Davian marked their entrance to the Dungeon Boss arena with a display of music he hadn't been able to indulge in before. Ivan inspected him right away, too curious to keep to politeness now, but it was as the Bard claimed.
Inspecting Person: Skill Search, Inspecting Skill for matching subject; Subject Skill Found.
Epic Music: Once a day you may use this skill to project music that will enhance you and your allies in combat. The enhancement depends upon the style and genre of music you chose to play, enhancing damage dealt, critical rate, mana or hp recovery based upon the themes and feeling of the song.
[Warning the Infinite Library is not liable to cover you or your allies in the event of a third party claims, contract violations, or other legal matters magical or mundane. The music played is the choice of the Bard or Sound Wizard alone and the fault lies with them]
“What is this? The first age? The first battle?” Andy asked, listening to the song as some strangely deep voiced narrator spoke.
Davian colored deeply as the deep and throaty lyrics told some strange story.
“Oh. I know this one. There's actually a few guys like him. From the uh what's-it, the games on the screens?” Penelope asked, poking at Davian.
Davian managed to somehow look a little pale and flushed at the same time. His neck filled with color like he was embarrassed, but his face twisted up in a grimace of fear and discomfort as Penelope blithely stepped upon whatever mystic force kept him from talking about certain subjects.
“Tainted beyond ascension?” Marvin asked, eyebrow raised at Ivan.
Ivan frowned at him and the next line, 'he chose the path of perpetual torment seeking vengeance'. It was a little too close to home, but as the bass line started…
Ivan felt something in him sing out to the deep and almost discordant melody that rang out from Davian's memory. He didn't know who this 'Doom Slayer' was, but whoever made his music was great at it. It was nothing like what Davian normally played with his instruments. Ivan felt Quixla's dagger writhe in his hand, and the Shroud writhed around him.
“That'll do Dav. Good choice.” Ivan said, stretching out his limbs casually and making sure he was ready to move at Andy's side.
Andy had his horned helm back on, and had grinned at Dav as the chorus played.
“I could get used to music like this in battle.” Andy said, and slammed his shield and halberd together.
The rest of the group moved ahead in a line; Penelope on one flank, and Myrn on the right. As they all stepped forward a single horn played from above, and when none answered the call it blared once again.
Ivan felt when the Dungeon Guardian's true attention fell upon them.
Penelope cast out a hand, projecting her scroll into the air, its surface flying with runes and a complex ritual diagram.
“Intruders! Intruders! Where are my subordinates and my lesser kin! Wake and hasten to battle! The human slaves have risen up once again!” The boss called from above in a booming far away voice, but no horns answered.
Myrn had prepped them on the boss speaking to them before appearing with a final horn blast, but even she hadn't heard his words translated before. She looked a little shocked, but no one stopped entirely, their steps simply becoming halting before starting out smoothly again.
Ivan didn't hesitate. He stepped forward beside Andy who hardly looked up. Andy, who had the least amount of magic resistance and mental fortitude with his complete lack of sparks in spite of his militia given aura power. The need to hunt and kill, bleeding over from wielding Quixla's dagger, and those same urges from some strange dark place within himself had Andy eager to fight. The fact that it was so easy to push Andy down that road was a little shocking to Ivan, but it didn't stop him from doing it as he felt another nascent skill lurking beneath the effects.
“Foul Intruders! Your magics will not stop the call of my horn when I am down among you! Prepare yourselves!” It's voice was a squawking mess from above, but Penelope's scroll translated into the gruff voice of a commander trying to do some kind of strangled bird impression.
Penelope dismissed the scroll as the creature appeared in the tree above, and spread his glittering shining bronze wings. He came down silently in a dive he broke at the last moment, spreading his massive and wide wings out to hold him aloft for a breath before he slammed to the ground. Everyone stared at the bronze clad juggernaut that had just landed before them, its wings must have been at least four meters wide to either side and its huge feathers nearly as tall as the creature itself.
He held in his hands a tall tower shield, a mirror image of what Andy held in his own grip, and a long bronze macuahuitl in the other. The weapon looked to have been bladed with shaped gems, all pointed, and deeper black than any rare jade. The weapon felt cruel, like teeth in a maw that felt no purpose in being used for eating, just in tearing, breaking, and ripping.
Ivan shivered, feeling something slither through the bond with Quixla, some fragmented memory of her time captured upon her vampiric master that mixed with something buried deep in his own memories. There was a will there, a will to be free, to drive his own destiny, and he realized he wasn't the only one feeling it.
Every human in the group looked upon the Night Watch Commander with the same instinctive hatred. Ivan felt it even more clearly through Taps Upon the Web, his skill acquired through the bond with Quixla. Penelope had even translated the things’ words, and it had called them slaves.
Rahammod, the God of Magic, Mystery, and Story, had one rule he proclaimed as his right to be applied to all people who would join under the pantheon. That no one may operate, take part in, hire, sell, or generally have anything to do with slaves as long as he is to be a part of the Pantheon. That made the taking of slaves a literal sin by definition to the world outside, but this was something more. This was something left behind by the gods on purpose when they sealed this dungeon. That others might hear and remember, even if just upon instinct, what had once been the fate of man at the hands of the monsters who had made this place as they heard the strange words.
The effect steeled each human there. Ivan felt their resolve, even his own, harden under the effects of some blessing he did not have the time to inspect or rightly expected he could define with his meager magic.
The plan was running in his mind as he started moving forward, Andy letting out a roar of defiance beside him. They both activated charging martial abilities at once, Ivan feeling out the synchronization through Taps Upon the Web and somehow gaining a moment to marvel as his body exploded into motion.
Andy crashed into the creature first, magically reinforced bronze meeting the same magically reinforced bronze, and exploding into a shower of sparks. Andy had used a Standard Rank Militia Skill for that, called Shielded Charge. It took more stamina to execute than simply rushing at foe and smacking them with a shield, but certainly did it faster and harder. Their foe hadn't been expecting the power of Andy's two jobs, but it's Counter Skill didn't fail. It just didn't have time to execute it.
Ivan had used Horse Charge to close, but didn't strike with his body, or horse as it would happen when he was mounted, instead he used Lance Strike, the two skills meant to pair together, and dealing bonus damage to the target.
Ivan's Knight's Longsword skittered up the scaled bronze mail covering the Night Watch Commander's arm, and nearly took the thing in the neck before it aborted its counter attack on Andy. Had it gone through with the attack and slammed Andy to the ground with the counter it would have skewered itself on Ivan's sword, basic magical enchantment or not, a sword through the neck was a sword through the neck. It would have set a hard timer on how long the Night Watch Commander would have stayed standing.
Andy's halberd slammed into its helm all the same, the enchanted blade of its axe head biting into the bronze and throwing off sparks near its eyes. Ivan didn't relent, feeling Andy press the attack as well, knowing Marvin, Azalea, and Davian were on their way to the flanks of the great bird man that very moment.
Ivan used his new ability, his left hand flying into motion as he willed the martial skill to activate and seek out his chosen target; an open spot just above the creature's hip, where the armor and its belt boasts a small, but clear divide.
Quixla's dagger dove into the gap, and Ivan felt the blade's elation like Quixla's own as it got its first taste of a true Dungeon Boss. The bleed affliction set in, the damage begun, and more importantly, an opening made for more. Ivan backed away, kicking off the thing's leg, and tumbling away as its sword-like club lashed out at him. The Shroud made him almost impossible to hit.
The Night Commander stepped forward, shield clashing into Andy's, but Andy stood his ground, always threatening with his halberd's spike to take eyes or to put a hole in a limb if one wasn't careful. It raised its sword to strike at him, but quickly ducked behind its shield deflecting an arrow that might have taken it in the same gap between its helm and bronze plate cuirass.
A sound snapped above its head, a simple distraction, but effective enough as a screaming bolt of chaos energy slammed into its helm from Penelope's side of the battlefield. The enchanted armor did its job protecting the beastly humanoid from magical attacks, but it stumbled backward, growling and squawking with its shield raised high.
One of Myrn's arrows found its left leg, the area near the knee boasting a large opening around the end of the scale-mail bronze skirt it wore. The thing screamed, and beat its wings, eyes flashing to behind it as it sensed either Marvin or Davian closing behind it.
It used the same wind spell as the Knight, but amplified three fold exploded out from the creature, knocking Ivan and the rest back. Andy held his shield and posture firmly, but was pushed back over the ground several yards. Marvin and Davian were scrambling to their feet behind the thing, having been blown back even further than Ivan or Andy combined. Perhaps the blast had been directed at them.
Myrn managed to shoot the thing in the wing as it pulled out its horn, but the bronze encrusted item had been hanging about its neck, and ready at hand when it cast its wind blast spell. Ivan cursed the thing, and as he did whenever he used this first spell, thought of the small pottery vial within the Shroud.
“Administer Poison! Steal! Administer Poison!” Ivan growled, casting his hands out in a twisting claw-like gesture that sent tendrils of darkness toward the boss creature. It saw, and tried to interpose its shield to catch the magic, but the tendrils snaked about it, and around the shield, and to its hip and the lightly bleeding wound.
They struck inside like snakes, or worms burrowing into a tough apple. Ivan's Steal attempt produced a bag of heavy coins that he sullenly tucked away before casting his hand out again. The next set of tendrils shot away as the deathly brew of purple toadstool and dogbane shot once more into the wound.
“Inspect Creature!” Ivan growled, dismissing everything but the creature's statuses as it came up and he started running, the scroll floating along with him.
Inspect Creature: Inspection Partially Successful! You are not high enough level to fully inspect this creature while it is alive and aware!
NIGHT WATCH COMMANDER OF THE MOON BLESSED PEOPLE:
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The first boss of the Old Oak Dungeon, a dangerous close combat fighter that summons--
HP: UNKNOWN MP: UNKNOWN SP: UNKNOWN
STATUS: /////### UNKNOWN EFFECT [SHIELDED], /////### UNKNOWN EFFECT [SHIELDED], /////### UNKNOWN EFFECT [SHIELDED], /////### UNKNOWN EFFECT [SHIELDED], /////### UNKNOWN EFFECT [SHIELDED], Bleeding; Shank; Abdomen, Quixla's Hunger, Curse, Blood, Ragged Purple Dog's Bane Poison, Wound, Blood, Festering, Wound, Abdomen, Necrosis, Wound, Abdomen, Green Forest Snake Venom, Wound, Thigh, Burning Chaos, Soul, Mind, Curse.
Ivan pumped a fist celebrating the poison landing on the first few doses. The boss started to show the effect slowly as it continued to duel with Andy, but the right side and left leg were weakened by the afflictions the group could put up. Ivan could only guess at Penelope's Burning Chaos affliction until he had time to inspect it himself and likely ask her for more information besides, but he welcomed it all the same.
“Come forth, Orb of Fire!” Ivan heard Azalea cry as the horn blast faded.
Davian shouted something, but it was blurred by the sound his magic made, and the hammer bass drum beat of the music still playing all around them. Ivan began to grin, his limbs burning, but coming alive with excitement.
“Administer Medicine!” Ivan chanted, casting hand out to Andy, giving him the first long acting dose of a more typical stamina potion.
Andy had lots of endurance and could handle several potions being active in his system at once, and he recovered from the fast acting ones with almost no delay too, the real sealing factor that had ended the further discussion to take on the boss.
Andy was hammering the boss with skill after skill, mostly using them to parry the boss's own, but from the look of it Andy was enjoying himself even then. Going toe to toe with a giant fighter like that must have been testing him.
Ivan saw Andy's Shield Counter meet the boss's Mighty Blade attack, a clear and classic attack skill, and watched as Andy's halberd ripped into an opening near its shoulder slowing its blade arm.
Next the obviously stronger and more powerful creature came down on Andy with Shield Slam, another classic that pitted strength to strength. Andy saw it coming perfectly and answered with Defiant, a skill Ivan had been trumped with a time or two in the arena. Defiant was a semi-magical martial ability that produced force magic at the cost of stamina, and the power of the blast was measured in the exchange of strength above one's own was used against it. The explosion told of difference in strength, but Andy had the clear upper hand in skill.
Andy closed on the opening with his own Shield Slam, and then into a Militia Stance ability called 'Forward the Phalanx'. He ground the beast back for a moment, slamming his shield onto the things feet talons and shattering one of them before striking out with Flash Stab, a Spear martial ability that appeared to bury the spike of Andy's halberd at least hand deep into its guts. In its moment of pain Ivan watched in surprise as Andy pulled out his own Mighty Blade skill, leaving his tall shield strapped to his arm for a short moment as he slammed the axe blade of his halberd into the things head making it stagger backward, wings flailing.
“Come on ya big stupid bird thing!” Andy growled, never the best at battlefield insults.
Ivan finally rounded the back of the thing's wingspan, everything taking so much longer in combat than otherwise and watched, pride filling his chest as Azalea called up another scroll before her. The first group of slave warriors and watchmen were being cut down, ragged and burnt, by Marvin and Davian. The next had their eyes on them, but Azalea was in the process of blasting them to cinders, the scroll coming alive with the same fire that would launch the spell and consume it.
“Come forth! Fire Orb!” Azalea chanted, her left hand extended out beyond the scroll floating near her spiked lantern mace in her right. The rings of red ink flared to life, and a dense orb the size of an apple flew from the parchment consuming it entirely as it shot away, and growing larger with each moment it was in flight.
The orb crashed into the oncoming group of slaves, taking all but the watchman in a single blow. Ivan growled something of a roaring cheer in her direction before gathering his focus upon the drain and strain he felt in Azalea. The scrolls were taking more mana from her than he thought. He had two very good, battle grade tonics that would last a good while. From her effect, even if limited to scrolls it was clear she could make great use of one of them.
“Administer Medicine!” Ivan chanted, casting out a hand in her direction.
The tendrils writhed around and into her, and the demon shivered, her lantern flame flaring before she darted forward in a ghostly graceful sprint that ended with her lantern mace cracking the remaining watchman's skull before Marvin put him all the way down.
Ivan turned his gaze to Myrn, and felt his eyebrows raise somewhere into his hairline as he watched the grounded Knight hack at tree limb thick vines that had ripped from the ground and tangled its limbs. Its one wing was a mess, all broken, crooked and maimed. The source of that injury seemingly having something to do with a ragged tower of vines that had been showered in the remains of feathers. Arrows and darts slammed into its vulnerable areas and before it a patch of strange jungle plants grew, a rising and large pink flower seeming to be their focus. Myrn ran her hand through the air in graceful arcs, elven words whispering from her lips as she chanted the spells of her magic, and the melon sized flower grew and grew until it was about the size of a turkey.
When it bloomed it sprayed a tide of vibrant green spores over the creature, and it began to scream. Little vines, by the thousands, little green worm looking things, spread from the spores, and dove into its flesh going under its armor and into its mouth under the bronze mask. Its beak shattered, its face coming apart in a scream that was silenced by one last arrow through its skull.
Beautiful, pink and vibrant little flowers grew all over the thing, filling the air around in a haze of spores that floated in the air like magic sprites. Long Bow pods started to grow from vines, gaining bone white tips and red feathered fletching that showed at either end of the melon sized pods. Myrn turned, her gaze focused on the boss, and hand waving. All the pods, the little flowers, and even the little spores, seemed to follow her direction and targeted the boss.
Ivan looked Penelope's way and ducked reflexively as something slammed into the base of the wing nearest him. The boss screamed, weapons clattered together as he tried to raise his wings to blast out more wind, but another Chaos bolt slammed into it just as Myrn finished drawing her bow and turning her longbow pods that way. Myrn was nearly flanking the thing from behind with Ivan and others now, and having checked on them all Ivan would make one more attack and then circle back to the front to cover and support Andy in an upfront melee.
First though, arrows and darts, and spores from Myrn's side of the field came flying in. Her arrows glittered with streaks of magical energy as they flew, and exploded into the meat of the thing's wing. The darts landed all over its back and wings, where they found flesh more than armor. Ivan saw what they were doing.
No matter how armored the thing was elsewhere, those wings were a huge vulnerability. There was no way to armor them and fly. Already it looked like this boss creature was wearing about as much armor as it could get away with. It might not need the wings to fight, and they certainly weren't a critical area, but it was effective and distracting damage all the same.
Ivan readied his weapons.
“Imbue Poison.” He chanted, selecting which of the few brews he had left in Shroud mentally as he chanted the spell. On his long sword he put an experimental mix of ground apple seed, gray toadstool, and thornwhistle sap. It was a foul smelling brew and he was glad he had a spell to put it on, especially considering the result could be easily absorbed through the skin.
Inspect Object: Inspection Complete: The Gray Bane, Poison, Tar Resin Form
A mix of cyanide and anticoagulant agents resulting in disorienting and painful death when applied in light amounts. This brew has been crafted in a magical vessel, imbuing it to be more potent and refined. It will inflict the Confusion, Dizziness, Recovery Down Affliction, and the Anticoagulant Affliction.
Dizziness: A loss of up to 20% of total dexterity.
Confusion: A loss of up to 20% of total wisdom.
Recovery Down: A loss of up to 20% of Recovery Attributes' Effect
Anti-Coagulant: Prevents the Healing of bleeding afflictions until this affliction is cured.
Quixla's dagger he imbued with a familiar brew, one that he could make plenty of given the chance, and had in great supply given its effects.
Inspect Object: Inspection Complete: Black Pine Tar, Poison, Tar Resin Formulation
Not far from its medicinal cousin, the black pine's tar can be applied to wounds, hoofs, and chickens...if you'd like them to rot and grow all sorts of bacterial infections... The Black Pine of Drudesha is home to a microcosm of nasty little critters that you don't want anywhere under your skin, in your cuts, or on your hands. Stay off the Black Pines kids, you'll know them from their darker wood and bark!
Infection: A loss of up to 5% total attribute loss.
Fever: A loss of up to 10% mental attribute loss.
Sepsis: Escalating Endurance Damage worsening with infections.
So they weren't critical areas, but Ivan hit them anyway. Using his thief and rogue attributes, Nimble, and Silent Feet, he closed on the things back and leaped into the attack. With his right hand, Knight's Longsword in hand, he struck with Lance Strike aiming for a deep strike into the wing muscle. With his left, he used Shank, again, and again, and again, using his buried longsword as an anchor, twisting and gouging the hole its blade made in the muscle wider and deeper. All the while Ivan hung on its back as it twisted and writhed, and Ivan could feel Andy driving home the advantage of his distraction.
He felt satisfaction from Marvin as the thing howled, frustration from Myrn as she sought to target the beast somewhere that wouldn't risk striking Ivan, and just entirely vicious things from Penelope as somewhere on the beast's front several bolts of something slammed into its hide. Ivan felt the magic gathering in the beast then, and dove from its back.
Still the thing whirled, trying to strike at him, but it's crude fanged club only made the brown stone pavers explode. Ivan kept backing away, but watched as Andy, Marvin, Davian, and Azalea made the thing pay for trying to strike at Ivan. It was snarling, reaching for its horn when Marvin attempted to take its right leg off at the knee.
It nearly attacked Marvin with a martial skill when Andy put the point of his halberd into the circle eye slot of its bronze mask helm, a more ornate version of what the watchmen wore. Marvin retreated, unsuccessful in taking the limb, as the thing pulled the halberd from its eye with a scream when Azalea and Davian hit it.
Azalea's lantern flail mace struck the thing's helm from its face in an explosion of blue gray fire and blood, and nearly cast it stumbling to the ground. Davian's rapier found a hole near its armpit, and dove deep into the flesh of its ribcage, making the creature squeal in pain and rage as it put the horn to its lips.
Somehow it still managed to blow that damn horn. Maybe it was a magic item, but the others retreated, backing away before they were surrounded.
“Isaac!” Andy called too much in the heat of battle to use Ivan's proper name.
Ivan's eyes shot to him.
“Inspect Person!” Ivan chanted at once.
Inspect Person; Inspection Successful; Andy Portvine, Human Male
Condition: Battered
Status: Suffering multiple force blast afflicted wounds over the front facing portions of his body. Multiple small bone fractures in the arms and upper torso. Concussion.
HP: 28/47 MP: 4/4 SP: 11/52
Ivan hurried, selecting his best brews.
“Administer Medicine!” Ivan chanted, first a fast acting tonic to enhance regeneration and other healing effects. By itself it wouldn't heal Andy all the way, but–
The wind blast threw Ivan off his feet as the tendrils left his hand and sailed into Andy. Ivan whirled, having not braced himself in the least, and seemed to have been subject to the full effects of the blast this time.
When he finally managed to control his fall he found that he was aware that he had nearly been blasted all the way to the walls of the arena. His body ached like mad. In the tumble he had no idea how many times he had struck the ground, but if that directed blast had taken Davian it might have killed him. Blood leaked from several little wounds in him, and his head rang.
A far away voice hissed at him, and he instinctively put his right hand over Quixla's dagger still in his left hand. His longsword lay on the ground some several meters ahead of him. He would need to pick it up as he got back to the fighting.
First though he drew on the dagger, restoring himself with the harvest blood and magic of the dagger's victims. The world pulsed, and Ivan staggered, but then got moving as he head cleared. He had his sword back in hand, snatched from the ground before he went into his best all out sprint.
He could already see what was happening, and sense the Knight currently flapping into the air to gain height behind him. That knight wasn't even looking at him, it was looking at Andy, the only one who had been ready and able to almost totally resist the wind blast. The Knight near Ivan would take Andy in a charge, either killing him outright, or putting him out of the battle in the very least. Marvin would have to take over dueling the Commander and based on the piercing damage Andy had taken Marvin would get ripped to shreds in moments.
Ivan's chest soared with pride and worry as Azalea captured nearly both of the two summoned patrols in the Ring of Fire, using the scroll from where she had been catapulted to the ground. Half the patrol pushed through the rising wall before it could form, and charged after Myrn, delaying her for several critical moments before Marvin could regain his sword and crash into them. Myrn saw the high flying knight, too high now to be in reach of her vines. She fired at it, the first being deflected by the knight as it soared even higher.
Penelope was on her feet, blasting the already downed Knight on her side of the field, and dueling it with spell fire as much as her physical prowess. She was able to kick the halberd out of the things hands, and then began almost toying with it in a clawed melee duel to the death. She wasn't so much trading blows as tearing the thing to pieces efficiently. The tough thing would just take a lot of beating before she was able to put it down. All dungeon monsters were like that, hell most people with sufficiently progressed jobs were like that.
By all rights Andy probably shouldn't have been able to stand or wield his weapon with broken bones, but he was, and he was giving the boss hell doing it.
Ivan ran, the bass drum and metal string cords of Davian's music hitting some crazed height that was almost more music than noise, but it sang to some crazed part of his heart and being. Running on that feeling he embraced it, selected his best stamina boosting tonic, and slammed a hand into his chest.
“Administer Medicine!” He chanted as he ran, sparing a glance for the rising knight.
Davian was helping Marvin finish off the last of the patrol, the ring of fire still hiding and obscuring Azalea and her foes inside. Ivan thought he saw a burst of fire within, and something of Azalea's own blue gray ghostly flames inside too, but he could only cling to hope, and her short time training with him. She had talent. She had potent magic, and she likely got a good number of them with a scroll before they closed into melee with her.
Time seemed to go by at a snail's rate. Ivan couldn't seem to run fast enough. Finally he was in range of Andy to cast another heal on him. Ivan's heart was pounding in his chest like a hammer, like a drum being beaten by an anvil really, that damn stamina tonic felt like it was going to make it burst.
“Administer Medicine! Administer Medicine!” Ivan chanted, his best healing tonic sailing from his hand in dark tendrils followed by a potent recovery and endurance tonic that would compound all the current effects and amplify them for about a minute. Hopefully that would keep Andy alive long enough for Ivan to do this, and for Myrn to take over the engagement with the knight.
Ivan ran straight for Andy and the Boss as they traded more blows and skills at a rate that would have startled any good tournament fighter. Sparks were cascading from the exchange as magically enchanted steel met ancient ritual bronze. The sound alone of the battle was nearly titanic as Andy turned away that horrible fanged cudgel time and time again.
Time was running out, Ivan saw the moon-shadow of the Owl-Knight behind him fold its wing and enter into its dive. Ivan braced himself and did what he had to.