The boss held Orion between its colossal tongue and the roof of its mouth.
He braced himself, ready for the agonizing pain of being eaten alive. He only hoped that the first thing to meet the gorilla’s over-sized teeth was his head—that way, he’d lose consciousness before feeling the rest of his body get pulverized. The teeth never came, however.
The next thing he knew, he was ejected from his tomb of flesh and tooth, and his vision returned to him—only to see a wall rushing to greet him at an unfriendly speed. The impact of the wall was hard enough to knock the wind from his chest and deal significant damage, but not hard enough to knock him unconscious.
He sat up with an effort, preparing to feel the sharp teeth of one of the smaller monsters, or to be crushed by the boss at any moment—that, too, never came. He recognized the tingling sensation of his tentacle hat healing him, the collision with the wall damaging him below half-health.
Orion could hear sounds of battle, primal screeching combined with the thump of colliding objects and bodies. Fear gripped his heart as he worried the potion had no effect, and his friends were trying to fight off an enemy force that they couldn’t possibly hope to defeat. As his vision returned with the help of his tentacle hat, he beheld a sight that brought a smile to his face, despite what felt like broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder flooding his awareness.
The boss still had the telltale green glow of the potion washing over its body, the sheer amount of doses poured down its throat enough to make up for the colossal size of the thing. There was indeed a battle going on—the one he’d hoped for, in fact, but not the one he had dared expect.
As the boss was being cleansed, the fully corrupted monkeys no longer saw it as one of their own. Recognizing the gorilla for the threat it posed to their existence, they were swarming it, biting and scratching every bit of flesh they could find.
The thumping sounds resonating throughout the boss room were the sounds of half-flesh-half-slime monkeys making a similar passage that Orion had made—directly into walls or the floor as the giant boss gorilla flung them with ferocious swings of its arms.
On the outskirts of the room, his party was wasting no time. Shadow and Honeypot kept their distance, but finished off any monkeys that landed near them and somehow managed to survive the flight. Shadow was yelling what Orion could only assume were finishing-moves while delivering massive overhand strikes to any downed monkeys, the sound of his voice unintelligible over the roar of the gorilla and its former subordinates.
Arika made her way over to Orion, giving him an arm to lean on. With her help, Orion hobbled his way back toward Shadow and Honeypot’s kill-ground, keeping an eye out for any monkey-shaped artillery coming his way.
“I thought we spoke about you sacrificing—” Arika stopped and ducked, just avoiding a monkey-missile that cruised overhead before becoming a mess of broken bones and slime against the wall behind them. “… about sacrificing yourself!”
“Not a sacrifice, and there was no other choice, right?” Orion raised his free hand in a placating gesture.
Arika leveled a glare at him that told Orion what she thought of his attempt at placation. “Just because something worked doesn’t mean it was a good idea, or worth the risk.”
The corrupted monkeys were swarming the gorilla, while the boss was launching his attackers like stones from a trebuchet. It was moving erratically, bringing its giant feet down and dispatching monkeys with every wayward stomp.
The attackers grew ever thicker, those traversing through the roots above dropping on its head and adding to the mass that was clinging, biting, and slashing at their former patriarch. The boss stopped his throwing efforts, and began thrashing the surrounding area, devastating dozens of monkeys with every movement of its limbs.
The monkeys thinned considerably, Orion now able to make out sections of fur peering out through the sea of green bodies. The damage to the boss’ body was accruing, its visible fur taking on a red tinge with the sheer amount of blood it continued to lose.
As the green healing effect from the potion he’d poured down its throat ceased, Orion realized that any remnants of the corrupting influence were gone from the giant gorilla. The glimpses he caught of its eyes were filled with fury, yet they were free of any green corruption.
Orion and Arika reached Shadow and Honeypot, who were standing and watching now that no more monkeys were coming their way that required dispatching. Together, they watched the carnage unfold, countless monkeys meeting their end at the hands of the thrashing gorilla.
The mass of monkeys thinned even more under the assault of the giant patriarch until there were but a few remaining. One-by-one, the boss eliminated them. With a scream, it slammed its giant fists together, the last two creatures reduced to a single green mess.
The adventurers wasted to time, springing into action. Honeypot was already invisible, no doubt making his way toward the damaged boss. Orion reached for Shadow, preparing to teleport him in.
“Wait!” The giant gorilla’s booming voice caused everyone to pause. “You-you have won. There is no need to draw this out. You healed my mind, and for that, I thank you. Please, just make it quick.”
Orion looked to his friends for help, but they all seemed as confused as he was. Orion inspected the boss, and the gorilla—Gileal—explained himself further.
“I was succumbing to the corruption that plagued my kin. I was losing the battle. Now, I have nothing left. Too weak to protect my family, I destroyed them with my own two hands…” Eyes downcast and fists trembling, Gileal parted the fur on its chest, revealing a red crystal the size of Orion’s head.
“You, big one with the sword.” The gorilla gestured at Shadow with one hand. “Stab me here. One strike should be enough to end me. I ask that you make it quick, that is all.” The boss leaned back, exposing the red crystal further.
Shadow struck off, activating his Silent Speed as he flew across the room toward the boss.
Something about the kill struck Orion as… wrong. He had no problem killing aggressive monsters, but killing an intelligent monster that was submitting and asking for its life to be taken…
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Before Shadow could get out of range of his Swap ability, Orion used it, leaving Shadow back with the rest of the party and Orion before the boss.
“Wait!” Orion paused for a moment, thinking of other options. “The fox boss… her name is Azeria. She allowed us to defeat her dungeon when we helped cleanse her kin of the corruption—”
“YOU COULD HAVE CLEANSED THEM?” The bellowed words and the anger in the giant gorilla’s voice shook Orion to his core. “Why tell me this now, human?”
Orion rushed to answer before the boss returned to its furious state. “No. We couldn’t have. They were too far gone, nothing could have been done to cleanse them. The corruption didn’t just afflict them—by the time we got here, they were as much a source of the corruption as the slime it originated from.”
The boss let out a weary sigh, wiping giant tears from beneath swollen eyes. “You speak the truth, I know. They were no longer the family I held so dear. I couldn’t even tell which were the originals, and which were the clones they created…” The gorilla trailed off, looking around at the sea of bodies littering the ground beneath it.
The sorrow in the gorilla’s countenance filled Orion with despair, and he knew he’d made the right decision in refusing to execute it.
“You don’t need to die. Femera and her kin live freely outside of their dungeon. Your name is Gileal, right? Mine is Orion, and this is—”
“It matters not. Everything is lost.”
“It does.” Orion stared defiance at the creature. “I’m Orion, this is Arika, Honeypot, and Shadow.” Orion gestured to each of his friends. “Can you promise us you won’t hurt and humans or adventurers unprovoked? If so, I don’t see why you can’t leave here and find a new area to live—”
“To what end? I don’t desire violence for the sake of it. All I ever wanted was a territory for my family and I to live happily. That corruption… changed us. Twisted us. But what’s the point of continuing on?” Gileal gestured at the slaughter surrounding him. “This is all that remains of my precious family. What reason could I have to go on?”
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now, but you’ll find purpose again—so long as you keep on living. Sometimes… just moving forward is enough, one step at a time.”
Orion didn’t know what was moving him so much about the scene before him, but the emotions felt raw, and he couldn’t help but notice the parallels with their own lives.
“I think your family would have wanted you to go on, don’t you?”
Gileal let out an earth-shaking roar and slammed his fists into the wall repeatedly. Orion didn’t flinch, knowing that the anger wasn’t directed at him. He watched on, his heart breaking for the giant primate with every strike.
Whether from physical or emotional exhaustion, Gileal eventually stopped—his right fist planted against the wall, his forehead resting beside it.
Light exploded from everywhere, and Orion’s stomach dropped before he recognized the source of the light. A familiar feeling of euphoria followed as the System recognized the final dungeon of this quest as being defeated.
Critical Quest updated: Cull the Doc
Progress: 4/4
All requirements for Critical Quest: Cull the Doc have been completed. Return to Captain Blanc at the western gate watch-house to collect your reward.
You have advanced from Journeyman 4 to Journeyman 5 in Alchemy. Congratulations!
You have advanced Dungeon Hunter from level 4 to level 5. Congratulations!
You have advanced Dark Vision from level 3 to level 4. Congratulations!
You have advanced Swap from level 4 to level 5. Congratulations!
You have advanced from level 6 to level 7. Congratulations!
Another great flash of light took Orion’s attention away from his notifications. As the light dissipated, a chest lay where the light had originated from, glowing a brilliant golden color. Gileal stood behind it, looking solemn.
“I will take you up on your offer. I thank you for curing me and allowing me to dispatch the vile creatures that had taken over my family’s bodies. With this, my dungeon and I are defeated.”
“You don’t need to thank us…”
“I do need to thank you. I owe you my life. One day, I’ll repay that debt, but until then, this chest is all that I can offer. Come. Receive your rewards.”
They approached the chest with the respect the situation demanded.
You have received a LEGENDARY Augment Token! Use this token to augment an existing class ability.
Wars have been fought over such a token. Which begs the question… how did an idiot like you get his hands on one?
Orion looked at his friends, but before he could say anything, something even more shocking than the loot occurred. Femera, who was lounging contentedly over Arika’s shoulders, disappeared from existence with a puff of smoke and a popping sound. Orion’s heart dropped, but before he could assume the worst, the popping sounded again, returning the small canine to its perch.
There was a noticeable difference. Where there was previously a fox, covered in wispy fur of a light orange color, there was now a fox-shaped elemental, flames licking out from Femera’s ears and tail. Orion found himself getting lost in the hypnotic movement of the sentient flames.
Arika let out a high-pitched squeal. “Oh my god, how did you get even cuter!” She hugged the fox tight. “And you’re so warm!”
In response, Femera started licking Arika’s chin with zeal.
“I’m guessing we all got an augment token, then?” Orion asked.
“Yes sir! What do you think—yow!” Honeypot darted his hand back from where he had tried to pet Femera. “That’s hot.”
“Don’t touch a lady without permission.” Arika sniffed, looking down her nose at him. “She does bonus fire damage when attacking now and has an innate fifty-percent damage-reduction to all physical attacks.”
“Hot damn!” Honeypot sucked his finger. “Don’t fuck with the fox—got it.”
The rest of the party used their tokens in quick succession after seeing the effect it had on Femera.
Choosing to augment his Swap ability, Orion was met with a notification that didn’t disappoint.
Swap has been augmented. Congratulations!
Swap
Tier 1 Level 5
Cooldown: 12 seconds
Swap any two friendly (self included) or enemy targets within 12 meters of the caster. Inanimate objects and items may now be substituted as Swap targets.
Augment: A second target is no longer required.
Orion let out a satisfied laugh.
The description of the token hadn’t exaggerated—the augment he had received was a serious upgrade to his ability. If Swap had been augmented at the start of this fight, he wouldn’t have needed to risk his life by sending himself into the path of Gileal’s advancing mouth—he could simply have sent the potion directly to the back of his throat from a safe ten—no, the range was twelve meters now.
It just keeps getting better as it levels…
Honeypot and Shadow also had a look of satisfaction rivaling Orion and Arika’s.
“Naturally,” Honeypot said, as obtusely as ever, “I augmented my Stealth. I now move at regular speed while invisible—not that slow, walking-through-molasses kind of trudging I’ve been doing.”
“Honeypot…” Arika stared at him. “You never told us you moved slower while in Stealth.”
He snorted.
“Like I’d tell you anything, cavorter of fires, tamer of foul beast—I was kidding!” He raised his arms at the advancing Femera, keeping her at bay.
“What about you, Shadow?” Orion asked. “You look like you just tasted the best meal of your life.”
“I augmented my Vicious Blow ability—it combined with Hilt Smash.”
“Combined?” Orion raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”
“Well, now my Vicious Blow interrupts casting and silences enemies for five seconds.”
Honeypot whistled.
“Damn, my man, that’s wild.”
Shadow grinned.
“I didn’t even tell you the best part—it does twenty percent more damage!”
Shadow and Honeypot both roared a laugh, and Orion shook his head with a smile.
“I can see you enjoyed your rewards,” the sonorous voice of Gileal said, drawing their attention. “I’ll take my leave now.”
“Where will you go?” Orion asked, shaking off the excitement of their augments.
“Further west. I’ve heard of a forest with giant trees. I think I’ll go that way and see if it truly exists.”
The somber creatures’ departure sobered their merriment, and they watched as Gileal left their sight—perhaps for the last time.