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“Right lads, let’s get back to work,” Tommy ordered.
“It was you we were waitin’ on ye lazy git.” Harry grumbled. How Tommy had the nerve to act like they were layabouts when he’d been the one lying on his ass for the last hour was beyond him.
Everyone seemed to pointedly ignore his comment as they headed out of the safe room and down the stairs. Harry of course took point, after all he was the only one who could take a decent hit, not like the rest of these mugs.
Without a word he kicked open the doors at the bottom of the stairs revealing a huge skeleton with a large wooden club. Charging forward, the club swung down at his side and he shifted to catch the blow. It landed with a thud and he stopped it dead, not like that damn boar. Harry felt some bruising along his side but his [regeneration] should fix that in no time. With a heave he started to pull the club away from the creature and the wood began to crack and groan.
Twang. Something whistled over his head. Crack!
Just as Harry was beginning to get his blood pumping strength left his opponent and its bones clattered to the ground.
Spinning furiously he exclaimed, “Who shot the bloody mana crystal!? We were just gettin’ started.”
“Calm down and look around Harry, there’s plenty of doors that no doubt have fights behind them, and if they don’t…” Tommy got that grin he only got when he thought of gold, “…then it’ll be the core and that’ll buy you all the fights you want.”
Glaring at Al who was sheepishly reloading his crossbow Harry responded, “Fine, I’m taking this door then, you lot find yer own.”
He stomped through a door with a droplet symbol on it and found a small room with a well on the other side. The others started nattering behind him but they’d just spent an hour sitting around chatting and Harry was in no mood for more of that. He’d come here for a fight and by The Three he was going to find one. The boar didn’t count since it got a cheap shot in.
Peering into the well the water was around ground level and there seemed to be something in the depths. Shucking his bloodstained jacket, he dove in. Jagged shapes formed an ominous tunnel in the low light, his passive [life-bolstered] skill enhanced his eyes just enough to recognise the jagged lattice as similar to the ominous altar at the beginning of the dungeon. Keith had called it coral. Snapping a section off he easily crushed it into powder that floated in the stagnant water with a thin trail of blood from where it pierced his palm.
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Unimpressed, he swam through the winding tunnel, surely there had to be something worth his time down here. As the tunnel curved downwards a sandy floor came into view with a round disk resting in the middle. Disappointed he lifted it and noticed a droplet symbol carved into it like the doorway.
Muted cracking sounds rang through the water from above he looked up only for a large bony fist to slam into his face. He was experienced enough not to lose his breath even as pain radiated out from the impact and a puff of blood beneath his eyes told him that the crunch he thought he heard was his nose breaking. Instead, he channelled everything into activating his [berserker rage]. His vision was stained red, and he bounded off the ground towards his attacker.
He crashed fist first into the huge skeleton, rib cracking as he made contact. It wasn’t often Harry got the chance to fight a humanoid bigger than him but after what happened earlier he was glad for the chance for a rematch. As he swung again to widen the crack the skeleton brought both hands down in a hammer blow that knocked him to the sandy bottom. Trying to right himself quickly in the water he avoided a kick and pushed himself up and away.
The skeleton reached out to grab him, movements slowed slightly by the water, clearly concerned he might be trying to escape. Harry was no coward though and a strong stroke had the hand swinging behind him as he delivered a haymaker that loosened the creature’s jaw. A large hand grasped him from behind and squeezed. Whether it was trying to squeeze out a breath or just break some ribs a furious elbow from Harry did some damage and seemed to loosen the grip. Just as he was lining up for another he was tossed backwards.
Impassioned strokes had his momentum back under control just in time for him to bring his arms up to block another punch from the creature. His forearms bore the blow handily but his back was riddled with small injuries as he crashed back into the lattice of coral. A few bubbles of air escaped his lips and the powdered fragments of coral briefly clouded his sight.
As the scent of the water became increasingly chalky with a hint of copper Harry pulled deep on his [berserker rage] and shot through the cloud. Shoulder checking the skeleton knocked it off balance and Harry grabbed a rib with one hand. With fury beyond reason, he began pounding the previously cracked rib over and over again with the other arm, trusting his [regeneration] to deal with the blows the skeleton rained down on him in turn. Feeling nothing but fury he broke through the ribcage, grasped the precious mana gem and pulled it from the beast’s breast.
A surge of elation rushed through him as the skeleton went limp, once again he had shown nothing could stop Harry. The sting of his back and throbbing from where he was struck, including a few places he didn’t remember swiftly tempered his feelings as his [rage] faded.