“Incredible shot.” Frost stood, in awe of the dvergr’s prowess.
“Thank you.” Gunarr slung the bow over his shoulder.
Frost could think of no way he could improve upon the kill. Or equal it. “Why do you need our help again?”
“Only aether or korbitanium can harm them,” Gunarr said. “The five arrows in my quiver are all the korbitanium we have left. The rest was sent with our warriors who fight the Coalition invaders. The casters who remained with us are not strong enough.”
“Oh, alright.” Frost nodded.
“Your turn,” Gunarr said. He and Dagrun stepped back to give Frost and Gilda some space.
Staying low, Frost moved up close to the tree trunk. With Deadeye held across his body, he took a peek. He picked a korbitoise a good distance from any others. “Fifty feet up from where they got the last one. Whenever you’re ready.”
Time dragged as Frost waited. He kept his sight focused on the dark blotch. The jugular notch.
“Now,” Gilda said.
Her Stalactite dropped from the empty air and pierced the back of the korbitoise’s neck. The beast froze. A moment later, an Ice Globe streaked through the air.
Frost stepped from behind the tree and squeezed the trigger. As a burst of Korbitanium Projectiles spewed from Deadeye, another Fire Globe shot past him. Frost fired off an Aether Shot.
The result was as he’d envisioned. Gilda’s spells and his shots landed almost simultaneously. Frost repeated his attacks as Gilda cast another Ice Globe. A Flame Column burst up from the ground, engulfing the beast. The korbitoise crumpled before Gilda needed to use a Stalactite. Aether swirled into the air, split evenly, and darted into him and Gilda.
“Not a bad kill,” Dagrun said. “Took some time, but you did the job. Beware the guardians, though. They are much stronger than the others. Bigger too. And more gray than green.”
“Will do.” Frost nodded. The kill had netted him three hundred exp. He did some quick math. “A hundred more kills to level. You?” He jutted his chin toward Gilda.
“Another fifty and I’ll be twelve. There’ll be diminishing returns on exp for me once I level up, which works in our favor for the Sanctum.”
“Watching you guys makes me want in on the action,” Dante said from where he squatted near the tree. Adesh, Saba, and Ryne were close to him.
Frost opened his mouth.
“I know. I know.” Dante sighed. “My level. You two carry on then.” He pulled a deck of cards from his pocket. “Saba and I’ll play a few games of shevla while we wait.”
“No, we won’t,” the dresdor marksman said. “I saw some rare herbs I can use.” She trotted in the opposite direction toward the field.
“What about you, Adesh?” Dante held up the cards toward the sorcerer.
Adesh shook his head of cornrow braids. “I need all my attention for our patron.”
“We got this, Adesh,” Frost said. “You can relax.”
Adesh Hamada bowed. “Even so, I shall remain vigilant in case you need me.” He turned back to Dante. “Perhaps later.”
“That leaves you and me, Gnome.” Dante smiled sheepishly at the goblin. “Care for a game? If you even have a deck, that is.”
Ryne cracked his fingers, then grinning madly, he reached into the folds of his robes and came away with a little ornate box. He opened it and carefully removed a deck of shevla cards. “I’ll enjoy beating you like the child you are, Big Foot. But we must have a wager.”
“Name it.”
“I win and you stop calling me Gnome. I’m not one of those cheeky, thieving beasts.”
“Some people would say you just described goblins. Not gnomes,” Dante said.
Ryne smirked. “I bet those people just waltzed into a goblin’s home, as if it were their own. When gobby shows up to defend his territory, he becomes the bad guy in the story.”
Dante stroked his chin. “I never thought of it like that. Still, the way you talked about gnomes… whatever happened to respecting the Little People?”
“Rules are different for gnomes,” Ryne growled.
Dante chuckled. “Sounds personal.”
“It is. Do we have a bet?”
Dante nodded. “You got a bet.”
While the two of them settled down to play, Frost turned to Gunarr and Dagrun. “What do your people do with the dead korbitoises?”
Dagrun answered, “When we’ve cleared enough of an area, the skinners come in to collect the carapaces and skin. Our metalsmiths have a special process to remove the korbitanium from the shells. From the skin, our leatherworkers make some of the strongest light armor. We dry and preserve as much of the meat as we can. What we can’t eat, we take up into the Daggerspine and feed to the drakes that live near the peak. We let nothing go to waste.”
“Drakes?” Frost repeated. The mere mention of the beasts got him to thinking. “Do your people ride them?”
Aghast, she stared at him. “In the name of Pyrini, no! We worship them. They help keep us safe from the chimera guards that sometimes fly up from the Sanctum.”
“Ah,” Frost said, disappointed, his hopes of learning to ride drakes abruptly dashed. He gestured to the korbitoises. “We’re gonna be here a while, so send the skinners over when you’re ready.”
“As you wish.” Dagrun signaled to Gunarr and the two headed down the hill toward a few waiting dvergar.
Frost hefted Deadeye. “Time to get to leveling.”
“No doubt,” Gilda said.
They spent the next hour and a half working their combo until it became second nature. He was on his seventieth kill when they found a cannoneer skill shard on a carcass.
Skill Acquired
Staggering Shot
Cast time: Instant
Recharge Time: 10 seconds
Consumes: Aether
Available shard slots: 3
Effect: Fires an Aether Shot which explodes on impact and staggers an enemy for 6 seconds. Accurate up to 300 feet. Replenishes 1 percent Aether.
He told Gilda about the ability. “I’ll initiate with Staggering Shot from now on, so I can get some practice and experience with it. I’ll follow with an Aether Shot. You time your stun so it hits right after my Aether Shot then we continue as normal.”
“Gotcha.”
They resumed the grind. They were hiding behind some brush when they encountered a new korbitoise, one much bigger than the others, its skin almost completely gray. It also had a short point on the end of its rump like a tail.
“This gotta be one of the guardians Dagrun warned us about.” Frost scanned the area to make certain no others were within the vicinity. “Same plan, but add Infernal Spear, and whatever spells that are recharged at the end.”
“Got it.” Gilda’s chakrams glowed.
When the korbitoise guardian stood, Frost began with Staggering Shot followed by Aether Shot. A second later, Gilda stepped around the brush and cast her spells. The timing was impeccable. The abilities blazed a trail through the air and struck true.
Frost gaped. Unlike its predecessors, the korbitoise guardian didn’t crumple to the ground. Instead, it strode through the Flame Column like a towering gray giant. Gilda’s Infernal Spear exploded into its chest.
The korbitoise guardian let out a bellow, its eyes focused in their direction. Even as Frost prepared to fire off another Staggering Shot, the creature snapped its head back and then forward, its beak wide open. It spat out something gray, glinting, and the size of a man’s head.
Frost made to leap to the side when Gilda’s Ice Pillar burst up from the ground ahead of him. The guardian’s metal chunk slammed into the thick, circular Ice Pillar. The Pillar disintegrated, and the korbitanium chunk fell among the icy remains.
Frost fired off a Sta
ggering Shot. They worked their combo a second time, but Gilda added a Stalagmite to keep the beast stunned. The korbitoise guardian died to the second Infernal Spear.
“Phew.” Frost shook his head. “That was close.”
Gilda checked the carcass and came away with a skill shard. “Aether Barrier,” she said as she absorbed it. “And I already have the effect that makes it cover one additional person.”
“Awesome. Wanna kill another?”
“Only if we’re forced to,” Gilda said. “Twenty more exp and the chance of a regular skill shard isn’t worth the trouble. We need to kill faster to get you leveled. We can always return to farm them later.”
“Agreed,” Frost said.
They’d practically cleared the entire hill when two new spawns appeared. Frost picked the first of the two and waited. When the korbitoise stood, it did so more cautiously, pausing several times before it reached its full height. Frost fired. His eyes widened as the creature attempted to withdraw its neck. But it wasn’t fast enough.
“Did you notice?” Frost asked Gilda after the kill.
“Yeah. They’re adapting already.”
“Makes me wonder just how much and how quickly the AI functions.”
“In my experience, elites and GUMS are the fastest to change,” Gilda said. “They’re also the most complex. But even they become limited after a while, especially in a case like this where we have the utmost advantage, where we’re the predators.”
Frost decided to test the next respawn, but there was little difference. They continued on, clearing the second slope. None in that group had changed at all, making Frost conclude that old mobs did not automatically gain new behavior. Only respawns. They stopped to rest when the dvergr quest ended.
Help the Dvergar
Objective Complete
Depleted korbitoise infestation:
1000 points
Objective Complete
Resupplied the Dvergar:
1500 experience points
Gained 250 Ignis dominion credits
Level 7 gained.
Four dvergr skinners showed up to work on the carcasses. They were quick and efficient. Another two dvergar appeared with two carts pulled by unguls, the creatures looking for all the world like donkeys but for the three short tentacles that made up their noses. Frost chuckled at the sight of the dvergar commanding beasts so much larger than themselves.
“Level seven,” Frost announced, wiping sweat from his forehead. “Let’s keep at it.”
“Grats,” Gilda said, beaming. “I made twelve a little while ago.”
“Thanks. And grats to you, too.” Frost returned her smile.
With the stat increases from the new levels, the fights became easier. Normal korbitoises no longer lasted until a second Aether Shot. The guardians died before they could spit their abilities. If Gilda landed a critical hit, she could kill a korbitoise with her globes.
Morning dragged into afternoon with their grind. Frost was seventy-five percent of the way to level eight. He aimed at a guardian. The korbitoise brayed, dropped back to all fours, and rolled into a ball. The other creatures in its immediate vicinity did the same. Some rolled into nearby caves.
A shadow swept across the slope. From the air came a cracked howl, a bleat, a roar, and a great beating of wings. Red and tan streaked down from the sky. Massive webbed wings spread to slow the newcomer’s descent.
A chimera landed less than a hundred feet from Frost and Gilda. Its body was a burgundy mass of scales like dried blood and ended in a long, thick, spiked tail. IM named it Azonoth.
The GUM was massive, some hundred feet long from head to tail. It had three heads. Lupine. Dragon. Crevid. In that order. Azonoth threw back its dragon head and roared, filling the air with the miasma of brimstone. It focused on the korbitoises; the lupine head darted forward and snatched a guardian up in its jaws.
CHAPTER 29
“Dante! Saba!” Frost yelled.
“Already right here,” Dante said from directly behind him.
Saba was beside Dante. As was Ryne and Adesh Hamada. Farther down the slope, a few dvergar had gathered to watch.
“Gilda, did you fight him in the other alphas?” Frost studied Azonoth as the chimera’s tail whipped out to impale a korbitoise and hold it in place for the lupine head to savage. The dragon head spewed fire and smoke.
“Once. He’s a lot like the old chimeras but stronger than Emperor KiGyaba’s twin guards. From the damage he did, we figured he’s about level fourteen. He–”
“Level fourteen,” Dante interrupted, grinning. “Right where I need it to be.”
“As I was saying,” Gilda continued, shooting Dante an annoyed look, “he has pretty much the same old abilities but with a Flame Wall and a Wing Blast added.”
Frost stroked his chin, thinking back to all he could remember about the old chimeras. “So, the dragon has Hell Breath, which is a multiplicative DoT; the lupine can Howl, which silences us, preventing any ability use and causes us to run around disoriented for ten seconds; the crevid can Charge and knock back or damn near kill someone in a single blow; and any of the three heads can use Smoke Screen to blind us or summon a Flame Pillar for direct damage. All that to go along with their basic melee attacks, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What’re the mechanics of Flame Wall and Wing Blast?” Frost asked as he watched the dragon’s red maw spew Hell Breath’s infernal flames. The korbitoises caught by it immediately unfolded. Liquid fire dripped from them.
“Like Flame Pillar, both can be done by any head,” Gilda said. “Flame Wall targets two random people who aren’t the highest in aggro and leaves a debuff that triples all damage taken. So, we need to make sure none of us pass Dante in threat. Him getting Flame Wall would be pretty bad.”
“Pffft, as if that will ever happen.” Dante scowled at her. “You forget who was the best tank in all of Ataxia. Disrespectful.”
Gilda shrugged. “Anyway, the two targets will feel their skin get uncomfortably hot. The ground will glow red beneath them. They have three seconds before the Flame Wall springs up between them, shooting from one to the other. If they’re not paying attention, they’ll leave Flame Walls in the raid.”
“What if they run away from each other? Does it stop the wall?”
“No. They have to stay within ten feet of each other. Then run just as the flame touches them. Done right, you might get singed or a little initial burn. As long as there’s no damage taken afterward, there’s no need to worry about pots or heals unless you really feel like crap, which is a cue that you’re hurt badly. The Flame Wall itself stays on the ground until it burns itself out. Also, please call out a direction for your partner to run.”
“Sounds manageable,” Frost said.
“Would be good if we treat the Pillars the same way,” Gilda said. “You’ll know they’re coming when you feel heat beneath your feet and see a more orangish glow on the ground.”
“What about Wing Blast?” Frost asked.
“Azonoth flaps its wings and blows us back. If it knocks a person into a Flame Wall or a Pillar, they take quadruple damage.”
“Damn,” Saba said, tail swishing. “That means death. I think we should just leave it alone.”
“I say we kill it.” Dante hefted his axe. “Think of the loot. And getting a World First kill.”
“No World First, unfortunately,” Gilda said.
Dante sucked his teeth. “Still worth the kill. Both for exp and gear.”
“I agree with Dante.” Frost nodded. “And this is our best shot to learn what the chimera guards are like before we get to Emperor KiGyaba.”
“We could make it easier and have Ryne and Adesh help,” Saba argued.
“And diminish our exp?” Frost grimac
ed. “Nah, I need as much as I can get. Besides, they won’t be with us in the Sanctum.” He eyed Ryne and Adesh. “You two can keep an eye out, though, in case Azonoth kicks our asses.”
“You’re the boss.” Ryne shrugged but disappointment was etched on his face.
A tingle of excitement ran through Frost. He grinned madly. “Moments like these are why I loved VRMMOs. And now SRMMOs. It’s hard to see how real life can top this. We’re about to fight a chimera. A fucking chimera.”
“No doubt about the love,” Gilda said, eyes twinkling, “but I know ways real life can top it.”
Frost flushed. He smiled and did his best to fight down the images his mind conjured.
“I’m with you both,” Dante said, his skin brightening from crimson to scarlet, a sure sign he’d engaged Frenzy. “Now, let’s do this.” He took a step forward.
Frost grabbed Dante by the arm. “Wait, fool. We gotta lay out the strat first.”
“Oh, yeah.” Dante smiled sheepishly. The scarlet bled from him, his chest heaving as the rage subsided.
“Before I turn it over to Gilda.” Frost met their intense gazes. “I hate saying this, because we aren’t noobs, but I often say it anyway. The most basic rule of a boss fight. Don’t stand in shit. Shit kills. So please, don’t stand in shit.”
“Shit?” Ryne asked. “Monsters poop while you fight them? I never noticed.”
Frost gave the goblin a blank look. Ryne’s expression was one of genuine confusion and curiosity. Frost was the first to let out a guffaw. The other players joined him.
“Shit,” Frost finally managed between wheezes, “is anything that can harm you or the raid.” He paused to gather himself. “Like fire, poison… that kinda stuff.” He heaved a sigh.
“Oh.” Ryne appeared particularly embarrassed.
“Gilda.” Frost shook his head, still grinning at Ryne’s question. “Go ahead.”
Gilda wiped a tear from her eye, straightened her face, and then spoke. “We have to rotate stuns on the dragon, so it doesn’t Hell Breath while all the heads are alive. A brief glow at the dragon’s mouth is the tell for Breath.
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