With gnashing ghouls within the cave and nut-throwing badboons without, Joe decided to deal with the former first, just in case he needed to retreat back into this crevasse again. The stocky undead were pinned in place by the rocks. Though with his presence so close by, most of them were working furiously to free themselves. Since Joe did not want to touch the numbing creatures, he used one of his very first spells instead. He had never had a chance to use [Heart Fire] offensively before.
[Heart Fire]: Create a small campfire. Any living being in Close range of the manifestation regains 1 point of Health every minute. For each skill rank you have with this skill you gain another healing pulse in that time. The fire lasts for one hour. Undead creatures in this area will take damage instead of gaining health. The flames radiate a gentle warmth but will not burn surrounding objects or living creatures. Cost: Moderate Mana.
Joe placed the illusionary blaze right on top of the pile of rocks. The ghastly trapped cadavers began to hiss and gurgle when the first pulse hit them. With the level he had the skill at, his [Heart Fire] was releasing a pulse roughly every four seconds. Most of the fiends tried to shy away from the spell that was eating into them but they were held fast by the rockfall. The one ghoul that had been trying to rip itself in half for freedom redoubled its efforts. Joe nailed it with both of his axes and a punch from [Fetching Fist] for good measure. It stopped moving a few seconds later.
Your skill [Heart Fire] has increased to rank 17.
With those behind him dealt with, Joe crept up to the opening to see what the situation was in the gully. Earcellwen’s sleep arrows had been incredibly effective. Of the thirty or so badboons they had counted, close to twenty of them were laying slumped on the ground. Even the big guy looked like he had been affected. He was not asleep but the eight-foot tall ape was sitting on the ground, swaying and rubbing at his eyes.
Joe had to take advantage of this opportunity now. The longer he delayed the more apes would be waking up. He charged up a [Grit Razor] and planned a route that would get him to the highest number of unconscious badboons quickly. He would just have to hope he could ward off the [Nut Shots]. [Healer’s Ward] would be helpful but with a [Heart Fire] burning a few feet away he was already at full health. Just before he stepped out, an idea hit him. Taking one of the handaxes, Joe dug a small cut into his upper arm.
You have minorly injured yourself. You have lost 1% of your Health.
You have failed to resist the [Oil of Cutter’s Edge]. You are bleeding.
From such a small wound, he would only lose a couple of hit points every few seconds but it would allow him to heal as needed. If it became an issue, he could always [Purge] the condition away. As [Grit Razor] reached its full charge, Joe healed and launched himself out of the cave. He targeted the largest group of comatose apes with the glassy black shards. He had debated ripping into those still awake to disorient them but he felt their best bet was to take out as many of the unconscious apes as possible, as quickly as possible. Better to halve the enemy’s numbers now even if that meant retreating and regrouping, before trying again.
Joe used his woundsight to watch their health instead of Hawking’s windows. It was faster. Any ape which was low on health he hit with the wounding oiled axes with the hope that they would bleed out before waking. He ramped up another [Grit Razor] as he tossed the heavy hatchets.
He tried to sunder any incoming nuts he saw but he ended up taking several hits from the curving missiles. The edges of these nuts were sharp. One opened a large gash in his thigh, cutting right through his [Dreadstalker Leggings]. Joe was going to have to get a wand of mending when he got paid for this quest. He would also look at the price of the [Dual Cast] skill. He had seen that one in the market. It would allow him to heal himself and an ally at the same time. Or drop two [Heart Fires] at once. Most importantly, he’d be able to charge a [Grit Razor] in each hand simultaneously.
As Joe hurled the arc of slashing stones into the next pile of sprawled monkeys, Naenaeon charged through the ravine. The white stag trampled four sleeping apes and gored one of the conscious badboons with a crown of spearing antlers. Arrows were still lancing into the beasts as well. These were the heavy hunting arrows RC had been employing in the previous fights instead of the lighter missiles she had utilized for the [Sleeping Sap].
In roughly a minute, most of the apes that had succumbed to the sleep arrow had been dispatched. Joe switched targets with his latest spell and launched the shards at those still awake. He had been keeping an eye on the boss and so far the massive gorilla-like alpha was still fighting off the dose of [Sleeping Sap] he had received.
A handful of windows appeared on the edge of Joe’s vision just as he heard Earcellwen let out a joyous whoop. ‘Way to go, RC,’ he thought, guessing the ranger just earned the level she had been chasing. Not wanting to break his rhythm, he let the windows wait.
He slapped a heal on Naenaeon as the stag passed, closing up a long slice the beast had taken along his ribs. Putting away his hatchets, Joe switched to just his talons. After bulking up his arms, Joe launched himself at the last large cluster of apes. There were still a few solo badboons in the nut trees, but he trusted Earcellwen to deal with those.
Joe knew how these creatures fought now. He knew the moment they chose to rush him. Flaring [Steadfast], he hammered the oncoming apes with his claws, making them pay dearly for their failed attempt to bowl him over.
Then he heard the sound he had hoped would wait a few more minutes. The Alpha’s earsplitting bellow crashed into him.
You have resisted the Bowler Badboon Alpha’s [Dreadful Roar]. You are not cowered.
The last of the wounded badboons around him retreated from that thunderous shout. They looked more terrified of the their boss than Joe was.
As Joe pivoted to face the enormous alpha ape, he had to open his jaw wide to pop his ringing ears. When he finished the turn, he saw the gargantuan beast bearing down on him.
“You guys are going to have to take the rest of the little guys!” Joe shouted. “I’m about to be very busy!”
He had no time to move away from the freight-train of hulking muscle that was about to plow through him.
In comic books and action movies, you often see the heroes somersaulting out of the way of enemy attacks. Joe had been to enough LARPS and Renaissance events to know that tactic didn’t actually work in real life, regardless of how many times Captain Kirk pulled it off. Inevitably, any faux-armored LARPer attempting to tumble their way around an attack would flounder on the ground long enough to be soundly whapped into simulated death by the enemy’s foam weapons.
Yet when the alpha’s massive fist cannoned through the air to pulverize Joe, his instincts took over and he performed this very same ridiculous move. He dove under the six-foot-long arm, rolled across the ground, only to pop back up onto his feet behind the gigantic creature, all in perfect superhero style. He was so stunned himself, he almost missed the opportunity that dumb gimmick had earned him.
The two athletic skills he had gained from the werewolf continued to pay off for him over and over again. [Hunter’s Pursuit] boosted all of his movement abilities, whether it was running, climbing, jumping, or even tumbling. Then there was [Morphic Form], which flawlessly allocated muscle mass wherever he needed it, making his marginal Strength and Dexterity far more effective than his low bodily scores warranted.
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Joe used the brief moment of the alpha’s distraction to activate another lycanthropic talent. The ability truly belonged to the Fell Bane Hunter’s skill set, but his wild-side seemed to have taken it over. He focused on the creature towering over him, seeking to discover where it was the weakest with [Spot Weakness].
His focus narrowed; his scent and sight became less important than what his ears and skin were telling him. He could hear and somehow feel the mighty heart beating inside the great ape. Boom. Boom. Boom. Joe felt his hackles start to rise. He was not sure what [Spot Weakness] was telling him, though he was pretty sure it was not just ‘stab the big bastard in the heart’. That was kind of a no-brainer for almost any living creature.
Joe had to dodge again before his skill truly showed him the vulnerability. The alpha’s swings became relentless as the beast grew more and more enraged. Joe felt his focus being drawn to the behemoth’s neck, then its groin; which he would have been quite happy to not have given the beast’s huge balls a good look-over. Finally, when his attention shifted to the inside of the creature’s arm, he saw the large pulsing arteries and understood. Bleeding the brute out would be his best bet.
Unfortunately, that moment of clarity also caused him to mistime his latest dodge. The footlocker-sized fist slammed into him with the force of a dozen cinderblocks. Joe was lifted up off the ground and hurled across the gully to smash into a steep rocky wall.
The Bowler Badboon Alpha has severely injured you. You have lost 58% of your Hit Points.
You have resisted being incapacitated by traumatic damage.
Your skill [Stun Block] has increased to rank 10.
Joe gasped for breath as waves of agony made his back feel like someone had torn the skin straight off it. He tried to get his muscles to respond but everything was just a hurricane of agony. He healed and spared a thought for his conditions. Not being stunned he could think and cast but he could not move yet. The pounding of massive feet told Joe his enemy was coming to finish him off. The word ‘Immobilized’ popped into his head. That was a new one. Joe might be able to [Purge] it but, even if he did, he would be hammered into paste before he could get out of the way again.
Joe picked a spot and willed himself there. The alpha roared triumphantly as it battered the spot Joe had been slumped in an instant ago with a series of titanic blows. Its grunt of surprise a second later was actually a bit comical.
You have purged the Immobilized and the Bleed conditions from yourself.
Your skill [Purge] has increased to rank 8.
Your skill [Healing Touch] has increased to rank 37.
After removing the immobilized condition and healing, Joe used his medallion to jump again. This time to the top of the ravine, where he found a bit of cover.
Your skill [Stealth] has increased to rank 6.
As soon as Joe knit his ribs back together, he peeked through the shrubs he was ducking behind. The oversized gorilla was spinning about looking for him. The moment its back was to him, Joe launched himself into the air, landing on the broad hairy back. He hooked his claws on either side of the huge neck, which was wider than Joe’s whole torso. Using all the muscles he could muster, he rammed his talons through the thick shaggy hide and dragged them backward as he kicked off the beast’s shoulders. Joe managed a full flip in the air before nailing a perfect acrobat’s landing.
The alpha howled, clapping his huge mitts to the ragged wound around its neck. It turned until it spotted Joe again. The growl it loosed was such a deep powerful throb Joe could feel it, as if he was standing beside a subwoofer. It dropped its hands from the neck wounds and launched itself at Joe again.
This time Joe did not need to spare any attention looking for weaknesses. He stayed in the moment, not thinking about anything but dodging, ducking, and, when he could, raking his claws across the hide of the juggernaut’s wrists, armpits, and thighs.
There were no random [Nut Shots], so his allies must have been doing their jobs. Which was good because he couldn’t afford to spare a thought for anything but the goliath he was facing.
The alpha seemed to grow stronger and faster the more they fought, driving itself into a berserker fury. It was spraying blood with every swing. Joe did not even want to chance his woundsight to see if the hulking brute was starting to fail. He could not afford to get clipped by one of the earth-shattering blows. Even though Joe had several levels on the creature, it was an elite beast. He was pretty sure that meant it was a lot more powerful than its mere level 8 suggested.
Finally, Joe could feel it begin to slow down. It was not a huge decrease but Joe found he did not have to devote all his efforts to dodging. He tumbled again, getting behind the monster, and lashed his talons across the back of the brute’s right ankle. The Achilles tendon split with a pop, causing the great ape’s leg to fold, toppling the creature.
It tried to lever itself back up. As it endeavored to get to its knees, Joe went on the offensive. He slashed through the skin covering the beast’s thick brow. The gash bled all the more due to the Weeping Wound oil. Once it was blinded, Joe continued to rake furrows through the monster’s shaggy pelt.
Just as he was sure he had the fight won, the ape blindly swept his hands together. By dumb luck or some unknown sense, the brute's timing was perfect. Its palms clapped together catching Joe’s chest in a crushing grip. For the second time, the air was driven from his lungs. The monster squeezed unbearably hard. Joe could feel his newly mended ribs begin to crack again.
He was lifted off the ground and toward the brute’s face. The monster opened its fanged-maw wide and tipped him head-first toward it. No matter how good Joe’s healing was, having his head bitten off would be a death sentence.
‘No ef’ing way!’ he swore mentally.
Locking his eyes on the behemoth's shoulder, Joe jumped through space. His teleport landed him awkwardly on the moving flesh but found enough balance to spin around. Wasting no time, Joe repeated his first devastating attack. He sliced twice as deeply through each side of the mammoth neck, even hitting the brute's backbone with his right set of nails.
He flipped off its back again and tried to stick the landing. His fractured ribs stabbed at him as his feet hit the ground, turning his dismount into more of a stumble than a picture-perfect landing. Joe healed as he retreated.
The great ape was done for. Blinded and bleeding out, Joe had a free moment to assess the battlefield. He spotted a bloodied Naenaeon chasing a far more bloodied badboon around the gulch. A yelp from one of the furthest nut trees suggested that RC was still hunting as well. Figuring the pair could take care of themselves for a few more minutes, Joe turned back to his own opponent.
Suddenly a pang of guilt hit him. He knew the brutes were monsters. They had clearly descended on the mining community that lived in this gully and butchered them. Still, they were also just beasts doing what wild animals do, finding a territory, claiming it if they could, and defending it. He doubted they were malicious, just hostile.
Not wanting the great ape to suffer further, Joe began dosing the alpha with [Deadened Flesh]. Its pained struggles slowed and finally ceased. Joe knew he had done the right thing by killing the mighty predator, but he also felt better for sparing it some of its final suffering.
Less than a minute later, Joe saw more windows being added to the stack he had waiting for him. Earcellwen and the white stag stepped up to the edge of the ravine, before nimbly bounding down to where he was standing. RC was smiling smugly, and Naenaeon strode toward Joe with his head held high.
“Nice job guys,” Joe welcomed as he placed a [Heart Fire] at his feet. “Let me patch you guys up and then we can see what is left here to salvage. Oh, and congrats on the level, RC.”
“Thanks but I almost thought it wasn’t going to be worth it. I was sure you were a goner there for a bit. Nice combat teleport. I mean I saw you use it at the willows but that was more spot-jumping. True combat teleporting is a great ability.”
Joe realized just how many times his talisman had saved his ass. It was one of his absolute favorite items. The best part was since it was a soulbound item, it could not be stolen.
Thinking back to when he had received the medallion, he was reminded of the other item he had received with Kaid, the [Band of Beguilement]. Joe smacked himself on the forehead. He could have been creating additional allies all along, but he had completely forgotten about the mind-bending bracelet.
‘Next time,’ he promised himself, letting go of his feeling of foolishness.
They had beaten all three nests. It was time for rewards.