World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive
Page 53
I hit Chosi with a ‘Holy Shock’ stunning her and dealing -732-HP damage in the process. The good news was it knocked Chosi off Rose. The bad news was, Chosi lost almost an eighth of her HP.
“Oh crap,” Olaf grumbled, seeing the same thing I did.
“Baby, start using your vines on them, we need to slow them down,” I said, hoping that maybe a crowd control would work, and Baby’s was the least damaging . . . as long as it didn’t poison her trapped target.
“On it, Bye-bye,” Baby said.
Meanwhile, I quickly equipped my net in my off hand. “Harrison, give me some space,” I said.
Harrison took a step back and I threw the net. I knew it wouldn’t capture Najah, but I hoped it would at least slow her down. The net landed and I yanked on the draw string. I didn’t capture her, but it did get tangled around one of her arms and legs, which did exactly what I was hoping for, it slowed her down. The idea was, I would keep tugging on my net, pulling the slowed Najah around the room. Hopefully, it would even prevent her from leaping at someone the way Chosi did.
“They keep dodging,” Baby complained. I looked to see her casting at Chosi’s feet only for the Cheetahwoman to leap aside or jump over the ground where vines started to sprout.
Thankfully, Harrison wasn’t standing around, he went back to Chosi and regained her attention, which cost Chosi another 5% of her health.
“Anyone got any ideas?” I asked. I could keep kiting Najah around the room . . . probably. Chosi would not be as simple. Every time Harrison hit her, even just in an effort to keep her attention, we saw a sliver of her life vanish. And those slivers were starting to add up.
“Get them close together and as far from Chagha’an as you can,” Heath shouted from the back of the room, which was unusual for him. I’d never known Heath to hide in the back of the room. Hide, yes. Hide far from the fight, no. Still, it gave me hope he was about to pull out some kind of amazing illusion to trap them both.
Harrison kited Chosi across the room faster than I was able to kite Najah simply because I was moving at her slowed pace.
“Okay, no damage,” Heath said.
I was confused then I heard . . . music. Heath was playing music.
“Heath, this isn’t the time to be playing a song,” Rose shouted.
“It’s the perfect time,” Micaela shouted. “They’re falling asleep. Way to go, Heath the Bard!”
“Right, I stand corrected,” Rose shouted, focusing back on Chagha’an.
The Righthand seemed to have noticed his two slaves were sleeping and was trying desperately to get past Rose only to be block, first by her shield and then by both of Harrison’s.
“Alright, now hurry up and kill that guy,” Heath said. “I only have so much mana to keep this up.”
“You heard the man, push the damage now!” Olaf shouted, firing both hand-cannons then working to reload as quickly as possible.
I dropped hold of my net and ran into the fight, curving around the edge set by Harrison and unleashing a ‘Holy Blast’ as I passed him, scoring my first points of damage on Chagha’an, a -653-HP. After that hit, I attacked. I pushed out damage as fast as I could. I hit him with ‘Justice Strike’, ‘Holy Shock’, ‘Power Thrust’, ‘Holy Fire’, ‘Ligament Rip’, ‘Impale’, and then I started it all over again. Every time I saw a weakness light up, I struck at it. I, and everyone else, did everything we could to kill him before Heath’s MP and SP ran dry.
“But the Master-” Chagha’an gasped, unable to finish his last words as he died.
“Whew,” Heath said, slipping his guitar back into his bag. But for once, he didn’t slip back into ‘Stealth’. Instead, he chose to sit down heavily on the floor of the room and started drinking from a canteen. “I think I’m going to like being a Bard . . . sometimes.”
A few of us laughed.
“I think we are going to enjoy having a Bard,” Olaf said. “Do you take requests? Do you know the ‘Fervent Fantasy Online’ boss kill jingle? Or is it just, you know, more of that old, old, old band you like?”
“I’ll have you know, the R-” Heath started but was cutoff when one of the collars clanked to the floor.
Nahid freed Najah and all of us tensed.
Najah blinked a few times in confusion as she looked around, a muddled expression on her face. She finally closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened her eyes, they focused intently on Nahid and narrowed.
A hand flashed out followed by a loud slapping sound as Najah’s open hand met with Nahid’s cheek. “You are free,” Najah said, vanishing from view.
Nahid’s hand went up to her face to rub where she’d just been slapped. I felt helpless as the girl finally sniffled a few times then began sobbing, falling to her knees, something clanking on the floor as she did so.
Before anyone else could act, Sooty appeared and gathered the girl up. “I will take her someplace safe. Finish this,” he spat, then focused back on the sobbing girl and carried her out of the room.
Class Quest Alert: Protecting the Not-So Innocent Assassin – Completed!
Lieutenant Wilkes has successfully foisted responsibility for the former Ardentia Guild Assassin on to you and your companions. Keep her alive until the Ardentia Guild Remnants give up, eliminate the Ardentia Guild Remnants, or find a more creative solution to the problem.
Reward: +50,000-Experience, 4-Sigils of the Goddess Issara
I didn’t like the idea of losing two of our fighters, but it might have been for the best. If I was right, the final boss of this whole mess was up next. And that was usually the worst fight of the bunch. If I could have convinced him, I would have told Harrison to avoid this fight . . . maybe Gofi as well. But I knew them both well enough by now to know that wasn’t going to happen.
“Now, what do we do about her?” Rose asked, motioning to Chosi. Her eyes were still completely vacant, and I had a feeling they would stay that way until the collar around her neck was removed.
It was only now, I looked closer at the collar. I could see a buckle with a small lock holding it closed. “Anyone seen a key?” I asked, knowing that Nahid probably had one when she unlocked her sister’s collar.
“Like this one,” Heath asked, picking up something from the floor and holding it up in the air. It was a small silver key. It must have been how Nahid freed Najah.
“So, we’re really going to free her?” Rose asked. “Before we get to the end of this quest?”
Rose might have had a point, but I didn’t like the idea of leaving her . . . mind controlled. Even if there was no one at the wheel, so to speak.
I unlocked the collar and removed it, letting it fall to the floor as I took a large step back. I doubted Chosi would slap me, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t just outright attack me. Better safe than sorry.
“I am . . . free?” Chosi asked as she came out of her daze. She then stared at me and asked, “Why?”
“No one deserves to be a slave,” I said.
“And I suppose you think I owe you something for this . . . rescue,” Chosi spat. “Just like an adventurer.”
Feeling my anger boil, I stated rather harshly, “The only thing I want from you, is to never see you again.”
“Happily,” Chosi spat, stalking toward the door.
“You should know, your sister came to save you,” Rose said, surprising me after she suggested to leave Chosi enslaved until we were done.
“Do you not know? I am banished. I have no sister,” Chosi said, anger dripping from her voice.
“But she still came for you,” Rose protested. “That means something.”
“Maybe to you,” Chosi said, softening for the barest hint of a moment. “But to me, it is weakness. And now I am leaving. If we ever cross paths again, expect it to be as enemies.”
“And now we’re letting her go,” Harrison commented. “You know she has marks?”
“So, go after her,” Rose said, glaring at Harrison.
“I figure after the slavery t
hing, she might deserve a head start,” Harrison said, scratching at his cheek and not daring to meet Rose’s glare.
Rose snorted a laugh and the tension broke.
“Anyway, Khan is next?” Harrison asked, prompting me to check the quest.
Class Quest Alert: Assist the Warrior Priest of the God Oshosi
You have been charged by the God Oshosi to assist his Warrior Priest in bringing the Bandaka Slave Ring to an end. Eliminate Khan, Righthand Chagha'an, and Lefthand Köke
Reward: Experience, 15-Sigils of the Goddess Issara, Hidden
“Do we know anything about him?” Olaf asked.
“No,” Twill answered. “He is more rumor than anything. Until I saw him with my own eyes yesterday, I was not even sure he really existed.”
“And what do the rumors say?” Olaf asked.
“I have heard he is everything from an Evil Lich Lord to an idiot Barbarian and everything in between,” Twill answered.
“Great, another blind fight,” Olaf complained and sighed in resignation. “Rose, Harrison, lead the way,” he said, pointing to the door at the back of the room.
The door led to another flight of stair, thankfully free of Slavers. At the top of the stairs was a large landing with more stairways, all of them leading up the inside of the tower. Though it was a little odd. The stairs we just came up were wood, as was the floor and walls of the rooms below us. But here, the floor was stone, as were the stairs leading up to the top of the tower of the keep.
Khan’s voice carried through the room and drawing attention to him. “So, you came,” he said, unmoving. He was sitting on a throne . . . stone chair would be more accurate, but I couldn’t help but think of it as a throne. “The Master said you would. The Master told me that if I ignored you that I would fail. I did not believe the Master. And now you are here. My dreams of an empire built on the backs of the beasts, my slaves, are all gone. All my plans, gone. I will need to start over in another province. But, I shall at the very least kill you before I withdraw.”
“The Master?” I questioned. “Do you mean Chaos?”
“The Master has many names. But I suppose that is what the feeble pantheons call the Master. As if anything could name a primordial existence,” Khan scoffed.
“Cool, so we found the Chaos event, great,” Heath said. “So, we kill him, and we can leave the province in good condition?”
“Ha, the confidence of this one,” Khan laughed. “As if you could kill me so easily. However, even if you do manage to kill me. The Master has many agents. The Master will just send another. Do you really think I am the first Khan? I am simply the one the replaced the last Khan after that idiot Leonidas killed him. Cut the head off the snake and the body will die. Except that I am not the head. He was not the head. So long as the Circus Maximus exists, others will come.”
“I’ve got to say,” Olaf said. “As evil monologues go, that was pretty good.”
“Yeah, it’s not bad. He hasn’t hit us with any of the ‘Give up hope’ or ‘I am invincible’ stuff. I’m kind of impressed,” Heath added.
Olaf and Heath were making a joke of it, but internally, I might have been freaking out a little. Epic was involved. Epic was really involved. Epic was even involved in the Circus Maximus, the source of the demand for slaves. “Just how deep did you make this story?” I whispered to myself.
Focusing back on
Khan laughed again. “You think I know? You think anyone knows? I told you. The Master is a primordial. You do not find the Master! The Master finds you!”
Mentally I cursed. I was clearly hoping for too much. Of course someone like this wouldn’t know where to find Epic.
“Okay, then how about you tell us where the Circus Maximus is?” Harrison asked.
“Someplace you will not live long enough to ever see,” Khan replied.
“Oh come on, you just said we’re all going to die. What’s the harm in telling us?” Heath asked.
“You must really think I am stupid. You are adventurers. You come back. Nero would skin me alive if I told you. Bad enough I lost his operation here,” Khan said.
“Nero, huh?” Harrison asked, causing the Khan’s eyes to widen as he realized he said something he wasn’t supposed to.
Khan quickly pulled out a naginata and . . . charged? Sort of charged. The ground under his feet came to life, the stone reshaping and rushing him across the room at us like it was a surfboard on a wave.
Rose tried to stand her ground and was knocked back a dozen feet and onto her back when the stone met her shields.
At the same time the stone hit Rose, Khan was launched from the stone and into the air. His naginata raised over his head as he prepared to stab down into the dazed Rose.
Then two things occurred. I cast ‘Holy Shock’ stunning him. It didn’t last long but it was more than enough for Harrison’s charge to catch him before he could hit Rose.
Khan was flung bodily across the room only for the stone to surge up and catch him and carry him up the wall. He was chased by Micaela’s fireballs and Olaf’s bullets, but the stone’s path was random until the firing stopped.
I focused on his HP. My hit barely hurt him.
"Well, I think it’s about time to give this a try,” Harrison said, banging his shields together, mimicking Rose. “Let us see how you like my ‘Injustice Breaker’,” Harrison said, calling out the spell and filling the room with a wave of white light.
“What was that? What did you do?” Khan asked, stopping the stone part way up the wall and looking around in confusion.
“Just evening the odds a little,” Harrison said, grinning. And I could totally understand why.
His nameplate still read
“I do not do fair or even. I like overwhelming victory,” Khan said, shaking the stone around us. Suddenly, the ground below me surged up, center punching me into the air. A look around showed everyone suffered the same attack except for Baby who was just out of range.
I landed hard, suffering -321-HP damage. I couldn’t be sure if that was from the hit or the landing, but neither were enjoyable.
Khan looked to take advantage as he surged back down the wall, his feet firmly grasped in stone as he almost glided at us again. This time we did our best to dodge or roll out of the path. Except for Gofi.
Gofi charged. His feet thundered against the stone as he ran headfirst into Khan and his stone conveyance.
Khan was knocked away this time and ‘Dazed’ for his trouble.
“Attack!” Olaf shouted, seeing the same thing I did.
I leaped in, stabbing with my spear then casting ‘Holy Blast’. I didn’t get another attack on Khan before the stone surged up around him, creating a little stone cocoon.
Olaf fired both barrels into the stone protection, chipping away at it and sending rock shards flying. Olaf then swapped to use his maul. He swung it like a sledgehammer, hitting the same place he shot, cracking the egg wide open.
I stabbed into the hole, but a stone pillar shot upward deflecting my spear and sending Khan into the air and toward a wall, which caught him again.
“Slippery snake,” Olaf complained, then looking to Rose, he added, “No offense.”
“None-” Rose said, smashing with her shield, then finished, “-taken!”
The few attacks that hit, had barely taken a tenth of his health. I cast ‘Holy Shock’ again and the stone dropped him only to catch him about an inch from the floor. But this time Rose and Harrison were both there to greet him with their shields.
Unfortunately, two stone pillars shot from the wall on either side of Khan, hammering into the pair of shield-walls. But in that moment. I noticed something. The stone dropped Khan. Sure he was only an inch from the ground, but it still dropped him. Khan attacked with the stone and he lost his d
efense.
I watched as my friends attacked, trying to bring him down. They dealt the occasional glancing blow, but it was slow. But that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered, is that I saw the pattern. Khan could attack or defend with the stone around him, but he couldn’t do both.
And that was when I saw my opening.
Olaf was punted by the wall behind him. Khan had his back to me. I surged forward, striking hard, finally landing another quality blow. Then I leapt away as the stone floor surged to protect him.
I waited patiently again for the next opening. And when Rose and Harrison charged only to be rejected by stone walls raising up in their path, I pounced, going for the ‘Ligament Rip’ this time, trying to cripple him. Hoping that it would at least slow him down somehow. It worked but did nothing to slowdown how fast the stone moved him around the room.
I could have told my friends what to look for but that risked Khan changing strategies. So, painfully slowly, I ate away at Khan’s HP. Hitting him as hard as I could whenever I saw an opening. I attacked, firing ‘Holy Blast’ while I was still in the air. Then stabbed with ‘Justice Strike’. Sometimes, Khan would be fast enough to protect himself from the second attack but not always. And if I wasn’t quick enough after that second attack, I was usually in for some pain. Thank goodness Khan didn’t use stone spikes or I had the feeling the damage would have been much worse.
“I have no more time for this,” Khan shouted when his HP dropped below 50%. “I will leave you here with a final parting gift.” He then zipped toward the stairs, raising a wall behind after each landing.
Meanwhile, all around the floor, holes appeared, and a green gas started to slowly waft up.
I looked quickly for the door only to find it replaced by a solid stone wall.
“After him,” Olaf shouted, firing both of his hand cannons at the first wall blocking the stairs as he ran at it, horns first.
I could have easily surpassed the blocks with my ‘Jump’ subskill but that would mean leaving my friends behind. I leaped at the stone wall, hitting for all I was worth.