First Battalion automatically shifted to take the left flank. The slowly moving mummies were reaped from the battle like a scythe through hay. The second battalion went right defeating mummies as they marched to cover the flank. When the second unit locked into the right flank, the third battalion rushed into the middle slot at a sprint. The army was solidified into place when the smallest skirmishing battalion faced the exit with the rearguard.
The sound of angry mummies flinging themselves against my front lines was covering the sound of the drum beats. A closed right fist halted the echoing sound of the drums. The clash of bronze swords of the monsters against shields cracked against the expansive walls.
In the distance, our blimp circled. Green banners flying underneath told me there were no threats that they could see.
Everything was checking out. Time to summon the bitch and tell her daddy was here to turn her into an orb.
My spear spawned in my hand. I summoned power from the physical superiority orb into my arm. I felt my biceps and triceps compacted as magical energy sent the muscles into overdrive. A few steps back with my arm cocked back was transitioned into a run forward. The weapon whistled out of my grasp for a brief moment before the crack of the air rang in my ears.
The noise bounced along the passageways. Healing washed over the army. With the signal sent to the Scorpion Queen, I glanced at Axle giving him a thumbs up. This was always my favorite part. He drummed a rhythm for the army.
The might of the dvaren - fearsome and bold
The magi of the arcane - bright and cold
The fight of warrior - swift and sure
Our foes are weak - their resolve not pure
We dvaren will carry the day
Our sharp axes are here to slay
I was a sucker for a good battle tune. When there was a thrumming a beat with the stomping of feet, well, my blood pumped quicker. The first signs of the coming enemy were shadows trudging out of the passageways. Lumbering sand golems twenty feet high advanced at a tediously slow rate.
My frown was caught by Gemini who neared my side to talk over the loud song that had entered the chorus again.
“What surprises you?” She asked with a half yell.
I shrugged. “The guide said to expect scarab beetles on the first wave. Golems on the final wave beside the boss.”
“Yeah, this was probably cleared to this point recently, and then they stopped at the next threat. Half clears by smaller groups is very common. The respawn hasn’t taken effect,” she informed me. I tilted my head back giving an ‘Ah, that makes sense’ expression. “Or what we're seeing is a harder tier, it matters little. We’re far more powerful than this dungeon requires.”
A spear shifted from magic into a solid object, weighted perfectly into my hand. The others saw what I was doing and gave me distance. There were now almost a hundred golems forming battle lines as they spilled into the big opening. One of the golems was directing the others.
“Don’t make it too easy,” I said with a snicker, lining up my throw. My windup was similar as before, except this time I was aiming. The spear cracked the sound barrier, seeking its target with a whirl. A fraction of a second later my spear slammed into the torso of the golem leader who burst into clumps of sand.
And this is where I should have seen my smartass comments coming to bite me. Literally, well, at least they were going to try. The dead golem’s remains turned into thousands of tiny beetles that grew into the size of dogs in less than a second. The new army of scarabs clacked their mouth pincers eager for the flesh of my army.
“Hey Gryff, don’t make it too easy… Have to admit, reanimated remains of the dead converting into monster beetles was deserved with that comment. Super didn’t see that coming,” Zoey said with a snicker.
Kata slithered over projecting an air shield around my group. The enemy was flinging their ranged attacks in reaction to my murder of their leader. Boulders trailed debris of sand as they arced across the distance, the pinnacles were hit, and they dove for my army.
“This is going to eat some mana,” Kata said, bracing for the impact.
Axle stopped drumming the song. Air shields were erected across the formations. Sandy rocks smashed into defending magic, skittering remains of tan particles returning down as they slid over the shield's edge. The enemy volley abated, our mages able to withstand the enemy ranged assault.
Groz ordered a volley of crossbows into the new threat of scarabs that sprinted ahead of its larger brethren. The brown fluttering bugs skittered over the hard earth. The bolts snapped out of crossbows casting a shadow over the terrain as they soared into the enemy ranks. Hundreds of the bugs tumbled in their demise and yet, the swarm persisted.
When the ugly army crossed the halfway line the ground vibrated and rumbled. In front of the golems, the tan caked earth bowed in growing domes, before cracking apart in a crumbling display.
A humanoid wolf head the size of an elephant rose from the planet, then the shoulders exited the ground in a dramatic shedding of showering sand, and finally the full height of the sphinx rose to over a hundred feet. Okay, what the heck was this? Not dwelling on the fact the dungeon was throwing me curve balls I aimed for the big arrivals.
Zoey summoned her pets to slow the bugs advance. Fireballs erupted down the line. Water rained onto the beetles while the sphinxes shook off the dust from their immersion. Lightning cracked down from the heavens and the snap of a new volley of bolts was joined by the twang of archers.
All this chaos and noise was tucked into the back of my head. I hurled a spear so hard I came off my feet. The magical twirling weapon blasted through the sound barrier before sinking into the chest of the first sphinx.
I grinned delightfully seeing the entry hole was tiny as expected. The exit hole, while I couldn’t see it must have been massive because the spray of gore was epic.
Sphinx one fell to its knees. A dumb look etched on its face while the stunned foe’s hands went to the small hole, the monster’s confusion was evident.
The body quit, a whoosh of air washing over the battlefield as it collapsed. Hundreds of beetles popped under the falling weight.
I launched on the second sphinx only to have my spear deflected by a snarling sphinx. The enemy goliaths were focused solely on me as a threat now.
The front of our battle lines pushed back with the arrival of the beetles. The swarm ripped the zombie snake into bits, sending chunks flying high. The skeletal rhinorc was mushing the bugs around it.
“Signal. Ten paces back!” Gemini ordered.
Axle looked to me while I nodded for him to do so. I jumped and threw a low spear at the third sphinx, aiming for an ankle. The throw had far less power but the spear quickly zoomed across the battlefield. The foe reacted too late. The sphinx was shifting to block that ankle, resulting in it being off balance. When the spear shattered the ankle joint the result was a teetering fall.
Spells blasted into the downed foe, its screams of pain echoing across the cavern walls. I was so focused on my next throw a back pacing dvaren bumped into me. He gave an oof, and I apologized. I should have been moving with the army.
My off throw hurled away from the Sphinx who was thoroughly confused. The weapon blasted apart two golems. A clenched jaw helped me pass the time as I waited to see if these deaths were going to generate more beetles. They did not. I knew I wasn’t the only one breathing a relieved bated breath.
“Open formation!” Groz called out and Axle triple beat the drums. The shield wall opened for no more than five seconds. The flow of the beetles pressed from those behind them cause the front row to tumble toward waiting dvaren. “Close!” A single beat.
The process was repeated until the pressure on the wall thinned. There were crack sounds mixed with slurping fluid being freed as the large scarabs were being defeated. I only saw one dwarf being healed with a broken pincher in his guts. As the enemy was being smashed there was a loud snap from a
cross the pit.
The Scorpion Queen arrived in a fitting display of commotion at the far end of the opening. Spoilers, she was a nasty ugly thing, and not a scorpion. More like an Egyptian hawk. Her beaked head had no humanity to it. Her body was meh, with its shriveled skin, and womanly curves. She had two legs and two arms with a flabby aged belly. Her armor was a two piece golden swimsuit and offered very little protection.
I watched as she surveyed the battlefield, deciding things were not how she wanted them. A wave of scorpions flooded in behind the golems to protect the queen. Of course, that was about what I expected by this point. We were getting all six waves at once with the boss.
When the wave of hawks came off the plateaus I deflated. The army against us was starting to stack up to be a challenge. Feral hairless hounds bounded out the canyon walls, darting between mummies rising from the sand. I sighed at the sight knowing I needed to personally turn the tides.
I patted aside a dvaren holding a portion of the shield wall. I yelled over my shoulder, “Free Fire!”
Axle shifted from smacking the drum to hitting a top hat loudly. The sound was sharp, different, and immediately recognized. That was the signal our mages needed to unleash their reserves.
The static of the magic erupting into the Scorpion Queens forces was causing my arm hairs to raise and my blood to thrum. The raw power of our mages was beyond what her forces could handle. Bodies flew as massive spells cratered the sandy terrain. Billowing dust cascaded over the area.
My battle rage was boiling, eager for release against the few remaining scarabs. I held back. The last sphinx was squarely in my sight as it deflected a hurled rock. I wanted to charge the damn goliath but the golems and hairless hounds were flowing around its massive feet.
Like a swarm of ants going for dropped food, the enemy army diverted to my location. I dropped Kor on top of a dozen hounds. The five headed hydra roared happily as he devoured his victims with glee.
He caught on that I’d used him as bait when he barely escaped a foot stomp while fleeing on his flippers. The keenest of the heads shot me an evil glare.
I winked with a smirk. His distraction gave me the opening I desperately needed.
I released a mighty spear up the rib cage and into the heart of the lumbering giant foe. There was no teetering or stunned reaction. The severed heart ceased to beat and the big sphinx crashed backwards. The resound thud washed sand over my position.
The hounds arrived, and Kor spun on them. The five heads making quick work of the smaller foes with magic sundering the hairless abominations. My mana pool in my core was draining and I knew I could only keep this amount of magic up for so long.
Kata cried out defiantly, casting swirling tornados to push back any who entered my melee range. Zoey’s skeleton rhinorc was a master of battle as it kicked, clawed, and even dismembered the foes.
With the sphinx wave down I readied for the hawks the Scorpion Queen had mysteriously been holding back. I actually didn't have much to defeat them with. The mages would have to thin them with magic.
I focused on what I could easily defeat. The sand golems became my targets. Spears belted out of my hand while I slayed any who neared us. The air was thick with fireballs, ice storms, and lightning. A boulder arched over my head and smashed into an air shield that a company mage erected.
My forces were contently waiting. The hounds decided Kor was a waste, crashing into the front of the battle lines. The disciplined dvaren struck up a cadence song to time the push and strikes. Their shield wall held with ease, their strikes were timed with precision.
I was thinning the golems until there were only a few dozen left.
Groz had Axle sound the advance. The stomp of my army’s feet echoed throughout the clearing. Their timing was perfect as they synced together, slaying as they marched. The mummies encircled the Scorpion Queen knowing a defeat was inevitable. Her long beak and beady eyes watched her forces get massacred.
I then realized her strategy. She was trying to get the hawks to fly her away. Maybe there was a mechanic where you only got partial loot if she departed. That was easy enough to fix. I saw her weapons were dual swords, held tight in clenched hands. Not exactly great for deflecting a spear hurled by a Demi-God.
She was a few feet into the air making my aim easier when I released. My weapon cracked the sound barrier as it zoomed for her chest. Her swords went to deflect the weapon and missed, her timing was too slow.
So… My jaw dropped when I saw my missile creating a gaping hole in her chest. She collapsed to her knees before vanishing, a chest spawning since her heart was gone.
Her army lost focus, the minions looked for another leader to get orders from. Seeing they were bested, they surrendered into sand, returning from whence they came without ever giving me the chance to make the army an orb. The battlefield generated thousands of orbs that tumbled over the broken terrain.
“Way to go hero, at least she dropped a golden chest,” Gemini said, coming to my side with a sassy sway of her hips.
When I pinched her ass she jumped, the shock on her face morphed into a stern glare.
I gave a confident smirk and said, “I can’t help the fact she sucked. It’s a bummer I didn’t leave a sphinx alive to surrender. I honestly thought that wouldn’t kill her. I take it we did the dungeon on hard mode or something.”
“Uh… I inspected everything. Part of a general's job,” Gemini retorted, clearly wanting to continue but I cut her off.
“That’s why you get paid -”
“Nothing,” Gemini said with hands on her hips. “For the cause kind of girl. Can I continue or are you going to take your shirt off and start doing jumping jacks.”
Zoey snickered and then burst into laughter. Kata smirked and said, “He’ll do it.”
“No, no, no, ladies, I just killed a boss. Merely a little high on morale at the moment,” I exposed my inner forearm and willed my level onto my skin. 3251… Damn… I muttered, “Woot, thirty plus levels. We need to do higher level dungeons more often.”
“I hit six hundred,” Zoey said scrunching her face in confusion. “What did the inspections say?”
“Everything was about double what it should have been. If we’d split… I shudder at the thought. If only half our army would have taken to the field she probably would have charged and still lost badly. But… there would be dead not returning home with us,” Gemini said in a heavy tone. She cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted to the army. “Designated loot keepers! Spawn chests! Clean this up. We loot, eat, and then force march for the Goddess of the Cave.”
“Shala still has a chest?” I asked. Knowing Mysti had the Queen’s bitch. Kata had a cabin. I had the blimp. I turned to Gemini. “What do you have for a familiar?”
“A bunker, what every general should have. I spawn the underground hideaway, cover the entrance with some brush, and stay away from assassins or surprise attacks. And no, were not using my bunker to store loot,” Gemini said. She thumbed Axle. “He will bring his.”
“Axle?” I asked and he nodded.
“Aye, Master Groz said I needed to help with the lootin,” Axle nodded and I waved at him to follow me.
All across the battlefield soldiers were smashing the hearts of the foes we defeated. Those that vanished already dropped their loot, leaving the excited troops to scooping up blue orbs into chests. I saw a few green and a few purple. My research said the boss should drop a purple pet sphinx and the familiar was a fast chariot. The chariot was great for roads between cities and a decent seller for errand runners or traders.
Since I speared the heart on the Scorpion Queen the chest was spawned on the ground awaiting to be pilfered. Not sure what a golden chest gave. I hoped to get something nice. I closed my eyes while flipping the hatch open and decided to let it be a surprise.
“WAHOO! Fuck yeah!” Zoey shouted. I opened my eyes to see a black orb of a mummy. “This is a great all around orb, not as usel
ess as the ‘I’m a lover not a fighter’, zombie dolphin. A mummy is great for tanking or wrapping an opponent you're trying to flee from. Can I have it?”
“Yeah, kinda where most of this loot is going, building up the army. The trash will hit the shops on Thur and probably sell well. I did my homework. Unless you got a sweet ride like ours, it's five portal jumps to get back to Thur. That is how much of a pain it is to get to and from these lower planets,” I said digging into the chest.
My hand clasped around a purple chariot, a blue boxy familiar was below it. I saw Axle spawn his chest and open it up. I tossed the chariots in only to have Gemini fish the blue one out.
“Give this to that human that spits a lot and talks funny. He will be able to scout more efficiently with this,” she said. I shrugged without a counter argument. I don't even think Jason had a familiar in.
There was a small treasure chest filled with tiny nuggets of leenspar. Enough for one spear tip or a tool. Not fantastic but nice because it was an expensive material.
There was a blue orb with a pet dog, and a few wind spells. After I sorted every drop, the biggest thing being the zombie mummy. Was a mummy a zombie or was it undead in this case. Either way it was probably worth a whole lot of coins that we needed but would never see.
With the looting complete I left Zoey while she played with her new toy. My stomach rumbled and we had a hard march ahead. Hopefully the chariot would mean Jason could scout the Goddess of the Cavern dungeon for us quickly. I was excited to see what it had in store for us.
CHAPTER 4
The trip across the savannah was fantastic in the fact it went by quickly, the weather was a cool breeze, and we were on a decent high from looting. While we marched the unit commanders started assigning loot with a few wagons helping along the process. I, well, I kept staring at Gemini’s shapely ass while she chatted with Kata ahead of me.
The little celestial was flashing me winks, swinging her hips on her tiny frame, and touching me while we chatted. It got to the point Zoey cut in to keep me from bending her over right then and there.
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