The Dungeon Slayer: A LitRPG Level-Up Adventure (The Dungeon Slayer Series Book 1)

by Konrad Ryan

  Was that why he felt so empty? Because his anger was misplaced? Would it feel any better had this been Brad on the ground, eyes lifeless? Somehow, he didn’t think so. Tad had thought his anger, his resentment, was justified. Had been righteous. People had hurt him. And so, he had pursued strength. Strength enough to protect himself. No… that was the lie. He knew why he wanted strength: so he could do to his bullies what he’d just done to Scar. Had he been wrong the whole time? It felt like Tad’s entire world was crumbling apart. Nothing made sense.

  Pain exploded across Tad’s cheek as Bunta slapped him. Black specks swam before his eyes from the force of the blow. “Tad!” Bunta looked desperate. “Snap out of it! Gruff is in trouble. Give me the gauntlets!”

  Right. They were still in a fight. Tad removed the gorilla hands from his own and returned them to Bunta. Wearing them had been weird. Everything felt small in your hands. Delicate. Tad turned to look at their enemy-

  Gruff once again smashed into Tad. The two flew from the side of the anvil toward the adobe brick walls of the ancient smithy. Tad’s health showed no change. He spun in the air as he tried to catch his bearings. A limp human figure fell toward the cobblestone floor headfirst, shaved head and fresh beard growth visible. Gruff. His health bar was depleted. His entire right side of his armor was missing. His exposed ribcage unnaturally dented inward.

  “No!” The image of Gruff falling to his certain death snapped Tad from his stupor. He flipped in the air, reorienting himself for his landing against the far wall. Almost all of Gruff’s momentum had been transferred into Tad. With a thought, Tad opened his stats and put the last five stat points he’d been saving into strength, bringing it up to fifteen. Gruff was out of his range. Tad’s muscles swelled as Tad hit the wall. Pain screamed in his legs as he smashed into the wall. With as much force as he could muster, he leapt off the side of the wall, like a rocket. Gruff wasn’t dead yet. Just incapacitated. A fall from that height onto his head would surely be fatal.

  But they were out of resurrection vials. What could he do! Tad’s aim had been true. Just before the two smashed into the cobblestone below, Tad slid under Gruff’s limp form. He cradled the man like an old woman held her dying son. The musical chime of learning a skill rang through Tad’s mind.

  *You discovered the passive skill: Cover!*

  *Cover: Redirect damage from an unconscious ally you are in physical contact with. You receive double the damage your ally would have suffered.*

  Oh crap, that would hurt. Intense pain shot through Tad’s back as the weight of Gruff smashed him into the floor. A red *-60 Health* appeared before his eyes. Gruff lay unconscious on the floor. What was Tad supposed to do? They had no resurrection vials, and Tad didn’t have a spell that could bring Gruff back from incapacitation.

  Suddenly, a red magical film expanded from Gruff’s torso, until it covered him from head to toe. Tad watched with rapt attention. This was a spell he had seen once before. Gruff’s eyes shot open as he gurgled for breath in his own blood, his health bar healed to ten percent.

  Tad cast ‘Heal Other’ and slammed as much health at the spell as he could. Gruff screamed in pain as his broken ribcage knitted itself back together, pushing the skin outward in sections. Bone poked through skin repeatedly as the bone set itself. Blood gushed from the puncture wounds. Gruff vomited and coughed blood pooled in his lungs. Finally, fresh pink skin healed the wounds.

  Tad looked at his own health bar. It was getting low. Suddenly 400 health didn’t seem like so much. Tad healed down to twenty mana. He wanted access to his big spells.

  *Health: 172/400

  Mana: 20/42*

  “Titan’s dung, you don’t hold back, do you?” Gruff said. He spat another mouthful of blood. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. He got to his knees and held his stomach for a second, then retched out another mixture of blood and vomit.

  Tad grinned. “Nope. How did you wake up? You were incapacitated.”

  “As long as I don’t instantly die, I can wake up from incapacitation once per day. If I have enough magic remaining. A lot of tanks got that one.”

  “We…” Tad paused as he searched for the right word. “defeated Scar, but Bunta is up there by himself.”

  Gruff’s eyes narrowed. He scrambled to his feet and ran to where the rope hung from the anvil. Tad followed.

  “That thing is a monster. I didn’t even last twenty seconds. I don’t think we can beat that thing.”

  Fighting together like this, Tad could almost forget that Gruff betrayed him. Sold him out. Almost.

  “Like we have a choice.”

  Gruff laughed in agreement.

  Tad reached the rope first and scrambled up it nimbly, Gruff chased on his heels. At the top of the anvil, Bunta evaded the giant lizard blacksmith’s attacks with a wild abandon. His health had already dropped below 45% as blood streamed down the side of his head. Kothar-wa-Khasis’s health hadn’t dropped below 95%. Gruff was right. This boss was a monster. A relieved look passed over Bunta’s face as Gruff scrambled to the top of the anvil.

  “Brando! Stop him!” Bunta sounded exhausted.

  Gruff muttered a few choice words. They were not kind. Gruff grabbed his second shield off his back and a backup sword from his pouch before he ran toward the dueling figures and interrupted their dance. Bunta appeared next to Tad, out of breath.

  “I have a plan. That mosquito ring makes me faster. I tested it out yesterday and almost immediately passed out. Must have been that weakness thing you told me about.” Bunta said between huge gulps of air. He continued pointing at his gauntlets. “I don’t think these will help. My health drained too fast. But if I get on that lizard bastard’s back and stab with my arms only, I think the limited movement might staunch the flow. I need you and Gruff to keep him busy. Heal me if my health is dropping too fast. I’m counting on you guys.”

  How did these guys ever get by without Tad? They were like wineskins with giant holes, just pouring out health. Tad chuckled at the thought. Bunta gave him a strange look. With a shrug of his shoulders, Bunta shot toward the boss, eyes intense as he searched for his opening.

  Tad followed behind. Heavy corded muscles covered the entirety of Kothar-wa-Khasis. Scales covered his defined muscles. Sleek and deadly, it was a born weapon. And all Tad and his party had to do was kill it.

  The lizard looked from person to person as he found himself surrounded. Its eyes widened as it saw Gruff. The expression was far too human for Tad’s comfort.

  “I thought I had taken care of you. How mysterious. You three wish to play? You aim for my back, I won’t make it so easy.”

  How did it know? The lizard boss reached behind into the basket on its back with its gimp hand and pulled out a handful of the crude iron spikes. Whipping its tail in front of it, it hammered the blades into the tip of the tail with a blue surge of energy binding the spikes in place. Like the roach blades, the spikes twisted and elongated until they became wicked-looking blades. Kothar-wa-Khasis hammered more spikes across his arms and shoulders. It reminded Tad of a heavily armored stegosaurus.

  This wasn’t good. Tad saw a similar concern appear on Bunta’s face. That tail would have no problem attacking Bunta, who was planning on setting up shop right in the middle of the lizard’s back. Tad’s job just got harder.

  “Gruff, you block his hammer. I’ll get the tail. Protect Bunta.” Tad tried to be as vague as possible. He didn’t want to give away any more of their plan.

  Gruff and Bunta both nodded. The lips of the lizard boss parted in a terrifying display that was likely meant to be a smile.

  “Did you forget I can hear your mind’s voice?”

  Crap. Tad had forgotten. He thought back to their conversation. No. Stop. Think nothing more of it. Just protect Bunta or he’ll hear you. Tad hadn’t thought of the specifics of the ring. What it did. Stop! Controlling your own thoughts was freaking hard. His mind tried to go back to the thing he wasn’t supposed to think of over and over!

&
nbsp; The air between the four grew still. The tension thick as pudding, grew thicker yet on the top of the giant anvil. The lizard’s eyes went from target to target smoothly, confidently. He knew his own skill. The stalemate broke in an instant. Bunta charged first. Like a whip, the lizard’s tail snapped through the air. The speed of it! Bunta subtly spun away from the attack by a hair’s breadth. Tad leapt and landed on the base of the lizard’s tail. Tad’s daggers appeared in a puff of black mist. It would take every ounce of his ability to deflect the tail from Bunta. Suddenly he wished he had a better weapon for the job. The blades on the tail were longer than his daggers were.

  Dagger over dagger, Bunta climbed up the leg and around the waist. Then he slipped under the cloak on the Lizard’s back until he was just a bulge on the back of the lizard boss. Kothar-wa-Khasis tried to knock him off with both his impossibly huge hammer and his gimp hand. Gruff’s enlarged shield blocked the first, Bunta’s swift motion dodged the second. The lizard’s tail dove repeatedly toward where Bunta was attached. But Tad deflected each blow with his twin daggers. His fifteen strength just barely enough to kill the momentum of the Tail. It took every ounce of speed to get back into position to block the next attack. But he wouldn’t let Bunta down. Tad heard Gruff yelling some battle cry. Tremendous clangs rang out in their direction.

  Gruff couldn’t last twenty seconds before. But this time, they only needed ten. Green light exploded from the middle of the Lizard’s back. The cape shredded instantly. An ethereal green shroud of wind covered Bunta’s entire body. His body stayed stationary, but his arms were so fast they were invisible. Tad couldn’t even see a blur. Hundreds of puncture wounds opened up on the back of the lizard boss. Lime green blood splattered everywhere. Bunta was covered by the thick acrid liquid. Bunta’s health bar dropped fast, but not as fast as the boss’s. A roar of pain exploded.

  Quick as lightning the boss jumped and latched onto the huge stalactites of the ceiling, leaving Tad and Gruff far behind. He leapt toward the molten lavafall, back first. His plan was simple, melt the man on his back. Pure agony spread across the lizard’s face as his health bar dropped frantically below 50%. Tad had never seen a boss’s health drop that fast! Bunta was too far away, Tad could no longer heal him. Tad watched in horror as they approached the molten metal.

  Bunta climbed to the front of the lizard. Wounds now sprouted across its face and neck as Bunta went for the jugular. The lizard boss grasped frantically with both hands as he tried to catch Bunta, but Bunta effortlessly evaded it. Bunta’s health bar disappeared in enormous chunks every time he dodged. It was a race. Would Bunta kill the lizard first? Or would he fall unconscious first from shredding his own muscles from his weakness debuff?

  Just before they disappeared into the lavafall Bunta shot away like a missile, toward the anvil. Suddenly the gimp hand of the lizard shot out and grabbed Bunta around his waist. Surprise blossomed on the Asian man’s face, but it only lasted an instant. A cloud of green blood appeared as five severed lizard fingers fell toward the cobblestone floor. Bunta once again leapt toward the anvil. His body went limp in the air as his health bar dropped to zero. The ethereal green wind snuffed out.

  Kothar-wa-Khasis disappeared into the lavafall. His health bar had been below ten percent. Bunta hadn’t been able to finish him completely. Hopefully, the lava did the rest of the work.

  Gruff and Tad scurried to catch Bunta, but Gruff’s bulky movements were slow; Tad, however, leapt into the air. He pushed and both his weapons disappeared from his hand in a puff of black mist. Tad caught the edge of Bunta’s clothes as he almost soared over the top of the anvil. The two spun as they fell, momentum transferred to Tad. A blue force field-like projection covered the two as they smashed into the anvil below. The blue force field cushioned the fall for Bunta, doubling the redirected damage to Tad. *-30 Health* appeared before his eyes. Tad said a silent thanks to his new cover skill, which had saved both of his friends.

  “Is it dead?” Gruff said as he walked to where Tad held Bunta.

  “I don’t think so. Last time we killed the mosquito boss, I got a message.” Tad didn’t think Gruff would understand that, but he didn’t explain further. “We don’t have any resurrection vials left either,” Tad said.

  Gruff looked mildly confused but didn’t ask questions.

  Tad scoured the ancient smithy. They needed to find a place to hide Bunta. The rope! Tad carried Bunta’s unconscious form to where the rope hung from the back of the anvil. Bunta’s body looked strange. The muscles in his arms had been completely destroyed. They sagged unnaturally from the devastation of the weakness debuff. Amazingly, the lizard hadn’t landed a single attack on Bunta. His own enhanced speed had been his downfall.

  Tad took the rope in hand, tied it snugly around Bunta’s ankles, just under his soft leather boots. He then lowered his friend down a foot on the side of the anvil. Bunta hung upside-down, unconscious. It seemed cruel, but it was the best Tad could think of at the moment. Gruff grunted in agreement at what Tad was doing.

  “Kid… Tad. I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to spy on you. I wasn’t pretending to like you or be your friend. Both those things were genuine.”

  Tad wasn’t sure how to respond. His feelings were complex. There was anger, resentment, betrayal. But Gruff was trying to make it right. Who was spying on him in the first place? Maybe they could stay together and turn the tables, turn Gruff into a double-agent. Find out who was watching Tad. And why? The idea was a pleasant one, but Tad’s pride was wounded. His feelings wanted more than just an apology.

  Just then a deep roar filled the cavern. A lava covered lizard leapt from the lavafall and landed in the center of the anvil. Burnt flesh and melted scales covered his entire body, giant hammer still in hand. His ratty clothes had completely burnt away, revealing a gimp leg on the same side as his crippled hand. No wonder he hadn’t been very agile. Strong, yet he was pinned to one spot. Less than 10% remained on his health bar.

  “Gruff, save it for later!” Tad shouted. Daggers appeared in his hand in a cloud of black mist. Gruff’s eyes bulged at the daggers’ sudden appearance.

  “You must teach me that trick,” Gruff muttered.

  “Where is he! Where is that little fat man?” Rage. The lizard screamed with rage as he frantically looked for his target.

  Tad walked forward with more confidence than he felt, trying to take the impending battle away from Bunta’s unconscious hanging form.

  “You know where he is. You’ll see him every time you close your eyes.”

  Chills ran down Tad’s own spine. Where had that come from! Tad never said anything so badass in his entire life! If this was a side effect of raising his charisma, then charisma might become his new favorite stat! Even Gruff looked impressed.

  “If you don’t tell me, I’ll kill you both even if I have to become a slave to my own power.”

  That didn’t sound good.

  In the bloody nubs of his gimp hand were two giant black metal spikes, just like the ones used on both Scar and Becca, but bigger. A sinister aura flowed from the two pieces of metal like a curse. In a flash, the lizard brought the spikes to the space just under its eyes. Before Tad or Gruff could move, the giant hammer slammed into the lizard’s own face with two deep clangs and the crunch of nails driven through bone.

  Blue energy shot through the entire body of Kothar-wa-Khasis. Wind burst from his figure, knocking both Gruff and Tad to the ground. Sprawled out, they grabbed onto the slick surface of the anvil, trying to not get blown off. Gruff’s bigger form caught the wind, and he flew from the anvil.

  The wind died down enough that Tad could crawl back to his feet. Tad’s entire body shook as his eyes met those of the enormous lizard in front of him. Two fully functional, heavily muscled arms. Fingers and claws extended as if marveling in its own power. The lizard had easily grown by over ten feet, its muscular frame enhanced. Its gimp leg gone. Severed fingers regrown. The lizard’s face twisted into an insane smile even more gru
esome than the slayers under his control.

  The lizard’s health bar still sat just under 10%. An alarm screamed inside Tad’s head.

  *Boss intimidation (75) has exceeded intimidation resistance (60). All stats are halved.*

  Great. That was exactly what Tad needed right now.

  Chapter 26

  Kothar-wa-Khasis’s eyes glowed blue with power. The energy of his transformation had yet to leave his body completely. The glossy black iron eyes stuck out of the lizard face a good inch past its regular eyes. Green blood trailed like huge tears down the lizard’s face. Bunta was unconscious, Gruff blown away… Tad was alone. He opened his stats to survey the damage.

  *Tad Harrington

  Rank: Soldier

  Level: 22

  Health: 172/200

  Mana: 21/21

  Str: 8

  Dex: 15

  Con: 15

  Mag: 11

  Cou: 4

  Cha: 1

  Debuff: Intimidated: all stats halved*

  It could be worse. His current health hadn’t halved. He still had mana at the ready too, but his entire body felt sluggish and unresponsive. Like he had eaten a thousand pancakes but still had a marathon to run. The lizard stood in the middle of the anvil, arms stretched outward, face toward the sky. Unmoving. What was it waiting for?

  “Coat of Courage!” A voice echoed off the smithy’s walls.

  Tad watched as a transparent-white battle coat affixed itself on top of his leather armor.

  *+25 Courage!*

  Immediately, the pressure suffocating him vanished as his stats returned to normal. Tad found the source of the voice, Gruff hung by both hands to a sword impaled into the adobe brick wall behind him.