Hellbound (Saga Online #2) - A Fantasy LitRPG

by Oliver Mayes

  “Aetherius did get us through those riddles. You included, Legolias. Which is why he’s now co-leader, effective immediately. The two of you can argue in your own time. Does anyone want to take a guess at what this plinth means?”

  Andrew walked over to the plinth first, with Legolias staring sullenly at his back. Lillian gave him a warning glance and they huddled around the next problem. The five of them mulled it over in silence.

  To err is human, this riddle is divine;

  Can you do right when others do you wrong?

  The line betwixt a cuck and saint is fine,

  A king is neither. Thread it, or begone!

  Judgementday was the first to voice something of value.

  “I think the first line is about forgiveness. ‘To err is human, but to forgive is divine.’ The second line makes it seem that way too, doing right when others do you wrong.”

  “No wonder Aetherius can’t get us through this one, forgiveness isn’t his—”

  “Legolias? Focus.”

  “Sorry, Lillian.”

  Mr. Healy squinted around the plinth into the next room, which appeared to be the Great Hall. Despite the grand scale of this particular castle, the layout so far was identical to the standard Empire guild headquarters design: Outer Keep, Inner Keep, Great Hall, War Room and Seat of Power. Rising Tide had previously presided over many headquarters, all of which had a Seat of Power, the most private of rooms reserved for whoever was in charge. Considering the nature of the quest they were on, the Seat of Power here would probably be named the same way as in Camelot: the Throne Room. Where this quest would surely end.

  There were no signs of life in the Great Hall. Not even Hammertime and his lot, which was a bad sign. If they didn’t catch him soon it might not happen at all. Either that or they’d logged out for the night and this would put Lillian’s party ahead.

  While Lillian’s mind flailed with the possibilities, Legolias squinted back at the plinth, then through the alcove again, before making his own observation.

  “Who are we supposed to forgive? There’s no one in there.”

  Lillian looked into the Great Hall. He was right. Except for the chandeliers and the staircase at the far end, the Great Hall was empty. Lillian already knew forgiving one of her peers wouldn’t work, since she and Andrew had done that fairly convincingly without any result. Her eyes strayed to the same place they always strayed when she broached a suspicious room in a new dungeon. The top of the doorway, just in case. What she saw there made her smile.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

  They looked where she was pointing. There was a small skull carved into the top of it. It was subtle, barely larger than a thumbprint and not in the same gaudy gold or silver as would indicate a boss or a mini-boss. But it was a skull, all the same. She could smell combat.

  It was about damn time.

  “Alright, you all know your roles. Except you, Judgementday, you’ll be off-tank. Sorry, I know it’s not your favorite thing. You brought your shield with you, right?”

  “You know I did. I heal if Healy goes OOM, right?”

  “If he runs out of mana we’re in trouble, but yes. Don’t do anything brave, just protect Mr. Healy. Aetherius as well, so long as he’s standing in range. I’ll try to keep the biggest threat off you. Legolias, retreat back to Judgementday if you’re in trouble, otherwise you’re running evasion for defense and targeting the boss from the flanks. Aetherius can—”

  Andrew raised a hand.

  “Lillian, if I may?”

  “Yes, what is it?”

  “We need to answer the riddle, first and foremost. Killing may not be the answer here. It says we need to thread the line between a cuck and a saint.”

  Lillian held her tongue, but Legolias was quick enough to say what she was thinking.

  “So you’re saying we need to fight the boss, but not kill it?”

  “Maybe. I have no idea. You have all the same information I do.”

  Lillian put her sword away and pinched the bridge of her nose. As much as she didn’t like it, he was right. Answering the riddles had always been the way forward. That complicated things.

  “Alright. Let’s take it slow. Everyone else, speak up if you notice anything that seems important.”

  They all nodded. Good. Lillian was itching for combat. She hadn’t used any of her combat skills since the fight with Archimonde, which had gone poorly. It was time to let loose...but not too loose, since they needed to solve the riddle. Freaking riddles. They ruined everything, even boss fights. Urrrrgh.

  “Everyone, stay close behind.”

  She strode into the Great Hall, her party following in her wake. Despite the abundance of light sources, this room was shrouded in shadow. The flickering candlelight from the chandeliers illuminated many different knightly crests hanging from the walls. Some of these shields were clean and fair, some were foul and stained with blood, some were smooth and unbroken and some were cleft as though by battle of knight with knight.

  Lillian raised a closed fist as they drew to the center of the Great Hall. There hung a huge banner, much like those that Lillian had ordered for Rising Tide’s victory party that never came, at least in size. It was far less gaudy, the words were much smaller and the message conveyed was far more somber. Andrew muttered to them under his breath.

  “We should read this. It might be relevant to the room.”

  Lillian nodded. She was glad to have a good reason to focus on it longer. The riddles had all been annoying, this was straightforward. It was a decent creed. She didn’t appreciate all of it, but she was a big fan of most of it.

  The Code of Chivalry: To live one’s life so it is worthy of respect and honor by:

  Fair Play: Never attack an unarmed foe. Never charge an unhorsed opponent. Never attack from behind. Avoid cheating. Avoid torture.

  Nobility: Exhibit self-discipline. Show respect to authority. Obey the Law. Administer Justice. Protect the innocent. Respect women.

  Valor: Exhibit courage in word and deed. Avenge the wronged. Defend the weak and innocent. Fight with honor. Never abandon a friend, ally or noble cause.

  Honor: Always keep one’s word. Always maintain one’s principles. Never betray a confidence or comrade. Avoid deception. Respect life.

  Courtesy: Exhibit manners. Be polite and attentive. Be respectful of host, authority and women.

  Loyalty: To God, Sovereign, Country and the Code of Chivalry.

  Lillian wasn’t much for God or Country. She blamed that more on the world she lived in than herself. Aside from that, the basic tenets of the Code of Chivalry were good. Surprisingly so. Which made those rules she had not followed all the more hurtful. ‘Never abandon a friend, ally or noble cause’. That hurt the most. ‘Avoid deception’. Harder than it sounded.

  She was still reading when Mr. Healy piped up in a whisper.

  “Can we go yet? I’m done, is everyone else done?”

  Lillian groaned. He couldn’t have read it properly in such a short span of time. She was only halfway through her third reading.

  “This could be crucial. There’s likely a boss and this is a pretty big clue. Take it seriously.”

  She finished her third reading, then took a screenshot of the banner for good measure. They made their way to the end of the hall in silence, each of them waiting for an enemy to lurch out of the dark. At the far end of the Great Hall stood a single flight of ornate stairs, at the top of which stood not an ordinary door but a portcullis: an immense grate of iron that would’ve been more at place on a capital city’s gate. Lillian span the hilt of her sword in her hand. Strong boss vibes all round.

  They made it most of the way across before finding their guard had been up preemptively. At the base of the steps hung a huge black shield and a brazen mall to strike it with, as though the shield were a gong. No one felt the need to point out the challenge written in shades of red beneath the shield:

  Whoso smiteth this shield

  Doet
h so at his peril.

  Cool. Lillian was familiar with peril. This was pretty conclusive evidence there’d be a boss fight. Everyone knew what to do. She seized the mall in both hands and struck the shield so violent a blow that the sound echoed back from the walls of the Great Hall, and from the rafters in the rooftop on high, and from the antechamber behind them and the walls of the hallway beyond the portcullis, as though twelve other shields had been struck in those places.

  In answer to that sound, the portcullis was drawn and they heard steps, heavy and armored, coming closer. A knight came to stand atop the stairs, clad all in black, as the portcullis dropped and the way through was once again barred. He was as big as Hammertime, but did not give off the same cute ’n’ cuddly vibes. Not that the man who’d betrayed Lillian in front of her party was especially adorable.

  His main weapon was a regular blade for him that would be too large to serve as a claymore for anyone with a normal character model. Good. Lillian was familiar with their use and power. That wouldn’t pose a problem. She focused on the space above his head. ‘The Black Knight’. Level 50. She’d fought plenty of bosses higher level than she was before, albeit with adequate preparation. His voice boomed into them from the top of the stairs, his sights set squarely on Lillian.

  “Why didst thou, having read those words yonder inscribed, smite upon my shield? Now I do tell thee that, for thy discourtesy, I shall presently take thy shield away from thee, and shall hang it up upon yonder wall where thou beholdest all those other shields to be hanging. Wherefore, either deliver thou thy shield unto me without more ado or else prepare for to defend it with thy—”

  This was the aggro stage, and boy was it long. Lillian had thought being the one to strike the shield would suffice to make her the primary target. However, as the boss prattled on she decided to spare herself and her team the monotony.

  “Look man, it’s really late. Can you skip to the good part?”

  “That I will so.”

  An icon appeared over his head as she uttered the last syllable of her counterchallenge. It was two swords, crossed over each other. She focused on it and a description popped up in her HUD:

  Knightly Duel: the actions of those not participating in the Knightly Duel shall have no effect on anyone in the room and vice versa.

  Lillian frowned. She didn’t have that effect on her. She checked behind her. Nobody else had it either. The Black Knight clanked his way down the stairs and walked up to the shield Lillian had struck, then removed it and strapped it to his arm. He glowered down at Lillian, who was standing next to him with her weapons drawn.

  “Three shall be the number of duels from your party, no more, no less. Three shall be the number of the duelists, and the number of the duelists shall be three. Who shall be the first?”

  A one-on-one fight? That...that made sense on a quest like this. Almost all dungeons had a hard cap on the number of players who could run them as a group. If other allied parties significantly contributed to completing the dungeon, the boss would have no experience or loot to offer and everyone’s efforts would be wasted.

  In this dungeon, the EXP and loot were not the primary concern. The Black Knight was an obstacle to be circumvented on the way to the true objective. This mechanic ensured he couldn’t be cheesed by bringing hundreds of players to the room and fighting him all at once. Not that they had that option, even if it had been allowed.

  This was probably not good news. It seemed pretty likely Hammertime and his group had gotten through this, now she knew the nature of the challenge. His Berserker Rage would be ideal for it. He was easily the best suited of his party for a solo deathmatch. If he could do it, even if it was by leveraging his Berserker Rage, Lillian could do it. If he couldn’t do it, she could do it anyway. She clanged her sword against her shield, drawing the Black Knight’s gaze, and took up her defensive stance.

  “I’ll be—”

  Lillian turned around to find Andrew walking toward them, shouting and waving his hands across each other.

  “Time-out! Black Knight, we’re going to confer.”

  He led her back to the group, though Lillian kept her eyes on the Black Knight the whole time. They’d scarcely got there when Lillian threw off his hands.

  “Why are we still here? Who’s fighting him if not me?”

  “We only get three chances at this. If we mess it up there might be a reset before we can try again, which lets Hammertime get even further ahead. Assuming we get to try again at all. You should be the last player we send out, that way you’ll get two chances to see his move set and adapt.”

  Lillian couldn’t argue with that. There was one small problem.

  “Alright. Raise your hand if you want to try soloing the level 50 named NPC with the Behemoth trait. Anyone?”

  Andrew immediately raised his hand, the only one to do so. She should’ve seen this coming. Lillian couldn’t decide if she was more annoyed with herself or Andrew.

  “You’re a mage. There’s no denying your damage, but this is a boss in close quarters. You won’t survive long enough to give him a proper test.”

  “I’m just following your instruction. If no one else is up for it, I’ll go first.”

  Judgementday tentatively raised his hand.

  “I guess I’m the best option. I’m not much use as a tank and I won’t win, but I might survive longer than Aetherius. You’ll get a better view of the attack patterns that way.”

  Lillian looked between the two of them. They’d both stepped up but she had to make a choice between one or the other sacrificing themselves for the benefit of the team. Exactly the kind of decision she’d trained herself to avoid making at all costs. She looked them up and down.

  “I’d still rather go first myself. I’m the one who’s designed for this type of fight, why would we send anyone else? That’s committing to failure.”

  The two applicants looked at each other. Whatever Andrew saw on Judge’s face, it was enough for him to turn on Lillian and speak as frankly as he had in a long time.

  “Don’t be selfish. We’re not here to be your cheerleaders, this is a chance for us to be useful. If you aren’t willing to put us at risk, even when we’re aware of the danger and decide to face it ourselves, why are we here?”

  Lillian hadn’t figured out a valid response before Judgementday picked up where his former boss left off.

  “I’ve done nearly nothing over the last few days. I’m better suited to survive and Aetherius has done plenty already. Let me do this.”

  Great. Now Lillian was expected to throw her players away like cannon fodder. If she didn’t, her concern for their safety would somehow reflect badly on her as a leader. Wasn’t the entire point of her role as a paladin tank and the party leader to keep those under her from falling in harm’s way? That became a lot more difficult when they insisted on it.

  “Judge, you sure?”

  “Yup. Just make sure you’re watching how he kills me closely.”

  “Think positive, stay focused. You’re first up, Aetherius comes after. Good luck.”

  Judgementday nodded and walked forward, drawing his weapons. He bashed his weapon against his shield rather less enthusiastically than Lillian had.

  “I’ll be your opponent.”

  The Black Knight looked Judgementday up and down. He peered at the rest of the party, as if expecting them to reconsider. When no one did, he set his sights back on Judgementday and the ‘Knightly Duel’ icon flashed over his head. The fight was on.

  It was Judgementday who went on the offensive, to Lillian’s surprise. The Black Knight raised his shield in front of himself, the first movement he’d made, as Judgementday ran up to him and bludgeoned it with his sceptre. He bounced right off, the only possible outcome.

  Lillian winced. Knowing Judgementday was a healer didn’t make this easier to watch. Never mind his character being all wrong, he simply had no aptitude for combat. The only reason to attack someone’s shield is if you’re planning on br
eaking it. As she made this connection herself, Saga Online agreed with her: a line was slashed through Judgementday’s ‘Knightly Duel’ icon from top left to bottom right.

  This was new and probably not good. That was confirmed when Judgementday’s much bigger adversary tapped the shield into his front. It was wide open following his failed strike. As Judgementday toppled over backward in his heavy armor, his footwork converting a mild shove into a complete collapse, a second slash appeared through his ‘Knightly Duel’ icon. Paired with its twin, it formed a cross from each corner of the icon through the middle.

  Lillian was glad Judgementday hadn’t been required to off-tank. He wasn’t much more useful in this capacity, although at least he’d revealed this fight had conditions. By Lillian’s reckoning, Judgementday could only make one more mistake. He made it almost immediately after she’d finished her analysis.

  Judgementday tortoise-rolled to his feet, turning his back on his enemy in the process, and ran away. He only noticed he’d received his third strike after he’d turned at a safe distance. Lillian saw his eyes glance up and to the left, where the buffs and debuffs were defaulted to display in his HUD, then watched the tension leave his body. The Black Knight beckoned for the next challenger.

  Lillian turned to talk with Andrew and found he’d vacated his place. He was standing back in front of the Code of Chivalry. She had a screenshot of it. She brought it up and put it on display, reading it through against Andrew. There were too many rules involved to keep the screenshot in the corner of her HUD while she fought. She wouldn’t have time to reread the rules while she was fighting this guy, and making the image big enough to do so would block out all her vital statistics.

  She still had unattributed stat points requiring allocation. That would give Andrew a head start. She was party leader, he wouldn’t dare start fighting without consulting her first. Except he might. Better decide quickly. She was bringing up her stat page when Judgementday’s heavy footfalls carried him in front of her. She’d managed to tune out the noise, right up until he started talking.