“Orion!” Arika’s face was pale.
Shadow dashed over to him, removing a shirt from his inventory before ripping it in half and wrapping it around the stump that had been Orion’s leg. The pain was unimaginable, but it felt almost familiar, just like the leg pain that accompanied his anxiety. Was it a premonition?
He had little time to dwell on it, as from behind them, a blur of green dashed and arrived in the center of the clearing.
“Welcome, my prey!” the Queen of the forest greeted with an inhuman voice. “I have been waiting oh so patiently for our bout, but what an opening act! I wanted to see if you could concentrate and finish your spell if I removed your leg… but for you to cancel her spell and lose your own leg for the effort.” She cackled in delight. “I could not have asked for a better entrance.”
The Queen of the Forest stood before them, looking like a bigger version of the mantis that they’d seen in the laboratory below. She was sporting a single scythe as an arm, the other missing appendage having not grown back after the scorpion removed it. The blade of the scythe appeared metal, as did the spikes protruding from her legs, head, and front of her abdomen.
Behind the Queen, her minions continued to advance, saved from Arika’s Explosion when Orion pushed her out of the way of the matriarch’s scythe.
“Don’t… attack yet…” Orion squeezed out through gritted teeth.
He knew the timing of any attack would be pivotal against an enemy with such insane speed. It was also clear that she was still playing with them. She could have killed at least one of them with her surprise attack, but had instead aimed for Arika’s leg. He shuddered, imagining the scythe separating his head instead.
“Not much of a welcoming!” Honeypot yelled, coming out of stealth. “You just amputated a guest without consent, you nipple-armored deviant.” Honeypot squinted at the boss questioningly. “Have you never heard the analogy of putting nipples on a breastplate? They’re rather useless, don’t you think?”
“They’re not nipples! They’re carapace spikes!” The Queen of the Forest looked down, rubbing some of the nipple-looking spikes with her forearm self-consciously. “They’re for defense, you cretin!”
Gizmo hummed in thought. “They do indeed appear to be nipples.”
“Whatever, lady.” Honeypot looked at her with a judgmental glance. “Just admit you’re into some weird shit. We’re a progressive lot, and we aren’t about to kink shame you, but don’t include innocence bystanders without consent, you amputation-fetish-having, nipple-armor-wearing, deviant-art-experiment gone wrong.”
“Y-you’re wearing a skirt!” The boss rubbed her nipple-spikes, radiating insecurity. “That’s what female humans wear!”
“It’s called fashion, sweetie.” Honeypot shook his head, giving her a look filled with pity. “Look it up. Maybe you can design something to cover those perverted spikes you’re—”
“ENOUGH!” She launched forward to attack the mouthy priest.
The boss was fast, but not faster than Orion’s spatial abilities. He swapped Honeypot with Gizmo, and the scythe sliced through the space where Honeypot’s neck had been—right above Gizmo’s head. The attack was meant to kill, but had nowhere near the speed of the attack that had severed Orion’s leg.
That means the unseen attack from behind was probably an ability.
If so, Orion hoped it had a really long cooldown.
“I require cutting, Queen!” Gizmo yelled with delight as he used Taunt.
The boss attempted just that, responding to his Taunt by swinging her scythe-limb down on the small robot again-and-again. Gizmo was in pure bliss as the blade met his body, unable to find purchase or damage his torso, but driving him into the ground further with every hit.
Shadow and Honeypot were already moving to attack the creature, Honeypot in stealth and Shadow sprinting at full speed. Shadow reached first, swinging down a Vicious Blow with all his might. The Queen of the Forest somehow sidestepped the attack, despite appearing to be completely focused on Gizmo. Honeypot appeared, lashing out with his scimitar, which was similarly dodged with ease.
The insectoid laugh rolled out across the clearing, the Queen of the Forest broadcasting her mirth even as she fixated on Gizmo with repeated blows.
“Even when I am under the effect of your foul magics, you cannot hope to hit me. My eyes and ears surround you. I can feel every underhanded attack that comes my way. I am one with the forest, and in my domain, you have no hope of winning.” She laughed again, swinging down her scythe-like arm as she deftly dodged every attack Shadow and Honeypot swung her way.
Orion watched on in dismay.
She can sense where the attacks are coming from? Even without looking?
He suspected that the eyes and ears she spoke about weren’t the monsters still approaching.
If not the monsters… then what?
Orion remembered the felled tree in the outer forest, and the decapitated plant monsters that had caused damage to the tree.
An idea came to his mind. It relied on a hunch, sure, but what other option did they have? Orion leaned toward Arika, who was still kneeling beside him, and pulled out one of her tentacle ear-plugs. He whispered his plan to her.
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He didn’t have time to explain in great detail, but he was thankful she didn’t ask any questions—she simply moved without a moment’s hesitation, putting a tree between herself and the giant boss, cutting line-of-sight. The second she was in her chosen position, her cast began.
Thirty seconds, Orion thought.
He started feeling faint, and realizing he hadn’t even taken a dose of healing for his leg, he pulled the cauldron out of his inventory. He drank. His spinning head improved almost instantly, and the pain in his leg changed into a prickly tingling.
He turned back to watch the fight against the Queen of the Forest unfolding. Shadow was still swinging and trying to hit the creature, but not a single blow could land. Honeypot was disappearing back into Stealth and backing away as Gizmo’s Taunt was about to expire. The small robot was now halfway into the soft ground, only the top half of his torso and head poking out.
With every passing moment, the horde of monsters got closer.
As a final blow landed on the robot before the Taunt would expire, his little metal limbs all shot forward, wrapping around the scythe and clinching himself to the offending appendage.
The Queen of the Forest lifted her scythe once more, but Gizmo came with it, his now dented body lifting out of the ground. The taunt ran out and the eyes of the mantis boss cleared of the telltale red-tint. She instantly swung her forearm backhanded into Shadow’s head. The sound of Gizmo’s body hitting Shadow was sickening, and the warrior was sent sprawling on the ground. He didn’t get up.
Fear spiked through Orion as he checked the party interface, but Shadow still had a portion of health left, and it began climbing slowly upwards as the healing from his tentacle hat kicked in.
The mantis shot to the center of the clearing once more. The plants all turned and followed her, focusing on the enemy that was latched onto their matriarch’s arm.
“Get off of me, you little cretin!” She lowered her head and started gnawing on Gizmo’s body, but just like her scythe, her mandibles were no match for the sturdiness of the little automaton’s body.
“Oh, not so nice when someone does stuff to you without consent, is it?” Honeypot demanded, appearing out of Stealth. “We have our own little sexual deviant! Feel the wrath of his degeneracy!”
“Mmmmmmmmmmmm.” Gizmo hummed in delight. “Bite me, queen. Right there, ooooOOOO.”
“DISGUSTING!” The Queen of the Forest let out a shattering screech that was louder than any that came before. She swung her scythe and the attached robot above her head in dizzying circles.
Gizmo’s effort to keep wasting the Queen’s time was valiant, but after another few rotations of her appendage, he came flying off, skidding along the ground and landing back at Orion’s feet.
“Hmmmm. I think I now understand love.”
“I don’t think that’s love…” Orion looked down at the robot with doubt etched on his features.
“Sorry, buddy…” Honeypot helped Gizmo to his feet. “I think we’re going to have to kill your lover.”
“Hmmmm. I do not seem to care.” Gizmo sat up. “Is that normal?”
Honeypot laughed. “Definitely not love, but that’s no reason to not enjoy your time together while you still can.” Honeypot smacked him on the behind. “Go get 'em, champ.”
Gizmo rolled back toward the now dizzy Queen of the Forest, letting out an anticipatory hum that was building in cadence as he approached. “I am coming, Queen!”
“Stay away from me!” She rushed into action, attempting to dash toward Shadow, who was closest to her in the clearing, still prone.
Honeypot appeared behind her mid-stride and attempted to stun her. Despite her dizziness, her abdomen slid to the side, dodging the attack. She turned, viciously lashing out with her scythe directly at Honeypot’s chest. Honeypot flicked his hand into the air, releasing what he held in his grasp.
Orion swapped him just in time, leaving only the Queen of the Forest and a pink-cloud of dust from where Honeypot had come. Honeypot arrived before Orion, patting his chest all over and looking for a mark.
“Phew. Thanks, boss.”
The Queen of the Forest coughed and sputtered as she breathed in the Bloodmoon Dust that Honeypot had left behind. She wiped her arm over her head and neck before cleaning the removed dust with her mouth, ingesting more of the toxic dust.
Gizmo hummed loudly in satisfaction as he got back in range to use his Taunt. Once again, the Queen’s eyes glowed the telltale red as she turned to him. She ran at and started pounding down on the little robot with relentless attacks as she screeched in frustration.
“This changes nothing!” The Queen tilted her head at an unnatural angle, staring directly at Orion. “I will slice you in two the second this runs out, puppet master! Flee now if you wish, it matters not. My ability is ready and will tear you asunder!”
So it was an ability that had severed his leg… an ability that was ready to use again.
Gizmo latched on straight away this time, causing the mantis to smash him repeatedly against the ground. The strength of the insectoid was lacking compared to the sturdiness of Gizmo, however, and his little body hitting the ground made thumping noises so quiet that they didn’t stand a chance of drowning out his gleeful hums at being rag-dolled.
Orion felt the source of Arika’s Explosion swell as the cast ended, and a jolt of panic hit him. There was no way he could get Gizmo out of the subsequent Explosion, but he also knew there was nothing he could do to change that. He’d just have to hope that he survived.
Orion gritted his teeth and watched as Arika’s Explosion ripped into existence right where he’d told her. It fully engulfed four of the trees on the northern side of the clearing, a few more being caught on the edge of the Explosion. Where the ability met trees, solid wood was turned to splinters and debris. The four trees began falling before the flames of the conflagration finished clearing, their colossal trunks falling at odd angles as their bases disintegrated.
Orion turned to look at the Queen of the Forest. She stood stunned, unseeing eyes fixated on the destruction that had ripped into being in the heart of her domain. An inhuman sound ripped out of her throat.
The horde of monsters was almost at the Queen’s position, and Orion could only hope that they were close enough to be hit by the last part of the plan as well.
Arika stepped forward from behind the tree to see the position of the boss.
“Mitigation!” Orion yelled at Gizmo in desperation, hoping he had his Metal Carapace ability still available.
Orion quickly used Time Bomb, and a touch of relief washed through him as he felt the ability take root. For a moment, it seemed it wouldn’t take hold; trying to apply it was like trying to squeeze a bar of wet soap.
Resolve unwavering, Arika used Invoke, and unleashed an Explosion that was unrivaled in power to anything any of them had seen in this world. The explosion tore into existence directly beneath the Queen of the Forest, knocking everyone back despite the distance from the edge of the ability.
With his eyes shut tight, Orion’s world was lit with a brilliant light that leeched through even his best attempts at blocking it out.
He opened his eyes to see an unmoving black lump in the center of the clearing. Behind the lump, over half of the three-headed monsters were still standing, undeterred by the flames and subsequent death of their comrades. Orion tried to get to his feet, but fell back down as his still-regrowing limb touched the ground and lanced pain through his body.
The lump began moving, and the Queen of the Forest unfurled her limbs as she shakily stood back up.
She tossed the lifeless body of Gizmo to the side, his eyes vacant of any light.