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CHAPTER 8: A GOOD BETRAYAL ALWAYS OPENS NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH PARTIES

❝ Ninjarrator, sees all, tells more ❞

The dungeon raid boss [Guardian of the Treasure Hall “Xrophorkpokft”] was a twenty-seven foot tall, four-armed, grey stone golem covered in glowing blue runes-like tribal tattoos. His eyes were three sapphires embedded into its forehead. Each of its fists was larger than a human torso, and all four were currently raining blows on a single, heavily armoured figure standing firmly in front of the rock giant. Every punch came crashing down with earth-shattering momentum, but was deflected with just a subtle tilt of the figure’s huge tower shield.

Still, each punch connected with a bang, exploding loudly like thunder in the wide cave. With each impact, more cracks spread in the stone under the armoured warrior’s metal boots. Yet the golem never succeeded in making its opponent retreat even a step. It was a battle of might, which should have inspired awe to any who witnessed it.

But it didn’t. Because the warrior’s so-called “companions” were petty egocentrically morons, also known as “douchebags”.

“OH!! DUMB ORC! Get your act together! I almost got hit by that blow! Can’t you even aggro properly a dumb piece of rock?! Dumb!!” shouted a knight in shining armour—literally shining armour. So shining in fact, that it could only be described as “sparkly”. The man’s face should have been handsome—or rather “pretty”—but the scowl distorting his features robbed the delicate features of any prettiness.

Despite the insults, the shield bearer continued the fight without as much as a grunt, seemingly unaffected by the verbal abuse.

However, it only seemed so because the noises of the battle were covering the sound of teeth gritting under green fleshy lips, because those taunt bulging muscles couldn’t get any tenser, and because the sparkly knight was in no position to see two fiery golden eyes narrow to angry slits. In truth, if not for the significant reward money, and a large amount of professionalism on the semi-orc’s part, that shiny idiot would have long ago discovered what “getting hit” really meant. Not just “almost”. And probably not by the golem.

As it was, however, the sturdy tank decided to humour the imbecile and wordlessly activated another taunting skill, aimed specifically at this sort of magical enemy. A blue pulse of mana swept across the wide cave. In response, the golem roared—the sound like an avalanche of boulders. From blue, the glow of its gem eyes and tattoo-like runes turned to a wrathful red and its barrage of punches doubled in intensity, but still targeting only the puny insect that dared to defy it while ignoring the rest of the party.

In fact, the [Guardian of the Treasure Hall] had ignored everyone but the tank since the very beginning of the fight—due to the excellence of said tank. The pretty knight only almost got hit because he was a reckless moron. Clearly, he was putting more thoughts into the flashiness of his attacks rather than their efficiency.

The other members of the group were little to no better—if not worse. 

“Take that! And that! And that too! And that! Hahahaha! I am STRONG!!” Shouting, and accompanying the sparkly knight in his pretty assault, was a tall shirtless barbarian. He wielded with abandon a huge war-hammer, giving his all…in ensuring that each of his movements displayed his bulging oily muscles. Also, it appeared he had ripped from his limited dictionary the page containing the word “dodge”.

“.........” From the shadows, a speedy assassin—dressed entirely in black like the cheap ninja knockoff he was—launched a series of quick attacks with the timing of a fart during a moment of silence at a royal banquet. In his defence though, his acrobatics were certainly impressive...nearly as much as they were useless.

“Calling forth the flames of Ashton, I destroy a megaton! [Fire Blast]!! [Fire Blast]!! [FIRE BLAAAAAST]!!!” At the back, a haughty-faced pyromage with Asian features was casting spell after spell. The plethora of amulets, necklaces and rings adorning his person clearly showed the depth of his pockets rather than his fighting aptitudes, as did the way he was downing expensive mana potions faster than a dwarf downed ale—meaning very, very, very fast.

Mana preservation seemed a foreign concept to him. His aim was also questionable, having nearly roasted his allies several times, and his management of aggro was non-existent, making it a freaking miracle the tank was managing to hold the attention of the boss.

“Lancelot, attack from its left flank. Conan, follow Lancelot’s lead! Don’t fight! Ozai, keep it distracted! Sasuke, go for the critique! Come on, we’ve done this before! I believe in you guys!”

“I hear and obey, my princess!”

“FOR YOU, I’LL EVEN FOLLOW THAT SISSY!!”

“……….!”

“[FIIIIIRE BLAAAAAAAAAAAST]!!!!!!”

The sole reason why this band of clowns hadn’t gotten their ass kicked twice over yet—save, of course, for the tank’s masterful play—was a tall, impossibly beautiful, grey-skinned and white-haired moon elf. The enchantress was barking orders and dishing timely compliments from behind the pyromage—the only place where his spell couldn’t reach—while she also acted as the party’s healer, dispensing regular buffs to her teammates. 

At first glance, she seemed a truly outstanding leader, keeping these buffoons vaguely organised and alive. However, any onlooker would soon notice she too was completely disregarding their pressured tank, whose health was beginning to fall dangerously low. Moreover, truth be told, this woman was also the reason why all these relatively competent players were acting like retarded enamoured show-offs.

Morgan Moonshine was an enchantress in more than class only. Watching the barbarian Conan push the knight Lancelot aside to get to the golem first, a smirk danced upon her luscious lips.

Even the shield bearer had initially been lured in by her charms and seductive act, back when the beautiful moon elf had offered a well-paid place as a temporary replacement for their absent tank in a quest ordered by the King of Firstland himself. Now, however, this semi-orc temp meatshield was heatedly cursing a fiend known as Libido, which had clouded the party leader’s true nature as a certified bitch.

However, a contract was a contract. On the long run, as a mercenary and party member for hire, breaking the terms of a contract would be just shooting oneself in the foot—even if those terms had been agreed upon while looking more at an exposed cleavage rather than at the fine print. The promised reward also helped sweeten the pot. Working for a king paid well after all.

The [Zenith Cave] was a dungeon well-known for various reasons. One being the rare treasure that would appear at a fixed interval in its treasure room, coinciding with the spawning of the golem Xrophorkpokft which thus served as an indicator a new item had spawned. This time, the King of Firstland had commissioned the famous party Morgan’s Heroes to retrieve the unknown treasure, as a gift for his daughter’s fifteenth birthday and Coming of Age Ceremony.

Because, yes...they might not seem like it but…Morgan’s bunch was rather well reputed.

Mostly because the enchantress knew to keep her reversed harem on a tight leash when in public.

But they also had a modicum of competence. Only their lovesick rivalry made the males’ coordination a mess without Morgan to command them—which was exactly her goal, by the way. Also, away from the public’s eye, they didn’t hesitate to employ whatever underhanded technique they deemed necessary to succeed. Truly despicable.

However, even with their skill, it had taken the group more than four weeks to find their way through the entire [Zenith Cave] and reach the treasure room. This dungeon was also widely infamous under its officious name, the “Teleport Dungeon”, a maze filled with teleportation magical circles. And neither the paths nor the circles were fixed. They shifted randomly every night, thus making the [Zenith Cave] the most disorienting and frustrating labyrinth known to date in the game, even though its entrance was situated in a relatively safe area and the monsters inside were nothing to be afraid off once past level twenty.

Well, except for the [Guardian of the Treasure Hall “Xrophorkpokft”] of course. It was called a raid boss for a reason.

But now, the party’s efforts were finally about to pay off. The last boss of unpronounceable name was on its last rocky legs. They only had to survive its ultimate attack and finish it off.

The [Zenith Cave] being in a safe zone not far from the capital of Firstland, Xrophorkpokft was a well-documented boss. The party knew, soon, the golem would active its last resort skill, a “sure kill” beam of pure magic. The attack would reveal the golem’s core for a brief instant. It was then they would strike.

There was a catch however. The window of opportunity was extremely small. To widen that window, several methods were available, but the fastest one, and easiest to implement, was to have the target of the attack resist the initial blast. Xrophorkpokft wouldn’t stop its skill until its target was destroyed.

Of course, the downside to that method was the decoy very rarely survived more than a couple seconds. Which was why the enchantress was so glad to have lured in a Shield Bearer.

One has to know that [Shieldbearer], while not officially a rare class in itself, had become informally rare due to its unpopularity. Even amongst players favouring a defensive playstyle, its single-mindedness was deemed a little too hard-core. The joke ran in tank circles that a lone [Shieldbearer] could survive a dragon, but couldn’t kill a goblin unless they fell on it and crushed it under the weight of their equipment. Other said even Bards had a better offence than Shieldbearers.

Whether truth or exaggerations, it was undeniable [Shieldbearer] was the tankiest class in Untold Tales, as clearly displayed in this fight.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

As she watched the battle unfold, an evil smile twisted Morgan’s beautiful lips. Behind the back of the semi-orc, still fighting diligently, she exchanged quick glances with the members of her harem party. The same evil glint was reflected in each of their eyes. One person less meant more reward for them, and they needed a sacrificial pawn anyway.

Eventually, the moment came. Breaking its barrage of punches, the golem spread its arms. The runes on its body started pulsing and glowing with rising intensity. Seeing this, the elven enchantress raised her staff towards the unsuspecting Shield Bearer and incanted in a whisper, “Bramble and thorns, creeper ivy, bind without fail my enemy. [Nature's Snare]” Enchanter was a crowd-control caster class. Buff, debuffs, minor heals and restricting opponents were its specialities. And contrary to the party’s assassin, Morgan had an impeccable timing.

Just as Xrophorkpokft was about to release its killer beam of DEATH AND TOTAL ANNIHILATION, the tank started stepping out of the way, shouting, “Careful! I can’t take this one. Avoid it—What?!” Thick thorny vines had erupted from the ground and sealed the semi-orc’s movements. “BITCH!!” It wasn’t difficult to guess the culprit.

Morgan shrugged off the fiery glare and addressed the rest of the party. “Ready your finishing moves! Wait for my command!”

“““Yes!!”””

“You can't do this!” roared the trapped tank.

The Enchantress replied with a smirk. “Oh, but I can, sweetie. And I do. Blame your bad luck. We’ll be sure to report your heroic death to the king.” There was a teleportation circle in the Treasure Hall that led directly outside. Given the twenty-four real hours penalty in the event of death, they would reach the capital and claim the reward way before the semi-orc could log back in. She blew a kiss at the distraught tank and pouted cutely. “Don’t hate me~?”

The other’s answer was less than amiable. “Fuck you bitch! Don’t you fucking underestimate me! AAAAARRRR!!” Along with the guttural cry of its wielder, the huge tower shield started to glow. An ethereal replica materialised around the physical object. At the same time, the body of the semi-orc started shining from underneath the plate armour.

At that moment, with a loud whoosh, the golem fired its beam. The horizontal pillar of light collided with the shimmering translucent shield and, to the party’s stupor, the latter withstood the blow! Even Morgan was so stunned she momentarily forgot to give the signal to attack. She had known Shield Bearers were resistant, but not to this extent! She had planned for the tank to survive the attack, not block it!

Under the force of the impact, the ground shattered around the tank’s heavy metal boots. The crater deepened and spread as the destructive beam continued to strike with increasing momentum. Eventually, even the might of the shield of light couldn’t resist anymore. The projection shattered, along with the real metal tower shield. The beam finally rammed into the bound player, burning away the restraining vines. The other five watched, stunned, as the large armoured body was propelled across the cave. It crashed into the stone wall. Blood gushed through the mouth grid of the semi-orc’s helmet, along with a single word.

“Shit.”

Still not dead though.

Following this, Morgan was the first to recover. “NOW!! Quick! Get that stupid boulder!”

The party members all focused back on the temporarily defenceless golem, itself still focused on attacking the still-not-dead player. None of them was paying attention to their dying “companion” anymore.

Therefore, they all missed when a hidden teleportation circle suddenly started to glow on the ground underneath the unmoving armour. 

An instant later, the imposing form of the Shield Bearer vanished without a trace.

* * *

In a different realm, a being of pure chaos looked up from their cup of tea, their attention caught by a person crossing their domain. As God of Chaos and Potatoes, also known to a chosen few as “Bob”, random teleportation obviously fell under his/her/its/their dominion.

“Hehehe…What were the odds?” The white rabbit chuckled at his inside joke, then took a sip of the boiling beverage it held in its tiny little paws. It burped and shapeshifted in a puff of smoke. With a twirl of her spoon, the rainbow-haired woman stirred the tea and redirected the teleporting player. “This should be fun,” the indistinct mass of tentacles concluded as it took a bite out of the porcelain, tea pouring everywhere on what passed as its face. “Right. Let’s add a little gift. Toby will complain I play favourite again, but what do I care?” One of its tentacles stretched inside a portal that suddenly appeared.

The object the old man took out was immediately tossed carelessly to another portal, falling into the mortal world. Then he died of a heart attack, before walking out of the room dancing the French Cancan. The door slammed loudly behind him.

“OUCH!!” said the door.

* * *

Back in the mortal plane, somewhere in a dark forest of absurdly tall trees, inside a now familiar vale of death and weirdness, a betrayed warrior woke up cursing.

“That bitch! Slut. Shameless fucking—ow. My head…that dumb freaking piece of shit rock—”

*ting!!*

“…what?”

Quest Window: [Save the Princess]

Background Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort, which could only be broken by true love’s kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon’s keep, in the highest room of the tallest tower, for her true love, and true love’s kiss.

Objective Reach the long forgotten and lost keep of [Bluerose Castel] and free [Princess Victoria Sangbleu] from the terrible curse shackling her to those ruins. Then, escort her safely out of the [Valley of Nowhere] to the secret village of [Kansas].

Success Condition: Bring [Princess Victoria Sangbleu] safely to [Kansas] Failure Conditions:

- You die. [One-time quest event]

- [Princess Victoria Sangbleu] dies before reaching [Kansas]

Rewards:

- A unique subclass

- Additional rewards depending on interaction with [Princess Victoria Sangbleu]

Quest imposed by the [God of Chaos]. Impossible to refuse.

*ting*

 New Stat!

For having been directly subjected to divine providence, you gained the stat:

[Divine Affinity] 

*ting*

For your first interaction with one of the two Primordial Gods, [Divine Affinity +25]

*ting*

New Stat!

The God of Chaos, Odds and Entropy took a personal interest in you. You gained the stat:

[Luck]

*ting*

You have [Levelled up]!!

Two fiery golden eyes widened in confused disbelief.

“The God of…What? Stats? Quest? Wait. What the fuck is going on?”

But quickly that query was followed by another. “Princess…hmm…is she cute?” That actually didn’t sound so bad, now did it? Those same eyes grew wishful, then finally they turned serious and glanced around.

In the surrounding darkness, only scattered glowing fungi provided a semblance of luminescence. That faint light revealed giant trees going on and on in every direction. Far, far high above, spread a dense canopy which let nothing be seen of the sky, although thundering explosions let easily presume of the cataclysmic state of the weather. On ground level, enormous, humongous roots protruded from the humus, rising taller than even the Shield Bearer’s seven feet nine. Everywhere, loud shrieks, roars, howls, hoots, and other squeaks hinted at the presence of countless and diverse ferocious creatures.

A couple yards away, a black shield laid on the ground, coincidentally replacing the ones that had just been destroyed. Standing up, our puzzled hero(?) walked to the piece of equipment and, after a second of hesitation, picked it up. It was a simple pitch black tower shield, with as sole distinctive feature the visage of a beautiful woman engraved into its front. Her eyes were closed and her expression serene, as if asleep or meditating.

“Command. Inspect.”

Item: [Shield of Medusa]

Part 1/3 of [Scales Guard]

 Type: Defensive gear, artefact Restrictions:  200+ STR, [hidden] Durability:  150/150 Phys. Defence: 169   Mag. Defence: 100

A strong shield forged in ancient times, imbued with the spirit and magic of a powerful sorceress. Her strong willpower intimidates those who gaze upon her carved portrait. 

Special Effect:

Makes those who see the shield, other than the wielder and their allies, feel more reluctant to attack.  The intensity of the effect depends on the target’s [Willpower].

“………This is too fishy.”

At this stage of the game, any defensive gear with a defence value above 150 was a very lucky find. Add the magical properties and this shield became beyond rare. It was also part of a set, which meant bonuses could be obtained if the set was completed, on top of the combined stats of each individual piece of equipment. And if the two other pieces of this set matched the specs of this shield, the full [Scales Guard] would definitely rank amongst the top fifty best in Untold Tales.

Finding such a good item just lying on the ground, after a random teleportation in which the God of Chaos intervened, anyone would be suspicious. Greedy too. The temptation to just equip the shield was strong, but this player was naturally cautious and resisted. The hidden restriction also raised questions.

However, it was also true that the shield lost in the golem’s attack had been an expensive one, with a defence stat of 127. Its destruction meant this here Shield Bearer was now both shield-less…and broke. Was it really the time to look the gift horse in the mouth?

As if to answer the unspoken question and help the player in choosing “wisely”, a low hissing growl filled the air and a ten-foot-tall cross between a hairless gorilla and a fanged frog covered in horn spikes came barrelling out of the underbrush, straight at the shield bearer, murderous hunger in its wet beady eyes.

With an irritated groan, the semi-orc equipped the suspicious shield. As if acknowledging its new owner, it glowed an ominous purple for a heartbeat and a said owner felt a brief but unpleasant tingle.

“I am so going to regret this.”

But there was no time for second guessing. The monster had jumped, all fangs and claws out, bellowing with a ferocity that made the earth shake. Staring unflinchingly at the incoming creature, two fiery golden eyes narrowed in anger.

“Why can’t I catch a goddamn break?!”

This Shieldbearer was pissed and in need to vent.

Honestly, the monster was the one to feel sorry for.

* * * * *