The ringing of the bells echoed all around me. Their deep sound shaking the very stones of the cathedral. Dust pattered off of nearby walls, old chandeliers with dead candles, creaked back and forth. A few fell to the ground in heaps of shattered metal. Glass shattered from high above me, rain of rainbow glass clattered the higher walkways and cobblestone flooring.
I held my warhammer at the ready. Eyes searching all around me for my first Corrupted God. Then I spotted him descending, like a robed spider, from the highest central tower. Long, thin grey arms stretched out, pulling itself downward as the thick brown cloth that covered most of his body drifted in the wind. In one of his many hands, outstretched so that he could continue to strike it, a large metal bell hung by a thick rusted chain.
Koushinon struck the bell again, sending out a heavy sound that rattled my teeth and penetrated my bones. Then the God himself let out a terrifying scream, louder and more terrifying than the bell he rung. His robed head reached up like a putrid slug to the amber dark sky. Koushinon jumped from his perched spot atop the tower and landed in an explosion of cracked stone and plumed dust. A dark red, almost black, health bar appeared above his name. The only text that showed with it was his name.
[Koushinon The Bell Ringer]
In an erratic, almost dance like motion, the Corrupted God rushed me. His wet, rough, screech causing my ears to ring. He curved to my right a few feet away from me then swung the towering bell high above his head bringing it straight down like a hammer. I dodge out of the way barely missing the Gods mighty swing as it shattered the ground. Stone pieces flew in all direction and a thick cloud of dust covered my vision. My dodge recovery was slow as I tried to get myself back on my feet. The [Heavy Plate] armor causing me to move slow and sluggish.
When I finally found my footing I moved to a better position, one where I faced my opponent but didn’t have my back against a wall. I could hear the slow thudding of the bell come to a grinding halt somewhere in the dust cloud that shifted before me. Koushinon’s dark form shuttered within that cloud like a shadow rising from the mists of a hidden cave. He continued to breath his raspy call, a sound unlike anything I had ever heard before. Like a drowning rat being devoured by a crocodile. It was foul.
I stepped up to make my move doing my best to wave away the dust that hung in the air. I finally came within reach of the Corrupted Gods bell weapon and noticed that it was stuck in the ground. Koushinon was frantically working to free it. This was my chance to deal some damage. I quickly rushed past the bell and swung my warhammer dead center of the creature’s body. My attack impacted with a heavy thud as if I had hit strong stone, or a large bone. There was an awful cracking sound followed by the God letting out a blood curling scream. I had done it. I had hurt this foul boss. I checked its health bar to see how much damage I had done and immediately felt hot coals in my throat. I had barely scratched him. His health bar had dropped no more than ten percent. Way less than I was hoping.
Koushinon swiped out with his many arms and struck me on the side of my arm, and I was sent flying back. I hit against a nearby stone pillar knocking the air out of me. My head had gone dizzy from the attack, and my eyes were a blur. I blinked trying to regain my focus when, like a hot blade, pain cut through my arm. Real pain. Agonizing pain. I had been hurt for real. It felt like my arm was broken, and chains had twisted around my chest squeezing the air from me.
No one said that this game would actually hurt! What the hell is this?
I received an updated notification in the air.
HP: 10/22
I had lost more than half of my health in a single attack and not even an attack from his weapon. This was bad. This is not what I signed up for. I was supposed to be the hero. The champion of this game. Not a corpse in my first ten minutes of playing.
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Koushinon regained his composure, grabbed the chain of his weapon and heaved with all his might. The bell broke free of the ground and the boss swung it in a circular arc around his body, like a demented spinning top. He drew the weapon closer and closer to me then let the weapon swing hard right where I was sitting. In a moment of desperate anxiety, I pulled myself to the side and behind the pillar of stone. The bell smashed right where I had been sitting, missing me by an inch, crashing the stone pillar down all around me. I was pinned under a rubble of rock and dust. I couldn’t move.
What do I do? This is bad. I can’t move. I’ve taken too much damage already. One more hit and I’m dead for sure. What happens when I die in the game? Game over?
I had only one thought. One plan that could possibly save me. I couldn’t believe I was already resorting to desperate tactics in the first boss fight. I activated my first ability [War Cry].
“Come and get me!” I let out the best shout I could muster as I used [War Cry] my [SP] being consumed as I did so. I could feel an energy leave my body then a sudden warm strength filled my arms, legs and back.
Another notification appeared.
[War Cry] Activated. 8SP spent. Total SP: 5/13
[HP]: 21/33 (11 Temp HP) 1 Minute Buff.
I didn’t let this moment go to waste. I pushed the rocks from on top of me, enough to let myself wriggle free. The entire time I expected the bell to come slamming down on top of me ending my life, but it never came. I finally managed to free myself and retake my ground. I turned around and saw that Koushinon had fallen back a step from his attack which gave me enough time to not only get free of the rubble but to also reach down and retrieve my warhammer. I decided to store the warhammer on my back and switch to my dual blades. The Corrupted God was slow on his attacks. If I could get within his reach maybe I could hit him enough times and still be quick enough to dodge back before he attacked again.
I had about a minute left before my [War Cry] buff would disappear, and I didn’t have enough [SP] to use any of my other abilities. Well, that was inconvenient. However, I did have one ability that didn’t require [SP] but if I used it now and then my buff wore off, I would be at 0 [HP]. I didn’t think I had much of a choice. The game had thrown me right into the fire and I either claw my way out or die burning.
I sacrificed 12 of my [HP] dropping it down to 9 and engaged my [Blood Rage]. The sensation of spending [SP] didn’t feel anywhere as draining as using my own health to activate an ability. I felt like I had been drained of blood then simultaneously pumped full of caffeine and adrenaline. It was a disorienting rush of power that hit me in an instant. I felt my muscles tighten, my bones filled with fire, and my focus centered only on my enemy. The Corrupted God, Koushinon, The Bell Ringer.
I raged forward, blades drawn out in front of me and wildly attacked my adversary. I cut gashes into his arms and tried to work on making him drop the chain of his weapon. Each of my attacks cut deep into his decaying flesh but the health bar above his head only dropped a few inches at every one of my swings. It was like chipping away at a rock with a toothpick. How was this the introduction boss to the game?
Even with my raged filled attacks I had hardly done any damage to him, and my time was running out. I had no health potions, no way to recover my stamina. This was ridiculous. I was going to fail before even seeing The Grand Daleum.
Think Zerik. There must be a way to defeat this boss. Hell, he’s the first one. There was always a weak point in the bosses of the games I played. There must be one on this one as well, but where could it be.
Koushinon retreated back into the shadows of an overhanging walkway. The chain of his weapon was drawn taught ready to be swung at a moment’s notice. His body crouched like a spider ready to claim his prey. I waited a moment to consider what to do next. My [War Cry] was about to fade and so was my [Blood Rage]. If there was a moment to truly shine it would be now. A heroes attack like in the movies. Pushed to the brink of destruction I would rise like a phoenix from the ashes.
I rushed Koushinon ready to end this fight when my body fell to the ground. I had lost all strength. I was like a rag doll tossed to the side ready for the echoes of time to drag me to my death. My abilities had finally ended. Another notification materialized in my fading vision.
[HP]: 0/22
[DEFEATED]
I had lost but I wasn’t dead. No, I was simply losing my consciousness. Maybe it wasn’t over? I could possibly respawn. Maybe I had more than one life? That’s when I noticed Koushinon approach me, swing his bell high up into the air and slam it down on my head. I felt everything. Every bone in my skull crushed. My eyes popping out of my head and the blood rushing down my broken chin. I had died and every feeling of it had been etched into my memory. A disgusting, horrifying memory. One I would never forget.