The beetle had gone from a pink and red monstrosity to a combat-ready camo in just a few minutes. Ty had tried his best to recreate the MARPAT (Marine pattern) camouflage and felt he had done justice to the pattern he remembered from his days in the Corps. He was not surprised when Yendys told him that the unicorn beetle had gained a small bonus to stealth and intimidation.
“That was not a trip I want to make again. Too bad we couldn’t get whatever Nitor dropped,” Jacoby said.
“Don’t worry too much. I don’t mind sharing whatever we find here with him when he gets back. Besides, most of our gear now is soulbound stuff so he likely only lost a few coins and a bit of xp,” Kathala said while casting her Cleanse spell to remove the filth and stench from the party. Normally, clothing and bodies automatically were cleaned each night by the system, but nobody wanted to walk around the rest of the day covered in filth.
“According to my tracking skill, the distance we covered should put us somewhere under the keep. Let’s head out. The guy we need to off is likely in a throne room or evil lair type place,” Ty said to the group. He loved his class for the blend of combat skills and recon it used. In this case it had saved them some time in the sewers, letting him know which direction to travel and how to avoid the wrong direction when the passage split off.
Ty led the way, peeking out the door and seeing an empty hallway, which they crept along while searching for a way up to the main level of the keep. The basement they were in was lightly trafficked. Ty figured most of the defensive force would be out on the city walls. It would be fighting Raytak or manning the walls here in the keep protecting the so-called Painmaster once Raytak breached the defenses.
A stone winding stairway at the end of the hall led up, the party finding itself in a kitchen area. The room had several hearths and the smell of baking bread was mouthwatering. No foes were present, so Ty waved the rest of the party up.
“No, Crunchy. Stop it!” Smashem said to the beetle. Ty spun, groaning. Crunchy had, of course, begun to help himself to several of the cooling loaves of bread.
“Quiet, you two—” Ty started to say when several baking pans went flying as Crunchy became a bit overzealous in eating the fresh-baked bread.
“What’s going on in here? If you fools have dropped the bread, I will have a painweaver teach you . . .” an elf in a flour-covered apron said, barging in from one of the side doors. He stopped to gape at the party of intruders in his bakery.
“Alarm, intruders in the bakery!” the elf shouted as he ran off.
“Move it! We can’t fight the whole keep garrison. We need to find the leader before we’re cornered,” Ty ordered, charging after the screaming baker. They passed through several rooms, ignoring the confused and frightened workers as they progressed. A passage to his right drew Ty’s attention as they continued after the shouting baker. A pair of Ikbose warriors with swords drawn were running . . . away from the party?
Ty changed direction, following the pair and confused as to where they were heading. His confusion grew as the sounds of battle grew in the distance. The pair of Ikbose raced toward a large throne room and into a battle.
“Hold here and wait for my signal. I’m going to try and find out what this is all about,” Ty said, pointing toward the open throne room where Ikbose and some axe-wielding humans were fighting among themselves. Ty activated his Stalk ability and crept forward, hiding behind some tapestry as he observed the melee. Looking back, he saw that the rest of the party had moved behind some decorations in the hall. Ty tried not to roll his eyes at his friends’ attempts; they would have been easily spotted had the Ikbose not been focused on fighting among themselves.
“Painmaster! Hold your forces. I follow the instructions of our great lord Zipzisilerpicazant. The day is lost, and our army is in tatters. We must take the people we can save to our allies’ lands to recover our numbers,” an elf in better-quality gear than the others called out to an elf in robes seated on the throne.
The throne was different than any Ty had expected to see. A large stone tree grew out of the floor, its branches providing the supports to hold up the roof of the chamber. A hollowed-out space inside the trunk held the throne that the elf sat upon. The elf looked unconcerned that his side of the battle was losing. He had a screen of heavily armored elves defending him, all wearing chain armor and wielding greatswords.
The main chamber was filled with elf battling elf, the human warriors with the glowing-eyed helmets fighting for the female warrior that had spoken earlier. The game populated the information of the combatants for Ty as he watched events unfold.
Painmaster, Level 15 Boss.
Royal Guard, Level 15 Elite (10).
Loyal Ikbose Warrior, Level 13 (22).
Nharia, Level 13 Ikbose War Leader Elite.
Rebel Ikbose Warrior, Level 13 (33).
Executioners, Level 16 (14).
“Nharia, why do you attack your Painmaster even as the enemy threatens our city? The great Zipzisilerpicazant has blessed my family with the title of Painmaster throughout the ages. It is I who will eradicate the Goreaxe. It is I who will fulfill our master’s wishes,” the Painmaster said.
“If you will not abdicate your throne, then I leave you and the remnants of your failure to be destroyed by the worthless humans. I shall lead the Ikbose to safety. I shall plot, plan, and prepare for our triumphant return. You are the refuse of a bygone age. Die on your throne and let the people see that I am the new worthy successor to our ancient duty,” Nharia said before turning to leave the throne room.
“Die in agony, foolish whelp!” the Painmaster shouted, gesturing toward Nharia. The war leader gasped in agony as the Painmaster’s power lifted her from the floor. The war leader’s legs dangled a foot off the ground, eventually kicking wildly as she tried to escape the magical grasp of her former master.
“Ohhh, this is getting good,” Yendys said, the halfling having crept up to Ty’s side as he was focused on the spectacle in front of him. Crunchy clacked up behind his companion. Thankfully, Ty realized the commotion in the throne room was distracting any of their foes from noticing them.
“Fine, stay still and watch quietly. It looks like they’re going to do most of our work for us,” Ty replied, turning back as the clash of arms rang once more in the throne room. Nharia was lying on the ground, gasping as the Painweaver reeled from the strike of two arrows. Following the shots, Ty spotted several archers hidden about the room, all of which were targeting the powerful caster.
Both sides charged into each other with a clash once more. The sides seemed evenly matched. The royal guard were elite, but the powerful executioners were higher-level. Nharia had the numerical advantage, but the Painmaster was a powerful spell caster. Nharia struggled up from the floor and reentered the fray, easily overpowering the elven warriors loyal to the Painmaster while trying to stay out of his line of sight.
The war leader made her way closer to the distracted Painmaster. Instead of attacking him directly as Ty had thought was her intent, she swiped a large red stone from the side table next to the throne before falling back into the melee swirl. After hurling a pair of throwing daggers into her former leader, she faded back toward the exit of the room.
The Painmaster ignored the two daggers in his neck, still seeking out the archers hidden about the room. The six elves shooting at him were spotted one by one, dying in agony as their bodies tore themselves apart. Ty sat stunned at the power this Painmaster was unleashing upon his own people with his magic. As the last archer fell, Nharia signaled a retreat. She fled with the remaining Ikbose warriors loyal to her, while the executioners remained behind to continue their assault.
The executioners redoubled their efforts against the royal guard. Their giant axes cleaved armor and flesh easily. The royal guard also delivered devastating wounds with their greatswords, their lower level seemingly offset by their elite status. The remaining Ikbose warriors loyal to the Painmaster added their blades against the powerful execu
tioners, turning the tide in the Painmaster’s favor.
“The fight’s about over. The Painmaster’s forces are depleted and he is wounded. There’s still a lot of them out there, but they’re not expecting us. When the last executioner falls, hit them hard and fast. Ignore the others if you can and keep on the Painmaster. He has to fall fast or we lose,” Ty ordered.
Jacoby stepped up and organized the party; Ty might have infinitely more strategic knowledge and experience than the young man, but Jacoby was a gamer and knew how to put that information to use in this context in a way Ty hadn’t internalized. He would tank the main group of foes, using all his cooldowns to gain aggro on the adds. Crunchy would tank the Painmaster as Ty and Smashem burned him down. Yendys would support the group with summons and her few direct damage spells while Kathala would add aoe heals on the group and then targeted heals on Jacoby.
Ty readied a throwing axe, watching as the last pair of executioners were downed. The Painmaster had taken a blow or two, but most of the executioners had been distracted by the royal guard. Only four of the guard still stood, all in various states of damage. The guard and a half dozen battered Ikbose warriors remained to protect their leader.
Then, suddenly, a summoned beetle flashed into existence next to one of the royal guards. The elf looked at the creature in confusion before, clacking, its mandibles opened wide and it attacked.
Ty hurled the throwing axe at the Painmaster before charging, drawing his main weapon as he approached. A second summoned beetle appeared, and Jacoby flashed past him using a charge ability. Jacoby closed the distance to the nearest royal guard instantly. The guard stumbled, staggered by the ability and the accompanying blow from Jacoby’s sword.
“Face me!” Jacoby shouted. The aoe taunt caused the remaining Ikbose to surround and attack the aspiring paladin. A bubble appeared around him, absorbing the blows for now. Ty knew that Jacoby wouldn’t last long against so many foes; taking down the Painmaster was the only way to end the fight quickly.
His axe stopped a few inches from impact on his foe. Ty struggled to pull it back as the Painmaster grinned and unleashed a blast of magic into him. Pain coursed through his body, causing Ty to drop his weapon. The pain continued as he watched a timer tick down until it was complete. Fire and lightning burned along his nerves; it was like being hit with a taser and a blow torch at the same time. His health dipped quickly. Ty gritted his teeth and fought through the pain, crawling toward his fallen axe.
He grabbed his axe, regaining his feet and turning to face the Painmaster. The Painmaster had conjured a hazy barrier of air in front of him. Smashem slammed his hammer into the barrier only to have it bounce off. The barrier dropped as Crunchy arrived to join the fight. The unicorn beetle thrust his horn into the shield, shattering the last of its energy even as his mandibles began to grind at the Painmaster.
The caster had either armor or a spell reinforcing his garb, Ty realized as his axe barely bit into his foe. Thankfully, Smashem’s blows now connected, and even with the mitigated damage the Painmaster’s robes provided, each blow staggered the elf a bit. With a booming clap of his hands, the Painmaster released a burst of energy, flinging them back from their foe. The ability added yet another painful DOT—damage over time—countering the small bursts of healing Yendys was trying to provide and the slow repair that Kathala’s aoe gave them.
Crunchy resisted the blast, the wave of energy skittering over his shell harmlessly. The brave beetle gored the Painmaster with his horn and collapsed the enchantment that had been protecting the elf. The hazy energy now appeared on the caster’s hand, bolts of it ripping into Crunchy’s shell even as the beetle sawed at the Painmaster’s body with his mandibles.
“Ty, we need help!” Yendys shrieked. Jacoby had fallen, Kathala unable to heal him enough to overcome the damage the Ikbose were pumping out. Jacoby’s sword and Yendys’s spells cut down the remaining warriors, but the four royal guards remained. The guard turned as one and charged Kathala, her healing spells drawing their aggro. Ty rushed to her aid, but he was across the room and slowed from the damage the Painmaster had dealt.
“Noooo!” Kathala shouted, flinging her weak offensive magic at the royal guards. Bolts of light hit the charging royal guards, dealing some damage to their already battered bodies but not stopping their relentless advance. With such a small health pool and little armor, Kathala fell quickly.
The four guards then focused on Yendys. The halfling cast Nature’s Grasp; roots burst from the floor, snagging three of the attackers. The roots dug into their armor, damaging the guards and holding them fast.
The remaining guard took a Nature’s Wrath blast to the face before he reached melee range. Yendys tried to fend him off with her staff but was completely outclassed in melee against the elite foe. The guard cocked his greatsword back for another strike, only to have his blow met with Ty’s axe. Ty had timed his strike perfectly, and adding a daily cooldown of Precise Blow allowed his axe blade to sever both the royal guards’ hands at the wrist. With a gasp, the elf dropped, bleeding out onto the floor.
Yendys cast a heal on herself, her health bar down to half from the brief melee. Ty attacked the three entangled royal guards. The guards were down to a quarter health from all the fighting and were unable to protect themselves effectively with their legs bound up in Yendys’s spell. A few blows from his axe downed the first.
“Crunchy, look out!” Yendys shouted, distracting Ty. The half orc glanced at Yendys and saw her totally focused on her unicorn beetle companion. Crunchy was in bad shape and a final blast from the Painmaster dropped him. Instead of dying, the beetle burst into several smaller copies of himself; all were about the size of a housecat. The smaller Crunchies continued their attack on the Painmaster.
The short distraction proved fatal for Yendys. Once the guards were released when the Nature’s Grasp spell ended, the remaining pair closed the gap to the distracted druid and began to hack with their greatswords. A few blows were all that was required to drop Yendys to the ground.
Ty had not been idle during this time; his axe flashed and decapitated one of the remaining guards. The final foe was unable to withstand the now-enraged Ty. His axe became a blur as the Enrage ability enhanced his strength, speed, and skill at the expense of defense.
Ty didn’t care about defense. Killing off the guard that had dropped Yendys was his only goal as the red haze of rage clouded his thoughts. The rage and his foe ended quickly, leaving Ty gasping for air as the aftereffects of the ability left him weakened for the next thirty seconds.
Across the room, the Painmaster was on his last leg. He had blasted the remaining mini Crunchies, but he was being battered down by Smashem’s hammer. Smashem had a huge health pool and it was only down a third from the painful blasts the elf was firing at him. Despite his elite boss status, the Painmaster’s health was dropping much faster than Smashem’s.
Downing a weak healing potion, Ty moved to join Smashem. The potion healing two health every three seconds and with its duration of only thirty seconds, the potion didn’t do much. Against a boss foe, Ty needed every little bit of healing he could get now that both his companions with access to healing magic were down.
“This is enough. I have wasted too much time with you weak fools. I’ll not have the Ikbose collapse around me while I’m distracted by simple adventurers!” the Painmaster shouted. With a flash of light, the Painmaster teleported to the far end of the room and fled the fight.
“Not so fast! You can’t kill my friend Crunchy and get away from Smashem that easily!” Smashem yelled as the creepy, skeletal Hand of Caudill around his neck began to glow. A red light covered Smashem, his muscles bulging while his hands transformed into larger skeletal versions of themselves. The half orc grabbed a second huge hammer from his back and stalked toward the Painmaster.
The red glow covered the floor under the Painmaster, and the arms of undead sailors emerged to grab and hold the Ikbose leader in their grasp. Blasts of pain energ
y did nothing to the dead, and the Ikbose leader could not dislodge himself.
Like the killer from a horror movie, Smashem slowly approached the Painmaster. His two hammers should have been too much for even his enormous strength to wield, but the Hand of Caudill gave him the power needed to slam both into his foe as easily as if they were made of foam. The twin blows pulverized the Painmaster, caving in his head and chest, dropping the body into the waiting hands of the grasping undead.
The effect from the Hand of Caudill ended and Smashem collapsed on the ground, panting. Ty sat next to him as the two caught their breath and waited for the game’s rapid healing to kick in.
The sounds of footsteps and the clank of armor echoed toward them from down the corridor. Ty held up his hand as Smashem grabbed his hammer, shaking his head. He recognized those footsteps—the same footsteps disciplined men and women throughout time had made as they marched with purpose. Those were the steps of soldiers. Of Imperium troops.
Those were the steps of victory marching their way.
Chapter 31
I found I was able to move my “ghost” a bit. The range was twenty yards from my corpse. This at least gave me the ability to observe the battle until it was time to respawn. Here in the gateway, the battle was going poorly. The Shield Brothers mercenaries were holding my men at bay, inflicting terrible casualties. Moving in toward the side of the wall controlled by the Ikbose, I watched the siege tower dock at the northwest corner of the wall.
Explosions rang out as the runesmiths cleared the way for the first troops to leap into combat. The men cleared a section of the wall tower and began to expand their reach, pushing back the Ikbose warriors posted there. The tower on the other side arrived and was also making headway. Despite the bottleneck here at the gate, we were doing well.
Limitless Lands Book 4: Opposition (A LitRPG Adventure) Page 33