Shin waited in meditation before the mural of the two headed dragon. The others stood at the ready, more cautious towards the bazaar than anything else, Inari among them growing increasingly frustrated in the boredom. Shin rose without warning. Between mystic protection cast on the four party members and summoning Inari, he had only just shy of a third of his capacity, even after an hour and twenty minutes of meditation, but he was out of time. The armors would last 10 more minutes and the boss fight could last longer.
Donny walked over to the dragon statue in front the mural with the number one hundred carved into its head and placed a yellow orb in its open mouth. The eyes of the mural glowed and light the same color as the orb drained down the outline of the mural. The party steeled themselves as the light reached the floor, and they vanished.
The four appeared in a closed shrine room, larger than the first and more intricately carved. Heavy footsteps and sharp screeches approached rapidly from the wide dark tunnel in front and a two headed drake burst into the shrine. A firebolt shot through the air the moment it appeared and the drake opened its mouth, firing a yellow bolt, crashing into the first.
Fire and lightning exploded in the center of the shrine, a wash of yellow sparks consuming the flames and snaking around to the ground before them. A piercing roar followed from both heads of the beast, the embodiment of ferocity.
[Twin-Headed Horned Drake (rare) - Intermediate Lord]
Donny and Shin darted around its flanks and the two heads followed, the eye of one snapping back front quickly and destroying a second firebolt. Yen clicked her teeth and waited for another opening. The horn of one head shone yellow and lightning surged in the mouth of the other. Donny darted to the side as lightning surged just past him and Shin jumped away as a lightningbolt cratered the ground in an explosion of sparks.
Giant roots shot up from the ground beneath the boss trapping it in place. The enhancement of quicken surrounded Shin and he blitzed forward at his greatest speed, dense ripples bursting at the seams in his palm. Lightning washed over the twin headed drake in an instant and exploded out, erratic sparks tearing out the surface of the rocks and walls by its sheer impact.
Shin appeared just outside its range, the specter of Kong dissipating into the air. His palm empty of the ripple he condensed but the mana used still gone. A bow found Shin’s hands and he rapid fired a stream of arrows at the drake’s eyes. The head focused on him followed the arrows with ease, slipping and dodging most and the ones that landed, ricocheted off its bare scales. A lone arrow flew past towards the eye of the second head, and it ducked beneath without taking its focus away from Donny.
Roots ensnared the horned drake again, this time vines grasping around its heads pulling them to the side as another firebolt scorched through the air. An explosion of lightning shredding the plants and pushed away the explosion of flames. One of its horns shone and lightning streamed towards Kamala, melting through blooming trees and shattering her mystic wall as it struck her back, the mystic protection surrounding her trembling with both impacts but holding.
The other head snapped over to Kamala lying still on the ground, lightning surging in its mouth shot out into a bolt towards. A firebolt slammed into it by the side, exploding both at a safe distance as Yen propelled in front of Kamala.
“She’s out cold!”
Both heads gathered lightning in their mouths before the eyes of one snapped to the side as a red mass smashed into its side with tremendous force, sending it crashing across the ground. Donny stood still, his body twitching and spasming as sparks of lightning jumped off him. Sparks just like those flickered all over the two headed drake’s body. One of its head’s spit out the bolt amassing in its mouth at the helpless Donny and a cobalt sword cut it in apart, the two halves dissolving in the wind.
The twin headed drake rose to its feet, each fearsome face aimed at the two halves of the party. Above it, rooted into the ceiling by her swords, Inari spat down a mass of Trickfire. The drake shot a bolt of lightning and Inari kicked off the air as the trickfire weaved around the bolt. The two headed beast darted away and the gray blue flames followed. A stream of lightning passed through as harmlessly as the bolt and the drake roared in frustration, a third explosion of lightning finally shredded away the troublesome flames, only for a second mass to surge forth.
Kamala’s eyelids flinched, opening as she rose without thinking, one hand holding her head.
“Hey, you okay?! We kind of need you!”
Kamala glanced at the battlefield before rising to her feet, angel wings sprouting from her back as clarity and fierceness returned to her cold eyes. A grove bloomed around her, growing greater and larger, until she twisted the grass and bark into giant arms and lashed at the drake.
Lightning bolts and streams blasted and cut through the plants but still they grew, snaking and lunging from all angles. The drake darted away from the incessant shackles but two arrows from Shin running across the mass of plants distracted it just long enough for the mass of grayish blue flames to graze its side, and like adhesive, it pulled the rest of it to envelop the creature’s back.
The drake thrashed, more annoyed than pained, reacting a split second two slow as Kong blinked in front, slamming a heavy fist to knock it off its feet. The volley of sparks running across his arm snuffed out in moments. The masses of plant struck into the drake, ramming it against the wall. Lightning burst of its body, tearing away the plants but a firebolt stole its attention long enough for the plants to regrow and thrust against the wall once more.
Another lightning nova freed it just in time for a concussive wave of sound to hold it back in place and the fury of nature returned. The two headed drake roared and thrashed but no more explosions came. A barrage of flames, explosions and screeches assaulted the trapped drake without mercy. Its scales blasted and shattered away, and sharp wooden vines dug into the eyes burning away from the flames, wreathing and surging within until the drake’s wretched shrieking roars fell silent and its body slumped over.
[Twin-Headed Horned Drake (rare) - Intermediate Lord]
Strength - 486
Agility - 444
Constitution - 428
Vitality - 333
Dexterity - 395
Perception - 592
Force - 854
Spirit - 658
Control - 413
Willpower - 430
Skills:
Lightningbolt lvl. 10, Lightning Nova lvl. 10, Lightning Cloak lvl. 10, Lightning Stream lvl. 10, Greater Dart lvl. 10,
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Traits:
Lightning Amplification (epic), Lightning Affinity (epic), Greater Tough Scales (rare), Lesser Poison Resistance (rare), Lesser Disease Resistance (rare), Lesser Curse Resistance (rare),
“Bullshit stats…” Yen cursed, her attention lingering on two of the boss’ traits before turning to Kamala. “You okay? No concussion or anything?”
“I’ll be fine…” Kamala stood steady on her feet, no trace of fog or disorientation though a subtle frustration was persisted.
Four chests appeared in the center of the stage along with the dark tunnel the drake came from swirling into a portal and a second exit opening to the side.
[Greed Mountain (epic) - Greater Lord]
“Fuck, that’s what? Two and a half times this? How are we supposed to beat that without hitting the peak of high lord?”
“He said not to go past it much.”
“I know, I remember…” Yen thought for a moment then glanced at the chests. “What did we get, at least?”
Shin tapped the decorated wooden boxes and the items within floated up, nothing more than unneeded items to sell, save for an epic tier belt of lightning resistance at the end.
“That’s yours.” Yen told Donny. “You’re useless if lightning keeps stunlocking you.”
“Yeah, thanks for that. Shouldn’t one of you have it instead?”
“She has a point.” Kamala sided with Yen’s opinion.
Donny turned to Shin for the last opinion who just returned a nonchalant smile, and sighed before taking the belt. “What’s the plan now?”
“Grinding in the dens is a waste of time. We should hit the Questboard so we can just buy the essence and run the boss as much as we need.” Yen glanced at the dead twin drake. “We should train until the next cycle too. But no one go past mid rank yet, or we might lose the ability to run this one.”
“Yeah.” Shin agreed. Aside from being more efficient, Shin wanted to train. He needed to upgrade a few skills that were steadily growing obsolete, especially against the more gifted players.
“Alright, back to goon central then.”
“Ah, forgot about him. Shin, can we just kill him already and take over the town?”
“Don’t want to.”
“You’re so difficult…” Yen groaned as the four passed through the exit.
---
The party walked calmly towards the town. Two gatekeepers at the entrance as usual but the entrance itself was missing the doors which enabled it to be called a gate, a situation which explained the carpenters and blacksmiths working on a set of giant doors just to their left as they entered and perhaps just as equally the increased number of players patrolling the walls. More noteworthy than anything was the body of a man strung up on display from the wall, fair skinned with golden eyes.
“Goblin.” A man from atop the watchtower dropped down effortlessly.
[???]
“Chato wants to talk.”
He led them towards the center of town without another word and the party followed all the way to a large manor, easily making for the best building in town. He knocked twice and the door opened half way. Another man glanced at him and the party before openly it fully and letting them pass. Through the door under the double staircase and into a lounge occupied by Chato and a dozen others. The man himself sat on a couch, arms around the two woman always accompanying him as he listened to his henchmen debate. Three others, including him, were unreadable.
“My four favorite people in the world. I was start to, you know, get worried you died in the dungeons. Taking so long.” He glanced around at his people. “Give us the room, ah, come on.”
The others quietly walked past the party and out of the room, aside from the two intermediate rank woman sitting on the couch, who didn’t budge an inch.
“Have a seat.” Chato pointed his hand at the couch opposite the table inbetween. Shin sat in the middle without a care in the world, Yen and Kamala took the remaining space beside him, Kamala’s posture effortlessly elegant and patient while Yenny crossed her legs, resting her head on his hand like a bored tyrant. Donny leant up against the stone wall behind them.
Chato offered a bottle of wine towards them which bore no reaction from Shin. The dark blond man shrugged and poured two glasses for his subordinates and drunk straight from the bottle himself. He held out his hand an a large cloth pouch jangled as it hit the table. Shin picked it up and stored it away after a cursory glance.
“We come all this way just to pick up our payment?” Yen spoke first.
Chato finished his swig with a grin. “Never met anyone who wouldn’t walk a couple minutes for a, fucking bag of gold coins. But there is something I would like to talk about.”
“Anything to do with the renovations outside?”
“Ah, people handle their problems, get comfortable. Start wanting more, you know? Some comfortable people thought they could take my town. Not a big deal, but it’s a pain in the fucking ass, ah.” Chato lent forward and glanced them over. “I was thinking… we hit them back. With you four.”
“We’re sort of busy.” Donny said from the back.
“You haven’t even heard my offer.” Chato brushed him off before looking Shin in the eye. “500 gold, plus a third of whatever we take from them.”
He took notice of Shin’s silent lack of interest and chuckled. “Alright, for you, nino. Half.”
“No.” Shin turned him down with a casual upbeat nonchalance. “We need to focus on the boss.”
Chato paused for a few moments, his body language exuding confidence but weariness and worry seeped through his eyes just slightly. “If you want to pass up free money, it’s your choice. Let me know if you change your mind. But… I can count on you to take care of the dungeon?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright.” He smiled. “We’ll talk again, eh?”
Shin got up and walked without ceremony and the two women on the couch followed him, Donny waiting to pull up the rear as they left. None of them said a word as they exited the manor under the looks and glances of the underlings, heading over towards the training grounds.
“Dunno about the other town but things might start happening around here.”
“Why?” Yen asked.
“He’s getting desperate, innit.”
“Not really our problem, though?”
“Probably not. But we should be on our guard, just in case.”
“If you say so…” Yen glanced up at the sky. “Already noon. How ‘bout we do some quests later. After I get some sleep.”
“Yeah.”
“Need to put more in Vitality.”
“Need to put more in shutting up and shutting up.”
“Good one.”
“Shutup.” Yen lazily shot back, too tired to bother coming up with something.
“Three hours work for you, Shin?”
“He’s run off.”
“Of course…” The remaining trio entered the training grounds, fairly used to playing things by hand now.
---
An ogre slammed its crude club into Donny’s shield, trembling the ground beneath him, but his arm and legs held firm. He pushed off the weapon and cleaved deep into the creature’s stomach, drawing out blood and guts. The towering ogre staggered back with a roar of pain and Donny kicked the side of its knee, forcing it to break under the weight of the massive monster, barely able to yell in pain before the axe took its head.
Donny glanced over at the evening view of the highlands as Shin and two malakhs slaughtered the lesser lord ogres like cattle. Yen followed after with a flask, having already tested her spells on the fat targets and finding no reason to waste her mana. Donny took out a flask and absorbed the blood of his ogre as well before joining up with their mage and priest. Shin hopped back at the same time, the latest tribe of ogres laid out.
“Bout time to head back, yeah?”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?” Yen pressed.
“You should get experience fighting at night.” Shin seemed a bit adamant about it, as far as his nonchalance would allow at least. “There’s herbs that we can only harvest at night, too.”
“How long are we staying out here?”
Shin thought for a moment. “All night?”
“What…”
“We have to go past the highlands. Kamala needs some plants.”
“First time I heard about this.” Yen shot a look at the priestess.
“We talked while you slept.” The priestess explained.
“Fine... But you’re on mob duty then.”
“Sure.”
The party finished up harvesting the area and headed off. They had less than four days before they needed to enter the dungeon again, and not a moment to spare.
---
A calm breeze brushed a few strands of hair over Chato’s face in the dead of night. His eyelids twitched just slightly and eased open. He leaned up slightly inbetween two women, his eyes finding the open window and in another moment the hooded man standing in the corner. He darted to his feet in a blur, cutlass in hand.
“Get up!” Nothing responding to his command. “Get your fucking asses up!” He roared. “Enemy!”
“Closed off, I’m afraid.” A raspy old voice came from beneath the hood. The urge to look back at the women strikingly apparent from Chato’s movements but he kept his eyes on the stranger. “They’re only sleeping.”
“What do you want?” Venom laced Chato’s words, his entire body ready to pounce, held back only by caution.
“Enemies knocking at the gates. Your own men conspiring against you.” The old man laughed out the words slightly. “How many more days can you last?”
“Fucking tell me, why I shouldn’t kill you now.”
“Because I can give you power.”
Chato started and stopped, the words lingering in his ears, waging war on his distrust.
“Power beyond one’s station… can only be born from sacrifice. Are you willing to sacrifice? Are you able?”
“Leave.”
The old man lifted his head, his face wrinkled and pale, his left eye glassy, and placed a crystal ball on the table next to him. “How much longer can you last?”
The hooded old man dissolved into the air and vanished without a trace. Chato glanced around the room, still on edge, and his eyes found the crystal ball. And they lingered.