Although it was dark, everyone’s uniform nod was obvious.
“What’s a boss exactly?” Hyde rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that he was going to get a strong reaction.
“What’s a boss—” Zora looked over her shoulder, but was quickly cut off by a loud bang, snapping her head forward. The corridor wall had collapsed ahead. Oh no. She thought. It couldn’t be… right?
Her fears were soon confirmed. The huge cave troll that had been hot on their tail, stepped out into the corridor.
“Are you kidding me!” she yelled.
“Oh hell…” The party looked up. Light wasn’t required to see those sharp green eyes leering at them, almost to say I found you.
“Zora?” Hyde whispered, seeking instruction, but knowing full well that retreat was their only option.
“We’re leaving!” she ordered, and the party turned their back on the troll, but after a step or two they froze again.
Oh no… Out from the large doors they’d peered into earlier came the creature they were trying to avoid. The armored elemental stood glistening in the darkness with its core of electricity. Although it wasn’t equipped with conventional eyes, its gaze was still known by the direction of its posture and its body language. And now this creature’s body said: Ahh, so there you are.
Sandwiched between the huge monstrous creatures, the party stood helplessly watching as the pair of oppressors marched, bullying them into submission. Words didn’t need to be said, only the loud thumping of steps beat in their chests like heavy drums.
All they could do was watch as their impending doom neared.
CHAPTER 19
Dammit… Zora gritted her teeth at the two challengers who wouldn’t go down easy. Is this the end? Never!
“Hyde, Nitro and Mari, on the elemental!” she ordered. “Abe, Remi, Mila and myself, cave troll!” The hope was that the elemental was the weaker of two.
The party nodded, quickly turning their backs to each other, focusing on the pair of creatures threatening them. They readied their weapons, unafraid—or more honestly, scared shitless, but maybe this was what courage was: standing before a foe that far exceeded one’s own ability with the tremors of fright in one’s boots, yet still standing before such a beast with a resolve untainted by thoughts of retreat and steeled to the point where the only way was forward.
Maybe that was what courage was.
They were stuck in a deadlock, a standoff. Nobody moved, but all their weapons and claws were at the ready. Cave troll, elemental, and party, all frozen in place. However, the troll and the elemental didn’t seem so concerned with the small party between them. It was as if they were devising a soundless plan by looks and glances alone. Or at least that would have only been possible for the creature that actually had a face, namely the troll. The elemental was sadly not blessed with such features. Maybe that was the only rational reason for what happened next. If not for that, it would remain a mystery that made absolutely zero sense.
The elemental took a decisive step, the cave troll leaned in ready to pounce. This was it. The deadlock was coming to an end. The real fight was about to begin.
The elemental electrified its entire body and leapt like a predator would when hunting its prey, with a pair of daggers. It disappeared mid-leap, but where it would reappear no one had anticipated. The elemental had Blinked to the cave troll engaging the beast in a head-to-head battle, completely ignoring the nameless guild.
“Well, that was unexpected?” Remi said. The rest of the party was too baffled to even speak.
“Hey, place your bets people, my money is on the troll!” Abe chanted, getting their attention.
“Troll,” Mila raised her hand.
“Elemental,” Mari said.
“Elemental,” Nitro followed.
“Ele—” Remi began.
“Are you serious?” Hyde said, looking a bit disturbed by their… well, gambling addiction. “We were just about to die and now this?” he complained.
“One has nothing to do with the other,” Remi nodded solemnly.
“Are you—” Hyde trailed off. Why do I even bother… they’re clearly insane!
“Retreat!” Zora screamed, and all the gambling bets were put on hold, or so Hyde thought.
While they dashed in the opposite direction of the conflict between mighty beasts, Abe tallied the bets to majority on the elemental, counting three and the rest on the troll, counting two.
Yep, insanity it is... Hyde shook his head.
They entered the room that was obviously the elemental’s domain. It was large and furnished with absolutely nothing, but it still carried an air of awe to it. It was probably the glowing runes on the walls that gave it a sort of majestic feel. The rocky peaks protruding from the ceiling was covered in the same runes. They almost resembled tiny chandeliers with their light.
However, there was something significantly more central to the room’s awesomeness, and that was the massive runed door in the back. One glance was enough for anyone to tell that this was what was being guarded by that elemental. But no matter how much they tried they couldn’t get it open. They struck it with swords, but nothing. Mila asked it to open as kindly as she knew how, but still nothing. They hunkered down and tried to pull the thing open and once again, nothing.
It took them a good amount of tries until they decided for what seemed like a better plan. Zora and Mari looked a bit disappointed when that conclusion was made, probably because they had enjoyed watching the futile attempts a little. In hindsight, it was ridiculously obvious what the key to the door was, but nevertheless they went for the alternative: the blow-the-door-to-smithereens plan.
But as Nitro’s second spell chanting started, something halted it. The creaking sound of the door at their rear was forced shut. The guard had returned with the blood of its victim on its talons.
Damn. They knew that one would come out alive, but did it really have to be so soon.
“Well that answers the bet,” Abe smiled, sending the winners their cash.
“Betting on whose hands to die by are we?” Zora smirked. “It’s almost poetic.”
Those final words, helped steel the nerves of her party as they all stood on the ready to intercept the elemental.
Hyde looked around at the weapons pointing at the inorganic creature, gleaming with the glow of the runes. Are we really doing this? Can we actually win—
“We can. Together,” Zora whispered, tapping his back, giving him the strength to march forward.
“Okay,” he smiled, tightening his grip around his sword.
Zora didn’t need to speak any other words, everyone knew their orders. It was do or die now. The marching elemental picked up the pace as did the party opposing it.
Abe and Remi were the first to engage, utilising their superior mobility by teleporting to their target. Somehow, as if the elemental had read their minds, it responded flawlessly to the imminent threat. Both the Sentinel and the Shadow were swatted out of the way. Next up to intercept the beast was Hyde. With his silver in hand, he attacked forcefully, but his diagonal slash was blocked by one of the elemental’s daggers. Those metal blades were far too large for a mere person to call daggers, but relative to the creature’s size, they sure were a pair of daggers.
Zora joined the fray, quickly forcing the boss off balance with a powerful Shove. Mila stood back, tossing her drone to provide the Boon Barrier, as she stood back poking at the elemental from a distance with rifle pellets. Mari summoned her tome, empowering her allies with Weightless and Vigour, while Nitro stood back waiting for orders. Her cautiousness was founded on the fact that she hadn’t regained enough power to unload consecutive spells. A single one would afflict her with Exhaustion. All because she had wasted one on the door... which still remained tightly shut.
Abe, Remi, Hyde and Zora surrounded the creature, trying to get some leeway by attacking from different angles. The plan wasn’t bad, it was just that the boss was still capable of defending i
tself even after being surrounded. The elemental was quick and agile, allowing none of them to land any substantial hits. However, some minor injuries were inflicted. Its metal armor actually dented after receiving a blow from Hyde’s silver.
Abe and Remi both successfully damaged its armor further with quickened attacks. But when Zora moved in to attack, she cut straight through the metal as though it was butter. Her strikes were far more dangerous.
The elemental stepped back, raising its guard as if only now taking them seriously. It watched for the simultaneous attacks coming from different angles. The blows from the Shadow and the Sentinel failed to strike its target, and more importantly, it left them open. The elemental sent one of its daggers to take down Remi, however, just in the nick of time, Hyde responded, coming to his aid with a longsword in hand.
The elemental’s jab was pushed back and as a result Remi came out of that without even a slap on the wrist. Now with the elemental off balance again, it was forced to endure a direct body shot from Hyde’s steel.
The creature retreated a few steps back, realising that its death was very possible against the nameless guild. It paused and scanned the battlefield evaluating its options.
The second Dragoon, wielding a halberd, stepped up, first addressing the frontline Sentinel, then turning to the boss, ready to perform some sort of gambit. Now the melee fighters stood empowered by a Sentinel Skill. They were clad in glowing gauntlets and light trails followed their blood red eyes. Valor and Insight.
The elemental glanced at the nearing foes, only for a moment, taking note of the three hanging back and noticing that one was obviously healing the frontline. With a dagger on the ready, it moved.
“Brace Yourselves!” Zora chanted, pushing forward. However, little did she know that they weren’t the target. In hindsight, this was the moment that taught her that the creatures in Eden were far more intelligent than they were given credit for.
The elemental lunged forward at them, disappearing mid-leap and then reappearing where they least expected it—between Mari, Nitro and Mila. With a dagger raised, its target was increasingly obvious. The Sentinel. Mari. Oh no!
The offensive unit quickly turned and ran to intercept the foe, but without anyone saying it, they all knew they’d never make it. But… there was someone who could.
“Cover,” Hyde whispered.
CHAPTER 20
Hyde’s body moved on its own. Without a thought in mind, he activated the necessary Skill to arrive on time. Cover. That second seemed like the longest one he’d ever experienced, even more so than the moment when Levi was attacked and killed.
This speed, it wasn’t quite Weightless, it was something more. His muscles moved so effortlessly, travelling the distance in a second. The air gave way to his metal armour, almost as if it couldn’t quite resist him. He lifted his silver sword, quickly putting it up as a guard to block the incoming blow.
It proved successful. For a second, no one had quite understood what happened, not even he himself. It was like he had appeared out of nowhere to stop the attack. The trail of wind created by Hyde’s dash fluttered with the party’s clothes and hair, disturbing the still, silent room.
What the—the thought circulated and even the elemental, that didn’t have a face, seemed surprised. What just happened?
“Hyde?” Mari turned, noticing the armoured boy that held back the knife, wielded by the large creature, just inches away. She was surprised, just like she was when he’d come to her rescue before. The difference was that back then she could have easily defended herself, but now, that wasn’t true at all.
A single blow didn’t mean death, but for a member of the support, it would have shaken the very foundations of Zora’s initial battle plan. Hell, they were already shaken, down to their very core.
Would the battle plan still fall? No. All because of Hyde’s intervention.
He pushed back, performing the sequence Skill that followed Cover, Guard Crush. The elemental was forced off balance and completely vulnerable to Hyde’s Insight-fuelled fury. He stepped forth with the power of Valor and Shoulder Bashed the creature clad in metal, putting more distance between himself and the support unit. Now staggering, the elemental was forced to endure the heaviest of Rends.
The thumping of steps beating against the ground seemed so—maybe it was the adrenaline-fuelled craze, or maybe it was his own fear— but it all seemed so muffled to Hyde’s ears. It was only when he saw his companions leap in front of him that he noticed that he wasn’t alone.
His eyes widened with a glint of joy as his lips bent into a soft smile. You’re not alone. He recited the words in his head, watching Zora carrying on his combo with a spearheaded jab. She single-handedly pushed the elemental further back until it struck the door it was guarding. Without a shred of hesitation, she pulled the spike free and with a wide swing she struck the pathetic shambles of metal still worn by the elemental.
Now, adding insult to injury, she Shoved it with the shaft of her polearm, maintaining its off balance state, but just as it was about to suffer a second blow it disappeared. Just like that, the only thing that Hyde had been able to share with them was gone. Momentum.
“Together!” Zora ordered, turning away from the door, far more irritated than she should have been. Considering that none of them had suffered from any major injury and they were currently standing up to a Dungeon Boss, her anger seemed misplaced. For this nameless guild, this was already quite the accomplishment. Yet, the keenness in her eyes seemed forceful but aimless, or rather to Hyde, he thought she looked like she was in pain.
The party heeded her call, putting their backs to each other in a circular shape with very little room at its centre. Their weapons were at the ready and their eyes glancing about, fearful of where the elemental would reappear next.
“Thank you, Hyde,” Mari whispered, glancing at him, but he was far too interested with the strange blue flames crawling out of the many glowing runes that decorated the walls, floor and ceiling.
“Um… what’s going on?” Mila asked, quickly looking for consolation from her friends, but they were as baffled as she was. The flames spread across the ground until they touched the party. However, they didn’t hurt them, they were just a little warm. It was further confirmed when they noticed that none of their life bars were being drained by the exposure. That moment of relief was replaced by the sudden appearance of the boss, flying in their direction.
“Shelter!” Abe screamed, putting up a burst of Barrier. The Boon was perfectly timed to absorb the attack without any injury. As a result, the boss vanished again into the blue flames.
“Nice work, Abe,” Remi nodded. While they waited for the boss to reappear, Mari casted a Spell. Ring of Warding. A translucent dome with the colour of the blue flames appeared. When the elemental decided to finally show itself, its efforts were easily hindered by the shield. Attack after attack was warded off while the party stayed perfectly safe inside the dome.
The elemental Blinked again and again, fighting tooth and nail to get through the Sentinel’s shield. However, the effects of Mari’s spell soon disappeared and the elemental was right there to take advantage of that moment.
“Remi, Abe, Hyde and I, defend!” Zora ordered, forcing the support unit into the centre of the diamond formation, where the melee fighters stood like guards.
The boss came with ferocity, wielding the pair of daggers like claws and jumped in and out of reality like a wraith, appearing only to snatch away a soul. The assigned guards did all they could to defend against the quick consecutive attacks that seemed to never end. The faint clamour of metal against metal rang along with the glimmering sparks of the encounter.
Each time an attack was deflected by a defender, the probability of survival dropped. It was obvious that it wasn’t just taking a toll on their bodies but also their minds, as it was all about timing. A single moment—a second, that was miscalculated would lead to mortal injury. Even though they had a Sentinel ready to hea
l the wound, there was still fear. Fear of the pain, fear of death.
I can’t let that happen. Hyde thought, not just waiting for the next blow to strike, but challenging the attack when it came. There were no orders from Zora on how to defeat or stop this murderous onslaught that was clearly running them thin. Instead, he did the only thing he could think of. He brought his sword up and met the trail of silver coming his way.
He replied with a Parry, overcoming the challenge and forcing the elemental down, regaining their momentum and forcing the blue flames to crawl back into the small carved openings of the runes.
He stepped forth, further antagonising the elemental that scrambled to its feet. However, just before Hyde’s arrival, Remi Blinked in, appearing before the now standing elemental. He forced it back down to the ground with a heavy kick to its shin. The boss dropped to a kneeling position and just as it looked up, a sharp blade came down like a tool of its execution.
The advance continued with a net shot from Mila, which immobilised the creature. Following the shot was a string of heavenly chains, called upon by Abe’s tome. The chains bound themselves to the elemental, holding it in place for what was to come.
“I, destruction incarnate, shall, with the power of the elements at my beck and call, impose the fiercest of punishments. Earth heed my words, stone below my feet, bend to my will. In accordance with the one rule of creation, let this meteor descend upon my foes, exacting the second rule of life. Pile Driver!” Nitro chanted, raising her staff, unloading an earth cannon below her feet that sent out a shell that rivalled even that of a comet. The stone projectile didn’t just strike its target square at its enraged core, but it burrowed through the metallic armor, coming only to a standstill after attempting to make the huge gate its victim as well.
The elemental, in the shackles of chains, trembled for a moment, just before exploding into a flood of black crystal dust.
We won? The thought circulated, but it still seemed beyond belief.
“We won!” Nitro announced, losing balance and falling to the ground utterly Exhausted.
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