“Here we go, then.” Karan raised her hands towards the group and silently began chanting under her breath.
As she spoke, golden mana flowed from her hands, enveloping all four adventurers in a golden light. When she finished, their bodies had a faint shimmer.
“Let’s do this,” Jack called out, but before he could open the door and rush in, Karan grabbed his collar.
“This is the stupidity I’m talking about.” She let him go as she motioned to Blake. “The tank goes first.”
“Here goes nothing,” Blake said.
Blake raised his shield, shrouded in dark mana, then opened the door, stepping into Buttercup’s room. He paused as the others followed closely behind him, his eyes fixed on Ryan’s second-floor boss.
“What in the name of the Goddess is that?” he whispered.
Buttercup stood with its empty eye sockets fixed on Blake and his party. The dark mana that covered its body almost seemed to expand and retract, as if the beast was breathing. It raised its antlered head, opening its fanged maw, and let out a bone-chilling howl.
Oh, yes.
Jack stepped beside Blake, his eyes scanning over the boss.
“Wait for Blake’s taunt,” Karan hissed at Jack.
“What’s a taunt?” Ryan asked Erin. He had forgotten to ask in his earlier anticipation, but he was really curious what type of a skill it was.
“Throw me a freaking bone, Karan. Did you see this thing’s name?” Jack said before Erin could respond.
As he spoke, the rest of the group finished entering. They all paused and took in Buttercup’s name.
“Are you really scared of Buttercup? That’s a name you would give a deerling or some other forest creature.” Jack started to laugh, but it was short-lived.
His laughter drew Buttercup’s attention, and without warning the mob lashed its tail towards the thief, sending a bone spike into his shoulder.
“That was as good as a taunt,” Erin giggled, watching as Jack leapt back behind Blake, cursing as he tugged the bone spike from his flesh. As the bone was removed, golden light filled the wound, healing him.
“It’s an ability that draws a mob’s attention to a certain adventurer.”
“Oh, well, that’ll teach him,” Ryan said, smug. Buttercup’s name was still a sore spot for him.
“Are you done being stupid?” Karan hissed, and the thief nodded solemnly back at her.
“But come on,” Jack said. “Buttercup? Really?”
The others broke into an uneasy laughter.
“Buttercup, Adventurer’s Doom,” Blake chuckled, stepping forward.
With a sigh, he steadied himself, before letting out a yell of his own. It seemed as if a dark wave flowed from his body as he yelled, and a moment later, Buttercup was launching bone spikes at him.
“Now that’s a taunt,” Erin said.
“Let’s do this,” Jack called out as Buttercup and Blake squared off.
Matt branched out to the left, his bow raised as he eyed Buttercup’s form. Emily stayed back with Karan, but her little dragon had taken flight and was eyeing Buttercup’s antlers hungrily. Meanwhile, Jack’s form seemed to slowly begin disappearing into the shadows. Ryan knew that skill.
A moment later, Jack lunged from the darkness, daggers drawn, heading towards Buttercup’s side. He sliced at Buttercup, sending blades of air flying towards the beast’s side.
“Take that,” Jack growled.
Buttercup snorted, and even as it shot another spike towards Blake, Buttercup turned its head towards Jack and his attack. Faster than even Jack’s attacks, the antlers atop Buttercup’s head detached and began to spin. The dark mana moved the spinning bone mass in front of Jack’s attack, easily absorbing the attack.
“Oh, that’s new,” Jack said.
He skittered to a stop and dove out of the way as Buttercup’s tail sent three bone shards flying in his direction. He dodged two and blocked the third with his dagger.
“Your taunt sucks,” he called out at Blake.
“He just really doesn’t like you,” Blake called back, and he sent another wave of dark energy towards Buttercup. The mob shook its head angrily and turned back towards the knight.
“Maybe you should apolo—“ Blake’s words were cut off as Buttercup let out a howl and charged towards him.
The boss’s long legs gave it increased speed, and Blake was barely able to raise his shield and plant his feet as Buttercup crashed into him.
“Blake!” Emily yelled as Buttercup’s skull smashed into his dark-shrouded shield.
The blow should have sent Blake flying, but instead, he held his ground.
“I’m good,” he grunted as he fought against Buttercup’s massive form. His foot began to slip, and Buttercup reared up, hooved legs crashing down on the knight. A hoof smashed against his skull, sending him flying backwards, blood dripping from the wound.
“That looks painful,” Ryan whispered. He was glad to see Blake slowly getting to his feet as his skull healed.
“Buttercup is doing quite well,” Erin whispered, eyes fixed on the battle.
The boss mob turned towards Blake as the knight got to his feet. Without warning, Buttercup whipped his tail in Blake’s direction, sending three more spikes flying at the knight.
“Oh no,” Ryan whispered.
There was no way Blake was going to get his shield up in time. That attack was going to hurt.
“Over here,” Matt bellowed, and three arrows crashed into the bone spikes, creating an explosion of wood and bone before the spikes could reach Blake.
Buttercup turned towards the marksman, and Ryan could tell his boss was irritated. Even as Matt offered Blake a smile, his face turned to horror as Buttercup rushed towards him.
“Cynder, now!” Emily shouted.
Her body glowed red and at the same time Cynder’s form took on a scarlet hue. The dragon opened its mouth and let out a wave of crimson flames at Buttercup. Fire met bone as Buttercup’s spinning antlers intercepted the attack.
Buttercup was forced to halt its charge on Matt to turn his attention to Cynder, allowing the marksman to move further away from the boss.
“We’ve got this,” Blake called out, and he rushed towards Buttercup, having been completely healed by Karan’s spell. Darkness rolled off of him as he taunted Buttercup, just as Cynder’s flames dissipated.
“All together,” Jack instructed from the darkness, though the thief was nowhere to be seen.
“I don’t have the mana to buff Cynder for another minute,” Emily said as the dragon zipped around in the air. The red glow had faded from both the dragon and Emily.
“That’s fine, we can hold him for a minute,” Blake replied, smashing his shield against Buttercup. The attack was blocked by the spinning bones, and the knight barely managed to jump back as the boss mob reared up again.
“My divine protection will only hold for maybe a minute.” Karan’s voice was strained, and Ryan could tell she was worried. He guessed holding that spell on the entire team was tiring, and the group had been taking some damage from Buttercup. Especially Blake.
“Let’s finish this, then,” Matt snarled.
He launched three more arrows at Buttercup’s side, and as the spinning bones moved to intercept, Jack appeared, launching slashes of wind towards Buttercup’s other side.
The wind cut into Buttercup’s dark mana. The mob let out a howl of rage and spun its body quickly, shooting spikes back into Jack.
The swift move caught the thief off guard, and the three spikes landed in his stomach, sending him flying backwards. At the same time, Buttercup kicked backwards, sending a startled Blake flying.
“Oh no.” Erin’s cry of concern echoed Ryan’s thoughts.
Was Buttercup about to finish off his favorite team? He may have named his boss Adventurer’s Doom, but he didn’t mean for it to be the bane of Blake’s team.
“Goddess, that hurts.” Jack coughed up blood as he pulled the bones from his stomach
, golden light healing his wounds. He leaned against a wall, struggling to stand. Blake got shakily to his feet as well, and Matt launched the last of his regular arrows to stop Buttercup’s bone spikes.
It really wasn’t looking good for the group. Ryan was certain he saw the shimmering golden light surrounding the adventurers waver.
“Run away,” Ryan whispered, begging his favorite group to just escape.
There was no reason for them to fall here. Any other team, he wouldn’t care, but not Blake’s team.
“I can’t watch.” Erin put her hands over her eyes, peeking through her fingers.
“We need to retreat.” Karan’s breath was coming in gasps, and the golden shimmer had all but disappeared from around the adventures.
“No. I want that bounty,” Jack countered. He struggled to his feet and looked around at his group.
“A bounty isn’t worth our lives,” Karan snapped. Her face was white, and she had blood dripping from her nose. If Ryan had to guess, she was nearly out of mana.
“We can’t stop this boss,” Blake said. He taunted Buttercup once again, giving Matt a reprieve. The archer only had three bone arrows, which he had received as drops from skeletal archers, remaining.
Jack wasn’t convinced.
“Psh, come on. You guys aren’t the only special ones here.” Jack sheathed his daggers, his eyes beginning to glow green. “This isn’t even my final form.”
The thief cocked his head back and let out a long, powerful howl. Ryan watched as the thief’s face seemed to elongate, his mouth filling with fangs. Grey fur sprouted from his flesh, and his hands grew long, deadly claws.
What’s more, Ryan could see the thief’s already defined muscles begin to grow and bulge. The final change to appear, as Jack’s howl died down, was the appearance of a wolf-like tail from underneath his shirt.
“Let’s do this,” Jack growled as he drew his daggers, his voice deeper, more bestial, than before.
He lunged towards Buttercup, faster than even Ryan could track. To the boss’s credit, Buttercup’s spinning antlers moved to intercept the attack, but Jack was just too fast. Two long cuts opened up in Buttercup’s dark mana, and the beast cried out in pain.
“Don’t just stand there,” Jack snarled at the others. “Help me.”
He was still moving, never slowing, as more slash marks opened up across Buttercup’s dark fur-like mana.
The others seemed to come out of their daze, and with a cry, Blake rushed forward. He slammed his shield into Buttercup, landing a solid hit as Ryan’s boss was still trying to unsuccessfully stop Jack’s sudden flurry of attacks.
“I’ll immobilize him.” Matt drew the last three bone arrows and closed his eyes.
Blue mana flowed around the bones, and Matt once again turned his bow parallel to the ground, aiming directly towards Buttercup. As he launched his three arrows, Jack leapt over Buttercup and sent two wind blasts into Buttercup’s back, drawing the spinning antlers above the boss.
It seemed to Ryan that the bones tried to block the most dangerous attacks, meaning multiple attacks at once could overwhelm his boss’s defenses.
Interesting.
Matt’s three arrows impacted three of Buttercup’s four hooves, and as the arrows connected, the blue mana around the arrows turned to ice, pinning Buttercup in place.
“Let’s end this,” Blake cried out, and Emily once again began to glow red.
As she did, Cynder let out an excited cry, and a wave of flames washed over Buttercup. The boss cried out, its swirling bones trying to block the flames even as Jack rolled under the boss, cutting into its stomach. Buttercup was covered in countless cuts, its dark mana torn and tattered, and Ryan knew Blake’s team was about to win.
As if on cue, Blake’s sword began to glow even brighter, and with a cry, he swung the blade at Buttercup’s head. Unable to block against the attack, Blake’s celestial-clad sword cut deep into Ryan’s boss.
Buttercup’s form collapsed, bones scattering as the dark mana animating them faded away, and Ryan let out a sigh.
They had done it. They had defeated Buttercup.
He smiled as he watched the group look around, the room suddenly quiet, their threat gone. Jack quickly resumed his human form. Cynder flew down to Buttercup’s scattered bones, and the little dragon let out an excited roar as it latched onto one of Buttercup’s antlers, trying, unsuccessfully, to drag the large bone away. The dragon’s antics caused the tension from the battle to lift, and the group began to laugh.
“They did it.” Ryan felt the tension flee from his core room as he watched the group celebrate.
Once again, Blake’s team had demonstrated what it meant to be a group of adventurers. Once again, they had filled Ryan with excitement and passion to be a dungeon core. He could feel the last remaining fear of the necromancer fading away.
Ryan wasn’t going to get stronger just to make sure the necromancer couldn’t kill him. Ryan also wanted to get stronger so he could continue to watch Blake’s team grow.
He grinned to himself as he noted the loot Buttercup had dropped and decided to add one more piece. He had planned on introducing his newest item in the next week, but now he changed his mind.
They’d earned it
Chapter Sixty-Three
Blake sighed with relief as the group sat around their normal table. After claiming the bounty for defeating the second floor’s boss, as well as counting out the coin they had received and the items they sold off, they had each earned over thirty gold pieces. Added in with what Blake had been saving, he had enough for his class gear, and he knew Matt did too.
“Oh, man, that bounty was so nice,” Jack said.
“I’m surprised you didn’t sell off that card,” Blake said as he eyed the large steaming steak before him. Karan had treated them all not only to drink, but also steak for their job well done. Blake couldn’t remember the last time he had such a fine cut of meat.
“Eh, I’m keeping this as a souvenir.” Jack shrugged.
He pulled out a leather-bound journal from his cloak and opened it up, revealing the final item that dropped in the dungeon. It was the size of a playing card, but that was where the similarity ended.
Atop the card, in golden letters, was the name “Buttercup: Adventurer’s Doom – 2nd Floor Boss Mob.” Beneath that was an image of the mob in all its horror. The way the card shone in the light, Blake was certain it was inlaid with silver. Underneath the image of the card, there was information regarding the boss itself. Then on the bottom, in silver again, the number ‘50.’
“I wonder if there will be more,” Matt said, reaching out to look at the card.
Jack closed the journal and shot him a wink. “If there are, I’m going to collect them all.”
Karan shot the thief a knowing smile. “Am I going to need to confiscate your purse, so you don’t run around spending all your gold on cards?”
“Hey now, I’m over those problems.” Jack tucked the journal away and took a long drink from his hot chocolate.
“So, lockpicks?” Karan raised an eyebrow as she spoke.
Jack’s response was to choke on his drink, sending chocolate flying all over the table.
“I’ll get ‘em tonight, don’t worry,” he said, clearing his throat. “But first, I’m going to enjoy this delicious meal.”
He licked his lips and cut into his steak, taking a bite. His face erupted in pure pleasure. Before he was even finished chewing the first, he was preparing a second bite.
“Man, you’re tearing into that like some sort of beast.” Blake grinned at his own joke, but his comment caused Jack to pause.
The thief lowered his food-laden fork back to his table and slowly finished chewing, his eyes sad.
“Look, please.” He glanced at the others, his eyes pleading. “Don’t mention that to anyone, all right?”
“So, you’re a…“ Blake lowered his voice. “Wolfkin.”
Jack shook his head.
“No, I�
�m not,” he sighed.
“But—“
“I’m a mutt.” Jack said the word as if it pained him.
“What does that mean?“ Blake asked.
Karan interrupted. “It means he’s a half-breed. One of his parents was a wolfkin, the other was a human.” She turned towards Jack, her eyes filled with sympathy. “You must have had such a hard upbringing.”
Blake shared a look with Emily and Matt, and he could tell they weren’t following what was going on either. What they could tell, though, was that it was a painful topic for Jack. Even Cynder had paused chewing on a piece of Buttercup’s antler.
The little dragon glanced from Karan to Jack, before jumping off Emily’s shoulder and carrying her antler piece towards Jack. With a slight nudge, the baby dragon pushed the antler against Jack’s hand.
“Thanks, little one.” Jack smiled as he picked up the antler and held it back out to Cynder. “But you earned this. I’ll be all right.”
Cynder let out a small cry, then grabbed the antler and rushed back onto Emily’s shoulder.
Blake looked at the group, wondering how to break the awkwardness around them. Uncertain, he blurted the first thing that came to mind.
“By the way, Karan, the Guildmaster said she misses you.”
Karan looked as if Blake had slapped her, and suddenly all attention was off Jack, and on Blake and Karan.
“She said that?” Karan’s voice was barely audible as she stared down at her plate. She poked at her steak before setting down her silverware.
“Yeah,” Blake said, taken aback by her reaction. “It was the last thing she said to me before I came back to town.”
He looked at the cleric thoughtfully. What was her relation to the Guildmaster?
“I suppose it has been over ten years since I last saw her.” Karan let out a long sigh. “I guess, since we’ve all been sharing tough secrets today…”
She turned from Blake to Jack.
“I can share mine with all of you.”
Suddenly, everyone at the table was leaning in, their attention fixated on Karan. She was the most secretive of all of them.
Bone Dungeon (Elemental Dungeon #1) - A Dungeon Core LitRPG Page 28