“We’re clear,” Gerald said over the Raidstone. “Can you get him down to us?”
“I’ll try,” Alburet replied.
A cluster of spells hit Stein, but he just shook his head. “Your spells won’t do what they should, not now that I’ve been empowered.”
“We’re only managing about ten percent of our regular damage,” one of the casters announced.
Alburet looked at Stein, squinting to pull up his info. He winced when he saw what they faced now. “Let’s see what I can do,” Alburet said as he dashed toward Stein.
Calamity’s Champion Stein (Level ???)
39,998,793/40,000,000 Health
∞ Mana
Broken Class, Twisted Mind, Calamity’s Empowerment
Stein just grinned when Alburet came for him, “Good... give in to death.”
Alburet slashed at Stein, but his axe was deflected by Stein’s staff. A skeletal hand shot out and grabbed him by the neck. “Urk,” Alburet managed to say as the bony fingers cut off his air supply.
“Fool, I’m empowered by Calamity. No matter what your pathetic gods have blessed you with, you will never be my match.”
“Focus on the wings! Bring him down,” Tyr announced over the Raidstone.
“Al,” Fluff shouted, her Leap carrying her up to him.
Stein ignored her as he watched Alburet’s life dropping rapidly from suffocation. “Die for me.”
Fluff grabbed Stein’s arm to keep herself aloft, her claws flashing out and striking the fingers holding Alburet hostage. “Let him go,” the growl was laced with her anger.
“I shall, once he dies. How is he healing?” Stein snapped. Alburet’s life was dropping and rebounding: he was losing ten percent a second due to suffocation, but it climbed right back up to the same level an instant later.
Fluff, not having any luck in damaging the fingers, gambled on a wild idea. “Please let this work,” she hissed as her claws dug into Alburet’s neck.
“Fool,” Stein laughed, “you’re killing him for me!”
Alburet’s life dropped under twenty percent, the extra damage from Fluff not immediately offset by the healing he was receiving. Eyes fluttering, he could see her snarl and the feel the fear in her. Bringing his hand up to her arm, he tried to give her a smile.
“Hang on, Al, I got you,” Fluff howled as she went through with her gamble.
Blood poured from Alburet’s neck as her claws cut through his flesh, coming to rest against Stein’s boney fingers. Using all her strength, she was just able to pry the fingers back from Alburet enough that he dropped free.
“Damn you,” Stein hissed as Fluff let go, falling as well.
Al was able to throw his arms around Fluff and spread his wings to slow their fall. The two of them landed hard, but without taking any more damage. Marysue started to cast another heal on Alburet, but his life was already well on its way to recovery. “Glad you got him free,” Marysue told Fluff, sending her the heal instead.
“Al... damn it, stop being reckless,” Karen said as she grabbed him and pulled him to his feet.
“Melee is a bad idea,” Alburet managed to rasp.
“My early plan was thwarted, but I have a back-up plan already in play,” Stein said from above the raid. “It’ll take longer this way, but I will accept it. I’ll leave you troublesome ones for last, so you can understand the futility of your actions.”
Stein pointed into the raid, and a startled yelp rang out as Leggylass was lifted into the air, encased in a bubble. “Help,” she yelled, pounding on the bubble.
“Leggy,” Ironhand yelled back and threw a trap at the bubble, but the explosion did nothing to harm it.
“Ah, love. How quaint,” Stein laughed, snapping his fingers. Leggylass’ yells cut off suddenly. “Until death do you part,” he said. More laughter followed when the bubble vanished and a body dropped into the raid.
Ironhand rushed forward to get to her. When he reached the area where she had landed, he realized it was not Leggylass, but a new creature standing up. “No! You fucking bastard,” Ironhand yelled, pulling his blade and attacking the Calamity’s Spawn.
The raid members nearby backed away from the oozy mass, a few looking sick as bits of bone or organ roiled to the surface of the creature. Black vapor drifted off it, and anyone who attacked it ended up with a debuff, slowing their attacks and draining one percent of their life every second.
While the healers tried to heal the people killing the new threat, the casters kept throwing spells at Stein. Every melee member of the raid that didn’t have a way to attack at range did what they could to assist with the Spawn, or gnashed their teeth and felt useless.
“Are you afraid to come down and face me, Stein? Coward,” Tyr stated, glaring at the floating Skeleton.
“Silence. You will be the last of those I target,” Stein laughed. With a wave of his hand, everyone near Tyr was suddenly silenced. “That’s better. The yipping of curs should be ignored.”
“Al, what do we do?” Karen asked, too far away to help Ironhand.
“What little we can,” Alburet said and started throwing Fire Blasts. “Throw anything at him. Every little bit will help.”
“I wonder,” Marysue murmured as she targeted Stein. She cast Healing Light, hitting Stein, and the Skeleton let out a roar of pain as the Light magic ripped into him. “He’s not getting reduced damage from Light magic,” Marysue told Gerald.
Stein looked down at the raid, scanning with eyes of green flame, “Who did that? Tell me and I’ll make your death quick! Refuse, and I’ll make your death even worse than the last wench’s.”
“I’m Spartacus,” Jaxton was the first to speak up.
“No, I’m Spartacus,” another raid member picked up.
“I’m Spartacus,” Blaze laughed.
More and more people joined in, and Stein seemed to lose his mind. “You think daring to hurt me is a laughing matter? Peasants, you shall know your place. I’ll start with the first one.”
Jaxton was encased in a bubble and started to lift off the ground. Everyone who could cast Light magic targeted the bubble. It shook, bursting as a bright golden light filled the center of it. Jaxton dropped to the ground, his life almost gone. Gasping, he uttered three words: “I... am Spartacus.”
“Worms, vermin, flies!” Stein shouted, grinding his teeth. “Fine. I shall hurt all of you, then continue with my plan.”
A cloud of green gas bubbled up from the ground, and everyone started coughing when the debuff hit them. Alburet and Marysue both went to the air and the debuff fell off them as they escaped the gas cloud, but everyone else was losing health. The gas covered the entire prison wing, so there was no escape from it. Stein nodded as he pointed at Jaxton again, encasing the Paladin once more in a bubble.
“Now let’s see you survive,” Stein sneered.
“Marysue, can you hit just his right wing with your best heal?” Alburet asked.
Nodding, Marysue looked at the bubble containing Jaxton with worry. “Yes, but I doubt that will be enough.”
“When I call for it, please,” Alburet said as he dove into the raid. Pulling both Fluff and Karen up with him, he whispered to them, “We are going to grab Stein’s left wing to try physically grounding him.”
They both nodded, clinging to him. Alburet flew low over the raid, staying just above the gas, his eyes trained on Stein. Stein was ignoring them, intently watching the bubble that held Jaxton.
The bubble burst and the next Calamity’s Spawn born of Jaxton fell on the raid. The newest Spawn attacked, the damage from it and the gas rapidly wearing away its target’s health.
“Who was the next to taunt me?” Stein laughed as he watched the raid struggle.
“How about us?” Karen said. The three of them hit Stein’s left wing, folding it down and in.
“Meddling insects,” Stein snarled just as a bolt of light tore into the other wing, making him close it reflexively.
The four of them hit the g
round, injuring each of them. The people close to the impact quickly capitalized on Stein being down, laying into the Skeleton with every weapon they had. Fluff and Karen joined in, and Alburet went back into the air.
“You dare touch me!?” Stein roared as a wave knocked everyone near him away. “Where are you, rat?”
“Looking for me, asshole?” Alburet said from above the boss.
Eyes burning brighter, Stein went to leap into the air, only to have a dozen Berserkers led by Wildmane suddenly grabbing him. “Keep him here,” Wildmane growled out.
“Stupid cats,” Stein snarled as he grabbed the first and flung them a hundred feet away from him. “I have business to attend to.”
Alburet watched the fight and smiled when he realized the gas had dissipated, blown away by the knockback effect Stein had used. More people piled onto Stein as bodies went flying away. Everyone who latched onto him managed to inflict some damage before being thrown.
“Why do you fight the inevitable? You will all die meaninglessly,” Stein snarled. “Just lay down and die knowing that you will be used for a greater purpose.”
A minute after the first knockback, Stein snarled and everyone on or near him was pushed back again, giving him the chance to take to the air once more. “Now, where did he go?”
Chapter Fifty-seven
“Over here,” Alburet called out to Stein from the far side of the raid, standing among them. “Come and get me.”
“Oh, yes... you deserve special attention,” Stein snarled, hitting another player with the spell that encased them in a bubble. “Can’t forget the ones who thought they were being cute earlier, though.”
Alburet waited with a smirk as Stein flew at him. “You know what’s funny, boney?”
Stein didn’t talk. Instead, he slammed right into Alburet, only to find that Alburet was gone and Gerald stood in his place. “Keep up the pressure,” Gerald shouted as everyone nearby piled back onto Stein.
“It’s funny that you would chase me into my friends,” Alburet concluded from a few feet away, where he had been knocked back by Gerald’s Intervene.
Stein just growled as the raid held him down and took advantage of his being within reach. After a few seconds, bursts of flame hit everyone holding him down, forcing half of them to let go. Stein almost pulled free before more people could pile back onto him.
“Ten seconds,” Marysue called out, warning that a knockback was going to happen.
Alburet thought it was odd that this was a mechanic of the raid, considering that they had added a patch when his group had held an Orc way back near the beginning. It did make a certain amount of sense because otherwise, Stein would just stay flying above them. Alburet shook his head. There was probably another way of doing it, he just had not thought of it.
The knockback came and Stein was back in the air before enough people could get to him to keep him held down. Seething as he floated above them, Stein pointed to two people and both of them were suddenly encased in bubbles.
“If you think that pulling me down to your level is the way to victory, you are sorely mistaken,” Stein snarled. “I’ll just double your losses.”
“Then we shall bring you to the ground again,” Tyr shouted as golden chains shot out of the ground, wrapping around Stein and pulling him down again. “Now, everyone! Do your best,” Tyr shouted, holding onto his sword where it was planted in the ground.
“No!” Stein shouted and a wave of ice froze the twenty people closest to him in solid blocks. “Let me go! I will not fail! Not now, so close to the truth.” With every attempt Stein made to break out of the chains, Tyr’s sword slowly inched free of the ground.
Wildmane and the Berserkers— including Fluff— went over the frozen raid members to land beside Stein. “For my mate,” Wildmane growled as he attacked.
“For my loved ones,” Fluff declared, her claws shredding the robe and nicking the bones under them.
“Fools, love means nothing,” Stein hissed. “When you die, you will never know your loved ones again. No one reconnects in Delta World! All we’ve been told is lies.”
“No one will listen to a man who twists everything he touches,” Tyr said as he struggled to hold the sword in place.
Taking full advantage of the moment, anyone who could tore chunks of Stein’s life away. When someone went to help the King with his sword, he shook his head, telling them that he had to shoulder it alone.
The ice melted just before the sword ripped free of the ground. Stein knocked everyone back and tried to take to the air again. He found himself blocked by Alburet, who had been waiting in the air above him. Driving Stein back down to be grabbed and wrestled to the ground by the raid, Alburet laughed. His laughter died away when he realized Stein had just fallen under half life.
“Maybe I should change my tactics, then,” Stein hissed. “Know death.”
Alburet jerked back when the pain hit him. Flapping hard, he took to the air, watching his life drop by one percent every second. Looking back down, he watched everyone holding Stein wince in pain, and could see the same debuff on them.
Death’s Caress
Lose 1% of your life every second. If you die from this effect, you will become Calamity’s Spawn. This debuff cannot be removed.
“We’re on a timer,” Alburet said. “We’re not going to be able to keep up with the damage coming in if he keeps turning people.”
“Wonderful, isn’t it?” Stein laughed as people kept attacking him. “Let’s make some of your friends better.” Three of the people attacking Stein were suddenly encased in bubbles. With three fewer people on him, Stein was able to push himself upright. “That’s better. Now to continue this party.” His staff vanished, replaced by a pair of daggers that he put to work.
“Damn it,” Ironhand hissed as he backed out of combat only seconds after getting close enough to use his own weapons. “Unstaunchable Wound? A damned bleed on top of the other debuff? This is bad.”
“Keep pushing,” Tyr commanded as he pushed toward the front. “We can do this! Fight! Fight for your city, fight for your friends, fight for your loved ones!”
King’s Plea
Damage increased by 10%. Every minute this buffs stays active, the King will lose 10% of his maximum health.
“If you group up, we can heal easier, but then you’ll also become easier targets for Stein,” Marysue said. “Anyone not directly able to hurt him, group up. Everyone else, break away and join a group when you can.”
Shifting with the fight, they dug in, killing the Calamity’s Spawn that rose and doing what they could against Stein. The healers were starting to feel the pinch badly now, as they were running low on mana potions. Stein would target more people every minute or two and turn them into Spawn, forcing the raid to kill the adds to minimize the additional damage they were taking.
The fight became more and more chaotic as time ticked on. Stein shifted weapons, going from daggers to a two-handed sword, then to sword and shield. The healers were starting to panic; time kept moving as their mana was depleted and many had run out of potions. Over a hundred people died during the last minute when the debuffs finally started claiming lives. The dead mutated into Calamity’s Spawn, forcing those still alive to fight off the new mobs.
Stein’s health finally hit zero, and an ear splitting scream echoed over the battlefield. All of the Calamity’s Spawn melted into puddles and vanished, leaving loot bags behind. The scant hundred survivors looked at each other and wondered why combat hadn’t ended.
Marysue, Brightlight, and the three other healers left were frantically digging through their bags, pulling out the very last mana potions they had. Several people started healing themselves, using potions that had been held in reserve. The debuffs were still active and their health was still dropping.
“No... why won’t it end?” Tyr panted as his life ebbed further.
“Sire, drink this,” Ioaniss said, handing him a potion.
Tyr took the offered potion an
d downed it, only to see Ioaniss sit heavily. “What did you do?” Tyr asked in horror.
“Saved the Crown, sire,” Ioaniss said as his life dipped under ten percent.
“Drink this, Jones,” Alburet said, handing off his last healing potion, his health sitting at full.
“Give it to Tyr,” Ioaniss said, pushing the bottle away.
“No,” Alburet said as he uncorked it. “The King needs you.” He pushed the bottle at Jones again. “Drink it and finish this beside your friend.”
Gamer for Love (Alpha World Book 8) Page 50
