Ocean Mob

Deep Sea Behemoth

Level 68

Owin had at least expected a name for the massive creature. They saw more and more of it as they neared, confirming it to be the single biggest mob Owin had seen. It had five heads and an uncountable number of flailing tentacles. It didn’t look like anything else he had seen on the seventh floor.

Just beyond the behemoth was a crack in the ground with light shining from below. At their current position, Owin couldn’t see what gave off the light, but he guessed it was something to do with lava. It seemed to be the main bright thing below, other than the shining crystals.

“What do you want me to do?” Owin asked.

“Stand there. Watch. Don’t let Shade get too close.” Myrsvai was crouched beside Suta. Mana threads glowed inside his metal leg.

“Okay, rude,” Shade said.

“I won’t have you to be a distraction on the next floors. Suta and I need to see if we can manage this entirely on our own.” Myrsvai tilted his head, listening to something the little familiar whispered.

“When you put it that way.” Shade leaned his elbow on Owin’s helmet. “How do you feel about this?”

“Fine,” Owin said.

“We will watch together,” Thalgodin said.

Myrsvai stood and tapped the bottom of his staff on the ground. “We’re ready.”

Suta punched his fists together.

“Which head are you attacking first? May I suggest them all? One big attack?” Shade started to walk beside Myrsvai before the magus stopped him.

“We’re going ahead alone.”

“Alone alone? Like without me?”

“Alone, Shade.” Myrsvai continued down the hill with Suta close on his left side.

Suta looked back at Owin. The familiar’s yellow eyes glowed in the dark Ocean, piercing through the heavy black smoke. He nodded.

Owin smiled just as the Deep Sea Behemoth roared. He was finally going to see the real power of Myrsvai and Suta.

The Maimed Magus was a legend throughout Verdantallis for surviving an attack. For killing a hero company.

“You challenge me alone?” The Deep Sea Behemoth laughed. A different laugh, some higher, some lower, boomed from each of the five heads.

“I don’t need anybody else.” Magenta fire swirled around Myrsvai’s feet.

Wisps of yellow smoke started to drift from Suta’s shoulders. The familiar stuck out his wrapped hand just as an abyssal sword appeared.

“That whelp won’t help an old man win.” The Deep Sea Behemoth stood tall, using tentacles to raise its body above the black smoke. The five heads spread out with wide, mocking grins. They were far more human-like than Owin had first realized. Bulbous gray eyes of the center head watched Myrsvai closely.

“Suta.” Myrsvai tapped his staff on the ground. “Abyssal Armor. Show this boss what we can do.”

And now, Owin got to watch Myrsvai and Suta take their first step to become legends for being 7 Shard Heroes.

Suta launched himself out of the black smoke toward the central head. A tentacle swung out of the smoke, which was knocked aside by an Abyssal Blast from Myrsvai. Suta swung the summoned weapon, slashing through the cheek of the Deep Sea Behemoth.

More tentacles appeared, swinging wildly at Suta. They appeared from the beast’s back, sprouting like new trees. One caught the familiar, shattering his summoned armor and throwing him off into the smoke.

Myrsvai didn’t flinch. He didn’t even move.

Owin didn’t fully understand what it meant to be a summoner. He had seen the magus summon Suta, demons, and weapons, but what did he actually do in a fight? Other than Dread Bind and Abyssal Blast and Barrage, Owin couldn’t think of any offensive spells, but at his level, Myrsvai had to have a whole collection of spells from all different Power levels.

The two outside heads moved, one looking up, the other looking down. They inhaled deeply with the one facing up glowing light blue, and the one facing down glowing with a fiery orange.

Myrsvai had yet to actually move.

Owin tensed. Myrsvai didn’t want help, but Owin wasn’t going to watch another friend die.

The magus looked back, smiling. “Want to see something interesting?”

Bits of ice formed on one of the faces of the Deep Sea Behemoth. Water boiled as lava dripped from another. The middle three heads watched, laughing, as tentacles moved it into place.

Suta dashed out of the smoke, skidding to a stop in front of Myrsvai. The magus raised his staff. The gem on top, cradled in what looked like a clawed hand glowed white in a way Owin had never seen before.

The upper head turned and unhinged its jaw. A blast of ice hissed, causing Owin’s ears to ring. It was like a massive column of blue that looked like it would destroy anything in its path.

Right before it struck, Suta glowed brightly, matching the white shine of Myrsvai’s staff.

“Absorb Elements,” Thalgodin said. “A simple ability that only has real power if the magus can use what it absorbs.”

The attack completely covered Myrsvai and Suta and caused the ground all around them to freeze in a thick sheet of ice. Bits of ice flew through the water and floated around the Deep Sea Behemoth’s head.

As soon as the attack stopped, Owin spotted Myrsvai with his staff raised high.

“An Abyssal Magus rarely has use of Absorb Elements, unless they simply plan to nullify an attack,” Thalgodin continued. “I swore loyalty to Myrsvai because he is clever.”

Suta took a few steps away from the magus. His white glow had faded, leaving him looking normal. The white glow remained, shining even brighter, at the top of Myrsvai’s staff.

“Elemental Metamorphose.” He smashed the staff onto the ground, causing the white glow to vanish immediately.

“Whoa,” Shade said. “That could kill Suta.”

Owin tensed again. “What?”

Suta hunched over and placed his hands on the icy ground.

“In a normal familiar, it could. It’s an ability meant for elemental magi.” Thalgodin had a smirk as he watched. Even the Deep Sea Behemoth seemed interested. It advanced slowly, watching. More tentacles were constantly sprouting from its body as it moved itself ever closer.

Owin had thought it was huge before, but the smoke had obscured so much of the boss’s body. The thing was monstrous. It was like five snakes bound together at the tail, but that tail was a swarm of tentacles that were constantly moving and multiplying.

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Spikes of ice erupted from Suta’s back. The familiar smashed his fists against the ground, shattering the ice and rock. An icy blue helmet formed over Suta’s head, leaving the blue crystals at the top still sticking out.

“Ready?” Myrsvai asked.

“Ready,” Suta said, his voice a bit deeper than normal.

The Deep Sea Behemoth head dripping lava swung in low through the smoke and unleashed a barrage of lava. As soon as it started the attack, Suta swung his hands, creating a big wall of ice.

Owin grabbed Shade and Thalgodin, yanking them to the side. He dragged them both along as the lava struck the ice wall and splashed. Bits of molten rock splattered where Owin had just been standing, but the part he was more concerned about was all the rock freezing in the cold water, causing thousands of obsidian shards to rain down.

Suta’s wall had been destroyed, but he stood in front of Myrsvai unharmed.

“Time to kill, Suta.” Yellow smoke lifted off Myrsvai’s shoulders. The same soon started to rise from Suta again.

“What are they doing now?” Owin asked. There were so many abilities and spells he hadn’t seen or heard about.

“Channeling,” Thalgodin said, not expanding any further.

“Okay,” Owin said quietly. He was hoping for more of an explanation.

“Why don’t you do anything fun like this with me?” Shade asked.

“Uh . . . what?”

Suta sprinted straight toward the Deep Sea Behemoth, causing all five heads to swing inward. Elemental attacks formed in their throats, causing the five different heads to glow.

“Is Myrsvai going to move?” Owin asked.

“Why would he move?” Thalgodin had his axe head on the ground and leaned on the shaft. He watched with admiration. There was no concern.

All five heads blasted their elemental spells at Suta, causing an explosion of energy. Owin felt the boom in his chest as the wave passed through the water. He spotted Suta about fifty feet into the air with yellow smoke pouring off his shoulders. The ice that had grown from him had shrunk, but was still present. Only one head of the Deep Sea Behemoth noticed Suta in the air.

“Abyssal Barrage,” Myrsvai said, pointing his staff. Magenta fireballs rushed through the water toward the leftmost head.

Suta landed on top of the central head, lifted his hands, which flashed violet, then smashed them down, covering the whole head and himself in a thick cloud that Owin recognized as Infernal Shroud.

Nosolus had used it way back in the Great Forest in the battle against the satyr leader, the umbra, and Owin. Trying to breathe inside the spell was like swallowing fire. Suta leapt from the spell just as Myrsvai’s barrage battered one of the other heads.

The Deep Sea Behemoth roared. Tentacles thrashed as it tried moving its heads away from Suta. The boss was ignoring Myrsvai, even though everything was originating from him.

Owin wondered what a fight against other heroes was like when they knew to target the magus over the familiar. He would have to ask, but he didn’t want to bring up the awful memories of their battle against the dead hero company.

“Neural Blaze,” Myrsvai said as he lifted his staff.

Suta landed on another head and flashed with white light, matching that on Myrsvai’s staff. The Deep Sea Behemoth head roared as Suta placed his hands down, and quickly grew quiet as the gray eyes flashed. The head fell limp, crashing down into the black smoke.

Suta dashed out of the smoke, coming to a stop right in front of Myrsvai again. “Two dead.”

Only one head had fallen. Owin was watching them closely. Whatever the neural attack had been was strong enough to immediately kill one of the heads. Suta touched the lower half of Myrsvai’s staff. The rest of the ice melted from his head and back while the yellow smoke rising from his shoulders grew thicker.

A whimper escaped the Infernal Shroud covered head before it also fell to the ocean floor, limp and sizzling. Pieces of the Deep Sea Behemoth’s skull were visible through the melted skin.

“You monsters.” The other heads all started to cry out insults in deep, reverberating voices.

“Thalgodin,” Myrsvai said. “Would you like to handle the right?”

The demon smirked. “I would.”

“I thought you didn’t want help,” Owin said.

“He’s already won,” Shade said, placing his hand flat on Owin’s head. “He was even showing off.”

Myrsvai nodded toward Shade. “Thalgodin is a summon, so here is my full power, Owin.”

The demon beat his wings, sprinted, and leapt through the water. He moved much slower than Owin had seen him move back in the first floor secret, but back in the cathkabel fortress, he could use his wings without being underwater.

Thalgodin used his numerous arms to swing the double sided axe, chopping right through one of the necks. The elemental charge gathering inside the Deep Sea Behemoth’s neck erupted, severing the head and knocking Thalgodin back. The demon opened his wings wide to slow himself before he was launched into a boundary wall.

Meanwhile, Suta had leapt back in with a summoned weapon and had carved into the Deep Sea Behemoth’s other head, spilling multi-colored blood into the dark ocean water. With fewer heads to attack and with Thalgodin in the fray, the fight wrapped up quickly. The huge boss lay on the ground, covering a whole village’s worth of space.

Owin had thought the lava elemental on the fifth floor was huge, but this was the size of a building. He had been told the mobs would get bigger the deeper he went into the dungeon, but this was the first time there was actually something to reference. His little lich bone knife wasn’t going to be good enough when the bosses were enormous.

Suta and Thalgodin set about looting the boss while Myrsvai walked back over and stood quietly in front of Owin. The magus looked a little smug, but Owin couldn’t blame him. It was an impressive fight.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I didn’t know you could do all of that.”

With another tap of his staff, all the yellow smoke drifting off him and Suta vanished. “Channeling helps our spells and abilities resonate, so we’re able to cast spells simultaneously. By myself, Neural Blaze might give you a headache. When Suta casts it after I’ve started, it can fully disrupt a mob’s brain activity.”

“How much of the fighting do you actually do?”

Myrsvai smiled. “As much as I need to do. I have some spells that will protect me or harm others if I fight something that gets too close.”

Suta walked over with a long, spiked gauntlet. It looked huge compared to the small familiar. Owin couldn’t imagine anyone wearing something so ridiculous and bulky. Suta held it up beside Thalgodin, but with the demon’s weird arms, there would be no way to fit the armor.

“Shade,” Suta said, holding out the spiked gauntlet.

“It’s a little gaudy, isn’t it?” The skeleton extended his left arm and allowed Suta to slip it over. Shade held out his arms and looked himself over the best he could. “My bottom half is still naked. Especially so now that I have this white glove and this ridiculous arm armor.” He waved his left arm, causing the new gauntlet to clank. “Why do I let all of you dress me? Where is my stylist?” Shade sighed and rested his elbow on Myrsvai’s shoulder. “You’re all lucky I’m so kind, patient, and beautiful.”

Suta stood quietly directly beside Owin. He watched Shade, then copied him by putting his elbow on Owin’s shoulder. Since they were the same height, it looked a little awkward and uncomfortable for Suta.

“If I am going to continue assisting you, I hope to see less showing off,” Thalgodin said. The tall demon was still grinning after diving into the fight.

“I had to show Owin what a magus can really do.” Myrsvai gestured toward the remainder of the floor. “Suta saw the stairs just over a crack in the ground. We can go when we’re ready.”

Owin didn’t want to be alone again, but the sixth floor hadn’t been bad. Shade was a better companion than Owin had originally thought. He was even slightly less annoying when others weren’t around.

Slightly.

“Let’s go look,” Owin said.

It was a short walk to the crack. The ground simply dropped away. Plenty of orange light escaped the dense black smoke that sat low in the crack. Most of the lava was hardened on top, but the heat was still impressive. Owin had no doubt he’d melt upon just the slightest touch with the lava.

“I guess we should go to the eighth floor,” Owin said quietly. “We can see each other outside.”

“As Shard Heroes,” Myrsvai said.

“Right, right.” Shade leaned over the edge of the crack. “As touching as this departure is . . .” He squatted and pointed into the smoke. “Shouldn’t we explore that cave first?”

“What?” Owin tried peering through the smoke, but it was impossible to see. “Where?”

Shade pointed again, as if that helped.

“Shade, we can’t see anything,” Myrsvai said.

“Use your eyes.” Shade poked his own face and gasped. “I don’t have eyes!” He shoved his fingers into his eye sockets. “Did I drop them? Did Suta steal them?”

“Yes,” Suta said quickly.

“No, you didn’t.” Myrsvai gently tapped the familiar with the butt of his staff. “Stop admitting to crimes you didn’t commit.”

“My eyes,” Suta said.

“I knew it. The little thief.” Shade shook a fist at Suta. “I’ll get you one day.”

Suta walked over and pushed the skeleton right over the edge.

Owin sighed.

Summon the Withered Shade

“I don’t want to surprise you, but that river of lava is hot.” Shade appeared right on the edge again. When Suta moved, Shade flinched and nearly fell back inside, but the familiar caught his arm and yanked him back over.

“Is it the secret?” Owin asked, still trying to see the cave.

“Is there another reason Sloswen would hide a room?” Shade shuffled sideways and gestured with both arms. “Right here. If you jump just right, you should land inside.”

“Is it worth the risk?” Myrsvai asked.

“Yes,” Suta said.

Myrsvai raised his eyebrows. “If Suta isn’t scared for me, then I think it’s an acceptable risk too. I’ll follow you, Owin.”

Owin nodded. He was about to jump over lava and hoped he landed in a cave. “You’re sure there’s a cave, Shade?”

“As sure as I am alive.”

Owin hesitated. “What?”

The skeleton ran past and dove head first into the smoke. There was no sign he had died, so Owin sprinted and dove right after him. Thalgodin laughed as everything around Owin vanished in the black smoke.