Deserts Of Naroosh

by Bradford Bates

  Flames washed across the Zerker’s skin, and his left leg had an arrow sticking out of it. ShadowLily’s appearance forced him to turn away from Cassie and deal with the assassin head-on. The daggers and axes sparked off each other with every hit. ShadowLily wasn’t doing a single bit of damage, but the boss’s back was unprotected and facing most of the group now.

  Before they could take advantage of the situation, the Zerker pulled a rotting arm from the bag on his hip and tossed it on the ground at Cassie’s feet. “Tasty sweet, soo good to eat,” he singsonged as a buzzing sound filled the air.

  A swarm of flies descended on their party.

  It was more like a cloud of gas coming at them than a swarm of bugs. Gas probably would have been better than the buzzing wall of gross that surrounded them. Tim was afraid to take a breath, and he certainly had no idea where the Zerker was. Ducking his head into the arm of his robe as the flies hit, he shouted, “Bring the fire!”

  He didn’t look up or try and see if JaKobi was acting on his instructions. He just kept his head buried in the crook of his arm. The insects were swarming all over him now, trying to get in his ears and mouth. Tim hated every second of this but didn’t have a single spell that would work against a bunch of bugs. Having a couple of flies buzz around the living room back home was enough to drive him batshit. This was the stuff of nightmares.

  The swarm was the kind of thing that would create the perfect distraction before a devastating attack happened.

  Tim already pulled the trigger on his only big bonus for the party's dodge chance at the beginning of the fight, so he cast Behold my Power and a round of healing orbs to help mitigate the spell’s damage while he waited for JaKobi to take care of their fly problem.

  “We’re in business,” JaKobi cried with glee. He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers.

  All of the flies erupted in tiny fluffs of smoke and fell to the ground as their wings burned off. “Don’t ask me how I did that shit. Just be happy it worked.”

  Tim turned to thank JaKobi and noticed that the boss was crouched behind his friend, waiting to pounce. His eyes must have gone wide because he watched the fire mage frown and mouth the words “not again” as the Zerker’s ax rose into the air. The weapon started its descent to the back of the mage’s skull when an arrow slammed into the boss’s arm.

  Zerker’s arm didn’t move a fraction of an inch as the arrow pierced it.

  ShadowLily slammed into the boss like a WWE wrestler on prime time TV. Her wild shoulder charge wasn’t enough to send the boss flying, but it did move him to the side enough that the blade slammed into JaKobi’s shoulder instead of his head. The mage went down in a heap, screaming in pain. Tim started healing him as Cassie tried to pick up the boss again.

  The tank snapped her bō staff in half and went toe-to-toe with the Zerker’s twin weapons as Tim tried to get JaKobi back on his feet.

  As he healed, Tim was surprised to see that instead of looking like he wanted to run, JaKobi looked ready to fight. He’d grown into kind of a badass since they met. Back on that first day, the fire mage would have run away from just about anything. He’d never actually seen the man get angry before, and it was rather scary.

  Lorelei and ShadowLily were doing their best to help Cassie, but she was taking a beating. Tim cast Healing Storm and channeled it for a moment before following it up with a round of Healing Orb. JaKobi was on his feet now and lurching forward to rejoin the fight. The fire mage needed more heals, and Tim had just enough mana to give them to him.

  JaKobi’s limp disappeared, and his arm went from hanging limply to casting a spell. Flames erupted over his robes as if someone had doused him in gas and lit the match, but the mage wasn’t screaming. Instead, his walk evened out as he closed into melee range.

  Whips of bright orange flames appeared in his hands and slashed outward with magical speed. The lashes tightened around the Zerker’s arms as he howled in rage. Tim felt Behold My Power hit, and their opponent dropped to his knees. Lorelei ran forward and plunged her knife straight into the man’s chest.

  A black cloud of energy erupted from the Zerker, sending them all stumbling backward. Lorelei’s dagger fell out of his chest, and the boss’s health reset to ten percent. A gentle red light surrounded him, indicating he was enraged and his attacks would come faster and hit harder.

  This burn phase was going to be intense.

  JaKobi shot a blast of fire into the boss that jettisoned the mage back twenty feet. The retreat must have been intentional because his health was still full-ish. Lorelei was firing arrows as she retreated to safety. Cassie was trying desperately to get the fucker’s attention, but the Zerker only had eyes for the ranger.

  Stabbing him in the heart was a big mistake.

  ShadowLily was behind the boss, and her throwing knives were going up his spine as neat as buttons. He didn’t slow down, but his health was plummeting rapidly. The Zerker sprinted forward like a freight train of inevitability. Spittle splattered from his mouth in his insane rush to make sure he took at least one of their group with him.

  Watching the boss’ health wasn’t doing Tim any good. They’d cut it down to five percent, but they weren’t going to be fast enough. The Zerker’s twin tomahawks were above his head, ready to split Lorelei open.

  Tim felt helpless but then realized there was something he could do. The words to Snare tumbled from his lips. The Zerker’s right foot slipped. It only slowed him for a fraction of a second, but it was enough time for Lorelei to get her bow up in some semblance of a shield. The boss’ attack failed to obliterate the ranger.

  The Zerker missed his chance.

  Cassie slammed into the boss from behind, sending him stumbling over the ranger before he could strike again. Zerker turned with a scream of rage, tomahawks driving Cassie backward almost faster than she could move. The tank was at full health so Tim did what any healer should do in that situation. He started trying to earn his one percent share of the DPS.

  Divine Light flew from Tim’s staff and slammed into the boss repeatedly. He could heal the rest of the party after the fight. All that mattered right now was making sure they got out of this alive enough to need healing.

  Tim’s mana plummeted faster than when he channeled Healing Storm, but the damage he was doing would be enough to bring the Zerker down before he had to worry about it.

  Tim couldn’t see through the flames being cast by the fire mage, but he knew when the fight ended by the beautiful golden motes swirling high above the blaze. “Kill the fire.”

  The flames dispelled, and all that remained of the infamous boss was a glittering golden chest.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “JaKobi, why don’t you go first, then get to burning.” Tim wearily pushed the fire mage toward the chest.

  The fights certainly felt like they were getting harder. They almost lost someone in both of their recent ones, and that hadn’t happened in a while. It felt like they might have been brute-forcing a few of their encounters recently, but that luxury was rapidly disappearing. Khalid also mentioned that this was the easier of the two fights so they were going to have to up their game.

  At least the next location wouldn’t be covered in dead body parts. The developers tried hard not to repeat the same thing too close to one another. If body parts always covered everything, they started to lose their meaning.

  “Sure thing.” JaKobi rubbed his shoulder as if it still pained him as he moved toward the chest.

  Tim cast a quick Healing Orb on the man, not sure if he had a phantom itch from being nearly cut in half or if he was still injured in some way. It sure felt like they were all injured after that fight. Something about the battle had been very visceral and draining. It was the kind of fight you only wanted to do once.

  “Cinch of the Wanderer.” JaKobi paused as he looked over the item stats. “Bonuses in all the right places and makes it easier for me to cast on the move.”

  The fire mage turned in a slow circle. “I
hate this place, but I love this item. Three stars.”

  Developers probably loved the fact there wasn’t an instant feedback system after fights. If groups died repeatedly, the one-star reviews would be catastrophic. Nothing tanked someone's spirit like talking to their manager about a bad score. Tim probably would have given the encounter a four, and he hadn’t even seen his share of the loot yet.

  Lorelei sauntered past them and placed her hand on the chest. “Come on. It wasn’t that bad.”

  The ranger brushed a bit of gunk off her shoulder that might have been skin. “Okay, it might be a little much, but I’m giving it five stars.”

  Lorelei pulled her new bow out of her inventory, and it looked as good as new. Now she also had a matching quiver. “I’ll scout ahead and make sure the fort is empty before he burns it down.”

  “Didn’t even think of that. Thank you, Lorelei.” Tim walked toward the chest.

  Cassie cut him off. “Uh-uh, buster. I want in on this loot parade.”

  Tim gave her a tiny bow. “After you, milady.”

  “Yes!” She did a happy dance. “I got a new bō staff.”

  Her happy dance turned into more of a skipping shuffle that included a bunch of vigorous hip thrusts. “Ups my defense in all kinds of ways, and watch this.” Her staff broke into two parts with a chain between them and went back together as if it had always been a single staff.

  “That’s pretty badass, like the world’s biggest nunchucks.” ShadowLily imitated Cassie’s shuffle as she moved toward the chest.

  “Bitch.” Cassie grinned. She was too excited about her new toy to be mad at anyone.

  ShadowLily placed her hand on the chest. She turned and smiled at Tim. “Hope we didn’t take all the good stuff, but I’m not complaining about this new set of throwing knives.”

  The assassin pulled a flat obsidian blade from her bandolier, tested the balance for a moment, and let it fly. One of the skulls twenty feet away shattered into pieces. “Nice.”

  This was one of those moments where he was excited for everyone else and nervous to see what he would get. Sure he’d be happy with anything, but after the rest of his group got such great stuff, Tim didn’t want to get Goat Herder Boots of the Shit Stained or something equally as awful. He reached out and said a prayer to Eternia as he put his hand on the chest.

  Item Received: Orb of Concentration

  This is an off-hand weapon.

  Helix the Mad first used the Orb of Concentration to increase his ability to regenerate mana. No one knows what happened to him in the pits, but when he came out, the orb was something he used to entertain himself between slayings or feedings, mostly because he thought it was shiny.

  +4 Wisdom, +5 Intelligence. The orb decreases the chance of spells being interrupted and increases mana regeneration in combat by a small amount.

  Can be used in conjunction with a two-handed weapon.

  It must be called Orb of Concentration because you can use it with another weapon. Not exactly an easy feat when his other weapon was a giant staff. Tim would have to try it out in their next fight and decide if using the orb was worth the extra effort. The item sure had all the intangibles he looked for, but sometimes great-looking drops fucked up the rotation.

  He’d only keep using the orb if it made him better.

  Lorelei walked out of the fort backward, guiding JaKobi through the doors as he continuously sprayed the interior with flames. Something about burning the place down felt right. Some evil was so vile it had to be cleansed from the earth, and this location was one of them.

  “JaKobi, let’s wrap it up. I’ve had about enough of this place,” Tim shouted over the roaring fire.

  ShadowLily grabbed Tim’s hand and dragged him back to the horses. “Let’s get out of here. I could use some cuddles.”

  “After what we saw here, I think we all could.” Lorelei looked in their camp’s direction.

  Tim pulled the ranger close with his free arm. “Listen, if things don’t work out with Neema, you can always hang out with us.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, but you might have noticed my problem isn’t with getting the ladies. It's with keeping them.” Lorelei watched them with a sly grin. “So don’t expect company.”

  Cassie wrapped an arm around JaKobi’s waist as they walked back to the horses. “Normally I’d say I wanted a drink, but I’m in more of a cocoa mood. I wonder if that even exists in this game.”

  “I’m sure we can find you something, but maybe not until we get back to civilization.” JaKobi looked around, noting the fact this place was far from civilized. “The only problem with helping the little guys is that you miss out on all the perks of the city.”

  Tim snorted. “If this place is considered a perk, I’m good with wine over cocoa.”

  “Touché.” JaKobi slid into his horse’s saddle. “But you're picking up what I’m putting down.”

  ShadowLily poked JaKobi in the ribs before climbing onto her mount. “Yes, the bad guys probably have roofs and beds. Not to mention food and whores.”

  “I know that wistful look on your face is because you're hungry,” Cassie snapped at JaKobi. “Not because of the whores.”

  The fire mage spurred his horse into a trot. “We ate so well last night that I wasn’t dreaming of food.”

  “Asshole!” The tank spurred her horse forward to chase after him.

  The three of them remaining behind laughed at their antics. Tim couldn’t help but think that was a bold move for his friend. If she caught him before she calmed down, he was a dead man.

  Neema had a surprise for them when they reached their staging area.

  He hadn’t expected much for dinner. Tim thought of her as a fierce warrior and not a cook, but it should have been no great surprise that people could be more than one thing.

  Tim looked over the food selection as he walked closer to the fire Neema built and noticed that all of it was vegetable and fruit-based. Just the kinds of things they needed after that fight. The last thing he wanted to see right now was any kind of meat.

  “Come sit. You’ve had a long day.” Neema waved them all over to the fire. “Eat and relax, and when you finish dinner, try some of the honeyed tea.”

  Tim noticed the smaller pot sitting on a nest of coals off to the side. “Tea?”

  “It’s a luxury for us, but the honeyed tea is a gift from the goddess herself.” Neema made Eternia’s sign over her chest.

  JaKobi looked at the container. “She actually made it herself?”

  “It’s an expression, dumbass.” Cassie whacked JaKobi in the stomach. “Now eat your veggies and drink the tea.”

  Tim tried to add a little humor to the moment. Anything he could do to bail out his boy. “Okay, Mom.”

  “You have to drink the tea too.” ShadowLily nudged him closer to the coals.

  “Me?” Tim looked around like a startled rabbit. How did this become about him?

  ShadowLily moved toward the pot and filled two cups. “It’d be rude not to. Our host has gone through all the trouble of making it.”

  Neema looked like she was about to interject when Lorelei put a finger over her lips and led her away from the others.

  Shit!

  Tim accepted the tea, realizing that he was out of any other viable option. He slowly raised the glass to his lips. The sweet taste of honey and lemons washed over his tongue. Despite his deep hatred of leaf water, this was pretty good. Not the kind of thing he’d ever replace coffee with, but as an after-dinner sip, well, he could probably get used to it.

  Tim looked up and realized everyone was watching him. He sipped again and smacked his lips a few times. “It’s not half bad.”

  “The look on his face when he had to drink the tea was priceless.” JaKobi grinned at him. “Happy it worked out, bro.”

  Cassie nudged her man in the ribs. “Be nice, or I’ll make you eat that.” She pointed at something that looked like a cross between an octopus and kale.

  Tim moved ove
r to inspect the fruit spread. Something that caught his attention, but he couldn’t make out what it was. Some kind of cantaloupe cross? The fruit had a slimy exterior with four long dangly legs, but the center was a bright orange color with seeds in the middle.

  He poked it with a finger. “Definitely fruit.”

  In a burst of motion, Tim scooped up the slimy fruit and tossed it at JaKobi. The mage gave an unseemly squeak as he tried to dodge out of the way. Instead, the fruit hit him in the face and fell to the ground.

  “Tastes like fruit punch.” JaKobi motioned t Tim. “Toss me the other half.” He caught it after a few bobbles and pulled Cassie toward their tent. “Come on. You have to try this.”

  Cassie grinned. “A woman’s work is never done.”

  “Tell me about it.” ShadowLily poured another glass of tea and handed it to Tim. “See? Tea doesn’t have to be the devil.”

  It might not be the devil, but it certainly wasn’t angelic.

  The heat of the day hit faster than he expected.

  Tim had kicked off half of the sheets by eight a.m., and by ten, he was sweating. He didn’t know how people could live outside in such warm places. Back in the real world, he wouldn’t be caught dead without an air conditioning unit. Sleep was something that required cool air and big cushy blankets.

  People like to brag about modern amenities but having sewer access, air conditioning, and heating was amazing. If a person made enough money, they could keep their house set at an ideal temperature year-round. Now they even had solar panels and batteries for homes that didn’t cost more than a car. More people were making the switch to clean renewable energy, and that was cool as fuck.

  There was probably a magical solution to the heat issue, but he had no idea what it was. He climbed out of bed, trying not to wake ShadowLily, and used a washcloth to clean off his sweaty body. When he felt clean enough, Tim donned his robe and stepped outside. It wasn’t often he was the first one awake.