“We shouldn’t have gone in… I told them… I told them we shouldn’t…” A man with disheveled hair and a frayed expression muttered to himself over and over, so lost in his own mind he didn’t even register the four standing right in front of him.
“Hey.” The man gave no reaction, not even a flicker of the eyes. Yen frowned and kicked the man as she called out again. “Hey!”
The man startled and looked up for the first time, his face falling into despair and terror. “Don’t take me! I won’t go! Go! Go away, please! Stay away, you bastards! Please…”
Shin knelt in front of him, eyes deep and consuming. “We’re not cultists.”
The man stunned still for a moment then slumped into a calm, his expression one of daunted gloom. “They’ll turn us all… Take us away… can’t get out, no way out…”
“What do you mean turn?” Yen asked.
“Take us all… The masks… Can’t run, nowhere to run…”
“Are there traps in this dungeon?” Shin ignored the man’s rambling.
“Traps… trap us all… take us…”
“Traps on the ground?”
“Don’t let them scream… They come if they scream…”
Shin looked at him for a moment and then never again, walking off without a word, leading the way with his origami.
“Shouldn’t we get more out of him?” Yen asked as they all followed.
“No point.”
“By turning, did he mean players can be turned into cultists?” Kamala questioned.
“Maybe. Still doesn’t explain their stats though.”
“Why’re you fixated on that?”
“Why aren’t you?” Yen asked Donny. “I never seen anyone or any person with stats like that. Something’s off.”
“More important things to worry about. This layer being connected means we’re gonna run into all the elites.”
“I know… We need more members. Anyone good from your side from the world who’ll join us and not stab us in the back?”
“No.”
“Maybe.”
“Great…”
Shin signalled them and rushed ahead, his footsteps very quiet by not completely silent. A flurry of blade and blood felled the patrol of cultists, seven in total just as before. Shin removed the mask of one revealing a scaled abomination. He looked back as the party was catching up.
“I can do it without mana.”
---
Shin assassinated another patrol as the party travelled through the massive maze of corridors without issue. For valuable hours now they maintained the status quo, recovering mana and aura in their search for the final boss. Shin paused and the party stopped with him. The silent pair of paper golem scouts returned and headed back down a new path.
There was no need to question why as this was hardly the first time it had happened. Shin had detected a party ahead and deemed it a problem. The chance of a fight was far too great of a risk for the possibility of information they could gain by approaching them. All four were in agreement to confront a party weak enough to maintain the upper hand but such ones appeared to be scarce at this stage.
They continued on in silence at a brisk pace, the two casters sparring the mana needed for their long duration flight skills, but even then they came across little but scattered patrols, numerous if not strong. Shin flickered ahead reaping another seven, this time stopping short as he peered carefully over the wall at the turn.
“A room.”
“What’s in it?”
“50 cultists. Two monsters that look like dragonewts without wings. Can’t identify them.”
“Best to assume the worst then. Me and Shin will keep the two dragons busy while you two take out the masks.”
“Just make sure you clear a path.” Yen approved of his plan.
Shin glanced around the corner again and burst off with Donny right beside. The eyes of the dragon headed humanoids snapped to them the moment they passed through the doorway and charged. Shin struck his with a condensed tremor and Donny with the shield rush of critical impact, both sent theirs crashing to the wall behind, merely cracking the wall as the two rose back up immediately.
[Dragonborn (epic) - Greater Lord]
Donny darted to the side, carving the cultists nearest the door before sending a row of them crashing back with a thunderous stomp. Mara appeared at the back of the room on Shin’s side and unleashed a piercing concussive scream, blowing back the crowd. A buckler found Shin’s arm just in time for a jagged sword to ricochet into the ground. Shin thrust his estoc at the dragonborn’s eye and it slipped its head past, a sharp scaled hand clawing the air as he backed away.
A greataxe of the other crashed into Donny’s shield, neutralized by Bastion but a cleave in return found only the iron coated scales of its neck. A flurry of vicious swings were barely parried away before the grand knight was forced to use his buff of quicken to outspeed the stronger monster.
Yen soared through the doorway first and shot a firebolt at two cultist warriors on the right before unleashing a stream of fire on the survivors. Kamala flew opposite, a small grove blooming in front, rapidly growing into long sharp tendrils to skewer her share. Fire and vines decimated the cultists as a fierce battle raged in the center.
Shin strained his body passed its natural limits and eclipsed the dragonborn’s speed even without the draining use of Quicken. His body blurred as he parried and dodged, striking with every weapon in his arsenal but none could penetrate the armor like scales that covered his foes entire body. He feinted a slash and pierced his estoc at the creature’s eyes but again it dodged, perception allowing it to use skills at a speed that surpassed his own.
Shin ducked under a slash of its sword and struck its torso with his bare fist, deep blue light enveloping his fist for a moment. The dragonborn grimaced but resumed its attack just as fierce. Two more strikes bore only a scowl on its face and a new attack. Fire spewed from its mouth, fierce and terrible enough to melt the stone beneath them as Shin darted around to avoid the same fate.
Fire exploded behind them and a moment later the dragonborn froze in place and Shin flickered forward immediately, piercing his estoc through corner of its eye where an ironcoat failed to reach in time. The scaled warrior spasmed and slashed one more time before slumping to the ground.
[Dragonborn (epic) - Greater Lord]
Strength - 600
Agility - 600
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Constitution - 600
Vitality - 600
Dexterity - 600
Perception - 600
Force - 600
Spirit - 600
Control - 600
Willpower - 600
Skills:
Slash lvl. 10, Fire Breath lvl. 10, Ironclad lvl. 10, Burst lvl. 10, Quicken lvl. 10
Traits:
Iron Scales (epic), Mana Eyes (epic), Poison Resistance (epic), Disease Resistance (epic), Curse Resistance (epic),
“Fuck, you two couldn’t handle it by yourselves? These are just regulars.”
“They’re harder to kill than it looks.”
“This isn’t good…” Yen stressed. “If the boss can tank hits like that and is resistant to fire, we’re fucked.”
A simple stone bouncing off the ground at the other doorway across the room drew everyone’s eyes, even Shin’s, just for an instant. A palm pierced through Yen’s chest, soaked in blood with the shattered fragments of mystic armor around her. A shirtless young man, with red skin and short spiky white hair stood behind, malicious glee staining his pitch black eyes with yellow pupils.
[Human Barbarian (epic) - Greater Lord]
Shin moved first, then Kamala’s vines and Donny right after, time slowing to a crawl, and finally Yen. Her body wreathed in flames and the man pulled back a singed arm on reflex and burst away as fire exploded from the mage with a scream of pure fury. A stream of fire chased the man as he darted away, his smile turned to one of amusement. And then he vanished.
A tremoring kick stopped firm against the gong of bastion behind Kamala before she realized. The man darted away from the ensnaring roots and a force held him in place, soaring firebolt following. The force around him shattered as he slipped back, letting the attack exploded on the wall to his side. A tremoring punch from above struck the veil of bastion once again, Shin’s eyes filled with calm intensity.
The man’s smile widened at the look in his eyes and reached out as an obsidian axe cleaving down on his head forced him to spin away. Kamala flew to the back in the opening, the grove in the corner growing further. Yenny uncast her fire mimicry, her expression still fierce but the need to stay her assault with her teammates too close to the enemy gave her enough time to regain some composure.
The barbarian took one glance at the party bearing down on him and aura surged over him, more powerfully than with Cesar. The floor cracked beneath the man’s feet and a fist hurled towards Shin’s head in an instant, snapping through an afterimage as Shin’s speed doubled. His saber clanged off the berserker’s ironclad neck as a critical impact caught him clean from the side. The red skinned man crashed along the ground once before flipping to his feet and burst forward, meeting a second impact head on with his shoulder of equal force, the floor cracking beneath them.
The barbarian hammered down a fist surging with aura against Donny’s shield, covered in Bastion, and a palm beneath dented the knight’s armor, sending him crashing through the room into the wall. Golden light enveloped Donny as he pushed off back into battle. A second palm swatted a firebolt apart, and a volley of arrows threaded with talismans shot past as he dodged each one.
Shin knocked another, ready to shear down the berserker’s stamina before killing him, but something caught his eye. An armored cultist having just entered the room, about to inhale deeply. Shin loosed his arrow straight for the man’s throat and pierced the berserker’s palm, sneering as he snapped the arrow in his fist and a wail filled the world.
The dragon cultist warrior lunged at the berserker and a hammer fist broke its neck clean. The demonic man darted through arrows and vines with a smile, waiting for his work to bear fruit. The room soon thundered with roars and steps as a horde of cultists stampeded through the second doorway.
“Donny.” Shin spoke as he flickered next to the barbarian, resuming a relentless exchange.
The knight charged forward without hesitation with a taunting roar, hacking and chopping the cultists away. The sheer numbers and range they spread out forced him further and further back to hold the line. Two crossed past as he slew another and were impaled on sharpened vines. A flame appeared in the center of the horde and bloomed into a great blaze burning most of the regulars away but more flowed in ceaselessly.
Three warriors rushed him, driving him back as he struggled to fend off their attacks. Kamala’s vines snaked through the fray, skewering as many as she could, but she started to find resistance from the mages and Yen was forced to stay her hand, keeping the mana she had remaining for the biggest threat in the room.
Shin slashed, sliced, and pierced at the barbarian, the weapons in his hands changing erratically and effectively. A tremoring mass enveloped Shin’s left hand, holding it steady in place, ready to use the moment the berserker made a move for the others too big. The madman seemed to relish in the game even through the minor cuts he allowed to slip through for the sake of avoiding more serious injuries, taunting and feinting intentions to reach the casters, while slowing pressing the fight towards them.
In the thick of battle, the barbarian’s eyes squinted slightly in mockery, and a red palm shot out from his thrust, knocking Donny to the side of the wall. Like water through a broken dam, the cultists surged. Exhilaration filled the berserker’s face, welcoming the chaos.
And just as suddenly as it erupted, it came to a halt. The cultist’s shouts and chants turned to frustration as they struggled in place, barely able to budge as if bound by wire. Through the horde of masked cultists a man walked into the room as though it was his own domain.
“Prostrate before me.” Dark blue hair hung over white cloth wrapped around his eyes. Fine silk and attire of a base rogue donned his body and his face held a smile of unparalleled confidence and certainty.
“Xerxes be mine name. King of Kings.” The horde of cultists severed into chunks of flesh all at once, glinting blood revealing the web of wires lining the room. “I shall conquer all.”
[Human Assassin (epic) - Greater Lord]
The barbarian stood still with a nonplussed expression as he took in the situation. Then amusement and interest found his face. “Bando Koga. Hardworking farmer. Just having some fun.”
Xerxes looked at him for a moment, then broke into a bigger smile. “I see.”
Shin blurred as lightning flash lash of wire tore through his afterimage, and a severed arm hit the floor. “I will suffer no snakes in my court.”
Surprise struck Bando’s face one again at the sheer speed of the attack but excitement at the perceived hilarity regained its ground and he charged towards the party. Shin whipped into action, kitsune mask and attire finding his body as Mara and Shug appeared. Vines surged at the charging barbarian as he vanished with a foreboding smile only for his absolute stealth to vanish as Kong struck him from behind.
Shin dodged through the medley of wires slicing the floor as though it were paper, prismatic eyes darted back and forth between the two opponents. Mara flew away to the back at his command and let out a sonic scream. The man calling himself Xerxes flickered to the side with ease and resumed his attack, lashing and piercing wires drawing closer to their mark.
Shin felt Kong be destroyed behind him as the barbarian darted back from the enveloping vines and vanished again. As Shin rushed towards Bando, drawing closer to the party unable to perceive him at all, light burst from Mara let out a screech at the blind assassin.
“I will be useful!”
[Siren Scornwreaker (uncommon) - Greater Lord]
Strength - 127
Agility - 206
Constitution - 114
Vitality - 147
Dexterity - 161
Perception - 204
Force - 422
Spirit - 348
Control - 275
Willpower - 257
Skills:
Sonic Scream lvl. 9, High Pitch lvl. 6, Luring Song lvl. 9, Screech lvl. 10, Charm lvl. 7,
Traits:
Sound Magnification (rare), Nightvision (rare), Lesser Disease Resistance (rare), Minor Curse Resistance (uncommon), Minor Poison Resistance (uncommon), Minor Charming Resistance (uncommon),
Xerxes’ expression strained slightly and then shifted altogether. Bando’s left arm severed from his body, undoing his invisibility, and the barbarian flashed away across the room, coming to a sliding stop.
“You would betray me twice, Brutus?” A serious expression and presence held Xerxes.
Bando stared at him, more wary of the blind stranger than any other, his arm regrowing in moments. Tension held the air before a smile found his face and his posture relaxed.
“I’ll try again later.” With a blur, he vanished down the path the party had entered from.
Their attention thus turned solely to the wire master, remaining still with a emotionless expression.
“He who overcomes desire is greater than he who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self.” The wires shed their invisibility and wrapped neatly around the arms of the self proclaimed king, and he turned away with a smile. “Farewell, my subjects.”
The party held silent for a while, before Shin sent a floating eye after Xerxes and darted off in the other direction, returning shortly. “They’re gone.”
“What the fuck!” Yen snapped.
“You alright?”
“I’m fine!” Yen shouted, somewhere between distress and rage.
“Clan kids?” Donny looked to Shin and Kamala.
“The Koga were once unrivaled in assassination and espionage, although I thought they had been massacred…” Kamala turned to Shin.
“Yuna said some got away.”
“I see.”
“I think Xerxes is a Kamo.” Shin suggested.
“It’s likely.”
“And what’s their deal? Wires?” Donny interjected.
“Magic and curses.”
“No one knows truly. They are a clan mired in secrecy and the occult.”
“Fucking psychos…” Yen nearly spat as she glanced between the two paths. “Which way are going?”
“Ahead.”
“That’s the worst one.” She objected. “We should hunt down that red piece of shit while he’s low.”
Shin tilted his head in thought. “But we haven’t gone this way yet.”
“Hey, look at the bigger picture.”
“Bigger picture is we find more teammates before taking on more powerhouses.” Donny suggested.
“...fine.” Yen relented, the idea of continuously going through what they just had not the most appealing in her mind.
“He went down a crossroad. We can go now.” Shin waited on the party.
Donny got the message and took the vanguard as Shin changed to the rear, taking care to stay vigilant on the path behind.