit of Gerald was struggling to stay inside his body as the white chains further wrapped his form. Seconds after the Callous Spirit was slain, the bubble protecting the Corruptor shattered under the onslaught from the group. The moment the bubble vanished, Tiny slammed his shield into the Corruptor, stunning it and interrupting the spell that it had been casting.
With a cough of relief, Gerald fell to his knees as the pain he had been feeling stopped. TJ’s stun hit the Corruptor just as Tiny’s fell, which gave the group enough time to critically hit the Lunine Shaman repeatedly. It collapsed in a heap under the furious attacks of the group.
When the group looked back, they saw Marysue kneeling next to Gerald and holding him tightly, rocking him and whispering in his ear. Gerald returned her embrace as he caught his breath, his eyes slowly regaining focus.
“That… was… horrible,” Gerald finally croaked out. “I need to lodge a complaint,” he managed, after getting some moisture back into his mouth.
“Master,” Tiny rumbled softly. “I suggest me and TJ take point. If we get trapped, you should be able to just dismiss us.”
Marysue nodded vigorously. “Yes, that would be better. Thank you, Tiny.”
“I live to serve,” Tiny rumbled.
“Agreed, then,” Alburet said, watching Gerald. “You going to be okay?”
“It’s hard to explain, but I am glad my immersion level is as low as it is. I hate to think what that would have been like at max.”
Alburet shuddered as he recalled his first few days in the game, “Point taken.”
“Let’s pause a minute,” Marysue said. “Bob can do a quick scout while we rest.”
“Okay,” Bob said, launching into the air. He went straight up, not trusting the Shadow Terrors to not ambush him like before. After a minute, he came back down. “There are a few scattered mobs in most directions. The next one to the east has a staff, so it should be a Corrupter.”
Gerald finally let go of Marysue. “Sorry about that, Mary.”
“It’s fine, Gerald. This is why we have friends,” Marysue said as she got to her feet. “Are you okay to keep going?”
“Yeah, it’ll be fine if Tiny’s in the lead,” Gerald’s eyes flickered to Alburet. “I’m sure that wasn’t as bad as what you experienced at the Keep, which only makes the idea of that even more horrible.”
Jaw clenching at the memory, Alburet gave a sharp nod. “If I ever see that bitch again—”
“We will be helpin’ ya kill her,” Stacia said from behind him.
“Damned right,” Karen agreed.
“Yes,” Fluff added, flexing her claws, “your wives won’t let that happen again.”
The tightness Alburet felt ebbed away. “Okay,” he said, trying to push past the moment, “let’s try to finish up this zone.”
They went east to find the Spirit Corruptor, and TJ got locked by the spell that the Shaman was casting. Surrounding the mob, Alburet dismissed the Copy, and as they expected, the spell suddenly failed and the bubble disappeared. Gerald started the combat, using Shield Bash to stun the mob and opening it up for criticals from everyone else who had been waiting for it.
In the few seconds the mob was stunned, the group was able to bring its life under half. Shaking its head, it never got the chance to do anything else as Tiny Bashed it for his stun, and the group finished it off just as a Callous Spirit rose from the ground behind Gerald.
Marysue had been waiting for it and her heal went into the disembodied mob. It let out a screech, the unexpected heal ripping a chunk of its life away, followed by a second screech as Marysue used her instant heal to pile on even more damage. The Spirit lunged into Gerald, but he spun around in time to see the attack coming. Dropping his weapon and shield, he was able to make himself an easier target for the group before he was controlled.
Tiny grabbed Gerald by one arm as TJ reappeared and snatched Gerald’s other arm. “We have him,” Tiny rumbled as he struggled to keep Gerald in check.
Marysue nodded as she cast another heal, which was enough to force the Callous Spirit from Gerald’s body. “And that is that,” she said, her next heal hitting the mob and shattering it into mist. “That was much easier to deal with.”
“Aye, a good plan always helps,” Stacia nodded. “We just need to be findin’ the special quest to stop the Spirit Callin’.”
“We still need the other mobs, but we have a solid way of dealing with them now,” Gerald agreed. “Bob, will you please find our next target?”
Bob launched himself back into the air, coming down again after a minute, “There are a number of odd shadows off to the east. They’re separated by ridges and washes, so it should mean only one Shadow Terror at a time.”
“Let’s go for them first, then,” Gerald said.
It was about two hours later when they finished killing the last Spirit Corruptor, which was the last normal mob they needed. Bob had taken to making his recon flights right away after fights, instead of waiting to be asked.
“I think the Spirit Calling is off to the northeast. All I can make out is a large black sphere next to what looks like standing stones,” Bob said. “I did see some movement from there, but I couldn’t make out details.”
“We have a location, so let’s go see what we can do about it,” Gerald said as he looked at his sword. “Tiny, you good for another round of bubble popping?”
“Yes,” Tiny rumbled, his smile broad. He had gotten used to being the false bait for the Corruptors.
“Let’s go see what kind of trouble we can get into, then,” Alburet chuckled.
“All the trouble,” Karen whispered into his ear, making Alburet shiver.
“After,” Stacia giggled. “First we finish here, then we have plans. After all tha’, me lustful wife, we can get to tha’.”
“Done,” Karen laughed.
Fluffball shook her head, absently grooming an ear as her lips curled into a small smile. “I’m looking forward to doing what Marysue asked.”
“Thank you, Fluff,” Marysue said with an impish smile.
The two guys exchanged glances, both of them a little worried about what the women might have up their sleeves. Gerald started walking, figuring that he’d already promised Marysue he would do whatever it was, so he couldn’t back out now. Alburet’s brow furrowed as he tried to puzzle out what they might be up to. He thought he’d known, but now he was unsure.
Tiny and TJ fell into step beside the two men, glancing back at the women who trailed behind them. “My wives do that at times, too,” he rumbled softly. “It can be unsettling.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Bob agreed as he flew along beside them. “At least my wives have only ever had wonderful surprises waiting for me when they do that.”
“Mine as well, but it is still unnerving,” Tiny replied.
Gerald gnawed his lip, knowing what kind of surprises Bob liked thanks to the Imp’s vivid descriptions. He really doubted Marysue would do anything like what he feared, but a small pit of terror began forming in his gut.
“She won’t,” Alburet said softly, clapping Gerald on the shoulder. “It’s likely some kind of prank to put us in our place.”
“Mary doesn’t do pranks,” Gerald muttered.
“Would you like to hear my theory?”
“Go ahead,” Gerald said evenly, fearing the worst.
“I think it’s another portrait for you, or of the two of you,” Alburet said softly. “Fluff said she’s looking forward to it and drawing is what she loves.”
The knot of fear in Gerald’s stomach dissolved. “Oh, yeah, right.”
“It might be a more provocative drawing, but I doubt Marysue is going to go too far,” Alburet went on. “She loves you, and she knows your limits.”
“Thanks, Al,” Gerald said.
“I think you’ve had enough guy time,” Karen said, her shimmer still a good ten feet behind them.
“Wives,” Alburet said, rolling his eyes and trying to not laugh.
“Oh, just you wait,” Karen said sweetly, “I’ll make you say that again later, the right way.”
Bowing his head, Alburet knew Karen was going to make him regret that single word later, but they both knew that it was all in love. “As you wish,” he said after a small pause.
“Damned right it is,” Karen chuckled.
Chapter Twenty-one
The group ended up killing another couple of Rage Claws as they made their way to the area that Bob had seen. Getting closer, they saw the black dome that rose up around a circle of standing stones.
“Anyone have any ideas what we’re going to have to do?” Gerald asked as they slowed their approach.
“The bubble looks a lot like what the Corruptors do,” Marysue said. “Which makes sense if they are calling spirits.”
“Meaning there is going to be at least one of those fuckers in there,” Karen said.
“I’m thinking a mini-boss, plus at least some Rage Claws and a Shadow Terror,” Alburet opined. “It would fit with the rest of the zone, and I’d bet that the mini-boss is likely the Corruptor.”
“Stacia, can you grab the Rage Claws if any are there?” Gerald asked.
“Aye, me and Kitten will get them, but they only be held for a minute.”
“Daze them after that,” Fluff suggested, “it will buy time to deal
with the Shadow Terror. Have them Whirlwind the Shadow Clones to help us drop them faster.”
“Aye,” Stacia replied, giving Fluff’s ears a quick rub, “ya have the right of it.”
“Do we go back to killing them after the Shadow, then go for the mini-boss, or should we leave them and go straight for the mini-boss?” Marysue asked.
The Path to Peace Page 17
