Chapter 48
Based on the previous mobs of the seventh floor, trying to guess what the next mobs would be, purely on their names, was nigh impossible. And considering this was the seventh floor’s version of mobs for the Cocktail Creation’s monster types, James had to wonder if the developers had been reaching for straws by this point, had been completely wasted, or had saved the best for last. Maybe a mixture of all three.
Definitely a mixture of all three.
The fourth mob, which cost 34 points to summon, was called a Turkey Dew. The mob was, for all intents and purposes, a giant Turkey. It was larger than James’s fully enlarged Dickens, probably closer to ten foot in height, and seemed to be made out of stone. As if it had been carved from a mountain, in fact. When it spread its tail feathers out wide, strange intricate green and red patterns were painted across it. In fact… as it shifted about, James realized its coloring was mostly shades of browns, greens, and reds.
“Lesser-known cocktail.” Steve explained without prompting. “You see, Mountain Dew was originally created as a mixer for liquor. Illegal liquor after all, during the prohibition period was known as Moon Shine. So you mixed Moon Shine, with Mountain Dew, and bam, delicious cocktail. The Turkey Dew cocktail,” Steve motioned at the bird, “combined a bourbon called Wild Turkey with Mountain Dew, in that tradition. It’s honestly really good, though probably seems a bit weird for random people to try. Pretty popular with people who wanted a cheap mixed drink with bourbon though, since Wild Turkey, especially Wild Turkey 101, was high proof and affordable, and mixed well with the sugary soda. And if you wanted to mix it up,” he grinned, “well, Mountain Dew had a ton of flavors that could instantly make the cocktail fit whatever flavor profile you wanted. My personal favorite,” a drink appeared in his hand, a reddish orange to it as he swirled it around, “was a mixture of Wild Turkey and Mountain Dew Game Fuel.” He took a sip, “the original Game Fuel, mind you. The best, OG version.” Another sip, his eyes closed in nostalgia. “Simpler times then. Simpler times.”
“I’m honestly surprised your liver never failed you given how much you talk about liquor, soda, and energy drinks.” James said, honestly surprised. From what he knew of the beverages, especially before 2030, when a lot of new regulations had been put in place to protect people from various toxic foods and beverages, was that they were notorious for causing health issues with people. So much so that some people questioned if the government had been allowing such toxins to be placed in the foods on behalf of medical companies looking to profit off peoples’ poor health. With the merging of the world governments though, came a revolution. Healthy people were happier, and happier people were less likely to protest and try to overthrow a government. At least, that’s what he’d learned in school.
“Livers are amazing organs,” Steve said as he took another drink, “give ‘em a break every now and then, and they can fix themselves right as rain. Add in the advances in science, medicine, and the understanding of the human body, and well, there’s a reason life expectancy has climbed so high over the past two decades.”
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“Which doesn’t seem to have worked out so well,” James added dryly, “all things considered.”
Steve raised an eyebrow at him, but that was all the warning he’d get, and he knew it. They couldn’t discuss such things. Technically he should be safe and secure, but it was better to ere on the side of caution, especially with their quickly approaching timetable. The waiting was killing James though. Acting like everything was fine, while knowing that in less than two days of IRL time everything would change. Time dilation for immersion, in this manner, was torture more than anything. Sure, it was letting the others prep and plan and sort everything out they needed to. But for James, it was just agonizing waiting.
“I’m going to guess, with what you’ve just told me, it’s the tank mob for the floor.” James said, turning his focus back to the Turkey Dew. Sure enough, the mob’s stats were focused on its health and defenses, with skills focused on drawing aggro, and tanking damage. A quick glance at the creature’s upgrade path, made him smile, and he couldn’t help but glance again at Steve. The developer had most definitely played a part in these creatures.
“Don’t’ judge me,” Steve said, seeming to read James’s mind, “I may have been a part of a few of the planning sessions for this one.”
“I’d guess you were providing the drinks, for these planning sessions.” James countered, closing out the Turkey Dew options. He didn’t have enough skill points to upgrade it to unlock the particular trait just yet, sadly. Called Fifty Shades of Dew, it created different varieties of the Turkey Dew at random, giving them different aspects and traits, and James assumed colors, based on RNG, according to the skill. If James had to guess, it was representative of the different Mountain Dew flavors that could be mixed into the Turkey Dew cocktail.
James unsummoned the creature and looked at the final one. As much as summoning new monsters was fun, the next step was what he was really looking forward to. The creation of the seventh-floor boss. As such, he quickly summoned the last mob, and gave it a cursory once over, taking note of its name, features, and skills, as he eagerly prepared for the best part of mob creation.
Bloody Mary
Type: Cursed Cocktail
Lvl: 115
The creature that was summoned looked like something from a horror movie. It floated above the ground, in a tattered red dress. It’s face was twisted, and James noticed it’s teeth were sharp, almost like fangs. It had green hair that looked leafy in a way, like seaweed perhaps. Or some sort of vegetable. Red liquid dripped from its flesh onto the ground below, and as it floated about, James noticed the drips caused the marble to sizzle on contact, making the stone actually bubble and begin to melt.
Her attack was much higher than her defense, and from what James could tell skimming her skills, she was an ambush type mob, that focused on sustained DPS through the use of damage over time effects, and life drain skills. She could actively drain life from the adventurers with some sort of vampire-esq skill, all while the liquid dripping from her, classified…unimaginatively as Ghost Pepper Sauce, caused intense fire and acid damage over time. If he had to guess, the creature would jump on players, begin draining their life, and then work to cover them as quickly as possible in the red, caustic liquid, to quickly try and melt them into nothing. In a way… it actually reminded James of spiders. Or a few snake species, that would liquify their targets to make them easier to consume…
With that less than pleasant thought now burned into his mind, he unsummoned the unsettling creature, and looked towards his friends.
“Who’s ready to summon a Boss Monster?”