CJ picked the book up off the floor. He stopped for a minute to hoover up some additional ammo into his inventory before making his way toward the ground floor. The whole time being wary that one of those birds could pop up around the next bend. To his shock, there were no more combatants in the stairwell.
“So, I’m assuming the keep is under attack again. Those Lykin never seem to give up on that tablet.”
“Wait, I thought these birds were called Domesticated Dodos?”
“Not the birds, their masters.”
“Shit. Does Lykin mean what I think it means?”
“If you think it means wolf human hybrids, then you’d be correct.”
“Liber, are you saying we are about to be attacked by wolf men?”
“I assumed you came prepared for the kin. Six to seven feet tall, covered in white or brown fur, razor sharp claws and teeth, is any of this striking home young man?”
“Extra shit.” CJ spat, before pulling that robe he found out of his inventory as he reached the bottom floor, “I need to message my team.”
CJ slipped his arms through the sleeves of the robe. It was dark grey almost brown. It had a hood that lolled open behind CJ and a sheet of leather that covered his chest. That leather piece also had buckles to tighten the robe across his ribs. When all was said and done it looked more like cloth and leather armor than a court officials robe. CJ did notice the sleeves yawned open rather wide. Almost like a Franciscan monks robes. Definitely a wide enough opening to store a particularly chatty book.
“Sorry about this but if I’m going to fight Lykin, I’m going to need both hands.”
“Oh? Are we on waves three and four already? If so, I should probably mention—” Liber wasn’t able to finish as he slipped up CJ’s left sleeve.
New Message from Party Leader CJ: Heads up, I just learned that the Wolf-man is in charge of these birds. I just hit the bottom floor of the tower.
New Message from Monty: It’s about damn time. There should be at the very least five more of the birds in the courtyard. They haven’t been able to get past all the dead bodies and Elena is having a breather.
New Message from Rubio: The flames colors changed rapidly this time. I don’t suppose any of you know what that means.
CJ peered through the open doorway out into the courtyard. There were indeed five more dodo’s strolling about. Two of them were wandering aimlessly while the other three kept pecking at the dead and dismembered corpse barrier the others had erected at the entrance to the keep proper. Every now and then one of their beaks smacked into the meat wall and it shifted a little. Just enough to let CJ know that it wouldn’t hold out for long.
New Message from Party Leader CJ: I’m going to confront the birds. I found an item that’ll help me regenerate mana faster. Then I’ll take out all the remaining birds.
New Message from Psycho: I used some of that flesh melter solution I brewed up the other day at the beginning of the fight. Watch out for brown and red puddles.
New Message from Party Leader CJ: Good to know.
CJ made sure his revolver was fully loaded. This was going to be some close quarter work. That should cut back on his horrible aim. Perhaps more points in agility will help with that as well. It’s time to make the donuts.
Stolen story; please report.
He stepped out into the cold trampled snow, gray clouds overhead and flipped his new hood up. Say what you will about the fashion of this strange land, the hood was keeping his bald head nice and warm. The two wandering birds spotted his dark clothing against the snowy white backdrop. They charged CJ with reckless abandon. The first beak strike was aimed at CJ’s chest. As the momentum was ripped from the bird during the mana conversion process it slipped in the snow and ice and went skidding into the nearby stone wall at speed. There was crunch sound that CJ barely noticed as his mana level jumped up by forty points. That told CJ that a single strike from these bird’s beaks did twenty damage. While deep in his distracted thoughts, the second bird leapt at him with a double talon swipe. Both talons struck home and dragged sharp lines down the front of CJ. He wasn’t positioned to tank the attack and went spinning across the snow and ice. He managed to get sixty mana from that attack alone. Each swipe must have been fifteen points of damage. In a straight up brawl with thirty plus of these things they’d all be torn to shreds, including him.
Finally skidding to a stop on his back, he looked up to see the bird was in pursuit. CJ was lying in the horse stall area. To his right was a wooden support and to his left was an iced over hay bail complete with pitchfork. He opted to use the wooden support to stand up. The ground around him was coated in ice. There wasn’t going to be any running or dodging. It was time he leaned on something he knew much better: Theatrics.
CJ cast Polychrome Flame on his new hood and cycled the color to blue-white. The dodo attempted to skid to a halt, but its momentum was going to carry it toward CJ anyway. Running and dodging were off the table but jumping, he could still do that. As the dungeon monster slid under his now airborne feet, CJ pointed his revolver at center mass and pulled the trigger, twice. Both bullets blasted into the bird staining the nearby ice and snow crimson. It twitched its legs a few times before going still. CJ landed on the ground and immediately slipped on the blood and viscera falling prone again. The flame on his head started to slowly melt the ice around him allowing the old stench of the long untended stables to waft into his nostrils. His motivation to stand up doubled in a heartbeat.
No longer hearing the other birds probing the corpses of their fallen brethren, CJ decided to cancel the flaming hood and use Now you Don’t. The familiar feeling of the psychic shroud that covered him was comfort as he noticed all three of the remaining monsters were trotting his way. Likely drawn by the gunshots.
New Message from Rubio: If you can get them closer to the busted front gate, I might have a shot from up here. Otherwise, I can come down and help you.
New Message from Party Leader CJ: Front gate. Got it. I could handle this myself if it wasn’t for the damn ice. On my way.
CJ knew what he was going to have to do. He was never any good at ice skating, but they wouldn’t notice him right now if was waiving sparklers and dressed like a clown. He launched himself across the courtyard as the three other monsters piled into the stables, squawking, and twitching their heads left and right trying to spot their prey hiding. CJ brought his hands to his sides and tried to Frozone himself around the courtyard. His shoes were almost useless in this terrain, and he made a mental note to do something about that once they all got out of here. He tried to slow his momentum down as he reached the area by the gate. Lucky for him there was an overturned wagon half sticking out of the snow. CJ grabbed it with his left hand and swung around the back side facing away from the stables. Now to get their attention. He turned to the gates and cast Polychrome Flames again. This time he coated the bent metal with orange and green flame. There was a sharp squawk of alarm followed by the stomping of oversized bird talons.
CJ knew they would need a little more convincing to charge full steam at him, so he slid out into the open and stood in front of the flames. This plan was twofold. Part one was to get the birds into optimal firing position for Rubio. The second part was because it was fucking cold out here and CJ wanted the warmth of the flames.
All three birds charged at CJ noting the strange flames behind him countering the black light glow of all the other white coloring around. The head of the pack took a bullet to the back of the head from Rubio’s rifle. It slapped into the ice and slid to a stop against the overturned wagon. The next bird clenched its claws into the ice arresting its forward momentum and Rubio’s next shot buried deep in the snow. That was when CJ lifted his revolver and put two bullets into it. It flopped to the ground pumping blood from what CJ could only assume was ruptured artery. The third bird made it to CJ and hauled back to deliver a pecking for the ages. CJ calmly leapt toward the bird whose eyes popped open in shock. Its prey had just offered itself willingly. The serrated beak swung down slicing from CJ’s left shoulder to his right hip. That managed to spin him around the bird. CJ planted the revolver in his right hand just above where the beak meets the feathery skull between the bird’s eyes at the point of the one eighty degree turn. Blam!
“Smile you son of a bitch!”