We’d discussed it in advance. The melee fighters were tough and harder to bring down than the hurlers, but if left alone, the boulder-throwing group was the more dangerous one, able to decimate whole ranks with a few heavy volleys. They were also level 80, just like me. And though ten to one were pretty grim odds for most people, as a tier 4 boss, even considering my lack of mana, their numbers should be well within my ability to handle.
Our three forces closed in on the lieutenant and his smashers. They were being hit as badly as they were giving it, but with a 20 to one advantage, I felt confident they’d win out in the end. As long as I did my part.
I reached the group of hurlers just before they were about to release their next volley and went to work.
The ranged units were only half as dangerous up close. They were grouped together, but not close enough that I could catch many with the last Direball spell stored in my staff. So I turned to Drilling Arrow instead. It only cost 24 MP to cast a normal Drilling Arrow or 48 MP for the empowered version. But even then, I didn’t have enough to kill them all. I was going to have to engage in melee and ration my magical attacks.
I opened with two volleys to soften them up, each directed at a different creature. Ten arrows drilled into each of my targets, perforating their flesh like swiss cheese. Empowered by my staff’s passive bonus, each missile inflicted between 82-98 points of damage, with the entire volley doing 900 points on average. It was still not enough to bring down the 1,100 HP hurlers, but I wasn’t going to waste more mana on them. Efficiency was key. My spear could inflict roughly 200 points of damage, while the soaring dagger – thanks to my heightened Dark Mana skill – could do a bit over 100. Unfortunately, unlike the Epic-ranked spear, its damage would be reduced by the bouldites’ rocklike skin.
I tumbled into the center of the hurlers’ group, narrowly avoiding having my skull bashed in by a boulder. They wouldn’t throw their rocks at me for fear of hitting their allies, but I was surrounded. I had to bring down their numbers before they piled over me.
I let out another two volleys of drilling arrows, more controlled this time. Three of them hit one of the injured. It staggered but did not fall, its health in the low two digits. I directed four arrows against the other injured one, which was enough to kill him. I growled in satisfaction; I had my measure now. Fourteen arrows to kill a hurler. I sent the 13 remaining arrows toward an uninjured bouldite and watched in surprise as he too fell dead. I guess 13 will do then.
I directed my dagger against the severely injured one, draining his last few HP.
Bouldite Hurler sacrificed!
+80 Faith Points
The seven remaining enemies tried closing in on me, but I was too fast for them. With enough mana for two more spells, I dodged three of them and stabbed with my spear, managing two hits before I had to roll away. My powerful weapon didn’t encounter the slightest bit of resistance as it pierced through their tough flesh.
Demon Staff hit Hurler for 450 damage.
(225 X 2)
Then I triggered my last two spells. Seven arrows brought the one I attacked to the brink of death, while the other 13 spinning missiles hit another uninjured hurler, nearly killing him. My dagger flashed between them delivering the killing blows and reducing the two into piles of dark goo.
Bouldite Hurler sacrificed! X 2
+160 Faith Points
The five remaining hurlers roared in rage and tried to close in on me again. It was harder to dodge them this time, as their reduced numbers meant they got in each other’s way less than before.
With no more mana for spells and barely enough to sustain my hastened legs, I evaded one rock, which left me wide open to four others. I couldn’t dodge the barrage, but I had other tricks under my belt. The four boulders lost all momentum when they reached me, as I triggered Damage Reflection, one of my unique boss powers.
I thrust out my spear, directing all the absorbed force into one deadly strike. The gigantic hurler’s body exploded from the impact, reducing the number of enemies to four.
I let out a feral grin. I could do it. Even without mana, four ‘normal’ opponents at my level were no match for me.
I chanced a glance toward the melee skirmish. Without ranged units to support them, our forces had taken a greater loss than normal, losing a third of their numbers, but only the lieutenant and two of the smashers were still standing. We were going to win.
I should have stayed focused on my own fight. Taking advantage of my distraction, the hurlers stepped away before I could close in on them and, true to their names, hurled their deadly payloads at me.
Damage Reflection was on cooldown. I made a desperate attempt to dodge, but three of the boulders still clipped me. My enchanted armor negated some of the damage, but the sheer mass of the projectiles still sent me flying.
Boulders hit you for 1,174 damage.
[(base 483 - 92 armor) X 3]
I crashed hard on the ground, my health bar plummeting by more than a third. It’d been a long time since I had taken so much damage. I was used to having my shield take the brunt of the hits. There was blood in my mouth, and I felt the familiar rage spread over my body like fire, amping up my Blood Wrath ability which had already been activated by my recent torture.
The landing was painful, but I snapped my eyes open despite that. One of the brutes was charging me with a raised boulder while his friends bent down for more ammunition. The hurler was on top of me in a heartbeat, aiming to smash my head open. I didn’t have time to think, I simply lashed out, unleashing the accumulated rage as a thin ray of piercing energy. The needle-thin ray, more powerful than ever thanks to my elevated boss tier, hit the hurler’s head and pierced cleanly through. He stared at me stupidly for a split second then tumbled down, dead.
Only three more enemies remained.
The other hurlers had finished drawing new boulders from the ground and were preparing to launch another volley at me. Unfortunately for them, they were standing closer together, presenting a perfect target. Not bothering to waste time by standing up, I leveled my staff at them and fired off the last direball. The explosion engulfed all three, tearing gashes throughout their bodies.
Direball hit for 520.
(base 1,040 - 50% spell resistance)
The three were left with half their HP, but the explosion staggered them, buying me all the time I needed. I jumped to my feet and ran at the closest one, holding my spear like a lance. It pierced clean through, scoring a critical hit which was almost enough to kill the giant creature.
Before the others could get their bearings, I pulled out the bloody weapon and, in a whirl of thrusts, stabbed another bouldite twice. My dagger zoomed in, plucking the lives of the two heavily injured enemies.
I stepped forward casually toward the last remaining hurler while his comrades were reduced to pools of liquid darkness around me. I snarled at him, exposing my teeth as a rush of savagery ran through me. “You’re dead.”
The lone hurler launched his boulder at me, but I easily sidestepped it and ran him through the chest. I allowed the dying bouldite another moment of agony before ordering my dagger to claim its life.
Bouldite Hurler sacrificed! X 4
+320 Faith Points
Level up! You have reached Character Level 81. You have 1 ability point to allocate.
I turned back just in time to see the bouldite lieutenant finally falling to the combined forces of my army, then I turned my attention back to the notification. “That’s it?” I’d just killed ten high-level enemies and I only gained one level?”
For a moment, I forgot Vic wasn’t with me, and I half expected his snarky remark commenting on how I was high-level as well. I consoled myself with the fact I’d just gained 640 FP in a single battle.
The adrenaline was still pumping through my veins, and the feral side of me demanded I find new enemies to murder. I took in a steadying breath to calm down. I couldn’t become agitated for too long.
I deactivated Man
a Infusion and checked my mana. I’d won by the skin of my teeth, with exactly 2 MP remaining. I opened my character sheet and invested the new level-up ability point into Mental. My mana edged a fraction higher, but it was still barely a drop in the bucket.
Nero approached, leading several other players.
“Damn.” Cron, a half dwarven player whistled as he took in the corpses and charred silhouettes on the ground. “You took them all out by yourself?”
“Well fought,” Nero said.
I nodded at him. “You too. Casualties?”
“We lost Fox and 120 soldiers,” he said gravely.
“Julee also died in the assault,” Cron added with a sigh. “She’s going to be pissed when she respawns. We should bring her a souvenir. Any decent loot on the bodies?”
“No, sir,” one of the hobgoblins replied. “A few random pieces of basic equipment, some rations, and that’s it.”
“I hate those monsters,” Cron said sourly. “They’re a pain to kill, and they don’t even have the decency to leave nice stuff behind.”
“We’re aiming for greater prizes,” I said. “Come on, let’s resurrect the army and eradicate the last of the stragglers.”
***
I grimaced as I studied the Resurrection Interface. Since most of the army was destroyed and our vassal forces annihilated, my clan’s energy revenues had dropped significantly, adding a mere 930,000 total points during the ten days of my absence.
Dead count: 4,650
Resurrect all for 1,023,000 EP? (1,399,660 available)
“Yes,” I said, wincing at the cost.
Bright light suffused the three outposts, and a moment later, resurrected soldiers started pouring out of them by the hundreds.
I looked over the assembled players. They were worn and tired, but new hope shone in their eyes at the sight of our returned soldiers. “Alright, guys, let’s split into five groups, 900 soldiers each. Sullivan, scout out to find the remaining bouldite groups and hunt them down. Keep in touch with each other. Let’s try to take them out cleanly; I want to minimize our casualties.”
“Of course,” Nero said. He and several of the other players moved to stand in front of each force.
I nodded. “Let’s head out.”
***
“Thank god you’re here.” Malkyr dismounted from his bonetis as the force I led got rid of the dozen or so bouldites that were chasing his group. “We had maybe half a day left before they caught up to us.”
“Oh, it wasn’t all that bad, mate,” Aidanriel said cheerfully. “I composed that whole marching song to keep us entertained while we ran, didn’t I?”
Malkyr winced. “I would have almost preferred to be hunted down and killed by bouldites.”
The golem sighed “You have no appreciation for the fine arts. Hey Oren, where’s Vic?”
“Dead. I’ll reform him tomorrow,” I said and turned back to Malkyr. “I’m impressed you kept them off the strongholds for ten whole days.”
“Yeah, well …” He wiped his sweaty brow. “I don’t plan on making a career out of it. We were able to stay ahead by using the few bonetises that survived, but it was a close call. You came back just in time.
“My group, along with the others, easily tracked down and wiped out the remaining bouldite forces. As Sullivan said, they didn’t seem to work well together, so they kept apart in small patrol groups, which we were able to easily defeat with overwhelming numbers. The fact that most of my soldiers had gained a level or two during the three-pronged battles also helped.”
“It’s been a long ten days,” the strategist said.
“I’m sorry you had to suffer through it,” I said. “I thought we stood a good chance against their three armies.”
Sullivan waved his hand dismissively. “I didn’t expect us to win. And I thought getting flanked was a distinct possibility, though I expected the bouldite reinforcements to arrive from the group you were supposed to stop. Especially after we realized you had died. But not a single bouldite came at us from your position.”
“How did you kill a thousand bouldites before they got you?” Malkyr asked incredulously.
“I’d like to know that too,” Sullivan said. “You evaded the question last time I asked.”
I sighed. “I made a pact with the devil.”
Everyone stared at me.
“Remember the Book of the Damned?” I looked at the siblings.
Hoshisu narrowed her eyes. “You mean that demon lore book you used at Ogre Fort?”
“That’s the one. I used it to make a pact with a greater demon, and she summoned her horde to deal with the bouldites.”
Most of the players didn’t seem bothered by the reveal. Some even gave me appreciative nods, but Lirian’s face paled.
“Father!” she said. “You made a pact with a demon? Was your soul harmed?”
“Some,” I admitted. “But I’m better now.”
Malkyr chuckled. “Trust Big Chief over here to lose a chunk of his soul and simply shake it off.”
“Maybe it was just a flesh wound?” Kyth suggested with a wry smile.
“I’m okay,” I said. “We need to discuss our next move.”
“I guess you’d rather discuss it with my replacement,” Sullivan said evenly.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I failed,” he said plainly. “Clearly, we need someone better to direct our forces.”
“You’re taking this a little too badly. We didn’t lose, we won!”
Sullivan blinked at me.
“We just destroyed the last of a force of 3,000 bouldites that was sent to annihilate us,” I explained. “We only lost 80 percent of our army in the process – our best death ratio yet, if I’m not mistaken. Yes, we lost the six new outposts, but we don’t need them anymore. The enemy lost a large chunk of their army while we just resurrected ours.”
“We lost all our militia forces,” the strategist pointed out. “They’ll take a long time to recover. We won’t be able to count on them for the final battle for the cave.”
I shook my head. “We knew in advance that was the most likely scenario, but it was worth it. The way is now clear for us to advance. It turned out even better than I’d thought.”
“Yeah, man.” Malkyr laid his large hand on the other player’s shoulder. “If it weren’t for you, we’d have been driven back even further, maybe completely out of the region. You kept us together all this time.”
“And you made sure my daughter stayed safe,” I said. “If anything, you’re up for a promotion.”
The weary player’s lips turned up. “Well, I’m already the army’s grand strategist. How much higher can I get?”
I returned his grin. “I’ll let you think of something.”
“I’ll have to get back to you, then.”
“You do that,” I said. “Let’s resurrect the soldiers we lost and march on. I’d hate to keep our enemies waiting.”
“About that,” Sullivan said. “We should move in with greater care than before. The Outriders are actively directing the bouldites, and they’ve proven they can strategize. They might have just lost a significant portion of their forces, but they set us back by at least two weeks and nearly depleted our energy supply. We should expect more surprises from them.”
“I can help scout ahead,” Hoshisu said. “If you send out Yulli and Ashlazaria as well, the three of us can cover a lot more ground than the normal scouts.”
Sullivan nodded. “Good idea. We need to be prepared for surprises. According to the map, we have five days of travel to reach the cave and the probable ground for the final battle.” He looked at me. “I’m counting on you to dazzle us all with another of your tide-turning surprises. We can also use more mounts; we lost almost all of the bonetises and they can’t be resurrected.”
“I’ll do what I can,” I said. “I should be able to summon some more.”
“That would be appreciated.”
“Hold on to your
panties,” Ragnar called out. Every eye turned to the chitinous drone. “Not that it wasn’t fun cutting them beasties apart, but I still did’na hear how we gonna get through them two asshat Outriders at the end o’ the road.”
All eyes turned back to me.
“Yeah, I want to hear that too, mate,” Aidanriel said brightly, towering over most of the others. “Not that I think you got any chance in hell to go past my br— I mean, those Outriders, yeah.”
I stared at the golem. Unlike Vic, he wasn’t soul bound to me, and despite his oath, his loyalties were uncertain. Maybe it was time to start being careful around him.
“Well?” Ragnar demanded.
I stared pointedly at Aidanriel, who visibly deflated. “Drats. I’ll just go check on Swarm for a while then. I got a great idea for this epic ode I wanna run by him. It would really help make the final battle shine, know what I mean? Give it a real dramatic flavor – our viewers would love that.”
I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect, but it at least made the VI excited enough to go elsewhere. I turned back to the players.
“Well?” Ragnar said again, glaring at me. “How are we gonna get past them shiny-assed Outriders?”
“It’s just another boss fight,” I said. “We’ll cut through their forces, use every advantage we’ve been keeping in reserve, and unload everything against them.”
“The army’s average level has climbed to 28, so we’ve got that going for us,” Sullivan noted.
“You betta’ have something more than tha’,” Ragnar growled. The other players echoed his sentiment.
Instead of answering, I took out an item from my inventory and held it up in my palm.
“Is tha’ big red button supposed to mean anything ta me?” the drone asked.
“Check out the description.”
Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Page 42