Derek and Naomi emptied half of a health potion leaving them with three and a half to work with. While James didn’t want to use potions this early he accepted the fact that they all needed to be at their peak if they were going to face the two bosses back-to-back.
He led them down the cave corridors and avoided the other optional routes that contained additional spider monsters even if some of them might contain treasures as well. Along the way, Wes also got used to his new spear courtesy of one of the now-dead spider monsters. He and the others followed the path and stepped into the familiar boss room and the Queen started her speech once more.
“Humans. It seems more of you have come into my nest to-“
The queen was cut off by an arrow from James. The shot pierced her side. He had no interest in listening to her same speech every time he fought the boss. It was the same one he had heard the first time he entered the boss's room, and it was going to be the same every time in the future.
The queen was stunned by the immediate attack and then her face shifted to rage.
“Now!”
James rushed to position as he prepared for the next attack. The others followed suit and rushed the unprepared boss. The queen charged up her hexes, but James and Naomi deflected them away. A few mini spiders slowed them down and Ian took them on while Derek and Wes continued their charge. The spiders burned alive quickly dissipating into nothing.
Wes drove his spear forward toward the queen’s abdomen. She used one of her hands to deflect it toward Derek as she prepared another hex in her other hand. Derek jumped back in an attempt to dodge the incoming body but slipped and fell awkwardly. As he attempted to get back up the queen’s hex was finished.
Despite James’s attempts she finished and released her spell at Wes who was on his knees. Wes was thrown back by the force of the spell and left his shield and spear behind. He felt a tightness in his chest and could barely roll to his side as vomit and spit expelled from his mouth. He coughed continuously as he tried to make his situation and body feel better. Even as the contents of his stomach stopped leaving his body he continued to cough uncontrollably.
Ian stepped back to stay by Wes and make sure the area was clear of spiders for him. James gave Derek a little room to get back up and start fighting again by using up more of his mana for empowered arrows filled with various effects. This in turn caused the queen to back away and slow her production of mini spiders.
Derek swung at the queen and hit her with as much power as he could. The sword hit her armor but did not cut her skin. He continued the attacks as best he could but had to slow because of her counterattacks. The queen’s hands grew claws and each of her legs acted as spears. Soon he was forced back.
Behind him, Wes was sitting up and had slowed his coughing as the effects of the hex faded. His shield and spear still lay on the ground away from the queen now that she had started climbing up the stone wall with the assistance of her webs that covered the walls.
Derek swung wide after James opened up a spot for him using another charged arrow. His sword hit her armor and then continued slightly, and the queen raged as she bleed. In response to his attack, she forced him back and then picked him up by the leg. He was then thrown into a knot of webs along the wall.
“Ian you need to get him out quickly. Wes take over the mini spiders. Naomi assist. I will deal with the queen.”
Everyone began adjusting positions in response to the new situation. Derek shook his arms and legs, but he was attached securely to the wall. He could not reach his sword which lay below him on the ground.
James put his bow away and took out his knives. The moves he had used were fresh in his mind from an hour prior. The queen through no fault of her own followed her previous moves almost beat for beat. Once he got inside her guard James sped up his flurry of attacks and kept better track of when she tried to use her magic. He ducked under the hex attacks, and they went crashing into the walls harmlessly.
Ian burned away at the webbing and once Derek got his hands free the process sped up considerably. In the meantime, the mini spiders were growing in numbers. Wes held up his shield and speared the occasional spider, but he was still weakened by the hex. This left Naomi to pick up the slack and deal with the swarm of arachnids.
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Naomi used her dual shot and other abilities as frequently as she could. Eventually, it became easier to wield knives and throw them now that she was in the thick of it. The mini spiders exploded into pieces of gore like the fodder they were.
James thrust at one of the queen’s legs with his knife and twisted it as he pulled away. As the fight had continued it had grown easier. Now the total amount of injured or removed legs was up to three. The queen now shuffled to make drastic changes in positioning and James could see it coming each time. He smiled as he whittled down the queen’s defenses and power. He found the danger dissipating with every strike he successfully got in. The boss was easy. Predictable even.
“Derek. What’s your status?” asked James.
“I’m almost out of this mess,” he answered, and Ian burned away the last of the webbing.
He dropped to the ground and picked himself and his sword up quickly. Together Derek and Ian rushed to James’s aid. Any of the mini spiders that hung around the queen were quickly burned away as Ian dealt with them at the source.
Derek got behind James and waited for his time to strike. James used a roll to duck under the queen’s claws and used the momentum to sidestep and get away from the queen. Derek took the opportunity to step forward and get into the queen’s face. She deflected his initial blows with her clawed hands, but Derek got around them soon enough. By watching her movement with her injured legs, he struck her underbelly when she was most vulnerable.
A large gash opened up beneath the queen and the bleeding continued to grow. The damage meant she was forced to stop spawning more spider kin and hold her wound. The queen switched her stance and prepared to fire off as many hexes as possible. Her magical energies swirled around her and then were abruptly cut short when a fireball impacted her wound.
The queen who had been trying to climb up the wall again was suddenly forced upward and lost her grip on the wall and fell back to the rocky ground. Her body shook as she rolled with the fall, but she did not get back up.
“Good job targeting her underbelly. It can be opened up as a weak spot for her. If we were to do this again I would suggest dealing with the webbing around the walls sooner. It is something I should have mentioned but I was too focused on hitting the queen right away to catch her off guard and make things a little easier for us.”
The others nodded and remarked on their own experiences fighting the queen and the 19th floor in general.
“Next up we have a demon to deal with. They have fire magic and a large amount of strength and endurance. Ian. On this floor, it will be your job to put out fires and back us up. Do not try and get close to it. That goes for all of you. Finally, this floor will have a safe zone at the end of the battle so try and avoid using more potions. Let’s get going.”
Steam rose around them out of vents from the volcanic terrain. James had his bow ready when he stepped through the portal and took his shot. Much like the previous floor, he wanted to deal with the demon using whatever trick he could. Reducing the effort required to complete the 20th floor would mean more effort and resources could be given towards the future floors.
The demon was more ready for the attack than the queen and its form twisted and blurred for a moment to deal with the arrow. The attack meant for the demon’s center mass hit its arm instead. In one quick motion, the demon broke off the arrow and removed the foreign object from its arm.
As the demon broke the arrow another struck its side this time from Naomi. The demon looked up and realized some of what they were trying to do. It charged them no longer interested in being poked by arrows until its death.
The demon ran for James, and he prepared for the impact. James set his bow aside for his knives as the demon let fire roll off its chest and arms. James felt the heat for a moment before he disappeared. In his place stood Wes. The demon impacted the tower shield and was thrown back by the sudden change in persons. The demon also wasn’t helped by the mix of skills Wes put into his shield right before the demon reached him.
Swap was an uncommon skill for tanks and defenders but a sorely needed one for all followers of the path Wes tread. Not only could it save a team member’s life it allowed for tricks such as this to be used.
The demon’s claws scrapped the ground and Derek hit it with his sword. The demon reacted by grabbing the blade with its long fingers. The fire still left the demon like sweat as it stepped forward with Derek’s blade in its hand.
Derek pulled back on the sword and was met with resistance. His face went red and sweat started pouring down his face.
James and Naomi pelted the demon’s back with arrows, and it barely flinched. James’s mind raced as he thought through various solutions.
Before he could make a decision Ian took it for him.
A scene eerily similar to his previous experience played out before James’s eyes. Ian was wrestling on the demon’s back before his leg was gripped by the demon’s claws. This time however bones were not broken. Instead, the demon took Ian’s leg and swung him around and into the side of Derek’s blade.
Ian crashed to the ground and Derek followed suit.
James watched for a moment longer and rushed to grab them away from the demon. They needed to get away and regroup. Something before the demon killed them. James rushed forward and felt something under his foot.
The steam vent activated releasing hot air followed by the fire underneath him. His pants caught fire which was quickly followed by his bag containing the firewood he needed for floor 21. Immense pain filled his body as his nerve endings burned away. James didn’t have much time to process his mistake as he collapsed dead and the world around him reset.