Rise of the Grandmaster

by Bradford Bates

  This time, the tower on the left shot first, and the tower on the right waited for Cassie to start moving to loose their own volley. She managed to roll away from the arrows, but even as she climbed back to her feet, the next batch of arrows was falling.

  “Any time now,” she shouted, an edge of panic in her voice.

  The armed kobolds in front of the giant door let out a war cry and started to charge. That was the cue Gaston, and ShadowLily were waiting for. They had to make sure all of the fighters were committed before they sprang their trap. If this wasn’t all of them, their careful planning wouldn’t mean shit.

  Tim watched as his teammates appeared and lobbed their first vials at the towers. Green mist billowed up where the vials shattered. Their next vials flew in right behind the first, catching the kobolds standing further back.

  With their poison bombs away, the two dropped back into stealth and ran toward Cassie. The warrior kobolds hadn’t even noticed their protection from the towers had been eliminated as they ran blindly forward with their eyes locked on Cassie.

  “Fucking balls of steel,” Tim muttered as he dropped from stealth. There was no way he would be able to stay as calm as she was with certain death charging at him.

  Tim threw the first of his vials, and it landed just in front of the charging horde. The stupid little fuckers ran through the green mist undeterred. His next vial landed in the middle of the pack. A few of the kobolds fell to the ground as the double helping of poison hit them.

  Cassie spun her staff like she was in Bruce Lee movie and screamed at the remaining kobolds bearing down on her.

  Only five of the creatures made it through the mist. Two of them died as Gaston and ShadowLily appeared behind them, and the remaining three crashed into Cassie as she did her best to turn their savage sword strikes away from her body. Their tank moved the annoyances around until two more fell to ShadowLily and Gaston from behind.

  Cassie’s staff cracked into the last kobolds’ skull, sending it to the ground with a thump. Gaston planted a foot on its back before it could wriggle away and pierced its heart with his dagger.

  The burly assassin eyed his companions. “Well, that couldn’t have gone much better.”

  “Watch out!” ShadowLily slammed into Gaston, sending them both to the ground as a bolt of magical energy flew over their heads.

  Tim looked up to see a kobold with a staff and shiny baubles hanging from its neck step down the stairs. Perched on the creature’s head was the skull of a larger animal. There was no way to tell for certain, but Tim suspected the creature was some kind of shaman.

  Blue light started to pool at the top of the shaman’s staff. With a growl, it pointed the staff at Tim and a bolt of magical energy shot out. Cassie jumped in front of the bolt, catching most of it on her staff. The tank flew backward as if she had been hit by a truck, and her body rolled limply across the ground until it came to a rest.

  Cassie wasn’t moving, and the shaman was pointing his staff toward Tim again. He jumped out of the way as the energy sailed past. The magical attack hit the ground, ripping chunks of stone out of the rough surface. He looked back to make sure he wasn’t about to be vaporized before running toward Cassie.

  Tim kind of felt like a medic in a World War Two or Vietnam movie. Fuck the danger, his only job was to save her. He knelt over Cassie and summoned healing orb as the battle raged behind him. At this point he didn’t care if he died, as long as he saved her.

  He hit her with the healing orbs again and again. When she didn’t move, he put his hand above her heart and pushed the spell directly into her.

  A minute later, he crumpled against her in exhaustion. Tim’s mana pool couldn’t keep up with the demands he was placing on it. Tears of frustration streamed down his cheeks. How could this have happened? He was right here, healing her almost the instant she went down. There was no way she could be dead.

  Fuck, had Cassie really just died to save him?

  “Why would you do that?” Tim cried, covering her body from the battle still raging behind him. Leaning forward, he placed his head against her chest, hoping to hear something. Anything. Right now, he would settle for one ragged, whispery breath.

  “Goddess, I know I am new to this world, and that I don’t have the right to ask you for anything, but please don’t let her die.”

  A hand tapped him on the back and he turned, his eyes swimming with tears. ShadowLily gazed into them as tears of her own started to fall. “She’s gone.”

  “No!” Tim screamed as the realization hit him. He’d let her down, but not only that, he’d let all of them down. The group didn’t have a chance of making progress in the dungeon without a tank.

  He called on his magic, funneling every last bit into the spell. The orb in his hands grew until he needed both hands to hold the spell together. When his mana ran out, he dropped the orb onto Cassie’s lifeless body.

  He stared at her, expecting a miracle, but nothing happened. “It can’t end like this. It can’t.” Tim rested his head against her chest again and wondered how he could have failed so badly. His only job in the group was to keep them alive, and he’d totally FUBAR’d it. Tears streamed down his face and sobs shook his body. He’d never felt like such a failure in all of his life.

  He looked up from Cassie’s body as white light filled his vision.

  Before him stood an ethereal figure. Her blue robe moved around her as if she were underwater, but her clothes were dry. She lifted one arm, and white light shot from her fingertips into Cassie’s body. Their tank’s chest spasmed, and her entire body shook as if Cassie was having a seizure.

  Tim kept his eyes fixed on Cassie as her chest started to rise and fall again. This time, the tears trickling down his face were from joy. It seemed that in The Etheric Coast, miracles still happened.

  The Goddess Eternia, more beautiful than words could describe, stared at him. “You have called me, and I have answered. There may come a day when I ask for a favor in return.”

  “You have but to name it,” Tim mumbled as he cradled Cassie in his arms.

  “Remember this moment and what will be taken from you should you refuse.” The white light grew until he couldn’t see six inches in front of him and the goddess was gone.

  “Tim, she’s gone. We have to go back to the inn and figure out what to do.” ShadowLily’s hand was on his shoulder.

  “I’ll help you carry the body.” Gaston sounded shaky as he stepped forward.

  Cassie’s eyes flickered open, confirming what Tim already knew. “It seems the rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated.”

  “What in the actual fuck?” ShadowLily dove at her friend and engulfed her in a bear hug.

  “Ugh! I might actually die if you don’t let me breathe.” Cassie tried to peel ShadowLily’s vice-like grip off her.

  “Just shut up and take it.” The half-elf pulled back, grinning from ear to ear. “We all thought you were dead.

  “She was,” Gaston said, voice shaky. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Cassie looked at Tim. “Would have been nice to know you had a resurrection spell in your bag of tricks.”

  Tim looked at her hands extended in front of him palms toward Cassie, in a “pump your brakes” gesture. “I don’t have a resurrection spell. The Goddess Eternia saved you.”

  Their little tank stood up, patting her arms and legs. “Everything feels ok, but why would the goddess help me? I’ve never even set foot inside the temple.”

  He didn’t know how much he should share with the group. Owing a favor to the goddess seemed like a private thing. “I asked for her help, and she came.” His voice was filled with awe. He’d asked for help, and the goddess had delivered. It really was a miracle.

  Cassie looked at the shocked faces around her. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s see if this was all worth it.”

  “Damn well better be,” Gaston rumbled.

  “I second that.” ShadowLily looked around the cavern at
the forty-one kobold corpses littering the floor and the towers. “On the plus side, at least we don’t have to clean this up.”

  “Nope. Just loot and scoot.” Tim said, bending over the shaman’s corpse.

  “Loot and what?” ShadowLily laughed.

  “And scoot.” Tim looked at her confused face. “You know, grab the loot and get the hell out of here.”

  “Nobody says that.” Cassie intoned. “There is ‘tank and spank,’ but not ‘loot and scoot.’”

  “I don’t see that particular terminology catching on anytime soon,” ShadowLily said with a grin.

  “Don’t be a hater,” Tim snapped as he picked over the shaman’s corpse.

  Gaston pointed toward the stairs, and as they turned to look, the giant doors slid open, revealing a dark swirling vortex. The way into the dungeon was open. All they had to do now was be brave enough to find out what was inside.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Tim watched Cassie for any signs of fatigue.

  “Death is just a frame of mind,” Cassie said as she adjusted her armor. “At least with you around.”

  “Well, try not to do it again. I’m pretty sure your resurrection was a one-time deal.” Tim frowned at the others. “No more dying.”

  “Hey! Gaston and I didn’t die. That seems to be a tank and a healer problem.” ShadowLily grinned at the two of them.

  “Just wait until you see who has agro if it happens again,” Tim said with a laugh.

  They were all feeling a little twitchy after their battle with the shaman. Tim also felt lucky. If the goddess hadn’t intervened, there wouldn’t be any way for them to beat the dungeon. At least not before Malvonis showed up and ripped out their spleens. As it was, the entire group was whole and healthy.

  The same couldn’t be said for the kobolds.

  “I think we stick with the same plan as when we scouted the cavern. Gaston, that means you are on point. Watch out for any traps, and if you see potential enemies, come back for the group. Don’t try to engage them alone.”

  The assassin gave him a saucy salute and disappeared into the shadows.

  Tim reviewed the rest of his team and sighed. “We made it.”

  “Did you doubt we would?” Cassie asked.

  “Only for a moment.” Tim looked at his boots. “I guess I won’t truly be relieved until we are out of here.”

  “With the loot.” ShadowLily smiled at them. “A good thief never leaves without the loot.”

  “Plus, I need some upgrades. Anything with defense against magical attacks would be a great start.”

  “No shit.” Tim grinned. “We can’t have you dying every time you take a hit.”

  “That only happened once.” Cassie smirked at him. “And everything worked out fine in the end.”

  All three of them froze when they heard a noise. Tim was holding his breath, ready to heal Cassie for all he was worth. ShadowLily gripped her daggers tighter, and Cassie dropped into a defensive stance.

  Gaston appeared a moment later. “It’s all clear up to another door.”

  “That’s odd,” Tim mused out loud. “Normally dungeons have a few trash mobs.”

  “Maybe that was why the caverns outside were full,” ShadowLily replied, sounding hopeful.

  “Doubt it,” Cassie said.

  “To be fair, there were quite a few traps between here and there, but I’m pretty sure I disarmed them all.” Gaston shrugged. “There is no way to be sure, though.

  “Pretty sure?” Tim raised one eyebrow as he looked at Gaston.

  “Traps were never really my thing. I’ve always been more of a stab-and-run kind of guy.” The assassin pretended to brush a bit of dust off his shoulder. “But I’m pretty confident I got them all.”

  “Time to move out, then.” Cassie moved to the front of their column as they walked further into the dungeon. “Just keep your eyes open for anything Gaston might have missed.”

  The group continued down the stone hallway, and Tim couldn’t help but think of Raiders of the Lost Ark. With every step, he was waiting for a giant ball of stone to roll from out of nowhere and crush them. He kept his eyes moving over the floor, the walls, the ceiling. If something was off, he was determined to find it before it killed them.

  They rounded one corner and then another. The first trickle of relief was just starting to creep down his spine when he noticed a faint blue outline around a stone in the middle of the path where Cassie was walking. Her next few steps would put her on top of it.

  “Stop!” Tim shouted.

  Cassie took another two steps forward before turning around. “What?”

  Tim watched with growing horror as their tank’s heel brushed the highlighted tile. There was a small clink like a chain being cut in half, and Tim ran forward. Cassie must have heard the same noise because she sprang back toward the group. The two of them collided and crashed to the ground in a heap.

  Tim looked up in time to see a giant pendulum swing out of the wall. If it had just been a rod of metal, it would have crushed a person, but this particular pendulum was sharpened like something straight out of a horror movie. It swung back and forth at regular intervals, but that wasn’t the biggest problem they had.

  The biggest problem was the ten more that had dropped down the entire length of the hallway. Each looked to be swinging on its own clock. There appeared to be enough room between the blades that you could pause, but one step either way, and you were going to end up in two pieces.

  Like those weirdos who cut eggrolls in half.

  He snickered. You knew you were really missing food when you compared your friends getting cut in half to the monsters who did it to egg rolls. I mean, come on. We all know when we see four halves that we only received two eggrolls, you cheap bastards.

  Gaston smiled at the rest of the group. “Guess I missed one.”

  “Guess you get to go first,” Cassie said with a grin of her own as she stood up.

  “As the lady commands.” Gaston set off at a run.

  Tim held his breath as the assassin rushed toward the first pendulum. The blade moved away just as he reached it. He paused and stepped forward. Each move had to be perfect, and it was rinse and repeat until he was standing at the end of the hall.

  “So easy, even you might be able to do it,” Gaston shouted back to the party.

  “So easy, I’m about to put my boot up your ass,” Cassie mumbled as she stepped to the front of the line.

  It took Cassie three times as long to reach the other end, but she did it. ShadowLily stepped up next and made it across nearly as fast as Gaston. That left Tim standing there alone watching the blades as they swooshed across the hall, ready to bisect him.

  “I swear, if I get out of this, I’ll never cut anything in half again,” Tim mumbled as he walked toward the first blade.

  The air movement created by the pendulum as it passed him was enough to make his clothing ripple like he was standing in a stiff breeze. There was no doubt in his mind that a single hit would be enough to send him right back to his caseworker.

  Tim wasn’t ready to see her again just yet.

  He took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Fucking frogger and the pendulum.”

  Instead of cars and shit, he was dodging big ass blades of death. He moved, stopped, and moved again. Each time he stopped, he thought it might be his last. One step in any direction, and you might as well put sliced Tim on the kobold dinner menu.

  The last blade caught the fabric of his robe, sending him flying toward the wall. Tim’s shoulder crunched into the stone, and he started to fall right into the path of the returning blade. This was it—killed twice before he reached level ten. He had to officially be the worst player in the game.

  Cassie yanked him forward just before he got a new haircut. “Try to be more careful. It’s not much of a group without our fearless leader.”

  “I thought I was the leader,” Gaston rumbled.

  Cassi
e patted him on the back. “Nope, you’re just the eye candy.”

  The burly assassin looked at their tank with a lopsided smile. “’Eye candy.’ I like the sound of that.”

  “It’s a bit derogatory, don’t you think?” ShadowLily asked. “Reducing a man to a shirtless hunk of beef.”

  “Only if he doesn’t like it.” Cassie eyed Gaston. “But you do like it, don’t you?”

  “In my experience, a lady with a discerning eye is never wrong.” Gaston looked at Cassie again as if he might have missed something the first hundred times he’d done it.

  Tim slapped a panel on the wall, and all of the pendulums stopped swinging and began to retreat into the walls. “Or maybe not so discerning after all.”

  “Don’t get mad because we wanted to see you run the gauntlet,” Cassie said with a laugh. “It all worked out.”

  Tim pushed past them to the front of the group. “Maybe I should go first for now.”

  No one tried to stop him, so he kept walking. His eyes roved all over the walls and floor, but he didn’t see any other faint outlines. Eventually, the hallway ended at another set of giant doors. Written on them in giant letters were two words.

  The Gatekeeper.

  It looks as though they had made it to the first boss. There was no information on bosses in The Etheric Coast, unless you counted the video they had seen of the crew fighting the BrewMaster. That meant they had to wing it and they couldn’t die.

  Surely the development team would have taken their lower levels into consideration when designing the dungeon.

  Based on the forty-plus kobolds out front and the shaman who had attacked them, Tim wasn’t holding his breath for a fair fight. He looked at each member of the group and met all of their eyes in turn. They appeared to be ready to go. Stepping away from the group, Tim placed his hand on the door and shoved it open.

  The room beyond the doors was massive, just the kind of thing you would expect for a boss fight. Tim looked around to see if there was anything they might use for cover or against the boss, but it was just a wide-open space with another set of doors at the back. The room was so empty he started to wonder if they were in the wrong place.