“Okay, well.” He shrugs. “My father-in-law has a ranch near the border. Before I was married I learned some things to impress my wife.”
“Like lassoing?”
“Yep. Lassoing. I've also branded cattle, as a matter of fact, and helped roof a barn. It was a while back, but I think I can still remember."
"Alright." I laugh again. This whole plan seems a bit ridiculous, but I don't have any better ideas. "Good luck, I guess."
"You boys just make sure to keep its attention long enough for me to get up there."
"On it," SteelFeather yells as he pelts away from us to the opposite side of the cavern.
I watch the dragon’s head turn to follow SteelFeather, and I take a few tentative steps out of the safety of the partial cave. I ready a Water arrow hoping to catch the exact moment that the beast opens its mouth and lets down its guard. I hope SteelFeather is paying as close attention as I am. I pause next to Erinocalypse, her gaze intent on the dragon as SteelFeather continues to run—the chamber feels as large as a football stadium. I'm hopeful I didn't imagine it the last two times, as I wait. Watching. Listening.
The dragon’s nostrils flare as he hitches in a deep breath. Just as he’s about to eviscerate our tank with his flame-thrower breath, both Erinocalypse and I react. I fire a Water arrow directly at the dragon's mouth and Erinocalypse casts her wind spell at the same spot. Between the two of us, we manage to direct and extinguish enough of the fire to keep SteelFeather safe. For now. He huddles behind his shield, then peeks over the top at the wall next to him that is being charred to bits.
I glance to where TexBadass has disappeared, but there’s no sign of him on the little bit of the rocky hill I can see. He must be safe. I wave Balderdash13 over. We consult in hurried whispers.
"TexBadass is up top, or will be soon, and we need to make sure the dragon stays under that overhang. Or most of the way at least."
"We'll protect you," Erinocalypse adds.
I'm not sure we should promise that, but I decide that discretion is the better part of valor and keep my thoughts to myself. I mean, not my valor, of course, but there’s no need to erode Balderdash13’s courage.
I look to the dragon, which is sniffing the air around SteelFeather, probably trying to determine what it’s dealing with. Balderdash13 nods grimly and sets off across the stone floor, like a soldier entering battle.
"Hey!" she yells, smacking the handle of her axe against the ground.
The dragon turns its head slowly, its body shifting with it as it moves the front of its body toward the other side of the cavern.
"Hey!" she shouts again.
The fear in her face is evident. If we make one mistake, she'll be burned alive. She doesn't have a shield to hide behind, and our healer is nowhere in sight.
I look around for TexBadass, hoping he knows what he’s doing. A small movement catches my eye, and he appears on the rock hanging over the monster. Coming at the dragon from above means he doesn't need to do any of the wild rope swinging that I associate with lassoing. Instead, he has just tied a simple slip knot in the Rope of Guarding and lowers it over the edge.
The dragon stays crouched low to the ground, watching Balderdash13's aggressive taunting. Even from this distance I can see the way its muscles twitch under the skin, under the scales. It holds itself in total control, waiting for precisely the right moment to pounce.
"Dragon!" SteelFeather yells from the other side of the cavern, banging his sword against his shield and drawing attention to himself.
The giant reptile issues a hiss of protest. It can't keep an eye on both tanks at once. It has to back up, a little bit farther under the rocky cliff, in order to defend against both Balderdash13 and SteelFeather. TexBadass leans over the cliff, dangling the Rope of Guarding and moving it slowly toward the dragon’s snout. The loop seems large enough to slip over the head of the dragon and, hopefully, tighten around its neck.
But then what?
My gaze shifts between my three teammates—TexBadass waiting for his moment, SteelFeather and Balderdash13 both noisily harassing the monster and trying to drive it to exactly the right position. I feel both useless and totally ready, just in case, but at the moment all I can do is wait.
The dragon's head swings wildly back and forth. I see the calculation behind its eyes. It senses danger but doesn't know where it is coming from. It hisses again, warning off its attackers.
SteelFeather has also been keeping one eye on TexBadass, and as the older man gets closer to his goal, the tank begins to move back around to the other side of the cavern. I can't understand why he would put himself and Balderdash13 so close together and thus both at risk, until I realize that their proximity helps the dragon stay focused and so its head still.
Finally, it presents a steady target for TexBadass.
But the timing is not quite right. As SteelFeather moves closer to Balderdash13, I see the dragon shift, its muscles twitching under the scales. It sees an opening.
Chapter Forty-Two
I pull back on the bowstring, arrow nocked and imbued with the elemental power of Water, and take aim. Tex dangles the Rope of Guarding just above the dragon's head, but it doesn't seem to notice it, instead focused on the prey in front of it. Just as the dragon takes in a huge breath, I aim and fire. Next to me Erinocalypse casts her wind spell. Balderdash13 tumbles out of the way and SteelFeather takes shelter behind his shield.
We haven't yet been able to inflict more than cursory damage to this boss, but at least we’ve figured out how to avoid damage. In the half-second after the flame breath dies, TexBadass make his move. The dragon stretches out his neck in his attack, giving the healer a perfect shot at lassoing its head and tightens it against the creature’s neck.
When the dragon feels the pressure of the Rope of Guarding, it lets loose an angry roar. A harmless, fire-free roar, but a roar nonetheless. The echoes through the cavern carry for a full minute. On the cliff above, TexBadass holds on to his end of the rope, but I don't know how long he can maintain that. Callidus appears beside him, the two of them attempting to hold the Rope of Guarding and control the dragon.
I fire another Water arrow, getting lucky enough to hit when the dragon opens its mouth to roar again. The dragon coughs and sputters as the water splashes all over its mouth, knocking off more health points. But as the dragon flinches and pulls back, Callidus is yanked off his feet.
The path is steeper than I expect. I have to stow my bow and use my hands to keep my balance and help pull myself up. I stumble a few times in my haste, as the rocks and dirt slide out from under my feet, but soon I’m at the top. Callidus has found his feet again and both guys stand holding the end of the rope, feet locked in.
No sooner do I reach them then I hear a scream from below.
“Asher. Here.” TexBadass indicates his section up front and I run to his side to take it from him. As soon as his hands are free he begins casting a healing spell to our teammates down below. It sounded like Balderdash13. I can’t help smiling just as little as I strain against the strength of the dragon. TexBadass can’t disguise the wide grin on his face, chest puffed up, arms spread wide. He must feel pretty powerful, casting magical spells from up on high. I mean, I’m happy he’s enjoying himself and all, but I hope he’s focused on what he’s supposed to be doing.
Callidus and I hold the rope steady but we have to stay so far back away from the edge that we can’t see what’s happening on the floor below. Suddenly I’m catapulting forward and I crash face forward on to the edge.
"No no no no!" I scramble to hold on to the rope and find purchase with my legs, but the dragon is too strong. It drags me forward until half my body is hanging over the edge of the cliff.
The tugging finally stops when I'm hanging off the cliff up to my chest. Behind me, I hear Callidus scrambling back to his feet. Watching over the side, I can see that while we still have to contend with the dragon's size, claws and nearly impenetrable scales, harnessing the creature
and rendering his fire breath inert has helped in the attack so much. Between SteelFeather, Balderdash13 and Erinocalypse, the dragon's health is down by 30% already and TexBadass has kept our team at near-full health.
The rope slackens and I climb to my feet. The dragon seems to be cowering, cornered. Angry but ineffectual with the Rope of Guarding around its neck. It uses one of its front claws to try to pull it off. But we've got the loop pulled tight and the rope itself seems more or less indestructible.
I stand poised at the edge, the rope in my hands, ready to pull back if needed—but I want to watch. I want to see how they're doing. The three have fallen into a steady rhythm of sword, axe, and spell, barraging the dragon from three sides. It roars in protest periodically but otherwise seems totally cowed. This seems like the perfect opportunity to let go of the rope and join the fun.
"You got this, right?" I say to Callidus, but don’t wait for him to answer. I drop the rope and step to the side so I don't get tangled up in it.
I equip my Bow of Elements and aim at the top of the dragon's head. I assume a Fire arrow won't do much, and I already know the Water arrow will just trickle down over the scales, so I prepare an Earth arrow and aim for the creature's skull.
I wait until Erinocalypse is getting ready to cast her spell; the dragon moves less during its magical attacks.
Aim. Fire.
Crash!
“Gah! Stop it!”
Oops.
I have miscalculated. The arrow didn't knock out the dragon, lower its defenses or render it more vulnerable to a new attack. Yes, I did knock off a chunk of health with my hit, but really, most of what I did was infuriate it. The dragon recoils from my hit and starts to back up directly into SteelFeather. The Rope of Guarding goes tight again and Callidus grunts as he leans back.
I drop my bow to the ground and help him; we've got to keep the dragon under control if there's any chance of defeating it. As I inch my way back from the edge of the cliff, I lose my view of the action. I hear SteelFeather shouting unintelligible directions in between angry roars and cries of pain from the dragon. To my right, TexBadass continues casting healing spells on the players below. His eyebrows are scrunched up as he concentrates, prioritizing, paying attention to the health levels of three different people at the same time.
Beneath my hands the rope jerks and pulls.
“Yes!” SteelFeather yells triumphantly.
The rope remains taut and twitching, so he can't have killed the monster yet, but maybe he's close. I move hand over hand to get closer to the edge, so I can see the action while still keeping the dragon in line.
My stomach lurches at what I see below.
Chapter Forty-Three
The dragon is incapacitated enough to be lying on the ground off his feet. No energy or power enough to move and dodge attackers.
So, yay that we've almost killed it.
But, damn, I wish I were more a part of that 'we.'
There's a faint ding in my ear and a private message appears in front of my eyes, blocking my view.
SCho: Oh good.
SirAsh3r: Wait. What? Go away!
SCho: What?
SirAsh3r: We're in the middle of killing a boss! Get out of my head!!!
To her credit, Cho disappears and the messages wink out of sight. I have no idea why she’s able to communicate with us now, but I don't have time to think about it.
I drop the Rope of Guarding.
“What are you doing?” Callidus asks from behind me.
“Come see.”
I gesture him up to the edge of the cliff like TexBadass and me. It’s clear the dragon isn’t going anywhere and I don’t want to waste any more time. I equip my bow and nock an arrow, aiming again for the top of the dragon’s skull.
I let out a breath slowly. I can take a beat to make sure I’m aiming correctly. The creature isn’t going anywhere.
Aim. Fire.
A dying groan.
[+ 650 XP]
Balderdash13 lets out a giddy laugh as SteelFeather yells, “Oh, hell yeah.”
“Nice,” TexBadass says approvingly.
And it is nice. I did good. For the first time in this dungeon, basically, I don’t feel like I’m in the way or overstepping or annoying anyone. That was maybe the first time I’ve actually felt like part of the team and not just on the outskirts.
I smile at Callidus as we both head back down the hill to the cavern floor. The others are looting already when I approach the dragon to collect my Rope of Guarding. A wave of game messages hits me.
Congratulations! You have reached level 23!
You have one attribute point to distribute.
Name: SirAsh3r
Level: 23
Strength: 26
Intelligence: 26
Dexterity: 24
Stamina: 24
Magic: 27
Skills: Woodcraft 3, Slash 2, Club 3, Paddle 1, Climbing 1, Stealth 3, Archery 8, Power Perception 3, Backstab 1
Abilities: Initiative 2, Focus 2
Professions: Cooking 2
Affinities: 12% Earth; 16% Water; 10% Fire
Fame: 350
Achievements: First Explorer of Lake Galavant, First Explorer of Foyle Forest, First Visitor to Allynton, Friend of Water
Congratulations! You have defeated Colossal Sapphire Dragon, the fourth of four minibosses in White Rock Ravine!
Reward: 10 Gold
Reward: Rugged Climbing Boots
Description: +2 Dexterity, +3 Armor
This cavern is your new save point.
Accept?
Yes to this new save point. Loving the auto-loot feature, I quickly drop my attribute point into Stamina and equip my new boots. We’re in the final stretch and I know I’ll need that extra armor. As I save my changes, I hear a ding in my ear alerting me to a message in our party channel.
SCho: You done yet?
SirAsh3r: Yeah, sorry. It was intense back there for a minute.
SCho: I’m sure.
TexBadass: Look, we’ve been doing all right without your help so far. What do you need?
SCho: As you can see—since we're taking—we've managed to regain some measure of control over this section of the game. My team has successfully contained the seed of artificial intelligence.
Erinocalypse: Well. That’s good. So, we log out then? We’re done?
SCho: Not quite. We need you to retrieve it and secure it before the code corrupts and metastasizes again.
SirAsh3r: Okay.
SCho: The next chamber will lead you to the final boss. In that room is a treasure chest that contains the Cambion Jewel. We’ve barricaded the code in that item.
TexBadass: So, it’s loot?
SCho: I suppose technically, yes. There is a small chance you'll get to the chest without killing the boss, but it's unlikely you would be able to escape.
Callidus: Okay ...
SCho: Once the jewel is saved in your inventories, we'll have better access and control over the code. We’re not going to create any back-up copies, so just get that saved and we'll take care of it on our side.
SteelFeather: Got it. Keep playing the game. Save the loot.
SCho: Essentially, yes. As quickly as possible.
SirAsh3r: NP
There's no further answer so I imagine she must be doubling up her security, or going over some checklist or something. All we have to do is defeat the last boss. Seems easy. Or, at least, possible. The six of us have come this far together; we should be able to conquer whatever lies ahead of us.
"Ready?" TexBadass says.
Chapter Forty-Four
Callidus waits at the doorway to the next chamber, which is tucked back under the overhang the dragon’s body was blocking. Our scout peers down the dark hallway before setting a foot in. Erinocalypse flicks her fingers and the torch just inside the hallway is lit.
From where I stand it doesn't look like much. Just a short, narrow tunnel carved into the dirt and rock with a closed doo
r on the other end.
Callidus holds up a hand, keeping us back.
"Let me just check for booby traps before anyone else enters." After tip-toeing several feet down the hallway, closely examining something on the wall only he can see, Callidus gestures us onward. "Okay, we're good."
As I cross the threshold I see that the door at the opposite end is a smaller replica of the door that led us into the very beginning of the dungeon. What a piece of cake. I mean, are they kidding with this?
Callidus reaches it first and fumbles with the wheels, figuring out how it works. I suddenly remember I was the only one that even touched that first door.
“So, uh, we just …” He spins that top wheel around, lining up the mountain, earth, symbol apparently at random.
The teenager turns to the rest of us with an expression of complete confusion.
"Well, I mean ..." I start. I never know how to tell people I know something without coming off as ... Well, a know-it-all. "It's a replica of the door at the front of the ravine. So, uh, do you want me to just do it?"
"No, let's waste time trying to figure out the puzzle you've already solved." Erinocalypse rolls her eyes.
"Jeez. Okay. Well." I move to the front of the group and put both hands on the topmost wheel. "These symbols are all elements, and we just need to line them up in the order they came in the dungeon."
“Oh,” Callidus says, his face lighting up. “I would have figured that out.”
“I know.” And I do. But better not to waste the time.
Air, water, earth, fire. As soon as the symbols are lined up I step back, giving Callidus the nod. He pulls the door open and for once the room beyond it is already lit. Something is waiting for us. We enter tentatively, looking for a clue or sign of what to expect. It's much fancier than the cave we just came from. The floor is tiled in an ornate swirly pattern, mostly neutral colors with blue here and there. For an underground cavern, the tiled floor is a lot cleaner than I would have expected. We've been trekking through dirt, mud and rocks and now I feel like I should take my shoes off so that I don’t track any in.
Depths of Camlan Page 18
