“Nah,” Crash said, swallowing hard. “I can take some stacks.” He raised one hand. “Mana Shield.”
As he spoke, and the blue glow of the spell cascaded over him, I realized he was right. Mana Shield caused damage taken to hit your mana pool first and then go to Health, and while Crash might have only had one-hundred-forty-seven health, he had two-hundred-seventy-seven mana. That was more than enough to tank the spell.
“Good call,” Sabre said, smacking him on the back before casting the spell herself.
“So, I guess it’s up to me and Tubby to take down the coffin while you guys stand around like a bunch of lazy good for nothings, eh?” George said, glancing at Two’ Manchu. “What do you say? Wanna show these guys what we can do?”
“I guess,” Two’ Manchu said as both Dark Heart and I copied Crash and cast Mana Shield. I mean, why risk our health if we didn’t have to? After all, we were going to just be standing here.
“Okay, so assuming Crash is correct, and that’s how this trap works, the plan is for us to start getting hurt while we wait for you two to break the glass?” I asked, swallowing hard as I glanced at the lightning arcing through the air. “Do we know how much health that coffin has?”
“It’s glass, bro,” Two’ Manchu said, cheeks dimpling as he looked around. “I mean, okay that bar window was tough, but this is different.” He came closer to me and smacked me hard on the back, causing me to wince. “Besides, if it doesn’t work, just step out of the lightning and regen. No harm, no foul.”
“Assuming it doesn’t kill you outright,” George added, smirking at me like the bastard he was.
As he spoke, I nodded. That was exactly my worry. I mean, what if this was bad? No, not just bad, what if the moment I stepped in front of that electricity, I just died?
I swallowed hard. There was so much I hadn’t gotten to do yet, so much I wouldn’t get to do. No, this was stupid. I shook my head and took a half a step back. This wasn’t fighting a monster or something. I mean, I could sort of deal with that. This was purposely triggering a trap based on guesswork.
“That’s not going to happen,” Sabre said, and instead of giving me a reason why it wasn’t going to happen, she stepped in front of the orange lightning. An explosion of sparks leapt into the air as orange arcs of current jumped across her flesh and skipped through her hair before exploding in the air around her like a dozen high-intensity sparklers. “See, not dead.”
“Well, you don’t have to ask me twice,” Dark Heart said like she was trying to win a ‘toughest chick’ competition. Then she stepped in front of the green arc, and when she didn’t explode either, I let out a breath of relief.
“Guess it’s our turn,” Crash said, glancing at me. “You want red or blue?”
“Blue has always been my lucky color,” I said, and he nodded to me before stepping into the red lightning.
I followed suit, stepping into the blue arc, and as I did, energy surged across my entire body. It hurt, but not in a bad way. No, it was more like that satisfying pain that came with scratching an itchy scab. As energy danced across my body, I looked to the others and smiled. I wasn’t dead, and what’s more, this was a pretty cool lighting effect.
“Well, none of them died. I guess we won’t be able to loot their corpses after all,” George said, sighing loudly.
“Yeah, I’m sure all you wanted to do was loot their corpses,” Two’ Manchu responded, rolling his eyes.
System Message: You have gained one stack of the debuff: Blue Rolling Thunder. You will take 1 damage per second until the debuff ends.
I glared at the system message as my mana began to drain away even though I knew it wouldn’t do anything. I still hated how this trap worked, and so far, I hadn’t seen anything to make me think this plan would work. Still, I guess if it came down to it, I could always step out of the way before things got serious.
“I’m starting to get stacks,” Sabre called, pointing at the orange lightning bolt above her head with a two emblazoned next to it. “Let’s let these get to fifty and swap.”
“So who do we swap with?” Dark Heart asked, glancing at Crash. “Because I think you’re the only one who has done this before.”
“Blue swaps with red, and orange swaps with green,” Crash replied, glancing up at the lightning bolt above his head. “Until then, I guess we wait.”
24
“Okay, is everyone ready?” Two’ Manchu asked as my stacks finally hit fifty. I took a deep breath and nodded.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I said, looking over to Crash.
“Okay, let’s shift,” Sabre said, and as one we all stepped out of the lightning. It was a little weird because for the last minute, I’d been getting my brain zapped by blue lightning, and the sudden absence of electricity coursing through me was somewhat disconcerting. Still, I wouldn’t have to worry about that for long.
No. I had to get in front of the red lightning and let my debuff block the current so Two’ Manchu and George could break the coffin in the center.
I sprinted around the room, heading toward Crash’s corner while he went to mine. Meanwhile Sabre and Dark Heart were also switching places.
Everything was going according to plan.
Until it wasn’t.
As I stepped in front of the red arc, my entire body lit up with sheer unrelenting agony. My mouth snapped shut in a visceral growl that cut off the scream that had been about to tear from my throat as every synapse inside my brain fired at once. My muscles spasmed, and I dropped, collapsing in front of the arc.
“Elizabeth, what’s going on?” I thought because it hurt too much to actually speak.
“Your debuff, Blue Rolling Thunder, is in conflict with the Red Rolling Thunder energy source. You are experiencing backlash. It will continue until the Blue Rolling Thunder debuff is removed or you are no longer being struck by the Red Rolling Thunder energy source,” Elizabeth said in a voice that was far too sexy for the current circumstances.
“Guys! It’s working!” Two’ Manchu cried as he launched himself at the coffin. His hasted axe lashed out, colliding with the coffin and sending a series of cracks spider-webbing across its surface. A dopey grin crossed his face moments before a howl of protest ripped through the air.
Despite the pain coursing through me, I managed to turn my head in time to see a skeleton pull itself free of the tattered remains of the tapestry lying on the floor. It turned its gaze onto Two’ Manchu as the barbarian continued to hack at the coffin, sending bits of glass flying in every direction in a way that reminded me of that level in Street Fighter II where you had to break the car with your fists of fury.
“I got the skeleton!” George called, turning to face the monster as it advanced on them. Crimson light glowed from within its skull, and as much as I wanted to help my friends, I couldn’t. Even telling myself the pain wasn’t real was nearly impossible. It hurt too damned much. This was like the time I’d fallen off my roof and shattered both my legs in the rose garden while helping my dad hang Christmas lights. Only that pain didn’t hold a candle to this.
A blast of concentrated cold exploded from George, slamming into the skeleton and shattering it into a billion pieces. Only, unlike normal, instead of turning into iridescent shards, as the pieces hit the ground, each of them transformed into smaller skeletons that all began running toward the rabbit.
“Um… we may need a new plan,” George said in a burst of white fog as he took a tentative hop backward. Hoarfrost began to spread out from beneath his furry feet as he readied himself for another attack, but I wasn’t sure it was going to matter. There were almost fifty skeletons now, and there was no way he’d hit them all at once.
“I can’t help you!” Two’ Manchu said as he slammed his axe into the glass, and then, a smile flitted across his face as he raised his axe once again, but this time instead of attacking, he pointed the weapon at the coffin. “Star Scream!” As he said the words, a bolt of white hot energy exploded from his axe and slammed i
nto the coffin.
An explosion rocked the room so hard, the shockwave threw the miniature skeletons backward across the room. As they crashed into the wall and slid down to the floor, I was relieved to see Two’ Manchu had succeeded in blowing a trashcan lid sized hole in the glass coffin.
“Sweet,” the barbarian cried, and as he readied his axe to strike again because the spell had a six second cooldown, George unleashed a blast of frozen death at the fallen skeletons.
As the cold smashed into them, their bodies shattered, but like last time, all it succeeded in doing was creating more, smaller skeletons.
“This isn’t working!” George cried, turning toward me like I could help him. “Can’t you do something, boss?”
“What the fuck do you want me to do?” I cried through gritted teeth. A red haze had filled my vision and darkness was starting to encroach from all sides even though my mana hadn’t reached zero and my health was still full.
“You’re a necromancer,” George said, as he readied himself to try another attack because hey, if you don’t succeed, try, try again, right?
“Um…” I said, and as I mumbled the word, Sabre held out her hand from across the room.
“Chaotic River!” she cried, causing the last of her mana to vanish into the ether.
Her mana shield exploded into a billion shards of light, and a fresh cry of pain tore from her throat as viscous red goo shot through the air before coalescing into a bright sphere of light. Blackened tendrils leapt from the sphere as geysers of blood shot in every direction before the whole thing exploded outward, rending open reality itself.
Darkened eyes from the abyss peered out from the tear in space and time, and as they did, a horrific voice echoed through the room, causing my stomach to leap into my throat.
“Rise and defend!” the voice cried, and it was doom and carnage, murder and fury. As it spoke, a trio of skeletons rose from the ground. Their bones were black as soot and their eyes were like emerald flames of malevolence.
Tendrils of darkness rose off them as they turned their sights on the billions of skeletons. They opened their jaws and screamed like their voices could bring about Ragnarok itself, and honestly, for a moment, I thought they had.
As the sound shattered my hearing, the mini skeletons froze in place as the icon of a screaming face appeared over their heads. Was this some kind of fear spell? I wasn’t sure, but it sure seemed like it because I’d seen that icon enough times to recognize it. Only fear attacks didn’t work like this, at least, they didn’t usually. No, they were supposed to send opponents running in the other direction, not freeze them in place.
“Get them!” Sabre cried, and as the words tore from her throat in a snarl that sounded like it’d been dragged across broken glass and fire ants, the blackened skeletons charged.
Their hands lashed out like talons as they tore the frozen mini skeletons into twain. Only, as they rent their bony cousins to pieces more reformed. This wasn’t going to work, but it’d buy time, and that was what we needed.
I wasn’t sure how much health the coffin had, but my stacks had already dropped to twenty, and we’d started with over fifty. According to Sabre, it’d take forty-seven stacks worth of damage to destroy, but then again, she knew really powerful skills. Maybe it would take longer? I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t risk it.
I took a deep breath and raised my hand toward the coffin. “Weaken Armor!” I cried, while dismissing my Mana Shield. As the magical protection vanished and black fog shot from my fingers so the channeled curse could begin, my health began to plummet.
Man, oh man, did it hurt. If I thought it had hurt before, I’d been wrong. This was Big Billy Batson going Shazam on my skull like I’d tried to steal Harley Quinn from him after a giant make out session. (Yeah, that’s an Injustice reference.)
The migraine to end all migraines erupted from within my skull, making tears spring to my eyes and my stomach churn in upon itself as the broken shield appeared over the coffin. As it did, George turned his gaze from the blackened skeletons. No longer were the miniature bone bags frozen. No, they’d begun to fight back in a way that reminded me of watching those discovery channel videos about the ants taking down cattle in Brazil or wherever.
“Watch out, Tubby! George is here to save the day!” my pet bunny cried as he spun on his furry heel and let loose a blast of arctic energy that struck the coffin like a nuclear blast. Another shockwave exploded out from the coffin, and as a mushroom cloud of sleet and snow filled the air, Two’ Manchu let loose with another Star Scream.
Fire and brimstone erupted all around as an earsplitting scream tore through the room, causing the ground beneath our feet to shake and dust to fall from the ceiling. Then the lightning striking me vanished along with the miniature skeletons tearing into Sabre’s summoned skeletons moments before thick fog rippled out of the rent coffin like a tornado.
“Thank you for freeing me from my prison, adventurers,” spoke a voice I swore I could follow all the way down to Hell on a moonlit night.
Wind whipped around us, and the smell of rot and decay hit my nose. Darkness fell across the room as all the lit torches went out one by one, and cold stretched out toward us, frosting over the stones.
I took a deep breath and rubbed my arms, trying to dispel the cold penetrating straight through my armor and striking deep into my bones.
Hideous laughter filled the air, causing goosebumps to rise on the back of my neck. I took a step backward as fear rose up inside me. It was like the time I’d stepped past that alley full of thugs and seen them making that drug deal. I could still remember their steely eyes boring into me. Could still remember the smell of their sweat. Hell, I could still taste the egg McMuffin I’d been eating and how it’d curdled in mid-chew because, in that moment, I’d known I was as good as dead.
I’d run then. I’d turned and sprinted away as quickly as I could before ducking into the Fine Arts building at my school, finding the nearest closet, and hiding inside it. Hell, I hadn’t even known if they’d actually chased me, but I didn’t leave. I’d hid there, waiting. My nerves had gone to hell, and every noise made me jump.
I remembered how my legs had cramped up and how agony had finally forced me to scurry free of my hiding place two hours later.
Worst of all, I remembered how I’d looked over my shoulder for weeks, no, months afterward. Hell, I still did that, and it’d been three years, but I knew, just knew if they saw me again, there’d be consequences.
It was one of the reasons I’d never said anything. I just couldn’t risk it. I wasn’t that type of person. I wasn’t a hero. I was a coward, and I knew it.
And this voice... this voice reminded me of exactly what I was.
My mouth went dry as I took a step backward, my hand already reaching toward an escape scroll as it continued.
“But if you think freeing me will cause me to spare you, well, you do not know me very well. Now, adventurers, prepare to serve the Lord of Liches for eternity.”
More laughter filled my ears as I grabbed the escape scroll from my inventory and tried to teleport away, which was when Elizabeth told me the worst thing I could have heard.
“You cannot teleport in this zone.”
25
“Now, now. We won’t be having any of that,” the Lord of Liches said as a skeleton clothed from head to toe in scarlet and black stepped through the darkness and gazed upon us with eyes of crimson flame. “There will be no escape unless I deem it so.”
“Which one of you tried to teleport?” Sabre snapped, turning to look as us as the lich’s laughter crackled in the air like an all-consuming house fire. “Because he only says that if someone did.”
I took a deep breath and tried to calm the terror rising inside me, and as I was about to say something, Two’ Manchu looked at his shoes. “I did.” He swallowed. “I got scared…”
“It’s fine,” Sabre replied, gesturing at the lich. “There’s no boss timer. No count down. It means we h
aven’t engaged yet.” She turned her attention back toward the lich as it stood there glaring at us from beneath its black as night hood.
“You do not seem to fear me, adventurer. Why?” the lich asked, taking a step forward, and as it did, the emerald of its skull glinted in the light of its scarlet eyes. “Do you not fear death?”
“I’m never scared of monsters, lich,” Sabre replied, smacking one hand against her chest as her lips quirked in a smile. “And I also know something else.”
“What is it you think you know because, obviously, it’s not when to be afraid.” The lich raised its hands, causing emerald lightning to explode from his skeletal fingertips.
Arcs of sizzling energy struck the walls, and as they did, the torches along them burst to life. Green flame danced across them, and as it did, I realized we weren’t alone. No. instead we were surrounded by the miniature skeletons that had attacked us before. Only now, there were way more of them.
“I know you want vengeance upon the Skeleton King for imprisoning you,” Sabre said, ignoring the skeletons surrounding us. “We can help you.”
“Can you now?” the lich laughed and the surrounding skeletons moved closer, their jaws opening and closing in anticipation. “How can you help me with that?”
“Because we have the Blade of Infinite sorrows,” Sabre replied, gesturing at Two’ Manchu. “Go on, show him.”
“Are you sure?” Two’ Manchu asked, and when Sabre nodded he looked at me. I shrugged because it seemed like as good a plan as any. Besides, out of all of us, Sabre had been the only one to actually complete the sword quest before.
“Just do it,” Dark Heart said, and as she spoke, Two’ Manchu took a deep breath. Then he pulled the blade out of his inventory and held it in front of himself.
“Interesting,” the lich said, rubbing his skeletal non-chin with his bony fingers. “But you will require more than the blade of a broken sword to defeat the Skeleton King. Only one who possesses the sword with the Broach of the Fallen Hero, Ring of Strife, and Medallion of Courage can hope to defeat him.”
Soulstone: The Skeleton King: A LitRPG Novel (World of Ruul Book 2) Page 17