Rise of the Grandmaster

by Bradford Bates

  The rest of the party filed into the room behind Tim, and the doors slammed shut. He tried to force the door open, but there wasn’t a door anymore. They were sealed in the room with no way out but forward.

  “Well, that makes things simple.” Cassie pulled her staff from her back and strode to the center of the room. “Get ready, bitches.”

  Gaston bumped his shoulder into Tim. “I like her.”

  “As if you have a chance,” ShadowLily chided as she dropped into stealth.

  “Never underestimate a determined assassin.” Gaston grinned as he watched Cassie stride forward.

  Tim started casting healing orb. He had a feeling the calm before the storm might be coming to a rapid close. As if on cue, stones began falling from the ceiling, and a low rumbling sound filled the room. Whatever was coming for them was coming fast and from above.

  A giant dropped from the ceiling, landing in front of the doors they needed to get through. As he rose from a crouch, the Gatekeeper roared in challenge from both of his mouths. Tim stared in wonder at the giant’s two heads.

  It was bad enough the first boss they had to face was thirteen feet tall, but the fucker had two heads as well, not to mention two axes that were as tall as Tim. At least the developers had made the two heads easy to distinguish. One was bald with jewelry, and the other had long hair.

  “Hungry,” the bald head snarled.

  “Snack,” the other one growled and pointed at Cassie.

  “Enough for two.” The first head laughed.

  “I’m going to use her leg as a toothpick.” The two heads of the Gatekeeper laughed together.

  Cassie stood still watching the two-headed giant with icy detachment. “If you want a piece of this, come and get it.”

  Tim smiled as he watched her interaction. It never stopped impressing him how well she handled the danger. Maybe certain people were just born to be tanks. Having people constantly trying to kill and maim him didn’t sound like much fun to Tim. He just wanted to stand in the back and keep the others alive.

  Right now, he was in an enviable position. The Gatekeeper was focused on Cassie, and the other two were in stealth mode. He had no idea how they were going to stop the bastard though. If Cassie took a direct hit from either axe, he wouldn’t be able to save her.

  Tim just hoped Cassie was as good at fighting the boss as she was brave.

  The giant rushed forward, one axe sweeping low to cut her in half and the other coming from overhead. Cassie jumped over the first blade and rolled out of the next attack. The two heads roared in frustration as the tank ran between the Gatekeeper’s legs and disappeared behind him.

  Tim watched in horror as the Gatekeeper locked all four eyes on him. Apparently, Cassie was too much of a bother, so the giant decided to settle for a much easier target. Tim didn’t have any defensive spells. Flameburst might singe the bastard’s eyebrows, but it wasn’t going to be enough to take him down.

  Tim started to slowly back away, but stopped when he bumped into the wall. The giant took a lumbering step forward, having forgotten about Cassie.

  Not a good idea.

  “Hope you weren’t planning on having kids!” Cassie swung her staff up between the giant’s legs with all the force she could muster.

  Falling to his knees, the Gatekeeper cried out in pain, but Cassie wasn’t done with him yet. Her staff cracked into the back of one of his heads. She reared back, ready to strike again, but the giant spun with one beefy fist up and backhanded her.

  Cassie flew across the room and hit the ground in a heap. Tim released the spell he’d been holding in his hand, and the healing orb flew across the room. Sprinting after the spell, Tim started casting again.

  This felt a little too much like when the shaman took her out for his comfort. As he ran, Tim kept repeating to himself, “Please don’t be dead.”

  His first healing spell found Cassie as she pushed herself up on one elbow. The second spell hit her before she could stand back up. Tim took in her bloody lip and determined face. She was about to head right back into the fight. One more orb would bring her back to a hundred percent. His fingers started twitching through the motions as he watched her eyes get bigger.

  “Oh, fuck.” Tim knew he’d screwed up by turning his back to the boss.

  A giant hand closed around him, and he was lifted into the air. The world spun, and Tim found he was being held above the two heads and looking into their open mouths. Being eaten alive wasn’t something he wanted to experience, but his arms were crushed against his sides so there was nothing he could do.

  “Squishy.” The brown-haired head laughed.

  “He’s turning red. I like eating the red ones.” The bald one cackled.

  Tim looked at the two mouths full of razor-sharp teeth and wondered if this is what a seal felt like right before a shark took a bite of him. He tried to squirm, but all it did was excite the giant.

  “Motherfuck, grrhhh.” I’m not Stretch-fucking-Armstrong.

  He was only about a foot away from their mouths now. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cassie bashing her staff against the giant’s legs, but the Gatekeeper wasn’t going to be distracted from its freshly-caught snack.

  He could smell their breath now, and it reminded him of the time the family dog had rolled in shit and he’d had to give her a bath. Why was it that dogs rolled in the stinkiest thing they could find? He’d never understand it. Then he started to wonder what the Gatekeeper had eaten to make his breath smell this bad.

  Was his last thought really going to be about dog-shit breath?

  With death staring him in the face, Tim kind of expected that ah-ha moment where the universe opened itself up to him and he’d learn all its secrets. Instead, all he could think about was how he let everyone down.

  Inches from the Gatekeeper’s teeth, Tim heard a scream. It took him a moment to realize it was his own.

  The arm holding him up started to waver, and Tim looked down to see a ragged tear in the bald head’s throat. His screams of terror turned into laughs of joy. He wasn’t going to die, or at least not just yet. The fingers around him started to loosen. Then it dawned on him just how high above the ground he was.

  “Oh, shit.” The giant’s grip loosened enough that he tumbled free.

  He bounced once off the slack face below and tried to get his feet under himself as the ground rushed up. The hard-tiled floor didn’t give an inch when he slammed into it. Tim groaned, but at least he was alive. A pair of hands slid under his shoulders as someone started to drag him away.

  It was a funny thing now that he was out of the fight. He felt like he was watching a stream back in the real world. Cassie moved around the Gatekeeper, keeping his attention focused on her. It was easier to do with one of the heads out of commission. The remaining head seemed to have control of both legs, but the arm that had been holding Tim in the air hung limply at his side.

  Cassie crouched and made her back as flat as possible. Gaston appeared a second later and ran straight for her. He planted a foot on her back before she lifted herself and he flung himself at the giant. Gaston flew toward it, daggers in hand like something out of a Greek legend.

  The twin blades slammed right into the Gatekeeper’s eyes. Gaston let go of the daggers, and, placing one foot on the giant’s chest, he kicked himself into a flip before landing smoothly ten feet away. The Gatekeeper took two stumbling steps forward and crashed to the ground.

  A face so beautiful it might have been an angel’s appeared in Tim’s vision. “Thought we lost you there for a second.”

  “I’m happy you didn’t. Getting eaten alive is in my top three horrible ways to die.” Tim cast healing orb on himself and instantly started feeling better.

  “What are the other two?” ShadowLily asked as she helped him to his feet.

  “Drowning and being burned alive.” He smiled at her sheepishly. “Personally, I hope to die in my sleep as a contented old man.”

  “Ah, I always wanted t
o die during sex,” Gaston said with a laugh as he joined them. “If you’re going to punch your ticket, it might as well be doing something you love.”

  Cassie slapped him on the arm. “Gross.”

  Their group stood in a semi-circle over the Gatekeeper’s corpse. They’d done it. The first boss of the dungeon was down, and they could keep moving forward. Once they completed the dungeon, he could give Malvonis the dungeon heart and reclaim the inn for Ernie.

  Then the real work could start.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Cassie pouted. “Let’s get to the loot already.”

  Tim smiled at his feisty little tank. “Don’t let me stop you.”

  He hadn’t even thought about what to do with the loot yet. Tim figured they’d just split the coins and dish out the rest on a need versus greed basis. Their party was small enough that there shouldn’t be any real squabbles, and they definitely didn’t need a loot council. That stuff was just for larger raid parties.

  And only because people tended to bitch when they wanted something and didn’t get it.

  Tim had always been a firm believer in gearing up the tanks and healers first, then the best DPS. Having a tank that could soak up more damage before dying and a healer to keep the group alive tended to make things easier for everyone. No one liked to go into a raid or dungeon, slamming their heads against a boss for months.

  Cassie knelt over the corpse of the Gatekeeper. A moment later, Tim received a notification that five gold, thirty-two silver, and fifty-five copper coins had been added to his inventory. Not a bad haul for one boss, but now he wanted to see what items the Gatekeeper left behind.

  “Well, that was anticlimactic.” Cassie stood up and tossed an old-looking key toward Tim. “This was all he had.”

  “Maybe we just get loot at the end of the dungeon?” Tim said as he inspected the rusted key.

  There didn’t seem to be a chest on the ground or anything, so the key must open the path to the next room. Tim didn’t mind delayed gratification, but he could imagine that not getting loot from each kill might feel tedious after a few bosses.

  “I guess we better keep moving, then.” Tim frowned at the two-headed giant’s corpse.

  ShadowLily patted him on the back. “I hope it’s worth it.”

  So far it didn’t feel worth it, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. His deal with Malvonis required that he go on, regardless of loot. He looked around the room one more time to make sure he hadn’t missed a chest. Sometimes developers put them in weird places.

  Why, he’d never understood.

  After working hard as a team to bring down the boss, distributing the loot should be the fun part. Some of his best memories in games were boss kills. Everyone had to execute, and after you died a few times with the boss’s health under ten percent, everyone gets a tiny bit antsy. Then, when you finally bring the fucker down, you cheer like you won the Super Bowl.

  He was sure he’d feel that elation when they finally cleared the dungeon and saw the rewards. If nothing else, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about Malvonis waiting in the dark to kill him. Sometimes being alive was its own reward.

  The door at the far end of the room had a single keyhole, so it seemed pretty obvious what he needed to do. Tim walked to the door and slid in the key. There was no way to know what was waiting for them on the other side, but as long as he didn’t immediately get his face ripped off, it couldn’t be too bad.

  He took a breath and turned the key. The door opened into a small antechamber, and in the center of the room was a chest. A smile spread across his face as he was prompted by a system message.

  You have successfully defeated the Gatekeeper. You have three days until your lockout expires. Next time you enter the dungeon, you will be automatically moved to this waypoint to continue your adventure.

  This game was fucking awesome.

  Not only could they take a break and not have to trek all the way back through the dungeon, but there was also a big chest full of loot. Or at least he hoped it was. Tim stepped out of the way so the others could see inside the room.

  “Cassie, care to do the honors?”

  “Hell, yeah.” Cassie ran to the chest. As she placed her hand against it, she let out a little squeal of delight.

  “Boots with decent stats.” She touched the chest again. “They’re bound to me, though.” She looked at Tim with a bashful expression. “Maybe loot is individualized instead of one giant chest for everyone.”

  “Only one way to find out.” ShadowLily marched forward and placed her hand against the chest. “Gloves, and not bad ones, either.”

  Tim glanced at Gaston. “It’s only fair. You made sure I didn’t turn into the Gatekeeper’s lunch.”

  Gaston walked toward the chest and laid his hand on it. “Not too shabby.” He held out a bandolier for his throwing knives. “I could put this to good use.”

  Now that it was his turn, Tim felt hope welling inside him. Wasn’t it always that way when you had a random roll? Everyone hoped for the best item possible, but the odds were never in your favor. That was what The Hunger Games got wrong. Just like when you bought loot boxes, you normally just got shit on.

  Tim placed his hands on the chest, and a smile cracked the corners of his mouth. “Boots for me as well.” He quickly replaced his boots with the new ones from the chest. They were simple boots made of soft white leather. They didn’t have any special abilities attached to them, but they provided Tim with an additional +2 to willpower.

  Normally he wouldn’t get overhyped about boots without a set bonus or some kind of special ability, but he remembered coming into the game without shoes. Just walking to the inn had hurt his feet, and it had taken him forever to get them clean again. Any upgrade, even a small one to his footwear, felt pretty damn good.

  Not to mention the effect loot had on the group. Everyone was smiling and trying on their new gear. The chest was just the thing to give them the morale boost they needed to keep going. If they could get one more boss done, they could take a break and continue in the morning, still with a full two days to clear whatever was left.

  He was happy with their progress so far and anxious to keep going. He looked around at all the grinning faces. “Ready to see what’s next?”

  Cassie moved to the doors on the other side of the antechamber. “Maybe this time you should let me go first.”

  Tim waved his hand at her. “By all means.”

  Cassie shoved the door open. The next part of their adventure was about to begin.

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  “What in the hell is that?” Tim asked as he peeked around the corner.

  ShadowLily leaned around him. “Looks like a giant fucking wolf.”

  “Dingo ate my baby,” Cassie chortled from behind.

  “This dingo looks like it could eat all four of us,” Tim replied as he moved away from the corner.

  “It can’t be that bad.” Cassie moved forward in a crouch, taking Tim’s vacated spot. She peeked around the corner. “Or maybe it can be.”

  Tim didn’t envy Cassie. Going up against a wolf of normal size was intimidating, but this wolf’s head had to be four feet off the ground. If it stood on its back legs, it would be taller than Gaston. It wasn’t so much a wolf as a dire wolf.

  Cassie backed away from the corner and looked at Tim. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “Give it nose-bops,” Tim said mischievously.

  “Aren’t dogs supposed to love those?” ShadowLily replied with a laugh.

  Tim shrugged. “Guess Cassie will let us know.”

  “Come on, guys. This is serious.” The tank frowned.

  “Same plan as usual then. Cassie, you’re the bait. Gaston and ShadowLily, you do the killing, and I’ll try to stay out of the way.”

  “Spoken like a leader of men,” Cassie growled as she pulled her staff from behind her back. “Why is it that generals just stand in the back?”

  “Too important to lose.” Tim s
nickered. “Now go give our little buddy a nose-bop with your stick.”

  “I’ve got somewhere else I’d like to shove this stick,” Cassie grumbled as she snuck around the corner.

  ShadowLily and Gaston dropped into stealth, and Tim waited for a count of ten before he rounded the corner.

  A snarl was the only sound he needed to hear to know the wolf had spotted Cassie. The giant wolf had its head lowered and its teeth bared in warning. There was a massive ridge of fur down the beast’s spine as the snarl turned into a growl. Salvia dripped off its jaw as its back legs tensed to charge.

  Cassie stood her ground, looking small compared to the beast. “Bring it on, Fido!”

  With one last growl, the wolf jumped, clearing the twenty feet between them in a single leap. Cassie rolled to the side, lashing out with her staff as she climbed back to her feet. She caught the wolf in the side, but it didn’t seem to notice.

  Spinning with quickness and dexterity that can only be obtained by an animal with four feet, the wolf lunged at her. Tim cried out and tossed a healing orb in Cassie’s direction, but he didn’t have to worry because her staff came up in time. The wolf’s jaws snapped closed on her staff instead of their tank’s throat. The beast tried to rip the weapon out of her hands, but Cassie held on for dear life.

  The last time Tim had seen an animal shake something so violently was when his dog got a new toy. She’d pounce on it and pick it up, shaking the toy from side to side as if she expected the guts to come pouring out.

  Only this time, the toy was Cassie.

  Gaston and ShadowLily appeared almost simultaneously as they each plunged their daggers into the wolf from opposite sides. The mighty beast yelped and released Cassie’s staff as it turned to snap at the new attackers.

  ShadowLily screamed as the wolf sank its jaws into her arm. The creature started to shake her as she stabbed it with her other blade. Gaston roared and jumped on the wolf’s back before plunging his daggers in its hide. The wolf let out a howl of fear and rage, shook Gaston free, and slumped to its belly. A soft whimper escaped its throat, then it was still.