by Aaron Oster
There was a flash of white, and Aika appeared below the Beast, her staff whining as she swung it at the hanging tongue.
The Beast was quick in retracting it, but not quick enough. It screamed as Aika sliced a thin line in the fleshy appendage, causing green-brown droplets of blood to leak to the ground. A single drop hit Aika and she hissed in pain, dancing away and frantically rubbing at it.
When the stone beneath the Beast began smoking and bubbling, it soon became clear as to why.
“It has acidic blood strong enough to melt stone,” Roy muttered. “Well, I guess that just makes this fight more interesting.”
“Stop talking to yourself. It’s weird.”
Roy ignored Geon’s jibe and pulled the golden coin construct from his robes. His bond with it had grown over the last few days and he could sense it just a bit more clearly now. The strain it caused him hadn’t diminished at all, but Geon said that it would take longer than just a few days to see any real changes.
A golden ax, almost solid, formed in his hand as he fed his Qi into the construct. Aika had drawn first blood from this thing, and it was now his turn.
31
Roy flashed forward using his Shockwave, the ground rocketing beneath him as he moved. Two of the Beast’s arms shot past him, one of the jagged blazed shrieking off his Armorer technique and leaving a long line in one of the hexagonal panels. He stepped sideways, then spun quickly around the other, managing to avoid it completely.
Unlike when he was in the tunnels, he could maneuver around in this room, so avoiding this creature's attacks was far easier than it had been with the others.
He closed in under a second, then swung his ax down with as much power as he could muster, channeling his Exploding Fist-Strike through the construct as he did.
The blade slammed into where the Beast’s head would be, Qi exploding out from the blow in a jagged, lightning-shaped pattern. However, this Beast’s skin was much tougher, and the blade barely sank in half an inch. It shrieked all the same, as Roy’s technique jarred it from within, but the damage was negligible at best.
That didn’t mean he was going to just give up. Roy had faced tougher challenges than this, and he was confident he could succeed so long as he was careful.
The Beast reared up on two legs as Roy pulled the ax back for another strike, its appendages flashing out. Roy cursed, quickly backpedaling as he tried to avoid the blows. The first caught him directly in the chest, further straining his Armorer technique and driving him back until he slammed into the wall.
Aika blurred in as the second came for his head, slashing down with her staff and cutting it clean off.
More of the acidic blood sprayed out, and Roy didn’t have an opportunity to dodge. It splattered all over his Armorer technique and began eating through it almost immediately. He slashed down at the jagged arm that had stuck him to the wall, but it retracted, leaving a web of cracks spreading from a small hole it had punctured in the forged Qi.
“You alright?” Aika asked as he quickly swiped at the acidic blood, trying to get rid of it before it burned him.
“I’m fine,” Roy said as the Beast began scuttling forward. “Oh, crap,” he muttered a moment later.
Aika turned to see the arm she’d sliced off already growing back. On their fourth day, they’d faced a type of Beast in one of the stretches of tunnel that regenerated very quickly. The trick to killing them had been to attack quick and hard, overwhelming their regeneration. This Beast seemed to have the same ability, but unlike that one, this would be much harder to kill.
“I’ll try flanking it,” Aika said, as the Beast pulled its arms back. “Try slowing it down.”
She took off in a flash of light, even as the Beast reared back, four of its six jagged arms flying at him.
Roy breathed out quickly, reaching inward and pushing for all he was worth. Qi exploded from his body in a spherical wave, spinning and whirling as it washed outward. The sheer amount of Qi it took to even summon this technique would have bled Aika’s Core dry in under a minute, but Hermit had been constantly training and strengthening his foundation and capacity.
He, as a Blue-Belt, had more power than some Supremes, according to Geon anyway. But, seeing as his Core had expanded when he’d temporarily shifted to Purple and hadn’t retracted when he’d reverted back to Green, he had to wonder how much this would affect his future growth.
The four appendages slowed drastically as they entered the whirling sphere of golden Power Qi, until they were barely inching forward by the time they reached him. The Beast shrieked, first in anger, then in pain, as Aika came up from behind and slashed at its backside.
She took out both of the legs, holding it up in a single swipe and seeing as four of its six legs were currently trapped in Roy’s Overflow technique, it immediately collapsed. Aika didn’t miss a beat, flashing around to the Beast’s ‘head’ and unleashing a flurry of attacks, slicing and slashing her way through the creature’s thick skin to try and get at what amounted to a brain.
Although the legs were trapped and the other two were regenerating, this Beast was not helpless. It twitched, flipping onto one side. Its long, fleshy tongue flashed out, slamming into Aika’s chest as she pulled back for another swing. Her Armorer technique shattered instantaneously, the Light Qi dissipating into the air in white motes of energy.
She managed to do a back roll and sprang back to her feet, but the Beast was coming for him now. It yanked itself forward, using its trapped legs to come barreling at him at full tilt, its body all but flying through the air.
Roy wasn’t too worried, as his technique had managed to trap its legs.
“Watch out for its tongue!” Aika yelled, just before the Beast impacted.
His technique shattered, the backlash of Qi dropping him to the ground in a stunned heap. Roy had no idea what had just happened. One second, he was maintaining steady control, and the next, his technique was just gone.
He was unable to move as the Beast slammed its tongue into his body, and his Armorer technique vanished as well, exploding into motes of golden light. The monster raised one of its legs to skewer him, but Aika dashed in, snagging him by the collar and hurling him across the room.
The impact with the far wall didn’t feel too great, but it was far better than the alternative. Roy staggered to his feet, his head still throbbing as he watched Aika dancing around the creature, trying to distract it.
He silently cursed himself for being so careless. Just because this Beast had displayed abilities that he’d seen from others in this place, didn’t mean it wouldn’t have any of its own. That tongue seemed to have the ability to shatter any technique, no matter what it was. He had no idea if it was the saliva, the tongue itself, or something else. Whatever it was, this fight had just gotten far more dangerous.
He’d lost his ax in the fall, though he could still see the coin lying near Aika’s feet. Roy breathed out slowly, regaining his cycling rhythm, then flashed forward, the stone flaking off as he shot forward. He always found it interesting that the Essence version of his Shockwave cracked the ground, but the more powerful Qi version did little to no damage.
He knew that it was a sign of control and less waste, as the cracking ground resulted from escaping Essence, but still, he felt like a technique like this should do more damage, not less.
Roy came barreling in, already pulling the loose Essence in the air into a familiar pattern and feeding his own Qi into it. Before he’d even made it halfway, the Constellation Cluster, his Qi Terrain technique, formed before the Beast. A golden beam of power shot from each of the seven spheres, all meeting at a single point and slammed into the Beast.
It screamed as it was thrown to the side, its body smoking and burning, but what happened next told Roy that he probably shouldn’t have done that. Dozens of small, spiny spheres flew from the Beast’s body as it toppled, slamming into the walls and bouncing off with shrieks of bone-chilling laughter.
“Oh, come on!” Ro
y yelled, skidding to a halt by Aika’s side.
This fight was getting ridiculous. How could anyone be expected to beat such a monster? It had ridiculously tough armor, regenerated when it was struck, had both ranged and close combat attacks, could shatter any technique, and now would also apparently shower the room with those annoying spiky balls.
“There has to be a weakness,” Geon said as Roy snatched up his coin and he and Aika turned to run. “A Guardian of this level, and only on the first level, cannot have this many strengths without containing a serious flaw.”
“Geon says there has to be some sort of weak spot,” Roy said, slashing with his ax and splitting one of the spiny balls in half.
It turned to mud, splattering all over the two of them, but filthy as they were, they barely even seemed to notice.
“That may be true,” Aika said, “but where?”
The two of them spun as they reached the far side of the room, sizing up the Beast as it began skittering toward them. The spiny balls were following, albeit at a more erratic pace. They didn’t seem to have any actual control over their direction, using the walls and ceiling to bounce and travel.
One hit a small rock and shot toward them at a low angle. Aika caught this one, slashing down and causing it to burst. It was only because they were facing the Beast that they saw what happened to it. The Guardian flopped to the ground, its limbs going limp. It was only down for a second or two, but if one of them could get close, that would be more than enough.
“I’ll go for the spiky things,” Aika said, taking off in a flash of light.
Roy knew that she was going after them instead of the Beast for a simple reason, and it wasn’t because she was scared. As someone on a Light Path, her Movement technique would allow her to move faster than anyone else on the same level but on a different Path. Roy, on the other hand, would be able to hit far harder due to his Power Path. She’d simply handed him the task he was best suited for and took off to weaken the Beast.
It flopped to the ground just a second after Aika left, her form appearing briefly on the opposite side of the room as she sliced another ball in two. Not wanting to waste any time, Roy made a mad dash for the Beast, already reaching deep into his Core and twisting his Qi outward in the technique he’d only used a few times.
The cost to use it was substantial but would hopefully give him the strength he needed to crack the Beast’s outer shell.
Golden light flared across him, as his Full-body technique was activated. Lines traced over him as his armor regrew, and small jagged lines of gold crackled across his arms. His speed rapidly increased, his muscles swelled, and when he reached the Beast, Roy dove into the air. He kicked down on the air, which felt almost solid beneath his feet as the force threw him even higher.
He turned as he flew upward, his shoulder nearly brushing the ceiling. Aika slashed through another ball as the Beast tried to rise, causing it to flop again. Roy kicked upward, his foot connecting with the ceiling and blasting him back down to the ground. He swung hard as he collided, the full force of his Full-body technique and considerable momentum all placed on the blade of the ax.
With that much force behind it and the Beast lying completely defenseless, its thick, rocky armor finally gave way. The stone splintered and cracked, caving inward and spraying Roy in a shower of acidic green-brown blood. Thankfully, his Full-body technique was strong enough to withstand the acid and prevented it from reaching his skin.
The Beast was still alive as Roy sprang back, shoving with the ax and propelling himself almost horizontally through the air. It tried to struggle to its feet, but Aika knocked it back down by destroying another of the balls.
Roy could feel the strain of the technique on his exhausted body as he kicked, driving himself back toward the Beast and unleashing another attack. The ax bit deep, tearing into soft flesh and causing the Beast to screech in agony. He tore it free as he landed back on his feet, bracing himself, then pulled it back over his shoulder. The handle of the ax extended to nearly five feet as Roy funneled more Qi into it, picturing the shape he wanted in his mind.
The Beast let out one last pitiful whimper, then Roy brought the ax down.
32
A loud rumbling echoed through the cavern as Roy staggered back, the golden Qi powering the construct dissipating as Roy cut off his connection to it. He tensed, wondering if another attack was coming, but relaxed as he saw a circular section of the far wall sliding outward before rolling to one side, revealing another tunnel.
Better yet, Roy thought he recognized a familiar sound.
“Is that running water?” Aika asked, appearing at his side in a flash.
She was now caked in mud after having destroyed so many of the bouncing spheres.
“I think it is,” Roy said, dropping shakily to the ground as his wobbly legs finally gave way.
“Are you hurt?” Aika asked, worry taking the place of her momentary excitement.
“Fine,” Roy said, waving her off. “I just need a few minutes. Using that took a lot out of me.”
She nodded, looking longingly back over her shoulder to the open tunnel and the sound of rushing water.
“Go,” Roy said, waving her off. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, already half-turning to leave.
Roy hid a smile as he nodded, watching her rush off with a squeal of glee.
Roy watched as the Beast slowly began disintegrating, its body falling apart and leaving a gleaming brown Core in its place.
Darker brown Qi floated at its center, something the other Beasts in this Dungeon had been lacking thus far.
“Will all the Beasts in this place be this tough?” Roy asked, reaching out to take the Core.
“I did warn you before we came in here,” Geon said. “It’s not my fault you didn’t listen.”
“I did. I just thought you were exaggerating,” Roy replied.
“Why would I do that? I’m not one of you weird humans. I feel no desire to make things up just to scare you.”
“No. You just withhold vital information until you’re directly asked,” Roy shot back.
“Why do you need me to tell you everything?” Geon asked. “Can’t you ever figure things out for yourself?”
“Why keep it to yourself when you know the information can help me?” Roy retorted.
“Because, although I have superior intelligence, your squishy brain can never seem to understand that fact. So, unless you think to ask, I see no reason to tell you.”
“Why are you acting like such a baby!?” Roy snapped.
“I am not a human infant, I am a Dungeon Core,” Geon replied. “Did your brain finally break during that last fight?”
Roy sighed as he felt a headache coming on and closed off his connection to the Core. He honestly wasn’t sure what Geon got out of this or if he was just naturally this stubborn and annoying. Sometimes, he’d be cordial or downright nice, and other times, he would act like a petulant child who’d stolen his mother’s wedding band and refused to give it back.
Roy’s brow furrowed for a moment as an image flashed through his mind. It was gone almost immediately, but he’d gotten an impression of a figure looming over him disapprovingly.
What was that? he wondered, being careful not to allow the thought to leak through to Geon.
He shrugged to himself, dismissing the thought. Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been important.
That last fight had sucked up a good amount of his Qi reserves, and while they were massive, his techniques were quite costly. Reaching out to his surroundings, Roy absorbed all of the dissipating Power Essence that the battle had generated. It flowed rapidly through his channels, turning to a shining gold within minutes, and though it didn’t quite fill his Core to bursting, he did recover a good deal of the spent Qi.
Of course, he would still need to take the time to refine it further when he had some resting time, but for now, the sound of splashing water beckoned.
Rising slowly to his feet, Roy tried to ignore his twinging muscles as he staggered toward the opening in the wall. There was a short tunnel that stretched from the opening, but Roy could already see the other side.
As he walked, he heard the distinct sound of grinding stone as the tunnel sealed itself behind him, but seeing as he could now feel a bit of a breeze on his face, Roy didn’t much mind.
“Oh, wow!” he said, his voice coming out awed as the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern.
Unlike the ones they’d been endlessly trudging through over the last few days, this one was far from empty. The first thing that caught his eye was the gigantic waterfall, tumbling some hundred feet down and splashing into a large pool at ground level. Grass, soft and green, stretched over nearly the cavern's entire length, and small plants and mushrooms grew along the walls.
The cavern was far brighter than he’d expected, and looking up, Roy could see a gigantic crystal suspended from above. The crystal itself didn’t create the light, but rather, an outside source shone down, and the crystal served to spread that light all throughout the cavern.
He could see several nooks and crannies where easy and comfortable shelter could be had, but best of all was the large, stone chest, sitting right before the large pool. Roy had been wondering if they would receive any rewards for clearing this section of the Dungeon, and it seemed that he wasn’t going to be disappointed.
On the far side of the cavern, sitting to the right of the tumbling waterfall, was another tunnel – presumably leading deeper into the Dungeon. For now, though, Roy ignored everything else and made a mad dash for the water. He dropped his pack on the ground and dove in, clothes and all, feeling the fresh, cool water surrounding him as he sank to the bottom.