Chimera King Box Set Books 1-3

by Atlas Kane

  Cade’s chest was feeling quite a bit better, though he was far from fully healed. Without the thick leather vest Satemi had made for him, he was sure he’d already have been dead.

  The thought of using Restoration of the Grove was appealing as hell, but he resisted the urge. They weren’t done with the dungeon yet, or rather, it wasn’t done with them.

  “How much further do you think this thing goes?” he asked the group as they ate some fruit and passed around a waterskin.

  Minda shook her head. “No way of knowing. Feels like we’ve only just begun. It is only the first floor though, so hopefully not too much more. Another question has been on my mind. If this dungeon is here to help the travelers to Antinium level up, then do these monsters come back when we leave? Or are they permanently destroyed?”

  “You will need to ask the demon in the machine,” Satemi said pragmatically. She stood and stretched her long legs by folding over, and Cade admired the strings of muscle dancing over her back. Then, standing in a flourish, she produced her sword and announced she was ready to resume.

  The others nodded, agreeing that it was now or never. Gemma had transformed back into her human form shortly after the fight, and Cade was curious why. “Gemma, if the cat form was so effective, why not stay like that, at least while we are in the dungeon?”

  “It burns away my ether, my mana, as it is called in this world. I can only do so for a small amount of time. Before I died, I could remain the tiger for up to two hours without shifting back. Now, I can do so only for five minutes at a time. It gets longer each time I level up, so hopefully I will improve greatly.”

  Gemma summoned her bow, the weapon shimmering out from the marking on her back. She tested the string once more, and added, “I am now level three by the way. I have chosen another bow skill, one that will help should any of those creatures get too close. My Ember Dart was quite effective against the dryads, but if I find myself face to face with one, I now have a skill called Bow Slap. I can strike an enemy with my bow, and it increases the damage by 300%. I am pleased with the addition.”

  “Pretty addictive, huh? Yeah, Minda, where are you at? I’m at 73% to Level 5. Will be nice to add one more tool to my arsenal,” Cade said, turning to the beastkin.

  Minda held out her hand, extending the staff in her grip. “Only 48%. Each level takes longer. I’ll be Level 6 soon enough though. And you, Satemi?”

  “I’m at 25%. Doesn’t seem like much, but for how close this is to camp, we are lucky. Let’s go, I hope to be done and back in time to do more construction if possible.”

  Cade laughed, admiring the woman’s work ethic. They tried to loot the hulking monster they’d faced down, but only Charred Wood was available, and when summoned, was little more than a pile of smoking sticks. They left those and checked the caster Cade had killed. He looted 3 Enchanted Vines from the creature and examined its crumpled form.

  Dryadic Shaman

  Level 5

  Dungeon Humanoid Leader

  And the group continued out another passage beyond, still visible in the dwindling flames that consumed the rest of the dryad champion.

  Once more, they walked with torches in hand, creeping through the dungeon. Two more short frays with packs of Dryadic Terrors interrupted their progress, but they pressed ahead into the dark. Ahead of them, glimmering back in the dark, a vast array of gold metal objects lay about the chamber. At first, it was impossible to make them out, but as they approached, Cade saw they were sculptures. One was in the figure of an angel, mighty seraphic wings swept up above its inhuman face. No eyes or mouth marked its features, just a crown of wild hair. Another had the body of a minotaur, its body scarred and heavily muscled.

  A scratching noise made Cade turn just in time to see three of the distinct magic balls being summoned from a patch of deep shade to one side. They’d been so caught up in the majesty of the sculptures that they had dropped their guard for an instant.

  One of the balls flew out toward Cade, and thankfully, this time he was able to dodge it. The magic splashed against the minotaur, vines curling feebly against the hard metal.

  Another struck on Satemi. She blocked it with her elbow, but the roots tore through her arm and made her drop one of the swords she loved so much. Growling, the woman sliced through the roots as they gouged holes through her flesh, and Cade marveled at her composition. How did they make that one so damn tough? he wondered, pointing his blast axe toward one of the tiny figures. He fired, this time having the satisfaction of seeing his Explosive Shot rip the little shaman in half.

  The final ball of energy slammed into Gemma’s leg. She cried out in pain as the roots tore into her flesh. A second later and she was a flaming pile of cat, streaking toward the Dryadic Shamans. Finding the monster who’d attacked her in seconds, she tore through its body with her fiery claws. It ignited and illuminated the room they stood in more than ever.

  Cade spotted the third shaman running away, heading to find another ambush site, he was sure. His blast staff was still recharging, so he cursed impotently. Then Minda sent an arsenal of daggers streaking after it. They thunked into the wooden back of the shaman, one after another, and when the final one landed, the little beast was dead.

  In the faint glow of the burning dryad, something caught Cade’s attention. A huge golden bowl lay ahead, almost like a fountain of sorts. He waved to the others to follow, and when he got there, he saw it was a basin big enough to act as a trough for Bellows. It wasn’t filled with water though. In fact, the fumes that wafted up to his nose made his eyes tear up.

  He gave it a test, touching his torch to the surface of the liquid, and was rewarded by a whoosh of flame igniting. It was a pool of oil, made exclusively for this purpose. The room filled with golden light. The basin lit a long wick that hung down the wall, and a path of oil ignited, slowly ringing the entire room in flame.

  It was a larger space than he imagined, as big as a colosseum. And when he saw the vaulted walls to either side, and the expanse of sandy grit all around them, it dawned on him, it was exactly that.

  They could see the two sculptures clearly now, each over eight feet tall and intensely detailed. The floor was clear. No other enemies rushed out to attack them, and though it was eerie to be surrounded by glorious flame below ground and still injured, he sighed in relief.

  “I thought we were about to get our asses handed to us, guys. Sorry I lit that. Curiosity killed the Chimera Lord, as they say,” he said to the group, all of whom were eyeing him suspiciously.

  Satemi shook her head. “Cade. Sometimes I wonder. But at least we know now the room is empty. I do not see any other exits either. Perhaps we have killed the last of the dungeon’s monsters.”

  “That is too hopeful,” Minda said wisely, glancing around the room to find anything else to kill.

  Gemma, back in her human skin once more, pointed toward the far corner of the room. “There, that looks like the pillar that unwound the staircase above us.”

  The group noted the simple gold rod protruding from the ground and walked toward it. Cade saw symbols etched into its surface but they weren’t glowing like the control panel had been. Their meaning was clear however. They read, “Activate Staircase Level 2.” He told the group what he’d learned and a silence fell over them as they considered the problem.

  Satemi sheathed her swords, and crossed her arms. She was in full thinking mode. At last, she asked Cade if he could see if Micah might answer their call from down here. It was a good idea, but as he’d thought, the demon did not respond when he called his name. So he touched the golden pillar and closed his eyes.

  Dungeon Interface

  Interface Controller: Caderick Shelby Clarke, the Terran

  You wish to access the Dungeon Interface?

  Micah, there you are. Yes, can you activate the stairs to the next level?

  Negative. Insufficient mana resources. Also, you have not met the dungeon criteria to progress further.

  What cri
teria? Why didn’t you mention that before?

  You must kill all dungeon monsters before progressing. One monster remains.

  Cade jerked his hand away from the pillar and shot his eyes around the arena. What did we miss? Where the heck are you? he wondered, berating himself for failing to see what must be obvious.

  “Cade, tell us what just happened,” Satemi said, her voice filled with concern.

  He crossed back to the middle of the room, and there he saw it. Calling the women over, he pointed to the small metal disc in the center of the floor. After giving nods of approval, he pressed it with his foot, and the disc sank into the ground.

  A grating noise came from far above them, and when they turned they saw a vile-looking humanoid walk out on a balcony. Its skin shone black, and its head was bald. It wore a suit of golden, Tanrial armor, and had a whip in its hand. A control panel rose before it, and the creature hissed. Then it spoke in a language none of them understood. Only its intent came through. The thing was evil, and it very much wanted to kill them all.

  13

  First, a Creepy, then a Crawl

  Minda sent another flight of daggers up at the monster, and a fiery arrow followed. Yet all of the attacks dissolved in smoke as they struck a barely visible shield that protected the creature. The sheer impotence of their situation seemed to tickle the ugly guy’s ego. He literally bounced from foot to foot, knowing they could do nothing to harm him.

  Not knowing what else to do, Cade inspected their new foe, hoping to find anything useful.

  Dokkalfa Overseer

  Level 8

  Dungeon Humanoid Boss

  “Damn! That’s the boss,” Cade said, pointing out the obvious. Video games to the rescue, he mused. Soldiers were either constantly busy and stressed or waiting endlessly for the world or their command to tell them what was next. In those thousands of hours of mind-numbing pointlessness, most Joes gamed. “I don’t think we can kill him directly. Probably have to do something else, maybe even fight something else, to finish him.”

  Answering the beck and call of sweet irony, the overseer pressed a few of the buttons, and the arena floor began to shift. A few gouts of flame erupted from the floor, a burst of light and heat that made them all flinch. A vent had been close enough to singe Satemi, and the woman jumped away, her leather armor smoking.

  “Traps, that’s great! Come on, guys. Let’s figure out how can we kill this bastard.”

  “That is not our problem right now. Look!” Minda cried, pointing to the middle of the floor.

  By Bacchus’ Heavenly Balls, Cade thought as he looked to see one of the golden sculptures come to life. The minotaur twisted its body, the metallic muscles in its legs bulging. Then it tore one massive hoof free, sending pieces of metal rocketing across the room.

  The beast looked at them and bellowed its rage, which for some odd reason, was directed at their group.

  Cade found this to be completely unfair. They hadn’t done the bull man any injury. Yet there it was looking ready to skin and eat them all. It took a few lumbering steps forward and dipped its horns to face them, Cade tried to inspect the monster. All he saw was the words “Dungeon Construct” when he did so. No level information, and no creature type was presented.

  “Form up! It's huge, ugly, and for some messed-up reason, anatomically correct. But we can do it, guys! We’ll bring that Blue Falcon down!” Cade said, trying to rouse his companions’ spirits.

  Satemi glared at him. “It is a bull not a falcon. Cade, start by shooting it in the face. See what that does.”

  The woman’s pragmatism was sharp as a cleaver. Cade lifted the handle of his blast axe and fired a Slug Shot right into the minotaur’s nose. A metallic clang resounded and the beast halted a moment. He held his breath, hoping they’d done some damage. But the beast just shook its head. No Daze effect landed and there was little more than a dent in the creature’s snout. It yelled again then charged Cade.

  “Shit! Bring him down!” Cade hollered, flipping his axe in his hands. He shouted out an Alpha’s Call to boost the party. They’d just have to see what melee damage would do to the metal monster.

  Cade was grateful the hulking beast had no weapon to use on them, but as it charged, Cade realized the horns upon its head were as deadly as anything. He rolled to avoid the first attack, and swung his axe at the creature’s leg. He activated Culling the Pack while he did so, hoping to maim the monster. If they could slow it down, the fight might not be so challenging. But the thing's metallic body just deflected his attack easily.

  Minda sent a flight of daggers at the minotaur as it turned to charge again, but like the arrow Gemma fired, they ricocheted off. Each attack was damaging the creature, but little more than gouges were blemishing its golden hide.

  Another series of flame jets erupted in the room. One ignited directly under Gemma. The woman yelped and nearly lost her bow, but her skin didn’t even smoke afterward. Lucky draw. If one of those hits the rest of us, we’re screwed. Maybe if we bring down this mewling man-boy, the traps will stop.

  “Satemi! Can you do that crazy energy sword thing you did on Vormer?” Cade asked, hoping she could go god mode on the bastard and end this fight quickly.

  But the woman shook her head. “It is a week-long cooldown. I won’t be able to access it for a few more days. I’ll try something though.”

  The woman darted forward and triggered a skill that made her blades light up crimson. This time, when the minotaur came closer, it slowed and approached them more methodically. Damn, now the thing is gonna fight smarter. Not a good sign, Cade thought. Then the beast clenched its fists. Each knotted hand was as large as Cade’s head, and both began to burn bright yellow. Two hammers extended and formed from each. It swung as Satemi moved in to attack.

  “Aim for its eyes!” Cade shouted to Minda and Gemma. If they could at least get the thing to flinch it could be a literal life saver for Satemi.

  The two warriors joined the battle. Ducking the first swing of the beast’s hammer, Satemi struck it with her glowing sword. Her attack scored a deep groove across its chest, and the bull grunted in pain. Twice more her swords darted out. Once was a glancing blow at the crook of its neck, and the final a low attack that caught the monster on the side of its ankle, just above the hoof.

  Hell yeah! Get it, girl! Cade roared in his head, aiming at the beast and waiting for a clear shot to fire his blast axe.

  If the battle continued in such a fashion, Satemi would end the fight on her own. But Mr. Bull used a skill. Cords of writhing ether emerged from its body and wrapped around the beast’s limbs. When it moved again, its speed was increased dramatically. It swung again at Satemi, and she was able to duck under the massive hammer as it came for her, but in a show of skill, the beast followed through with an elbow strike that sent the woman tumbling away in the dust.

  It moved forward, both hammers lifting high to finish her.

  Gemma ran forward, adopting her cat form and raking her claws along its ribs while Minda sent dagger after dagger into its face. Cade did the same, firing a second Slug Shot at the minotaur in hopes of Dazing it.

  The attacks didn’t hurt the monster much, but the barrage did throw it off balance. Most importantly, Satemi was given time to roll away.

  A flaming tiger slashed the monster across the face while it was still lifting its hammers back up from its overhead strike. Gemma was a storm, a gale of fire and claw. Despite the minotaur’s amped-up attack speed, she wove between hammer blows. She tore through its metal hide, slashing the beast’s legs in particular, a tactic Cade thought was smart. If its mobility were hindered, the fight would be easy.

  Another double hammer smash was aimed at the tiger’s vulnerable back, but Gemma shot forward, dancing between its legs. It was tall enough that the beast’s manly parts were left unscorched, which was too bad. Yet it was beginning to slow. Each attack was countered, Gemma leaving her signature fiery claw marks all over its body.

  Then once m
ore, the stupid bull changed his routine.

  As Gemma was whirling to rush it once more, the minotaur lifted both hammers and brought them together like a hellish instrument. The metal weapons crashed into one another with such force that a ripple of power shot out. Gemma was thrown off balance, her cat form disappearing. Everyone shook for a few moments, the shock of the blast halting all the momentum of the fight.

  Screw this, Cade thought. “Get back everyone! Time for a little boom.”

  He pulled out a Blast Stick, not really wanting to use a full Boom Stick in such close quarters, and lobbed it at the minotaur. The explosive struck the beast in its left shoulder. Fragments of golden metal ripped across the room in all directions, and when the smoke cleared, Cade saw the minotaur had lost its arm. A thick, metallic ichor dripped from its wound, pooling on the sandy arena floor. It staggered and nearly fell. Then it regained its senses and stared directly at Cade.

  It opened its bovine mouth and screamed in outrage. A bright-yellow light burned at the edge of its wound, sealed it, and slowly started to regrow its lost limb.

  Not seeing any other options, Cade played his last card. Not all metal is conductive, but he was hoping whatever alloy the minotaur was made of would be. Activating Wyrm’s Wrath and his newest skill Electric Touch, he ran ahead and unleashed hell.

  When the edge of Cade’s axe touched the monster’s skin a blast of arcing electricity crackled across its chest. An odd smell like ozone and matches filled the air. Cade continued his assault. He struck the minotaur beneath its jaw in an upswing, then hacked it in the ribs. When the beast stumbled back, Cade charged forward, switching to his hammer and landing a heavy blow in the center of the monster’s chest and then followed it up by driving the tip of his mana spear into its heart.