Shadow Sun Rebellion

by Dave Willmarth

  Downstairs, Logan led the way, hopping down onto the tracks and moving down the tunnel away from the station. “Don’t worry about the third rail. No power down here anymore.” he called back as he walked down the center of the track.

  The tunnel echoed the sounds of their footsteps as several of the raiders cast light globes out in front and behind, hovering near the tunnel’s ceiling and keeping pace with the group as they moved. They spooked the occasional rat, an angry squeak directed their way before it would disappear into a hole, or crack in the wall. These were normal Earth rats, not the oversized vermin. Allistor almost admired them for surviving so long down here among the alien predators.

  The walk down the tunnel was otherwise uneventful for the first ten minutes or so. Allistor occasionally checked his interface map to track their progress. He could see the side tunnel coming up just ahead. Logan had marked it with a red star, and their exit point back to the surface with a gold one, so that everyone was clear where to retreat, if necessary.

  Nobody needed to be told to keep quiet. They could already hear the wet shuffling sound of the octopoids. There were large puddles and even some areas of the tunnel that were flooded with rank-smelling water a few inches deep.

  Logan paused about fifty feet back from the junction, hugging the wall without actually touching it. Keying his throat mic, he whispered, “We can try to pull a few of them at a time back here. I’m not sure how they communicate with each other, so it might be that we get the whole group at once.”

  McCoy, farther back in the group, answered. “Don’t hit the nearest one. Just make a noise to make it come investigate. They screech when you hit them. But if it thinks there might be food, it’ll stay silent and try to keep it all to itself.”

  “Good thinking!” Logan motioned for the group to spread out and back up. He wanted the fight to happen far enough back from the tunnel that the others wouldn’t hear. If that wasn’t possible, then he wanted some time between the first and second waves.

  Moving forward, he peered around the edge of the tunnel juncture. Without a light globe, he couldn’t see more than shapes moving in the darkness. He took a step back and did his best squeaky rat imitation. The moment he heard an increase in the shuffling noises, he backed up. Twenty feet back, he made the same noise again. The others were now a few hundred feet down the tunnel and still backing up. There was just enough light from the globes around them for Logan to see where he was going.

  When he was fifty or so feet back, the first octopoid rounded the corner. Spotting him, it began to move quickly. Logan turned his back to it and hurried to join the others, who were still backing away. He made the squeaking sound again and again as he retreated. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw six of the monsters following him.

  “Got six incoming.” he reported into his mic. With the group standing in the light, they wouldn’t be able to see him or the monsters well. “Hundred feet out. Don’t shoot me.”

  Logan turned to check on the octopoids again, and tripped over one of the rail ties. Cursing as he went belly-first into a large, stinking puddle, he scrambled back to his feet. The monsters had gained on him in just those few seconds. Tentacles waving, they sensed an easy meal. He Examined the nearest before he turned to jog toward his people.

  Octopoid Reaver

  Level 28

  Health: 31,000/31,000

  Allistor was at the front of the group when Logan reached them. He was holding a spear with three glowing crystals on it, the weapon looking pretty badass. Allistor whispered, “All six are between level twenty-five and thirty. Healers, number yourselves one through five. When I say go, number one hit the first one with Restraint. Number two, the second, and so on. I’ll take the last one. Everyone else, burn them down. As quietly as possible. No fireballs or Mind Spikes until they start screaming.”

  Allistor took a couple steps forward toward the approaching monsters. Everyone but the healers spread out and prepared to surround the soon-to-be-stunned creatures. Allistor let the octopoids approach, whispering a countdown. “Three… two… one… go!” He cast Restraint on the rearmost mob and it froze mid-step, tilting forward to fall on its face. The other five froze within a second or two of each other.

  The fighters had begun their attacks the moment Allistor said go. The melee types ran in to get behind the monsters and keep them from retreating, focusing their attacks on the one Allistor had stunned. Andrea cast Dissolve, catching the rearmost two in their faces. Several stone spikes from Erupt spells shot up from the ground behind the monsters, skewering their legs or torsos and preventing them from moving.

  Allistor’s octopoid dropped dead in seconds under the combined group dps. The next one in line took maybe ten seconds more, the creature shaking off the stun and reaching out to grab at Michael and the tanks, but not doing much damage before it perished.

  The remaining four began to screech, so Allistor hit the next one in line with Mind Spike. It continued to screech, now waving its tentacles about in pain, as the other three advanced toward the casters and healers. Flame Shots struck each of them, splash damage being shared among the group.

  Logan called out via radio. “Tanks, keep an eye up the tunnel, in case the others follow.”

  “Roger that.” Michael replied, bashing the octopoid in front of him with a twenty-pound war hammer and caving in its skull. “Three down.”

  Another round of Restraint spells froze those three and cut off the noise. The humans and Fuzzy moved in to stab, hack, and bite, always focusing on the rearmost mob to burn it down quickly and move to the next. The entire fight lasted less than a minute.

  The group looted the mobs and turned to face down the tunnel, listening for any others that might have come to investigate the noise. It only took a moment for the sounds to register. Allistor cast Light and pushed his globe out as far as he could. Just before it came to a halt at the outer edge of its range, the light revealed more than a dozen of the octopoids moving toward the group.

  “Shit. We pulled the rest all at once. Okay guys, no need for silence. Hit them with stuns and spikes as soon as they get in range. Focus on the closest, and burn them down.”

  Allistor used his new spear to cast Restraint, then Mind Spike, then Erupt on three different mobs, starting in the back. His intent was to slow them down, spread them out, and allow his people to deal with one or two at a time. Several others had the same idea, and some spells were duplicated on a few of the octopoids. Allistor made a mental note to better coordinate targets in the future. In games, it was easy to mark targets and assign them. In real life, not so much. Still, the doubled up spells did damage, so it wasn’t a complete loss.

  Allistor could have called lightning down on them with his Storm spell, but he wanted a chance to try some melee fighting with his new spear. So he charged forward with the tanks and other melee fighters. This was much different than the fight with that first octopoid using his first improvised spear. He had a year’s worth of combat knowledge, muscle memory, and the confidence of being a higher level than the mobs in front of him.

  Reaching the lead monster, Allistor raised the tip of the spear high, then slammed it down toward its squishy head. Two tentacles shot upward to block the blow, but the sharp edge of the blade sliced right through both of them. The downward momentum enabled Allistor to embed the blade in the creature’s head several inches. Reversing his grip, he tugged and pulled downward at the same time, the blade tearing a wider, deeper cut on its way out. As soon as the weapon was free, Allistor leaned into it, driving the point deep into the monster’s brain. Its tentacles, one of which was wrapped around Allistor’s leg, fell limp.

  Backing away and choosing a new target, Allistor cast Mind Spike. The moment the creature began to thrash about, Allistor swung the spear inward. It sliced through one tentacle, then another. A reverse swing took off yet another. Allistor spun around, trailing the spear behind him and using his body’s centerline as a lever. The force of the blow when the spear co
nnected embedded the blade deep in the monster’s side. Allistor pushed, shoving the weapon deeper, and at the same time pushing the mob back into another one. Thrashing tentacles became entwined, and Allistor hacked away at the knots, severing limbs from both creatures at once.

  He grinned as an idea struck him. He moved so that the badly wounded octopoid was between him and the other one. Pulling back his spear, he stepped forward and launched it into the face of the first monster. It punctured deep, but did not kill the thing. So Allistor ran forward, disregarding the tentacles trying to rip through his armor, took hold and used his speed and body weight to push the spear all the way through the octopoid, out the back of its head, and into the second monster. He’d effectively pinned the two of them together, and trapped several of the remaining tentacles.

  Others began to hit the two mobs with spells, and Michael stepped past Allistor to shield bash the dead one in front. The move caused both monsters to fall, the still-living one in the back struggling to right itself with the corpse nailed to it. Allistor left the spear where it was, casting Erupt beneath the head of the fallen mob. The spike shot up from the floor, through its head, and out the other side. Somehow, though, he still missed its brain. It continued to lash out until a Flame Shot slammed a column of fire down upon it.

  When the last of the monsters died, Allistor didn’t see any of his people level up. He started to rethink the makeup of this group, and considering switching out to some lower level raiders. On the one hand, this was a waste of xp. On the other, he wanted to be sure his group cleared the area with no fatalities. In the end, he decided to continue as they were.

  The raiders quickly looted all the mobs, then moved back to the side tunnel and advanced past the area where the octopoids had been gathered. Again, things were quiet until they reached an old wheelhouse. This was a huge round room with a set of rails crossing it. It was basically a big turntable used to reverse train engines and send them back the way they came.

  A large section of the forty-foot high wheelhouse ceiling was broken open, allowing sunlight to filter down into a back corner. It had also allowed rain to fall inside, making a wide puddle around the fallen debris on the ground.

  Suddenly Allistor understood why the octopoids were huddled together. They didn’t dare enter this place, for fear of being slaughtered and eaten.

  A void titan sat on its butt in the middle of the puddle. Now the hole in the roof made sense. The creature had either fallen through, or spawned inside the wheelhouse and its head had smashed through the ceiling. Its long arms and sharp claws began to reach toward Allistor and the group.

  Void Titan

  Level 38

  Health: 211,000/211,000

  “Back! Regroup!” Allistor shouted, casting Restraint on the monster and causing it to freeze for a few seconds. The raiders all retreated back down the tunnel until they were far enough that a giant hand stretching down the tunnel couldn’t reach them.

  “Okay guys,” Allistor gathered them around to discuss a plan. “That thing’s stuck in there, which works to our advantage. Normally, I’d say let’s just run up top and shoot down at it. But I don’t know how stable the ceiling is, and it can certainly reach up and bring us all down. So we fight it down here. Volunteers only. Every time I’ve fought one of these, I’ve lost people. They’re tough. And the one that attacked the Citadel could speak.” He waited for the others to confirm that they were in. Nobody backed out.

  Looking around at the group, he said, “I think all of you have fought at least one of these things. And you all saw what the one I summoned in the depository did to the leprechauns. When it roars in that enclosed space, it’s gonna burst eardrums, maybe a few internal organs. It’s gonna suck. Everybody put in earplugs.”

  Several people looked chagrined, just shrugging. They hadn’t thought to put earplugs in their inventory. Allistor was about to tell them to tear off bits of their shirts and stuff the cloth in their ears when Nancy spoke up.

  “Here, everybody get a couple dabs of this and stick it in your ears. Preferably outside your earpieces so you can still hear the group.” She held up a jar of some thick and sticky paste that smelled like berries. Demonstrating, she dipped her finger in and scooped out a small glob, then pressed it into her ear.

  The others followed suit, Helen doing Fuzzy’s ears while Allistor held his head still and calmed him. “Sorry buddy. But these things are really loud. You remember. This will protect your ears.” Fuzzy seemed to calm a bit, and Helen finished as quickly as she could.

  Allistor pressed his throat mic. “Test. Raise your left hand if you can hear me.”

  All but Fuzzy raised a hand. Allistor nodded. “Alright, the weak points are the usual – its eyes, inside its mouth, neck, armpits – I’d avoid getting anywhere near those if at all possible.” Sam and the core group laughed at this. Allistor just shuddered. “Also the backs of its knees, which might be reachable since it’s sitting. And the insides of its wrists and elbows.”

  “Melee, no standing and fighting. One swipe from those claws hits you full-on, you’re dead. Surround the thing and distract it, keep moving. More important to avoid taking hits than to inflict damage. Let the ranged dps burn it down.” The melee all nodded. Michael added his own two cents.

  “Its butt is about five feet from the wall. If a couple of us could get back there, we could work the hell out of it and maybe not get hit. Or crushed if it leans back.”

  Allistor nodded. “You can try it. But those arms are long, so it might be able to reach you. Keep a careful eye on them.”

  With that said… they moved back up the tunnel toward the wheelhouse. They’d been gone long enough that the titan seemed to have lost interest. They didn’t need all their light globes, having plenty of light from the hole in the ceiling. So Allistor said, “As I go through the door, everybody send your globes into its face. Should distract it long enough for all of us to get inside. Remember, spread out. And watch both hands!”

  Allistor cast Barrier in front of himself as he approached the tunnel opening, then broke into a jog. “Now!” he called out as he cleared the entrance, sending his own light globe to fly up into the monster’s face. He immediately followed that up with an instant cast Flame Shot just to further distract the beast. He turned and moved to his right, now sprinting toward the creature’s left hand. He cast Erupt beneath the hand, sending a spike up through it.

  The titan roared in anger, barely feeling the spike, but annoyed by the flames and lights. The entire room shook, and Allistor silently blessed Nancy for whatever the goop was. The sound was cut in half, still painfully loud, but not disabling.

  While the hand was still stuck on the spike, Allistor ran up next to the wrist and jammed the tip of his spear into the soft spot on the inner surface just below its palm. The weapon slid deep into the titan’s flesh, and blood began to bubble out. The stench, even though Allistor was prepared for it, was horrendous. He had to clamp his jaw shut to keep from vomiting. He quickly retreated from the smell, wrenching the spear out as he jumped back.

  The spike broke as the hand jerked forward, the monster trying to swipe at someone near the door.

  Allistor thought about summoning his own void titan to battle this thing. But the room was too small for one of them, let alone two. For all he knew, that could collapse the entire city block.

  Storm was an option, but he’d save it in case things got desperate. He didn’t have enough mana to channel the spell long enough to kill the thing now. But maybe when it was at half health or lower. For now, his raiders were handling the monster. Michael and Logan had made it behind the thing, and were hacking and slashing at the base of its spine. Andrea had hit it in the face with Dissolve, and several others were taking turns hitting the same spot with Flame Shots to keep it distracted.

  Void Titan

  Level 38

  Health: 163,710/211,000

  Allistor switched out his spear for his titan bow. “Let’s see what kind of damage
titan bone arrows can do to this thing.” He nocked and drew an arrow, taking his time to aim carefully. The monster was focused on the casters near the door, and both its hands were out in front of it. Allistor chose the ear, the weak spot where he’d killed his first titan. Letting out a long, slow breath, he released the arrow. It sped toward the monster’s head, disappearing into the flesh of its ear. The thing roared again, its left hand flying up to grab that side of its head.

  Allistor had been about to fire a second arrow, but lowered the bow when the hand blocked his target. Instead, he took a moment to check the raid display, making sure all his people were good. To his surprise, everyone was still nearly at full health.

  A moment later, Michael’s voice rang in his ear. “Allistor, get back here. I have an idea!”

  Without hesitation, Allistor sprinted toward the back wall and the small space occupied by Michael and Logan. He saw Logan take a mighty swing, hacking at some kind of plating that covered the monster’s spine. When he saw Allistor, he grinned. “Ever do a lumbar puncture?”

  Allistor looked as Michael pointed. The two of them had managed to break away some of the armor covering the monster’s spine. Underneath was the exposed vertebrae and spinal column. Michael explained his idea, and Allistor grinned. Less than a minute later, they were all set up. All three men ran out from behind the giant, taking a wide arc around the room and back to where the casters were spread out by the door.

  Allistor shouted into his radio to be sure everyone heard. “Count of ten, I want everyone to blast that thing in the face. I’m going to cast Vortex and channel it a bit before letting loose. Hopefully, all of us will hit it together. Ready? Ten… nine…” As he counted down, he began casting Vortex. Like he’d done before, he targeted the placement right in front of the titan’s face, and condensed it so that it was small and powerful. When he was down to one, he shouted, “Now!” and released the vortex right into the roaring giant’s mouth. Immediately after, its face was hit with a dozen fireballs, several Mind Spikes, and a second dose of Dissolve.