by Tao Wong
“Boss…” Sam mutters, eyeing the group, obviously uncomfortable with their actions.
“Wai—”
My words are cut off as the Yurk mages make their appearance. Or at least, make their presence known. Lightning bolts reach down, striking the earth in front of the reptile-frogs with booms of fury, electricity dancing in the air and destroying our carefully laid traps. I wonder why they didn’t call the strikes down on us. Unfortunately, I thought too soon—that’s when the lightning rolls forward, bringing electrical death.
“Hell…” I say, hunching slightly unconsciously as the lightning bathes us.
Electric fire reaches from the heavens, striking all of us as quick as little dog’s temper tantrum, and just as quickly, it’s gone. Twisting around, I spot Carlos looking a little worse for the wear, steam rising from his cracked and burnt flesh. Even as I watch, his health creeps above half, but that’s not enough, so I throw a Soul Shield on him. He looks relieved, overloaded nerves in his body slowly recovering as he downs another potion. After a second, he stands straighter, burnt and smoking skin healing before my eyes. I absently wonder how he’s able to keep consuming so many potions without suffering from potion poisoning, but that’s probably a Skill.
“Damn. Your shield is down,” Lana says to me, running a hand along her long hair and fixing her ponytail. “And I’m going to have to see a hairdresser after this.”
I stare at the young lady, my mind splitting for a second as I realize I haven’t actually seen one in the past year. Outside of my hair growing slightly longer, I haven’t had to deal with it. For a moment, I wonder how the hell that works—before the plink of arrows hitting Sabre’s shield brings me back to the present. Deal with that question later. Later.
The rocking boom of Lana’s shotgun, the shrill whistling sound of gauss projectiles fired from Sam’s drones, the grunt of exertion as Carlos fires his potions down range anchors me to the moment. Ahead of us, our assault on the Yurks leads to death and fire, clouds of gas and shrapnel raining around us. Mikito absently swings her polearm, cutting arrows from the sky, the clearest traces of her movements the shattered shards of wood and bone.
I raise my hand, unleashing projectiles from Sabre’s rifle, each shot drilling into the Yurks. Anna pitches in a few seconds later as the army closes again, tendrils of flame whipping along glistening shells. A thudding boom, a change in rhythm, and the army charges even as the drums shift once more.
Musical Fear Effect Resisted
Without breaking step, Mikito counter-charges the group. I grunt, taking off after the insane woman, eyeing the range estimator in my helmet. Five meters later, I trigger the mini-missiles, the tiny explosives flying forward to tear and disrupt their ranks. A step later, Mikito shines, ghostly armor layering on top of her PAV, her body speeding up and becoming a living spear. The shock of her clash with the already disrupted vanguard throws back the front ranks of the army, the unlucky couple directly in front of her exploding apart from the transferred kinetic force of her attack.
Layered over the explosive meeting of lines, the howls and growls of the puppies reverberate in my chest and hearten our group. I trigger my Sonic Blaster a second later, layering confusion on top of shock before terror arrives in the form of the pets and Ingrid. Some appear from the flanks, others charging into the gap Mikito has created. And then I’m there too, swords dancing in my hands as limbs and bodies separate.
“Holy shit!” Carlos breathes over the communicator.
“Yeah, it takes getting used to,” Sam says with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, you get used to it. Sort of.”
Lana’s chuckle runs across the comms, reaching straight down my spine and making my lower body clench. The distraction is unfortunate, the attack from a Yurk behemoth catching me across my body and lifting Sabre off the ground and throwing me into the air. Before I can twist away, another attack slams me into the ground. My landing is only barely reduced by the body of an unfortunate Yurk Warrior.
My protective shields shattered, the next club attack is enough to dent Sabre’s armor and leave bruises all along my body. I stagger upward, spinning to send aside the Yurk Warriors who have crowded around me. Mecha-assisted strength and agility combined with my own attributes and my slender grasp of System physics provides me a moment of respite. Even as I stop spinning, the behemoth is before me again, its club approaching at a speed I’m unable to dodge. Thankfully, I’m not alone. A bladed polearm stabs forward, shifting the trajectory of the club.
“No lying down!” Mikito says, darting through a gap and leaving a surprised Yurk Warrior tottering on one foot as she continues her attack, dancing deeper into the army.
I snarl, staring at the Yurk behemoth retracting its giant club, readying for its next attack. Bunching my feet, I hop, feet slamming into the side of the club before I launch myself off it. Not directly at the behemoth as it expects but past it. When I’m half past its body, I twist, slamming my sword into its shoulder to alter my momentum. My shoulder aches, my sword slides and twists as it cuts, but it’s enough. A moment later, I swing my other hand, sword in it, into its neck.
As I ride the Yurk down, I raise my hand and unleash a fireball into another behemoth’s face, the attack partly deflected as a Warrior tackles me in the middle of my casting. Strong as I am, physics still has some say in this world and I’m shifted sideways, feet skidding on the blood-slick floor. Before I can recover to finish the behemoth, a fast-moving set of vials flies into the roaring monster’s mouth. Pink and purple smoke explodes as the vials shatter, the creature grabbing at its throat as it goes on a mad rampage, heedless of friend or foe.
“What the hell?” Lana says.
“Poison, capsaicin, and a hallucinogenic,” Carlos says. “Forces an enraged status while dealing damage over time.”
I’d add my two bits, but having dealt with one of their leaders, I’m getting swarmed by Yurk Berserkers.
Yurk Berserker (Level 41)
HP: 3287/3483
MP: 230/247
Conditions: Enraged, Pain to Blood, Acidic Form
These guys don’t seem to care what kind of damage I deal to them, happy to trade damage for damage. And when I cripple one by lopping off both its arms, it throws itself at me then blows itself up, coating me in unmentionables. Without my shields and the time to replenish them, Sabre’s taking a beating and myself within it, swords and axes punching through metal armor even as the nanites do quick repairs.
“It might be time to heal John,” Sam says, his voice absentminded as he controls his swarm.
“Right. Sorry!” Carlos replies.
A second later, I’m bathed in white light. My health stabilizes and starts rising. I’m only about a third down, Sabre’s armor and my own regeneration more than sufficient for most purposes. Then again, losing a third of my Health would have been enough to kill most Casters. So everything’s relative. But now that I’ve got healing support, I make Sabre disappear, content to let the mecha fix itself while I wade in, ready to deal a little damage face-to-face.
“How’s Mikito?” I growl over the radio. I could probably check on my party screen, but I trust her. Hell, while she might not have as much health as me, she’s got a decent buffer.
“Fine,” Mikito calls, her breathing and voice only slightly short from exertion. A white light flashes as her blade extends, chopping downward and sweeping multiple opponents aside.
After that… well, after that, it’s just mop up work.
“Not bad,” I say to Carlos, stretching out my muscles.
We’ve been at this dungeon for six hours, and we have finally figured out where the Boss is likely to be. Once we dealt with the main army, the numbers we faced were significantly smaller. It’s been annoying, going through classroom after classroom, laboratory after laboratory to deal with the Yurks. They keep switching tactics, going from stand-up battles to traps to ambushes to constant harrying attacks. The numbers and Levels have gotten steadily higher as we figure
out the layout of the dungeon and attack the higher Level buildings. And through it all, Carlos has been healing and buffing us.
“Thanks. You guys…” Carlos shakes his head. “I’ve seen Advanced Classes fight before in Seattle, even joined a few other teams, but…”
“But…?”
“But nothing like you guys,” Carlos says, walking alongside us.
“We’ve all got somewhat rare Classes. It gives us a bit of an advantage,” I say.
“It’s more than that,” Carlos says. “It’s more your style…”
“You guys might have been fighting the Sect, but we’ve been fighting monsters all along,” Ingrid says, appearing right behind Carlos and making him jump.
“Gah!”
“Fighting aliens is easy. Most of them only have two hands and two legs. Makes their attack combinations easier to predict. Monsters swarm, come in different sizes and shapes. And they have a much wider range of Skills to use,” Ingrid says almost proudly. “The Sect members might have been higher Level, but they weren’t as savage. They want to live just as much you do. Monsters, they don’t seem to care. Also, you guys might have been out-Leveled at times, but in Whitehorse, we were always out-Leveled.”
I shrug, not entirely sure I agree with Ingrid’s explanation. I think the rarity of our Classes makes a bigger difference. More stats per Level, better Skills, hell, better equipment makes a difference. Over the course of fifty Levels, even a single extra attribute point adds up. The difference between someone at Strength 60 and Strength 10 is night and day.
“Enough talk. Sam, how’re your drones?” Lana says as we approach the final building—the chemistry labs. Says something about chemistry students when the dungeon Boss decides to hole up in their faculty.
“About half left. I’m out of reserves too. Not sure I’m liking this. Feels like I’m standing around burning Credits like a gangster on a coke high,” Sam grouses.
“But effective,” I point out.
Compared to previously, Sam’s been a lot more useful. I’ll admit, the crew-served weapon was great for the war, but in a dungeon, it’s limited. Now, his drones can and do a little of everything. Hell, he even had a few dedicated shield drones whose only job was to block attacks.
“That too.”
“All right, any last words?” I say as I walk up to the doors.
“Phrasing!” Ali calls out, his statement followed by chuckles but not much else.
“Well, this might get interesting. I’m staying intangible,” Ali says as we step into the laboratory.
The System’s warped the space within, the last laboratory having expanded to the size of a soccer field. All down the way, tables are filled with beakers and Bunsen burners, all of them boiling, distilling, and condensing a variety of liquids and solids, none of which I recognize.
“Take me with you?” Carlos entreats Ali, his eyes darting side to side. “None of this makes sense, but my Skills are saying it’s all explosive.”
“Figured,” I say. “Think it’ll regenerate like the other labs?”
“Obviously,” Lana says dryly.
Ingrid doesn’t answer, slipping forward through the shadows while Roland and Shadow follow on a parallel path. At the end of the laboratory is the Yurk Boss, clad in a laboratory coat of all things, his Enforcers and Bodyguards flanking him. Those, at least, seem to follow the “medieval warfare” theme.
“So. Frigging. Weird,” Sam says, his drones scurrying forward. One accidentally knocks over a beaker, and the resulting explosion consumes it and two of its friends. “Sorry!”
“Be careful,” I say, watching as the Boss group turns toward us where we stand at the entrance.
They aren’t moving, which means they’re likely waiting for reinforcements. That’s the way they’ve played it so far. Judging that Ingrid and company have gotten ahead far enough, we move forward, Lana leaving Anna and Howard to guard our backs. One uses heat; the other is the size of a pony. Neither of which works in such confined, volatile spaces. Shadow at least seems to have a weird ability to partly phase through things, occasionally seeming to blend with its own, sentient shadow. Roland, while huge, is scarily agile.
Making a decision, I jog forward, calling for Ingrid and the pets to slow down. Already, I can see the beaker that the drone tipped over back in place, the room magically having “healed” the location. A quick check shows my Soul Shield is at full strength, as is Sabre. Considering what we’re facing, I’m dressed fully, even if Sabre is showing signs of damage.
Our enemies don’t waste time once we get moving. Yurk Enforcers stand in front while the Bodyguards stay to the side, using atlatls to send spears arcing toward me, missing the fluorescent-lit drop-ceiling by inches. I dodge to the side, but I realize a moment later it doesn’t matter—they were never aiming at me. The ensuing explosions take me off my feet, throwing me sideways as the Enforcers seem to almost teleport to my sprawled form.
My shields soak up the initial explosions, the Enforcers swarming me. Axes and swords stab into my body, sparking against the shields. Dodged blows, backhands, and missed strikes set off more explosions as the Enforcers push me around the lab, none of the explosions seeming to harm the Enforcers much.
Yurk Enforcer (Level 48)
HP: 1287/1383
MP: 839/1042
Conditions: Lab Assistant, Shared Pool
“Ali!” I snarl, blocking a shot with my left hand while pumping projectiles into the Yurk’s face with the other. A crunch in my side comes from an attack that manages to pierce my shield, its trailing glow an indicator of a Skill.
“Shit. The Boss is giving all the Yurks near immunity to damage from the Lab through a Buff. And that Shared Pool means all your damage is getting shared around them,” Ali says, his eyes roving.
“Help please!” I snarl, stepping deep into one Enforcer’s attack and grabbing its arm.
I could Blink Step away, but as the tank, my job is to keep them busy. It pulls, its slimy, smooth skin slipping out of my grip before I can throw it into its friend. A Yurk steps up, ready to impale me, and stumbles away, smashing a vial that sends another wash of flame over us as Mikito’s naginata pulls out of its body.
“Go. I have them,” Mikito says confidently.
I’m not sure she’s right, but we need the Boss dead. I Blink Step the rest of the way, appearing next to the Boss with only its pair of Bodyguards now. That was the point of my initial rush, drawing them out to deal with each group in pieces. My sword swings downward, intent on cutting the damn Yurk Boss apart, only to be blocked by a Bodyguard. Pushed backward, I find myself dueling the pair of Bodyguards, unable to get past them to the Boss. The Boss ignores the entire thing, instead mixing together vials. Each time it’s done, it tosses the vials away to shatter on the floor. Colored smoke soon surrounds us, a variety of Status effects appearing.
You are Poisoned!
-13 HP per second. Effect partially resisted
You are Slowed!
-8% Agility. Effect partially resisted
You are Hallucinating!
-4% Perception. Effect partially resisted
Again and again, clouds of smoke erupt, affecting us all. Even through Sabre’s fully enclosed environmental system, I’m being affected, which doesn’t make sense. But then again, it’s the System and when has it ever made sense? I do know I’m only taking a portion of the effects, between my Class’s innate Resistances and the additional Resistances from Sabre. But as I skip backward and twist to dodge an attack, my friends aren’t as lucky.
Howard, Anna, Lana, and Mikito are fighting the half-dozen Enforcers in a chaotic skirmish. Lab tables and equipment are destroyed unceasingly, glass and wood shrapnel flying through the air to impale and injure while the System visibly regrows the set pieces, only for them to be destroyed again a moment later. Lana’s bleeding from a cut across her neck, shotgun held low as she feeds more shells into it while being protected by Anna. Shadow explodes from the side, shadow and re
al mouth taking hold of an Enforcer limb and pulling as if to tear it apart. But none of the monsters have fallen, and at least one, if not more, of the clouds has a regenerative effect.
I coat my sword with Frost Blade, hoping to slow the monsters down. That forces me to trade a cut across my body, which shatters the last of my shields, for the time taken to cast the spell. It also means I can’t dismiss the blade anymore, not without the spell losing its effect, but slowing these guys down is important. I fall back again and again.
“Down!” Sam snaps.
I duck, almost impaling myself on a sword before realizing the command wasn’t for me. A moment later, criss-crossing beams of fire light up behind me, baking my back even through Sabre. The resulting secondary explosion punches me deeper into the floor, jarring the Bodyguards and Boss above me.
“What the hell was that?” Lana shouts over the radio.
“Tier III Skill, All Hell Breaks Loose. I’m out of drones!” Sam says.
“Explain later. Kill now!” Mikito snarls.
As much as I want to look behind me, I’m busy batting aside swords, slamming my blade into any visible body part. Which, in most cases, is a hand or arm. Within four strikes, I can see the Bodyguards slowing, their hands frozen as the spell takes effect. But I pay for it. Sabre’s working overtime to deal with cuts and stabs, applying bandages and patching worn armor. A pale blue cloud reaches me, and a new notification appears.
Antidote applied! Poison Debuff Removed
“Urrrkk…” the Boss gurgles, Ingrid finally making her presence known.